Examining the Concept of the Heavenly Family and Its Importance in Reaching the Purpose of Creation
Most people assume that the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them) are merely pure and sacred figures whom God has commanded humans to respect and sanctify, and they have no existential relationship with their followers. Most of these people often evaluate themselves based on earthly family and identities, and the concept of a heavenly family is unfamiliar to them!
-Where do you think the creation of the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them) fits into the story of our creation?
-Is our main family our earthly and worldly family?
-How familiar are you with the concept of the heavenly family?
As we stated the in previous lessons, “Allah” is the Absolute and Infinite Existence that cannot be identified and connected with unless He manifests Himself; therefore, in His first manifestation, Allah gathered the most comprehensive and perfect examples of His names and attributes in one being and named it mathal A’la or the Most Perfect Example. In fact, the infinite-seeking spirit that God has entrusted within us is the light of Prophet Muhammad and his Household (Peace be upon them). Thus, the origin of our soul originates from the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them), not from our earthly family. Our earthly parents have only brought our body into this world through their marriage and the sharing of sperm and egg, but our eternal spirit belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them).
In fact, we all have a heavenly family, and before coming to this world and belonging to these limited natural and sexual forms, we lived with our main family. When we came to Alam Nasut (the world of material and sensory things), we forgot where we had been before and what roots and origin we had. Through resurrection, we will return to where we were before; however, unlike when we were in our homeland with our heavenly family, we have the ability to choose the quality of our eternal life.
In this lesson, we intend to talk about the concept of the heavenly family and understand how knowing this family is related to the purpose of our creation and how we will follow the path of becoming like Allah within the framework of connecting with this family.
The Heavenly Family, the Guide to the Path of Creation
Naturally, achieving success in any field or profession requires following the master and carrying out their instructions. For example, an athlete aiming to reach the power and skill level of their coach must implement the coach’s recommendations and exercises at every stage. The story of human creation is reaching the status of the deputy of Allah, and the role models for this position are the Infallibles (Peace be upon them). As we mentioned before, the path of moving toward Allah is highly sensitive and requires seven categories of specialized information that are exclusively available to God, the Most-Blessed the Most-High, and He has given this expertise to the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them).
They are role models and mentors for us in all fields, and have set formulas and rules for all aspects of our life. They gave us instructions whether through speech, actions, or even their silence, which serve as the best examples for us.
The infallible Imams (Peace be upon them) are the light of guidance on the path of creation. Without them, we cannot recognize the right path from the wrong one. We should put them in charge of all the aspects of our lives and follow them. We always say to the heavenly family in Ziyarat Ashura that “all I desire and am concerned about is to be with you and at your status in this world and the hereafter.” This status is not a joke, and we should not consider it a slogan or just a prayer; rather, we should strive to reach this position and be their followers in all the aspects of our lives. If we act upon what the Ahl al-Bayt have commanded and stay away from what they have forbidden, then we will be their followers, become like them, and be of the same rank as them. Otherwise, there will be no connection established between us and them.
[1] Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family) said: “Surely, Husayn is the guiding light and the ark of salvation.”
[2] It is stated in Ziyarat Ashura: “That He makes me along with you in this world and the hereafter.”
[3] Lady Fatimah (Peace be upon her) defines a Shia as follows: “If you act upon what we command you and avoid what we forbid you, then you are from our Shia. Otherwise, no.”
The Importance of Knowing the Heavenly Family
The human need for understanding the concept of the heavenly family and knowing one’s origin, how we got here, where we were before, and where we will go is an important matter. From Islamic philosophical perspective, the criterion for bliss in the world and hereafter is to know the heavenly family and establish a connection with them. Until we do not consider ourselves a member of this family and feel a sense of belonging to them, we have not recognized our familial position and true identity. Our sense of belonging to the heavenly family should be a thousand times greater than our sense of belonging to our earthly family.
If we do not know our heavenly family and only live with our earthly family, when we return to the eternal system and reunite with our heavenly family, we will be unable to establish a relationship with them and benefit from them. Only those who truly know themselves and regulate their decisions, relationships, behaviors, ethics, and intellectual and practical arrangements with the view that they are members of the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them) can feel real happiness and peace in this world. Naturally, anyone acting contrary to this will suffer a great loss; that is, they will neither find happiness and peace in this world nor have a good and healthy birth into the hereafter.
If we cannot establish a good relationship with our heavenly family, we will constantly be exposed to various attacks from Satan (attacks from the front, back, right, and left), and as a result, we will always feel defeated, just like someone who does not know where their family is and who they are, and if being abandoned in the society, they will suffer from anxiety and various harms.
All the sufferings, sorrows, failures, anxieties, feelings of emptiness in this world and all the afflictions that befall a person in the hereafter stem from not knowing themselves and distancing themselves from their main family and true self. If a person does not know their origin and roots, sometimes they go astray to the extent that they may end up being either the cause of the killing of the Imams or the cause of many crimes against their heavenly family. The killings of the eleven infallible Imams (Peace be upon them) and the displacement and anxiety of the twelfth Imam (Peace be upon him) for over a thousand and eighty years are consequences of this lack of knowledge. For a person who does not know his origin and roots, even mourning and grieving for the tragedies of his heavenly family can be motivated by greed for reward and the fulfillment of desires.
In this lesson we discussed the concept of the heavenly family and the importance of knowing it. We stated that reaching the purpose of creation and becoming like Allah is not possible except within the framework of knowing this family and following their path.