After mentioning the Prophet’s journey from the Masjid al-Haram in Makka to the Masjid al-Aqsa’ in Jerusalem (the beginning of his Ascen-sion), the Qur’an concludes: Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. The pronoun He in Surely He is, which alludes to the furthest point of the Ascension which is indicated in 53:4-18 above, refers either to Almighty God or the Prophet.

(Note: Belief in the Prophet’s Ascension is the result of, and draws its light and strength from, belief in the pillars of belief.[1] The Ascension cannot be proved independently to those who do not accept these pillars. Therefore we address believers who doubt it. From time to time, however, we shall address unbelievers. Some aspects of the Ascension’s truth have been mentioned elsewhere in the Risale-i Nur. At the insistence of my brothers, we seek God’s grace and help to unite them with the essence of that truth and to gather all of them into a mirror to reflect the perfections of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, in all their beauty.)

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Glory be to Him Who transported His servant by night from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa’, the environs of which We had blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (17:1)

It is naught but a revelation revealed. One with mighty power taught it, one exalted in wisdom and strength: he rose, while he was in the highest horizon. Then he approached and came nearer. He was at a distance of two bows’ length or even nearer. And He revealed unto His servant what He revealed. The heart did not falsify what he saw. Will you then dispute with him concerning what he saw? Surely he saw him (another time when) he (Gabriel) descended, near the lote-tree of the farthest limit. Beside it is the Garden of Abode. It was when what enveloped the lote-tree enveloped it. The eye did not waver, nor did it stray. Truly did he see some of the greatest signs of his Lord. (53:4-18)

Out of the first verse’s vast treasury, we shall describe only two points which the pronoun He in Surely He is·refers to as a principle of eloquence, since they are included in our present concern.

After mentioning the Prophet’s journey from the Masjid al-Haram in Makka to the Masjid al-Aqsa’ in Jerusalem (the beginning of his Ascen-sion), the Qur’an concludes: Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. The pronoun He in Surely He is, which alludes to the furthest point of the Ascension which is indicated in 53:4-18 above, refers either to Almighty God or the Prophet.

If it refers to the Prophet, according to the rules of the language and the preceding part of the verse, it means: This apparently particular journey is, in reality, comprehensive. It signifies such a universal ascent that, during it, the Prophet heard and saw all of the Lord’s signs and the Divine art’s wonders that caught his sight and encountered his ears due to the Divine Names’ manifestations in universal degrees as far as the lote-tree of the farthest limit and the distance of two bows’ length. Thus, through its conclusive phrase, the verse describes that particular journey as the key opening [or door opened to] a (higher) journey that is universal and full of extraordinary events.

If this pronoun refers to God Almighty, it means: God called His servant on a journey to His Presence and entrusted him with a duty, after sending him from the Masjid al-Haram to the Masjid al-Aqsa’ (where the Prophets came together). There, he met with them and showed that he is the absolute, indisputable heir of all the Prophets’ principles of religion. God then took him through both the external and inner dimensions of His dominion as far as the lote-tree of the farthest limit and the distance of two bows’ length.

We know that he was a servant and that his Ascension was a particular event. However, since he was given a trust connected to the whole universe, was accorded a light that would change the universe’s color, and also had a key that opens the door to eternal happiness, Almighty God describes Himself as the One Who hears and sees all things so that His world-embracing, comprehensive and all-encompassing wisdom in the trust, the light, and the key might be observed and understood.

This mighty truth contained in the Ascension may be dealt with under four principles: Why was the Ascension necessary, what is its reality, what is its wisdom, and what are its fruits and benefits?

[1] 1These are belief in God’s Existence and Unity, angels, Scriptures, Prophethood and Divine Messengership (including belief in all of God’s Prophets and Messengers), and the Resurrection and Divine Decree and Destiny, without excluding human free will. (Tr.)

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