The Resurrection

The Resurrection

Indeed, he prays for eternal bliss with such a magnificent prayer and such exalted worship that it is as though the entire Arabian Peninsula—indeed, the whole earth—joins in his prayer and supplication. For just as his worship encompasses the worship of his entire Ummah, it also embraces the essence of the worship of all the prophets. Moreover, he offers this magnificent supplication within such an immense congregation that it is as though every perfected and enlightened human being from Ādam (as) until the present day—and even until the end of the world—joins his supplication and responds with "Āmīn."[1]

Look! He supplicates for a universal need as immense as eternal life, a need in which not only the inhabitants of the earth, but also the inhabitants of the heavens and all creation participate. It is as though they all proclaim, "Indeed, our Lord! Accept his supplication, for we too desire this." Furthermore, he prays for eternal bliss with such neediness, love, longing, and humble earnestness that he moves the whole universe to join in his supplication.

And look! He seeks eternal bliss for so lofty a purpose that it raises humanity and all created beings from the lowest depths of absolute annihilation, worthlessness, futility, and purposelessness to the highest ranks of eternity, true value, exalted purpose, and the honour of becoming letters written by as-Samad.

Look! He prays and supplicates with such sincere need, heartfelt humility, sweetness, and intensity that it seems as though all creation, the heavens, and even the Throne hear him, become deeply moved, and respond to his supplication by proclaiming, "Āmīn, Allāhumma Āmīn!"[2]

  1. Indeed, from the supplication of Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him) until today, all the supplications and salawāt of the entire Ummah have been like a continuous and universal participation in his supplication. Every salawāt is, in fact, an “āmīn” to his supplication. Likewise, all the blessings and prayers for peace that every Muslim offers for him during prayer, and the supplication recited by the followers of the Shāfiī Madhhab after the iqāmah before each obligatory prayer, are all a powerful and universal "āmīn" to his supplication for eternal bliss. Indeed, on behalf of all humanity, he (peace and blessings be upon him) prays for eternity and eternal bliss, which every human being naturally longs for with intensity. The enlightened part of humanity stands behind him and affirms his supplication with “āmīn.” Is it then still conceivable to doubt that this supplication would be accepted by Allah? ↩︎
  2. Indeed, it is in no way possible that the Ruler of this universe, Who carries out all His actions with purpose and wisdom, would be unaware of the actions of the most unique individual among His creatures. Nor is it conceivable that the All-Knowing Ruler would remain indifferent to the actions and supplications of that unique individual and attach no importance to them while being fully aware of them. And since He is not indifferent to them, it is again just as inconceivable that the Merciful and All-Powerful Ruler would not accept his supplications. Indeed, through the light of Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him), the meaning of the universe has been illuminated, and the true essence of man and of the entire universe has been disclosed. It has become clear that all beings in the universe are letters of as-Samad, proclaiming the divine Names to us, and that they function as officers. They possess a valuable and meaningful existence directed toward eternity. Were it not for that light, all creation would fall into absolute non-existence, become worthless, meaningless, useless, abandoned, and a plaything of chance, and sink into the darkness of unbelief. Indeed, just as people, because of this secret, say “āmīn” to the supplication of Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him), so too the rest of creation—from the earth to the heavens and the stars—shows its reverence for his light and its connection to it. Truly, just as the very essence of his worship is itself a supplication, so too the actions and services of creation are a form of supplication. For example, the germination of a seed is a form of supplication to its Creator to become a tree. ↩︎