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"Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a light whereby he can walk amongst men, be like him who is in the depths of darkness, from which he can never come out?" — Holy Qur'an 6:122

 

Idd-ul-Adha: The Inner Meaning of the Sacrifice of Hazrat Ismail (a.s.)

Ya Ali Madad and Idd Mubark. On the occasion of Idd-ul-Adha, may Allah grant material, spiritual and intellectual happiness to Muslims all over the world, and to all those who have submitted their wills to He Who is Above All Else. Ameen.

This post covers material on the the inner meaning of Idd-ul-Adha and the sacrifice of Hazrat Ismail (a.s.). Let us reflect on the following ta'wils:

(a) The the inner meaning of Idd-ul-Adha and the sacrifice of Hazrat Ismail (a.s.)

  1. "Dhahib: One who follows the path of religion

    "The path of religion is the progressive ladder of the order of nature which is the example of spiritual ladder as well as the example of straight path and the rope of God. The wisdom-filled allusion of it is that as long as the world of unity is far away there are only ranks on ranks: there are ranks of knowledge of the Qur'an, there are ranks in the deeds of Islam, there are ranks in the spiritual journey and proximity of God. Thus it is true that there are four major destinations of religion, namely, shari'at, tariqat, haqqikat and ma'rifat and it is also true that Hazrat Ibrahim went to his Lord walking from one destination to another on the path of religion." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 355, pp.192-193)

  2. "Dhibh (1): That which is sacrificed

    It is mentioned in verse (37:107): "And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice." That is, Hazrat Isma'il was sacrificed spiritually instead of his external and physical sacrifice, which in many senses was greater than his physical sacrifice. He was sacrificed in the dream, his soul continued to be seized for several days in a wakeful state, he attained the rank of martyrdom in spiritual jihad and he was repeatedly sacrificed at the place of intellect as well." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 356, p.193)

  3. "Dhibh (2): That which is sacrificed

    Hazrat Ismail was the Permanent Imam and the asas. His intention and worship in the above-mentioned sacrifices were for God and their spiritual benefits were for the people. This is because the Imam, on behalf of God, is always present in this world so that he may accomplish for the people of the world, those useful deeds which they themselves are not able to do. An example of this is the spiritual sacrifice, which is not possible for everyone to accomplish." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 357, pp.193-194)

  4. "Dhibh (3): That which is sacrificed

    Question: How do the people of the world benefit from the inner sacrifices of the exalted Imam? Is there any such allusion in the Qur'an?
     
    Answer: The wisdom-filled allusion of the Qur'an says the Imam of the time is not only the Imam of the righteous (Imamu'l-muttaqin, 22:74), but the Imam of the people (Imamu'n-nas, 2:214) as well. However, the great difference is that, the door of (spiritual) knowledge and wisdom opens instantly (in this world) for the righteous, whereas for the masses it is closed in this world." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 358, p.194)

  5. "There is a ray of golden light in understanding the concept of spiritual death from the story of Hazrat Ismail (a.s.) for people who are on the path of tariqat and haqiqat. This can be described as follows:
     

    "The Wise Qur'an is the Book of heavenly and Divine wisdom, in which all the injunctions which are apparent are for all, the common as well as the chosen people, but the injunctions which are hidden in wisdom-filled allusions are only for the chosen, as God says; "On no soul does God place a burden greater than it can bear." (2:286). Thus, the Holy Qur'an indicates to the people of tariqat and haqiqat that they should experience spiritual death before the physical death and become enriched with the everlasting wealth of knowledge and recognition." (Source: Manifestations of Wisdom, p.27)

  6. Therefore, in my opinion, the clearest and the greatest lesson from Hazrat Ismail's (a.s.) sacrifice can be described as follows:
     

    Each one of us has to the sacrifice nafs-i amara (the commanding soul) with the practice of dhikr and bandagi so the doors to the spiritual and luminous worlds open up. Real success lies in making the inward journey from the physical world through the spiritual and luminous worlds into the world of oneness. This path also leads to the creation of Sunshine in one's heart and a Golden Noorani Didar in one's forehead.

Additional reading:

  1. Model of the Total Human Potential (web page)
  2. The Study of Man (web page)

Prayers for the Global Jamat:
Let us pray to our beloved NOOR Mowlana Hazar Imam:

Ya Ali, Ya NOOR Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, grant us, our families, our Jamats, the worldwide Jamat, the Muslim Ummah, and humanity at large, luminous (noorani) and spiritual (ruhani) tayid (help) to advance materially, spiritually and intellectually.

O Mowla make us one global Jamat with one Sound Heart (Qalb-i Salim), bless us with a Golden Noorani Didar, and empower us to present spiritual and luminous nazranas. Ameen.

Peace, light, barakat, tayid, and a Golden Noorani Didar,
Noorallah Juma
December 22, 2007

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