Wilayat: The Inner Essence of Prophethood and the Language of Revelation

Through the divine gift of wilayat, a human becomes divine. A person devoid of wilayat cannot be called a divine human. Let us hold this proposition to later explain it in the entirety of religion with the blessing of wilayat.

It is not the case that with the cessation of prophetic revelation, the era of wilayat dawns. Rather, wilayat is an eternal and primordial truth and reality that continuously manifests in the form of a wali (saint), nabi (prophet), rasul (messenger), imam, or khalifa (vicegerent of God), differing in their degrees of proximity and nearness to the Divine Truth.

As the inner essence of prophethood, messengership, imamship, and vicegerency, wilayat is the foundation of all these perfections. The outward manifestations of these inner perfections must be in harmony with, subordinate to, and within the domain of wilayat.

Although all manifestations of existence and its phenomena possess a degree of wilayat, only the station of infallibility enjoys the complete perfection of wilayat and serves as its manifestation and embodiment. This is a station exclusive to the perfect divine saints. Wilayat manifests in the form of an infallible or non-infallible, beloved, or lover.

Wilayat: Manifestation in the Realm of Divine Essence and Attributes

Wilayat is the manifestation and emergence in the realm of the Divine Essence and Its essential, attributive, and active manifestations, accompanied by love. Wilayat is an inner identity transcending any specific station or manifestation, yet present in every form.

The wilayat of the Exalted Truth is a universal reality encompassing all the effects and rulings of the Divine Essence. It manifests as an expression in the divine knowledge and creative manifestations, possessing all divine attributes.

The wilayat of the Exalted Truth is radiant with love in all manifestations and phenomena, from the station of Absolute Unity to the realm of the material world, continuously flowing and manifesting in all.

The manifestation of this universal wilayat is the divine human. The divine wali is one whose indeterminate spirit mirrors the Divine Essence, transcending the manifestation of any name, attribute, or their reflections, though inseparable from the divine names and attributes. The manifestation of each name is the expression of their embodiment.

The station of the wali has neither a name nor a form; it cannot be expressed or comprehended by reason. Any reference to it, like the station of the Divine manifestation in the indeterminate and determinate lordship, diminishes its reality.

Wilayat is the inner essence of the divine human, and the divine human is its manifestation. As a mediator of the manifestation of divine names in the realm of divine knowledge, unveiling in the station of unity, and appearing in the effects, rulings, and boundaries of every active divine station, the divine human is endowed with outward prophethood.

Spiritual Wilayat

Spiritual wilayat is complete proximity, active, attributive, and essential annihilation, and the station of luminosity, far surpassing sensory and active miracles. One endowed with this station is constantly immersed in spiritual miracles and mercy. The Noble Qur’an states regarding the Prophet (peace be upon him):

(وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ)

“We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.” (Qur’an 21:107)

Wilayat of Miracles

The creative aspect of universal wilayat and its expansive, immaterial spirit originates from the light of the possessor of universal wilayat. The divine wali has presence and penetration in the realm of spirits and spiritual manifestations, manifesting and reflecting the Exalted Truth in all creative manifestations through the fixed archetype of the divine human. Thus, the divine human is the lord and nurturer of all these phenomena.

As the divine human manifests the name “The Merciful” in creative manifestations, they possess the authority to act and the “wilayat of miracles,” tasked with spreading mercy and love across all creative stations. Miracles and prodigies directly draw from God’s infinite power in a descending manner, applicable to any object or person, such as Moses’ staff, the cow of the Israelites, Saleh’s she-camel, Jesus (peace be upon him), or the creation of Adam and Eve.

The power of subjugation is either sensory or spiritual. Sensory authority is either a divine sign of truth and miracle or a creative deception revealing the falsehood of a claimant, as it seeks its inner manifestation from God while outwardly attributing it to itself. Authority based on creative aspects is called istidraj (gradual entrapment). The divine human, like revelation, acts through divine will and authority, not through dominion, power, or entitlement. Precisely, the wilayat of miracles for the divine human is active revelation.

Every phenomenon has a natural ruling and course, enabling it to utilize divine power and influence proportionately. In the realm of freedom, choice, and change, divine authority can be misused through ill intent, turning it to evil.

Wilayat of Imamship (Religious Authority and Political Leadership)

Another aspect of wilayat is the wilayat of imamship, encompassing religious authority and political leadership, requiring absolute obedience to the infallible imam appointed by divine designation. The Qur’an states:

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ…)

“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.” (Qur’an 4:59–60)

Those in authority, whose obedience aligns with that of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the context of the verse, must be infallible from error and sin. This proposition is absolute and mandates obedience to a specific individual.

The verse of mubahala (mutual cursing) indicates the religious authority of the Prophet’s household (Ahl al-Bayt). It signifies that the Ahl al-Bayt are the most prominent manifestations of divine majesty and beauty, as it attributes the invocation of curse upon liars to them. The Qur’an states:

(فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ…)

“Then whoever disputes with you concerning him after the knowledge that has come to you, say: ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then we pray and invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie.’” (Qur’an 3:61)

Christian scholars claimed witnessing and mystical insight into the truth of Jesus and Christianity. Critiquing such claims through conceptual analysis is ineffective; thus, one must enter the arena of inner power and prove the validity of such intangible claims through a tangible criterion, namely mubahala, a form of spiritual duel. An example of such a challenge is the case of the Christian bishop Jathliq.

Invoking a curse, which deprives the accursed of divine mercy, is attributed to both parties in the mubahala for the sake of decorum and humility in discourse, not to introduce doubt. No trace of a curse is evident on the Christian group, let alone their invoking it.

The verse clearly establishes the religious and political authority of the Ahl al-Bayt, as truthfulness or falsehood pertains to propositional statements. The foundation of truth requires at least wisdom and possession of the Book, i.e., logic and correct methodology. Thus, a truthful person possesses wisdom, the Book, and conveys a statement. Being truthful or false depends on conveying a proposition. Since “liars” in the verse is plural, both parties in the mubahala must include groups claiming wisdom, the Book, correct methodology, and propositional statements for the term “liars” to have referents. Hence, alongside proving the truthfulness of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the truthfulness of his companions and the household of revelation and infallibility, as historically recorded, is also established.

The wilayat of the divine human encompasses all manifestations, and every manifestation accepts it to the extent of its capacity. If a phenomenon rejects or resists wilayat, it still accepts the principle of its manifestation but does not align with the perfection of wilayat, keeping it latent, hidden, or veiled.

The reality of wilayat at the level of Absolute Unity precedes divine vicegerency and is its inner essence, as all essential divine names manifest equally and integrally at this level. The reason for the equal manifestation of names at the level of Absolute Unity is the manifestation of the Exalted Truth with Its all-encompassing unity in all essential names.

Wilayat of Affection (Mawadda)

The stages of attraction, inclination, and friendship are mentioned in the Qur’an. The first stage is mawadda (affection). Emotional attraction to a person due to familiarity and coexistence has three qualitative stages: mawadda, mahabba (love), and ishq (passionate love). The Qur’an commands mawadda toward the Ahl al-Bayt as a religious obligation:

(قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَى…)

“Say: ‘No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin.’ And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate.’” (Qur’an 42:23)

The fruit of mawadda toward the Prophet’s kin (Ahl al-Bayt) is salvation for those who seek it, benefiting the people themselves. This connection fosters familiarity, harmony in knowledge, love, coexistence, and association with the Prophet’s household in this world and resurrection with them in the hereafter. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A person will be resurrected with those they love.” Thus, the obligation of mawadda and following the Ahl al-Bayt, which is the reward for prophethood, is a divine mercy for seekers to attain their aspirations, guidance to higher perfections, and recognition of the Prophet’s supreme station and their exalted truth, leading to attraction, elevation, and association with these universal beloveds, the noblest of creation, who surpass all phenomena and hold the highest station of universal wilayat. Knowing them brings luminosity and wilayat, equivalent to knowing the Exalted Truth, purifying and refining the inner self.

The obligation of mawadda toward the Ahl al-Bayt is a consequence of God’s love for these divine beloveds in the station of all-encompassing unity and Absolute Existence. This obligation is explicitly stated in the following narration:

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said in a sermon: “I am from the household upon whom God has made their mawadda obligatory for every Muslim, as He said: ‘Say: No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin. And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof.’ The earning of good is our mawadda, the Ahl al-Bayt.”

The Ahl al-Bayt were beloved to God at the inception of creation, and God’s love for them is the cause of the emergence of all phenomena. They are the complete and perfect beloveds of God, loved with His essential love and delight. Thus, God’s love for the Ahl al-Bayt is the source of divine manifestation in phenomena, and other phenomena were created in their wake. Otherwise, love for them would not lead to God, nor would association with them lead to exalted stations or the ultimate purpose of creation. The final cause reverts to the efficient cause, making them both the origin and purpose of manifestation. The path to God is their path, and all require mawadda and practical following of the Ahl al-Bayt to seek and attain the Truth. Without this, seeking or pursuing the Truth is impossible.

The exception in the verse of mawadda is disconnected, meaning no reward is sought for the prophethood of the Seal of Prophets (peace be upon him). Through love for the Ahl al-Bayt, the wilayat of God, proximity to Him, and His merciful compassion become the share of those who practice mawadda. As stated, mawadda for the Ahl al-Bayt leads to guidance, purity, spiritual luminosity, spiritual harmony between the seeker and the sought, attraction to them, and ultimately resurrection with them.

The obligation of mawadda for the Ahl al-Bayt indicates they are the final cause of manifestation and the key to the unseen and seen realms. The final cause of manifestation is resurrection and coexistence with the divine and truthful human. Since the final cause reverts to the efficient cause, they are the agents of manifestation and mediators in its emergence. Knowing God is inseparable from knowing them. Their wilayat is the station of essential love, beloved by God in both their essence and the primary station of Absolute Unity. In phenomena, love and affection for the Ahl al-Bayt are necessary, and acknowledging their wilayat is a condition of monotheism and the path to truth. Thus, the journey from primordial, descending love to perfect, ascending love is the path of wilayat, termed the “journey of love.” They are the manifestations of the Absolute Beloved, manifesting God’s hidden love throughout creation, and the ultimate goal of the ascending journey of love. Through their wilayat’s attraction, every phenomenon achieves its perfection. Just as God’s love for the reality of universal wilayat causes the emergence of grace and love in all levels of phenomena, only movement in the path of the Ahl al-Bayt’s wilayat is encompassed by God’s love. Thus, the ultimate goal of the journey of love is the wilayat and love of the Ahl al-Bayt, as the goal of the journey must be beloved by God at the inception of manifestation to connect primordial love to perfect divine love. Since the final cause reverts to the efficient cause, the Ahl al-Bayt are both the cause and goal of phenomena. Only through their love does God’s vast mercy reach phenomena, connecting primordial love to the ultimate perfection. As God’s love for the Ahl al-Bayt is complete, this perfect love is reciprocal, making God their beloved. They can foster love in others, and attaining their love and wilayat is the ultimate resurrection and final goal of phenomena, the reward of prophethood. Thus, the mission of prophethood is to establish a loving connection and coexistence as the foundation of a healthy worldly life and eternal felicity.

Friendship and expressing affection, fostering mawadda, are within human control and teachable, differing from love and wilayat, which are divine gifts. Mawadda, the inclination toward another, and seeking them arise through expressing friendship, sustained connection, coexistence, familiarity, observing the beloved’s perfections, enjoying them, and fulfilling expectations.

In mawadda, outward qualities like eloquence, freshness, vitality, cleanliness, beauty, charm, knowledge, and evident purity cause attraction and surrender. Mawadda and emotional attraction, friendship, and its expression are changeable desires, physical inclinations, bodily, and hormonal. Even at their strongest, they do not transcend the self and are tainted by selfishness. In emotional and self-centered mawadda, the criterion of friendship is the perfection, beauty, or goodness the seeker perceives in another, desiring to possess it through friendship, claiming ownership for personal use. Thus, mawadda is a transaction, a mutual exchange, and a form of greed. The initial stage of connection and attraction to another involves desires, expectations, endless submissions, and various selfish inclinations, manifested in actions and requiring expression and practical application. Hence, mawadda and friendship are expressed in deeds, governed by practical management, measured by behavioral responses, and persist as long as the seeker’s expectations are met with kindness, mercy, interaction, and submission by the beloved, with consistent expressions of mawadda and friendship.

One immersed in bodily mawadda is captive to temporary emotions and motivations created by the beloved. They endure hardship, increasing their resilience to maintain connection, coexistence, and enjoyment, deriving bodily vitality and selfish pleasure from this bond.

In emotional mawadda, they are tainted by pretense and lack purity. For example, if the beloved is absent and unaware of their actions or feelings, their motivation for effort, which involves hardship, diminishes. In the beloved’s presence, their vitality and resilience increase, and they exercise caution to avoid displeasing the beloved, acting in ways that please them.

In emotional mawadda, if discord arises, the two easily part without longing, and due to its selfish and bodily nature, they may turn to rivalry, enmity, or malice. The Qur’an describes the outcome of some instinctual and bodily mawadda and selfish desires in scenes of loss and harm:

(وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا اتَّخَذْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَانًا مَوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا…)

“And [Abraham] said: ‘Ye have taken [for worship] idols besides Allah, out of mutual affection between you in the life of this world; but on the Day of Judgment ye shall disown each other and curse each other: and your abode will be the Fire, and ye shall have none to help.’” (Qur’an 29:25)

Wilayat of Love (Mahabba)

If mawadda intensifies and transforms into mahabba, it brings familiarity and longing, resulting in inclusion in the special oversight and wilayat of the Ahl al-Bayt, belief in their exclusive knowledge and profound insights, and attainment of the station of annihilation after enduring trials and tribulations in this path.

After bodily mawadda, if affection emerges and attraction becomes stronger and heartfelt, mahabba of the heart, devotion, attachment, respect, and modesty arise. Beyond bodily surrender, one gradually grows in this attachment, reaching heartfelt devotion and empathy. The term “hubb” (love) is used for a seed due to its gradual growth, and for friendship due to its progressive development.

The criterion of mahabba is perceiving the beloved’s perfection, awareness of it, and deriving pleasure from it. Its intensity depends on the strength of perception. If the beloved’s perfection, perception of it, or the perceiver is weak, the connection and love are weak.

In mahabba, as there is no true union, the connection is not substantial or soul-deep. Coexistence is accompanied by eagerness, zeal, and effort to achieve a lasting, genuine connection.

In mahabba, the lover is characterized by purity, simplicity, sincerity, and integrity. Loving the beloved makes them infallible, whether present or absent. They never forsake the beloved, remaining loyal and supportive in all circumstances, never contemplating enmity. Their love and loyalty endure.

Hubb arises from proximity, coexistence, observation, familiarity, and nearness. Nearness has an attraction that can lead to a continuous, habit-forming connection. Mahabba, like narcotics, indulgence, or gambling, creates addiction to the beloved. The lover finds no comfort or pleasure without the beloved’s presence, their grace, or kindness, unable to separate or forget them even in the harshest conditions, enduring hardship to maintain the bond. The lover is content with the beloved’s preferences, accepting both their kindness and severity, their will merging with the beloved’s.

In mahabba, eager proximity and constant remembrance of the beloved are abundant, such that even objects associated with the beloved become dear. The lover hastens to the beloved’s home, loving it, and cherishes their belongings and associates. Love for an object extends to its effects, a lesser form of love for the object itself.

One who has attained friendship and mahabba respects the beloved due to their sense of nearness, safeguarding them from harm or loss. In such proximity, the beloved is seen as majestic, perfect, beautiful, gracious, and delightful. Heartfelt love encompasses the heart and soul, making separation impossible. The lover accepts both the beloved’s kindness and severity, valuing their presence over the nature of that presence. Mundane conflicts or even death cannot separate them, and their eager coexistence persists without resentment, even in the afterlife, due to this bond, leading to eternal association. Mundane familiarity and proximity result in eternal coexistence, with knowledge, love, and affection forming the core of otherworldly stations.

Spiritual Station of Devotional Love

Devotional love (mahabba) occupies the seventh stage of the ten principles of mystical stations: beginnings, gates, transactions, ethics, principles, valleys, states, wilayats, truths, and culminations. Mahabba is a state related to the station of the secret (heart’s core) and emerges after the heart’s formation. States have ten stations, each manifesting uniquely in every stage.

One who transcends nature and self, reaching the heart and possessing an inner secret, transforms their desire and pursuit into devotion and mahabba. With zeal, they distance themselves from all but the beloved, remaining untainted by others while preserving the beloved’s purity and loyalty. Their longing for the beloved intensifies, marked by restlessness, impatience, thirst, overwhelming desire, ecstasy, awe, self-abandonment, bewilderment, inspiration from the beloved’s radiance, and sustained delight, until they receive the divine gift of the spirit’s station and the lights of wilayat.

The manifestation of mahabba in the stage of beginnings is delight in remembering the beloved; in gates, inner focus and withdrawal from other beloveds; in transactions, the heart’s preoccupation with the beloved; in ethics, cherishing traits pleasing to the beloved and avoiding those causing distance; in principles, resolute commitment to the beloved; in valleys, igniting love through contemplating divine signs and studying the beloved’s perfections; in wilayats, delight in the beloved’s attributes and illumination by their perfections through erasing personal habits and active annihilation; in truths, attributive annihilation; and in culminations, essential annihilation and love of essence for essence in Absolute Unity, indescribable except through direct experience.

The term “hubb” refers to familiarity, affinity, and coexistence due to embodying the beloved’s attributes of majesty and beauty, fostering proximity. This is analyzed in numerous verses, such as:

(وَأَحْسِنُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ)

“And do good; indeed, Allah loves those who do good.” (Qur’an 2:195)

This proposition is succinctly expressed in:

(قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ…)

“Say: ‘If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (Qur’an 3:31)

If love is for God and intertwined with faith, its steadfastness is stronger, as the innate bond of faith and worship of God is firmer than heartfelt love. Beyond love, humans need God, and their restlessness, alongside fulfilling heartfelt love, is not alleviated without connection to God, nor does it lead to lasting fulfillment.

Due to the multiplicity of divine names, countless divine virtues, and varying manifestations of perfections in phenomena, the paths of friendship are diverse. Each person is drawn to the name or attribute most akin to their unique traits, with which they can share perfection. Every individual may be influenced by a specific divine name or attribute, guided by it, with other names latent within. Thus, the dominant traits of lovers differ, and each lover follows a unique path, unlike essential beloveds who share a unified approach in spiritual living, guidance, and education.

Virtue of Avoiding Sins and Eternal Security

In narrations, love for the divine human (Ahl al-Bayt) cultivates the virtue of avoiding sins, and the resulting luminosity and purity lead to sin avoidance and security from punishment. Love is described as the complete religion of God. The following narration, reported by Burayd ibn Mu’awiya, one of the eighteen most reliable narrators, is cited:

In a tent in Mina, I was with Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). He looked at Ziyad al-Aswad, whose feet were wounded and cracked, and felt sorrow for him, asking, “Why are your feet like this?” Ziyad replied, “I came on a lean camel and had to walk barefoot most of the way.” Imam Baqir was further saddened. Ziyad said, “I sometimes fall into sins, thinking I am doomed. Then I remember my love for you and hope for salvation, and my grief is relieved.” Imam Baqir said, “Is religion anything but love? God says: ‘He has made faith beloved to you and adorned it in your hearts, and made disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience hateful to you. Those are the rightly guided, by grace and favor from Allah, and Allah is Knowing, Wise.’ (Qur’an 49:7–8) And He says: ‘They love those who emigrated to them.’ (Qur’an 59:9) And: ‘Say: If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.’ (Qur’an 3:31) A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I love those who pray but do not pray [supererogatory prayers], and I love those who fast but do not fast [supererogatory fasts].’ The Prophet said, ‘You are with those you love, but you earn what you do.’ He added, ‘What do you seek? If a terror comes from the heavens, every people will flee to their refuge, and we will flee to our Prophet, and you will flee to us.’”

Religion is love, and love reflects one’s religion. Love fosters the blossoming of faith and religion. As this narration states, religion and love are identical, and one is eternally associated with what they love; love is the path to eternal life and the essence of the afterlife.

Friendship has both evident and subtle, unconscious effects, shaping one’s inner self, thoughts, and actions to resemble the beloved. Friendship is based on connection, similarity, familiarity, and affinity. Essences are of the same kind, and this unity fosters attachment and coexistence. The principle of friendship and love is affinity, similarity, connection, and bearing. Humans adopt their inclinations and beliefs from their friends. These similarities are so consequential that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever loves us will be with us on the Day of Resurrection. Even if a person loves a stone, God will resurrect them with it.”

Otherworldly resurrection is not arbitrary but based on existential realities, mundane life, actions, and choices. Thus, one who loves a stone, being akin to it, shares its ruling and is resurrected in its realm. If they lacked affinity, they would not connect or become attached to it.

Loving disbelievers, sinners, or anything else yields the same result. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“A person follows the religion of their friend, so let each of you consider whom they befriend.”

Thus, even superficial imitation or resemblance to disbelievers and sinners must be avoided, as connection, familiarity, and association with them lead to adopting their inner state and values.

Attaining Guidance

Love and familiarity with the divine human facilitate receiving their guidance. A narration states:

Khaythama al-Ju’fi said: “I visited Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), and he said, ‘O Khaythama, our followers, the Ahl al-Bayt, have love for us cast into their hearts and are inspired with our love. A person loves us and accepts what comes from our virtues, though they have not seen us or heard our words, because God intends good for them. This is God’s saying: “And those who are guided—He increases their guidance and grants them their piety.” (Qur’an 47:17) Meaning, whoever meets us and hears our words, God increases their guidance upon their guidance.’”

Another narration states:

Sulayman ibn Khalid said: “Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, ‘O Sulayman, you have a heart and ears. When God intends to guide a servant, He opens the ears of their heart. If He intends otherwise, He seals their heart’s ears, and they will never be reformed. This is God’s saying: “Or are there locks upon their hearts?” (Qur’an 47:24)’”

Salawat: Remembering the Beloved

A sign of love is remembering and mentioning the beloved. Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever loves something is absorbed in its remembrance.”

Based on the principle of mawadda, the Qur’an recommends salawat (invoking blessings) on the Ahl al-Bayt, encouraging it as a recommended act. God Himself invokes salawat on the Ahl al-Bayt, angels do so existentially, and believers are invited to do the same:

(إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا)

“Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and submit completely.” (Qur’an 33:56)

Salawat, from “sala,” means attention, awareness, and contains elements of warmth, love, gratitude, and appreciation—not mere attention but one that perceives perfections, grandeur, and truth, igniting fervor and zeal. Hence, “sallu” precedes “sallimu.” Without perceiving grandeur and igniting the fervor of devotion, harmony, submission, and familiarity are impossible. Salam regulates the warmth of salawat according to the reciter’s inner capacity, preserving their integrity. Excessive or imbalanced fervor disrupts harmony and decorum.

The verse, by recommending salawat—a loving remembrance—urges attention to the grandeur of the household of infallibility and purity, embedding this in consciousness and cognitive mechanisms deliberately. This establishes the straight path of divine and beloved wilayat, recited ten times daily in obligatory prayers as per the Sura al-Fatiha, shaping logical reasoning and transcending the physical to a system of heartfelt love and spiritual unity. In Sura al-Fatiha, we recite:

(اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ. صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ)

“Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor.” (Qur’an 1:6–7)

Salawat embodies the effect of this verse, guiding to the concrete embodiment of the straight path and God’s favored, beloved ones, uniquely applicable to Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), the pinnacle and seal of wilayat. The canopy of creation, with all its wonders, is upheld by the pillar of Amir al-Mu’minin. Gratitude to him is due, as we will discuss under the phrase: “Were it not for Ali, I would not have created you.” Thus, salawat is heartfelt belief in Amir al-Mu’minin.

Just as a phenomenon ignorant of divine wilayat or non-compliant becomes aimless, a supplication lacking salawat is wayward, lacking ascent, purity, or the seal of wilayat to enter the realm of meaning, rendering it ineffective.

Salawat is a protective remembrance, shielding the reciter and repelling calamity. It prevents demonic influence in procreation, as demonic unions produce adversaries of wilayat.

Given the collective and fluid nature of phenomena, the benefit of salawat from reciters and God extends to all phenomena, enhancing the prominence and radiance of the household of revelation and infallibility in the system of manifestation. God’s salawat is His manifestation upon the Ahl al-Bayt, their elevation in proximity and manifestation, and its expansive spread to all levels of existence, leading to emergence from darkness to light, increased luminosity and wilayat, proximity to the source of light, and attainment of true, blissful life. The Qur’an states:

(هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ…)

“It is He who sends blessings upon you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from darkness into the light. And ever is He, to the believers, Merciful. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be ‘Peace,’ and He has prepared for them a noble reward.” (Qur’an 33:43–44)

Salawat and tahlil (declaring God’s oneness) are the core of Shi’a doctrine. Purifying the inner self, controlling emotions, and practical commitment to the principle of wilayat are effects of persistent recitation of this sacred, wilayat-centered remembrance, free of adverse effects.

Pilgrimage to the Divine Visage

Among the manifestations of love, expressing the bond of heart and tongue, is the desire to meet and visit the beloved closely. Pilgrimage and meeting reflect sensory and heartfelt inclination toward the beloved for proximity, coexistence, obedience, and sustained connection. The more veils and barriers between lover and beloved are removed, and the greater the purity and sincerity, the stronger the familiarity, proximity, coexistence, and connection, placing all levels of the individual under the beloved’s love, wilayat, and nearness, solidifying their unity.

Love for the divine human ignites the desire for pilgrimage and meeting them to foster familiarity, reverence, and sustained heartfelt connection concretely, yielding tangible effects.

As divine humans are wholly truthful and possess the greatest love and unity, devotion to one divine saint is devotion and pilgrimage to all and to God. In Kamil al-Ziyarat, it is narrated:

Abd al-Rahman ibn Muslim said: “I visited Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) and asked, ‘Which is more virtuous: visiting Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), or others?’ naming each Imam. He said, ‘O Abd al-Rahman, whoever visits our first has visited our last, and whoever visits our last has visited our first. Whoever accepts the wilayat of our first has accepted that of our last, and whoever accepts the wilayat of our last has accepted that of our first. Whoever fulfills the need of one of our friends has fulfilled it for all of us. Love us, love for us, love because of us, accept our wilayat, and accept those who accept our wilayat. Hate those who hate us. Whoever rejects us rejects our grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and whoever rejects him rejects Allah. Whoever hates us hates Muhammad, and whoever hates Muhammad hates Allah, the Exalted. Whoever hates Allah, it is incumbent upon Allah to cast them into the Fire with no helper.’”

This noble narration conveys the boundless scope of the Ahl al-Bayt’s love for their devotees. The phrase “love for us, love because of us” urges that every action be driven by love for the Ahl al-Bayt, enriching mundane life with the style of their wilayat and love.

Wilayat of Passionate Love (Ishq)

Unlike mawadda, ishq is free of greed, possession, or ownership and is purely spiritual. Mahabba is the desire for union, not union itself. The difference between ishq and mahabba lies in ishq’s possession of the beauty of enduring union and constant delight.

Mawadda and mahabba are tainted by doubt and distance, but ishq is unconditional, pure, absolute, and free of doubt toward the beloved. The beloved in ishq is clear and unambiguous, embodying eternal, unwavering union.

The ultimate proximity, union, familiarity, coexistence, and unity with the beloved is ishq, a unity not of two souls but of one indeterminate soul. Thus, spiritual ishq is independent of the body and its hormones, though a balance between soul and body exists, as with knowledge and the mind.

In ishq, the beloved becomes the lover’s truth, soul, and singular beloved, filling their entire being. The lover is wholly the beloved, embodying absolute truth, leaving no room for falsehood or deceit to penetrate.

In ishq, the lover’s sincerity is tested through trials of “lover-slaying.” Sincerity is proven in these trials; otherwise, enduring them reduces the attraction to mahabba or mawadda. After succeeding in these trials and proving sincerity, the beloved, delighting in the lover’s truth, cannot live healthily without them. The beloved becomes more eager, addicted, and joyful in meeting the lover than the lover is for them.

Only through ishq and sincerity can one attain the infinite visage, supreme knowledge, and ultimate love, reaching the station of ishq and unity with God, beholding His indeterminate truth. In ishq, the beloved is seen as omnipresent and absolute, and the lover as their boundless manifestation.

The highest visage of ishq is God, manifested in existential and lordly union and the bond between manifestor and manifestation, recognizing no stranger in supreme unity. Nikah (union) denotes steadfast attachment, exclusivity, and rejection of outsiders, a precise expression of ishq in duality and manifestation. When duality resolves into the unity of one indeterminate soul, it becomes ishq, its peak in indeterminacy. Thus, descending ishq is the basis of nikah, and ascending nikah is the ground for ishq.

Ishq is profound familiarity, intense spiritual attachment, wise fervor, benevolent courage, zealous bravery, and ultimately martyrdom for the beloved. The lover proves their sincere ishq through martyrdom, achieving complete annihilation and union with the beloved.

An example of the trial of ishq is Karbala, led by Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), the most rigorous university of ishq with the most challenging entry. Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) narrated:

Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) set out with people until reaching one or two miles from Karbala. He advanced and circled a place called Miqdafan, saying, “Here is the resting place of mounts and the slaying ground of passionate lovers, martyrs. No martyr before them surpassed them in love, nor will any after them reach their level of love.”

This is the highest degree of ishq, termed existential and wholly truthful ishq. Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) eternally defined ishq through its realization. In existential ishq, the lover cannot but love God and the Truth, sacrificing all for Him. Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), in existential ishq, boldly confides with God:

“I did not worship You out of fear of Your Fire or greed for Your Paradise, but because I found You worthy of worship, so I worshipped You.”

Amir al-Mu’minin does not weigh Hell’s majesty or Paradise’s beauty against his existential ishq. Sitting before God, he declares: “I love You because I desire You and am afflicted by You! I worship You with pure, untainted ishq. I am captivated by Your existence, such that even in Hell, I would proclaim my love for You.” Such a lover attains God’s essence, inseparable from it, reaching sincere ishq and unity. Amir al-Mu’minin says:

“If You cast me into Hell, I will announce to its inhabitants that I love You.”

For loving proximity, ishq must be expressed. The stronger its expression, the greater the proximity and coexistence.

Pure ishq requires sincere conduct with the beloved, free of oppression, hypocrisy, or deceit.

The expression of ishq is the lover’s annihilation. Until the lover reaches sincerity, sacrifices, and becomes wholly the beloved, they cannot attain or find peace with the beloved. The lover’s peace lies in restlessness and annihilation, leaving only the beloved, alive and thriving, as God, the essence of all ishq.

In ishq, sincerity, acceptance, affirmation, submission, faith, servitude, surrender, and obedience are crucial. Otherwise, love can coexist with hostility toward the beloved. Sincere ishq requires knowledge and freedom in action, upholding justice, fairness, and adherence to the beloved’s rulings in practice.

The lover always maintains decorum with the beloved, never seeking their meeting. The lover resides in the beloved’s heart, and the beloved’s heart rests in the lover’s, achieving unity of one indeterminate soul. Requesting a meeting is disrespectful, and the lover surrenders all, including the choice of meeting, to the beloved, transcending submission and contentment, negating self-attention entirely.

Ishq yields a felicitous outcome and salvation only if, at its heartfelt peak, it is grounded in religion, faith, and steadfastness—detailed expressions of sincerity.