THE SACRED CONVERSATION DURING THE PROPHET’S ASCENSION

 

 

Now, before explaining the proofs of Divine Knowledge, we will briefly mention the sacred conversation which took place during the Prophet’s Ascension, which indicates that, on account of their being the manifestations of the Attribute of Knowledge, all living and non-living creatures make their Lord known to us. Being an envoy on behalf of all living beings and in the meaning of giving the greeting on behalf of all creatures, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, said on that night: “All appreciative and grateful worship (performed by all living creatures through their lives) is God’s; and so too is the congratulating and admiring worship (particular to and performed by all the living beings, especially through their seeds or eggs); and all the sanctifying and submissive worship (performed by all conscious beings); and all the conscious, adoring, and enthusiastic worship (performed by believing and knowledgeable humans, jinn, and angels).” Thus he presented their gifts to their Creator.

That is, with the four phrases mentioned above, that is, with at-tahiyyat, al-mubarakat, as-salawat, at-tayyibat, he offered up to God the appreciative, grateful, congratulating, admiring, sanctifying, submissive, adoring, and enthusiastic worship of the four main groups of living beings, which are based on the manifestations of Eternal Knowledge. It is for this reason that this recitation, in its broad meaning of this sacred conversation which occurred during the Ascension, has become an obligatory part of the tashahhud for all Muslims. A detailed explanation of that sacred conversation can be found in the Risale-i Nur, but we will expound one meaning of it in the form of four very brief indications.

 

The first is at-tahiyyatu li’llah. Its brief meaning is as follows:

For example, if a master craftsman makes a wonderful machine with their profound knowledge and miraculous intelligence, everyone who sees it applauds and congratulates them, offering them both material and immaterial gifts in the form of appreciative commendation and praise. The machine too, by displaying the master craftsman’s purposes, as well as their wonderful, subtle art, skill, and knowledge, and by working perfectly in exactly the way desired, applauds and congratulates the craftsman through the language of its existence, in effect offering its maker immaterial gifts. Similarly, all living beings in the universe, individually and as different species, are in every respect miraculous, wonderful machines. In full appreciation and through the language of their existence and lives, humans, jinn and angels verbally applaud their All-Majestic Maker, Who sees the relationship of everything with each other and knows all the things necessary for the life of each, conveying them to each at the right time; it is He Who makes Himself known through the profound and subtle manifestations of His all-encompassing Knowledge. They declare: “at-Tahiyyatu li’llah (All appreciative and grateful worship is for God).” In the spirit of worship they offer the price of their lives directly to their Creator, Who knows all creatures together with all their states. On the night of the Ascension, in the name of all living creatures, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, said: “All appreciative and grateful worship is for God!” when greeting the Necessarily Existent One in His Presence, and offered appreciative thanks, gifts, and greetings from all species of living beings.

Just as with its order and balance, an ordinary well-designed and well working machine undoubtedly demonstrates the existence of a meticulous, skilful craftsman, so too do each of the numberless living machines which fill the universe display a thousand and one miracles of Knowledge. Thus, by being the manifestations of Knowledge, living beings testify to the necessary Existence of their eternal Maker and to His being the All-Worshipped One. If we compare the testimony of a machine to its maker or craftsman to the feeble glow of a firefly, their testimony to the Necessarily Existent One is as brilliant as the light of the sun.

 

The second sacred word from the Ascension is al-mubarakat. According to a hadith, the canonical Prayers are the believer’s ascension148 and are honored with the manifestation of the supreme Ascension of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. And since the traveler throughout the universe (in The Supreme Sign) finds that their Creator possesses the Attribute of the All-Knowing of the Unseen in every world, we will accompany the traveler and enter the broad world of blessed things, which make those who see them utter: “May God bless them! How great are God’s blessings!” Like the traveler, we will observe the world of “blessed beings,” primarily the innocent, blessed infants of beings with spirits, and the seeds of living creatures, which are the tiny containers of the programs of their lives; through studying them we will attempt to know our Creator to the degree of certainty based on knowledge through the miraculous, subtle manifestations of His sacred Attribute of Knowledge.

We see with our own eyes that through the Knowledge of an All-Wise and All-Knowing One, all these innocent, new-born infants and blessed tiny treasuries and containers—both collectively and individually—awaken suddenly and proceed to realize the aim of their creation. They cause those who observe them with the eye of truth to exclaim: “May God bless these a thousand times over! What limitless wonders God has willed!”

For example, all seeds, eggs, sperm and grains, both individually and collectively, demonstrate visibly through the following fifteen languages the marvels of their Maker’s skills and His miraculous Knowledge, making known the One All-Knowing of the Unseen, their Necessarily Existent Maker as clearly as the sun:

They have a precise, measured orderliness and balanced arrangement established by Knowledge; that order is based on a perfect measure balance, which is the result of clear skill; the balance is established and continues through constant reordering; the reordering is effected through a constant measuring and balancing; the measuring and balancing occur together with perfect distinguishing and nurturing, demonstrating the intentional differentiation of each being from its fellow beings; this differentiation and nurturing take place within the acts of ornamentation and artistic adorning; ornamentation happens within the giving of wise, appropriate, and perfect forms and members; this giving of form takes place in order to satisfy the tastes of those desirous of sustenance, and to bring about differences in the flesh and edible parts of those edible creatures and fruits; these differences are realized through miraculous and multifarious designs and embroideries, which reflect Knowledge; the designs and embroideries are combined with pleasing smells and delicious tastes which are all different; all of these occur together, but with perfect order and absolute discernment, and with the utmost speed and in absolute abundance, yet without any fault or error; this wonderful reality is the same throughout the whole of time.

It is because of these extensive and brilliant testimonies of animate creatures to their Maker that on the night of the Ascension, when speaking on behalf of all creatures, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, said “al-mubarakat (all congratulating and admiring worship [particular to and performed by all living creatures, especially through their seeds or eggs)” when he greeted the Necessarily Existent One.

 

The third word is as-salawat.

Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, uttered this sacred word during his supreme Ascension, and hundreds of millions of believers offer it to the Divine Court at least ten times every day when they perform the tashahhud during the canonical Prayers, which are known as the “ascension of the believers.” In fact they proclaim it to the universe. The truths of the Ascension have been expounded in The Thirty-First Word in a powerful and decisive fashion, even to obdurate, materialist deniers, whom it in part addresses. Here, very briefly, we will take a look at the strange world of the various kinds of conscious beings and beings with spirits, which illustrates the extensive meaning of this third word of the Ascension. In so doing we will try to understand by means of the manifestation of His eternal Knowledge the perfect Mercy and Compassion of our Creator, and the vastness of His Power and all-encompassing Will in the context of His Existence and Unity.

We see in this world that all beings with spirit are aware, be it consciously and rationally or otherwise, that despite their absolute impotence and weakness, they have innumerable adversaries and harmful things ranged against them, and that despite their limitless poverty and want they have endless needs and desires. Since their power and capital are not sufficient to meet even a thousandth of these, they cry out and weep with all their might, and through the discourse of their natures they implore and entreat. Each one of them with its own particular voice and language offers invocations, entreaties, prayers of a sort, and appeals to the Court of the One Who is All-Knowing and All-Powerful. We observe clearly that an All-Wise, All-Powerful, and All-Knowing One Who perceives all the needs of those crying out, understands their troubles and plight and hears their pleas and innate petitions, coming to their aid and performing all that they wish. He transforms their laments into smiles and their cries into thanks. This wise, knowing, compassionate help makes known, in a truly brilliant fashion through the manifestations of Knowledge and Mercy, One Who answers prayers and helps, One Who is the All-Munificent and All-Compassionate. During his Supreme Ascension, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, said: “All sanctifying and submissive worship (performed by all conscious beings), and all conscious, adoring, and enthusiastic worship (performed by believing and knowledgeable humans, jinn, and angels) is for God,” while offering to Him exclusively all the supplications and worship of the world of beings with spirits. The Community of Prophet Muhammad recites these expressions during the Prayers, which are lesser ascension.

 

The fourth sacred word is at-tayyibat li’llah!”

The sacred word at-tayyibat (all conscious, adoring and enthusiastic worship) refers to the good words, deeds, and worship of humans, jinn, angels, and other kinds of spirit beings, who are people of knowledge of God and belief, and who, with universal consciousness, beautify the universe with their good words, deeds, and acts of worship. They are always turned to the world of beauties and understand fully the infinite beauties of the eternal, absolutely Beautiful and Gracious One and the perpetual beauties of His Names which adorn the universe; they respond to them with passion, ardor, and universal adoration. As this word was offered to the Creator during the Ascension in the spirit of radiant belief, extensive knowledge of Him, and praise and laudation, together with the fragrant scents they produce, the Muslim Community repeats it during the tashahhud every day without tiring.

The universe is the mirror of an infinite, perpetual Beauty and Grace, and consists of Its manifestations. All the beauty and perfections of the universe come from that eternal Beauty and become beautiful and increase in value through their connection with It. The universe would otherwise be a ruin, a house of sorrows. What that connection means is understood through the knowledge and affirmation of humans, angels, and spirit beings, who are the heralds and announcers of the sovereignty of God. In order to broadcast everywhere the beautiful, sweet praise and laudation of those heralds of the One Whom they worship, and to send them up toward the Sublime Throne and offer these good words to the Divine Court, it is quite possible that the element of the air has been given a truly strange and remarkable state whereby its atoms, like dutiful soldiers, are miniscule tongues and ears.

Thus, just as through their belief and their worship, humans and angels make known the All-Majestic, All-Worshipped One, so through making each of those announcers a microcosm connected to the entire universe through the comprehensive capacities, wonderful faculties, and subtleties of knowledge that He has given them, the All-Majestic, All-Wise One makes Himself known in brilliant fashion. For example, by creating numerous amazing machines in a space the size of a walnut in the human head – namely faculties such as memory, imagination, and thought – and by making memory into a large library, God shows Himself as clearly as the sun through the manifestation of His Eternal Knowledge.

 

Said Nursi

148  as-Suyuti, Sharhu Sunan-i Ibn Maja, 313; al-Munawi, Faydu’l-Qadir, 1:497.