After parting from the small town where I live in the US and giving conferences throughout London, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf and Amsterdam, I have been blessed with the opportunity to take some time off in Turkey, and spend Ramadan here with my friends. I am thankful to the One who has bestowed on me this opportunity…

My intention for hosting these conferences, the last of which I will be conducting tomorrow, is not to teach you something; for I am sure there are among you people who are more knowledgeable then myself, but to assist you to view things from a different perspective, and help you realize you are not limited to your present perception.

My favorite verses in the Quran are those that are seemingly contradictory. For it is these verses that contain the biggest secrets! As soon as I read a verse that seems contrary to my conditioned mind I know out of experience it contains many hidden secrets, so I dive right into it!

If we want to gain a serious, consistent and logically complete understanding of the Quran and recognize it for the treasure chest of secrets it is, then we must evaluate the knowledge it contains with consistency and logic.

If the Quran is approached with preconceived notions or with the intention to confirm hearsay ideas, nothing can be gained from it. One must approach the Quran as though it is their first time reading it and try to understand its message without any predetermined views.

For example, when reading the chapter al-Ikhlas if one perceives it as dual relationship between a God and His servant, rather than the Absolute Oneness and Unity delineated by these verses, this shows an inadequacy of a holistic approach and logical completeness.

There is a general notion among non-Arabic speakers that the Quran should not be read in its Latin transliteration. Allow me to clarify this: It is almost impossible for someone over their 30s or 40s to learn to read in Arabic like an Arab, nor is it necessary. It is important to note that words are repeated first in the brain then via the tongue. That is, the shape of the letters is perceived by the brain as waves of electric signals, which are then decoded in the brain and linked to the letters in its database. They are given a form with the expression of the name al-Musawwir and converted into an image and then sent to the tongue via the larynx. The tongue is the final stage in this process. The crucial point is not the forming and shaping of the incoming message, but the deciphering and decoding of its meaning. The process up to this point is the same for all humans around the world, the output stage however, that is, the point from the larynx to the tongue, differs with region.

For the thinking brain, it is the meaning the brain takes in that matters most, while for the materialistic ones who can’t comprehend the depth of the matter, it is only what the tongue projects or what their eyes see that is taken to account when evaluating religion.

Henceforth, I recommend you read the Quran in whichever language is most easy for you and concentrate on the meaning of its words rather than their alphabetic shape. This is the conclusion I have come to after spending over 40 years of exploration and study.

Let us now inquire into the first verses of the chapter al-Baqarah, in respect of the oneness (non-duality) elucidated in the chapter al-Ikhlas, and in the light of the letter ‘B’ as expounded by Hadhrat Ali (ra)…

“Alif, Laam, Meem. Dhalikal Kitabu larayba feehi hudan lil muttakeen.” (Quran 2:1-2)

As I had noted before, what the word Book in Arabic (Kitab) signifies is Knowledge rather than a literal book. Therefore:

“This is the Knowledge (Book) of Reality and sunnatullah (the mechanics of the system of Allah), about which there is absolutely no doubt, it is the source of comprehension for those who seek protection.…”

“Alladheena yu’minuna Bilghayb wa yukeemunas salatah wa mimma razaknahum yunfiqoon.”

“Who believe in the reality (that their being is comprised of the compositions of the Names of Allah) unknown to them (beyond their perception), and who establish prayer (who experience the meaning of salat alongside performing its physical actions) and who spend from both the physical and spiritual sustenance of life that We have provided for them unrequitedly for the sake of Allah.” (Quran 2:3).”

“Walladheena yuminuna Bi ma unzila ilayKa we ma unzila min kablK(A) wa Bil akhirati hum yukinoon.”

“And who believe in what has been revealed to you from your essence (from the depths of your essence to your consciousness) and what was revealed before you, and who, of their eternal life after, are certain (in complete submission as a result of an absolute comprehension).”(Quran 2:4)

“Ulaika ala hudan min Rabbihim wa ulaikal humul muflihoon.”

“They are in a state of HUDA (comprehension of the reality) from their Rabb (the name composition comprising their essence) and it is they who have attained emancipation.” (Quran 2:5)

Now let us have a look at the meaning of the Ayat al-Qursi, the popular verse generally read for protection… According to my understanding, the Ayat al-Qursi reveals the various stations and levels of the names and attributes of Allah manifested on man. It begins from the station of absolute essence of Oneness (Ahadiyyah) the essential reality of man, and delineates all of the various stations up until the physical body…

Allah – there is no deity God, only HU!

Al-Hayy (The infinite source of names! The One who gives life to the Names and manifests them. The source of universal energy, the essence of energy).

Al-Qayyum (The One who renders Himself existent with His own attributes, without the need of anything. Everything in existence subsists with al-Qayyum).

Neither drowsiness overtakes Him (disconnection from the worlds even for a single instance) nor sleep (leaving creation to its own accord).

To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth (everything transpiring within the dimensions of knowledge and acts).

Who can intercede with Him except by the permission (Bi-iznihi) of the force of the Names comprising his essence (the force that manifests from them)?

He knows the dimension in which they live and the dimension they are unable to perceive…

Nothing of His knowledge can be conceived if He does not will (allow via the suitability of the Names in one’s essence).

His Qursi (sovereignty and administration [Rububiyyah]) encompasses the heavens and the earth,

And their preservation tires Him not.

And He is al-Aliy (The Highest. The sublime One who observes existence from the point of reality essence) and al-Azim (The magnificent glory beyond any manifestation’s capacity of comprehension). (Quran 2:255)

This is my understanding of the Ayat al-Qursi in respect of its manifestation on the individual… Of course, there is also its meaning in respect of the universal dimension, as every verse has both an internal and an external meaning according to the Rasul of Allah (saw). By all means you can research other translations and interpretations by those with whom you share the same vision.

 

October 2005

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