SAMÂ-SAMÂWÂT - السماوات  

 

Literally: Sky. Canopy. Heaven. Ceiling. The roof of everything. Covering like the clouds or a sort of it. Bounty. Munificence.

Samâwât is the plural of samâ.

 

“Thus, as a consequence of this mystery, as an example, seven classes of men understand as follows the meaning of seven various levels from the universal meaning "seven samâwât:"

A short-sighted and narrow-minded class of men understands the atmosphere from the âyah فَسَوَّيهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمٰوَاتٍ. While another class of men befogged by astronomy understands the famous stars known popularly as the Seven Planets, and their orbits. Yet another group understands seven samâwî globes resembling our globe, which are inhabited by living creatures. A further group of men understands the solar system being separated into seven levels, and seven solar systems together with our system. And yet another group understands the athîr being separated into seven levels. Another class of men with broader ideas counts all the visible skies gilded with stars as a samâ, and saying that it is this world's samâ, understands that there are six levels of samâwât besides it. And mankind's seventh and highest class do not consider the seven samâwât to be restricted to al-‘âlam ash-shahâdah and understands that al-‘âlams of the âkhirah and the ghayb, and this World, and al-‘âlam al-mithâl all have seven samâwât, each of which is an encompassing container and roof.

Similarly, there are many further particular meanings in the universal of the âyah, like the above-mentioned seven levels of meaning of the seven levels. Everyone receives his share according to his understanding and everyone finds his rizq at that samâwî table.” The Flashes ( 101 )

 

“As a consequence of this vast mystery, He ordered the universe and arranged it amazingly and wonderfully with different formations one over the other from particles, which are the tiniest level of creatures, to the samâwât, and from the first level of the samâwât to al-‘arsh al-â’dham. Each samâ is like the roof of a different ‘âlam, an ‘arsh for rubûbiyyah, a centre for Ilahî disposal.

For sure, with regard to Ahadiyyah, all the Names may be found in those spheres and levels; they are manifested together with the titles. But just as in the Ministry of Justice the title of Wise Judge was fundamental and dominant and there the rest of the titles looked to its command and were dependent on it, so in each level of creatures, in each samâ, one Name, one Ilahî title, is dominant, and the other titles look to it.

For example, in whichever samâ the Prophet Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm met with ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm, who manifested the Name of Qadîr, in that samâ Janâb-i Haqq Himself was manifested with the title of Qadîr. And, for example, the most predominant in the sphere of the samâ which is Mûsâ ‘Alayhissalâm seat is the title of mutakallim, which he manifested. And so on.” The Words ( 589 )

 

“that the depths of space are full of matter called “athîr”. Subtle energies like light, electricity, and heat point to the existence of some subtle matter which fills space. For just as fruits clearly demonstrate the existence of the tree that bore them, flowers their flower-bed, shoots their seed-bed, and fishes the sea, the stars also thrust before the mind's eye the necessary existence of their source, seed-bed, sea, and flower-bed.

Since there are different formations in the lofty ‘âlam and different rules are seen to be in force under different conditions, the samâwât, which are the source of those rules, also differ. And since just as in man there are ma’nawî existences apart from his body, like the mind (aql), heart, rûh, imagination, and memory, certainly in al-‘âlam, which is the large human being, and in the universe, which is the tree of which man is the fruit, there are other ‘âlams apart from the corporeal world. Moreover, there are samâ to each ‘âlam, from  al-‘âlam of the earth to al-‘âlam of Jannah.” The Words ( 594 - 595 )