BÂTIL – باطل

 

Literally: False. Unsound. Vain. Useless. Absurd. Worthless. Ineffectual. Null and void. A lie, a falsehood. Any idle or absurd act, word or thought.

Bâtil is the opposite of Haqq. The word of Haqq expresses everything that Allah declared. And bâtil is all manner of injunctions and understandings produced by the human mind that do not rely on the Qur'an.

 

 “A second âyah of the Injil  اِنِّى اَطْلُبُ مِنْ رَبِّى فَارَقْلِيطًا يَكُونُ مَعَكُمْ اِلَى اْلاَبَدِ That is, “I ask from my Rabb a Prophet who distinguishes haqq from bâtil, which he may abide with you for all eternity. Fâraqlid is the name of the prophet meaning اَلْفَارِقُ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَ الْبَاطِلِ 1   in those Books.….

… Also, in the Injil, البارقليط (Al-Bâraqlit) or الفارقليط (Al-Fâraqlit), which the meaning of "The distinguisher of haqq and bâtil who performs ‘ibâdah to Haqq." is given in the tafsirs of Injil, that is the name of one who will urge future people to the haqq.

In one place in the Injil, ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm said: "I will depart so that the chief of the world shall come." Has anyone came, other than Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, after Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm who will be the chief of the world, distinguish and separate haqq from bâtil, and guide mankind in place of Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm? That means, Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm was constantly giving the good tidings to his ummah and reporting: “One will come and no need will remain for me. I am his forerunner and bear the good tidings of him.”  The Letters-The Sixteenth Sign

 

“And O Shaytan, showing the bâtil as haqq and the impossible as possible through shaytanic wiles like ghaflah, dhalâlah, fallacious reasoning, obstinacy, false arguments, pride, deception, and habit, you make those unfortunate creatures in human form swallow kufr and denial, although they comprise innumerable impossibilities.” The Letters ( 371 )

 

“Both الحق يعلو 2 and Its Consequences Are Intended

Friend! One time, a questioner asked: "Since الحق يعلو3 is the haqq, why have the kâfir prevailed over the Muslim, and force over the haqq?"

I replied: Consider these four points and your difficulty will be resolved. The first point is this. It is not necessary that every means of every haqq is haqq.

Similarly, not every means of every bâtil has to be bâtil. This result emerges: a means which is haqq prevails over a bâtil means. In which case, a haqq is overcome by a bâtil. It occurs temporarily and indirectly; not essentially or permanently.

However, finally, it is always still the haqq's. Force possesses a haqq, there is a mystery in its creation. The second point is this:

While it is wâjib that all attributes of all Muslims are Muslim, outwardly it is not always thus.

Similarly, not all the attributes of all kâfirs have to be kâfir and to arise from their kufr.

So too, all the attributes of all fâsiq do not always have to be fâsiq and have arisen from their fisq.

This means a kâfir's Muslim attribute prevails over a Muslim's unlawful attribute. Indirectly, the kâfir prevails over him.

Furthermore, in this world, the haqq of life is general and all-embracing. It is a universal rahmah that has a meaningful manifestation, a mystery of hikmah, which kufr does not impede.

The third point is this: two of the Zuljalâl One’s attributes of perfection, two manifestations pertain to the Sharî’ah: the determining through His choice, which proceeds from the attribute of Irâdah, and that is the Takwînî Sharî’ah;

And the well-known Sharî’ah, which proceeds from the attribute of Kalâm .

Just as there are compliance and rebellion in the face of the commands of the latter, so there is compliance and rebellion before the Takwînî commands.

The reward and punishment for the latter are received mostly in the âkhirah, while the penalties and rewards of the former are suffered mostly in the realm of this world.

For example, the reward of patience is victory. The penalty for laziness is poverty; and the reward of toil is wealth.

The reward of constancy is victory. The penalty of poison is illness, the reward of its antidote is health.

Sometimes the injunctions of both Sharî’ahs are included in a single thing; it has faces looking to both.

That means obedience to the Takwînî command is a haqq. Obedience prevails; rebellion in the face of the injunction is a bâtil stand.

If a haqq has been the means to a bâtil, when it prevails, it will have been the means to a bâtil. Indirectly, a haqq is defeated by a bâtil, but not essentially.

This means that "the haqq prevails" means "essentially." Also, the end is intended, and the restriction of viewpoint is meant.

The fourth point is this: a haqq remained unexpressed, or powerless, or adulterated, or convoluted. It needed to be expressed and opened up, or given fresh strength.

In order to improve and gild it, bâtil had to be temporarily imposed on it, in order to, to assay that ingot of haqq.

Then it could emerge pure and unadulterated from its origins. Even if bâtil prevails in this world, it cannot win the war. " العاقبة للمتقين "4 will strike them a blow!

So bâtil is defeated. The mystery of "haqq prevails" inflicts punishment on it; see, haqq prevails!” The Words (759-760)