of Nekounam, (Session 1727)
The Holy Quran, like a profound and boundless ocean, has presented divine knowledge to humanity through its verses and words. Among these verses, the Divine Names and Attributes, like radiant stars, guide seekers and travellers on the path of truth. This treatise, focusing on three prominent attributes Dhikr (Remembrance), Inshirah (Expansion) and Ad (Gathering) elucidates their meanings, as well as their philosophical and mystical dimensions in the light of the Quranic verses. The objective of this work is to offer a comprehensive and coherent analysis of these attributes so as to pave the way for deep reflections on the relationship between the Truth and the servant. These reflections, by reference to the verses and exegeses, aim to illuminate the light of knowledge in the readers heart and guide them towards a deeper understanding.
The attribute Dhikr in the Holy Quran is like a key that opens the doors of knowledge and intimacy with the Truth. This attribute is manifested reciprocally between the Truth and the servant in a luminous verse from Surah Al-Baqarah:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ (Al-Baqarah: 152)
So remember Me; I will remember you.
This verse represents a divine invitation calling the servant to remember the Truth with heart, tongue, and entire being. The servants dhikr is an action that, performed with sincerity and abstention from falsehood, prepares the ground for special divine attention. The dhikr of the Truth, however, is an attention that, beyond the general divine gaze upon all beings, entails particular manifestations such as knowledge, insight, perfection, or material and spiritual blessings.
The Divine Dhikr is an inherent and uninterrupted attribute, for God, as the wise say, is never distracted from any affair: He is not preoccupied by one affair over another. This constant attention is accompanied by the divine distinguishing knowledge that encompasses every being with all its manifestations. In contrast, the servants dhikr is conditional and contingent upon sincerity and abstention from falsehood. A servant who attains the station of unity can possess a dhikr that includes not only the Truth but also His blessings and manifestations, without allowing falsehood to enter the sanctum of their mind.
This difference is akin to that between the sun and a mirror: the sun emits its own light and is independent of anything else, whereas the mirror reflects light only when facing the sun and free from the shadows of falsehood.
Dhikr, on the spiritual path, is like a bridge that guides the servant from the darkness of heedlessness to the light of knowledge. A traveller who performs dhikr not only escapes bewilderment but also induces God to grant specific dhikr. This special dhikr produces effects such as the opening of the heart, acquisition of knowledge, or attainment of spiritual treasures. For example, a traveller who utters dhikr with sincerity may be freed from heedlessness, find what was lost, or be granted a novel comprehension of existential truths.
At the station of unity, dhikr means attention to the Truth and His manifestations, not merely abstention from the other-than-God. Contrary to some who consider dhikr solely as rejection of the non-divine, this attention encompasses both the Truth and His blessings. This meaning is like a garden where the flowers of the Truth and His blessings bloom side by side, without the thorns of falsehood gaining entry.
The attribute Dhikr depicts a reciprocal relationship between the Truth and the servant, wherein the servants remembrance evokes special divine attention. This attribute holds significance both philosophically (the divine distinguishing knowledge) and mystically (removal of heedlessness and opening of the heart). The servants dhikr is like a seed sown in the soil of sincerity that bears fruit of knowledge and perfection.
The attribute Inshirah or Sharh, meaning expansion and opening of the heart, is a specific divine attribute depicted in several Quranic verses:
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ (Ash-Sharh: 1)
Did We not expand for you your breast?
أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ (Az-Zumar: 22)
Is then one who Allah has expanded his breast for Islam, so he is upon a light from his Lord?
فَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ (Al-Anam: 125)
So whoever Allah wants to guide - He expands his breast to Islam.
These verses portray inshirah as a divine light that prepares the believers heart to accept truths and endure hardships. This expansion is specific to Gods saints such as the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), Moses (peace be upon him), and the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).
Opposed to inshirah is the constriction of the breast, which results from disbelief and reprehensible traits such as arrogance, hatred, and stubbornness. The Holy Quran describes this state as follows:
فَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يَضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاءِ (Al-Anam: 125)
So whoever Allah wants to misguide - He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky.
This constriction is like a cage imprisoning the disbeliever, depriving them of peace and expansion. The believer, however, with inshirah, flies freely in the sky of knowledge like a bird. This difference is evident not only in the Hereafter but also in worldly life. The disbeliever suffers anxiety and psychological pressure, while the believer attains tranquillity and expansion under the shade of inshirah.
Philosophically, inshirah is the manifestation of divine light in the believers heart that leads them to the station of unity and acceptance of perfections. This light is like a lamp that dispels the darkness of ignorance and heedlessness. Mystically, the invocation Ya Sharh during spiritual discipline opens the hearts doors towards secrets and hidden realities. This dhikr acts as a key unlocking the bonds of the selfs constriction and guides the traveller towards perfections.
Inshirah is an attribute exclusive to the saints of God. It not only prepares the heart for receiving knowledge but also grants the capacity to endure hardships and perform great deeds. A believer endowed with inshirah finds great tasks easy, while for others even small tasks appear as heavy mountains.
The attribute Inshirah is a divine expansion that connects the believers heart to the light of knowledge and tranquillity. This attribute contrasts with the constriction of the disbelievers breasts, guiding the believer towards perfections and peace. Inshirah is like a breeze cleansing the heart from the dust of disbelief and reprehensible traits and preparing it to soar in the sky of knowledge.
The attribute Ad, meaning the gathering and stabilising of the distinctive manifestations of beings, is one of the majestic divine attributes beautifully depicted in Quranic verses:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا (Maryam: 83)
Have you not seen that We sent the devils upon the disbelievers, inciting them severely?
لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا (Maryam: 94)
Indeed, He has enumerated them and counted them a full counting.
The attribute Ad represents the detailed and distinctive gathering of all manifestations of a being, transcending mere counting (Ihsa) and enumeration (Hisan). This attribute is like the divine hand that records all manifestations of a being in the book of its existence.
Ihsa is the general recording of deeds and characteristics, whereas Ad is a detailed and distinctive gathering that encompasses all past and present manifestations of a being. The Quran explains this distinction as follows:
وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا (Ibrahim: 34)
And if you should count the favours of Allah, you could not enumerate them.
This verse indicates that Ad is a vessel containing all divine blessings, while Ihsa, limited by human capacity, is unable to do so. Ad is like an ocean encompassing all drops of blessing, whereas Ihsa is like a small container able to hold only a portion.
God sends devils to torment disbelievers, but does not hasten their punishment:
فَلَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدًّا (Maryam: 84)
So do not hasten over them. Indeed, We are keeping count of them.
This verse indicates that sin must settle deeply within the disbelievers soul before the punishment is completed. This gathering results from the manifestations of sin in their being, which, like a heavy burden, drags them towards punishment. This process resembles a gardener planting the seed of sin in the disbelievers heart and then harvesting the bitter fruit of torment from it.
The invocation Ya Ad is not suitable for novice travellers because it is a majestic attribute requiring the station of unity and aggregation. In the elevated stations of the spiritual path, this dhikr aids in the comprehension of unity in multiplicity and reaching the station of authority. A traveller who attains the station of unity becomes like Abraham the Friend (peace be upon him), transformed into one nation whose individuality is embodied within the assembly of existents.
This attribute is like a mirror reflecting all manifestations of existence and guiding the traveller towards unity and authority. The dhikr Ya Ad, at high spiritual stations, directs the traveller to the knowledge of all beings and the comprehension of their collective existence.
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