Arcs of Descent and Ascent

The Arcs of Descent and Ascent, an ontological circle, are described in Neoplatonism, Islamic and Sufi cosmology, mainly inspired by the works of Ibn al-Arabi. In the Arc of Descent ("qaws al-nuzuli"), from unity to diversity, God creates successively the Intellect (Supreme Pen), the Universal Soul (Guarded Tablet), Prime Matter, Nature, the Universal Body (including the imaginal world) and the Earth. The Arc of Ascent ("qaws al-su'ud") is the way back to the Presence of God, the process of spiritual perfection.[1][2]

In a hadith attributed to Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam of Shi'i Islam, the arc of descent is described as having seven stages. These stages have been commented on in Shaykhism.[3]

In Bábism and the Bahá'í Faith

In the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths the stages of the Arc of Descent are described as follows: Will (Mashiyyat), Determination (Iradih), Destiny (Qadar), Decree (Qada), Permission (Idhn), Term (Ajal), and Book (Kitab). Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys is an example of the Arc of Ascent. In Some Answered Questions 'Abdu'l-Bahá states that "man is in the ultimate degree of materiality and the beginning of spirituality; that is, he is at the end of imperfection and the beginning of perfection. He is at the furthermost degree of darkness and the beginning of the light. That is why the station of man is said to be the end of night and the beginning of day."[3]

References

  1. ↑ Hetherington, Norriss S. (2014). "Two Arcs of Existence". Encyclopedia of Cosmology (Routledge Revivals): Historical, Philosophical, and Scientific Foundations of Modern Cosmology. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-67765-9.
  2. ↑ Moris, Zailan (2013). Revelation, Intellectual Intuition and Reason in the Philosophy of Mulla Sadra: An Analysis of the al-hikmah al-'arshiyyah. Taylor & Francis. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-136-85866-6.
  3. 1 2 Saiedi, Nader (2000). Logos and Civilization - Spirit, History, and Order in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. USA: University Press of Maryland and Association for Baha'i Studies. pp. 53–60. ISBN 1883053609.
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