His words, Exalted is He:

By the [Much]-frequented House^{1The ‘Bayt Maʿmūr’ is traditionally said to be in heaven (according to various reports it is said to be the third, fourth, sixth or seventh heaven) directly above the Kaʿba, and is visited each day by seventy thousand angels, who circumambulate it and perform prayers there, but do not return.}

He said:

The outward meaning is in what Muḥammad b. Sawwār related in his chain of transmission from Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه, who stated that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘On the night I was taken up to the heaven, I saw the Much-frequented House (Bayt Maʿmūr) in the fourth heaven (and it is also related, the seventh). Each day seventy thousand angels make a pilgrimage to it, and never return’ — to the end of the ḥadīth.^{2Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, ‘Kitāb al-Īmān’. This ḥadīth is among those which relate the Miʿrāj, the miraculous ‘Night Journey’ and Ascension of the Prophet. For references to traditional material on the Miʿrāj see above IC, p. 4, n. 15.}

In its inner meaning, it refers to the heart; the hearts of mystics are frequented (maʿmūra) by His gnosis (maʿrifa), His love (maḥabba) and intimacy (uns) with Him. It is to this [the mystic’s heart] that the angels make pilgrimage, for it is the House of the Realisation of God’s Oneness (bayt al-tawḥīd).

His words, Exalted is He:

and the raised canopy

This is the pleasing ⸢and pure⸣ act (al-ʿamal al-murḍī ⸢al-zakī⸣),^{1The addition is made on the basis of all three MSS: Z515, f. 107 b, F638, f. 50b and F3488, f. 286a.} through which no reward is sought except God, Exalted is He.

His words, Exalted is He:

[They will say,] ‘Truly, before, when we were amid our families, we used to be ever anxious,’

He said:

That is, in fear and trepidation of an ill decree (sūʾ al-qaḍāʾ) and the spiteful rejoicing of the enemy.

His words, Exalted is He:

And submit patiently to the judgement of your Lord; you are under Our watchful eye…

That is, ‘Whatever pertaining to action (fiʿl) and power (qudra) appears in your character, [know that] it is He who has taken your whole being into His care (riʿāya), protection (kilāya), good pleasure (riḍā) and love (maḥabba), and guarded you from the Enemy.’

His words, Exalted is He:

…Celebrate the praise of your Lord when you rise,

He said:

This means: ‘Perform the prescribed prayer with sincerity for your Lord when you rise for it.’

His words, Exalted is He:

and glorify Him at night and at the receding of the stars.

He said:

That is, ‘Do not be negligent in remembering the One who is never negligent in His beneficence towards you, or in giving you His protection at all times, morning and evening.’ But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.