When the talk is about elevations, heights and altitudes, human thoughts wander from the point of commencement in search of the end or at least to the benchmark of elevation. But the wings of human thoughts fly only to the extent of one’s capacity and aptitude, after which its feathers start falling. At the end of the day, nothing remains in this flight except faintly movement and of course, the element of perplexity and wonder. When heights draw close together, they bring forth an imagination of an unknown central focus; and when they expand, they encompass all things, illuminating the valley of certitude in Allah’s – Blessed and High be He -absolute power, where man spurs his thoughts and views to the extent of his ability. At this juncture, he raises his hands in front of the Almighty and beseeches,
“O Allah! Surely, I ask you for the sake of Your mercy that encompasses all things.”
(Dua-e-Kumail)
Allah – the Creator of the worlds, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing – in Whose praise and glory the beloved of the Lord of the worlds, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.a.), invoked,
“O Allah! Verily You see but are not seen. You are at the highest point of vision. Certainly, the ultimate, the return is to You.”
These words, uttered by the tongue of revelation, denote that the Almighty’s Essence is so High and Elevated that the maximum flight of human thoughts and the most powerful of intellectual forays return frustrated in their quest to reach Him. Therefore, He surveys all, high or low, and has His eyes on each and every particle existing in the universe. No creature had nor will ever have the power and ability to set its sight on Him.?
Allah – the High – bestowed mankind with the great bounty of intellect and lit a lamp in its depths that drives it towards Him; He also appointed the Prophets (a.s.) and Successors (a.s.) to act as a shield and a minder to this immeasurable gift. After such elaborate arrangements and providing for him sustenance as per his needs on this earth, He granted man freedom and power and said, ‘O man! If you so desire, be grateful and if you wish, condemn yourself to the rows of the ungrateful ones.’
It is an undeniable reality that everything returns to its aim. For which, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) remarked, ‘O Allah! The ultimate, the return is unto You.’ In this sentence, the return is for both the believer as well as the unbeliever.
In the light of this premise, kindly pay attention to the progressive stages of the world that are giving human intellect a somersault view in an atmosphere of self-amazement and egoistic grandiose, where the arrogant man is simply submerged in nothing but ‘I’. This ego has driven him out of his senses to the extent that he is hell bent on self-destruction and the time is not very far when the filaments of existence start giving way to the flames of devastation. ?
The amazing flight of humanity has gone to such heights that today’s man is able to see instant images of space on his laptop. No part of the vast earth is now hidden from him. In his quest to reach the planets, he has attained such heights that with every passing day, mind-boggling statistics concerning Mars occupy his intellect. The main motive of all these efforts is to hoist the flag of humanity at the pinnacle. A central habitat in space can become the cause of human dominance on this earth, a view that is gaining ground by the day. But in his craze for ascendancy, man has neglected the fate of the earth, the place of commencement of his journey and the roots of all his efforts. What if the foundation starts quivering! Hence, today global warming has become a primary concern for responsible citizens. Tangible changes can be observed in the solar system. Effects of natural alterations can be observed in the earth. In the words of Allamah Iqbal (the Poet of the East), ‘Stars shiver on man’s progress’. Although this is an imagination of a poet but in its tone and tenor the reality is clearly reflected; man is taking such rapid strides that even his intellect is amazed and as a result, he has no option but to gallop unhindered.?
On the other hand, regardless of the scientific flight taken by him, when man takes a close look at himself, he realizes his limitations; his elevation can by no means be termed as unlimited or infinite. In fact, only the name is elevation but in reality, human lows are being measured. He does not realize that his highest reach is far beneath the footprints of the Messenger of Allah’s (s.a.w.a.) ascension. Wherever the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is mentioned, these altitudes and elevations are enumerated as worthless depths.?
How true is the Holy Quran! How great is the Book of Allah! Who can dare describe this Majestic tome! For the last fourteen centuries, this divine scripture is acting as a mirror to rebellious mankind. On numerous occasions, the Book of Allah warns man not to be arrogant of his scientific progress as all of humanity would be gobbled up by the apparently lowly earth. Highness, elevation, altitude and greatness are only for Allah the Almighty, His Messenger (s.a.w.a.), the Ahle Bait (a.s.) and the righteous believers. Finally, the Divine Pen jotted with unmistakable authority,
“And We have raised for you your remembrance.”
That is, Allah the Almighty granted the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) elevations that was worthy of his position and matched up to the Divine Throne. When the humans and the Jinn together cannot conjure up one verse of the Holy Quran, how is it possible that they can visualize the elevations of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)? The Almighty has merely granted the creatures a few glimpses into these dazzling elevations. For instance, is there any corner and nook of the earth where the voice of the Azaan cannot be heard? Is there any part in the East and the West where one cannot hear the Muazzin calling out the name of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) and testifying to his Messengership? Allah the High has joined His Own remembrance with that of His beloved (s.a.w.a.) in a way that one’s prayers cannot be complete without both the testimonies. Thus, in the entire universe, the soul of worship is the remembrance of Allah, which in turn is attached with the remembrance of His beloved (s.a.w.a.) and one cannot visualize Allah’s worship without it.
O the one who is praised in the above verse! O the one who was raised to the unimaginable skies during ascension! O the one who attained proximity to the lote tree! O the one whose mention echoes through the skies and the earth and whose name has been granted elevation by the Almighty Himself! O the beloved of Allah! O the Seal of the Prophets (a.s.)! Please enlighten us as to how many more lights are engulfed in the prism of your manifestation! ?
When we open the windows of history and browse through the invaluable tomes of traditions and sayings of the infallible guides (a.s.), we hear the following words echoing from him (s.a.w.a.):
O Ali! Your remembrance is my remembrance and my remembrance is Allah’s remembrance and Allah’s remembrance is worship.
1. My Lord has informed me ‘And I have raised for you your remembrance through Ali, your son-in-law.’
(Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 36, p. 116)
2. I and Ali are from one light.
3. O Ali! My flesh and blood are your flesh and blood.
4. O Ali! Faith is mixed in your flesh and blood just as it is mixed in my flesh and blood.
5. O Ali! But for you, a believer would not have been recognized.
6. Ali is with truth and truth is with Ali.
(Excerpts from Dua-e-Nudbah)?
7. On the Day of Ghadeer, he (s.a.w.a.) declared,
“There will be twelve successors after me; the first of them will be Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (a.s.) and the last of them will be the Mahdi.”
8. Again, in one of the prophecies, he (s.a.w.a.) remarked,
“My last successor will have a prolonged occultation. His name will be my name and his agnomen will be my agnomen. When he reappears, he will fill the earth with justice and equity as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression.”?
And Allah the High says in His Book,
‘He will enliven the earth after its death.’ And Allah has addressed the creatures thus, ‘The remnant of Allah is good for you if you are believers.’?
Allah the Glorified has stationed the remembrance of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) at all the elevated places and altitudes that one can imagine, and at one such level, He addressed the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), Imam Husain (a.s.), thus,?
O contented soul! Return to your Lord, you are satisfied with your Lord and your Lord is Satisfied with you.
In yet another place, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) informed,
Wait. For, that day is near when the Mahdi reappears.
It is only after his reappearance that self-proclaimed jurists, manipulative historians, conscienceless traditionalists and the deniers of the excellences of the Ahle Bait (a.s.), who are striving endlessly to deform the face of Islam and consider themselves as the protectors of Islam through the evils of terrorism, will receive their retribution. ?
O my Imam! O my beloved leader! Please take a glance at the holy shrines of your ancestors! For the sake of the majestic and highest remembrance of your great ancestors, whose mantle of inheritance lies on your shoulders and whose radiance emanates from the cloak of infallibility day and night, please come and address the sufferings of the oppressed and downtrodden throughout the world.?
Let us all call out together, ‘Hasten, O Abaa Saleh, O Mahdi, help us.”
