Khatm al Anbiya' : Seal of Prophecy

Imprint of the Seal of the Prophet (saaws)

 Ibn Arabi states:

Muhammad saaws was the foremost locus of the human Prophecy as per his statement:” I was already a Prophet when Adam was between [the stages] of water and mud”. He is the locus of the Seal of Prophecy as per the statement of Allah swt : “ Muhammad has never been the father of any of your men, rather the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of Prophets” (Surat al Ahzab 33:40). When Muhammad claimed to be the father of Zaid [ibn Haritha]*, Allah swt denied the claim that Muhammad was the father of any of our men in order to make void any such relationship and to set his rank apart. Do you not see that no biological male child of the Prophet survived because of his being, in the foreknowledge of Allah, the Seal of Prophecy?

The Prophet said that the Message of Tashree3 (Legislation organizing a religious Path) that he was sent with, along with the Prophecy have ceased; meaning that any subsequent rulings do not originate from Allah and are not our Shariah: “No messenger after me will come with a ruling different from mine, and no Prophet will come with his own ruling sent from Allah”. In that way, he declared the end of the legislative Prophecy. Had he meant something other than that, it would contradict his saying that Issa (as) will descend among us and will be a fair judge ruling between us according to our own Shar’ ( Religious Lesgislation). We do not doubt that Issa (as) is a Messenger and a Prophet [but will not come with another Shari’a that would make void that of the Prophet Muhammad (saaws)]. 

The foregoing means that all humanity until Judgment day including al-Khidr, Elias and Issa is the manifest community of Muhammad, while all humanity from Adam to the day of the Prophet’s Messengership is his interior community.

* http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=4017&CATE=108

Source: al Futuhat al Makkia ( The Meccan Openings) p: 2598

Ibn Arabi: "Those whom Allah loves".

Know then, may Allah grant you success, that, Love is a Divine station for He has characterized HisSelf by it and named Himself in the Qur'an al-Wadood (The Loving), and in the Hadith, the Lover.

He is the One Who inspired to Musa in the Torah: "O you son of Adam, by your right with me, I am a Lover, be then a lover to Me."

Mahhabat (Divine Love) has been mentioned in both Qur'an and Sunnah in reference to Allah and the created beings. Allah swt has mentioned the types of people He loves, according to their characteristics; He has also mentioned the characteristics of the people He does not love.

He commanded the Noble Prophet to tell us: "If you love Allah follow me; Allah will love you… "3:31 and stated: "O you who believe! If any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him 5:54"

In mentioning the types of people whom He loves, He then informed us that Allah loves:

Those who turn to Him in repentance 2: 222

Those who purify themselves and those who keep themselves clean and pure(Mutaharun and Mutatahirun) 2: 222 & 9: 108

Those who rely on Him ( al-mutawkilun) 3: 159

Those who are patient 2: 153 ( al-sabirun)

Those who are grateful & thankful 31: 4 (al-shakirun)

Those who give in charity 12: 88 ( al-mutasadiqun)

Those who do good 2: 195, 3:134, 3: 152, 5: 13, 5: 93 ( al-muhsinun)

Those who fight in His cause in [solid] ranks, as though the were a building firm and compact 6:14

The Almighty distanced Himself from some folks because of the presence of characteristics that He does not love; meaning that He, may He be praised, wants those characteristics to vanish, which can only happen if they are replaced with their opposites.

The Almighty informed us that He does NOT love:

Those who spread corruption, the evil-doers ( al-mufsidun) 5:64, 28: 77. He does not love corruption (fasad) 2: 205, the opposite of which is working righteousness/making peace/doing good (salah).

Those who exult over riches 28:76 (al-farihun)

Those who are conceited and act in a boastful manner 4:36 & 31: 18(al-mukhtalun)

Those who are unfair, the oppressors 3:57 & 42:40 (al-zalimun)

Those who exceed the bounds, the squanderer 6:141 (al-musrifun)

The disbelievers 3:32, 30:45 (al-kafirun)

Those who speak evil openly 4: 148

The aggressors 5: 87 (al-mu'tadun)

It is so, that, Allah swt has also made certain matters lovable to us:

Either by their absolute lovable value as He said stressing our indebtedness to Him: 49: 7 "But Allah has made faith (Iman) lovable to you"

Or by making them attractive in our eyes: 3: 14 "Alluring unto man is the enjoyment of worldly desires" and said in the case of the human pair: 30:21

"He put loving-kindness (mawadat) and mercy (rahmat) between you".

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Source : Al Futuhat al Makkia " The Meccan Openings"

Ibn Arabi : Abd al Wali, Word of Fahwaniat

From Kitab al “3Abadila“(Those who carry the name 3Abd (slave, servant) + a beautiful Name)

3Abdullah bin Haroon bin Abd al-Wali

Surat al Shura 42:9
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ فَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْوَلِيُّ وَهُوَ يُحْيِي المَوْتَى وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Did they, perchance, [think that they could] choose protectors other than Him? But Allah alone is the Protector [of all that exists], since it is He alone who brings the dead to life, and He alone who has the power to will anything.

He said, “There are 5 types of Knowledge:

1. The Science of Ahwal (pl. of Hal, Transient state of Being), it is likened to Wine.
2. The Science of Awham (pl. of Wahm, Illusion, false perception), it is likened to Honey
3. The Science of Tawheed (Unicity) and by this I refer to that which was brought by the divinely appointed laws, it is likened to Milk
4. The Science of Forms and Rituals (Rusoom) is likened to water which in turn is divided into: a) water from Ghayth ( rain, help) associated with the Arwah (pl. of Ruh, Spirit, and what they contain), its knowledge is Changeless (enduring, fixed) b) Water from a 3Ayn (source, eye) associated with the universe of composition and what it contains of meanings, its knowledge is Changeable”.

He said, “Of the slaves of Allah, there are those through whom the rulings (constraining and molding) of worship course in their entirety without those rulings having been shaped in their hearts. If one, should ask: “Some acts of worship require Intention which is an act of the heart, how could one imagine worship occurring without it”? I would answer:” [In those people], even intention occurs without the person having a clear intent in their intent” [their worship comes from al-Wali to Allah without active involvement on their part]

He also said,” Whoever is realized through al-Haqq (Allah, Reality) is not characterized by the attributes of Sidq ( Truthfulness) or Ikhlas (Sincerity) nor does he experience a Hal (transient state of being) nor a Maqam (station)”.    

He also said,” Divine Opening (Fath) is not limited to the [time of] worship, but may  be given outside of the worship acts in an even more extensive manner than within worship; for Divine Opening is Generosity and Gifting while pious acts are to be rewarded in the next world”

He also said,” Do not ever enter to the Divine Presence (HhaDdra Ilahyat) while someone is drawing you from behind; for whosoever pretends, that he has received an Opening from Divine Providence, that he has received specialized approximation (Taqreeb), that his Knowledge of the Divine is from this type, that his drink is from this source, but is in truth indebted to another creature who is demanding its right from him, then, that person has lied and what he pretends to is false- for that, is the condition of Divine Opening. Knowledge may be bared to such a person but no Divine Proximity will be his”.

He also said, “There is nothing other than accord (Muwafaqa) and dissent (Mukhalafa).  Divine Proximity is reached through accord when the veils are lifted; through dissent, Divine Distance occurs and veils are sent, for He is the Near and the Far”.

He also said, “There are some slaves who are not negatively affected by rebellion and acts of transgression because Divine Providence has preceded in their case by Allah. O you transgressor of the limit of your Lord! Look at the kind of Openings that are occurring for you in the Eye of Proximity, have they changed or have they not? If they have, know then that Allah has warned you that you are in the Eye of Distance, were He to inspire you and lead you to successes in true Repentance, you would then be the “happy one”.

If your state has not changed despite your dissent and your transgression against sacredness then [try to understand]:

Is your continued success due to Divine Providence wherein transgressions do not affect you negatively “That Allah may forgive you of your sin that which is past and that which is yet to come” Surat al Fath (48): 2. [In your case], forgiveness has preceded transgression?

Alternatively, does this [this lack of change in your state] originate from the Eye of Ruse so that you weaken and then be deprived from your state only at the moment (waqt) when its loss would hurt you the most?

If it is a ruse, return to the Eye of Accord and obtain knowledge of the Word of Fahwaniat (the address of the Haqq in the Universe of Amthal [Models/Ideals: the Universe between the universe of the senses and the Universe of pure spirits]). With that Word, all suspicions and doubts are erased and there is no other Path to Him other than this one; if you do not find Him there, know then that this is a Ruse.*

He also said, “When Knowledge, from the side of al-Haqq, was spread on the carpet of Mercy, all creatures hurried towards it and took it from different paths. No matter how much they deviated from the path, which they took Mercy from, those who are responsible for this site redirect them to the “site of confluence of those paths”. If they respond to them, they will be fulfilled for those are more knowledgeable of the ‘Ayn al Jam’ than anyone else is. Their Ayn al Jam’(Eye of Togetherness) is the Absolute Oneness (Ahadiat) of the Path [? Travelling in Allah?]

*Definition obtained from al Futuhat al Makkiat

 Sheikh Syed Mutawali recites from Surat al Shura (42) verses 3-15
http://audio.islamweb.net/audio/listenbox.php?audioid=88656&type=ram

Ibn Arabi: "Of the name 3Abdullah"

Entrance to the Tomb of Sidi Muhyiddine

From Kitab al “3Abadila“(Those who carry the name 3Abd (slave, servant) + a beautiful Name)

Since the name 3Abd Allah is a comprehensive name for those elevated in ranks, we have made it a translator, as a translator combines many tongues. We then added this name to the Station (Maqam) of a slave who has been awarded one of the Stations of the Divine Names, a Perfected Pupil (Insan Kamel) a Prophet or a Friend of Allah (Wali)*.

*Surat Maryam 19:30 : “ He said: I am 3Abdullah, He gave me the Scripture and made me a Prophet” [Issa (as)].

3Abdullah ibn 3Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn 3Abdullah said:

“Of the Divine Presence, what emerged first is The Name. Of the Letters, the first that emerged is the Ba. Of the Objectified Beings (Mawjudat), the first that emerged is the Intrinsic Essence (Jawhar) and the first to be dyed with the hue (Sibghah*) of the Intrinsic Essence is the Light (Noor). The first Accident (‘AraDd) that emerged was Movement.

The first of His Qualities (Na3at) He allowed the witnessing thereof is Majesty (Jalal). The first that He uttered is “I” (Ana). The first attribute He accepted from the created is Timidity/Modesty (Haya’). The first momentary state of being (Hal) that comes to the created is dissolution, the first knowledge he is capable of receiving is the knowledge of Allah; in that knowledge, he is able to see his own self (Nafs)”.

* Surat al-Baqara 2:138: “A hue from Allah! And who could give a better hue than Allah, if we but truly worship Him?"

He also said, “3alam (Universe) is taken from 3alamat (Sign). For each truth points to a Divine Truth. The existence of the truth is founded on the Truth. Each truth and its Truth must remain coupled. When Allah (swt) remembers the Universe, look to which of the Names He has added to the Universe, it is thus that you can discern which of the Universes Allah addressed”.

He also said, “When al-Haqq (swt) refers to Himself in the singular [I] and refers to you in the plural, that is because of His Unicity and your multiplicity relative to your lack of needless-ness (Ghina) and to the existence of your poverty.

And When al-Haqq (swt) refers to Himself in the plural (Us,We), that is because of the truth of the Divine Names. When He addresses you in the singular it is because He is addressing one meaning (Ma3na) in you and not your totality. Know then whom in you He has addressed and open your hearing to His Divine Address”.

  

He also said, “The multiplicity of paths is due to the multiplicity of truths; only the straight ones He has decreed and those are all the ones which end towards Him”.

He also said: “Petitioning for [His] help is an affirmation of the Kawn (Creation,[ resulting from the command Kun]). The 3aref (Divine Knower) petitions from the standpoint that he is commanded to petition; he knows who the petitioner is and knows Who Knows whom the petitioner is”.

In addition, he said, “The reward of the common people (al 3amat) is according to the deeds and is granted out of the source of Ownership (3ayn al Mulk), while the reward of the Divine Knowers comes from the source of Bestowal/gifting (3ayn al Minnat)”.

And he said, “If a matter/a command (Amr) is established between 2 Divine Names, it will have two differing faces, as each Divine Name has a face that is different from that of another. The matter/command will seek the Name that has accepted it and has shown it Its Face, that is a Station of Truth (Haqq), a Seat of truthfulness (Sidq) * and a majestic rank due to what preceded it and what followed it of the Names...It is preserved from the occurrences of veiling”

*Surat al Qamar 55:54 : “in a seat of truth, in the presence of a Sovereign who determines all things”.

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NB: * The quoted Qur'anic verses are not part of Ibn Arabi's text.