From “Kadh” to “Liqa’ Allah” The Social and Political Feasibility of “Liqa’ Allah” (Meeting God)

The purpose of the present study is to explain the disagreements and paradoxes in the different views about the meaning of the 6th verse of Surah al-Inshiqaq on the concept of Liqa’ Allah (meeting God). There is not a consistent view in Shi’ite and Sunni exegeses on the conception of Liqa’ Allah. The main research questions are: Is Liqa’ Allah for all humans or a special group of people? What are the political-social implications of every exegesis and what evidence does it include? Using the method of comparative exegesis and exploring the meaning of different terms with the Thalathi Mujarrad origin of “Laqi”, this article reviews exegetical, mystical, theological, and philosophical viewpoints in this regard. The results showed that meeting God is attainable by all humans through spiritual journey (Soluk), in which the infallible Imams are pioneers, but other humans can also achieve these miracles. The promise of achieving this level of political-social activities (Kadh-e ‘Am or general striving) is interpreted under the concept of Liqa’ Allah. Participation in political activities (from Jihad to building an Islamic state) and participation in social activities (from forming a family to increasing the quality of living in society) can be interpreted as instances of moving in the way of Liqa’ Allah.