The Four Worlds
Lahut — the divine world: Lahut (l-h-t, possibly from Hebrew Eloah) refers to the divine essence — utterly transcendent, beyond all attribute and comparison, the source of all being that cannot itself be described or even properly named. In strict Ismaili theology, even the positive divine names (al-Karim, al-Rahman) apply only to the First Intellect’s manifestation of divine qualities, not to the divine essence itself.
Jabarut — the world of power: Jabarut (j-b-r — power, compulsion, the root of jabbar meaning overwhelming) is the world of the Universal Intellect (‘Aql al-Kulli) — the first emanation from the divine, the most complete being possible, fully knowing and fully good. The Jabarut is the world of the prophets’ revelation (wahy comes from the Intellect’s level) and of the Imam’s inner station.
Malakut — the world of angels: Malakut (m-l-k — kingship, authority, the root of malik meaning king) is the world of the Universal Soul (Nafs al-Kulliyya) and the angels — the subtle world that mediates between the Intellect and the physical. The Malakut corresponds to the da’wa’s esoteric dimension; its inhabitants include the cosmic agents through whom divine guidance reaches the physical world.
Nasut — the human world: Nasut is the physical world of matter, time, and human experience — the world of zahir, of the senses, of birth and death. It is the most distant from the divine but not separated from it — the Imam’s presence in the Nasut is the divine’s deliberate reaching-down to the lowest world.
See also: Ismaili Philosophy, Fayd, Al Khalq, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation
The Hierarchy in Da’wa Terms
Correspondence with da’wa grades: Ismaili cosmological teaching links the four worlds to the da’wa hierarchy — the Imam corresponds to the highest accessible level (Jabarut/Intellect), the Da’i to the Malakut/Soul level, and the mumineen in their different stages to different levels of the Nasut. The da’wa is the cosmic hierarchy made present in human society.
The Quran’s vocabulary: Ismaili ta’wil finds the four worlds in the Quran’s own vocabulary — malakut al-sama’ (the kingdom of heaven) for the Malakut, ‘izzat wa jabarut for the Jabarut’s power, and the repeated descriptions of human existence for the Nasut. The zahir describes the Nasut; the batin points to the higher worlds.
See also: Ismaili Philosophy, Hudud Al Dawat, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Al Khalq
The Imam at the Boundary
Hujja in the Nasut: The Imam as hujja (proof) is the point where Jabarut meets Nasut — where the highest world touches the lowest. The Imam’s zahir body is in the Nasut; his batin is connected to the Jabarut’s Intellect level. This is why proximity to the Imam (in whatever form available — physical ziyara, spiritual walayah, following the Da’i) is the soul’s most direct path toward the higher worlds.
See also: Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Understanding Walayah, Sitr And Zuhur, Ziyara
See also: Ismaili Philosophy, Fayd, Al Khalq, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Hudud Al Dawat, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Understanding Walayah, Sitr And Zuhur, Ziyara