بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
SECRETS
[1]
Do you have a secret with Allah,
Between you and between Allah;
Do you have good deeds that you hide,
that no one knows except Allah.
[2]
Stories that do not get revealed except,
through your book (of deeds) when you face Allah;
What brings you more freedom than that,
which elevates your status with Allah.
Upon hearing the recital of this beautiful couplet, “Secrets” by Ridjaal Ahmed, Ahmad felt his veins pulsating and he gets goosebumps by listening to each word as if it was meant only for him to be heard by his Creator, Allah (The Possessor of Might & Majesty).
Ahmad reads the Quran at night and listens to the commentary by the great late Pakistani philosopher, Dr. Israr Ahmed, during the day. Upon surfacing his social media (Facebook), he comes across the death anniversary of both influencers, Allamah Muhammad Iqbal & Dr. Israr Ahmed, with whom he has taken inspiration in learning Islamic theology, history & philosophy over a period. Thus, he intends to spend time as it’s his last day before he returns to his Lord in the blessed month of Ramadan. Ahmad starts doing a lot of Dhikr (remembrance) of God during early morning and late evening. Also, he would keep himself awake at night for prayer. At the time of each prayer, it would appear to him as if inanimate objects (i.e., fridge, TV) is praising along with him to his Lord through vibration & static. He would feel the presence of angels in the house at the time of night prayer. His connection grew stronger towards his Lord every time he praises Him, The Almighty, after each prayer through immense Dhikr (remembrance). He would feel as though he is in sync with the angels up above in the Heavens at Bayt al Ma’mur chanting the praise with him “Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wa’l-ni’mata laka wa’l-mulk, laa shareeka lak” [Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner]. Bayt al Ma’mur, also known as the “Frequented House”, is a prototype of Ka’bah, the House of Allah (Glory be to Him, The Exalted), and it is located outside of the human realm. It is located directly above the Ka’bah in the highest Heaven, i.e., the seventh Heaven, and just above it, is Allah’s throne. This sacred and Holy house is also mentioned in Surah Tur of the Holy Quran, where Allah (The Most-Compassionate) says: “And by the Bait-ul-Ma’mur (the house over the heavens parable to the Ka’bah at Mecca, continuously visited by the angels)” (At-Tur 52:4)
During one of the evenings, he goes to the park with his brother for their regular walk. To their surprise, however, they observe a flock of birds on the field as they made their way to the forest. He had never seen such a sight before with that many birds spread across the field. Ahmad comes to a realization that this Ramadan is going to be special.
Ahmad had a frequent habit of sending salutations to the prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), but he increases it more so in these blessed days of Ramadan. On Friday evening, an hour before sunset, he puts on the recitation of the praise of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Qasida Burda Sharif (The Poem of the mantle) by Imam al-Busiri. Just as he opens the fast along with his family, he notices a calm coolness wrapping around him. Each time he would drink water the coolness would remain. His family feels a similar effect as well and enjoys it with tremendous tranquility within the surrounding.
Meanwhile, Ahmad’s family slightly shows concern about the circumstance he was in. Yet, he explains to them to bear patience as this is something from the unseen and that any occurrence of the unusual is from the supernatural. One night, after reciting the Quran, he sends salutations to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). During the recital, Ahmad hears a loud bang like the sound of thunder as if the sky had split open. Suddenly, his chest starts to feel tightening, and he starts to lose his breath while he finds trouble carrying on further with his speech. He could feel his heart pumping slowly and beating across his chest. He lets go of the book from which he has been reading the salutation upon the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and gets up panicking.
He goes downstairs to his mother and tells her about his situation. She tells him that he needs to sleep and rest. Ahmad thinks to himself as if Malak ul Maut (angel of death), Hazrat Azrael (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him), had come knocking on his door. If that is the case, he didn’t feel ready to depart from this world just yet. In his mind, he still needs to build on his record of good deeds. While eating at the time of Suhoor, he starts to feel a chill breeze and mentions it to his mother. She offers him tea and realizes that she too feels the chill breeze. Upon drinking hot tea, he feels the warmth in his body.
Before dawn, he stands for the prayer with his father beside him and his mother behind them. As soon as he listens to the recitation of the Holy Quran which his father reads aloud during the prayer, his body slowly leans forward bowing towards the ground and he drops on the floor on his back and his arms wide open. During his fall, he hears a gush of wind outside in his backyard, and his parents call him by his name to get up with a worrisome tone in their voice. However, his body seems to have been paralyzed as he says the Kalimah Shahadat [testimony of faith] “Ashaduan la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharikalu wa ashadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasuluhu” [I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One alone, without a partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger]. While saying this, he hears the draining of water flow. His father brings a pillow and places it under his head. The tone in the manner of Ahmad’s speech softens & he rests in tranquility. Eventually, his eyes open. His parents indicate that he needs sleep. He tries to get up, but his body feels too weak to push himself. As he stands back up, he feels a shooting pain in his heart as if someone had pinched it. His parents wrap him in a blanket and bring him to his room so he can rest on his bed.
Hadith (Narration of the Prophetic sayings & tradition) where the incident of the purification of our beloved Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) Heart took place:
Anas b. Malik (رضي الله عنه) reported that Jibreal (عليه السلام) came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was playing with his playmates. He took hold of him and lay him prostrate on the ground and tore open his breast and took out the heart from it and then extracted a blood clot out of it and said: That was the part of Satan in thee. And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a golden basin and then it was joined together and restored to its place. The boys came running to his mother, i. e. his nurse, [Haleemah As-Sa’diyyah] and said: Verily Muhammad has been murdered. They all rushed toward him (and found him all right); his color was changed, Anas said. I myself saw the marks of the needle on his breast. (Muslim)
This incident involved spiritual purification but was manifested in a physical, tangible manner. The removal of the blood clot purified the Prophet (ﷺ) from the immaturity, foolishness, and recklessness of youth. The incident also shows us the degree to which Allah protected the Prophet (ﷺ) and prevented Shaitaan (Satan) from having any influence over him whatsoever. (The Noble Life of the Prophet, peace be upon him, by Dr. ‘Ali Muhammad As-Sallaabee)
Notes: Ahmad gets a reception from the archangels, Mikail and Ruh al-Amin (Holy Spirit), Jibreal, Allah’s peace & blessings be upon them. Hazrat Mikail (عليه السلام) is the angel of Allah who has been assigned the task of maintaining the natural events that sustain life on Earth by the order of Allah. These tasks include pouring rainfall, changing seasons, the blowing wind, and managing the supplications of Allah’s creations. Hazrat Jibreal (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him) is the angel responsible to bring Wahy (revelations) to the Messengers & Prophets of Allah (Glorious is He, The Exalted One). The occurrence of an angelic intermediary binds the spiritual connection between those (Prophets & Messengers) chosen to the Divinity of Allah (God). Therefore, these elected Prophets & Messengers (May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon them) were responsible for spiritual enlightenment in humanity by presenting God’s law, legislation & knowledge on earth which were set before mankind for them to attest towards the manifestation of God in His, The Possessor of Might & Majesty, absolute unity. The door to revelation has been shut closed with the death of the seal of the prophethood, the final prophet & messenger of Allah, Muhammad (ﷺ). However, there remain glad tidings of the prophethood in a form of a good vision and dreams that come true. This happens to the righteous servants who try relentlessly in attaining proximity to their Lord and in the process receive Ilham (inspiration) through the Holy Spirit with certain knowledge perceived in their hearts as Divine grace. That being said, Only God knows best. We shouldn’t accept information as being valid if it doesn’t align with the teachings from the Holy Quran & the methodologies from the Sunnah (Sayings & Traditions) of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and enable us to observe it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and enable us to avoid it. And bestow Your blessings and peace upon our master, Muhammad, and on His Family and Companions, altogether.
Every time Ahmad would try to go to sleep, he hears strong wind creeping outside his bedroom window. He couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat slowing down and experience shortness of breath every time he would keep a shut eye. This carries on for a bit as he becomes restless thinking he is going to pass away if he sleeps. After a day or two, when the sun rises just after dawn, he internalizes within himself the chapter in the Holy Quran, Surah Yaseen. The voice in his head directs him to imagine it as the veil of a bride worn for adornment. He knew that this chapter is commonly referred to as being the heart of the Quran. Immediately, he thinks of someone that is beloved to him. As soon as the thought of her occupies his mind, he stops hearing the wind blowing right away. After a brief pause, he gets up to observe and listen to birds chirping outside his window. He gets up in excitement from his bed and wakes up his parents. Ahmad tells them to prepare for a celebration because today he finally unites with his beloved. However, he realizes he may have committed a major sin by associating a partner with his Lord by carrying love for a significant other beside his Lord in his heart. Suddenly, he starts to panic and says that he can’t commit shirk (Polytheism) and he wouldn’t want to be guilty of this grave sin even if it was unintentional. He runs into the bathroom. His brother knocks on the door and tells him with great concern to just go to bed. He yells at him to get away from his sight. He gets in the shower and pours hot water on himself to feel the heat of it scorching his skin. After taking the shower, he warps himself with a white towel. He goes into his room and closes the door behind him. He takes out the prayer mat and falls into prostration with his head placed on the ground towards the direction of the Holy Ka’aba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He states with humility, “Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wa’l-ni’mata laka wa’l-mulk, laa shareeka lak” [Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner]. After repeating it several times, he starts asking for forgiveness by saying, “Astaghfirullah rabbi min kulli zambiyon wa atoobu ilaiyh” [I seek forgiveness in Allah from all my sins and repent to Him] out loud in a mild manner with a concerned voice. Meanwhile, his parents who seem confused at this point open the door of Ahmad’s room and ask him to stop whatever he appears to be doing. He didn’t stop, rather shouts the words he was uttering loudly as if he has been possessed. They let him be and shut the door behind them. Now Ahmad realizes he has no control over him. Between his chanting, he notices himself taking intervals where he would cry. This initiates him to think of it as the voice of the dwellers of hell being punished. It repeats a few times after the supplication for forgiveness. Then, he notices his feet drag from being on their toes to laying flat, his hands fall flat from being upright, his nose presses against the surface of the mat running a little and his forehead scratches slightly from the middle in the process of being dragged forward. As his body crumbles in this position, he makes a humming noise after. Then, he drops on the left side of his body with his hands crossed. His right hand is fisted with the index finger pointing towards the ground over his left-hand which is placed facing up with his palm exposed. Upon this occurrence, he thinks of his body as an embodiment of this world and how it will perish. Bringing upon Allah’s creation, seen & unseen, the dreadful day of judgement on which their accounts will be set and His, Almighty God, justice will prevail. Finally, he gets up and puts on his clothes. He opens the door of his room and asks his parents if he can come to sit with them as they were patiently sitting on the bed.
Introspection from the Holy Quran & Hadiths (Prophetic Saying & tradition):
Shirk (Polytheism) is the act of associating Allah with partners in Divinity. This is the only sin that Allah considers unforgivable, as it violates the primary tenet of Islam, which is a pure Monotheistic belief in God.
“Verily, Allah forgives not the sin of setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that. And whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, has indeed strayed far from the path.” (An-Nisa 4:116)
Notes: Ahmad attests to his belief in accordance with pure Islamic monotheism. He witnesses the signs of the last hour and the day of judgment when the Trumpet will be blown by the angel, Hazrat Israfeel (peace be upon him). The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has told us that the one who will blow the Trumpet has been ready to do so since Allah created him, as it is narrated in al-Mustadrak from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The gaze of the one who will blow the Trumpet has been fixed since he was entrusted with it, looking towards the throne of Allah, ready (to blow it), in case he will be commanded to do so before he blinks as if his eyes are two shining stars.” Classed as Saheeh (authentic) by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1078. Hazrat Israfeel (peace be upon him) is the angel who has been assigned the task of blowing the trumpet on the Day of Judgment. He is also known as the angel of Soor (the Trumpet). He will blow the Trumpet twice. On the first time, Doomsday would happen. On the second blow, everyone shall be resurrected.
“On the Day when the Blast reverberates, and the second blast follows, hearts will tremble, eyes will be downcast. They say: What! Shall we be brought back to life after we have turned into decayed bones? They say: that would truly be a fateful return! But all it will take is a single blast, and see, they will be back above the ground! (Al-Nāziʿāt 79:6-14)
The blast will reverberate through creation. The earth will convulse, the mountains will disintegrate, and the oceans will boil over. Everything will be destroyed, and everyone will die.
“The Trumpet will be sounded and behold! They will rush out to their Lord from their graves. They will say, ‘Woe to us! Who has resurrected us from our resting place?’ They will be told, ‘This is what the Lord of Mercy has promised, and the messengers told the truth.’ It was just one single blast and then – behold! They were all brought before Us. Today no soul will be wronged in the least; you will only be repaid for your deeds.” (Yā Sīn 36:51)
“And We will set up a just balance on the day of resurrection, so no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed, (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account.” (Al-Anbiya 21:47)
Later that morning, Ahmad goes outside for a walk. Upon leaving his house, he observes nature and the environment to be auspicious. People greet him as he follows the usual trail nearby. He greets them back by saying salaam (greeting of peace). He walks over the bridge that comes on the way to the park close to his house. It makes it seem familiar to him as the bridge of Sirat in the Hereafter, where true believers will pass over it quickly, some will find some difficulty crossing it but will eventually find relief, and others will slip and fall in the pits of Hell. As he comes near the park, he could hear his beloved talking to him in a mysterious way as if she is waiting for him there. He becomes shy as he makes his way to the middle of the field. He rests on his back looking straight up into the glare of the sun until it turns green. He finds himself to be in a state of contentment. At this point, he gets a call from his father. He tells him about his experience, however, his father insists he should return home. On his way back home, he takes another route. When he came to the street of his house, his father calls him to check in again about his whereabouts. He picks Ahmad up and they come back home. In the afternoon, his family gathered in the living room. Ahmad sits down with them, and they suggest that he should go to the emergency. He agrees to the idea of checking himself in the hospital.
He goes to the emergency with aid from his father. His body starts to shut down with weakness. He was brought a wheelchair to sit down on. From there his mind starts to fade out. He tells the administrative staff about his condition and that he had been hallucinating due to lack of sleep, fasting, and reading extensively over the past week or so. They move him to a different setting in the waiting room. After a while, he gets up to look around for his father forgetting that he has been admitted to the hospital. A nurse catches him in the hallway wandering and brings him to a room with a bed in it. After a short period of nonattendance, a lady doctor comes to the room and inputs his biodata into the computer which was on the right side of the bed. She tells him to remember todays date before leaving and veils over the bed curtain for privacy. The door of the room is kept open. After, a man who Ahmad perceives as being unpleasant walks in and inserts a needle in Ahmad’s left arm, and leaves. As Ahmad begins to rest, he hears people walking by the corridor. He recognizes some of the voices which resemble the likes of his extended family members who he thinks are coming to him for visit. He feels their presence in the room and imagines them passing through him onto the other side (hereafter) as if he was a vessel of intercession for them to reach the gates of Heaven. He gets up and stares at the light which was in the room. The middle of it turns into a round shape appearing to him as a pearl. He asks the security guard standing outside his room to direct him toward the washroom. He goes in it and takes out the needle from his arm which starts to bleed after pulling it out. He cleans up and washes his hand until the bleeding stops and comes back to his room. A nurse comes with a gown for him to change into and a form for him to read. In the form, it states that he has not been subjected to depression and that his mental health is completely fine. He is pleased to read this form. Ahmad puts on the gown thinking he is being prepared to meet his family. Instead, he gets shifted to another room.
This room is different than the previous one. The mechanical bed was narrow and pinned against the wall. There was quite more space to walk around, however, the door is shut and locked. Ahmad sits on the bed and sees a table that has a box with a sandwich in it. He eats the sandwich and drinks some juice that he finds on the desk as well. His memory at this point becomes hazy and he starts to black out even more. He uncovers the bed sheet, which was blue in color, and throws it on the ground. The room becomes warm. Another lady doctor enters the room and asks him questions regarding his mental health. Though he isn’t consciously aware of his surrounding, his speech remains eloquent in explaining to her that being in this room makes him uncomfortable because it reminds him of someone he knows who is subjected to mental health illness. He elaborates further to her that he and this individual share a mutual interest in religious studies. However, the person he is talking about doesn’t practice as much of it and has a flawed understanding. After the brief conversation, the doctor leaves and comes back with a book that he can read if he wants. The book was titled, “The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle” by Richard Riordan. He reads the back cover of it and thinks to himself that his life story is being published as a New York bestseller. As if he pictures himself being in a different time and space. While he rests, he hears the voice of his parents and siblings coming from a far distance. He gets up from the bed and rushes to the door. He stares outside the window frame at the security officer sitting on the desk and points his right-hand index finger to his heart. Then, he falls to the ground and goes back to his bed to rest. This happens continuously and each time the security officer nods his head indicating he has to stay in bed. The light turns off and he stays in bed patiently this time with his index finger still pointing toward his heart. With each beat of the drum of his heart, he notices the voices of his nephew, nieces, siblings, and parents drawing nearer along with the sound of a lawn mower in the background. The light in the room turns on and he sits up on the bed this time. He hears a collective chant “Allahu Akbar” [God’s the Greatest], as one would hear a group say with their voices in sync, and feels a rush flow down from his head to toe. He picks up the bed sheet from the floor and puts it back on the bed. The room begins to feel chilly. He makes his way to the door, and it opens with four security guards hesitating to bring the wheelchair forward fearing to enter before Ahmad. He goes to the washroom to relieve himself first. Then, he sits in the wheelchair and they take him to a different section.
Ahmad is brought to an isolated room that has a lounging area with a television, a washroom, and four other rooms. He takes a seat with a registered nurse who tells him why he is there and questions him if he’s under the influence of any drugs. Ahmad tells him he hasn’t taken drugs and his condition is simply due to fasting, retaining intensive information, and sleep deprivation. He gets addressed to go to one of the rooms. The room had a decent bed for him to rest on. However, there was a colored glass block window that made the room seem dull. He eats a meal shortly after which is brought to him. Ahmad would occupy his time creating a scenario using plastic cutleries & jugs. He would sometimes place the jugs in the middle of the wall making them stand together facing opposite sides of the corner. One jug faces the right corner the other faces the left. He would sit on his bed and observe. This representation is for the angels, Kiraman Katibin (Honorable Scribers), on each of his shoulders. He remembers that the good deeds are written down by the angel on his right, and bad deeds by the angel on his left. Sometimes he would rearrange the setting. For example, once he would finish eating his meal. He would place the tray with cutlery in the middle, the jugs on the right-hand corner facing the parallel wall on the left, and the garbage (juice, milk, and yogurt container) in the left-hand corner. To his understanding, the tray and cutlery represented the spectation of Allah, Al-Raqib [The All-Observant] in our lives. The two jugs on the right side were streams of guidance; The Holy Quran [The Direct & non-interchangeable speech of Allah] & the Sunnah (Prophetic teaching & tradition) of the His last and final messenger, Muhammad (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him). The garbage on the left was to distinguish the misguidance of the wrongdoers and the existence of evil in this world. Ahmad is hardly allowed to come outside his room due to his unusual behavior. At first, he kept banging on the door, shouting at the people he sees through the window in the administration office to let him out. A day or two later, he is permitted to come out of his room into the lounging area. He looks inside the other rooms out of curiosity and finds the other patients to be doing uncommon things. He sees a girl with her hair covered over her face who seems to be bewitched by an evil spirit. Another one, who is present with him in the lounge, doesn’t respond when Ahmad tries making a conversation. She would just stare at him and keep a very subservient glance. Another person who was in the last room near the door of the main hallway stares at Ahmad when he looks inside. This patient murmurs in a strange way as if he was performing magic. He had arranged things in his room similarly to the way Ahmad did. Upon observing this, Ahmad yells at him. Both exchange a long stare until Ahmad makes him uncomfortable with his ferocious glare and he looks away. Whenever Ahmad is let out of his room he sits down to watch television or walks back and forth in the lounge to not be idle. He looks through the window of the administration office and finds comfort in being able to see a group of people besides just the patients. He acknowledges that he needs to bear patience and believe with certainty only Allah knows when he will be back to normalcy. His time in the room would consume by making Adhaan (Call to prayer) and praying sometimes. Also, he picks up his old habit of doing push-ups in the evening so he can stay active. During the night, the light that is placed above the wall in his room would turn on. He remains consistent on staring at it until it would change its shape from rectangular to round from the center appearing to him as a pearl once again. One night, as he was staring at the light, he sees the shape of a dome with a minaret appear which reminded him of the resting place of his Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in the city of Medina, Saudi Arabia. He starts to cry in awe of receiving such a blessed sight knowing he doesn’t deserve to be in this lofty position.
After passing of few days, he is now able to access the main hallway and explore more amenities on the floor. He meets more patients who have separate rooms which weren’t isolated, unlike the one Ahmad is in. The staff working there would regularly keep a check on him by taking his blood pressure and giving him medicine. As he makes his way to the cafeteria, he encounters two girls drawing. He goes up to them and sees their art, the detail of which is illustrative & vivid. He observes on the paper a luscious garden, white horses with wings flying across the clouds, and a radiant rainbow over it. He goes back to the hallway which is long and has good space for him to walk. So, he keeps himself active by walking a lot in the hallway along with another old man who carries a rosary prayer bead in his hand all the time. Then, he makes his way to see the sunshine over the plants that were placed on the table in the cafeteria. He looks up towards the sky and promises to himself to try to never take Allah’s, The Guardian, creation for granted ever. Each time he asks for water from the staff, after having a few sips, he pours the rest into each plant knowing well of the reward of servitude for His, The Most-Merciful, sake from his Creator, The One & Only. On the same floor, he finds a room with books and movie cassettes which intrigues him. He uses the payphone to make a call to his parents asking when he can come home now that he is feeling better and healthy again. But, he senses that it’s a matter of a few more days. Meanwhile, he notices that some of the patients draw their attention to him for partaking in activities, and Ahmad would make sure they receive his company pleasantly. A week or so later, he is transferred to the room in the hallway and gets access to his cell phone. He reaches out to his family and connects back to reality. He realizes that he has to take the prescribed medication in order for him to not revert to his psychosis for the time being. However, it is made certain to him that his experience is unique for only he to believe in its occurrence as a supernatural event. When Ahmad’s father came to pick him up, he bade the patients who were at his sight and the staff farewell. As they head out, the old man with the prayer bead in his hand stops before them and tells Ahmad’s father that his son is a good man. Upon hearing this, Ahmad was truly humbled. He comes back home and finds himself in gratitude of Allah, The Unique, to allow him to go through this spiritual enlightenment that made him further develop a positive outlook on life. In the end, the reward for him was a reunion with his family and concluding the blessed month of Ramadan in celebration of Eid together with them.
Do the people think that they will be left alone after they have once said, “We have believed,” and they will not be tested? The fact is that we have put to test all those who have gone before them. Surely, Allah has to see who is truthful and who the liars are. And do those who are committing evil deeds reckon that they will outstrip Us? Evil is their judgment. Whoever expects to meet Allah (should know that) Allah’s appointed time is about to come, and Allah hears everything and knows everything. Whoever will exert will exert for his own good. Allah is certainly Independent of all His creations. As for those who believe and do good works, We shall wipe off their evils and reward them for the best of their deeds. [Al-Ankabut 29:1-7]
Mysticism
In Islamic folklore, the appearance of Al-Khidr (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him) is always significant to those who have been exposed to affirm the knowledge of certainty in the seen and the unseen. He is the initiator of this knowledge of those ready to receive it. The architect into the esoteric mysteries, known as an immortal guide, takes on the role of accompanying on a spiritual quest of the true seekers traversing on the path towards acknowledging Allah and his marvel, envisioning the higher realities which they observe & experience. It is believed by some that Sayyidina Khidr (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him) is the guide by the necessity of all those who travel directly towards God without intermediaries. His way is mysterious but full of strange enlightenment and ascension to a different state of consciousness; all who he comes close to being secretly, invisibly, completely esoterically, transformed in their interior consciousness. His spiritual intervention takes place by making things appear to those in the physical realm as abnormal, but the true faith for the believer lies when sanity is tested by the juxtaposition of higher realities. In the case of Ahmad, his family members were tested to have trust in Allah’s decree & be patient with him. For Ahmad, it was a challenge to waver his faith a little and see if he too can show patience. However, Ahmad knew Allah put him on this test and He alone will be the one to get him to see it through. In his most vulnerable position at the hospital, Ahmad envisions the resting place of his beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which made him believe with certainty that he was not alone and that he has become the praised one.
Prophethood is lifted at the demise of our beloved and final Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), but its knowledge remains. Therefore, some dreams can be considered similar to prophetic revelation in the truthfulness of its content or indication by righteous servants of Allah.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the end of time draws near, the dream of a believer can hardly be false, and the dream of a believer is one part from forty-six parts of prophethood.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The path of a mystic is not solely dependent on the outward benefit of their supernatural wonder of Karamat (charismatic acts of miracles) by the permission of Allah or the inward knowledge of the Ghayb (unseen). Rather it is a path for the select few who must want it sincerely to not only attain the Ma’rifah (Conscious awareness) of Allah’s essence & attributes but to remain careful along their spiritual journeying towards Him, The Most-High, in complete submission to His command & the command of His final Messenger, Muhammad (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him). The unveiling of the Divine sublimity occurs in the life of a believer for him or her to witness Allah’s Beauty and Majesty so they can increase the praise of their Lord and achieve nearness to Him, The Almighty.
Also, when it comes to mysticism, one cannot help but associate the concept of Sainthood with this selected group of people who have been granted Allah’s favor. The fact of the matter is that all the believing men & women who are true devotees of Allah, Glorious & Exalted is He, are guaranteed to be among those granted His favor Insha’Allah (God-willingly). That’s why it is most definitely a conception that is flawed and dangerous to attach to the tenants of Islamic theology. Moreover, it can lead the mass towards misguidance if not aligned with the book of Allah, the Holy Quran, and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Even the righteous among human beings are susceptible to making mistakes or sinning, but the best of them are those who return to their Lord seeking forgiveness through repentance.
“As for those who repent, believe, and do good deeds, they are the ones whose evil deeds Allah will change into good deeds. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Al-Furqan, 25:70)
Some of the Salaf (pious predecessors) used to say that it is not a big matter whether you love; the biggest matter is to be loved by Allah. If you are loved by Allah, then you are granted His mercy and blessings. You are going to be granted His support and guidance. If we choose Allah as our Wali (Protector) then Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) know that He, The Almighty, is closer to us than our jugular veins and takes care of our affairs to the best of His, The All-Aware & The Wise, knowledge. Therefore, we must make sure that we only take Him (alone) as our Guardian and friend.
Articles of faith to acknowledge & believe in are the following:
1) Tawheed (Oneness of Allah)
Tawheed Al-Uloohiyyah [The unity of worship]: to worship Allah without associating any partners with Him and to avoid the worship of false gods & idols. There is no deity other than God alone worthy of worship.
Tawheed Al-Ruboobiyyah [Unity of Lordship]: He alone possesses the power to create and command and He, Lord of all the worlds, is the Creator, Master, Sustainer of all things, living & non-living, seen & the unseen.
Tawheed Al Asma Was-Sifaat is monotheism related to Allah’s names and attributes which requires complete acceptance and submission to the authentic texts of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (Prophetic teachings) that mention Allah’s lofty names and attributes. “Allah, there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.” [Surah Ta’Ha: 8]
2) The Mala’ika (Angels) [Allah’s creation made from light, existing in the world of the unseen, who fulfills their assigned duties under His command]
3) Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet) in which the destiny of the universe is set by Allah’s divine decree.
4) Allah’s books [Torah prescribed to Moses (peace be upon him), Psalm of David (peace be upon him), Gospel of Jesus (peace be upon him) & The Holy Quran that was revealed to His final prophet & messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him)]
5) His Prophets & Messengers (Allah’s peace & blessings be upon them)
6) The day of judgment [scales set for the account of the deeds of the human beings & the Jinns (the creation of Allah made from smokeless fire living in the world of the unseen)]
7) The Hereafter (Afterlife of the eternal abode in the bliss of Paradise or the torment of Hellfire)
“Allah is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into the light.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:257)
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Figure 1: Wisdom in the willingness of the heart of a believer according to Islam
Perception Enlightenment 