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Appendix 1: The Invisible World

Note: This is the first of a series of articles written by the Author on various occasions that have bearing on the topics of the book, and hence they have been included in it as appendices.

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In the last part of this treatise, the frivolity of the temporal world in comparison to the world beyond was exposed. The temporal world means the physical world and the surroundings which appeal to our external senses, the perceptibility of which is very limited. One should have faith in the unseen realms of existence to which the Holy Qur’an describes as

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ

“…those who believe in the unseen…” (2:3)..

This is the basis of all fundamental articles of faith. In view of this faith, none can deny the possibility of the existence of the regions and realms - within the terrestrial folds or beyond them - populated with living beings of various forms, faculties and functions. As asserted by the Qur'an and based on the statements of the infallible vicegerents God, what appeals to our senses is in the lowest region of existence, 'dunya' (دنيا) which is child’s play in comparison to the realms beyond it.

When the Qur'an consider the stars-filled region visible to our senses as the lowest heaven, one can imagine what would be the scale of the heavens beyond the lowest one. Even in the folds of the stars-filled territory, there are regions unperceivable by our external senses. Modern scientific devices are gradually detecting the possibility of the existence of invisible matter surrounding our space and beyond it.

The infallible saints gifted with divine means of knowledge had already confirmed the abovementioned ‘hidden worlds’ with which they were in communication. While Islam discourages people from believing in the world of superstition, it is not sensible for us to rely merely on our limited senses and deny the existence of the invisible world of different nature, functioning in the administration of the universe. The stories of jinns, evil and good spirits, angels and accomplished personalities in invisible form such as Ilyas, Hidzr, Abdals and above all the twelfth imam of the house of the prophet, whose jurisdiction of domination encompasses the visible and the unseen worlds are all confirmed by the religion of Islam.

Therefore, instead of narrowing the extent of our knowledge about the visible beings, one should try to expand and develop one's power of perception to discover the unseen.

There are many prescribed ways of spiritual developments which are not in conformity with Islamic principles. They may be misleading and harmful. Therefore, in every stage of spiritual progress one should be very cautious not to deviate even a bit from the prescribed moral code of Islam given by the infallible persons (ma’soomeen) and handed down to us through the divine scholars.