The perception of the Ultimate Truth.

The perception of the Truth….

An intellectually defined truth is not Real by necessity, for any given definition of the Truth is bounded by the specific intellectual constraints of Man. Hence such definition of the Truth is mere relative and not absolute.

Ontologically we can divide the human intellect into two dimensions; 1-immaterial 2- material. The first one is divine in nature where as the second one lower in nature because of its dependence on the inevitable constraints of matter. Accordingly, when our intellect claims that it knows the Absolute Truth then such claim, necessarily do not represent the Absolute Truth, in the absolute sense. For such claim is only sought by the material intellect, which is veiled from the Ultimate Truth. But when the intellect claims that it is striving to pursue the Ultimate Truth then such attempts represent the journey towards the Ultimate Truth. For in this journey the material intellect, would not venture into these high and sublime Realities rather the Divine intellect (the immaterial intellect) is more suitable to explore such journey. The Divine Intellect does not dare to claim that it knows the Truth, for the Exalted nature of the Truth enables this Divine Intellect to perceive its irrelevancy in relation to the Ultimate Truth. 

The best parallel to better understanding the notion of the Absolute Truth is the likeness of a Diamond. It is known fact that a brilliant cut diamond has about 58 facets or angles through which light is passed which causes its glitter. So for the sake of argument lets call these facets as windows through which an observer is able to look through and attempts to define what he or she sees.  When we attempt to define this diamond then every one will define it from one angle of his or her own perspective, where every perspective is unique and relative to the intellectual capacities of Man, for Man’s perspective is greatly influenced by various worldly factors; such as his upbringing conditions and circumstances, his or her acquired knowledge, and cultural values, etc..All these factors will form a thick lens through which the observer gives his opinion and definition of what he sees. This follows that each opinion regarding this diamond is relative and not absolute; it does not represent the true definition of the Ultimate Truth. In other words, we can say from a philosophical stand point that the Absolute Truth is Absolute in respect to Itself but it is relative in respect to our intellect. Thus far we conclude a very inevitable fact and that is the human intellect incapable of comprehending the Absolute Truth which would lead us to believe that the comprehension of the Absolute Truth is subjective and NOT absolute.

Adill Hissan

اشارات عرفانية من آية البسملة القرآنية

:اكثر آية قرآنية يتفوَّه بها المسلمين ليلا ونهاراً هي الاية الكريمة التالية

“بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم”

والمعنى المتعارف لدى المسلمين العام ، بأستثناء القليل جداً ، هو ينبغي على المسلم ان يبتدئ اي قول او فعل بأسم الجلالة وهو ” الله” اي نقول ” بإسم الله الرحمن الرحيم” وهذا المعنى ليس باطلا ولكن هو جزء من المعنى المرتجى. والملاحظ هنا انني كتبت “إسم” وليس “بِسْم” اي وضعت حرف الألف بين حرف الباء والسين في كلمة “بِسْم” لأن هذا المعنى المتعارف لجملة “بِسْم الله” اي ان المفسرين يفترضون وجود حرف “الألف” بين الباء والسين في “بِسْم” ولكنهم يقولون بحذف الألف مع بقاء المعنى بأنه تعني “إسم” اي اسم الشئ.  والسؤال الذي اطرحه الان هو لو كان ان اسم العٓلم لفظ الجلالة “الله” هو اسمٌ للخالق كما هو معروف فهذا يعني اننا نقول “بأسم الاسم” لان ” الله” هو الاسم . ومثال ذلك عندما نعلم ان والد زيد هو محمود وأردنا ان نقوم بمشروع ما ونهديه الى والد زيد (محمود) عندئذ ٍ يمكن ان نقول ان هذا المشروع تمّ “بإسم والد زيد” ومن الخطأ ان نقول ” بإسم محمود” لان “محمود ” هو الاسم. والآن كيف نفهم معنى “بِسْم الله”
لقد اختلف مفسري القرآن ،المسلمين الأوائل،  في أصل كلمة “سْم” من ” بِسْم ” ولكنهم يتفقون على ان حرف الباء ليس من أصل الكلمة. و الاختلاف في أصل كلمة “سم”  على وجهين كما ذكره المارودي في تفسيره للقرآن

ألوجه الاول: أنه مشتق من السمة، وهي العلامة، لما في الاسم من تمييز المسمى، وهذا قول الفرَّاء.
والثاني: أنه مشتق من السمو، وهي الرفعة لأن الاسم يسمو بالمسمى فيرفعه من غيره، وهذا قول الخليل والزجَّاج.وفِي اعتقادي ان الوجه الاول وهو من “السمة” يتضمن الوجه الثاني ضرورةً

والآن لنرّكز على المعنى الاول وهو ان كلمة “سْم” مشتقة من السمة اي الصفة التي تُمٓيِّز الشئ عن غيره وأنّ الباء ليست من أصل الكلمة المعنية. وهذا المعنى أراه يتناغم مع المعنى المرتجى من عبارة “بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم” وبعبارة ثانية ان الاية تقول ان على الانسان ان يبدئ قوله او فعله ب ” صفة الله ” وهما “الرحمن الرحيم ” والنقطة المهمة هنا ان الاية قد أفردت صفتين من صفات الله الحسنى وبالتحديد صفة “الرحمن” وصفة ” الرحيم” وإفراد هاتان الصفتان ليس صدفة او بلاغة كلامية بل انها مصوغة من لدن حكيم خبير. وان هاتان الصفتان تمثل ثنائية رائعة تحمل معاني عرفانية جميلة. فليعلم الانسان انه اذا أراد ان يقول قول الحسنى او القيام بفعل الخير ينبغي ان يكون على وعي تام بأن القول او الفعل يكون من أجل الله بصفتيه الحسنى “الرحمن الرحيم” فأن كان كذلك فأن فعله وقوله يكون واقعٌ لا محالة في ثنائية “الرحمن الرحيم” ونلاحظ هنا ان ” الرحمن الرحيم ” لا يرتبطان بواو العطف وذلك يضيف معنى أعمق لجملة “الرحمن الرحيم” وذلك، والله اعلم، صفة الرحمن هي أصل الوجود وكل ما هو موجود يصدر عن “الرحمن ” ويكون في ظل “الرحيم” وهذه مشروطة بارادة الانسان. فإذا كان الانسان واعً لقيمومة الرحمن على الوجود ويتجلى ذلك في افعاله وأقواله بإرادته الحرّة فأن فعله وقوله سوف يكون ،لا محالة، في واحة المقدَّس المطلق والتي تمتاز بصفتان من صفاته الحسنى وهما “الرحمن” اي في “رحمانية الله” ويكون في ظلال “الرحيم” اي في “رحيمية الله” في آن واحد . أمّا اذا أراد الانسان ان يقول قول السوء ويقوم بفعل الشر فأن كان كذلك فأنه سوف يقع في ثنائية ” الشيطان الرجيم” حتى لو تفوّه بعبارة “بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم” .
وهكذا تتجلى عظمة آيات القرآن الكريم وبالتحديد هذه الاية الكريمة “بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم”

والله اعلم
عادل حسين
أوتاوا-كند

The Days of Allah

The days of God

Metaphysical Perspective

  وَذَكِّرْهُم بِأَيَّامِ اللَّه إِنَّ فِي ذَ‌ٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ  

 14:5 ..and teach them to remember the Days of Allah.” Verily in this there are Signs for such as are firmly patient and constant,- grateful and appreciative.

Muslim Quran commentators offer various interpretations for the notion of “ayyamil-lah, the days of Allah” but the most prevailing  opinion refer to as “God’s final judgment of man on the Day of Resurrection”. However, such opinion is not conclusive and may be far fetched simply because the Quran often refer to the notion of the “Day of Judgement” in plain words and in the singular form, such as “the day of resurrection”, “the Day of Deen-Judgement”, etc.. But the format in this verse came in the plural which may suggest to more profound meaning than it is rendered by our Quran commentators.

Looking at this notion from a higher understanding the “Days of Allah” has more profound meaning. I believe that there is an ontological relationship between the “Days of Allah” and patience and gratefulness. When a person becomes the embodiment of patience and gratefulness then in essence this person is living the “Days of Allah”. So those moments, segment of time, hours, day, or days in which we live the attributes of patience and gratefulness, are the “Days of Allah”

The “Days of Allah” is a spiritual state of the heart. A state of being in which we are enabled to bring the best out of us in pursuing  the acts of goodness in serving the human cause.

Furthermore, in light of some comments stated below, it seems that there is a need to elaborate further on my short essay above.

The prophetic hadiths mentioned below, Sahih bukhari,  which states that the prophet gave a definition for the “days of Allah” as being “the bounties of Allah“. In addition another prophetic hadith according to  the renowned Quran commentators, such as, Zamakhshari, who states that; on the authority of Ibn Abbas, the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that “the days of Allah are His Blessings and His trials”

Accordingly, now we have two meanings in reference to the “days of Allah” offered by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to Sahih bukhari, and Zamakhshari. And these two meanings are, “Bounties as well well as Trials.

Now if were to take the first meaning offered by shaih bukhari, which state that the “days of Allah” to be “the bounties or the blessings of God” and  see how does it agree with the findings mentioned above.

When God bestows His blessings upon a true believer then he or she would be grateful to God. In other words, the expression of gratefulness by a believer is a manifestation of true faith from within. A true conviction in the Omnipotence and Authority of the Giver of his or her bounties. When a believer is always grateful to God’s bounties as the verse implies “shakoor-constantly grateful .” then such believer is continuously conscious of the presence of God and His bounties which are prevalent everywhere. A true believer is always conscious of the Divine presence every moment every hour, and every day. Hence a true believer’s days are passing in the presence of God. Every day that passes a true believer is conscious of God. And that is how the verse above implies that we are reminded to live our days in the presence of God. When we help others we are conscious of the divine presence then we are living the day in the presence of  God; when we spend our days in the pursuant of goodness then we are in essence living the “Days of God”   Furthermore, the same kind of approach in respect of the second meaning offered by the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) which is to be as “Trials” according to Zamakhshari as stated below.

Katib

Adill Hissan

Comments were left at “reddit” website and these are:

imra7il

حدثني المثنى قال : حدثنا الحماني قال : حدثنا محمد بن أبان ، عن أبي إسحاق ، عن سعد بن جبير ، عن ابن عباس . عن أبي ، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( وذكرهم بأيام الله ) ، قال : نعم الله .

الحديث المرفوع الذي رواه عبد الله ابن الإمام أحمد بن حنبل في مسند أبيه حيث قال : حدثني يحيى بن عبد الله مولى بني هاشم ، حدثنا محمد بن أبان الجعفي ، عن أبي إسحاق ، عن سعيد بن جبير [ عن ابن عباس ، عن أبي بن كعب ، عن النبي ، صلى الله عليه وسلم ، في قوله تبارك وتعالى : ( وذكرهم بأيام الله ) قال : ” بنعم الله تبارك وتعالى ] ”

these are hadiths reporting that our prophet peace be upon him told them that the “Days of Allah” means the grace (favours) of Allah

Muadh

This seems highly speculative and unsupported. By no means is it a “higher understanding” to choose a mystical seeming hidden type of explanation (baatiniyyah) over the opinion of Rasulullah, the companions, the scholars of language, etc, which is tafseer.

Further, read the full verse, the Days of Allah clearly refers to particular, special days of worship given to the people of Musa. No need for tenious connections

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adillhissan

Thank you for your input. As I mentioned in my post that there are various opinions regarding the ‘Days of Allah” and I only rendered “the most prevailing opinion” However, the hadith you stated is another opinion. In addition there is another opinion to the one you stated, rendered by several renowned Quran commentators, such as, Zamakhshari, who states that; on the authority of Ibn Abbas, “the days of Allah” are His Blessings and His trials وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما: نعماؤه وبلاؤه- . These opinions are related to the exoteric meaning of the Quran. Having said that, none of these opinions are final and further contemplation  is a virtue supported the Quran.