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WHAT
IS THE REALITY OF THE ASCENSION?
It is the
journeying of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, through the degrees of perfection. That is, Almighty
God has various Names and titles manifested in the arrangement and
disposition of creatures, and displays diverse works of His
Lordship (His upbringing, training, sustaining and providing) as
the results of execution of His absolute authority in invention
and administration of creatures in the levels of the heavens where
He executes His Lordship in different ways according to the
conditions of each level.
Thus, in
order to show those works of His Lordship to that special servant
of His and thereby make him a being encompassing all human
perfections and receiving all the Divine manifestations, one who
would view all the levels of the universe and announce the
sovereignty of His Lordship, and who would proclaim the things of
which He approves and unveil the enigmatic meaning of creation,
God Almighty mounted him on Buraq (a mount of Paradise) and
had him travel through the heavens like lightning, promoted him to
higher and higher ranks, and caused him to observe the Divine
Lordship from mansion to mansion and from sphere to sphere, and
showed him the Prophets, his brothers, whose abodes are in the
heavens of those spheres, one after the other. Finally, He raised
him to the station of the distance of two bows’ length
and honoured him with the special manifestation of all of His
Names to the fullest degree and with His Speech and the vision of
Himself.
We may
examine this sublime truth through the telescope of two
comparisons.
First
comparison: As is explained in The Twenty-fourth Word, a
king has different titles in the departments of his government,
different names and attributes vis-à-vis the different classes of
his subjects, and different designations and marks in the spheres
and offices of his rule. For example, just ruler in the department
of justice, sovereign in the civil service, Commander-in-Chief in
the army, chief teacher in the department of education, and so on.
In each sphere and department he has a seat or chair, which has
the meaning of a throne. That single king may have a thousand
names and titles in the spheres of his sovereignty and departments
of his government. He may have a thousand thrones of sovereignty
one within or adjacent to the other.
It is as if
that ruler is present, and knows what is going on, in every sphere
through his collective personality and through his telephone. He
sees and is seen in every department through his laws and
regulations, and representatives, and he administers and observes
from behind the veil in every level through his rule, knowledge
and power. He has a different center and headquarters in every
sphere. The rules of every sphere and department are different
from one another. That king designates a person among his
subjects, and showing him to all those spheres and departments of
his government and making him witness his imperial dominion and
commands special to each, brings him to his presence. Then he
entrusts him with certain general and universal commands
concerning all those spheres and departments and sends him back.
Likewise,
the Lord of the Worlds, Who is the Sovereign of eternity, has
attributes and qualities in the levels of His Lordship that are
all different but that are related with one another; and Names and
signs in the spheres of His Divinity that are all different but
appear one within the other; and manifestations and inspirations
in the performance of His majestic acts that are all different but
resemble one another. He has also titles in the execution of His
Power that are all different but hint at one another; and sacred
revelations in the manifestation of His Attributes that are all
different but point to one another; and operations in the
manifestation of His actions that are all different but complement
one another; and He has aspects of His majestic Lordship in His
colorful art and multicolored creatures that are all different but
observe one another.
It is
because of this mysterious reality that He has organized the
universe in an amazing and wonderful fashion with different
formations one over the other from particles (which are the
smallest level of creatures) to the heavens, and from the first
level of the heavens to the Greatest Throne of God, each heaven
being the roof of a different world, a chair for exercise of
Divine Lordship, and a center for the Divine operations. Although
on account of His Absolute Oneness, all the Divine Names may be
found in all those spheres and levels, and He may manifest in them
Himself with all His titles, just as in the department of justice
the title of Just Ruler is dominant with the others subordinate,
so too, in each level of creatures, in each heaven, a Divine title
is dominant and the others are subordinate to it. For example, in
whichever heaven the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, met with the Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace, who had
been made distinguished with the manifestation of the Divine Name
of the All-Powerful, Almighty God is in constant manifestation in
that heaven primarily with His Name, the All-Powerful. Again, in
the sphere of the heavens which is the Prophet Moses’ abode,
upon him be peace, God’s title as Speaker, with which He
distinguished Moses, is most predominant. And so on.
The
Prophet Muhammad was connected to all the spheres of Divine
Lordship
Finally,
the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings (since he
was honored with the manifestation of the Greatest Name of God and
also with those of all His other Names, and since his Prophethood
is universal) must certainly be connected with all the spheres of
His Lordship. Also, it was certain that the reality of the
Ascension would require the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, to meet with the Prophets whose seats are in those
spheres, and to pass through all those levels.
Second
comparison: The
title of Commander-in-Chief, which is one of the titles of a king,
is manifested in every rank in the army from that of the head of
the military staff to that of a corporal. A private sees in the
person of his corporal the sample of the imposing title of
Commander-in-Chief, and so takes his orders from him and obeys
him. When the private becomes a corporal, he sees the sergeant in
the commanding position and obeys him. Then, if he becomes a
sergeant, he sees a sample of the title of Commander-in-Chief and
a manifestation of it in the lieutenant’s office. And so on. He
will see the title in each of the spheres of captain, major,
colonel, general, and field-marshal in proportion to the smallness
or largeness of the sphere.
If the
Commander-in-Chief wills to entrust a private with a duty
connected with all the offices of military ranks, if he wills to
accord him a rank where he can appear in every office and control
it like an inspector, then, for sure, in order that the private
should have the necessary knowledge of all the offices and be
recognized by the personnel, he will cause him to make a tour of
study and inspection of the offices from that of a corporal to the
highest. Then he will admit him into his presence, and honoring
him with private conversation and bestowing on him a decoration
and decree, will send him back whence he came.
The
following point must be noted in the comparison: if the king is
not powerless and, besides governmental, has also spiritual power,
he will not deputize persons like field-marshal, general and
lieutenant to act in his name in different offices, but himself
will be present everywhere in person and give orders directly,
appearing in the form of those persons of certain ranks. In fact,
there are narrations that certain kings who were saints of the
highest level executed their rules in many spheres in the form of
certain individuals. As far as the truth we are trying to explain
in this comparison is concerned, since the Commander-in-Chief is
in no way powerless, the decrees and commands come directly from
him in every office and are executed through his command, will,
and power.
So, as in
the comparison, the Ruler of the heavens and the earth, Who is the
Absolute Sovereign and the Lord of Eternity having the command of
‘Be!’ and it is, has a sphere of Lordship, a level of
rulership in the levels of creatures and classes of beings,
ranging from particles to the planets, from flies to the heavens,
which, whether small or great, particular or universal, are all
different but related with one another. In each of these spheres
His regulations, statutes and commands are carried out in perfect
order and obedience. Thus, in order to comprehend the elevated
aims and tremendous results in the whole of the universe and,
witnessing the duties of worship particular to each of those
levels and classes and observing the sovereignty of Lordship of
the One of Grandeur and the majesty of His rule, to understand
what is pleasing to Him, and to be a herald of His sovereignty,
one must make a journey through all those levels and spheres of
His rulership until one reaches the Supreme Throne, which is the
title of the greatest, all-encompassing sphere, and attain to the
rank which is the ultimate one a servant can reach, and is called
the distance of two bows’ length, and meet with the One of
Majesty and Grace. This journey constitutes the reality of the
Ascension.
Like
ordinary human beings travelling in the mind with the speed of
imagination and saints journeying in the heart with the speed of
lightning, like angels, whose bodies are of light, circulating
with the speed of spirit from God’s Throne to the earth, from
the earth to God’s Throne, and like the people of Paradise who
will rise from the Place of Gathering to Paradise covering a
distance of five hundred years (a distance which is normally
covered in five hundred years on foot) with the speed of Buraq, it
is certain that the body of Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, will go as far as God’s Throne together with his
elevated spirit. For the body of Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, is the store of the faculties of the spirit of Muhammad
and the means for the performance of its duties, which is of pure
light and has the abilities of light, and is more refined than the
hearts of the saints, lighter than the spirits of the dead and the
forms of angels, and finer than the energetic envelopes of beings.
Now,
turning to the atheist who is in the position of listener, and
says to himself: ‘I do not recognize God or know of the Prophet,
so how should I believe in the Ascension?’, we say to him:
The
universe must have an Author
Since there
is the universe with all the creatures and many diverse acts in
it, and a continual creation is observed, and since an orderly act
cannot occur without an author, a meaningful book cannot be
without a writer and a skilful design cannot be without a
designer, for sure, the wise and purposeful acts that fill the
universe must have an author, and the meaningful letters and
amazing inscriptions or designs that cover the earth and which are
renewed from season to season, must have a writer and designer.
Also, since when two rulers interfere in the same affair, it
causes disorder, and since there is a perfect order in everything
from the wings of a fly to the lamp of the skies, then the ruler
is One. For if He was not One, since the art and wisdom in
everything are so wonderful and amazing that they require an
All-Powerful and All-Knowing Maker, then there would have to be
gods to the number of creatures. Since in this case those gods
would be both opposite and similar to one another at the same time
[because the acts and creatures in the universe are in infinite
diversity and yet resemble one another in many ways], it is
infinitely inconceivable that this amazing order would not be
upset.
Again,
since those creatures are clearly seen to be moving with a command
in an order a thousand times more organized than an army; and
since each group of creatures from the sun, the moon and stars to
almond flowers, display in a perfect and organized manner and in a
thousand times more orderly fashion than an army, the uniforms,
decorations and other kinds of beautiful garments that the Eternal
All-Powerful One has accorded them, and exercise the movements
that He has assigned to them (since this is so, then this universe
has an Absolute Ruler behind the veil of the Unseen, Whose
commands all of the creatures heed and carry out.
Furthermore,
since, as testified by both all of His wise acts and the majestic
works He displays, that Ruler is a Majestic King; since, as is
demonstrated by His favors, He is an extremely Compassionate Lord;
since, as the most beautiful works of art He has produced bear
witness, He is a Maker, Who is Lover of art and loves His own art;
since, as is apparent from the decorations and curiosity-exciting
arts He exhibits, He is a Wise Creator Who wants to attract the
appreciative gaze of conscious beings to His works of art; since,
as is understood that, due to the wisdom of His Lordship, He wants
to inform conscious beings of the meaning of the amazing and
wonderful decorations He has displayed in the creation of the
universe, and of where creatures come from and where they are
bound to go; then, for sure, this Wise Ruler and All-Knowing Maker
wishes to demonstrate His Lordship. Also, since He wills to make
Himself known to, and loved by, conscious beings through all those
traces of grace and mercy and the wonders of art that He displays,
then, of a certainty, He will by means of an envoy inform
conscious beings of what He wants them to do and what is pleasing
to Him. He will choose one among conscious beings and declare His
Lordship by means of him. In order to exhibit His favorite arts,
He will honor a herald with the nearness of His presence and
employ him in exhibiting them. In order to display His perfections
by informing conscious beings of His lofty purposes for the
creation of the universe, He will appoint one among them as a
teacher. He will certainly appoint a guide so that the mystery of
creation, the enigma of existence do not remain meaningless. In
order not to allow the beauties of art that He displays for the
eyes to see, to remain useless, He will choose a guide who will
teach the purposes contained in them. Also, He will pick out one
among conscious beings and, in order to communicate to them the
things that please Him, raise him to a rank above the others, and
inform them of those things by means of him.
Since
reality and wisdom require it to be so and the one most worthy to
perform these duties was the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, because He actually performed them most perfectly,
a fact to which the world of Islam that he founded and the light
of Islam that he showed are truthful and just witnesses, then he
would have to rise high above all other creatures and attain to a
rank where he held a universal and elevated conversation with the
Creator of the universe. This is what lies in the reality of
Ascension.
In short:
Since Almighty God has formed, organized and decorated this vast
universe in this way for mighty purposes and great aims such as
those mentioned above; and since among beings there is mankind to
see the universal Divine Lordship with all its subtleties, and
this mighty Divine sovereignty with all its truths, most
certainly, that Absolute Ruler will speak to mankind and inform
them of His purposes. However, since everyone is not able to free
himself from being a simple individual occupied with low matters
and rise to the highest, universal position to directly receive
the Ruler’s universal address, then, for sure, certain special
individuals among mankind will be entrusted with that duty. Those
individuals should be from among mankind so that they can teach
human beings, while, in order to be able to be the direct
addressees of God, they should also be extremely exalted
spiritually.
So, since
among human beings the one who taught the purposes of the universe’s
Maker most perfectly, unveiled the mysterious meaning of the
universe and creation, and heralded the beauties of the dominion
of His Lordship in the best way was Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, most certainly, in order to rise spiritually high
above all other human beings to the most exalted and comprehensive
rank, he would make an Ascension in the form of journeying through
the corporeal world and then reaching beyond seventy thousand
veils which consist in the manifestations of Divine Names,
Attributes and acts, and all the levels of creation. This is the
Ascension.
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