Once we can proclaim, “Ash hadu an la ilaha illallah” we are charged with another duty.

That is, to be able to declare, “Wa ash hadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu”.

“Wa ash hadu” I witness… “anna” with certainty (without doubt) “muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu” that Muhammad is the servant and the Rasul of HU. 

The name “Muhammad” is a reference. Hence the being that is referenced with the name “Muhammad” is first the servant then the Rasul of HU. 

Servitude is a higher station than risalah and is thus mentioned first.

Can you imagine… a higher station than being a “Rasul”!

“I was put ahead of all the Rasuls that have come in the past” he says…

Risalah is the highest station one can reach, and he was put ahead of all the other Rasuls! Additionally, his servitude was put to the forefront with “AbduHU” advancing him to an even higher station!

What is meant by “servitude” of the one who is referenced by the name “Muhammad”?

Muhammad is “AbduHU” … Here, the word “Abd” (servant) is tied to the word “HU” …

Hu points to Huwiyyah – The Absolute Divine Essence…

Hence his servitude is his divine essence, meaning he is a servant to the divine essence of Allah.

This means, he encompasses the station of the Absolute Essence (dhat) which is the core of the dimension of acts, the dimension of names and the dimension of attributes.

Therefore, everyone who claims to bear witness, consciously or unconsciously, is accepting and confessing that Muhammad comprises all of these dimensions.

To be a servant of the divine essence is a state that is only observed on Muhammad among all other Rasuls.

The essence of something is the very thing itself, hence the fact that he is the servant of the divine essence is because he has observed the divine One through himself!

Muhammad (saw) is the first human to have observed the Divine Essence within his own essence. 

Hence his rank is an unmatched unique rank beyond description. 

The name of no other Rasul can be mentioned near his!

The heirs of Muhammad are the heirs of this meaning and hence they are mentioned among the other Nabis and Rasuls in the “realm of meanings”.

Who are his heirs?

Only the “Perfect Man” can be his heir!

The perfect man isn’t a man with perfect qualities! 

The “perfect man” is a station that refers to those consummate enlightened masters who have attained “gawsiyyah” – they are the “essences of their era”!

Existence revolves around them and with their verdict!

Hence even though the word “servant of HU” is generally and grammatically conceived as the servant of Allah, the observation of the reality reveals that HU designates HUWIYYAH - the divine essence!

Servitude to the Divine Essence requires the attainment of the dimensions of the Names, Attributes and the Absolute Essence!

Only after this, the station of Risalah comes… What does risalah mean?

The meaning of Risalah is actualizing the laws of Uluhiyyah – specifically those that are related to man’s eternal bliss – at the levels of acts. It is realized and actualized at the level of acts.

After one proclaims the Shahadah, that is, witnesses the servitude and risalah of Muhammad (saw), he becomes Islam and is thus called a Muslim.

One who makes this proclamation can only do so because the following verse becomes manifest through him:

And whoever submits his face (consciousness) to Allah as a doer of good, has surely grasped a strong handle... All affairs return to Allah![1]

The name “Muhsin” (blessed) is one of the names of Allah not included among the 99 names. To submit one’s face to Allah is to confess that there is no other than Allah in his observation and perception!

Remember the verse, “So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah”[2] i.e. whatever or whomever you look at you will see His face, just as when someone else looks at you, they too will only see the face of Allah…

Hence, he who proclaims the Word of Witness has returned the trust to its owner by submitting his face back to Allah, its lawful owner, and has thus become freed of being labelled a ‘traitor-betrayer’.

Now that we’ve explained the meaning of Risalah let us move on to Nubuwwah and Wilayah…