The Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqa Muhamadiya) is one of the deepest subjects in Islamic sciences and to understand it properly you need an understanding of the universe and how it was created, otherwise, even though we have simplified the subject you will not know how it fits into the bigger picture and miss much of what is meant, misconstruing everything. The scholars who spoke about it did so because they understood what the universe looked like, its many parts, and how it all fit in together and from that they could draw deeper conclusions, this subject fits into that type of Islamic knowledge and requires prerequisite subjects to understand it.
We have already covered in our tafsir to ayah 23:116 the foundation of the scholar’s words on this subject, because understanding how Allah is reality makes it much easier to understand how Allah raised the Prophet (saws) to a place of influence in it. Something Muslim scholars know with certainty (Al Yaqeen) because Allah placed His (saws) name on the Arsh responsible for Allah’s reality in the universe.
The simple fact is creation had to fulfil what Allah wanted from it for it to be a successful creation, but not all of creation was capable of this, most would be sinners, the one who could do so on behalf of everyone, Allah created everything because of Him (saws), and because He (saws) was behind Allah’s intention in shaping the universe He wrote His (saws) name on the Arsh since it deserved to be there next to His name on the place He established (Istiwah) Himself.
Imagine Allah granted you things in the universe based on your ability to know Him, the nature of the Prophets is such that Allah created things in this universe entirely because of them, because its creatures would need them to know Allah, this is what the Prophets (saws) earned in that Jihad (struggle), they earned what was needed to know Allah entirely, but Allah began creation because of the prophet Muhammad (saws).
So, after Allah’s reality the Prophet’s reality is the most elevated and the first to come into existence before any living thing is created, (even the prophet), when Allah said Kun (be) the universe was created according to Allah’s intention with that word and the prophet Muhammad (saws) was the reason it was spoken, so His (saws) reality shaped everything when that word was spoken, that is how far elevated the prophet (saws) is above us with Allah.
After creation began, Reality in this sense refers to the first aspect of what you are coming into existence, and the Prophets (saws) light was the first thing Allah created, it was the first aspect of Him to come into existence, and the light of Prophethood that each Prophet was given in life to prove they are prophets, this was, of course, the first subatomic particles to exist, and Allah created the rest of the universe from them.
“Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace is the totality of the spiritual Path, because the entire existence, as the People of Allah have said, is a tree and the roots of this tree of existence is the Light of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The entire existence from its elemental origins take its source from his Light (saws). Thus Allah ta’ala made that Light the root and foundation of every light. He is the first of them to be transcribed and the last of them to appear. He was the seed of the tree of existence first and the fruit of the tree of existence lastly. For a fruit bearing tree produces the very seed which is its origin, because the seed in the beginning is concealed until the form of the tree manifest. Thus, the tree in its end is made manifest from the seed that was concealed in it. For Muhammad (saws) is the root of this tree of existence and he is its external appearance. May the best blessings of Allah and His peace be upon him. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace is the depository concealed in the couch of Divine Intimacy, well established in the Gardens of Divine Intimacy and in the Presence of Divine Intimacy. The secrets of Allah’s spiritual realities are concealed under the veil of his physical appearance, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”
The verse of light, as we have shown in our tafsir is a description of how Allah brings particles and atoms into existence, subatomic particles are the light by which man has Maarifah (Gnosis), which is why Allah ends a verse about sub atomic space by saying He guides people to see by these particles. The spiritual heart, the part of our heart that senses sub atomically because of its nervous system, uses these particles to sense the world around us, as the Prophet (saws) explained.
Ubayy ibn Ka’ab said, “The similitude of His light
The prophet (saws) said, “Hearts are Allah’s vessels on earth, and most beloved unto Him are the finest, firmest and clearest of them (in seeing that light).” (Al-Hakim, At-Tirmidhi)
In physics, particles travel through space like a wave in the ocean and when the waves want to pass information from one to another, how clear or unclear the signal or reception is between them is called the coherence of waves, it determines how well you receive the message.
In the verse of light Allah uses the analogy of an olive tree to describe the process, the fruit of the tree the olive (particle) comes from the tree and its roots (the first particle, the light of prophethood), this is describing the process that occurs in sub atomic space and many commentators said this verse is a description of the prophets light as it created everything else:
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star (the Atom). (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree (from within sub atomic space), an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light (particle within particle). Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things.” (24:35)
Tafsir Ibn Abbas: “it is also said that the verse means: the likeness of the light of Muhammad (the light of prophethood mentioned in ahadith) in the loins of his forefathers (as it was passed down from prophet to prophet) is like this, up to Allah’s saying (… kindled from a blessed tree). He says: the light of Muhammad in Abraham was an upright religion (olive tree), and Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian (neither of the East nor of the West), the works of Abraham would almost glow forth in the loins of his forefathers like this (would almost glow forth (of itself)), up until Allah’s saying (kindled from a blessed tree) He says: as if it is the light of Muhammad (pbuh) and if Abraham was not a prophet, he would still have this light (though no fire touched it)”.
Tafsir Al Tustari: “The likeness of his light means the likeness of the light of Muḥammad. Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said, ‘He intended by this the heart of the believer and the luminescence (ḍiyāʾ) of professing the divine oneness (tawḥīd), for the hearts of the prophets are far too brilliant in their light to be described in terms of the likeness of these lights. He said, ‘The similitude of the light of the Qurʾan is a lamp (miṣbāḥ), a lamp whose candle (siraj) is gnosis (maʿrifa, this light is the source of Maarifah), whose wick (fatil) is the religious obligations (faraʾiḍ), whose oil (duhn) is sincerity (ikhlaṣ) and whose light (nur) is the light of [spiritual] attainment (ittiṣal). Whenever the sincerity increases in purity, the lamp increases in brightness (ḍiyaʾ); and whenever the religious obligations increase in [inner] realisation (ḥaqiqa), the lamp increases in light (nur).” Such is the light of Allah in the human body.
Tafsir Maybudi: “The likeness of His light. A group of the commentators have said that the pronoun refers to al Muṣtafa (the prophet), for his creation was light, his robe of honor light, his lineage light, his birth light, his contemplation light, his practice light, his miracle light, and he himself, in his essence, was light upon light. He was a paragon in whose face was the light of mercy, in whose eyes the light of heedfulness, on whose tongue the light of wisdom, between whose shoulders the light of prophethood, on whose palm the light of liberality, in whose feet the light of service, in whose hair the light of beauty, in whose disposition the light of humility, in whose breast the light of contentment, in whose secret core the light of limpidness, in whose essence the light of obedience, in whose obedience the light of tawhid, in whose tawhid the light of realization, in whose realization the light of success-giving, in whose stillness the light of reverence, in whose reverence the light of surrender.”
“Surely the Messenger is a sword glittering bright, Indian steel, a drawn sword of Allah.”
Imam Ibn Arabi said the “origin of creation” is the Particle (Al Haba). The “first existent within it” is the Muhammadan reality (The prophets reality) pertaining to the all Merciful (al Haqiqa Muhamadiay al Rahmaniya), [a Reality] which is not restricted by position, since it is not spatially confined (li adam al-tahayyuz). (His reality was created first and guided the rest of creation into coming into existence. Because He was first, reality came into existence, receiving mercy from Allah (saws) that shaped the universe according to His Maqam (rank). The Arsh stopped shacking when His name was written upon it so the rest of the universe could be created after it stabilised).
The Imam continues; “From what did [creation] come into existence? From the known Reality which is described neither by existence nor (complete) nonexistence (meaning the existence of its definition with Allah, before it was created).
“Within what did it come into existence ?” Within the Particle (Al Haba. Allah created the universe from particles, and the first particle was called the Prophets light).
“In What likeness did it come into existence?” The form (sura) known within Allah’s self (nafs al Haq, His knowledge of things before their creation).
“Why Did it come into existence?” To make manifest the divine realities (Al-haqa’iq al-ilahiyya, so Allah could be known. The prophet (saws) would know Allah completely on behalf of the rest of us. It was because of this responsibility that the Prophet (saws) took no intimate friends in life, so He (saws) could focus entirely on Allah. The prophet (saws) said “Abu-Bakr has favored me much with his property and company. If I were to take a Khalil (an intimate friend) from mankind I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr.” (Bukhari)).
“What is it’s goal?” Deliverance from mixture (Mazaja, uniqueness of being. We existed in Allah’s knowledge before creation and that existence was a mixture of all of Allah’s knowledge together, like every word in a dictionary is part of a book that is called a dictionary and no single word in that has its own unique book to be known or identified by. Our creation is Allah giving each piece of knowledge its own unique existence and freedom to choose what it wants to be.) The Imam continues; so that each world (alam, type of creature and it’s environment) may know it’s share (hazz) from it’s Producer (munshi). So it’s goal is to make manifest it’s own realities (so that each planet and its creatures can differentiate from each other and manifest the reality and those of His Qualities He placed in them).
The praised station (Al-Maqam Al-Mahmud) and The station of mediation (Maqam Al-Wasila) is a rank in Paradise that no one but the Prophet Muhammad (saws) shall reach because of the Muhammadan reality, but other prophets where given a chance and the Prophet (saws) indicated the Prophet Dawwud (saws) may receive it, each Umma prays for its prophet and so we pray for ours.
The prophet (saws) said “Then ask Allah to grant me the mediation (Wasila), for it is a rank in Paradise that none but a single servant of Allah’s servants deserves, and I hope that it be me, so whoever asks Allah that he grant me the mediation shall have my intercession”(Muslim)
“It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaman Mahmooda” (17:79).
For 1400 years now when the Adhan is recited for each prayer, all Muslims around the world say the following prayer for the prophet (saws) after it, the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “Whoever says the following after hearing the call to prayer deserves my intercession (shafa`a) on the Day of Judgment:
‘O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and ready prayer! Grant Muhammad the mediation (wasila) and honor, and resurrect him on the praised station that you have promised him.’”
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْقَائِمَةِ آتِ مُحَمَّدَاً الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَامَاً مَحْمُودَاً الَّذِي وَعَدْتَهُ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ