The phrase "على بيّنة من ربي" appears several times in the Quran, specifically when different Prophets were arguing with nonbelievers.
In Surat Al-An'am (ch. 6), Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is addressed as follows (Quran 6:57):
"قل إني على بينة من ربي"
Yusuf Ali's translation of (6:57): "Say: 'For me, I (work) on a clear Sign from my Lord'."
Pickthall's translation of (6:57) : "Say: I am (relying) on clear proof from my Lord".
Imam Al-Razi (in his exposition, Mafateeh Al-Gaib) interprets "على بيّنة من ربي" in his comment on (11:28), saying it means: "Knowing the Essence of God and His Qualities".
Sufi shiekh Ibn Ajeeba (in his exposition Al-Bahr Al-Madeed) interprets (6:57) as: "Say: I am on a clear Path that leads to Realization of Knowledge of God, and being exposed to the good pleasure of God "رضوان الله" (which is described in Yusuf Ali's translation of (9:72), as the greatest bliss and the supreme felicity), myself and those who follow me." A couple of paragraphs later, he adds about the same phrase, that it points to "having a penetrating insight which enables to clearly see/experience the secrets of the Lord".
Contents:
The Case Of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him
The Case Of Prophet Noah Peace Be Upon Him
Why An Armed Confrontation was Unavoidable Between Meccans and Muslims
Why the spiritual aspect is clear to some people and unclear to others?
The first occurrence is in Surat Al-An'am (6:57). The context was an argument with wealthy and powerful Meccan leaders from the Prophet's own tribe of Quraish, whose members are the descendants of Prophet Isma'el the Son of Prophet Ibrahim peace be upon them.
As the time goes by, the original pure elements of Monotheistic principles inherited from Prophet Ibrahim would be rarely observed, and only by very few, including the direct line of ancestors of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.
Whereas the original pure principles revealed to Ibrahim (and to all the prophets) concentrated on the One God, the Creator of all things, Who is not like any created thing, ideas about aspects of Divinity or what might be expressed as other gods (even if generally acknowledged as sort of lesser, and a notion is maintained all along about the Supreme Lord), and the need to seek a material representation (like idols) of such ideas/gods, started to appear in Arabia.
Prophets Ibrahim and Isma'el erected the first building of the Ka'bah on a specific location, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. According to classical Arabic history books, that arid and empty location was frequently visited by angels way before there were any human beings. There were no physical marks on that location. The Ka'bah was the first physical mark marking the location. It sort of reflects the location of "Al-Bait Al-Ma'moor", somewhere in Heavens. The Ka'bah was rebuilt many times on the same specific location. It is the specific location at the specific coordinates that is spiritually important. Other spiritually important locations are the prophet's mosque in Madinah and Al-Aqsa (literally "the Farthest") mosque in Al-Quds. The prophet described the three locations as the places that are worth traveling to. (It might be worth noting that Prophet Muhammad's journey to Heaven started first as a journey from the "Sacred Mosque" in Mecca to the "Farthest Mosque" in al-Quds, then from there to Heaven. Another notable thing about the journey is that even though there were many details about the journey that might point to a considerable time, the total 'earthly' time from start to return was very short).
Mecca became the center of faith in the Arabian peninsula after the Ka'bah was built. And it continued to be so as the number of idols increased. Each major tribe would have its own idol there.
Due to the continued stream of pilgrims, Mecca was a popular destination and a trading center, hence a rich town. The Quraish tribe is the most respected in Arabia, and its leaders would understandably try to keep things in their favor. Even though many of them did recognize the truth in the Prophet's message, what they mainly saw in it was disruption of the status quo. The original starting point leading to where they were was the pure monotheistic principles, yet clinging to appearances of what they thought made them what they were was more dear to them.
Very few of the wealthy Meccans would immediately see the truth in the Prophet's Message and accept Islam, of them were Abu Bakr and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with all the companions of the prophet.
The Meccans tried to "reason" with the Prophet, saying that if he wanted wealth they can gather enough wealth to make him the richest of them. And if it is power and authority that he wanted they could make him their chief or even a king. That's how they thought and "reasoned". It is probably an indication of how overwhelmed with appearances they were. However, the prophet's answer was simple and clear, he started to recite Surat Fusellat (ch. 41), (the verses about the Quran and the Message):
"Ha-Mim. A revelation from (God), most Gracious, Most Merciful. A Book, whereof the verses are explained in detail; A Quran in Arabic, for people who understand. Giving Good News and Admonition: yet most of them turn away, and so they hear not."
It is common to read about Sufis and Mystics who said that worldly appearances in general do not obscure the much wider and deeper view of existence. Prophets are way up the ladder in this regard.
Declining worldly rewards is another important point to notice about Prophets in the Quran. (See note #4 about 'Prophets Declining Rewards').
Then the leaders of Mecca tried to pressure the prophet's uncle, who was the leader of the Hashimite branch of the Quraish tribe. And while not a Muslim he was the main protector of his beloved nephew, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The uncle was firm with Quraish and made it clear that no one can touch his nephew.
When "persuasion", flashing rewards and pressure did not work, arguments and challenges were the next step. When that too did not lead to any gains, threats and physical attacks were resorted to (See note #1 for further details).
Many prophets went through the phases of rejection, arguments and harassment. It is in the arguing phase, that several prophets have been through, that the phrase "على بيّنة من ربي" (regarding the clarity of the path to know God) comes up.
The above background might hopefully help better understand the context in every case where this phrase appears.
The Case Of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him
The first verse in Surat Al-An'am (6:57) says:
"Say: 'For me, I (work) on a clear Sign from my Lord.'"
It was a Divine command to clearly state it, publicly. Part of the explanation might be the difference between a Prophet and a Messenger. A Prophet receives revelation from God, but no one might know about him. A Messenger is a Prophet who is commanded to reveal the Message of God to others. In Expositions of the Quran it is often mentioned that there were thousands (some even say tens of thousands) of prophets in human history, throughout different human populations, but only a very small percentage of them were Messengers.
The Quran says [35:24]: "There never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past)". Prophet Muhammad was the last of the prophets [33:40]: "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of God, and the Seal of the Prophets". Appearance of Islam was the confirmation and the culmination of the essence of all the previously revealed heavenly Messages.
Then, verse (6:57) continues:
"But ye reject Him."
There were several forms of rejection, including rejecting the idea of God's existence. However, most historical cases as it appears were rejections of particular Messages or Messengers. In this particular verse, it appears that rejecting God's Message and His Messenger is also a form of 'rejecting God'.
In the case of Meccans it was not rejection of God's existence, since they did believe in a Supreme Lord. They rejected (1) "being told by someone whom they considered just one of them", to revert to the original elements of faith revealed through prior Divine Messages and confirmed by the Message of Islam: There is only one God. (2) that other beings or some ideas do not have some sort of divine power.
The verse continues: "What, ye would see hastened, is not in my power. The Command rests with none but God"
In the Message of Islam, and indeed in all previous Messages, God is the Creator of all things. In Islamic theology "All things" include all and every thing other than God, the one supreme Lord. God is not like anything that appears in creation. Anything other than God is part of creation, with all its restrictions and limits, including coming from nothing and hence, have the potential to become nothing again, at any moment ((35:16) "If He so pleased, He could blot you out and bring in a New Creation"). Anything in creation, far from having divine powers, does not have any powers whatsoever (note #2). Total and absolute dependence on God's provisions (including concepts of dimensions of space and time) is an essential attribute of created beings. God is the creator of the creation's dimensions, He does not need them, and He is unlike anything manifested in creation.
Of course there are honored personalities in creation with very high level of spiritual awareness and knowledge, but as Yusuf Ali said in his comment no. 717: "The most honored of the apostles of God are but men. All power belongs to God, and not to any man. God's creation may take many forms, but because in any particular form it is different from what we see daily around us, it does not cease to be Creation, or to be subject to the power of God. No creature can be God."
The Meccans, probably out of maintaining the notion that if someone claims he has a Message from the Lord, then he might as well show them he has some unusual powers, to which the Divine words that started with "Say," continue with confirmation that the Messenger of God does not have the power to bring the consequences of rejecting God on them or on anyone else. Why? because "The Command rests with none but God"
The prophet was very saddened after the battle of Uhud (at the northern outskirts of Madinah) that was won by the Meccans, especially after seeing his dear uncle Hamza lying dead. He wanted to pray against the Meccans, but the Quranic verse said: (3:128) "Not for thee, (but for God), is the decision: Whether He turn in mercy to them, or punish them; for they are indeed wrong-doers".
It was not allowed even to pray against them, even when it was clear that they were "wrong-doers".
Yusuf Ali's comment on the verse: "God's help will come if we have faith, obedience, discipline, unity, and the spirit of acting in righteousness and justice. If we fail, His mercy is always open to us. But it is also open to our enemies, and those who seem to us His enemies. His Plan may be to bring sinners to repentance and to teach us righteousness and wisdom through those who seem in our eyes to be rebellious or even defiant. There may be good in them that He sees and we do not, a humbling thought that must lead to our own self-examination and self-improvement."
The Case Of Prophet Noah Peace Be Upon Him
Surat Hud (chapter 11) includes several instances of this phrase. The first one with regards to prophet Noah's argument with his people in verses 27 to 34, with interesting details.
Verse 11:28 has the phrase :
(11:28) "He said: 'O my People! See ye if (it be that) I have a Clear Sign from my Lord, and that He hath sent Mercy unto me from His own Presence, but that the Mercy hath been obscured from your sight? Shall we compel you to accept it when ye are averse to it?"
There are three points. The first is about declaring "I have a Clear Sign from my Lord". The second is about how the Message of Mercy is clear to him and his followers, yet unclear to others. (More details about this point in Note #3 below). The third is about an important principle that there is no coercion in religion. A point also clearly stated in (2:256) "Let there be no compulsion in religion" and in (18:29) "Say: (It is) the truth from the Lord of you (all). Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve".
The Case of Prophet Saleh Peace Be Upon Him
There were prophets sent to communities in the Arabian Peninsula like Prophets Hud, Saleh and Shu'aib. It appears that Shu'aib is probably the same person Christians know as Jethro, Prophet Moses's father in law. As for Hud and Saleh, I am not sure if they are known outside of Arabia.
Verse 63 in surat Hud has the phrase:
"He said: 'O my people! Do ye see? - If I have a Clear (Sign) from my Lord and He hath sent Mercy unto me from Himself, who then can help me against God if I were to disobey Him?"
Here again, the same first two points in the verse regarding the case of prophet Noah are clear, and then there is a third notable point. It briefly says that it was not an option for those Prophets, the top spiritually elite of mankind, not to publicly deliver the message of God.
The story of Jonah tells us what happened when a prophet wanted to stop and turn away from the task he was given. He found himself thrown into the sea and swallowed by a whale. He asked for forgiveness and found himself thrown by the whale near a seashore, from where he resumed his journey to deliver the Heavenly Message.
The Case of Prophet Shu'aib Peace Be Upon Him
Verse 88 in Surat Hud:
"He said: 'O my people! See ye whether I have a Clear (Sign) from my Lord, and He has given me Sustenance (pure and) good as from Himself? I wish not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you to do. I only desire (your) betterment to the best of my power; and my success (in my task) can only come from God. In Him I trust, and unto Him I look."
Despite the deep knowledge regarding the Path to know God, the meekness and the lack of desire to force that knowledge on anyone, are notable and unmistakable. (Details in Note #2 below.)
Notes:
(1) Why An Armed Confrontation was Unavoidable Between Meccans and Muslims
The Meccans were determined to kill the Prophet hoping to end the Message of Islam. The last attempt on the Prophet's life (an attack on his home, that he knew about beforehand) was just hours after he had left his home in Mecca. Once out of Mecca, he looked back at the town where he was born, and with tears in his eyes said "By God, you are the place I love the most on earth. And if it wasn't that your people forced me to leave, I would not have left."
After leaving his home in Mecca, groups of scouts went in all possible directions searching form him. Expensive rewards were promised for anyone capturing the Prophet.
The leaders of Madinah were sometimes promised some rewards if they gave the Prophet to the Meccans, and were sometimes threatened with a war against them.
Neither the Prophet nor his companions were keen about wealth. They rejected offers of wealth when they were in Mecca and indeed, many of them left everything in Mecca, just to be left alone in peace in Madinah. And even when wealth came later on, the modest lifestyle was the norm for the prophet and many of his companions.
As for Meccans, forcing Muslims to leave Mecca was not enough. They wanted to end the Message of Islam. The Prophet and his companions knew that the Meccans were not going to leave them in peace. And that was the context of the first armed confrontation between Muslims and the Meccans at Badr.
To Meccans, wealth was everything and their biggest caravan of the year full of goods was coming from Jordan.
Capturing the caravan would achieve several goals. It would hit Meccans were it hurts, and tell them that they should not take Muslims lightly. However, the caravan was well protected and had scouts who found out about the Muslims' intentions. So, the leader of the caravan sent a messenger to Mecca asking for help and at the same time changed its rout away from the usual one.
Of course Muslims expected a response from the Meccans, but it came too soon. They did not find the caravan, and instead heard about the Meccan army heading towards them. Their number was about one third of the Meccan army and far less equipped. But, they won the battle of Badr.
The Meccans would not stop, however. The confrontations continued in Uhud then Al-Ahzab. In all these confrontations the Meccans would outnumber the Muslims and be much better equipped.
Al-Hudaibiah was the turning point, when the Meccans realized for the first time that they indeed cannot beat the Muslims, and they signed a peace treaty. Many of the Prophet's Companions were very confident of their preparedness and were certain that the Muslim army can defeat the Meccans, so they were not quite pleased to see a peace treaty signed. But a point that would be clearly stressed again and again, was that the whole issue was not about fighting or conquering. One of the results of signing the treaty was getting clearer as time went by. The mere signing of the treaty was an important event noticed by the whole of Arabia. The fact that the once mighty tribe of Quraish had to sign a treaty to avoid a military confrontation was noted by the rest of Arabia. The new situation made many Arabs stop and think about the Message of Islam. The pace of accepting Islam accelerated.
However, after a while, the Meccans broke the peace treaty and nine years after the Prophet's migration from Mecca to Madina, the Prophet would come back to Meccca leading an army. The Meccans were fearful and expecting the worst. The leaders of Mecca were gathered and the Prophet asked them "What do you think I will do to you?", they responded: "You will do what is best. You are an honorable brother and the son of an honorable brother", and he replied "I will say to you what my brother Joseph said to his brothers [when they apologized to him for what they had done to him when he was young]: 'This day let no reproach be (cast) on you'. You are free to go". He won their hearts, and the whole town became Muslim.
-
For the first thirteen years of Islam in Mecca, Muslims were totally unarmed. After the Hejrah, the following verse was revealed:(22:39-40)
"To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they were wronged; and verily, God is Most Powerful for their aid. (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, (for no cause) except that they say 'Our Lord is God' ".
What was strictly prohibited before the Hejrah, became permissible after it. It was necessary in a harsh environment like the Arabian desert. Towards the end of the Prophet's life, the Arabian peninsula became united, for the first time.
-
Very few prophets had that position of a Warrior and a Messenger like Prophet David and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon them. One notable point about the two prophets in the Quran, is that verse (22:40) also says :
"Did not God check one set of people by means of another, there would be surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of God is commemorated in abundant measure."
The expression "Did not God check one set of people by means of another" appears only twice in the Quran, once here in the case of Prophet Muhammad, and the other place is when the story of Prophet David is mentioned in 2:251.
Regarding (22:40) Yusuf Ali comments: "To allow a righteous people to fight against a ferocious and mischief-loving people was fully justified. But the justification was far greater here, when the little Muslim community was not only fighting for its own existence against the Meccan Quraish, but for the very existence of the Faith in the One True God. They had as much right to be in Mecca and worship in the Ka'ba as the other Quraish; yet they were exiled for their Faith. it affected not the faith of one peculiar people. The principle involved was that of all worship, Jewish or Christian as well as Muslim, and of all foundations built for pious uses."
The other verse (2:251) regarding Talot's army's victory says: "And did not God check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief: But God is full of bounty to all the worlds."
Yusuf Ali's comment: "God's plan is universal. He loves and protects all His creatures and his bounties are for all worlds. To protect one He may have to check another, but we must never lose faith that his love is for all in boundless measure."
In recent years I heard a scholar commenting on the expression to "check one set of people by means of another", that its meanings are wider than just a military confrontation. He mentioned debates as one possible meaning.
(2) Prophets and Heaven's Support
It might be asked that it is a known fact that miracles did appear at the hands of Messengers, Prophets and many Saints, so how can that be explained if they did not have any powers whatsoever?
The answer is simple, as for example in (5:110) where miracles that appeared at the hands of Prophet Jesus peace be upon him are mentioned:
"thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it, and it becomes a bird, by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave."
It is clear that (40:78): "It was not (possible) for any apostle to bring a Sign except by the leave of God". And (13:38): "And it was never the part of an apostle to bring a Sign except as God permitted (or commanded)".
And that is also the reason why every challenge by nonbelievers was not met with a "miraculous" response. It was not up to Messengers of God to respond in any way they select. As I understand, the response is not based on any power that they have or any creature can have. Total, absolute and final power is only God's, regardless of how well that is understood by a conscious being who cannot but be at some level of awareness. As I understand the Sufi view, the less one understands these matters the more one is misled into thinking one can freely do what he wants or has something of his own, and the better one understands and recognizes these matters the more conscious he is of his unavoidable and insurmountable limits and the more dependent on God he is.
From a purely material aspect, Prophets (peace be upon them all) in the Quran
are often described as helpless. Like Abraham when prosecuted, Lot when the
angels visited in shape of humans, Moses in front of the Sorcerers or in front
of the Red sea when the Pharaoh's army was approaching, or Jesus or Prophet
Muhammad on so many occasions to count. All they seemed to have was unwavering
faith, and a certain unrelenting desire to know what God’s intention that they
should carry out is. For someone who does not know them, it is probably
inexplicable how could Prophets ever managed to gather such a devoted following
generation after generation. The short answer is that they weren't just normal
men and they weren't alone at all.
Ibn-Arabi, in the Gems of Wisdom, said that the more one knows the more
submissive to the will of God he becomes and the more helpless he appears to
people who do not know. Prophets knew more than normal people, but they did not
show off or try to satisfy anyone’s curiosity, unless of course they had
permission to do that. They had immense power supporting them.
Prophets had the support provided by the Creator, the Omnipotent and the
Omniscient. They may have used physical means, but no matter what can be
achieved with methods based on causes and effects, they will always remain
limited in what they can do. Those who sought the finest and the highest level
of knowledge, relinquished all powers and riches (not necessarily literally,
although that too did happen quite often) knowing there is no power or richness
comparable to what a simple submissive attitude toward the Almighty can bring.
Based on such submission, selecting physical means, however modest they may look
(David had just a sling) is only to comply with the direction of seeking means (Sa'i),
and not as an absolute belief that the means is the only way to accomplish a
goal, since accomplishing a goal is only possible through God's will, regardless
of the means available.
Sometimes, what Prophets did is considered as Miracles. However, Miracles do not
have to be events that look supernatural. Miracles can look like an
unexplainable series of "natural" turn of events leading to an unambiguous
result. Whether in the last sense or as what might be considered explicit
miracles, and regardless of what normal people might want to call them, it is
the continued heavenly support that was with Prophets. What they had, was not
powers based on knowledge of tools or methods, rather it was support from the
Creator of all things, including all sorts of methods, tools, concepts, causes
and effects. The Creator of all the powers that exist, against whose will, no
causes or effects or usage of any kind of tool can stand. In Moses' story, the
Quran describes in interesting details how Moses was feeling when the Sorcerers
started to do their magic:
"So Moses conceived in his mind a (sort of) fear. We said, 'Fear not! for thou
hast indeed the upper hand. Throw that which is in thy right hand. Quickly will
it swallow up that which they have faked. What they have faked is but a
magician's trick.' " Quran(20:67-69).
He was a little afraid. He was a human. It appears that he did not have any
notion on what to do, until he was specifically directed to throw what is in his
right hand. Nevertheless, just before the sorcerers started their magic, he
expressed his unwavering confidence in God:
"Said Pharaoh: 'Bring me every sorcerer well-versed'. When the sorcerers came,
Moses said to them: 'Throw ye what ye (wish) to throw'. When they had had their
throw, Moses said: "What ye have brought is sorcery! God will surely make it of
no effect: for God prospereth not the work of those who make mischief. And God
by His Words doth prove and establish his Truth" Quran (10:79-82).
The story of Moses, tells us he had to deliver a message to a very powerful and
rich people. He was unprepared in regards to how to deal with them. All he had
was a task he was to carry out, and an absolute confidence of success in his
mission. A confidence based not on measurable physical aspects, he hardly had
anything to prepare him for a showdown with the mighty Pharaohs. His only asset
was total reliance on the Creator of all the powers in existence, knowing that
"His Words" will always have the final say.
Regarding the story of Prophet Lot the Quran says:
"He said: 'Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake myself
to some powerful support'." (11:80)
Again it tells a story of a helpless man who felt he was unable to protect his
guests from aggressive people. Abdullah Yusuf Ali commented on the verse as
follows:
"Lot seemed helpless in the situation in which he found himself--alone against a
rabble of people inflamed with evil passions. He wished he had had the strength
to support them [the Angels] himself or had had some powerful support to lean
on! But the powerful support was there, though he had not realized it till then.
It was the support of God. His guests were not ordinary men, but the Angels who
had come to test the people before they inflicted the punishment. They now
declared themselves, and gave him directions to get away before the morning,
when the punishment would descend on the doomed Cities of the Plain."
Ibn-Arabi, in the Gems of Wisdom, cited Prophet Muhammad's saying regarding the
same verse: "May Allah bestow His Mercy upon my brother Lot, he had the powerful
support!".
The same certainty and absolute trust in God even when one does not know what to do exactly, appears again in the story of prophet Moses peace be upon him and his people, when they were trapped between the Red sea and the Pharaoh's approaching army. (26:62) "the people of Moses said: 'We are sure to be overtaken'". To which the prophet responds (26:63) "(Moses) said: 'By no means! My Lord is with me! Soon will He guide me!'". And Devine Guidance came with a historical miracle, (26:64) "Then We told Moses by inspiration: 'Strike the sea with the rod.' So it divided, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain".
(3) Why the spiritual aspect is clear to some people and unclear to others?
The Quran talks about this particular point in many places and view it from different angles.
Being heavily preoccupied with worldly appearances and adopting a limited view of existence can be a hurdle and may appear as different levels of difficulty of sensing or seeing the Light behind the Message and the Messenger. The Quran says [7:198] "If thou callest them to guidance, they hear not. Thou wilt see them looking at thee, but they see not." Yusuf Ali's comment : "The beauty and righteousness of Mustafa's life were acknowledged on all hand, until he received the mission to preach and to fight against evil. What happened then? Evil [used here, as I understand, in general terms as representing kinds of blocks hindering "Sight"] erected barricades for itself. It had eyes, but it refused to see. It had ears, but it refused to hear. It had intelligence, but it blocked up its channel of understanding. Even now, after thirteen centuries and a half, a life of unexampled purity, probity, justice, and righteousness is seen in false lights by blind detractors."
As I understand it, there are a couple of points worth noting.
First,
The difference between the physical eye's sight and inner sight. Some nonbelievers demand something that can be seen with the physical eye sight, when religion encourages development of the inner sight, which is a totally different thing. For instance, (6:104):
" 'Now have come to you, from your Lord, proofs (to open your eyes): If any will see, it will be for (the good of) his own soul; if any will be blind, it will be to his own (harm): I am not (here) to watch over your doings' ".
The quotation marks are there to indicate that there is an implicit "Say:" divine command in the beginning of the verse, as Yusuf Ali mentions (other tafseer books say the same). And "your eyes" here is about the inner sight.
Ibn Ajeeba's comment on the verse : The Prophet is commanded to say: "O people, the proofs of the Oneness of your Lord, and the methods to know Him, are provided, through which inner sights can be opened and able to see Divine Lights. Who sees the Truth benefits himself, and who does not see the Truth harms himself. I cannot watch over your deeds, I am only an informer and and a warner."
Then he continues "Inner sight can be at several levels of clarity of sight, from total blindness to strong clear sight".
- I think pointing to the difference between the eyesight and inner sight is quite common in Sufi literature. For instance, a poem by the north african Sufi Shu'aib Abdu Madian goes:
متى يا كرام الحي عيني تراكم
وأسمع من تلك الديار نداكم
أمر على الأبواب من غير حاجة
لعلي أراكم أو أرى من يراكم
The verses can be translated literally as:
"O Elite people in the neighborhood, when would my eye see you.
And when would I hear your call from those homes/places."
"I pass by doors, without looking for something,
but hope to see you or see someone who sees you."
However, as I understand, There are symbols in the Sufi language. In other words, what is meant might be deeper than what appears.
For example, the poet said "when would my eye [notice the singular form] see you?", when a normal expression might be "when would my eyes (plural) see you?". Just a hunch, but the word "eye" (specifically in the singular form) in Arabic also means "essence". If my understanding is correct, then the phrase becomes "when would my essence see you?".
In Sufi language the words "eye", "face", "heart" all point to one thing: one’s essence, which is not the same as one’s physical being.If "eye" is not about the physical eye, then "sight" might not be the normal sight with the physical eyes.
Again, just a personal thought that could be right or wrong, what is meant by "hearing calls from those homes/places" is about understanding meanings, maybe more like when one says "I hear you" to mean "I understand you". So "Sight" is about reaching "a level of awareness" that is deep and beyond what normal awareness about physical things can be, and "Hearing" is probably about understanding the deep meanings. Then, he "passes by doors" = "seeking knowledge through Men" who are "Gates of Knowledge", so that he might reach to where "Sight" is granted, or if not, at least enjoying being privileged to notice the reflection of higher/deeper spiritual Light in the faces = essences of those who have reached advanced levels of "Sight".
As far as I understand, the verses appear to be describing the difference between two stages of awareness the Sufi poet has been through, in a symbolic Sufi language.
- As I understand the Sufi view of the "Inner sight" (بصيرة) , it is a subtle and inseparable quality of one's essence. The "sight by one's essence" is essentially a kind of deep awareness and understanding the meanings behind words, symbols and hints. Things can be sensed at different levels of awareness/"concreteness" and not necessarily easily describable with normal expressions. Hence, probably the differences in expressions about what might essentially be the same idea, in different cultures.
Second,
The methods to enhance inner sight are provided, and that's what religious guidelines represent. That's why it is important to understand the purpose of the guidelines and to follow them consciously.
Also there are "proofs of God's existence". However, many (including an important part of religious people) might understand that proofs are about objective Logical formulations, when actually Sufis often express pity when such an understanding is noticed.
As I understand the Sufi view, "Proofs of God's existence" are "self-evident" ideas about the structure of the spiritual aspect of existence that get clearer in a natural manner with improving inner sight. Such "Proofs" actually start from the basic "self-evident" awareness of one's own existing being, then that awareness is extended way beyond, with the same "concreteness" of that basic awareness.
An "objective" study of anything has to have some shortcomings, since some guessing is involved no matter how intricate and big the endeavor might be and how minor the guess may look. But there is no guessing whatsoever that one's being does exist. It looks like a difference of angles or attitudes to look at the same existence. The emphasis in the scientific view is on details that we know we will never be able to take all of them into account, hence probably the "perennial unshakeable doubt" that cannot be ignored (and that's what probably suggests to some people that that "real doubt" should extend to our knowledge of anything). But what about the essence of something? Do we have doubts about our existence? Or the Sun's existence? No we don't. Religious views are aware of man's inherent shortcomings when details are concerned, but their focus and emphasis is actually on the essence of things, where there is no doubt that the essence does exist even if everyone's understanding may be based on some level among countless levels of awareness. The clarity is what can be improved continuously, but Certainty in religion is about the essence of something. It seems that the point of focus can make a lot of difference in what conclusions that might be reached. The Quran mentions this point and what attitude is required in a religious view: (10:36 I think pickthall's translation of the meaning is more accurate here) "Most of them follow nothing but conjecture. Assuredly conjecture can by no means take the place of truth. Lo! God is Aware of what they do." A possibly directly related sign of the focus point being not much on the essence of things but on details: (30:7) "They only know some appearance of the life of the world, and are heedless of the Hereafter"
There are opinions that the religious and scientific views are mutually exclusive, one either adopts one or the other but not both at the same time. The way it appears to me, the two views are actually complementary.
Once the focus point is clear, and guidelines ('the methods') are followed honestly and consciously, the path to know God starts to get clearer.
- A Sufi saying goes "Who knew himself, has known his Lord". What I understand about this phrase, is that it is not about union with God or about one being God, as it appears to have been interpreted sometimes. It simply is about the starting point and the end point of the path of knowledge of God.
A prophet is one with a very high level of of Knowing God and awareness of the Path, hence he can say with total certainty:
"إني على بينة من ربي"
"I am on a clear Path that leads to Realization of Knowledge of God".
And he is saying it with total honesty and modesty, trying his best to help everyone to tread the same path of realization. As for religious people, they are at different levels of awareness of the same final Truth. And each might be honestly trying to express himself as best as he could.
As I understand, Sufism is about improving understanding of what one is already aware of. It is about moving on a path to reach a deeper view of existence. Moving from one level of awareness to the next does not mean having to abandon any basic religious beliefs or the scientific background one may have started with. Imam Al-Ghazali says (I think in Ketab Al-Elm, the first chapter of Al-Ehia): "one should not move further unless it is clear where he is moving from and where he is moving to." It is natural for one to be careful as he progresses in this regard. However, Sufis often encourage seeking help and not to venture alone or without sufficient information in such an important journey. (Please note that offering an authentic recommendation is the responsibility of a religious scholar or an academician or at least someone with sufficient information on the subjects covered, and I do not belong to that group of qualified people. I am merely mentioning what I understand about these subjects.)
(4) Prophets Declining Worldly Rewards
Please see the section titled "Prophets And Worldly Gains", here.
