09. The traditional proofs of the necessity of the Hujjat

(9. The Traditional Proof of the Necessity of the Hujjat).

The proof of tradition (can be derived) first from the orthodox teachings of shari'at, which are called by their followers "the word of God and of the Prophet," and also from the teachings of the "worshippers of the Truth," who are opposed to the orthodox, as Hakim Sana'I, (Jalalu'd-Din) Rumi "the revealer of the Truth," Shaykh Attar, and others. And even from the words of the Batinis, which God inspires to them. (Fol. 7). They all cannot understand, and even fall into contradictions with themselves. There are also teachings of the mystery of the (eternal) Truth, revealed by the Imam, in the time of his perfect incarnation, or by his Hujjat who is always completely manifested. Whenever in the plain taching of shari'at the Quran, the Lord (mihtar) Jabra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and Azra'il are spoken of, their real meaning and archetype, as can be explained, is the Hujjat, because in allegorical interpretation, ta'wil, the meaning of the "angel" is the "people of unity" (ahl-I wahdat), i.e., the Hujjat, nobody else. And wherever da'I mentioned, it means the prophet, as in the Quran (XXXIII, 45) there is a verse (let His word be exalted!)-- ". . . calling towards God, by His order, as a burning candle." And as regards (his statement) that he (Muhammad) was receiving revelation from Jabra'il, i.e., that he was a da'I, he received instruction from Salman, and the words which he uttered prove this: "If Abu Dharr could know what is in the mind of Salman, truly he would call him an unbeliever," which means that should Abu Dharr be aware of what is in Salman's heart, he would kill him. When our Lord (Sayyid-na) was asked about the meaning of this tradition of the Prophet [Fol, 7v], he said in reply that if Salman were to say to Abu Dharr that his, Salman's, position is superior to that of the Prophet and that Mawla-na Ali is he creator and the architect of the world, the former would look upon these words as heresy and slay Salman.

There are (words) of the Amiru'l-mu'min ( Ali): "Salman is with us (as one) of (our own) family, the sun from the Light of God, a part of us (and) from us. The heart of a true believer is the Light of God, but no believer is as powerful as Salman, although a believer is eternal in the two worlds." Rumi, the revealer of the Truth, says about Khidr and Moses that the latter was learning perfection from the former. And in the beginning when Moses had not received from him a (revealed) instruction, he could not realise the mysterious meaning of Khidr's actions. So Rumi sayd in his Mathnavi: -

That boy whose throat Khidr has cut,
The common people will not undestand his mystery.
Even from Moses with all his wisdom and wit It remained hidden.
Thou, o wingless, do not try to fly![1]

Hakim Nizari says (alluding to this story):-

If it had been an easy thing to penetrate to that source (of mystery), How could Moses turn back from Khidr in confusion?

The Paradise of Adam, the Ark of Noah, the vision [Fol. 8] of Abraham, Jesus and Mary, the mount Sinai of Moses, Gabriel of Mustafa - all these are (forms of ) the Hujjat. All the orthodox believe in this (tradition), but they do not know about its interpretaion (ta'wil).

Just as Amir Sayyid Ali-I Wa'iz (Kashifi), one of the orthodox, ina poem composed in praise of Ali says that once (the Prophet) was sitting and Jabra'il was by his side. At this time the Amiru'l-mu'minin ( Ali) entered the house and Gabriel paid respect to him. The Prophet asked: "Why hast thou such veneration for my little boy?" To this Gabriel replied: "He, was my teacher in the beginning of my existence." Then the Prophet asked: "How much time passed since thy creation?" Gabriel replied:-

"Although I do not know the (exact) number of my years,
I know a star, an ornament of the Divine Throne,
It is a star which only once in every thirty thousand years
Rises over the greatest and the highest Throne (of God)
Since the time when I came into existence by His might,
That star thirty thousand times appeared to me."

It is also said that although Gabriel has the form of a bird, as the other angels, on that day, however, he appeared [fol. 8v.] to the Prophet in the form of a man, and as a man was sitting by the side of Mustafa. In fact the Imam, who is the "origin" (asl), and Gabriel, who follows him, as well as Mustafa, who follows Gabriel, all of them always have the appearance of a man; and later, when Mustafa accepted the teaching of the Hujjat, their real essence became (also) one. Not only can Mustafa, the "strong one" (qawi) amongst the "people of order," join them, but the other degrees which are inferior to him can become joined with them as soon as they receive the same knowledge. Amidst the traditions current amongst the orthodox there is one in which it is related that somebody asked A'isha if it is true that the Prophet says that on a certain night he went to heaven and saw those things (of which he told). A'isha said in reply: "I saw only that he went out from the house and came back so soon that water was still flowing from the jug which he struck with the skirt of his cloak when going out. And I do not know anything as regards what he says that Gabriel brings messages to him. I know only that occasionally the barefooted Salman comes and tells something secretly, and [Fol. 9v.] after a short time the Prophet begins to say that Gabriel descended and told him from the mouth of God this or that."

In short, all the tradition of the orthodox gives evidence that Gabriel is (in reality) Salman, but they cannot understand this. And what the "people of Truth" say is as well absolute evidence that the Imam has said: "Salman is from me and I am from Salman." In another place he said: "Salman is one of the gates of Paradise," because the door of Paradise is a man, and therefore the whole place of it must be a man. In another place he says: "Salman is the door of Paradise," but (he does) not (say): "soul of Paradise." In some other place he says: "I am with my friends everywhere they would seek for me, in the hills, on the plain, in the desert," etc. And everybody to whom he revealed his essence, i.e., the knowledge of him, is not in need of being physically connected with the Imam. This is the Great Resurrection.[1] In another place he says: "Be obedient to me, and I will make thee like myself," i.e., [Fol. 9v.] "obey me and thou wilt be similar to myself as Salman." Ra'is Hasan says:-

Thou art one whose "Door" is the Hujjat in this world;

(It can be said) by a hundred thousand mouths there is none similar to and of the same origin as thee. (About) his position which is so close to God as that of the "two bows' length,"

Wisdom tells in Kenoma (Emptiness) and Pleroma (Fulness), i.e. the whole of the Universe. And the same author in another place says:-

Salman-I Farsi, through whom the world was created.
Is the "door" (to the knowledge) of Ali.
Let us begin (this poem) with mention of his name.

He prostrated himself in veneration of the face of God for the reason that we would do prostration for the worship of the face of God.

Hakim Nizari says:-

O Lord, in the great revelation,
In which thou hast unveiled the hidden mystery,
If thou hast manifested in secret,
It is because thou hast caused the trumpets
(of the Resurrection) to be blown by thy Hujjat.

The same poet in these munajat says:-

By the truth of the prophets and thy Hujjat,
Who made ready the way to thy teaching (da'wat).

Hakim Thana'I says in a poem (composed in praise of ) Iskandar regarding the circumstances of his joining the teaching of the Hujjat: [Fol. 10]. The true belief became glorious in the world in my eyes because it was told me That the exalted guide (to it) is he, the "gate of Mawla-na." Khwaja Nasir says[1]:-

When his Hujjat will blow the first of his trumpets, He will
kill all those who are still living in posession of knowledge.
And when He in His own person will blow the trumpet of
the Resurrection,

[1] This may be Nasiru'd-din Tusi whose poetry is apparently not preserved.

In another poem it is said:-

Whoever does not know without doubt the Hujjat of the Truth in this world,
He has no eye which can see, he is the most blind of all the blind.

Khwaja Qasim from Tushtar[1] says:-

I have acquired the knowledge of the Imam of my time with the help of a man
Who is himself the incomparable name of One God.

That man is the Hujjat and the "incomparable name," which is the name of the Imam, is the Hujjat as well, because (only) he is the Imam's real name and only from him is it possible to acquire a knowledge of the Imam, and not from those fictitious names. The teaching, concealed in the majority of the books and poems current amongst this community, is that the "door of mercy" and the "gate of knowledge" of the Imam is the Hujjat, leading to the prson and the name of the Imam, and (as in ordinary life) whoever comes through the door enters the house, and who does not do so cannot come into it. The nature and the real essence of both [Fol. 10v] are the same. This doctrine was explained several times. And if it were not so and they both were not the same, in such a case one of them would be God, and the other a creature. But God cannot be recognised from the creature. This is the difference in the teaching of this community and of intuitive systems.[1] The doctrines of the orthodox say the same, although they cannot understand these implications.

O, my pir, my God, with thy help I knew the Truth,
O, my guide and leader, with thy assistance I have found the Truth.

And it is said:-

The men of God are not God himself,
But they are not distinct from God.

(And another verse):-

For the reason that thy eyes are weak,
Thy first object of worship must be the pir.