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Towards the Inner Vision of the Truth

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"Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks." — Holy Qur'an 5:6

 

Candle Posts :: Motivational Gems for Higher Spiritual Enlightenment

:: Candle Post #77 :: Material Intelligence and Spiritual Enlightenment ::

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Ya Ali Madad! Let us first study the following excerpts of the Platinum Jubilee speech Noor Mowlana Sultan Muhammad Shah Al-Hussaini (a.s.) and then learn more on the topic of spiritual enlightenment:

Part 1: Material Intelligence and Spiritual Enlightenment

"But, as I have explained in my Memoirs for the whole world to understand there are two worlds - the world of material intelligence and the world of spiritual enlightenment. The world of spiritual enlightenment is fundamentally different from the world of material intellectualism and it is the pride of the Ismailis that we firmly believe that the world of spiritual enlightenment has come as a truth from the inception of Islam to this day with the Imamat and carries with it as one of its necessary consequences love, tenderness, kindliness and gentleness towards first, our brother and sister Muslims of all sects and, secondly, to those who live in righteousness, conscience and justice towards their fellow men. These religious principles of Ismailism are well known to you for you have heard them from me and through your fathers and grandfathers and from my father and grandfather until I fear that by long familiarity with these teachings some of you forget the necessity of re-examination of your heart and religious experience.
 
But, as I started by telling you, there is also the world of matter and intellect which go side by side with reason and deductive and inductive powers. I have never, as you say in your own address, neglected to encourage schools and universities, and by welfare societies for the health of children, maternity, and more and more up to date needs that you may have, as far as it is possible in the areas in which you live, to get both mental and physical training that will make you capable of meeting the more and more difficult conditions of life and competition... "
Source: An Address at the Platinum Jubilee Ceremony Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan, February 20, 1955 Cairo, Egypt archived on the IIS website. You can also download the PDF version.

Part 2: Key Dua of NOOR Mowlana Hazar Imam for his Mu'mins

"And I pray that you may live in peace, and with spiritual enlightenment to guide you."
Source: Homage Ceremony Irshad, Aiglemont, France, July 11, 2007

Part 3: Wisdom-Teaching Advices (1)

"O the light of my eyes! O my dear! You should make a habit of the vigil of the night for the sake of the remembrance of God and 'ibadat (bandagi), ans dive in the ocean of love and annihilation through luminous ways of supplication in the court of God, the Provider of needs, so that the mirror of the heart may be cleansed and God willing, you may see the manifestations of the higher world in it and as a result, the heavenly love may be firm."
Source: Manifestations of Wisdom, pp.45-46

Part 4: Wisdom-Teaching Advices (2)

"O my spiritual brothers and sisters! Just as birds have two wings, your spiritual bird (soul) also has two wings. One of them is ibadat (bandagi) and the other, of knowledge. Just as the birds use their wings frequently in search of sustenance, you too should use your two wings of knowledge and ibadat (bandagi) frequently, so that you may have sustenance in the form of tayidi (given or inspired) knowledge."
Source: Manifestations of Wisdom, p.46

Part 5: Wisdom-Teaching Advices (3)

"O friends of the Ali of the time! Just as daily physical food is a necessity for the subsistence of the body, remembrance, ibadat (bandagi), knowledge and wisdom are necessary for the subsistence of the soul and the intellect, respectively. You also know that in comparison of the physical bounties, spiritual and intellectual bounties are far greater, sweeter and more superb. This is why the earthly and heavenly angels are always engaged in remembrance and ibadat (bandagi), knowledge and there are enlightened thereby."
Source: Manifestations of Wisdom, p.51

Part 6: How can a Mu'min become an Angel?

"The blessed farmans of the light of Imamat are full of guidance concerning spiritual progress. In short, it is the mu'min who can become an angel through obedience, ibadat (bandagi) and true knowledge. Some of the characteristics of angels are:

  1. perfect obedience (16:50),
  2. fear of God (16:50),
  3. humility (21:19),
  4. abundant remembrance of God and ibadat (bandagi) (21:20),
  5. knowledge and wisdom (40:7),
  6. well-wishing and prayer for mu'mins (40:7),
  7. service (help) and friendship of the people of faith (41:31, 58:22)."
Source: Sweet Smelling, p.55

Part 7: Scientific progress vs. spiritual revolution

"God says: "Soon We will show them Our signs in the external world and in their own souls until it becomes manifest to them that He is the Truth" (41:53). In this Divine teaching which is full of the wisdoms of matter and soul, is not only the prophecy of today's scientific progress and of glad tidings of tomorrow's spiritual revolution, but it is alluded on this verse that scientific miracles will appear first and then will come the cycle of spiritual miracles so that by reflecting upon these miracles, people will attain the happiness of the recognition of self and that of God."
Source: Fruit of Paradise , p.67

Synthesis:
Ismaili professionals are now present in all walks of life and have successfully implemented scientific methods in their work. In Qur'anic terms, they have adopted to the external cycle (afaq). During the Silver Jubilee, Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam explained to us that there is no conflict between science and Islam, and science is only one of the ways of understanding the universe.

In the Platinum Jubilee address of Noor Mowlana Sultan Muhammad Shah (a.s.), the origin of concept of spiritual enlightenment of the soul was identified as founding principle laid down since the time of the first Imam, Noor Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.). If Ismailis follow the guidance of the Holy Imams, they can become leaders in the cycle of spiritual revolution through higher spiritual enlightenment. In Qur'anic terms, this internal cycle of the soul is called anfus. The pattern of knowledge will shift from scientific discovery (afaq) to subtle discoveries of the soul (anfus). Currently, material science methods are becoming more subtle, less invasive and more powerful day by day, however, the spiritual science methods are even more subtle and powerful. Therefore, higher spiritual enlightenment will take human beings to a higher level of knowledge. Look at the foresight of our Holy Imams for bringing these concepts in front of us! Al-Hamdulillah!

May Noor Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Hazar Imam (a.s.) grant all members of the global Jamat the inner vision of the truth through ism-i azam. Ameen.

Links:
Spiritual and luminous dimensions of NOOR Mowlana Hazar Imam (a.s.)
Ta'wil Postings on the Subject of Imam and Imamat
Recognition of the Light of the Holy Imam

Ardent Supplications:

Ya Ali, Ya NOOR Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, create Sunshine in our hearts, light in our foreheads, and bless us all with the inner vision of the Truth!

Ya Ali, Ya NOOR Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, grant the global Jamat luminous (noorani) and spiritual (ruhani) tayid (help) to advance materially, spiritually and intellectually. Ameen.

Haizinda — Qayampaya
(Our Present Imam is Living and His NOOR is Eternal)

Rakh Mowla je Noor te Yaqeen (Certainly, we trust in Mowla's Light only),
Noorallah Juma
SalmanSpiritual.com
Thursday, March 25, 2010

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