Just as an author can’t be defined by the characters he creates in his works, Allah can’t be defined by or limited to His creations. Indeed, the power and meaning that is manifest under the label of existence belongs to Him alone… All of creation and their activities belong to Him and He influences them via each other.
Nevertheless, nothing in the micro or macro planes of existence can be labeled ‘Allah’! Yet His existence in that unit can’t be denied either! This is why the Rasul (saw) said, “You can’t thank Allah if you don’t thank the person!”
The giver is always Allah, as the verse evidences:
“Indeed, Allah is with those who have certainty (those who turn to Allah as though they see Him, i.e. the manifestations of the qualities of His Names).”[1]
This is the mystery of the unity of existence!
So, if you encounter one that gives and don’t thank him, you’ll only be thanking a god in your imagination instead…
Only after discerning this reality can, one truly READ and understand the meanings denoted by the verses above…
The constellations of stars, i.e. the star signs, affect us and our world constantly via their cosmic rays…
The cosmic rays comprising some of the meanings of Allah’s names that are radiated by the stars affect the DNA and RNA strands of all living beings, activating some of their genetic codes and instigating them in particular ways.
Ibn Arabi, one of the greatest of saints and masters of unveiling, says in his Bezels of Wisdom, “Everything that transpires and is to transpire in the world, the intermediary realm (barzakh) and the heavens, is formed via the effects of the star signs…” Thus, it is said divine determining comes from the sky.[2]
Life forms called ‘angels’ in religious terminology, who are unperceivable by us due to the different dimension in which they reside, affect us also. These have nothing to do with the jinn, who also live among us. But there’s a great deception here…
The jinn, who, by the way, project themselves as aliens from outer space, also impose themselves as angels from time to time on those with whom they are in relation… Whether they claim to be aliens or angels, or claim to be Rumi or the spirit of someone else, they let us know with certainty that they are the jinn.
And the only definite way to be protected from them is with the following verses of the Quran:
“Rabbi annee massani ash-shaytaanu binuṣubin wa `adhaabin rabbi a`oodhu bika min hamazaati ash-shayṭaani wa a`oodhu bika rabbi an yaḥḍurooni wa ḥifẓan min kulli shayṭaanin maaridin”[3]
Indeed, Satan (the feeling of being this body) has given me hardship and torment.
My Rabb (the protective Names within my essence), I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the satans (that call to corporeality).
And protected it (Earth’s atmosphere) from every rebellious Satan (the purified consciousness is beyond the reach of illusory impulses).
Detailed information and additional prayers for protection can be found in The Power of Prayer. If those who are afflicted recite these verses 150-200 times a day and the prayer provided at the beginning of The Power of Prayer 100 times a day, they can be sure to be safe from such effects.
Of course, this is provided they persist in reading these verses despite whatever distress and resistance befalls them while reading.
Allah's absolute will is in effect in the universe at every instance in the guise of astrological effects, to which we are subject at all times.
This transmission is what the word ‘guidance’ refers to, as it plays out in a most graceful way without us even noticing, manifesting the name Latif.
As the verse above – “And He leads to the reality by the stars…”[4]– evidences, guidance occurs through the channel of the stars. If we decipher the meaning of this verse in light of the letter ‘B’ we encounter a very unique meaning:
“Allah the Guide (al-Hadi) makes His guidance reach them with the meanings of His Names via the effects-angels-rays that radiate from the objects He created called stars.”
Though seemingly the effect is from the stars, in essence it is from Allah.
Just as we say “I ate, Allah gave me strength” or “I took medication, Allah gave me healing” etc.
Having covered the mechanism of guidance, let us now talk about the different types of guidance…
Note, however, talking about the measure of Allah’s guidance denotes a limitation, which isn’t possible. So then, to put it most comprehensively, the meaning of guidance entails the ease provided to the whole of creation so it fulfills its creational purpose. On the other hand, a more limited understanding can be defined as the ability to see the difference between actual truth and relative truth.
As for the word SIRAT…
Generally, sirat is translated as path or road, thus the phrase ‘sirat al-mustaqeem’ can be understood as being on the path of Allah…
‘Mustaqeem’ denotes being straight, such that there is no left or right curvature, no ups or downs, like a laser beam that goes straight between two points.