the Lectures of Nokounam, may his sanctity be preserved (Session 539)
The chapter of Time in the mystical path represents a pivotal station wherein the seeker is invited to profound contemplation upon the reality of time and its intrinsic connection with the Divine Existence. This station, elaborated with unparalleled profundity in the 539th session of Nokounams lectures, occupies a distinguished place among the key stations of Manzil al-S'irn. Time here transcends mere temporal segments; it embodies the manifestation of human vitality and an effulgence of Divine Reality, guiding the seeker from multiplicity and dispersion toward unity and submission.
Concerning the elucidation of the third meaning of time, the mystics have stated: Al-Waqt huwa al-Haqq, signifying that time is immersed within the Divine Being and is transformed into the manifestation of the Divine Reality. This meaning reaches its consummation within the third vessel of time and reflects the effacement of the customary concept of time within Divine unity. At this station, time is no longer merely a temporal segment but rather a manifestation of human life and the Divine Truths appearance therein.
This station directs the seeker beyond the confines of temporal limitations and contingent determinations towards Divine Unity. Metaphorically, time at this rank is akin to a mirror reflecting the light of the Truth, beckoning the seeker to witness the Reality. The absorption of time in the Truth is not like a drop dissolving into the ocean but rather akin to water uniting with water; since both time and the Divine Truth emanate from a singular essence.
Time possesses a triadic hierarchy, expounded in detail throughout the lectures. The third vessel, termed the perfection of time, is the station at which the seeker is liberated from mutability, anxiety, and dispersion, arriving at tamkn (steadfastness). Tamkn signifies the seekers full establishment in the present moment and presence in the Truth, where no distraction, thought, or absence prevails.
At this station, the seeker attains the complete time, which corresponds to the reality of time and the manifestation of the Truth. This level restrains the seeker from vacillation and regression; as expressed:
He who advances a foot and retreats a foot, does not comprehend the value of time.
The seeker in the third vessel is like a traveller who treads the path unhesitatingly, perceiving nothing but the Truth at every step.
Time is the manifestation of the breath and vitality of humanity, as reflected in the well-known maxim: Ightanim fursatan bayna al-admain (Seize the opportunity between two non-existences). The human being exists between two non-beings (the prior and the subsequent), and time is the opportunity granted for spiritual journeying and knowledge. Due to the finitude of lifespan, this opportunity holds infinite value, transcending any material entity, even gold.
By the Asr (Time), Indeed, mankind is in loss.
This verse underscores the preciousness of time and the peril in squandering it. Asr, as time and the manifestation of the Truth, is an opportunity that man must exploit, lest he fall into loss.
The reality of time, in its third meaning, as the manifestation of the Truth in human life and the absorption of the temporal form within the Divine Existence, constitutes an exalted station in the mystical path. The third vessel, as the perfection of time, guides the seeker toward tamkn (steadfastness) and deliverance from multiplicity and mutability. Time, akin to the breath of Adam, is an opportunity by which man, through its optimal utilization, escapes loss and unites with the Divine Truth.
Mutability (talawwan) denotes the dispersion of the seekers mind and heart across various matters and constitutes the principal barrier to full presence in the moment. The seeker afflicted by mutability is like a traveller who looks toward different destinations at each step, thereby straying from the primary path. The lectures examples, such as one who thinks of other matters while eating or whose mind wanders to worldly concerns during prayer, vividly illustrate this dispersion.
Mutability dissipates the seekers faculties and prevents full utilisation of time. This dispersion resembles a wind scattering the ash of human existence in all directions, depriving the seeker of concentration and establishment.
Tamkn is the seekers full establishment in the present moment and presence in the Truth. At this station, the seeker is freed from anxiety and vacillation, reaching wholeness in every act. The saints of God exemplify this station; as the lectures note, they exhibited completeness in every actwhether prayer, struggle, or worshipwithout any dispersion.
The seeker at the station of tamkn is like a tree whose roots are firmly anchored in the soil of Truth, unshaken by any wind. Whatever he undertakesbe it study or worshiphe is fully present and experiences its spiritual delight.
By gathering faculties, the seeker concentrates all his forces and energies in the present moment and utilizes time in an optimal manner. The example of a man who holds himself upon a pole for hours in danger of death demonstrates the latent capacity of humans, which ordinarily is squandered due to mutability and anxiety.
This gathering resembles the focusing of rays of light into a single point that ignites a radiant flame. Through concentration of faculties, the seeker benefits fully from his time and attains both material and spiritual growth.
Mutability acts like a barrier opposing the seeker, preventing full presence in the moment and the optimal use of time. Tamkn, through liberation from dispersion and the gathering of faculties, leads the seeker to establishment in the Truth and wholeness in every act. The saints of God, with their full presence in each moment, stand as paradigms for this station, inviting the seeker to take full advantage of Divine opportunities.
The mystic is Ibn al-Waqt, that is, the child of the moment and the manifestation of the Divine Truth in the present instant. Waqt (time) is the divine breath and endowment which the seeker, by appreciating it, attains an elevated spiritual progression. The mystic is akin to a wave harmonised with the flow of the ocean, reflecting, at every moment, a manifestation of the ultimate Reality.
This station prevents the seeker from wasting time and opportunity, urging complete utilisation of the breath of guidance. The mystic, by abiding in the present moment, is liberated from multiplicity and otherness and arrives at true Unity.
"al-Waqt huwa al-Haqq"The commentator cautiously regards the absolute application of "al-Waqt huwa al-Haqq" (time is the Truth) as weighty, since waqt is part of temporal existence and the container of being, and cannot be directly equated with the Divine Truth. He holds that there is no proportional relationship between the literal meaning of waqt (a part of time) and its mystical sense (manifestation of the Truth) that justifies such an absolute declaration.
Nevertheless, the treatise argues that waqt, as the breath of the human and of the Truth, may indeed be connected to the Divine Reality. Waqt is like a manifestation of the Divine Names, appearing within existence and non-existence, possessing an inseparable bond with the Truth.
Waqt, as the human breath, is the manifestation of the Truth, and at the third station, the image of waqt is submerged within the existence of the Truth. The example of the drop and the ocean, which is critiqued in the treatise, alludes to this immersion. The critique rests upon the fact that both the drop and the ocean are of the same substancewaterjust as waqt and the Truth emanate from the same essence.
This immersion resembles the shadows dissolution into sunlight, whereby temporal multiplicity is effaced within Divine Unity. The seeker, at this station, is liberated from temporal determinations and unites with the timeless Truth.
At the third container, the seekers effacement is an unveiling rather than a pure existential annihilation: "Yatlashi fihi al-rusum kashfan l wujdan maan". This effacement signifies the disappearance of created images in the vision of the Truth, without the seekers existence being entirely effaced.
The unveiling-effacement is like the drawing back of a veil revealing the light of Truth, while the seekers existence remains intact. This station indicates witnessing the oneness of the Truth without coloration and invites the seeker to full presence in the Truth.
"al-Waqt huwa al-Haqq" displays caution in mystical attributions, yet the treatise, with strong reasoning, regards time as the manifestation of the Truth. The immersion of time in the existence of the Truth and the unveiling-effacement guide the seeker towards witnessing Divine Unity.Within the container of witnessing, continuity of existence does not obtain; however, within the container of existence itself, the seeker attains continuity and stability. This station accompanies intimacy and companionship with the Truth. The seeker at this rank is like a lover who, in the presence of the Beloved, is freed from every distraction and attains the bliss of union.
Continuity in the container of existence directs the seeker to continuous witnessing of the Truth and intimacy with it. This intimacy, akin to the supplication of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) with the invocation "l ilha ill llh aqqan aqqan", brings spiritual delight and purity.
Musmara, signifying private conversation and communing with the Truth, is a state in which the seeker enjoys remembrance and worship, not for reward, but for the sake of the Truth itself. The example of the Prophet, who repeated "l ilha ill llh" a thousand times, illustrates this spiritual delight.
The seeker at the station of intimacy is like a child embraced in the mothers arms, liberated from fear and anxiety, and attaining serenity. This intimacy connects the seekers heart to enduring love and passion, liberating him from multiplicity and division.
At the station of waqt, the seeker attains the breeze of the Truth, which frees him from the haze of division. This breeze resembles a wind that sweeps the dust of dispersion from the seekers heart, connecting him to Unity and complete presence in the Truth.
The breeze of the Truth is a divine manifestation within the heart that places the seeker in a state of continual love and passion. The saints, having received this breeze, were connected to the Truth at every moment and freed from all else.
The chapter on waqt in the Manazil al-Sirn is a station that invites the seeker to a profound comprehension of the reality of time as the manifestation of the Truth. The third meaning of time, "al-Waqt huwa al-Haqq", demonstrates the immersion of the form of time into the existence of the Truth and guides the seeker from dispersion and anxiety to submission and complete presence in the moment.
The saints, through totality in every act and liberation, exemplify this station. The commentators critique of the term "al-Waqt huwa al-Haqq" manifests a cautious approach to mystical attributions, yet the treatises reasoned argument affirms time as the manifestation of the Truth.
وَالْعَصْرِ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
: "By the Time, indeed, mankind is in loss."
The seeker, by assembling his faculties, communing with the Truth, and receiving the divine breeze, attains exalted spiritual progress and is saved from loss.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi