Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 313
13 August 1905 313 such a kashf a dream is an error akin to calling day night. In this state of kashf , the person experiencing it sees things that others cannot see and experiences mysteries not destined for others. There are hundreds of veils and barriers in the wakefulness of ordinary people compared to the state of wakefulness experi- enced in kashf. To describe the normal state of wakefulness as blind and deaf would be quite appropriate. On the contrary, one is bestowed a higher dimension of sight and hearing during the state of wakefulness experienced in a kashf , in which the person sees and hears things that have never been seen or heard by anyone. Thus, the Mi‘r a j took place with this form of wakefulness and with a most refined spiritual body. Man has two bodies: one is earthly and the other is heav- enly. Concerning the earthly body , the Holy Quran says: 1 ْمَلَا ِلَعْجَن َضْرَاْلا اًتاَفِك ْمَلَا ِلَعْجَن َضْرَاْلا اًتاَفِك Thus, the body with which the Mi‘r a j of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, took place was a heav- enly body. The Mi‘r a j, which ordinary people believe in, is not wor- thy of praise because every person speaks within their limits. A child’s speech is limited to the extent of games, and someone with limited knowledge speaks only to the extent of his limit. Similarly, since these people were unaware and unfamiliar with this reality, they only understood this mystery to this extent. However, God Almighty has revealed its true nature to me, and ordinary people are unaware of it, so they raise objections. The fact is that it was a kind of kashf that most certainly can- not be described as a dream. This was a true wakefulness in which 1. Have We not made the earth so as to hold ( S u rah al-Mursal a t, 77:26). [Publisher]