The divine manifestation that occurs for the human being may take place.
Such people are the prophets, the nabīs, and some of the walīs (walī / awliyāʾ – friends of God).
This is the path of unveiling (kashf). This knowledge is a necessary knowledge that occurs during unveiling and is found within the person. The person neither harbors any doubt about this knowledge found within themselves, nor can they succeed in distancing it from themselves. Apart from what they find within themselves, they know of no other evidence upon which to base this knowledge. An exception to this is the ʿārif (gnostic) who claims that in his unveiling, both the evidence and that which is evidenced are given together. [According to his claim,] if something can only be known by means of evidence, then the knowledge of that thing must also arise from the evidence [in unveiling]. This statement was made by our companion, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Kattānī of Fez. I heard this statement from him. He reported his own state and spoke the truth. However, he erred in claiming that this is always the case: for another person may learn the truth as a taste (dhawq) within their own nafs (nafs – the lower self) without it arising from any evidence.
Or, knowledge may be the acquisition of the earth being considered pure for him in his name, and the keys to the treasures of the earth being given to him.
Those who enter Paradise are of four classes: the Messenger-prophets (rasūl nabīs), the walīs (walī / awliyāʾ – friends of God) – these are those who follow the prophet with insight and evidence from their Lord –, the believers (muʾminūn) – those who affirm the prophets –, and the scholars who know by rational evidence that there is no god but Allah. Allah the Exalted says: 'Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and [so do] the angels and those endowed with knowledge, maintaining His creation in justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.' (Qur'an 3:18) The people we mean by 'those endowed with knowledge' are these. Allah says about them: 'Allah will raise those of you who have believed and those who were given knowledge, in degrees.' (Qur'an 58:11)
There are two ways to know Allah, and there is no third. Whoever affirms the oneness of Allah (tawhid – the oneness of God) by any way other than these two is a mere imitator (muqallid). The first is, 18 Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya 3
The degrees that are assigned exclusively to the community of Muhammad and not to other communities are twelve in number. No other community shares these. [Just as with his community,] the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is superior to the other prophets in the Hereafter by opening the Garden of al-Wasīla and the gate of intercession, and in this world, as stated in an authentic hadith, he is superior by six characteristics that were not given to any previous prophet. This hadith is found in Muslim b. Ḥajjāj's al-Ṣaḥīḥ. In the hadith, the following are mentioned: the universality of his prophethood, the permissibility of war booty, being aided by casting terror into the hearts [of his enemies], the whole earth being made a mosque for him,
The criterion for the truth of what is described is the following statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Paradise: 'In it are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has ever conceived.'
When Allah wishes to appear to His servants in the general visitation, someone calls out in all the Gardens: 'O people of the Gardens! Hasten to the greatest gift, the nearest rank, and the loftiest vision! Come to the visitation of your Lord in the Garden of Eden!' They then hasten to the Garden of Eden and enter it. Each group, having learned its own rank and station, sits in its own place.
Then it is commanded that the tables be brought. Special tables are set before the guests. Neither in the life of this world nor in Paradise, nor in the Gardens of deeds, had they ever seen or imagined the like of these tables. The same applies to the food on the tables. They had not eaten anything like it in their own Gardens. The same applies to their drinks. When they depart, these are evidences that may not have been given to any of them before, but perhaps to some.
These four classes are distinguished while beholding their Lord in the White Kesīb in the Gardens of Eden. There, they are in four stations (maqām). One group is on pulpits; these are the messengers and the nabīs, the highest group. The second group is the walīs (walī / awliyāʾ). They are the inheritors of the nabīs in word, deed, and spiritual state (ḥāl). These people possess an evidence from their Lord. They sit on couches and thrones. The third class is those who know Allah by certain rational evidence. They sit on chairs. The fourth class is the believers who affirm the oneness of Allah by imitation. They have their own ranks: in the gathering place, the imitator believers are in front of the people of rational thought, but in the White Kesīb, when beholding the Truth, those who know the oneness of Allah by reason are in front of the imitators.
Twenty-Ninth Section
The second way is the path of induction and reflection by rational evidence. This second way is lower than the first. For the one who examines the evidence may be exposed to doubts that harm the evidence. In such a case, a person struggles to bring forth the doubt and to investigate the correct aspect of the matter sought to be known. There is no third way.
These, then, are the possessors of knowledge mentioned in the verse who bear witness to the oneness of Allah (tawhid). The masters of this class, who know the oneness of Allah by evidence and investigation, have also added to their knowledge the certainty of unification, that is, the unification of the Essence, based on certain evidence. These evidences are for all the possessors of unveiling and—
believers! I am Allah, al-Muʾmin and al-Munaymin. I have made you partners in one of My Names. For you there is no fear, nor are you behind any additional veil—
He appears to His servants. [At this moment] they are all a single eye. A light radiates upon them, spreading over their essences. By means of that light, they become entirely ear. Surely, the beauty of their Lord has overwhelmed them, and their essences are illuminated by the beauty of this most holy light.
In a hadith transmitted from Abū Bakr al-Naqqāsh regarding the stations of the Resurrection, which we will mention in full, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Allah says: My servants, peace be upon you! Welcome! May Allah give you life! Peace be upon you from the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, al-Ḥayy and al-Qayyūm! What excellent deeds you have done! Enter Paradise forever! Paradise is made lawful and pure for you. Rejoice in eternal bliss, the reward of al-Karīm, and everlasting abode. You are those who have believed [and attained security—
Indeed, Mūsā heard the word of his Lord from all directions and with all his limbs. The diffusion of this light has given them this possibility. Thus, by means of this light, they are able to witness (mushāhada) and to see [the Truth]. Seeing is more perfect than witnessing.
A messenger from Allah comes and says to them: 'Prepare yourselves to see your Lord! Your Lord will manifest Himself!' They stand in reverence. The Truth (al-Ḥaqq) then manifests to them. At this moment, there are three veils between the Truth and His servants: the veil of might, the veil of greatness, and the veil of majesty. The creatures cannot bear to look at those veils. Allah commands the greatest master of ceremonies in His presence: 'Remove the veils between Me and My servants so that they may see Me.' Thereupon, the veils are lifted.
20 Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya 3
There are things that any human qalb (qalb – the heart) may conceive. When they rise from the table, they go to the White Kesīb made of white musk. They settle in their places there, not according to the measure of their deeds, but according to their knowledge of Allah. For deeds pertain to the blessings of Paradise, not to the witnessing of the Merciful (al-Raḥmān).
In this state, a light shines upon them! All fall into prostration. This light spreads to their outer eyes, and inwardly to their inner eyes, as well as to all the organs of their bodies and the subtle parts of their nafs (nafs – the lower self). Thus, each person becomes wholly eye, wholly ear. Now, each sees everything by their essence, and no boundaries can confine them, and each hears everything by their essence.
Let me greet you with bounty.
They say: 'Our Lord! We neither hoped nor expected such a thing. Our only wish was to forever behold Your noble countenance—
'Behold, I have settled you in My house, made My Paradise lawful for you, shown you My own nafs (nafs – the lower self). Here is My generous and protective hand, open and extended to you, and I will not withdraw it from you. I look at you, and I will not avert My gaze from you. Now, ask of Me whatever you wish and desire. Surely, I have drawn near to you. I sit with you and keep you company. Henceforth, there is neither need nor deprivation, nor despair, nor poverty, nor helplessness, nor old age, nor anger, nor hardship, nor any change of states.'
Your bliss is everlasting. You are those who have settled securely [in Paradise], those who await [to behold Me], those who are honored and blessed. You are the noble lords who have obeyed Me and avoided My prohibitions. Now, inform Me of your needs, so that I may grant them to you as a generosity and—
Heulyeler
oqunenareyi,
nu tansis
vereyiln,
let Me envelop you with My beauty, grant you from My dominion. Rejoice with My smile, let Me embrace you with My hands and let you sense My fragrance.'
'I am your Lord, whom you worshipped, loved, and feared though you did not see Me! By My might, majesty, sublimity, greatness, beauty, and purity, I am pleased with all of you, and I love you all just as I love those whom you love. With Me are things that your souls desire and your eyes delight in. Everything you have pursued and desired is with Me. Whatever you wish, I wish as well. So ask of Me! Do not fear or be ashamed! Do not hesitate! Surely, I am Allah, the Generous, the Abundant Giver, the Faithful to My word, and the Truthful!'
Twenty-Ninth Section
You will not grieve. You are My friends (walī / awliyāʾ), My neighbors, My chosen ones, My special men, and My beloveds. Peace be upon you in My house!