Journey of the spirit from creation to eternity

1. Journey of the spirit from creation to eternity From the tafseer of Allama Tabatabaee (MEEZAN), Sh. Nasir Makarim (NAFAHAAT) and other scholars

2. Lesson 1, The creation of the spirit • When were we created? • Our body was created as a natural process of the fetus formation. • But when we say (WE), we are asking about our essence, which is our sprit or our soul, which is our self (ZAAT), the intelligent power or energy or being. • This being or creature does not die, and was created from the direct power and command of God (BE and IT IS)

3. The scholars have two theories about when was the spirit created: • It was created with the creation of the fetus. • It was created some time before the creation: The narration of the Infallibles (AS): Verily Allah (SWT) created the souls before 2000 years from the creation the bodies. The souls desired the closeness of Allah (swt), so Allah (SWT) created the material world to test them, and whom so ever passes the test, will be given the position very close to Allah (SWT), many accepted the test and the challenge, and there must be few who did not accept.

4. Properties of the ROOH (spirit) • The very important characteristic of the Spirit is AQL or the intellect, that is why the Knowledge and Thought is one of the main properties of the spirit. • Feelings (Happiness and sadness, hope and fear) • Intention • It Can Love and hate • Is not described by material qualities, because it does not have the characteristics of material, it is an intelligent metaphysical being or creature

5. The first creation: AL AQL (the mind) • There are many narrations by Ahlul Bayt (AS) that the first thing God created was the AQL or the Intellect or the mind power or in other words the mental power, and through this mental ability, he will judge the creation. And with this mental ability is in two kinds: • Limited and unlimited

6. Unlimited mental ability • The animals and other creations have limited ability. • The Angels and the humans have unlimited ability, that means this ability can be evolved by learning and understanding. • The angels have no desires and lust for things. • The human were given desires and lust for things.

7. Human took the challenge • إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا • [33.72] Surely We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to be unfaithful to it and feared from it, and man has turned unfaithful to it; surely he is unjust, ignorant;

8. Why? • لِيُعَذِّبَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ وَيَتُوبَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا • 33.73] So Allah will chastise the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women and the polytheistic men and the polytheistic women, and Allah will turn (mercifully) to the believing women, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

9. What was the trust? • Knowing Allah (swt)-MA’RIFAT, despite of all the desires and challenges of lust, if a human over comes those challenges and frees his soul by becoming close to Allah, then he achieves the success. • We all carry the Ma’rifat of our God in our soul, that Ma’rifat is the trust we are carrying, that is the FITRA or innate in other words, and with the use of intellect we can maintain the trust properly, and free our selves from the material desires, but if we do not use the intellect, then we will blindly go behind our lusts and ego, and eventually lose the trust which we are carrying. • So the trust is knowledge of Allah (MA’RIFAT)

10. Trust of Allah in different words • In the explanation of the trust of Allah (swt) there are several interpretations: • Islam: The main goal of Islam is to bring the Muslim closer to Allah, so that he may know Allah, that is by liberating himself from the material desires, so Islam helps the Muslim to fulfill his trust (Ma’rifat), to secure the trust. • The same is about the Prophets (AS), the Imam (AS), the Quraan and the AQL or intellect,……. These all can be titled as trusts, because they aim to help the Muslim realize his main trust.

11. Creation of Ahlul Bayt (AS) • There are narrations explaining some verses that they were there: • Story of Adam and the names of them ignored by the angels. • Allah exempted them from prostrating to ADAM (AS) • The Prophet (S) : we were lights glorifying God… then they were kept in the posture of ADAM • Sermon of Fatima Zahra (AS) • Ziarat of Imam Hussain (AS) that you were lights in the postures