27th Rajab The Seven Gardens of Paradise and The Ultimate Ascent
27th Rajab The Seven Gardens of Paradise and The Ultimate Ascent
By: Abbas Shahid Baqir ( Ref's taken from Sunni Books)
The First Paradise
The Second Paradise
The Third Paradise
The Fourth Paradise
The Fifth Paradise
The Sixth Paradise
The Seventh Paradise
The Furthermost Lote-Tree
The First Paradise: The Abode of Peace
The Prophet arrived at the hundredth step where he heard the angels praising and glorifying their Lord in the First Heaven. It is called Dar al-Salam, the Abode of Peace, and has one hundred and twenty-four thousand doors. Each door represents a prophet. Gabriel knocked at the door reserved for the Prophet Muhammad. A voice said from inside: "Who it it?" Gabriel replied: "It is Gabriel and the Prophet Muhammad." The voice said: "Has he been sent for?" Gabriel said: "Yes, he has been called to the Divine Presence." The door was opened. The angel Ishmael came on a horse of light, covered in a cloth of light, holding a staff of light. In his right hand, Ishmael carried all the deeds of human beings performed during the day, and in the other, all that they had done during the night. One thousand processions of angels accompanied him.
Ishmael said: "O Gabriel, who is with you?" He replied: "The Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him." Ishmael said: "Has he been sent for?" Gabriel replied yes. Then the Buraq was invited to land on the first Paradise, the nearest Paradise to the world. It is also called al-sama al-dunya: the nearest Heaven. This Paradise can be compared to a rolling wave held in mid-air; God spoke to it and said: "Be a red emerald," and it was. The praising of its inhabitants is: Subhana dhil Mulki wal Malakut: "Praise be to the Possessor of the Earthly and the Heavenly Dominions."
Then the Prophet looked at the First Heaven and found an angel formed like a man. Al the actions that belong to human beings are displayed to him. If the spirit of a believer comes to him he sends it to Paradise; if the spirit of an unbeliever comes to him he asks forgiveness for it. When forgiveness is granted he sends it to Paradise. He has a tablet made of light which hangs from the Throne to the first heaven. He writes on it the names of those who are sent to Paradise. Then the Prophet saw a man with an angelic power towards whom he felt a great attraction. When he asked who that man was, Gabriel said: "This is your father, Adam." Adam greeted him and said to the Prophet: "Welcome to the good son and the righteous Prophet."
There are two doors to the right and the left of Adam. When he looks at the right side he is happy and when he looks at the left he weeps. The Prophet asked what these two doors were. Gabriel said: "The door to the right is the door to Paradise and Rewards. When Adam sees his children entering it he smiles and is happy. The door to the left leads to punishment and the fire. When Adam sees his children entering it he weeps and is sad for them. Out of each of his tears God creates an angel who asks forgiveness until the day when forgiveness is granted and they are allowed to enter into Paradise."
Then the angels began to recite poetry:
"I yearn to see the one whom God created
To be unique in creation!
No beloved one is purer nor more elevated than that one,
God's beloved is His servant, the Praised One
Whose name was cut out from the name
Of the Most Glorious One.
His are the attributes that no eloquence can express.
It is enough honor that for him the moon split in two.
What more do you ask than God's perfecting of his beauty?
And verily God endowed him with the best character.
And verily God created his light to be the greatest blessing,
And He called him "beloved" before He created creation.
And because of his light the sun was clouded over,
Because of his overwhelming light filling the firmament.
The clouds showed a great miracle and moved
Like a wild herd,
And thunder clapped and rain poured
Upon his mere request.
What more do you want than the softening of the rock
When he walked upon it with his sandaled feet,
Although you did not see its marks
When he tread on the sand?
God has elevated him to His presence
And the angelic world.
Were it not for him, there would never be Paradise,
Nor heavens, and no earth.
What an honor God bestowed upon him when He gave
Ten salutations to those who would
Send to him only one!"
To be unique in creation!
No beloved one is purer nor more elevated than that one,
God's beloved is His servant, the Praised One
Whose name was cut out from the name
Of the Most Glorious One.
His are the attributes that no eloquence can express.
It is enough honor that for him the moon split in two.
What more do you ask than God's perfecting of his beauty?
And verily God endowed him with the best character.
And verily God created his light to be the greatest blessing,
And He called him "beloved" before He created creation.
And because of his light the sun was clouded over,
Because of his overwhelming light filling the firmament.
The clouds showed a great miracle and moved
Like a wild herd,
And thunder clapped and rain poured
Upon his mere request.
What more do you want than the softening of the rock
When he walked upon it with his sandaled feet,
Although you did not see its marks
When he tread on the sand?
God has elevated him to His presence
And the angelic world.
Were it not for him, there would never be Paradise,
Nor heavens, and no earth.
What an honor God bestowed upon him when He gave
Ten salutations to those who would
Send to him only one!"
They moved for five hundred thousand light-years within the radius of the First Paradise. The Buraq moved faster than the speed of light, for each of its steps could reach wherever his sight did. The entire distances they travelled were filled with angels whose number is known only to the Creator, praising Him and glorifying Him with all kinds of praises. There was not one handful of space but it was occupied by an angel in prostration. They were all sizes, big and small. A voice came saying: "O My beloved Muhammad! all these angels are glorifying Me, and I am sending all this praise as waves upon waves of angelic blessings to support human beings through their daily life. These blessings will guide them towards everything that concerns them, and open for them all kinds of physical and spiritual knowledges that will help them progress in their ways of life, materially and spiritually. I will raise them through this angelic power and enable them to enter My Paradises when they come to My Divine Presence."
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Second Paradise: the Abode of Constancy
Then Gabriel ordered the Buraq to take the Prophet to the second Paradise, whose name is Dar al-Qarar, the Abode of Constancy. He then knocked at one of the doors of the Second Paradise. It was made of a heavenly element that has no name in our language. The angel Jarja'il came with one thousand processions of angels who made an even greater and happier music than the angels of the First Paradise. A voice said:
- "Who is it?"
- "Gabriel."
- "Who is accompanying you?"
- "Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy."
- "Who is it?"
- "Gabriel."
- "Who is accompanying you?"
- "Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy."
Then the door was opened. The Prophet saw angels whose faces were like the disk of the sun, riding horses and girded with spiritual swords and lances. The Prophet asked: "O Gabriel! who are these?" Gabriel answered: "These are angels whom God created to support human against devils. Their praising is: Subhana dhil `Izzati wal Jabarut: 'Glory to the Lord of Force and Might,' and they are wearing yellow turbans on their heads. When they praise God their turbans move and radiate a yellow light that supports the light of the sun. They radiate another light also, which makes the devils run away and chases out gossip from the heart of believers." Then the Prophet saw two very handsome men sitting on a throne made of red rubies. He asked: "Who are these?" Gabriel said: "They are your relatives, John and Jesus." Jesus was of a reddish complexion as if he came out of the bath. Then angels came to the Prophet in battalions, greeting him one by one. God extended time in such a way that one second was enough to greet all of the angels and pray with them, for the time of prayer had come. Jesus and John greeted the Prophet farewell, and Gabriel ordered the Buraq to go to the Third Paradise.
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Third Paradise: The Abode of Eternity
The Prophet moved in space for another five hundred thousand light-years until they reached the third Paradise. It is called Dar al-khuld: the Abode of Eternity. As they approached their destination they heard great voices that thundered all around them. "That is the sound of angels praising their Lord," said Gabriel. As they approached they heard the music of the angels by which everything moves in the orbits of the heavenly worlds. Gabriel stopped at a door made of a pure, burnished heavenly copper, and he knocked. "Who is there?" said a voice behind the door. "Gabriel, bringing Muhammad." "Has he been sent for?" "Yes." And the door was opened.
The Prophet entered and he saw an angel who changed from one shape to another in every moment. As he changed, his color changed also. He seemed as one moving in a flash and yet immobile like a moving series of pictures and yet each picture is fixed in its place. Behind the angel the Prophet saw seven hundred thousand angels, all of them moving like the first angel, from one colorful image into another, like countless kaleidoscopes. Their feet reached the seven earths. Their musical praise was: subhan al-hayy al-qayyum al-ladhi la yamut: "Glory to the Living One, the Self-Subsistent who never dies!" The melody of their praise moved the entire heavens to unutterable joy which showered mercy on the earth and its inhabitants. The Prophet asked Gabriel to ask the angel whether human beings could hear that music and if it were possible for them. The angel said: "Anyone who opens his angelic power and connects himself to us will hear that melody and he will receive the reward that we receive for uttering this praise." Then the angel recited:
Secret Reality! Angelic heart of light,
Kingdom of power, shining in steadfast light,
Firm in foundation, in beauty all complete,
Its essence descended from Adam's heart enthroned,
Just as the All-Merciful descended on His Throne.
Essence of angels' light in Adam manifest,
And yoked with it Gods' trust fulfilled,
The grant He made to all mankind.
Here appeared knowledge of God's light
Known only to chosen saints who alone can see.
Where His knowledge glows imperfection flees
And all worldly cares dim and disappear.
Here ends and begins the place of drawing near
Where the pure ones settled, similar to light upon light.
Kingdom of power, shining in steadfast light,
Firm in foundation, in beauty all complete,
Its essence descended from Adam's heart enthroned,
Just as the All-Merciful descended on His Throne.
Essence of angels' light in Adam manifest,
And yoked with it Gods' trust fulfilled,
The grant He made to all mankind.
Here appeared knowledge of God's light
Known only to chosen saints who alone can see.
Where His knowledge glows imperfection flees
And all worldly cares dim and disappear.
Here ends and begins the place of drawing near
Where the pure ones settled, similar to light upon light.
As they moved forward they saw a handsome man before whose beauty everything paled. "This is Joseph, the Prophet," said Gabriel. The Prophet Muhammad approached him and greeted him, and Joseph greeted him back with the best greeting of heaven. Gabriel said: "Out of the beauty of Joseph came the beauty of all human beings. His is the beauty of the full moon, the sun and the stars." Yearning for angelic beauty will melt the hearts of the stone-hearted. The faint-hearted cannot hope to approach its secret, for they will immediately fall under its power and extinguish themselves in it. That is the meaning of the sweetness of painful yearning in love: the approach of beauty in its absence is sweeter still than its embrace and possession. For possession of the beloved entails the satisfaction of the lower self, while to remain in pain because of the beloved is better than comfort and contentment.
Behind Joseph the Prophet saw a great human crowd, all of them wearing radiant angelic dresses. The Prophet asked, "Who are these people, O Gabriel?" He answered: "Behind Joseph God created seven hundred thousand posts in Paradise; on each post there are seven hundred thousand red jewels; each jewel contains seven hundred thousand palaces; in every palace there are seven hundred thousand rooms, and in every room there are seven hundred thousand windows. These rooms are inhabited by human beings who carry angelic powers and spend their lives in love of each other and nature. Their hearts are filled with love of Me and devoid of low desires. They pine for Me and I pine for them. Every day these human beings appear at their windows and look at the people of Paradise. From their beauty a great light shines forth, in the same way that the sun appears in the windows of the sky and sheds its light over the people on earth. Then the people of Paradise say: 'Let us run towards the Lovers of God.' As soon as they reach them these Lovers adorn them with all kinds of rainbows and showers of light. They give them a dress made of green silk which symbolizes the qualities of those made perfect and agreeable to God."
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Fourth Paradise: the Sheltering Garden
Then Gabriel called for prayer and the Prophet led the prayer among all the inhabitants of Paradise. Then the Buraq moved for another five hundred thousand light-years during which they travelled towards the fourth heaven which is called Jannat al-Ma'wa: the Sheltering Garden. There they heard a voice mixing angels and spirits. The door of the Prophet was made of silver upon a floor of gold. Again, the voice behind the door asked: "Who is there?" and Gabriel answered, "Muhammad." "Has he been sent for?" "Yes." And the door opened.
The Prophet saw angels standing and sitting, lying and bowing, praising and saying: "Subhan al-malik al-quddus rabb al-mala'ikati war ruh," : "Glory to the holiest King, Lord of the angels and the Spirit!" The Prophet asked Gabriel, "O Gabriel, is that not the prayer of my grandfather Abraham?" and Gabriel said, "Yes, this is how your grandfather Abraham used to pray, and God was so happy with that prayer that he created an entire host of angels and filled the fourth heaven with them. He ordered them to repeat the same prayer. If anyone recites that praising among human beings, God will give them rewards according to the number of these angels."
Then the Prophet saw two angels, one of transparent crystal like spring water, and one denser like salt water. Gabriel said: "One is the angel of sweet waters. He carries all the oceans of this universe with his right thumb. The other is the angel of salty waters. He carries all the oceans of this universe in his left thumb. These are the angels responsible for supporting every creature in creation through water, sweet or salty. They meet without mixing, as God has said: "He hath loosed the two seas. They meet. There is a barrier between them. They encroach not one upon the other." (40:19-20)
Behind them the Prophet saw angels shaped like birds, standing on the bank of a great river of Paradise. When a human being on earth says: "There is no god but God," one of these angel-birds opens his wings. If the person says: "Glory to God," the angel-bird enters the river to swim in it. When the person says: "Praise be to God," the angel-bird dives into the water. When the person says: "God is greatest," the angel-bird comes out of the river. When the person says: "There is no power nor might except in God," the angel-bird will shake off the water from him, and seventy thousand drops of water will come from him, out of each of which God creates an angel that asks forgiveness for that person until Judgment Day. In addition to this, God orders forty thousand rewards written in the book of that one and keeps them for him until his resurrection.
Then the Prophet saw a man who leaned against the Books of human beings, in which were inscribed all their deeds. The Prophet asked: "Who is this?" Gabriel said: "This is the Prophet Idris, Peace be upon him." The Prophet approached Idris and greeted him. Idris greeted him back and said: "Welcome to the pious brother and perfect prophet." Above him the Prophet saw a dome of light on which was written: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His Messenger." The Prophet looked inside it and saw a venerable old man with a white beard filled with light and crowned with a white turban. He asked: "Who is that, O Gabriel?" He answered: "That is an angel representing the Prophet Idris." The Prophet greeted him and said: "O my brother! God has elevated you and honored you, and you have entered Paradise before me and saw its pleasures." Idris said: "O Beloved one! at first I did not enter Paradise nor see its pleasure. But when I left this world I entered a garden on which door I saw: 'Beyond this door none may enter before Muhammad and his nation.' And I asked God, 'For the sake of my grandson Muhammad, let me in.' God let me in, so now because of you I am in this place."
Then Idris recited:
"This Station sought by all for shelter,
This lofty place where all people bow subdued
And stands the noble Messenger
With wisdom and might endued,
Station of guidance and angelic light
Where gloom of night and orphans' sadness
At once are effaced,
This is the Station of direct communication
And the firm foothold for those determined to reach.
The All-Merciful called him His beloved one
And he is the beloved one of the universe
And from his light came the light of all life."
This lofty place where all people bow subdued
And stands the noble Messenger
With wisdom and might endued,
Station of guidance and angelic light
Where gloom of night and orphans' sadness
At once are effaced,
This is the Station of direct communication
And the firm foothold for those determined to reach.
The All-Merciful called him His beloved one
And he is the beloved one of the universe
And from his light came the light of all life."
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Fifth Paradise: The Garden of Beauty and Felicity
The Prophet travelled for five hundred thousand light-years, after which he arrived at the fifth Paradise which is called Jannat al-Na`im: "the Garden of Beauty and Felicity." Its door is made of mixed gold and silver from heaven. Gabriel knocked at the door and a voice said: "Who is it?" "Gabriel, bringing the Prophet, Peace be upon him." "Has he been sent for?" "Yes." "Welcome, O Beloved one, to the fifth Paradise!" The door opened and the Prophet saw five beautiful ladies whose radiant light among their servants made them appear like diamonds surrounded by pearls. His heart was moved towards them. He asked Gabriel: "Who are these ladies?" He answered: "This is Eve, the mother of human beings, this is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, this is Moses' mother Yukabid, and this is Assia, the wife of Pharaoh." The fifth lady looked like a sun among stars. Her light shone over the rest of the inhabitants of that Paradise like a gentle breeze passing through the tree-leaves. Gabriel said: "This is an angel representing your daughter Fatima, O Prophet!"
The Prophet asked: "Gabriel, what is the secret of this Paradise?" Gabriel said: "God created this Paradise to reflect the beauty and perfection of women. The light of this Paradise is the source of the angelic lights of all women on earth. Women have been created to carry the secret of creation in themselves. God has honored them greatly by making their wombs the repository of His word which represents the Spirit. He looks at the most sacred place and there descends His mercy and blessings. He perfected that place and covered it with three protective layers to shelter it from any damage. The first is a layer of light, the second a layer of love, and the third a layer of beauty. There he fashions and creates human beings after His likeness, as the Prophet said: 'God created Adam after His likeness.' He orders the angels of the womb to perfect His creation by giving the baby life, beauty, health, intelligence, and all kinds of perfect attributes that will make each one distinguished among human beings."
"Women are not created weaker but more generous than men. They are created more beautiful and less fierce, as beauty hates to hurt and harm others. That is why they seem weak to people, but in reality they are not. Angels are the strongest of created beings, and women are closer to the angelic nature than men, as they are readier than men to carry angelic light. It is the good manners and ethics of spirituality which they carry which makes them less forceful than men. Even physically, however, they are extremely strong. They undergo great upheavals in their body without flinching for the sake of childbirth, and face the direst physical conditions more successfully than men because God has enabled them to insure the survival of generations."
"God gave women five angelic qualities which men rarely have. They are the source of peace, as God said that He created them "so that ye might find rest in them" (30:21). This is the attribute of the first Paradise which is named "the Abode of Peace." They are oases of constancy in the midst of chaos and change. That is why they give birth as the mother nurtures and shelters the baby more reliably than the father. This is the attribute of the Second Paradise, which is named 'the Abode of Constancy.' They perpetuate generations. Through their offspring God creates angelic prophets and saints who establish His perpetual remembrance on earth as the angels establish it in Heaven. This is the attribute of the Third Paradise which is named 'the Abode of Eternity.' They are generous and bountiful. They are described as 'a fertile land' in all Scriptures because they give without counting, including life. They sacrifice themselves for the sake of another creation, and this is the attribute of the Fourth Paradise which is named 'the Sheltering Garden.' Finally, they are the source of Beauty. Through their softness and subtlety, God has crowned the earth with the diadem of angelic grace. This is the attribute of the Fifth Paradise which is named "the Garden of Beauty."
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Sixth Paradise: The Garden of Eden
The Prophet travelled again on the Buraq for five hundred thousand years. On his way to the Sixth Paradise which is called Jannat Adn: "the Garden of Eden," he saw nations and nations of saffron-colored angels standing on pedestals of pink marble. They had one thousand wings and on each wing there were one thousand faces. Each face had one thousand mouths saying: "Praise be to the Lord of Majesty and Splendor!" Gabriel knocked at the door of the Sixth Paradise which was made of aquamarine and gold. As usual, a voice asked from behind the door who was there and the answer was given: "Gabriel, bringing the Prophet, Peace be upon him." "Has he been sent for?" said the voice. "Yes," replied Gabriel. The door was opened. The Prophet entered and what he saw passed all imagination and all recorded books, all fabled accounts, all legends, all histories.
Silent gold sat on stars of pearl. Under every pearl fifty thousand angels whirled in a lake of galaxies producing a heavenly sound like a million million birds humming on top of the buzzing of a million million bees. Everything is moving at the speed of light but at the same time everything is silent and still. Each angel spoke words of greetings to the Prophet at the same time in a different language but distinctly and without any clash one with the other. Their words were phrased in diadems and garlands of light which he wore one after the other on his head and around his neck. A huge angel named Semla'il appeared at the head of ten thousand processions of similar angels wearing a crown of multi-colored garnets and reciting praise of God in an angelic language which made each angel swoon and rise up in turn. These were the karubiyyun or cherubim: 'Those Brought Near.' No-one on earth can see them and live because of the intensity of their light which they borrow from the One they behold.
The Prophet asked: "O Gabriel! what is this untarnished heavenly sound?" "O Prophet!" Gabriel answered, "this is the music of the angelic souls in the presence of their Lord trembling like a leaf, not daring to move or speak, awed and annihilated by perfection, yet vivified and moved by divine Light, rushing to the divine meeting and announcing your coming."
The Prophet saw a honey-colored angel of astounding beauty and of yet even greater majesty so that his majesty overpowered his beauty. He had a long mane of hair and a long beard out of which light flashed like thunderbolts. He had a stern face and yet a child's eyes. His enormous chest seemed to heave like a dormant volcano under his shirt of heavenly brocade. When the Prophet enquired about him, Gabriel said: "This is your brother Moses. He is the one who prayed six times on the Mount of Sinai in order to be a simple servant in your Nation. He is the vanquisher of tyrants and the secret of his father Jacob. God wrote for him the character of a fiery servant. That is why he approached the burning bush and was not afraid when His Lord wanted to speak to him."
Moses was crying and he said to the Prophet: "O Prophet of the Last Nation! Intercede for me and my people." The Prophet said: "Why are you crying, O my brother Moses?" He replied: "I cry for love of you and for the great honor where God has raised you and made your nation countless people and other nations very few, even mine. O Muhammad! you are the seal of prophets and the light of creation. God is raising you today to His presence, to a station where no-one can reach. Remember me there as God made you the intercessor for all human beings including prophets, from Adam to Jesus. Then he recited:
"O Prophet sprung from Hashim's line,
Lover of Him Who is lauded above,
Sealer of every book revealed to mankind.
Opener of treasured knowledge sublime
Who mounted the Buraq to ascend to his Lord,
The God in Whose presence none before had remained,
Approach that place where only angels draw near
O Messenger of God before whom winds and clouds move
And lay open clear myriad paths to celestial light.
For your intercession human souls plead and yearn,
O Prophet at whose sight angels delight!
It is you for whom Paradise was made and adorned,
For you the lote-tree of farthest limit is made to stand
And bear the fruit of compassion in every land.
O beloved Muhammad, may God grant us to be
Always numbered in your noble band."
Lover of Him Who is lauded above,
Sealer of every book revealed to mankind.
Opener of treasured knowledge sublime
Who mounted the Buraq to ascend to his Lord,
The God in Whose presence none before had remained,
Approach that place where only angels draw near
O Messenger of God before whom winds and clouds move
And lay open clear myriad paths to celestial light.
For your intercession human souls plead and yearn,
O Prophet at whose sight angels delight!
It is you for whom Paradise was made and adorned,
For you the lote-tree of farthest limit is made to stand
And bear the fruit of compassion in every land.
O beloved Muhammad, may God grant us to be
Always numbered in your noble band."
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Seventh Paradise: Jannat al-Firdaws
The Prophet arrived at the Seventh paradise whose roof touches the Heavenly Throne and whose name is Jannat al-Firdaws, after a travel of five hundred thousand light-years. He knocked at the door which was made of pure emerald, topaz, beryl, and gold. After he entered he saw another gate of light. From it came the praise of nations of hidden angels at whose sight one would die of awe because of their intense beauty. Their laud was simply: "Praise be to the Creator of Light!" Beyond this it is not permitted to speak about them. The Prophet greeted them with the greeting of peace and proceeded past the gate of gold to a dome of light which encompassed all the previous heavens, although the distance he had travelled between the sixth and the seventh heaven was the same as that between each two of the other layers of Paradise.
Inside the dome the Prophet saw an angelic being which resembled him in every fashion and who was leaning against a wall of white silk which seemed to move like a waterfall and yet stand firm. The Prophet asked who that was and Gabriel said: "This is your grandfather Abraham, the leader of the pure of heart and a great one among prophets." Abraham said: "Welcome to the pious son and the perfected Prophet!" Around Abraham stood crowned angels. Each of their crowns contained four hundred diamonds, each worth more than what the entire earth contains. At their service stood throngs of angels crowned with the light of the previous angels and all were reading the Verse of the Throne. Gabriel said: "This is the verse that keeps the universe firm in the balance. This is the secret of the order of Creation." And the angels recited:
Circumambulating the building against which Abraham leaned, the entire universes, the throngs of angels of the seven heavens, the angels of mercy and the angels of wrath, the angels of beauty, the angels brought near, the great and the small angels, the visible and the invisible angels, and all the human beings whose angelic souls had been purified and elevated to the divine presence, the prophets, the truthful saints, the martyrs, the righteous, all of creation whirled and turned in the same direction as every heavenly body, counterclockwise, around the Kaaba of the heavens. The Prophet said: "O Gabriel, How wondrous are the incredible marvels of my Lord!" And Gabriel replied: "O Muhammad! you have seen only a glimpse of the wonders of God."
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.
The Lote-Tree of the Furthest Boundary
The Prophet and Gabriel travelled once more until they reached the absolute limit of the created intellect, named sidrat al-muntaha: "The Lote-Tree of the Furthest Boundary." There they saw nothing which the tongue could describe. The effect of the sight they beheld on the Prophet is a secret which took place in his heart. A sound came to them from above which dissipated some of the Prophet's astonishment. At that time he saw a large tree which does not resemble any of the trees of Paradise, a tree without description, covering all the Paradises, heavens, and universes. The trunk of the Tree was a huge angel named Samrafil. The Prophet could see nothing else besides it. It grew from an infinite, unimaginable, indescribable ocean of musk. The tree had an infinite number of branches, created from a heavenly element that has no name in a created language. The distance between one branch and another was five hundred thousand light-years. On every branch there was an infinite number of leaves. If all the created universes were placed on a single one of these leaves they would disappear, like an atom disappears inside an ocean of water. On every leaf sat a huge angel in a multi-colored light. On his head was a crown of light and in his hand a staff of light. Written on their forehead was the inscription: "We are the inhabitants of the Lote-Tree." Their praise was: "Praise be to God Who has no end." Their names are the sarufiyyun or Seraphim, "The Secret Ones," because they are created from the absolute secret of their Lord.
From the trunk of the tree four absolute springs issued. The first was a pure, transparent, crystal water; the second was a river of white milk; the third was a river of pleasurable, untarnished wine that elevates without abasing; the fourth was a river of pure honey mixed with gold. Inside the trunk was the prayer-niche of Gabriel, and his constant words of praise are:
Allahu Akbar: God is Great!
to which the reply always comes from above:
Ana Akbar: I am Greater!
Ana Akbar: I am Greater!
Ana Akbar: I am Greater!
Gabriel entered his prayer-niche and he called for the prayer. All the seraphim stood in rows and the Prophet led them in prayer. The prayer finished and all the seraphim were ordered to give their greetings to the Prophet one after the other. After this, a great angel came out from behind Gabriel's prayer-niche and asked the Prophet to approach.
The Prophet and Gabriel entered the trunk of the tree and reached in a glance the entire sight of creation. On the top of the tree they saw Adam and Eve and Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the other prophets whom they had just visited. With them they saw all their respective nations, sitting with them in spirit together with those of the Prophet's nation who had already left this world. All were sitting there together, happy, basking in the love and beauty of their Lord's mercy and praising Him.
That Lote-Tree carries the knowledge of all of God's creation from the beginning of its sequence in time. Whatever is created is part of it and contained in it. It was called the tree "of the furthermost boundary" because everything ends in it and after it begins a new life. God decorated it with the light of His own essence. It has three characteristics: a continuous shade of light extending over every creation, a continuous pleasure reaching everyone from the fruit of its branches, and a continuous fragrance from its flowers scenting with beauty the life of creation.
Then the Prophet and Gabriel moved forward. A stern and severe angel appeared and covered the horizon before them. Gabriel said: "O Prophet! this is the angel of death Azra'il." The angel of death said: "Welcome, O Muhammad! you who bear goodness, and welcome to all the Prophets and their nations. This is the place from which I gaze at the destinies of every person and seize the spirits of those whom I am commanded to bring to eternal life."
The Prophet asked: "Tell me how you take the souls of the dying." The angel of death revealed to the Prophet: "When God orders me to take the spirit of a human being at the last hour of his life and the first hour of his afterlife, I send to him my deputies who carry with them the smell of Paradise and a branch from the tree of paradise which they put between his eyes. When that sweet smell reaches him and he catches a glimpse of that heavenly branch, his spirit is attracted and his soul begins to ascend to paradise, until it reaches his throat. At that time, I descend from my place and I take his spirit with the greatest care, because God wants this moment to be easy on His servant. I then carry his soul to Paradise. On the way, whenever I pass by angels, then angels will greet this soul and salute it until it reaches the presence of its Lord. God the Exalted says to that soul at that time: "Welcome to the good spirit which I created and placed in a good body! O my angels! write the upper layer of Paradise as a reward for that person." Then angels take him up to Paradise, where he will see what God has prepared for him and he will be happy to stay there. However, God orders the spirit to go back to his body on earth, where he can see the people washing him, crying for him, and all those who love him standing around him until they take the body to the grave. There the soil says to him: "Welcome, O my beloved one! I was always yearning for you when you were above me. Now you are in me and I will show you what I am going to give you." Immediately, his grave will be enlarged beyond sight, until the two angels of the grave come and ask him about his Lord and about his belief. He will give them the correct answers by God's permission. At that time they will open for him a door leading to Paradise and his spirit will go back upward to the same place where God first called him to His presence."
"I remember when death had separated us.
I consoled myself with the thought of the Beloved Prophet.
I said: All of us go on this way one day.
Who does not die today, he will die tomorrow.
Be happy, O my soul, because your Lord is waiting for you
And the beloved one is calling you."
Then Gabriel moved forward another five hundred thousand light-years, mounted on the Buraq, until they reached a place where Gabriel began to slow down. The Prophet said: "O Gabriel! why are you slowing down? Are you leaving me?" Gabriel replied: "I cannot go further." The Prophet said:
"Gabriel, don't leave me alone." "O Muhammad!" Gabriel said, "you now have to step down from the Buraq and move to a place which no-one has entered before you." At that moment the Buraq stopped and was unable to move further. The Prophet stepped down and moved hesitantly. Gabriel said: "O Prophet, move forward without fear. If I were to continue with you I would be annihilated for the greatness of the Light."
The Prophet moved, and moved, and moved. He saw Michael standing ahead of him, afraid and trembling. The light of his face was changing quickly from one color to another. The Prophet asked: "Michael, is this your station?" "Yes," Michael answered, "and if I were to trespass it I would be annihilated. But you go on and don't stop." The Prophet moved, and moved, and moved. Then he found Israfil with his four huge wings, one of which covered his face to veil him from the light which came from the horizon of everything. The Prophet asked him: "Is this your station, Israfil?" Israfil said, "Yes. If I trespassed it that light would burn me. But you move on and do not fear." And the Prophet moved, and moved, and moved. He saw the Spirit to whom God gave the power of earth and the heavens. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet and from every cell of his there were faces with traits of subtle light, the number of which no-one knows but God, and from the each of which God creates an angel-spirit which looks like the Spirit, whom He then takes to himself as the spirit-angels of the Divine Presence.
Every day the Spirit looks into hell three times, and because of the cool light of his angelic gaze the fire of hell melts until it becomes as a rainbow. The Spirit also looks into Paradise three times every day and extends to it the divine light which God gives him. If God gathered the tears of the eyes of the Spirit it would flood all the created universes and make Noah's flood seem like the drop gathered by an needle dipped into the ocean. This is the Spirit whom God mentioned in the Koran:
"The day when the Spirit and the angels rise, no-one shall speak except with permission from His Lord."
The Prophet said: "O Spirit! is this your station?" The spirit replied: "Yes, and if I trespass it I will be annihilated by the light which I am receiving. O Muhammad! move forward and do not be afraid. You are invited and you have permission." The Prophet moved forward. God inspired his heart with the following discourse: "I the Lord, have veiled myself from the inhabitants of Paradise, as I have veiled myself from the inhabitants of the earth. As I veiled Myself from their minds, I veiled myself from their vision. I am never in anything, and I am never away from anything."
The Prophet then moved through one veil after another until he passed through one thousand veils. Finally he opened the Veil of Oneness. He found himself like a lamp suspended in the middle of a divine air. He saw a magnificent, great and unutterable matter. He asked his Lord to give him firmness and strength. He felt that a drop of that presence was put on his tongue and he found it cooler than ice and sweeter than honey. Nothing on earth and the seven paradises tasted like it. With this drop, God put into the Prophet's heart the knowledge of the First and the Last, the heavenly and the earthly. All this was revealed to him in one instant shorter than the fastest second. He was ordered to move forward. As he moved he found himself elevated on a throne that can never be described, now or later. Three additional drops were given to him: one on his shoulder consisting in majesty, one in his heart consisting in mercy, and an additional one on his tongue which consisted in eloquence. Then a voice came from that presence, which no created being had heard before: "O Muhammad! I have made you the intercessor for everyone." At that moment the Prophet felt his mind enraptured and taken away to be replaced with an astonishing secret. He was placed in the Fields of God's Eternity and Endlessness. In the first he found no beginning and in the second he found no end. Then God revealed to Him: "My end is in My beginning and My beginning is in My end." Then the Prophet knew that all doors were absolutely closed except those that led to God, that God cannot be described within the confine of a place in speech, and that God encompasses the everywhere of all places. This is a secret that no tongue can be stirred to express, no door opened to reveal, and no answer can define. He is the Guide to Himself and the Lord of His own description. He is the Beauty of all beauty and the speech by which to describe Himself belongs to Him alone.
O God My Creator, in Your infinity do I stand amazed.
In Your ocean of unity do I drown submerged.
O God, at times You closet me in familiar intimacy.
At times You leave me without, veiled and strange,
Hidden in Your sovereign Majesty.
Give me to drink the wine of Your love,
For only drunk from it am I able to say:
My Lord! Let me see You.
In Your ocean of unity do I drown submerged.
O God, at times You closet me in familiar intimacy.
At times You leave me without, veiled and strange,
Hidden in Your sovereign Majesty.
Give me to drink the wine of Your love,
For only drunk from it am I able to say:
My Lord! Let me see You.
The Prophet then looked on his right and saw nothing except His Lord, then on his left and saw nothing except his Lord, then to the front, to the back, and above him, and he saw nothing except his Lord. He hated to leave that honored and blessed place. But God said: "O Muhammad, you are a messenger to My servants as all messengers, if you stay here you would never be able to communicate My Message. Therefore descend back to earth, and communicate My message to My servants. Whenever you want to be in the same state as you are now, make your prayers, and I shall open this state for you." This is why the Prophet stated: "Prayer is the apple of my eyes," and he called it also: "Our rest."
Then the Prophet was ordered to go back to earth, but he left the self in heaven and his spirit at the Lote-tree, and his heart in the unutterable divine presence while his secret was left suspended without place. His self wondered: "Where is the heart?" and the Heart wondered: "Where is the spirit?" and the spirit wondered: "Where is the secret?" and the secret wondered where it was. And God revealed: "O self of the Prophet! I granted you the blessing and the forgiveness, and O spirit! I granted you the mercy and the honor, and O heart! I granted you the Love and the Beauty, and O secret, you have Me." God then revealed to the Prophet the order to recite: "He is the one who sends blessings on you, together with His angels, in order to bring you out from darkness into light" (33:43). "O Muhammad! I have ordered the angels of all My heavens, those created and those yet uncreated, to send blessings on you and My creation unceasingly, with My own praise. I am your Lord Who said: My Mercy has taken over My anger. And all My angels I have created for you human beings." And God ordered the Prophet to descend with this angelic message back to earth.
Salamalikum
ReplyDeleteCan you please name your sources? the name of the book and the author where you got this amazing detail of the beautiful event of The Ascent please?
thank you
i shall be waiting for your reply