6) The Earth in Which the Return Will Take Place

6) The Earth in Which the Return Will Take Place

In addition to the topic previously discussed another question was asked, and the answer to this question will help clarify things further. We will come to it after we review the following religious account:

Walid Ibn Sabeeh said: One day I went to see Abu Abdullah pbuh. He handed clothes to me and said, “O Walid, return the clothing to its folded state.” I stood up in front of him. Then Abu Abdullah pbuh said, “May God have mercy on Al-Mualla Ibn Khunais.” I thought that he was comparing me while standing before him to Al-Mualla Ibn Khunais, who had also stood before him. Then he said to me, “Woe to this world, woe to this world. This world is a place of tribulation in which God has empowered his enemies over his preferred ones. Afterwards, there is a place that is not like that.” So I said, “May I be your ransom-where is that place?” He said: “It is here,” and he pointed with his hand to the earth (Al-Hilli 1950, 49).

Of course this place is the Return. Sayed Ahmad Al-Hasan pbuh was asked: What was the meaning of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq pbuh pointing to the earth?

He answered:

Yes. May God grant you success and make your footsteps firm. The earth has manifestations in the entire temporal heaven extending to the first heaven, in which will be the Return. The Return also takes place on the earth, even if in a different manifestation of it that is different than this physical world we live in.