SALÂM – سلام

 

Literally: Soundness. Freedom from imperfection. Safety. Security from harm. Immunity. A source, means, or assurance of immunity; especially Allah as the giver of immunity. One of the Names of Allah is As-Salâm.

Peace. Concord. Freedom from all connection with another. Submission. Resignation. Agreement. A salutation. A greeting. A demand for pardon. A pardon granted or received.

 

First Question: What is the hikmah behind reciting the blessed phrases of the tashahhud, even though they were a conversation between Janâb-i Haqq and His Rasûl (asm) on the night of Mi’raj?

The Answer: The salâh of each mu’min is a kind of Mi’raj for him. And the words worthy of such presence are the words spoken on the great Mi’raj of Muhammad (‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm). By reciting them, that sacred conversation is recalled. With that recollection, the meanings of those blessed words rise from particularity to universality, and those sacred and comprehensive meanings are formed or can be formed in the mind. And through forming those meanings in the mind in such a way, the value and nûr of those words rise and expand.

…

Just as Janâb-i Haqq’s saying

1 اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا اَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ

on that night informs in a commanding manner that, in the future, hundreds of millions of people will each say,

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا اَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ

at least ten times a day, and that salâm of Allah gives that phrase a broad nûr and an elevated meaning. In the same way, as a response to that salâm, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm saying

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ الصَّالِحِينَ 2

indicates and warns that he hopefully and beseechingly asked from his Khâliq that in the future, his great ummah and the sâlihs among them would be honoured with Islam, which represents the salâm of Allah, and that the entire ummah would say

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ وَ عَلَيْكَ السَّلاَمُ , 3

which is a common Shaâ’er of Islam that is practised by mu’mins.

And Hazrat Jabrâil ‘Alayhissalâm, who was a participant in that conversation, saying

اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ 4

that night, by the command of Allah, brings the glad tidings that the entire ummah will say and testify in this manner until the qiyâmah. And by recalling this sacred conversation, the meanings of those words shine and expand.

The Sixth Ray