The World of Archetypes

عالم مثال

The World of Archetypes or Exemplary Forms ('Alam al-Mithal) is the intermediate world between the purely spiritual and the material. In this world, things have form but no matter — they are like images in a mirror, neither purely immaterial nor fully material. This world is the domain of truthful dreams (ru'yā sādiqa) and spiritual visions (kashf).

Remember well this important principle: whatever appears in the exemplary world need not necessarily take physical form in the material world, and whatever appears in the material world need not necessarily manifest as something in the exemplary world. Similarly, whatever appears in the exemplary world of the soul (the inner dimension of this intermediate world) need not necessarily appear in the outer exemplary world. The levels of bodies are transparent at different degrees, just as the world of archetypes has degrees of subtlety.

Sometimes, in the exemplary world, spirits of those who have descended to the lowest levels appear in forms appropriate to their deeds — for instance, spirits of scholars take on forms that attract reverence. Some individuals even practice extended periods of solitary spiritual retreat and report seeing things in this world that ordinary people cannot. Where is perfect faith? Where is the purpose of the sages? The unveiling of the secrets of wisdom — what is it for? Apart from Allah, it is mere play and entertainment. From Allah alone comes benefit — so look toward your camera; your image will appear in the mirror — whether subtle or dense, it will appear before you. The author himself visited Hyderabad and saw what he saw; he saw the court of solitude — nothing, nothing — yet the grandeur of knowledge became apparent to him. Those who look inward — the inner spiritual states in the mirror of the nafs — today they do not appear; at Resurrection, they will become manifest in the batin; the state of the nafs will become famous. Some people give too much importance to seeing through the kashf of the exemplary world.

Firm and Suspended Divine Decree (Qadā' Mubram wa Mu'allaq): Some events in the exemplary world occur without any apparent cause in the material world — this means that the knowledge of the causes is incomplete. A judgment that appears absolute but whose causes are not fully apparent is called 'suspended decree.' When all the causes come into alignment, the event becomes manifest. Those who have access to the Preserved Tablet (Lawh Mahfūz) — which corresponds to what the author calls 'Umm al-Kitāb' — can sometimes read from it a judgment about an event. The great saints, it is said, can take their judgments from the Mother of the Book, and their later companions take their judgments from them, thereby verifying by the light of the Divine Knowledge — where falsehood has no entry, there is only firm decree.