Word 56: The one who has made knowledge of the self a ladder to reach the knowledge of his “Rab” (Lord) will find the relationship of the powers to the self to be like the relationship of angels to God.

By author Last updated Oct 12, 2025

We must pay attention to the word “Rab” (Lord, Owner, Manager, Prudent). Prophet Muhammad (S) said, “Whoever knows himself, he knows his “Rab” (Lord). He did not say, “He knows Allah” or “He knows the “Haq” (Absolute Truth)”. Think about it deeply!

Suppose we want to understand God’s relationship to the universe in terms of “Rab or Rububiiat” (Lordship). In that case, we must first understand the link between an immaterial object to a material one. That is, what is the relationship between an immaterial reality and a material object, and how do they interact?

If we do not understand this well, we will encounter problems in monotheistic discussions, just as many theologians did. Some fell into the valley of “Ta’til” (Inoperative, Standstill, or suspension of work), and some others into the valley of “Tashbih” (Similarity). That is, a group considers God like one of his creations, and others consider God to be idle or inoperative.

They consider God like a creation. Since they do not understand the relationship between immaterial and material objects, they consider God as the greatest material being. As a result, because material objects also require space, they assign a space to God. A material being also passes the time, so they attribute time to God while God is free from space and the passage of time. They did not realize that time and space are His creations.

In a narration, we have that “There is no night or day with your Lord”. It means that night and day do not pass by for your Lord. “So exalted is Allah when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning” (Ar-Rum:17). It attributes night and day to us and makes God free from this limitation. There is no time in the immaterial world since there is no substance. Beings in the “immaterial world” do not have the time, let alone alone God Almighty.

When a person understands this well from the bottom of his heart, he can explore and realize many monotheistic topics from it.

Since time has not passed for God, there is no new “happening” in God. Angriness, sadness, and happiness are changing from one state to another. They are temporal; at one time, they are in one condition, and the next, they are in another. When there is no time, then there is no transition from one state to another. As a result, God is free from states.

You may have heard some people ask: When did God become in existence? How long will he last? Or where did he come from? They think of God as being limited in time and space like us. Time and space are God’s creation. My dears, God is limitless, even, he is limitless from this limitlessness.

If we want to understand the relationship between “God” and the “world,” we must first understand the relationship between the “soul” and the “body; that is, we must understand the relationship between “an immaterial object” and the “material world”.

Our soul is the closest immaterial object to our body. Therefore, the best and closest way to “knowing God” is “self-knowledge”. The one who did not know himself, who he wants to know God?

So, we need to know ourselves and understand our relationship with our bodies. The one who knows himself knows his Lord. This hadith also has other meanings that require in-depth discussions.

What is the relationship between the “Nafs” and the “body”? Is the Nafs inside or outside of the body? The inside and outside question is valid if there are two material objects, which may be classified as either inside or outside. But when one object is immaterial, and the other is material, it is incorrect to inquire whether the immaterial object is inside or outside of the material object. An immaterial object has no place. Since there is no place for immaterial objects, therefore, the inside and outside question is void. Rather, it is the surroundings. An immaterial object surrounds (not in material meaning) a material object, and it cannot be considered to be inside or outside of each other.

So, the question like, where is God in this world? Is He inside the world or outside the world? Or is He inside objects or outside? These questions are due to not knowing God and are not correct and logical.

Man must understand the relationship between his immaterial Nafs and his body well in order to understand the relationship between his Lord and the material world. Rumi says:

He is like a soul, and the world is like a body. The body receives good and evil from the soul.

The soul moves the hands and feet. If the body has sight, hearing, or smelling ability, it belongs to the soul. The movement originates from the soul. If the soul departs the body, it becomes like a stone. There will be no movements. God is the source of all life, activity, and perfection in the universe.

Let’s go back to our main discussion. Allameh said, “The one who has made knowledge of the self a ladder to reach the knowledge of his “Rab” (Lord) will find the relationship of the powers to the self to be like the relationship of angels to God”.

There are two types of powers: “External powers” and “Internal powers. External powers include the powers of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Internal powers include imagination, illusion, reason, and other powers such as memory and more.

What is the link between these forces and the Nafs? We know that hearing belongs to the Nafs, which means that they are the ones that hear. The sight belongs to the Nafs, and the Nafs are seeing. I (Nafs) saw these. However, in the body, these abilities have a foundation. The eye functions as the foundation for vision. Our eyes cannot perceive independently. Our ears do not hear on their own; they are a tool that allows us to hear.

When we are asleep, the material body is inactive, but in dreams, we see, hear, smell, and touch, but we do not perceive these with the material body. Who is the one who hears and smells in dreams? We are perceiving but without the material body. Each of these powers has a base in the body.

The power of imagination, illusion, reason, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch are the various aspects and branches of the Nafs, each of which has its bases in the body.

Creatures without eyes do not understand what sight implies. Deaf animals do not grasp what hearing implies. Those species that are both blind and deaf, such as the earthworm, only have the ability to touch and do not grasp what hearing and seeing entail since they lack this foundation in their bodies. Those creatures who lack reason do not grasp reasonable perceptions. Angels which has no lust do not grasp what lust is.

However, humans possess all of these abilities, which allow them to learn about all beings and interact with all worlds. Mystics call humans the small world and this world the great human. This world is like a human, only bigger, and a human is like this world, only a smaller version. This is called the similarity between two worlds, “human and the world.” That is, everything that exists in the world has its example in humans.

The relationship between God’s angels and God Almighty is similar to the relationship between our powers and our Nafs. How is the relationship between the power of hearing and the Nafs? It is essentially the same as the Nafs, but it is limited and has a specific scope. It is the Nafs itself, but it only has a specific perception because it is a state of the Nafs. The angels of God have the same relationship with God Almighty. The angels of mercy are the embodiment of divine mercy. The angels of wrath are the embodiment or manifestation of wrath.

The power of sight is defined from the perspective of the Nafs that is seeing. The power of hearing is defined from the perspective of the Nafs that is hearing. The power of smelling is defined from the perspective of the Nafs that is smelling. The power of imagination is defined from the perspective of the Nafs that imagine. The power of reasoning is defined from the perspective of the Nafs that is reasoning.

The angels have the same connection with God Almighty, which means that when we look at God through the lens of wrath, they transform into angels of rage. When we conceive of God in terms of mercy, they become angels of mercy, and so on; everything else becomes manifestations of God Almighty. It is not true that these are distinct, shut off, and detached from God. As a result, These angels are God’s manifestations and have complete control over the cosmos. “And those who regulate affairs” (An-Nazi’at:5).

Narration: A raindrop descends from the heavens, escorted by numerous angels. Angels are the forces of this world, the innermost part of this world. When we talk about angels, don’t visualize them as females with braided hair and one or two wings on their backs soaring about; we’re talking about angels’ immaterial existence. What is fire? Fire is an angel—an angel who has manifested in this form. What is water? Water is also considered an angel. What is soil? Soil is also considered an angel. What is air? Air is also an angel.

The Quran states that the objects we perceive have a hidden reality. “So glorified be He and exalted (above all that they associate with Him), and in Whose Hand is the dominion/realm of all things” (Ya-Sin:83). Mystics say that everything has a soul; even objects that we believe are inanimate, like stones and wood, have descending spirits. Angels are, in one sense, manifestations of God Almighty and, in another, the hidden aspect of our world. Angels are intermediaries between God and creation, just as our powers are intermediaries between our soul and our body.

Henry Corbin made an excellent argument when he stated, “In Christianity, they consider Christ to be the Son of God because they exclude angels from revelation”. Because they can only perceive man and God, they believe Christ is Lord. However, according to Islam, the prophet is tied to the angel of revelation, who serves as the link between the Prophet and God.

Thus, the link between angels and God is like our powers and our souls. Angel Gabriel (A) is the embodiment of knowledge, meaning he is the essence of God Almighty, but in terms of knowledge. Angel Michael (A) is the embodiment of sustenance, meaning he is the essence of God Almighty in terms of providing sustenance.

Muhammad Mahdi Me’marian

All praise is to God to the extent that He deserves it.

Allah Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A)death Existence God Nafs Possession Prophet Muhammad (S)