even, like Shaykh Geylani and Imam Rabbani, truthfully recorded their spiritual ascensions as far as the throne, which lasted a minute.

Furthermore, there is the coming and going of the luminous-bodied angels from the divine throne to the earth and from the earth to the throne in a brief period of time. [^9] And the people of Paradise ascend to the gardens of Paradise from the plain of resurrection in a short space of time. Of course, so many examples demonstrate that it is pure wisdom, completely rational, and an occurrence about which there can be no doubt that the person of Muhammad (UWBP), who is the lord of all the saints, the leader of all the believers, the head of the people of Paradise, and is accepted by all the angels, should have had an ascension which was also spiritual journeying, and that it should have been in a manner appropriate to his rank.

[^9]:Tirmidhī, Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, 19; Dārimī, Riqāq, 89; al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak, iv, 542.

Third Principle

Third Principle

What was the wisdom and purpose of the Ascension?

The Answer: The wisdom of the Ascension is so exalted that human thought cannot comprehend it. It is so profound that human thought cannot reach it, and so subtle and fine that the intellect cannot see it by itself. But even if the reality of the instances of wisdom in the Ascension cannot be comprehended, their existence may be made known by means of a number of indications, as follows.

In order to demonstrate the light of His unity and the manifestation of His oneness in the levels of multiplicity, the universe’s Creator chose an eminent individual to represent all creatures, and took him by means of an Ascension that was like a link between the furthest levels of multiplicity and the source of unity. There, addressing him as the representative of all conscious beings, He explained to him the divine purposes and made them known through him, and He observed through his gaze the beauty of His art and perfection of His dominicality in the mirrors of His creatures, and caused him to observe them.

Moreover, according to the testimony of His works, the world’s Maker possesses infinite beauty and perfection. The two of them, both beauty and perfection, are loved for themselves. Since this is so, the One possessing that beauty and perfection has an infinite love for them, and His infinite