Aladdin from a Mystical Perspective

I believe Aladdin was in reality a story to inspire or teach the mystical/spiritual reality of transcendence and spiritual ascension to the Muslim children which like as in Chinese whisper was distorted by those who never understood the true essence thereof or deliberately distorted the underlying teachings replacing them with the exact opposite of the point in question.

 

I believe Aladdin’s actual name is ‘Allah-Deen’; a known name amongst Muslims of the Sub-Continent. Signifying ‘one who promulgates the Message of Allah i.e. the Islamic Code of Life’. Aladdin was never a story about a boy who grew from rags to riches, but in fact it was the story of every Muslim who sets out on a journey of spiritual ascension and realizes the nothingness of his self and reaches to become the best of whom he can be.

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The supposed magic ring in fact signifies the joining/association with a Sufi Order. In the olden days’ rings were worn by certain Sufi orders depicting one’s association with them.  This ring in particular looks like a traditionally know Islamic Aqeeq Ring.  I feel that perhaps in the true instance Aladdin joined an Order of Tasawwuf whereby he was lead on the spiritual journey and taught about the route/process/way of reaching the supposed magic lamp. But it is unclear as per the prevailing versions whether his Spiritual Guide was himself authentic or not, perhaps he was amongst those typically known fraudulent ‘peers’ (spiritual guides) who was actually into black magic of sorts and became Aladdin’s enemy on realizing that Aladdin had actually reached true Spirituality due to his earnest and sincere efforts and devotion. Or perhaps that too was a distortion to put people off of the  reality and essence of Tasawwuf by reinforcing the concept of magic and greed with the so-called peer. Allah Knows best!

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Aladdin’s magic carpet was in fact a Muslim Prayer Mat, used for offering Salah. Salah being one of the five pillars of Islam and main rituals of Spiritual ascension. Hence the concept of the flying carpet; when offering Salah upon the prayer mat one disconnects from the world and ascends to the highest heavens connecting with His Lord Allah, praising Him, glorifying Him and Thanking Him.

A Muslim’s Salah is meant to be a meeting with his Beloved i.e. his LORD ALLAH the Creator of All! Unfortunately, this concept has been twisted and distorted or completely misunderstood to be taken as a meeting or union between Aladdin and his earthly beloved i.e. the princess.

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Surah Al-Nur (Surah number 24) Ayaat 35-40:

Allah^-SWT is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His^-SWT light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light, Allah^-SWT guideth unto His^-SWT light whom He^-SWT will. And Allah^-SWT speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah^-SWT is knower of all things.

(This lamp is found) in houses which Allah^-SWT hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him^-SWT at morn and evening (engaging in His^-SWT Remembrance)--

Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah^-SWT and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned;

That Allah^-SWT may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His^-SWT bounty. Allah^-SWT giveth blessings without stint to whom He^-SWT will.

As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught, and findeth, in the place thereof, Allah^-SWT, Who^-SWT payeth him his due; and Allah^-SWT is swift at reckoning.

Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah^-SWT hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.

Hadith: Al-Bayhaqee relates from Ibn 'Umar radiallaahu 'anhu that Allah^-SWT's Messenger^-SAW said: "For everything there is a polish, & the polish for the hearts is the zikr (remembrance) of Allah^-SWT. There is nothing more potent in saving a person from the punishment of Allah^-SWT than the zikr of Allah^-SWT." It was said: Not even Jihad in the path of Allah^-SWT. So he replied: "Not even if you were to continue striking with your sword until it breaks."

Hadith: Muslim, Narator Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab^-RAU: Umar went out one day to the masjid of Allah^-SWT's Messenger ^-SAWand found Mu'adh ibn Jabal sitting by the Prophet^-SAW's grave, weeping. He asked what was making him weep and he replied that it was something he had heard from Allah^-SWT's Messenger^-SAW. He had heard him say, "a little hypocrisy is polytheism, and anyone who is hostile to a friend of Allah^-SWT has gone forth to fight Allah^-SWT. Allah^-SWT loves the upright, pious and retiring ones who are not missed when they are absent and are not given invitations or treated with honour when they are present. Their hearts are the lamps of guidance, and they come forth from every dusty and dark place."

Accordingly, in the light of the above mentioned Ayaat and Hadith one can clearly see that the Lamp is in fact the Qalb bestowed to every Human Being; which has been granted the capacity to receive the Divine Light/Refulgence and radiate it. It is in fact the communicating device between man and the Spiritual-World/Realm; it’s polish being Qalbi-Zikr-Allah. Thus, in my understanding the cave was symbolic of the dusty and dark place. The struggle of reaching that cave to find the lamp is in fact the Mujahida one undertakes within the self to reach/face his darkest of fears and understand the reality of his own being and one finally opening his heart through desire and want of ultimate success; thereby striving to polish his own Qalb, he unleashes the Power of the Spiritual World that lies within and he is thus rewarded with the ultimate treasures and he is no longer beguiled/distracted by the illusions of royalty/grandeur of this world because he has actually witnessed the essence of the Grandeur of the Divine!

“(This lamp is found) in houses which Allah^-SWT hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him^-SWT at morn and evening (engaging in His^-SWT Remembrance)--

Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah^-SWT and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned;

That Allah^-SWT may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His^-SWT bounty. Allah^-SWT giveth blessings without stint to whom He^-SWT will.” (24:36-38)

Unlike what it is made out to be in the prevailing version of Aladdin, this polishing of the lamp actually made Aladdin indifferent to the material world and material gains because he truly begun to recognize the power of Allah. This was not about magic or about unleashing any Genie and becoming forever enslaved to materialism and dependent upon the Genie. It was the exact opposite of all this. It was about Aladdin discovering and coming to the realization that “this world and all that lies within is nothing but an illusion and in reality, It has absolutely ‘NO POWER OVER ME!’” It was about the absolute submission before the Only True Power; Allah!

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