Seeking knowledge of God...

... above and beyond any other form of knowledge

All praise is due to Allah, the First and Last, the Originator and Creator, the giver of Order and Beauty.

Throughout the courses of our lives, it is necessary for all men to acquire knowledge. From the time an infant is born the mind and senses combine to analyse information from the outside world, which is then assimilated into an internal world-view in the theoretical arena, and later applied to physical problems in the practical arena. Over the course of history men have combined their knowledge and built upon the works of their forefathers, separating it out into schools of science and mathematics, philosophy and art; continually expanding, refining and specialising the content of each. Each school has become a blanket for a vast array of knowledge, by no means complete, yet far beyond the capability of any one individual to amass or encompass. The totality of knowledge within a single speciality within any one school is approaching impossible to acquire even for the brightest minds; and the sum of all human knowledge to date is impossible to comprehend, let alone the sum of all knowledge – known or yet to be discovered, if discoverable at all.

Those who seek knowledge (over and above the basic levels required to function and interact within society) must choose carefully which type of knowledge to pursue, and which to forgo. Many decide according to their interests or abilities, some driven by curiosity or the prospect of income, others seeking practical solutions or innovations to better their situation. But in each of these choices, there necessitates a neglect of other branches of knowledge which may be more worthy of pursuit. The one who seeks knowledge for its own sake; to better understand the universe from the heavens above to the depths of men’s souls; cannot tolerate blind pursuit of arbitrary branches of knowledge, knowing they within their lifetimes they may never chance upon the knowledge which can help them unlock the greatest questions of existence. Without a reasoned and logical direction to their studies, the vast majority of these thinkers would be doomed to frustration and failure.


Believing in God, knowing that He is the Source and Original Cause of the universe, understanding that He created all according to a Grand Design; its complex progression, laws of interaction and development, the natures of all beings and the purpose behind their creation; Master of all about which there is knowledge, in all schools and that which is unknown; leads towards an understanding of the power and significance of knowledge of God. Knowledge of Him encompasses the ultimate reasons for the form and existence of the universe, and the totality of the myriad of directions it may take in times to come. Attaining core knowledge from the very Source of Knowledge will shed light upon countless world-truths, the way fundamental axioms unfold and combine to give endless rules and realities, which ultimately stem solely from their logical conclusions. The knowledge relating to Him traverses all branches and schools, colouring the understanding of every aspect of creation.

If a seeker desires knowledge, the most worthy pursuit must be that most complete and all-encompassing, general knowledge; which may be expanded towards any direction and within any branch they choose. It must be in seeking those general, fundamental truths, which are the essence of the universe. No single speciality can be studied without starting at the end of knowledge in its field, then working back along the single branches towards the source; never touching any branch except those directly preceding the one you started upon.

Only through knowledge of the Source of all branches can one gain general understanding of all knowledge, then move on to specific and detailed understanding of some.

If a seeker desires Truth, it is incumbent upon them to seek knowledge of God; and in so doing they may approach every other form of knowledge, as the source of a river leads to the sea.


All praise is due to Allah, Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds.

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(c) June '07

To Deny Him Attributes III

when the question of Divine Unity is raised in religious discourse, it is taken to include many topics incluring the belief in the oneness of the essence, so, too, the compounding of the attributes and the distinction between essence and attributes is totally excluded with respect to unity of the attributes. Distinctness and differentiation derive from limitation. If in the world of nature we look at a body through different coloured pieces of glass, that body will appear to us in a succession of different colours. Similarly, when we contemplate the unique divine essence with our reason, we sometimes ascribe knowledge to that infinite being with regard to the fact that all creatures are at all times present before Him; we then say that He is all-knowing. At other times we are aware of His ability to create all things, and we hen speak of His being all-powerful.

So, when we percieve through these various apertres, the different attributes which appear to resemble the properties of our limited beings, we attempt to separate them from His infinite essence. Objectively, however, all the concepts conveyed by the different attributes have a single existence and convey a single reality, a reality that is free from all defect and deficiency, that posesses all perfections such as power, mercy, knowledge, blessedness, wisdom and splendor.

"God and His attributes" by Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari

You cannot think of Allah as a compound or collection of several separate attributes without denying Him unity. You can't imagine a part of Him labelled "Mercy" and another "Power" or another "Seeing" and consider those separately, any more than it makes sense to say that you can separate out the part called "green" from the body of a blade of grass, or the "negative" from an electron. It is an integral part of its entire nature, and inseperably combined in the whole, and by having abstract knowledge of that one part you can't get knowledge of the whole.

Due to our human limitations we think of different aspects of Him and get tempted to think that they are separate parts of His character. What we fail to realise is that each time we notice something different, we are looking towards the same, single, reality but through a different angle: using a different coloured piece of glass. If you look at a yellow flower through some red glass, it looks red, and its leaves look brown. If you use a green piece the leaves look green, but the flower looks like a lighter shade of green. Using blue glass the flower is a darker green, and the leaves are bluish. Would it make sense to say that there are three flowers, one red, and two different greens, which exist in the same body, and to manifest each one you have to look through a different piece of glass? can we separate the red flower out in our thinking from the green ones? Would we ever really understand what the truth about that flower was if we insisted on this thinking, separating out parts for it because of our patchy and limited knowledge of its real nature?

It is a partial image we are getting each time of the same one reality, and trying to build them up into a view of the whole by adding all these parts together isnt the answer. instead we need to realise that He is One, and that all of the partial bits of information we have about Him: such as Him being the Creator, the Most Powerful, the Just, the Compassionate... are all aspects of the same inseperable one reality. We need to deny the attributes as something "separate" within Him that manifest on certain occasions, or we will never be able to approach knowledge of Him.

... the renown scholar al-Kulaini al-Razi cites derivation of the word "Allah", the Imam said to him: "O Hisham" the proper noun "Allah" is derived from "ilah"; "the Creator" requires the existence of creation [to testify to His being its creator]. This is a noun, not an adjective. Anyone who worships a name without worshipping what the name stands for is actually committing kufr, apostacy; in reality he does not worship anything at all. One who worships the name and the meaning is also commiting kufr, for he will be worshipping two. Only one who worships the meaning without the name is in line with the concept of Tawhid (Unity of God). Have you understood all of this, O Hisham?" He answered him in the affirmative, requesting to provide more explanations, wherupon the Imam said, "There are ninety nine attributes of Allah. Had each attribute been the same as it describes, each one of them would have been a god by itself. But,"Allah" is the meaning one deducts once he becomes familliar with all of these attributes. They all, O Hisham, in their collective sense, are not the same as He himself. Bread is something you eat. Water is something you drink. A garment is something you put on. And fire is something that burns. Do you understand all of this, O Hisham, fully enough so that you would promote it and fight the enemies of Allah for its sake?!" Hisham answered him in the affirmative, whereupon the Imam added, "May Allah grant you thereby benefits, and may he keep your feet firm thereupon, O Hisham!"

"The Concept of God in Islam" by Yaseen T al-Jibouri

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11 June 2007 ~~ I'm back.

disclaimer, edited

To all those who treat everything I say with reverence and respect: I find it funny when people listen to me like I know what I'm talking about. Don't take me too seriously. It probably wouldn't be good for your health.

To all those who make it their lifes mission to disagree with me: one of these days you'll realise, I actually do know what I'm talking about.

I am not always right, nor am I always wrong. If you assume either, you're an idiot.

I'm not quite back yet, but inshaAllah, soon.

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(c) May 2007

this is to announce

that I will be leaving for a time. there are a number of things I need to sort out, and it has become blindingly obvious that I cannot rely on anyone else for even so much as company. I dont know when (if) I'll be back, but for now this place will still be here if you should like to visit.

as a parting request, I ask you to pray for me.

* * *

from now until whenever,

if that time comes.

Hadi

In glory of our guide, the immortal hero

Without whom even Imams would have not Islam

Suffice the praise from the Almighty in His book of you,

O best of men, beloved Last Messenger of Allah

Though words fail on behalf of mankind in gratitude

We bow to your words in which lies the command of Allah

And praise evermore & seek His blessings upon you,

O beloved, O Muhammad, O Mustafa.

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(c) April 2007

ma'siyah

I am Firon

every time i choose what i want, over what He wants, no matter how small

I am satan

when he refused to bow to Adam (as), even though he said he would worship in other ways. it was self denial -- if i let my pride keep me from obeying Him instead of me, even with seemingly logial reasons. How can I truly have Islam if i dont submit myself to Him? Whoever has even the smallest speck of arrogance will never enter heaven.

They say the first & hardest veil to tear is Pride. & not with no reason.

Let this day be the start of my active submission
& the start of my active suppression of my stubborn will.

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(c) March 2007

the return

There is a special kind of peace that comes with being in the presence of someone great, and a special kind of inspiration which comes just by being close to them. Often you dont fully appreciate the impact this person or situation has had on your life until its gone; and too often you dont value the strength afforded you by a believing, religiously active community until you are alone.

At such times you must suddenly separate from such beneficial companions, the world at once seems dark and cold, and the loneliness of solitary belief can crush you into old habits and draw you into the death of apathy.

In the dying throes, when you still feel the pain of this, there is nothing to stop you reaching for your complete, perfect examples & leaders, your permanent support, guidance, inspiration & community. In the loss of those good souls who, just by being around them, inspired you to be more; you can realise your true need for knowledge of your perfect, full examples.

You finally realise, you cannot do this alone, nor can you keep the calm, distant relation of polite ziarat you had once developed. You feel the need to see them more than the thirst for water on a hot summer's day. You feel the burning desire to be with them & know them & serve & represent them as best you can, and give up the false modesty of not wishing to see them because of your shortcomings. You finally, fully realise your total loss without them, and pray fervently that Allah will reveal them to you as soon as possible.

You cannot do this alone. But you do not have to. Instead of seeking this salvation from scholars, sheikhs, spouses or friends; you finally turn fully - open armed and waiting for contact - to your leaders, who have been waiting in turn for you, all along.

May Allah accept all our prayers in their name, unite us with them in this life & the next, & make us their full & faithful followers.

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(c) April 2007