From Noor to Rasool – The Nature of Ilm – Hazrat Moulana Maseehullah Khan Saheb Sherwani Quddisa Sirruhul Azeez
The Nature of Ilm Be that as it may, it was only appropriate that the nourishment of such a delicate and exquisite substance such as the Rooh should be delicate and exquisite.
Ilm is precisely that which goes with it, as it is not visible just as the Rooh is not visible. And these Kitaabs which you study and the writings you see in the Kitaabs, these are not Ilm. The nature of Ilm is something else. Ilm is actually something else. And what is it? It is Noor.
To make this more understandable consider Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam). Prior to being raised in this world Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) had been created in the world above the heavens before Hazrat Aadam (Alaa Nabiyyina wa alaihis Salaatu was Salaam), as mentioned in the Hadeeth Shareef: َْ كُنت ُْنِْبْياْوَآَْدَم ُْبَينْالمَآء ِْوَالِْطِ ين [I was already a Nabi whilst Aadam was in between water and clay].
Not just that, in fact Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) had been created before the entire creation, even before the earth and heavens.
He states: ُْ اَوَّلْْمَاَْخَْلَقُْللاْْنُوِْرْى
This is a popular Hadeeth which means: “The very first thing which Allah Ta’ala created was my Noor.” However, when Haq Ta’ala wished to send the Noor-e- Muhammadi to this human and material world for spiritual munificence and benefit, then He did not send it directly without a medium. The reason for this is that we would not have been able to derive benefit from it. Its spiritual munificence would not have been passed onto us. Even if there were to be some, it would have been unconsciously and involuntarily, just as creation is graced with the light of the sun. But learning and teaching cannot be carried out in this way; and education was the actual purpose of sending that Noor to this world.
Therefore, that Supreme Being gave the Noor-e-Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) a corporeal body and sent him to this world for our education and benefit. 29
The Garments of Noor-e-Ilm
Similarly, Ilm is also Noor. It was given corporeality (material existence) in the form of words and imprints and sent here for our benefit. Thus, Ilm is not mere imprints and words. On the contrary, Ilm in actual fact is a Noor sent to this world with the garments of imprints and words for the benefit of us learning true realities, transcendental beliefs, practical laws, rules and the Law of Allah.
How this Noor is Acquired Now it is necessary to know, to understand and to learn how this Ilm or Noor can be acquired. Listen and remember that it will be acquired through diligent, rigid and continuous observance of Taqwa and Taa’at. [Taqwa literally means ‘piety’.
In the Shariah, Taqwa means to abstain from all Allah Ta’ala’s prohibitions and to carry out all His commandments.
Taa’at means acts of obedience; acts of Ibaadat.]
This is precisely what Imam Wakee (Rahmatullahi alaih) said: ِْ فَاَّْنْالعِلْم َْنُوْْْْْْْْْوَنُو ر ْمِ ن ْاِلهِْر ُْللاَْْاليُعطى ْلِعَاْص [For verily Ilm is a Noor from Allah And the Noor of Allah is not given to a sinner.]
Therefore understand well and remember that if one had to spend one’s whole life in effort and hard work without Taqwa, this Ilm will not be gained. Therefore, either bring along Taqwa when coming along to learn Ilm, or else concurrently remove the base qualities of the nafs [self; ego]. Then only will this Ilm be achieved.
