Laylat al-Qadr in Ismaili Spiritual Life
Mystical Unveilings on the Esoteric Reality of the Night of Power
Khayal ‘Aly: “LQ-2-HQ”
Ismaili Interpretation of Laylat al-Qadr
This study. . . will focus on al-Mu’ayyad [fī al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī]’s allegorical interpretation of the “Night of Power” (Laylat al-Qadr) and how the month of Ramaḍān symbolizes the resurrection and spiritual birth that occurs with the appearance of the Qā’im [Resurrector] at the end of time.
We have indeed revealed this (message) in the Night of Power.
And what will explain to you what the Night of Power is?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
Therein come down the angels and the Spirit (al-rūḥ) by
Allah’s permission, on every errand.Peace! ... This until the rise of morn! (Q 97: 1–5)
The final section of this chapter focuses on al-Mu’ayyad’s esoteric interpretation (ta’wīl) of the Muslim religious celebration of the “Night of Power” (Laylat al-Qadr) during the month of Ramaḍān. Throughout the history of Ismā‘īlī thought, Ismā‘īlī ta’wīl in association with ritual has been in itself a religious practice. More specifically, and as this chapter aims to show, ta’wīl applied in its non-textual-oriented form (e.g., the celebration of Muslim religious holidays and daily religious practices) is one that simultaneously parallels ta’wīl as a science of “means” for interpreting the multilayered Ismā‘īlī teachings on the Qur’ān and the doctrine of the Imām. Al-Mu’ayyad’s discussion of the “Night of Power” links the eschatological fulfillment of the prophetic cycles to the advent of the Qā’im and the spiritual resurrection that occurs at the end of historical time. The end of time thus indicates the completion and final perfection of prophetic revelation. Of particular importance is that according to al-Mu’ayyad celebration of the “Night of Power” serves as a working paradigm for the process of individual perfection concomitant with the soul’s secondary ascent through the “resurrection” of another formation (al-nash’ah al-ākhirah) and reception of the “Holy Spirit” (rūḥ al-qudus).
Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī Tradition, 188.
Ta’wil of the Seven² & the GQ (15:87)
Q351
It is said in verse (15:87): “Wa-laqad ātaynāka sab‘an mina'l-mathāni wa'l Qur’ana'l-‘aẓīm”. What is its ta’wīlī secret?
A351
Literal translation: "And We have certainly given you sab‘-i mathāni (seven repeated verses = sūrah of Fātiḥah) and the great Qur’ān.”
Ta’wīlī translation: "And We have certainly given you sab‘-i mathāni (the chain of seven seven Imams) and the great Qur’ān (i.e. Qā’im).”
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Ṣanādīq-i Jawāhir, trans. by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai as Caskets of Pearls vol.1, 170.
Chain of Imams and Ta’wil of the Great Qur’an (15:87)
Verse (15:87) mentions the tremendous favour of God that He has graciously given the Prophet the luminous chain of the heptads of Imāms like the days of the week and Ḥazrat-i Qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾, who is the ta’wīl of the glorious Qur’ān, because the ta’wīl had to come in the form of spirituality and resurrection, which is linked with the light of the night of Qadr and Ḥazrat-i Qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ (53:7). Praise be to God, the Sustainer of the worlds!
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānī Mīnār, trans. by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai as Qur’ānic Minarets, 131.
Ismaili Ta’wil: Succession of Resurrections
[. . . ] Al-Mu’ayyad’s commentary traces a set of themes: the inner and outer aspects of religious practice, ta’wīl as a ritual, and resurrection. The individual can only move from the corporeal to the spiritual through ta’wīl, which is an aspect of walāyah in practice. Attaining to the ranks of the “angels” necessitates the ranks of religion that provide the allegorical and esoteric interpretations of ta’wīl to those individuals who are from the lower ranks. The “mesocosm,” the world of religion in Ismā‘īlī cosmology, becomes the locus of the “spiritual Ritual.” Individuals may be raised within their limits by the means of ta’wīl, “which is a succession of resurrections,” and each individual resurrection potentially attains to the next immediate limit, culminating in the collective resurrection at the End Time. In al-Mu’ayyad's thought, the “angels” (malā’ikah) are none other than the “intellects” (‘uqūl). This particular conceptualization, as shall be seen, is key in al-Mu’ayyad’s commentary on the “Night of Power.” Through the vehicle of the ranks of religion [Ḥudūd-i Dīn], individual practitioners are able to actualize the full potentiality of their intellects, become true human beings, and ascend to the upper limits of the ranks of religion. They potentially may consubstantiate with the angels. Each resurrection is a mirror image of the Great Resurrection of the Qā’im as the da‘wah is “Heaven in potentia.”
Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī Tradition, 193
From the Greatest of All Nights to the Last Day
And verily, We revealed him in the Night of Power
And how can We convey to you what is the Night of Power?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months
The Angels and the Spirit descend in it upon all decrees by the permission of their Lord
Peace it is, until the rising of the Dawn (Q 97:1-5)
The beginning of the Cycle of Qiyāmah [Resurrection] is the appearance of the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr). Exoterically and historically, the Night of Power was one of the last odd nights of the Month of Ramaḍān. But esoterically in light of the qiyāmah, the Night of Power refers to an august personality in the World of Faith who begins the Cycle of Qiyāmah. . . .
[. . .] The Qā’im, in the symbolic language of the Qur’ān, is called the “Last Day” (yawm al-ākhirah) or the Seventh Day (in the Bible). And therefore, the “Last Day” is preceded by the greatest of all nights – in the language of the Qur’ān, this is called the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr). According to the science of ta’wīl, the Night of Power stands for the great Imām who functions as the Ḥujjat [Proof] or Bāb [Gate] of the Qā’im and the entirety of Sūrat al-Qadr is a metaphor for the exalted personality of this [particular] Imām.
“. . . the Ḥujjat of the Qā’im comes before him in the World of Faith and he is the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr).”
— Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw, Wajh-i Din, Discourse 33
“The Night of Power (laylat al-qadr) is a symbol (mathal) of his Bāb (Gate) and Ḥujjat (Proof) who is going to come before him. And thus the Bāb of the Qā’im is the lord of universal explanation (sahib al-bayan al-kulli) and the true unveiling (kashf al-haqiqi).”
— Sayyidna al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi, al-Majalis al-Mu’ayyadiyyah, Volume II, 612
The Night of Power is greater than a thousand months. The inner meaning of this is that the Ḥujjat of the Qā’im shall be greater than a thousand Imāms. This is because the Ḥujjat of the Qā’im will be “the lord of universal explanation and the true unveiling” – meaning, his teachings will reveal spiritual truths and insights in clear, succinct and unprecedented manner. Indeed, the Qā’im’s Ḥujjat will be the greatest Imām of all the Cycles of Prophecy going back to Adam:
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.” That is, the Ḥujjat of the Qā’im is superior in knowledge to a thousand Imams, although collectively their ranks are one.”
— Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw, Wajh-i Din, Discourse 33
Laylat al-Qadr in the Personal World (97:1-5)
It is extremely important for every mu’min to comprehend with the utmost effort the sūrah of Qadr, not only with its translation and commentary but also its wisdom. It is obvious that the night of Qadr is the blessed night in which descend angels, the Holy Spirit and other spirits in which Ḥazrat-i Isrāfīl⁽ᶜ⁾ and Ḥazrat-i ‘Izrā’īl⁽ᶜ⁾ also do their respective work. Thus, whenever the revolutionary progress of spirituality starts and individual resurrection takes place, it is by the blessings of the night of Qadr, which is the fountainhead of good and blessing and which [in ta’wil] means the ḥujjat of the Qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ (97:3; 44:3).
Address of the Angels (41:30-32)
Check verses (41:30-32) meticulously about how the angels are addressing those mu’mins in whose personal world the night of Qadr has taken place: The angels descend/will descend (tatanazzalu); because this word is an aorist. They say: We are your friends in the life of this world and in the hereafter. . . (41:31). There are many allusions in the angels’ friendship of mu’mins, such as spiritual help (ta’yīd), progress in the spiritual destinations and intellectual stages and attainment of perfections, etc. . . .
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānic Minarets, 127.
Until the Break of Dawn (97:5)
Al-Mu’ayyad sets forth his interpretation of (Q 97:5) in such a way that the breaking of dawn is synonymous with the light of God and the Qā’im. Also of concern is the following point: in the time of the concealment of the Qā’im, there exist members of the da‘wah who instruct people. The instruction allows for them to be “summoned” to the reality of the Qā’im. One particular passage from the Majālis [of al-Mu’ayyad] is as follows:
God's saying: “Until the break of dawn,” and the break of dawn (al-fajar) is the overflowing of light (infijār) from out of the fissure of darkness, and it is the manifestation of the light of God, the Powerful and the Glorious, which is the ṣāḥib al-qiyāmah in the world of nature, which is the abode of turbidity and darkness (dār al-kadūrah wa al-ẓulmah). As God the Most High stated: “And the earth will shine with the light of (their) Lord” (Q 39:69). . . . The announcers of prayer (munādūn) summon people out of their sleep and call them to readiness and preparation. They say: “Have a light meal before the morning prayer, and the breaking of dawn (infijār al-fajar)”; that refers [esoterically] to the missionaries who are established in the time of concealment (satr) and pious dissimulation (taqiyyah) in order to instruct (li tanbīḥ) the people.
Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī Tradition, 194-195
The Morning of the Night of Qadr (97:5)
In this verse, is said: “It is peace (salām) till the breaking of dawn (fajr).” What wisdom is hidden in this blessed verse? Answer: Peace (salām) means spiritual help (ta’yīd) and dawn means the morning of the resurrection, which is the rising of the light of the Intellect and the morning of azal [pre-eternity]. This means that the spiritual cycle of the “personal world” [i.e. microcosm, one’s inner world] is the night and the intellectual cycle is the day. Thus, the night of Qadr comprises all spiritual stations and its perfection is that it leads [a human being] to the manifestations and theophanies of azal, from where the human being has come and has to return.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānic Minarets, 129-130.
The Bab is Better…Baby (97:3)
In the ta’wīl of Q (97:3), “The Night of Power is better than one thousand months,” the allusion (ishāra) in the verse is to “until [= the time of] the ‘gate’ (bāb)” of the Qā’im. . . . Al-Mu’ayyad suggests that the gate of the Qā’im “is better than all of those who established the manifestation of the ranks of the intellects” (khayr min kulli man qāma bi-iẓhār marātib al-‘uqūl), that is, the legatees of the masters of the religious laws (aṣḥāb al-sharā‘ī). Because he [i.e. the gate (bāb) of the Qā’im] is close to the seventh [i.e. the Qā’im], he is like the perfection (kamāl) of the prophets and the direction of prayer (qiblah) of their souls and their intellects.
In fact, the “Night of Power” is a metaphor (mamthūl) for the gate and the proof (ḥujjah) of the Qā’im, in the sense that the Gate of the Qā’im is the master of “the total elucidation and the true unveiling” (ṣāḥib al-bayān al-kulli wa al-kashf al-ḥaqīqī).
Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī Tradition, 195.
Who is Revealed in the Night of Power? (97:1)
The meaning of al-Qadr is the Qā’im of the Progeny of Muḥammad (qā’im-i āl-i Muḥammad) and the meaning of Laylat al-Qadr is the Ḥujjat or Bāb of the Qā’im. The Qur’ān explicitly states: “We revealed him in the Night of Power” [97:1], i.e. “We revealed the Qā’im in the personality of his Ḥujjat.” This means that the Qā’im will carry out his mission, reveal his knowledge and display his glory in the physical world through the person of his Ḥujjat.
This Hujjah or Asās of the Qā’im will be the most publicly known and renowned Imām in the entire world — the people of the ẓāhir and the bāṭin — just as the Prophet Muḥammad was manifest to both groups of people. Sayyidnā Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī and Sayyidnā Nāṣir-i Khusraw explain this as follows:
. . .the da‘wah is established in the name of the Asās in secret and will become manifest in public in the presence of the Last Completer [the Qā’im].
— Sayyidnā Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī
Shin Nomoto, Early Ismaili Thought on Prophecy, PhD Thesis, 307
. . .the status of the Asās will be manifest at the time of the advent of the Seventh Rank (ḥadd), namely, the Qā’im, to the people of the exoteric (ẓāhir) and the esoteric (bāṭin), as the rank of the Nāṭiq has become completely manifest to the people of the exoteric and the esoteric prior to the [advent of] the Seventh Rank (the Qā’im).
— Sayyidnā Nāṣir-i Khusraw, Wajh-i Dīn, Chapter 19, Section 7
The Cycle of Qiyāmah is thus inaugurated in by not one, but two figures – the Ḥujjat of the Qā’im and the Qā’im al-Qiyāmah.
Descent of Angels in the Night of Qadr (97:4)
As an allusion to the descent of angels during Laylat al-Qadr (Q 97:4), al-Mu’ayyad makes mention of his earlier arguments concerning the human being in actu and in potentia. The Imāms and the ḥudūd established on the Earth are there for the extraction (bi istikhlās) of souls from the tarnishing of nature (shawb al-ṭabī‘ah) and its murkiness. He explains further: because God the Most High made them sovereign over the souls of created beings and He entrusts them to their guidance (by hidāyat-him), and He made them a divine trust (amānah) for them, the Imāms and the ranks [ḥudūd] make souls join the world of Light from the realm of the Afterlife of the angels (bi ‘ālam al-nūr min dār ākhirati-ha malā’ikah). Al-Mu’ayyad states: “As for God's saying, “Therein come down the angels” (Q 97:4), its meaning is that He arranges the ḥudūd, Imām after Imām, with the guidance of [creation].
Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī Tradition, 195
The Purpose of the Descent of the Angels and Souls
If the question here is: Why did the descent of all the angels and souls become necessary in the night of Qadr? The answer is that their presence is necessary to accomplish all those deeds which are necessary for the practical recognition and the renewal of similitudes in the personal world as God Himself says in verse (97:4): “The angels and the Spirit descend in the night of Qadr by the permission of their Lord for the sake of every matter.” If you look carefully at ‘the universal mirror’ of the verse: “For the sake of everything” (97:4), it will be crystal clear to you without any doubt that all those matters mentioned in the Qur’ān related to the angels and souls are renewed in the personal world, so that there should not be any deficiency in connection with the observation of spirituality and attainment of recognition. Remember that the renewal of similitudes is the exegesis and explanation of the Divine sunnat. Thus, it is necessary to explain the realities and recognitions through renewal [of similitudes].
Concentration of the Past and Future in the Present
There is neither the past nor the future in paradise, there is only the present. The reason for this is that there is no movable time, rather there is only the immovable time there. Thus, when paradise is brought near in the spirituality of the personal world, the same condition of the past and the future being concentrated in the present exists and so the ‘ārif observes everything in the very present. In the light of this law, it becomes evident that through the night of Qadr, the door of such spirituality opens, that the miracles of all the Prophets and Imāms are in it, as well as the living events of the final resurrection and the manifestations of the great secrets of azal [pre-eternity] and abad [post eternity]. It is thus in this sense that the blessed night of Qadr, that is, the ḥujjat-i Qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ is the universal good (khayr-i kull).
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānic Minarets, 127-128.
Just Wait till Your Lord Comes Mister!
The Qur’ān describes the veiled appearance of the Qā’im and the events of his time in the following verses:
And your Lord shall come, with the angels, rank on rank.
Do they not wait until God comes to them in shades of clouds, with the angels and the question is (thus) settled? but to God do all questions go back.
These verses describe the coming of the “Lord” (rabb). However, God Himself — transcending time and space — is above the process of “coming” or “going”. This verse refers to the coming of the Qā’im and the events of Qiyāmah — indicated by the words “do they not wait” (hal yanẓurūna).
The “Lord” refers to the Qā’im and the Angels who accompany him refer to the Deputies or Vicegerents (khulafā’) of the Qā’im who represent him and carry out his mission on earth. The description of “God comes to them in shades of clouds” means that the Qā’im comes to the World of Faith and the physical world while being “veiled” from people’s recognition – in the same way that the clouds may conceal the Sun from being looked upon directly.
This raises the question – if the Qā’im will be unrecognizable in the physical world, how does he influence human beings? Although the Qā’im’s status is hidden or veiled in the physical world, his real mission is carried out in the subtle world of human souls or the spiritual realm — because Qiyāmah is primarily a spiritual event. Thus, the Qā’im cannot be conceived as a political warrior, a world conqueror or ruler in the exoteric or physical sense. His role and function is primarily spiritual, hidden and intellectual. The Qā’im allows human souls to have access to the flow of spiritual illumination (nūr) inspiration (ta’yīd), and esoteric interpretation (ta’wīl) in the spiritual world — in a form superior to the previous Six Prophetic Cycles.
Ascent to the Lord or Descent of the Lord?
Q.11 . . . [It] is evident that on the day of resurrection, people have to go to God, but on the other hand, it is mentioned in verse (89:22): “And your Lord shall come and the angels rank on rank.” Please explain whether on the day of resurrection, people have to go to God’s presence or God and the angels have to descend to this world?
A. The world of Command is space-less and timeless, therefore its recognitions and realities cannot be confined within one single similitude or allegory, therefore, they are explained in diverse similitudes and allegories. Thus, for He Who is beyond coming and going in reality, it can metaphorically be said that people are going to His presence and it can also be said that He is coming to the people.
Q.12 If God as such is beyond coming and going, what is exemplified by the example of the descent of the Lord and the angels?
A. The example of this extremely magnificent event is that of the manifestation of Ḥazrat-i Qā’imu’l-qiyāmat⁽ᶜ⁾, which is related to the world of religion and the personal world. Praise be to God for His grace and beneficence!
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānic Minarets, 110.
Ascent in the Background of the Descent
The coming of the Lord and the angels was mentioned [in Q&A 11-12 above], similarly we can say here that in the night of Qadr, there is the ascent of the personal world, in which the angels and souls descended. In fact, from another aspect, it is also correct to say that according to verse (70:4)1, the angels and souls also ascend to God in the night of Qadr, because the spiritual and the Qur’ānic reality is the same, but its examples are mentioned in various ways (17:89; 18:54) so that people can understand it easily.
The Night of Qadr and Hazrat-i Adam⁽ᶜ⁾
From the ta’wīlī point of view, when the angels prostrated to Ḥazrat-i Ādam⁽ᶜ⁾, it was also the night of Qadr, while there, countless souls were a part of his chosen personality, just as every individual is a compendium of countless souls. Thus, you can see in the glorious Qur’ān that when the angels prostrated to Ḥazrat-i Ādam⁽ᶜ⁾, he was not alone (7:11). And how is it possible to be alone while there is a world of particles in every Perfect Man? He has numerous copies too, which are observed not only in the stage of ‘Izrā’īl⁽ᶜ⁾ but also at the level of Intellect. Reflect and conceive how every time a new luminous birth takes place there!
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānic Minarets, 128-129.
The Night of Power and the Holy Spirit
In [al-Mu’ayyad’s] Majlis No. 2 of volume 3, the explanation of the “Night of Power” is set forth in conjunction with the Qur’ānic sūrah on Jesus (‘Īsā) and Mary (Maryam) in order to elucidate the meaning of the “Holy Spirit.”
We say about the Most High’s saying, “The angels and the Spirit (al-rūḥ)” (Q 97:4) that it is the quwwah of ta’yid connected with them (the malā’ikah = Imāms and ḥudūd), and the “divine material” (al-māddah al-ilāhiyyah) penetrating into them, and, that is, it is the “Holy Spirit” (rūḥ al-qudus), through which God distinguishes the Prophets, Legatees, and Imāms, may God’s prayers be upon them. God the Most High stated: “Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I am about to create man from clay: when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in prostration unto him’ Q (38:71–72). And He said: “The Messiah, ‘Īsā b. Maryam, was a messenger of God (rasūl Allāh) and His word (kalimata-hu), which he bestowed on Maryam and a Spirit from Him” Q (4:171), and He said to His Prophet: “And thus have We, by Our command, sent inspiration [rūḥᵃⁿ, i.e. a spirit] to thee” Q (42:52).
Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismā‘īlī Tradition, 196
The Grace and Power of Qa’im al-Qiyamah
In the spiritual world of the Resurrection, the light (nūr) and inspiration (ta’yīd) of Ḥaḍrat Qā’im al-Qiyāmah illumines all the seekers of enlightenment — uplifting every human soul in the journey towards its own qiyāmah. Sayyidnā al-Mu’ayyad al-Shīrāzī’s depiction of the power of the Ḥaḍrat Qā’im al-Qiyāmah is summarized below:
The Qā’im overflows over all of created beings (al–khala’iq), from state (hal) to state, and from degree to degree, whether concerning the uppermost ranks or those below him. The grace (barakah) of the Qā’im and his maddah (spiritual matter) overflow in such a manner that the maddah is connected to him. The grace of the Qā’im’s maddah (spiritual matter) is synonymous with the knowledge of religious instruction (‘ilm al-ta‘līm). This connection is possible, as the author explains further, only by means of the walāyah of the Imāms, for every true Imām, in every period, and more specifically, in his own time, is linked to the Qā’im (Elizabeth R. Alexandrin, The Sphere of Walayah: Ismaili Tawil in Practice According to al-Muayyad, PhD Thesis, McGill University, April 2006, 334; idem, Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismā‘īlī Tradition, 203).
The Living Laylat al-Qadr
Over one thousand years ago, Sayyidnā al-Mu’ayyad al-Shīrāzī wrote that “the Bāb of the Qā’im is the lord of universal explanation (ṣāhib al-bayān al-kull) and the true unveiling (kashf al-ḥaqīqī),” and these qualities were fulfilled in Imām Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh. In reference to the clarity and lucidity of this Imām’s teachings, ‘Allāmah Hunzai wrote that:
Ḥazrat Mawlānā Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh, salawātullāhi ‘alayhi wa-salāmuhu, was the sovereign of the wonders and marvels of knowledge and recognition both externally and internally, as well as the exalted and august Imām of the age of spirituality and ta’wīl. There are very few people who are aware of how immensely useful, meaningful, revolutionary and resurrecting his teachings are. His unique spiritual and luminous characteristics were prophesied by Pīr Nāsir-i Khusraw around a thousand years ago and are preserved in his Wajh-i Dīn (‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Ḥazār Ḥikmat, trans. by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noomohamed-Hunzai, A Thousand Wisdoms: An Encyclopaedia of Ta’wīl, Wisdom 905, p. 470).
[. . . .]
The period of Imām Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh thus marked the conclusion of the Sixth Prophetic Cycle of Muḥammad and the dawn of the Seventh Prophetic Cycle of Qiyāmah. Imām Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh is the Bāb or Ḥujjat of the Qā’im and the living meaning of the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr). Accordingly, Ḥaḍrat Qā’im al-Qiyāmah began his great work through the exalted personality and deeds of his Ḥujjat. As such Mawlānā Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh is the most glorious Imām, in both knowledge and virtue, of the entire Great Cycle of history that began with the Prophet Adam. His unique status is conveyed by ‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Hunzai as follows:
The unprecedented personality of Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Sulṭān, peace and salutation of God be upon him, possessed the spiritual kingdom. Although every Imam in his time is the spiritual king, but, according to the great programme of God, all times are not alike. Thus the time of Ḥaḍrat Imām Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh was extremely important and very special, in fact, it was the greatest of all. For, in the language of the ta’wīl of the Qur’ān, his exalted personality was the ‘Night of Power’ (shab-i qadr), in which the angels, the supreme soul and other souls of the world of command descend [to the physical world]. . . . Thus, in the time of this living ‘Night of Power’, that promise of God, which is mentioned in (97:1-5), has been fulfilled. . . . All this is according to that great programme of God, which is mentioned in the Qur’ān time and time again, which is related to the Night of Power and Ḥaḍrat Qā’im al-Qiyāmah, the most excellent greeting and peace be upon him” (‘Allāmah Nasīr al-Dīn Nāsir Hunzai, Du‘ā: Essence of Ibādat, 89-90).
The Night of Qadr and Collective Resurrection
You may have read that resurrection is both individual and collective. Thus, the night of Qadr of the collective resurrection of this cycle is the ḥujjat of the Qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾. And in such a night of Qadr Ḥazrat-i Qā’imu’l-qiyāmat⁽ᶜ⁾ has secretly descended and the resurrection has taken place secretly and now the chain of its far-reaching effects and results continues to occur. One day of God is equal to a thousand years of our [reckoning] (22:47), therefore the day of resurrection which is Saturday, comprises a thousand years with respect to its decision and results. It will be the last cycle of seven major cycles. Very great events and miracles will appear in it, there will be the reign of international alliance and unity, the planet earth will be a model of paradise, the light of Islam will spread throughout the world, spiritual science will be common, people will fly with the help of flying saucers and tour other planets and miracles will start to manifest from staunch mu’mins similar to God’s friends (awliyā’u’llāh).
The Universal Purpose of the Descent of Angels and Souls:
One purpose of the descent of angels and souls is in the personal world, which has been mentioned briefly. The other is worldwide and universal. The meaning of the latter is that by the inner action of these heavenly powers the same revolution, which is mentioned in the noble Qur’ān by the name of resurrection, will take place. However, it is necessary to understand all these wisdom-filled prophecies in their true sense, which are related to the great changes and advancements of the cycle of resurrection.
Do not forget the fact that at the level of spirituality angel and soul are something else and at the level of materiality something else. Thus, it is a fact that every scientific discovery took place as a result of a thought [process] and in such a thought there was an angel or soul. Similarly, today’s unprecedented tempestuous progress is controlled by the angels and souls of the night of Qadr, so that the condition of the world may change completely, and the Divine promise may be fulfilled. That promise which He has mentioned in the Qur’Àn, and is related to the illumination of the planet earth by the lights of religion, ethics, humanity, knowledge and science (wisdom) (39:69).
[“(On the Day of Resurrection) the earth will radiate with the light of her Lord, and the Book will be set up, and the Prophets and the witness will be summoned, and judgment will be passed between them with truth, and they will not be dealt with unjustly”(39:69).]
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānic Minarets, 130-131.
The Personal World of Shab-i Qadr⁽ᶜ⁾
During the cycle of resurrection = cycle of ta’wīl = cycle of unveiling, al-ḥayyu’l-qayyūm’s…secrets become open and clear in the entire Qur’ān.
Shab-i Qadr means ḥujjat-i qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ (97:1-5) in whose personal world according to Sūrah Fajr (89:22), the luminous manifestation of the Lord and the angels took place.
The Lord of resurrection, in the veil of his renowned ḥujjat, began his work. There is mention of this great work in many places of the wise Qur’ān.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān awr Qā’im, trans. by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai as Qur’ān and Qā’im (unpublished draft translation), Part 12.
Descent of the Supreme Soul in the Night of Power⁽ᶜ⁾
Surah Qadr’s (97) ta’wīlī purport: We revealed the perfect and supreme light of the qā’im from Prophet Muḥammad⁽ˢ⁾ and Mawlānā ‘Alī⁽ᶜ⁾’s progeny in the personal world of his ḥujjat = bāb. Ḥujjat-i qā’im is better than other Imams, because the Lord= qā’im and the angels descend in his personal world. This is the same ta’wīl as verse 89:22. According to verse (97:4), the Spirit, which descends together with the angels in the luminous resurrection, is the Supreme Soul, that is, the sacred light of Ḥazrat-i qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾.
Thus, this law of wisdom should be noted that every ladder is the junction of ascent and descent.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān and Qā’im (unpublished draft translation), Part 34.
Ta’wīl of Ḥā’ Mīm: Two Blessed Names
From Sūrah Mu’min to Sūrah Aḥqāf, that is, the seven chapters from Sūrah 40 to Sūrah 46, begin with ḥā’ mīm, that is, al-ḥayyu’l-qayyūm. Ḥā’ mīm, which are the two blessed names of ḥujjat-i qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ and Ḥazrat-i qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾, allude to the cycle of resurrection or the cycle of ta’wīl. . .. People of intellect do not find it difficult to believe in this reality. Study these seven places in the perspective of the recognition of qā’im, together with rabbānī scholars, who recognise the qā’im. You will recognise the soul and the Lord, the qā’im, resurrection and the ta’wīl as clearly as broad daylight. When you will be able to observe the climax of ta’wīl in the sacred Sanctuary, you will indeed be able to observe the Qur’ān not only on the earth but also in the hidden Book (56:77-80) and in the guarded Tablet (85:21-22).
These seven references are extremely important for you because they contain the indication of the cycle of resurrection = cycle of ta’wīl. . . .
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān and Qā’im (unpublished draft translation), Part 29.
Numerical Ta’wīl of Ḥā’ Mīm: 8+40 = 48!
Ta’wīlī purport of verses (40:1-3): The first allusion of ḥā’ mīm is al-ḥayyu’l-qayyūm. This is the same ism-i a‘ẓam and the named one (ism-i dhāt), which is in the āyatu’l Kursī, that is to say, ḥujjat-i qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ and Ḥazrat qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾.
The second allusion: ḥā’ = 8; mīm = 40. That is, the number 48, by which is meant the forty-eighth Imam. The numerical ta’wīl of this number 48 may indicate specially to the manifestation of Ḥazrat qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ and the event of the spiritual resurrection.
The third allusion is that Allah swears by the ism-i a‘ẓam and the ism-i dhāt! This Book is revealed from Allah. Since this verse is related to the miracles of the cycle of resurrection = the cycle of ta’wīl and the cycle of the qā’im, therefore by explaining the secrets of the Qur’ān that I have come to know in the paradise of the sacred Sanctuary, will enhance the eminence of the wise Qur’ān.
Another name of the resurrection is ta’wīl. Thus, all the miracles of ta’wīl are the prerogative of Ḥazrat qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān and Qā’im (unpublished draft translation), Part 30.
Ta’wil of Ḥā’-Mīm and the Blessed Night
Ta’wīlī purport of verses (44:1-4): By ḥujjat of qā’im and qā’im (Ḥā’-Mīm)! And by the Imam of the time (al-kitābu’l-mubīn)! We revealed the light of qā’im (which is also the light of the Qur’ān) in the blessed night (ḥujjat of qā’im). Thus, Ḥazrat qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ gives the luminous ta’wīl of the Qur’ān in the form of great miracles of the resurrection to those ‘ārifs/sāliks for whom he resurrects the luminous resurrection.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān and Qā’im (unpublished draft translation), Part 51.
Ta’wil of Ḥā’-Mīm and Surah Qadr
It is mentioned in verses (44:1-4): “Ḥā Mīm. By the manifest Book! Verily We revealed it in a blessed night. Verily, We are ever warning — therein every affair of wisdom is made distinct.”
Luminous ta’wīl: By al-Ḥayyu’l-Qayyūm (ism-i a‘ẓam) and the manifest Book (kitāb-i mubīn) = the Qur’ān = the Imām = the Sacred Sanctuary! We have revealed the light of the qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾ in a blessed night = night of power = ḥujjat-i a‘ẓam.
The collective luminous ta’wīl of the verses (44:1-4) in the five verses of the sūrah of Estimation (Qadr, 97:1-5) and also wherever the disjointed letters (muqaṭṭa‘āt) of Ḥā Mīm are mentioned [in the holy Qur’ān] is that in order to describe [the importance and grandeur] of this ta’wīl, God swears by al-Ḥayyu’l-Qayyūm [the Ever Living and Everlasting].
— ‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Chihil Kalīd-i Nūrānī Ta’wīl, trans. by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, Forty Keys of Luminous Ta’wīl, 27
Ta’wil of Ḥā’-Mīm and the Sacred Sanctuary
See Surah-yi Dukhan (44:1-11): “Ḥā Mīm. By the clear book. We have sent it down in a blessed night.” Read till the end of verse 11.
Ta'wīlī purport: By al-Ḥayyu'l-Qayyum and by the clear book, i.e., the book in which there is no doubt (i.e., the Sacred Sanctuary). We revealed the light of Qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾, i.e., the light of Qur’ānic ta’wīl, in the blessed night = the night of qadr (i.e., the supreme ḥujjat).
The manifest book, i.e., the book in which there is no doubt is the name of the Sacred Sanctuary, i.e., the sanctuary of the light of the Imam of the time (may my soul be sacrificed for him) in which the spiritual and luminous miracles of Qur’ānic ta’wīl take place in front of the inner eyes of the ‘ārifān. It is essential to read sūrah-yi Dukhān meticulously because it is full of the great secrets of the spiritual resurrection.
Zi-nūr-i ū tū hastī ham-chū partaw
Ḥijāb az pīsh bardār-ū tū ū shaw
(You are a reflection of His light;
Remove the veil in front of you and merge with Him)
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ānī ‘Ilm-ū ḥikmat kē Jawāhir, trans. by Azeem Ali Lakhani as Gems of Qur’ānic Knowledge and Wisdom, p. 28
The Night of Qadr and Manifestations of the Qā’im
It is said in verses (92:1-4): “By the night when it veils, by the day when it appears radiant, by that which created male and female, verily your striving is for diverse ends.”
Ta’wīlī purport: No night in the world of religion is more excellent than the night of qadr. Therefore, Allah has sworn by the night of qadr (ḥujjat-i qā’im) and by those things that are hidden in the night of qadr. That is, He has sworn by al-ḥayyu’l-qayyūm. . .and his great secrets and the internal and external manifestations of Ḥazrat qā’im⁽ᶜ⁾. These manifestations of the qā’im are in every Prophet, every Imam, particularly in ḥujjat-i qā’im, and in every ‘ārif. Then, in the complement of the oath are mentioned the diverse endeavours of the people of faith. The ta’wīl of the sūrah of the Night (92) is extremely important therefore, God willing, we will try to write [about] it again.
Note: “And by He who created the male and female” [92:3], that is, [by He who] created the two ranks of ḥudūd-i dīn.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān and Qā’im (unpublished draft translation), Part 101.
Esoteric Wisdom of Laylat al-Qadr, by Shahnaz Salim Hunzai
Lecture delivered (with slides) by al-Wai‘zah Shahnaz Salim Hunzai on April 24th 2022. Topic: “Esoteric Wisdom of Laylat al-Qadr”. Note: Also discussed the concept of Qiyamat to better understand the wisdom of the Night of Power.
“LQ-2-HQ”
How is Laylat al-Qadr connected
to the spiritual life of you and me?
How do Allah's angels and His Spirit
descend to Earth on the Night of Decree?
The exoteric Laylat al-Qadr
is observed annually on a certain night,
but it's with respect to the esoteric
that Laylat al-Qadr is filled with Light.
When spiritual things are said to descend
they descend in an ‘alam-i shakhsī.
I mean a microcosmic, personal world,
and that is the way that it must be.
The Earth of the personal world
will shine with the Light of her Lord,
and everyone who is present
shall thus be blessed so rest assured.
Laylat al-Qadr corresponds
to a rank or a degree of extreme nobility.
When you can noetically understand it
you'll be given a mystical ability –
the power to see clearly with true certainty
who Laylat al-Qadr really signifies.
So stay awake and pray on the Night of Decree
for your Lord to open up your inner eyes.
-Khayal ‘Aly
(4/18/22)
khayal.aly@gmail.com
Follow on Instagram
(khayal.aly; ismaili.poetry; khana_yi_khayr)
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
“…Allah, the Lord of the ladders and to Whom the angels and the (supreme) spirit ascend in a day whose measure is fifty thousand years” (Qur’ān 70:3-4).
Sūrah-yi Ma‘ārij (70:1-7) mentions the spiritual resurrection and it mentions the word ma‘ārij (sing. mi‘rāj), i.e., ladders or ranks, see Qāmūsu’l-Qur’ān. According to Ḥakīm Pīr Nāṣir Khusraw (May God sanctify his secret) at this very place there may be a hidden allusion to infinite resurrections whose Lord is God.
Certainly every spiritual resurrection through the light of Imamat is the ladder of the heaven of the Sacred Sanctuary. The fact is that in all times the pure light of the Imam works as the ladder of the heaven of recognition. Undoubtedly the exalted Imam is the ladder of salvation (sullamu'n-najāt). It means that the ladder of spiritual resurrection and the salvation of hereafter is attained [only] through the holy light of the living and present true Imam.
A wisdom-filled example of sullam (ladder) is present in sūrah-yi Tūr (52:38).
‘Allāmah Hunzai, Gems of Qur’ānic Knowledge and Wisdom, 59