Mawlānā Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh’s ‘Usūl-i Dīn’, Dar Es-Salaam, 1899

Excerpt:
You must keep asking yourself: “What is God and why cannot I become one with Him?” You must have such ambitions and you should reflect over what I am saying. For instance, Jesus became one with God. He was in love with the Haqiqat. As a result, he was able to attain union with God. You must have heard about the mi`raj (the celestial journey) of the Holy Prophet. People say that he rode on a horse up to the heavens and that that was his mi`raj. This is the foolish idea of the masses. God does not dwell only in heaven; He is to be found everywhere. The night of Mi`raj is the one on which the Prophet revisited his original home. Only the wise and the intelligent will understand the parables of the prophets. The unintelligent ones will take stories at their face value. The intelligent person will be able to recognise the true dignity and grandeur of man. Man is he who is able to distinguish between good and evil. Do you think that this task is too difficult for you? It is not that only Hazrat Ali’s progeny can attain this status. Whoever is determined enough will be able to reach the goal.