The Seventh Flash
NAVIGATION
8. Page
The Seventh Flash
This flash is about the seven types of reports of unseen matters contained in the final verses of Sūratu’l-Fatḥ.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ (a)
لَقَدْ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّءْيَا بِالْحَقِّ لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ اِنْ شَٓاءَ اللّٰهُ اٰمِن۪ينَ مُحَلِّق۪ينَ رُؤُسَكُمْ وَ مُقَصِّر۪ينَ لاَتَخَافُونَ فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا فَجَعَلَ مِنْ دُونِ ذٰلِكَ فَتْحًا قَر۪يبًا * هُوَ الَّذ۪ٓي اَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدٰي وَد۪ينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَي الدّ۪ينِ كُلِّه۪ وَ كَفٰي بِاللّٰهِ شَه۪يدًا * مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ وَالَّذ۪ينَ مَعَهُٓ اَشِدَّٓاءُ عَلَي الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَٓاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرٰيهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًايَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلاً مِنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانًا س۪يمَاهُمْ ف۪ي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ اَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرٰيةِ وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْأِنْج۪يلِ كَزَرْعٍ اَخْرَجَشَطْئَهُ فَاٰزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوٰي عَلٰي سُوقِه۪ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغ۪يظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذ۪ينَ اٰمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الّصَالِحَاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَ اَجْرًا عَظ۪يمًا * (b)
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a In the Name of Allāh, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
b Allāh has indeed fulfilled the vision He showed to His Messenger; you shall most certainly enter the Mosque of the Sanctuary in security, Allāh willing, your heads shaved or cut short, without fear He knew what you knew not, and He granted to you, besides this, a speedy victory. It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every religion, and Allāh suffices as a witness. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh, and those who are with him are hard against the unbelievers, merciful one to another. You see them bowing, prostrating, seeking bounty from Allāh and His good pleasure. Their mark is on their faces, from the trace of prostration. That is their likeness in the Torah. And their likeness in the Gospel (Injīl): as a seed that puts forth its shoot, and becomes strong, and it grows stout and rises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the sowers, that through them He may enrage the disbelievers. Allāh has promised those of them who believe and do deeds of righteousness forgiveness and a sublime reward. (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:27-29)
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These three verses from Sūratu’l-Fatḥ contain a great many facets of miraculous inimitability (i‘jāz). The facet of reports of unseen matters, one of the Qur’ān of Miraculous Exposition’s ten universal facets of inimitability, becomes manifest in these three verses in seven or eight different aspects.
The first: Allāh the Exalted’s saying, لَقَدْ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ لَقَدْ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّءْيَا (a) - إِلَى آخِرِهِ - gives a conclusively certain report of the conquest of Mecca before it happened - and this conquest took place two years later, just as reported.
The second: The verse, فَجَعَلَ مِنْ دُونِ ذٰلِكَ فَتْحًا قَر۪يبًا (b) reports and conveys the fact that although the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah (Ṣulhu’l-Ḥudaybiyyah) outwardly appeared not to be to the advantage of Islam, and although the Quraysh appeared to have prevailed to some degree, it would nonetheless prove to be a great spiritual victory, and the key to other victories. In truth, the physical sword had been temporarily been sheathed by the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah, yet the shining, diamond sword of the Wise Qur’ān had appeared, and conquered hearts and minds; and because of the truce, people [from each side] mixed with one another, and the beauties of Islam and the lights of the Qur’ān had their rules actualised, ripping asunder the veils of obstinacy and tribalism.
For example: Individuals who simply would not accept defeat, the likes of Khālid Ibnu’l-Walīd the military genius, and ‘Amr Ibnu’l-‘Āṣ the political genius, were vanquished by the sword of the Qur’ān, that revealed its [spiritual] manifestations at the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah, such that they both came to Madinah al-Munawwara in perfect submission bowing their heads, and gave themselves up to Islam. Thereafter Khālid Ibnu’l-Walīd (raḍiallāhu anhu) was transformed into Sayfu’llāh (Allāh’s sword), [later] becoming one of the swords of the Islamic conquests.
An important question: What is the wisdom behind the defeat of the Companions (aṣ-Ṣaḥaba) of the Pride of the Worlds (Fakhru’l-‘Ālamīn), the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds (Ḥabību Rabbi’l-‘Ālamīn), the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām) at the hands of the polytheists (mushrikīn) at the end of Uḥud and the beginning of Ḥunayn?
The answer: The Divine wisdom bestowed gifts ahead of time upon many individuals who were during that period counted amongst the polytheists, and who would in the future go on to be some of the great Companions, the likes of Khālid Ibnu’l-Walīd (raḍiallāhu anhu), as an instant reward paid in advance for their virtuous actions of the future, and this in order that their sense of dignity not be completely broken, given that they had an illustrious and mighty future ahead of them. The meaning of all this is simply that the present-day Companions were defeated by the Companions of the future, in order that the future Companions not enter Islam because of the fear of shining swords, but rather because of their yearning for the light of truth - and such that their natural sense of chivalry and prowess not be obliged to taste too much humiliation.
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a Allāh has indeed fulfilled the vision He showed to His Messenger (the verse continues to the end) (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:27)
b … and He granted to you, besides this, a speedy victory. (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:27)
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The third: By means of the specification لَاتَخَافُونَ (without fear), the verse gives the news: “You will circumambulate the Ka‘bah in perfect security”. By reporting that they would soon circumambulate the Ka‘bah without fear, despite the fact that the majority of the Bedouin tribes in the Arabian peninsula and those living on the outskirts of Mecca as well as the greater part of the tribe of Quraysh were antagonistic to the Muslims, this verse reports and indicates that the Arabian peninsula would soon submit to Islam, and that the entire Quraysh would enter Islam, and perfect security would cover all - this all happened just as the verse reported.
The fourth: The verse هُوَ الَّذ۪ٓي اَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدٰي وَد۪ينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَي الدّ۪ينِ كُلِّه۪ (a) gives a conclusively certain report: “The religion the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām) had come with will overcome all other religions!” This verse gives a clear and conclusive report that the religion Muhammad the Arabian (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām) had come with - who up to that point had not been able to fully triumph over even his own small tribe - would overcome all other religions, and would vanquish all other states, this at a time when Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism which had a hundred million followers during that period were the official religions of the great powers, the likes of Rome, China and Iran. What is more, it does report it in complete clarity and certainty. The future has confirmed this report of the unseen by the sword of Islam’s extending from the oceans of East to that of the West.
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a It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above all religions (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:28)
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The fifth:
مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ وَالَّذ۪ينَ مَعَهُٓ اَشِدَّٓاءُ عَلَي الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَٓاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرٰيهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا * إِلَى آخِرِهِ (b)
The beginning of this verse tells of the lofty character traits and outstanding characteristics that constituted the reason why the Companions (raḍiallāhu anhum) were, after the Prophets (‘alayhimussalām), the most distinguished of all humanity; and, in its explicit meaning (al-ma‘na’ṣ-ṣarīḥ), it explains the distinguishing and diverse attributes by which the different strata of the Companions would come to be described in the future and which would be particular to them; and according to the scholars of critical verification (al-muḥaqqiqīn), it points in its symbolic meaning (al-ma‘na’l-ishārī) to the Rightly-guided Caliphs (al-Khulafāu’r-Rāshidūn), who would be successors of the station of the Prophet (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām) after his death according to the order of their respective caliphates; and it tells of the most famous characteristics particular to each of them, and that constituted the cause of their uniqueness.
And just as through وَالَّذ۪ينَ مَعَهُ (and those who are with him) it points to our master aṣ-Ṣiddiq (the Veracious One) (raḍiallāhu anhu) - who is known with and distinguished by his special togetherness and distinct fellowship (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām), and again the first to join his company after death, for he was the first of the Caliphs to pass away - so too does it point, through اَشِدَّٓاءُ عَلَي الْكُفَّارِ (hard against the unbelievers), to our master ‘Umar (raḍiallāhu anhu) who would in the future shake all the states of the world with his conquests, and who would with his justice be as vehement as a thunderbolt against the oppressive; and just as it tells of our master ‘Uthman (raḍiallāhu anhu) - who out of his perfect mercy and compassion sacrificed his spirit and gave up himself so that the blood of the Muslims not be split at a time when the way to the worst and most dangerous future social strife had been paved, preferring to die reading the Qur’ān, martyred in a most tyrannic way - so too by means of تَرٰيهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانًا (You see them bowing, prostrating, seeking bounty from Allāh and His good pleasure) does it tell of the future states of our master ‘Ali (raḍiallāhu anhu), who chose total asceticism (zuhd), worship, poverty and prudence although he had entered the world of rulership and the caliphate most befittingly and heroically; and the steadfastness and frequency in bowing and prostrating of whom all attested to, as well as to the fact that he was not responsible for the wars that he had had to enter into during that social strife - but that his intention and aim had only ever been the Divine pleasure.
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b “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh, and those who are with him are hard against the unbelievers, merciful one to another. You see them bowing, prostrating” [to the end of the verse] (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:29)
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The sixth: The clause, ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرٰيةِ (That is their likeness in the Torah) constitutes a report of the unseen in two different ways:
The first way: It tells of the attributes of the Companions (raḍiallāhu anhum) mentioned in the Torah, which for an untaught man the like of the Messenger (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām) are unseen matters (ghayb). Yes - as has been elucidated in 'The Nineteenth Letter,' there exists in the Torah a section that concerns the Companions of the Prophet of the End of Time (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām):
“the flags of the holy ones will be with him” (4)
That is, his Companions are obedient, prayerful, righteous and saintly, for it has described them as being 'the holy ones,' that is, those who are made sacred. Now, although the Torah has been distorted by having been translated into a great number of different languages, it still confirms the judgement of Sūratu’l-Fatḥ, مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرٰيةِ (their likeness in the Torah), in a number of its verses.
The second way: By means of the clause مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرٰيةِ (their likeness in the Torah), [the verse] reports that the Companions (aṣ-Ṣaḥaba) and the Followers (at-Tābi‘ūn) will attain to a degree in worship in which the light in their spirits will shine on their faces, and luminous seals in the form of a seal of sainthood arising from much prostration will appear on their foreheads. Yes - the future proved this conclusively and clearly and in a luminous manner. Indeed - many individuals - many, many individuals have manifested the secret of مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرٰيةِ (their likeness in the Torah), the likes of Zaynu’l-‘Ābidīn (raḍiallāhu anhu), who would pray a thousand cycles of prayer both day and night during astonishing social strife and a turbulent political situation, and Ṭawus al-Yamāni, who for forty years prayed the Dawn Prayer (fajr) with the ritual ablution that he had performed for the Evening Prayer (‘ishā').
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4. We find a similar meaning in The English Standard Version Bible (ESV) that reads, '... he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones …' (See Deuteronomy 33:2)
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The seventh:
وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْأِنْج۪يلِ كَزَرْعٍ اَخْرَجَ شَطْئَهُ فَاٰزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوٰي عَلٰي سُوقِه۪ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغ۪يظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ (a)
This paragraph constitutes an unseen report in two different aspects.
The first aspect: It tells of the Gospel’s report of the Companions (raḍiallāhu anhum), which, for the Untaught Prophet (an-Nabiyyi’l-Ummi) (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām), are unseen matters. Yes, there are verses in the Gospel that describe the Prophet who will come in the End of Time, the like of the verse مَعَهُ قَض۪يبٌ مِنْحَد۪يدٍ وَاُمَّتُهُ كَذٰلِكَ (an iron rod will he carry; [...] and his community with him). That is to say, a prophet will come who shall carry a sword, (5) not like Prophet ‘Īsā [Jesus] (‘alayhi’s-salām), without a sword; and he will be commanded to engage in the Sacred Martial Struggle; and his Companions will also carry swords, and like him, be commanded to engage in that Struggle. That owner of the iron rod will be the master of the world, for in a particular place in the Gospel, [Prophet ʿĪsā [Jesus] (‘alayhi’s-salām)] says, “I will go now, so that the ruler of the world comes to you.” (6)
This means that it should be understood from these two excerpts from the Gospel that although the Companions were small in number and weak at the beginning, they will grow like a seed, and ascend, and they will get thicker, and become strengthened, and they will make the rage of the disbelievers into a lump in their throats at a time when disbelievers were about to strangle [the community of the believers]; they will subject all mankind to themselves with their swords, and they will prove that the Glorious Prophet, who is their ruler, is the ruler of the world - thus does this excerpt [from the Gospel] convey the exact meaning of this verse from Sūratu’l-Fatḥ.
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a And their likeness in the Gospel (Injīl): as a seed that puts forth its shoot, and becomes strong, and it grows stout and rises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the sowers, that through them He may enrage the disbelievers. (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:29)
5. The text in Ottoman Turkish especially those two words "ṣaḥibu’s-sayf" (the one who shall carry a sword) and "qaḍīb-i ḥadīd ṣaḥibi" (the owner of iron rod) probably refer to an Arabic Bible which we find similar meanings in the verses from the New Testament, Revelation 2:25-29 (English Standard Version).
6. The verse mentioned here possibly is the following verse: "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming." John 14:30 English Standard Version (ESV). In other English translations, this is translated as "prince / chief / leader of this world".
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The second aspect: This section from the verse reports that the Companions (raḍiallāhu anhum) accepted the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah because of their being fewer in number and their weakness. However, they will, surely and in any case in a very short time and at such a great speed, win a great growth, magnificence and strength. It is so much so that [the crops of] the Companions planted by the Hand of power in the sowing field of the earth - compared to the crops of humanity that were short, weak, deficient and ill-fated due to the heedlessness of mankind at that time - will increase in an extremely lofty, powerful, fruitful and blessed form and they find such a powerful might that they will leave the great powers in a rage stemming from their envy, jealousy and begrudge.
Yes, the future manifested [the reality of] this report of the unseen in a dazzlingly bright manner.
There is also another subtle allusion in this report, which is as follows: Although [one would have thought that] when [in this verse] the Companions are being praised with immense virtues, the context would call for a promise of the supreme reward [that is, Paradise], it [in fact] indicates, by means of the word مَغْفِرَةً (forgiveness) the fact that as a result of social strife (fitna), significant flaws will be made by them in the future; for مَغْفِرَةً (forgiveness) points to the occurrence of error, and the most important aspiration and loftiest type of beneficence in the eyes of the Companions at that time would have been forgiveness, and the ultimate reward absolution and not being punished.
Just as the word مَغْفِرَةً (forgiveness) points to a subtle allusion, so too does this word مَغْفِرَةً (forgiveness) have a connection to the clause لِيَغْفِرَلَكَ اللّٰهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَاَخَّرَ (a) which is at the beginning of the sūrah. The forgiveness mentioned at the beginning of the sūrah does not refer to actual sins, for [prophets have an] unerring nature (‘iṣmah) (7) such that there can be no sin; rather, it is the forgiveness befitting the station of prophethood - and this allusion is given another instance of elegant subtlety by way of the giving of the good news of forgiveness to the Companions at the end of the sūrah.
Now, the last three of the abovementioned verses of Sūratu’l-Fatḥ contain ten [universal] facets of miraculous inimitability; yet we have mentioned only seven of a great many aspects of the unseen report, which itself constitutes only a single of those ten [universal] facets of miraculous inimitability.
At the end of the Twenty-sixth Word, which is connected to particular volition (partial free will) and predestination (qadar), there is an indication of an important flash of inimitability that exists in the positioning of the letters that are at the end of this last verse - and just as the sentences of this last verse point to the Companions, so too does it point by means of the qualifications [that determine its specific sense] to the states of the Companions; and just as it also elucidates the attributes of the Companions by means of its [particular choice of] words, it indicated with its letters and the particular number or times that the letters in that verse are repeated to the strata of the illustrious Companions, like the Companions of Badr and Uḥud and Ḥunayn, Ṣuffah and Ridwān (raḍiallāhu anhum ajma‘īn), and it unravels a great many further secrets by means of alphabetical calculation of al-ḥisābu’l-abjadī and in terms of the congruous alignment (tawāfuq) [of Qur’ānic words], which is a species of and the key to the science of the secret properties of letters, al-jifr.
سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَٓا اِلَّأ مَا عَلّمَْتَنَٓا اَِنّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَل۪يمُ الْحَك۪يمُ (b)
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a that Allāh may forgive your former and your latter sins (Qur’ān: al-Fatḥ, 48:2)
7. The narration in today’s Christianity and Judaism regarding the stories of prophets runs somewhat parallel to that of the Qur’an, however, Islam’s take on the qualities of the prophets is significantly different. In Islamic tradition, the prophets have certainly high qualities and distinguished characteristics whereas in Biblical narration, we happen to see sinful and inappropriate behaviours are wrongly attached to the prophets sent by Allāh. The qualities of prophets in Islam are as follows:
ṣidq (loyalty): All prophets speak the true message that they receive from Allāh.
amānah (trust): Prophets are reliable and trustworthy servants of AllāhGod that never willfully misappropriate and they fulfil the duties that Allāh gave them.
tabligh (conveying): Prophets receive revelation and convey them to their nations exactly and as precisely as received without missing or adding anything. It is not in question for them to hide the news or to change it.
fatānah (intelligence): Prophets are chosen by Allāh amongst those who have a superior mind and intelligence than their nations. They are known to have a strong memory, a superior logic and persuasion ability in a level that is needed for their mission. In the meantime fatānah means that the prophets of Allāh are protected from madness, heedlessness and ignorance.
‘ismah (innocence or unerring nature): The prophets of Allāh are sinless. They are protected from all sorts of sins - be it secret or open. They are free from sinful conducts, bad deeds and any acts that do not befit the prophetic mission.
mu‘jizah (miracle): Alongside those five characteristics, Allāh also gave extraordinary incidents to prove their mission. Although they shared their message with masses as good as it should be, there came times that deniers or those who want to see more proof ask them to show miracles. Miracles are supernatural events that Allāh creates in the hands of prophets. The Creator is AllāhGod but the miracles are seen in the hands of the prophets. The parting of the Red Sea by Mūsā (Moses) (‘alayhi’s-salām), Ibrahim (‘alayhi’s-salām)’s being protected from the fire, splitting of the Moon by Muḥammad (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣalātu wa’s-salām) are just a couple of examples of miracles of the prophets.
b Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except that which You have taught us, surely You are the All-Knowing, the Wise. (Qur’ān: al-Baqarah, 2:32)
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A Postscript
Just as the last verse of Sūratu’l-Fatḥ gives news of the unseen [future] with its allusive meaning, similarly, these coming verses below give the same reports of the unseen [future] with same allusive meanings - thus it will be briefly mentioned here.
وَلَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَق۪يمًا * وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللّٰهَ وَ الرَسُوّلَ فَاُولٰٓئِكَ مَعَ الَّذ۪ينَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيّ۪نَ وَ الصِّد۪يّق۪ينَ وَ الشُّهَدَٓاءِ وَ الصَاّلِح۪ينَ وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَف۪يقًاً (a)
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a And We surely would have guided them on a straight path. Whosoever obeys Allāh and the Messenger, they are with those whom Allāh has blessed - with prophets, the veracious, martyrs, and the righteous; and good companions are they! (Qur’ān: an-Nisā', 4:68-69)
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In expounding this verse, we will point to two of the thousands of subtle points that it contains.
The first subtle point: Just as the Qur’ān of Miraculous Exposition (Al-Qur’ānu’l-Mu‘jizu’l-Bayān) expounds spiritual realities by means of its concepts and explicit meanings, so too does it expound, by means of its styles and its structure, a great many allusive meanings.
Every verse comprises a great many strata of meanings. For the Qur’ān proceeded from all-encompassing knowledge [of Allāh], it is possible for all of its [extracted] meanings to be intended meanings. Its meanings are not limited to just one or two [possible] meanings, as in the case of human speech, which is merely shaped by one’s particular thought and personal free will.
Now, in accordance with this secret, limitless spiritual truths contained in verses of the Qur’ān have been elucidated by the people of exegesis (tafsīr). There remain a great many truths that the exegetes (mufassirīn) have not yet elucidated; and there are [moreover] numerous important sciences especially in the symbolic allusions of its letters, over and above the explicit meanings that they carry.
The second subtle point: Just as this verse conveys - by means of the phrase
مِنَ النَّبِيّ۪نَ وَ الصِّد۪يّق۪ينَ وَ الشُّهَدَٓاءِ وَ الصَاّلِح۪ينَ وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَف۪يقًاً(a)
that they are the class of the prophets, the caravan of the veracious, the grouping of the martyrs, the different types of the righteous and the different sorts of the followers amongst the mankind all of whom are the people of the Straight Path (aṣ-ṣirāṭu’l-mustaqīm) and received the true Divine blessings, - so too does it explicitly indicate the most perfect of these five categories in the Islamic world; and just as it points to the imams and heads of these five categories in its mention of their well-known attributes, so too does it specify a particular aspect of the future states of the heads of those groups, in a flash of inimitability that constitutes a type of report of the unseen.
Yes - by means of مِنَ النَّبِيّ۪نَ (of prophets) it explicitly indicates the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām), and by means of وَالصِّد۪يّق۪ينَ (the veracious) Abū Bakri’ṣ-Ṣiddiq (Abū Bakr the Veracious) (raḍiallāhu anhu). It also indicates that he will be the second individual to come after the Messenger (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām), and the first to succeed him, and "aṣ-Ṣiddīq" will be the special title for him given by the ummah, and he will be seen as the head of the veracious ones (ṣiddiqūn) and by means of the word وَالشُّهَدَٓاءِ (martyrs) it evokes our master ‘Umar, our master ‘Uthmān and our master ‘Ali together (raḍiallāhu anhum ajma‘īn). It also indicates and elucidates in unseen form the fact that all three of them would win the succession (al-Khilāfah) after the prophethood subsequent to Abū Bakri’ṣ-Ṣiddiq (raḍiallāhu anhu), and that all three of them would be martyred, and that the virtue of their martyrdom would be added to their already existing virtues.
By means of the word وَالصَاّلِح۪ينَ (the righteous) [this verse] points to distinguished individuals the like of the Companions of Ṣuffah and of Badr and of Riḍwān (raḍiallāhu anhum ajma‘īn); and by means of the explicit meaning of وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَف۪يقًاً (good companions are they!) it encourages the Muslims to follow them; and by means of its revealing the nobility and comeliness of at-Tābiūn’s performance in following them, it explains in its symbolic meaning that our master al-Ḥasan (raḍiallāhu anhu) would be the fifth of the Four Rightly-guided Caliphs (Al-Khulafāu’l-Arba‘a) - this in order to manifest his towering value, despite how short his caliphate was, which confirmed the judgement of the noble hadith اِنَّ الْخِلاَفَةَ بَعْد۪ي ثَلاَثُونَ سَنَةً (b)
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a with prophets, the veracious, martyrs, and the righteous; and good companions are they!
b After me, the caliphate will be thirty years. (Ṣaḥīḥu Ibni Ḥibbān) (See a similar ḥadīth: Sunanu Abī Dāwud 4647)
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The upshot: Just as the last verse of Sūratu’l-Fatḥ points to the Four Caliphs, so too does this verse orient itself to a certain degree and in the form of a symbolic allusion to their future states, with a type of report of the unseen that supports the [former] verse.
The flashes of inimitability of unseen reports - which make up one type of the inimitability of the Qur’ān, are so numerous in the verse of the Qur’ān that they really know no bounds - the superficial scholars' limiting them to forty or fifty verses is simply due to the superficiality of the way in which they look [at the Qur’ān], whereas in reality there are more than a thousand, and at times there are five facets of unseen report in a single verse.
A Second Clarification of the Postscript (Footnote)
This verse فَاُولٰٓئِكَ مَعَ الَّذ۪ينَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيّ۪نَوَ الصِّد۪يّق۪ينَ وَ الشُّهَدَٓاءِ وَ الصَاّلِح۪ينَ وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَف۪يقًا, (a) which supports the indication of the unseen that is mentioned in Sūratu’l-Fatḥ, and that clarifies who the people of the Straight Path are, and who are pointed to in the verse صِرَاطَ الَّذ۪ينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ (b) in the noble Sūratu’l-Fātiḥah, and that manifest the caravan of luminous familiar friends, great in number and attractive, upon the extremely long road of forever and ever; and that vigorously and inimitably pushes the people of faith and the people of attentiveness to join that caravan and to accompany it as dependents - it indicates the Four Caliphs and al-Ḥasan (raḍiallāhu anhu), who was the fifth caliph, through meanings symbolic and allusive, over and above the intended meaning of the last verse of Sūratu’l-Fatḥ, which is alluded to in the science of rhetoric by figurative allusions (ma‘ārīdhu’l-kalām) and the contextual entailments of word structures (mustatba‘ātu’t-tarākīb), and it tells of many different facets of unseen matters, as follows:
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Footnote: These two clarifications are in a way repeats of each, but the copyists liked them and set down both of them.
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Just as in its explicit meaning this verse conveys that amongst mankind there is a caravan of prophets, and a class of the veracious, and a group of martyrs, and species of the righteous, and types of the followers and the beneficent (muḥsinīn), who all attained Divine bestowals and who are the people of the Straight Path, and that the most perfect and the most virtuous of these different groups are also to be found in the world of Islam; and just as it points, by means of a type of unseen reporting, to a group who are the inheritors of the prophets, a group that is continuous from the secret of the inheritance of prophethood of the Prophet of the End of Time, and to the caravan of the veracious ones, that is continuous from the source of all veraciousness, our master aṣ-Ṣiddīqu Akbar (The Great Affirmer of Truth) (raḍiallāhu anhu), and to the caravan of the martyrs, which is linked to the degree of the martyrdom of the three Caliphs, and to the group of righteous ones by means of the secret of والّذين آمنوا وعملوا الصّالحات, (c) and to the different sorts of the Followers (at-Tābi‘ūn) who act in accordance with the secret of إن كنتم تحبّون اللّه فاتّبعوني يحببكم اللّه (d) and who accompany the Companions and the Rightly-guided Caliphs; so too does it give news, by means of وَالصِّد۪يّق۪ينَ (the veracious) and in terms of its symbolic meaning to our master Abū Bakri’ṣ-Ṣiddiq (raḍiallāhu anhu), who would sit in the station of the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhi’ṣ-ṣālātu wa’s-salām), and be his successor; and who would become famous in the Islamic community as 'the Veracious,' (aṣ-Ṣiddīq) and would become the head of the caravan of the veracious.
By means of the word وَالشُّهَدَٓاءِ (and the martyrs), it gives news of the martyrdom of three of the Rightly-guided Caliphs - that is, 'three caliphs after Abū Bakri’ṣ-Ṣiddiq (raḍiallāhu anhu) are to come that will be martyred.' For the word شُهَدَٓاءِ (martyrs) is in the plural. The least plural is made up of three [in Arabic language], which is to say that our master ‘Umar and our master ‘Uthman and our master ‘Ali (raḍiallāhu anhum) will take on the leadership of the Muslims after our master the Veracious, and will be martyred - and this unseen report indeed took place exactly in that way.
It thereafter tells, by means of the qualification وَالصَاّلِح۪ينَ (and the righteous), of the future existence of a righteous, godfearing and worshipful people who are great in number, the like of the People of the Bench (Aṣḥabu’ṣ-Ṣuffah) who won unto the praise of the Torah itself concerning their obedience and servanthood (‘ubūdiyyah),
and by means of the sentence وَحَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَف۪يقًا (good companions are they!) it cherishes the act of following of the Followers who accompanied and followed the Companions both in knowledge and action; and it reveals the fact that accompanying those four caravans along the road of eternity is both good and beautiful; and it points to the caliphate of our master al-Ḥasan (raḍiallāhu anhu) and to its importance, the duration of which was short, only a few months. However, this sentence confirmed the unseen, inimitable prophetic report in the tradition, اِنَّ ابْن۪ي حَسَنٌ هٰذَا سَيِّدٌٌ سَيُصْلِحُ اللّٰهُ بِه۪ بَيْنَ فِئَتَيْنِ عَظ۪يمَتَيْنِ (e) - [he it is that] reconciled between two great armies and two great groups of Muslims, and who put an end to the dispute between the two of them. And [moreover] the sentence وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَف۪يقًا (good companions are they!) points, in its symbolic meaning, which constitutes a type of report of the unseen through the secret referred to in the science of rhetoric as the contextual entailments of word structures (mustatba‘ātu’t-tarākīb), to the name of the fifth caliph, in order to reveal a fifth caliph after the Four Caliphs.
Furthermore, it contains a great many other secrets the like of the symbolic reports we have just mentioned, but this door has not opened for now, because this is not our subject here. There are a great many verses in the Wise Qur’ān each one of which contain many different facets of types of report of the unseen - there are thousands of examples of this Qur’ānic reporting of the unseen.
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a they are with those whom Allāh has blessed - with prophets, the veracious, martyrs, and the righteous; and good companions are they! (Qur’ān: an-Nisā', 4:69)
b the path of those whom You have blessed (Qur’ān: Fātiḥah, 1:7)
c And those who believe and do righteous deeds (…) (Qur’ān: al-Baqarah, 2:82)
d If you do love Allāh, follow me; Allāh will love you. (Qur’ān: Āli ‘Imrān, 3:31)
e 'this son of mine is a sayyid through whom Allāh will reconcile two great groups to one another' (al-Bukhāri, Hadith no: 2704)
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Conclusion: One of the subtle points of inimitability that appears in the harmonious alignment (tawāfuq) (8) of the script of the Wise Qur’ān is [the following]:
The total number of instances of the Names اللّه 'Allāh,' and الرحمان 'the Merciful,' and الرحيم 'the Compassionate,' and الرب 'the Lord,' as well as the word, هو 'He' that acts as an alternative to the Name of Majesty (اللّه 'Allāh'), appearing in the Wise Qur’ān, is some four thousand.
The total of بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ according to the second type of alphabetical calculation of abjad, that is, according to the sequence of the letters of the alphabet, is also some four thousand; and because being a small fraction different takes nothing away from congruence (tawāfuq) between big numbers, small fractions have been disregarded.
The total of الٓمٓ along with the two conjunctive waws that it comprises makes some two hundred and eighty. It not only corresponds to some two hundred and eighty instances of the Name of Majesty that can be found in Sūratu’l-Baqarah, but also to some two hundred and eighty verses of it. According to the second calculation - that is, the alphabetical mode of al-ḥisābu’l-abjadī, the total of الٓمٓ is again some four thousand. This congruently corresponds to the number of the total of the five famous Nnames that are mentioned above, as well as the number of the total of بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ, if the fractions are disregarded.
The meaning of all this is that on the basis of the secret of this congruence, الٓمٓ is a name that contains the named; simultaneously, it is a name of al-Baqarah, and a name of the Qur’ān, and a condensed index of both of them, and their exemplar and encapsulation, and seed, and it is the summary of بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ.
According to a well-known calculation in al-ḥisābu’l-abjadī, (9) بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ is equivalent to the number of the total of the Nname الرب (the Lord); and if the doubled ر in اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ is counted twice, the total becomes nine hundred and ninety, and becomes the locus of very numerous and momentous secrets, in the meantime, with its nineteen letters, it is the key to nineteen thousand worlds.
One of the delightful congruences of the Name of Majesty in the Qur’ān of Miraculous Exposition is the following:
Just as eighty instances of the Name of Majesty are congruently aligned with one another before the final line of a page, so too do eighty instances of the Name of Majesty align congruently with one another after that line. And fifty five instances of the Name of Majesty occur above one another and unite in the middle of the last lines, such that it is as if they are a single Name of Majesty, made up of fifty five Names of Majesty. And if the exact congruence of the Name of Majesty, the number of which is twenty-five at the beginning of the final line - although with a slight misalignment due to the gaps of short words made up of three letters - is to be added to the congruence of the number fifty five that is in the middle, the numerical congruence will amount to eighty, and it will have achieved congruence with the eighty instances of congruence that are in the first half before that line, and with the eighty that are in the second half after it.
Now really - is it at all possible that these subtle, pleasing, systematically ordered, miraculous congruous alignments should carry no subtlety, and be without wisdom? Far be it from them that they be so! Nay, a momentous treasure can be uncovered by means of [just] the tip of these congruous alignments (tawāfuq).
رَبَّنَا لاَتُؤاَخِذْنَٓا اِنْ نَس۪ينَٓا اَوْ اَخْطَاْنَا (a)
سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَٓا اِلَّأ مَا عَلّمَْتَنَٓا اَِنّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَل۪يمُ الْحَك۪يمُ (b)
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a Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget, or make a mistake. (Qur’ān: al-Baqarah, 2:286)
b Glory be to You! We have no knowledge, except that which You have taught us - surely You are the All-knowing, the Wise. (Qur’ān: al-Baqarah, 2:32)
8. Tevâfuklu Kur’ân-ı Kerîm “The Qur’ān in Congruous Alignment”. In this Qur’ān, excluding very few exceptions, all of the names of Allāh, Rabb and Qur’ān, as well as words of the same root, are aligned with one another, either on the same page beneath one another, or side by side on corresponding pages, or back to back across two pages. This special characteristic of the Qur’ān was recognised by Bedī‘uzzamān Sa‘īd Nursī - a wondrous miracle of the Qur’ān pertaining to the eyes for an empirically-minded people “in this age who say ‘we don’t believe what we cannot see’”.
9. The Abjad numerals is a numeral system in which the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values.