Language of the Future - Sufi Terminology

The Language of the Future - Sufi Terminology

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Aaron

(Harun). The Prophet Aaron is one of the 25 Prophets and Messengers specifically named in the Holy Qur’an. He was the older brother of Moses, son of Imran. While

Moses was raised and educated in the palace of the Pharaoh and during his exile among the Midianites, Aaron and his sister remained with their kinsmen. Aaron gained

a reputation for eloquent and persuasive speech; and when the time came for the demand upon the Pharaoh to release the tribes of Israel from captivity, Aaron became

his brother’s spokesman, initially to the people and later directly to Pharaoh.

He is unique among the Prophets as his appointment came about by the supplication of the Prophet Moses, who was self-conscious of the impediment in his speech

and concerned about his past difficulties with the community. “He said: "O my Lord! I have slain a man among them, and I fear lest they slay me. And my brother Aaron -

He is more eloquent in speech than I: so send him with me as a helper, to confirm (and strengthen) me: for I fear that they may accuse me of falsehood. He said: We will

certainly strengthen your arm through your brother, and invest you both with authority, so they shall not be able to touch you: with Our signs shall you triumph; you two as

well as those who follow you” (Holy Qur’an 28:33-35).

When he was called to Mount Sinai for forty days, “Moses said to his brother Aaron: Take my place among my people; and act righteously, and follow not the path of the

spreaders of corruption”. (Holy Qur’an 7:142). When he returned from the mountain and found his people worshipping the golden calf he seized Aaron by the beard who

exclaimed “Son of my mother! The people did indeed reckon me as nothing, and went near to slaying me! Make not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune, nor count me

amongst the people of sin” (Holy Qur’an 7:150). This is why it is said that the Prophet Aaron is the only man in Paradise who will have a beard-because of the indignity

that he suffered at his brother’s hands.

The Shaykh al Akbar, Muhyi Din ibn ‘Arabi says of him in his Fusus al Hikam (translated by Aisha Bewley): “Know that the existence of Harun, peace be upon him, was

from the presence of mercy by His words, “We endowed him with Our mercy, making his brother Harun a Prophet.” (Holy Qur’an 19:53) He was older than Musa, and

Musa was greater than him in Prophethood. The Prophethood of Harun is from the presence of mercy (rahma) and, for that reason, he said to his brother Musa, peace be

upon him, “O son of my mother!” (7:150) so he called to him by his mother, not by his father, since, in principle, mercy belongs in greater abundance to the mother than

the father. Were it not for that mercy, the mother would not have the patience necessary for upbringing. Then he said, “Do not seize me by the beard or by the hair,” (20:94)

and do not let my enemies gloat over me. All this is one of the breaths of mercy. The reason for that is the lack of ascertainment in looking at the tablets which had been

given into his hands. If he had looked at them with ascertainment, he would have found guidance and mercy in them.

Musa would have found guidance, which is an elucidation of what happened in the matter which made him angry and of which Harun was innocent, and mercy towards

his brother. He did not take him by the beard because of that state in which he saw his people because of his age, for Harun was older than him. That was compassion

for Musa from Harun because the Prophethood of Harun is from the mercy of Allah. Only the like of that issued from him.

Then Harun said to Musa, “I was afraid that you would say: ‘You have caused division in the Tribe of Israel,’” (20:94) and you would make me the cause of their division

since the worship of the Calf divided them. There were some of them who worshipped it following and imitating the Samiri, and there were some of them who refused to

worship it until Musa returned to them so that they might question him regarding it. Harun was afraid that he would have that division between them attributed to him.

Musa knew the matter better than Harun because by his knowledge he knew the One the people of the Calf worshipped since Allah decreed that only He would be

worshipped. When Allah decrees something, it must occur. Musa chided his brother Harun since the business consisted of disavowal and inadequacy. The gnostic is the

one who sees Allah in everything, rather he sees Him as the source of everything. Musa was teaching Harun with the instruction of knowledge even though Musa was

younger than him in age.

For that reason, when Harun said what he said, he turned to the Samiri and said to him, “What did you think you were doing, O Samiri,”(20:95) i.e. what were you doing in

turning aside to the form of the Calf, and in your making this shape from the jewellery of the people so that you captured their hearts for the sake of their wealth? 'Isa used

to say to the Tribe of Israel, “O Tribe of Israel! Every man turns to where his wealth is, so put your wealth in heaven, and then your hearts will be in heaven.””

Abandon abandoning

(Tark at tark). To 'abandon abandoning' or to 'quit quitting'. This is to utterly surrender by forgetting poverty, surrender and quitting.

(See: Islam-complete; Perfection; Servitude; Slave; Spiritual Poverty).

Generated on:

Thursday, 13 May 2010

First Previous Next Last