The Cosmic Anthem of Divine Oneness

🌼🔆🌼The Creation of a “Tawhid Gathering”🌼🔆🌼

🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹

🔅🌹 “The Geography of Jawadi Knowledge”  “All tongues concur in His oneness”  “The Mystery of Creation”  “Deep Understanding”  “The Eve of the Martyrdom of Imam Jawad (AS)” and more … An abstract with an addendum       1405.02.26    Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)  🌹🔅

❇️The geography of Jawadi knowledge!

The reach of Imam Jawad’s (AS) knowledge extends from before creation to after it!

Imam Jawad (AS) is the key to knowing each person’s self—the self on the scale of the Greater World, with all its veins and roots.

💫🔆قَالَ الْبُرْسِيُّ فِي مَشَارِقِ الْأَنْوَارِ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُ‏ جِي‏ءَ بِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع إِلَى مَسْجِدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص بَعْدَ مَوْتِ أَبِيهِ وَ هُوَ طِفْلٌ وَ جَاءَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَ رَقِيَ مِنْهُ دَرَجَةً ثُمَّ نَطَقَ فَقَالَ أَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الرِّضَا أَنَا الْجَوَادُ أَنَا الْعَالِمُ بِأَنْسَابِ النَّاسِ فِي الْأَصْلَابِ أَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِسَرَائِرِكُمْ وَ ظَوَاهِرِكُمْ وَ مَا أَنْتُمْ صَائِرُونَ إِلَيْهِ عِلْمٌ مَنَحَنَا بِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِ خَلْقِ الْخَلْقِ أَجْمَعِينَ وَ بَعْدَ فَنَاءِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرَضِينَ وَ لَوْ لَا تَظَاهُرُ أَهْلِ الْبَاطِلِ وَ دَوْلَةُ أَهْلِ الضَّلَالِ وَ وُثُوبُ أَهْلِ الشَّكِّ لَقُلْتُ قَوْلًا تَعَجَّبَ مِنْهُ الْأَوَّلُونَ وَ الْآخِرُونَ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ الشَّرِيفَةَ عَلَى فِيهِ وَ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ اصْمُتْ كَمَا صَمَتَ آبَاؤُكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ.[1]

🔆When His Eminence al-Rida (AS) was martyred, Imam Jawad (AS) came to the Mosque of the Messenger of God, mounted the pulpit, and said:

I am Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad. I know the lineages of all people, those born and those yet unborn. I know your outward and inward selves better than you do. We possessed this knowledge before the creation of the universe, and will possess it after the universe has passed away. Were it not for the displays of hostility against us by the people of falsehood and their rulers, and were it not for the common people and their doubts, I would tell you things that would astonish everyone. Then Imam Jawad placed his hand over his mouth and said, “Be silent, as your forefathers were silent.”

It is also recorded in history that, after His Eminence al-Rida (AS) passed away, a group of leading scholars came to Medina and asked Imam Jawad (AS) thirty thousand questions over the course of a few days. He answered every one of them without hesitation or reflection.

❇️A fresh dive into the words of Imam Jawad (AS)!

Unearthing further pearls from the tawhid-centered words of Imam Jawad (AS): all tongues concur in the oneness of Allah

🌷🔆 عَنْ أَبِي هَاشِمٍ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ الثَّانِيَ ع مَا مَعْنَى‏ الْوَاحِدِ فَقَالَ إِجْمَاعُ الْأَلْسُنِ عَلَيْهِ بِالْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى‏ وَ لَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ‏.[2]

🌷🔆It is narrated from Abu Hashim Ja‘fari that he said: I asked Abu Ja‘far the Second, Imam Jawad (AS), “What does ‘One’ mean?” He replied, “The harmony of all tongues in affirming His oneness, just as God Most High has said: ‘If you ask them who created them, they will surely say, “God.”’

❇️Ahad and Wahid

“Wahid” signifies singularity, individuality, oneness, uniqueness, matchlessness, unity, being one, and being solitary.

“Ahad” negates every kind of shirk: partnership, hierarchy, gradation, likeness, substitution, and attribution.

“Say: He is Allah, Ahad”: Allah is He alone; there is no god but Him!

❇️The harmony of tawhid

The melody of tawhid belongs to the realm of knowledge, existence, voice, music, beauty, majesty, delight, serenity, love, and the like.

For example, a flower is a powerful testament to tawhid, a sublime vision of tawhid,

No one can help taking delight in the sight of flowers, clouds, sunrise and sunset—in the landscapes of existence—for they are a melody woven from these scenes, echoing the call of divine oneness! This call rises from the innate nature of all things and resounds in their hearts and minds!

Innate nature translates the melody of divine oneness in every form!

Tawhid is the shared hymn of all that lies beyond existence and all that exists!

❇️The call of tawhid is eternal!

Tawhid is the melody that forever plays in the soul of creation.

❇️Creation is a gathering devoted to tawhid

Every phenomenon in the created world joins in the song of tawhid!

The world of existence is a tree of tawhid, with all kinds of branches and leaves, fruits and flowers, and fragrance,

❇️Tawhid: a shared language

Throats bear witness to God’s oneness! Reed and flute sing its melody!

The “Yes” of «الست بربکم» is constant, eternal and unceasing; tawhid is an enduring song whose light never fades!

Existence has been imbued with tawhid: it is creation’s first and final taste, its most sublime sensation!

Since all things are signs of God, and «الله» is the One, the Unique, tawhid is woven into them before the very life of creation! Tawhid stands at the forefront of existence, preceding and leading all things!

❇️Polytheism is the greatest illusion,

to give identity to nonexistence is a vast delusion! A great lie, a confession of profound ignorance!

If all things are encompassed by knowledge, there is no place for polytheism!

All that exists is a wick lit by knowledge—and that is the radiance of tawhid!

❇️Every phenomenon is a unique signature of tawhid

Every phenomenon has its own distinct vibration, its own frequency, its own special signature of divine oneness!

Every substance, particle and element bears a unique signature of tawhid!

All beings are vibrations of tawhid, adorned with its many-colored manifestations!

If each vibration were to become sound, light, taste, touch or thought, it would give rise to a varied world of perceptions and ideas shaped by tawhid!

❇️God is the greatest witness to tawhid

If «الله» is the supreme testimony, then this testimony reigns over the very soul of the elements and pillars of the universe.

✨🔆Al-An‘am: 19   قُلْ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهادَةً قُلِ اللَّهُ شَهيدٌ بَيْني‏ وَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هذَا الْقُرْآنُ لِأُنْذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَ مَنْ بَلَغَ أَ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً أُخْرى‏ قُلْ لا أَشْهَدُ قُلْ إِنَّما هُوَ إِلهٌ واحِدٌ وَ إِنَّني‏ بَري‏ءٌ مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ

🔆Say: “Whose testimony is the greatest?” Then say: “God is witness between me and you. This Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you, and all those whom it reaches, against disobeying God’s command. Do you truly testify that there are other gods alongside God?” Say: “I would never bear such testimony.” Say: “He alone is the one God, and I am free of the partners you ascribe to Him!”

❇️The angels and people of knowledge join God in bearing witness to tawhid

Al ‘Imran: 18   شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْعَزيزُ الْحَكيمُ

God bears witness—through the unity He has established in the order of the universe—that there is no god but Him. The angels and people of knowledge likewise bear witness, each in their own way, while He upholds justice throughout all creation. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

❇️The Friends of God Join in the Testimony to His Oneness

💫🔆فِي كِتَابِ كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَ تَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ بِإِسْنَادِهِ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ الْعَمْرِيِ‏ قُدِّسَ سِرُّهُ يَقُولُ: لَمَّا وُلِدَ الْخَلَفُ الْمَهْدِيُّ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ سَطَعَ نُورٌ مِنْ فَوْقِ رَأْسِهِ إِلَى عَنَانِ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ سَقَطَ لِوَجْهِهِ سَاجِداً لِرَبِّهِ تَعَالَى ذِكْرُهُ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ‏ شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِكَةُ إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ.^[3]

🔆 In *Kamāl al-Dīn wa Tamām al-Niʿma*, the author relates through his chain of transmission from Muhammad ibn ʿUthmān ʿAmrī (may his soul be purified):

“When the Caliph al-Mahdi (AJ) was born, a light rose from above his head to the pillars of heaven. Then the light descended to his forehead, and he prostrated before his Lord, exalted be His mention. Then he raised his head from prostration and said:

«شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ…» (God bears witness that there is no deity but He…) to the end of the verse.

❇️God’s Proof Is the Ever-Burning Lamp of Divine Oneness

💫🔆عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حَدِيثٌ طَوِيلٍ يَذْكُرُ فِيهِ مَوَالِيدَ الْأَئِمَّةِ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ فِيهِ يَقُولُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: وَ إِذَا وَقَعَ مِنْ بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَقَعَ وَاضِعاً يَدَيْهِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ، رَافِعاً رَأْسَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَأَمَّا وَضْعُهُ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ فَإِنَّهُ يَقْبِضُ كُلَّ عِلْمِ اللَّهِ أَنْزَلَهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَ أَمَّا رَفْعُهُ رَأْسَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَإِنَّ مُنَادِياً يُنَادِي بِهِ مِنْ بُطْنَانِ الْعَرْشِ مِنْ قِبَلِ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ مِنَ الْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى بِاسْمِهِ وَ اسْمِ أَبِيهِ يَقُولُ، يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانٍ اثْبُتْ تُثْبَتْ، فَلِعَظِيمِ مَا خَلَقْتُكَ أَنْتَ صَفْوَتِي مِنْ خَلْقِي، وَ مَوْضِعُ سَرِّي وَ عَيْبَةُ عِلْمِي، وَ أَمِينِي عَلَى وَحْيِي، وَ خَلِيفَتِي فِي أَرْضِي، لَكَ وَ لِمَنْ تَوَلَّاكَ أَوْجَبْتُ رَحْمَتِي، وَ مَنَحْتُ جِنَانِي، وَ أَحْلَلْتُ جِوَارِي، ثُمَّ وَ عِزَّتِي وَ جَلَالِي لَأُصْلِيَنَّ مَنْ عَادَاكَ أَشَدَّ عَذَابِي وَ إِنْ وَسَّعْتُ عَلَيْهِ فِي دُنْيَايَ مِنْ سَعَةِ رِزْقِي، فَإِذَا انْقَضَى الصَّوْتُ صَوْتُ الْمُنَادِي أَجَابَهُ وَ هُوَ وَاضِعاً يَدَيْهِ رَافِعاً رَأْسَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ يَقُولُ: «شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِكَةُ، وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ» فَإِذَا قَالَ ذَلِكَ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ الْعِلْمَ الْأَوَّلَ وَ الْعِلْمَ الْآخَرَ، وَ اسْتَحَقَّ زِيَادَةَ الرُّوحِ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ.^[4]

 🔆A lengthy narration is related from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, from Imam al-Ṣādiq (AS), concerning the births of the Imams (peace be upon them). In one passage, the Imam (AS) says:

“When a child is born from its mother’s womb, it falls to the ground with both hands placed on the earth and its head raised toward the sky.

As for its hands being placed on the ground, this signifies that it gathers and takes hold of all the knowledge God has sent down from heaven to earth.

As for raising its head toward the sky, this signifies that a herald from within the Throne, on behalf of the Lord of Might, calls out from the highest horizon, pronouncing its name and the name of its father, and says:

‘O so-and-so, son of so-and-so! Stand firm, so that you may make others firm.

By the Greatness through which I created you: you are the finest of My creatures, the repository of My secrets, the storehouse of My knowledge, the trusted keeper of My revelation (inspiration), and My vicegerent on earth.

I have made My mercy incumbent upon you and those who accept your authority; I have bestowed My Paradise upon you, and made My sanctuary lawful for you.

By My Might and Majesty! Whoever opposes you, I shall inflict upon them My severest punishment—even if, during My time, I have granted them abundant provision.’”

When the caller’s voice falls silent, the child responds, even though his hands are on the ground and his head is turned toward the sky. He says:

«شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِیزُ الْحَكِیمُ»

God bears witness that there is no deity but Him, and so do the angels and those endowed with knowledge, upholding justice. There is no deity but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

When he has said this, God grants him the “first knowledge” (knowledge bestowed directly by God, intrinsic knowledge) and the “last knowledge” (acquired knowledge, learned knowledge), and he becomes worthy of an increase in spirit (divine light) on the Night of Decree.

❇️The great music of God’s oneness in the soul of the cosmos

✨🔆Al-Isrāʾ: 44   تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّماواتُ السَّبْعُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ مَنْ فيهِنَّ وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَ لكِنْ لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كانَ حَليماً غَفُوراً

🔆“The seven heavens, the earth, and all that is in them glorify Him. There is nothing that does not glorify and praise Him, but you do not understand their glorification. He is indeed forbearing and forgiving.”

All beings bear witness to God, because they are signs of God, because they are God’s creation!

The substance of existence, its parts, and all that pertains to it each proclaim His oneness in their own language. The stars and the cosmos speak with one voice in declaring God’s oneness!

Hearing and understanding the melody of divine oneness is possible only with a heart versed in understanding. Such a heart is equipped with the intellect of direct spiritual perception, adorned with noble character, and accompanied by the spirit of faith!

❇️“Tafaqquh”: comprehensive understanding

If we were endowed with an innate understanding, we would hear the melody of creation!

If we were endowed with an innate understanding, we would hear the glorifications, praises, declarations of oneness, and affirmations of God’s unity of “ان من شیء”!

If understanding is taken from a human being, he becomes like cattle, and no place awaits him but Hell!

✨🔆Al-Aʿrāf: 179   وَ لَقَدْ ذَرَأْنا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثيراً مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَ الْإِنْسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ بِها وَ لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لا يُبْصِرُونَ بِها وَ لَهُمْ آذانٌ لا يَسْمَعُونَ بِها أُولئِكَ كَالْأَنْعامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْغافِلُونَ

🔆“Indeed, We have created many jinn and humans for Hell. They have hearts with which they do not understand, eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle—indeed, even more astray. They are the heedless.”

❇️The meaning of dharʾ and the transformation of the structure of existence

The word “dharʾ” in the verse “وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ” means initial creation. Yet from a philosophical perspective, we may say that God created human beings for felicity (Paradise). But when a person chooses, of his own free will, to turn toward disbelief and sin, his “structure of existence” changes. He moves from the “potential” to the “actual” state of wretchedness. This change is a “substantial transformation,” in which his original nature is suppressed and a new structure, suited to his deeds, takes shape.

Thus, in reality, dharʾ means the changing, expanding, and multiplying of creation. The noble verse suggests that God initially fashioned jinn and humans for Paradise; but when a person neglects understanding and turns toward disbelief, his structure is reshaped to suit Hell.

Accordingly, one may interpret dharʾ as a change in structure, whether toward ascent or decline (God knows best).

❇️The great music of creation’s oneness through intellectual life

💫🔆وَ فِي رِوَايَةِ أَبِي الْجَارُودِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع‏ فِي قَوْلِهِ‏ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ‏ بِها أَيْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا فَلَا تَعْقِلُ‏ وَ لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ‏ عَلَيْهَا غِطَاءٌ عَنِ الْهُدَى‏ لا يُبْصِرُونَ بِها- وَ لَهُمْ آذانٌ لا يَسْمَعُونَ بِها أَيْ جَعَلَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْراً- فَلَنْ يَسْمَعُوا الْهُدَى‏[5]

🔆In the narration of Abū al-Jārūd from Imam al-Bāqir (AS), concerning God’s words, “لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا یَفْقَهُونَ بِها” (They have hearts with which they do not understand):

That is, God has sealed their hearts, so they do not reason or comprehend.

And concerning His words, “And لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ یَبْصِرُونَ بِها” (They have eyes with which they do not see—the text reads: علي‌ها غطاء عن الهدی لا یبصرون بها):

That is, a veil lies over their eyes, keeping them from guidance, so they cannot see.

And concerning His words, “وَ لَهُمْ آذَانٌ یَسْمَعُونَ بِها” (They have ears with which they do not hear—the text reads: جَعَلَ فی آذانِهِمْ وَقْراً):

That is, God has placed deafness in their ears, so they will never hear the call of guidance.

❇️Without understanding the words of God, they cannot be heard

✨🔆 Ṭā Hā: 27   وَ احْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِساني‏

🔆 And untie the knot from my tongue,

✨🔆 Ṭā Hā: 28   يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلي‏

🔆 so that they may understand my speech!

✨🔆 Hūd: 91   قالُوا يا شُعَيْبُ ما نَفْقَهُ كَثيراً مِمَّا تَقُولُ وَ إِنَّا لَنَراكَ فينا ضَعيفاً وَ لَوْ لا رَهْطُكَ لَرَجَمْناكَ وَ ما أَنْتَ عَلَيْنا بِعَزيزٍ

🔆 They said, “O Shuʿayb! We do not understand much of what you say. We see you as weak among us, and were it not for your small tribe, we would have stoned you. You have no power over us!”

❇️Why understanding fails

Disbelief after faith blinds and deafens a person to understanding!

Stubborn defiance shuts out innate understanding!

✨🔆 al-Munāfiqūn: 3   ذلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا فَطُبِعَ عَلى‏ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لا يَفْقَهُونَ

🔆 That is because they believed and then disbelieved; so their hearts were sealed, and they do not understand the truth.

✳️Philosophical and sapiential principles derived from the text “The Language of Divine Unity”

✨First principle: Innate divine unity and the consensus of all tongues

Proposition: All beings bear witness to God’s oneness in their own particular language. This testimony is a universal harmony rooted in the innate nature of every being, forming the principle that “all tongues agree in affirming His oneness.” This unity is a shared language and a universal law throughout all creation.

✨Second principle: Knowledge as light and the existence of the Imams (AS)

Proposition: The Imams (AS) are the fullest embodiment of “light.” The light of their being shines forth as abundant knowledge, flowing blessings, and unadulterated wisdom. This light is the cause of a believer’s spiritual life and the bond connecting them to the higher realms.

✨Third principle: Knowledge of the Imam as a condition of spiritual life

Proposition: Knowing the Imam is not merely theoretical knowledge; it is a life-giving force. This knowledge activates the human being’s celestial nervous system, while its absence is tantamount to spiritual death, the extinguishing of innate nature, and entrapment in darkness.

✨Fourth principle: The heart as the seat of perception and the source of light

Proposition: The human heart is the primary dwelling place of the Imam’s light, the repository of divine treasures, and the center of extrasensory perception. The heart’s perceptions and intuitions are more precise and expansive than those of the senses. The heart’s flourishing or ruin determines a person’s spiritual destiny.

✨Principle Five: The Principle of the Language of Divine Unity as a Means of Existential Communication

Proposition: The language that springs from the heart of divine unity is shared by every particle of human existence and the whole cosmos. Through this language, we can communicate with our bodily organs, cells, stars and other beings, and attain existential oneness.

✨Principle Six: The Principle of Innate Nature as an Unchanging Law and an Inner Prophet

Proposition: Our monotheistic innate nature is the law of human creation and an ever-present prophet within us. It does not change, and forgetting God is tantamount to forgetting oneself. True life depends on keeping the “nerve of innate nature” alive.

✨Principle Seven: The Principle of Moving Beyond the Two Extremes of Negation and Assimilation (Taʿṭīl and Tashbīh)

Proposition: The human mind is trapped between two extremes: negation and assimilation—likening God to created beings. The way to salvation is to move beyond both extremes, using the “vehicle” of the divine attributes and names to reach the destination of “the utmost sincerity of faith.”

✨Principle Eight: The Principle of Holding Fast to the Two Weighty Things as a Condition for Preserving Innate Nature

Proposition: Preserving and flourishing in our monotheistic innate nature absolutely requires holding fast to the “Two Weighty Things” (the Book and the Household). This connection keeps innate nature continually active, renewed and in harmony with the order of existence.

Principle Nine: The Principle of Final Reckoning Based on Knowledge of the Imam

Proposition: The final assessment of believers’ deeds and ranks is based on the extent of their knowledge of the Imams (AS), and especially of the Imam of their time. Imam Jawad (AS), as the “one who assigns the people of Paradise to their ranks” and God’s “reckoner,” plays a central role in this assessment.

Principle Ten: The Principle of Love as the Axis of the Transmission of Blessings

Proposition: Love for the Imam is the key to making the human heart a source of divine blessings. It is this love that sets the Imam’s light flowing in the heart and transforms one’s personal life.

🌼Ali Saʿi (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼

❇️ Deriving Theological and Philosophical Principles from the Consensus of Tongues on Divine Unity

1. The Principle of Innate Monotheism and Consensus of Tongues

God’s oneness is an objective, universal reality, embedded in the innate nature of all beings, who bear witness to it in their own particular language. This principle is the foundation of “innate religion.”

2. The Principle of the Imams’ (AS) Immaterial Knowledge

The Imams’ (AS) knowledge comes directly from the source of divine revelation and is not limited by mental processes or time.

3. The Principle of the Heart as the Center of Perception

The heart is the center of extrasensory perception and the place where divine light is manifested. Sensory perception alone is not enough; understanding the truths of divine unity requires “insight and the heart’s understanding,” attained through obedience and purification.

4. The Principle of Existential Connection (the Music of Existence)

The world of existence is an integrated whole, whose particles are in a state of prayer to the Originator of the universe. Recognizing this connection requires moving beyond material appearances and reaching the inner, existential reality of things.

5. The Principle That Understanding Revelation Requires Deep Understanding

Understanding the word of God (the Qur’an) and religious truths is impossible without deep understanding—without profound rational insight (reason is the guide to noble virtues and the companion of the spirit of faith). Disbelief after faith seals the heart and deafens the ears of insight.

6. The Principle of Holding Fast to the Two Weighty Things to Preserve Innate Nature

Because it is vulnerable to lapses of will, monotheistic innate nature is prone to being forgotten. Connection to the “Book and the Household” (the Two Weighty Things) is the means of restoring and sustaining spiritual and innate life.

7. Conclusion

The path to salvation and human flourishing comes down to two central principles:

Epistemic knowledge: accepting the principle of divine unity and recognizing the Imam as its axis (knowledge of the self and knowledge of God).

The purifying function: cleansing the heart of moral vices and ingratitude, so that one may perceive the world’s “music of divine unity” and attain a profound understanding of *tafaqquh* in religion.

Without these two pillars, a person—even with senses and reason—sinks into the depths of heedlessness and is deprived of the truth of existence.

🌼Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼

✨ ❇️Summary: “Creation, a Gathering in Divine Unity”

💫1. Title and central theme

Title: The Music of Divine Unity in the Universe / Creation as a Gathering in Divine Unity

Occasion: The eve of the martyrdom of Imam Jawad (AS) (26 Ordibehesht 1405)

Focus: Exploring the relationship between “the Imams’ divinely bestowed knowledge,” “the unity of God’s essence,” and “the essential testimony of all beings” to existence.

💫2. Key themes

A) The scope of Imam Jawad’s knowledge

The reach of his knowledge: Imam Jawad’s knowledge transcends time and place, encompassing both “before creation” (knowledge prior to creation) and “after creation” (knowledge after annihilation).

Testimony at the Prophet’s Mosque: Citing a report that, after his father Imam Reza (AS) was martyred, Imam Jawad (AS), while still a child, ascended the pulpit and spoke of his knowledge of people’s inner and outward secrets and lineages. This knowledge was a divine gift bestowed before the creation of the world.

B) Divine unity as *ijmāʿ al-alsun* (cosmic harmony)

A unified understanding: Divine unity is not merely an abstract concept; it is “the harmony of all tongues and beings” in affirming God’s oneness.

The music of existence: Every particle in the universe—from the stars to subatomic particles—praises God and bears witness to divine unity in its own language, be it light, sound or sensation.

The innate disposition as interpreter: To perceive this “music of divine unity,” a person needs a heart imbued with *fiqh* and an intellect capable of spiritual insight. Without *tafaqquh*, a person is like an animal: present in existence, yet unable to grasp the truth.

C) The Imams’ (AS) essential testimony from birth

The account of their birth: Citing numerous reports—including accounts of the Imam of the Age (may God hasten his return) and the other Imams—which relate that at birth they placed both hands on the ground (symbolising the reception of knowledge from heaven to earth) and raised their heads to the sky (symbolising their connection to the source of revelation).

Divine attestation: After hearing a call from the Throne, they recite verse 18 of Surah Āl ʿImrān (“شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ…”). This manifests the highest mark of divine unity and indicates that, at the moment of birth, they receive both “the first knowledge” (divinely bestowed knowledge) and “the final knowledge” (acquired knowledge).

D) The meaning of *tafaqquh* and the danger of failing to understand

Definition of *tafaqquh*: *Tafaqquh* means a deep understanding of religious and ontological truths, not merely memorising outward rulings.

The consequences of lacking understanding: The absence of *fiqh* is likened to blindness of the eyes, deafness of the ears and bewilderment of the heart; a person without *fiqh* is described as worse than an animal.

Why understanding fails: Disbelief after faith, obstinacy and following the desires of the self cause God to seal hearts and close the way to understanding (verse 7 of Surah al-Munāfiqūn).

E) The nature of associating partners with God and of illusion

Associating partners with God as ignorance: It assigns an identity to “nonexistence” and is a grave falsehood that contradicts the truth of the universe, in which everything is a sign of God.

Absolute oneness: God is *Aḥad* (without equal and utterly singular in essence) and *Wāḥid* (unique and one). Every phenomenon in existence bears the seal of divine unity and its own distinct frequency of God’s oneness.

💫3. Philosophical principles and insights drawn from the text (10 principles)

The author draws ten foundational principles from the text, which form the article’s theoretical framework:

The principle of innate divine unity and universal testimony: all beings bear witness to God’s oneness.

The principle that the Imams’ knowledge is light: their knowledge is a manifestation of divine light and the source of believers’ spiritual life.

The principle of knowing the Imam as spiritual life: Recognising the Imam is essential to the soul’s survival and protection from spiritual death.

The principle of the heart as the seat of light: The heart is the locus of extrasensory perception and the repository of divine treasures; its cultivation determines a person’s destiny.

The principle of the language of divine unity: A shared language for communicating with God, the universe and the particles of existence, leading to existential wholeness.

The principle of innate nature as the inner prophet: Innate nature is the immutable law of creation, which must be continually awakened.

The principle of avoiding negation and anthropomorphism: The way to escape these two misunderstandings is to use the divine attributes as a means of attaining sincerity.

The principle of holding fast to the Two Weighty Things: Clinging to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household is essential to preserving and nurturing our monotheistic innate nature.

The principle of reckoning according to knowledge: A person’s success in the Hereafter is measured by the extent of their knowledge of and love for the Imams (especially the Imam of the Age (AS)).

The principle of love as the central axis: Love for the Imam is the key to the flow of divine blessings and to transforming one’s personal life.

💫4. Final conclusion

The universe is a “gathering in praise of divine unity,” in which all phenomena, in their own way, glorify God. To perceive this profound truth, human beings need “deep understanding” (tafaqquh) and a connection to the “Light of the Imamate.” Without this connection, despite possessing senses and reason, they remain trapped in the darkness of ignorance and shirk (delusion), deprived of creation’s magnificent music. Imam Jawad (AS), a treasury of divine knowledge and mystery, guides us along this path and is the manifestation of the “One, the Unique.”

[1] Bihār al-Anwār (Beirut edition), vol. 50, p. 108Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, Beirut, 2nd ed., 1403 AH.

[2] Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 118Kulaynī, Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyah, Tehran, 4th ed., 1407 AH.

[3] Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn    vol. 1    p. 321 Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī ibn Jumʿah, Ismāʿīlīyān, Iran, Qom, 4th ed., 1415 AH.

[4] Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn    vol. 1    p. 322 Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī ibn Jumʿah, Ismāʿīlīyān, Iran, Qom, 4th ed., 1415 AH.

[5] Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 249Qummī, ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm, Dār al-Kitāb, Qom, 3rd ed., 1404 AH.