Fifth truth: The gate of Compassion and the Prophet’s sincere acts of worship, the manifestation of the Names the Answerer of Prayer and the Compassionate. Is it conceivable that a Lord of infinite compassion and mercy, Who most compassionately fulfills the least need of His lowliest creatures in the most unexpected fashion, Who answers the faintest cry of help of His most obscure creature, and Who responds to all petitions would ignore the greatest petition of His foremost servant, his most beloved creature, by not granting his most exalted prayer? The tender solicitude manifested in nurturing weak, young animals show that the Sovereign Lord of the universe exercises His being Lord with infinite mercy. Is it conceivable that such compassion and mercy in the exercise of Lordship would refuse the prayer of the most virtuous and beautiful of all creation?[1]·This truth is explained in The Nineteenth Word, but we reiterate the argument here.

We mentioned in the parable a meeting held in a certain land, at which a most noble commander spoke. To discover this parable’s truth, imagine that we can return to the Arabian peninsula during the blessed age of the Prophet, and visit and watch him perform his duties and worship. He is the means to attaining eternal happiness, since he is the Messenger and the one with guidance, as well as the reason for that happiness’ creation—the creation of Paradise—through his worship and prayer.

See how he is praying for eternal happiness with such perfect supplication and sublime worship. It is as if the peninsula, indeed the whole world, were praying and supplicating with him, for his worship contains his community’s worship, as well as the essentials of all other Prophets’ worship, for they all obeyed the same One Lord. He offers his supreme prayer and supplications amid so many beings that it is as if all illustrious and perfect people, from the time of Adam to the present, were following him in prayer and saying “Amen” to his petition.[2]·He is petitioning for so universal a need—immortality—that all inhabitants of creation share in it and silently affirm: “Accept his prayer, O Lord, because we also desire it.” He pleads for everlasting happiness so plaintively, with such yearning and longing, that creation is moved to tears and shares in his plea.

See how he desires and prays for happiness. Such a purpose and goal raises all creatures from the abyss of annihilation, worthless and aimless futility, to the summit of worth, exalted purpose, and eternal life. It makes everything reach the station of being a script written by God, the Eternally‑Besought‑of‑All. His petition is so noble, an asking for mercy so sweet, that it is as if he inspired all beings, the heavens, and the Divine Throne to hear and echo his words with ecstatic cries of “Amen, O Lord, Amin!”[3]

He asks for eternal happiness from One, the All‑Generous and All‑Powerful, the All‑Seeing, Merciful and All‑Knowing, Who visibly sees, hears, accepts, and pities the most hidden wish and least desire of His most obscure creature. He answers all pleas and bestows His favors with a Mercy so wise and apt that no one can doubt that the one who does these is the One All‑Hearing and All‑Seeing, Generous and Merciful.

For what is the pride of all being petitioning? He is humanity’s fountain of honor, the unique individual who stands on this Earth with all humanity behind him and with his hands opened toward God’s Throne and prays. In reality, his worship and servanthood to God includes our worship and is the essence of it. He asks for eternal happiness for himself and all believers, for eternity and Paradise. He petitions through and with all sacred Divine Names, Whose beauty is reflected in all created beings. Surely you see that he is seeking intercession from those Names. Even if there were not innumerable other reasons and causes for it, a single prayer of his would suffice for creating Paradise, a task as easy for the All‑Merciful’s power as creating spring.

How could creating Paradise be difficult for One All‑Powerful, Who each spring makes Earth’s surface a vast field of renewal and brings forth countless resurrections? Just as the Prophet’s being the Messenger was the reason for establishing this realm of trial—But for you, I would not have created the worlds (25:77) is an indication of this—his worship was the cause for establishing the abode of happiness.

Would the perfect artistry and unequalled beauty of God’s being Lord, manifested in creation’s amazing orderliness and comprehensive mercy, refuse the Prophet’s prayer and thereby allow extreme ugliness, pitilessness, and discord? Would the All‑Sustaining Lord hear and grant the most insignificant desire but refuse the greatest and most important desire as worthless? No, He would not! Such Beauty could never countenance such ugliness and thereby make itself ugly. Just as the Prophet opened this world’s gates by being God’s Messenger, he opens the Hereafter’s gates by worshipping Him.

[1] Namely, the Prophet, who has ruled for 14 centuries over billions of subjects who daily renew their allegiance to him, continually bear witness to his perfections, and fully obey his commands. His spiritual temperament has shaped one-half of the globe and one-fourth of humanity. He is the beloved of humanity’s hearts, the guide of their souls, and the greatest servant of the Lord of the worlds. Since most of the realms of created beings applaud the duty and role entrusted to him through each bearing the fruit of his miracles, he is the most beloved creature of the Creator of all. Further, the desire for permanence and continuance implanted in our nature, which lifts us from the lowest to the highest rank, is the greatest desire and petition, and can be presented to the Provider of all needs only by His greatest servant.

[2] From the Prophet’s first petition until now, all invocations upon him of peace and blessings resemble a continual “Amen” after his prayer, a universal participation. Al-Shafi‘i writes that each such invocation during one’s prayers, and the prayer for him after the second call to worship during the prescribed prayers, is a powerful and universal “Amen” to his plea for eternal happiness. The eternity and everlasting happiness so strongly desired by humanity, in accord with its primordial nature, is desired for them by the Prophet, and the illustrious segment of humanity says after him: “Amen!” Could such a universal petition not be granted?

[3] Could the Master of this world, all of Whose acts are self-evidently based on His absolute Awareness, Knowledge, and Wisdom, be unaware and uninformed of his foremost creature’s deeds and prayers, remain indifferent to them, or consider them unimportant? Being aware and not indifferent, could the All-Powerful and All-Merciful Sovereign of the world not accept his prayers? The light of Muhammad has changed the world’s form. The true essence of humanity and of all beings in the universe became apparent through that light; namely, that each is a missive of the Eternally Besought One proclaiming the Divine Names; a valued, meaningful being with God-given functions and destined for eternity. Were it not for that light, beings would be condemned to annihilation; without worth, meaning, or use; bewildered effects of blind chance and lost in the blackness of illusion. That is why just as humanity says “Amen” to the Prophet’s prayer, all other beings from Earth’s surface to the Divine Throne, from underground to above the stars, take pride in his light and proclaim their connection with him. The very spirit of the Prophet’s petition is this prayer for everlasting happiness. All of the universe’s motions and workings are in essence prayer, just as, for example, a seed’s growth until it becomes a tree is a form of prayer to the All-Sustaining Creator.