Islamic Sufi Gnosticism: The Divine Origin

In Islamic Sufi Gnosticism, as taught by the Rose Crescent tradition, Allah was alone in eternity and wanted to be known. Allah then began the process of emanation. As being moved into becoming, Allah created what has most accurately been described (although description is not possible) by the Prophet Lao Tzu (pbuh) as The Tao.

From the Tao emerged the First Aeon. Within that Aeon Allah created three things and seven Spirits.

The three things are the Umm al-kitab (the archetypal Mother Book), which serves as a mysterious blueprint of the universe; the Divine Forces to animate the universe (e.g. Love, Compassion, Mercy, Yin, Yang, etc); and The Throne.

Within the First Aeon Allah also created and placed the Seven Spirits before the throne. These seven include: the Spirit of Guidance (known by the Greeks as the Logos and by the Arabs as the Rasul); the Spirit of Wisdom; and the four Archangels.

Allah then commissioned the Seven Spirits before the throne to go forth into the universe, with each of the Seven Spirits manifesting differently in the universe. For example, the Archangel Gabriel communicated the various revelations. The Rasul-Logos (Spirit of Guidance), in various human guises, received the divine communication, and then appeared to each nation, tribe and species, bringing with them a reflection (revelation) of the heavenly Umm al-kitab. It should be noted that the last appearance of the Rasul-Logos was with the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Other appearances of the Rasul-Logos have included Adam, Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses and Jesus.

The Spirit of Wisdom also appeared at different times throughout history as well, with the purpose of unveiling the deeper hidden mysteries of the Umm al-kitab. Some of the most famous and noteworthy appearances of Wisdom have included Isis, Kuan Yin and Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).