The Request of Christ After Divine Permission

The requests of God’s prophets always follow God’s permission, and they do not request anything from Him until they are commanded to do so; like the angels: “They do not venture to speak ahead of Him, and they act by His command.”(251)

Jesus (a.s.) also, after receiving divine permission, requested from God the descent of the table, because one who has reached the station of supererogatory proximity (qurb al-nawāfil), God speaks through his tongue: “I become… his tongue with which he speaks.”(252)

From the verse “They do not venture to speak ahead of Him…” it emerges that obtaining permission is either specific or general, and from the absolute nature of the verse it is understood that no word from these sacred beings will be without specific or general permission.