CHAPTER IV: INTERCESSION OF THE PROPHET
(PEACE BE UPON HIM)
We should also affirm of the intercession of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), and this was handed down in traditions from the Prophet and
from his Companions. By intercession we mean the Divine Light with which the
essence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is brightened, and this holy essence
will cause light in respect of those essences which are related to the holy
essence, because of their deep love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) or their
ability to translate the traditions into actions, or remembering God, with
blessings for the Prophet. This intercession can be likened to the light of the
sun. Suppose its rays strike the surface of water and there is a wall standing
close by. The light is reflected on a particular part at the wall, and not on
the whole of it. This is so because there is a likeness between water and that
particular part of the wall as regards shape. This likeness does not exist
between the surface of water and other parts of the wall, which are left blank.
If you draw a line from the particular reflected part of the wall to the surface
of water lit by the sun’s rays, you will find an angle formed (towards the
direction of earth) which, if measured, will be equal to the angle formed in
water, when a line is drawn towards the round and flat plate of the sun. lt
would be neither greater nor smaller than the other angle. This would happen
only on a special part of the wall. Now just as the special properties of a
space demand a specific reflection of light, spiritual attributes also demand a
light of Divine nature, a ray of Divinity. Those who are governed by Divine
Unity stand directly exposed to the Divine Light which falls distinctly on their
hearts. This Divine Light is a principle in the soul untouched by time and
thresh, flowing from spirit, remaining in the spirit, itself altogether
spiritual. In this principle God, ever verdant, flowering in all the joy and
glory of His actual self, appears. This light, this ground of the soul, has no
earthly temporal origin. It is the same nature as God Himself. It is a point in
common between the soul and God. There are others who devote themselves, all
their lives, to the love of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and follow what has
been laid down in the traditions. It is they whose feet do not yet stand firm on
the way to Unity. They are in need of the intercession of the Prophet, so as to
get the required illumination indirectly, like the part of the wall which needs
water for causing the reflection. In like manner the intercession of the Prophet
is needed. For instance, a vizier, being a reliable man, is a favorite of a
sultan or king who forgives some of the sins of a person who happens to be a
friend of the vizier. The person concerned escapes punishment, not because the
personality of the vizier is identical with that of the king, but because the
person, through ties of friendship, is related to the vizier, who is related to
the king. Had there been no intercession between the king and the guilty person,
the king would not have forgiven the criminal. There are several traditions
showing that those who love the Prophet, i.e., pray for Divine blessings on him
or visit his tomb or answer the call to prayer, or pray for him after the call
to prayer, deserve the recommendations of the prophet. This intercession means
the reflection of light indirectly.
The Bridge Stretched Over Hell
We should believe also that the Bridge (al-Sirat) is
real. It is a bridge stretched over Hell, sharper than the edge of the sword and
finer than a hair. The feet of the unbelievers slip on it, according to the
decree of God, and they fall into the fire, but the feet of the believers stand
firm upon it by the grace of God, and so they pass into an everlasting life. The
utter negation of physical qualities not being possible, religion enjoins upon
us the choice of the mean between all opposite extremes in morals. Tepid water,
which is neither hot nor cold, aloeswood which is neither black nor white, the
dividing line between a shadow and sunshine, which is neither shadow nor
sunshine, are equally free from either of the two opposite qualities. One should
neither hoard wealth, nor squander it away, for the one will engender avarice,
while the other will make him a spendthrift. Similarly, one should neither
shrink back from everything, nor meddle with everything, for the former is
cowardice, while the latter is rashness. In the first case he ought to aim at
generosity, which is the mean between miserliness and extravagance; in the
second, at courage, which is the mean between cowardice and rashness, and so on
to all other moral qualities. The Bridge (al-Sirat) is the mean between
all opposite extremes in morals. It is like a geometrical straight line, which
has no breadth. The ones who have avoided opposite extremes during their
lifetime in this world and have chosen the mean between them will safely pass
into everlasting life, when they will be required to cross the bridge on the Day
of Judgment. God says: "..." [There is not one of you, but shall approach it
(al-Qur’an, xix. 71)]. God also says: "..." [Ye will not be able to deal equally
between (your) wives, however much ye wish (to do so). But turn not altogether
away (from one) leaving her as in suspense (al- Qur’an, iv. ]29)]. Since this
bridge is possible, it is necessary to assent to this possibility in accordance
with religion, and to stick to what the Qur’an means. He who disagrees with you
and asks as to why one should believe in God, His angels, His sacred books and
His apostles as well as in Resurrection will not be satisfied with a detailed
discussion, while he who has been instructed in the orthodox faith disciplines
himself in the etiquette of the Law and holds his peace in matters revealed to
the Prophet without questioning the realities of these things. When you know
that your existence has emanated from God and that you cannot exist even for a
moment without help from God, the Sustainer of all beings, this knowledge will
satisfy your mind and lead you to belief in God. An insight into Divine
realities will also force you to the conclusion that you are such an essence as
knows itself and its Creator, as well as all the realities of spiritual
existence. If we hear millions of times that there is no soul, still we cannot
be convinced entirely that we shall cease to exist after death, we cannot think
of such a state. We cannot believe that our individuality will be lost after
death. Such solutions do not appeal to our reason, do not satisfy the innate
longing for immortal or deathless life with which each one of us is born, nor do
they bring to us consolation of any kind. Taking these facts into account, we
cannot but believe in the immortality of the human soul and in the Day of
Judgment. There are two days for you, the one which you call today, when you are
preoccupied with the requirements of your physical existence, and the other you
call tomorrow or the Hereafter, when your celestial soul will have no connection
with your body. When the connection of the soul with the body is weakened
through constant worship, the agony caused by the soul’s separation from the
body will not be very great. On the contrary, it will learn to enjoy those
Divine things which it will have discovered after the death of the body. This
will shortly obliterate the effects of its departure from the world and its
lingering inclination towards worldly things. The condition of the soul after
death depends upon the degree of purity and knowledge it has attained in this
life. A soul that is both pure and complete, or at least possesses one of these
qualities, does not suffer long from being separated from the world, which is
the object of love of most men in this life. It is only the soul that is both
impure and incomplete or ignorant that suffers incessant pain in being separated
from the world. God does not grant Divine knowledge to the common folk and
laymen as it is reserved for His chosen Prophets and saints. You should also
know that this type of knowledge is mystical rather than reasoned knowledge, and
this mystical knowledge is the highest thing to which man can attain. Some of
the learned possess a knowledge which lies between them and their God - which
they cannot reveal to anyone, as it contains those secrets which are beyond the
confines of understanding and which defy description. This spiritual existence
connotes their knowledge of God spiritually, without in any way postulating
their being aware of their own individuality. When they attain to a state of
absolute purity, they lose their personal attributes; by this loss they are
wholly present in God, they are wholly lost to themselves, and thus they are
present before God, while absent in themselves: absent and present at the same
time. They are where they are now, and they are not where they are. At the
height of ecstatic contemplation the soul is beyond itself, caught up, and the
inner eye beholds the Divine Light without medium and attains an intuition of
God. Now it is hoped that you would realize the value of ecstasy and understand
how the Prophets attain to the knowledge of God through this medium, and how the
Divine messages are revealed to them, when they are awake or asleep. This belief
will further convince you that everything which has been mentioned in the Qur’an
is true. When God wills to do a certain thing, He does it in two ways either
directly or indirectly through His agents, i.e. angels. It is not possible to
give arguments about the existence of the angels, a secret the depth of which
cannot be scanned by human understanding. But if you believe in the Prophets, it
means that you also believe in the angels, for the former have affirmed that the
latter really exist. You should be satisfied with this explanation regarding the
existence of the angels, for, in the very act of trying to doubt it, you would
be forced to admit its reality. God says: "..." [Allah will exalt those who
believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks (al-Qur’an, lviii.
11)].
Physical and Spiritual Pleasures in Paradise
The things of the Hereafter promised to us, i.e. the physical
pleasures like those of eating, drinking, wearing and smelling, are not
impossible for Divine Omnipotence; therefore it is obligatory to believe in
them. As a matter of fact, all the pleasures of this life dwindle into
insignificance in comparison with intellectual and spiritual pleasures. But
people cannot be enabled to understand the latter, until they are symbolically
represented through such things as may be observed in this life. This is the
reason why physical pleasures like drinking milk, wearing silk-dress and eating
bananas, etc., are promised to us. God created desires and placed pleasures
under their control. There are many hypocrites who profess their love for God,
but true love implies that the lover’s secret shall remain untold in regard to
what it manifests to the lovers of the visions of the unseen. The reality of
love is the purification (khalas) of the nature of the spirit from all
impurities and the annihilation (fana’) of self against all fortunes and
interests. Those endowed with special spiritual qualities are those whose
enjoyment of the vision of God on the Day of Judgment would be the result of
their strenuous spiritual efforts. This would be so, since God would take
complete possession of them, after removing from them both of their physical and
of their spiritual perception. God says: "..." (Firmly established in the favor
of a Mighty King (al-Qur’an, liv. 55)]. Anything which a man would like to have
in Paradise would present itself in his thoughts of its own accord. The
existence of the thing would depend upon his desire, and the moment the thing is
supplied, he would be able to see and enjoy it. The Prophet said in one of his
traditions: "..." [There is a bazaar in Paradise where people buy pictures].
Here the word suq (bazaar) means Divine generosity, according to which
wonderful gifts would be offered to His believing servants. Suppose a man sees
in his vision that there are beautiful streams containing milk, honey and wine,
which are flowing near a palace, the walls of which are made of gold and silver
and decorated with jewels. In the premises of this palace, there are a number of
trees, the branches of which are loaded with jewels, rubies and pearls of rare
variety. At the gate of this palace a number of sentinels wearing dazzling
uniforms are standing to welcome him. Now there are many types of those devoted
to the interpretation of such visions, according to their own knowledge and
taste. Some would infer the pleasure of gaining knowledge from some of the
objects seen in the vision, while others would explain, on the basis of this
vision, the value of ecstasy and the soul’s struggle to attain this pleasure.
Another type of persons would say that the vision foretells the victory over an
enemy or his conquest of foreign lands or his visit to old friends, etc. Though
all these states create pleasures, yet they are not identical with one another.
Each of these is different from others in nature. Similarly, spiritual or
intellectual pleasures promised to us may be of different varieties. There are
two arguments to prove that intellectual pleasures are worthier than physical
pleasures. Firstly, the state of the angels is nobler than that of animals
including man. Now the angels do not experience sensuous pleasures like those of
mating and eating, etc. Their pleasure consists in the consciousness of
perfection and beauty which characterize them, because of their insight into the
realities of things and their approximation to the Lord of the universe (not in
space, but in order of beings). Since all beings emanate from God in order and
through intermediaries, it is obvious that the intermediaries nearer to Him
should possess a higher rank. Secondly, man himself often prefers intellectual
pleasures to sensuous pleasures. For instance, one who seeks victory over an
enemy renounces for its sake the comforts of home and hearth. Again, sometimes a
brave man sallies forth to face vast hordes of warriors, because he holds the
danger of death in contempt, being more absorbed in what he imagines to be the
pleasure of posthumous praise and admiration for his intrepidity. One who is
interested in the maintenance of his dignity and prestige hesitates to deal with
his mistress in such a way as to be known to others. At last he decides to
preserve his dignity and restrains his passions, lest the contemptible passions
should disgrace him. Obviously the preservation of dignity is more pleasant to
him. So the intellectual pleasures in the Hereafter will be far superior to the
sensuous pleasures of this world. But for this fact, the Prophet (may God bless
him and grant him peace) would not have reported God to say: "I have reserved
for My virtuous worshippers what no eye ever saw, no ear ever heard, and which
never occurred to the heart of man." If you say that the things of Paradise
which have been promised to us are intellectual or spiritual pleasures, which
have no connection with body, and it is the body which feels the pains or
punishment or the pleasure of reward, how could one reconcile these two
contradictory doctrines?
