The Muhammadan Essence
The Muhammadan essence is the first receptacle for the manifestations of the Divine Essence. This is referred to in the hadith narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, who said: “I said, O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me about the first thing Allah created. He said, ‘The first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet, O Jabir.’”
The Muhammadan essence is an Ahmadian reality, whose pinnacle is sainthood (wilayah), and whose foundation is prophethood (nubuwwah). Its station is the Praiseworthy Station (al-maqam al-mahmud), which the Prophet reached on the night of his ascension after passing the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha). At that station, he fulfilled the description: “The sight did not swerve, nor did it transgress.” (53:17)
This occurred in a moment of unity in which the Prophet’s human essence reached the summit, enabling it to witness the Divine Essence.
Following this luminous encounter, the Prophet returned to his ordinary life in Mecca. Allah had granted him a daily ascension and commanded him to persevere in it, promising that through this gradual process, he would attain the station he had briefly glimpsed during the night of ascension. Allah said: “And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional worship for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a Praiseworthy Station.” (17:79)
This ascension is prayer, through which Muhammad, by performing the prescribed prayers (salat maktuba) and voluntary prayers (nawafil), day and night, constantly drew closer to Allah, ascending with each moment. Through this, he realized, in flesh and blood, the station Allah had shown him during the night of ascension. He expressed this by saying: “The coolness of my eyes has been placed in prayer.”
The “coolness of the eyes” refers to the tranquility of the heart, which can only occur when the self (nafs) achieves inner unity after being scattered. Muhammad realized this unity through his vision of the Oneness of the Divine Essence. As a result, his self found peace, his character sweetened, and his freedom was perfected.
The greatest evidence, in my view, of the Prophet’s complete inner freedom was his aversion to exercising control over others. It is well known that he disliked being distinguished from his companions and preferred to be like one of them. He would forbid them from venerating him excessively, saying: “Do not extol me as the non-Arabs extol their kings.” He also said: “Whoever loves for men to stand for him in reverence, let him prepare his seat in the Fire.”
On one occasion, a man came to him and was overcome with awe, trembling and unable to express his need. The Prophet said to him: “Take it easy! I am not a king; I am but the son of a woman from Quraysh who used to eat dried meat.” The man’s anxiety eased, and he regained his composure and the dignity of his humanity.
The Prophet was once given the choice: to be a Prophet-King or a Prophet-Servant, and he chose to be a Prophet-Servant. Servitude to Allah is the ultimate form of freedom. The more a person humbles himself before Allah, the greater his freedom becomes - and the reverse is also true. Kingship, by its nature, involves domination over others, which diminishes one’s servitude to Allah and, consequently, one’s freedom.
Thus, the Prophet chose freedom, in the sense that he chose servitude to Allah.
This was a self that had achieved perfect internal health, where all inner forces were harmonized, free from illusions and falsehoods, and untainted by anxiety or primitive, naïve, fears.
How desperately humanity today needs to emulate this self, which had attained the heights of internal health. Such emulation, done with precision, would allow every man and woman to achieve inner unity, mature individuality, and liberate their personality from the pervasive unrest and anxiety of the modern age. This unrest has corrupted the lives of men, women, and youth across the world.
