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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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