They shall have a reward unfailing. A reward that is not cut off and not curtailed. It has also been said that you shall surely ride stage after stage alludes to the stations of MuṣṬafā. Before the Exalted Lord placed his pure and luminous spirit in the oyster of dust, He kept him in three stations: the station of proximity so that he would find familiarity, the station of gentleness so that he would find expansiveness, and the station of awe so that he would find cour- tesy. He took care of his business with His gentleness, He caressed him with His proximity, and He melted him with His awe in the crucible of fear. Then, when he came into the world, whoever gazed upon him found fear from his station of awe, hope from his station of familiarity, and love from his station of proximity. Some of the commentators have said that stage after stage alludes to the degrees and way sta- tions of his elevation and proximity on the night of the miʿrāj. The Real attracted his secret core, his secret core attracted his spirit, his spirit attracted his heart, and his heart attracted his soul. The engendered being began to seek the soul, the soul began to seek the heart, the heart began to seek the spirit, the spirit began to seek the secret core, the secret core began to seek the contemplation of the Real. The engendered being shouted out, “Where is the soul? I have no rest without the soul.” The soul began to shout, “Where is the heart? I have no rest without the heart.” The heart began to shout, “Where is the spirit? I have no rest without the spirit.” The spirit began to shout, “Where is the secret core? I have no rest without the secret core.” The secret core began to shout, “Where is the contemplation of the Real? I have no rest without the contemplation of the Real.” Then he drew close in his soul, and he came down in his heart, until he was two-bows' length away in his spirit or closer [53:8-9] in his secret core. This is the meaning of His words, “You shall surely ride stage after stage.”
