Man’s Descend and Ascend
Man has gone through certain stages to reach matter and the world; and he has to go through other stages to return to where he used to be with a qualitative difference:
As He brought you forth in the beginning, so also shall you all return. (7:29)
Evidently this course of ‘from Allah to Allah’ is not something special for human beings; rather, all creatures have a descending and ascending course making the circle perfect. Nevertheless, this course in human beings who are the superior creatures is perfect.
Man goes through the stage of ‘the best made’ to the material ‘the lowest of the low’ and then in an evolutionary cause returns to Allah after changes in his epistemological and existential dimensions.
Among men, those distinct human beings who have the power of leadership and enjoy amplitude go through this stage more perfectly. Among all perfect human beings, the Holy Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt are the most superior who go through this stage in the most perfect way.
Stages of Man’s Descent
Every being, including humanity, has a stage where ‘he was a thing not worth mentioning’. Then he becomes ‘a thing worth mentioning’.
The first stage is ‘shadow’; that is the time when man is hidden or unobservable in the Divine knowledge. This is the stage of ‘a thing not worth mentioning’. Then Allah wills to manifest man and man becomes ‘a thing worth mentioning’. In this stage, man deserves the Divine decree of ‘Be’:
His command, when He intends anything, is only to say to it: Be, so it is. (36:82)
This stage is materialized into an epiphany with an unimaginable speed:
And Our Command is but one, as the twinkling of an eye. (54:50)
On ‘a thing not worth mentioning’, the Holy Qur’¡n say:
Does not man remember that We created him before, when he was nothing? (19:67)
And on his becoming a thing worth mentioning, the Holy Qur’¡n says:
There surely came over man a period of time when he was a thing not worth mentioning. (76:1)
This is the stage of entity when something exists but not worth mentioning. From the above said verse, it is inferred that this stage is when man becomes worth mentioning because of the light of the Holy Prophet.
Evidently everything which is addressed by Allah and receives the decree of ‘Be’ from the Creator of the universe cannot be a pure nothing, because a pure nothing cannot be addressed. Therefore, although we did not exist externally, we were in the knowledge of Allah.
One must say that Divine decree and His creation came together to create man:
Surely, His is the creation and the command. (7:54)
Commenting on this wonderful being, the Holy Qur’¡n says:
…Surely, I am going to create a mortal of the essence of the black mud fashioned in shape. (15:28)
…Surely, I am going to create a mortal from dust. (37:71)
These two and other verses refer to the material creation ‘in the lowest of the low’ and then says:
So I have made him complete and breathed into him of my spirit, fall down making obeisance to him. (15:29)
Based on the aforementioned verses, man is a comprehensive being and is distinct from other creatures.
Ahl al-Bayt’s Distinction
Based on the Qur’¡nic verse, the Ahl al-Bayt, whether when they were in Allah’s knowledge or when they were created, were distinct from other human beings, for they are from the same tree and light while other human beings are from different trees:
أنَا وَعَلِيٌّ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ، وَسَائِرُ النَّاسِ مِنْ شَجَرٍ شَتَّى.
`Al¢ and I are from the same tree while other people are from a different tree.[1]
Their capacity and amplitude cannot be compared to other human beings in any position. That is why, based on authentic narration, Allah created them of light before the creation of other beings and bestowed knowledge on them. On the importance and dignity of man who is addressed by Allah, the Holy Qur’¡n say:
And it is not for any mortal that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger and revealing by His permission what He pleases; Surly He is High, Wise. (42:51)
The excellent examples of these people are the Holy Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt who were addressed by Allah due to the Holy Prophet’s mission and received what was revealed to Allah’s messenger.
Describing Imam `Al¢ (a.s) who is one of the Ahl al-Bayt, the Holy Prophet says:
Surely, you hear what I hear and see what I see.[2]
Imam `Al¢ (a.s) had reached the highest stage of knowledge that a creature could reach, in a way that he would decisively say:
مَا كُنْتُ أعْبُدُ رَبّاً لَمْ أرَهُ.
I do not serve a Lord whom I have not seen.[3]
It was also Imam `Al¢ (a.s) who said:
لَوْ كُشِفَ لِيَ الغِطَاءُ مَا ازْدَدْتُ يِقِيناً.
If all the veils are removed, my certainty would not be added a bit.[4]
Since there was no veil between him and Allah and he was a medium between people and Allah due to his knowledge, the Holy Prophet could have said:
أنَا وَعَلِيٌّ مِنْ نُورٍ وَاحِدٍ.
`Al¢ and I are from the same light.[5]
Angels prostrated themselves before the perfect man for his knowledge of Names and this is due to the legal and not natural person of a perfect man. For this reason all angels are under the spiritual power of the perfect man. Presently, all angels and other beings are under the eyes of Imam Mahd¢, may Allah expedite his reappearance.
