Written transcript of the lecture
The Meshkat-e Noor teachings series🌼🔆🌼The Perfect Model of the Perfect Servant🌼🔆🌼
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
🔅🌹 “The Secret of the Imamate of Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him” “The Secret of the Sense of Wholeness” “The Test of Innate Nature” “The Secret of the Ambiguous Verses” “The Night of the Birth of Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him” and more … An abridged account, with an addendum 1405.03.10 Ali Saʿi (ʿAbdullah Mishkat) 110.141(903) 🌹🔅
✳️✅ ❇️ 🔆✨💫🔆
❇️The Naqawi spiritual path
The journey and spiritual wayfaring from the sacred threshold of Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him, into the sacred, boundless precinct of the divine proofs
❇️Orator of the Shiʿa
Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is “the orator of the Shiʿa and the one who weds the houris”—that is, he is the surgeon of the nerves of beauty and delight in the human soul!
The station of al-Hadi is the station of “the veil of exaltation”: the secret of rising high and soaring in servitude!
❇️He shines without kindling fire
Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is that primordial radiance without heat: «و لو لم تمسسه نار»
He is the light of wholeness, light without fire, an essence of light that needs no impetus: God’s pure, chosen flame!
A light that needs no stimulus to shine, save the special gaze of the Illuminator of all light!
❇️The nature of the Naqawi way
To remain ignorant of the Naqawi presence is to suffer manifest loss in this world and the next, forfeiting the gift of the Naqawi way!
Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is a supreme divine station: «کل یوم هو فی شأن»!
Imam ʿAli al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is a Naqawi super-organ and a supreme nerve in the greater world of the human being! Without it, a person’s life is incomplete!
The absence of loyalty, love and knowledge of Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, cannot be made good by any sacrifice!
Each Imam is a magnificent realm of the unseen!
We must travel through the realm of each Imam’s imamate, explore it and make our home there! Without an Imam, a person has no homeland—he is a wanderer, even if he does not know it!
To enter the precinct of the Imamate, we need a special passport!
It is essential to obtain a passport to enter the realm of each Imam’s imamate!
Our greatest need of all is the gift of following each Imam’s leadership. We must beseech God for this need with all our hearts!
Without knowledge of, love for and obedience to the Imam, we are impoverished!
❇️Listening to the music of the unseen
Listen to the cadence of the Infallible’s words—with the ear of heart and soul—so that their hidden truth may be heard!
More lovely and beautiful than birdsong, most delicate and captivating: it opens innate nature, brings it to life, calls it into its proper station and sets the essence of being in motion! If only I could hear his beauty along with his words—what a wonder that would be.
Unwittingly, we imitate the words of His Eminence, and his beauty too. If we heard his words exactly as they are and beheld his beauty, an uproar would ensue.
Every note that issues from the Imam’s mighty instrument of being emerges from the greatest instrument of existence: the music of existence, an inward, celestial music!
Who could bear to hear it?!
It would be astonishing if a person did not lose himself!
❇️The inward admonishers
Honor the admonishers within you!
A true man is one who sets the admonishers of his heart in motion!
God’s Proof is the master of the admonishers in the human heart!
The light of God’s chosen friend shines in the hearts of believers—the light of an inner admonisher!
Have you listened with the ear of your heart to the counsels of Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him?!
The admonishers within you are God’s messengers in your heart.
Do not drive away or reject your inner admonishers; do not cast them out!
💫🔆عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ إِذَا أَذْنَبَ الرَّجُلُ خَرَجَ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَإِنْ تَابَ انْمَحَتْ وَ إِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ حَتَّى تَغْلِبَ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ فَلَا يُفْلِحُ بَعْدَهَا أَبَداً.
💫🔆أَشَارَ بِقَوْلِهِ ص إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْراً جَعَلَ لَهُ وَاعِظاً مِنْ قَلْبِهِ.
💫🔆وَ بِقَوْلِهِ ص مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ وَاعِظٌ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَافِظٌ.[1]
🔆It is related from Abu Basir that he said: I heard Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, say: “When a person commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents, that spot is erased; but if he persists in sin, the spot grows until it overwhelms his heart, and thereafter he will never attain salvation.”
This also alludes to the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family: “When God wills good for a servant, He places within his heart an admonisher.”
And also to his words: “Whoever has an admonisher within his heart will have a guardian from God watching over him.”
✨🔆الشمس : 8 فَأَلْهَمَها فُجُورَها وَ تَقْواها
Then He inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness,
💫🔆أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ تَسْمَعُ كَلَامِي وَ تَشْهَدُ مَقَامِي، وَ أَشْهَدُ لَكَ يَا وَلِيَّ اللَّهِ بِالْبَلَاغِ وَ الْأَدَاءِ، يَا مَوْلَايَ يَا حُجَّةَ اللَّهِ، يَا أَمِينَ اللَّهِ، يَا وَلِيَّ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ ذُنُوباً قَدْ أَثْقَلَتْ ظَهْرِي وَ مَنَعَتْنِي مِنَ الرُّقَادِ، وَ ذِكْرُهَا يُقَلْقِلُ أَحْشَائِي، وَ قَدْ هَرَبْتُ مِنْهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَ إِلَيْكَ، فَبِحَقِّ مَنِ ائْتَمَنَكَ عَلَى سِرِّهِ، وَ اسْتَرْعَاكَ أَمْرَ خَلْقِهِ، وَ قَرَنَ طَاعَتَكَ بِطَاعَتِهِ، وَ مُوَالاتَكَ بِمُوَالاتِهِ، كُنْ لِي إِلَى اللَّهِ شَفِيعاً، وَ مِنَ النَّارِ مُجِيراً، وَ عَلَى الدَّهْرِ ظَهِيراً.[2]
I testify that you know what I say and are present in my place. And I testify, O friend of God, that you conveyed the message and fulfilled your mission. O my master, O proof of God, O trusted one of God, O friend of God: there are sins between me and God that weigh heavily on my back and keep me from sleep; the thought of them makes my innermost being tremble. I have fled from those sins to God and to you. So, by the One who entrusted you with His secret, placed the affairs of His creatures in your hands, joined obedience to you with obedience to Himself, and joined love for you with love for Himself, intercede for me before God; shelter me from the Fire of Hell and aid me throughout my days.
❇️The Levels and Degrees of Growth
The Most Exalted God did not set out all levels and degrees on a single table; He spread them across different tables.
Could the Most Exalted Lord not have made one tree bear a single fruit containing the taste and qualities of every fruit?!
Surely there is a primordial tree, the mother of all fruits! All trees and fruits are translations of that very fruit!
The reason fruits and their flavours are spread out is to make understanding and experience possible!
The primordial star
The primordial flower
Primordial beauty
Primordial pleasure
Primordial time
Primordial place
This deserves special discussion!
❇️Connection to the heart and the essence of existence
The heart conveys pleasure to the other faculties of the body, and each expresses its own version of that pleasure. How fully they partake of it depends on how closely they are connected to the centre.
Drive ignorance out of yourself so that you may attain knowledge. Ignorance is a barrier to knowledge; it will instil fear of light and fear of purity!
Pledge allegiance to knowledge! Pledge allegiance to purity! Pledge allegiance to God’s Proof!
❇️God’s Proof: the secret of self-discovery
Recovery, self-discovery and self-understanding are possible only through God’s light.
How can we escape forgetting ourselves?!
If I have forgotten myself, I will forget God’s will and God’s law.
💫🔆Al-Ḥashr: 19 وَ لا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذينَ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنْساهُمْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ
🔆And do not be like those who forgot God, so He caused them to forget themselves. They are the defiantly disobedient.
A subtle point: The secret of «من عرف نفسه فقد عرف ربه» is this: whoever forgets God forgets himself. So whoever remembers God with goodness and radiance will remember himself—in other words, he will shine and come to life.
Forgetfulness dims a person; the authority of God’s Proof illuminates him.
❇️To journey through the soul of the Imam is to journey through the whole of existence.
The Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt are God’s earth!
✨🔆Al-Anʿām: 11 قُلْ سيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ انْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبينَ
🔆Say, “Travel through the land, then see what became of those who denied God’s signs!”
✨🔆Al-Naml: 69 قُلْ سيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الْمُجْرِمينَ
🔆Say, “Travel through the land and see what became of the wicked!”
✨🔆Al-ʿAnkabūt: 20 قُلْ سيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنْشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَديرٌ
🔆Say, “Travel through the land and see how He began creation. Then God will bring about the next creation. Surely God has power over all things!
✨🔆Al-Rūm: 42 قُلْ سيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الَّذينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ كانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُشْرِكينَ
🔆Say, “Travel through the land and see what was the end of those who came before you. Most of them were idolaters!”
💫🔆 عَنْ أَبِي الرَّبِيعِ الشَّامِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَقَالَ: عَنَى بِذَلِكَ أَيِ انْظُرُوا فِي الْقُرْآنِ، فَاعْلَمُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَ مَا أَخْبَرَكُمْ عَنْهُ.[3]
Abū al-Rabīʿ al-Shāmī is reported to have said: I asked Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon him, about the words of God, Mighty and Exalted: “Travel through the land and see what was the end of those who came before you.” He replied: “This [verse] means: look into the Qur’an, and learn what became of those who came before you, and what [the Qur’an] tells you about them.”
To journey through the silent Qur’an and to journey through the speaking Qur’an is to journey among realities.
The Qur’an is a living land, beyond time, and the Ahl al-Bayt are the same.
Who are the people of the Qur’an?
The secret of all things being encompassed in the Clear Imam!
Yā Sīn: 12 إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِ الْمَوْتى وَ نَكْتُبُ ما قَدَّمُوا وَ آثارَهُمْ وَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْناهُ في إِمامٍ مُبينٍ
Al-Nabaʾ: 29 وَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْناهُ كِتاباً
❇️ Why have we settled for the stillness and silence of Imamate?
The secret of Imamate has not been unlocked for us; we merely gaze at the screen of its silence! We have yet to see Imamate’s storms, its eruptions and galaxies; we have yet to gather fruit from its garden!
❇️ Imam al-Naqi’s username and password
What are Imam al-Naqi’s username and login password?!
❇️ Let us sow our souls in the vast earth of the Imam
Let us be planted in the land of Imamate so that we may come alive and blossom,
if our greater world were to awaken! What might we become! We have not yet come to know ourselves! We do not realise that we are a particular divine will!
We have not yet made the fullest use of our freedom of choice! Because we know nothing of our own potential! We have used ourselves merely to ride a bicycle! We do not know that we are birds soaring beyond the galaxies!
Our world lies silent and asleep! We sleepwalk! We have no desire to wake!
❇️ The Imam is our awakener
God’s Proof awakens the human world. Each of the Proofs awakens a part of our greater world! In other words, we must place ourselves under the guardianship and guidance of each and every one of the Proofs! To forget even one of them is an evident loss!
❇️ Taking a perfect exemplar as our model makes us one with that exemplar
The perfect exemplar is the perfect servant. Until we fully take that exemplar as our model, our servitude cannot reach completion!
When we put this into practice, we become a living representation of His Holiness, a manifestation of His reality, His lamp and His screen! A translation of His person!
For the truth of the human being to come alive through God’s Proof is to experience real life!
Why should we bury ourselves in earthly life? The earth is not a place to be buried in; it is where we blossom, break through the soil and lift our heads to the sky!
If the Imam awakens us, we will unleash a storm upon the world!
❇️ We are the ones veiled from the Imam
To say that the Imam is veiled from us means that we have not yet opened our eyes to behold his beauty!
We must become the paradise of each Imam!
The Naqawi and Hadiwi paradise is unique to His Holiness; it has no equal!
❇️ Leaping forward through Imamate
A human being must become the whole world to partake of all the world has to offer!
The human being is, in truth, a system of perception—a sublime, divine system of knowledge, will and volition!
The human being draws knowledge from the soul of the world, making scientific discoveries.
Each of the senses is an interpreter of knowledge!
The greater the power of the human senses, the wider their capacity to interpret knowledge!
Sights and sounds, melodies and flavours, smells, tastes and touch—all are distinctive translations of knowledge!
If the human being were to become the whole world and acquire the senses of the whole world, the Imam and God’s Proof are the means by which we attain this station!
The potential to encompass the whole world already exists within us; through the Imam, it becomes actual!
With the Imam, the whole world can be put to work in our service! If we draw upon the energy and potential of the entire world, we will become the source of great wonders! The true art of servitude will shine forth!
❇️If I am equipped with the whole universe, why is there nothing to show for it?
If human beings are equipped with all the resources of creation, why do they wander the earth in poverty?
We are equipped, but lack the software to make use of it. God’s proof is that very software: it sets us going and makes us aware of the resources of creation—and is even greater than that.
✨🔆Ibrahim: 32 اللَّهُ الَّذي خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ وَ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّماءِ ماءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَراتِ رِزْقاً لَكُمْ وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ لِتَجْرِيَ فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْأَنْهارَ
🔆It is God who created the heavens and the earth, sent down water from the sky, and brought forth from the earth, by means of it, fruits of every kind as provision for you. He has also made ships subject to you, so that they sail across the sea at His command, and has made the rivers subject to you;
✨🔆Ibrahim: 33 وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الشَّمْسَ وَ الْقَمَرَ دائِبَيْنِ وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَ النَّهارَ
🔆He has subjected the sun and the moon to you, each pursuing its course according to a fixed order; and He has subjected the night and the day to you.
✨🔆An-Nahl: 12 وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَ النَّهارَ وَ الشَّمْسَ وَ الْقَمَرَ وَ النُّجُومُ مُسَخَّراتٌ بِأَمْرِهِ إِنَّ في ذلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
🔆He has subjected to you the night and the day, the sun and the moon; and the stars, too, are subject to His command. Surely in this are signs of God’s greatness for those who use their reason.
✨🔆Al-Hajj: 65 أَ لَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ ما فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ الْفُلْكَ تَجْري فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَ يُمْسِكُ السَّماءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَؤُفٌ رَحيمٌ
🔆Have you not seen that God has made subject to you all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail across the oceans at His command? He holds the heavens [the celestial bodies and heavenly stones] in place, lest they fall upon the earth except by His command. Truly, God is compassionate and merciful to people.
✨🔆Luqman: 20 أَ لَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَ ما فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ أَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظاهِرَةً وَ باطِنَةً وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَ لا هُدىً وَ لا كِتابٍ مُنيرٍ
🔆Have you not seen that God has made subject to you all that is in the heavens and the earth, and has showered you with His blessings, both visible and hidden? Yet some people argue about God without knowledge, guidance, or an illuminating Book.
✨🔆Al-Jathiyah: 12 اللَّهُ الَّذي سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِيَ الْفُلْكُ فيهِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَ لِتَبْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
🔆It is God who has made the sea subject to you, so that ships may sail upon it at His command and you may seek His bounty—and so that you may give thanks for His blessings.
✨🔆Al-Jathiyah: 13 وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَ ما فِي الْأَرْضِ جَميعاً مِنْهُ إِنَّ في ذلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
🔆He has made subject to you all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, all from Him. Surely in this are signs for those who reflect.
❇️A comprehensive, unified understanding
The secret of seeing all the scenes of creation at once, tasting the whole universe in a single instant, and experiencing every delight in one moment!
All these aims are attainable through the all-encompassing means! One must ascend by means of a guide; to ascend without one is impossible!
If we hold fast to the Rope of God, we will reach the highest goals!
Find the divine means, and fly toward God!
✨🔆 Āl ʿImrān: 103 وَ اعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَميعاً وَ لا تَفَرَّقُوا وَ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْداءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْواناً وَ كُنْتُمْ عَلى شَفا حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْها كَذلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آياتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
🔆 Hold fast, all together, to God’s rope [the Qur’an and Islam, and every means of unity], and do not become divided. Remember God’s great blessing upon you: you were once enemies, but He brought your hearts together, and by His blessing you became brothers. You stood at the brink of a pit of fire, and He rescued you from it. Thus God makes His signs clear to you, so that you may be guided.
✨🔆 Āl ʿImrān: 112 ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ ما ثُقِفُوا إِلاَّ بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ حَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَ باؤُ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَسْكَنَةُ ذلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآياتِ اللَّهِ وَ يَقْتُلُونَ الْأَنْبِياءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ذلِكَ بِما عَصَوْا وَ كانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ
🔆 Wherever they are found, humiliation is stamped upon them, except through a bond with God [and a change in their blameworthy ways], or a bond with people [and dependence on one another]. They have incurred God’s wrath and have been stamped with wretchedness, because they rejected God’s signs and killed the prophets unjustly. This was because they sinned and transgressed against others’ rights.
❇️The secret of the means
أَيْنَ السَّبَبُ الْمُتَّصِلُ بَيْنَ الْأَرْضِ وَ السَّمَاءِ,
This means is the very greatest nerve of creation!
This means carries us to stations higher than Dhul-Qarnayn’s!
✨🔆 Ghāfir: 36 وَ قالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يا هامانُ ابْنِ لي صَرْحاً لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبابَ
🔆 Pharaoh said, “Hāmān! Build me a lofty tower, so that I may find a way
✨🔆 Ghāfir: 37 أَسْبابَ السَّماواتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلى إِلهِ مُوسى وَ إِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كاذِباً وَ كَذلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَ صُدَّ عَنِ السَّبيلِ وَ ما كَيْدُ فِرْعَوْنَ إِلاَّ في تَبابٍ
🔆to reach the heavens and learn about the God of Moses, though I think he is a liar.” Thus Pharaoh’s evil deeds were made to seem fair to him, and he was turned away from the right path. Pharaoh’s scheme—and that of those who thought like him—could only end in ruin!
✨🔆 Al-Baqarah: 166 إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَ رَأَوُا الْعَذابَ وَ تَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبابُ
🔆Then the leaders [who misled others] will disown their followers; they will see God’s punishment, and all their ties will be severed.
❇️My exalted being
We must breathe with Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad, peace be upon them, and experience life and servitude to God in the best possible way: see, feel, pray, worship, and live through them. Otherwise, we are leaves severed from the blessed tree!
To take them as our exemplars is to seek likeness to them!
✨🔆 Al-Aḥzāb: 21 لَقَدْ كانَ لَكُمْ في رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كانَ يَرْجُوا اللَّهَ وَ الْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثيراً
🔆You have in the Messenger of God an excellent example for those who place their hope in God and the Last Day and remember God often.
❇️Let us see, speak, and feel through the gaze, speech, and lips of God’s proofs
✨🔆 Al-Balad: 8 أَ لَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ عَيْنَيْنِ
🔆Have We not given him two eyes,
✨🔆 Al-Balad: 9 وَ لِساناً وَ شَفَتَيْنِ
🔆 One tongue and two lips?!
The crown of humanity is Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad, peace be upon them. If a human being activates this crown, it is with the supercomputer of Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad, peace be upon them.
💫🔆فِي رِوَايَةِ أَبِي الْجَارُودِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَوْلِهِ: يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مالًا لُبَداً قَالَ: هُوَ عَمْرُو بْنُ عَبْدِ وُدٍّ حِينَ عَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الْإِسْلَامَ يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ وَ قَالَ: فَأَيْنَ مَا أَنْفَقْتُ فِيكُمْ مَالًا لُبَداً، وَ كَانَ أَنْفَقَ مَالًا فِي الصَّدِّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَقَتَلَهُ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَ يَحْسَبُ أَنْ لَمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ قَالَ: فِي فَسَادٍ كَانَ فِي نَفْسِهِ. أَ لَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ عَيْنَيْنِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ وَ سَلَّمَ «وَ لِسَاناً» يَعْنِي أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ «وَ شَفَتَيْنِ» يَعْنِي الْحَسَنَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ. [4]
🔆In a report from Abu al-Jarud about Imam al-Baqir’s interpretation of God’s words, “I have destroyed wealth upon wealth,” he said: “These are the words of ‘Amr ibn ‘Abd Wudd, when Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, called him to Islam on the Day of the Trench. He said, ‘What, then, of the wealth I have amassed and spent in opposing you?’—for he had spent his wealth to turn people away from the path of God. Then Ali, peace be upon him, killed him. (God says:) ‘Does he imagine that no one has seen him?’ This refers to the corruption within him. (Then God says:) ‘Did We not give him two eyes?’ This refers to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. ‘And a tongue’ means the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. ‘And two lips’ means al-Hasan and al-Husayn, peace be upon them both.”
❇️A Journey through the World of the Words of Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi (peace be upon him)
❇️ إِنَّ الْخَالِقَ لَا يُوصَفُ إِلَّا بِمَا وَصَفَ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ
💫🔆 أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَلَوِيِّ عَنِ الْفَتْحِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ الْجُرْجَانِيِّ قَالَ: لَقِيتُهُ ع عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ عِنْدَ مُنْصَرَفِي مِنْ مَكَّةَ إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ وَ هُوَ سَائِرٌ إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ مَنِ اتَّقَى اللَّهَ يُتَّقَى وَ مَنْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ يُطَاعُ فَتَلَطَّفْتُ فِي الْوُصُولِ إِلَيْهِ فَوَصَلْتُ فَسَلَّمْتُ فَرَدَّ عَلَيَّ السَّلَامَ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا فَتْحُ مَنْ أَرْضَى الْخَالِقَ لَمْ يُبَالِ بِسَخَطِ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَ مَنْ أَسْخَطَ الْخَالِقَ فَقَمِنٌ أَنْ يُسَلَّطَ عَلَيْهِ سَخَطُ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَ إِنَّ الْخَالِقَ لَا يُوصَفُ إِلَّا بِمَا وَصَفَ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ وَ أَنَّى يُوصَفُ الَّذِي+ تَعْجِزُ الْحَوَاسُّ أَنْ تُدْرِكَهُ وَ الْأَوْهَامُ أَنْ تَنَالَهُ وَ الْخَطَرَاتُ أَنْ تَحُدَّهُ وَ الْأَبْصَارُ عَنِ الْإِحَاطَةِ بِهِ جَلَّ عَمَّا وَصَفَهُ الْوَاصِفُونَ وَ تَعَالَى عَمَّا يَنْعَتُهُ النَّاعِتُونَ نَأَى فِي قُرْبِهِ وَ قَرُبَ فِي نَأْيِهِ فَهُوَ فِي بُعْدِهِ قَرِيبٌ وَ فِي قُرْبِهِ بَعِيدٌ كَيَّفَ الْكَيْفَ فَلَا يُقَالُ لَهُ كَيْفَ وَ أَيَّنَ الْأَيْنَ فَلَا يُقَالُ لَهُ أَيْنَ إِذْ هُوَ مُبْدِعُ الْكَيْفُوفِيَّةِ وَ الْأَيْنُونِيَّةِ يَا فَتْحُ كُلُّ جِسْمٍ مُغَذًّى بِغِذَاءٍ إِلَّا الْخَالِقَ الرَّزَّاقَ فَإِنَّهُ جَسَّمَ الْأَجْسَامَ وَ هُوَ لَيْسَ بِجِسْمٍ وَ لَا صُورَةٍ لَمْ يَتَجَزَّأْ وَ لَمْ يَتَنَاهَ وَ لَمْ يَتَزَايَدْ وَ لَمْ يَتَنَاقَصْ مُبَرَّأٌ مِنْ ذَاتِ مَا رَكَّبَ فِي ذَاتِ مَنْ جَسَّمَهُ وَ هُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ الْوَاحِدُ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ. لَمْ يَلِدْ وَ لَمْ يُولَدْ وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌ مُنْشِئُ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَ مُجَسِّمُ الْأَجْسَامِ وَ مُصَوِّرُ الصُّوَرِ- لَوْ كَانَ كَمَا يَقُولُ الْمُشَبِّهَةُ لَمْ يُعْرَفِ الْخَالِقُ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَ لَا الرَّازِقُ مِنَ الْمَرْزُوقِ وَ لَا الْمُنْشِئُ مِنَ الْمُنْشَأِ لَكِنَّهُ الْمُنْشِئُ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَ مَنْ جَسَّمَهُ وَ صَوَّرَهُ وَ شَيَّئَهُ وَ بَيْنَهُ إِذْ كَانَ لَا يُشْبِهُهُ شَيْءٌ قُلْتُ فَاللَّهُ وَاحِدٌ وَ الْإِنْسَانُ وَاحِدٌ فَلَيْسَ قَدْ تَشَابَهَتِ الْوَحْدَانِيَّةُ فَقَالَ أَحَلْتَ ثَبَّتَكَ اللَّهُ إِنَّمَا التَّشْبِيهُ فِي الْمَعَانِي فَأَمَّا فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ فَهِيَ وَاحِدَةٌ وَ هِيَ دَلَالَةٌ عَلَى الْمُسَمَّى وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ وَ إِنْ قِيلَ وَاحِدٌ فَإِنَّهُ يُخْبَرُ أَنَّهُ جُثَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ وَ لَيْسَ بِاثْنَيْنِ وَ الْإِنْسَانُ نَفْسُهُ لَيْسَ بِوَاحِدٍ لِأَنَّ أَعْضَاءَهُ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ وَ أَلْوَانَهُ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ غَيْرُ وَاحِدَةٍ وَ هُوَ أَجْزَاءٌ مُجَزَّأَةٌ لَيْسَ سَوَاءً دَمُهُ غَيْرُ لَحْمِهِ وَ لَحْمُهُ غَيْرُ دَمِهِ وَ عَصَبُهُ غَيْرُ عُرُوقِهِ وَ شَعْرُهُ غَيْرُ بَشَرِهِ وَ سَوَادُهُ غَيْرُ بَيَاضِهِ وَ كَذَلِكَ سَائِرُ جَمِيعِ الْخَلْقِ فَالْإِنْسَانُ وَاحِدٌ فِي الِاسْمِ لَا وَاحِدٌ فِي الْمَعْنَى وَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ وَاحِدٌ لَا وَاحِدَ غَيْرُهُ وَ لَا اخْتِلَافَ فِيهِ وَ لَا تَفَاوُتَ وَ لَا زِيَادَةَ وَ لَا نُقْصَانَ فَأَمَّا الْإِنْسَانُ الْمَخْلُوقُ الْمَصْنُوعُ الْمُؤَلَّفُ- فَمِنْ أَجْزَاءٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ وَ جَوَاهِرَ شَتَّى غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ بِالاجْتِمَاعِ شَيْءٌ وَاحِدٌ … .[5]
💫🔆 Abu al-Qasim Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Alawi relates that Fath ibn Yazid al-Jurjani said: “On my way back from Mecca to Khurasan, I encountered the Imam (peace be upon him), who was bound for Iraq. I heard him say, ‘Whoever is mindful of God will be regarded with awe, and whoever obeys God will be obeyed.’ I then made every effort to approach him. When I drew near, I greeted him, and he returned my greeting. He then said, ‘O Fath! Whoever pleases the Creator need not fear the anger of creation; and whoever angers the Creator deserves to be overcome by the anger of creation as well. The Creator can be described only by the attributes with which He has described Himself. How can He be described, when the senses are incapable of apprehending Him, imaginations cannot reach Him, intellects cannot define Him, and sight cannot encompass Him? Exalted is He above what those who describe Him say, and far beyond what those who praise Him proclaim. He is distant in His nearness and near in His distance: in His distance He is near, and in His nearness He is distant. He brought “how” into being, so it cannot be asked of Him, “How?” He brought place into being, so it cannot be asked of Him, “Where?” For He is the originator of both “how” and place.’
O Fath! Every body is nourished by food, except the Creator, the Sustainer, who gave bodies their bodily nature while being no body Himself and having no form. He is neither divisible nor bounded; He neither increases nor decreases. He is far above the composite nature found in the essence of anyone who imagines Him to be a body. He is the Subtle, the All-Aware, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the One, the Unique, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is begotten, and none is His equal. He brings things into being, gives bodies their bodily nature, and shapes forms. If matters were as the anthropomorphists claim, the Creator could not be distinguished from the created, the Sustainer from those sustained, or the Originator from what is brought into being. Rather, He is the Originator; He is distinct from what He has made bodily, given form, and brought into being, for nothing is like Him.
I said, “God is one, and a human being is also one. Is there not a likeness in their oneness?”
He replied, “You are mistaken—may God make you steadfast! Likeness pertains to meanings; names, however, may be the same while referring to what is named. Although we say a human being is ‘one’, what we mean is that the body is a single whole, not two. But a human being is not truly one, since its limbs differ and its colours vary. It consists of distinct, dissimilar parts: blood is not flesh, flesh is not blood, nerves are not veins, hair is not skin, black is not white, and the same is true of all other creatures. Thus, a human being is one in name, not in meaning. But God—glorified and exalted is He—is One, and none besides Him is one. He admits neither difference nor variation, neither increase nor decrease. A human being, by contrast, is created, fashioned, and composed of diverse parts and scattered elements, which together form a single thing…”
❇️Resolving the Ambiguous
🌹 “The relation of God’s hand to God’s power is like the relation of God’s power to God’s Essence; and that, in turn, is like the relation of the Essence to ‘He’—of whom no one has knowledge, for He cannot be described.”
🌹 “The relation of God’s knowledge to God’s Essence is the furthest point of connection that created beings can have with His ‘He-ness’; and knowledge comes before the sign of the Divine ‘He’.”
🌹 All “expressions, allusions, and subtleties” used to describe the Lord are like paths leading to this exalted truth: He is greater than can be described!
Can you consider which book or class you are attending when describing the Lord: the class of expressions, or …
🌹 Without the Prophet’s Household, we will be unable to interpret and explain the descriptions and verses of the Qur’an! Every description must be interpreted and explained.
🌹 In the realm of ambiguities, it is impossible to escape resemblance, since every understanding passes through the heart and the intellect and takes shape in them—that is, it is fashioned by the intellect in its own likeness. For us, leaving resemblance behind means falling silent. Simply grasping this truth makes the meaning of “الله أكبر” clear to us.
🌹 We must travel this path through resemblance, intellect, and heart!
❇️Ambiguous Verses: A Test of Innate Nature
✨🔆al-Baqarah: 26 إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَسْتَحْيي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلاً ما بَعُوضَةً فَما فَوْقَها فَأَمَّا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَ أَمَّا الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ What أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِهذا مَثَلاً يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثيراً وَ يَهْدي بِهِ كَثيراً وَ ما يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلاَّ الْفاسِقينَ
🔆Godis not ashamed to set forth a parable, even of a mosquito or something smaller. Those who believe know that it is the truth from their Lord; but those who disbelieve say, “What does God mean by this parable?” By it He lets many go astray and guides many; but He lets none go astray by it except the defiantly disobedient.
In the test of ambiguous verses, only the defiantly disobedient fail!
Ambiguous verses create resemblance only in an unawakened innate nature: they become confused and give rise to doubt! A pure innate nature rightly interprets the ambiguous in light of the clear!
Every heart responds to ambiguous verses! They are like coded expressions!
Quranic ambiguities that are resolved through its clear verses form a special course in which our study of the ambiguous verses is brought to completion, enabling us to resist every insinuation born of ignorance, Satanic influence, or the self, and to recognize the truth!
Whoever resolves the ambiguities will succeed in recognizing the truth and knowing the Imam.
The heart’s response to ambiguous matters lies at the root of a person’s guidance or misguidance! A wholesome response helps correct errors and mistakes!
Ambiguous matters must be firmly grounded in what is clear!
Ambiguities point to realities beyond the reach of our thought, imagination, and understanding!
❇️Degrees of ambiguity
Ambiguous matters have degrees: every attribute is ambiguous when considered in relation to the Essence of the One,
as are the attributes that God has permitted us to use out of consideration for human limitations, those that must be interpreted in light of clear verses, and those that should not be used at all!
Some descriptions are also ambiguous in relation to other descriptions!
Absolute transcendence is the station of «کمال الاخلاص», which culminates in «نفی الصفات».
✨🔆Āl ʿImrān: 7 هُوَ الَّذي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتابَ مِنْهُ آياتٌ مُحْكَماتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتابِ وَ أُخَرُ مُتَشابِهاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذينَ في قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ ما تَشابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَ ابْتِغاءَ تَأْويلِهِ وَ ما يَعْلَمُ تَأْويلَهُ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَ الرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنا وَ ما يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُولُوا الْأَلْبابِ
🔆He is the One who sent down to you the Book. Some of its verses are clear and explicit; they are the foundation of the Book. Others are ambiguous. Those whose hearts are deviant pursue the ambiguous verses, seeking to sow discord and mislead people, and searching for an interpretation of their own. Yet none knows their interpretation except God and those firmly grounded in knowledge. They say, “We believe in all of it; it is all from our Lord.” But only people of understanding take heed and grasp this truth.
❇️A critique of the Mushabbiha viewpoint
Those who hold this view believe that the attributes of God and those of created beings do not differ in meaning or reference, and that they are used in precisely the same sense.
Because they liken God’s attributes to those of created beings, they are called «اهل تشبیه» or «مشبهه».
They believe that God, like a human being, has limbs and bodily parts; if God is All-Seeing, they say, He sees with eyes, and so on with His other attributes.
They base their position chiefly on the apparent meaning of certain verses and some narrations.
❇️Ambiguous expression: ان الله خلق آدم علی صورته
That is, Adam was created in the shape and form of God.
The attribution of “form” to the Divine Essence is an expression of reverence and exaltation. Exalted God is above having a form! This kind of attribution is like «بیت الله» and «روح الله»—an «اضافه تشریفیه و اکرامیه».
❇️Ambiguous expressions: روح الله، وجه الله، صورة الله
💫 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَمَّا يَرْوُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ فَقَالَ هِيَ صُورَةٌ مُحْدَثَةٌ مَخْلُوقَةٌ وَ اصْطَفَاهَا اللَّهُ وَ اخْتَارَهَا عَلَى سَائِرِ الصُّوَرِ الْمُخْتَلِفَةِ فَأَضَافَهَا إِلَى نَفْسِهِ كَمَا أَضَافَ الْكَعْبَةَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ وَ الرُّوحَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ بَيْتِيَ وَ نَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي.[6]
🔆Muhammad ibn Muslim relates: I asked Imam al-Baqir (AS) about what some people report—that “God created Adam in His own image.” The Imam replied: “That is a created, originated form and shape, which God chose and preferred over all the other forms, and then ascribed to Himself—just as He ascribed the Kaaba and the spirit to Himself, saying, ‘My House’ and ‘I breathed into him of My spirit.’”.
☘️Explanation and Commentary:
This very important hadith addresses an old objection concerning anthropomorphism and offers a sound interpretation of the report “خَلَقَ اللهُ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ”..
1. The roots of the objection:
Some people — particularly extreme traditionalists — have taken this report at face value, inferring a physical resemblance between God and humanity and imagining God in human form, which is incompatible with the doctrine of divine transcendence.
2. Imam al-Baqir’s response (AS): affirming God’s transcendence and offering a sound explanation:
The Imam (AS) categorically rejects any notion of resemblance and offers a precise interpretation:
☘️“هِیَ صُورَةٌ مُحْدَثَةٌ مَخْلُوقَةٌ”: This “form” is originated and created. It therefore cannot be the indescribable, unknowable essence of God. This is an explicit denial of anthropomorphism.
☘️“اصْطَفَاهَا اللَّهُ وَ اخْتَارَهَا”: This form is the one God chose from among all possible forms. In other words, the human form and stature—with its upright posture and particular features—was chosen by God as the vessel for the manifestation of the spirit.
☘️“فَأَضَافَهَا إِلَى نَفْسِهِ”: God ascribed this created, chosen form to Himself (an honorific attribution). This does not mean “essential resemblance”; it signifies a special connection and distinction.
An analogy to clarify the point: To make his meaning clearer, the Imam gives two familiar examples:
☘️“The Kaaba”: God says, “My House.” Does this mean that the Kaaba is a place where God resides? Certainly not. This is an honorific attribution, denoting distinction and a special connection.
☘️“The spirit”: God says, “نَفَخْتُ فِیهِ مِنْ رُوحِی” (“I breathed into him of My spirit”). Is this spirit a part of God’s essence? Certainly not. This too is an honorific attribution, signifying distinction and a special act of creation.
3. Summary of the sound interpretation:
According to this report, the meaning of “خَلَقَ اللهُ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ” is:
“God created the human being in that particular form and shape which He Himself chose and made fit for His most honored role; and, in recognition of its distinction, He ascribed that form to Himself.”
This is the most perfect and noble form among created beings, capable of receiving the special trusts of God..
Final conclusion:
This hadith is a striking example of the interpretive method of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS): while fully affirming God’s transcendence, they bring out the profound meanings of the narrations and prevent us from falling into anthropomorphism.
❇️Resemblance: the hand of God, God’s fingers, the coolness of the finger
💫🔆قَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ رَبِّ الْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ وَ قَوْماً وَصَفُوهُ بِيَدَيْنِ فَقَالُوا يَدُ اللَّهِ مَغْلُولَةٌ وَ قَوْماً وَصَفُوهُ بِالرِّجْلَيْنِ فَقَالُوا وَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ عَلَى صَخْرَةِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَمِنْهَا ارْتَقَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَ قَوْماً وَصَفُوهُ بِالْأَنَامِلِ فَقَالُوا إِنَّ مُحَمَّداً ص قَالَ إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَ أَنَامِلِهِ عَلَى قَلْبِي فَلِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الصِّفَاتِ قَالَ رَبِ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ يَقُولُ رَبِّ الْمَثَلِ الْأَعْلَى عَمَّا بِهِ مَثَّلُوهُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلى الَّذِي لَا يُشْبِهُهُ شَيْءٌ وَ لَا يُوصَفُ وَ لَا يُتَوَهَّمُ فَذَلِكَ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى وَ وَصَفَ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُؤْتَوْا مِنَ اللَّهِ فَوَائِدَ الْعِلْمِ فَوَصَفُوا رَبَّهُمْ بِأَدْنَى الْأَمْثَالِ وَ شَبَّهُوهُ بِالْمُتَشَابِهِ مِنْهُمْ فِيمَا جَهِلُوا بِهِ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ وَ ما أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا … .[7]
Imam al-Sadiq (AS): … The differing descriptions of the Throne are as follows: God, Blessed and Exalted, said, “Glory be to the Lord of the Throne, far above what they describe.” This description of the Throne signifies oneness (divine unity), for some people associated partners with Him, as I have told you. God, Blessed and Exalted, said, “The Lord of the Throne”—that is, the Lord of oneness—is far above what they describe.
Some described Him as having two hands, saying, “God’s hand is chained.” Others described Him as having two feet, saying, “He placed His foot upon the rock in Jerusalem and ascended from there to heaven.” And others described Him as having fingers, saying, “Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: ‘I felt the coolness of His fingers upon my heart.’”
It is on account of such descriptions that He said, “Glory be to the Lord of the Throne, far above what they describe.” That is, the Lord of the supreme likeness is far above the likenesses and counterparts they have ascribed to Him. “God has the supreme likeness”: nothing resembles Him; He cannot be described or conceived by the mind. That is the supreme likeness.
Those who have gained no benefit from God’s gift of knowledge described their Lord in the lowest terms, comparing Him to themselves through ambiguous matters of which they had no knowledge. Thus He said, “You have been given only a little knowledge.” ….
❇️Full presentation of the hadith
💫🔆مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْبَرْمَكِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ حَنَانِ بْنِ سَدِيرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْعَرْشِ وَ الْكُرْسِيِّ فَقَالَ إِنَّ لِلْعَرْشِ صِفَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً مُخْتَلِفَةً لَهُ فِي كُلِّ سَبَبِ وَضْعٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ صِفَةٌ عَلَى حِدَةٍ فَقَوْلُهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ يَقُولُ الْمُلْكُ الْعَظِيمُ وَ قَوْلُهُ الرَّحْمنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوى يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمُلْكِ احْتَوَى وَ هَذَا مُلْكُ الْكَيْفُوفِيَّةِ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ ثُمَّ الْعَرْشُ فِي الْوَصْلِ مُتَفَرِّدٌ مِنَ الْكُرْسِيِ لِأَنَّهُمَا بَابَانِ مِنْ أَكْبَرِ أَبْوَابِ الْغُيُوبِ وَ هُمَا جَمِيعاً غَيْبَانِ وَ هُمَا فِي الْغَيْبِ مَقْرُونَانِ لِأَنَّ الْكُرْسِيَّ هُوَ الْبَابُ الظَّاهِرُ مِنَ الْغَيْبِ الَّذِي مِنْهُ مَطْلَعُ الْبِدَعِ وَ مِنْهُ الْأَشْيَاءُ كُلُّهَا وَ الْعَرْشُ هُوَ الْبَابُ الْبَاطِنُ الَّذِي يُوجَدُ فِيهِ عِلْمُ الْكَيْفِ وَ الْكَوْنِ وَ الْقَدْرِ وَ الْحَدِّ وَ الْأَيْنِ وَ الْمَشِيَّةِ وَ صِفَةِ الْإِرَادَةِ وَ عِلْمُ الْأَلْفَاظِ وَ الْحَرَكَاتِ وَ التَّرْكِ وَ عِلْمُ الْعَوْدِ وَ الْبَدْءِ فَهُمَا فِي الْعِلْمِ بَابَانِ مَقْرُونَانِ لِأَنَّ مُلْكَ الْعَرْشِ سِوَى مُلْكِ الْكُرْسِيِّ وَ عِلْمَهُ أَغْيَبُ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْكُرْسِيِّ فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَيْ صِفَتُهُ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ صِفَةِ الْكُرْسِيِّ وَ هُمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مَقْرُونَانِ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَلِمَ صَارَ فِي الْفَضْلِ جَارَ الْكُرْسِيِّ قَالَ إِنَّهُ صَارَ جَارَهُ لِأَنَّ عِلْمَ الْكَيْفُوفِيَّةِ فِيهِ وَ فِيهِ الظَّاهِرُ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْبَدَاءِ وَ أَيْنِيَّتِهَا وَ حَدِّ رَتْقِهَا وَ فَتْقِهَا فَهَذَانِ جَارَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا حَمَلَ صَاحِبَهُ فِي الصَّرْفِ وَ بِمَثَلٍ صَرَّفَ الْعُلَمَاءُ and that they should infer [لِيَسْتَدِلُّوا] عَلَى صِدْقِ دَعْوَاهُمَا لِأَنَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشاءُ وَ هُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ فَمِنِ اخْتِلَافِ صِفَاتِ الْعَرْشِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى- رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ وَ هُوَ وَصْفُ عَرْشِ الْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ لِأَنَّ قَوْماً أَشْرَكُوا كَمَا قُلْتُ لَكَ قَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ رَبِّ الْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ وَ قَوْماً وَصَفُوهُ بِيَدَيْنِ فَقَالُوا يَدُ اللَّهِ مَغْلُولَةٌ وَ قَوْماً وَصَفُوهُ بِالرِّجْلَيْنِ فَقَالُوا وَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ عَلَى صَخْرَةِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَمِنْهَا ارْتَقَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَ قَوْماً وَصَفُوهُ بِالْأَنَامِلِ فَقَالُوا إِنَّ مُحَمَّداً ص قَالَ إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَ أَنَامِلِهِ عَلَى قَلْبِي فَلِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الصِّفَاتِ قَالَ رَبِ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ يَقُولُ رَبِّ الْمَثَلِ الْأَعْلَى عَمَّا بِهِ مَثَّلُوهُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلى الَّذِي لَا يُشْبِهُهُ شَيْءٌ وَ لَا يُوصَفُ وَ لَا يُتَوَهَّمُ فَذَلِكَ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى وَ وَصَفَ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُؤْتَوْا مِنَ اللَّهِ فَوَائِدَ الْعِلْمِ فَوَصَفُوا رَبَّهُمْ بِأَدْنَى الْأَمْثَالِ وَ شَبَّهُوهُ بِالْمُتَشَابِهِ مِنْهُمْ فِيمَا جَهِلُوا بِهِ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ وَ ما أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا فَلَيْسَ لَهُ شِبْهٌ وَ لَا مِثْلٌ وَ لَا عَدْلٌ وَ لَهُ الْأَسْماءُ الْحُسْنى الَّتِي لَا يُسَمَّى بِهَا غَيْرُهُ وَ هِيَ الَّتِي وَصَفَهَا فِي الْكِتَابِ فَقَالَ- فَادْعُوهُ بِها وَ ذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمائِهِ جَهْلًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَالَّذِي يُلْحِدُ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ يُشْرِكُ وَ هُوَ لَا يَعْلَمُ وَ يَكْفُرُ بِهِ وَ هُوَ يَظُنُّ أَنَّهُ يُحْسِنُ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ- وَ ما يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَ هُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ فَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمائِهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَيَضَعُونَهَا غَيْرَ مَوَاضِعِهَا يَا حَنَانُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى أَمَرَ أَنْ يُتَّخَذَ قَوْمٌ أَوْلِيَاءَ فَهُمُ الَّذِينَ أَعْطَاهُمُ اللَّهُ الْفَضْلَ وَ خَصَّهُمْ بِمَا لَمْ يَخُصَّ بِهِ غَيْرَهُمْ فَأَرْسَلَ مُحَمَّداً ص فَكَانَ الدَّلِيلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ حَتَّى مَضَى دَلِيلًا هَادِياً فَقَامَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَصِيُّهُ ع دَلِيلًا هَادِياً عَلَى مَا كَانَ هُوَ دَلَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ مِنْ ظَاهِرِ عِلْمِهِ ثُمَّ الْأَئِمَّةُ الرَّاشِدُونَ ع.[8]
💫🔆Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil al-Barmaki said: Husayn ibn Hasan related to us that my father related to me from Hannan ibn Sudayr, who said: I asked Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, about the Throne and the Footstool. He replied: “The Throne has many different attributes; in every context and place in the Qur’an, a distinct attribute of it is mentioned. Thus, His words, ‘Lord of the Mighty Throne,’ mean the Sovereign of the great dominion. And His words, ‘The All-Merciful established Himself upon the Throne,’ mean that He encompassed and mastered the dominion—and this is the dominion of the ‘how’ of things.
“Then, in their relation to one another, the Throne is distinct from the Footstool, for they are two of the greatest gateways to the unseen. Both are unseen, and they are joined together in the unseen. The Footstool is a visible gateway from the unseen, from which the emergence and manifestation of new occurrences (badaʾ) and of all things proceed. The Throne is an inward gateway, wherein are found knowledge of ‘how’ and ‘being’, of measure, limit and place, of will and the attribute of intention, and knowledge of words, movements, omissions, return and origination. Thus, in the domain of knowledge, these are two connected gateways: the dominion of the Throne is other than the dominion of the Footstool, and its knowledge is more deeply hidden than the knowledge of the Footstool. That is why He said, ‘Lord of the Mighty Throne’: that is, His attribute is greater than the attribute of the Footstool, and the two are connected in this reality.
”
I said: “May I be your ransom, then why is the Throne, in its excellence, adjacent to the Footstool?” He replied: “It is adjacent to it because knowledge of ‘how’ is in the Throne, while in the Footstool lie the manifest gateways of badaʾ, their becoming situated in space, and the fixed limits of their opening and closing. Thus, these two are neighbours, one bearing the other through change and transformation. The learned have illustrated this meaning with an example, in order to establish the truth of both claims. For God singles out for His mercy whomever He wills, and He is the Mighty, the Victorious.”»
Among the differing attributes of the Throne is this: God, Blessed and Exalted, said, “Glory be to the Lord of the Throne, far above what they describe.” This is the description of the Throne as divine oneness, for some people associated partners with Him, as I have told you. God, Blessed and Exalted, said, “Lord of the Throne”—that is, Lord of divine oneness—far above what they describe.
Some described Him as having two hands, saying, “God’s hand is shackled.” Some described Him as having two feet, saying, “He placed His foot upon the rock of Jerusalem and ascended from there to heaven.” Others described Him as having fingers, saying, “Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: I felt the coolness of His fingers upon my heart.”
It is on account of such descriptions that He said, “Glory be to the Lord of the Throne, far above what they describe”—that is, the Lord of the most exalted likeness is far above the likenesses and semblances they have fashioned for Him. “God has the most exalted likeness”: nothing resembles Him; He cannot be described or conceived by the imagination. That is the most exalted likeness.
Those who have received no benefit from God’s knowledge have described their Lord with the lowest likenesses, comparing Him to themselves through ambiguous matters of which they have no knowledge. That is why He said, “You have been given but little knowledge.” God, then, has no counterpart, likeness or equal. His are the most beautiful names, by which none but Him may be named. These are the names He describes in the Book, saying, “So call upon Him by them, and leave those who deviate concerning His names”—in ignorance and without knowledge. Whoever deviates concerning God’s names without knowledge commits shirk without realizing it, and disbelieves in God while thinking that he is doing good. That is why He said, “Most of them do not believe in God without associating partners with Him.” These are those who, without knowledge, deviate concerning God’s names and place them where they do not belong.
“O Hannan! God, Blessed and Exalted, commanded that a certain people be taken as friends: those whom God favoured and singled out for what He did not grant to others. So He sent Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. By God’s permission, he was a guide and a proof of God until he passed away, remaining a guiding proof. Then his successor, peace be upon him, rose up as a guiding proof of what he had indicated from his Lord’s command, through the outward knowledge he possessed. Then came the rightly guided Imams, peace be upon them.”»
🌼Ali Saʿi (Abdullah Mishkat) 110.141 (903)🌼
❇️A Systematic Summary of the Session “Light Without Fire”
“The Secret of the Imamate of Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him; the Secret of the Perfect Sense; the Trial of Innate Nature; the Secret of the Ambiguous Verses”
🧭 Part One: The Naqawi Path and Gnosis
1. The Naqawi Path
True spiritual wayfaring enters the sanctuary of the Imams through the gateway of Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him).
Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) is “the orator of the Shia and the one who weds them to the houris”—a neurosurgeon of beauty and delight in the human soul.
His station is “the Veil of Exaltation”: the secret of rising high and reaching the summit of servitude.
2. Light Without Heat
Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) manifests as “a light that shines without heat”—the pure essence of divine light.
This alludes to the verse “وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ” (a light that needs no external stimulus).
3. The Naqawi Way
To remain ignorant of the Naqawi realm is to suffer loss in this world and the next.
Each Imam is a “celestial homeland.” Without an Imam, a person is rootless and adrift.
Entry into the sanctuary of the Imamate requires a “special passport.”
🧠 Part Two: Listening to the Celestial and the Inner Preachers
4. Listening to Celestial Speech
The words of the Infallible must be heard with the ear of the heart: they are gentler than birdsong and more awakening to our innate nature.
If we were to perceive the Imam’s words and beauty directly, a Resurrection would unfold.
5. The Inner Preachers
God’s Proof is the foremost preacher of the heart.
A narration from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sin leaves a dark spot on the heart; repentance erases it, while persistence in sin makes it grow.
A Prophetic hadith: “إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْراً جَعَلَ لَهُ وَاعِظاً مِنْ قَلْبِهِ.”
🔍 Part Three: Ranks, Means, and God’s Proof
6. Ranks and Degrees of Perfection
God has not laid every degree on a single table, so that experience and understanding may be possible.
There is a “mother tree,” or “mother of fruits,” of which all fruits are translations.
7. Connection to the Essence of Being
Ignorance stands in the way of knowledge; through knowledge, pledge allegiance to purity and God’s Proof.
Self-knowledge is possible only through God’s light (alluding to the verse “نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنْساهُمْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ”).
8. Journeying Through the Imam’s Soul = Journeying Through the Entire World
The Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt are “God’s earth.”
In narrations, journeying through the earth is interpreted as “journeying through the Quran” (Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him).
“کُلُّ شَیْءٍ أَحْصَیْنَاهُ فِی إِمَامٍ مُبِینٍ”
🔐 Part Four: Challenges and the Secrets of the Imamate
9. Why Have We Settled for the Imamate’s Silence?
The secret of the Imamate has not been revealed to us; we only gaze at the “screen of silence.”
10. The Naqawi Imam’s Username and Password
“An unanswered question in the text—a call to reflect.”
11. Let Us Plant Our Souls in the Imam’s Boundless Earth
The human being is a transgalactic bird, yet sleeps in heedlessness.
To take a model is to embody it. The perfect servant is the perfect exemplar.
12. We Are Absent from the Imam
The Imam’s veiling from us means that we do not see his beauty.
We must become “the paradise of each Imam”; the Naqawi paradise has no substitute.
🌌 Part Five: Leaping Forward Through the Imamate and Gaining a Comprehensive Understanding
13. Let the Human Being Become the Whole World
The human being is a divine system of perception and will.
The senses are the translators of the sciences. If a human being becomes the whole universe, they acquire the senses of the whole universe.
The Imam is the operating software for the apparatus of creation.
14. Why, with all this equipment, do we live in poverty?
We have the equipment, but not the operating software—the Imam.
Numerous verses: «سَخَّرَ لَکُمْ مَا فِی السَّمَاوَاتِ…»
15. The connecting means between earth and heaven
«أَیْنَ السَّبَبُ الْمُتَّصِلُ…» Means = the great nerve of creation.
Without this means, ascent to the highest stations is impossible.
🧩 Part Six: Ambiguous Verses, Divine Transcendence, and Critique of Anthropomorphism
16. Resolving the ambiguous verses
“The Hand of God” stands in relation to “the Power of God” as “power” stands in relation to God’s Essence.
Without the Ahl al-Bayt, interpreting and elucidating the ambiguous verses is impossible.
The ambiguous verses are a test of humanity’s innate nature. Only the transgressors go astray in them.
17. Critique of anthropomorphism
The narrations «خَلَقَ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ» signify an honorific attribution, as in “the House of God” and “the Spirit of God.”
Every notion of a hand, foot, or finger belonging to God is rejected. «لَیْسَ کَمِثْلِهِ شَیْءٌ»
A hadith from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, criticizing those who described God as having hands, feet, and fingers.
18. Summary of the hadith on the Throne and the Footstool
The Throne and the Footstool are two gates to the unseen.
The Footstool: the gate to the outward aspect of the unseen.
The Throne: the gate to the inward aspect of the unseen—the knowledge of how things are, divine will, volition, and badaʾ.
Whoever deviates concerning God’s names becomes a polytheist without realizing it.
🌸 Final Part: Overall Conclusion
Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is the manifestation of “light without fire” and the gateway to the spiritual journey toward God.
Knowledge of, love for, and obedience to the Imam are conditions for salvation and self-knowledge.
The Quran’s ambiguous verses cannot be resolved without the Ahl al-Bayt; they are a test of humanity’s innate nature.
Absolute transcendence means rejecting every form of anthropomorphism and corporealism.
The ultimate aim: to leap through the Imamate, attain a comprehensive and unified understanding of existence, and become “a translation of His Eminence.”
❇️Supplement and Mystical Elaboration
🌹 A Supplement and Mystical Elaboration on “The Mystery of the Imamate of Imam al-Hadi, Peace Be upon Him” 🌹
1. “Light without fire”—a flame that does not burn
Literary and mystical richness:
Light without fire is a metaphor for “pure actuality,” which manifests itself without need of matter, a substratum, or a mover. Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is the manifestation of that “white flame” in the dark night of possibility: a light that opens the way, the very essence of life. This light is «نورُ علی نور».
Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is the link that joins this light to yearning souls.
2. Further elaboration on the “connecting means”—the great nerve of creation and the ladder to the celestial realm
Philosophical and mystical richness:
The means is not merely an instrument; it is the “connecting reality” between earth and heaven, creation and the Real. Dhul-Qarnayn reached the three regions by means, but Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, is himself the «سببُ الاسباب حضرت مسبب الاسباب» and “the nerve that connects the whole world to the placeless realm of being.”
“The Quran’s ambiguous verses are dewdrops on its leaves: look with the outward eye, and you will see an illusion; open your heart through the Guide, and each drop becomes an infinite ocean.
The transgressor sees ignorance in them; the believer, wisdom; and the Imam is the Path itself.”
4. Further Elaboration on “Emulating the Exemplar” — The Perfect Exemplar Made Manifest
Practical and spiritual richness:
Emulating the exemplar is not imitation; it is the manifestation of the Lord’s reality in the servant’s being. The perfect servant becomes such a mirror of the exemplar that no distinction remains between the two. This is not «کونوا لنا جَنةً», but «کونوا لنا آیة»: a reflection of the beauty and perfection of the Infallible, embodied in a human being of clay.
A richer expression:
“Until you take the exemplar to heart, you cannot become a servant.
To emulate the exemplar is to clothe yourself in the Beloved’s robe without weaving one of your own.
Imam Hadi is the exemplar who, if he takes shape within you, leaves nothing of you but light.”
5. Expanding on the “Secret of Complete Perception” — The Joy of Presence in the Celestial Realm
Ontological richness:
“Complete perception” stands in contrast to “incomplete perception.” Ordinary people perceive only one dimension of the world—incomplete perception—whereas the Imam (peace be upon him) and the seeker guided to the path perceive the whole world in a single instant. This “complete perception” means tasting the Throne, the earth, the visible and invisible realms, the realm of divine might, and the world of humankind in a single draught.
Literary rendering:
“Complete perception means sensing with your whole being, not with your throat or hand.
It is a perception in which seeing is hearing, and hearing is tasting.
Imam Hadi is the teacher of this perception: he teaches the servant how, with a single glance, to breathe in all the galaxies.”
6. Further Elaboration on “The Description of the Naqawi” — A Land That Calls to You
Mystical and artistic richness:
“The Naqawi land” is not merely a spiritual station; it is a land of varied climates:
The climate of love (its air is longing)
The climate of knowledge (its soil is light)
The climate of service (its waters are service to the deprived)
The climate of beauty (its sky rains light)
A poetic expansion:
“O traveller astray in the byways of the ego!
The Naqawi land is found not on a worldly map, but on the map of the heart.
Its passport is the tears of the night; its guide, yearning; and its travel fare, unadorned remembrance.”
7. Concluding Further Reflections — From “Resemblance” to “Unity” Under the Guidance of Imam Hadi (peace be upon him)
A summary of the richer expression:
Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) is “a light without fire”—pure actuality, requiring no matter.
His “connected cause” is the great nerve of creation and the bridge between earth and heaven.
The ambiguous verses can be understood only through the interpretation of the Household of the Prophet; they are a test of innate human nature.
Emulating the exemplar means that the exemplar is made manifest in the seeker’s being.
“Complete perception” means perceiving all levels of existence at once.
The Naqawi land is a realm one can enter only with a pure and loving heart.
🍃 Final melody:
“If one day you hear Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) with the ear of your heart,
you will see that every letter of existence
repeats just one name:
الله…
And the Imam is the mirror that reveals this name without a word.”
❇️ Part One: The Naqawi Wayfaring — From the Gate of Hadi to the Sanctuary of the Imams
Connecting believers to spiritual and transcendent joys
Restoring lost innate balance
Preparing the human faculties of perception to receive the truth of beauty and the delights of nearness to God
❇️ Part Two: Light Without Fire—A Flame That Does Not Burn
Imam Hadi, peace be upon him, is the manifestation of “a light that shines without heat.”
❇️ Part Three: Describing Naqaviyya—A Land Called Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi
To enter the sacred precinct of any Imam, we need a special passport:
A passport of knowledge
A passport of love
A passport of following
Answer to the question, “What are the Imam of the Naqi tradition’s username and password?”
Username: “A servant who loves God”
Password: “A pure, yearning heart”
❇️ Part Four: Inner Preachers—A Sermon Made of Light
God’s proof is the master preacher of the human heart.
Honor the call of the preacher within you; do not drive it away or reject it. Do not let its pulpit stand empty. Imam Hadi, peace be upon him, is the greatest of preachers, whose counsel must be heard with the ear of the heart.
❇️ Part Five: Ambiguous Verses—A Test of Innate Nature or a Pitfall of Misguidance
The point is this: ambiguous verses admit of several interpretations and may be misunderstood.
The noble verse:
“هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ…” (Al-Imran: 7)
Mystical reflection:
Ambiguities are not confined to the Quran; every attribute of God, when related to His Essence, is ambiguous.
Those firmly grounded in knowledge—the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them—know the interpretation of the ambiguous verses and teach it to us.
Ambiguous verses test our innate nature. The wayward go astray over them, while believers, guided by the light of the Prophet’s family, reach the truth.
Example: “The hand of God”—“hand” means power and blessing, not a bodily limb. Just as we say, “The government has an open hand,” meaning that it is generous.
A report concerning “God created Adam in His image”:
He said: “It is an originated, created form that God chose and ascribed to Himself, just as He called the Kaaba ‘My House’ and the spirit ‘My Spirit.’” (An honorific attribution, not an assertion of essential likeness.)
❇️ Part Six: Means and the Connected Means—A Ladder to the Heavenly Realm
In the Noble Quran, a means is a way of connecting to higher realities. Pharaoh said: “ابْنِ لِي صَرْحاً لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ” (Ghafir: 36)—but he did not know the true means.
The true means is God’s proof: a nerve that connects the earthly world to the heavenly realm. Dhul-Qarnayn reached the three regions by means of the means, but Imam Hadi, peace be upon him, is himself the “Means of Means,” the One who brings all means into being.
Practical point:
By holding fast to “the rope of God”—the Quran and the Prophet’s family—we can attain the highest degrees:
“وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعاً” (Al-Imran: 103)
❇️ Part Seven: Emulating the Exemplar—Becoming Like the Embodied Ideal
“لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ” (Al-Ahzab: 21)
When our emulation becomes a lived reality, we become a reflection of His Holiness: a lamp that reflects his light.
❇️ Part Eight: The Human Being as the Whole World—From Potential to Actuality
God has made all that is in the heavens and the earth subservient to humankind (as stated in several verses in the chapters of Ibrahim, al-Nahl, al-Hajj, Luqman, and al-Jathiya). Yet why do so many of us live in poverty?
The answer:
In potential, the human being is equipped with the full apparatus of creation.
But they lack the software needed to use this equipment.
That software is the Imam, God’s Proof.
God’s Proof brings the human being from potentiality to actuality. Through the Imam, one can attain “complete perception”: that is, perceiving all the levels of existence simultaneously, in a single instant.
❇️ Section Nine: Summary of the Hadith of the Throne and the Footstool
Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said of the Throne and the Footstool:
The Throne and the Footstool are two of the greatest gates to the unseen.
The Footstool is an outward gate to the unseen, from which all things come into being.
The Throne is an inward gate, where the knowledge of “how,” “divine will,” “will,” and “abrogation” resides.
Those who describe God as having hands, feet, and fingers (the anthropomorphists) possess no true knowledge.
God has the “highest likeness,” and nothing is like Him.
«وَ لِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلی» (al-Nahl: 60)
A note on divine transcendence: Any likening of God to created beings is associating partners with Him.
🌸 Section Ten: Spiritual Benefits for the Reader (Added)
Though this text is mystical and mysterious, it offers the spiritual wayfarer the following practical benefits:
| No. | Practical benefit | Corresponding duty |
| 1 | Recognising Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, as “light without fire” | Reciting Ziyarat al-Jami‘a al-Kabira with attention to his luminous qualities |
| 2 | Avoiding any likening of God to created beings | Studying and teaching the narrations on divine transcendence transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them |
| 3 | Attending to the inner admonisher | Giving up sins that deepen the dark spot in the heart |
| 4 | Striving to “emulate the exemplar,” rather than claiming to be identical to him | Taking practical guidance from Imam al-Hadi’s conduct in ethics and worship, peace be upon him |
| 5 | Attaining “complete perception” of existence | Practising Islamic contemplation—reflecting on the verses and signs—with a present heart |
| 6 | Earning a passport to enter the land of Imamate | Deepening one’s knowledge of and love for, and obedience to, the Imam of our time, may God hasten his noble advent |
💎 Conclusion
Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him:
Is light without fire: a flame that shines but does not burn.
Is a heavenly realm; without him, the human being is homeless and adrift.
Resolves what is ambiguous; through his interpretation, the innate disposition is rescued from the pitfall of anthropomorphism.
Is the link between earth and heaven, a ladder without which ascent is impossible.
Is the perfect exemplar; emulating him brings servitude to its fullest perfection.
A final refrain:
If one day you hear Imam al-Hadi with the ear of the heart, you will see that every letter of existence repeats just one name: “Allah” … and the Imam is the mirror that reveals this name without letters—not that he himself is that name.
[1] Bihar al-Anwar (Beirut edition), vol. 70, p. 327Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir ibn Muhammad Taqi, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, second edition, 1403 AH.
[2] Al-Mazar al-Kabir (by Ibn al-Mashhadi); p. 211 Ibn Mashhadi, Muhammad ibn Ja‘far, Islamic Publications Office affiliated with the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, Qom, first edition, 1419 AH.
[3] Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn vol. 4 191 Huwayzi, ‘Abd ‘Ali ibn Jum‘ah, Isma‘ilian, Iran, Qom, 4th edition, 1415 AH.
[4]Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn vol. 5 580 Huwayzi, ‘Abd ‘Ali ibn Jum‘ah, Isma‘ilian, Iran, Qom, 4th edition, 1415 AH.
[5] Al-Tawhid (by al-Saduq); p. 61 Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, Society of Seminary Teachers, Iran, Qom, first edition, 1398 AH.
[6] Al-Kafi (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 134 Kilini, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, Tehran, fourth edition, 1407 AH.
[7] Al-Tawhid (by al-Saduq); p. 321 Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, Society of Seminary Teachers, Iran, Qom, first edition, 1398 AH.
[8] Al-Tawhid (by al-Saduq); p. 321 Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, Society of Seminary Teachers, Iran, Qom, first edition, 1398 AH.
