In this month’s selection from The 31st Word, Bediuzzaman uses the beautiful analogy of the
‘Universe Tree’ to explain why the Prophet is both the origin and the ultimate purpose of all
creation.”
The necessity of the Ascension is as follows: it was to show the perfections of the divine names
and attributes in the degrees of their manifestations, and to display the works of the sovereignty
of the Godhead in the different spheres of the universe. To explain this truth by means of a
comparison:
A monarch has different titles in the various spheres of his sovereignty, and different names and
attributes in the different classes of his subjects, and different marks and dispositions in the
various levels of his administration. For example, he is “Supreme Commander” in the sphere of
the army, “Chief Magistrate” in the sphere of the judiciary, “Sovereign” in the sphere of the civil
service, and “Caliph” in the sphere of the learned. In each sphere he has a different title, a
different authority, and a different manifestation.
Now, if such a monarch wishes to appoint a supreme representative who can oversee all these
spheres, he must cause him to journey through all the levels of the administration, so that he
may witness the monarch’s sovereignty in each sphere and understand the specific
requirements of each class of subjects.
Similarly, the All-Glorious Creator, Who is the Absolute Monarch of the Universe, has different
titles and names in the various levels of His sovereignty. For example, He is the “Lord of the
Heavens” in the sphere of the celestial bodies, the “Sustainer of the Earth” in the sphere of the
elements, and the “Giver of Life” in the sphere of living beings. In each of these spheres, He has
different manifestations of His Names and Attributes.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the supreme representative of
all humanity and the most comprehensive fruit of the Universe Tree. If we imagine the entire
universe as a magnificent tree, its seed is the ‘Light of Muhammad’ and its most perfect and final
fruit is the ‘Reality of Muhammad.’
Just as a seed contains the entire program and life-history of a tree in potential form, the light of
the Prophet was the spiritual blueprint for creation. And just as the fruit is the aim and
conclusion of the tree—carrying the condensed map of the entire tree within itself—the Prophet
is the human being who most perfectly mirrors the Divine Names that the rest of the universe
only hints at.
Therefore, it was a necessity of the divine sovereignty that the Prophet should perform the
Ascension—a journey through all the levels of the universe, from the lower world to the Divine
Throne. He traveled as a representative of all humanity to witness the manifestations of the
Divine Names in every sphere, to offer the collective worship of all creation to the Creator, and
to return as the master teacher who can explain the meaning of the ‘Palace of the Universe’ to
its inhabitants.”
From: The Words, The 31st Word (The Treatise on the Ascension), First Designate, Pages
599–601.