- Translated by: Aisha Rafea
The Prophets and Messengers of God are not mere historical figures. They are manifestations of Light, Mercy and Love. As such, they have never abandoned Earth. They are, forever, in the pure hearts of those who seek God’s Face. Master Ali Rafea teaches that the existence of the Prophets, Messengers of God, and all Spiritual Teachers on Earth is part of the Graciousness of the Divine because it is by the spiritual illuminating power that accompanies them that people’s hearts are touched and purified. Here is more about what the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad implies according to Master Ali Rafea. Aisha Rafea translated his Speech and prepared for publication. (From Friday Speech, July 2nd, 1999, Rabi’ Awal, 18th, 1420 HC).
Servants of God, we commemorate these days the blessed anniversary of the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and treasure it in our hearts. That Birth, was a turning point for humankind, and for Earth; it is rich with many symbols, and it reveals to us the meaning of life and the significance of our earthly journey.
Every holy occasion reminds us that each event that took place on Earth, points to a “message” from God to us, which we have to decode, grasp, and turn what we have learnt into experience, action and a code of morals in all aspects of our earthly life. Thus we do with the blessed Birth of the Prophet; we read it as symbolizing, first and foremost, the birth of truth, the word of truth, the messenger of truth, and the light of truth within man. Man is himself an earth, a society, a nation, and a whole world.
Servants of God, we commemorate these days the blessed anniversary of the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and treasure it in our hearts. That Birth, was a turning point for humankind, and for Earth; it is rich with many symbols, and it reveals to us the meaning of life and the significance of our earthly journey.
Every holy occasion reminds us that each event that took place on Earth, points to a “message” from God to us, which we have to decode, grasp, and turn what we have learnt into experience, action and a code of morals in all aspects of our earthly life. Thus we do with the blessed Birth of the Prophet; we read it as symbolizing, first and foremost, the birth of truth, the word of truth, the messenger of truth, and the light of truth within man. Man is himself an earth, a society, a nation, and a whole world.
The Law of Life that we learn about is: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a Messenger (to give warning)(HQ: 17: 15).
The word “Messenger” points to a “truthful being” who becomes manifest, conveying the word of truth, and guiding people to righteousness. Heavenly Revelations were all there to disclose to this world knowledge about the Law of Life, telling man that his existence and subsistence are possible because of the Divine Law. Revelations, on different levels, have always been there; in many parts of the earth, east and west, south and north, Teachers came forward and taught people about the Law of Life. Similarly, an inner Teacher emerged in every human being who could discern the primordial nature fitra [1] that God entrusted him with, and baptized him accordingly.
..the Baptism of Allah: and who can baptize better than Allah? (HQ: 2: 138)
Allah's handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah: (HQ: 30: 30)
Allah, the Maker(Fatir[2]) of the heavens and the earth.. (HQ: 6: 14)
The Creator entrusted man with His Secret: the secret of Life, the secret of eternity, and the secret of creation.
“I created thee to be devoted to Me, and I made thee to be not other than Me”[3]
O My Servant, if you obey Me, I shall make thee all godly devoted. You can tell a thing “Be” and it is.[4]
In the sublime Secret that God created within man, lies the message of the Truth and the “messenger of the Truth” to humans. Namely, man hosts within, the Secret of Allah, the Word of Allah, the Light of Allah, the Message of Allah, and the Messenger of Allah. In fact, he is often heedless of their existence because, during his earthly journey, he is fully attracted to the outer realm; he is absolutely involved in matters of the mundane life, and urgent physical needs. As such, he does not give the chance to the divine truth within him to manifest; he is not keen to turn his sight inwardly. Hence, revelations, religions, Devotees to Allah, good Servants of Allah have always been there to guide man to reflect upon his inner life, and to turn his sight inwardly:
“I created thee to be devoted to Me, and I made thee to be not other than Me”[3]
O My Servant, if you obey Me, I shall make thee all godly devoted. You can tell a thing “Be” and it is.[4]
In the sublime Secret that God created within man, lies the message of the Truth and the “messenger of the Truth” to humans. Namely, man hosts within, the Secret of Allah, the Word of Allah, the Light of Allah, the Message of Allah, and the Messenger of Allah. In fact, he is often heedless of their existence because, during his earthly journey, he is fully attracted to the outer realm; he is absolutely involved in matters of the mundane life, and urgent physical needs. As such, he does not give the chance to the divine truth within him to manifest; he is not keen to turn his sight inwardly. Hence, revelations, religions, Devotees to Allah, good Servants of Allah have always been there to guide man to reflect upon his inner life, and to turn his sight inwardly:
“(Signs of the Truth) are within you; do not you discern!” (K: 51: 21)
Soon will We show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. (HQ: 41:53)
The Heavenly Revelations came to help man to listen to the sound of the Truth within, to discern the Truth within, and to attain insight into the Truth within. They teach him how to listen to the Messenger of God as speaking to him from within his primordial nature fitra, his essence, and the Secret of Allah embedded deep within. Hence, Revelations of the Truth were not there to impose on man several forms and shapes, and impel him to fit into them without understanding or awareness!
Revelations meant to teach man how to get connected to his Lord, how to live by his truthful existence, and how to make himself accessible to the emanations of God.
Revelations came to teach man how to handle everything in life that God bestowed upon him, from the perspective that he is God’s vicegerent on Earth.
Revelations came to teach man that he must have a Direction Quibla[5]; an ultimate goal for his existence.
Revelations came to teach man that he was created to be devoted to the Supreme Truth, and that the Path to realize his ultimate objective is available for him; he only has to give a chance to the truth within him to talk to him, and to guide him, and that is not possible unless he prepares his whole existence for the relationship between “him” and the “truth within” to take place. He is taught that such attachment cannot be established in case he were, up to his ears, in mundane affairs, and caring for nothing but fulfilling his prompt physical needs. He is taught that if he does not give a chance to the truth within to be expressed, and to have a say, he is susceptible to be lost in this life. So, the Divine directs man to allow what He has gifted him with, in the form of his primordial nature fitra, to surface, and guide his existence. If man gives a chance to his fitra, he would find the truth, and if he does not, he would not attain truth, salvation, or fruitfulness.
When observing people now in the East or the West, we notice that the majorities do not give a chance to the “divine truth” within them to unfold and express itself through them, talk to them and guide them. Some think of “religion” as seeming sticking to forms and superficial physical actions; hence, they are devoted to what they perceive as “religion”, and they do not attempt to turn inwardly at all. Others are fully involved in material affairs, and they are heedless of the truth within. However, there could be no appropriate approach unless the truth within man is revealed to him, unless the primordial nature fitra that God created man with, emerges and conveys to him the deep truths embedded in his essence. Hence, man needs to prepare himself for the truth to manifest within him, and to become himself a manifestation of the truth. The moment, in which the truth emerges, is the moment of the birth of the messenger of truth, and the message of truth within him. It is the message of truth that will accomplish its purpose however time it might take. That message will invade the darkness within and cause man’s transformation into a better being supported by the Divine’s Power. It would be a supreme moment in a person’s life. If he experiences that moment, he would attain Life, by the Permission of God, and the support of God. It is man’s hope to live through such a moment of sincerity where he discerns the truth emerging from within him, and expressing itself through him.
To sum up, we must exert ourselves to live the guidance of Religion truthfully, and to discern the laws that Religion revealed to us, so that the truth and the words of truth are born within our being. If we do, we would be worthy of receiving the Call of the Truth, and hence attain salvation by God’s support and His bestowed success. The meanings we have touched upon today are reflections on the blessed anniversary of the Prophet’s Birth. His Birth on Earth points to the revelation of truth, and its spread out from east to west; the truth survived and it will survive until God inherits the Earth and all thereon. Survival of the truth will not only be within keeping the Holy Book of Allah, and the Tradition of the Prophet Sunna physically, but also through spirituality. That is so because every word of truth that has been said on Earth will never die. It exists in the ether of the Earth, and a righteous person receives it, and by grasping it, distinguishes between good and evil in all what he hears. Namely, when man prepares himself well spiritually, he listens to the word of truth as coming from its original source, which has existed on earth. However, even though the word of truth has not left earth, this is not enough for man to attain spiritually. He only attains when truth manifests within his own existence. He attains when the meaning of Life is expressed by his whole being, and when his primordial nature fitra is expressed fully. Man does not come to righteousness unless everything within him is transformed, and the truth within him unfolds through his existence. The crucial point is not that you listen to the truth as said from outside; it is when you listen to the truth from within you. It is the listening to the words of Allah from within that gets you transformed from a certain stage to a higher one, and from a “being” into a more evolved one. It is true that listening to the words of Allah from an outside source gives you support and empowers you, but they will not get you transformed unless you have absorbed them fully, and they emerged then from the depth of your heart turning you into a new creation.
If you know that path; the path to your innermost part, the path to truth, the path to your primordial nature, then, this is the birth of the word of truth within you, the light of Allah within you, and the secret of Allah that will permeate your whole being, with Allah’s Permission, and make of you an existence of Light; an illuminated and truthful being who was born to survive. It is the hope of every human being on this earth to be that transformed, and that evolved.
Revelations meant to teach man how to get connected to his Lord, how to live by his truthful existence, and how to make himself accessible to the emanations of God.
Revelations came to teach man how to handle everything in life that God bestowed upon him, from the perspective that he is God’s vicegerent on Earth.
Revelations came to teach man that he must have a Direction Quibla[5]; an ultimate goal for his existence.
Revelations came to teach man that he was created to be devoted to the Supreme Truth, and that the Path to realize his ultimate objective is available for him; he only has to give a chance to the truth within him to talk to him, and to guide him, and that is not possible unless he prepares his whole existence for the relationship between “him” and the “truth within” to take place. He is taught that such attachment cannot be established in case he were, up to his ears, in mundane affairs, and caring for nothing but fulfilling his prompt physical needs. He is taught that if he does not give a chance to the truth within to be expressed, and to have a say, he is susceptible to be lost in this life. So, the Divine directs man to allow what He has gifted him with, in the form of his primordial nature fitra, to surface, and guide his existence. If man gives a chance to his fitra, he would find the truth, and if he does not, he would not attain truth, salvation, or fruitfulness.
When observing people now in the East or the West, we notice that the majorities do not give a chance to the “divine truth” within them to unfold and express itself through them, talk to them and guide them. Some think of “religion” as seeming sticking to forms and superficial physical actions; hence, they are devoted to what they perceive as “religion”, and they do not attempt to turn inwardly at all. Others are fully involved in material affairs, and they are heedless of the truth within. However, there could be no appropriate approach unless the truth within man is revealed to him, unless the primordial nature fitra that God created man with, emerges and conveys to him the deep truths embedded in his essence. Hence, man needs to prepare himself for the truth to manifest within him, and to become himself a manifestation of the truth. The moment, in which the truth emerges, is the moment of the birth of the messenger of truth, and the message of truth within him. It is the message of truth that will accomplish its purpose however time it might take. That message will invade the darkness within and cause man’s transformation into a better being supported by the Divine’s Power. It would be a supreme moment in a person’s life. If he experiences that moment, he would attain Life, by the Permission of God, and the support of God. It is man’s hope to live through such a moment of sincerity where he discerns the truth emerging from within him, and expressing itself through him.
To sum up, we must exert ourselves to live the guidance of Religion truthfully, and to discern the laws that Religion revealed to us, so that the truth and the words of truth are born within our being. If we do, we would be worthy of receiving the Call of the Truth, and hence attain salvation by God’s support and His bestowed success. The meanings we have touched upon today are reflections on the blessed anniversary of the Prophet’s Birth. His Birth on Earth points to the revelation of truth, and its spread out from east to west; the truth survived and it will survive until God inherits the Earth and all thereon. Survival of the truth will not only be within keeping the Holy Book of Allah, and the Tradition of the Prophet Sunna physically, but also through spirituality. That is so because every word of truth that has been said on Earth will never die. It exists in the ether of the Earth, and a righteous person receives it, and by grasping it, distinguishes between good and evil in all what he hears. Namely, when man prepares himself well spiritually, he listens to the word of truth as coming from its original source, which has existed on earth. However, even though the word of truth has not left earth, this is not enough for man to attain spiritually. He only attains when truth manifests within his own existence. He attains when the meaning of Life is expressed by his whole being, and when his primordial nature fitra is expressed fully. Man does not come to righteousness unless everything within him is transformed, and the truth within him unfolds through his existence. The crucial point is not that you listen to the truth as said from outside; it is when you listen to the truth from within you. It is the listening to the words of Allah from within that gets you transformed from a certain stage to a higher one, and from a “being” into a more evolved one. It is true that listening to the words of Allah from an outside source gives you support and empowers you, but they will not get you transformed unless you have absorbed them fully, and they emerged then from the depth of your heart turning you into a new creation.
If you know that path; the path to your innermost part, the path to truth, the path to your primordial nature, then, this is the birth of the word of truth within you, the light of Allah within you, and the secret of Allah that will permeate your whole being, with Allah’s Permission, and make of you an existence of Light; an illuminated and truthful being who was born to survive. It is the hope of every human being on this earth to be that transformed, and that evolved.
We pray to God to support us to that path, and to make us ready for that (great Birth).
- See “Key Words and Terms”.
- The word Fatir in Arabic, has got a certain depth that cannot be conveyed in the translation which is generally Maker, Creator, or Originator. Fatir implies: the One who creates according to the Law. Part of that Law is that man has got a divine essence.
- Some ancient history documents wrote that God told Moses in the Torah, “O child of Adam, I have created everything for you, and created you for Myself. So, do not destroy what I created for Myslef, for the sake of what I created for you.” This statement is supported by the words of the Holy Qur’an when God addresses Moses saying, “I have prepared you for Myself”( HQ: 20: 41), and in another verse, “I have made thee to be not other than Me.” (HQ: 20: 39)
- It is narrated in Sheikh Ibn Ageeb’a book “Iqadh Al Hemam Fi Sharh Al Hekam”. He quotes some history books documenting that the Divine says: I AM Allah Who says to anything “Be”, and it is. So obey Me, and I shall make you capable of saying to anything, “Be”, and it shall be. Note: This divine saying metaphoricall and eloquently expresses the degree of harmony that man might reach with the Divine will. Namely, when man is totally devoted to Allah, and he is trnsformed into pure and divine energy, he becomes a smooth and effective tool in the Hands of the Creator. His lower self does not exist to form a barrier between his essence as a spirit and the divinity within and around. Hence he becomes himself part of the Divine Law of saying to things, “Be”, and they are.
- See “Key Words and Terms”.
