The Eleventh Flash

THE LOFTY SUNNAH

OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD

(‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām)

The Eleventh Flash

The Ascending Stairway of the Sunnah (1) and the Antidote to the Sickness of Religious Innovation

(Mirqāt al-Sunnah wa Tiryāq Maraḍ al-Bid’ah)

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّح۪يمِ

لَقَدْ جَٓائَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ اَنْفُسِكُمْ عَز۪يزٌ عَلَيْهِ - الی آخره (a)

The first station of this verse is منهاج السنه (the method of the sunnah) (2) and the second station is مرقاه السنه (the ascending stairway of the sunnah).

فَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ لَٓااِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظ۪يمِ (b)

اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُون۪ي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُ (c)

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a. In the Name of Allāh, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

There has now come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is your suffering (the verse continues to the end) (Qur’ān: atTawba, 9:128).

b. So if they turn away, say: 'Allāh is enough for me. There is no god but Him. In Him have I put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne. (Qur’ān: at-Tawba, 9:129)

c. If you do love Allāh, follow me; Allāh will love you. (Qur’ān: Āl-i ‘Imrān, 3:31)

1. sunnah: "The Sunnah" is the verbally transmitted record of the teachings, deeds, sayings, and silences indicating approval or disapproval, of the Prophet Muḥammad, (ASW).

2. منهاج السنه the method of the sunnah: Minhāj al-Sunnah is the Fourth Flash in The Book of Light. 

Eleven of the hundreds of subtle points pertaining to these two sublime verses will [now] be elucidated.

The First Subtle Point: The Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) decreed,

مَنْ تَمَسَّكَ بِسُنَّت۪ي عِنْدَ فَسَادِ اُمَّت۪ي فَلَهُٓ اَجْرُ مِائَةِ شَه۪يدٍ

which is to say "he who holds fast to my sunnah when my ummah (Community) has become corrupt earns the reward and recompense of a hundred martyrs."

Yes, it is of no doubt that following the lofty sunnah is of the utmost importance. Especially in an age when religious innovations have become widespread, following the lofty sunnah is even more valuable.

Observing even the slightest spiritual courtesy from the lofty sunnah - especially when the Community has become corrupted - indicates great taqwā (3) (godfearingness) and strong īmān (4) (true faith).

Adherence to the lofty sunnah immediately reminds one of the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām); thanks to this reminder, the remembrance turns into an awareness of the Divine Presence. In the most insignificant social transaction, even in the courtesies relating to eating, drinking and sleeping, at the exact moment in which the lofty sunnah is observed, that ordinary transaction and that natural conduct becomes a reward-bearing act of worship and an action in accordance with Sacred Law (sharī‘a).

For in one's ordinary actions, one thinks of following the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) and pictures in the mind that it is a spiritual courtesy (adab) (5) of the Sacred Law and that the one who establishes the Sacred Law is him (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām).

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3. taqwā: Often translated into English as ‘godfearingness’ - the Arabic literally means 'to guard' or 'protect' oneself - to abstain from all sins, and submit to the prohibitions of the Sacred Law.

4. īmān: īmān (true faith or strong belief) is an end result of a well-informed decision. It is a well-established position, firm belief and persuasion built by quality questions, investigative readings and unshakably affirming truths. The words 'belief' and 'faith' are very light and inadequate translations of īmān which is in reality a firm conviction in the level of certainty. This word, "faith," is a fairly poor rendering of īmān; one might better understand the word if it is translated as "reasoned faith" or "conviction." What constitutes this faith is summed up in the shahādah or confession of faith. If one declares, witnesses and announces that he certainly has a conviction of this following sentence, they become Muslim."There is no god but Allāh and Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is the messenger of Allāh."

5. adab: spiritual courtesy 

And one [then] orients one’s heart towards Allāh Most High, Who is the true Lawgiver, and one thus attains unto a type of [experience of] the Divine Presence and of worship.

Now, on the basis of this secret, whoever makes the following of the lofty sunnah his own habit, turns his habits into worship, and is able to make his entire life fruitful and rewarded.

The Second Subtle Point: Imām al-Rabbānī Aḥmad al-Fārūqī (raḍiallāhu anhu) said, "As I was traversing the spiritual degrees during the spirit's journeying, I saw that the most luminously shining, sublime, subtle and secure of the strata of the saints are those who have taken adherence to the lofty sunnah as the basis of the spiritual path; even the common saints in this stratum were revealed to be greater than the elect of the saints in the rest of the strata."

Yes, the Renewer of the Second Millennium Imām al-Rabbānī tells the truth (may Allāh be pleased with him). For he who takes the lofty sunnah as his foundation attains to the station of belovedness in the shade of the Beloved of Allāh.

The Third Subtle Point: When this poor Sa’īd was in the process of attempting to withdraw from the state of being the Old Sa’īd (6), my mind and heart rolled about between different truths in an immensely dreadful and spiritual storm because of his having not had a spiritual guide, and because of the deception of the evil-commanding self.

At times my mind and heart would roll down from the Pleiades to the earth, and other times roll up from the earth to the Pleiades [in a process of] falling and rising.

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6. Old Sa’īd: Sa‘īd Nursī referred to the early period of his life, when he was partially involved with world politics as the ‘Old Sa‘īd’ period, and the rest of his life, from 1921 onwards, as the “New Sa‘īd” period, starting with the authoring of The Risāle-i Nūr, and newly characterised by a disengagement from politics and a unique focus on service to true faith and the Qur’ān. Nursī was to dedicate the rest of his life to a struggle for the protection of people’s faith, in the face of assaults against the foundations of true faith by currents of atheism that had taken over much of the Muslim world. 

Now, at that time, I saw that the themes of the lofty sunnah and even its simple spiritual courtesies were like a compass pointing to the qibla, clarifying the direction of a ship and like a [light] switch in limitless dangerous and dark paths.

When I saw myself upon this spiritual journey with such severe difficulties and heavy burdens on my shoulders, and I followed the elements and spiritual courtesies of the lofty sunnah concerning that state, I found a lightness and ease as if they had lifted away all of my burdens and removed them from me. By submitting to the sunnah, I escaped from all of the hesitations, uncertainty and satanic insinuations (waswasa) (7) and worries like "is this the right course of action to take?" and "is this of benefit?".

Whenever I ceased this adherence [to any degree whatsoever], I felt [a sense of] severe pressure. I saw a multitude of paths ahead of me of unknown entryways and ways out, the ends of which were not known.

The load was very heavy, and I was totally powerless and short-sighted, and the road was dark. Yet whenever I held fast to the sunnah, I felt a state as if the way became illuminated and the safe and peaceful route appeared, the heavy load lightened and the pressure disappeared.

In the course of those moments, I confirmed Imām Rabbānī's verdict with my own direct witnessing.

The Fourth Subtle Point: I once saw myself in a strange world and in a spiritual state that arose from the "practice of death-visualisation" (rābiṭa al-mawt) and from

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7. waswasa: satanic insinuation / whispering 

the affirmation contained in the proposition اَلْمَوْتُ حَقٌّ "death is real", and from the evanescence and transience of the world.

I looked and saw that I was a corpse, and that I was standing before three great and momentous corpses:

The first: I was like a tombstone of the metaphysical funeral of all life endowed creatures that have a connection to my life and those who have entered the tomb of the past.

The second: I am a point quickly erased and an ant that quickly dies on the face of this age, which is a tombstone in the graveyard of the globe of the earth, at the head of a great funeral buried in the tomb of the past of all of the species of life-endowed creatures that have a connection to the life of the human race.

The third: It being so that the death of this universe at the Apocalypse is certain, in my eyes it was as if it has already happened. I saw myself in a state of astonishment because of the death throes of this great funeral and stunned and bewildered because of its death. In the meantime my own death, which would most certainly occur in the future, appeared to me as if it was happening right now.

By the secret of فَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا - if they turn away, (the verse continues to the end), all existent beings and all beloved ones turned their back on me because of my death, they departed me and left me alone. My spirit was being driven to the future, that is in the direction of endless eternity, which had taken on the form of an endless sea. There was no escape from being thrown into that sea, willingly or unwillingly.

In the very moment I was in this highly strange and very sad state, the noble verse,

فَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظ۪يمِ (a)

came to my rescue with assistance coming from faith and from the Qur’ān, and the verse became like a surpassingly secure and peaceful ship. My spirit thus entered into this verse in perfect safety and happiness. Yes, I understood that one of the allusive meanings (al-ma‘nā al-ishāri) (8) in this verse - apart from its explicit meaning (al-ma‘nā al-ṣarīh) (9) - had consoled me, therein I found restfulness and this [allusive meaning] granted me serenity. Yes, just as in its explicit meaning this verse says to the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām):

"If the people of misguidance turn their backs, and refuse your Sacred Law and your sunnah, and listen not to the Qur’ān, be not sorrowful and say ‘Allāh is sufficient for me, and I trust in Him. He will create and nurture those who will follow [my Sacred Law and my sunnah] instead of you’, and the Throne of His Kingdom encompasses all things. Neither can the rebellious flee from the boundaries [of His realm], nor are those who seek help from Him left helpless. Likewise in the symbolically allusive meaning it says "O [you] man! And O leader and guide of all people! If all existent beings leave you and go to nothingness because of the transience [of the world], and if life-endowed creatures

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a. So if they turn away, say: 'Allāh is enough for me. There is no god but Him. In Him have I put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne. (Qur’ān: at-Tawba, 9:129)

8. al-ma‘nā al-ishāri: allusive meaning

9. al-ma‘nā al-ṣarīh: explicit meaning

forsake you and hurry down the road of death, and if the people leave you and enter the grave, and if the heedless and the misguided fall into darknesses without listening to you, be not sorrowful! Say "Allāh is sufficient for me." For He exists, so everything exists. Thus, those who have departed have not gone to nothingness. They have only gone to another of His realms.

The Possessor of The Sublime Throne (10) will send others from His illimitable troops and soldiers to replace them. Those who enter the grave have not disappeared, but they have only journeyed to another world. He sends other officials in charge to replace them and He can send His obedient servants who will follow the way of truth, as a replacement to those who fell into misguidance. This being so, He can replace all else, yet all else can never replace even a single instance of His turning to them."

By way of this allusive meaning, these three terrifying corpses that had so frightened me, took on a different form. That is to say, those [three terrifying corpses] were but a journey and travel and a release and employment that have taken on the form of a sapiential excursion, a lesson bearing wander-about, a dutiful journey all under the direction and lordship and within [the sphere of] wisdom and compassion of a Wise, and a Compassionate, and a Just, and an Almighty Possessor of Majesty. In this way is the universe shaken up and do all beings arrive and depart.

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10. The Sublime Throne: Allāh's Throne (‘arsh), mentioned in the Qur’ān in e.g. Tawba, 9:129, and Hūd, 11:7; the Highest Realm "surrounding" all other realms, encompasses the entire cosmos. "The Footstool" (al-kursī) mentioned in Qur’ān, Baqara, 2:255 is another level of being subordinate to that of the Throne. Although scholars are in agreement that the Throne and Footstool do not resemble the thisworldly objects normally suggested by these words, interpretations differ as to their actual natures. As Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Bayḍāwī tells us in his Qur’ānic commentary Anwār al-Ta’wīl wa Asrār al-Tanzīl, "it is said that His Footstool is a metaphor for His knowledge and dominion. Others say that it is a body that exists before the Throne". Nursī and many other scholars interpret "the Supreme Throne" as a spiritual "realm" encompassing the seven heavens that are mentioned in Qur’ān, Mulk, 67:3 and Nūḥ, 71:14-15. In the Mathnawī al-Nūrī al-‘Arabī, he tells us that the Throne is the "roof of paradise". In The Twenty-First Word on the Ascension (al-Mi‘rāj), he tells us "from the particle, which is the smallest degree of creatures, and from the first heaven to the Supreme Throne, there is systematic order atop systematic order. Each heaven constitutes the roof of another realm, and a type of locus of Lordship and the Divine activity." The Throne is however distinct from the heavens and the earths; according to the great Naqshbandi saint Aḥmad al-Sirhindī (Imām Rabbānī), it is the corridor between the realm of the Divine command and the cosmos, and a locus of the manifestation, devoid of any form of veil, of all of the Names of Allāh.

The Fifth Subtle Point: The sublime verse قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُون۪ي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُ (a) quite conclusively proclaims the extent to which the following of the sunnah is paramount and necessary.

Yes, this noble verse contains the most powerful and most certain type of syllogism - the "exceptive syllogism" - which is one of the types of syllogisms in Logic. The syllogism is as follows:

Just as in the example of the exceptive syllogism in Logic it is said, "if the sun rises, then the day is present." As an example of the affirmative conclusion it is said, "the sun has risen" and the conclusion is that, "it is daytime now." As an example of the negative conclusion it is said, "the day is not present, therefore the sun has not risen." According to the science of logic, these two positive and negative conclusions are conclusive. Exactly as in these examples, this noble verse says:

If you do love Allāh, then you must follow the Beloved of Allāh. If you do not follow him, the [logical] conclusion is that you do not have love of Allāh. If you do have love of Allāh, this love will result in following the lofty sunnah of the Beloved of Allāh.

Yes, anyone who believes in Allāh (Exalted is He) will indubitably obey Him, and the most often accepted, auspicious, soundest and shortest of all paths of obedience is without doubt the path that the Beloved of Allāh (ASW) guided to and himself travelled along.

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a. Say, "If you do love Allāh, follow me; Allāh will love you." (Qur’ān: Āl-i ‘Imrān, 3:31) 

Yes, the fact that the Generous Possessor of Beauty, Who has filled this universe with so many blessings, requests thankfulness from [His] conscious [creatures] for those blessings is necessary and self-evident.

And the Generous Possessor of Majesty, Who adorned this universe with so many miracles of His artistry, will undoubtedly take the most eminent of all conscious beings to be His addressee and interpreter and bearer of tidings and leader for His servants.

And that Beautiful Possessor of Perfection, Who made this universe the locus of the manifestation of limitless manifestations of His beauty and perfection, will without doubt and self-evidently bestow the greatest station of servanthood on a personage who is the most all-embracing, the most perfect, unique criterion and pivot of all that He loves and all of the beauty, perfection, Divine names and art that He wishes to make manifest. And He will make his state a model for all others and will urge all to follow him, so that beautiful state [of his] also becomes reflected in others.

The upshot: Love of Allāh entails and results in the following of the lofty sunnah. Blessed then, is he who has an ample share in following the lofty sunnah! Woe unto he who values not the lofty sunnah, and rushes into religious innovations.

The Sixth Subtle Point: The Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) decreed: كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ (a) That is to say,

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a. All religious innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Fire. (Muslim, Kitāb al-Jum'ah v 1, p 592) 

by the secret of the verse اَلْيَوْمَ اَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ د۪ينَكُمْ (a) after the precepts of the Venerable Sacred Law and principles of the lofty sunnah have been perfected and completed, to not appreciate those principles because of having fabricated religious innovations (11) or having substituted innovations implying [some] deficiency in [the precepts of the Sacred Law and the principles of the lofty sunnah] in the eyes of the people - far be it from Allāh! - is nothing other than misguidance and fire.

The lofty sunnah comprises different degrees. A part of these degrees is obligatory (wājib) (12) and cannot be abandoned. This part has been elucidated in detail in the Venerable Sacred Law. [Such aspects of the lofty sunnah] form muḥkamāt (13) [in other words] the categorical injunctions, and they cannot be replaced by anything whatsoever.

Another part of [the lofty sunnah] is of supererogatory (nawāfil) (14). This nawāfil part of sunnah consists of two types:

The first of them is the part of the lofty sunnah that concerns acts of worship. These acts of worship have also been explained in the books of Sacred Law. Changing their form is religious innovation. The second type is called "spiritual courtesies" (ādāb) (15), and has been touched upon in the books of the exalted prophetic biography. One’s not acting upon them is not called religious innovation, yet it is a type of opposition toward prophetic spiritual courtesies and

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a. This day have I perfected your religion for you. (Qur’ān: al-Māida, 5:3)

11. fabricated religious innovation: bid‘ah

12. wājib: obligatory

13. muḥkamāt: the categorical injunctions

14. nawāfil: supererogatory

15. ādāb: spiritual courtesies 

a turning away from benefitting from their light and from that true spiritual courtesy. This type is the following of the Most Noble Messenger's actions (alayhisṣalātu wassalām), which are known to us through unanimous testimony in customs, norms and natural human social transactions.

For example, there are many lofty sunnahs that show the courtesies of speaking, and the principles of the courtesies of various states like eating, drinking and lying down, and many [sorts] of sunnahs which are connected to social relations. These types of sunnahs is called "spiritual courtesies" (ādāb).

[Even though they are courtesies], whoever follows them has his habits turn into acts of worship and attains from that spiritual courtesy an immense spiritual effusion. Following the most minor spiritual courtesy reminds one of the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) and this pours light into the heart.

The most important ones of the lofty sunnah are those which pertain to the sha‘ā’ir (16) which are the sacred symbols of Islām. [Protection and application of] these symbols is the type of worship that belongs to the community [of all Muslims], in the sort of common law [that concerns the whole of society]. Just as the whole society benefits from a single person engaging in them, so too are all responsible if they are abandoned.

Ostentation cannot interfere with this type of sacred symbols and they are to be announced [and practiced publicly]; and they are more important than individual obligations (farāiḍ), (17)

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16. sha‘ā’ir: the sacred symbols of Islām

17. farāiḍ: obligations 

even if the sacred symbols are of the supererogatory sort.

The Seventh Subtle Point: The elevated sunnah is courtesy [per se]. There is not a single aspect of the sunnah that does not have light and a courtesy behind it. The Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) said اَدَّبَن۪ي رَبّ۪ي فَاَحْسَنَ تَاْد۪يب۪ي (a). Yes, whoever carefully studies the life of the Prophet (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) and knows the lofty sunnah perceives with certainty that Allāh (Exalted is He) brought together all of the types of spiritual courtesy in His Beloved (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām). He who leaves his lofty sunnah (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) leaves spiritual courtesy itself. Such a person's spiritual state will constitute a substantiation of the principle "he who lacks courtesy is denied the graciousness and beneficence of Allāh", and falls into an unmannerliness that contains much loss.

Question: How can one have spiritual courtesy with the All-Knower of the Unseen (Allām al-Ghuyūb), (18) He Who Knows and Sees all things, for Whom nothing can be hidden, when it is the case that states that are causes of disgrace cannot be hidden from Him?

For one of the types of spiritual courtesy is concealment, and hiding states that cause revulsion and distaste, but from the Knower of the Unseen there can be no concealment.

The answer: Firstly, just as the Majestic Artful Maker wishes, with perfect solicitude and concern, to reveal His

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a. My Lord bestowed spiritual courtesy upon me in the most perfect way; he instilled courtesy in me. (Kanz al-'Ummāl v 11, p 46 / Kashf al-Khafā' v 1, p 70)

18.  'Allām al-Ghuyūb: the All-Knower of the Unseen

beautiful artistry, and He covers distasteful and odious things with veils, and through ornamenting and beautifying them, He attracts the gaze of all towards His blessings.

Likewise does He wish to make His creatures and servants appear before other conscious beings in beautiful forms and states. Their appearing in contemptible and ugly forms would constitute a sort of rebellion against and a lack of courtesy before certain of His Names, like al-Jamīl (19) (the Beautiful), al-Muzayyin (20) (the Ornamentor), al-Latīf (21) (the Subtly Kind), and al-Ḥakīm (22) (the Wise).

In the same way, the spiritual courtesy in the lofty sunnah is to be adorned with spiritual courtesy in the absolute sense within the limits of the Names of that Majestic Artful Maker.

Secondly, on account of his profession, a doctor might examine the most private areas of women whom, for religious reasons, he would not usually be allowed to look at, but they may be shown to him in cases of medical necessity. This could not be said to be contrary to adab (spiritual courtesy), but it would rather be said that the courtesy particular to medicine (the adab of medicine) requires it.

The same doctor, however, in terms of his masculine identity, his name as a preacher, or his scholarly title, is not allowed to look at unrelated women whom he is not allowed to look at for religious reasons. At the same time, adab (spiritual courtesy) would not permit women unrelated to him to reveal themselves to him. In this context, unveiling oneself to him would constitute immodesty.

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19. al-Jamīl: the Beautiful 

20. al-Muzayyin: the Ornamentor

21. al-Latīf: the Subtly Kind

22. al-Ḥakīm: the Wise 

Analogously, the Majestic Artful Maker has many Names. Each Name has a special manifestation. For example: Just as the Name al-Ghaffār (23) (the Much-forgiving) requires the existence of sins, and the Name al-Saṭtār (24) (the Veiler) requires the existence of imperfections, the Name al-Jamīl (the Beautiful) does not wish to see ugliness.

Names related to beauty and perfection like al-Laṭīf (25) (the Subtly Kind), al-Karīm (26) (the Generous), al-Ḥakīm (the Wise) and al-Raḥīm (27) (the Compassionate) entail that existent beings have beautiful forms and are in the best of all possible states.

Those Names of Beauty (Jamāl) and Perfection (Kamāl) wish to see their beauty in the eyes of the angels, the spirits, and of jinn and men, in the beautiful circumstances and excellent spiritual courtesy of existent beings.

Thus is it that the spiritual courtesies (ādāb) in the lofty sunnah constitutes allusions, principles and [original] exemplars of these elevated spiritual courtesies.

The Eighth Subtle Point: The verse لَقَدْ جَٓائَكُمْ رَسُولٌ There has now come to you a Messenger (the verse continues to the end) elucidates the perfect compassion of the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) and his overwhelming sense of pity for his [global Muslim] Community (Ummah) (28). Then after this verse, the Qur’ān says through the verse فَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا So if they turn away (the verse continues to the end):

“O people, and O Muslims! Indeed know just how remorseless and foolish is denying that self-evident compassion of that gentle and compassionate individual, who guided you

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23. al-Ghaffār: the Much-forgiving

24. al-Saṭtār: the Veiler

25. al-Laṭīf: the Subtly Kind

26. al-Karīm: the Generous

27. al-Raḥīm: the Compassionate

28. ummah: global Muslim Community 

with illimitable compassion, and who exhausted all his strength for the sake of that which is in your interests, and who washed and healed your spiritual illnesses in his perfect compassion, with the balsam of the Sacred rulings with which he came (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), and with the lofty sunnah; [and know how unjust and imbecilic] [denying and] shirking the sunnah and rulings delivered by that gentle and compassionate individual are, tantamount to accusing his obvious and self-evident compassion [of deficiency].

And O Compassionate Messenger, O Gentle Prophet! If these people neither know nor treasure your immense compassion and your great benignity, and if they turn away from you, and because of their folly listen not to you, do not worry!

The Majestic Essence, under Whose command are the soldiers of the heavens and the earth, and Whose Kingdom of Lordship (29) rules at the All-encompassing Sublime Throne, suffices you! He gathers truly obedient groups [of people] around you, and makes them to listen and hearken to you and accept your Sacred rulings.”

Yes, there is not a single element of the Sacred Law of Muḥammad nor the Sunnah of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) (30) that does not have numerous wisdoms [underlying it]. This weak one makes this claim despite all my powerlessness and all my deficiencies and I am ready to demonstrate the truth of this claim.

Moreover, the seventy or eighty epistles of The Book of Light that have thus far been written are like seventy or eighty truthful witnesses to just how wise and truth-bearing

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29. lordship: rubūbiyyah

30. Aḥmad: another name of Prophet Muḥammad (ASW)

are the elements of the Sunnah of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) and the Sacred Law of Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām).

If [there were enough time and opportunity to exhaustively] write about this subject, neither seventy nor indeed, seven thousand epistles would be sufficient to enumerate these wisdoms. I now make known that I have myself realised by direct witnessing (31) and by spiritual tasting (32), and indeed through thousands of experiences that the matters of the Sacred Law and the principles of the lofty sunnah constitute extremely potent medicines for spiritual, intellectual and heart ailments, and most especially social ailments. And I have myself felt via direct witnessing, and to some degree given others a sense of this in The Book of Light, that other matters pertaining to philosophy can in no way serve in place of those principles.

Anyone who doubts the truth of this claim of mine should return to the various parts of The Book of Light and carefully study them. Let it be appreciated then, just how profitable striving as far as is possible in the observance of the lofty sunnah of such a personage (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) indeed is, and just how much bliss in eternal life [it will bring about] and just how many advantages and how much well-being in the life of this world it involves.

The Ninth Subtle Point: Complete and actual observance of every type of lofty sunnah is made scarcely possible even for the elite of the elite (33). [Yet] everyone can seek for that [perfect] observance by means of intention and purpose, through being in favour of [the lofty sunnah] and considering it necessary - even if one is not able to actually observe it.

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31. direct witnessing: kashf

32. spiritual tasting: ẓawk

33. the elite of the elite: akhaṣ al-khawāṣ

In any case, one must observe the types of obligatory and compulsory action (farḍ (34) and wājib (35)) which form a part of the lofty Sunnah.

Leaving praiseworthy (mustaḥab) (36) sunnahs related to acts of worship involves the loss of a sublime reward - even if it involves no actual sin - and altering them [in any way] would be a massive mistake. As for the exalted sunnahs in one's habits and social interactions, through perseverance and assiduity in following them, those habits are transformed into acts of worship. There is no blame on the one who does not follow them, yet the benefit he gets from the light of the life-courtesies [prescribed by] the Beloved of Allāh (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) will be diminished. Inventing additions to the rulings pertaining to worship is a religious innovation. Innovations in religion are to be rejected, for they are inconsistent with the secret of اَلْيَوْمَ اَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ د۪ينَكُمْ (a).

Yet if this [addition] involve litanies (37), types of Divine remembrance (38) and [different] ways - as in the Sūfi orders - then this does not constitute a religious innovation, on the condition that it has a basis taken from the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, and on the condition that it does not run contrary to the established methods and principles of the lofty sunnah nor change them, even though it may take different shapes, and distinct forms and modes.

However, some of the people of knowledge did include some of these matters within "innovation", yet they called them "good innovation" (39). The Renewer of the Second Millennium,

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a. This day have I perfected your religion for you. (Qur’ān: al-Māida, 5:3)

34. farḍ: obligatory action

35. wājib: compulsory action

36. mustaḥab: praiseworthy

37. litanies: awrād

38. Divine remembrances: aẓkār

39. good innovation: bid‘ah al-hasana 

Imām Rabbānī (raḍiallāhu anhu), said "in the course of [my] spiritual journeying, I saw that the words related from the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) are illuminated and shine via the rays of the lofty sunnah. I saw that the dazzling and powerful litanies and states that had not been related from him (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) did not have that light upon them. The most dazzling of this latter group did not reach even the least of that which was in the former group. From this I realised that the rays of the lofty sunnah are an elixir, sufficient those looking for light, and that there is no need to seek after light outside of it."

Now, this attestation from the personage who is a hero of reality and the Sacred Law makes clear that the lofty sunnah is the foundation stone of bliss in the two realms, and the source and wellspring of all perfections.

اَللّٰهُمَّ ارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَ السُّنَّةِ السَّنِيَّةِ اٰم۪ينَ.

رَبَّنَٓا اٰمَنَّا بِمَٓا اَنْزَلْتَ وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِد۪ينَ (a)

The Tenth Subtle Point: There is a miraculously inimitable concision (40) in the verse قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُون۪ي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُ If you do love Allāh, follow me and Allāh will love you. For an abundance of sentences have been incorporated into these three sentences. It is as follows:

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a. O Allāh! Bestow upon us observance of the lofty sunnah, Amīn. (An Arabic prayer)

O our Lord, we believe in that which you have revealed, and we follow the Messenger, so record us as amongst those who bear witness! (Qur’ān: Āl-i ‘Imrān, 3:53)

40. concision: (lit) ījāz within i’jāz (miraculous inimitability within concision) 

This verse says: “If you do indeed believe in Allāh, without doubt you love Him, and since you love Him, you will practice in the manner that He loves. And [practising] in the way that He loves [entails] that you model yourself on the personage that He loves. Modeling yourself on him means following him. Once you follow him, Allāh will love you. You already love Allāh; [follow his Beloved one] so that Allāh will love you, too.”

Now, all of these sentences are no other than a condensed and short exegesis of this verse. Their meaning is that the most important of man’s most elevated purposes is to attain the love of Allāh. The text of this verse indicates that the road [to the attainment] of that highest aim is following the Beloved of Allāh and adhering to his lofty sunnah. Now, if "Three Points" in this station can be established, the aforementioned truth will be revealed fully.

The First Point: Man has been created and his innate nature has been designed to love the Creator of this universe illimitably. For there is in man's sound innate disposition (fiṭrah) (41) love for beauty (jamāl), love for perfection (kamāl) to the degree of worship, and love for beneficence (iḥsān). That love intensifies according to the degrees of beauty, perfection and beneficence, such that it might reach to the highest degrees of ecstatic love. And ecstatic love as expansive of the whole universe fits into this tiny man's little heart.

Yes, the fact that thousands of books of data has been written within the faculty of memory like a library,

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41. fiṭrah: a human being's sound innate disposition 

which is the heart's little box the size of a lentil, points to this little heart's being able to contain the entire universe and to carry love as expansive as the universe.

And it being the case that within man's sound innate disposition (fiṭrah) there exists the capacity for limitless love for beneficence, beauty and perfection and it being so that the Creator of the universe has limitless Holy beauty, the reality of which is self-evidently proven by His effects that are manifest in the universe, and illimitable Holy perfection the reality of which is necessarily proven by the inscriptions of His art that are evident upon these existents [before us], and limitless benefactions (42), the existence of which is realised with certainty and indeed through direct witnessing in the unbounded varieties of His benefactions and bestowals (43) that are manifest within all conscious beings, surely it must therefore be the case that that beauty, perfection and excellence entail that man - who has the most all-embracing capacity of all conscious, perceiving creatures, is the most needy of them all, the most reflective of them, and the most yearning of them - has limitless love.

Yes, just as every human being has the capacity for limitless love for that Majestic Creator, so too is that Creator entitled to be more beloved than anyone else in return for His beauty, perfection and excellence.

Even the diverse types of love that a believing man possesses, and his intense attachments to his life and continuation in this world, and to his body, and to his world, and

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42. benefactions: iḥsānāt

43. bestowals: in‘āmāt

to his self and towards existent beings, are nothing more than droplets of that capacity for love of the Divine.

Indeed, even man's diverse and intense emotions are no more than metamorphosis which that capacity for love undergoes, and droplets that have taken on multifarious forms.

It is well known that just as man derives pleasure from his personal happiness, so too does he derive pleasure from the happiness of such people that he is attached and connected to. Just as he loves the one who saves him from misfortunes, so too does he love the one who saves those he loves from misfortunes. Now, if man reflects, on the basis of this spiritual state of affairs, on just a single one of the diverse types of Divine benefactions that have been showered upon every human being, he will say "just as my Creator saved me from the nonexistence that constitutes endless darknesses (44), and bestowed this beautiful [individual] world within this world, so too will He save me again, when my time comes, from the nonexistence and total erasure that constitute an endlessly eternal execution, and He will bestow an eternal, glorious world upon me, in an endlessly enduring, undying world.

He will bestow emotions and inner and outer senses upon me that will benefit from all of the diverse types of enjoyments, pleasures and beauties of that world, and that will wander around and roam freely and delightfully therein.

[Just as He will do this], so too will He shower upon my close relatives, loved ones and fellow human beings - who I love intensely and am very firmly attached to - illimitable blessings;

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44. darknesses: (al-ẓulumāt) The plural usage reflects the Qur’ānic ‘ẓulumāt’. Darkness, a symptom of fragmentary multiplicity, is never used in the singular in the Qur’ān, whereas light (nūr), by nature pure, unitary and of Allāh, is always in the singular. 

and those bestowals will in a way belong to me, for I become joyful and take pleasure in the happiness of those people.

It being so that within every human being there exists a love, almost to the degree of worship, of beneficence [and good treatment], by the secret of اَلْاِنْسَانُ عَب۪يدُ الْاِحْسَانِ (a).

There can be no doubt that faced with this eternal and limitless beneficence, he will say, were I to have a heart as expansive as the universe, it would have to be filled with love towards that beneficence, and I would want to fill it with that love; even though I am not able to actually bear that much love, I will bear it in my innate capacity, and in faith, intention, acceptance, appreciation, yearning, preference and will."

Similarly, let all draw a conclusion about the love that man manifests faced with beauty and perfection, comparing it to the love that man makes manifest faced with beneficence, which we have briefly alluded to here. The disbeliever on the other hand, harbours limitless enmity stemming from his disbelief; so much so that he bears towards all beings antagonism within tyranny, contempt and derogation.

The Second Point: Love of Allāh necessitates the following of the Sunnah of Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), for the love of Allāh is doing that which He is pleased with. The [identity of the] things with which he is pleased become apparent in the most perfect form in the personage of Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām).

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a. Man is the slave of good treatment. 

Emulating the person of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) in our movements and our actions involves two aspects:

The first of them: The aspect of love of Allāh (Exalted is He), [which is] obedience to His commands and acting within the sphere of that with which He is pleased, requires that following [of the Prophet Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām)], for the greatest imām in this [obedience and in pleasing Allāh] is the personage of Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām).

The second of them: Since the personage of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is the most important means of obtaining the illimitable Divine benefactions that are showered upon mankind, it must necessarily be the case that he (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is worthy of unlimited love for the sake of the Allāh (Exalted is He). Man desires, by his innate disposition, to imitate the personage he loves if that is at all possible. Thus is it that those who love the Beloved of Allāh must assuredly strive to imitate him (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) by following his sunnah.

The Third Point: Just as it is so that Allāh has endless mercy, so too has He endless love. Just as He endears Himself limitlessly by means of the beauties of all of the works of art in the universe, and of His ornamentation of those works of art, so too does He love His conscious creatures who love His works of art, and first and foremost those who reciprocate for His having made His works of art beloved with love.

It is self-evidently perceived [by all], then, just how important and lofty an aim striving to attract the gaze of Allāh’s love is – of which all of the subtle wonders, beauties, pleasures and blessings of Paradise are but a single of the manifestations of His mercy [therein].

Now, since an explicit proof text of the Qur’ān states that attaining His love only occurs through following the Sunnah of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), [the fact] that following the Sunnah of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is the most sublime of human purposes, and the most important of the vocations of man has been established.

The Eleventh Subtle Point, made up of “Three Issues”.

The First Issue: The lofty sunnah of the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) has three sources, namely his words, actions and states. Each of these three categories itself divides into three categories: obligatory (farāiḍ) and supererogatory (nawāfil) acts, and his beautiful [routine] practices. Adherence [to the sunnah] in the category of the obligatory and compulsory (farḍ and wājib) is necessary, and leaving [these obligations] involves punishment and torment - all are held responsible to adhere to and comply with it. Believers are also held responsible to adhere to the category of supererogatory [sunnahs], [but] through a recommendatory directive, yet leaving [these sunnahs] does not involve any punishment or torment. Acting in accordance with them that is practicing and adhering to them contains immense rewards. Altering and replacing them is innovation and misguidance and a massive error. As for his exalted practices and his exemplary manner, emulating and adhering to them is extremely commendable, with respect to the wisdoms and benefits [that they contain] for individual, personal life and for that of humanity and society. For in every one of his routine practices (ASW) there are many life-benefits, and by following them, those spiritual courtesies and habitual practices become like acts of worship.

Yes, the personage of Aḥmad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) attained, by the agreement of friend and foe, the highest degrees of beautiful character traits. It is agreed amongst humankind that he is the most famous and distinguished of personalities, and he is the most perfect of perfect men and the most perfect guide, as is proved by his thousands of miracles and by the testimonies of the perfections of the Islāmic world that he formed and by the confirmation of the truths of the Wise Qur’ān (45) (al-Qur’ān al-Ḥakim) of which he (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is the conveyor and the interpreter. Likewise, millions of the people of spiritual perfection together with the fruits, that are their followers, have ascended the degrees of perfection and attained the happiness of the two realms. [All this being the case], there can be no doubt that the sunnah and the actions of that personage (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) are the best models to imitate, and the most secure, powerful guides worthy of being followed, and are the firmest laws, befitting to be taken as one's code of conduct in one's life.

The happy one then is he who has a great share in adherence to the sunnah! He who does not follow the sunnah, on the other hand, because of laziness, is in great loss. Whereas if such a person cares not about it and makes light of it, this is a terrible crime, and the type of criticism that entails falsification constitutes immense misguidance.

The Second Issue: In the Wise Qur’ān, Allāh (Exalted is He) decrees وَاِنَّكَ لَعَلٰي خُلُقٍ عَظ۪يمٍ (a). It has been related in a sound narration that whenever eminent companions the like of ‘Ā’isha the Veracious (‘Ā’isha al-Ṣiddīqa) (raḍiallāhu anhā) described

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a. Surely you are of beautiful character. (Qur’ān: al-Qalam, 68:4)

45. The Wise Qur’ān: al-Qur’ān al-Ḥakīm

the Noble Prophet (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), they would describe him saying خُلُقُهُ الْقُرْاٰنُ (a).

That is, the model and exemplar of the beautiful character expounded by the Qur’ān is Muḥammad (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), and he is the first to have exemplified those beautiful character traits and He was created with his innate nature to embody those beautiful character traits.

So there you are! Every one of the actions, words and movements of the like of this personage (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) is a model and exemplar for man. In this case, even insane people understand how wretched are those who [either] have no interest in his sunnah (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām), or desire to alter it - those people being from amongst the heedless ones of those who believe in him and are from his Community (Ummah)!

The Third Issue: Since the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) was created with the most balanced bearing and with the most perfect form, all of his instances of action and nonaction were characterised by balance and uprightness.

Indeed, his exalted biography conclusively proves that everything he did was upright and balanced and avoided both excess and insufficiency.

Yes, since the Most Noble Messenger (‘alayhisṣalātu wassalām) perfectly obeyed the command فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ (b) so tread the straight path, as you have been commanded, the uprightness is absolutely seen in all of his actions, words and states.

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a. His character is the Qur’ān. (Muslim, Ṣalāt al-Misāfirīn, v 1 p 513 / Abū Dāwud, Ṣalāh v 2, p 88 / Musnad Aḥmad v 6 p 91)

b. So remain on a right course as you have been commanded. (Qur’ān: Hūd, 11:112) 

For example: Just as his intellectual faculty always operated in accordance with wisdom, which is the golden mean and the pivot of rectitude, free of deception and malevolence, which constitute the excess and insufficiency that are the corruption and tyranny of the intellectual faculty, so too did his power of anger operate in accord with the holy valour which is the pivot of the rectitude of the power of anger and the golden mean thereof, totally free of the cowardice and recklessness which are the corruption, excess and insufficiency of the power of anger. And his appetitive power always took supreme abstinence as its guide, to the degree of infallible abstinence, [abstinence] that is the pivot of the rectitude of that power, free from being totally extinguished or dissolved, which are the corruption, excess and insufficiency of the appetitive power.

Thus did he choose the golden mean in all of his lofty sunnahs and in his innate states and the rulings of Sacred Law and he avoided both insufficiency and excess and wastefulness and lavishness, which [all] constitute tyranny and darkness. He took providence as his guide - in even his speech, and in his eating and drinking he completely avoided wastefulness.

Thousands of volumes have been written about the details of this reality. Due to the secret of اَلْعَارِفُ تَكْف۪يهِ الْأِشَارَةُ "an allusion suffices he who knows", we have sufficed ourselves with just one drop of that ocean, and have abridged what we have said.

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰي جَامِعِ مَكَارِمِ الْاَخْلَاقِ وَ مَظْهَرِ سِرِّ (وَ اِنَّكَ لَعَلٰي خُلُقٍ عَظ۪يمٍ)

اَلَّذ۪ي قَالَ (مَنْ تَمَسَّكَ بِسُنَّت۪ي عِنْدَ فَسَادِ اُمَّت۪ي فَلَهُٓ اَجْرُ مِائَةِ شَه۪يدٍ)

وَ قَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذ۪ي هَدٰينَا لِهٰذَا وَ مَاكُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْ لَٓا اَنْ هَدٰينَا اللّٰهُ

لَقَدْ جَٓائَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ

سُبْحَانَكَ لَاعِلْمَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَل۪يمُ

الْحَك۪يمُ

O Allāh! Send blessings upon he who brought together all of the noble traits of character, the locus of the manifestation of "surely you are of beautiful character," (a)

who said "he who holds fast to my Sunnah when my Community (Ummah) has become corrupt will have the reward of a thousand martyrs." (b)

"And they will say, Praise be to Allah, who guided us to this and had Allah not guided us, surely never would we have been guided. The messengers of our Lord brought the truth." (c)

Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except that which You have taught us, surely You are the All-Knowing, the Wise. (d)

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a. Qur'ān: al-Qalam, 68:4

b. See al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb, 1:61

c. Qur'ān: al-‘Arāf, 7:43

d. Qur'ān: al-Baqara, 2:32 

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