Bismillahi rahmani raheem, assalamu alaikum.
This is the complete spiritual path, the complete journey, the complete Tariqah, its aims, goals and everything it is trying to achieve;
Imam Tustari said in his famous Tafsir: “the nafs (self) has seven celestial veils (hujub samawiyyah) and seven earthly veils (hujub ardiyyah)”, veils cover the nafs and our perception about things…“when ever man buries his nafs (self) in earth upon earth (ardan ardan), (lowers his esteem and ego), his heart (qalb) is raised up heaven upon Heaven (sama’an sama’an). And when he (completely) buries the nafs (ego) under the ground (tahta at tara), the heart reaches the throne” (Arsh), in its perception and the place it receives its spiritual nourishment from.
The role of the spiritual heart is to look into ghayb (the unseen) and gather information about your world. As you humble yourself before Allah, place sincerity and humility in your heart before Him, you aren’t, in reality, lowering yourself, you are in reality raising your heart, the thing that controls your senses and how you feel the world around you is being raised closer to Allah, until it reaches the Arsh in the place it receives its information from.
The heart in our chest senses into ghayb, the subatomic part of the universe to gather information about things we are doing in life, we call these insights into matters or moments of wisdom and inspiration. Allah created seven heavens, seven sub atomic depths, a person with a shallow heart can only sense to the first few depths to gather knowledge in his life.
So, his decisions are short sighted since materialism or focusing on material things makes the heart shallow in its decision making, it’s like a chemical reaction and this is the inevitable result for the person. Ghayb is where people gain wisdom from and the prophets receive revelation and ti has seven depths until it reaches the Arsh, sidrat al Muntaha in the Quran, the furthest subatomic depth of the universe.
Allah mentions the heart reaching the Arsh and recieving from that depth in the Quran; “By the Star when it setteth, Your comrade (Muahmmad) erreth not, nor is deceived (by what He saw on the night of Isra wal Miraj); Nor doth he speak of (his own) desire. It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired (into the heart)…When he was on the uppermost horizon (of the universe near the Arsh). Then he drew nigh and came down. Till he was (distant) two bows’ length or even nearer (From Allah), And He (Allah) revealed unto His slave that which He revealed. The heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw. Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he seeth? And verily he saw him yet another time. By (sidrat al muntaha) the lote-tree of the utmost boundary (At the base of the Arsh), Nigh unto which is the Garden of Abode (the seventh Jannah). When that which shroudeth did enshroud the lote-tree (when what covers most peoples inner perception, covered the lote tree), The (prophets) eye turned not aside nor yet was overbold (did not get distracted). Verily he saw one of the greater revelations of his Lord.”(surah – 53)
There is an immense amount of knowledge in each depth of ghayb about everything in life and each of the prophets that Muhammad (saws) saw on the night of Isra wal Miraj, in the different levels of Jannah, was an expert of that depth (that type of knowledge).
“The Prophet (saws) ascended until he reached the first heaven. When the Prophet and Jibril arrived at the first heaven, Jibril requested the gate to be opened. The angel assigned to that gate asked Jibril, “Who is with you?” Jibril answered, “It is Muhammad.” The angel asked Jibril, “Was he dispatched? Is it time for him to ascend to heaven?” Jibril said, “Yes.” So, the gate was opened for him, and the Prophet Muhammad entered the first heaven.”
“There, Prophet Muhammad saw Prophet Adam. To Adam’s right, the Prophet saw some bodies, and to Adam’s left, other bodies. If Adam would look to his right he would laugh, and if he would look to his left he would cry. Adam was seeing the souls of his descendants. Those on his right were his descendants who would die as believers and those on his left were his descendants who would die as non-believers.” (Adam the first man was an expert of the first spiritual depth mans heart would ever perceive after being created. This is the beginning of man’s spiritual journey through time).
“Then the Prophet ascended to the second heaven. In this second heaven was the Prophets Isa and Yahya. Isa and Yahya are cousins; their mothers were sisters. They welcomed the Prophet and made supplication (dua’) for him for good things.” (The place of each prophet from here has to do with their life story, His specific mission from Allah for humanity, and the state of the people He was sent to, and how spiritually advanced or simple they are because He was sent to cure and elevate them. Isa (as) was sent to materialistic people who only understood simple spiritual things, every time He (as) shared His (as) wisdom with them rather than dissect the wisdom or even challenge it with their own wisdom they made fun of His (saws) words like children, this was their mental state. Isa (as) said “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” they were lost in materialism and thus shallow, which is why He (as) and Yahya (as) were experts in the second heaven).
“The Prophet then ascended to the third heaven, where he found the Prophet Yusuf. The Prophet Yusuf was extremely handsome. Allah bestowed half of all beauty on Yusuf. Yusuf received the Prophet with a warm welcome and made supplication (dua’) for him for good things.”(Isa (as) knows how to cure materialism which is why when the Dajjal comes to spread it on earth Allah will send Isa (as) to kill him. Being lost in Materialsim stops you from sensing deeper than the second depth of ghayb, but the beauty we see on this earth, the beauty of nature and the things Allah placed in it, perceiving that and loving it is from the third Jannah and Yusuf was a master of that knowledge. Allah opened for mankind everything relating to the beauty Allah gave to the Prophet Yusuf (as) so they can know it and experience it completely, hence beauty as we know it today is because of Him (as). The wisdom in Beauty is that attraction leads to knowledge, maarifah of that thing and from there deeper wisdom is gained about the world as it is carefully studied. Which leads to the kind of knowledge inspired by the next depth, or Jannah, and that is science and the Prophet (saws) responsible for it).
“Then the Prophet ascended to the fourth heaven, where he found the Prophet Idris. Idris welcomed the Prophet and made supplication (dua’) for him for good things.” (Allah gave Idris (as), who was one of the first prophets, knowledge of outer space, writing, mathematics, the calendar with knowledge of all things relating to it, knowledge of the seasons and many other things we take for granted today. From this we can understand the kind of spiritual depth required for people to master these and similar scientific subjects).
“In the fifth heaven, the Prophet encountered Harun, the brother of Prophet Musa.” (He was the advisor to the Prophet Musa (as) who was the master of spiritual openings, so the fifth heaven or depth of subatomic space is where true spiritual openings begin. These prophets are singled out, even though all prophets reached the Arsh in their hearts, because it was through them that Allah introduced these things to the world for the first time.)
“In the sixth heaven, he encountered the Prophet Musa (saws).” (kalam Allah, the one Allah spoke to directly and sent him to al khidr to learn and master this subject we are discussing in this work, He is an expert of one of the deepest spiritual depths. Reaching the sixth depth of Jannah is where regular spiritual openings occur to a person, that is the meaning behind the story of Musa (as) and al Khidr in the Quran, after learning from al Khidr Musa (as) would have surpassed Him (as) because He is the master of this knowledge in Jannah).
“Each of these Prophets received the Prophet Muhammad with a warm welcome and made supplication (dua’) for him for good things.”
“Then the Prophet ascended to the seventh heaven, and that is where our Messenger saw the Prophet Ibrahim. The Prophet Ibrahim is the best of the prophets after our prophet, Muhammad. The Prophet saw the Prophet Ibrahim with his back against al-Bayt al-Ma’mur (which is like the Kaaba for Angels).” (Ibrahim (as) is the master of the deepest spiritual depth before the Arsh because He became Allah’s friend, so reaching this depth means you are granted friendship with Allah, and the term wali in reality means the friend of Allah. Your heart is now able to put the real picture of what life is meant to be, together to see it clearly, and from that see Allah’s hand in the universe working. Reaching this means you are now able to worship Allah as if you see him, which is the meaning of the word Ihsan (human perfection) that the Prophet (saws) gave to Jibril (as) when the Angel asked Him (saws). From Ibrahim (as) would come the Jews and Arabs, the two people that would achieve the most in the way of Allah from the children of Adam).
“Then the Prophet ascended to what is beyond the seven heavens (into the Arsh, Angels and their knowledge stops at the Arsh, but mankind does not because of the kind of soul Allah gave them).” (Our prophet Muhammad was the beloved of Allah, He (saws) was a master of all spiritual depths and their knowledge, because through him Allah would open for mankind the science behind all things in the universe which was then granted to mankind; “In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages
“Say, “We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction (in rank) between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him.”(3:84)
“The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do the) believers. Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His (prior) messengers – We make no distinction between any of His messengers – and they say: We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the journey.”(2:285)
The Source Of Each Knowledge
Here are the 8 spiritual depths the heart reaches as it moves closer to Allah, which we saw in the example of each prophet (saws).
- Allah – Each person is born on a fitrah, Allah has placed in their heart that He exists, and to know Him you have to know what He created so you can see His qualities in order that when you finally see Him you have certainty of what He is like from your experiences in life.
- Materialism – Perception and knowledge Of the Physical World around you.
- Beauty – Perception of the Universes Natural Beauty, love and Attraction is the source of all openings in the heart.
- Science – Attraction leads to in depth study of what you’re interested in or love.
- Insight – Beginning of Inspired and deeper thoughts, Wisdom begins here and comes from knowing the details of how things work.
- Inspiration – Wisdom is mixed with experience, true Wisdom is gained and your thoughts are guided to the truth by the Angels.
- Sainthood – Wilaya, you become the friend of Allah and the Angels walk with you in life, shaping your perception so it is prepared to see Allah. Here you gain deep spiritual insights into matters and see them coming from a distance, thus you begin to put the complete picture of life together from its many spiritual and physical parts, using the knowledge of the previous levels to see the highest form of science (truth, knowledge, the actual reality of matters) in the universe. The closest thing man has to this today in the world is the study of subatomic space and the universe, how it works, how it was created and what it looks like. In the old world, this is the highest science/knowledge in each school of Aqeedah that only the scholars and awliyah studied or understood. “Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Sovereignty (control of the Universe), and, He is Able to do all things (in it). Who hath created life and death (the systems that make them work) that He may try you which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving. Who hath created seven heavens in harmony (the seven regions of subatomic space). Thou canst see no fault in the Beneficent One’s creation; then look again (into subatomic space): Canst thou see any rifts?(tears in the harmony) Then look again and yet again, thy sight will return unto thee weakened and made dim. And verily We have beautified the world’s heaven (so study it)”(67:1-5)
- Allah’s beloved – Your heart and soul have now entered the Arsh, a place Angels can’t go, you have completed the picture of the universe, understand what Allah created from the inside out and consequently see Allah in it and worship Him as if He is next to you. Once you complete this path Allah makes you one of His mercies to the worlds, the universe, because its spiritual creatures will now learn from you. This is a description given to the prophets (as) in the Quran but its meaning is the reality of anyone who reaches this far, the prophets reached it with complete perfection and that is their distinction. At this point, the Angels take advice from you because your heart takes input from a place deeper than their existence. The great wali of Allah Abdul Qadir al Jilani said, there are shaykhs to people, shaykhs to Jinn and shaykhs to Angels, those who lead the Angels, and this is the meaning behind Allah asking the Angels to prostrate to Adam and mankind, they now follow His lead in life after Allah demonstrated how He and His progeny would surpass them.
One thing we can see from this is that irrespective of how shallow a person’s heart is, they can still be knowledgeable and shallow at the same time, to what ever extent, but the things they are knowledgeable about are not deep matters because they have no real sense of them.
A person to whom Allah gives wisdom his heart can sense deeper into ghayb, sub atomic space, to gather knowledge about the things he is focusing on in life, and as a result, his decisions have more insight, are more accurate, reveal the truth more often, have more consideration and are wise.
“He granteth wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message but men of understanding (men who have depth).”(2:269) pay attention to the phrasing, wisdom comes from the heart and His gift is overflowing, pouring out of the heart, pouring out of what it senses in ghayb.
This is why when Allah grants prophethood to someone he expands their heart (to ghayb), this means he allows their heart to reach to the deepest depth in ghayb, or sub atomic space, so it can gather information and sense from the depths of the universe about everything spiritually attached to an object or person.
Musa (saws) understood this and asked for it specifically when Allah granted him (saws) prophethood, “(Moses) said: “O my Lord! expand me my breast; Ease my task for me; And remove the impediment from my speech, So they may understand what I say.”(20:25-28)
Allah similarly said to the prophet (saws); “Have We not expanded thee thy breast?- And removed from thee thy burden.”(94:1-2)
As a result of this opening of the heart to new subatomic depths people gain insight and wisdom, but when you reach even deeper your insight becomes so straight and correct it becomes firasa, inspiration about the truth of matters.You see our actions in life shape our future and how we will “look” as we age, “Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved.”(2:286) this is all a result of our deeds in life, the effects (results) of our actions attach themselves to us spiritually or sub atomically shaping us as we age. This happens to everything in existence as it ages, what it did or occurred to it, its effects are attached to it shaping its appearance and qualities, so Angels, Jinn and those who have firasa can see the truth about matters, its true nature and qualities, that exist in ghayb because of that…Insha Allah, you can see this is all from science and the systems Allah created in the universe.
There are many ahadith and verses that explain this, but we won’t write a tafsir here; “We shall seal your mouths on that Day, and let your hands speak to us and your feet testify to what you had achieved.”, “That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.” (36:65) what your hands used to earn or what your hands used to achieve from your work is exactly how your actions shaped your limbs as you aged.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Ittaqo firasatal Mumine, fa innahu yanzuru be Noorillahi”, “Beware of the intuition (firasa) of the believer. Verily, he sees with the light of Allah.” Then the Prophet recited the verse, “Verily, in that are signs for those of discernment (lil mutawassimeena, those who discern between truth and illusion, fancy, those whose insight is only the truth about matters).” (15:75) (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3127)Allah describing all of this said in a hadith Qudsi said; “…My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary acts of worship so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him…”
This “is a light that Allah bestows in the heart of his servant by which he distinguishes between truth and falsehood, advantage and disadvantage, and the honest and the liar”, and when the heart reaches the Arsh in its depth it gathers the most amount of information about a thing before drawing the picture for the person.
The Prophet (saws) himself taught us the science behind all of this;
Imam Abd al-Razzaq narrates that Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “I said: O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things”. He said: “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light (all light is made of particles, so the prophets light was the first particle to come into existence from which Allah created the rest of the universe), and that light remained (lit. “turned” as all particles spin) in the midst of His Power (control) for as long as He wished (shaping it and influencing it. In modern scientific terms entangling it as he wished), and there was not, at that time, a Tablet (that preserves everything) or a Pen (that records and sees the future path of everything, quantum entanglement as we know it now did not exist yet) or a Paradise (that displays Allah’s blessing) or a Fire (that displays Allah’s punishment) or an angel (that works and creates for Allah) or a heaven (sub atomic space) or an earth (any physical thing) or a sun or a moon or a jinn or a man (any creature. This is the first moments of the universe before it expanded and created everything in it).
And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts (this is exactly as physics calculates today, that particles split and created each other and the first particles were four in number which came from one single particle) and from the first made the Pen (before the Arsh, the boundary of the universe), from the second the Tablet (was created before the Arsh, meaning the shape of the universe we know did not exist yet), from the third the Throne (Allah creates the outer boundary, shape and edge of the universe. The Pen observed everything created after it, and the tablet preserved everything it witnessed after its creation, so they came first and the shape of the universe last), and then he divided the fourth [particle] into four [other] parts and from the first he created the bearer of the Throne (first Angels), from the second the Footstool (Kursi, the second boundary of the universe after the Arsh, or the second sub atomic depth of the seven Allah created, or the location of the 6th Jannah), from the third the rest of the angels (exactly as science teache’s today, everything is created from subatomic particles, but the prophet (saws) taught this in the language of the arabs 1400 years ago).
Then He divided the fourth into four other parts and created from the first the heavens (sub-atomic space as we know it, the universe was cooling at this point and changing, which is why the light particle we know today, the photon, could not exist until after it cooled to this point. This change is also why some ahadith seem to overlap in what they are referring to, but in reality they represent the same thing changing into something else), and from the second the earth (physical matter), and from the third the Paradise (everything in the seven Jannah’s is created after the space that it will exist in, is created first) and the Fire (black holes), and then he divided the fourth into four parts and created from the first the Light in the believers visions (the images we see in our mind, the brain creates its own light), and from the second the light of their hearts (the heart also creates light, an electromagnetic field) which is knowledge of Allah (how the heart knows Allah. The heart gathers knowledge about the world using this electromagnetic field just like animals use it to sense their prey. But this is so we can ultimately know Allah…through the same way we have explained in this article about how the heart works), and from the third the light of their inner harmony (Uns, living harmony between the spirits, the soul of man the light of the Angels and the light of Allah, in physics this is called the coherence of waves. The inner most light inside the heart) which is the Tawheed (the light that allows us to connect with the light of the Angels and His light to receive revelation, inspiration or maarifah, so we can know that) ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, etc…”. (Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211) narrates it in his Musannaf according to Qastallani in al-Mawahib al-laduniyya (1:55) and Zarqani in his Sharh al-mawahib (1:56 of the Matba`a al-`amira edition in Cairo). There is no doubt as to the reliability of `Abd al-Razzaq as a narrator. Bukhari took 120 narrations from him, Muslim 400).
“Allah is the Light (particles) of the heavens and the earth (that our heart senses. His will is carried by the events of the universe and the heart learns from that)…Light upon light (particle within particle). Allah guideth unto His light (Allah guides the heart to see the correct picture) whom He will (the heart achieves correctness as Allah wills, based on our actions). And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories (to explain science), for Allah is Knower of all things.”(24:35)
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللَّهِ الإِسْلَـمُ
وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ