Fly Faithful Bird, Fly: Elevating the Word Bird through Ismaili Ta’wil
Ascending Levels of Ismaili Esoteric Exegesis of Qur’an 3:49
“Do not forget that our branch of Islam is an esoteric branch of Islam. Esoteric means that what is written is there, but its meaning is not there to everyone. It is there only to those who are part of our Jamat. And it is important, therefore, that if you learn parts of the Qur’an, you should be able to explain the esoteric meaning of those parts….”
Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni, Bombay, November 22, 1967. Precious Gems Vol.1, 29.
أَنِّى قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِـَٔايَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ أَنِّىٓ أَخْلُقُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطِّينِ كَهَيْـَٔةِ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَأَنفُخُ فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًۢا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ
[Jesus says:] I come unto you with a sign from your Lord: I create for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission.
« Holy Qur’an 3:49 »
Reviving & Elevating the Believer’s Heart through the Imam’s Esoteric Knowledge:
Ismaili Ta’wil of Qur’an 3:49 by Ja‘far b. Mansur al-Yaman.
‘I will breathe into it, and it will be a bird by the permission of God’ [Q. 3:49]. This is in the story of Jesus — peace be upon him. Analogous to this in the community of Muḥammad — peace be upon him — is that the Proof [ḥujjat] of Muḥammad is the Master of exegesis (ṣāḥib al-ta’wīl), ‘Alī — peace be upon him — who breathes the spirit into bodies. The esoteric meaning of this is that he projects the esoteric knowledge onto the exoteric knowledge, thus affirming the right religion and perfecting it, with the permission of God. Through this knowledge he gives life to those who are dead from ignorance. The spirit is indeed like knowledge, while the works are like the body; any body without spirit is dead, [just as] any work that is not accompanied by knowledge is a body without spirit. The ignorant is thus dead until the Master of Truth revives him through knowledge of the truth. God’s words are about this: ‘Dead, not alive, and they are not aware’ [Q. 16:21]. [God] is telling the people of the exoteric life (ahl al-ḥayāt al-ẓāhira) that they have died the death of ignorance, [but] are not aware that they are dead. On the contrary, they consider themselves alive by this exoteric life of theirs. As for the bird,1 it is the one whose heart flies towards the knowledge of His Creator — He is Mighty and Sublime. The breath [that is breathed into it] is the divine hidden and veiled knowledge that reaches the believer.
Ja‘far b. Manṣūr al-Yaman, Kitāb al-Kashf, tr. Fârès Gillon, The Book of Unveiling: Early Fatimid Ismaili Doctrine in the Kitāb al-Kashf, attributed to Ja‘far b. Manṣūr al-Yaman, 328 (to read or download the complete pdf click here).
Making Clay Birds or Believers Fly in the World of Spirituality:
Ismaili Ta’wil of Qur’an 3:49 by ‘Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai
The gist of what is said in verse 3:49 is that Ḥazrat-i ‘Īsā⁽ᶜ⁾ [Prophet Jesus] in his time used to make a figure of a bird out of clay and used to breathe ism-i a‘ẓam [the supreme name (of God)] into it and it used to become a bird by Allāh’s command….
In the above-mentioned miracle…the ta’wīl of the clay is the status of a mu’min [faithful believer], and that of bird is an angel and a spiritual entity (rūḥānī). The ta’wīl of making clay — mixing water with dust — is to mix ‘ilmu'l-yaqīn (knowledge of certainty) with the belief and faith of a mu’min, and that of making a figure of a bird out of clay is creating the capacity and zeal for angelicity and spirituality in that mu’min. The ta’wīl of breathing into the figure of the bird is to grant the dhikr [remembrance] of ism-i a‘ẓam [the supreme name] and special ‘ibādat [worship] to a prepared mu’min, and that of becoming a bird is the spiritual birth of a mu’min, namely, the beginning of the angelic and spiritual life and the flight in the world of spirituality.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Qur’ān awr Rūḥāniyyat, tr. Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, The Qur’ān and Spirituality, 24.
Making Angels from the Universal Soul for Believers
Ismaili Ta’wil of Qur’an 3:49 by ‘Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai
Reflect on verses (3:49; 5:110), which show that the great miracles, which Ḥazrat ‘Īsā⁽ᶜ⁾ used to perform were, in reality, the act of God. But since the Divine light was directly working in him, they are attributed to him. One of his miracles which is specifically related to this subject will be mentioned here: Ḥazrat ‘Īsā used to make birds out of clay. If we do not know the wisdom of this miracle then, apparently, it would appear to be only a sensory miracle which does not have far-reaching benefit. But the wise know that the miracles which are given to the Prophets by God, are all full of wisdom and extremely useful.
When Ḥazrat ‘Īsā in his spiritual journey entered the stage of ‘Izrā’īl (manzil-i ‘Izrā’īlī), he experienced the spiritual death for approximately a week. During this, angels like him were made by casting the Universal Soul in the mould of his personality. This miracle takes place in the spirituality of every Prophet and every Imam, so that the mu’mins of all ummats may receive innumerable benefits from these great angels, as Ḥazrat ‘Īsā said: “I create for you out of clay as a likeness of a bird” (3:49). This means that for your spiritual benefit God creates such angels from my personal world. It should be remembered that this is the stage of annihilation (manzil-i fanā’). Therefore, what God is doing here for the sake of Ḥazrat ‘Īsā becomes ‘Īsā’s act. Otherwise, creating angels is the act of God Himself.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, ‘Itr-Afshān, tr. Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, Sweet Smelling, 33.
Creating Angelic Soul Copies in the Matrix of the Perfect Man
Ismaili Ta’wil of Qur’an 3:49 by ‘Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai
The personal world of the Perfect Man is the workshop of the wonders and miracles of Divine knowledge and wisdom. One great miracle is that God is creating angels by casting the soul in the matrix of the personality of the Perfect Man. These angels are also his copies. This miracle used to be performed by Ḥazrat ‘Īsā in the example of bird (3:49; 5:110), in the case of Ḥazrat Mūsā [Moses] and Ḥazrat Hārūn [Aaron] this used to happen in making mu’mins kings (5:20). This supreme favour of God is possible in every age.
‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, Tajalliyāt-i Ḥikmat, tr. Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, Manifestations of Wisdom, 31.
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The bird of clay in which Jesus breathes, from Q. 3:49 cited above. The birds are a symbol of the Summoners [da‘is] in several Ismaili texts; see Kashf VI, p. 171, § 30, and p. 83, n. 33; p. 442, n. 352.
Боз ба айни ваҳдатам аз дами Муртазо Алӣ
Дод Худои давлатам аз Дами Муртазо Али.
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