The Ta-Sin of the Prophetic Lamp

1. A lamp appeared from the Light of the Unseen. It appeared and returned, and it surpassed the other lamps. It was a ruling moon, manifesting itself radiantly among the other moons. It was a star whose astrological house is in the Empyrean. Allah named him ‘unlettered’ in view of the concentration of his aspiration, and also ‘consecrated’ because of the majesty of his blessing, and ‘Makkan’ because of his residence in His vicinity.
2. He expanded his breast, and raised his power, and lifted from his the burden ‘that had weighed down thy back,’ and He imposed his authority. As Allah made his Badr appear so his full moon rose from the cloud of Yamăma and his sun arose on the side of Tihăma (Makka), and his lamp shone from the source of all divine munifence.
3. He did not report about anything except according to his inner vision, and he did not order the following of his example except according to the truth of his conduct. He was in the presence of Allah, then he brought others to His Presence. He saw, then he related what he was. He was sent forth as a guide, so he defined the limits of conduct.
4. No one is capable of discerning his true significance, except the Sincere, since he confirmed its validity, and then accompanied him so that there would not remain any disparity between them.
5. No gnostic ever knew him who was not ignorant of his true quality. His quality is made clear only to those to whom Allah undertakes to disclose it. ‘Those to whom We have given the Book, and they recognize their sons, even though a party of them conceal the truth, and that wittingly.’ (2.46)
6. The lights of prophecy issued from his light, and his light appeared from the light of Mystery. Among the lights there is none more luminous, more manifest or more uncreate-than-uncreatedness than the light of the Master of Generousity.
7. His aspiration preceded all other aspirations, his existence preceded non-existence, his name preceded the Pen because it existed before.
   
   There was never on the horizons, beyond the horizons, nor below the horizons anyone more graceful, nobler, wiser, more just, kinder, more God-fearing or more sympathetic than the holder of this role. His title is Master of Creation, and his name is Ahmad, and his attribute is Muhammad. His command is more certain, and his essence is more excellent, and his attribute is more glorious, and his aspiration is unique.
   
   
8. Oh marvel! What is more manifest, more visible, greater, more famous, more luminous, more powerful or more discerning than him? He is and was, and was known before created things and existences and beings. He was and still is remembered before ‘before’ and after ‘after’, and before substances and qualities. His substance is completely light, his speech is prophetic, his knowledge is celestial, his mode of expression is Arabic, his tribe is ‘neither of the East nor the West’ (24.35), his genealogy is patriarchal, his mission is conciliation, and he has the title of the ‘unlettered’.
9. The eyes were opened by his signs, secrets and selves perceived by his being there. It was Allah who made him articulate by His Word, and being the Proof, confirmed him. It was Allah who sent him forth. He is the proof and the proven. It is he who quenches the thirst of the vehemently thirsty heart, it is he who brings the uncreated word that is not touched by what touches it, nor phrased by the tongue, nor made. It is united to Allah without separation, and it surpasses the conceivable. It is he who announces the end and the ends and the ends of the end.
10. He lifted the cloud, and pointed to the Sacred House. He is the limitation, and he is a heroic warrior. It is he who received the order to break the idols, and it is he who was sent to mankind for the extermination of them.
11. Above him a cloud flashed bolts of lightning, and below him a bolt of lightning flashed, shone, caused rain, and fructified. All knowledge is but a drop from his ocean, and all wisdom is but a handful from his stream, and all times are but an hour from his life.
12. Allah is with him, and with him is reality. He is the first in union and the last to be commissioned as a prophet, the inward by reality, and the outward by gnosis.
13. No scholar ever attained his knowledge nor did any philosopher become cognizant of his understanding.
14. Allah did not surrender (His Reality) to His creation, because he is he, and his being there is He, and He is He.
15. Nothing came out of the M of MHMD, and none entered into his H, and his H is the same as his second M, and his D is as his first M. His D is his perpetuity, his M is his rank, his H his spiritual state, as is his second M.
16. Allah made his speech manifest, and enlarged his mark, and made his proof known. He sent down the furqan to him, he made his tongue adequate, and He made his heart shine. He made his contemporaries incapable (of imitating Qur’an). He established his clarification and exalted his glory.
17. If you flee from his domains, what route will you take without a guide, oh ailing one? The maxims of the philosophers are like a slipping heap of sand before  his wisdom.

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