"Salvation" is in fact an epitome of all the human virtues and
perfection and the way to attain it, from the Qur' anie viewpoint is through
self-building and purification of the soul. Following numerous swearing, the
Exalted Allah asserts:
(Truly he succeeds (attains salvation) that purifies it,) (al-Shams: 9)
All that the Divine Messengers have brought from the Almighty God for
guiding man, are preliminary steps to "Salvation" and actualization
of human potentials. The significant issue in purification of the soul for
mankind is to find out how to begin self-building and what its basis is from
the viewpoints of Divine Messengers. The basis of self-building and the first
step in purification of soul is "monotheism". Thereupon, the first
message of all Divine messengers was, "La ilaha illa Allah-there
is no god-but Allah":
(Not a messenger did we send before you without this inspiration sent by Us
to him: that there is no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me.) (al-Anbiya:
25)
The first sayings of the Holy Prophet (s) addressed to the people was:
O people! Say 'There is no god but Allah', so that you attain Salvation."
[1]
Nevertheless, mere utterance of "La ilaha illa Allah" is
not sufficient by itself, as what forms the basis of self -building and leads
to Salvation and actualization of human perfection, is the truth of monotheism
and turning into a true monotheist.
The sign indicating that man has attained true monotheism-in the perfect
and real sensecof the word-is that he can like Divine angels and through Divine
Essence witness the oneness of the Exalted God Almighty:
(There is no god but He: that is the witness of Allah, His angels, and
those endowed with knowledge,...) (Ale 'Imran: 18)
One of the Shaykh's disciples said about him: 'May God bless his soul! All
his endeavors were toward attaining la illaha illa Allah, and all his
words were dedicated to reach the reality of this pure phrase. '
Another of his disciples said: 'The Shaykh was an expert in this
discipline. He did his best to transmit to others what he had attained himself
and to enhance his disciples to the rank of intuitive monotheism.
The Shaykh said: "Monotheism is the basis of self-building. Anyone who
wants to construct a building, they must first lay the foundation firm enough,
otherwise that building will not be well grounded. The spiritual seeker must
begin his journey from monotheism, as the first utterance of all the prophets
has been la ilaha ilia Allah. Man will fail attaining human perfection,
unless he appreciates the truth of monotheism and believe that there is nothing
in existence except God's Pure Essence. Having grasped the reality of
monotheism, man will whole-heartedly attend the Creator."
He also said: "If you wish that God call [2] you, (try to) gain a
little divine knowledge and (enter into a) deal with Him."
"When we say la ilaha illa Allah, we should tell the truth (be
honest). Until a man does not leave aside the false deities, he cannot be a
monotheist and be truthful in uttering la ilaha illa Allah. Ilah (god =
false deity) is something that captivates human heart, and whatever that captivates
his heart is his god [3] When we say, la ilaha illa Allah we should be
astounded by Him."
"The entire Qur'an refers to the statement, la ilaha illa Allah. Man
must reach to the point that there remains nothing engraved in his heart except
this statement, and whatever other than Him depart from his heart: (Say: '
Allah (sent it down)": then leave them.) (al-An'am: 19)
"Man is the tree of monotheism, the fruit of which is the emergence of
Divine attributes; it (the tree) will not be perfect until it yields such
fruit. Man's peak of perfection is reaching (nearness to) Allah, that is, to
become a manifestation of God's attributes. Try to bring to life Divine
attributes in you. He is Gracious; you be gracious too. He is Merciful; you be
merciful too. He is Concealer (of defects); you be concealer too."
"What is beneficial to man is the Divine attributes, nothing else is
as influential on man, even the Greatest Name of God!"
"If you are engrossed in monotheism, you will enjoy the Exalted God's
special bounties at any moment that you had not enjoyed prior to that moment.
God's bounties and blessings are novel at any moment."
Cleansing of Polytheism
Cleansing polytheism off your soul and heart is the first step toward
attaining the truth of monotheism. Hence, in its main motto, i.e., la illaha
ilia Allah, denying false gods is considered prior to proving the One Real
God.
Now, it must be noted what polytheism is. Who is a polytheist? Is
polytheism merely believing in deity of objects? Are polytheists the only
people who have faith in inanimate idols? Or something else is the case.
Polytheism vs. monotheism is the belief in illusory forces and their
efficacy in the world of being and their worship against the Real Efficient, i.
e., the One Sustainer.
The monotheist does not view anything effective in the world except the One
God and does not worship anything, neither the inanimate idols nor the animate
ones, except Him.
The polytheists are the ones that view as effective other than God and obey
other than Him; sometimes they worship objects, sometimes they obey the
powerful, sometimes they are slaves to their own carnal desires and whims, and
sometimes they are in the service of all three. [4]
From the Islamic viewpoint, all three types of polytheism are blameworthy,
and to attain the reality of monotheism there is no other way than wiping
ofolytheism in the strict sense of the word.
The remarkable point here is that the most dangerous type of polytheim is
the third type, i. e., following the whims of carnal soul (vain desires). This
type of polytheism is the source of obstacles to intellectual and emotiohal
cognition, and the beginning of polytheism in the first and the second sense:
(Then seest thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire? Allah
has, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his
heart (and understanding), and put a cover on his sight. Who, then, will guide
him after Allah (has withdrawn guidance)? Will ye not then receive admonition?)
(al-Jathiyah: 23)
Accordingly, the reverend Shaykh viewed the idol of nafs as
extremely detrimental to monotheism and would say:
"All troubles are regarding that grand idol that lies within yourself."
[5]
Imam Khomeini (ra), the great ascetic and man of vision has also said:
"The mother of all idols is the idol of your own nafs (carnal
desires); unless this grand idol and powerful Satan is not shattered, there
will be no way to Him-the High and the Most Exalted. Lo and behold! This idol
can hardly be shattered and this Satan can barely be tamed!" [6]
If man triumphs over such a grand idol, he has achieved the highest
victories.
Wrestle with your Nafs (Vain Desires)!
One of the famous wrestlers of the time of Shaykh called " , Aghar
Agha Pahlavan" narrated: 'Once I was taken to the reverend Shaykh, he
patted on my upper arm and said:
"If you are a real champion, wrestle with your own nafs!"
In fact, shattering the idol of nafs in the first and the last step
in obliterating polytheism and achieving the reality of monotheism.
'Step on your own self, embrace the Beloved One (instead),
Up to his Ka'bah of union with him, you are just one step away.
If you get rid of your self, you will join the Beloved; Otherwise, keep
burning eternally, your state of affairs being unripe.
And maybe this is what is meant by nearness of the way to reach God, which
Abu Hamza Thumali has quoted Sayyid al-Sajidin (Ali ibn al-Husayn) (a) as
saying:
"For the one who is faring the path toward You, the distance is short."
[7]
And as Hafiz of Shiraz has put it:
'As long as you see erudition and knowledge, you are deprived of Divine
knowledge; I tell you only one point: do not mind yourself, and you will be
free.'
Apparently, the reverend Shaykh was appointed to go on a mission to
Kennanshah to tell the above point to such a great personality as Sardar Kabuli:
Traveling for the Purpose of Telling a Point
Ayatollah Fahri quoted the late Ghulam Qudsi as saying: 'In one year the
reverend Shaykh came to Kennanshah. He said to me one day to go to Sardar Kabuli's house with him and we did so. I introduced the Shaykh to the late Sardar Kabuli. A while passed by in silence and then the latter said: "Reverend Shaykh! Say something to benefit us!"
The Shaykh responded:
"What should I say to the one whose trust in his own learning and
acquired knowledge is more than his trust in God's Grace."
The late Sardar Kabuli was sitting silently. Some moments later; he took
off his turban, put it down on the ground, and began hitting his head on the
wall so harshly that I felt pity for him and proceeded to stop him but the
Shaykh did not let me and said:
"...I have come here only to say this to him and return."
"Ask Allah's Forgiveness a Thousand Times!"
One of the Shaykh's sons related: 'A person from India called "Haj
Muammad" used to come to stay in Iran for one month every year. Once on
his way to Mashhad he got off the train to say his prayer in a corner. When the
train was about to depart, his friend called at him to get on or he would be
left behind. Haj Muammad did not pay any heed to his friend's calling, and with
his psychic power stranded the train for half an hour. When he returned from Mashhad and visited the Shaykh, the latter told him: "Ask forgiveness from God a
thousand times!"
"What for?" He asked. "You did something wrong!" Replied
the Shaykh. He asked again: 'What wrong? I made a pilgrimage to Imam al-Reza (a)
and prayed for you too.'
The Shaykh said: "You stranded the train there, wishing to demonstrate
it was you who...! You see, the Satan deceived you. You were not entitled to do
that!"
Personality Cult and Polytheism
The border between monotheism and polytheism is so narrow, subtle, and
unnoticeable that no eyes can see it. The Holy Prophet (s) said in a hadith:
"Verily, polytheism is more imperceptible than an ant moving on a
black stone at a dark night." [8]
Only upright and insightful human beings can see the borderlines of hidden
polytheism and warn against them.
Personality cult is one type of various hidden and subtle kinds of
polytheism in which many people are entangled. If attention and obedience to
personality, however divine and great, is not for the sake of God, it is
regarded as polytheism. Thus the reverend Shaykh would say:
"If you come to me for my sake, you have much to lose!"
"Your Father should not turn into an Idol for you!"
Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid Muhammad Ali Milani, the son of the eminent jurist
and marja' the late Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani (ra) gave an
account of the meeting between the reverend Shaykh and his noble father as
follows:
'The late Rajab Ali Khayyat, whom God had bestowed on with insight due to
his self-restraint and abandonment of sins, managed to train a group of devoted
people in sincerity and love of God.
He was interested in my father. I personally viited him frequently because
of our old friendship and sometimes even enjoyed his sessions, in which he
would generally preach for the spiritual seekers with reciting of Qur'anic verses
and the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).
One year he found the honor to pay a visit to Mashhd for pilgrimage of the
holy Imam al-Reza (a) and settled in a hotel nearby the Holy Shrine. My late
father invited him for lunch. The Shaykh came to our house and my father was
very pleased to meet him and they talked to each other until evening. In the
same meeting the late Shaykh faced me and said:
"Be careful your father should not turn into an idol for you!"
And said to my father:
"Watch out your son does not get you in trouble!"
It crossed my mind whether one could have both this world and the
Hereafter. The reverend Shaykh turned to me and said unprecedentedly:
"Recite this supplication a lot:
(O God! Grant me benefit in this world and benefit in the Hereafter)."
I accompanied him back to his hotel, where Heydar Agha Mu'jiza (author of a
poetry collection) came to the reverend Shaykh and invited him to lunch for the
following day. The Shaykh did not accept his invitation first, but finally
accepted at his insistence. Then, Heydar Agha went to my late father and
invited him, too. At last, along with my late father we went to his house and
found that the reverend Shaykh Rajab Ali and two of his co-travelers were
already there. That day our session lasted until early evening.
How to Reach the Reality of Monotheism
Now the basic question is this: 'How can one cleanse themselves of polytheism,
and by shattering the idol of nafs, uproot the covert and overt
polytheism in themselves and achieve the lucidity of pure monotheism?
The reverend Shaykh replied the question as follows:
"To my humble opinion if one seeks a way to be delivered and wishes
to attain real perfection and to enjoy the meanings of monotheism, they should
resort to four things: first, perpetual presence; second, to rely on to the Ahl
al-Bayt (a); third, begging at night (i. e., whispering prayers and
supererogation during night time); and fourth, benevolence to people."
Elucidation of the above cases from the viewpoint of the Shaykh will be
given in the coming chapters.
Notes:
[1] Bihar al-Anwar, II XX, 202.
[2] We read in Munajat-i Sha'baniyya:
"O
Lord! Make me one of those people whom You call and they answer You; You look
at them, they fall unconscious at Your Majesty; and You talk to them secretly
and they act openly."
[3] (Then
you see such a one as his god is his own vain desire? Allah has, knowing (him as
such), left him astray...) (al-Jathiyah: 23).
[4] The first group is referred to in the noble verse: (And they have said (to each other),
abandon not your gods: abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa, neither Yaghuth nor Ya'uq, nor Nasr.) (Nuh: 23).
The second group is referred to in: (Serve Allah, eschew Evil) (al-Nahl: 36).
And the third group is referred to in: (Seest thou such a one as taken for his
god his own passion (or impulse)?) (al-Furqan: 43).
[5] See: "A penny in Response to Ya Allah!". Chapter Six. Part 3.
[6] Sahifah-i Nur. XXII, 348.
[7] Mafatih al-Jinan, the supplication of Abu Hamza Thumali.
[8] Mizan al-Hikmah, VI, 2724: 9316.