The Spirit of Faith and the Holy Spirit

The Spirit of Faith and the Holy Spirit

The temporal heaven includes:

The physical heaven (which is sometimes called the earth when compared to the other heavens) and the first heaven, which is the kingdom of the physical heaven. The first heaven is directly connected to the physical heaven through a connection of management and direction.

There are many ranks in the first heaven. The soul of every human is present in the first heaven according to its standing and rank. The share for the soul whose presence is restricted to the lower levels of this heaven is to perceive only that which is apparent in the physical world of this temporal life: {They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware} Quran Chapter “The Romans” 30:7.

The soul that progresses to the highest rank in this heaven will become prepared to rise up to the second heavenly kingdom, which is the first heavenly paradise. Whoever has a share within it will be among the people of heaven in the hereafter.

Moreover, if the human soul progresses to the lowest rank within the second heavenly kingdom, the spirit of faith will connect to it and be within it. This means that the reality of this soul will change and become different through the manifestation of the light of faith within it. A soul such as this will have four spirits within it (the spirit of life, spirit of power, spirit of lust, and spirit of faith).

There are many ranks of the spirit of faith, extending from where the second heaven begins to where the sixth heaven ends. Every believing human, according to their work/deeds and sincerity, will have their standing and their spirit of faith in those heavens.

Furthermore, if the soul progresses to the lowest rank of the seventh heaven, the Holy Spirit will connect to it and be within it. The more the soul progresses, the greater the Holy Spirit connected to it. This seventh heaven is the heaven of the intellect. The greater the Holy Spirit in a soul that has progressed to this heaven, the better and greater the intellect is. As I have explained previously in The Mutashabihat [The Allegories], the lowest ranks of the intellect starts from this complete seventh heaven. However, whatever is lower than it, even if it is the sixth heavenly kingdom, is a shadow of the intellect and not the intellect.

In this way, with the progression of the soul, its reality will change and become different. With the soul’s entry to the second heavenly kingdom, the spirit of faith will connect to it and the shadow of the intellect will start heading toward the light of the intellect.

With the soul’s entry to the seventh heaven, the Holy Spirit and the intellect will connect to it. No prophet is dispatched until he has a standing in the complete seventh heaven; therefore, he has completed the intellect, which is the reason for his infallibility and for the Holy Spirit connecting to his soul.^[10]

The Messenger of God pbuhap said: God did not share out anything better than the intellect. The sleep of the one of intellect is better than the awake at night of the one of ignorance, and the settled one of intellect is better than the traveling one of ignorance. God does not dispatch a Prophet or a messenger until his intellect has become complete. Thus, his intellect is better than the intellect of all the people of his nation. And what the Prophet conceals within him is better than the efforts of those who strive. Moreover, a servant does not perform his duties to God until he understands Him. The meritorious worship of all servants does not amount to what the one of intellect and those of intellect have reached. They are the ones of understanding, of whom God Almighty has said: {And none will remember except those of understanding} [Quran Chapter “The Cow” 2:269] (Al-Kulayni 1944. Al-Kafi [The Sufficient Book] vol 1, 12. Arabic source, translated).