As-salamu alaykum. I am repeating your answer that the answer was one thousand years of darkness. As being a new Ahmadi Muslim, alhamdulillah, sometimes it makes me confused about that Huzoor Nabi P.B.U.H. went with Jibreel A.S. to Arsh-e-Mawla to see the God by bodily, and because I used to be a Barely Muslim, I used to believe such a… Yes, I know. Quite, quite. And I have seen the film tape for yesterday which Pakistan producer, I think he was, I am positive he was a Barely Muslim, Allahu Akbar, and he was repeating the same way that Huzoor Nabi P.B.U.H. went with Jibreel A.S. on the path to see the God on Arsh-e-Mawla. Was it true or… No, I will explain.
Yes, I understand your point. Please sit down. On this subject I have spoken many a time before at length, and the tapes are available. You can listen to the concept of mi’raj as we have as against the concept of mi’raj as other Muslims, particularly the Barelys have, and the reason why our concept should be preferred to the other concepts. But here you have spoken on a subject which should also be treated logically in the light of the modern discoveries. Now, suppose the Barely concept is correct, then to what would God be reduced? Also think of that. In that case, in this vast space and universe, there would be one single point where Allah’s Arsh should be found.
And what would be the nature of that Arsh? Is it a solid stone building or something? Or a wooden floor or anything on which God is sitting? What is Arsh? Without defining Arsh, you cannot place it anywhere. So, if God is an invisible existence which has no similarity with the outside, with all that is created, there is nothing like him. And he is not matter at all, because matter is created. Then in the light of this concept of God, when you refer back to the concept of mi’raj as held by the Barelys, then you will understand what I mean. Their concept is impossible. Or God would be reduced into something which is more like an idol than a God.
The fact is that, for instance, what is royat? What is vision? Rays of light, they are rarer in character, so they are deflected when they strike against a more solid object. And when they are reflected, in that process they create the image of the place from where they got reflected. This is vision. Light is striking you. Light is a refined thing. And you are coarser as compared to light. Light is rare and you are solid, so it strikes you and returns. If you were transparent, for instance, even if you were solid, the light would just go through you and I would not be able to see you. Is that not right? Correct?
So, what did Hazrat Rasool-e-Karim s.a.w. see in the mi’raj? How did he see it? If it was a bodily mi’raj and if he was seeing, as the Brazilians would tell us, through his eyes, with the agency of his eyes, then what would be the God? Something solid. More solid than light. The light struck against him and returned and entered the eyes of Hazrat Rasool-e-Karim s.a.w. and Hazrat Rasool-e-Karim s.a.w. began to see Allah Ta’ala. Is that acceptable to Islam, to the concept of God of the Holy Qur’an? It’s impossible.
Moreover, God is everywhere and shape can only be given to a thing which is limited. Shape means limits. Remove the concept of limits and shape would disappear. So, Allah is shapeless because he is limitless. So, you can’t see a shapeless thing because you see always in shapes. If there is no shape to a thing, you cannot see. So, if you give shape to Allah, he becomes limited, which is again negation of God. If Allah is shapeless, because he is shapeless, he is limitless, then what can you see? You can only see shapes. For illustration, you conceive yourself to be looking into open space. During the daytime, no stars are visible, only vast open space and you don’t see anything in fact because there is no shape. There is nothingness, void.
So, if that is the void which Hazrat Rasool-e-Karim s.a.w. saw, then we see it always. This is God. And if it was not a void, it was some shape, then it was not Allah because he has no shape. And from all sides, light was entering Huzoor-e-Akram s.a.w.’s eyes and giving him a vision of a limitless thing. This is a very stupid idea and very insulting idea both to Hazrat Rasool-e-Karim s.a.w. and to the concept of Allah. I really wonder how people can digest this thing. How can they live with such an obnoxious idea? Because it would reduce Huzoor-e-Akram s.a.w. also to much below his status and Allah Ta’ala, nothing would be left of Allah Ta’ala at all if that is mirage.
And again add to it the first thing which I mentioned, the Arsh. Arsh is situated at one point in space. What is it made of? How big it is? Because Arsh should be according to the size of the occupier. Allah has no size and the Arsh of Allah should have no size. So again the same objections, it becomes impossible for an Arsh to be a material thing. You know the Arsh is referred to in the Holy Quran as Kursi as well. And all the Muslim scholars, the Believer scholars agree that Kursi here means Arsh. And what does Allah describe about the Kursi? Kursiyahus samawati wal ard. The entire universe is his Kursi.
So where did Huzoor-e-Akram s.a.w. go if this entire universe is his Kursi? All this is, you know, small thought of limited imaginations of people who did not know anything of the universe or of God or of the Holy Quran or of the nature of Huzoor-e-Akram s.a.w. They had small backgrounds. They grew up in societies where there was no knowledge of any sort. Again, the children of dark ages. With the grace of Allah, Hazrat Masih Maud a.s. drew us back from these darknesses into the light. And now the concepts which we hold can hold water before anybody in the world.
They can be produced with heads held high before any scientist or any philosopher of the world because they are universal two concepts against which no objection can be raised from any direction. So the concept of somebody dangling in the air and being drawn into something, some space, so rapidly that within a matter of a few seconds he returned. Yo Iiu know what it means? Again another objection. Nothing can travel beyond the speed of light. And that is 186,000 miles per second. The nearest star, as I remember, to this earth is about seven years away. Seven light years away. And there are galaxies which are billions of years away from us in light terms.
So if Allah’s arsh was a few seconds away from us at the speed of light, then the concept of Allah and his arsh is very, very limited. So all this is the imagination of a small brain born in dark ages, where the human knowledge was not developed at all. You know, ordinary people born here and there and listening to the old wives tales and making a concept of the universe, they started thinking on these terms and emotionalized their religion. The rarities are only those which are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and if you follow the language of the Holy Qur’an you will never be led astray. The Holy Qur’an no way speaks of a bodily trip to some place where Allah was found.
As if Allah was situated anywhere else and Rasul-Allah was situated some other place. Allah is everywhere. Allah took him along, so he was there with him all the time. The only explanation which is plausible and which in fact is the most beautiful explanation as well, is the explanation of Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. He says these people who are looking for an arsh somewhere else, they are ignorant people. The arsh on which Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa A.S. saw his God was his own heart. It was there in his heart that Allah appeared with his full manifestation. And that was miraj. You follow this? I do understand the 1000 years of darkness.
