The Three Types of Consensus Supporting the Testimony of the Prophet Muḥammad

of the children of Ādam, and of the pride of this world - and that he is much deserving of being designated ‘the Glory of the World’ (fakhru’l-‘ālam) and ‘the Honour of the Children of Ādam’ (sharafu banī Ādam) (‘alayhissalām).

There is no doubt that the ascendancy over half of the world of the spiritual sultanate of The Qur’ān of Miraculous Exposition (Al-Qur’ānu’l-Mu‘jizu’l-Bayān), which is the decree of the Merciful in his hands, as well as his personal perfections and lofty qualities, indicate that the most important personality in this world is his (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), and that the most important teaching regarding our Creator is his teaching, may the blessings of Allāh be upon him, and on his family, and peace.

Come now, and consider! The basis for all of the claims of this extraordinary Personage (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), and his life’s goal, was the indication and testification to the existence of the Necessary Being (Al-Wājibu’l-Wujūd), His unicity (waḥdah), and His Attributes (ṣifāt) and Names - and indeed to prove the existence of the Necessary Being, and to declare and disseminate this truth. In doing this, he relied on the strength of hundreds of incontrovertible miracles, manifest and dazzling, and upon the thousands of lofty, deep-rooted spiritual realities of his religion. Thus, that Personage (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is the spiritual sun of this universe, and the most incandescent proof of our Creator - he is the Beloved of Allāh. Indeed, there are three great types of consensus, which neither deceive nor deceived, supporting and endorsing his testimony, and lending credence to it.

[The Three Types of Consensus Supporting the Testimony

of the Prophet Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām)]

The First Type of Consensus: This is the assent, by consensus, of the luminous group known in this world 

as the family of Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām). It is made up of thousands of the spiritual poles and the great saints of acute insight and penetrating reflection. Imām ‘Ali (raḍiallāhu anhu) for example, who said ‘my certainty of faith would not increase if the veil of the unseen was to be lifted’. Like al-Ghawthu’l-A‘ẓam [‘Abdu’l-Qādiri’l-Jīlānī] (qaddasallāhu sirrahu), who would witness, whilst still on the earth, the greatest throne, and the majesty of the corporeal manifestation of Isrāfīl (‘alayhissalām).

The Second Type of Consensus: This is the assent of that group, renowned in all the worlds, known as the ‘Companions’ concording in the strong faith that compelled them to sacrifice themselves, their wealth, their fathers, and their kinsfolk. This is the group of nomadic peoples, living in an environment of illiteracy, far from social life, and devoid of political thought - without a scripture, and living in the darkness of the age of the period in between the sending of messengers. In a very short time, this group became teachers and guides, diplomats and just rulers of the most civilized and learned nations and governments, and those with the most refined social and political life. It is this group that administered the world from the east to the west in a way that the world took pride in.

The Third Type of Consensus: This is the assent of the great group of the countless verificationist, deep-delving scholars that were brought up in his community. They constitute countless individuals, in every age. Working in different fields, they progressed ingeniously in every science. Their assent is by concordance, and its degree is that of certainty by knowledge. That is to say, the testimony of this Personage to Divine unity (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) was not an individual, particular testimony, but rather one general, universal, and unshakeable - one that the satans would never be able to come out to oppose, even were they to group together to do so. 

Here in ‘The Sixteenth Level’ of ‘The First Station’ the following has been mentioned as a short indication of this lesson, that this traveller in the world and through life - journeying intellectually through the Age of Happiness (‘Aṣru’s-Sa‘ādah) - took from that luminous madrasa:

لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ الوَاجِبُ الوُجُودِ الوَاحِدُ الأَحَدُ الَّذِي دَلَّ عَلَى وُجُوبِ وُجُودِهِ فِي

وَحْدَتِهِ فَخْرُ العَالَمِ وَشَرَفُ نَوْعِ بَنِي آدَمَ بِعَظَمَةِ سَلْطَنَةِ قُرْآنِهِ وَحَشْمَةِ وُسْعَةِ

دِينِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ كَمَالاَتِهِ وَعُلْوِيَّةِ أَخْلاَقِهِ حَتَّى بِتَصْدِيقِ أَعْدَائِهِ وَكَذَا شَهِدَ

وَبَرْهَنَ بِقُوَّةِ مِئَاتِ مُعْجِزَاتِهِ الظَّاهِرَةِ البَاهِرَةِ المُصَدِّقَة المُصَدَّقَةِ وَبِقُوَّةِ

آلاَفِ مِنْ حَقَائِقِ دِينِهِ السَّاطِعَةِ القَاطِعَةِ بِإِجْمَاعِ آلِهِ ذَوِي الأَنْوَارِ وَبِاتِّفَاقِ

أَصْحَابِهِ ذَوِي الأَبْصَارِ وَبِتَوَافُقِ مُحَقِّقِي أُمَّتِهِ ذَوِي البَرَاهِينِ وَالبَصَائِرِ النَّوَّارَةِ

There is no god but Allāh, the Necessary Being, the One, the Singular.

The Pride of the World, and the Honour of the species of the Children

of Ādam, by the sublimity of the sultanate of his Qur’ān, the beauty of

the fullness of his religion, the great number of his personal perfections

and the loftiness of his character, even by the assent of his enemies,

demonstrates the necessity of His unitive existence. He also testified to

and demonstrated this through the strength of hundreds of his manifest,

dazzling miracles, giving credence and attested to, on the strength of

thousands of the shining, conclusive spiritual realities of his religion,

by the consensus of his enlightened Family, and the agreement of his

sagacious Companions, and by the concordance of the verificationists

of his nation, with their proofs and radiant insight.