I am always asking Divine Help from my Lord so that I may clearly explain these important matters. Perhaps hundreds or thousands of people will listen to these words, and I am asking my Lord to grant them understanding and benefit, so that they may tread a straight path and escape from the traps of devils. This is a very high ideal, and everyone must have this ideal and purpose. We must try to help everyone, not only for the sake of our own salvation, but for that of all mankind. Allah Almighty is calling us to this way.
We are speaking about the holy verses (Ayat) of our Creator, Allah Almighty. According to our Grandsheikh’s explanation, every verse is an endless independent ocean of meaning; you can take all things from that ocean. Even if we would absorb from the ocean of one ayat throughout all eternity, it would never be exhausted; they remain the same limitless oceans eternally.
Perhaps someone may ask, “For what did Allah create these eternal oceans?” We must know that Allah Almighty is never in need of anything, and therefore is creating all those oceans solely for the sake of His servants. The main attribute of Allah Almighty is His Being beyond need of anyone; but while He is never in need of anything, His creatures’ main attribute is to be in need at every moment. The creature can never be above need of his Creator; if the Divine Help which keeps everything in existence was to be pulled out for even a second from the smallest atomic, particle, then that piece would cease to exist.
Now, you must know that Allah Almighty is the Creator, and He is forever creating. No one can define a limit or a beginning for His creation. He was creating from pre-eternity and will create forever. Eternity means ‘outside of time’; Allah is the Creator, and He brought the Sons of Adam into time—but they originated outside of time. They are like a gigantic river: every creature coming from timelessness, from a world where time has no meaning, then entering into time and ultimately returning to eternity from whence he came. On both ends of the river’s journey we find eternity.
We are all in need of those endless meaning oceans, and every creature is swimming in them, from his Lord’s favors. The divine reason for His verses being such endless oceans is that we may say, “Our Lord has limitless sovereignty over His Realm.” For such a realm there must be an infinity of servants, creatures, worshipers, angels and kingdoms. No one can fully understand his Lord; one may know a little regarding his Lord, but it is quite impossible to know all. He is the absolute solute King over His Kingdom, and there is no partner unto Him. When His servants know this they will say, “Oh my Lord, we are powerless.” When they are thus recognizing and admitting their powerlessness, He gives them from His Divine Power and dresses them with it, which enables them to dive into those oceans and derive more and more benefit from Divine Wisdom and Knowledge.
Our Grandsheikh was saying that each Prophet and Saint has a special position and rank particular to him and unlike that of another. In accordance with their respective positions, they are taking Divine Wisdom and Knowledge from that ocean. What are they doing with this Knowledge and Wisdom’ The more they take of it the more they are improving through Divine Lights, thus approaching their Lord’s Divine Presence where they experience boundless pleasure in witnessing more beauty oceans from His Divine Face. Therefore, they have become obsessed with their Lord. If, for example, a thirsty person drinks salty water, he will demand more and more in a vain attempt to quench his thirst, and eventually , he will die. In the case of Prophets and Saints, they also ask to drink more and more of their Lord’s beauty oceans; but contrary to the drinker of salt water, they become endlessly more satisfied as they drink and grow ever more pleased with their Lord’s Presence, so that they pursue it tirelessly and will sacrifice all things for the sake of this Divine Favor.
The Prophets and Saints who sacrifice everything in this way are most wise and discerning, but those people who neglect that excellent and most valuable life, turning instead to this dirty life, are the most foolish of people; they abandon eternal life in exchange for a bit of fading enjoyment.