ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Salat (Prayer): The Mode of Divine Proximity and Recognition Meeting with Allah: Divine Cognition vis a vis Human Mysticism After understanding the meaning of ‘meeting with Allah’ ( liqa Allah ) in the school of divine revelation and human mysticism, we shall proceed to understand the difference between the two.

Meeting with Allah in the school of revelation, as stated earlier, is a level higher than divine recognition that is gained by Allah’s introduction and His manifestation on the hearts of His servants. Moreover, this definition is the action of Allah and the servant does not have any role in it except to put himself in the place of this recognition through obedience, obeisance and acting on the obligatory and recommended commands.

Of course, it should be borne in mind that this recognition is gained by preserving the levels of the creature and the Creator (i.e. the creature remains a creature and a distinct entity from the Creator). For, if the creature loses his identity as a creature and merges with the Creator’s existence, there would not remain any duality for which recognition would be called for.

Basically, such talks that existence is one and that of the Creator, and the only difference between the Truth and His creatures is that of determination and non-determination, limitations and absoluteness, etc. do not hold water at all in the school of revelation. The Holy Qur’an and traditions of the infallible Imams (‘a) have clearly refuted such concepts and called for a distinction between the Creator and His creatures and that there exists no similarity whatsoever between the two.

The school of revelation considers the existence of creatures bonded to the Creator’s Will (mashiyah) and Intention ( iradah ), both of which are the actions of Allah. By His Intention, He initiates a creation that did not have any prior existence and brings it forth from the realm of non-existence. Similarly, whenever He pleases, He destroys this creature which He had granted existence. But in the school of mysticism, the Creator’s existence has worn the robe of multiplicity.

Every moment He takes a form and on losing that form, He returns to His state of Oneness ( Ahadiyah ). That is, first He descends and then He ascends. In reality, Creator and creature, Lord and servant, do not exist. Rather, whatever exists is actually Him.