The Metaphysical Aspects within the Quranic Revelation

Published in May 27, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

 We have received the following message via email; the question mentioned in it indicates clearly that its male sender is an ignoramus and/or a disbeliever; yet, we reply to his message by deep pondering on the Quran regarding the topic of the metaphysical aspects within the Quranic revelation.

 (... This question has crossed my mind recently: what proofs have we that Muhammad saw an angel from God? Muhammad might have been deceived by an imposter from the jinn or the devils who posed as if it were Gabriel. You know that devils and jinn creatures are mentioned a lot in the Quranic text and that they are more powerful than human beings; would the jinn, the devils, or extraterrestrial aliens be deemed as the real authors of the Quranic text?! Muhammad never knew how Gabriel looked like to assume that he saw Gabriel for sure; did Muhammad ask Gabriel for a proof to verify the identity of this arch-angel?! Muhammad knew nothing about faith before the Quran was revealed to him: "We thus inspired you spiritually, by Our command. You did not know what the Book is, nor what faith is..." (42:52) ... What do you think?! ... Thank you ...).

OUR REPLY:

Firstly:the metaphysical aspects within the Quranic revelation  between belief and disbelief:

1- The revelation/inspiration granted by God to His messengers/prophets is part of the metaphysical aspects of the unseen and unknown; we never know anything about this divine revelation/inspiration except for what is mentioned in the Quran; talking about it outside the Quran is mere mythology. Pious, monotheistic believers believe in the metaphysical aspects mentioned only in the Quran: "This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the pious ones. Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them." (2:2-3).  Each individual among all human beings has the freedom to (dis)obey and to (dis)believe, and all humanity will be judged by the Almighty Dominant Lord God on the Day of Judgment. The question in the above message indicates that the male sender is casting doubt on the Quranic revelation; he has the absolute freedom to choose his own beliefs.   

2- The metaphysical aspects of the Barsakh are among the unseen facts mentioned by God in the Quran; we have discussed this topic in several articles and books; yet, we briefly repeat and assert the following points. 

2/1: Human beings cannot see the creatures of the metaphysical realm such as jinn, devils, and angels. God says the following to humanity about Satan and devils: " O children of Adam! Do not let Satan seduce you...he sees you, him and his clan, from where you cannot see them. We have made the devils allies of those who do not believe." (7:27). Of course, those who do not believe in the Quran as the Only Discourse in Islam are deceived by devils who make them see falsehoods as the truth and the Truth as false; they never see such devilish allies unless on the Last Day: "We had assigned companions for them, who glamorized to them what was in front of them, and what was behind them. And the Word proved true against them in communities of jinn and humans that have passed away before them. They were losers." (41:25); "Whoever shuns the Remembrance of the Dominant Lord, We assign for him a devil, to be his companion. They hinder them from the Path, though they think they are guided. Until, when He comes to Us, he will say, "If only there were between me and you the distance of the two Easts." What an evil companion!" (43:36-38).

2/2: Some prophets and non-prophets, such as Abraham and his wife, Lot, and Mary saw angels only when they took human form; see 11:69-78 and 19:17-21. In contrast, within a unique miracle and a very special case, Muhammad was made to see Gabriel within a metaphysical/Barsakh vision to receive the entire Quranic text inspired/revealed into his soul/heart.

2/3: As per the Quran, no prophets had seen Satan and the devils; yet, devils whisper evil into all human souls; God has commanded Muhammad to seek refuge in Him against Satan the outcast; see 7:200, 16:98, 23:97-98, and 41:36.

Secondly: the metaphysical aspects within the Quranic revelation:

 As per our ponderings on the Quranic text, we assert the following points regarding the metaphysical aspects within the Quranic revelation.

1- The meaning of inspiration/revelation is contact or communication without talking or conversing; e.g., God says the following about Zachariah communicating with his people without uttering any words: "And he came out to his people, from the sanctuary, and signaled to them to praise morning and evening." (19:11); "...Your sign is that you shall not speak to the people for three days, except by gestures..." (3:41).

2- There are two types of revelation: the Divine Revelation/Inspiration and the devilish, Satanist revelations/inspirations  

3- Of course, the Divine Revelation/Inspiration is divided into various types as follows.

3/1: God has inspired the guidance/instincts into all creatures about how they live, eat, and reproduce: "...Our Lord is He who gave everything its existence, then guided it." (20:50); "Praise the Name of your Lord, the Most High. He who creates and regulates. He who measures and guides." (87:1-3); "And your Lord inspired the bee: "Set up hives in the mountains, and in the trees, and in what they construct." Then eat of all the fruits, and go along the pathways of your Lord, with precision. From their bellies emerges a fluid of diverse colors, containing healing for the people. Surely in this is a sign for people who reflect." (16:68-69).

3/2: The Divine Revelation regarding the beginning of the creation of the universe: "So He completed them as seven universes in two days, and He assigned to each universe its laws. And We decorated the lower universe with lamps, and for protection. That is the design of the Almighty, the All-Knowing." (41:12).

3/3: The Divine Revelation regarding the destruction of the universe: "When the earth is shaken with its quake. And the earth brings out its loads. And man says, "What is the matter with it?" On that Day, it will tell its tales. For your Lord will have inspired it." (99:1-5).

3/4: The Divine Revelation regarding the angels: "Your Lord inspired the angels: "I am with you, so support those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. So strike above the necks, and strike off every fingertip of theirs."" (8:12).

3/5: The Divine Revelation regarding human beings in general: "It is not for any human that God should speak to him, except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His permission whatever He wills. He is All-High, All-Wise." (42:51); this is what we believe in, and this is part of the aspects of metaphysical realm of the unknown and the unseen; we cannot imagining this by the limited human mind.

 By the way, the Divine Revelation to human beings is divided into two types as follows.

3/5/1: The one inspired to non-prophets; e.g., the mother of Moses: "We inspired the mother of Moses: "Nurse him; then, when you fear for him, cast him into the river, and do not fear, nor grieve; We will return him to you, and make him one of the messengers."" (28:7); "When We inspired your mother with the inspiration. Put him in the chest; then cast him into the river. The river will wash him to shore, where an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his will pick him up. And I have bestowed upon you love from Me, so that you may be reared before My eye." (20:38-39).

3/5/2: The one inspired to God's prophets/messengers; it is divided in its turn into two types as follows.

3/5/2/1: The guiding inspiration; e.g., to Noah; see 11:36-48, to Jacob; see 13:15-16, and to Moses; see 7:117, 10:87, and 20:77.

3/5/2/2: The Book or Scripture: God says the following about this topic: "We have inspired you, as We had inspired Noah and the prophets after him. And We inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon. And We gave David the Book of Zabur. Some messengers We have already told you about, while some messengers We have not told you about. And God spoke to Moses directly." (4:163-164).

4- We assert the following points about the Quranic Revelation granted by the Lord God to Muhammad.

4/1: As per the Quran, Muhammad saw the arch-angel Gabriel, within a metaphysical Barsakh level, two times within a unique special vision; this is mentioned in the Quranic Chapter 53 about the Night-Journey when the entirety of the Quranic text was inscribed into his heart/soul on the Night of Decree; these verses refutes the accusations of disbelieving Arabs who assumed that Muhammad lied to them; we are not to add any details to this special vision (whose aspects cannot be imagined by any of us) so as not to attribute falsehoods and lies to God; this is a test by God: "By the star as it goes down. Your companion has not gone astray, nor has he erred. Nor does he speak out of desire. It is but a revelation revealed. Taught to him by the Extremely Powerful. The one of vigor. He settled. While he was at the highest horizon. Then he came near, and hovered around. He was within two bows' length, or closer. Then He revealed to His servant what He revealed. The heart did not lie about what it saw.Will you dispute with him concerning what he saw? He saw him on another descent. At the Tree of the Extremity. Near which is the Garden of Repose.As there covered the Tree of the Extremity what covered it. The sight did not waver, nor did it exceed. He saw some of the Great Signs of his Lord." (53:1-18); "Glory to Him who journeyed His servant by night, from the Sacred Mosque, to the Farthest Mosque, whose areas We have blessed, in order to show him of Our signs. He is the Listener, the Beholder." (17:1); "...We did not make the vision We showed you, except as a test for the people..." (17:60). We refer you to our book, in English, titled "The Night-Journey Is The Night of Decree" found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=112).  

4/2: Pious Quran-believing monotheists believe in the fact that God has made Gabriel inscribe the Quran into the soul/heart of Muhammad: "Say, "Whoever is hostile to Gabriel - it is he who revealed it to your heart by God's leave, confirming what preceded it, and guidance and good news for the believers."" (2:97); "It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. The Honest Spirit came down with it. Upon your heart, that you may be one of the warners." (26:192-194).

4/3: Before he received the Quran when his ministry as a prophet/messenger began, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of the Qorayish tribe knew nothing about the Book and about the true faith; the opposite is true when his ministry began as he received the Quran: "We thus inspired you spiritually, by Our command. You did not know what the Book is, nor what faith is, but We made it a Light, with which We guide whomever We will of Our servants. You surely guide to a Straight Path." (42:52); "And found you misguided, and guided you?" (93:7). Muhammad's disbelieving contemporaries asked him to return to their misguidance, and God has commanded him to tell them the following: "Say, "I am forbidden from worshiping those you pray to besides God." Say, "I will not follow your desires; else I would be lost and not be of those guided."" (6:56); "Say, "I was prohibited from worshiping those you invoke besides God, now that Clear Verses have come to me from my Lord; and I was commanded to submit to the Lord of the Worlds."" (40:66). This is a very important lesson to warn and preach those polytheists who worship Muhammad as a god/deity, as they must take heed in order to disbelieve in the misguidance and follow the guidance of the Quranic Truth and the monotheism of (There is no God but Allah).

5- Between the Divine Revelation to prophets/messengers and the devilish, Satanist revelations to allies of Satan:

5/1: The Divine Revelation has ended when the entire Quran is revealed, as it is the Last Message from God to human beings until the end of days; in contrast, the devilish, Satanist revelations go on to allies of Satan, as we infer from the use of the present tense in these verses: "Likewise, We have assigned for every prophet an enemy-human and jinn devils - inspiring one another with fancy words in order to deceive. But had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. So leave them to their fabrications." (6:112); "...The devils inspire their followers/allies to argue with you; but if you obey them, you would be polytheists." (6:121).

5/2: God says the following about the Quranic Revelation: "It was not the devils that revealed it. It is not in their interests, nor in their power. They are barred from hearing." (26:210-212); God says the following about the devilish, Satanist revelations: "Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar." (26:221-222).