This is the second half of the complete 100 questions in book form.
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions Part 2 Download Tuesday, Jun 30 2009
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions Part 1 Download Saturday, Jun 27 2009
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Part 1 is now complete. We hope you enjoyed these questions and answers. In order for our readers to have an easy source of reference, we have put together all the questions for part 1 into a pdf which may be downloaded via the link below.
Enjoy…
Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #52 Saturday, Jun 27 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 11:45 pm
Imam and Sacrifice
Q. You have mentioned the sacrifice of the Imam in an answer to a question, but how can sacrifice be applicable to the Imam while he is the mazhar of Divine light? Is the Divine light not free from such a sacrifice? Is there room in the Divine light for progress and increase?
A. (a) It should be understood that in the Imam and Imamat two things are special, and they are personality and light. Now, you should understand well that the personality has two aspects, the external (zahir) and the internal (batin) or physical and spiritual. Similarly, the light also has two aspects: one is linked with azal (pre-eternity) and the other is linked with the internal aspect (batin) of the personality. Thus, the real meanings of sacrifice continue to be applied to both the zahir and batin (aspects) of the Imam’s personality. Although from one aspect sacrifice is not applicable to the light, but from another aspect, the light also continues to make sacrifice.
(b) We have numerous examples of the physical sacrifices of the Prophets and Imams in front of us. By the proof of these examples we can be sure that the blessed personality of the Prophet and the Imam is the fountainhead of physical and spiritual sacrifices.
(c) For the sake of upholding the true and truth, the chief of martyrs Hazrat-i Imam Husayn(c) sacrificed his holy personality. From this, two realities become crystal clear in front of us: one is that Hazrat-i Ismail’s(c) sacrifice was not a show, rather it was possible for him to be sacrificed decisively. The other is that the Imam, with respect to the physical and spiritual aspects of his personality, is not free from sacrifices, but no doubt with respect to light he is free from them.
(d) The azali (pre-eternal) aspect of the light is not active (faal), it is silent, but the aspect which is linked to the inner aspect (batin) of the Perfect Man is absolutely active, just as the rising flame of a bright lamp is moving and active, which continues to spread light upon light, yet the light which is seen on the clean and clear wall of the house is silent and immobile. In this example the active shining flame represents the moving aspect of the light which is in the spirituality of the guide of the time (hadi-i zaman) and the light which is silent on the surface of the wall shows the immobile aspect of the light which is towards the azal, (pre-eternity).
(e) A clear and vivid concept of azal is also possible only in the light of the Imam of the time, therefore, in this example I have compared the active light of the Imam with the flame of the lamp and that of his azali (pre-eternal) light with the silent light on the wall.
(f) We had said that from one aspect, even the light continues to sacrifice. Truly speaking, the sacrifices of the light are the greatest. Think clearly about the sun, since when has it existed and how long will it continue to subsist. Try to assess with what rapidity every moment this fountainhead of material light fills the infinite expanses of this universe with its fresh light. This is an example of the sacrifices of the material light, but the sacrifices of the spiritual light are immensely greater than this.
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #51 Monday, Jun 22 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 11:23 pm
Sacrifice (Part 2)
Q. Which son of Hazrat-i Ibrahim(c) was sacrificed according to the story of the Qur’an? Hazrat-i Ismail(c) or Hazrat-i Ishaq(c)? Further please tell us what is the ta’wil in it?
A. In the Qur’an (37:99-107) the sacrifice of Hazrat-i Ismail(c) is mentioned. This is only the exoteric aspect of the story. However, in the ta’wil of the great trial of sacrifice both Ismail(c) and Ishaq(c) are included, the explanation of which follows as under:
(f) It should be remembered that for the common people, physical sacrifice i.e. martyrdom is extremely great, for they cannot reach the spiritual sacrifice which is confined to the prophets, the Imams and the true mu’mins of higher rank. However, according to the chosen ones, spiritual sacrifice is exceedingly great.
(g) The word qurbani (sacrifice) is derived from qurban, which is in turn from qurb, (closeness). Thus, qurbani implies a means, which brings a person closer to God. Thus the exoteric and esoteric guidance of the true guide is the greatest sacrifice by which the servants of God become closer to Him.
(h) If you see the ta’wil of the word “zaba (to slaughter)” and “qurbani (sacrifice)” in Wajh-i din, the famous book on ta’wil by Pir Nasir Khusraw, it will be clear to you what the ta’wil of these two words is and in what sense the sacrifice of the naÌiq is asas, that of the asas is the Imam, and that of the Imam the hujjat, and that of the hujjat is the dai.
(i) It should be known that each natiq takes the covenant from one of his close relatives, who becomes the asas, which from the ta’wili point of view is like slaughtering a sacrificial animal, and appoints him as his successor so that he may bring the mu’mins of the community closer to God. Similarly the asas takes the covenant of Imamat from his heir and makes him the means of divine proximity. The Imam offers the sacrifice of the hujjat, taking the covenant from him and enriching him with spiritual wealth, makes him the fountainhead of knowledge and wisdom, so that he may be the means of marifat for the servants of God. Similarly the hujjat offers the sacrifice of daÄ according to his rank. These are the sacrifices of the hudud-i din (spiritual hierarchy) and the sacrifice of each superior hadd is the one under him.
(j) The story of the sacrifice of Hazrat-i Ismail(c) also contains the wisdom that although the spiritual sacrifice is superior and more excellent in every respect, it is impossible for someone to reach the great rank of spiritual sacrifice without material sacrifices. Therefore, every wise mu’min forms a habit of physical and material sacrifices prior to great spiritual sacrifices, so that thereby he may be able to offer the greatest sacrifice.
Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #50 Monday, Jun 22 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 12:46 am
Sacrifice
Q. Which son of Hazrat-i Ibrahim(c) was sacrificed according to the story of the Qur’an? Hazrat-i Ismail(c) or Hazrat-i Ishaq(c)? Further please tell us what is the ta’wil in it?
A. In the Qur’an (37:99-107) the sacrifice of Hazrat-i Ismail(c) is mentioned. This is only the exoteric aspect of the story. However, in the ta’wil of the great trial of sacrifice both Ismail(c) and Ishaq(c) are included, the explanation of which follows as under:
(a) God had commanded Hazrat-i Ibrahim(c) to sacrifice his son Ismail(c) in His path. The great father and son prepared willingly to comply with His command, and the sharp knife of the father began to move along the blessed throat of Hazrat-i Ismail(c), but God turned this unique physical sacrifice into a spiritual sacrifice.
(b) God says: “And We ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice (zibhin azim)” (37:107). That is, the sacrifice of his personality was transformed into a spiritual sacrifice. For the tremendous sacrifice means the spiritual sacrifice, which is vastly greater than the physical sacrifice. The gist of the meaning of the spiritual sacrifice of Hazrat-i Ismail(c) is that the covenant for the office of Imamat was taken from him, and its detail is that he underwent various difficult spiritual trials and offered a sacrifice one after the other in all the stations of spirituality, so that the meaning of patience may be true from every aspect in the function of the Imamat, as the Qur’an says: “And We appointed from among them Imams who guided by Our command when they persevered with patience.” (32:24).
(c) It is said that the lamb, which was sacrificed instead of Hazrat-i Ismailc) was the ‘tremendous sacrifice’, but according to the intellect and wisdom how can it be possible for the lamb to be greater than Hazrat-i Ismail(c)? Therefore, by the ‘tremendous sacrifice’ is meant the spiritual sacrifice, which was offered by Ishaq(c) also, because they were Imam-i mustaqarr and Imam-i mustawda respectively. Each Imam whether mustaqarr or mustawda succeeds to the rank of Imamat after this tremendous spiritual sacrifice.
(d) The spiritual sacrifice of Hazrat-i Ismail(c) was tremendously greater than his physical sacrifice in the sense that the chief of the prophets, Hazrat-i Muhammad(s), was born in his pure progeny and by virtue of his physical and spiritual sacrifices the religion of Islam became manifest and firm.
(e) Had the sacrifice of Ismail(c) been confined to his physical personality, that is, he was sacrificed at the time when he was prepared, none of those spiritual sacrifices which he offered later on during his life, and those which were offered by the true Imams from his progeny and which continue with the Imamat until the resurrection, would have taken place. Therefore, God in transforming the physical sacrifice into a spiritual one, not only favoured the great father and son, but also abundantly increased their reward. Thus in this sense the spiritual sacrifice is the ‘tremendous sacrifice’.
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #49 Monday, Jun 15 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 11:35 pm
Marriage of Imam
Q. Is it correct that some people say that the true Imam does not marry Ismaili girls because being his followers, they are his spiritual daughters and an Imam should not marry his spiritual daughters?
A. NO. It is absolutely wrong. To believe that it is not lawful for the Imam to marry an Ismaili girl has nothing to do with reality. If someone is interested in understanding this problem in detail, he should see the chapter on marriage in Daaimu’l-Islam, the famous book on Ismaili jurisprudence, and also the sunnat of the holy Prophet, and the collective conduct of the pure Imams, so that he may have proper knowledge of the fundamental points in this connection.
Here first of all it is important to know that in Islam there is a scope for marriage and the lawful wife, in which all those [categories] of women are mentioned from whom a Muslim can choose one for his marriage. Now from this scope of legitimacy, if somebody chooses a woman for marriage according to his discretion and expediency, how can one think that whomever he chose for marriage was the only one lawful for him?
Thus if the Imam marries a girl from other than an Ismaili family, this wisdom-filled choice is within the scope ordained by the Islamic law mentioned above.
God knows how this wrong notion has come about that the “Imam cannot marry a daughter of his followers for she is his spiritual daughter”, despite the fact that such a marriage is never prohibited for a prophet, an Imam, PÄr or murshid. For becoming a follower is a spiritual relationship, whereas marriage is a physical relationship, and they are two different things.
Except for the wives of Hazrat-i Nuh(c) and Hazrat-i Lut(c), the rest of the wives of the Prophets were pious Muslims as well as the spiritual daughters of their husbands. The wives of all the Imams are in the same position and so is the honourable Begum of the present Imam, our Lord Shah Karim al-Husayni(c).
Further, the marriage that we are discussing here, is physical and the sense in which Ismaili girls are Imam’s daughters belongs to the spirit and spirituality. Then how can physical marriage be unlawful and prohibited with a spiritual daughter, while in the spiritual sense the wife of the Imam herself automatically becomes his spiritual daughter and while the wives of all of us are our spiritual sisters?
Probably some people have wrongly thought that when the Imam marries a girl from a non-Ismaili family, it is done with the purpose that she will remain non-Ismaili. But this notion is glaringly based on falsehood, for the Imam’s honourable Begum before or after the marriage accepts Ismailism and automatically becomes his spiritual daughter. And truly speaking we should believe in this way about the honourable Begum’s (wife’s), for according to Ismailism, she is included in the luminous family of the Imam of the time.
The holy Prophet said to Imam Ali(c): “O `Ali! I and you are the parents of the faithful men [and faithful women]”. This shows that the Prophet’s honourable wives were like his spiritual daughters and Hazrat-i Fatimah(c) with Imam Ali(c), had the same position spiritually. Similarly, the Imam and Bab, i.e. the supreme Hujjat in every age are the parents of the faithful men and women. This is indeed in a spiritual sense and not in any physical sense.
From the above discussion it becomes vividly clear that when the Imam marries a girl from a non-Ismaili family, it does not mean that he cannot marry a daughter of one of his followers according to shariat. Rather, in his wisdom-filled act there are numerous expediencies hidden for the world of Islam and humanity, in addition to his followers, which nobody except the people of wisdom understand. Their explanation however, is not necessary in this answer.
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #48 Sunday, Jun 14 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 6:18 am
Women and Imamat
Q. Why can a woman not be the Imam?
A. In connection with Hundred Questions we have been asked this question twice – “Imamat and Women”(posted to our blog site on April 19). Since this question is very interesting and fruitful, therefore, we will answer it twice also.
An aziz has asked this question with very strange logic. God knows whether he has asked it deliberately or accidentally. For according to every wise person, there is ample difference between these two questions: “Why can a woman not be the Imam?” which means why cannot a woman, whether ordinary or from the elite, obtain the Imamat, and why is it always conferred upon men only? This implies that it is possible for every man to be the Imam, while in comparison to him all women are deprived of this exalted status, while it is not correct to pose the question in this way.
The other question is “Why can a daughter of the Imam not be the Imam?” Or, in other words, why can a woman from the family of Imamat not obtain Imamat? The question should be posed in this way, for the exalted office of Imamat is not such that everybody can achieve it. Rather it is in a chosen family, and that is only the Prophet’s family……
Thus here we will answer the latter question from the two kinds of questions presented above:
(a) According to Qur’anic law, the son inherits two portions from his father and the daughter inherits one (see section f below). This shows that man is superior to woman and, therefore only the son of the Imam inherits the throne of Imamat, not the daughter of the Imam.
(b) It is also one of the greatest miracles of God in proof of the veracity of the glory of Imamat that, in addition to the chapter “Kawthar”, many other Qur’anic verses confirm that a son has to be born in the house of the Imams from the progeny of Muhammad(s) to inherit the throne of Imamat. Thus it is absolutely impossible that in the presence of male issue of the true Imam, the Imamat be given to the daughter.
(c) The law of Imamat in many matters is like the law of prophethood. Thus, just as no lady among the ladies has become a prophet, no daughter of the Imam can be an Imam.
(d) Islam is the religion of nature and according to the law of nature, the woman in comparison to the man is weak and compelled in many respects, such as her menstrual cycle, pregnancy, maternity etc. These conditions are such that the scope of the woman’s activities becomes very limited, and therefore, physically the woman cannot succeed to the office of Imamat.
(e) If there is a group of women and there is no man to lead them in shari namaz, in such a state, according to shariat a capable woman should lead them in such a way that she should remain in the front line, but should not stand in front of them separately like a male pesh-namaz (a man who leads prayers). The tawili allusion of this is that, although the daughters of the family of prophethood and Imamat cannot succeed to the physical rank of prophethood and Imamat, in baÌin or spiritually they are linked with the centre of the light of guidance.
(f) Among men and women, all those who are followers of the Imam are like his daughters, for they receive only one portion of the inheritance of religion, to reach his light spiritually, being his spiritual children only. But the son of the Imam of the time who is going to inherit the Imamat is his son in every aspect. Therefore, he receives two portions of the inheritance of the religion. He inherits the light of the Imam externally as well as internally, for he is his son both physically and spiritually. So this is the reason that the imamat of a woman in shari namaz is hidden and confined in the (first) row and is not prominent like the imamat of a man standing in front of them. This is an allusion to the spiritual rank of the light of Imamat, which all the followers of the Imam can attain spiritually according to their capacity.
(g) It is said in verse (4:34): “Men are rulers of women, because God has made the one of them to excel the other”. From this Quranic principle it is clear that physically it is impossible for a woman to become an Imam, for the Imam has to be the ruler and more excellent (afdal) and not a subject and less excellent (mafdul).
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #47 Saturday, Jun 13 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 4:15 pm
People of Salvation
Q. Is it possible for a non-Ismaili to attain salvation and union with God? If not, why is the right of salvation granted to a small minority, leaving aside so many people in the world, while the divine law is full of the virtues of justice and equity?
A. In order to facilitate understanding we will divide this question into three parts:
(a) What is the source of salvation in the religion of Islam?
(b) As a result of the true dawat, which the Prophets preached, did all the people attain salvation, or only a minority?
(c) What is the reality of divine justice and equity?
The answer to the first question is that in the religion of Islam, the means of salvation is the holy Prophet and after him, his pure ahl-i bayt hold this position. By ahl-i bayt are meant the Imams of guidance, as the Prophet has said: “My ahl-i bayt are like Noah’s Ark, the one who embarked therein attained salvation and the one who lagged behind was drowned.” (Ahadith-i Mathnawi, p.166).
Now, when the means of salvation after the Prophet are his ahl-i bayt, it is obvious that as a result of obedience, salvation is assigned only to those who recognize the ImÀm of the time. By ahl-i bayt, as we have seen above, is meant the ImÀm of the time. For the Prophet’s house, which was prosperous with knowledge and wisdom, is now prosperous only due to the ta’wil and guidance of the living and present Imam. For the meanings, which the wisdom- filled word ‘ahl-i bayt’ embraces are that the spiritual and luminous relatives of the Prophet are his representatives, successors and holders of authority (ulu’l-amr) in knowledge and wisdom and rectitude and guidance, and obedience to them is obligatory after obedience to God and to the Prophet.
The answer to the second part of the question: “As a result of the true dawat which the Prophets preached, did all the people attain salvation, or only a minority?” is that obviously and clearly only a few people have attained salvation and many people became deprived of the means of salvation, because they did not accept the true dawat, the details of which are mentioned in the Qur’an. Now from this it becomes easy to understand the answer to the main question that, in every age the people of salvation can be only those people who obey the true guide (i.e. Imam).
The answer to the third and last part of the question: “What is the reality of divine justice and equity?” is that the divine law is full of the virtues of justice and equity in the beginning as well as in the end. According to this law, God has never left this world devoid of the light of guidance. In other words, God has neither deprived the world of guidance in the cycle of prophethood nor in the cycle of Imamat. Therefore those who recognize this fountainhead of guidance, obtained a place in the Ark of guidance (safinah-i hidayat) and became the people of salvation, but those who rejected the true guide, were deprived of the Ark of salvation, and were drowned in the deluge of deviation.
When [it is established that] Islam is the religion of nature, whatever happens in it would always be in accordance with the very law of nature. That is, whatever is superior and loftier in this world is fewer in number and quantity, and contrary to this whatever is inferior and lower is greater in number and quantity and examples of this can be found on every level in the law of nature. Thus if you reflect on the composition and order of minerals, vegetables, animals and men among the creatures, [you will come to know] how vegetables are formed from minerals, and animals from vegetables, and finally men. If we observe the chain of this physical creation, we will come to know that as we go lower and lower down the chain, things are found in greater and greater quantity, and as we go higher and higher up the chain, they become lesser and lesser in quantity. This implies that if the people of salvation are in a minority in comparison to others, it is not against the law of nature rather it is exactly in accordance with it.
Another example of ascension and evolution in the creatures is that if grass is grown in a field or garden, this does not mean that the entire soil of the earth will be transformed into grass. Similarly it is also not possible that the quantity of grass that a cow eats will cause milk to be produced in the same quantity. Again it is far from just for the owner of the cow to take all the milk and leave nothing for the poor calf. Furthermore not all the milk is turned into cream. It is also obvious that [the quantity of] butter is less than the cream. Further it is known to everyone that when butter is transformed into pure oil, it becomes even lesser; when something is fried in the oil, still another portion of it burns or evaporates. When man eats the food fried in the oil, very little energy is formed out of it and from this (energy) very little energy can prove to be useful. This is the law of nature and the same law operates in religion. That is, (in religion also), there are stages fixed according to the access of the people to beliefs and views and knowledge and guidance, and in ascending these stages higher and higher, the number of people becomes smaller and smaller.
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Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #46 Monday, Jun 8 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 11:21 pm
Sprinkling water (Chhanta) on the Dead Body
Q.
(a) Is there resurrection after death?
(b) Do Paradise and Hell actually exist?
(c) If, when Mukhi Sahib gives you Chhanta after you die all your sins are forgiven, what is the need of doing good deeds during your lifetime?
A.
(a) Yes, resurrection after death is a Qur’anic reality, in which every Muslim must believe.
(b) Yes, they do exist, and he who does not believe in it is an infidel.
(c) If in some places Mukhi Sahib gives Chhanta to the dead body, it is a popular belief and an ordinary ritual, not that it is among the fundamentals of religion. Had it been so, there would have been an emphatic command among the commands of God, the Prophet and the pure Imams, but there is no such thing.
There is no doubt that even in [popular] belief and religious rituals there is some expedience and wisdom, nonetheless their benefits are available only to those who are faithful, pious and righteous. As for the rest, the popular belief and rituals cannot grant them any salvation after death.
Chhanta is a nice ritual in our faith. However, the pleasant and fruitful effect is more and more useful during the lifetime of a mu’min, not after death. He is neither able to awaken from the sleep of negligence thereby as he was able to do in his lifetime. However, the only benefit is that when many mu’mins believe and hope that this act of Chhanta will be beneficial for the deceased mu’min, it turns into a form of prayer for him.
(Please read earlier question on “Clothes for the Deceased” (posted to our blog site on April 25) for more ilmi understanding)
Saw Sawal – 100 Questions #45 Sunday, Jun 7 2009
Saw Sawal - 100 Questions 6:05 am
Faith of Ali
Q. In some books it is written that Hazrat-i Ali(c) accepted the faith of Islam. What does this mean?
Does this mean (God forbid) that in the beginning he was a non-Muslim?
If so, does this mean that a Prophet or an Imam can be a non-Muslim in the beginning?
A. Your question is very important and very useful because in answering it the fundamental points of faith, the rank of Prohethood and the rank of Imamat can be discussed. Thus it should be understood that there are different forms of accepting faith, such as the acceptance of faith by an infidel owing to fear or urge for worldly advantages, or through understanding the truth, or the acceptance of faith by someone who was already faithful (mu’min). In other words the states and degrees of those who accept faith (iman) are not alike, for faith has various meanings, such as to believe, to confess and to confirm etc., God says in the Qur’an: “When Allah made (His covenant) with the Prophets, (He said): Behold that which I have given you of the Book and wisdom, and afterward there will come unto you a messenger, confirming that which you possess. You shall believe in him and you shall help him. He said: Do you agree, and will you take up My burden (which I lay upon you) in this (matter)? They answered: We agree. He said: Then bear your witness. I will be a witness with you” (3:81).
It is clear from this Qur’anic teaching that according to the command of God all the Prophets believe in one another, but this never means that they in their own time or in their own right are not faithful, and personally they are not able to attain religion and faith. It rather means that every Prophet believes in the coming Prophet to be true and confirms the previous Prophet, so that thereby the dawat of the Prophets may be strengthened and the people may have proper guidance, for the ignorant people go astray when one Prophet succeeds another Prophet.
There is an excellent example of the compliance of the above-mentioned divine command in the Qur’an (61:6) in which Jesus Christ addressing the Children of Israel says: “O Children of Israel! Verily! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bring good tidings of a messenger who comes after me, whose name shall be Ahmad (the Praised One)” (61:6).
A true mu’min can understand many realities of the pure Imams in the light of the events and states of the Prophets. Thus it is a fact that the way Mawla Ali(c) believed in the holy Prophet, was on the highest level of faith. That is, he accepted the Prophet to be true and confirmed his Prophethood and messengership, for the lamp of the religion of Abraham(c) was lit in the house of Hazrat-i Imam Abu Talib(c).
Further when God praising His light says that it is “Light upon Light”, that is, one lamp is lit from another, the question arises, which was the nearest lamp with which the lamp of the blessed personality of the Prophet was lit? The only incontrovertible answer we have is that it was lit by the lamp of Hazrat-i Abu Talib(c), who was the Imam-i muqim of his time.
Study verse (4:136) carefully in which, even after believing in Islam, God is addressing the Muslims: “O you who believe! Believe”. It is obvious that this belief is not like that of unbelievers, in that it is an affirmation after negation. Contrary to this, here “to believe”, means to believe after believing. In this Divine command although the word “belief” (iman) is the same, the meaning and interpretation cannot be the same, for those people who are yearning to progress in faith are at different stages on the straight path. Thus, the explanation of the command “O you who believe! Believe” will not be alike, rather it would be according to the different stages of faith, for with respect to faith, people cannot be alike. Iman continues to increase step by step from the beginning to the end of the straight path and where marifat reaches its climax, faith (iman) also does so.
In short, the way Hazrat-i Ali(c) believed in the holy Prophet was in the light of marifat. He accepted him as the true Prophet, and supported him and confirmed his dawat, just as Hazrat-i Haron(c) accepted Hazrat-i Musa(c) and supported and confirmed his prophethood and messengership, which we have already discussed.
