Bismllahi Rahmani Raheem, assalamu alaikum.
“Not even the weight of a (subatomic) particle that is within the Heavens nor in the Earth is hidden from Him.” (34:3)
Allah created creation in such a way that His Qualities can be measured, for example if He says He is the most merciful you could line up the most merciful people in history measure their mercy and Allah would be more merciful than them.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab reported: Some prisoners of war were brought in front of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and a woman was among them who was breast-feeding. Whenever she found a child among the prisoners, she would take it to her chest and nurse it. The Prophet said to us, “Do you think this woman could throw her child in the fire?” We said, “No, not if she is able to stop it.” The Prophet said, “Allah is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child.” (Bukhari)
Or If Allah says He is the most knowledgeable you can do the same and know from measurement that Allah is the most knowledgeable, for every Quality Allah has you can do this and the universe itself is a witness to this so it can represent Allah’s reality with absolute Haq so there is no doubt He is Allah so you are able to see Allah by seeing the existence of who He is.
“True knowledge is an action of the heart.” Allah says, “Rather He will call you to account for that which your hearts have earned.” (2:225)
Muhammad Ibn Salaam narrated from ‘Abdah from Hisham from his father that ‘Aisha said, “Whenever the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم ordered them (the people) with a command, he ordered them according to their capabilities. They said, “Messenger of Allah! We are not like you. Allah has forgiven you of your past and future wrongdoings.” [They wanted to do more difficult deeds.] He became angry until it was apparent on his face. Then he said, “I am the one amongst you with the most taqwa (Jihad through piety, in the way of Allah) and the most knowledgeable of Allah!” in another narration “most familiar with Allah”.
Which brings us to Allah’s light; once revelation came down upon the prophet (saws) while His (saws) head was resting on the thigh of Abu Bakr (as), later Abu Bakr (as) would say the pressure of that was so immense He (as) thought His (as) thigh would break. Whilst having a conversation with Rasul Allah (saws) regarding this subject He (saws) said to us on the day of judgment I would be allowed to enter that light with Him (saws) whilst He (saws) is interceding so I can pray next to Him (saws) and I would see it and its pressure are immense. I was then allowed to feel some of that light and pressure in life to know and experience it, at which I felt ashamed of falling short in front of Allah and in respect to Rasul Allah (saws) who had completed more of its path, reached more with Allah and never complained or said anything, its nature was only known because Abu Bakr (as) said something.
Knowing what I described at the beginning of this email, that Allah is with everything and He is the same with everything with Haq, I began to think why is this so, Alhamdullilah the answer from Allah regarding this came to me recently.
This pressure and Immense nature of Allah’s light is because of Allah’s focus, attention and awareness of all things He created in every second of their existence, that light is the reality of Allah, and in that light is a connection to the quality of Azzim (vastness) of the universe and Arsh, it is the pressure of being aware and responsible for all things at the same time represented in one location.
When you are in the presence of a wali you feel His light and that light represents His station with Allah, state, nafs and depth of awareness, Allah is aware of all things He created and so that is the comparison of the light of a wali or prophet to the light of Allah and why Allah’s light has this nature.
Allah granted me this Maarifah because of the Rahma I had in this life, this is the door to the reality of Allah because the prophets are Allah’s Rahma Lil Alameen, His Rahma to everything.
Rahma is not simply mercy, what we are referring to is the effect of Rahma on the person who practices it, Rahma is capacity to understand all things, capacity to look at every kind of thing Allah created good evil and whatever is in between, it is capacity to see every kind of situation, it is capacity to accept every Haq (truth, reality) and its explanation for existing, it is capacity to overcome whatever stops you from Allah, Raham is the quality which is the door to everything Azzim about Allah, those who have it the most are Azzim in their hearts and so they can walk in Allah’s light which is Azzim (Immense) in nature.
“Then they found one of Our slaves, unto whom We had bestowed mercy (prophethood) from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.” (18:65)
Umar ibn Al-Khattab reported: Some prisoners of war were brought in front of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and a woman was among them who was breast-feeding. Whenever she found a child among the prisoners, she would take it to her chest and nurse it. The Prophet said to us, “Do you think this woman could throw her child in the fire?” We said, “No, not if she is able to stop it.” The Prophet said, “Allah is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child.” (Bukhari)
If you would like to see Allah you have to “Be able to see Him” and man only sees something by relating it to what is within Him, this is why Rahma and the realities man heart experiences because of it are the door to seeing Allah and why the Prophets are Allah’s mercy to others, they are the mercy, they have become His mercy.
Imam ‘Ali said, “Eyes do not reach (Allah) with physical sight, but the hearts reach Him with the realities of belief.” (The heart reaches Him with its reality then the eyes reach him and know the light they are seeing is Him).
This is the reason Allah uses the word Rahma interchangeably for prophethood in the Quran, it is the door in a person’s soul that opens it.
If you understand this then Insha Allah understand what the prophets actually did in life, Musa (as) faced Pharaoh and said Rahma Ya Allah, Ibrahim (as) faced Nimrud and said Rahma Ya Allah, the prophet Muhammad (saws) faced Abu Lahab and said Rahma Ya Allah, the prophets faced the biggest tyrants in History and looked at their hardship with Rahma seeking it for their enemies in the face of that hardship. Allah expands the chest of his servant to Islam so he can place light, knowledge and wisdom in it, and a person’s heart fills to the same capacity it is able to expand, as you face oppression with Rahma, Rahma makes the heart Azzim and because of that it can see Allah, it can reach the reality of Allah with its reality.
“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (21:106-107) So the worlds can see Allah through you (saws).
How can a heart that isn’t vast see the vastness of Allah, how can it encompass in itself what the universe and heavens could not? “Indeed, we offered the Trust (the responsibility of knowing the realties Allah created) to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it.” (33:72)
The punishment for those who turn away from Allah is for Allah to turn away from them and He does this by tightening their chest: “So whoever Allah wants to guide – He expands his breast to [contain] Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide – He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky (to understand and perceive the reality of things). Thus does Allah place defilement upon those who do not believe (want to see).” (6:125)
Usama bin Zaid (ra) narrated: “We were with the Prophet (saws) when suddenly there came to him a messenger from one of his daughters who was asking him to come and see her son who was dying. The Prophet (saws) said (to the messenger), “Go back and tell her that whatever Allah takes is His, and whatever He gives is His, and everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world). So order her to be patient and hope for Allah’s reward.” But she sent the messenger to the Prophet (saws) again, swearing that he should come to her. So the Prophet got up, and so did Sa`d bin ‘Ubada and Mu`adh bin Jabal (and went to her). When the child was brought to the Prophet (saws) his breath was disturbed in his chest as if it were in a water skin. On that the eyes of the Prophet (saws) became flooded with tears, whereupon Sa`d said to him, “O Allah’s Messenger (saws)! What is this?” The Prophet (saws said, “This is mercy which Allah has put in the heart of His slaves, and Allah bestows His mercy only on those of His slaves who are merciful.” (Bukhari)
Suffering is a door to Allah, for this child it was a door to Allah’s Rahma being placed in his heart.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said “Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, even if he is an unbeliever, for there is no barrier (veil) between it and Allah.” (Ahmad) The Muhsin who lives under oppression there is no veil “Between his heart and Allah”.
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ
الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ
وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَب
Shaykh Rami Al Rifai.