Haqeeqat-e-Muhammadia – The Reality of Muhammed

Translated from Noor ul Haqeeqat

Author: Shah Ismail Qadri al Multani

Compiled by: Prof. Maulana Syed Ataulla Hossaini

Translated from Urdu by: Prof. Dr. Nazeer Ahmed

Note: The following is a translation of definition 71 in the Appendix of the book.

Summary: The blessed Sufis used the term Haqeeqat e Muhammadia for the Reality of Muhammed (pbuh). The Qur’an refers to the Prophet as Noor (heavenly Light) and also “Bashar” (human). The Prophet is Noor with all the particulars of Noor and he is human with all the requirements of being human. The Reality of Muhammed is Nooriat (an attribute of heavenly Light) and the appearance of Muhammed is Bashriat (the attributes of being human).

 

Let us start with a couplet from the Persian master Jami:

Tu Jane Paak Sar Basar Ne Aab wa Khaaq Ay Nazneen

Wallah Zajan Hum Paak Tar Ruhi Fidaak Ay Nazneen  

The term Noor e Muhammadiya is used as such because the first fixity (Ta’yun e Awwal) of dhat (substance) took place in Noor e Muhammadi, may the blessings of God and peace be upon him. In the terminology of the blessed Sufis, the dhat (substance) is called Noor e Muhammadiya in its accepted sense of the first fixity.  The Reality of Muhammed (Haqeeqat e Muhammadi) is the displayer (Mazhar) of the Reality of Ahdiyet (Haqeeqat e Ahdiat). All the other stations and existences whose details will be explained later, are displayers of Noor e Muhammadi.

The relationship of the unqualified divine “I” (Ana) and its dependent attributes (existence, knowledge, illumination, witness) is essentially the same in all creation. The difference is in how they become manifest. The manifestation is greater in the human essence than in the material essence. It is for this reason that the human is called “manifester of the substance” (mazhar e dhat) and other things are called “manifesters” of Names (mazhar e Asma’). Now, among human beings, the persona of Prophet Muhammed is the manifestation of utmost perfection. The meaning of it is that the manifestation of the divine “I” (Ana) and its attributes is most complete here. That is why the first manifestation of divine Essence is called the Reality of Muhammed (Haqeeqat e Muhammadiya) and it is the station of Wahdat.

The Reality of the Prophet is that Light which shone through before the revelation of Asma wa Sifat. It was luminescent before the creation of space and time. From a perspective of creation, he (the Prophet) is the first of creation. From a perspective of appearance, he is the last of the Prophets. Hazrat Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet said: “I am the first of the Prophets in creation and I am the last to appear from among them”.

It was the Light of the Prophet from which the cosmos was created. He is the actuality (asl) of creation. He is the summary of existence. He is the reason for the existence of the cosmos. Only the Prophet is the summation of the divine Names and Attributes that were revealed in detail in nature. Thus, it was this Light from which the sun and the moon were lit. It was this Light from which were established the divine Throne and the Dominion (Arsh wa Kursi). It was through this Light that the Tablet and the Pen were given their place. Through this Noor the heavens were elevated and it was with this Noor that the eventful world was embellished.

Ho Na Yeh Phool To Bulbul Ka Tarannum Bhi Na Ho

Chamane Dhr MaiN KalyoN ka Tabassum Bhi Na Ho

Yeh Na Saqi Ho Phir Mai Bhi Na Ho, Khum Bhi Na Ho

Bazm e Tawheed Bhi Duniya MaiN Na Ho Tum Bhi Na Ho

Kheema Aflaq Ka Ustada Isee Nam Se Hai

Nabz e Hastee Tapash Amada Isee Nam Se Hai            (Iqbal)

Our Translation:

If it was not for this flower, the melody of the nightingale would not be,

In the garden of timeless Time, the smile of buds would not be,

If there is no wine-bearer, no wine would there be and not the circle of ecstasy,

The assembly of Tawhid would not be, neither would you be,

The canopy of the heavens is held aloft by this very Name,

The pulse of existence accepts its energy from this very Name.         (Iqbal)

 

The stars derived their light from this Noor (Light). From this Noor the buds opened and the flowers emanated their aroma. With the beauty of this Noor, the heavens were decorated. With the intensity of this Noor, hellfire was lit. It was this Noor that descended into the heart of Adam as Light.  This was the Noor that stayed with Adam as genes of the most exalted human. It was this Noor that made Adam worthy of prostration by the angels and then he was sent down to earth to manifest this Noor. At the end, this Noor, this Reality of Muhammed, appeared in the person of Muhammed (pbuh) which is the humanness of Muhammed (bashriat e Muhammadiya) or the substance of Muhammed (dhat e Muhammdiya).

The Reality of Muhammed is Nooriat (Light) and the appearance of Muhammed is Bashriat (humanness). The Reality is not appearance and the appearance is not Reality. Call Reality for what it is and call appearance for what it is. The two are not the same. The particulars of the two are different; so are their requirements. The reality of water is oxygen and hydrogen. The material condition of water is fluid. You cannot take a bath with oxygen and hydrogen as you can with water. The reality of ice is water which is fluid. On the other hand, ice is solid. You can break the ice but you cannot “break” water. Reflect upon this.

Allah has called the Prophet “Noor” (Light) and also “Bashar” (human). For a Muslim it is essential to accept both aspects, Noori as well as Bashari. The Prophet is Noor (heavenly Light) with all the particulars of Noor and he is human with all the requirements of being human. One aspect of the Prophet is “Nooriat” (the attribute of heavenly Light) and the other aspect is Bashriat (humanness). Both are true. To accept the one and reject the other is to reject the injunctions of the Qur’an. Here is what the Qur’an says with clarity about “Nooriat”:

Behold! There has come down a Light from Allah and a perspicuous Book (Al Ma’eda, 5:15).

And here is the clarity in the Qur’an about “Bashriat” (humanness of the Prophet):

Indeed, I am but a human like you (Al Kahf, 18:110).

It is true that there is a dissociation  between Nooriat and Bashriat but there is no opposition between them that would preclude the appearance of both in one entity. Both aspects are apparent with clarity in the light of the Qur’an and the Ahadith.

For a confirmation of Nooriat:

“I am not like any of you. I spend my nights with my Sustainer Who feeds me and quenches my thirst”.    (Mishkat)

For a confirmation of Bashriat:

“During the battle of the Trench, because of starvation, two stones were tied around the blessed stomach (of the Prophet).”    (Shama’eel e Tamidhi)

For a confirmation of Nooriat:

“I was a Prophet when Adam was between clay and water”.       (Tarmidhi)

For a confirmation of Bashriat:

“When he turned forty, he was endowed with Nabuwat and Ba’tha-at (Prophethood) in the cave of Hira.” (Kitab e Seer)

In support of Nooriat:

“I was given all the knowledge of the Beginning and the End”   (Hadith)

In support of Bashriat:

“I do not know what will be done with me, nor (do I know what will be done) with you”.  (Ahqaf, 46:9)

In other words:

Gahey Bertarum A’la Nasheenam

Gahey Ber Pushte Paye Khud Nabeenum      (Sa’di)

Sometimes I look at the heights of the heavens

Sometimes I cannot even see the back if my own foot.

In support of Nooriat:

“There are times when I am in the presence of Allah wherein no angel and no Prophet is present”.  (Hadith0

In support of Bashriat:

Say: “I do not tell you that I have treasures from Allah, or, that I know what is hidden. And I do not tell you that I am an angel”. (An’am, 6:50)

In support of Nooriat:

“You are not the father of any one (any man) among them” (Al Ahzab, 33:40)

In support of Bashriat:

“Indeed, you shall die, so shall they”. (Al Zumr, 39:30).

In support of Nooriat:

“You see them, they are looking towards you but they have no vision”. (Al A’raf, 7:197)

In support of Bashriat:

“When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was happy, his face lighted up like a sliver of the moon” (Sahih Bukhari)

May Allah send His blessings upon our Master, our Beloved, our Intercessor, our Facilitator, our Protector Muhammed (pbuh), whose Light was the first of creation and the last to appear as a mercy to all the worlds and their existence. And peace and blessings be upon his family and his companions.

One must remember it well that the blessed Sufis used the term Haqeeqat e Muhammadia (the Reality of Muhammed) for Wahdat. They did not call it “dhat e Muhammadiya” (the substance of Muhammed). The substance of Muhammed and the Reality of Muhammed are two different things. The manifestation of the Reality of Muhammed occurred with the first tajalli (manifestation).  It was manifest as the Prophet said: “The first entity that Allah created was my Noor”.  (This hadith has been presented beautifully by Zalqani in Sharah e Muahib). The “dhat e Muhammadiya” was revealed fourteen hundred years ago through Hazrat Abdullah and Hazrat Amina. If the Reality of Muhammed and the substance of Muhammed are mixed up, it can lead to kufr and shirk (denial and association with falsehood). Dhat e Muhammadia (the substance of Muhammed) is the Known and Haqeeqat e Muhammadiya (the Reality of Muhammed) is the Knower.  (Mixing up the two) would mean calling the Sustainer the votary and the votary the Sustainer. It is as if we make mandatory (wajib) what is contingent (mumkin) and make contingent what is mandatory.

“Behold! They deny the truth who declare that Jesus, son of Mary is indeed God”.   (Al Maeda, 5:72)

Dhat e Maseeh, the substance of Jesus(pbuh) is not dhat e Haqq, the Essence of God. Similarly, the substance of Muhammed (pbuh) is not the Essence of God. If the substance of Muhammed is considered to be the Reality of Muhammed, it would indeed be a tragic affair. The ignorant ones walked out of the path of correctness due to this confusion. They erased the differentiation between ranks. They discussed these subtle issues on the pulpit and planted doubt and disarray among the Muslim masses. As it is said, “Be misguided and misguide”, they were themselves misguided and misguided others.

The rank of Wahdat or the Reality of Muhammed can certainly be called Noor e Muhammadi (Light of Muhammed). The status (of Noor e Muhammadi) is the same as that of the Reality of Muhammed. Since dhat e Muhammadi (the substance of Muhammed) is complete and perfect, the Perfect Light (Noor e Kamil which is a notion of the perfect divine “I”) appears in it. Then, from this Perfect Light, things are created. Therefore, it is said that things are created from Noor e Muhammadi. That is meaning of “I am from the Noor of Allah and all things are from my Noor” (1).

Some blessed Sufis have called Ai’nul Ayan (Vision of the Visible) or Marbub e Azam (the Great Creation) the Reality of Muhammed. Some others have used the term for a confluence of Ai’nul Ayan (Vision of the Visible) and Tajalli e Azam (the Greatest Manifestation). God willing, we will discuss this when we cover A’yan e Thabita (divine vision of fixity of creation) as well as the Creator and the act of creation.

• The first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light rotated surrounded by His Power for as long as He desired, and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else