AL-‘ÂLAM AL-MALAKÛT - العالم الملكوتسيد

 

Literally: Al-‘âlam is a world. A realm. A universe. A class of beings. A state or period of life. A condition or circumstance of life. The generality of mankind. The public.

Literally: Malakût is Allah’s absolute sovereignty. Supreme dominion. The whole creation. Allah’s (‘Azza wa jalla) ma’nawî dominion. Samâwât.

The inner face of the things that Allah’s command and power manifest directly and without veils of the causes. The inner face of the things that look to its Creator. The rûh, soul, haqiqah of everything in their own degree which is suitable to their degrees.

 

“If the creatures of the universe are observed with care, it may be seen that like particulars, universals have a ma’nawî collective personality, their universal duty is seen. A universal service is seen on that ma’nawî collective personality. For example, just as a flower as itself displays an embroidery full of art, and with the language of its being performs the dhikr of Al-Fâtir's Names, so the globe of the earth’s garden resembles a flower, and has an extremely orderly, universal duty of tasbîh. And just as a fruit expresses a proclamation and tasbîhât within an order and regularity, so does a mighty tree in its entirety have a most well-ordered duty of fitrah and ‘ubûdiyyah. And just as a tree has a tasbîhât through the words of its fruits, flowers and leaves, so do the vast sea of the samâwât performs tasbîhât to its Fâtir Zuljalâl and performs hamd to its Sâni’ Zuljalâl through its suns, moons, and stars, which are like words; and so on. Although external beings are outwardly inanimate and unconscious, they all have duties and tasbîhât in a manner extremely living and comprehending. Of a certainty, therefore, just as malâikah are their representatives expressing their tasbîhât in al-‘âlam al-malakût, so they are the representation, dwellings and mosques of those malâikah in al-‘âlam al-mulk and al-‘âlam ash-shahâdah.

As is explained in the Fourth Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word, the first of the four categories of workers employed by As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl of the palace of this ‘âlam is that of the malâikah and rûh beings. Since, without knowing it, plants and inanimate beings perform extremely important, wageless services under the command of One Who does know; also without knowing it, animals serve extensive universal aims in return for an insignificant wage. And human beings, it is seen by witnessing, in return for two wages, one immediate and the other postponed their employment of acting conformably As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl's aims through knowing it, taking a share of everything for their nafs and supervising the other servants. it will certainly be the fourth category of the servants and workers, which may constitute the first category. They resemble human beings, that they act conformably through ‘ubûdiyyah in a manner of knowing the universal aims of that Sâni’ Zuljalâl, and in contrariety to human beings they work with the purest sincerity by divesting the pleasure of the nafs and partial wages, they consider sufficient the pleasure, perfection, delight and bliss which they acquire through As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl's attention, command, favour, account, name and their perception of Him and relation with Him through proximity to Him. Their duties of ‘ibâdah varying according to their different kinds, and according to the varieties of the creatures in the universe. Like in a government there are various officials in the various offices, so the duties of ‘ubûdiyyah and tasbîhât vary in the spheres of the sovereignty of rubûbiyyah. For example, through the power, strength, account and command of Janâb-i Haqq, Hazrat Mîkâel is like a general superintendent of Allah’s creatures with art sown in the field of the face of the earth. If one may say so, he is the head of all the malâikah that resemble farmers. And, through the permission, command, power, and hikmah of Al-Fâtir Zuljalâl, the ma’nawî shepherds of all the animals have a head, a supreme malâikah appointed to act as a representative (Malak Muwakkil). Thus, since it is necessary for there to be a malâikah appointed to act as a representative over each of these external creatures in order to represent in al-‘âlam al-malakût the duties of ‘ubûdiyyah and service of tasbîh which that substance performs, and to present them knowingly to the Court of Ulûhiyyah. Concerning the forms of malâikah which are described in the riwâyât of the Bringer of Sure News (ASM) is certainly most appropriate and rational. For example, he declared: "There are some malâikah which have either forty or forty thousand heads. In all the heads are forty thousand mouths, and with the forty thousand tongues in each of those mouths they perform tasbîhât in forty thousand ways." This haqiqah of the Hadith has a meaning and has a form. Its meaning is as follows:

The malâikah's ‘ibâdah is both extremely orderly and perfect, and most universal and comprehensive. As for the form of the haqiqah, it is this:

There are certain mighty corporeal beings that perform their duties of ‘ubûdiyyah with forty thousand heads in forty thousand ways. For example, the samâ performs tasbîhât with the suns and the stars. While the earth, which is a single being, performs its duty of ‘ubûdiyyah and Rabbânî tasbîhât with a hundred thousand heads and with the hundreds of thousands of tongues in each mouth. Thus, the malâikah appointed to act as a representative (Malak Muwakkil) to the globe of the earth has to be seen in this way in order to display this meaning in al-‘âlam al-malakût.

I myself, even, saw a medium-sized almond tree which had close to forty large branches like heads. When I looked at one branch, I saw it had nearly forty smaller branches like tongues. Then I looked at one tongue of one of those small branches; forty flowers had opened on it. I paid attention to those flowers with the consideration of hikmah, and saw in each close to forty exquisite and well-ordered stamens, colours and arts, each of which causes to read one of As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl's Names manifestation separately and one of His Names individually. Is it at all possible that As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl and Al-Hakîm Zuljamâl of that almond tree, would impose this many duties on an inanimate tree, and not mount on it a malâikah appointed to act as a representative (Malak Muwakkil) who knows, expresses its meaning, proclaims it to the universe, presents it to the Ilahî Court and who is appropriate to it and like its rûh?

O friend! So far, our explanation has been an introduction to prepare the heart for acceptance, to compel the nafs to submission and to bring the mind to idh’ân. If you have understood it to some degree and wish to meet with the malâikah, prepare yourself. Moreover, purify yourself of wrongful wahm. Now look, the doors of ‘âlam of the Qur'an are open! Look, the Jannah of the Qur'an is مُفَتَّحَةً لَهُمُ اْلاَبْوَابُۚ1 Enter and Look! See the malâikah in beautiful form in the Jannah of the Qur'an! Each of its revealed âyahs is a place to alight, so look from them:

*وَالْمُرْسَلاَتِ عُرْفًا* فَالْعَاصِفَاتِ عَصْفًا* وَالنَّاشِرَاتِ نَشْرًا *فَالْفَارِقَاتِ فَرْقًا *فَالْمُلْقِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا

*وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا  * وَالنَّاشِطَاتِ نَشْطًا* وَالسَّابِحَاتِ سَبْحًا* فَالسَّابِقَاتِ سَبْقًا *فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ اَمْرًا

*تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلٰئِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِاِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ

*عَلَيْهَا مَلٰئِكَةٌ غِلاَظٌ شِدَادٌ لاَ يَعْصُونَ اللّهَ مَا اَمَرَهُمْ وَ يَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ2

Also listen to: سُبْحَانَهُ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ * لاَ يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَهُمْ بِاَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ3 listen to its praises. And if you wish to meet with the jinn, enter this Surah with ramparts قُلْ اُوحِىَ اِلَىَّ اَنَّهُ اسْتَمَعَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ4 ,see them and listen to what they say. Take an admonishing lesson from them. Look, they are saying: اِنَّا سَمِعْنَا قُرْآنًا عَجَبًا يَهْدِى اِلَى الرُّشْدِ فَآمَنَّا بِهِ وَلَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِرَبِّنَا اَحَدًا5

The Twenty-Ninth Word/1st Aim/Fourth Fundamental Point