SALÂM – سلام

 

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

 

Yes, many proofs and indications of the highest rank being given to the personage of Ahmad in the Qur'an, and the messengership of Muhammad and “Muhammadurrasûlullah”, which is held equivalent to the pillar of “Lâ Ilâha Illallah” by comprising four pillars of îmân, being the greatest haqiqahs in the universe, and the personage of Ahmad being the noblest of creatures, and his universal ma’nawî collective personality and sacred rank, which are described as the haqiqah of Muhammad (asm), being the most brilliant sun of the two worlds and his worthiness for this extraordinary rank have been proved decisively in the Risale-i Nur. One in a thousand of them is this:

Al-‘Allâm Al-Ghuyûb knew and saw that the haqiqah of Muhammad, which is his ma’nawî personality, in the future, will be a Tûbâ-tree of Jannah due to the equivalent of all the good works performed at all times by his whole ummah entering his book of good works through the principle of اَلسَّبَبُ كَالْفَاعِلِ1 , , and his illuminating the haqiqahs of all the universe with the nûr he brought, and his making grateful not only the jinn, mankind, malâikah and living beings, but also the universe and the samâwât and earth, and through the testimony of the actual acceptance of the plants’ du'âs offered by the language of disposition and the animals’ du'âs offered by the language of fitrî need in front of our eyes, the millions even billions of his (asm) ummah’s sâlihs, whose fitrî and unrejectable du'âs are accepted, every day bequeathing first of all to him their ma’nawî gains and rahmah du'âs under the title of salâh and salâm for such personage, and since each of the three hundred thousand letters of the Qur'an yields from ten sawâb to a hundred and a thousand merits and fruits, only with regard to the recitation of the Qur'an by all his ummah, infinite nûrs entering into his book of deeds. According to that rank, He has given such immense importance in His Qur'an and He showed that receiving his shafâ’ah through following him and conforming to his sunnah is one of the most important matters of mankind in His Decree. And from time to time it takes into consideration his personality as a human and his state of humanity in his early life, which was a seed of that majestic Tûbâ-tree.

The Twenty-Fifth Word – The Flower of Emirdag

 

First Question: Although the blessed words of the tashahhud are a conversation between Janâb-i Haqq and His Rasûl (asm) on the night of Mi’raj, what is the hikmah for them being recited in the salâh?

The Answer: Each mu’min’s salâh is a sort of Mi’raj of his. And as for the words worthy of such presence, they are the words that were spoken at 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 raise from particularity to universality and those sacred and comprehensive meanings are or can be formed in the mind. And through forming in the mind in such a way, their value and nûr become elevated and expand.

Janâb-i Haqq saying that night  2 اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا اَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ makes known commandingly that in the future, each of the hundreds of millions of people saying 3 اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا اَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ every day at least ten times. And that salâm of Allah gives to that phrase an extensive nûr and elevated meaning. In the same way, as a reply to that salâm, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm saying 4 اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ الصَّالِحِينَ expresses and warns that he asked from his Khâliq hopefully and beseechingly that in the future his great ummah and the sâlihs among them would manifest Islam, which represents the salâm of Allah, and that all his ummah would say اَلسَّلاَمُ 5 عَلَيْكَ وَ عَلَيْكَ السَّلاَمُ which is a general shiâ’r of Islam between mu’mins.

And Hazrat Jabrâil ‘Alayhissalâm, who was a partaker in that conversation, saying that night by the command of Allah اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ6 brings the glad tidings that all the ummah will say and testify in that way until the qiyâmah. Through recalling this sacred conversation, the meanings of the words shine and broaden.

The Sixth Ray

 

"This is good as well"

While reciting, اَلْفُ اَلْفِ صَلاَةٍ وَ اَلْفُ اَلْفِ سَلاَمٍ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ 7 in the tasbîhât of salâh, I saw from afar a subtle point which unfolded. I was unable to grasp all of it but shall recount one or two sentences by way of alluding to it.

I saw that al-‘âlam of the night is like a newly opened dwelling of the world. I entered that ‘âlam during salâh of 'Isha. Since man is connected to all the world, through an extraordinary expansion of the imagination, I saw the mighty world that night as a dwelling. Living creatures and men became so tiny they were invisible. I observed with the imagination that the only thing that inhabited that dwelling, and made it familiar, and filled it with nûr, was the ma’nawî collective personality of Muhammad (ASM). Like a person greets those present when he enters a house, I was overwhelmed with the desire to say: "Thousands of salâm be upon you, O Rasûl of Allah!" {The rahmah which came to Ahmad (ASM) looks to the needs of all his Ummah through all eternity. For this reason, endless salâh are in place. If someone enters a vast house like the world, desolate and empty and dark through ghaflah, how dismayed, frightened and flurried he will be. Then suddenly the house is lit up and a familiar, friendly, lovable and beloved most honourable lieutenant appears in the forefront. If he describes and makes known the house's Mâlik Who is Rahîm and Karîm through all its fittings and furnishings, you can understand what joy, familiarity, happiness, light, and ease it would give. You must appreciate the value and pleasure of the salawât for the Prophet (ASM) from this.} It was as though I offered salâm to him to the number of all men and jinn, that is, I renew my bî‘at8 to you, accept your mission, obey to the laws and submit to the commands that you brought, and state through the salâms that they will find salâmât from our assaults, and I made all the parts of my world and all jinn and men which are the conscious beings speak and offered greetings in the name of each of them through the above meanings.

As he illuminated my world through the nûr and gift he brought, so he illuminates and fills with ni’mahs the worlds of everyone in this world. In grateful response for that gift of his, I exclaimed: "Thousands of salâwât descend upon you!" That is, "We cannot respond to this goodness of yours, so we show our gratitude to you by beseeching that rahmah be bestowed upon you from our Khâliq's treasury of rahmah to the number of the inhabitants of the samâwât." I perceived this meaning in my imagination.

In respect of his ‘ubûdiyyah and on account of his being turned from creation to Haqq, the person of Ahmad (ASM) requires salâh which has the meaning of rahmah. While in respect of his Prophethood and being the envoy sent from Haqq to creation, he requires salâm. He is worthy of salâm to the number of jinn and men, and we offer a general renewal of bî‘at9   to their number. So too he is worthy of salâh from the treasury of rahmah to the number of the inhabitants of the samâwât and in the name of all of them. For it was through the nûr he brought that the perfections of all things became apparent, and the value of all beings was made known, and the Rabbânî duties of all creatures could be observed, and the Divine purposes in all creatures with art were made manifest. Therefore, if all things uttered verbally what they express through their language of being, it is certain that they would declare: "Assalâtu wassalâmu ‘alayka yâ Rasûl Allah!", and we say in the name of all of them in a ma’nawî manner: ألف ألف صلاة وألفُ ألف سلام عليك يارسول الله بعدد الانس والجن وبعدد الملك والنجوم10

فَيَكْفِيكَ اَنَّ اللّهَ صَلَّى بِنَفْسِهِ وَ اَمْلاَكَهُ صَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَتْ 11

Said Nursî

The Flashes ( 368-369 )