The Night Journey of The Self

Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah wa Laa ilaaha illallah Allahu 

Akbar wa Laa hawla walaa quwwata illa billah

The night of 27 Rajab this year 1434H (5 June 2013) had been a joy unparalleled to me. It was an experience of enlightenment. The Realization of Truth, a manifestation of both teachings that I have learned all this time from my two great teachers of Thariqah Shiddiqiyyah and Self Knowledge. It was the night for me to realize and being transported in the Mi'raj of the Self. By His Grace, my wings had lifted me high to His Throne; the two wings of the Thariqah and Self Knowledge teachings.

Like a Rain

Of all the experience with my Self Knowledge teacher, one that I wish to have (and never have one) is the Holi. It is in which the students are being swept away using a big water gun by our teacher. I had just seen it on video but never have one. As I watched it, the child in me wanted to have that experience for it brought back the wonderful memory of my childhood when I played under the rain and it gives definitely a kind of spiritual joy. Those whose life experience is attached to the mind will never understand this. For this experience is related to the heart.

And as the celebration of the Ascension Night of The Great Prophet Muhammad SAW approached, inside I wished that in the evening the rain would fall. And I guessed it wasn't only me the one who wished for the rain. Apparently my Thariqah teacher also wished the same and I think some other students who understand the importance of the rain water on the night of 27 Rajab did too. Only my Thariqah teacher made a promise to himself as he mentioned in his public sermon that if the rain fell in the night of 27 Rajab, he would explain about the Sufism Interpretation of Isra Mi'raj in his public sermon that night.

And it did. The rain started to fall at about 7.30 that night. I was in my friend's home and chatted with my other friends. As I heard the ticking of the rainwater fell outside, I jumped and went to the kitchen to get any utensils as many as she had to collect the rain water. As I put them outside I let myself getting wet including my hair even I had just washed it. And the rain fell heavy. Then it ceased down and turned to drizzle when we were about to go to the location of public sermon. I headed to my office as usual to ensure that my staff were alright that night, because one of them was absent because of stomachache.

As the night getting late and the sermon was about to begin, the rain fell more heavily. The students who didn't have a shelter covered themselves with plastic and stood up to avoid getting wetter. They stayed rooted where they were to listen to the sermon. And he delivered the sermon under that heavy rain. Understanding what the rain was all about, inside I was in joy and I think so did many of us. And our teacher definitely did too. He expressed his wonder about it. As he said, never before had he had such a heavy rain during the celebration like that night. And he further said about the promise he made for that night. So he fulfilled his promise by elaborating the Sufism Interpretation of Isra Mi'raj.

"and We send down rain therein and bring forth thereby [some] of all the fruits.
Thus will We bring forth the dead; perhaps you may be reminded."
~ QS 7: 57 ~

Interpretation of Isra'

Isra is the term given to the journey that the great Prophet Muhammad SAW made from Masjidil Haram in Mecca to Masjidil Aqsha in Palestine in the night before his Ascension on the 12th year of his prophethood. Masjidil Haram literally is translated as the Sacred Mosque and Masjidil Aqsha is translated as The Farthest Mosque.

Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night
from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,-
in order that We might show him some of Our Signs:
for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).
~ QS Al-Isra : 1 ~

So how did he interpret Isra' to find its significance in our life?

He started with the interpretation of Isra' by quoting a hadith of the Great Prophet Muhammad that said that "Any place on the face of this earth is a mosque except cemetery and toilet". A mosque in Arabic is masjid which literally means a place to prostrate (in worshiping Allah). So generally speaking the earth is a place for us - human being to prostrate in worshiping Allah. And this body come from the earth. And he quoted the verse in the Qur'an of surah al Mu'minun 12-15 "And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators."

Of this interpretation, my heart found its truth and affirmed his interpretation. Yes, we (or to be exact - I) had my Self being transported at night (read: Isra) on this journey of life from an extract of the clay to become the bones with flesh and then into another creation. It is the Isra of the Self. And it all happened in the night of our life time. To understand the meaning of the night, you need to read my other article under title "Love Before Time".

And indeed the form in which we were at that time are sacred. From the beginning of our creation, the essence of the earth used in creating our physical form was sacred to the day we were born we are in 'the sacred sanctuary' of our mother's womb. And as we were delivered from out mother's womb to the world, our physical form by default was in the shape of prostration. This was the interpretation given to the prayer that the Great Prophet Muhammad SAW did his prayer while he was in Masjidil Aqsha before he ascended to heaven.

This interpretation also finds its significance when it is paralleled to the saying of Prophet Muhammad SAW as narrated byAbu Dharr RA "I asked the beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW which was the first mosque on Earth? 'The sacred house of prayer' he said. And then which, I asked? 'The farthest house of prayer,' he said. I further asked, what was the time span between the two? 'Forty years', Prophet Muhammad replied." [Sahih Muslim]. And how to understand this? By understanding its truth in our daily life.

Now people who may have been in touch with a saint, a magician, an astrologist or a people of Knowledge may experience that some of them could give the information about something that may happen years before it takes places, including the birth of someone. A common story on this is the story of Prophet Moses AS. It happened just before the birth of baby Moses that got Pharaoh killed the baby-boys of Israel. Because he was told by his magician about the baby who was about to be born that later in his mature age would destroy his kingdom. And I read stories about my two great teachers of Thariqah Shiddiqiyyah and Self Knowledge, both of their fathers had been told about them years before they were born.

So that is the mysticism interpretation of Isra - the night journey. We need to realize it into our life and found its significance. For indeed if we truly are His servant and realize that our precinct is blessed by Him, we will know the truest reason why we are here in this planet earth.

Interpretation of Mi'raj

Ascension is a journey of conviction

Mi'raj is the term given to the ascension of Prophet Muhammad SAW from Masjidil Aqsha to the Seventh Heaven. The story about Mi'raj were both mythical and true. For some stories sometimes contradict the other and if we do some research on them, it may be false. Like the one that my Thariqah teacher disagreed was the story of Prophet Muhammad SAW had to go back and forth because Prophet Moses AS had told him to negotiate on the obligation of five times prayers. We find that this is against the teaching of Qur'an that said "And remember the favor of Allah upon you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said, "We hear and we obey"; and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts." [QS 5:7] On this we do not follow the idea. We believe that during his Ascension he received the affirmation of five times prayers and the turning of Tahajjud prayer from compulsory into optional / additional prayer. And since that night he didn't elaborate about the seven heavens, I will not disclose the interpretation of the sevens heaven here.

So that night, as the rain fell heavily in our precinct, he explained on one of the sight that The Great Prophet Muhammad SAW had during his Ascension. It was the river of Al-Kawthar into which the four unknown rivers were emptied themselves. And the four rivers came from Paradise. It is as it is described in the Qur'an. Then he quoted the verse in the Qur'an surah Muhammad 15 that said "(Here is) a Parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and Grace from their Lord. (Can those in such Bliss) be compared to such as shall dwell for ever in the Fire, and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels (to pieces)?".

As he explained about this and the rain kept pouring down from the sky, my heart told me to go out. So I took my way out of the office and stood outside by the side of the roofing edge. So I could touch the raindrops. Between the sermon and heavy rain, he asked us to pray "Allohumma baariklana fii rajabin wa sya'bana wa ballighna ramadhana" so we followed him in the prayers as many as we could. My heart was elevated. My hands reached out to cup the rain water. I drank some and swept it on my face. My lips sent the prayers, my eyes were in joyful tears and my heart was elevated for I felt the blessing and the mercy that He poured down upon us, upon me. And I stood there till the end of the sermon, in which finally the rain turned back to drizzle not long after it was over.

So, as he quoted the verse, my heart realized its truth within. Self Knowledge had helped me to realize them. For indeed the four rivers are true to the eyes of the heart who witness.them. And then he narrated further about the conversation between the Archangel Gabriel with the Prophet Muhammad SAW. That he SAW asked the original springs of the four rivers. And Archangel didn't know about it. So he SAW prayed to Allah SWT to be shown their springs. And it was answered that it came from a heavenly building that is made of diamond. And to open its door, the great Prophet Muhammad SAW already had the key. It is "Bismillahirrohmanirrohiim" which means In the name of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful. In arabic letter it is written ﺒﺴﻡ ﷲ ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻤﻥ ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻴﻡ.

Realizing The Garden

From there on, my heart and my mind bear witness to its truth. Because from the Self Knowledge that I had learned and realized in my life, I witness its truth. Though he didn't explain each of them for the sake of other students so they can find their own enlightenment, I was delighted for the clues was understood.

Employing Self Knowledge, I realize the word of Bismillahirrohmanirrohiim - ﺒﺴﻡ ﷲ ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻤﻥ ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻴﻡ - in my life as well as in the universe. That even in the most unfavorable situation I was in (as the mind may say so), He is The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful to me. It is about looking into life from its original source as Self Knowledge has guided me.

And talk about the building that is made of diamond, this Self is the building that is made of diamond. Of all His creations, He had created man in the best stature, as He had stated in the surah At Tin (95) : 4."We have certainly created man in the best of stature;"Yet, what do we keep on saying in our attempt to find excuses?! What do we keep on doing?! What do we keep on reminding ourselves of? That we aren't good enough. That we are a failure. That we have to thrive to be the best. That we lack of something. That we do our worst on the face of this earth. And we let other people opinion affect us. We let the world dictate us of what we should be doing to be able to survive in this world, whilst THE Owner had stated otherwise. We are the one that throw this diamond into the mud with our ignorance. We are the one who trade this diamond with the meaningless treasures of the world. We give the rein of our life into something else.

To realize this diamond, we certainly need Self Knowledge to pick the thrown away diamond, to buy back what is sold to the world. We can then acquire back this diamond that we have ignored all this time, with the Key of Bismillahirrohmanirrohiim - ﺒﺴﻡ ﷲﺁﻟﺭﺤﻤﻥ ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻴﻡ - we will be allowed to enter that building. And I had done my homework and using the Key, I was then shown the source of the four rivers.

The first river as it was mentioned was the river of water incorruptible. Its source is from the letter of 'mim' م in the word of Bismi ﺒﺴﻡ. Now, of course you can't take the information as it is. There is a big difference between the world of the mind and the world of the heart. The mind translated all the information literally as the way it understand things. As a wise man said the mind live in vapor, the heart live in substance. So you need to realize the mim in your own Self. To understand this, I give you the clue: the mim here is the first mim in the name of the word Muhammad ﻣﺤﻤّﺪ . And our physical being is made of the word ﻣﺤﻤّﺪ . And the first mim is the head. And having Self Knowledge, the existence of the first river is realized and make sense to me.

The second river as it was mentioned was the river of milk of which the taste never changes. Its source is from the letter 'ha' ﻪ in the word of Allah ﷲ. Now to understand this, I give you the clue that it is Allah has stated Himself in the Quran 50:16 "And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein." Of course those who do not have the knowledge of the heart may never understand it. But from both teachings of Self Knowledge and Thariqah Shiddiqiyyah, I found its truth. For He is indeed is closer than my jugular vein. And the 'ha' ﻪ is indeed giving the river of milk of which the taste never changes.

The third river as it was mentioned was the river of wine, a joy to those who drink. Now, I certainly will not say that the wine here is as the wine that people drinks nowadays. For in it is an alcohol that can create headache after too much consumption and people can get drunk and forget their own selves and do so many stupid things. Definitely not that kind of wine. The wine here is the inner wine that gives joy to those who drink it. Its source is from the letter of 'mim'  م  in the word of Ar-Rahman ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻤﻥ. The mim here is the second mim in the word of Muhammad ﻣﺤﻤّﺪ . And in our physical form, its shape is the torso. So the clue is there; for the faculty that cause us to be in joy is place spiritually there. And the state I am in now, is definitely caused by the wine.
           

And the fourth river as it was mentioned was the river of honey pure and clear. The source of this honey is from the letter of 'mim' م in the word Ar-Rahiim ﺁﻟﺭﺤﻴﻡ. The mim here is the third mim in the word of ﻣﺤﻤّﺪ Muhammad. Now, you may not see the third letter of this mim. But it is there, because the third mim is written as one in the word ﻣﺤﻤّﺪ by the existence of 'tasyid' ﹽ. It caused the mim to be pronounced longer (double consonant of m) and that is why the correct writing of Muhammad SAW is using double m instead of just one m in the middle of its syllable. And what is the honey pure and clear? It is as narrated by Anas bin Malik RA reported that the Prophet SAW said, “There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of Iman: To love Allah and His Messenger (SAW) more than anyone else; to love someone only for (the sake of) Allah; and to hate returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would hate to be thrown into the fire (of Hell).” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The third and the fourth river may seem like coming from the same location. but in truth they come from different source. As it had been mentioned that the third comes from Ar-Rahman and the fourth comes from Ar-Rahiim. Most Muslim know that His Grace bestows to anything and anyone regardless their state of being, believers or the infidels. But His Mercy is specifically bestow to the believers.

So those four rivers become one and flow out of the building the the pond of al-Kawthar. About this, I had written my interpretation in the form of poem that I haven't release in this blog. I may release in other time.

And in the verse there is something else mentioned. In it there are all kinds of fruits. To understand about the fruits, you need to read my other article under title “Thank YOU I’m alive”.

The realization of those four rivers I had in my night prayer after the public sermon was over. As the night was getting late, it finally came to an end at about 1.00 am in the morning. I got my self ready for dzikr - the remembrance that we were given during the 15th special sermon. I took my ablution and performed my night prayers first before doing dzikr. In that prayers, my heart was opened to the inner sight of that Garden. I was in total bliss. As if the past, the present and the future brought into that moment. I am humbled and grateful for such privilege. I was in joy and blissful tears for the privilege. All Praise belongs to Allah. I am home.

Sustenance of the Heart

Now, I know that by telling this, people may disagree with me. They may say that the reference that I am using isn't valid. That I don't have enough credential to prove my point of view. That it is impossible for people to know the state of the Garden. To those people, I can only feel sorry. For their ignorance and arrogance had prevented them in understanding the true religious teachings. They are in the state in which Qur’an mentioned “like a donkey carrying heavy books” [QS 62:5]. They have the books with them but do not realize its content in their own selves. 

If only they pay more attention to the content of Qur'an and believe it to be the revelation from the Truth. They should realize it in their own selves for He had mentioned about His Signs in the Universe and their own selves. About the realization of that Garden, you shouldn't be surprised for it has been mentioned that "And admit them to the Garden, which He has made known to them." [QS 47: 6] So indeed those companions had known that Garden before they entered it. And if they do not understand what I’m talking about, I wouldn’t care about it. For the next verse had mentioned very clearly “And among them, [O Muhammad], are those who listen to you, until when they depart from you, they say to those who were given knowledge, "What has he said just now?" Those are the ones of whom Allah has sealed over their hearts and who have followed their [own] desires. And those who are guided - He increases them in guidance and gives them their righteousness. “ [QS 47: 16-17]

In living this life in this world, not only we need food for physical sustenance nor thoughts for the mind to think of. Our heart also need its special kind of food. Its special kind of food is the proper feeling that the heart wish to have. If eating is the action that we do to put the food inside our body and drinking is the action to quench the thirst of this body, then realization of truth, of the feeling that people called enlightenment, called remembrance are the action of fulfilling what the heart wish. In it, we are fulfilling our inner being.

This world is a transitory. Our true home is that Garden. The four rivers are there all along. It is up to us to drink from those rivers. Yes, we need to sow the seed so that the tree may grow there. And we need to know that the tree is indeed growing. The heart can give information whether that Garden is flourishing or turning into a barren desert. But then, as barren as it may seem, when the rain comes it can turn to green. And the rain comes. As long as we are alive, we have the chance to catch that rain, to collect its water and fill the cup of this heart.

The rain that night has reached the Garden within. It is the blessing from the Lord of the Worlds. And I am blessed. Since then, every time I turn within to see the Garden, I am in gratitude. I am in peace. I am home.

Allohumma baariklana fii rajabin wa sya’bana wa ballighna ramadhana.