Chapter 17: Heaven and Hell Keepers and the Return of People to their origin

Last updated Jul 20, 2023

Khajeh Nasir Tusi, in chapter 17 of the beginning and the end book, said, “In the first, humans were first given existence, then consciousness and knowledge, then power, and then will. At first, they existed in the form of “Sulala”[1] (extract of clay), “Nutfa”[2] (A liquid produced in the body of men and women), “Alaqa”[3] (Cloth), “Muzqa”[4] (Lump), “Izaam”[5] (Bones), and “Lahm”[6] (Flesh), then they became alive and conscious. “Has there come upon man a period of time when he was nothing to be mentioned?”[7] (Al-Insan:1). Man survives until his ability to move is revealed. And after some time, the ability to distinguish between ease and difficulty emerges. In the next stage, man became a lover of beneficial things and an enemy of harmful things. Since resurrection is a return to the first nature, these traits and characteristics should be discarded for humans, and the opposite of this order should happen. First of all, their will, must be immersed in the absolute will of God so that he is not left with any will. Since this whole being is subject to the will of the absolute one, everything that happens must be according to the will of God, and this is the degree of satisfaction, and the owner of his degree will always be in heaven. “Therein they will have whatever they desire, and there is yet more with Us”[8] (Qaf:35). That is why the stores of heaven are called “Rizawan”[9] (Satisfactions). “God promises the believers, men and women, gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, and fine homes in the Gardens of Eden. But God’s pleasure (satisfaction) is even greater. That is the supreme achievement”[10] (At-Tawba:72). And after that, their power should be destroyed in the power of God Almighty so that they do not consider their power to be in any conflict with God’s power, which is called the level of “Tawakul” (Putting trust in God). “Whoever relies on God—He will suffice him. God will accomplish His purpose. God has set a measure to all things”[11] (At-Talaq:3). And after that, his knowledge must become perish in God’s knowledge so that he does not know anything by himself. This level is called “Taslim”[12] (Submission). And after that, their existence must become mortal in His existence so that they are nothing by themselves, and this position belongs to “Ahl-e-Wahdat”[13] (the people of unity). “These are some of the prophets God has blessed”[14] (Maryam:58). If the seekers do not follow the above path and go according to their desire, They will ask for different wills contrary to God’s will. “If the truth conformed to their desires, the heavens, the earth, and everyone in them would have gone to ruin”[15] (Al-Mu’minun:71). “A barrier will be placed between them and what they desire”[16] (Saba:54). “Is someone who pursues God’s pleasure the same as someone who incurs God’s wrath and his refuge is Hell—the miserable destination?”[17] (Aal-i-Imran:162). Their place will be in hell, and their store is called “Malik”. “As for the sinners, they will be in the torment of Hell forever. (74) It will never be eased for them. In it, they will be devastated. (75) We did them no injustice, but it was they who were the unjust. (76) And they will cry, “O Malek, let your Lord finish us off.” He will say, You are staying (77)”[18] (Az-Zukhruf:73-77). Instead of the degree of “Tawakul” (Putting trust in God), there is the degree of “Khuzlan”[19] (Failing) for them. “If God supports you, there is none who can overcome you. But if He fails you, who is there to help you after Him? So, in God, let the believers put their trust”[20] (Aal-i-Imran:160). Instead of the degree of “Taslim” (Submission), there is the degree of “Hawan”[21] (humiliate) for them. “Whomever God humiliates, there is none to honor him”[22] (Al-Hajj:18). “And for the degree of unity, it will be the degree of curse for them” (Al-Baqara:159). Just as the loss of the power, knowledge, and existence of the first group necessitated infinite power, inherent knowledge, and eternal existence, “That is the great attainment”[23] (An-Nisa:13), the talent of the second group also necessitated endless inability and total ignorance, and eternal nothingness. “That is the great disgrace”[24] (At-Tawba:63).

Explanation

“There is not a thing but with Us are its stores, and We send it down only in precise measure” (Al-Hijr:21). In the material world, treasure and treasurer are separate, but in the immaterial world, they are one. For example, you are the keeper of knowledge, and the knowledge is within you. As we discussed before, knowledge is not something separate from you, but it is you. When we say Angel Gabriel is the bearer of revelation, it is not like that Angel Gabriel is one thing and revelation is another thing. It is the Gabriel essence that descends to the heart (immaterial) of the prophet Muhammad (S). The Holy Quran and Angel Gabriel in the upper level are one identity. Another example: One level of the bearer of the Holy Quran is the one who memorized it, but the highest level is the one who becomes a Quranic human being. Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A) said: “I am the speaking Quran”. There are keepers for heaven and hell. God says, “Those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in throngs. Until, when they have reached it, and its gates are opened, its keepers will say to them, “Did not messengers from among you come to you, reciting to you the revelations of your Lord, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?” They will say, “Yes, but the verdict of punishment is justified against the disbelievers.” (71) It will be said, “Enter the gates of Hell, to abide therein eternally.” How wretched is the destination of the arrogant (72) And those who feared their Lord will be led to Paradise in throngs. Until, when they have reached it, and its gates are opened, its keepers will say to them, “Peace be upon you, you have been good, so enter it, to abide therein eternally.” (73) And they will say, “Praise be to God, who has fulfilled His promise to us, and made us inherit the land, enjoying Paradise as we please.” How excellent is the reward of the workers. (74)”[25] (Az-Zummar:71-74).

Heaven is not the place for arrogance. “And We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam.” They bowed down, except for Satan. He refused, was arrogant, and was one of the disbelievers”[26] (Al-Baqara:34). “He said, Get down from it! It is not for you to act arrogantly in it. Get out! You are one of the lowly!”[27] (Al-A’araf:13).

“Has there come upon man a period of time when he was nothing to be mentioned?” (Al-Insan:1). Khajeh said: “In the first, humans were first given existence, then consciousness and knowledge, then power, and then will”. Our father and Mom (Adam and Eve (A)) were descended from heaven to earth. This is the situation of all of us; we have also traveled this path and have given the existence, knowledge, power, and will which is our descending path. If we want to return to heaven, we must return to our origin. All problems are our desires. We like something and dislike something. If things happen based on our wishes, we will be happy; if they don’t, we will be sad. God says, “That you may not sorrow over what eludes you, nor exult over what He has given you. God does not love the proud snob”[28] (Al-Hadid:23). A person should not have desires and be satisfied with the will of God; that is, they should put God’s will before their own because everything that happens is based on divine destiny, but if we put our desires before God’s will, some things will be unfortunate for us. People who reach the position of satisfaction enjoy a pleasure that others cannot imagine.

First Nature and Return to it

Resurrection is a return to the first nature. Allameh Hassanzadeh: “We should carefully understand the resurrection meaning well. The one who does not understand its meaning well and does not think about it has not reached anywhere in the knowledge of the Resurrection and will not get the secret of the following verse. “To God, we belong, and to Him, we will return”[29] (Al-Baqara:156). “But none grasps them except the learned”[30] (Al-Ankabut:43). In the 11th chapter of his book “Nafs”, Mulla Sadra correctly states the honor of the knowledge of the Resurrection and the high rank of its understanding as follows: “The discussion of the Resurrection is a major pillar of faith and the principle of wisdom and mysticism. This knowledge is one of the most complex knowledge, the most subtle, the noblest in dignity, the highest, and the most accurate. It is the most secret reason, except for those with vision who have a heart enlightened by the light of God, who are few guided ones among the Past and future sages”. Now we only see the causes and say, for example, this creature caused it to be like that, but on the Day of Judgment, we will understand the following verse well, “The Day when no friend will avail a friend in any way, and they will not be helped” (Ad-Dukhan:41). Instead of seeing the causes, we will see the Cause of the reasons, which was God. We will see that it was God who was influential. Reaching the truth of monotheism is the resurrection of man. A true mystic’s resurrection is no different from other people. Mystic reaches the resurrection sooner, but people must travel a long way for their resurrection to arise. Mystic’s resurrection will appear in this world. Each has a straight path that it returns to. “There is not a creature, but He holds it by the forelock. My Lord is on a straight path”[31] (Hud:56). So, all humans return to God. If people return to the Names of God’s grace, they will return to heaven; if they return to the Names of God’s wrath, they will return to hell. It is worth noting that heaven is the manifestation of God’s grace, and hell is the manifestation of God’s wrath. “To God, we belong, and to Him, we will return” (Al-Baqara:156). All humans return to God, even unbelievers, some humans will go to heaven and will have a pleasant eternal life, and some will go to hell and will have eternal life with torment. For example, all American citizens return to their original country, some go to regions with good weather, and some go to the desert. Religion is the straight path of people. Here we will discuss monotheism.

Monotheism

No existence other than God is independent, and they have no self-independence. Everyone needs God in the essence of their existence and in the manifestations, attributes, and acts of existence. For example, we create mental forms in our minds, and those mental forms remain as long as we pay attention to them; if we take our attention away from them for a moment, those mental forms cease to exist because they do not have independent existence and their existence is the same as the connection to us. Those forms belong to us, and their existence is nothing but the manifestation of our mind. Our mind has created and made them in that way, so they are not separate from our existence. This example can be used to get closer to the meaning and also to understand better the relation between God and His creatures (Even though it is impossible to make an example for this). Objects and creatures are not independent, but they are the same relationship with God that if God’s attention is taken away from creatures for a moment, this world will not exist. God is “Qayyum”[32], which means that He is uprise by His essence, and all creatures are uprise to Him. If this class and this world stand, it is because of God. It is God who has raised us moment by moment. If God’s grace is taken away momentarily, we will all be destroyed simultaneously. “O people! It is you who are the poor, in need of God; while God is the Rich, the Praiseworthy” (Fatir:15). Therefore, all the attributes related to the existence of beings, such as knowledge, power, and will, are entirely dependent on God’s grace. That is, because our existence is entirely dependent on God’s existence, our actions are also subject to God’s action; rather, our action is God’s action. Apart from God, we have no action because we have no power. Our power is His power, and our wish is His desire because our existence is His existence. Therefore, when a mystic reaches the stage where he sees all actions as God’s actions and does not attribute actions to beings, he has reached the stage of monotheism in actions. Now we consider beings as doers; for example, we say that Jack did this, the sun turning, the earth rotates, the moon rotates, but when a person reaches the stage of monotheism in actions, he sees that everything is done by God. It is God who is doing Godly actions. So, the action is the action of God. Prophet Abraham (A) said to the idolaters: “He said, Do you worship what you carve? (95) When God created you, and what you manufacture?”[33] (As-Saffat:95-96). That is, our action is God’s action. When a person reaches this level, he observes that there is no action except God, and it is God’s action that appears in various manifestations. Therefore, he does not consider anything other than God in this world. Thus, the power of the mosquito is equal to the power of the greatest king in the world for him because the action is the action of God and no one else’s action. This stage is called monotheism of actions. The one who knows the actions for the servants is not a monotheist; he does not worship the One God because he attributes the actions to the creatures, while there is no doer in the world other than God, and there is no independent being. A human becomes unified when he considers the action to be from God. A poem says:

“O Wise, Hakim, if suffering occurs or comfort, do not attribute them to someone else; it is God who does it”. The universe is God’s action. Therefore, there is no will left for the seeker. It is God who wills in the manifestations and moves them. “He is the author (take care) of the righteous”[34] (Al-A’araf:196). The righteous is the one who sees God’s guardianship over him; God is his guardian and owner of authority. At this stage, man sees the creatures and relates the action to God, but he has not yet reached the level of monotheism of attributes and essence. When the seeker sees all actions from God and passes the stage of monotheism of actions, he reaches the monotheism of Attributes and Names. It means he sees the Almighty God as the only alive, Knower, Powerful, and all the beautiful Names belong to God. Every knowledge in the world belongs to God. In this state, the seeker sees every attribute from God, does not see anyone as a partner in the attributes, and does not say that someone else has knowledge or power because he sees all the attributes from God. All creatures lose their attributes at this stage for the seeker. After a seeker passes this stage, his monotheism is not complete. Monotheism in essence, is the highest level of monotheism, in which the seeker sees that there is no existence but God. Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A) received the dhikr “Ya Hu, Ya Man La Hu Illa Hu”[35] (O He, O who that there is no one but Him” from Prophet Khizr (A) in a dream before the battle of Badr. O one who has no identity and existence other than Him. At this stage, the seeker does not attribute originality to things and sees that God has manifested in these forms and reaches a stage where he sees the essence of things as destroyed in God. There is one essence, and that essence is God. Avicenna, in chapter nineteen of “Isharat” book described mystics’ degrees as follows: “When a mystic is disconnected from his ego and connects to God, he sees all the powers in God. It is God’s power that surrounds all creations, and also sees all knowledge in God, that no knowledge is hidden from Him, and also sees all wills in God’s will, that nothing surpasses God’s will. Instead, they should see all existence and all perfections of existence from God. As mentioned in the hadith”. Narration from Prophet Muhammad (S) called the closeness of “Nawafil Prayers”[36]: “When the Prophet Muhammad (S) went to the Ascension, he said: Lord, how is the state of the believer with you? God said: O Muhammad, whoever insults one of my Guardians, has clearly come to my war, and I am faster than anything to help my Guardians. I do not doubt anything as much as I doubt about the death of a believer; Because he hates death, and I hate his unhappiness; And indeed, there are some believing servants who, except wealth, will not correct them (and make their condition good), and if I make them in another condition, they will be destroyed. There are some believing servants that nothing but lack and poverty will correct them, and if I return them to another state, they will perish anyway. And none of My servants should approach Me with an act that is more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory on him; And it is true that he seeks closeness to me by means of “Nafala” to the extent that I love him and because I love him, then I become his ear with which he hears, and I become his eyes with which he sees, and I become his tongue with which he speaks, and I become his hand with which he holds. If he calls Me, I will answer, and if he asks me, I will give it to him”. Allameh Hassanzadeh Amoli explains this subject in more detail in his essay called “Liqa Allah”[37] (Meeting God). The main goal of the mystics is to reach the annihilation in God’s essence, or monotheism in essence. The rest, including intuition, divine visions, and inspirations, are like children’s toys, and the seeker should not have any goal in order to reach the Essence.

There is only one identity, and that is God. There is nothing but God. There is nothing but Existence. Existence is the Truth and God. People think that God is a part of Existence, so they consider Him limited, but a true mystic knows that there is nothing but God, and all are his manifestations. God has appeared and existed in different figures. Everything we look at is a manifestation of God. Nothing is separate from God. Like the sea waves and the sea. The wave is not separate from the sea, and the wave is not the sea as well. It means it cannot be said that a wave is the sea, but it is not a wave other than the sea either. If we put our hands on creatures and ask, is this God? The answer is no, because God is not limited, but creatures are not separate from God either. It is like a person saying to his finger that it is “I”, but we know that it is not “I”, but it is not separate from “I” either. So, it is impossible to imagine a world without God. It is important to note that the “Truth of God” is hidden for all except Himself, and it is impossible to find out about God’s essence. Someone asked Imam Sadiq (A), “What is the meaning of “Allah o Akbar”? Imam replied, “What do you think it is?” the person replied, “He is greater than everything”. Imam replied, “You limited God”, The person asked, “What is the meaning?” Imam replied, “God is greater than what people describe”. It is not possible to separate God from all beings and put all beings on one side and God on the other side and say that God is more significant than all those beings. While creatures are not separate from God, they are all manifestations of the Truth, which is God, and therefore His manifestation cannot be separated from God. Beings have no existence except by God. We should stay out of this common monotheism and numerical unity for God. God is greater than it can be described; whatever we consider, imagine, or describe, God is greater. A seeker should reach “Tawhid Samadi Quran” or “Wahdat Wujud” (Unity of Existence). “Samad” means someone who is full, He does not require others, and He is needless. Existence fills everywhere, and it has no empty space for other than Himself. Everywhere you look is Existence. There is no place where God does not exist. These were the truths and mysteries that the ancients and true mystics conveyed to their students, so one should understand the value of these divine mysteries and reach their truths. Imam Sadiq (A) said: “O son of Nu’man! The knower (Imam) cannot tell you everything he knows Because it is God’s secret. So don’t rush; Because by God, this The matter (Faraj) approached three times, but you revealed it to others, and God delayed it. I swear to God, there is no secret with you except that your enemy knows it better than you!”

Since Khajeh said, “And after that, their existence must become mortal in His existence so that they are nothing by themselves, and this position belongs to “Ahl-e-Wahdat” (the people of unity)” indicates that he believed in the “Wahdat Shakhsi Wujud”[38] Personal Unity of Existence. Especially when he said that this position belongs to the people of unity, he skillfully expressed his belief in monotheism in the mentioned phrase. “These are with those whom God has blessed—among the prophets, and the sincere, and the martyrs, and the upright. Excellent are those as companions”[39] (An-Nisa:69). This critical belief is well explained in Allameh Hassanzadeh ‘s treatise called “The Unity in Mystic and Philosopher view”.

Khajeh said: The whole existence is subject to the will of the absolute one, so whatever happens is according to the will of God, and if a person whose will becomes mortal in the will of God, he will reach the degree of satisfaction. The owner of this degree will always be in heaven; that is why the guardian of heaven’s name is Rizwan (Satisfaction). Haji Sabzewari (Islamic philosopher) said: “Being happy with the will of God is called the position of satisfaction, and the owner of this position does not have a complaint against God’s will and judgment. For this reason, one of the greatest of God’s doors is Riza (Satisfaction), and the capacitor of heaven is called Rizwan”. It is said in the narration that the Messenger of God never said that he wished it would be like this because he was satisfied with God’s will. In the divine tests, people show how much they are monotheists. In Karbala, Imam Hussain (A) became more cheerful as he reached the end of the war because he saw everything from God, and therefore, in the most difficult situations, he prayed and said, “O God, I am satisfied with your contentment, and I submit to your order, there is no god but You.” It is very difficult for a person to come out proud in those circumstances, be satisfied with God’s pleasure, and say, I am happy with Your will because I see everything from You. “Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, a long-time companion of the Messenger of God (PBUH), an old man with a pure heart, is sick and hospitalized. Imam Baqir (A) went to his house to visit him and sat on his bed, and said with special love and affection: O Jabir, how are you? Jaber: I like old age more than youth, I like death more than life, I like illness more than health, (Jaber meant that I am resistant and patient against any adversity). Imam Baqir (A) said to him: But I like what God wants; if He wants old age, I like it; if He wants youth, I am interested in the same, sickness or health, life or death, whatever He likes, I like”.

One like pain and one pleasant treatment

One like closeness, and one like separation

Between pain and closeness, and separation

I like what God likes.

Hafiz Shiraz (The greatest Persian poet) said:

My intention is towards connection, and His intention is towards separation; I gave up my wish to fulfill my Friend’s wish.

What people want is for their own sake, so a seeker whose will is mortal in the will of God, will not object to anything. Bibi Zainab (A) answered the cruel king in the incident of Karbala and said: “We see nothing but beauty”. God is beautiful, so all His will and decrees are also beautiful, but we think they are ugly, so we have to get out of our selfishness to see the beauty.

Even in trouble, I see his pleasures, I am amazed, I am amazed, I am dumbfounded by Him.

A mystic said that I still did not taste the Riza’s position (Satisfaction rank), but if God, through me, brings all the people to heaven and only takes me to hell, it will not even occur to me why this happened. A student was talking to his teacher when the subject of submission rank came up. The student said: I think I have reached the position of surrender. The master said: You must walk a long way to reach this position. The student said: No, I arrived. The next day, the student goes to the shrine of the 8th Imam and sees that every time he had entered the shrine, he had a series of good moods and inspirations, and this time when he enters, there are no inspirations and he is like a normal person. No matter what he recites and prays, there is no inspiration or divine visions. Seeker told his master he went to the shrine today and was not feeling well. The master said: Didn’t you say that you are in a position of surrender, so be surrendered. The student just realized how far he is from the position of submission, and he is still not satisfied with God’s pleasure, and his heart wants connection, authority, and inspiration. When people reach the position of satisfaction, God is pleased with them. “Return to your Lord, pleased and accepted”[40] (Al-Fajr:28). Until they do not reach this position, they will not find the blessings of heaven. Of course, God’s pleasure is higher than heaven. “But approval from God is even greater”[41] (At-Tawba:72). Some people might have a question, “Is Dua (asking God for something) against the satisfaction position?”. The answer is: No because with Dua, we are obeying God’s order in the Holy Quran. “Your Lord has said, Dua (Pray) to Me, and I will respond to you”[42] (Ghafir:60). Dua (asking God for something) for those who reach the level of satisfaction is not because of their desire but obeying God’s order. They ask God for mercy and blessing since if they do not, they become proud.

And after that, their power should be destroyed in the power of God Almighty so that they do not consider their power to be in any conflict with God’s power, which is called the level of “Tawakul” (Putting trust in God). When they see all power from God, they see their power as the power of God. “Tawakul” means taking God as a lawyer. When a person chooses God as his lawyer and sees that all powers are from God and that God is the lawyer of all creatures, he will be relieved. “God is the Creator of all things, and He is the trustee (“Wakil”- in charge) of all things”[43] (Az-Zumar:62). “To God belong the forces of the heavens and the earth”[44] (Al-Fath:4). “Whoever relies on God—He will suffice him”[45] (At-Talaq:3). “Lord of the East and the West. There is no god but He, so take Him as a Trustee”[46] (Al-Muzzammil:9). A poet has said: Relying on piety and knowledge in the seeker’s spiritual journey is disbelief. Even If he has a hundred thousand piety and knowledge, he must have trust. A person who starts the divine journey and relies on anything other than God will be punished. For example, if he praises his boss for being friends with him just in case to get his help when any problems arise, while the same boss may harm you. Because the power belongs to God, no one can do anything without God. The seeker should put his hope and trust in God and always whisper the following verse. “Whoever relies on God—He will suffice him. God will accomplish His purpose. God has set a measure to all things”[47] (At-Talaq:3). Trust is that the presence and absence of objects are the same for us. For example, if we are stuck in the desert without water and food, and we trust in God and say that all power belongs to God, and in this desert without water and food, we trust in God, and God is sufficient for us even though no one is there. If people believe in God, they know that God is seeing them and will fulfill their needs. The position of trust means reaching the level where the existence and non-existence of things are the same for the wayfarer. It is one of the highest human authorities that cannot be compared with worldly authorities.

And after that, his knowledge must become perish in God’s knowledge so that he does not know anything by himself. This level is called “Taslim” (Submission). But still, up to these positions, people see their attributes and realize that those attributes belong to God. Meaning “I” still exists. And after that, their existence must become mortal in God’s existence so that they are nothing by themselves, and this position belongs to “Ahl-e-Wahdat” (the people of unity). There is nothing left except God. A poet said:

We, the ruins dwellers, are the same color; outwardly, we are the same existence, but inwardly, we are nonexistence.

“Whoever obeys God and the Messenger—these are with those whom God has blessed—among the prophets, and the sincere, and the martyrs, and the upright. Excellent are those as companions”[48] (An-Nisa:69). “It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. (5) Guide us to the straight path. (6) The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided”[49] (Al-Fatiha:5-7). This is what we recite every day in our prayer to be on the path of those whom God has blessed. Annihilation of “I” means to have the divine vision that everything is the Truth. Before that, wayfarers were seeing themselves and other things, but after reaching the monotheism level, they only see God’s manifestations. “To whom does the sovereignty belong today?” To God, the One, the Irresistible”[50] (Ghafir:16).

If the seekers do not follow the above path and go according to their desire, They will ask for different wills contrary to God’s will. “If the truth conformed to their desires, the heavens, the earth, and everyone in them would have gone to ruin” (Al-Mu’minun:71). If the human soul is not controlled, it seeks various desires. It wants everything it sees well until it sinks into worldly life completely, and wants its desires at any cost, even at the cost of pouring the blood of many people, until it fulfills its desire. Nafs likes different desires that contradict each other. Socrates said: “Truths are like straight lines that can be placed on top of each other without any deviation, but falsehoods are curved and zigzag lines that neither conform to a straight line nor another crooked line”. Truths are like prophets. “We make no distinction between any of His messengers”[51] (Al-Baqara:285). If there is a city where all the people are perfect human beings and prophets, We will never have enmity because two things cause all enmities. 1- Ignorant 2- Self desires. Since prophets have knowledge and are away from self-desires they do not have enmity. “They will not fight you all together except from fortified strongholds, or from behind walls. Their hostility towards each other is severe. You would think they are united, but their hearts are diverse. That is because they are a people who do not understand”[52] (Al-Hashr:14). Prophet Muhammad (S) said: “I am afraid of two things of yours: Long wishes and self-desires”. “Have you considered him who has taken his desire for his god?”[53] (Al-Jathiya:23). “Did he turn all the gods into one God? This is something strange”[54] (Sad:5). Polytheists are still like this and have many gods. They see things as a separate and independent entity from God. All sins are due to loving the worldly life. Worldly life desires scatter humans’ attention and makes them astray from unity. Do you know why people drink wine or use drugs although it is proven that they are not good for health? Because they want to forget things and be alone. They are tired of multiplicities; They like to be within themselves. Based on human nature, they like to back to unity. They don’t know the best drink is the divine wine of unity; therefore, the monotheists are very calm, and if you associate with them, your soul will also reach peace and security, but if you associate with people who are busy with worldly pleasures and desires, your soul will be deprived of unity and peace. They take your peace away, and your soul becomes confused. People of worldly life will say what Feron said: “Today, whoever gains the upper hand will succeed”[55] (Ta-Ha:64). But monotheists believe: “Successful is he who purifies himself. (14) And mentions the name of his Lord and prays (15)”[56] (Al-A’la). If we want to bring salvation to the material world, it becomes praying to God. But sometimes people ask God things that are harmful. “The human being prays for evil as he prays for good. The human being is very hasty”[57] (Al-Isra:11). Since God is wise with full knowledge and power, if we ask for something and do not get it, we should understand that it was not good for us. “If the truth conformed to their desires, the heavens, the earth, and everyone in them would have gone to ruin”[58] (Al-Mu’minun:71). Faith becomes a barrier between man and his desires. “A barrier will be placed between them and what they desire, as was done formerly with their counterparts”[59] (Saba:54). Animals do whatever they want, but a wise man tries to listen less to his selfish desires. A mystic said: “Spider is one of the most patient creatures, and a fly is one of the greediest creatures. Now, in the world of nature, see how the most greedy among them become the prey of the most patient”.

God’s wrath and pleasure

God is free from changing from one situation to another. God is free from being happy and angry like us. If this happens, God Almighty will be an event being. If a servant commits a sin and God gets upset and angry like humans, then the servant of God has an impression on God and makes Him angry. Someone might ask what the meaning of God’s wrath in many verses of the Holy Quran is. “The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray”[60] (Al-Fatiha:7). God’s wrath is the punishment of God. When someone sins, he will be punished according to his actions, and we say that God is angry, not that God becomes happy or angry like humans. “Exalted is Allah above what they describe (159), Except for God’s sincere servants (160)”[61] (As-Saffat:159-160). “Is someone who pursues God’s approval the same as someone who incurs God’s wrath and his refuge is Hell—the miserable destination?”[62] (Aal-i-Imran:160). It is essential in the sacred journey to do whatever we do for the pleasure of God. We want to turn on the electricity, wash our clothes, prepare food, and go to work; it is better to say: we are doing this for the sake of God because it has many strange effects and puts a person under the above verse.

Humans, by nature, seek freedom, and the only way to achieve freedom is by obeying God. Meaning freedom is hidden in obedience. Like the spring of the water of life, which people think will be found in the heavens and a wonderful place, while it is hidden in darkness. Liberation and freedom for humans cannot be achieved by ruling and being king in worldly life. Man does not reach liberation, freedom, and prosperity by becoming mayor, governor, prime minister, president, and king of the planet. Because man wants something else, this material world cannot satisfy him and bring him freedom. Liberation is in anti-liberation; that is, liberation is in the slavery of God, and man must be in obedience to be freed. The seeker’s heart is like an idols house, and the master is like Prophet Abraham (A), who breaks the idols in his heart. One of Allameh’s students had called him. When Allameh picked up the phone, the student could not speak easily and forgot what he wanted to say out of respect and excitement, but Allameh said to him why are you bothering him and then hung up the phone. The student said, “I was very sad, my heart was broken badly, and I prayed to God with a cry. Later that night, I saw Allameh in my dream, and he taught me a dhikr from Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A). The student did not know that guardians of God would not reject people at all; if they do, there must be a reason for it. Allameh broke his student’s heart to make student’s heart connect to God. The heart must be the place of God and free from multiplicities. A person must endure the frowns of his master, which is all kindness so that the idols in his heart are broken. Prophets had a lot of attraction, and people were attracted to them, but guardians of God have a lot of repulsion, and most people turn away from them because they want to break the idols in their hearts. A mystic said that a divine wayfarer in the hands of a master should be as submitted as a dead man in the hands of a dead bather; that is, he should be wholly surrendered so that his heart becomes pure for God.

All praise is to God to the extent that He deserves it.

[1] -سلاله

[2] -نطفه

[3] -علقه

[4] -مضغه

[5] -عظام

[6] -لحم

[7] -هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى الْإِنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئًا مَّذْكُورًا

[8]– هُم مَّا يَشَاءُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ

[9] -رضوان

[10]– وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

[11] -وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ ۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا

[12] -تسلیم

[13] -اهل وحدت

[14] -أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ

[15]– وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

[16] -وَحِيلَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُونَ

[17]– أَفَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ كَمَن بَاءَ بِسَخَطٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

[18] -إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِي عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ ‎﴿٧٤﴾‏ لَا يُفَتَّرُ عَنْهُمْ وَهُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ ‎﴿٧٥﴾‏ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا هُمُ الظَّالِمِينَ ‎﴿٧٦﴾‏ وَنَادَوْا يَا مَالِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنَّكُم مَّاكِثُونَ

[19] -خذلان

[20] -إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ ۗ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

[21] -هوان

[22]– وَمَن يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن مُّكْرِمٍ

[23] -ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

[24] -ذَٰلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ

[25] -وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ الْعَذَابِ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ‎﴿٧١﴾‏ قِيلَ ادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ ‎﴿٧٢﴾‏ وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوهَا خَالِدِينَ ‎﴿٧٣﴾‏ وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي صَدَقَنَا وَعْدَهُ وَأَوْرَثَنَا الْأَرْضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ ۖ فَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ ‎﴿٧٤﴾‏

[26] -وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ

[27] -قَالَ فَاهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَاخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ

[28] -لِّكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ

[29] -إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

[30] -وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ

[31] -مَّا مِن دَابَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

[32] -القیوم

[33] -قَالَ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ ‎﴿٩٥﴾‏ وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ‎﴿٩٦﴾‏

[34] -وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّالِحِينَ

[35] -یا هو یا من لا هو الا هو

[36] -حدیث قرب نوافل

[37] -لقاء الله

[38] -وحدت شخصی وجود

[39] -فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا

[40] -ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً

[41] -وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ

[42] -وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ

[43] -اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ

[44] -وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

[45]– وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ

[46] -رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًا

[47]– وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ ۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا

[48] -وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا

[49]– إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ‎﴿٥﴾‏ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ‎﴿٦﴾‏ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ‎﴿٧﴾‏

[50] -لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

[51] -لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ

[52] -ا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ جَمِيعًا إِلَّا فِي قُرًى مُّحَصَّنَةٍ أَوْ مِن وَرَاءِ جُدُرٍ ۚ بَأْسُهُم بَيْنَهُمْ شَدِيدٌ ۚ تَحْسَبُهُمْ جَمِيعًا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ شَتَّىٰ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَعْقِلُونَ

[53] -أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ

[54] -أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ

[55]– وَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْيَوْمَ مَنِ اسْتَعْلَىٰ

[56]– قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ‎﴿١٤﴾‏ وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ

[57]– وَيَدْعُ الْإِنسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ ۖ وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ عَجُولًا

[58] -وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

[59] -وَحِيلَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُونَ كَمَا فُعِلَ بِأَشْيَاعِهِم مِّن قَبْلُ

[60]– صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

[61]– سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ‎﴿١٥٩﴾‏ إِلَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ‎﴿١٦٠﴾

[62]– أَفَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ كَمَن بَاءَ بِسَخَطٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

Tag: Allah, God, Existence, Quran, Prophet Muhammad (S), Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A), Imam Sadiq (A), Allameh Hassanzadeh Amoli, Ibn Arabi, Khajeh Nasir Tusi, Eternal, Self-Knowledge, Angel, Nafs, Hereafter, Resurrection, Heaven, Hell, Monotheism, Non-Existence, Wahdat Shakhsi Wujud, Personal Unity of Existence.