Post by yusuf72 on Nov 9, 2020 22:20:14 GMT
As-Salaam alaikum,
Nur Muhammadiyyah refers to the First Light, the Ancient Word or Kalami Qadim. Understanding the concept of Nur Muhammad leads to understanding the role of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam) in Islam and Prophetic revelation in general.
From a mystical perspective, Allah Ta'ala is in himself unknowable, unapproachable, infinite and beyond all rational comprehension in a state referred to as the CLOUD in the Qur'an. Hence knowledge of Allah's essence is impossible since it is not known either by proof or logical demonstration and is untouched by definition. Gnosis of him then is that "there is nothing like him"-(42:10) and "Allah cautions you about Himself"-(3:27)
When He (Allah) wanted the world to exist, He began it according to the limit He knew of Himself. It was then He brought forth by His pure will, about which it is said:--
"Our only word to a thing when We desire it, is to say to it, Be and
it is..Kun fa Yakun" (16:40)
The first expression of this Absoluteness was the creation or presencing (tajalli) of its essence referred to as Kalam-i Qadim... the Ancient Word, First Divine Name or Unique Essence, which is an emanation of Pure Uncreated Light... about which it is said in the Qur'an:--
"Allah is the Light of Heavens and the Earth" (24:35)
This Light of Allah or Nur Allah as stated by Ibn Arabi was "the exhalation" of the Breath of the All Merciful (nafs al Rahman). This exhalation is equivalent to the bestowal of existence (ijad), according to Ibn Arabi. This is Allah's first expression and contains the entire universe in potentiality in the form of His Names.
This Divine emanation appeared from the All Merciful and was responsible for the downward descent of creation and of every other plane of creation and is the animating power of sustaining every form and every reality... animate to inanimate. The mystery of this first emanation is expressed in the famous hadith: 'I was a hidden treasure and loved to be known. So I created man...' This is the treasure of the Name Al-Rahim the Merciful. Since Allah in his Mercy bestows existence upon everything, we can know about Allah. And ultimately, everything we can know about other than Allah (ma siwa'llah), that is, the world or the cosmos (al-alam), is prefigured by the Names.