The Art of War, Surah Al-Hadeed (The Iron)

Introduction

The situations involving warfare happen to be the greatest dilemmas that have inspired humanity throughout the known history. The mindset to indulge in conflicts by either individuals or groups seems almost to be integral to the human instinctive operation, whenceforth they may participate in activities with the focus on winning something extraordinary. Though the human urge is always to achieve their ideals with perfection, but even in victory the sense of triumph is usually shaded by the pursuing challenges of the future as much as the baggage of the past efforts. Consequently many wars have earned negative connotations on account of the sufferings and losses that frequently outweigh the happy outcome of victory. Evidently it should not mean that war in itself constitutes a wrong phenomena, but rather humanity is yet to learn the proper art of the true war. Also the notion of realizing the extrapolated ideals of peace by means of war has proven to be both unrealistic and unnatural, since such forms of peace may only exist in a world of fantasy or in a grave. Therefore any sort of living requires a war, but the right sort of living requires the Art of War. The practice of this art distinguishes a civilized culture from a barbaric culture, and precisely in this regard humanity can benefit from the hermetic wisdom contained in the texts of ancient scriptures. One such text is the chapter 57 Al-Hadeed (Iron) of Quran, because it primarily contains the mystical aspects of the great Art of War. The hermetic teachings can also help to minimize the collateral damage due to human endeavors in advancing the cause for a nobler culture.

The Hermetic War Zone

The Hermetic War Zone is the astrological twilight zone whereby transpires the interactions of the astrological signs of Light and Dark. The twilight zone consists of the two cardinal signs of Aries and Libra, the two fixed signs of Taurus and Scorpio, and the two mutable signs of Virgo and Pisces. Among these six signs; the earth signs of Taurus and Virgo represent the Light, the water signs of Scorpio and Pisces represent the Dark, and the signs of Aries and Libra with the elements of fire and air represent the Twilight. The sign of Aries has the character of ‘strength’, whilst the opposite sign of Libra stands for ‘wisdom’. The sign of Virgo reflects ‘logic or sensibility’, whilst the sign of Pisces demonstrates ‘compassion or sensitivity’. The sign of Taurus has ‘wealth or resources’, whilst the sign of Scorpio wields ‘power or influence’. According to the hermetic wisdom, the characteristics of these signs formulate the Art of War in association with the dimensions of elements effecting them. In the hermetic war zone, Aries (Strength) is supported by Taurus (Wealth) and undermined by Pisces (Compassion); whilst Libra (Wisdom) is supported by Virgo (Logic) and undermined by Scorpio (Power). The function of earth signs (Taurus and Virgo) is always to support, whilst the function of water signs (Scorpio and Pisces) is always to undermine. The twilight signs of Aries and Libra form the front-line of the hermetic war zone, and hence the hermetic art of war requires the striking of balance between them in order to achieve a state of harmony and equilibrium. The chapter 57 begins with the following description of the hermetic war zone.

1. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifieth Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. 2. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; He quickeneth and He giveth death; and He is Able to do all things. 3. He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the Inward; and He is Knower of all things. 4. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days; then He mounted the Throne. He knoweth all that entereth the earth and all that emergeth therefrom and all that cometh down from the sky and all that ascendeth therein; and He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And Allah is Seer of what ye do. 5. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and unto Allah (all) things are brought back. 6. He causeth the night to pass into the day, and He causeth the day to pass into the night, and He is knower of all that is in the breasts.

The Divine attributes mentioned in the verse 1, ‘the Mighty, the Wise’ refer symbolically to the twilight signs of Aries (Strength) and Libra (Wisdom) respectively. The qualities stated in the verse 2–3; the ability to impart life and death, the first and the last, and the outward and the inward are all corresponding characteristics referring to Aries and Libra. Astrologically the Sun rises in Aries and sets in Libra, the Light comes forth in Aries and goes back in Libra, the day begins at Aries and ends at Libra causing the two signs to be the pivotal players in conducting the war between Light and Dark. The verse 4 particularly depicts the Hermetic War Zone as the ‘six days’ stated there represent the six signs of the war zone, and the ‘Throne’ represents the zodiac. The phrase ‘all that entereth the earth and all that emergeth therefrom’ symbolizes the earth signs of Taurus and Virgo; and the phrase ‘all that cometh down from the sky and all that ascendeth therein’ refers to the activities of the water signs of Scorpio and Pisces. The Hermetic War Zone is fundamental to the organization of life in nature whereby the consciousness of all living beings find the tests for their authenticity. The goal therefore is not to gain sovereignty or superiority since the real war is never between the living beings, but rather between the Light of life and the Darkness of death. A true warrior is the one that may find strength in life, and wisdom in death.

The War between Light and Dark

The verse 9 says,

9. He it is Who sendeth down clear revelations unto His slave, that He may bring you forth from darkness unto light; and lo! for you, Allah is Full of Pity, Merciful.

The war between Light and Dark is as old as the conscience of humanity. From the standpoint of morality, it represents the ideological conflict between the Needs and Desires of human beings. The purpose of Need is to support the survival, whilst the objective of Desire is to find self-aggrandizement. Though the physical presence of light can be easily perceived through the agency of vision, but the philosophical distinction between Light and Dark can only be recognized by a compassionate heart and a sensible mind. The desires drive humans to follow the dark path of greed and possessiveness. This darkness stokes the fires of passions by encouraging exploitation and abuse that might ultimately lead to chaos. The impatience of a person clouds his judgement, and thereby causes him to resort to extreme actions without due understanding of all the variables associated with the consequence. The Darkness thrives on the ignorance that remains unrealized by those suffering from it. On the contrary, the goals of spiritual growth interests the followers of Light. They tend to focus on the human needs by practicing simplicity, fairness, and integrity to establish order in every affair.

12. On the day when thou (Muhammad) wilt see the believers, men and women, their light shining forth before them and on their right hands, (and wilt hear it said unto them): Glad news for you this day: Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein ye are immortal. That is the supreme triumph. 13. On the day when the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women will say unto those who believe: Look on us that we may borrow from your light! it will be said: Go back and seek for light! Then there will separate them a wall wherein is a gate, the inner side whereof containeth mercy, while the outer side thereof is toward the doom.

The verse 12 contains powerful symbolism of the two kinds of lights carried by the believers. The light shining forth before them belongs to the earth signs of Taurus and Virgo, whilst the light on their right hands comes from the water signs of Scorpio and Pisces. The description of light is followed by the phrase ‘Gardens underneath which rivers flow’ evidently emphasizing the reference to the gardens of earth signs and the rivers of water signs. It suggests that the believers are those who may account for the factors associated with the war so as to fulfill the ideals of Light. Whilst the verse 13 mentions the hypocritical men and women to be those who wage wars without the ideals of Light. Though they may appear like warriors but such people never contribute to a real war. The word ‘light’ in the verse 13 symbolizes the true battlefield of a war. The hypocrite is actually worst than a disbeliever because when one abandons God he becomes a disbeliever, but when one is abandoned by God he becomes a hypocrite. The phrase ‘wall wherein is a gate’ in the verse 13 symbolizes the Eye or the Gate of Vision. It represents the element of Fate for the hypocrite, since a blind person remains in the dark despite of the presence of light.

The Way of the Warrior

The major characteristic of a true warrior is that he always fights for the higher ideals. The living in a state of war requires a great deal of physical commitment and mental focus that cannot be achieved without the presence of nobler goals.

19. And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, they are the loyal, and the martyrs are with their Lord; they have their reward and their light; while as for those who disbelieve and deny Our revelations, they are owners of hell-fire. 20. Know that the life of the world is only play, and idle talk, and pageantry, and boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of vegetation after rain, whereof the growth is pleasing to the husbandman, but afterward it drieth up and thou seest it turning yellow, then it becometh straw. And in the Hereafter there is grievous punishment, and (also) forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure, whereas the life of the world is but matter of illusion.

The verse 19 suggests that the true warriors who may fall in a battlefield should actually be never considered fallen because their ideals stand nonetheless. Just as the warrior supports his cause by fighting for it, the light of his cause also stands for the life of the warrior. The warrior and his cause are not mutually exclusive as their combined legacy continues to find the ever greater heights. On the contrary, the verse 20 explains that those who battle without any higher goal would loose their existence with the tides of time; as the color of their lives fade with the change of seasons and the roots of their trees fail to stand the storms of weather, their legacy is consumed by the void of their darkness.

17. Know that Allah quickeneth the earth after its death. We have made clear Our revelations for you, that haply ye may understand. 18. Lo! those who give alms, both men and women, and lend unto Allah a goodly loan, it will be doubled for them, and theirs will be a rich reward.

The verse 17 uses the symbolism of earth’s revival to describe the state of war as ever continuous and perpetual phenomena that is integrally built into the nature itself. The verse 18 suggests that the knowledge of the art of war increases only with the experience of the warrior and the very enhancement of this art represents the double payment on the ‘goodly loan’, because it improves the value and the standard of the warrior.

22. Naught of disaster befalleth in the earth or in yourselves but it is in a Book before we bring it into being — Lo! that is easy for Allah —  23. That ye grieve not for the sake of that which hath escaped you, nor yet exult because of that which hath been given. Allah loveth not all prideful boasters,

The main lesson here is that wars should not be fought merely to gain victory against the enemy because then the attainment of victory would supposedly end the war. The true war has to be constantly fought without any earthly objective to conquer, and therefore neither losses nor gains could be the decisive factors in the war that do not depend on them. The only purpose of a war should be the advancement in the art of war through the diligence and experience of the true warrior.

25. We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, that mankind may observe right measure; and He revealed iron, wherein is mighty power and (many) uses for mankind, and that Allah may know him who helpeth Him and His messengers, though unseen. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.

The verse 25 contains the most significant instructions regarding the art of war. The Scripture and the Balance stands for the signs of Aries and Libra respectively. They represent the forces of action and reaction to control the participants and the framework of the war experiment. Thus the equilibrium is achieved with the application of conditions that may render the war to be a beneficial human enterprise. The mention of ‘He revealed iron’ in verse 25 is a metaphor for the alchemical transformation of humanity into an industrious and functional unit. The metal iron is strong in its character, but it can also be designed and shaped into very useful instruments that may serve the engine of universal goodness. The iron is also attributed to represent the astrological properties of planet Mars, the warrior planet. It implies that just as human beings would use the metal iron for their facilities in life, similarly they should themselves become equally effective tools in the Divine hands to forge the destiny of all life. And just as a good workman may value an effective tool, the Divinity would likewise appreciate the worth of human contributions for the Divine plan.

The End Note

While working on this article, I constantly found the deeper awareness of the extent to which the state of war existed in the world. That made this experience all the more exhilarating and purposeful in view of the grand opportunity afforded to humanity by the forces of nature to learn about the great art of war. I hope that everyone would come across stories of heroism unprecedented in the human history, and that might inspire many generations to appreciate their legacy. I should conclude this article by stating the last two verses from chapter 57 of Quran.

28. O ye who believe! Be mindful of your duty to Allah and put faith in His messenger. He will give you twofold of His mercy and will appoint for you a light wherein ye shall walk, and will forgive you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful; 29. That the People of the Scripture may know that they control naught of the bounty of Allah, but that the bounty is in Allah’s hand to give to whom He will. And Allah is of Infinite Bounty.