Ahmad Raza Khan says that when Bayazid al-Bistami uttered words like “Glory be to me, how great is my majesty,” it was not Bayazid himself speaking from his own self, but rather Allah manifesting upon him, just as Allah manifested upon the tree for Musa and spoke from it.
Just as the tree did not claim lordship but was a vessel for Allah’s speech, Bayazid was also a vessel in moments of divine manifestation. Ahmad Raza argues that if a jinn can speak through a person, surely Allah has greater power to manifest and speak through His beloved servant.
These barelvis have adopted the beliefs of the Jews, where God manifests himself into creation in Genesis 32:24–30 as a man and fights Jacob, and the belief of the Christians where “The Word” which is God manifested became flesh and dwelt among creation in John 1:14.
Translation: Bayazid al-Bistami and those like him in moments of special divine manifestation, become like the tree of Musa. Our master Musa, the one who spoke with Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, heard from the tree the words, “O Musa, indeed I am Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.”
Did every tree say this? Far be it from Allah. Rather, it was the One, the Subduer, who manifested upon the tree, and that speech was heard from the tree. If the Lord of might can manifest on a tree, can He not also manifest upon His beloved Bayazid? No, no, indeed it was certainly a divine manifestation. The speech was being heard from the tongue of Bayazid, just as it was heard from the tree.
And the one speaking was Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. He said there, “O Musa, indeed I am Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.” And He said here, “Glory be to Me, how great is My majesty.” And even if it were proven that he said, “My banner is higher than the banner of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,” truly his banner would still not be higher than the Muhammadan banner.
He explained this point in detail in the Mathnawi and clarified it by referring to the example of a jinn taking control of a person and speaking with his tongue. Is Allah not more capable than a jinn? Can He not manifest to His servant and speak so that His words are heard from the servant’s tongue? Without doubt, Allah is fully capable. And the objection of the critic is false. The judgment of this issue lies with Bayazid al-Bistami himself.
Fatwa Ridawiyyah (14/666-667)
