Prayer has two meanings

Prayer carries both a distant meaning and a proximate one. It emerged on two distinct levels of the Prophet's witnessing of his Lord, which the Qur’an narrates as follows: "He was taught by One mighty in power, possessing great strength, and he rose to [his] true form. While he was in the highest part of the horizon, then he approached and descended and was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer. And he revealed to His servant what he revealed. The heart did not lie [about] what it saw. So will you dispute with him over what he saw? And he certainly saw him in another descent at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, near it is the Garden of Refuge, when there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it]. The sight did not swerve, nor did it exceed [its limit]. He certainly saw [some] of the greatest signs of his Lord." (53:5–18).
The first scene pertains to witnessing through the Divine Names, whereas the second pertains to witnessing the Divine Essence. Allah, the Exalted, says: "Every day He is bringing about a [new] matter," (55:29) and His matter is the unveiling of His Essence to His servants. This unveiling involves descending from the profound realm of the Divine Essence to the levels accessible to His servants, enabling them to ascend through these acts of descent toward the presence of the Divine Essence. Allah describes these descents, saying: "And it is a Qur’an which We have separated that you might recite it to the people over a prolonged period. And We have sent it down progressively." (17:106).
The Qur’an represents remembrance (Dhikr) in the station of union (al-Jama’), while the Furqan (the Criterion) represents remembrance at the station of differentiation (al-Farq). The station of differentiation refers to the descent into the realm of attributes and actions, as indicated by: "And We have sent it down progressively." (17:106).
This means it descends repeatedly, through stages, to provide the paths for the knowers to ascend through the stages, one after another, until they stand at the threshold of the Divine Essence.
"And with the truth We have sent it down, and with the truth it has descended. And We have not sent you except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner." (17:105).
The phrase "With the truth We have sent it down" refers to the Dhikr at the station of union, which is the Qur’an. "And with the truth it has descended" refers to the Furqan at the station of differentiation.
The Dhikr is at the station of the “union of union” (Jama‘ al-Jama‘). It is the station of Divine Name in proximity to the Divine Essence. The Qur’an is the station of union (Jama‘), representing the Station of Divine Name in proximity to the Divine Attributes. The Furqan is the station of differentiation (Farq), which represents multiplicity, starting with duality. This is the Station of Attribute and Action.
At its highest level, the Station of Action is pure monotheism (Tawhid), and at its lowest, it borders on associating partners (shirk), as multiplicity emerges from the Creator's actions. For those distracted by creation from the Creator, this represents shirk. However, for those who perceive the actions of creation as emanating from the Creator, this is Tawhid. Indeed, true Tawhid resides in recognizing the "Unity of Action", seeing the Creator's Actions behind the actions of His creation.
Revelation descends to the lowest levels of multiplicity, particularly in its aspect of majesty (Jalal), manifesting as warnings. Its purpose is to unite people towards Allah, drawing them from the distractions of multiplicity, as conveyed in: "And We have not sent you except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner." (17:105).
The entirety of Tawhid is practiced at the station of the "Unity of Action" (Wahdat al-Fa’il), for it is the realm of hidden polytheism (shirk). No servant can ever be entirely free of hidden polytheism, for it becomes subtler than a hair and sharper than a sword, persisting indefinitely. It is the veil separating Absolute Unity, belonging to the Lord, and relative unity, allocated to the servant.
The station of Action corresponds to God’s Oneness (Wahidiyyah), which is an attribute of the Deity: "And your god is one God. There is no Deity except Him, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate" (2:163).
In truth, people have not denied Allah; rather, they have denied the Deity. The Deity represents Allah’s descent to the rank of Action on a smaller scale, where resemblance [to presumed human action] can arise, and ambiguity prevails. These are the levels of hidden polytheism (shirk), which intensifies as it retreats into greater subtlety.
The Qur’an addresses this understanding: "If you asked them who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon, they would surely say, 'Allah.' Then how are they deluded? Allah extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts it for them. Indeed, Allah is of all things Knowing" (29:61–62).
This verse implies that people attribute the grand, visible actions, those in which they cannot claim participation, such as the creation of the heavens and the earth, to Allah. However, for smaller actions, in which they appear to play a part, they attribute the outcome to themselves. If you asked them, “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they would reply, “Allah.” Yet, if you asked, “Who provides for you?” their response, in practice if not in words, would attribute it to their own effort and toil.
Polytheism (Shirk) primarily resides in matters of sustenance (rizq). The knowers have said that man flees from his appointed term (ajal) and pursues his provision (rizq). Yet, in truth, both his term and his provision pursue him relentlessly. He cannot escape his appointed time, nor can he evade his provision. If a servant truly attains certainty in their Lord, they will realize that whatever morsel has been decreed for them will surely reach them, regardless of their actions to avoid or pursue it.
The second verse emphasizes that the Creator of the heavens and the earth is the same as the One who provides sustenance to His servants. The Creator is singularly responsible for both grand and minor acts: "Or have they attributed to Allah partners who created like His creation so that the creation [of each] seemed similar to them? Say, 'Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Prevailing'" (13:16).
The rank of “Unity of Action” (Wahdat al-Fa’il) represents the first rank of Divine manifestation as it relates to the servant. It is also the first rank of ascension toward Allah, "the Possessor of Ascension."
The rank that follows it, is “Unity of Attribute” (Wahdat al-Sifah): This corresponds to the rank of Singularity (Ahadiyyah), which is an attribute of Allah: "Say, He is Allah, The Only One" (112:1).
The third one is the rank of The Name (Martibat al-Ism): This is represented by the Divine Name "Allah". Beyond this rank lies only the pure Essence (Dhat).
The meaning of Al-Wahid (the One) is the singular one, the one that cannot be divided, marking this level of uniqueness or singularity.
The meaning of Al-Ahad (the Unique One) is He who is unlike any that have come, nor will any come who are like Him. Or, He is the One of whom "There is nothing like unto Him" (42:11). This represents the intermediate level of uniqueness.
The meaning of "Allah" is that He is exalted and transcendent beyond having any defined meaning. However, from the perspective of creation, He is the object of all attributes. From the perspective of the Divine Essence, [the term] "Allah" is merely an indication of the absolutely Pure Essence, which transcends being named or described.
The significance of "Allah" as the object of attributes lies in Him being the definitive mark of the first manifestation from the Absoluteness of the Essence. It represents the highest level of individuation. These three levels, along with numerous other levels below them, constitute a descending progression from the perspective of the Divine Essence, while they serve as an ascension for the servant. The ascent occurs as the servant traverses these stages, one by one.
The ascent is the traversal of these stages, and we have mentioned that the Prophet, during his Ascension (Mi'raj), witnessed his Lord on two levels. The first witnessing was the level of the Divine Names (as-Mā’ī), while the second was of the Divine Essence (dhātī). The witnessing of the Divine Names is what we detailed in the three stages. The witnessing of the Divine Names pertains to the manifestations of the Essence in creation. The Prophet witnessed the Divine manifestations in Gabriel (Jibril). The Qur’an tells us in the verses of Surah "An-Najm", which we mentioned earlier: "His knowledge is powerful, the one of tremendous might" (53:5), referring to Gabriel. Gabriel is described as having strength, and the meaning of "Fasṭawā" refers to him being in the form that Allah created him in, which is the highest manifestation of Gabriel as a reflector of the Divine Names. This is further indicated by the verse: "And he is in the highest part of the horizon" (53:7), which relates to the Essence of Allah. Then, the verse continues: "Then he drew near and descended" (53:8), signifying the descent of the manifestation of the Divine Names from the level of Essence to the level of Attributes, and then to the level of Actions, where he settled "And was at the distance of two bows' length or nearer" (53:9).
This trinity alludes to the intellect, but the space here does not allow for a detailed exploration. Finally, the verse "So he revealed to His servant what He revealed" (53:10) indicates that Gabriel conveyed the divine revelation to the servant of Allah, Muhammad.
This explanation pertains to the witnessing of the Divine Names (al-Asmā’). As for the witnessing of the Essence (al-Dhāt), it has been concealed within the expressions of the Qur’an, for it is beyond description and can only be indicated through subtle allusions. A phrase, which is precise, concise, and of great value for those on the spiritual path, was used to refer to this witnessing of the Essence symbolically. This is the verse: "The sight did not swerve, nor did it exceed" (53:17)
Since the Sidrat al-Muntahā (Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary) marks the end of dualistic (Shaf‘i) or paired witnessing and the beginning of singular, or unitary (Watri), or monistic witnessing, the Qur’an informs us of this moment, saying: "When the Lote Tree was covered with what covered it." (53:16) from the point of the witnessing of the Essence, the Prophet reached the station of "The sight did not swerve, nor did it exceed." Here, "sight" (al-Baṣar) and "insight" (al-Baṣīrah) are one, for this is the station of Unity. It implies focus of intellect, with no distraction toward the past ("did not swerve") or the future ("nor did it exceed").
Thus, the Prophet, overwhelmed by the witnessing of the Divine Essence, became absorbed in all of its dimensions, to the point that he became a spatial unity within a temporal unity. Through this complete, encompassing unity (Tawhid), he transcended time and space, and became liberated from both, witnessing God (Allāh), an Essence that cannot be contained by space or time. This is a witnessing of the Essence, where expression has no place. Here, prayer in its distant meaning was established. It was ordained in the tongue of his state of being (hal), as the tongue of speech (maqal) was muted. Gabriel was not present; rather, his presence was only during the establishment of prayer in its proximate meaning.
Prayer, in its proximate meaning, refers to the prescribed ritual prayer with its familiar movements. This form of prayer was ordained at the station of "two bow lengths or nearer", the station of witnessing the Divine Names. The witnessing of the Divine Names serves as a means to the witnessing of the Divine Essence. For the ascending servant, the journey begins with witnessing the Unity of Action (wahdat al-fi‘l), progresses to witnessing the Unity of Attribute (wahdat al-ṣifah), and ascends further to witnessing the Unity of Name (wahdat al-ism). Beyond this lies the witnessing of the Divine Essence (al-Dhāt), which is not a station but rather an ephemeral glance and an all-encompassing absorption. At this point, the natural human instinct calls out, "O people of Yathrib, there is no abiding here, so return."
The servant then descends back through the stages of ascent. During this descent, they witness the station of the Unity of Name, followed by the Unity of Attribute, and then the Unity of Action. Thus, the servant experiences each station twice, once during ascent and once during descent, but in differing manifestations, as repetition is impossible in those exalted stations. For, as the Qur’an states, "Every day He is in a [new] matter" (55:29).
All the witnessing during the descent surpasses what was witnessed during the ascent. This is why the prayer was ordained as fifty at the station of "two bow lengths or nearer" during the Ascension but was reduced to five during the descent from the Ascension. The wisdom behind this reduction lies in the Prophet's enhanced knowledge of Allah following his witnessing of the Divine Essence. The knowledgeable servant is always granted leniency, as indicated by the principle: "What would Allah do with your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And Allah is Most Appreciative, All-Knowing" (4:147).
In the station of witnessing the Divine Essence, prayer in its ultimate meaning was ordained. This is the connection with Allah without any intermediary, at the station of "The sight did not swerve, nor did it exceed" (53:17). Here, the servant's created self dissolves, leaving only their eternal essence in direct connection with the Eternal, without any mediator or intermediary. At this station, means and ends vanish, leaving only the Oneness: "And no ships of expression have any share here."
Gabriel was not present at this station because he has no such essence, no self, capable of enduring the radiance of the Divine Essence. This distinction ultimately makes all human beings, in their potential, more complete than even the elect among the angels. The perfection of angels relative to humans is one of degree, while the perfection of humans is one of inherent nature. This is reflected in the Prophet's saying: "If you did not sin and seek forgiveness, Allah would bring forth a people who would sin and seek forgiveness, and He would forgive them."
Gabriel's absence was also due to another reason: his presence would make the Prophet part of a pair (dual), whereas pairing is unsuitable for witnessing Singularity (the Divine Unity). At the station of witnessing the Divine Names, prayer in its proximate meaning, the prescribed ritual prayer, was ordained. Gabriel served as the intermediary for this, bringing to the Prophet in Mecca the details of its form, timings, and ablution, teaching him how to pray.
This does not mean that the Prophet was not engaged in prayer before the Ascension. On the contrary, he had been in a state of prayer even before his prophetic mission, during his devotions in the cave of Hira. However, the form of his earlier prayer was perfected after the Ascension, resulting in the prayer we know today. This prayer was established as a means of ascension, for the Prophet primarily, and for his nation secondarily. It serves as an ascent to the Praised Station, which the Prophet attained in the witnessing described as, "The sight did not swerve, nor did it exceed" (53:17).
Regarding this Praised Station, Allah says about His Prophet: "And during the night, pray with it as an additional act of worship for you; it is expected that your Lord will raise you to a Praised Station" (17:79).