The Essence of Islam – Volume I — Page 223
The Holy Prophetsa 223 [Haqiqat-ul-Waḥi, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, Vol. 22, p. 122]. Advent of Holy Prophets is like the Coming of. God Almighty. If it is asked that if the Messiah and I have attained to this rank then what rank is left for our lord and master, the best of the Messengers, Khātam-ul-Anbiyā', Muḥammad, the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allāh be on him] the answer is that it is a high and exalted rank which is special to him, the appreciation of which is not possible for anyone else, let alone that any one else should be able to achieve it. . . . . The degrees of nearness to God and love of God from the point of view of spiritual rank are of three types. The lowest degree, and even that is very high, is that the fire of. Divine love should warm the heart possibly to such a degree that the warmed heart might acquire the qualities of fire, but that it should lack the brightness of the fire. . When the flame of God's love falls upon this degree of love the warmth generated by that flame in the soul is described as contentment and satisfaction and is sometimes named an angel. . The second degree of love is where the fire of Divine love, which is generated by the union of two loves, warms the heart to such a degree that it produces a brightness which is not inflammatory. It is described as Rūḥ-ul-Qudus―the. Holy Spirit. . The third degree of love is where a burning flame of Divine love falls on the eager ribbon of human love and sets it afire and, assuming control of all its particles, makes it a complete and perfect manifestation of itself. In this condition the fire of Divine love not only bestows a