A brother from Germany asked: "Sidi Shaykh, if Allah, Exalted is He, is present in every place with His Essence, then why was our Prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, ascended to the heavens? Was this merely a symbol of elevation or an actual ascension? In other words, why the movement from one place to another, when the Lord of all places encompasses every place?"

Reflect, O disciples, upon the verse: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth (Quran 24:35)." Contemplate the sequence: first comes the declaration "Allah is Light," then follows the heavens, and only thereafter the earth. This order is not arbitrary but holds significance.

Allah gives priority to the heavens before the earth, meaning the heavens are closer to the Light of Allah than the earth. Thus, the closest veil (al-hijab al-aqrab), or the closest manifestation and substance to the Light, are the heavens. Then comes the earth. 

This proximity of the heavens to Allah's Light signifies that one may receive more abundantly when in the heavens than when bound to the earth. If we understand that the Light is the supreme covering (al-hijab al-a’zam) closest to the Real (al-Haqq), then the heavens are the closest domain to this supreme covering.

Thus, when a person is in the heavens [via contemplation in dhikr], they are closer to the greatest veil and closer to the greatest proximity (al-qurb al-a’zam), which is the Light. Immediately after the Light comes the heavens, seven of them and then the seven earths.

Now, if we consider that Light is knowledge, then the knowledge you grasp in the realm of the heavens is of a higher order, than that which you grasp on earth. We consider knowledge as being light, and in the order of the verse, the heavens are closer to the Light. 

Thus, if our blessed Prophet's ‎ﷺ wayfaring to knowledge of God was to follow this selfsame journey from the door of Light, it was imperative that he be raised to the heavens. For we have established that the position of the heavens stand in closer relation to the Light than does the earthly abode.

As you approach the heavens, one's realization of their realities intensifies. Compared to a soul that remains tethered to the earth, content with its portion of knowledge, the one who traverses the celestial spheres attains to loftier experience, knowledge, and elevation.

Yet understand, O seekers, that Allah's companionship permeates all existence. He is present in every place, not as a thing contained within another thing, rather He is the Lord of all things. This is the essence of the matter.

Out of all creation, it is the heavens that stand closest to the Lord of all, by virtue of their exalted nature and their proximity to His Light and His attributes. As a thing draws near in attribute, so too does it draw near to the One described by those attributes.

Let it be clear, however, that one who believes that a mere change of place can bring one closer to the Creator has strayed from understanding. Whether in the depths of the ocean or the heights of the heavens, nearness to God is contingent upon one’s spiritual state rather than physical position.

But for one who takes each place as a station of contemplation, following the guidance of the Messenger, peace be upon him, who said, "Reflect upon Allah's creation, but do not reflect upon His essence (Source: Al-Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman)"—for such a one, contemplation of the heavens is unlike contemplation of the sea or the earth.

It is for this reason that the Lord of Might directs us: "Those who reflect on the creation of the heavens (Q 3:191)." Always does He point us towards the highest. Reflect on the ordering of the heavens, then the earth. Whenever Allah orders the ranks, He begins from above—from the heavens—in knowledge, in contemplation, in ascension, in all matters.