Laqá Alláh: From Meeting Alláh to Attainment unto the Presence of God

Abstract

The phrase liqá'ullah appears in full three times in the Qur'án and its literally meaning is "meeting God". Yet the Qur'án lacks in elaborating the exact nature of this meeting. The commentators of the Qur'án suggested a wide range of exegesis in order to overcome this vague phrase: from orthodox Sunnite through mystical Súfic till Shiite interpretations. After the appearance of the Báb and following him Bahá'u'lláh this phrase acquired new interest and due to that a new interpretation as well. In my short presentation I will try to reconstruct the meaning of the phrase liqá'ullah. To start with I will present the phrase in its origin location in the Qur'án (6:31, 10:45, and 29:5) with emphasis on the English translation. Then I will introduce the main interpretations of this phrase starting with Sunnite exegesis, the Súfic and the Shiite. Finally I will show the change of thought with the Shaykhí discipline which influenced the ideas of the Báb in his Persian Bayán and later on Bahá'u'lláh in his Book of Certitude.