The Word of Christ the Messiah will Revive Ya
Inspirational Ismaili Presentations of God's Word and Spirit from Him
Divine Inspiration: Word, Spirit, Life
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God: all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
« John 1:1-4 »
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
« John 6:63 »
“O you who believe! Respond to God and His Messenger when He calls you to that which will give you life.”
« Qur’ān 8:24 »
“And he that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And he said unto me, ‘Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ And he said unto me, ‘It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.’"
« Revelation 21:5-6 »
“And Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into her Our Spirit; and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord and of His Books, and was one of the devout.”
« Qur’ān 66:12 »
“The Messiah, Jesus, son of Maryam, was only a Messenger of God, and His Word which He cast unto Mary, and a Spirit from Him.”
« Qur’ān 4:171 »
“The Exalter of ranks, the Lord of the Throne. He casts the Spirit from His Command upon whom He wills of His slaves, that He may warn of the Day of Meeting (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).”
« Qur’ān 40:15 »
“Jesus, son of Mary, recall My favour upon you and your mother, and when I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit so that you spoke to men in the cradle and also when you became of age; and when I taught you the Book and the Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel; and when, by My permission, you fashioned from clay the likeness of a bird and you breathed into it, and by My permission it became a bird; you healed, by My permission, the blind from birth and the lepers; and when, by My permission, you caused the dead to come to life.”
« Qur’ān 5:110 »
Kalimah (The Word)
The Gospel of John begins with: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God: all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John:1-4).
The Word is described and praised in this verse of the holy Gospel. It is said that before the creation of the world was the Word, which in Qur’ānic terminology is called “Kalimah”. This verse of the Gospel means that the Word in one regard was with God and in the other, the Word itself, was God, for this is the nature of light. In the ‘Light Verse’1 in the Qur’ān, it is said that: “Allāh is the light of the heavens and the earth”. Then, from the [words] “similitude of His light”, it appears that the light is attributed to God, while in the preceding part of the verse, it is said that “God Himself is light”. This shows that the Word contains the observation and recognition of the Divine attributes. In other words, the Word is the maẓhar [locus of manifestation] of the light of God or it is the treasure which contains the precious pearls of the beauty and glory of God.
The “Word” is mentioned in various Qur’ānic verses, such as 14:24-25:
“See you not how Allāh has explained the similitude of a pure word that, it is like a pure tree whose root is set firm and whose branch has reached into the heaven. It gives fruit always by the permission of its Lord.”
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا كَلِمَةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ كَشَجَرَةٍۢ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌۭ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ
تُؤْتِىٓ أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۭ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
« Qur’ān 14:24-25 »
From the verses of both the Gospel and the Qur’ān, it is established that the fountainhead of the spirituality and luminosity of the Prophets, Imāms and the true mu’mins [faithful believers] is a Word which stands as the key to the treasures of Divine knowledge. It was this Word which was given to Ḥaḍrat Ādam and is compared to the breathing of the Spirit of God into him.
It was the same Word which was given to the Prophets, and it contained the light of guidance and the secrets of succor and victory for them, as God says: “And verily Our Word has already gone forth for Our servants, the Messengers” (37:171). The Word of God for the Prophets is the same one which is being discussed here.
The Holy Qur’ān mentions, not only that God gave the Word to all the Prophets, but in the case of some, such as Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm [Abraham], it is prominently mentioned, as He says: “And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrāhīm with some Words and he fulfilled them” (2:124). Those Words were the supreme Names of Allāh.
Also concerning Ḥaḍrat Maryam [Mary], God says: “And We breathed into it Our spirit and she testified to the words of her Lord and His books and she was of the obedient” (66:12). This holy verse reveals that the words of God are other than His books. It is clear here that first, the Spirit of God was breathed into her, that is to say, she was given the Word. She completed the correct ‘ibādat [worship] of certain Words and attained the Light as a result of that, then in the light of those Words, she understood the reality of the scriptures. This is the meaning of testifying to the Words of God and His Books and to be obedient to Him. For, according to God, attestation does not mean to utter something verbally without knowing its meaning and reality, rather, according to Him, real attestation is to know the reality of that thing. This shows that, in order to benefit from the Divine knowledge spiritually and to know the reality of the scripture, one has to first do the real ‘ibādat of the Word.
The Word which is full of wonders and miracles of knowledge bears the light of Prophethood and Imāmat, i.e. the Holy Spirit, as the Qur’ān says regarding Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā [Jesus]: “The Messiah, ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, was only a messenger of Allāh and His Word which He conveyed unto Maryam and a Spirit from Him” (4:171).
If a person of insight will reflect on the wisdom of this verse, he will certainly come to know that Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā [Jesus] existed in a spiritual and luminous form in the great miraculous Word which was given to Ḥaḍrat Maryam [Mary]. This further reveals many essential realities. First, when it is accepted that the real existence of Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā was hidden in a miraculous Word, then it would be utterly wrong to say that Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā was killed or crucified later on, for he was secured in a holy Word with all his miracles, as the Qur’ān says: “They slew him not nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them” (4:157). This means that Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā, in reality, was the Word and the Holy Spirit, therefore, it was not possible for them to slay him. However, they crucified his body, therefore, it appeared to them that they slew him, just as the common people think that martyrs are slain, but the Qur’ān forbids them to think so, saying: “Think not of those who are slain in the way of Allāh, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord they have provision” (3:169).
Secondly, just like Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā, all other Prophets and Imāms are also hidden in the Word (ism-i a‘ẓam, bōl, etc.) and manifest themselves from it. That is, it is a Divine law that the Light or the Holy Spirit of every Prophet and every Imām, which is the source of spiritual knowledge and wisdom for the mu’mins is so through this miraculous Word, as it is evident from the above-mentioned verse that Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā was a Prophet even when he was cast into Ḥaḍrat Maryam in the form of a pure and special Word and Spirit.
Another proof of how the Light, the real existence of the Prophets and Imāms is hidden in the Word (bōl), is mentioned in the Qur’ān regarding Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm [Abraham]:
“And he (Ibrāhīm) made it (i.e. the Light of Prophethood and Imāmat) a Word enduring among his children, that they may return (to Him).”
وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةًۢ بَاقِيَةًۭ فِى عَقِبِهِۦ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
« Qur’ān 43:28 »
That is, Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm entrusted his children with all the attributes and characteristics of Prophethood and Imāmat in the form of a pure and wisdom-filled Word, which continues in his progeny till the Resurrection.
Further, it should be known that the spiritual and luminous existence of the Prophet also was hidden in the pure Word, as God says: “So keep your duty to Allāh, O men of understanding! O you who believe! Now Allāh has sent down unto you a dhikr (remembrance) who is a messenger reciting unto you the clear verses of Allāh, so that those who believe and do good deeds may be brought from darkness to light” (65:10-11).
This verse is addressed to the Imāms of ahl al-bayt, for they only are on the perfect level of intellect and faith, and the Light of the Prophet in the form of dhikr, has descended upon them and by virtue of that, they are called ahl al-dhikr, the people of remembrance. This dhikr or Word is the Light of Prophethood and Imāmat which contains the luminous and living realities of the Qur’ān. And the purpose of the revelation of this light in the form of dhikr to the pure Imāms is that they may bring the mu’mins, who do good deeds, from darkness to light. This shows that the Holy Light of the Prophet, which continues to be transferred from one Imām to another Imām, is acting and manifesting in the form of dhikr or Word.
In connection with this Word, it is said about the mu’mins of the period of Prophethood: “Then Allāh sent down His ‘peace’ (sakīnah) upon His messenger and upon the believers and attached to them the ‘word of righteousness’ (kalimatu’t-taqwā), and they were worthy of it and entitled to it” (48:26). In this verse, it is said in the way of wisdom that when mu’mins, in addition to ‘ibādat [worship], perform extremely great services for religion, God sends down to them a special kind of spiritual peace [sakīnah], as a result of which, the miraculous Word which is attached to them, starts to speak in their mind and heart automatically, i.e. the Divine remembrance continues in their heart and mind day and night, and then starts a chain of innumerable miracles.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Pīr Nāṣir-i Khusraw awr Rūḥāniyyat, tr. Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, Pīr Nāṣir Khusraw and Spirituality, 29-33 (Click here for download link).
Rūhu’llāh (The Spirit of Allāh)
Rūḥu’llāh means the Spirit of God, namely, the special Spirit which is from the Divine Command (amr-i bārī). For, according to Pīr Nāṣir [Khusraw], it is the Command which is the concept of God and His oneness and it is the Command which is the cause of all spiritual and physical existents. Further, the Command in itself is a world of its own which is called the world of Command or the world of oneness. Thus, the Spirit of God means that Spirit which is the highest or the most special Spirit which has come from the world of Command.
In the Wise Qur’ān, where the question regarding the nature and reality of the spirit is mentioned, there is also a concise and comprehensive answer, as it is said: “They ask you concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is from the Command of my Lord, and of knowledge you have been vouchsafed but little” (17:85). In this answer, by saying the Spirit is from the Command of my Lord, it is said that if someone wants to understand the reality of the Spirit, he should carefully study all the verses revealed concerning the Command, for the meanings of the word “Command” which are in the Qur’ān are contained in the spirituality of the Spirit.
Rūḥu’llāh is also the title of Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā [Jesus] but the fact is that all other great Prophets also have the same status, as the Qur’ān says: “The Exalter of ranks, the Lord of the Throne. He casts the Spirit from His command upon whom He wills of His slaves, that He may warn of the Day of Meeting (i.e. Resurrection) (40:15)”. It is evident that this verse stands as an essential principle and as a necessary law regarding all the Prophets, which is that God, by casting the Spirit (rūḥ) upon whom He wills of His servants, exalts his rank and makes him a Prophet so that he may warn his community of the Day of Resurrection.
Thus, the very same purport is contained in the verse which is revealed specifically concerning Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā: “The Messiah, ‘Īsā son of Maryam, was only a messenger of Allāh, and His word which He cast unto Maryam, and a Spirit from Him” (4:171).
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Pīr Nāṣir-i Khusraw awr Rūḥāniyyat, tr. Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, Pīr Nāṣir Khusraw and Spirituality, 25-26 (Click here for download link).
Visions of Jesus in Esoteric Islam
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
“Allāh is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allāh guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allāh speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allāh is Knower of all things” (Qur’ān 24:35)