So, the appearance of the Prophet’s (s) soul is identical to God.
If the blessed soul of the Prophet (s) is perched on the Divine Throne instead of God,
none from among the prophets, saints and spiritual dignitaries can identify whether it is God or the Prophet (s).
2 Ways to Witness Prophet Muhammad (s)
There are two ways by which one can witness the splendour of the Prophet (s).
One is the witnessing of Muhammad and the other is the witnessing of Ahmed.
The blessed body of Prophet Muhammad (s)
has a completely different appearance to the blessed soul of the Prophet (s).
The saints who were not privy to this secret
fell prey to misunderstandings.
For instance, one day when Gabriel brought a divine revelation,
the Prophet (s) asked,
‘O Gabriel, are you aware of where you bring these revelations from
and who delivers them to you?’
He said, ‘I receive it from behind the veil by someone,
I have never seen who’.
The Prophet (s) told him, ‘Go, lift the veil and see’.
He said, ‘How can I lift the veil?’
The Prophet (s) said, ‘Lift it with your hand
and if it doesn’t move then say: I have been sent by Muhammad’.
So when he went there and lifted the veil,
he cried out in surprise.
When he returned, the Prophet (s) asked,
‘Alright, so what did you see?’
Gabriel said, ‘It was you sitting there’.
A lot of misunderstandings arose after this incident.
What was the reason?
The blessed body of the Prophet (s) has a different appearance
and the blessed soul of the Prophet (s) is totally different.
So, the appearance of the Prophet’s (s) is identical to God.
If the blessed soul of the Prophet (s) is perched on the Divine Throne instead of God,
none from among the prophets, saints and spiritual dignitaries can identify whether it is God or the Prophet (s).
There is only one way to recognise the difference
and that is if you go there and feel bold,
then know it is God
and if you go there and become naturally respectful,
then it is Muhammad (s).
This is one way to identify.
Now let’s talk about the hadith
which states ‘man ra’ani faqad raa al haq -
- one who has seen me has seen the Lord’.
Right?
But there is something to be understood here.
What’s that?
That the one who has seen the soul of the Prophet (s) has seen the Lord.
Looking at the blessed body of the Prophet (s) is not the same as seeing God.
Those who acquired the physical company of the Prophet (s) were known as Sahabi (companions)
and what were those called who attained the company of the Prophet’s soul?
They were called Fakir.
So tell me who is greater, a Sahabi or a Fakir?
Because there are two things mentioned in ahadith for a Fakir,
the first states: ‘izza tammal faqr fahuwa allah -
- one who reaches the culmination in faqr is simply Allah'
and the second states: ‘lissan ul fuqra saif ul rehman -
- the tongue of a saint is the sword of God'.
Witnessing the splendour of the blessed soul of Prophet Muhammad (s)
is just as difficult a task as it is to witness the divine splendour.
However, if you have witnessed the splendour of Prophet’s blessed soul,
you have seen God because they are one and the same.
And if you ever witness the way God and the Prophet (s) walk together;
God places his arm around the Prophet’s back,
resplendent in long robes,
promenading in a graceful and stately manner.
Now, just ponder the difference in the connection between Owais Qarni and the Prophet (s)
as opposed to the rest of the companions
because Owais Qarni had pledged allegiance to the soul of the Prophet (s).
He attained the spiritual benevolence of the Prophet’s soul.
Similarly, Imam Mehdi (a) -
- they render a physical benevolence,
there is a physical attachment with them
and then there is also a ‘rouhani’ attachment.
Here, ‘rouhani’ does not mean spiritual
but rather ‘with the soul’.