of Nekounam, may his sanctity be preserved (Session 28 Introduction Part 28)
Mystical progression (salk irfn) is akin to a profound journey into the depths of being, which guides the seeker towards the boundless Divine Truth. Within this path, marifah (knowledge of the Truth) serves as a luminous lamp illuminating the way, while isn (excellence in worship) stands as a lofty summit, revealing the noble destination of servitude. The twenty-eighth lesson of the noble book Manzil al-Sirn, centred upon the tradition of Gabriel (alayhi al-salm), elucidates these two foundational concepts, artfully delineating the stages of knowledge through the modalities of speech, mind, perception, and certainty. This lecture, drawn from the profound utterances of Nekounam , portrays mysticism not merely as theoretical knowledge but as a practical and intensely strenuous path inviting the seeker to witness and attain the Divine Truth. This treatise explores the expansiveness of knowledge, the dynamism of mystical progression, and the station of excellence within Islamic mysticism.
What is isn? He said: To worship God as if you see Him; and if you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.
This definition introduces isn as a rank of worship wherein the seeker, in a state of Divine witnessing or vigilance, engages in servitude to the Truth. Isn, transcending mere external acts such as charity-giving, is a spiritual state that transforms the seekers very being into a locus of Divine Presence. The validity of this tradition within Shii mysticism stems from its consonance with the narrations of the Imams (peace be upon them), rendering it an inspiring source for elucidating mystical progression.
In common perception, isn is often reduced simplistically to acts of financial assistance to the needy. This perspective, which instantly arises upon hearing the term, neglects the profound spiritual depth of this station. Isn is like a sapling rooted in the soil of visionary worship, whose fruit is attainment of the Truth. This lecture, by critiquing such superficial understanding, presents isn as a profound, immaterial state that guides the seeker towards Divine witnessing and vigilance.
Contrary to some assumptions, Gabriels question to the Messenger of God is not a mere didactic or performative act for others. Rather, it is a profound exploration in the realm of Divine unity (tawd), born out of an epistemic concern. Gabriel, an exalted angel and witness to the Prophets vision in the highest horizon, seeks to comprehend how this peril-free path through the fire of Divine unity is traversed. The Holy Quran states:
Indeed, he [the Prophet] saw him [Gabriel] in the highest horizon. (Srah An-Najm, 53:13)
This verse confirms the elevated station of the Prophets witnessing and connects Gabriels question to the effort of understanding this sublime rank. Gabriel, who himself stated, If I advance one step further, the fire will seize me, inquires of the Prophet how he traversed this path. This question is neither jest nor performance but a genuine quest into the depths of Divine unity.
Knowledge of the Truth is like an infinite ocean, each drop of which embodies an aspect of Divine Reality. This lecture emphasises the infinite gradations of knowledge, presenting it as a limitless vessel that admits no boundaries or restrictions. The well-known tradition, The paths to God are as numerous as the breaths of creation, beautifully illustrates this diversity. Every being, according to its manifestation, has a unique path to the Truth, and knowledge is like a mirror reflecting the face of the Truth in every manifestation.
Knowledge of the Truth is akin to a light that has shone in the innate disposition (firah) of every human being, guiding them back to their origin. The Quran states:
[God] created mankind with a firah (natural disposition) upon which He has instilled them. (Srah Ar-Rm, 30:30)
This innate disposition forms the essential basis of knowledge, directing every human being, even at the lowest levels, towards the Truth. This lecture views knowledge not merely as an acquired matter but as an innate current flowing within all beings.
Knowledge is like a gem with two faces: an essential face in which no being is deprived of knowledge of the Truth, and an attributive face wherein its degrees in humans are divided into unbelief, Islam, faith, and excellence. In the essential face, the universe is like a court where Divine Names and Attributes manifest, and every particle is a mirror of knowledge of the Truth. Conversely, in the attributive face, knowledge is limited to human ranks, and each individual, according to their mystical progress, occupies one of these stages.
Attributive knowledge is like a ladder by which the seeker ascends from unbelief to excellence. These degrees, divided in humans into the unbeliever, the Muslim, the believer, and the excellent one (musin), each represent a manifestation of knowledge. The unbeliever is trapped in the darkness of denial; the Muslim submits outwardly to the Truth; the believer inwardly embraces faith; and the excellent one, in the station of witnessing and vigilance, worships the Truth. This classification presents mystical progression as a hierarchical process, each stage a step towards perfection.
Knowledge by speech is like a breeze blowing over the surface of existence but having no root in its depths. This knowledge, predominant in many, limits worship of God to personal benefit. The Quran states:
They worship God but on condition (speech); if good reaches them, they are reassured. (Srah Fussilat, 41:11)
This knowledge is unstable and contingent upon external circumstances. The seeker at this stage resembles a traveller caught in the storm of self-interest, turning away from the Truth upon encountering difficulty.
Intellectual knowledge advances beyond the speech stage, where the seekers mind perceives the fragrance of the Truth. This knowledge is like a seed planted in the soil of thought, though not yet bearing fruit. At this stage, despite an aversion to the Truth, the seeker does not forget it, and an inner anxiety holds them suspended between acceptance and rejection. This anxiety acts as a spark calling the seeker towards higher stages.
Perceptual knowledge is like a light that illuminates not only the mind but also the limbs and faculties of the seeker. At this level, the Truth manifests in the seekers being, who becomes like a mirror reflecting the Divine Names and Attributes. This knowledge is practical and tangible, guiding the seeker into harmony with Divine Reality. A beautiful simile from the lecture compares perceptual knowledge to the scent of food that permeates not only the hands and mouth but the entire being of a person.
Certain knowledge is the summit of knowledge, where the seeker attains complete conviction and certainty of the Truth. This stage is like a shore reached after a stormy voyage across the ocean of knowledge. Certainty removes doubt from the seekers existence and unites them with the Truth. The lecture describes certainty as a vessel of resoluteness and conviction, transcending mind and perception.
Knowledge within an individual is like a garden where various trees of different degrees have grown. A seeker may hold speech-level knowledge in one dimension, intellectual in another, and perceptual or certain knowledge in yet another. This diversity presents mystical progression as a multilayered and dynamic process in which the seeker simultaneously traverses multiple stages.
Knowledge flows like a stream towards three destinations: Divine action, Divine attributes, and Divine essence. Each object encompasses degrees of speech, intellectual, perceptual, and certain knowledge. A seeker may possess certainty regarding Divine actions, perception regarding attributes, and only speech or intellectual knowledge concerning the essence. This classification portrays knowledge as multilayered, varying according to its object.
The saints of God are like lofty peaks who have attained certainty in all degrees of knowledge, from action and attribute to essence. This lecture, referencing the words of the Infallible, Indeed I have states with God, introduces saints as possessing changing states in mystical progression, moment by moment harmonising with Divine manifestations. This dynamism keeps the saints progression alive and fresh.
The station of integration is metaphorically an horizon wherein the wayfarer beholds God through the perspective of all created beings. This exalted stage, representing the pinnacle of spiritual progression, directs the seeker towards existential unity, where with the eyes of both the unbeliever and the believer, the word and certainty, the Truth is perceived. This discourse introduces the station of integration as a state in which the seeker dons the spectacles of synthesis, beholding the Divine presence in all phenomena.
Mysticism is a path wherein the traveller advances not by pen and book but through heartfelt agony and severed attachments. This lecture critically examines theoretical approaches to mysticism, portraying it as a practical and arduous journey emerging within the fabric of society and truth. The saints of God, whose schoolrooms were the streets and wilderness and whose classroom was existence itself, have lived mysticism in intimate interaction with both creation and the Divine.
The seeker is likened to a tree which must grow in harmony with its time and society. This discourse regards vitality and freshness as indispensable conditions for spiritual progression, inviting the seeker to attune themselves to the transformations of their era. A wayfarer who fails to grow in consonance with their epoch is like a corpse amidst the living. The saints of God, through novel and lively utterances, direct the cosmos towards truth.
The Truth is like a sun, perceivable through every faculty of perceptionfrom eye and heart to hand and foot. This lecture affirms Gods visibility through every organ and condemns as blind the eye that fails to perceive Him. Within supplications and transmitted traditions, there is reference to a vision transcending the "as if" (كانَّك) narration of Gabriels hadith, guiding the seeker to immediate witnessing of the Divine. This vision resembles a current that envelops the entire being of the seeker.
عَمِيَتْ عَيْنٌ لَا تَرَاكَ
Blind is the eye that does not see You.
The gateway of Divine Unity (Tawhid) is like a fire that consumes the seeker within itself, yet for the saints, it manifests as a refreshing and soothing breeze. The Noble Quran recounts in the story of Abraham (peace be upon him):
يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا
(Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:69)
"O Fire, be coolness and safety." (Translation: )
This verse designates Tawhid as the locus of mystical transformation which transmutes hardships into tranquillity for the wayfarer. This lecture presents Tawhid as a fiery portal traversed safely only by the saints.
The Truth is like a current perpetually manifesting in novel aspects. The Quran states:
كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ
(Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:29)
"Every day He is engaged in a matter." (Translation: )
The saints of God, in harmony with this dynamism, are renewed and vivified moment by moment. This discourse, drawing upon the words of the Infallible"Indeed, I have states with God"presents the spiritual progression of the saints as a dynamic process consonant with Divine manifestations.
The appearance of the Imam al-Zaman (may God hasten his glorious reappearance) is like a blossom that perfumes the entire cosmos with the fragrance of gnosis. This lecture portrays the Manifestation not as a destructive event but as a mystical revival, which, with fresh utterances and novel insights, revitalises the world. The Imam calls the entire universe towards the Truth with freshness and purity, wielding not the sword of destruction but the blade of love and beauty.
Some erroneously associate the Manifestation with destruction and violence, imagining that the Imam arrives to demolish the Kaaba or annihilate creation. This lecture repudiates such misconceptions, presenting the Manifestation as a spiritual and revivifying movement that enriches the cosmos with gnosis and purity. The Imam is not a temporal executioner but a reviver of Truth who attracts hearts to the Divine through splendour and majesty.
The twenty-eighth lesson of Manzil al-Sirn reflects the vastness of gnosis and the profundity of beneficence within mystical progression. Centered on the Hadith of Gabriel, this discourse analyses knowledge in its real and nominal dimensions, outlining its stages from verbal assent to certainty. Beneficence, as an act of visionary worship, guides the wayfarer towards Divine witnessing or contemplation. Mysticism is portrayed as a practical, blood-stained path emerging within society and truth. The saints of God, by certitude in the Divine act, attribute, and essence, harmonise moment by moment with Divine manifestations. The advent of the Imam al-Zaman epitomises the flowering of this gnosis in the cosmos.
