M6:163 — معنی نختم علی افواههم / این شناس اینست ره‌رو را مهم

Translation: "We shall seal their mouths"; understand this, for this is important for the seeker. Meaning: This verse, quoting a Quranic phrase, suggests that a spiritual seeker must realize that the mouths – or rather, the faculties – of some people are sealed against understanding certain spiritual realities and sustenance.

Mowlana, with his characteristic and enduring subtlety, introduces this verse to elucidate the state of seekers on the path of gnosis. We must first refer to the original Quranic verse, "Yawma nakhtimu ʿalā afwāhihim" (The Day We shall seal their mouths). On the Day of Judgment, there will be no room for deception or hypocrisy; mouths will be sealed, and hands and feet will speak, testifying to their deeds. Judgment Day, like nature itself, knows no pretense or dissimulation. This is a picture of absolute transparency.

However, Mowlana transposes this Quranic idiom from the realm of the afterlife to the world of spiritual meaning and journey. The meaning of "nakhtimu ʿalā afwāhihim" here is that certain mouths and spiritual palates are closed to specific spiritual blessings and insights. It is as if God has sealed these eyes or ears so they cannot perceive certain colors or sounds. This is akin to a sick person for whom a rich meal is poison, or a blind person for whom the world's beauty is useless. This indicates that until an individual's spiritual palate and digestion are prepared, even healthy and palatable spiritual food will be toxic or ineffectual for them.

This point is vital for the "rahro" or seeker on the path of gnosis: they must understand that certain spiritual realities are forbidden and inaccessible to them for a time, until through ascetic practice and spiritual journeying, they develop the appropriate spiritual palate and digestion, and their eyes and ears are opened to perceive those truths. This differs from "Tabʿa Llāhu ʿalā qulūbihim" (God has sealed their hearts), which refers to deniers and opponents; here, the discussion is about a lack of readiness or aptitude, not denial or concealment of truth.

Mowlana then moves to the issue of the Seal of Prophets (Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) and links this discussion to his spiritual conquests. He states: "The seals that prophets had left / In the Ahmadian faith were lifted / Locked doors that remained unopened / He opened with the hand of 'Indeed, We have granted you a clear triumph'." Here, Mowlana interprets the verse "Innā fataḥnā" (which usually refers to the conquest of Mecca or Hudaybiyyah) as referring to spiritual conquests and openings. He says that locks and seals remained in the teachings of previous prophets, either because those prophets themselves had not reached the level of discovery and revelation to open them, or because their communities lacked the capacity to grasp those secrets. Prophets were commanded "to speak to people according to the measure of their intellects" and not to reveal every profound point or hidden secret. It was the Prophet of Islam who, through the path of the "Seal of Prophets," removed these weighty seals from the lips of secrets and opened the way for spiritual conquests. This signifies his unparalleled and pioneering position in the history of human gnosis.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana reinterprets the Quranic verse "We shall seal their mouths" from the Day of Judgment to the realm of spiritual journeying.
• Sealed mouths here signify the soul's lack of readiness or capacity to comprehend certain divine insights.
• Just as healthy food harms a sick person, an unprepared soul is deprived of spiritual sustenance.
• The seeker must understand that some truths remain inaccessible until their capacity for understanding is developed.
• Through his status as the Seal of Prophets, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) opened the "unopened locks" and "heavy seals" of prior teachings.