of nightingale has been chosen from each of the animal species to proclaim the intense need of the species – and passion even – for the caravans of plant species which, proceeding from the treasury of mercy, bear their provisions. The chief of these are the nightingale and the rose. The songs of these dominical orators, and the love-song of the nightingale for the rose, are a welcoming, an applause, glorifying God, before the most beautiful of the plants.
Similarly, Gabriel (Upon whom be peace), one of the angels, served with perfect love Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who was the reason for the creation of the spheres, the cause of happiness in this world and the next, and the beloved of the Sustainer of All the Worlds. He thus demonstrated the obedience and submission of the angels to Adam (Upon whom be peace) and the reason for their prostrating before him. Similarly, the people of Paradise – and some of its animals even – feel a connection with Muhammad (UWBP), and this found expression in the passionate feelings of Buraq, whom he mounted.
Second Point
One of the adventures during the Ascension concerned Almighty God’s transcendent love for His Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), which was expressed by the phrase: “I am your lover.” In its common meaning, such words are inappropriate for the Necessarily Existent One’s holiness and His essential self-sufficiency. Süleyman Efendi’s Mevlid has enjoyed great popularity; it may be understood from this that, as one of the people of sainthood and reality, his allusion is correct. Its meaning is this:
The Necessarily Existent One possesses infinite beauty and perfection, for all the varieties of them dispersed through the universe are the signs and indications of His beauty and perfection. Those who possess beauty and perfection clearly love them. Similarly, the All-Glorious One greatly loves His beauty, and He loves it in a way that befits Himself. Furthermore, He loves His names, which are the rays of His beauty, and since He loves them, He surely loves His art, which displays their beauty. In which case, He also loves His creatures, which are mirrors reflecting His beauty and perfection. Since He loves the creatures that display them, He certainly loves the creatures’ fine qualities, which point to the beauty and perfection of His names. The All-Wise Qur’an alludes to these five sorts of love with its verses.
Thus, since the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was the most perfect of creatures and the most excellent of beings;