The Baptism of God, and who is better than God to baptize? Him do we worship" (chap. ii). this is the translation from the Quran... The spiritual baptism is the direct work of God Himself. As a fuller or a laundress washes the linen or any other object with water; as a dyer tints the wool or cotton with a tincture to give it a new hue; and as a baptist blots out the past sins of the true penitent believer, so does God Almighty baptize, not the body, but the spirit and the soul of him whom He mercifully directs and guides unto the Holy Religion of Islam. This is the Sibghatu Allah the Baptism of Allah, which makes a person fit and dignified to become a citizen of the Kingdom of Allah and a member of His religion. Encyclopaedia of Islam, Mufti M. Mukarram Ahmed, page 214

Surah 2:138 Al Baqarah (The Heifer)

The Baptism of Allah: An Esoteric Interpretation of Surah 2:138 and the Inner Resurrection

1. Introduction: The Qur'anic Declaration of a Divine Baptism

The Qur'an, in Surah Al-Baqarah, makes a profound and enigmatic declaration: The Baptism of Allah; and who can baptise better than Allah? And it is He whom we worship.[1] This verse, centered on the term Ṣibghat Allāh, has been a subject of extensive theological discussion. While many mainstream interpretations view it metaphorically as the color or religion of God, a deeper, esoteric reading, supported by hadith, classical linguistic analysis, and cross-traditional spiritual teachings, points to a more direct, experiential, and transformative event: a spiritual resurrection that occurs within the living individual. This paper argues that the Baptism of Allah is not a symbolic adoption of faith but a literal, inner Qiyamah, an awakening of a divine potential located at the base of the spine, an event that many have overlooked in their expectation of a purely external, eschatological apocalypse.

2. The Linguistic and Theological Significance of Ṣibghat Allāh

The term ṣibghah (صِبْغَة) literally means dye or color. However, as classical Arabic lexicographers like Ibn Fāris and al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī note, the root ṣ-b-gh implies a transformative immersion that alters the very essence of the object being dyed.[2] It is not a superficial coating but a deep, permeating change. Thus, Ṣibghat Allāh is not merely the outward profession of Islam but an inward transformation of the human being, a spiritual dyeing in the attributes of the Divine. This interpretation is further supported by the context of the verse, which contrasts Allah's baptism with the ritualistic baptisms of other traditions, suggesting a superior, direct, and unmediated divine action.

3. The Prophetic Tradition of the Coccyx ('ajb al-dhanab) as the Seed of Resurrection

Authentic hadith from both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim provide a crucial anatomical key to understanding this inner resurrection. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is reported to have said:

This is a remarkable statement, identifying a specific, indestructible part of the human anatomy as the locus of resurrection. This is not an allegory but a precise spiritual and biological statement. The coccyx is presented as the seed from which creation is renewed. This concept finds parallels in other traditions, such as the Jewish concept of the Luz bone, an indestructible bone at the base of the spine from which the body will be resurrected.[4]

4. The Two Qiyamahs: Distinguishing Between Outer and Inner Resurrection

Islamic eschatology speaks of Al-Qiyamah, the Day of Resurrection, as a future event. However, the Qur'an and the esoteric traditions of Islam also speak of an inner, spiritual resurrection that can be experienced in this life. This is the distinction between the Qiyamah al-Kubra (the Great Resurrection) at the end of time and the Qiyamah al-Sughra (the lesser resurrection) of the individual soul. The provided materials from adishakti.org argue that many Muslims, in their focus on the external, apocalyptic Qiyamah, have missed the signs and the reality of the inner, spiritual Qiyamah.

5. Qur'anic Evidence for Inner Resurrection

The Qur'an itself contains verses that speak of a spiritual death and rebirth in this life. For example, in Surah Al-An'am, Allah asks:

Classical commentators like Ibn Kathīr and al-Qurtubī interpret the dead here as spiritually dead, and the life as divine guidance and illumination in this world. This is a clear reference to an inner, spiritual resurrection. Similarly, Surah Al-Baqarah states, You were dead, and He gave you life.[6] The past tense suggests a state of spiritual death that precedes a spiritual awakening in this life.

6. Sufi and Esoteric Interpretations of Spiritual Rebirth

The esoteric tradition of Islam, particularly Sufism, has long emphasized the concept of inner resurrection. The famous dictum of the Prophet, Die before you die, is central to Sufi thought, referring to the annihilation of the ego (fanā') and subsistence in God (baqā'). Mystics like Rumi, Ibn 'Arabi, and al-Ghazali all spoke of this inner transformation. Ibn 'Arabi referred to a personal resurrection (qiyāmah shakhsiyyah), while al-Ghazali spoke of the true life that God casts into the servant's heart in this world.[7] This inner resurrection is the very essence of the spiritual path in Sufism.

7. Cross-Traditional Parallels: The Universal Mechanism of Spiritual Awakening

The concept of a spiritual energy residing at the base of the spine that, when awakened, leads to enlightenment is not unique to Islam. The Hindu tradition speaks of the Kundalini, a coiled energy at the base of the spine that, when awakened, rises through the subtle energy centers (chakras) to the crown of the head, resulting in self-realization. The Christian tradition speaks of being born again of the Holy Spirit. The adishakti.org materials posit that these are all different names for the same universal mechanism of spiritual awakening, the very mechanism that is activated in the Baptism of Allah.

8. Al-Naba' (The Great News): The Dispute Over the Resurrection

Surah 78, Al-Naba' (The Great News), begins with a question: Concerning what are they disputing? Concerning the Great News, about which they are in disagreement.[8] Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his commentary, notes that the Great News is usually understood to mean the Resurrection.[9] The fact that people are disputing and in disagreement about it suggests that the Resurrection is not a simple, universally accepted concept. The esoteric interpretation presented in the provided materials suggests that this dispute arises because the true nature of the Resurrection—as an inner, spiritual event—is misunderstood and rejected by many who are expecting a purely external phenomenon.

9. Conclusion: The Baptism of Allah as the Missed Qiyamah

The evidence from the Qur'an, hadith, linguistic analysis, and cross-traditional spiritual teachings converges to support an esoteric interpretation of Surah 2:138. The Baptism of Allah is not a mere metaphor for conversion but a direct, transformative, and experiential spiritual resurrection. It is the awakening of a divine potential, the Rūḥ or Spirit of God, located at the coccyx, the very seed of resurrection identified by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). This inner Qiyamah, this spiritual rebirth, is the Great News that many have disputed and missed, looking for signs in the external world while the true miracle unfolds within. The challenge posed by the verse, who can baptise better than Allah? is a call to seek this direct, unmediated experience of the Divine, to move beyond ritual and dogma to the living reality of spiritual transformation.

10. References

The Baptism of Allah and the Missed Qiyāmah

The Qur’anic term ṣibghah—literally: dyeing, colouring, infusion—denotes a qualitative immersion that alters the thing it colours. Classical Arabic lexical authorities (Ibn Fāris, al‑Rāghib, Ibn Manẓūr) treat the root ṣ‑b‑gh as implying an alteration of essence. In this verse Allah announces a transformation performed by God Himself rather than by human ritual.

2. The Prophetic Revelation: Resurrection Begins at the Coccyx

The Coccyx is the last bone in the vertebral column

"The Coccyx is the last bone in the vertebral column. It was mentioned in many Hadiths that this bone is the origin of humans and the seed from which they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment and that this part doesn't decay in the earth.

The honoured Hadiths:
1. Abu Huraira reported that The Prophet (PBUH) said: All what of son of Adam will (be eaten) by the earth except the coccyx from which he was created and from which he will be resurrected Reported by Albukhari, Al Nassaii, Abu Daoud, Ibn Majah and Ahmad in his Mousnad and Malek in his Mouattaa.
2. As was reported by Abu Huraira the prophet (PBUH) said: There is a bone in the Son Of Adam that the earth will never eat. They said what is it Oh Prophet of Allah? He said: It is the coccyx Reported by Albukhari, Al Nassaii, Abu Daoud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad in his book al Mousnad and Malek in his book Al Mouattaa.
So the previous Hadiths are clear and contain the following facts:
1. Human are created from the coccyx.
2. The coccyx does not get decayed.
3. On the Day of Judgment, the Resurrection will be from the coccyx.”

Dr. Othman Aljilani, www.quranandscience.com
(Retrieved November 22, 2012)

Authenticated ḥadīth literature affirms that resurrection (al‑qiẓāmah / al‑qiyāmah) is linked to the ʿajb al‑dhanab (the tail‑bone / coccyx):

1. Al‑Bukhārī records that all of creation will decay except the tailbone, from which humankind will be reassembled on the Day of Resurrection.^[2]
2. Muslim likewise transmits that every part of the son of Adam perishes except the last bone at the lower end of the spine (ʿajb al‑dhanab); from it he will be recreated.^[3]

These narrations are classically graded strong and have significant theological import: the coccyx functions as the locus of re‑creation. When read alongside the Qur’an’s language of inner life and illumination, the hadith point to an ontological seed of resurrection embedded within human anatomy.

3. Inner Resurrection in the Qur’an: Life Before Death

The Qur’an presents resurrection in multiple dimensions. Beyond the post‑mortem reassembly of bodies, the text also describes a life restored in this world:

“Is one who was dead, and We gave him life, and made for him a light by which he walks among people…” — Qur’an 6:122

Exegetes such as Ibn Kathīr, al‑Qurṭubī, and al‑Ṭabarī interpret the term “dead” here as spiritual death; the “life” granted is a present‑tense illumination and ethical transformation. Similarly, Qur’an 2:28 (“You were dead and He gave you life”) reiterates that God’s enlivening is not confined to eschatological chronology but may occur in the living human.

4. The Baptism of Allah = Inner Resurrection (Qiyāmah al‑Bāṭinah)

Within classical and later Islamic spirituality (taṣawwuf), scholars such as al‑Ghazālī, Ibn ʿArabī, and Jalāl al‑Dīn Rūmī describe a transformation of the servant effected by God’s light and presence. The Qur’anic language of ṣibghah, of being made alive, and of receiving light coheres with this mystic anthropology: God alone baptizes the soul by infusing it with life and illumination.

When this divine infusion reaches the locus identified in the prophetic narrations—the coccyx—it effects an ascent of spiritual energy that purifies the inner channels, opens the higher centres, and manifests a living resurrection in the heart and consciousness of the seeker.

5. Why This Is the Qiyāmah Many Muslims Missed

The Qur’an contains repeated rebukes to those who fail to perceive the signs of the Hour when it arrives: “Are they waiting for the very thing they neglected?” (7:52), and warnings that people will say, after the event, “We were unaware” (7:172). These passages indicate that Qiyāmah may present in forms unexpected by the many—inner, sudden, and unmistakable to the awakened but unseen by the heedless.

The prophetic tradition echoes such surprise: “The Hour has drawn near, yet people increase only in heedlessness.” (Musnad Aḥmad). Institutional ritual without interior transformation predisposes communities to miss Qiyāmah’s inward manifestation.

6. Islamic Esotericism: Confirmations of an Inner Qiyāmah

Sufic authors and metaphysicians articulate a personal resurrection (qiyāmah shakhsiyyah) and a resurrection of the heart (qiyāmah al‑qalb):

• Ibn ʿArabī writes of a private inner dawn unique to each seeker.
• Rūmī’s aphorism “die before you die” points to inner death and spiritual rebirth.
• Al‑Ghazālī insists that the true life is the life God casts into the servant’s heart.

These attestations align the Qur’anic ṣibghah with a concrete spiritual process—an awakening effected by Allah’s own action within the human frame.

7. Cross‑Traditional Convergence

The Fountain at the coccyx appears under various terminologies across traditions:

• Islam: ʿajb al‑dhanab; Rūḥ’s seed; prophetic locus of re‑creation.
• Hindu/Shakta: Kundalinī / Muladhara / Amṛita fountain.
• Christian mysticism: Holy Spirit / Living Water / Baptism of the Spirit.

Though vocabularies differ, the experiential claim is uniform: an inner power rises, purifies, opens, and confers a living participation in divine life—what the Qur’an terms Ṣibghat Allāh.

8. Conclusion: The Missed Qiyāmah and the Path Forward

Read holistically, Al‑Baqarah 2:138 announces a God‑performed inner baptism that effects ontological resurrection. The Qur’an’s own testimony to life‑before‑death (e.g., 2:28; 6:122), the prophetic localization of re‑creation at the coccyx, and the consistent attestation of inner resurrection within Islamic esotericism together establish a coherent theological claim:

Ṣibghat Allāh is the inner Qiyāmah—the awakening of the Fountain of Immortality at the coccyx, the resurrection of the living, and the baptism performed by Allah alone.

Those who missed it are invited back: the gate of awakening remains open; sincere seeking, repentance, and surrender remain the means by which God’s baptism is received.