In the Morning Light

Dear beloveds,

Be in the Morning Light with me as you read this little tafseer, insha Allaah Ta'ala.

Listen attentively and sincerely, in the presence of your hearts and souls, to the following verses:

Bismi Huwa Ta'ala...

1. By the Glorious Morning Light,

2. And by the Night when it is still,

3. Your Rabb HAS NOT forsaken you, nor is He displeased.

4. And verily the End will be better for you than the present.

QS. Ad-Dhuha: 1-4.

"By the Glorious Morning Light." This refers to your Rooh, beloveds. What is the Rooh? By Allaah, the Rooh is that which shines from the Totality of His Ta'ala Sifaat. The Rooh witnesses Allaah and is witnessed by Him Ta'ala in total intimacy. This is your deepest self. The Rooh is UNCREATED. No hijab exists for the Rooh. At the same time, the Rooh bears the function of the Light with which al-Insaan (veiled behind the 30,000 layers of nafs) recognizes al-Haqq Azza wa Jalla. In this capacity, the Rooh is therefore also said to be 'Abd (Makhluq) and yet is above all particular existences including the Angels (Malaikat). The Rooh is al-'Aql al-Awwal al-Kull (the First Universal Intellect). This is the Haqiqat of al-Rooh al-A'zham (the Great Spirit). This is, by my soul, Nur Muhammad shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam. Allaah Ta'ala created the Arsh (the seen and the unseen worlds) from this Light. For this reason, our Most Beloved Prophet Muhammad shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam is also called al-Nur al-Imkaniyyah (the Light of the created worlds). That is why Islaam is not just about saying, "Laa ilaaha ill Allaah". It is also to witness that Muhammad shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam is the Knower of the Divine Essence and the Secret of Allaah Ta'ala. That is why this is part of the Tasyahud in salaat. The Muhammadan Reality, al-Haqiqah al-Muhammadiyya, is Allaah's Mercy revealed for our sake. And there are stages of witnessing. The highest state, the Muhammadan State, is known as Ihsaan. This is the state of "Ha Mim", when there is no separation between the Witness (Syahid) and the Witnessed (Masyhud), because the Witness is annihilated in the convergence of all of His Ta'ala Sifaat. This is what is meant in the Qur'an (in Surah al-Israa') by "the distance of two bows' length or closer." The phrase "two bows" refers to "the Witness and the Witnessed" and the word "closer" means the state of the Salik being infinitely extinct in the Divine Essence. This way, the Salik is finally dressed with al-Sifaat al-Haqqani. This is what is meant by the Night of Power, al-Laylat al-Qadr. This was the night when the Qur'an descended for the first time into the lowest world, our physical world. In truth, the Night of Power refers to the physical body of Nabi shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam when his blessed spirit had just been returned from the state of fanaa'. The body remained for 23 years after the unveiling of his Nubuwwah as a source of barakah, until Allaah took him back towards His own Essence, from this place of trial. "Laylatul Qadri khayrun min alfisahr." The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. What does Allaah Ta'ala mean by "a thousand months"? He Ta'ala means the state of multiplicity or the countless manifest forms that exist in the hierarchy of Wujud, that veil the ignorant. The Salik, when endowed with al-Sifaat al-Haqqani, is exalted by none other than Allaah Himself, and therefore is said to be better than all conceivable forms in the Universe. Allaahu Akbar!

"By the Night when it is still." The Night refers to the darkness (nafs) that enshrouds (the capacity of) the Rooh. Al-Hujjat al-Islaam al-Imaam al-Ghazali radhi Allaahu anhu wa qaddas Allaahu sirrah said that the heart (qalb) is borne from the combination ("marriage") between the Rooh and the nafs. Therefore, it has 2 sides: one faces the Rooh and is called al-Fu'ad, and the other faces the soul (nafs), which is called al-Shadr. So by "the Night when it is still", Allaah Ta'ala means the nafs when it is totally silenced when the effects of Direct Witnessing (Syuhud) take place and completely overwhelm its powers. This is called al-Qiyyamah al-Kubra, when the Reality of His Ta'ala Zaat (Essence) is revealed. By the Lover and the Beloved, this is when He Ta'ala is known by the Pure Vision of Nur Muhammad as none other than al-Wujud al-Zaat. This is the indescribable state of al-Tauhid called al-Ahadiyya (Allaah Ta'ala in His own Unique, Singular, Absolute Zaat) that can only be alluded to as "Huwa Huwa" ("He is He"). Subhaan Allaah!

"Your Rabb has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased." Unveiling (Kashf) is an act of Pure Mercy. Why? Because His Ta'ala Essence is so infinitely exalted from the perception of His Ta'ala creation, so infinitely far beyond our perception... Yes, but at the same time He Ta'ala has not created you in vain. He Ta'ala desires you to KNOW Him as Him. He is known by none other than Him! So, subhaan Allaah, for He is al-Rahmaan al-Raheem. The fact that you are veiled behind 30,000 layers of nafs does not mean He Ta'ala wants to hide Himself from you forever. He places souls in this world (dunya), in this place of trial, in order to glorify the Muhammadan Essence over the veils... He Ta'ala desires to glorify the Muhammadan Power of Witnessing His Ta'ala Essence that the Light of the Perfect Man (al-Insan al-Kamil al-Kull) may shine on creation. He can be known by those who are worthy, by His own Will. That is why there are Ahlullaah. That is why there are Sufis. Ulema Zaheer often say, when referring to the Ghayb, "Only Allaah knows..." and stop at that. But there are KNOWERS of Allaah Ta'ala. Such knowers are known as Ahl Ya Sin, and they, as one, are the real FAMILY of the Holy Prophet Muhammad shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam, beyond blood relations. They know Allaah Ta'ala not through strict rational thinking and not even through transcendental philosophy of any sort. They know Allaah Ta'ala by purifying themselves and by Allaah's consent, thereby reaching the state of the Witnessing of the Muhammadan Spirit. From there on, Allaah Ta'ala, out of Infinite Mercy, absorbs Nur Muhammad completely back into His Zaat, relieving it from its function as the Light of all particular existences, Nur al-Mawjud. This state is called Total Content (Ridha, Allaah is pleased with you and you pleased with Him) and so the Salik reaches Annihilation (Fanaa') in the sweetest way possible. This is also called fanaa' al-fanaa' and baqaa' bi Allaah. Instead of being totally hidden from existences, Allaah Ta'ala reveals Himself through the Reality of Muhammad shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam while at the same time He Ta'ala infinitely raises the rank of Muhammad shalla Allaahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam in His own Essential, Unmanifest Zaat. And, for those who have reached Allaah Ta'ala through fanaa' fi Rasul (see my previous article) this is the Akhirat. That is why He Ta'ala says, "And verily the End will be better for you than the present."

So do not despair! May this be useful to you all. Allaah loves us with the Reality of His Zaat, especially His Knowers, those drawn near to the point of being wanted by none other than Him Ta'ala to witness that which no eye can bear to see, no ear can bear to hear, and no mind can bear to perceive.

Allaaahu Nur alaa Nur.

Allaahumma shalli alaa Sayyid al-Mi'raj wa Ha Mim wa Tha Sin wa Ya Sin, Muhammad, Muhammad, Muhammad, Nur alaa Nur min Nurillaah wa alaa ali Muhammad, Muhammad, Muhammad, Syahid alaa Wujudillaah.

Ishq Allaah,

Dani

PS. The foregoing is dedicated to my dear sister Dima. May Allaah soothe your soul and bring you home by means of His Most Beautiful Face, O little bird of Allaah.