The Return to Being: A Translation of Risalat al-Walayah

The Return to Being tells the story of the journey of the human soul from the material world to its ultimate goal – annihilation in Allah’s actions, attributes, and essence. In this work, ‘Allamah Tabataba’i outlines the human-divine relationship and the stages by which human beings can reach human perfection in their journey towards the station of ‘being in Being’. The author contends that all human beings have the capacity to achieve this highest stage of spiritual perfection whereby they can witness the beauty and glory of God. Integrating ontological and epistemological principles, Tabataba’i elaborates on the two interior and exterior aspects of realities, including religion, which manifest at different existential levels. The author also suggests spiritual methods to anyone who would like to learn more about theoretical and practical principles in order to attain spiritual refinement and to achieve the interior dimensions of existence and religious knowledge. Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i (1892-1981) is the author of a twenty-volume Qur’anic commentary entitled al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an as well as several groundbreaking works on Islamic philosophy and mysticism. Additionally, he authored a number of books on Shi‘a history and doctrine to bring about a better awareness of Shi‘ism throughout the world.