in the garment of a fruit, it would surely be clothed in it at the end. And since the fruit is humankind; and since, as was proved above, the most famous fruit and sublime result from among humankind, who attracted the attention of all and confined to himself the gaze of a fifth of humankind, and with his moral and spiritual qualities caused the world to look on him with feelings of either love or wonder, is the Person of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), most certainly, light, which was the seed from which the universe was formed, would become clothed in corporeality in his person and would appear in the form of an ultimate fruit.

O listener! Do not consider it improbable that this strange and mighty universe is created from the particular essence of a human being! Why should the All-Powerful One of Glory, Who creates a huge pine tree – a sort of world – from a seed the size of a wheat grain, not create the universe from the Light of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace)? Why should He not be able to do so?

Since, like the Tree of Tuba, the tree of the universe has its roots and trunk above and branches below, there is a luminous connecting line from the level of the fruit below to that of the original seed. Thus, the Ascension is the sheath and form of that connecting line, the way of which Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) opened up. He went through his sainthood, returned through his messengership, and left the door open. The saints of his community following after him, travel that luminous highway with the heart and spirit in the shadow of the Prophet’s (UWBP) Ascension, and according to their abilities, rise to elevated ranks.

Also, as was proved above, the universe’s Maker made it and decked it out in the form of a palace for the aims demonstrated in the answer to the first difficulty. Since Muhammad (UWBP) was the means of all those aims being realized, he must have been regarded with favour by the universe’s Maker before the universe was created, he must have been the first recipient of His manifestation. For the result and fruit of a thing is considered first. That is to say, material existence comes last and meaning comes first. However, since Muhammad (UWBP) was both the most perfect fruit, and the means of all other fruits acquiring value, and the means of all the aims becoming manifest, his Light must have received the first manifestation of creativity. [^19]

[^19]:al-‘Ajlūnī, Kashf al-Khafā’, i, 265.

Your Third Difficulty

Your Third Difficulty: This is so extensive that people like us with straitened minds cannot encompass or comprehend it. We can, however, look at it from afar.