Word 64: The one contemplates its own body and soul finds itself not as one or two things, but as several things…

Word 64: The one contemplates its own body and soul finds itself not as one or two things, but as several things. One thing in terms of personality, and two or several things from the perspective of intellectual analysis. This is a single personality, extended from the earth to above the throne, that is a natural, intermediate, intellectual, and divine human. The natural or material world is always in a state of flow, and its form is preserved through the continuous renewal of its likes. It is, in essence, a materialized spirit. The methal or barzakh world has the immateriality of the intermediate world. The intellect has complete immateriality. The divine is that nothing has descended in separation or independence, but rather, “in His hand is the dominion of all things.”

The soul is a luminous essence, pure from the defilements of nature and nourished by scientific realities. These scientific realities are actual forms that have reached perfection and in which motion has no place. Otherwise, they would have to be potential, which would mean that no scientific form would ever be actualized or realized.

Therefore, man is a stable-flowing entity. The proofs for the soul’s immateriality remain strong, while the evidence for the substantial motion of the physical form remains as well.

We have previously proven in the introductory sessions of this class the arguments for the immateriality of the rational soul. We have proven that our soul/nafs is immaterial from matter and the rules of matter.

We also previously defined “matter and the rules of matter,” stating that matter has length, width, depth, weight, color, and occupies space. We said that the soul, being immaterial, does not have such characteristics. That is, it doesn’t have weight, color, height, size, or a specific place in space. These characteristics are not for immaterial beings. We have previously discussed these topics.

Now, when we think about our own body and soul, we see that we are not one thing, or two things, but rather several things.

We are one thing in terms of our personality, because we share a common personality. I am one “I,” I am one person, one identity.

When our intellect analyzes itself, it says: “I am two things.” How?

It says: “One is the rank of my body, which is material, and one is the rank of my soul, which is immaterial from matter. So, I am two things. While being one thing, I am two things. While being one identity, I have two ranks: my physical rank and my immaterial rank.”

Then, we intellectually analyze our own immaterial rank. As you know, the intellect’s job is to perceive universals, to analyze matters, to separate them, categorize them, and divide them. Therefore, it also divides our own immaterial rank.

One rank of this immaterial soul is its intermediate, or imaginal, or symbolic, or exemplary immateriality. It possesses intermediate immateriality, meaning it perceives forms that are immaterial in relation to matter, such as the images we see in dreams and the forms we create in our imagination. These are forms that do not have physical matter.

The imaginal faculty is immaterial and does not take up space in matter. For example, the image of a ten-meter-tall apple tree that I bring to mind. Does it fit inside your brain? No, it does not fit in our brain. So where is it? It is in our imaginal faculty.

Our imaginal faculty is not material, because if it were, it would need space and occupy a place. For example, a ten-meter-tall apple tree would not fit in the brain.

It is immaterial, but its immateriality is imaginal or symbolic. This means it perceives forms that are immaterial in relation to matter. This is one level. But this same immaterial rank of ours also has another rank, which is the perception of pure immaterial beings.

For example, let’s consider the word “tree.”

First, we have the natural tree, which is the physical tree that exists in the real world outside.

Then, there’s the imaginal tree. This is the specific image you create in your mind when you think of, for example, a palm tree. This mental picture is not a physical object.

Finally, there’s the rational tree. This is the abstract idea of “tree.” When I say “tree,” without specifying its type, you understand the concept. This idea isn’t specific to a particular apple tree, date palm, or any other kind, but it encompasses all of them. This is what we call the rational tree because it is a universal concept.

Or, for example, we say the word “power.” You understand what power means, but what is its shape? It has no shape; power is a concept. Which part of us understands this? The imaginal faculty? No, the imaginal faculty’s job is to perceive forms, and power has no form. So, who understands it? The intellect understands it.

The intellect’s job is to grasp universal concepts, things that have no form, like absolute knowledge. You understand knowledge, and you understand ignorance, but neither of these has a shape. You understand them through the power of your intellect.

So, one level of our being, which perceives the imaginal world, is imaginal or symbolic. Another level, which perceives rational concepts, is the rational or intellect. Its immateriality is rational immateriality. Therefore, our soul itself has different levels.

The Supra-Rational Level – We have a level even higher than the intellect—the divine rank. It is limitless, while the intellect has limits. So, a person also has a level that is “above the intellect.”

This gives us four levels of existence: the material world, the intermediate world (immaterial but has shapes or forms), the world of the intellect (immaterial without shapes or forms), and the supra-rational world (limitless).

I am one thing in terms of my personality; I am a single “I.” But this “I” is both two things and several things. It is a two-fold concept, in the sense of nature versus the supernatural, and it encompasses several aspects based on the different ranks within those supernatural realms. Each of these ranks has its own set of rules.

My soul is not separate from my body. These are just different levels of one continuous reality. It’s not that the body and soul are separate from each other. They are one reality that stretches from matter all the way to beyond matter, and from there, up to above the Throne.

The material world is always flowing. “Flowing” means in constant motion.

As the philosophers say, “All beings are in a state of constant flow,” meaning that material beings are in a continuous state of change. The material world is in constant motion.

Look at a human: they grow, mature, get older, and change form. They are constantly changing. The same is true for animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. Although the movement of inanimate objects is slow and basic, they are also in motion, as a verse in the Quran says. “And you will see the mountains and think them solid, but they shall pass away as the passing away of the clouds. The work of Allah, Who perfected all things, verily, He is well-acquainted with what you do” (An-Naml:88).

Even rocks are in motion. The entire material world is in motion.

Here, we need to discuss motion in the material world. Please pay close attention to this discussion. It is a bit philosophical, but it is necessary for you to understand the subject.

Before we discuss motion, we need to briefly explain the concepts of “Johar” (substance) and “Araz” (attribute or accident). We have nine categories of attributes and one category of substance, which in turn has five types. So, what are the definitions of substance and attributes? Which are the attributes and which are the substances? We will provide a brief explanation, as discussing motion requires determining whether it occurs in attributes, in substances, or in both.

An “attribute” is a reality that, in the external world, does not exist on its own. It is dependent on something else, such as a color. We don’t have whiteness by itself in the external world. Since it’s an attribute, there has to be something that is white. There has to be salt that is white, or chalk that is white. Whiteness itself doesn’t exist on its own. Even white paint is a chemical substance that has whiteness. But whiteness by itself doesn’t exist in the external world. A “substance” is a reality that exists on its own. For instance, when we say, “This apple is red,” the apple is the substance, and the redness is the accident. Redness can’t exist by itself.

Attribute has nine categories:

Quantity: The first category of “Araz” (attribute) is “Quantity”, which literally means “size” and “value”. Therefore, any transverse category that has a value or can be measured is considered a “Quantity” category, such as numbers, perimeter, weight, etc., which are all measurable and have value.

Quality: The second category of “Araz” (attribute) literally means state and quality, and any category that returns to the state or quality will be in this category; For example, the cold or warmth of objects or their whiteness and blackness, and even the sadness and happiness of people are all from the category of Quality.

Relative: The third category of “Araz” (attribute) is Relative, which refers to the relationship of an object to other objects or the relationship of each component to another component. For example, this includes features such as straightness or curviness, as well as all the characteristics that have both strengths and weaknesses.

Where: It means which place, but it is used as “being in a certain place”. Therefore, any category that returns to the place and location of objects is considered as this category. For example, being high or being inside something or being under something, etc., are all in this category.

When: It means “at a certain time”, so the categories related to the time of objects eventually return to the category of “When”; For example, being late or early. Being at a specific time is all about the “When” category.

Having or Ownership: It means to have and be with; For example, having clothes, owning a house, etc., which indicate an ownership relationship between two beings, are all in the category of “Having”.

Doing: It means the effect of one object on another, that is, everything that happens in the world is actually of the category of “Doing” or action, for example, the act of burning, stealing, etc.

Being Affected: Passivity or inactivity is exactly the opposite of “Doing” and means influenced, so whenever there is a category of a “Doing”, there must be a category of “Being Affected” or passivity, so all the examples given for the “Doing” in the passive state are examples of passivity, such as being set on fire, stolen, etc.

“Extra” or “Additional”: It has one of the important categories and, it can cover all nine other “Araz” (attribute)  categories; The category “extra” means that a subject finds meaning in relation to another subject, for example, being a father means only when there is a child, otherwise being a father is meaningless, so the father-child relationship is an “extra” relationship. Or full color means when it is colored, otherwise the full color is meaningless, so the full color is an “Extra” category.

A substance is a reality that exists on its own and is not dependent on another.

The Five Philosophical Substances

Here are the five types of philosophical substances (jawāhir): intellect, soul, prime matter, form, and body.

An object that needs no matter for its essence or its action is called the intellect (‘aql).

An object that needs no matter for its essence but needs it for its action is called the soul (nafs).

After the intellect and soul, there are three other substances: prime matter, form, and body.

A body (jism) is that which has three dimensions: length, width, and depth.

The “thing-ness” of an object comes from its form (ṣūrat). Examples include the form of soil, the form of water, the form of an ear, or the form of a flower.

These forms exist because they are attached to a kind of matter that has no form itself but can accept and receive all forms. This is called prime matter (hayūlā).

Prime matter is the potential that has no form of its own but can become any form. The forms in our world are all connected to prime matter. Prime matter is what changes from one form to another. For example, the form of a flower bud disappears and becomes a flower; the form of soil disappears and becomes the form of grass. That which changes from one form to another is prime matter. It has no form itself, so it cannot be seen as a specific thing, yet it accepts all forms.

Think of water. What shape does water have? Water has no shape in its essence, but it takes on the shape of any container it’s poured into. When you pour it into a glass, it takes the shape of the glass; into a pitcher, it takes the shape of the pitcher. Water always has a shape, but it has no specific shape of its own.

Prime matter is like this. It is the matter of the universe that has no form or shape in its essence, but it is capable of receiving all forms.

Philosophical books explain that the universe has both “potency” and “actuality.” A flower, for example, is in actuality a flower, but it also has the potential to become something else, like a dead flower that returns to the soil. That potential belongs to prime matter. The Greek word hayūlā means something without form. The potential in the material world belongs to prime matter, while the actuality belongs to the forms it has accepted.

So, the philosophical substances are the intellect and the soul, which are inherently immaterial. And in the natural world, the three substances are prime matter, form, and body. The accidents or attributes or “Araz” of this world—colors, smells, tastes, and numbers—are all dependent on these substances.

There are also different kinds of substances, such as immaterial substances or luminous substances. These are just different names. All “Araz” (attributes) are dependent on a “Jowhar” (substance).

The Concept of Motion

The best definition for motion is: moving from potentiality to actuality, from a state of lacking to a state of having, and from a state of deficiency to a state of perfection.

When we look at the world, we see that all its blessings come from motion. Motion is what turns a sperm into me or you. Even the sperm itself comes from motion, as the earth and water go through a process of change to become sperm. The growth of trees and animals, of insects and plants, is all due to motion. The Earth’s rotation on its axis and around the sun—which creates days, nights, seasons, and months—is motion. All the blessings in this world are a result of motion.

It’s necessary for us to truly understand what motion is. Everything that comes into being in this world, from the rug under our feet to this mosque, came into existence through motion.

Ancient philosophers believed that motion existed in four categories:

Quantity: A tree growing from one meter to two meters, or an animal getting bigger, is a quantitative change. The amount or volume increases.

Quality: An apple changing from yellow to red, or from a bitter taste to a sweet one, is a qualitative change. Its qualities are what are in motion, moving from potential to actuality.

Where: This is the most obvious kind of motion—moving from one place to another.

Position: This refers to a change in orientation, such as up, down, front, or back. The Earth’s rotation around the sun and on its own axis is an example of this. It doesn’t move from one place to another but is in motion in its position.

Some philosophers combine these categories, considering them to be fewer than four.

Consider an apple blossom that is going to become an apple. At first, it’s small, green, and bitter. But when it ripens, it becomes red, sweet, juicy, and big. The path this blossom takes to become an apple is the motion it has gone through to get here.

Therefore, for motion, we need a few things: an origin, a destination, and a subject.

Subject: The thing that is going to move.

Origin: Being a blossom.

Destination: Becoming a ripe apple.

The apple is the subject that moves. Its color moves from a deep green to a lighter green, then to a hint of yellow, and then it becomes a deep yellow. After that, it turns to a light red and continues to deepen in color until it reaches its final redness.

Its taste moves from bitterness, which slowly fades away to tastelessness, and then becomes flavorful and sweeter until it finds its perfect state.

This type of motion has encompassed the entire universe, whether it is plants, animals, or humans. Every being that we see moves in this way.

In “motion”, the Mashsha’i philosophers believe in “coming to be and destroying.”

They say that one form passes away, and another comes to be. For instance, the green form disappears, and a yellow form appears; the yellow form disappears, and a red form appears. This coming to be and passing away happens moment by moment, because the yellowness itself is constantly decreasing. At every moment, one yellow form disappears, and another comes, and this continues until it reaches its destination.

Mashsha’i philosophers say that motion is in the category of “attributes” or “Araz”, and substances do not move. This means that the color, taste, smell, size, and other qualities and quantities are moved, while the substance or “Jowhar” of the thing remains stable. Substances are stable, and motion belongs to attributes. Why do they say this?

They say this because, in motion, we need a subject—that is, something to which we can attribute the motion and say, “This thing moved.”

Attributes are in motion, constantly changing and becoming something else. One form perishes, and another takes its place. If the substance were also to move, we would no longer have a subject to which we could attribute the motion. If we were to say that the substance moves, to what would we attribute the motion?

Here’s an example to help you understand: There’s a motion debate—is it a series of consecutive still moments, or is it a continuous reality?

What are consecutive still moments? Imagine a Ferris wheel spinning. You take a picture. What do you see in the photo? You see a motionless Ferris wheel.

Why does it look motionless? Because in that exact moment—that one second when the photo was taken—the Ferris wheel wasn’t actually still. If it were still in that one moment, it would be still in the moments after it, too. If you put still moments next to each other, you just get stillness, not motion.

Can you say that the Ferris wheel is still for even a millisecond? No. It’s moving even in one millionth of a second. If you were to say it’s still for one millionth of a second, then it would be still for the next millionth, and the next, and the next, which means it would be completely static and have no motion.

The idea of “consecutive still moments” is putting these static moments side by side and then thinking motion has occurred. The key point is that “Motion is a continuous reality”.

Consider an apple as it grows, from a blossom to a full apple. Is it stable for even one millisecond? It’s not, because if it were, we wouldn’t have any motion.

So, motion is a constant change and flow, a continuous transformation where one thing is becoming another.

Now, if we were to say that the very substance of an object moves, we would no longer have anything stable to point to and say, “this.” The moment we try to say “this,” it would have already become something else.

We can only say “this is the same” if the thing itself is stable.

Here’s an example: Let’s say we have a mouse on this side of the mosque, and it wants to go to the other side. At first, it’s a mouse. The second moment, it becomes a wristwatch. The third moment, it becomes a handbag. The fourth moment, a book. The fifth moment, a wall clock. The sixth, a lamp, and the seventh, a loudspeaker—until it reaches the other side of the mosque. It changes moment by moment.

In this case, what would you say moved? To what would you attribute the motion? Would you say the mouse? But in the next moment, it wasn’t a mouse anymore; it was a wristwatch.

Would you say the wristwatch? But in the next moment, it was a handbag. You have no subject for your motion. There must be something stable for us to say, “this moved,” and to attribute the motion to it.

The word “this” is for when we have something stable.

Consider the mouse we talked about that wants to get to the other side. The moment you try to say “this,” it will ask, “Which one?” There must be something stable for us to say, “This object is the subject of our motion.”

We want to figure out if, during motion, the attributes move or the substances move. If we don’t consider the substance to be stable, to what would we attribute the motion?

When an object moves, we say its attributes have moved. We’ve established that motion requires an origin, a destination, and a subject. Our discussion is focused on the subject of motion. What is the subject that moves? The subject must be a substance; it must be stable.

If we were to say that motion is when the substance itself moves, then what remains stable in that process to act as the subject of the motion? We are compelled to say that attributes move while substances are stable. This discussion pertains to motion and applies to the entire material world.

The conclusion is that the substance of the universe is stable, while the attributes are in motion. According to the law of “coming to be and passing away,” one form disappears and another takes its place.

Look, when you throw a shoe from one side of the room to the other, what do you say moved? The shoe.

But if in the next second, that shoe became a mouse, and then the mouse became a wristwatch, and then a lamp, and then a handbag, what would you say moved?

We cannot say that the substance moves. The substance must be stable. The substance of this world is stable, but its attributes are in motion.

The subject of motion is a substance. A substance doesn’t move because if it did, we would have no subject for motion.

Motion itself is an attributes that needs a substance to exist. Just as we said, an attribute requires a substance. Motion is an attribute that needs a stable substance, because if the substance itself moved, it would also become an attribute.

So, the conclusion is that the substance of objects is stable and acts as the subject of our motion, while the attributes are what move. The color of an apple, for example, moves from yellow to green to whatever else. Its taste, shape, size, and all of its molecules are in motion, but its substance is stable. This is the Mashsha’i theory.

Mulla Sadra’s Intellectual Miracle

Later, Mulla Sadra said the substance itself moves. This is an intellectual miracle. You won’t understand what a miracle he performed unless you first understand the problem: if we say the substance moves, we have nothing stable left to attribute the motion to. The Mashsha’i argument that substances are stable and attributes are what move is correct and logical within its framework. They say that attributes don’t last for two moments. Attributes are not the same at two different times, but the substance is stable and doesn’t move. If the substance were to move, we would have no subject for motion, and their argument is a valid one.

However, Mulla Sadra performs an intellectual miracle and proves that the substance is in motion. Mulla Sadra said that the substance of this universe is what moves.

He explained that we already know that accidents or attributes are dependent on substance—they “stand on the foot of the substance.” So, if an attribute is in motion, it can’t be moving on its own.

Therefore, the substance must be moving, and the attribute’s motion is a consequence of the substance’s motion, because attributes are deeply rooted in the very essence of the substance.

The Relationship Between Substance and Accident

When we say that form and body are substances, are they separate from color, size, and volume? No, attributes are not separate from substances.

An attribute is impregnated within a substance. This is not like salt dissolving in water or a nail being hammered into a wall.

For example, when you look at chalk, is its whiteness a separate thing that has simply settled on top of the chalk? If you were to scrape the chalk, would its whiteness disappear? No. No matter how much you scrape a piece of walnut wood, it’s still brown, because the attribute has impregnated and penetrated the very essence of that substance. Attributes are not an external layer that we’ve simply stuck on top of a body.

This is why we say that when an attribute moves, it’s not moving on its own. It’s dependent on a substance. So, if the accidents are moving, then the substance must be moving as well, because the attributes are a part of it.

Mulla Sadra’s Answer to a Philosophical Problem

So, what about the subject of motion? If both the substance and the attributes are moving, as you’re suggesting, we would no longer have anything stable to attribute the motion to.

Mulla Sadra answers that this kind of motion isn’t a process of “coming to be and passing away.” It isn’t a process of one thing being lost and another being gained. Instead, it’s a process of “clothing after clothing.”

For instance, when the soul is in motion, it’s not losing one perfection to gain another. The previous perfection remains, and another is added to it. The soul is essentially “wearing a perfection on top of a perfection.”

Mulla Sadra doesn’t stop at just proving that the substance moves. He goes even further. We’ll present that point next time, but for now, think carefully about this issue. The topic of substantial motion is very heavy, and your mind needs to be fully prepared to accept it.

One of the issues raised by a Greek philosopher regarding motion was a really good one. Some objections are great because they force a person to find new solutions, which can lead to other discoveries. Some objections are truly constructive.

In fact, one of the main reasons for the advancement of Islamic philosophy was the intellectual conflict between Islamic theologians and philosophers. Theologians would find fault with the philosophers’ ideas. They’d object by saying, “What you’re saying is wrong for this reason.” To respond, the philosophers had to develop new arguments and ideas, and these new paths would open up even more discoveries.

So, where did Islamic philosophy come from? It came from Greece. But if you were to weigh Greek philosophy and Islamic philosophy against each other now, they’re not even comparable. Islamic philosophy has grown so much that Greek philosophy looks like an alphabet next to it.

A Philosophical Paradox of Motion

A Greek philosopher raised an issue about motion that’s really thought-provoking. Some objections are great because they force you to find new paths to an answer, and those paths lead to other discoveries.

This philosopher’s objection is this: Imagine we have a bow and arrow, and we shoot the arrow at a target. The distance is 20 meters. We can divide this distance in half, into two 10-meter segments. Then we can divide the 10-meter segment into two 5-meter segments, and so on.

Can we ever reach a point where we can’t divide it anymore?

We might say that in the physical world, we can’t break something down past a certain point, but what about in our minds? The process of halving a distance in our minds continues forever. Why can’t we stop dividing?

There are two possibilities for a thing that you claim cannot be divided anymore: either it has a dimension or it doesn’t. If it has a dimension, you can divide it. If it has no dimension, how can a collection of non-dimensional points form a dimensional object? A billion times zero is still zero. A trillion times zero is still zero. You can’t create a dimension by putting non-dimensional points together. But if a dimension exists, it can be divided. And that division can be divided again, and again, infinitely.

So, the distance between the arrow and the target is infinitely divisible.

Now, when the arrow wants to travel this distance, it must pass through an infinite number of points to reach the target. But passing through an infinite number of points is impossible. You can’t cross infinity.

So, what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is that motion does not exist at all. This was the objection the Greek philosopher made.

Someone once said to him, “Let me slap you across the face and see if motion exists or not.” But that’s not how you respond to an argument. You have to respond to a reason with a reason. No matter what distance you consider, it is infinitely divisible. The question remains: how does the arrow cross an infinite number of points to reach the target?

The Theory of Democritus and Infinite Divisibility

One of the theories that was presented is the theory of Democritus, another Greek philosopher. His theory of particles still exists in some form today.

He said that matter is made of particles that are unbreakable and indivisible. So, our question for Democritus is this: Do these particles have dimension or not?

If they have a dimension, then they are divisible.

If they have no dimension, then you can’t make a physical body out of something that has no dimension.

Let’s step back from the discussion of motion. What is matter made of? Matter is made of smaller particles gathered together. This is one of the key philosophical debates on form and body. A body is made of particles that have gathered together to create a form that we can see, like the form of soil, water, or a tree.

Our question then goes to those smaller particles. What are they made of? Since they have dimensions and are divisible, they must be made of even smaller particles. And what are those even smaller particles made of? Where do we stop? We can go down infinitely.

Because anything that has a dimension is divisible and made of smaller particles, this process continues forever. This is an idea you need to think about carefully because we’re going to draw a major conclusion from it. The discussion of substantial motion that Mulla Sadra presents is very profound. He says that the substance of this world is in motion. Not only does the substance move, but the very substance of this world is motion.

The Substance of the Universe is Motion

What does it mean that the substance of this universe is motion? It means that the substance of this universe is a continuous flow.

We shouldn’t think that there are stable objects in the material world, which are the substances, and that their accidents are what move. That’s the old way of thinking. The very substance that’s moving is motion itself. It is “becoming itself,” it is “clothing after clothing,” it is the very “flow of grace.”

Now, don’t forget that concept about what matter is made of. Let’s think about it for next time. What answer can you come up with?

Remember the objection that Greek philosopher raised about the arrow—that it had to cross an infinite distance. It was a very good objection, but it makes us ask: What is matter made of? What is the substance of this world made of? We say that forms are dependent on matter, that forms are made of matter. But what is matter itself made of? Is it made of tiny particles, like the ones Democritus proposed, or the ones the theologians believed in?

Democritus said that these particles are indivisible in the external world but not in the mind. But the theologians said that there are particles that are indivisible in neither the mind nor the external world. We’ve already established that both of these ideas are flawed because a particle either has a dimension—in which case it’s divisible—or it doesn’t—in which case you can’t form matter from it. What is matter made of? We need to get to the answer to that.

If we keep breaking down matter infinitely, then that philosopher’s argument is correct, and motion doesn’t exist at all. So, there must be something else. What is it? That’s the question I want you to think about. What is matter made of?

You asked why we consider matter (māddah) and prime matter (hayūlā) to be the same. Māddah is the Arabic term, and hayūlā is the Greek term.

The word māddah comes from the root madd, which means to stretch or extend. For example, religious scholars say that if you draw water from a well and it fills up again, that water has māddah, because it extends and is replenished. But if you draw water and the well doesn’t fill up again, it has no māddah. So māddah means “potential,” and it is the same concept as hayūlā.

Prime matter, form, and body are the three substances of the material world. I want you to think about this problem until next week:

What is matter made of?

What is the substance that makes up matter?

What is the prime matter of this universe?

What is the true reality that makes up this universe?

Think about these questions. If you come up with any ideas, write them down and present your theory.

We have said that Mulla Sadra believed that the soul’s motion isn’t a process of “stripping and clothing” or “coming to be and passing away.” The soul doesn’t cast aside one perfection to put on another. Instead, it’s a process of “clothing after clothing,” meaning it puts on one perfection after another. The substance of the soul is in motion, but it’s not leaving one form to become another. It’s not giving up one perfection to gain a greater one; instead, the original perfection remains, and a new one is added to it.

Later, it is proven that knowledge is not an attribute but a substance itself. The soul gains existential intensity through its union with these substantive truths. This is not the case if we consider knowledge to be an accident of the soul, because then there would be no existential intensity.

As for substances and accidents that are not the soul, particularly in the material world, the discussion of motion is very important. This discussion is so profound and has so many branches and foundational principles that can be derived from it. It’s a truly central topic.

What did this universe come from? What did matter come from? What did a body come from?

From smaller particles. And those particles came from even smaller ones. If we keep dividing infinitely, the philosopher’s objection still stands, and there is no motion in the world. So, what is matter really made of? What is a body made of?

If we say that a body is made of matter, then that’s a logical error. Everything else is made of matter, but we can’t say that matter is made of matter. It’s like asking, “What lights the light?” We can’t say that light lights the light. In this universe, everything is from matter, but what is matter itself from?

We have the concept of a “body” and a “bodily” thing—don’t get these two mixed up. The forms of this world are bodily, meaning they are dependent on matter. But what is the matter itself? What did it come from? What is that prime matter (hayūlā) that philosophers talk about? What is that prime matter that all the forms of this world are dependent on? Can we still say that it, too, is material? What does a dimension itself come from?

From this line of questioning, we conclude that matter must have come from something non-material.

Mulla Sadra: Substantial Motion and Modern Physics

According to Mulla Sadra, this universe is “an intelligible reality that has become perceptible to us”. “It is an immaterial being that has become tangible”.

We can arrive at this conclusion in a couple of ways. One way is through the problem of infinite divisibility, which proves that the origin of matter cannot be matter itself. Another way is through the argument from accidents—that accidents or attributes like color and smell are dependent on a substance.

Mulla Sadra says that the substance of this universe is what moves. Because accidents are dependent on substance, if the substance doesn’t move, the accidents have no motion. He then takes it a step further: it’s not that the substance is one thing and motion is another; rather, the substance of this universe is motion.

This is the very idea of moment-by-moment creation and the grace that continuously flows from the heavens into this world. In this world, that grace arrives and disappears from moment to moment.

Think of a light bulb: it gives off light, but that light is arriving moment by moment. It’s not a single emission that stays illuminated. The light is a series of moment-by-moment emissions. If you flip the switch off for a moment, the light disappears.

Remember that analogy from Rumi about your reflection in the flowing water? You see your reflection and believe it’s stable, but the water—the underlying reality—is in constant motion. We look at the forms of this world and think they are stable, while in reality, the substance of this world is in a constant state of transformation. The forms themselves are dependent on this motion.

Today, in physics, they have a similar discussion about energy. They say that the origin of matter is energy. Energy is the ability to do work; it is not matter itself, yet the origin of this world is energy.

The Universe as a Continuous Flow

This universe is a flow, a process of “becoming,” a permanent motion. The very existence of all beings is dependent on this motion and this flow.

When the divine grace arrives, it is like the light from a lamp. If that flow of grace were to stop for a single moment, the universe would cease to exist. The substance of this world is motion. If that moment-by-moment grace didn’t reach us from the divine realm, this world would be nothing.

Those who believe that the substances in this world are stable—even if they are philosophers and believers—are essentially granting objects their own independence.

This is where Mulla Sadra’s theory of substantial motion comes in. In mysticism, this is called the “renewal of likenesses” (Tajadud–e–Amsal), which means that the forms in this world are being created anew at every moment. Because a contingent being requires existence at this very moment, it also requires existence in the next moment, and the next. It’s exactly like a light bulb that needs a continuous flow of power to stay on.

The universe itself is a continuous flow of grace that is arriving moment by moment. The substance and essence of the universe is motion.

This also provides the answer to the Mashsha’i philosophers who said, “If the substance moves, we have no stable thing to which we can attribute the motion.” The answer is, “Yes, that’s right!” The material world has no stability of its own.

We don’t have stable forms in the material world. We have no independent objects. Do you understand what I am saying?

So, we don’t have an independent object or identity at all.

What, then, preserves the forms of this world?

The answer is the celestial realm of this world (Malakut World), an immaterial being, the name “al-Muṣawwir” (The Fashioner/The Designer). It is continuously fashioning this motion into forms. The entire universe is fundamentally motion, and what is giving form to that motion? We say it is that non-material, intellectual being known as al-Muṣawwir that is continuously creating images of things in the world.

Look anywhere in this world, and you’ll see a form: animals have a form, humans have a form, plants have a form, insects have a form, and so do aquatic life, mountains, winds, and water. All of these are the result of the celestial realm, moment-by-moment fashioning. The very existence of these forms is dependent on that celestial reality.

To put it another way, the beings we see in this world are angels that have appeared in this form. Water is the physical form of a celestial reality that became water. Soil is a celestial form—a non-material, intelligible form that has come here and, through the name al-Muṣawwir which is continuously giving form to motion, has become soil, or an animal, and so on.

Substantial Motion and the Nature of the Universe

The discussion we’ve been having is about substantial motion. Motion itself is an accident. So, one might ask, “You say the universe is motion, but the motion of what?” Motion can’t exist on its own; we always attribute it to something else, like the motion of water or the motion of light.

But Mulla Sadra says that this is not an accidental motion. It is substantial motion. It is the very essence of motion itself. It’s what physicists call energy. Energy is a wave, and a wave is an accident. We once asked a university professor about this. We said, “You claim the universe is energy, and energy is a wave, but a wave is an accident. There must be a wave of something, like a water wave or a light wave. A wave can’t exist on its own.”

He replied, “No, the wave itself exists. Energy is the wave itself.” This is exactly what we say in philosophy: it is motion itself. It is a substantial motion. This motion is different from accidental motion, which needs to be dependent on a substance. This is the very essence of motion.

This essence of motion is the continuous, flowing grace that mystics call the “Breath of the All-Merciful” (Nafas-e-Rahmani). Any being that exists in the temporal world must receive this grace moment by moment. Since the different moments require existence, a being that is given existence at one moment must also be given existence in the next. The universe is therefore created in both a temporal and an essential sense.

The Philosophical Debate on the Origin of the Universe

We have a debate in theology and philosophy about the origin of the universe. The argument is this: Time is the measure of motion, and motion belongs to matter. When we had no matter, we had no motion, and if we had no motion, we had no time. Therefore, the universe has no temporal beginning.

For example, when we say “before the creation of the universe,” what does “before” mean? Time doesn’t exist if there is no matter, so there is no “before” or “after.” Philosophers say that time is a dimension of matter. So, when you don’t have time, you can’t ask “what was there before the creation of the world?”

So, ancient philosophers considered the universe to be temporally eternal, even though they believed it was essentially contingent. They said that the universe is essentially an effect that needs a cause, but we can’t say when it came into being, because “when” belongs to the material world. This was one of the main points of contention with the theologians.

Theologians argued that if you don’t believe the universe was created in time, then you don’t truly believe in God’s creative power.

Mulla Sadra’s Resolution

Mulla Sadra resolved this debate. He said that the universe is created moment by moment. The universe is being created in time at every single moment. He extended the concept of “essential contingency” into the dimension of time.

Length, width, and depth are all dimensions of matter. Time is also a dimension of this material world. We need motion for the existence of time because motion is the transition from potentiality to actuality. It’s in this process that “before” and “after” appear, which is what we call time. Where there is no motion, there is no time.

This is why time doesn’t apply to non-material beings. There is no “before” or “after” for them. As the Quran says, “There is no morning or evening with your Lord.” Time does not pass for God. Most people think of God in the realm of time—they wonder what God was like a thousand years ago or what He’s like now. But God is beyond time.

The World of Continuous Flow

So, the discussion of the flow of the material world is about how all its accidents and substances are in motion together. In fact, they are the very essence of motion. Nothing in this world is truly stable. This is even stated in the Quran:

“And you see the mountains and think they are firm, but they are passing like the clouds—the work of God, Who perfected all things. Indeed, He is well-acquainted with what you do.” (An-Naml:88)

Since all the parts of a cloud are in motion, this verse means that even mountains, the most solid things in the material world, are in a state of flux. This is because the very substance of this universe is a continuous flow. This motion is being guided by the celestial realm; it’s a moment-by-moment grace that is radiating from the divine, and it is through the permission of the Lord of that realm that these forms of clouds, winds, sun, and stars are being continuously fashioned.

The preserver of these forms is what the Quran says is our guardian:

“Indeed, there are guardians over you.” (Al-Infitar:10)

“Every soul has a guardian.” (At-Tariq:4)

Every soul has a guardian, and every object has a guardian. Every being we see in this world has a celestial reality. The mountain has an angel that became that mountain. That angel is the stable reality, the celestial truth of that object, and the flow of grace that sustains it.

In the Kumayl Supplication, we read: “By the power with which You have decreed it.” What is power? It is the ability to do work. This means: “By that energy with which You have decreed it and made it into the material world.”

The universe is a singular flow, and its reality comes from its celestial realm. Its stability and preservation come from that celestial realm.

You may remember that in our discussions on mysticism, we said that inanimate objects have souls. This is the very proof of those inanimate souls. The reality of this flow and this motion is that the celestial, intelligible being has become the descending soul of these objects.

The difference with the human soul is that it is in a state of ascent. The souls of inanimate objects are in a state of descent, and they preserve this world. But the human soul, which is also created in time, is in a state of ascent and gains existential intensity and perfection through its motion.

Just knowing this much about substantial motion is enough. To understand that this world is receiving grace moment by moment and that no being here is stable, that all are poor and dependent on that flow and that motion—it helps you understand the poverty of all things toward God. This is an essential poverty, not the poverty of needing money.

You see, one way to prove God’s existence is to say that the universe has order, and that order requires an organizer. That’s a good argument. But another argument is that the very existence of this universe, the existence of matter itself, requires a Creator. Matter, in its very essence, needs a Creator. It’s not just that its order needs a Creator.

The essence of matter is flow. What is matter made of? We saw that if we keep dividing matter into smaller particles, it goes on to infinity. So, matter must have come from something else. It came from that continuous, flowing grace of God. Matter cannot exist unless it receives that grace moment by moment.

Just like a flowing river, the water must continuously flow for me to see my reflection. The essence of the material world is its existence as a flow. The order of the world’s forms is a separate discussion.

Think about this idea of substantial motion, because as we’ve said, it’s the “door of doors”—a great door to divine knowledge. May God grant us the truths of these sciences and realities.

So, the idea that we can break matter down to an endpoint, or that it is infinitely divisible, is both rejected.

So, what did matter come from? Since it didn’t come from smaller particles, it must have come from something non-material. When we say something is non-material, it means it is an abstract (mujarrad) reality.

If the origin of matter is abstract or immaterial, it doesn’t have the properties of matter. Length, width, depth, weight, and color are all properties of matter. As Mulla Sadra said, “This world is an intelligible reality that has become perceivable to us.” It is an abstract being that has become tangible, or you might say it is an energy converted into these material objects. We also might use this for quantum energy.

Therefore, we might say: the entire world is an angel. An abstract being is an angel. An angel is what has become a flower, a mountain, the sea, or the soil. All the beings in the universe are angels that have taken on these forms. One has become fire, one has become wood, another water, and so on. We perceive them in these forms.

“The seven heavens and the earth and all those in them glorify Him, and there is nothing that does not glorify Him with His praise”. (Al-Isra:44)

Everything is glorifying God because everything has life.

“And We made every living thing from water.” (Al-Anbiya:30)

Everything is alive; everything is life itself.

The Nature of Prime Matter

What, then, is the prime matter of this world?

The prime matter is the same matter we discussed, that is, abstract and on which the world is dependent. That prime matter is motion. It means the matter of this world is a flow and a motion.

Matter is motion; matter is an intelligible reality that has become perceivable to us.

Matter is a motion, a continuous grace that is constantly flowing into it from the divine realm. Matter is not self-sufficient; it doesn’t stand on its own. Instead, it is dependent on an abstract reality. The forms in this world are continuously being bestowed from the divine realm, moment by moment.

It is an intelligible reality that has become perceivable to us. It is a soul that has become embodied, the divine realm that has descended. The intellect has descended and become matter. This descent is a continuous, moment-by-moment process in the material world. The universe itself is a constant flow and a permanent motion. Every being in the material world is on this path of becoming and motion, which makes up the very fabric of the universe.

Physicists call this “energy”. What is energy? Energy is a wave. The origin of matter is energy. Now, the “wave” itself is an accident or attribute, because there must be water for there to be a wave, or light for there to be a light wave. A wave doesn’t exist on its own.

When you ask physicists what this wave is? They say that this wave is no longer an accidental wave that depends on something; it is the wave itself. The “wave itself” is what we call “motion itself,” because motion, too, was an accident. But here, we said this is not an accidental motion; it is a substantial motion, a motion that is a substance in itself. And in reality, it is the embodied soul.

It’s like the reflection you see of yourself in a flowing river. You see that reflection as stable, while the water is changing moment by moment. Even the light that comes to your eyes and creates that reflection is constantly changing.

The beings that exist in the realm of time have no stability or independent existence. They are not independent.

This is what we mean when we say that these beings are poor and in need of God, and God is the very text of this universe. This is the constant flow in which forms are created in this world, moment by moment. God is creating the universe at every moment, not just at one time in the past.

We also said that if a person understands the concept of essential contingency (ḥudūth-e dhātī), they will also understand substantial motion (ḥarakat-e jawharī) and the renewal of likenesses (tajaddud-e amthāl). The renewal of likeness is a term from mysticism, while essential contingency is a term from philosophy, but they both lead to the same conclusion. Just like the discussion of substantial motion.

We briefly explained essential contingency before, but we’ll quickly review it because it’s a sibling of substantial motion and a worthy companion.

The Argument for God’s Existence

The discussion begins with this question: Why do we say this universe needs God? Why do contingent beings need a necessary being? Why does a contingent being need a necessary one? What’s the reason? Someone might say there is no God and that the beings in this world don’t need a God. Where do you get the idea that they do?

We say that the reason for a contingent being’s need for a necessary being is its contingency (ḥudūth). Contingency means to “come into being” or to “newly appear.”

A being is called contingent in philosophical terms if it is preceded by non-existence. What does that mean? It means it wasn’t there, and then it came to be. It was non-existent at first, and then it existed. Since it was preceded by non-existence, it needs someone to have brought it into existence because it didn’t exist before.

Your own intuition understands this. If you lock your room and go inside, and then come back to find a bag in the middle of the floor, you know that the bag was not there before, but now it is. So, you conclude that someone must have brought the bag and put it there, even though you have the key to the room and you know no one seems to have entered.

Theologians say that this “preceded by non-existence” is a temporal contingency of the universe. It means that the universe didn’t exist at one time and then came into existence. Therefore, someone must have brought it into existence. This is called the argument of temporal contingency.

The Debate Between Philosophers and Theologians

A series of conflicts arose here between the philosophers and the theologians. The discussion of temporal contingency was the source of it.

The philosophers said that time is a dimension of matter. We only have time when we have matter. When there’s no matter, there’s no time. So, when there was no material universe, there was no time to ask, “before the universe” or “when did the universe come into being?” Since “when” refers to time, and there was no time, we can’t apply it. The universe, therefore, has existed from the very beginning.

The theologians accused the philosophers of disbelief, because God is the only one who has existed from the beginning. The theologians’ argument for a Creator depended on the idea that the universe was not there at one point and then came into existence.

The philosophers, however, didn’t say the universe was independent. They used the analogy of the sun and its light. Light has existed as long as the sun has, but it is completely dependent on the sun. In the same way, the universe has always existed, but it is completely dependent on God’s existence.

But the theologians couldn’t grasp this. They argued, “If we say the universe is eternal, it means it does not need a Creator.”

The philosophers replied, “No, the universe is eternal, but it is dependent on another. It is not self-sufficient.” Just like the sun’s light is dependent on the sun, even though it has been there from the start, it doesn’t stand on its own.

The philosophers went even further, saying that the reason a contingent being needs a necessary one isn’t just temporal contingency—that the universe once didn’t exist and then came into being. That’s not the only reason.

The philosophers say that the only real reason for a being’s need for a necessary cause is its essential contingency.

The Problem of Understanding Abstract Beings

This is where theologians get stuck in their discussions of the unseen world, of abstract beings, and of angels. You see, abstract beings aren’t bound by time, so you can’t say that at one time they didn’t exist and then came into being. This idea doesn’t apply to them.

As a result, theologians end up considering angels to be material beings, albeit made of a finer substance. They say this because if they were to let go of the idea of temporal contingency, their whole argument would fall apart.

The Quran says: “Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter name the angels with female names.” (An-Najm:27)

Those who don’t believe in a non-material world—even if they are Muslims—only believe in the material world. Therefore, they see angels as physical beings, like the daughters of God. This is why the Quran says that polytheists called angels “the daughters of God,” because they didn’t believe in a non-material realm.

So, we want to bring up the discussion of essential contingency.

Philosophers say that the reason for a contingent being’s need for a necessary being is its essential contingency. These beings are essentially contingent “Hudus-e-Zati”, which means their very essence is preceded by non-existence.

The Three Categories of Being

Based on logical deduction, we can divide all beings and realities into three categories:

Impossible of Existence (Mumtani‘ al-Wujūd)

Necessary of Existence (Wājib al-Wujūd)

Contingent of Existence (Mumkin al-Wujūd)

Let’s define each.

The Impossible of Existence is a being whose very essence demands non-existence. For example, the essence of a square requires it to have four corners;  A triangle’s essence requires it to have three angles. You can’t have a triangle with two angles or four; the essence of a thing is inseparable from it. Impossible Existence is “logically impossible”.

Now, an Impossible of Existence is something whose very essence necessitates non-existence. This is similar to a logical impossibility.

We have two kinds of impossibilities:

Logical Impossibility: Something our minds can’t accept, like a circle with a diameter larger than its circumference. A logical impossibility is non-existent and can never exist because its very essence necessitates non-existence. It is like the unity of opposites, which means something to exist and not exist at the same time and in the same place. We say that such a thing is absolutely impossible. It’s a logical impossibility.

An ordinary impossibility is something we haven’t seen. For example, if someone jumps from a ten-story building onto the hard floor and is completely unharmed, we’d say that’s impossible. But this is just an ordinary impossibility. The mind doesn’t object to it; the mind says it’s possible.

However, the mind says some things are logically impossible. For example, a circle whose diameter is longer than its circumference, or a triangle with two angles, or a part that is larger than the whole. The mind says these things are impossible because it cannot even conceive of them. And because the mind can’t conceive of them, it says they cannot exist.

These logical impossibilities are considered Impossible of Existence. Their very essence requires them not to exist, so they don’t, and they never will.

What is the Necessary Existence? It’s a being whose very essence demands existence.

When an essence demands existence, you can no longer separate it from existence. This means it’s impossible for a Necessary of Existence not to exist. Just as the mind says it’s impossible for a logically impossible thing to exist, the mind also says it’s impossible for a Necessary of Existence not to exist.

What is a Contingent or possible Existence?

We say that it is a being whose essence requires neither existence nor non-existence. If its essence required existence, it would be Necessary. If it required non-existence, it would be Impossible. The essence of a contingent being is neutral. If something brings it into existence, it exists; if not, it remains non-existent.

A Contingent Existence is anything we can imagine both existing and not existing. For example, can you imagine the Earth not existing? Yes. Can you imagine it existing? Yes. Therefore, it is contingent. The same goes for the sun. Can you imagine it not being there? Yes. Can you imagine it being there? Yes. So, it is contingent.

Anything you can imagine existing or not existing is a Contingent Existence.

What about God? Can we imagine God existing or not existing? That’s a topic for the discussion on the Necessary Existence.

We’ve said that a Necessary Existence is a being whose very essence requires existence. Does such a being exist? We prove it through contingent beings. We’ve said a contingent or possible being is one whose essence requires neither existence nor non-existence. Now, if a contingent being has come into existence, then surely a Necessary Being must have brought it into existence. Therefore, a Necessary Being exists. This is one way to prove it.

But an objection is raised: what if a contingent being were brought into existence by another contingent being? What’s the problem with that?

To answer this, we ask about the second contingent being: “What brought it into existence?”

The response would be, “Another contingent being.” We ask about the third one, and they say, “Another one.” We ask, “How far does this chain go? Does it ever end?” If it ends with a contingent being, it doesn’t solve the problem, because that being would still need a cause. But if it ends with a Necessary Being, that proves our point.

If it doesn’t end with a Necessary Being and goes on forever, that’s called infinite regression (Tasalsul). An infinite regression is null and void because a chain of causes must have a starting point. Both philosophers and theologians have provided proofs to show that an infinite regression is impossible.

I’m bringing these discussions up so that when you read philosophical and theological books, you’ll be more familiar with the concepts.

Another objection philosophers raise is this: a contingent being was brought into existence by another contingent being, and then the second one was brought into existence by the first. This is a fallacy called circular reasoning (Dawr).

Here’s an example: What if a pillow created a carpet, and the carpet created the pillow? This is a fallacy because when the pillow was creating the carpet, the pillow existed, but the carpet didn’t. So how could the carpet have created the pillow? It couldn’t, because it didn’t exist at the time. This proves that circular reasoning is invalid. Both circular reasoning and infinite regression are invalid.

The chain of contingent beings must end with a Necessary Being. When we look at all contingent beings, we see that they are inherently neutral; their essence does not guarantee their existence. So, when the conditions for their existence are removed, they cease to exist because they can’t sustain themselves.

Therefore, something must have brought them into being. That something must be a Necessary Being or lead back to one, since we’ve already proven that both circular reasoning and infinite regression are invalid.

We can also do this another way: let’s put all contingent beings in a single group. What brought this entire group into existence? You can’t say it was another contingent being, since all of them are already in this group. This group, therefore, must have been created by a Necessary Being.

This is as far as philosophers went in proving God’s existence.

What is this Necessary Being? It is the very essence of existence itself.

Remember in our discussions on existence and non-existence, we said that non-existence is nothing. But existence is infinite, eternal, and never-ending. It’s impossible for existence not to be. If existence were not, it would be non-existence, and non-existence, as we said, is nothing. So, existence is necessary. If someone truly grasps this simple concept, which we have explained many times, they have grasped the heart of mysticism, because the foundation of mysticism is understanding the necessity of existence.

A contingent being is essentially in need of a Necessary Being to bring it out of a state of neutrality. So, when the Necessary Being gives it existence, it comes into being at that first moment. We’ve said that a contingent being exists when it has a cause, and it ceases to exist when the cause is removed. If the cause doesn’t give it existence in the very next moment, it will again cease to exist. So, existence must be given to it in the second moment and the third moment, and so on. This is because its essence is contingent; its essence is poor and in a state of essential poverty.

The need for a contingent being to have a necessary cause isn’t because it didn’t exist at one point and then came into being. It’s because of its essential contingency and poverty, so it needs a cause moment by moment.

When an electric current flows to a lightbulb, it illuminates; nevertheless, the light extinguishes immediately upon interruption of the current. The current must flow uninterrupted for the light to remain illuminated; otherwise, it will extinguish.

Similarly, because a contingent being’s essence is neutral, it comes into existence when a cause gives it existence. But if that cause doesn’t give it existence in the next moment, it returns to its essential non-existence. Just as when you imagine something, you bring it into being in your mind. The moment you stop thinking about it, it ceases to exist. For it to continue to exist, you must continuously hold it in your mind.

Contingent beings are in constant, moment-by-moment need of a cause, in need of the Necessary Being. As the Quran says, “O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.” (Fatir:15). This is not like a builder who builds a house and then leaves. The relationship between this universe and God is not like a building and its builder. The Creator is creating the universe moment by moment, giving it existence at every single instant.

This is what it means for the universe to be contingent in its essence. Its very nature is preceded by non-existence; non-existence is in its essence. If existence is not given to it for a single moment, it becomes nothing.

With just a glance, He gives creation life,

If He frowns, all forms will crumble and fall.

Naziri Nishapuri

If the substantial motion were to stop for a single moment, everything would turn into nothing.

Now that we understand this topic, it no longer matters whether we consider the universe to be “eternal but dependent on another.” Its need for a Necessary Being is evident. Of course, Mulla Sadra’s substantial motion proved that the universe is being created moment by moment. It’s not that the universe was created once in the past; it is being created continuously.

And the universe isn’t just a place in which things move; “the universe is motion itself”. It is the very essence of flow and of becoming. All beings in this universe are in motion, and all blessings are the result of that motion. Motion is what allows a single cell to become me, you, or a sparrow or a pigeon.

It was motion that allowed this mosque to be built and for this steel pillar to come from the heart of a mountain, to be extracted from a mine, to be refined into a metal, and to become what it is. All development on Earth is a blessing of motion. “Development is a blessing of motion.”

The abstract or immaterial worlds have no motion, so there is no development there. This material world, on the other hand, is blessed, and all blessings come from here because motion is also from here. immaterial worlds are stable; there is no motion in them because they do not have a substance that can take on different forms.

Our bodies are in the material world, in the world of motion and flow, and they are being annihilated and created moment by moment. Even our cells are constantly dying and being reborn; this is just another layer, a wave upon another wave.

Our body is in a state of constant flow. This body is changing moment by moment due to substantial motion. After a few years, our cells change. And our shape, size, and appearance also change. This is another layer on top of our cells.

But the “I” is the same person I was as a child. Our “I” is stable. This is where we conclude that the “I” is not material. This is one of the proofs for the immateriality of the soul. I am the same person who bought a car ten years ago, got married fifteen years ago, and was in a certain place twenty years ago, all while my body was constantly changing. So, the “I” is not material; I am separate from this body.

The human being is a multi-leveled being. We have a level of the body, which is in a state of constant flow because it belongs to the material world. But we have another level above the body, the level of imagination. Our imagination belongs to the world of likenesses, a world with forms, but no matter. This world has many names, such as the “separated world of imagination,” the “world of Hūr Qaliyā,” or the “world of suspended forms”, “Barzakh”, “the Intermediate world”, “Methal world”, “Malaku”, and many more.

Our body is from the material world, and our imagination is from the world of likenesses. The level higher than that is the intellect world.

We did say that the world of intellect and the world of divine power descend to the celestial, methal, or Khial realm and then from there to the material world.

This is a detailed explanation of the same concept: divine grace descends from the higher realms until it reaches the material world. On the arc of ascent, this matter, through the developments it undergoes, goes back up the same path. In other words, through its development, matter reaches the level of non-material existence, the world of imagination, and after that, the world of the intellect.

It follows the same path on the arc of ascent that divine grace took on the arc of descent, from the world of the intellect to the material world.

Theories for the Soul creation

A new discussion is about to begin. We’ve likely mentioned this before, but it’s an important topic, so it’s worth revisiting.

There are several theories about the nature and origin of the soul. Here are the main ones:

First Theory: The soul is material in origin and material in survival.

Second Theory: The soul is spiritual in origin and spiritual in survival.

Third Theory: The soul is material in origin and spiritual in survival.

The first theory states that the soul is material in origin and material in survival. This means that both the soul’s creation and its survival are material. Proponents of this view see the soul as a fine, subtle matter whose existence depends on the body. Many of the early theologians and peripatetic philosophers held this view. They believed that the soul dies and perishes, and then on the Day of Judgment, God creates it again. However, philosophically, the recreation of what has been annihilated is impossible. If something ceases to exist and is then brought back into being, it’s no longer the same thing; it’s something new, even if it looks identical. We have previously discussed the proofs for the soul’s immateriality.

The second theory states that the soul is spiritual in origin and spiritual in survival. This is the view of the peripatetic philosophers. They believe the soul is immaterial from its very beginning and remains so. There is no problem with the idea of the soul surviving as a spiritual being, but its spiritual origin presents some difficulties. Within this theory, there are two different ideas:

Some believe the soul’s origin is before the body, meaning it existed before it was attached to a body. This view has its supporters, but it can be refuted.

Others, like Ibn Sina (Avicenna), believe the soul is created at the same time as the body. The soul comes into being once the body is ready. However, even Ibn Sina pointed out a problem with this: how does a spiritual soul “fit” a physical body? For example, how does a dog’s soul “fit” a dog’s body, or a pigeon’s soul “fit” a pigeon’s body? A second issue with this theory is how two separate identities—a body and a soul—can combine to become a single, unified reality and person.

These are the main objections to the theory that the soul is spiritual in origin, especially the idea that it is created at the same time as the body.

Another group, within the same theory, believes that the soul actually existed before the body. This view leads to the idea of the eternality of spirits, which has many problems. One of the main objections is this: how can there be a multiplicity of souls without the involvement of matter? The soul is an immaterial being. The reason we have thousands, even billions, of individual souls is their connection to their bodies. If there were no bodies, these souls wouldn’t be separate from each other.

Think of a wall with many holes in it that lets light shine through. The thousands of distinct beams of light are only there because of the holes in the wall. If the wall were to be removed, all the light beams would become one single light. The multiplicity of the light is caused by the holes. If there were no holes, there would only be a single light.

Similarly, it’s the involvement of matter that has created the multiplicity of souls. Otherwise, immaterial realities are a single, unified truth. How can they be separate from each other? How can there be many when there is no multiplicity in the world of the intellect?

Of course, a full explanation of this requires a separate session, but it shows that the multiplicity of souls is impossible without the involvement of matter.

Here are two more objections to the idea that the soul exists before the body:

First, if the soul was created in the immaterial world before the body, there would be no veil or separation there. So, the soul would have to be aware of all knowledge, which contradicts the Quranic verse: “And Allah brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing.” (An-Nahl:78)

Second, it would lead to a state of idleness, where countless souls are waiting in a timeless realm until a body is created for them.

Another issue that arises is metempsychosis, where a soul separates from one body and joins another. We have said that this is invalid.

Why is it invalid?

The answer lies in the theory that the soul is material in origin.

This means that the soul’s origin is from matter; it doesn’t just attach to it. It is not an immaterial being that is separate and distinct from matter and then comes and sticks to it. Rather, the soul is material in origin, meaning that matter, through the development it undergoes, reaches a level of immateriality and acquires a share of immateriality.

Think of a tree that grows and bears fruit. The fruit originates from the tree; it’s not something we took from somewhere else and attached to it. Our soul is like a fruit that has come from the tree of our body.

Therefore, once the fruit is separated from the tree, you cannot reattach it to another tree. Similarly, when the soul separates from the body, it can’t join another body. This refutes the idea that our soul existed before the body and then became attached to it. Otherwise, how would a single, unified identity come into being?

When I say “I,” it includes both my body and my soul. We are one identity, even though a part of this identity is material and a part is immaterial. We are not two separate things but a single, continuous reality.

They use an analogy: like a ship that is half in the water and half out. The ship is still one ship, even though half of it is in the water and half is not. Similarly, a human is a single reality, with one part being material and the other non-material.

So, the soul is material in origin; its origin is from the body. But it is spiritual in survival, meaning that in its continued existence, it no longer needs matter. It needs matter to come into being, but not to survive. We have extensively discussed this in previous sessions, where we proved the immateriality of the soul. This all connects to the idea that human nature is in a state of flux and the soul has become embodied.

The Journey of a Human Being: From the flowing reality of matter, the immaterial part of a human being comes into existence. Then, through development, it becomes the intellect and, after that, something beyond the intellect. Just as a tree grows from the ground toward the sky, a human being also rises from the soil but is pulled toward a reality that is above the heavens.

Final part of the previous discussion, summarizing the concept of tajarrud (immateriality).

A  Methali immateriality, imaginative immateriality, or Barzakhi immateriality is the one that perceives forms that are devoid of matter. This is what we see in our dreams, in revelations, and in our imagination. This is related to our intermediate immateriality.

Total immateriality is an abstraction that has neither matter nor form. These are what we call spiritual beings. In the language of religious law, we call them souls.

The Soul and the World of Command

“And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is from the command of my Lord; and you have not been given of knowledge except a little.” (Al-Isra:85)

The soul is from the world of command. Spiritual beings are those that belong to the world of command or the world of the intellect; they are purely immaterial.

Therefore, as we’ve discussed in our interpretive sessions, narrations tell us that angels are distinct from the soul. The soul is superior to angels and encompasses them. As one narration says, it is the “guardian of the angels,” which means it is the unifying aspect of the angels.

Regarding the verse: “On the Day when the Soul and the angels stand in a row, none shall speak except he whom the Most Gracious has permitted.” (An-Naba:38)

A narration says that on the day the Soul and the angels form a line, the angels stand in one row while the Soul stands in a separate row. All the angels stand in a single row, and the Soul stands alone in a row, because of the existential vastness of the Soul.

“Nothing has descended with separation and independence”. Remember the analogy we used before? Imagine an ocean from which many rivers branch out. The water in the rivers is the very same water from the ocean.

Refuge to God, Without comparison, imagine the ocean is God, and the rivers are created beings. There is nothing in the river but the ocean; it is the ocean that flows in the river.

In the same way, my perfections, my sight, my hearing, my sense of smell, my perceptions—my very existence—is nothing but a manifestation of God in this channel, in this conduit of being.

Now, if this conduit journeys back up, what does it reach? It reaches the ocean. At that point, the river no longer exists; it becomes the ocean. The Divine Station refers to this, to a human ascending through the levels of their own existence until they reach that Oneness. When they reach that point, there is only “Oneness,” and our “I” no longer exists. This is what mystics refer to as the station of annihilation in God (Fana Fillah).

Nothing has descended with separation and independence; nothing is cut off from God. Everything is a pure connection to Him.

Allameh said, “The soul is a luminous essence that is purified from the defilements of nature and is nourished by intellectual realities.”

Our souls are a luminous essence. What does “luminous” mean? It means it’s immaterial, because matter is darkness. Any being that is not material is called luminous, meaning it belongs to the world of lights and immaterial beings.

The soul is also purified from the defilements of nature. The word “defilements” refers to the ugliness and imperfections of nature. The material world has many imperfections, from which immaterial beings are free. All of the suffering in the material world is due to these very imperfections.

For example, why do we say there is no pain in Paradise? Paradise is the “Abode of Peace”; it is pure wellness, and there is no suffering there because it is perfect. All suffering comes from deficiency and lack.

Consider all the struggles of this material world. To go somewhere, you have to move your body and use your muscles. Your feet hurt, so you have to wear shoes. Your body gets tired, so you need to sleep. You need to eat food for energy, but the food has to be digested and requires excretion. You get thirsty and have to drink water. All of these struggles are because of the imperfections of the material world.

These deficiencies don’t exist in the immaterial world. Food there is not to relieve hunger. Here, in this world, pleasures are often just a way of removing pain; they’re a relief from suffering.

If a part of your body itches, you scratch it and feel pleasure. But if you have an itch and can’t scratch it, you feel tormented. When you finally scratch it, you find relief and pleasure. Worldly pleasures are of this kind.

For example, the pleasure of food is due to the removal of hunger. When you’re completely full, even the most delicious roasted chicken is unappealing. In fact, if someone forces you to eat more, it becomes torment.

All of life’s pleasures are of this kind. Sleeping is a pleasure, eating is a pleasure, but all of these are about removing a pain or a deficiency.

But the pleasures of the afterlife are not like this. They are pure pleasure, and one must experience them to truly understand.

We have food for the body that we eat, and we should avoid overeating or undereating. The body is the vehicle of the soul, and the soul needs to use this body to work, so it must eat. However, you shouldn’t be a glutton.

Don’t eat just because the food is delicious. If you’re at the dinner table and see both fesenjan and gheimeh, two Persian foods, and you really like fesenjan, tell yourself, “No, I’m eating the gheimeh.” You’re eating for the strength of your body, so eat the gheimeh. If you see another delicious food you like, say to your ego, “I’m not giving you this; I’ll eat something else. Eat bread and cheese instead.” Don’t eat the delicious thing; deny yourself. Say to your ego, “I’m not giving you that ice cream or those popsicles. I’ve told you how harmful they are.”

The key point is that the food must reach the body, because the body needs energy to work.

The soul, however, needs a different kind of food. Since it is immaterial, physical food will not satiate it. It needs food of its own kind: knowledge, wisdom, and light. This doesn’t just mean hearing things; it requires intellectual comprehension.

What elevates a human being? The two wings of knowledge and action. You must acquire knowledge, and you must act on it. Why? Because they like food and water. Knowledge and action are the spiritual food and drink.

Knowledge isn’t just about studying and listening; there are times when a person receives spiritual nourishment and otherworldly perceptions through worship, remembrance, and focusing on the divine realms. These two things, knowledge and action, must go together. When they do, the soul gains strength. When the veils are removed in the afterlife, a person will see the strength their soul has gained from attending classes and praying at night, compared to their friends.

In a narration, it is said that a group of people will see their friends in a high station and ask, “We were with you in the world! We were friends and neighbors. They will complain, saying, “We were together. How did he achieve all of this?” And the answer will be, “When you were silent, he was performing remembrance. When you were asleep, he was praying at night. When you were playing soccer, he was attending religious classes and discussions. You were friends, but you were just wasting your time, while he was seeking his own perfection.”

We should not waste our time. We must give our souls the spiritual food they need to grow and gain strength so they can soar. When the veils are removed after this 60 or 70 years of life are over, and we are freed from this prison of the world and the material body, we will see the fruits, the gardens, the palaces, and the ranks we have acquired. We won’t believe that these things could have so much greatness in the next life.

Jesus told his disciples, “The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when you plant it, it becomes a tree so large that birds can nest in its branches.”

He meant that your small actions in this world will have an immense reward in the divine realm. When you send blessings upon the Prophet or say “Glory be to God” or “There is no god but God,” or when you attend a class for one hour, you don’t realize the greatness and spiritual light these actions hold on the other side. A person only understands this after they pass away and see it for themselves.

“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: “My Lord! Send me back,” (99) “So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!” No! (Kalla) It is but a word that he speaks; and in front of them is Barzakh until the Day when they will be resurrected. (100)” (Al-Mu’minun:99-100).

There is no turning back. And then the person is overcome with so much regret that, as my master (Allameh Hasanzadeh) used to say, they howl like a wolf. They see all the heights they could have reached and what they have become. I pray that God grants us the grace to remain steadfast on our path of perfection and closeness to Him.

Let’s summarize what we have said so far:

The discussion on substantial motion states that the material world is entirely motion, flow, becoming, and change. Even beings that we consider solid and stationary are in a constant state of change. The Quran says, “You see the mountains and think them to be solid, while they pass by like the passing of clouds.” (An-Naml:88)

The very existence of the material world depends on this flow. As the poet Sa’ib Tabrizi says:

We are alive because we do not rest,

We are a wave, and our rest is our annihilation.

A wave ceases to exist when it becomes still. Similarly, the material world exists because of motion and change. This continuous flow of divine grace is constantly reaching the material world, and it is this flow that makes it “nature” in the first place; otherwise, it would have no existence at all.

Nature or the Material world is always flowing and changing. There are some changes and motions that we can see, like the movement of water, air, and plants. And there are some motions that we can’t see but can still perceive, such as the growth of a plant. We don’t see the growth itself, but we realize that the plant is growing.

Some of these motions, like the movement of mountains or the universe’s own substantial motion, are not even things we can consciously perceive; they must be understood through the intellect.

Allameh said, “And its form is preserved by the renewal of its likes, and in reality, it is the embodied soul.”

This phrase, as dear Allameh explained, is the core of the discussion on substantial motion. “Nature or the material world is an embodied soul”. This means that matter is an intelligible reality that has become perceivable. It is a motion that has taken on a form, an immaterial reality that can be felt. Since we have already explained these points previously, we will not delve into them further.

The Renewal of Likes (Tajaddud-e-Amsal)

This belongs to the level of human nature. This is a mystical term. It means that a being in the material world exists at one moment, and at the very next moment, existence must be bestowed upon it again. Forms are bestowed one after another so that this being can continue to exist.

This is like a movie projector shining light on a screen. The projector continuously projects forms onto the screen, momentarily. If the projection stops for a single moment, the entire picture on the screen will disappear.

The world of nature also exists through the renewal of likes. This means that the reality of divine Names of God—the Creator, the Shaper, the Initiator—are continuously creating this world, moment by moment. One form is annihilated, and the next form is bestowed.

It’s just like a lit light bulb. The light seems continuous to us, but it’s not. If the electricity were to be cut for a single moment, the light would go out.

The World is Not Independent

The universe isn’t independent. It doesn’t stand on its own. It is constantly receiving grace from the divine realm, and this is the renewal of likes. “Likes” refers to the new forms that are continuously bestowed, one after another. Someone who doesn’t understand this thinks they’re seeing the same old form.

Think of someone looking at their reflection in flowing water. The water is constantly moving, so the reflection isn’t stable. But because the person sees the same form again and again, they perceive it as being stationary.

Similarly, this universe has no independence. It is a being that is not self-sufficient but is utterly dependent on the divine realm. The forms are continuously bestowed from the divine realm, and because they are like the previous forms, we call this the “renewal of likes”—this constant renewal of forms that allows things to exist.

So, in truth, this world is an embodied divine realm, an embodied soul, and an intelligible reality that has become perceivable.

Now, let’s discuss the level of imagination.

As we’ve explained many times, Barzakh immateriality is an immaterial state that has a form but no matter. This is akin to the beings and forms we encounter in our dreams; they possess a blend of immaterial qualities.

The level above barzakh immateriality is complete immateriality or intellectual immateriality. At this level, there is neither form nor matter; it is pure reality and pure intellect. We call these beings pure intellects or beings of the divine realm.

To give a worldly example: think of knowledge. Knowledge has no form or matter, yet it exists, and all of these blessings and effects are a result of it. The same is true for the soul. The soul is a purely immaterial reality, without form or matter, because matter itself is just a manifestation of the soul. In truth, the material world is just a lower state of the intellectual world.

If a person truly understands this, they will realize that the material world is a shadow of the divine realm, a ray from the world of the intellects, and a form of the metaphysical. They will understand that this world isn’t independent; it depends on the barzakh or intermediate immaterial world, which in turn depends on the intellectual world. The world of the intellect, also known as the divine realm or the world of command, as the Quran says, “The soul is from the command of my Lord” (Al-Isra:85), is utterly dependent on the divine reality, on that Absolute Existence.

No being is independent or separate. All are dependent on God’s existence. They are all a branch or a ray from the divine realm, not independent entities.

All of us are a stream from the ocean of being,

All of us are a book of the unseen and the witnessed.

All of us are a manifestation of the Necessary Being,

It’s a shame that we have all been asleep in ignorance. (Allameh Hassanzadeh)

Our Connection to the Spiritual Realms

A “stream from the ocean of being” means that we are a channel or a river from that ocean of absolute existence. Our entire existence comes from that ocean; we are not a separate or independent being. Our connection to the active intellect, or the world of the intellect is a permanent connection. We are a ray from the world of the intellect, not that we were a ray once.

We are continuously a channel from that world. The more this channel of our existence becomes pure, vast, and cleansed, the more grace and intellectual perceptions we receive.

The prophets are those whose channel of existence is open to the world of the intellect, the world of imagination, and the divine realm. They are continuously connected to it. We should not imagine that their connection was a one-time event, like Gabriel flying down to deliver a message and then leaving. A prophet’s very existence is continuously connected to the higher realms.

The Quran says, “In His hand is the divine realm of all things” (Yasin:83). “In His hand” doesn’t just mean that everything is under His control. It means He has direct possession and dominion over the divine realm and the true reality of all things.

All beings and all things are a reality that is a channel connected to the divine world and are under its dominion. The analogy of the soul having dominion over our body and our body being connected to the soul is a good way to understand this, but it is limited. When the soul leaves the body, the body remains for a while before it decays. But if the universe’s connection to God were to be cut for a single moment, it would cease to exist entirely. It’s like turning off a light bulb; the light instantly goes out.

The universe’s connection to God is absolute and continuous, and all beings in this world are manifestations of God. God is revealed and apparent in these manifestations.

Look at a single grain of wheat. Where does it get the intelligence to make its stalk grow a certain way, its seeds align in a specific pattern, its leaves a certain shape, and its roots a certain length? Where does it get that intelligence? And that common weed by the river—where does it get the intelligence to make all of its leaves the same size, shape, and color?

Every flower, every plant, every animal, every crawling, predatory, flying, and slithering creature—everything you see in this world—is growing according to a precise formula, and it is completely unaware of it. Why? Because this world is a manifestation of the divine realm, and its realities are appearing as the beings we see here. I did not design my own hand this way, nor did my parents. It

Allameh Hassanzadeh, in his book “1001 Notes,” said, “When I was in a state of spiritual awe and wonder—a state whose description is impossible—I consoled myself by writing a booklet titled ‘Who Am I?’, which has not yet been published. In that state, I had a remarkable conversation with beings. Among them was the quince tree in my courtyard in Amol, which that year was so heavy with fruit that its branches had bowed down like bunches of grapes. In that state, I sat with the quince tree and said:

O Quince, in your voiceless tongue,

speak to me for a while.

I’ve come to you, O Quince,

to ask about you and your work.

I have a desire for you in my mind,

like Majnun for his Layla (a famous love story).

Tell me why you have a pale face,

as if your heart is full of pain,

For one whose essence is fiery,

will have such a face and color.

For what reason is your back bowed?

And for what reason has your color faded?

Is it because you grieve for a separated beloved?

Or do you have worries about checks and promissory notes?

Or have you been afflicted with a paleness

that no one has ever seen?

Or have you lost sleep, day and night,

like a restless and impatient lover?

Or from the hardships of time,

have you fallen ill, my friend?

Or are you grieving and wailing

for the condition of the needy?

Or is it my eyes that are mistaken,

O my fresh new fruit?

I am unaware of your nature, O Quince,

Tell me what has happened to you?

Allameh continues:

“O dear Quince, how did you know to grow your leaves in this shape? To make your fruit this way? To raise your branches in this manner? To form your roots like this? How did you know?”

“Why doesn’t a pumpkin leaf suddenly grow from you? How do you have the intelligence to make seeds in this form, so that they become your essence and grow into a new tree? Where did you learn all this?”

The quince tree said, “Go ask your mother how she designed and made you! How did your mother form you in this shape and form?”

I said, “My mother didn’t know anything about me. She had no idea what I was in her womb—whether I was alive or dead, a boy or a girl, healthy or not.”

The tree said, “The same way your mother didn’t know, I don’t know either! ‘We grow by the same hand that nurtures us.’“

Whether I am a thorn or a rose, there is a gardener,

and I grow by the same hand that pulls me”.

All beings in this universe are unaware of who is nurturing and causing them to grow. Ask a crow, “How did you make this shape, this beak, these talons, and this color?” The crow would simply say, “I don’t know.”

Ask a pigeon, and it will say, “I don’t know.” It will say, “Did I make my own feet? I didn’t make them myself; I wasn’t even here when they were made.”

Ask a fly or a mosquito, and they’ll say, “We don’t know either; we didn’t make ourselves.” A mosquito has an incredible design that the entire world couldn’t replicate. Who is raising and shaping all these flies, mosquitoes, and lizards? They are not separate from the divine realm.

And what about us? As we grow and develop, are we really the ones growing ourselves? Do you even know about the internal workings of your own body? No, we don’t.

What does the intestine do? What does the stomach do? What does the heart do? We only know these things because doctors have told us. We wouldn’t even know if we have a heart, an intestine, or adrenal glands otherwise. We only learned about these things from books.

Even the management of these functions is not in our hands. We aren’t the ones circulating our blood. We have no idea about the extraordinary workings of our bodies. We are completely unaware of our body’s formula. Everything is under the solitary management of the divine realm, and no being is independent or cut off from it.

You and I only have a sense of hunger and know that the body needs food. We eat. When the body feels thirsty, we drink. When it’s tired, we sleep. We only perceive these few senses. What do we know about the rest?

Things are happening in the kingdom of the body that we are completely unaware of. All beings are like this; they are unaware of themselves. Something else is nurturing and raising them. They are manifestations of the Reality of all Realities.

No one ever asks themselves, “Who am I?” They think they already know. If you ask someone, “Who are you?” they’ll say, “My name is Alireza so-and-so.”

But that’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking, “Who are you? What are you? Who is this ‘I’ that says, ‘I ate,’ ‘I went,’ ‘I did this’?” The most someone can answer is, “I am I.”

But a true mystic travels all the way to realize, “I am not I.” So, who am I then? You have to take that path to find out. The answer to “Who am I?” comes only after a lot of spiritual discipline and journey. You have to travel the path of the saints and mystics to understand who you truly are. It’s not something you can get to with just words and conversation.

No being has ever descended with independence or separation from the divine realm. All of this universe first existed in the divine knowledge of God. That knowledge then descended and became the world of intellect. The intellects then descended to the intermediate-immaterial world (Barzakh or Methal or Imaginal world), and from there, grace flowed down to the material world. So, everything we see in the material world has its origin in the intermediate immaterial world, whose origin is in the world of the intellect, whose origin is in God’s divine reality. Therefore, every being here has a form in the intermediate-immaterial world.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) said, “On the Divine Throne, there is a likeness of everything God has created on land and sea.” He connected this to the Quranic verse: “And there is not a thing but with Us are its treasures, and We do not send it down except in a known measure.” (Al-Hijr:21).

Every person has a likeness on the Divine Throne, a form on the Throne, and when that person acts here, that form also performs it there.

Think of a live TV or a CCTV camera. Someone is doing something on the other side of the world, and you are watching it live. It is the same way with the divine throne. Whatever you do, your image is there, and the inhabitants of the heavens are watching your actions and listening to what you say or act.

When a person is about to commit a sin, God commands His angels, “Veil the image of My servant so that he is not disgraced before the inhabitants of the heavens and his honor is not lost.” And they do so.

But a narration says that when a person crosses a certain limit—for instance, commits 40 major sins—God says, “Remove the veils. He has torn the veil himself.” At that point, the person is disgraced before the inhabitants of the heavens, and then their honor is lost on Earth.

This connects to the prayer, “O He who reveals the beautiful and conceals the ugly, O He who does not hold one accountable for a crime.”

We must also adopt divine conduct. We should reveal others’ good qualities and conceal their bad ones. Instead of saying someone is ill-tempered, we should mention their good traits, just as God deals with us.

As we’ve discussed, a human being has a level of nature or matter, a level of imagination and intermediate-immateriality, and a level of intellect. At the level of the intellect, a human is on par with the angels. But there is a station even higher: the divine station of a human being. This is a level beyond the angels, which is called annihilation in oneness. This station is above the intellects and above angel Gabriel (A).

The Prophet Muhammad (S) reached a point on his Night spiritually Journey where angel Gabriel (A) stopped. When the Prophet (S) asked if he was leaving him alone, Gabriel (A) replied, “If I were to take one more step, I would be burned.”

As the poem says,

If I were to fly a hair’s breadth higher,

The light of manifestation would burn my wing.

This shows that a human being can reach a point where they surpass the angels. This is because of the infinite potential of a human.

Unlike angels, who have a known station, a human being has no limit. As the Quran says, “And there is none of us but has a known station.” (Al-Saffat:164). Angels have a known station because they are intellects that have already reached their full potential; they have no further motion or development.

However, the human soul has a unique nature that allows it to reach perfection. Until where? There is no “until where.” This is why a human can go beyond the angels. There is no limit to their progress in any path they take.

This limitless potential can lead to one of two extremes. Some people become worse than Satan on the path of evil, while others become superior to angels. Some fall to a level worse than animals, as the Quran says, “They are like cattle; rather, they are more astray.” (Al-A’raf:179).

Some people become superior to angels because there is no limit for them. There’s no point where a person can say, “That’s enough; I’m full. My vessel is full. I can’t receive any more knowledge.” The speaker says, “No, that’s not true. No matter how far you go, there is always a higher level for you.”

Early in my time with my master, Allameh Hassanzadeh, I had a dream. He was explaining the limitlessness of the soul. He pointed to a great dam beside a water channel and said, “Twenty-four years ago, 24,000 glasses or liters were poured into my being, and they’re still being poured, and my being is still not full.” When I told him the dream, he said that the water represented knowledge, and the 24,000 liters poured all at once was what Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said about the saints of God: “Knowledge has suddenly attacked them with the reality of insight.” This means the doors of knowledge are opened to a person all at once.

The Discourse of Imam Ali to Kumayl ibn Ziyad

Kumayl ibn Ziyad said: Imam Ali (A) took my hand and led me to the cemetery of Kufa. When we reached the open ground, he let out a heavy sigh and said:

O Kumayl ibn Ziyad, these hearts are like vessels, and the best of them are the most comprehensive. So, remember what I am about to tell you.

People are of three kinds: a divine scholar, a student on the path of salvation, and a rabble, who are prone to every passing whim. They follow every sound and sway with every wind. They have not been enlightened by the light of knowledge, nor have they taken refuge in a solid support.

O Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge is your guardian, but you are the guardian of wealth. Wealth is diminished by spending, but knowledge is purified and grows by being given away. The status and character gained by wealth vanish when the wealth is gone. O Kumayl, the understanding of true knowledge is a religion by which one is judged. Through it, a person gains obedience to God during his life and a beautiful reputation after his death. Knowledge is the ruler, while wealth is ruled.

O Kumayl, the hoarders of wealth are dead even while they are alive, but scholars remain as long as the world remains. Their bodies are lost, but their images live on in the hearts.

Behold, here (and he pointed to his chest) is a vast knowledge. I wish I could find those to carry it. Indeed, I find some with quick minds, but they are not trustworthy. They use religion as a tool for worldly gain and flaunt God’s blessings before His servants, and His proofs before His friends. Or a group of them are submissive to the bearers of truth but lack deep insight into its mysteries. They are filled with doubt at the slightest appearance of a misconception. Neither of these groups is worthy of my vast knowledge. Or there is the kind who is hungry for pleasure and a slave to his passions, or the one obsessed with hoarding and accumulation. None of these are the guardians of religion in any way, and they are most similar to grazing livestock.

Thus, knowledge dies when its bearers die. However, the earth will never be empty of a person who rises for God with a clear proof, whether he is apparent and well-known or fearful and hidden. This is so that God’s proofs and signs do not vanish. How many are they, and where are they? By God, they are few in number but are the greatest in rank before God. Through them, God preserves His proofs and signs until they can entrust them to their likes and plant them in the hearts of those who resemble them.

Knowledge has suddenly attacked them with the reality of insight, and they have experienced the spirit of certainty. They found easily what the extravagant found difficult, and they felt at ease with what the ignorant feared. They live in this world with bodies whose souls are attached to the highest station. They are the vicegerents of God on His Earth and the callers to His religion. Oh, oh, how I long to see them! Now, you may leave, O Kumayl, when you wish.

Sayyid Haydar Amoli, a mystic from the 7th and 8th centuries AH, said: “By God, and again by God, on this spiritual journey, I have been given knowledge that if all humans and jinn became writers, all the trees became pens, and all the seas became ink, they could not exhaust my knowledge.”

This is a human being who has been “suddenly attacked” by knowledge. A sea of knowledge pours into their being all at once, and it continues to pour without interruption. If they are human, then what are the rest of us?

Sadr al-Din Qunawi, a student of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, said: After my master’s passing, I saw him in a spiritual vision and spoke with him. He said some things we don’t need to get into now. Then I told him, “O our Master, if you are human, then others are nothing.” He didn’t mean that they were animals, but that they were spiritually “nothing” in comparison.

Rumi praises this kind of person:

I am unable to praise this man whose name I mention,

even if I count until the Day of Judgment.

This is what a human is. Being human isn’t just about being good, pious, or well-mannered. We might call a person a “believer,” but what does that even mean? A believer is not just someone who does these acts.

What kind of image do people have of the Prophet, their Imam, or the saints of God? People think they are just like them, but with a little more knowledge, or that they pray at night or have long prostrations. That’s their understanding of a saint of God (Awliya ‘llah).

Knowledge facts are unchangeable and unalterable. Those who are not familiar with Islamic philosophy have made some absurd remarks about it, so listen carefully. They contend that as the tangible world is always changing, all knowledge must likewise be evolving. They come to the conclusion that fresh information should replace the out-of-date knowledge of the past. This notion is only a delusion.

They are unaware that the knowledge truths are fixed. For example, two times two is four. From the beginning of creation to the end, it will never be five.

The material world is in a state of change, but the world of the intellect is not. Those truths are fixed. The divine reality is not subject to change, and no “morning or evening” passes upon it. Even intellectuals are this way.

What is motion? It is leaving a deficiency and moving toward perfection. It’s going from a state of not having to a state of having.

When you don’t know something and then gain that knowledge, you’ve moved from a deficiency to perfection. In philosophical terms, we call this motion.

An apple seed is planted; it moves and becomes an apple tree. Before, it didn’t have this actuality, but now it has acquired it. However, in purely intellectual and immaterial beings, there is no potentiality. They are all pure actuality, and therefore, there is no motion or change in them.

When there’s no motion, is there time? No, because time arises from motion. Where there is no motion, time is no longer relevant. These are realms that are beyond time. The pure intellects have command over time; for them, the past, present, and future are the same. These realms are the Day of Judgment itself. They are the Day of Gathering; they are the Greater Judgment. Their Judgment is already established; in fact, they are the Judgment.

Mulla Sadra has a very useful and concise treatise called Risālat al-Ḥashr (Treatise on the Resurrection). It discusses the resurrection of all beings: humans, plants, animals, and pure intellect. In this work, he argues that the Day of Judgment is already established in the immaterial worlds.

This book, despite its brevity, is one of the gems of Mulla Sadra’s works. It was written in response to the request of a dear friend and is based on the resurrection of all beings—from prime matter, forms, inanimate objects, plants, animals, humans, souls, and intellects—to God.

Thus, all beings—from intellects and souls to material bodies—will be resurrected and returned to their original source. The first group to be resurrected to God are the intellects. The second is the rational souls. The third is the animal souls. The fourth is the vegetative powers and other physical natures. The fifth is the inanimate objects and elements, including the natural, sensory forms that are subject to change and decay. The sixth is the resurrection of prime matter and physical bodies, as well as the fate of the wicked and the devils. In the end, he recommends that the truths he has entrusted in this book be valued and concealed from the unworthy.

A human being is in one sense fixed. In what sense? In the sense of their identity. You are the same person who, as a child, said “I.” You were the one who said “I” as a child, and you still say “I” now. You say, “I am the same person,” but think about how much your knowledge has increased, because knowledge is a part of our essence.

A human being is both fixed and flowing. While their single identity remains, they are in a state of flow, motion, and development. So, humans are both fixed and flowing.

Allameh Hassanzadeh has two books: one in Persian, called “The Treasure of the Jewel of the Soul”, and one in Arabic, called “The Conclusive Proofs for the Immateriality of the Rational Soul”. In each of these books, he provides a hundred proofs for the immateriality of the soul. These proofs cover various types of immateriality, including the immateriality of imagination or intermediate immateriality, intellectual immateriality, and even a level beyond that. In our earlier lectures, I believe we presented nearly 20 of these proofs for the audience.

So, a human is fixed from their immaterial dimension and flowing from their material dimension. The entity that exists between pure immateriality and the flowing material world is called the Nafs in philosophy.

The difference between the Nafs and the intellect is that the Nafs is connected to matter, while the intellect is not. It’s important to remember that sometimes, when we use the term “rational Nafs,” we mean all the stages of the Nafs. But other times, we use “Nafs” in a specific sense that is distinct from “intellect.” You must be able to differentiate between these two usages.

Muhammad Mahdi Me’marian

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