Tajalli

Tajalliat (plural of tajalli; ar. تجلي) or theophanies in the realm of being are manifestations of the divine Truth with regard to infinite perfection and eternal glory. The divine theophanies are essentially the outpouring of His Beauty, His Perfection and His Love which are expressed in the immense theatre of the universe. The Existential Theophanies taken as a whole comprise three levels which Ibn Arabi calls "hadarât" (Presences or Dignities).

First level: Pure Essence

These are called existential theophanies of the Essence. They are the determinations of God in Himself, for Himself in His Essence transcending all manifestation and form. The world from which these theophanies and their radiance spring is called Unity "alam al-ahadiyya" (Realm of Unity). In this universe, the divine Essence appears as beyond all description, name or qualification. It is the world of pure Essence considered as Mystery of Mysteries and Secret of Secrets from which the theophanies of the Essence originate, the mirror in which the absolute existential Reality is reflected.

econd level: The Attributes

These are the existential theophanies of divine qualities. The existential theophanies of divine Attributes are the determinations of God in Himself for Himself under the aspect of His intrinsic Names and Attributes. The world specified for this type of theophany is "alam al-wahda" ("Realm of Unicity" of the Essence with Its Attributes). God-Truth manifests both in His Essence and in His intrinsic Perfection after his concealment as "Hidden Treasure. This appearance arises by the mediation of what Ibn Arabi calls the most holy emanation "(al-fayd al-aqdas)". In this particular world of theophanies the beings destined to incarnate appear in the form of immutable realities.

Third level: Acts

These are the active existential theophanies since the nature of God or the divinity as such is Essence, Attributes and Action, personified by His Divine Names. The existential theophanies of divine Action are the extrinsic effects of divine Power in the manifest world. The world where these theophanies are exercised and revealed is called "a1am a1-Wahdâniyya" ,"The Unification" in its three aspects: Essence-Attribute-Action. It appears by the way of the holy emanation (al-fayd al-Muqaddas): a universe where God manifests Himself in the form of eternal realities encompassing species and individuals, sensible forms and abstractions.

Tajalli in secular poetry

In secular urdu poetry, a noumenistic dimension is acheived by reading words like "beloved"(dilbar),"goal"(muqam),"wine"(sharaab), "annihilation"(fana)& "gaze"(nazar) as distinct from their corporeal meanings. Tajalli has been used to similar effect, viz:

""...Ek tajalli, ek tabbassum, ek nigah-e-Banda nawaz,' Is se zyaada, e-gham-e-jaana,'' Dil ki keemat kya kahiye,'' Kya kahiye, kya kahiye...'

roughly translated as :

""...one manifestation, one glimpse of beauty, one gaze from the eye of the Beloved; ' what larger price than this can one put upon this beleagured heart of mine...'

External links

* [http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/osmanyahya.html Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn 'Arabi]