Was the Ascension of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) Physical or Spiritual?
Moulana Mohiuddin Qadri asks: please tell us the reality of the Ascension.
The eminence of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) holds a clear excellence over all the prophets and messengers.
The spiritual power and the proximity and connection to God
that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was granted
is unprecendented in the history.
Moses highly requested God to let him witness God's splendour
but his desire was left unfulfilled.
Whereas, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) not only witnessed God's splendour
rather, God called Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to himself with his body.
Those who say this was a spiritual ascension, I believe such people are unaware of the knowledge in the Holy Koran.
Where the Koran mentions the Ascension,
God used the word 'Abd' for Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
The meaning of the word 'Abd' that I have learned is that it is a compound of the body and the soul.
A compound of both the body and the soul.
God said here, 'Exalted is He who raised his servant (Abd) to Bait ul Muqaddas and the skies overnight.'
So the incident of the Ascension is evidence of the ethereal nature of Prophet Mohammad's body.
And it further elaborates on the verse in Koran 18:110 where God says, 'O' Prophet Mohammad, say: I have been sent as an example of Bashar (man).'
The meaning of this verse is not, 'O' Prophet Mohammad, say: I am a human being like you.'
Rather it means, 'I have been sent as model of Bashar (man) for you.'
As an example, like a model.
Do you understand?
For example, when a major building is to be constructed, first a scaled-down model is presented upon which the building is built.
Now, if God forbid, you think that Prophet Mohammad is a human being like you and me,
then tell me this: how could you possibly become equal to Prophet Mohammad?
Prophet Mohammad physically ascended to the Empyrean of God and then returned.
You can't even physically fly one inch above the ground.
Many great saints and prophets came to the world.
However, did any of them have the power to physically ascend to God and come back?
But this was granted exclusively to Prophet Mohammad by God.
Now, to travel from the Realm of Density to the Ethereal Realms,
and then from the Ethereal Realms to Lahut Lamakan and Hahoowiyat,
and then after that to the Station of Wehdat (Divine Unity),
and then to reach the station where God himself is,
and for this entire journey to be done physically -
- well then, perhaps we cannot even imagine just how ethereal Prophet Mohammad's body is.
How ethereal must Prophet Mohammad's body be to be physically summoned by God to a place where even the Human Soul cannot access?
And then, where God mentions [in the Koran 20:23] that Prophet Mohammad saw the Ayat-e-Kubra,
this is the point where the clerics of the religion get stuck.
This is where they say, 'Ayat-e-Kubra means that Prophet Mohammad saw a major sign of God. It does not mean that Prophet Mohammad saw God.'
Do you understand?
Here, the clerics say, 'No, Prophet Mohammad did not see God.'
Well if Prophet Mohammad did not see God on the Night of Ascension, what was the point of the Ascension?
'If I obtain everything in the world but you, what is the point?'
If you go to the Empyrean of God and do not see God, what is the use?
So when [Prophet Mohammad] reached the Empyrean of God, he heard God's voice:
'O' Prophet Mohammad, please wait. I am currently performing Salat.'
'I am currently performing Salat.'
I will speak on this topic another time [elaborating on what God said to Prophet Mohammad here].
The Night of Ascension was not just the ascension of Prophet Mohammad;
rather, all the Fuqra and saints that came in Prophet Mohammad's nation -
- however many spiritual dignitaries came -
- they all obtained their culmination as a blessing of Prophet Mohammad on the Night of Ascension.
Different narrations state:
when Prophet Mohammad reached the Realm of Jabrout (The Realm of Souls) with Gabriel,
he led the Salat in Bait ul Mamour.
And then after that, in the journey ahead, Gabriel did not accompany Prophet Mohammad.
The narrations state that at this point, Abdul Qadir Jilani's soul came to Prophet Mohammad.
And Prophet Mohammad travelled upon it.
Now here, pay close attention.
Moulana Mohiuddin Qadri [the questioner] must have heard such narrations in the Qadriyya Sufi Order.
But today, think about this: how ethereal must Prophet Mohammad's body be for it to be able to travel upon the soul of Abdul Qadir Jilani?
How ethereal must Prophet Mohammad be!
Prophet Mohammad physically travelled [beyond the Realm of Jabrout] upon the soul of Abdul Qadir Jilani.
And Prophet Mohammad also said, 'O Abul Qadir, my feet rest on your shoulders.'
'And your feet shall rest on the shoulders of all the saints in my nation.'
Then Prophet Mohammad [travelled further].
Prophet Mohammad's physical ascension on the Night of Ascension and the way he saw God - I would say that the way he saw God was three-dimensional.
Because there are three ways to see God according to spirituality.
The common saints see God through their subtlety of Ana.
When the Ana is [spiritually trained and] ready to see God, the Spiritual Guide, through the Muraqiba tul Mout -
- he takes both the disciple's Main Soul and the Ana on a combined spiritual journey to the Station of Mehmood.
Then there at the Station of Mehmood, the Ana sees God.
This is the method through which Imam Abu Hanifa saw God 99 times.
This is the method of seeing God through the subtlety of Ana.
The second method of seeing God is through the Tifl-e-Noorie (Body of God's Light) which is for the Fakirs.
Prophet Mohammad said, 'Faqr (Spiritual Poverty) is from me and it is my pride.'
Meaning, 'I am proud of the teachings of Faqr.'
'And Faqr is from me.'
The teachings of Faqr were not introduced to the world [before Prophet Mohammad].
So another thing exclusive to Prophet Mohammad is this: the teachings of Faqr began with Prophet Mohammad.
Before [Prophet Mohammad], there was no Faqr.
And suppose that Faqr did exist before [Prophet Mohammad's advent to the world] - in that case, it just proves Prophet Mohammad's eminence even more.
How is that?
Prophet Mohammad said, 'Faqr is from me.
So if Faqr came before, it means that Prophet Mohammad's teachings were benefitting people even before Prophet Mohammad's advent to the world.
So when Prophet Mohammad [reached the Empyrean of God], he saw God through the Ana.
A Sultan ul Fuqra (one who has been granted a Tifl-e-Noorie) sees God while conscious. Prophet Mohammad also saw God through his Tifl-e-Noorie.
And then after that [the third method of seeing God is] to see God during Spiritual Journey through the Jussa-e-Taufiq-e-Illahi (Divine Sub-Spirit).
Prophet Mohammad also saw God through the Jussa-e-Taufiq-e-Illahi.
So through three methods, Prophet Mohammad saw God.
And this is the complete form of Liqa Billah.
Some people saw God through spiritual journey with the Jussa-e-Taufiq-e-Illahi.
The Sultan ul Fuqra saw God while conscious through the Tifl-e-Noorie.
And the [saints] and the Divine Scholars -
- who were beautiful combinations of esoteric and exoteric knowledge -
- for example, Data Ali Hajweri, Imam Abu Hanifa,
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Nizamuddin Auliya -
these people were scholars of esoteric and exoteric knowledge as well.
They had the knowledge of Sharia, of Esoteric Sharia and Tariqat (spirituality) as well.
Bilawal Shah Noorani saw God.
But the way Prophet Mohammad saw God was the culmination and complete form [of how one can see God].
All three methods through which one can see God,
all three methods of seeing God were collected at one station: Prophet Mohammad.
And Prophet Mohammad saw God three-dimensionally.
Three-dimensionally.
So this quality that is to be found in Prophet Mohammad - there is nobody equal to it.
When Prophet Mohammad came face to face with God on the Night of Ascension,
something new happened.
Something new happened!
What was that new thing?
When God expressed his Attributes [during the process of creation],
the Attributes that were manifested were known as Hadis (mortal).
God's own essence was known as Qadeem (ancient).
Do you understand?
All the prophets that came were granted names of God's Attributes.
They were granted divine energy of God's Attributes.
Every single one of the prophets were granted Hadis Attributes [of God] and Hadis divine energy.
Out of all the 124 000 prophets, not a single one was granted an Attribute that was Qadeem [belonging directly to God's essence].
Nor were any of them granted the Qadeemi divine energy.
But when Prophet Mohammad reached [The Empyrean of God], then there were no Hadis divine energy or Attributes.
Prophet Mohammad came face to face with God's Ancient Essence.
And when the divine theophanies of God's Ancient Essence fell upon Prophet Mohammad's body -
- when the divine theophanies of God's Ancient Essence fell upon Prophet Mohammad's body,
then any trace of density that could have entered Prophet Mohammad's body due to his advent on Earth -
- all that density diminished.
And Prophet Mohammad became so ethereal that when he returned to Earth,
he would walk in the Sun and he would have no shadow.
When he would walk in the Sun, he would have no shadow.
The blood [that ran through his veins] due to being born in a household of human beings -
- the blood from Prophet Mohammad's mother that ran through his veins,
the milk of Dai Haleema which entered Prophet Mohammad's bloodstream -
- when Prophet Mohammad reached the Empyrean of God, the divine theophanies from God's Ancient Essence fell upon his body.
The milk of Dai Haleema and the blood of Amna (Prophet Mohammad's mother) were rendered ineffective [upon the etherealness of Prophet Mohammad's body].
Then Prophet Mohammad's being became a combination of Hadis and Qadeem divine energy from head to toe.
He became a beautiful combination of Hadis and Qadeem divine energy, from head to toe.
Now, Prophet Mohammad had become immortal.
Now, to say either 'God' or 'Prophet Mohammad' - it was like saying the same thing.
Koran 108:1
'We will grant you so much.'
Koran 108:1
'We have granted you ponds and streams...'
'...where all your admirers will bleed out their livers and look at the face of your Lord.'
I briefly described the Ascension of Prophet Mohammad to you in hopes that you will obtain spiritual benevolence from it.
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