guzelhan
23-06-10, 20:15
The Fifth Proof
This alludes to the Third of the Six Lights of the Greatest Name,
The Divine Name of Sapient
Invite fall] to the way of your Sustainer with wisdom.1
ĮOne manifestation of the Divine Name of Sapient, which is a Greatest Name or one of the six lights of the Greatest Name, and a fine point of the above verse, appeared to me in the month of Ramadan while in Eskişehir Prison. This Third Point consists of five Matters, and forms only an allusion to it. Being written in haste, it has remained in the state of the first draft.]
FIRST MATTER
As is indicated in the Tenth Word, the greatest manifestation of the Divine Name of Sapient has made the universe like a book in every page of which hundreds of books have been written, and in every line of which hundreds of pages have been included, and in every word of which are hundreds of lines, and in each letter of which are a hundred words, and in every point of which is found a short index of the book. The book's pages and lines down to the very points show its Inscriber and Writer with such clarity that that book of the universe testifies to and proves the existence and unity of its Scribe to a degree far greater than it shows its own existence. For if a single letter shows its own existence to the extent of a letter, it shows its Scribe to the extent of a line.
Yes, one page of this mighty book is the face of the earth. Books to the number of the plant and animal species are to be observed on this page in the spring, one within the other, together, at the same time, without error, in most perfect form.
A single line of the page is a garden. We see that written on this line are well-composed odes to the number of flowers, trees, and animals, together, one within the other, without error.
One word of the line is a tree which has opened its blossom and put forth its leaves in order to produce its fruit. This word consists of meaningful passages lauding and praising the All-Glorious Sapient One to the number of orderly, well-proportioned, adorned leaves, flowers, and fruits. It is as though like all trees, this tree is a well-composed ode singing the praises of its Inscriber.
It is also as if the All-Glorious Sapient One wants to look with thousands of eyes on His wonderful antique works displayed in the exhibition of the earth.
And it is as if the bejewelled gifts, decorations and uniforms given to the tree by that Pre-Eternal Monarch have been given such adorned, well-proportioned, orderly, meaningful and wise forms in order to present them to His view in the spring, its particular festival and parade, that each of its flowers and fruits testifies in numerous ways and with many evidences one within the other to its Inseriber's existence and Names.
For example, in all its blossoms and fruits is a balance. The balance is within an order, and the order is within an ordering and balancing which is being constantly renewed. The ordering and balancing is within an art and adornment, and the adornment and art are within meaningful scents and wise tastes. Thus, each flower points to the All-Glorious Sapient One to the number of the tree's blossoms.
And in the tree, which is a word, the point of a seed in a fruit, which is like a letter, is a small coffer containing the index and programme of the whole tree. And so on. To continue the same analogy, through the manifestation of the Name of Sapient and Wise, all the lines and pages of the book of the universe —and not only its lines, but all its words, letters, and points— have been made as miracles so that even if all causes should gather together, they could not make the like of a single point, nor could they dispute it.
Yes, since each of the creational signs of this mighty Qur'an of the universe displays miracles to the number of points and letters of those signs, in no way could confused chance, blind force, aimless, anarchic, unconscious Nature interfere in that wise, percipient particular balance and most sensitive order. If they had interfered, some traces of confusion would certainly have been apparent. Whereas no disorder of any sort is to be seen anywhere.
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I.Qur'an, 16:125
SECOND MATTER
First T opic : As is explained in the Tenth Word, it is a most basic rule that infinitely perfect beauty and infinitely beautiful perfection want to behold themselves and show and exhibit themselves. It is in consequence
of this basic general rule that the Pre-Eternal Inscriber of the mighty book of the universe, through the universe and through all its pages, lines and even letters and points, through the numerous tongues of all beings from the most particular to the most universal, makes known and loved the beauty of His perfection and perfection of His beauty, in order to make Himself and His perfections known, and to display His beauty and make Himself loved.
О heedless man! If in the face of the Sapient and All-Wise Ruler of Glory and Beauty's making Himself known to you and loved by you by means of all His creatures in this brilliant, endless fashion you do not recognize Him with belief and you do not make yourself loved by Him with your worship, you should know just what a compounded ignorance it is and what a loss; so come to your senses!
Second Topic of the S e c o n d M a tt e r : There is no place for partnership in the dominions of the universe's All-Powerful and Wise Maker. For since in everything is infinitely perfect order, it does not accept partners. If many hands intervene in one matter, it confuses it. If there are two kings in a country, two governors of a town, or two headmen in a village, disorder will occur in all the matters of the country, town, and village. Similarly, the fact that the most minor official does not accept the interference of others in his duties shows that the most fundamental characteristic of rulership is independence and singleness. That is to say, order necessitates unity, and rulership necessitates independence.
If a temporary shadow of rulership in impotent man needy for assistance rejects interference in this way, the true, absolute rulership at the degree of dominicality of One possessing absolute power will certainly reject interference with all its strength. If there had been even the tiniest interference, the order would have been spoilt.
However, the universe has been created in such a way that in order to create a seed, power sufficient to create a tree is necessary. And in order to create a tree, power sufficient to create the universe is necessary. And if there was a partner who interfered in the universe, he would have to share in the tiniest seed. For the seed is a sample of the universe. So then two dominicalities which cannot reside together in the vast universe, would have to reside in a seed, and even in a minute particle. And this is the most impossible and meaningless of impossibilities and false delusions. Know what an infinitely compounded contradiction, error, and falsehood are unbelief and associating partners with God, which necessitate the impotence — even if only in a seed— of the Absolutely Powerful One Who holds in the balance of His justice and order of His wisdom all the states and attributes of the vast universe; and know what an infinitely compounded truth, reality and verity is Divine unity, and say: "All praise and thanks be to God for belief!"
THIRD MATTER
Through His Names of Sapient and All-Wise, the АН-Powerful Maker has included thousands of well-ordered worlds in this world. Within those worlds, He created man as a centre and pivot who of all creatures manifests and is the means to the wisdom and purposes in the universe. And the most important of the instances of wisdom and beneficial things in the sphere of the universe look to man. And in the human sphere, He made sustenance a centre; in the human world most of the instances of wisdom and benefits look to sustenance and are manifest through it. The manifestation of the Name of All-Wise is apparent in brilliant form in man through consciousness and the pleasure of sustenance. While each of the hundreds of sciences discovered by means of human consciousness describes one manifestation of the Name of Sapient in one realm of creation.
For example, if the science of medicine were to be asked: "What is the universe?", it would be bound to reply: "It is an exceedingly vast, orderly and perfect pharmacy. All remedies are prepared and stored up in it in the best way."
And if the science of chemistry were asked: "What is the earth?", it would reply: "It is a perfectly ordered chemist's shop."
While the science of engineering would reply: "It is totally faultless, perfect factory."
And the science of agriculture would reply: "It is an infinitely productive, regular and well-ordered field and garden which produces all kinds of seeds at the required time."
The science of commerce would reply: "It is an extremely well-set-out exhibition, orderly market, and shop stocked with most artistic wares."
The science of economics would reply: "It is an exceedingly well-ordered warehouse containing every sort and kind of food."
The science of dietetics would reply: "It is a dominical kitchen and cauldron of the Most Merciful in which is cooked in most regular fashion hundreds of thousands of the most delicious foods."
The science of soldiering would reply: "The earth is a military camp. Although there are four hundred thousand different nations in that army in the spring, newly taken under arms with their tents pitched on the face of the earth, they are given their rations, uniforms, weapons, training, and discharges, which are different for each nation, in perfect order, with no confusion and none being forgotten, through the command, power, compassion of a single Commander-in-Chief, from His treasury; they are all administered in the most regular fashion."
And if the science of electricity were to be asked: "What is this world?", it would certainly reply: "The roof of this magnificent palace of the universe has been adorned with innumerable orderly and balanced electric lamps. However, the order and balance are so wondrous that foremost the sun. and those heavenly lamps, which are a thousand times larger than the earth, do not spoil their balance, although they burn continuously; they do not explode or burst into flames. Their expenditure is endless, so where do their income and fuel and combustible material come from? Why are they not exhausted? Why is the balance not spoilt with their burning? A small lamp goes out if it is not tended regularly. See the wisdom and power of the All-Wise One of Glory, Who makes the sun. which according to astronomy is a million times larger than the earth and a million years older.2 burn without coal or oil, without being extinguished; say: 'All Glory be to God!' Say: What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God! There is no god but He!' to the number of seconds of the sun's existence.
"This means there is a wondrous order in these heavenly lamps, and they are tended with the greatest care. It is as if the boiler of those huge, numerous fiery masses, those light-shedding lamps, is a Hell whose heat is never exhausted; it provides them with lightless heat. While the machinery and central factory of those electric lamps is a perpetual Paradise; it provides them with light and luminosity; through the greatest manifestation of the Names of Sapient and All-Wise, they continue to burn in orderly fashion."
And so on; through the certain testimony of hundreds of sciences like these, the universe has been adorned with innumerable instances of wisdom, purposes, and beneficial things within a faultless, perfect order. And the order and wisdom given through that wondrous, all-encompassing wisdom to the totality of the universe have been included in small measure in seeds and the tiniest living creatures. It is clear and self-evident that aims, purposes, instances of wisdom, and benefits can only be followed through choice, will, intention, and volition, not through any other wway. Just as they could not be the work of unconscious causes and Nature, which lack will, choice, and purpose, so they could not interfere in them.
That is to say, it cannot be described what an extraordinary ignorance and foolishness it is not to recognize or to deny the All-Wise Maker, the Agent with Choice, Whom the universe and all its beings necessitate and demonstrate through their infinite order and the instances of wisdom they contain. Yes, if there is anything astonishing in the world, it is such denial. For the endless aspects of order and instances of wisdom in the beings in the universe testify to His existence and unity, so that even the most profoundly ignorant can understand what blindness and ignorance it is not to see or not to recognize Him. I might even say that among the people of unbelief, the Sophists, who are supposed to be stupid because they denied the universe's existence, are the most intelligent. For since on accepting its existence, it was not possible not to believe in God and its Creator, they started to deny the universe's existence. They denied themselves as well. Saying, "There is nothing," they abdicated their intelligences, and being saved from the boundless unreasonableness —under the guise of reason— of the other deniers, they in one sense drew close to reason.
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2. You can reckon just how much wood, coal, and oil would be necessary for the stove or lamp of the sun, which heats the palace of the world. According to the reckoning of astronomy, for it to burn every day, piles of wood equal to a million earths and thousands of oceans of oil would be necessary. Now think! And say: "Glory be to God! What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God!" to lhe number of the sun's panicles in the face of the majesty, wisdom, and power of the All-Powerful One of Glory, Who makes it give light continuously without firewood or oil.
FOURTH MATTER
As is indicated in the Tenth Word, for a Wise Maker, a most wise master builder, to follow carefully hundreds of instances of wisdom in each stone of a palace, then not to construct the palace's roof so it falls into ruin and all the innumerable purposes and instances of wisdom are lost, is something no conscious being could accept. Similarly, it is in no way possible that having followed out of his perfect wisdom tons of benefits, aims, and purposes in a tiny seed, one possessing absolute wisdom should go to the great expense of the mighty tree as tall as a mountain in order for it to produce a single benefit, a single small aim, a single fruit worth virtually nothing, and so to be wastefully prodigal in a way entirely opposed and contrary to his wisdom.
In just the same way, the All-Wise Maker attaches hundreds of instances of wisdom to each of the beings in the palace of the universe, and equips them to perform hundreds of duties, and to all trees bestows instances of wisdom to the number of its fruits and gives duties to the number of its flowers. For Him not to bring about the resurrection of the dead and the Great Gathering and for all those incalculable numbers of purposes and instances of wisdom and infinite duties to be meaningless, futile, pointless, and without purpose or benefit, would impute absolute impotence to that Absolutely Powerful One's perfect power just as it would impute f utility and purposelessness to that Absolutely Wise One's perfect wisdom, and utter ugliness to the beauty of that Absolutely Compassionate One's mercy, and boundless tyranny to that Absolutely Just One's perfect justice. It would be quite simply to deny the wisdom, mercy, and justice in the universe, which may be seen by everyone. It would be an extraordinary impossibility comprising innumerable absurdities.
The people of misguidance should come and see just what a terrifying darkness, obscurity, there is in their misguidance, just as there is in their graves; and how they are the nests of scorpions. They should know that belief in the hereafter is a way beautiful and luminous as Paradise, and should embrace belief.
FIFTH MATTER
This consists of two Topics.
First Topic: The fact that necessitated by His Name of All-Wise, the All-Glorious Maker follows the lightest way, the shortest path, the easiest fashion, the most beneficial form shows that there is no wastefulness, futility, and absence of benefits in the nature of things. Wastefulness is the opposite of the Name of Wise, just as frugality is necessitated by it and is its fundamental principle.
О prodigal, wasteful man! Know that by not practising frugality, the most basic principle in the universe, you have acted in a way entirely contrary to reality! You should understand what an essential, encompassing principle is taught by the verse.
Eat and drink, but waste not in excess?3
Second T o p i с : It may be said that the Names of Sapient and All-Wise point to and necessitate the messengership of God's Noble Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) to the degree of being self-evident.
Yes, since a meaningful book requires a teacher to teach it; and an exquisite beauty requires a mirror to show and see itself; and a perfect work of art requires a herald to announce it; for sure among mankind, who is addressed by the mighty book of the universe, in every letter of which are hundreds of meanings and instances of wisdom, will be a perfect guide, a supreme teacher.
For he will teach the sacred and true wisdom in the book; that is, make known the existence of the wisdom and purposes in the universe; indeed, be the means of the appearance, and even existence, of the dominical purposes in the universe's creation; and make known and act as a mirror to the perfect art of the Creator, and the beauty of His Names, which He willed to display throughout the universe, showing their importance.
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З.Оuг'ап 7;31
And since the Creator wants to make Himself loved through all His beings and to be responded to by all His conscious creatures, one of them will respond with comprehensive worship in the name of all of them in the face of those comprehensive dominical manifestations; he will bring the land and sea to ecstasy, turn the gazes of those conscious creatures to the One Who made the art with a tumultuous announcement and exaltation which will cause the heavens and earth to reverberate; and with sacred instruction and teaching and a Qur'an of Mighty Stature that will draw the attention of all reasonable people, will demonstrate in the best way the Divine purposes of that Sapient and All-Wise Maker; and who will respond in most complete and perfect manner to the manifestations of all His instances of wisdom and of His Beauty and Glory; the existence of such a one is as necessary, as essential for the universe as the existence of the sun. And the one who did this and performed those functions most perfectly was self-evidently the Most Noble Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him). In which case, all the wisdom in the universe necessitates the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) as much as the sun necessitates light, and light, the day.
Yes, just as through their greatest manifestation, the Names of Sapient and All-Wise necessitate the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) at the maximum degree, so too numerous Most Beautiful Names like Allah, Most Merciful, All-Compassionate, Loving, Bestovver, Munificent, Beauteous, and Sustainer, necessitate through their greatest manifestation apparent in the universe, at the maximum degree and with absolute certainty, the mes-sengership of Muhammad (PBUH).
For example, the all-embracing mercy which is the manifestation of the Name of Most Merciful is apparent through the One sent as a Mercy to AH the Worlds. And Almighty God's making Himself known and loved, which is the manifestation of the Name of Loving, gives the fruit of that Beloved of the Sustainer of All the Worlds, and finds response in him. And all instances of beauty, which are the manifestation of the Name of Beauteous, that is, the beauty of the Divine Essence, the beauty of the Divine Names, beauty of art, and the beauty of creatures, are seen and displayed in the Mirror of Muhammad (PBUH). And the manifestations of the splendour of dominicality and sovereignty of Divinity are known, become apparent and understood, and are confirmed through the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH), the herald of the dominion of dominicality. And so on, like these examples, most of the Most Beautiful Names are shining proofs of the mes-sengership of Muhammad (PBUH).
In Short: Since the universe exists and cannot be denied, observable truths like wisdom, grace, mercy, beauty, order, balance, and adornment, which are like the colours, embellishments, lights, rays, arts, lives, and bonds of the universe, can in no way be denied. Since it is not possible to deny these attributes and acts, certainly the Necessarily Existent, All-Wise, Munificent, Compassionate, Beauteous, Sapient, and Just One also.
Who is the One signified by those attributes, and is the Doer of those deeds, and the Sun and Source of those lights, can in no way be denied. And certainly the messengership of Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him), who is the supreme guide, most perfect teacher, pre-eminent herald, solver of the talisman of the universe, and mirror of the Eternally Besought One. and beloved of the Most Merciful, and the means of those attributes and acts being known, indeed of their perfection, and even of their being realized, can in no way be denied. Like the lights of the world of reality and of the reality of the universe, his messenership is the uni¬verse's most brilliant light.
Blessings and peace be upon him to the number of seconds of the days and of lhe particles of creatures.
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which you have taught us; indeed. You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.4
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4. Οur'ân;2:32.
This alludes to the Third of the Six Lights of the Greatest Name,
The Divine Name of Sapient
Invite fall] to the way of your Sustainer with wisdom.1
ĮOne manifestation of the Divine Name of Sapient, which is a Greatest Name or one of the six lights of the Greatest Name, and a fine point of the above verse, appeared to me in the month of Ramadan while in Eskişehir Prison. This Third Point consists of five Matters, and forms only an allusion to it. Being written in haste, it has remained in the state of the first draft.]
FIRST MATTER
As is indicated in the Tenth Word, the greatest manifestation of the Divine Name of Sapient has made the universe like a book in every page of which hundreds of books have been written, and in every line of which hundreds of pages have been included, and in every word of which are hundreds of lines, and in each letter of which are a hundred words, and in every point of which is found a short index of the book. The book's pages and lines down to the very points show its Inscriber and Writer with such clarity that that book of the universe testifies to and proves the existence and unity of its Scribe to a degree far greater than it shows its own existence. For if a single letter shows its own existence to the extent of a letter, it shows its Scribe to the extent of a line.
Yes, one page of this mighty book is the face of the earth. Books to the number of the plant and animal species are to be observed on this page in the spring, one within the other, together, at the same time, without error, in most perfect form.
A single line of the page is a garden. We see that written on this line are well-composed odes to the number of flowers, trees, and animals, together, one within the other, without error.
One word of the line is a tree which has opened its blossom and put forth its leaves in order to produce its fruit. This word consists of meaningful passages lauding and praising the All-Glorious Sapient One to the number of orderly, well-proportioned, adorned leaves, flowers, and fruits. It is as though like all trees, this tree is a well-composed ode singing the praises of its Inscriber.
It is also as if the All-Glorious Sapient One wants to look with thousands of eyes on His wonderful antique works displayed in the exhibition of the earth.
And it is as if the bejewelled gifts, decorations and uniforms given to the tree by that Pre-Eternal Monarch have been given such adorned, well-proportioned, orderly, meaningful and wise forms in order to present them to His view in the spring, its particular festival and parade, that each of its flowers and fruits testifies in numerous ways and with many evidences one within the other to its Inseriber's existence and Names.
For example, in all its blossoms and fruits is a balance. The balance is within an order, and the order is within an ordering and balancing which is being constantly renewed. The ordering and balancing is within an art and adornment, and the adornment and art are within meaningful scents and wise tastes. Thus, each flower points to the All-Glorious Sapient One to the number of the tree's blossoms.
And in the tree, which is a word, the point of a seed in a fruit, which is like a letter, is a small coffer containing the index and programme of the whole tree. And so on. To continue the same analogy, through the manifestation of the Name of Sapient and Wise, all the lines and pages of the book of the universe —and not only its lines, but all its words, letters, and points— have been made as miracles so that even if all causes should gather together, they could not make the like of a single point, nor could they dispute it.
Yes, since each of the creational signs of this mighty Qur'an of the universe displays miracles to the number of points and letters of those signs, in no way could confused chance, blind force, aimless, anarchic, unconscious Nature interfere in that wise, percipient particular balance and most sensitive order. If they had interfered, some traces of confusion would certainly have been apparent. Whereas no disorder of any sort is to be seen anywhere.
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I.Qur'an, 16:125
SECOND MATTER
First T opic : As is explained in the Tenth Word, it is a most basic rule that infinitely perfect beauty and infinitely beautiful perfection want to behold themselves and show and exhibit themselves. It is in consequence
of this basic general rule that the Pre-Eternal Inscriber of the mighty book of the universe, through the universe and through all its pages, lines and even letters and points, through the numerous tongues of all beings from the most particular to the most universal, makes known and loved the beauty of His perfection and perfection of His beauty, in order to make Himself and His perfections known, and to display His beauty and make Himself loved.
О heedless man! If in the face of the Sapient and All-Wise Ruler of Glory and Beauty's making Himself known to you and loved by you by means of all His creatures in this brilliant, endless fashion you do not recognize Him with belief and you do not make yourself loved by Him with your worship, you should know just what a compounded ignorance it is and what a loss; so come to your senses!
Second Topic of the S e c o n d M a tt e r : There is no place for partnership in the dominions of the universe's All-Powerful and Wise Maker. For since in everything is infinitely perfect order, it does not accept partners. If many hands intervene in one matter, it confuses it. If there are two kings in a country, two governors of a town, or two headmen in a village, disorder will occur in all the matters of the country, town, and village. Similarly, the fact that the most minor official does not accept the interference of others in his duties shows that the most fundamental characteristic of rulership is independence and singleness. That is to say, order necessitates unity, and rulership necessitates independence.
If a temporary shadow of rulership in impotent man needy for assistance rejects interference in this way, the true, absolute rulership at the degree of dominicality of One possessing absolute power will certainly reject interference with all its strength. If there had been even the tiniest interference, the order would have been spoilt.
However, the universe has been created in such a way that in order to create a seed, power sufficient to create a tree is necessary. And in order to create a tree, power sufficient to create the universe is necessary. And if there was a partner who interfered in the universe, he would have to share in the tiniest seed. For the seed is a sample of the universe. So then two dominicalities which cannot reside together in the vast universe, would have to reside in a seed, and even in a minute particle. And this is the most impossible and meaningless of impossibilities and false delusions. Know what an infinitely compounded contradiction, error, and falsehood are unbelief and associating partners with God, which necessitate the impotence — even if only in a seed— of the Absolutely Powerful One Who holds in the balance of His justice and order of His wisdom all the states and attributes of the vast universe; and know what an infinitely compounded truth, reality and verity is Divine unity, and say: "All praise and thanks be to God for belief!"
THIRD MATTER
Through His Names of Sapient and All-Wise, the АН-Powerful Maker has included thousands of well-ordered worlds in this world. Within those worlds, He created man as a centre and pivot who of all creatures manifests and is the means to the wisdom and purposes in the universe. And the most important of the instances of wisdom and beneficial things in the sphere of the universe look to man. And in the human sphere, He made sustenance a centre; in the human world most of the instances of wisdom and benefits look to sustenance and are manifest through it. The manifestation of the Name of All-Wise is apparent in brilliant form in man through consciousness and the pleasure of sustenance. While each of the hundreds of sciences discovered by means of human consciousness describes one manifestation of the Name of Sapient in one realm of creation.
For example, if the science of medicine were to be asked: "What is the universe?", it would be bound to reply: "It is an exceedingly vast, orderly and perfect pharmacy. All remedies are prepared and stored up in it in the best way."
And if the science of chemistry were asked: "What is the earth?", it would reply: "It is a perfectly ordered chemist's shop."
While the science of engineering would reply: "It is totally faultless, perfect factory."
And the science of agriculture would reply: "It is an infinitely productive, regular and well-ordered field and garden which produces all kinds of seeds at the required time."
The science of commerce would reply: "It is an extremely well-set-out exhibition, orderly market, and shop stocked with most artistic wares."
The science of economics would reply: "It is an exceedingly well-ordered warehouse containing every sort and kind of food."
The science of dietetics would reply: "It is a dominical kitchen and cauldron of the Most Merciful in which is cooked in most regular fashion hundreds of thousands of the most delicious foods."
The science of soldiering would reply: "The earth is a military camp. Although there are four hundred thousand different nations in that army in the spring, newly taken under arms with their tents pitched on the face of the earth, they are given their rations, uniforms, weapons, training, and discharges, which are different for each nation, in perfect order, with no confusion and none being forgotten, through the command, power, compassion of a single Commander-in-Chief, from His treasury; they are all administered in the most regular fashion."
And if the science of electricity were to be asked: "What is this world?", it would certainly reply: "The roof of this magnificent palace of the universe has been adorned with innumerable orderly and balanced electric lamps. However, the order and balance are so wondrous that foremost the sun. and those heavenly lamps, which are a thousand times larger than the earth, do not spoil their balance, although they burn continuously; they do not explode or burst into flames. Their expenditure is endless, so where do their income and fuel and combustible material come from? Why are they not exhausted? Why is the balance not spoilt with their burning? A small lamp goes out if it is not tended regularly. See the wisdom and power of the All-Wise One of Glory, Who makes the sun. which according to astronomy is a million times larger than the earth and a million years older.2 burn without coal or oil, without being extinguished; say: 'All Glory be to God!' Say: What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God! There is no god but He!' to the number of seconds of the sun's existence.
"This means there is a wondrous order in these heavenly lamps, and they are tended with the greatest care. It is as if the boiler of those huge, numerous fiery masses, those light-shedding lamps, is a Hell whose heat is never exhausted; it provides them with lightless heat. While the machinery and central factory of those electric lamps is a perpetual Paradise; it provides them with light and luminosity; through the greatest manifestation of the Names of Sapient and All-Wise, they continue to burn in orderly fashion."
And so on; through the certain testimony of hundreds of sciences like these, the universe has been adorned with innumerable instances of wisdom, purposes, and beneficial things within a faultless, perfect order. And the order and wisdom given through that wondrous, all-encompassing wisdom to the totality of the universe have been included in small measure in seeds and the tiniest living creatures. It is clear and self-evident that aims, purposes, instances of wisdom, and benefits can only be followed through choice, will, intention, and volition, not through any other wway. Just as they could not be the work of unconscious causes and Nature, which lack will, choice, and purpose, so they could not interfere in them.
That is to say, it cannot be described what an extraordinary ignorance and foolishness it is not to recognize or to deny the All-Wise Maker, the Agent with Choice, Whom the universe and all its beings necessitate and demonstrate through their infinite order and the instances of wisdom they contain. Yes, if there is anything astonishing in the world, it is such denial. For the endless aspects of order and instances of wisdom in the beings in the universe testify to His existence and unity, so that even the most profoundly ignorant can understand what blindness and ignorance it is not to see or not to recognize Him. I might even say that among the people of unbelief, the Sophists, who are supposed to be stupid because they denied the universe's existence, are the most intelligent. For since on accepting its existence, it was not possible not to believe in God and its Creator, they started to deny the universe's existence. They denied themselves as well. Saying, "There is nothing," they abdicated their intelligences, and being saved from the boundless unreasonableness —under the guise of reason— of the other deniers, they in one sense drew close to reason.
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2. You can reckon just how much wood, coal, and oil would be necessary for the stove or lamp of the sun, which heats the palace of the world. According to the reckoning of astronomy, for it to burn every day, piles of wood equal to a million earths and thousands of oceans of oil would be necessary. Now think! And say: "Glory be to God! What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God!" to lhe number of the sun's panicles in the face of the majesty, wisdom, and power of the All-Powerful One of Glory, Who makes it give light continuously without firewood or oil.
FOURTH MATTER
As is indicated in the Tenth Word, for a Wise Maker, a most wise master builder, to follow carefully hundreds of instances of wisdom in each stone of a palace, then not to construct the palace's roof so it falls into ruin and all the innumerable purposes and instances of wisdom are lost, is something no conscious being could accept. Similarly, it is in no way possible that having followed out of his perfect wisdom tons of benefits, aims, and purposes in a tiny seed, one possessing absolute wisdom should go to the great expense of the mighty tree as tall as a mountain in order for it to produce a single benefit, a single small aim, a single fruit worth virtually nothing, and so to be wastefully prodigal in a way entirely opposed and contrary to his wisdom.
In just the same way, the All-Wise Maker attaches hundreds of instances of wisdom to each of the beings in the palace of the universe, and equips them to perform hundreds of duties, and to all trees bestows instances of wisdom to the number of its fruits and gives duties to the number of its flowers. For Him not to bring about the resurrection of the dead and the Great Gathering and for all those incalculable numbers of purposes and instances of wisdom and infinite duties to be meaningless, futile, pointless, and without purpose or benefit, would impute absolute impotence to that Absolutely Powerful One's perfect power just as it would impute f utility and purposelessness to that Absolutely Wise One's perfect wisdom, and utter ugliness to the beauty of that Absolutely Compassionate One's mercy, and boundless tyranny to that Absolutely Just One's perfect justice. It would be quite simply to deny the wisdom, mercy, and justice in the universe, which may be seen by everyone. It would be an extraordinary impossibility comprising innumerable absurdities.
The people of misguidance should come and see just what a terrifying darkness, obscurity, there is in their misguidance, just as there is in their graves; and how they are the nests of scorpions. They should know that belief in the hereafter is a way beautiful and luminous as Paradise, and should embrace belief.
FIFTH MATTER
This consists of two Topics.
First Topic: The fact that necessitated by His Name of All-Wise, the All-Glorious Maker follows the lightest way, the shortest path, the easiest fashion, the most beneficial form shows that there is no wastefulness, futility, and absence of benefits in the nature of things. Wastefulness is the opposite of the Name of Wise, just as frugality is necessitated by it and is its fundamental principle.
О prodigal, wasteful man! Know that by not practising frugality, the most basic principle in the universe, you have acted in a way entirely contrary to reality! You should understand what an essential, encompassing principle is taught by the verse.
Eat and drink, but waste not in excess?3
Second T o p i с : It may be said that the Names of Sapient and All-Wise point to and necessitate the messengership of God's Noble Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) to the degree of being self-evident.
Yes, since a meaningful book requires a teacher to teach it; and an exquisite beauty requires a mirror to show and see itself; and a perfect work of art requires a herald to announce it; for sure among mankind, who is addressed by the mighty book of the universe, in every letter of which are hundreds of meanings and instances of wisdom, will be a perfect guide, a supreme teacher.
For he will teach the sacred and true wisdom in the book; that is, make known the existence of the wisdom and purposes in the universe; indeed, be the means of the appearance, and even existence, of the dominical purposes in the universe's creation; and make known and act as a mirror to the perfect art of the Creator, and the beauty of His Names, which He willed to display throughout the universe, showing their importance.
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З.Оuг'ап 7;31
And since the Creator wants to make Himself loved through all His beings and to be responded to by all His conscious creatures, one of them will respond with comprehensive worship in the name of all of them in the face of those comprehensive dominical manifestations; he will bring the land and sea to ecstasy, turn the gazes of those conscious creatures to the One Who made the art with a tumultuous announcement and exaltation which will cause the heavens and earth to reverberate; and with sacred instruction and teaching and a Qur'an of Mighty Stature that will draw the attention of all reasonable people, will demonstrate in the best way the Divine purposes of that Sapient and All-Wise Maker; and who will respond in most complete and perfect manner to the manifestations of all His instances of wisdom and of His Beauty and Glory; the existence of such a one is as necessary, as essential for the universe as the existence of the sun. And the one who did this and performed those functions most perfectly was self-evidently the Most Noble Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him). In which case, all the wisdom in the universe necessitates the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) as much as the sun necessitates light, and light, the day.
Yes, just as through their greatest manifestation, the Names of Sapient and All-Wise necessitate the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) at the maximum degree, so too numerous Most Beautiful Names like Allah, Most Merciful, All-Compassionate, Loving, Bestovver, Munificent, Beauteous, and Sustainer, necessitate through their greatest manifestation apparent in the universe, at the maximum degree and with absolute certainty, the mes-sengership of Muhammad (PBUH).
For example, the all-embracing mercy which is the manifestation of the Name of Most Merciful is apparent through the One sent as a Mercy to AH the Worlds. And Almighty God's making Himself known and loved, which is the manifestation of the Name of Loving, gives the fruit of that Beloved of the Sustainer of All the Worlds, and finds response in him. And all instances of beauty, which are the manifestation of the Name of Beauteous, that is, the beauty of the Divine Essence, the beauty of the Divine Names, beauty of art, and the beauty of creatures, are seen and displayed in the Mirror of Muhammad (PBUH). And the manifestations of the splendour of dominicality and sovereignty of Divinity are known, become apparent and understood, and are confirmed through the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH), the herald of the dominion of dominicality. And so on, like these examples, most of the Most Beautiful Names are shining proofs of the mes-sengership of Muhammad (PBUH).
In Short: Since the universe exists and cannot be denied, observable truths like wisdom, grace, mercy, beauty, order, balance, and adornment, which are like the colours, embellishments, lights, rays, arts, lives, and bonds of the universe, can in no way be denied. Since it is not possible to deny these attributes and acts, certainly the Necessarily Existent, All-Wise, Munificent, Compassionate, Beauteous, Sapient, and Just One also.
Who is the One signified by those attributes, and is the Doer of those deeds, and the Sun and Source of those lights, can in no way be denied. And certainly the messengership of Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him), who is the supreme guide, most perfect teacher, pre-eminent herald, solver of the talisman of the universe, and mirror of the Eternally Besought One. and beloved of the Most Merciful, and the means of those attributes and acts being known, indeed of their perfection, and even of their being realized, can in no way be denied. Like the lights of the world of reality and of the reality of the universe, his messenership is the uni¬verse's most brilliant light.
Blessings and peace be upon him to the number of seconds of the days and of lhe particles of creatures.
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which you have taught us; indeed. You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.4
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4. Οur'ân;2:32.