Preserved Tablet
The Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ) (Arabic: اللوح المحفوظ) is the true abode of the Quran, where all events of the universe are inscribed and unchangeable. Understanding the Preserved Tablet is crucial for comprehending the essence of the Quran, as some Quranic exegetes assert that it is the primary abode of all divine scriptures, including the Quran. The Preserved Tablet is described as a tablet aligned with divine knowledge, immutable, and containing a record of all events in the universe. In contrast, the Tablet of Erasure and Confirmation (Lawh al-Mahw wa-l-Ithbat) records events in a non-final form, and is thus changeable.
The Preserved Tablet is considered a supernatural entity, imperceptible to the senses. Its most significant characteristic is its comprehensiveness. Some scholars interpret the Preserved Tablet as a metaphor for divine knowledge, while others, citing other Quranic verses, reject this view. Additionally, certain philosophers have equated it with the Active Intellect (al-'Aql al-Fa''al) or the angel Gabriel, but this perspective is deemed contrary to the apparent meaning of Islamic teachings and lacks support from Quranic or hadith evidence.
Some Islamic scholars, citing Quranic verses, believe that the Fourteen Infallibles (a) possess knowledge of the Preserved Tablet. Conversely, certain Quranic exegetes maintain that awareness of the Preserved Tablet is exclusive to God, inaccessible to other creatures. Islamic researchers note that the recording of all events of the universe in the Preserved Tablet does not imply that humans lack free will, as human actions are inscribed in the Tablet as they occur (that is, freely chosen and done) and divine knowledge does not alter reality.
Significance of the Preserved Tablet in Islamic Discussions
The Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) is a Quranic term referring to the true abode of the Quran before its gradual revelation to the Prophet (s).[1] 'Allama Tabataba'i, author of Tafsir al-Mizan, holds that the Quran in the Preserved Tablet is incomprehensible to humans, and thus God lowered it to a more accessible level.[2] According to Tabataba'i, all divine scriptures revealed to prophets are derived from the Preserved Tablet, which is why the Quran refers to it as Umm al-Kitab (the Mother Book).[3] Furthermore, understanding the Preserved Tablet is considered essential for grasping verses related to the Quran's revelation, its protection from distortion, and its divinely revealed nature.[4]
'Allama al-Majlisi, author of Bihar al-Anwar, describes the Preserved Tablet as a tablet aligned with divine knowledge, where all events of the universe are inscribed and immutable.[5] Similarly, Ja'far Subhani, a Shia exegete, states that this tablet records all events concerning humans that will certainly occur.[6] Due to its recording of the universe's definitive events, the Preserved Tablet is considered the locus of divine decree (qada').[7] In contrast, another tablet, known as the Tablet of Erasure and Confirmation (Lawh al-Mahw wa-l-Ithbat), records events in a non-definitive form, subject to change.[8]
The term "al-Lawh al-Mahfuz" (Preserved Tablet) appears only once in the Quran, in Quran 85:22.[9] Some exegetes believe that other Quranic verses refer to the Preserved Tablet using different expressions, such as "Kitab Mubin" (Clear Book),[10] "Kitab Maknun" (Hidden Book),[11] and "Umm al-Kitab" (Mother Book).[12][13]
Nature of the Preserved Tablet
The Preserved Tablet is a supernatural entity, beyond the grasp of human senses or experience.[14] According to Shia exegetes of the Quran, Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat and Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the Preserved Tablet is a metaphor for divine knowledge and should not be regarded as a material or spiritual object, such as a container, plate, or specific place.[15] However, Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, author of Quranology (Qur'anshinasi), considers this view incorrect, arguing that Quranic expressions (like "and with Him is the Mother Book") indicate that the Tablet is not identical to God's essence but a creation of God.[16] Some scholars have proposed six theories regarding the nature of the Preserved Tablet.[17] It is noted that the terms "tablet" and "pen" (qalam) are used figuratively or as a form of approximation, not to be equated with ordinary pens, paper, or books.[18]
From a Philosophical and Mystical Perspective
Some philosophers have identified the Preserved Tablet with the Active Intellect, the angel Gabriel,[19] or the universal soul (nafs kulli) of the supreme celestial sphere (falak a'zam), where the universe is inscribed.[20] In mystical worldview, the Pen is considered the origin of the Preserved Tablet. The renowned Sufi Muhyi al-Din Ibn 'Arabi asserts that God's knowledge of creation is general or encapsulated (ijmali), and the Pen inscribes it in detail (tafsili) on the Preserved Tablet.[21] However, some scholars argue that equating the Preserved Tablet with philosophical concepts, such as immaterial substance or the First Intellect, contradicts the apparent meaning of Islamic texts and lacks Quranic or hadith evidence.[22]
Characteristics
The most significant characteristic of the Preserved Tablet is its comprehensiveness.[23] According to hadiths, all events and occurrences of the universe are inscribed on the Preserved Tablet by the Pen.[24] Additionally, some hadiths describe physical attributes of the Tablet, such as being made of emerald[25], which 'Allama Tabataba'i considers metaphorical, intended to convey an image of the Preserved Tablet suited to the material understanding of human minds.[26]
Access to the Preserved Tablet by Those Other than God
Some scholars, citing Quranic verses, believe that certain righteous individuals can gain knowledge of the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz).[27] By juxtaposing Quran 56:77-79 and Quran 33:33, they conclude that the Fourteen Infallibles (a) are among those who certainly have access to the Preserved Tablet.[28] Shia theologian Sayyid Ali Milani also maintains that certain hadiths indicate a direct connection between the Imams (a) and the Preserved Tablet.[29] 'Allama Tabataba'i interprets the prophets' and Imams' (a) knowledge of the unseen as their awareness of the Preserved Tablet.[30]
However, based on certain hadiths, no creation (not even prophets or Imams (a)) has knowledge of the Preserved Tablet, and it is exclusively in God's dominion.[31] Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat, citing a hadith transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq (a), also holds that the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) do not have access to the Preserved Tablet.[32]
Compatibility between the Preserved Tablet and Human Free Will
According to Islamic scholars, the inscription of all events of the universe in the Preserved Tablet does not negate human free will.[33] In his book Theology (Khudashinasi), Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi addresses the objection that recording all events, including human actions, in the Preserved Tablet contradicts free will.[34] He responds that such recording does not entail determinism, as human actions are inscribed in the Tablet as they occur (freely chosen and done) and God's knowledge does not alter reality.[35] This is akin to a teacher who knows in advance whether a student will pass or fail an exam.[36]
Notes
- ↑ Kalāntarī, Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ, p. 119.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 10, p. 138.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 18, p. 84.
- ↑ Dihqānī & Others. Maʿnā shināsī-yi Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ dar Qurʾān, p. 6.
- ↑ Majlisī, Mirʾāt al-ʿuqūl, vol. 2, p. 132.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Maʿ al-Shīʿa al-imāmiyya fī ʿaqāʾidihim, p. 144-145.
- ↑ Qulīzādi & Tawakkulī, Barrasī-yi taṭbīqī-yi chīstī Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ wa wīzhigīhā-yi ān, p. 185.
- ↑ Majlisī, Mirʾāt al-ʿuqūl, vol. 2, p. 132.
- ↑ ʿAbd al-Bāqī, al-Muʿjam al-mufahras, p. 653.
- ↑ Quran 6:59.
- ↑ Quran 56:78.
- ↑ Quran 43:4.
- ↑ See: Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 3, p. 34; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 26, p. 354; Subḥānī, Maʿ al-Shīʿa al-imāmiyya fī ʿaqāʾidihim, p. 144.
- ↑ Kalāntarī, Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ, p. 121.
- ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 3, p. 34; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 26, p. 354.
- ↑ Misbāḥ Yazdī, Khudā shināsī, p. 485.
- ↑ Kalāntarī, Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ, p. 122.
- ↑ Jaʿfarī. Baḥthī darbāra-yi Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ wa Lawḥ Maḥw wa Ithbāt, p. 85.
- ↑ Tahāwunī, Mawsūʿa kashshāf al-funūn wa l-ʿulūm, vol. 2, p. 1416.
- ↑ Ṣadr al-Dīn Shīrāzī, al-Ḥikmat al-mutaʿālīyya, vol. 6, p. 295.
- ↑ Ibn ʿArabī, al-tadbīrāt al-ilāhīyya, p. 108.
- ↑ Anṣārī, Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ, p. 1940.
- ↑ Qulīzādi & Tawakkulī, Barrasī-yi taṭbīqī-yi chīstī Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ wa wīzhigīhā-yi ān, p. 189.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, vol. 1, p. 19.
- ↑ Mufīd, al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, p. 49.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 8, p. 170.
- ↑ Gharawīyān & Others. Baḥthī mabsūṭ dar Āmūzish-i ʿAqāʾid, vol. 1, p. 255-256.
- ↑ Gharawīyān & Others. Baḥthī mabsūṭ dar Āmūzish-i ʿAqāʾid, vol. 1, p. 255-256.
- ↑ Ḥusayni Mīlānī, Bā pīshwāyān-i hidāyatgar, vol. 4, p. 198.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Barrasīhā-yi Islāmī, vol. 1, p. 195.
- ↑ Ṣaffār, Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, p. 109-110.
- ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tafsīr wa l-mufassirūn, vol. 1, p. 513.
- ↑ Misbāḥ Yazdī, Khudā shināsī, p. 487-488.
- ↑ Misbāḥ Yazdī, Khudā shināsī, p. 487.
- ↑ Misbāḥ Yazdī, Khudā shināsī, p. 487-488.
- ↑ Tahmūrisī, Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ, p. 533.
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