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WHY
WAS THE ASCENSION NECESSARY?
It
is asked: Almighty God is nearer to one than one’s
jugular vein. He is closer to everything than itself; He
is absolutely free of corporeality and space. Therefore,
while all the saints are able to converse with Him in
their hearts, why was it necessary for the sainthood of
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, to make a long
journey like the Ascension in order to succeed in holding
a conversation with God that any saint is able to do in
his heart?
Answer
We
shall make this profound mystery easier to understand by
means of two comparisons. Consider the following two
comparisons from The Twelfth Word which concern the
mystery of the Quran’s miraculousness and the mystery of
the Ascension.
First
comparison: A king holds two kinds of conversation and
interview and has two modes of address and favor. One is
that he converses with an ordinary subject or citizen
about a particular matter or a special need by means of a
private telephone. The other is that under the title of
supreme sovereignty, and in the name of supreme kingship
and on account of being the ruler of the whole country,
and with the aim of publishing and promulgating his
commands, he converses with an envoy of His connected to
those affairs or with a high official of His related to
those commands, or speaks to him by means of a magnificent
royal decree manifesting his majesty.
God
has two kinds of conversing and speaking
As
in the comparison (and God’s is the highest comparison)
the Creator of this universe, the Master of the whole
existence in its external and inner dimensions, and the
Lord of eternity, has two kinds of conversing and
speaking, and two manners of favoring. One is particular
and private, the other, universal and general. The
Ascension is the manifestation of the sainthood of
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, in a form more
universal than, and much superior to, all other sainthood.
It is the Prophet’s being honoured with the conversation
and direct address of Almighty God through His Name of the
Lord of the whole universe and His title of the Creator of
all existence.
Second
comparison: A man holds up to the sun a mirror he has in
his hand. According to its capacity, the mirror receives
from the sun light which contains seven colors. The man
has a relation with the sun by means of the mirror and in
accordance with its capacity of reflecting the sun. If he
directs the shining side of the mirror towards his dark
house or his small, private garden which is covered by a
roof, he can benefit from the sun not in proportion to the
sun’s value but in accordance with the capacity of the
mirror.
Another
man, however, puts down the mirror, and facing the sun
directly, sees its splendour and comprehends its grandeur.
Afterwards, he climbs a very high mountain and stands in
the sun without veil, witnessing the majesty of its broad
dominion. Then he comes back and in order to have a direct
connection with the constant light of the sun, he makes
large windows in his house or in the roof of his garden,
and obtains other means of benefiting from the sun
directly. Facing it, he may speak to the sun in
indebtedness, and say: ‘O amiable sun, the beauty of the
world and darling of the skies, who gilds the face of the
earth with light and makes it and all the flowers smile in
joy and happiness! You have illuminated and heated my
house and garden as you illuminate the whole world and
heat the face of the earth.’ However, the former one
with the mirror cannot say the same, since the reflection
of the sun through the mirror is restricted and in
accordance with the mirror’s capacity.
How
God manifests Himself in human nature
Likewise,
the manifestation in human nature of the Single, Eternally
Besought-of-All, Who is the Sun without beginning and the
Lord of eternity, is in two forms, which comprise
innumerable degrees.
The
first is a manifestation occurring in the mirror of the
heart by means of one’s relationship with the Lord.
Whether particular or universal, everyone may receive a
manifestation of the light and conversation of the Eternal
Sun in accordance with his capacity and the character of
his spiritual journeying in traversing the degrees toward
sainthood, and his ability to receive the manifestations
of Divine Names and Attributes. That is why there are
innumerable degrees in sainthood which is attained through
journeying within the shade of some particular Name or
Attribute.
The
second is that since by virtue of having a comprehensive
nature and being the most enlightened fruit of the tree of
creation, man is able to reflect all together, in the
mirror of his spirit, the Divine Names manifested in the
universe, Almighty God manifests Himself and all His
Beautiful Names in the greatest of mankind at the greatest
level and most comprehensively. It was thus this form of
manifestation that occurred in Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, in His Ascension, in which his sainthood
found its meaning and became the first stage of his
Messengership.
The
difference between the relation of a Prophet with God and
that of a saint or is it believable that the Ascension
took place almost in an instant?
In
sainthood there are veils or screens between a man’s
heart and the manifestations of Divine Names; it is as in
the case of the first man in the second comparison above.
While in Prophethood there are neither veils nor screens;
as in the case of the second man in the second comparison,
it is connected directly with the manifestation of the
Majestic Being with all His Names in a single being. Since
the Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension was the greatest wonder
of his sainthood and marked its final, greatest station,
it was transformed into the rank of Messengership. The
Ascension, in its inner aspect, signifies sainthood and
was a journey from the created to the Creator. As regards
its apparent aspect, it is Messengership and signifies a
return from the Creator to the created. Sainthood consists
in journeying through the degrees of nearness to God; it
requires attainment of many ranks and therefore needs some
length of time. As for Messengership, whose light is
greatest, it proceeds from the realization of Divine
nearness in all its comprehensiveness, which occurs in an
instant. It is for this reason that a tradition says:
‘The Ascension took place in an instant. The Prophet
went and returned in the same instant.’
Now
we say to the atheist who is the third party in our
discussion and therefore in the position of listener:
Since this universe is like a most orderly country,
magnificent city, or adorned palace, it surely must have a
ruler, owner, and builder. Since there is such a
magnificent, Majestic Owner, All-Perfect Ruler,
All-Gracious Maker; and since there is a man with a
universal view who has relationship with that entire
country, city or palace, and is connected to all of them
through his senses, feelings and faculties, certainly, the
Magnificent Maker will have sublime relationship to the
fullest degree with that man, whose view is universal and
consciousness comprehensive, and will favor him with a
sacred address.
Since
among those who have been honored with this relationship
from the time of Adam, upon him be peace, up to now,
according to the testimony of his achievements (he has
taken half of the world and a fifth of mankind under his
control and influence and enlightened the universe, giving
it a new spiritual form and furnishing it with a sublime
meaning) the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, displayed this relationship at the fullest
degree. Most certainly, the Ascension, which consists in
the fullest degree of that relationship is most deserved
by, and suitable for, him.
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