of Nokounam Session Forty-Seven: Chapter of Awakening, Part Two.
In the mystical journey, the initial step is the awakening from the slumber of negligence, denominated in the esoteric lexicon as yaqah. This station functions as a divine spark illuminating the heart and soul of the seeker, guiding them from the darkness of heedlessness towards the light of gnosis. The present lecture, derived from the elucidations of Nokounam , explores the status of yaqah as the inception of the path, critiques the Qurnic verse selected by Khwajah Abdullah Ansari, and proposes a more suitable verse from Srat al-Kahf.
Within the mystical tradition, diverse viewpoints have been articulated regarding the starting point of the spiritual path. Some mystics have proposed intellect, repentance, faith, or Islam itself as the primary step. However, Khwajah Abdullah Ansari regards yaqah as the genesis of the path. This selection, when examined through the prism of mystical sequence and logic, is both rational and appropriate. Yaqah signifies an involuntary awakening from the sleep of heedlessness that prepares the seeker for subsequent stages of the spiritual journey. Analogous to the sunrise of gnosis amid the night of ignorance, yaqah illuminates the seeker's heart and beckons them toward standing in servitude to God.
Khwajah Abdullah Ansari, in elucidating the Chapter of Awakening, references the verse قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُكُمْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ أَنْ تَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ مَثْنَىٰ وَفُرَادَىٰ ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُوا مَا بِصَاحِبِكُمْ مِنْ جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ (Srah Saba, 34:46). According to s exegesis, the translation reads: "Say: I admonish you with but one thing, that you stand before God, two by two or singly, then reflect; your companion is no madman; he is but a warner to you before a severe punishment."
Nevertheless, this verse, due to its emphasis on qiym (standing or rising), an act of volition and subsequent to awakening, is ill-suited for explicating the station of yaqah. Yaqah denotes an involuntary awakening from the sleep of heedlessness, whereas qiym is a conscious and deliberate act that follows awakening. This incongruity indicates the necessity of selecting a more precise verse to articulate this mystical station.
To elucidate the Chapter of Awakening, the verse وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ (Srah al-Kahf, 18:18) is recommended. s translation renders it as: "And you would think them awake, while they are asleep; and We turn them to the right and to the left." This verse elegantly depicts the state of human negligence and slumber, wherein despite the semblance of wakefulness, they remain enveloped in profound heedlessness. This metaphor effectively illustrates yaqah as the awakening from such slumber.
Owing to its explicit reference to ruqd (deep sleep) and the distinction from apparent wakefulness, this verse harmonizes perfectly with the concept of yaqah. Humans, akin to the People of the Cave, appear awake outwardly, yet inwardly they lie dormant in heedlessness. Yaqah is a divine spark that shatters this slumber and directs the seeker toward the truth.
The Holy Qurn explicitly declares in the verse إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ (Srah Ar, 103:2-3) that humanity is indeed in loss except those who believe and perform righteous deeds. s translation reads: "Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe and do good works." This loss equates to slumber or the deep sleep of negligence in which the majority of mankind remain immersed. Only the faithful, exempted by this verse, have awakened from this sleep and attained the light of gnosis.
This slumber resembles a dark night enveloping the human heart, depriving it of the primordial light of fitrah (innate disposition). The heedless, despite their open eyes and external activities, are inwardly dormant and oblivious to divine reality. This state is also exquisitely depicted in another verse from Srah al-Kahf: وَتَرَى الشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَتْ تَزَاوَرُ عَنْ كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَتْ تَقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِي فَجْوَةٍ مِنْهُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِي وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا (Srah al-Kahf, 18:17). The states: "And you would have seen the sun when it rose, declining from their cave to the right, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they were in a spacious part of the cave; that is among the signs of God. Whom God guides is rightly guided; and whom He leads astray, you will find no guardian to lead him."
The narrative of the People of the Cave serves as a profound allegory for humanitys heedless state. The Qurn states in the verse لَوْ أَطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا (Srah al-Kahf, 18:18): "If you had been aware of them, you would have turned away from them in flight, and been filled with terror because of them." This terror stems from perceiving the profundity of human negligence and alienation from the truth. The People of the Cave, though outwardly awake, were immersed in a deep sleep of heedlessness a metaphor extended to all heedless humanity who appear alert yet remain inwardly asleep.
This parable functions as a mirror reflecting the true condition of heedless human beings. Just as the People of the Cave slumbered within their cavern, so too do contemporary humans lie dormant within the cave of their negligence, and only divine grace can guide them toward yaqah.
One of the foremost points elucidated in this discourse is the critical distinction between yaqzah (awakening) and qiyam (rising or standing). Yaqzah constitutes an involuntary awakening from the slumber of heedlessness, instigated through divine grace. In contrast, qiyam denotes a deliberate, conscious act performed for God, which ensues subsequent to yaqzah. The exegetical interpretation by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, who equates qawmat Allah (standing for God) with yaqzah, has been subject to criticism on the basis that qiyam represents a subsequent, more advanced stage than yaqzah. Analogous to the human experience upon awakening from sleepfirst sitting up, then standing, and eventually walkingthe spiritual path likewise predicates qiyam upon the preceding occurrence of yaqzah.
This distinction may be likened to the difference between the sunrise and the steps taken in its light. Yaqzah is the spark that penetrates the darkness of heedlessness, whereas qiyam is the conscious movement along the divine path, necessitating volition and awareness.
The commentator of Manazil al-Sa'irin, disregarding the interpretive shortcomings of Khwajas exegesis, uncritically adopted his perspective by equating qawmat Allah with yaqzah. This interpretation, due to its failure to observe the linguistic and conceptual rigour required in scholarly discourse, is subject to critique. Yaqzah pertains to the sensory faculties and the self (nafs), and has yet to reach the realm of the heart (qalb), which is engaged in later stages of the spiritual journey. The commentators attribution of yaqzah to the heart constitutes a conceptual error, since the heart becomes active in the subsequent phases of the path.
This misstep may be likened to vending a precious jewel at a trifling price. The heart is the locus of human perfections manifestations, whereas yaqzah remains merely the initial spark awakening the senses and the self. Such differentiation is indispensable for a precise comprehension of the stages of spiritual progression.
The Noble Quran, as the supreme preacher, employs a celestial and profoundly impactful discourse to rouse humanity from the slumber of heedlessness. The verse وَكَلْبُهُمْ بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ (Surah al-Kahf, 18) exquisitely portrays the outward condition of the People of the Cave: stationed at the caves entrance, they appear awake, yet remain inwardly asleep. The translation by Fooladvand renders it as And their dog stretched forth its two forelegs at the threshold. This description underscores the reality of apparent dormancy, where despite outward activity, the inner self remains in slumber.
The Quran functions as a mirror reflecting the true state of man and, by penetrating the heart, guides him towards yaqzah. This capacity resides in the Qurans inherent power to awaken man from the sleep of heedlessness.
The verse ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِي وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا (Surah al-Kahf, 17) elucidates that guidance and misguidance are within the exclusive domain of God. Fooladvand translates this as: This is among the signs of God. Whomever God guides, he is rightly guided, and whomever He leads astray, you will never find for him a guardian or guide. Yaqzah is thus the fruit of divine favour; man alone is incapable of awakening himself. God, through intermediaries such as prophets, afflictions, or blessings, directs humanity towards awakening.
These intermediaries act as torches illuminating the path in the darkness of heedlessness, leading man towards the light of guidance.
Man becomes submerged in the immersions of natureboth material and spiritual attachmentsthereby estranged from the light of his innate disposition (fitrah). These immersions function as veils that obscure the light of fitrah, perpetuating mans state of heedless slumber. The Quran describes the heedless man as raqd, a condition exceeding ordinary sleep, one not easily disrupted by nudges or ordinary admonitions.
This state is akin to drowning in a sea of materiality, which distances man from the shore of fitrah. Yaqzah is the spark that parts these veils, restoring man to the light of his primordial disposition.
Yaqzah necessitates detachment from material and spiritual garments. These garments encompass wealth, knowledge, virtue, and even piety; should these acquire an undue primacy, they hinder the light of fitrah. Detachment signifies liberation from attachments, guiding the seeker towards the truth. This liberation resembles shedding heavy worldly attire, lightening the soul and enabling its ascent to the celestial realm of gnosis.
From a psychological standpoint, heedless sleep occurs in varying degrees, ranging from light to profound. Yaqzah corresponds to awakening from light sleep, guiding man towards an initial awareness. Some individuals awaken at the slightest alert, whereas others remain immersed in deep heedlessness despite the most vigorous stimuli.
This difference may be compared to soil gently stirred by a breeze versus a rock steadfast amidst a storm. Yaqzah is the spark that agitates the soft soil of the heart, propelling it towards awakening.
The chapter on yaqzah, as the inception of the mystical path, constitutes a pivotal juncture that guides man from the sleep of heedlessness towards the light of gnosis. This discourse, through critiquing the verse selected by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari and proposing an alternative from Surah al-Kahf, offers a precise elucidation of the concept of yaqzah and clarifies its distinction from qiyam. Yaqzah is an involuntary awakening from heedless sleep, effected by divine grace and mediated through agents such as the Noble Quran, prophets, or tribulations. This awakening serves as a prelude to the voluntary qiyam and progression along the divine path.
The Noble Quran, employing celestial language and allegories such as the story of the People of the Cave, directs humanity towards truth. The immersions of nature obstruct the light of innate disposition, and yaqzah, through detachment from these attachments, returns man to his original fitrah. This lesson, grounded in Quranic verses and profound analyses, constitutes a comprehensive resource for understanding the chapter on yaqzah and its place within the mystical journey.
