Prophet Muhammad saw only God's signs and symbols--not God himself

[Guest guest]

>

> But this could not be a long-term solution. Somehow Muhammad had to win over

the Quraysh. In 619, he began to preach to the pilgrims and merchants who

attended the trade fairs that culminated in the hajj [the pilgrimage to Mecca].

Perhaps, like Abu Bakr, he would find a Bedouin protector, and if the Qurayshan

establishment saw that he was respected by their Bedouin confederates, they

might learn to accommodate him. But the Bedouin pilgrims were hostile and

insulting. The last thing they wanted was a religion that preached submission

and humility. Muhammad must have felt that he had come to the end of his

resources. He was still grieving for Khadijah; his position in Mecca was

desperately precarious; and after preaching for seven years, he had made no real

headway. Yet at this low point of his career, he had the greatest personal

mystical experience of his life.

>

> He had been visiting one of his cousins who lived near the Haram [sanctuary

surrounding the Kabah], so he decided to spend the night in prayer beside the

Kabah, as he loved to do. (p.94) Eventually he went to sleep for a while in the

enclosed area to the northwest of the shrine, which housed the tombs of Ishmael

and Hagar. Then, it seemed to him that he was awakened by Gabriel and conveyed

miraculously to Jerusalem, the holy city of the Jews and Christians--an

experience that may have been recorded by this oblique verse of the Qur'an:

>

> Limitless in His glory is He who transported His servant by night from the

Inviolable House of Worship ('al masjid al-haram') to the Remote House of

Worship ('al-masjid al-aqsa')--the environs of which We had blessed--so that We

might show him some of Our symbols ('ayat'). [4]

>

> Jerusalem is not mentioned by name, but later tradition associated the " Remote

House " with the holy city of the People of the Book, the Jews and the

Christians. According to the historian Tabari, Muhammad told his companions that

he had once been taken by the angels Gabriel and Michael to meet his " fathers " :

Adam (in the first heaven) and Abraham (in the seventh), and that he also saw

his " brothers " : Jesus, Enoch, Aaron, Moses, and Joseph. [5] The Qur'an also

claimed that Muhammad had a vision beside the " lote tree " which marked the limit

of human knowledge:

>

> He saw it descending another time

> at the lote tree of the furthest limit

> There was the garden of sanctuary

> When something came down over the lote tree enfolding

> His gaze did not turn aside nor go too far

> He had seen the sight of his lord, great signs (ayat) [6]

>

> The Qur'an is reticent about this vision. He saw only God's signs and

symbols--not God himself, and later mystics emphasized the paradox of this

transcendent insight, in which Muhammad both saw and did not see the divine

essence.

>

> Later Muslims began to piece together these fragmentary references to create a

coherent narrative. Influenced perhaps by the stories told by Jewish mystics of

their ascent through the seven heavens to the throne of God, they imagined their

prophet making a similar spiritual flight. The first account of this " night

journey " ('isra) is found in the eighth-century biography by Ibn Ishaq. In this

extended story, Gabriel lifted the Prophet onto a heavenly steed and together

they flew through the night to Jerusalem, where they alighted on the site of the

ancient Jewish Temple, the " Remote House " of the Qur'an. There they were greeted

by Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the great prophets of the past, who welcomed

Muhammad into their fellowship and invited him to preach to them. Afterwards the

prophets all prayed together. Then a ladder was brought and Muhammad and Gabriel

climbed to the first of the seven heavens and began their ascent to the divine

throne. At each stage, Muhammad met and conversed with some of the greatest of

the prophets. Adam presided over the first heaven, where Muhammad was shown a

vision of Hell; Jesus and John the Baptist were in the second heaven; Joseph in

the third; Enoch in the fourth; Moses and Aaron in the fifth and sixth, and

finally Muhammad met Abraham in the seventh, on the threshold of the divine

realm.

>

> (p.96) Most writers leave the final vision of God in reverent obscurity,

because it was literally ineffable, lying beyond the reach of speech. Muhammad

had to abandon ordinary human concepts, going beyond the lote tree, the boundary

of mundane knowledge. Even Gabriel could not accompany him on this last stage of

his journey. He had to leave everybody and--the later mystics insisted--even

himself behind to lose himself in God. The story of the night journey and the

heavenly ascent is an event that--in some sense--happened once, but which also

happens all the time. It represented a perfect act of islam, a self-surrender

that was also a return to the source of being. The story became the paradigm of

Muslim spirituality, outlining the path that all human beings must take, away

from their preconceptions, their prejudices, and the limitations of egotism.

>

> The vision did not result in a Qur'anic revelation; it was a personal

experience for the Prophet himself.

>

 

Dear believers of the Great News,

 

Namaste - i bow to His Ruh who resides in you!

 

i wish to point out that Prophet Muahmmad's meraj was within himself,

and not a physical journey as Karen Armstrong and many Muslim scholars

believe. i hope to clarify a mystical experience quite misunderstood

and erroneously believed to be 'out-of-body'.

 

" Like Jesus, toward whom he felt great respect and kinship, Muhammad

experienced certain events that fit the profile of classic mystical

encounters. One in particular is still the source of dispute among

Islamic scholars. Around the year 619 or 620, according to tradition,

Muhammad had either an extraordinary vision or a miraculous journey.

Awakened one night by the Archangel Gabriel, he was taken on a

heavenly tour mounted on Buraq, a white winged beast “between a mule

and an ass,” from Mecca to Jerusalem, with stops at Mount Sinai and

Bethlehem. At the Temple in Jerusalem, he prayed with Abraham, Moses,

and Jesus before ascending a celestial ladder of seven planes of

being to the seventh heaven and beyond, where he communed with the

formless God, utterly dazzled by this direct merging...

 

This voyage is known as the Night Journey (al-Isra) and the Ascension

(al-Miraj), and Muslim scholars still debate whether it occurred

miraculously in bodily form or took place on the astral or spirit

plane. Aisha later claimed that Muhammad was sleeping beside her all

night, and both versions have their supporters. The astral theory has

marked parallels to the mystical and out-of-body experiences in other

traditions, as well as to the ascension in Christian and Gnostic

literature.”

 

Peter Occhiogrosso, The Joy of Sects (Islam),

Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1996 p. 412-13

 

 

Meraj Of Prophet Muhammad

 

" There are a number of legends about the early life of Mohammed,

founder of the religion of Islam.

 

It is said that just before Mohammed’s birth his father, Abdula,

dreamt of his unborn son. He saw growing from his child’s back a

tree, which climbed upward, and reaching its full height emitted a

light that spread around the world.

 

Most Muslims interpret the dream and its imagery symbolically. The

tree would of course represent the religion of Islam, supported by

Mohammed. The light is the wisdom of his teachings that have truly

been globally disseminated.

 

However we also know that the tree in Mohammed’s back could be

the ‘tree of life’ and is a common symbol in Middle Eastern and

Islamic culture. Carl Jung, after years of studying the language of

the unconscious, interpreted the tree of life as one of the universal

unconscious’s synonyms for the Kundalini.

 

The Kundalini, said Jung, is a spiritual energy best documented by

(but by no means exclusive to) the yogis of India. It should not at

all be surprising, should we take an open-minded and closer look at

Islam, that as with the other great religions, we find a deeper, more

mystical and universal message: that of self realisation and the

mechanism by which it occurs — Kundalini awakening. Every culture and

religion has had individuals who have achieved a living, spontaneous,

direct experience of their religion. A dynamic, suprahuman awareness

that went beyond dogma and blind faith. The Gnostics of Christianity,

the Yogis of Hinduism, the Fang-Shi of Tao and the Sufis of Islam all

achieved these states and each have spoken of experiences that,

despite differences of appearance, are strikingly similar in content.

 

Let us then look at Abdula’s dream from a yogic perspective. We can

suggest that he actually saw the uniquely powerful Kundalini of his

son. The ascent of Mohammed’s Kundalini was not simply of individual

importance to Mohammed but had global, even cosmic significance. For

the light, the divine energy of Mohammed’s Kundalini, was about to

affect a spiritual and cultural revolution in Arabia. Mohammed was

the vessel through which the universal unconscious, or ‘divine’,

or ‘God’ was about to act.

 

As a child and young man Mohammed showed few signs of his prophetic

destiny. He was well known for his moral integrity and good character

but it was not until his forties that he became aware of his true

purpose. Through a series of transformative experiences Mohammed was

prepared for his divine role. These experiences culminated in the

amazing Meraj (or ‘Ascent’).

 

The experience of the Meraj, like the rising kundalini that Abdula

had seen, would not only revolutionise Mohammed’s awareness but send

out shock waves which resonated in the unconscious of all Arabians

and later, all the world.

 

Through the Meraj Mohammed realized the need for the establishment of

a new culture. He was to establish a creed that went beyond the petty

tribal boundaries, blood feuds and violent practices prevalent at the

time. To go beyond such ingrained behaviour patterns Mohammed drew

upon an awareness of superhuman proportions. He transcended the

limitations of the human mind and tapped into the universal

intelligence. His vision then became universal: to unite the peoples

of Arabia under a system of morality, justice and compassion. A

system that would serve as the foundation for one of the greatest

civilisations in recorded history.

 

The Meraj gave Mohammed the confidence, wisdom and superhuman energy

to attempt such a revolution.

 

In this visionary experience the angel Gabriel escorted Mohammed from

his humble quarters to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. There the

Buraq, a fantastic steed with the body of a horse, the head of a

woman and the wings of a bird, greeted him. She shone with dazzling

white brightness and her tremendous strength bore Mohammed up into

the cosmos through the various divine dimensions.

 

Gabriel escorted Mohammed on the Buraq through the seven heavens.

Each heaven had its own guardian angel and resident prophet who ruled

the dimension in accordance with God’s laws. Mohammed bowed to

guardian angels who determined his readiness to enter into their

heaven, and then Mohammed respectfully paid homage to the reigning

prophet. The prophet in turn blessed Mohammed and ushered him on to

the next heaven and so on.

 

At the sixth heaven Gabriel brought Mohammed to the verge of the

seventh. The archangel said that he himself could go no further.

This, the seventh heaven, was the last frontier between god and man

and Mohammed was ushered into the place described as the abode of God

almighty.

 

Their Mohammed saw a beautiful, radiant tree with wondrous

multicolored leaves. It was here that he communed with God and

learned of his true purpose.

 

This beautiful and inspiring vision has motivated millions of Muslims

for more than a thousand years. Its significance becomes even more

universal when we examine it from the perspective of kundalini

awakening, using the symbolic language of the universal unconscious.

 

The seven heavens through which Mohammed passed must of course

correspond to the seven chakras that exist within the human body.

Each chakra, say the yogis, is the abode of a special deity whose

character embodies the chakra’s innate spiritual qualities. The human

chakra system is a microcosm for the entire Eastern pantheon of gods,

goddesses and heavenly beings. The prophets and angels that Mohammed

encountered in each heaven could well have been these same inner

deities that the yogis personally discovered through intense

meditation.

 

The seventh heaven or chakra is the ‘Crown Chakra’ also termed

Sahasrara. Yogis have described it as the most important of all the

chakras for it represents the ultimate level of mystic awareness.

 

Like all the chakras it has a specific number of petals (in this case

more than a thousand)|. Each chakra not only has a specific number of

petals but also a specific radiant colour. The sahasrara’s appearance

however is said to contain all the colours of the rainbow for it

contains within it all the aspects (and hence the colours) of the six

other chakras below it.

 

Such ancient yogic descriptions of the sahasrara could logically

correspond to the resplendent and multicoloured sidrat which Mohammed

encountered in the 7th heaven.

 

The kundalini is a feminine energy often described as an ‘inner

goddess’ or ‘mother energy’. Her ascent from the sacrum, through the

chakras located in the spinal cord, is the process of self-

realisation. When the kundalini arrives in the crown chakra

(sahasrara) the seeker experiences the complete transformation of

awareness. One is taken beyond the limits of the human mind into the

mystical states of meditation described by sufis and yogis alike.

 

In fact C.G. Jung described the kundalini as the ‘divine

feminine ‘or ‘God the mother’. Notably, Mohammed’s vehicle for his

own ascent through the heavenly dimensions was the lady-faced,

dazzling buraq. The buraq could well be a feminine, Arabic synonym

for kundalini.

 

In conclusion Mohammed’s ascent through the seven heavens was, in

fact, the ascent of the kundalini, taking his consciousness with it,

to divine union with the god almighty.

 

It is no coincidence that the entire Meraj is described to have

started and finished in an incredibly short period of time: While

sitting in his room Mohammad heard someone grasp the door handle and

the sound of the latch clicking was the last thing he heard before

Gabriel’s appearance and the duo’s departure on their spiritual

journey. Mohammed’s return to mundane experience restarts with the

next few clicks of the same latch movement. In other words the entire

experience occurred in a sort of ‘no-time’. This is not an unusual

proposition since meditation is a state of awareness created by the

ascent of the kundalini through the chakras. As it pierces the sixth

chakra (‘third eye’ or Agnya) and seventh, it takes the meditator

into the state of ‘thoughtless awareness’ (Nirvichara Samadhi) and

beyond. This is a simple state where one experiences true mental

silence, beyond the normal mental awareness of past/future,

cause/effect.

 

The mind, as this editorial column has often discussed before, can

only deal with the dimension of past and future, cause and effect,

thought and memory. However, the state of meditation begins in

the ‘spaces between the thoughts’. This is the numinous dimension

where there is no passage of time but only a singular, silent,

eternal, thought-free and joyful experience.

 

It was from this dimension of awareness that Mohammed perceived the

divine vision of a universal culture and spirituality. Through his

meditative vision he learned of humanity’s higher potential. Thus his

mystic perception of the universal spirit and its presence within

each of us became the template upon which he sought to fashion a new

society whose foundations lay not in issues of common material

interest but in the unique awareness of Self-Realization. Mohammed

was, in fact, laying the first building blocks for the emergence of a

spiritual civilization that may only now come into fruition.” [1]

 

Prophet Muhammad was at all times besides His wife when He

experienced this mystical journey (Meraj) to heaven. Kash made about

1300 such journeys to heaven. Prophet Muhammad made the journey

within. Kash also made these journeys within. Both reached the

mystical heaven--the Sahasrara or Kingdom of God--within!

 

However, in no way is Kash compared or elevated to Prophet Muhammad.

Far from it. But there is a reason he met Prophet Muhammad, a reason

absolutely necessary to confirm what the Qur'an reveals about His Ruh

(Spirit) and the announcement of Al-Qiyamah. These exacting pre-

ordained conditions beyond human manipulation form the phalanx of

Sure Signs that commences Al-Qiyamah.

 

Prophet Muhammad saw only God's signs and symbols--not God himself.

However Kash, Arwinder and Lalita have without question been shown

far more. Above all, it is the clarity of their experiences that

stands out, a reality that they could return to at any given moment.

This unprecedented ability allowed instant, constant cross-

examination, questioning and verification of facts over the years.

Let me give an example of this priceless mystical ability:

 

“But Papa, He’s Huge!”

 

Kash's father questioned him about the color, features, and physique

of Shri Jesus as his description contradicted that of the Church.

Kash explained that Shri Jesus definitely had light brown skin. His

eyes and hair were dark brown. Only these features had resemblance to

the Christ depicted by the Christians. Put simply, His face — nose,

mouth, cheeks, chin, and eyebrows — resembled that of the Church

Christ! Other than that it was a completely different story.

 

There was controversy concerning His size. Kash's father was certain

that Shri Jesus was a thin, pathetic, shriveled, human being. It was

a universally accepted fact! Surely Kash had constantly — in school

and public — seen crosses being worn as pendants around necks or

displayed on walls, attesting to His thin physique. But Kash

disagreed. He differed despite being reminded that most Christians

all over the world know only a weak, shriveled Christ. Kash kept

telling that it was not the Truth, insisting that Shri Christ was

tallest, strongest, and most well built among all in the Kingdom of

God. He explained that He was a giant of a man, a towering icon of

strength that exuded immense confidence and fearlessness! Kash

refused to compromise.

 

There were apprehension and concern that his son might be 'mistaken,'

and the father tried to elicit a hint of the Church-like Christ. This

Revelation was controversial and his father was trying desperately to

bridge the gap between the Christ of the Church and the eternal

Christ in His Dominion.

 

At this early stage his father had no idea of the depth of deception

and darkness that the Church had led His followers into. In his heart

popes were divine personalities who, as His Vicars, must have been on

intimate terms. Lord Jesus must have met scores of popes thousands of

times during the last twenty centuries. So how could Kash, a mere

thirteen-year-old kid, still insist that Jesus was a massive,

muscular Divine Being whereas one billion 700 million Christians

visualize Him as a frail, weak man.

 

Kash closed his eyes a number of times to recall what he saw, and

came back every time with the same answer — No! Shri Jesus was the

tallest, biggest, and strongest Incarnation in the Kingdom of God.

 

Still his father doubted this gladiator-like Christ that his son was

talking about with a cool confidence. The father's mind, conditioned

over the decades, just could not bring itself to adjust to this

abrupt, radical change. The mental pictures of a skinny Church Christ

hanging from countless crosses, remained indelible. However, the

adult mind that conjectured a Christ he had never seen was no match

for that mystic surety of a child traveling into the unfathomable

depths of the soul.”

 

1. Still not believing Kash about skin color, a second opinion was

sought from an Afro-American friend Mitch Mitchell who reasoned that

Shri Jesus should be light brown in colour given the fact that He was

a Jew born in Palestine.

 

2 This physical profile of the Universal Savior greatly pleased Kash.

After all, he was an avid sports enthusiast and was very impressed

(probably awed) by the huge, massive mass that dwarfed him.

 

Shri Adi Shakti: The Kingdom Of God, 1999, page 310

 

 

The Qur'an is reticent about Prophet Muhammad’s vision i.e.,

restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance. He saw only

God's signs and symbols--not God himself, and later mystics

emphasized the paradox of this transcendent insight, in which

Muhammad both saw and did not see the divine essence. But that is not

the case with Kash, Arwinder and Lalita. All three siblings have made

thousands of such mystical journeys over more than a decade,

experiences whose clarity of expression, presentation, or appearance

are beyond any reproach or shadow of doubt.

 

Kash, Arwinder and Lalita have all claimed that an extremely bright

Light is always above Shri Mataji's abode. According to Imam

Kalamazad Mohammed the " Holy Quran tells us that Allah is the light

of the heavens and the earth and that He guides to His light whom He

pleases. "

 

" Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth... Allah doth guide

whom He will to His Light. " Surah 24:35 An-Nur (Light)

 

After a decade of their collective experiences, Lalita was questioned.

 

”Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:59 pm

 

A few months ago i asked my ten-year-old daughter Lalita what that

immensely brilliant Light above the Adi Shakti in her Sahasrara is.

She replied " God! "

 

i remained silent for a long time to absorb the immensity of that

single word answer.”

 

 

regards to all,

 

 

jagbir

 

1. Knowledge of Reality, Yogic Insights into Islam (Issue 15)