QIYÂMAH – قيامة

 

Literally: A raising to one's feet.

The collapsing and destroying of the world by the command of Allah (‘Azza wa jalla). The time of the resurrection and the end of the world.

 

FIRST MATTER: The universe's death is possible. For if something is included in the law of the process of perfection, in any case, there is bound to be growth and development in it. And if there are growth and development, in any case, that thing is bound to have a fıtrî life-span. And if it has a fıtrî life-span, in any case, there is bound to be a time for its fıtrî death. It is established by inductive reasoning and extensive investigation that it cannot save itself from the claws of death. Indeed, just as man is a small ‘âlam, and he cannot be saved from destruction, the ‘âlam too is a large human being; it neither can be saved from the clutches of death. It too will die and will then be resurrected, or it will lie in repose and then open its eyes in the morning of the resurrection.

Also, just as a living tree, which is a miniature copy of the universe, cannot save its life from destruction and dissolution, so the chain-like universe, which has branched out from the tree of creation, cannot save itself from destruction and dispersal in order to be repaired and renewed. If with the permission of the pre-eternal Irâdah, some external disease or destructive event do not befall the world before the time of its fıtrî death, and its Sâni’ Al-Hakîm also does not demolish it before that time, for sure, according to scientific reckoning, a day will come when the meanings and mysteries of the âyah:

اِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ ٭ وَاِذَا النُّجُومُ انْكَدَرَتْ ٭ وَاِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ ٭ اِذَا السَّمَاءُ انْفَطَرَتْ

 ٭ وَاِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انْتَثَرَتْ ٭ وَاِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ1

will become manifest with the permission of the Pre-Eternal Qadîr, and the sakarât of the large human being which is the world will begin; it will fill space and make it reverberate with an appalling death-rattle and devastating sound; roaring, it will die. Then, at the Ilahî command, it will return to life once more.

A Subtle, Allusive Matter

Just as water freezes to its own detriment, and ice melts to its own detriment, and a kernel gains strength to the detriment of the shell, and a word becomes coarse to the detriment of the meaning, and the rûh weakens on account of the body, and the body becomes finer on account of the rûh, so too this world which is the dense ‘âlam, becomes transparent and refined with the functioning of the machine of life on account of the âkhirah, which is the subtle ‘âlam. Sprinkling the nûr of life of Qoudrah of Al-Fâtir on dense, lifeless, extinguished, dead objects with an astonishing activity is a sign of qoudrah that it dissolves, burns, illuminates and strengthens the haqiqah of this dense ‘âlam with the nûr of life on account of the subtle ‘âlam.

No matter how weak haqiqah is, it does not die; it is not annihilated like the form. Rather, it travels in individuals and forms. Haqiqah grows, develops, and gradually expands, while the shell and the form wear out, become finer, and break up. They are renewed in a better form so as to become suitable to the stature of the stable and expanded haqiqah. In regard to increase and decrease, haqiqah and form are in inverse proportion. That is to say, the more substantial form grows, the weaker haqiqah becomes. The less substantial form becomes, to that degree the haqiqah grows stronger.

Thus, this law encompasses all things included in the law of the process of perfection. This means that a time is certain to come when al-‘âlam ash-shahadah, which is the shell and form of the mighty haqiqah of the universe, will break up, with the permission of Al-Fâtir Zuljalâl. Then it will be renewed in a better form. The mystery of the âyah:  يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ اْلاَرْضُ غَيْرَ اْلاَرْضِ 2 will be realized.

In Short: The death of the world is possible. Moreover, there can be no doubt that it is possible.

SECOND MATTER: This is the actual death of the world. The proof of this matter is the consensus of all the samawî religions; the testimony of all sound fitrahs; the indication of all the changes, transformations, and alterations in the universe; the testimony to the number of centuries and years through their deaths in this guest-house of the world, of all living worlds and mobile ‘âlams to the death of the world itself.

If you want to imagine the sakarât of the world as the Qur'an points them out, think of how the parts of the universe are bound to one another with an exact, exalted order. They are held with such a hidden, delicate, subtle bond and are so bound within an order that on a single one of the lofty heavenly bodies receiving the command: "Kun"3 or, "Leave your orbit!", the world will go into its sakarât. The stars will collide, the heavenly bodies reel, a great din will strike up in infinite space of ‘âlam like the devastating sound of millions of cannon-balls and great guns the size of globes. Clashing and colliding with one another, sending out showers of sparks, the mountains taking flight, the seas burning, the face of the earth will be flattened.

Thus, through these death and sakarât, the Pre-Eternal Qadîr will shake up the universe. He will purify the universe, and Jahannam and the matters of Jahannam will draw to one side, and Jannah and the matters appropriate for Jannah draw to the other, and the ‘âlam of the âkhirah will become manifest.

THIRD MATTER: The return to life of ‘âlam, which will die, is possible. For, as is proved in the Second Fundamental Point, there is no deficiency in Qoudrah, and the things necessitating it are extremely powerful. The matter is within the realm of the possible. And if a possible matter has something extremely powerful necessitating it, and there is no deficiency in the Qoudrah of the agent, it may be regarded not as possible, but as actual.

An Allusive Subtle Point

If this universe is paid attention to, it will be seen that within it are two elements that have spread everywhere and become rooted. Khayr and sharr, beauty and ugliness, benefit and harm, perfection and defect, light and dark, hidâyah and dhalâlah, nûr and fire, îmân and kufr, obedience and rebellion and fear and love with their marks and fruits opposites clash with one another in this universe. It becomes a place of manifestation for change and transformation constantly. Its wheels turn like the workshop of the crops of another ‘âlam. Certainly, the branches and results which are opposite of those two elements will go to eternity; they will become concentrated and separate from one another. At that time they will manifest in the form of Jannah and Jahannam. Since al-‘âlam al-baqâ will be made out of this transient ‘âlam, its fundamental elements will certainly go to eternity and permanence.

Yes, Jannah and Jahannam are the two fruits of the branch of the tree of creation, which stretches, inclines and goes towards eternity; they are the two results of the chain of the universe; the two storehouses of this flood of shuûn; the two pools of beings, which flow and surge towards eternity; and two places of the manifestation for favour (lutuf) and wrath (qahr). When the hand of qoudrah shakes up the universe with a violent motion, those two pools will fill up with the appropriate matters.

The secret of this Allusive Subtle Point is as follows:

Through the requirement of eternal ‘inâyah and pre-eternal hikmah, Pre-Eternal Hakîm created this world to be a place of trial, an arena of examination, a mirror to His Asmâ Al-Husnâ, and a page for the pen of His Qadar and Qoudrah. Now, trial and examination are the cause of growth and development. And growth and development cause the disposition to unfold. And this unfolding causes the abilities to become apparent. And this apparentness of the abilities causes the relative haqiqahs to become evident. And the relative haqiqahs’ becoming evident cause the embroideries of the manifestations of As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl's Asmâ Al-Husnâ to be displayed, and the universe to be transformed into a letter of As-Samad. It is through this mystery of examination and the mystery of man's accountability through the obligations placed on him by Allah that the diamond-like essences of elevated rûhs purify and separate from the coal-like matter of base rûhs.

Thus, since Pre-Eternal Hakîm willed ‘âlam in this form for mysteries such as these, and for other most subtle and elevated hikmahs which we do not know, He also willed the change and transformation of this ‘âlam for those hikmahs. He mixed together opposites for change and transformation by hikmah and brought them face to face. He made the universe subject to the law of change and transformation and the principle of transition and perfection through combining harm with benefit, inserting sharr with khayr, and  bringing together ugliness and beauty, kneading them together like a dough.

When the time had come that this assembly of examination closed. The time of trial finished. Al-Asmâ Al-Husnâ carried out their decree. The pen of qadar written its letters completely. Qoudrah completed the embroideries of its art. Beings fulfilled their duties. Creatures accomplished their service. Everything stated its meaning. The world cultivated the seedlings of the âkhirah. The earth displayed and exhibited all the miracles of qoudrah and all the wonders of As-Sâni’ Who is Qadîr. This transient ‘âlam attached the tablets which form eternal panoramas to the string of time. The eternal hikmah and pre-eternal ‘inâyah of That Sâni’ Zuljalâl required haqiqahs like the results of that examination, the results of that trial, the haqiqahs of those Asmâ Al-Husnâ's manifestations, the haqiqahs of the letters of the pen of qadar, the originals of those sample-like embroideries of His art, the aims and benefits of those duties of creations, the wages of service of creatures, the haqiqahs of the meanings that the book of the universe’s words stated, the sprouting of the seeds of disposition, the opening of a Supreme Court of Judgement, the display of the mithâlî panoramas taken from this world, the rending of the veil of apparent causes, and the surrendering of everything directly to its Khâliq Zuljalâl. And for the eternal hikmah and pre-eternal ‘inâyah of That Sâni’ Zuljalâl required above haqiqahs, they demanded the purification of those opposites and to separate out the causes of transformation and the matters of conflict in order to deliver the universe from the tiresome transformation and transience, the change and perishment. Certainly, He will corrupt the qiyâmah and purify considering these results.

Thus, as a result of this purification, Jahannam will take an eternal and dreadful form, and its nations will manifest the threat: وَامْتَازُوا الْيَوْمَ اَيُّهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ4   While Jannah will take an eternal and majestic form, and its people and companions will manifest the address of: سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوهَا خَالِدِينَ 5 As is proved in the Second Question of the First Station of the Twenty-Eighth Word, through His perfect qoudrah, the Pre-Eternal Hakîm will give the inhabitants of these two houses eternal and permanent bodies that they will not be subject to dissolution, transformation, old age or extinction. For there will be no cause of transformation, which causes extinction.

The Twenty-Ninth Word/Second Aim

 

Since îmân and man's accountability are a test, a trial and a competition within the sphere of the will, secondary (nadharî) matters of religion that are veiled, profound and in need of minute examining and experiment surely cannot be evident. And they cannot be among dharûriyyah to the extent that everyone will affirm them necessarily so that the Abu Bakrs can rise to the a’lâ ‘illiyyin and the Abu Jahls descend to the asfal sâfilîn. If the will does not remain, there cannot be accountability. And for this mystery and hikmah, the miracles are given infrequently and rarely. Also, the signs of the qiyâmah that will be seen by eyes in the realm of accountability are veiled and only open to ta’wîl, like some mutashabihât of the Qur'an. Only because the rising of the sun from the west compels everyone to affirm to the degree of being evident, the door of tawbah will be closed; tawbah and îmân will no longer be accepted. Because the Abu Bakrs will be equal in affirmation with the Abu Jahls. Even Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm being sent down and his being ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm are known through the attentiveness of the nûr of îmân; everyone cannot know. Even fearsome figures such as Dajjal and Sufyan do not know themselves to be such.

The Fifth Ray-Introduction-1st Point