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Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
...And the Word was God
Inspite of the fact that as muslims we believe much of the old and new testaments to have changed from their original, it is beyond doubt that certain parts of these books represent the age-old truths brought about by these religions, which are devoid of any controversies. One such beautiful verse, which Christian priests have been chanting for ages, without really comprehending it fully, is the first verse of the Gospel of John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
A striking, unmistakable connection is being presented here, between "the word" and God himself. While no one today understands what this "word" represents, everyone agrees that a reality of the highest level is being revealed in this text. What is that?
Lets look at our own sources for clarification. The Prophet (sm) said:
Bukhari:4.54.413 First of all, there was nothing but Allah...
Here, as per the Prophet(sm), in the beginning there was Allah, but the bible says that in the beginning was the "Word". However, considering that the bible does consider the Word and God to be one and the same, the assertion of the bible that "in the beginning was the word" can be equated to the statement "in the beginning was God", thus bringing it in line with what the Prophet(sm) has said. The next question is, does Islam also have a notion similar to referring to God via the indirection of 'the word'?
Two verses of the quran help us here.
15:98 Fasabbih bihamdi rabbika wakun mina alssajideena
But celebrate the praises of they lord, and be of those who prostrate themselves. The key words to note are "sabbih.. rabbik" i.e. praise the Lord.
56:74 Fasabbih biismi rabbika alAAatheemi
Then celebrate with praises the name of thy Lord, the Supreme! The key words to note here are "sabbih biismi rabbik" i.e. praise the name of the Lord.
So the quran has given us to distinct concepts: Praising the lord himself, and praising the name of the lord. In the simplest sense, it suggests that the name of the lord is as holy as the lord himself, so much so that it ought to be praised in similar manner. Beyond that, in a more esoteric sense, it suggests the praising the name is one and the same thing as praising the Lord, thus establishing a synonymity between God, and his personal name i.e. the word, Allah, called isme-zaat.
A saying common among the sufis, attributed to Caliph Ali (rz) by some and to the Prophet (sm) by others, says, to paraphrase, that the whole of the quran is contained within the opening chapter of Fatiha, just like a whole tree is contained in a seed. The whole of the Chapter Fatiah is contained within the Bismillah, and the whole of Bismillah is contained in the dot beneath the letter 'bay'.
But what does the phrase bismillah mean? Although popularly translated "I begin with the name of Allah", the word begin is only assumed (a suppressed, understood kind of thing), so the phrase in itself means "In the name of Allah". Abdul Mannan Omar, in The Dictionary of The Holy Quran, writes its meaning as "I begin with the help and assistance of the name.. of Allah". Here again, we see a distinction being maintained by the quran, where at one hand, we say "Auzu billah", refuge in Allah himself, and on the other hand, bismillah, "In the name of Allah".
It is further said among the sufis that there are 1000 names of Allah, with 300 being revealed in the Torah, 300 in the Injil and 300 in zabur. 99 in the quran, and One name, the isme-Azam, which is hidden. However, all these names of Allah are names of his attributes, and the only one name of God which refers not to any attribute, but to his essence, his the word 'Allah' in arabic. Just like God's powers are manifested by his names, and people invoke specific attributes of God by reciting his names, similarly the power of all these names resides in his one personal name, i.e. Allah. This name is the quintessence of all spirituality, and zikr or recitation of this name, in order to 'attain' it, or have it imprinted on one's heart, is considered the highest achievement in the spiritual path.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
A striking, unmistakable connection is being presented here, between "the word" and God himself. While no one today understands what this "word" represents, everyone agrees that a reality of the highest level is being revealed in this text. What is that?
Lets look at our own sources for clarification. The Prophet (sm) said:
Bukhari:4.54.413 First of all, there was nothing but Allah...
Here, as per the Prophet(sm), in the beginning there was Allah, but the bible says that in the beginning was the "Word". However, considering that the bible does consider the Word and God to be one and the same, the assertion of the bible that "in the beginning was the word" can be equated to the statement "in the beginning was God", thus bringing it in line with what the Prophet(sm) has said. The next question is, does Islam also have a notion similar to referring to God via the indirection of 'the word'?
Two verses of the quran help us here.
15:98 Fasabbih bihamdi rabbika wakun mina alssajideena
But celebrate the praises of they lord, and be of those who prostrate themselves. The key words to note are "sabbih.. rabbik" i.e. praise the Lord.
56:74 Fasabbih biismi rabbika alAAatheemi
Then celebrate with praises the name of thy Lord, the Supreme! The key words to note here are "sabbih biismi rabbik" i.e. praise the name of the Lord.
So the quran has given us to distinct concepts: Praising the lord himself, and praising the name of the lord. In the simplest sense, it suggests that the name of the lord is as holy as the lord himself, so much so that it ought to be praised in similar manner. Beyond that, in a more esoteric sense, it suggests the praising the name is one and the same thing as praising the Lord, thus establishing a synonymity between God, and his personal name i.e. the word, Allah, called isme-zaat.
A saying common among the sufis, attributed to Caliph Ali (rz) by some and to the Prophet (sm) by others, says, to paraphrase, that the whole of the quran is contained within the opening chapter of Fatiha, just like a whole tree is contained in a seed. The whole of the Chapter Fatiah is contained within the Bismillah, and the whole of Bismillah is contained in the dot beneath the letter 'bay'.
But what does the phrase bismillah mean? Although popularly translated "I begin with the name of Allah", the word begin is only assumed (a suppressed, understood kind of thing), so the phrase in itself means "In the name of Allah". Abdul Mannan Omar, in The Dictionary of The Holy Quran, writes its meaning as "I begin with the help and assistance of the name.. of Allah". Here again, we see a distinction being maintained by the quran, where at one hand, we say "Auzu billah", refuge in Allah himself, and on the other hand, bismillah, "In the name of Allah".
It is further said among the sufis that there are 1000 names of Allah, with 300 being revealed in the Torah, 300 in the Injil and 300 in zabur. 99 in the quran, and One name, the isme-Azam, which is hidden. However, all these names of Allah are names of his attributes, and the only one name of God which refers not to any attribute, but to his essence, his the word 'Allah' in arabic. Just like God's powers are manifested by his names, and people invoke specific attributes of God by reciting his names, similarly the power of all these names resides in his one personal name, i.e. Allah. This name is the quintessence of all spirituality, and zikr or recitation of this name, in order to 'attain' it, or have it imprinted on one's heart, is considered the highest achievement in the spiritual path.
Comments on this journal
At another place, the quran also says, 'you will see no change in the words of God'. Possibly referring to the same concept that Jesus existed before the physical jesus. But that is something the sufis claim also!
Some Saints, in their ecstatic sayings, have claimed that I existed, long before God created Adam. The one I have studied more, Sultan Bahu, says:
Kun fa ya qoon jadon farmaya, Assi wee kolay Hassay Hu
When God said, "be" and the creation was created, I too was standing beside him then.