The First Indication

Introduction

By way of certain indications, we point now to certain issues that have been fully clarified in other places - in The Twenty-second, Nineteenth, and Twenty-sixth ‘Words’.

The First Indication: There are ‘three realities’ relating to the foolish man and his trustworthy friend in the allegory.

The First: My evil-commanding nafs, and my heart.

The Second: Students of philosophy, and disciples of the Wise Qur’ān

The Third: The nation of belief (ummah), and the nation of disbelief.

The most alarming aspect of the misguidance of students of philosophy, the nation of disbelief, and the evilcommanding nafs lies in their non-recognition of Allāh.

As the trustworthy one said in the allegory: ‘There can be no letter without a writer, nor a law without a ruler.’ We concur in saying:

‘A book; a book within the each word of which another entire book is written with a tiny pen, and within each letter a magnificent, artful poem written with a fine nib - for such a book to be without a writer is an absolute impossibility.

The notion of this universe and these creations being without inscriber constitutes, in the same way, an absolutely impossible impossibility. For this universe is a book the each page of which contains manifold books, and indeed there is a book in each of its words, and a poem in each of its letters.

The surface of the earth is a page, but how many books exist upon it! One tree is a word, but how many pages does it comprise! One fruit is a letter, and every kernel a full-stop. Yet existing within that full-stop is the entire programme and index of that great tree.’

A book like this, then, can be the inscription of the pen of the power of only the Essence of Majesty, the possessor of all attributes of majesty and beauty, and of limitless power and wisdom.

That is, the mere act of witnessing this world makes true faith necessary, unless one has become drunk on misguidance.

There can be no house without a builder, and especially a house that has been decorated with extraordinary art, wonderful engravings and marvellous ornamentation, the each stone of which contains as much artistry as the entire palace itself. No intellect could possibly accept the notion that this palace came into being without a builder; such a palace necessarily entails the existence of an extraordinarily talented, masterful architect - especially since within that palace he builds real [new] dwelling places every hour, as if it is the screen of a cinema, transforming it in perfectly orderly fashion as if he is changing its clothes. Indeed, there exist real, tiny palaces in every single screen.

This universe likewise necessarily entails the existence of a limitlessly wise, all-knowing, almighty artful maker. For this sublime, artful universe is a palace, and the moon and sun are the lamps within it. The stars are its candles, and time is a rope and line upon which the Majestic Artful Maker hangs and presents another new world each year.

He renews the forms of those artful, harmoniously ordered worlds in three hundred and sixty styles, in that world upon which they are hanged, and he transforms them in perfect order and wisdom. He has made the face of the earth a table of blessings that he ornaments every spring with three hundred thousand species of his works of art, and that he fills with countless types of his benefactions, in a way that becomes realised with the utmost intermixing and overlapping. They each differ and are distinguished from one another most clearly. Draw your own conclusions thus about the rest of the aspects of all this - how can one possibly be unaware of the Artful Maker of the like of this palace?

What a tremendous degree of strange madness’ blather it would be, moreover, to deny the existence of the sun on a cloudless day at high noon, when it is seen and it is reflected in every bubble of foam upon the face of the sea, and upon every shining thing on earth, and every single piece of snow.

For then, in the denial and the nonacceptance of the existence of the one sun, one’s acceptance of the existence of as many actual, tiny suns as there are droplets of water and bubbles and parts of all things, is necessarily entailed.

One’s accepting that the vast sun’s reality exists in every single particle, though there be only space therein for a single particle’s breadth, would be necessarily entailed. In the same way, for one to behold this harmoniously ordered universe, that is perpetually being transformed with wisdom and in careful sequence, and continually renewed in order and harmony, and for one then not to accept the existence of the Majestic Creator with His attributes of perfection, would be a [form of] insane misguidedness. It is an instance of demented blabbering even worse than that. For it necessarily

entails one’s accepting the absolute divinity of everything and indeed of every single particle. Because every particle of air, for example, enters into each flower, fruit and leaf and is able to work therein.

Now, if this particle is not an official acting under orders, it must necessarily know the style of the structures and forms of each thing as well as the aggregate of all things, so that it is able to work within them. That is, it must, in order to be able to do all this, be in possession of all-encompassing knowledge and power.

For example: Every particle in soil is capable of being the agent and source of all of the multifarious types of seeds and kernels.

Were these particles not to be officials, they would have to contain within themselves as many non-physical tools and machines as there are plants and trees.

Otherwise, one would have to ascribe to each particle artistry and power able to discern all of the styles of the structures of each plant and tree, as well as to make it, and able to recognise all of the forms with which they are dressed, as well as how to themselves sew together those forms.

Based on this, draw your own conclusions about the rest of beings in existence. You will realise that every single thing contains within itself numerous, manifest proofs of Divine unity.

Yes; the creation of all things from a single thing, and the making of all things a single thing is an action unique to the Creator of all things. Reflect then on the glorious proclamation

وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِۦ (1)

That is, one’s not assenting to the One, the Singular, necessarily entails accepting the existence of as many gods as there are existent beings.

The Second Indication

A noble lieutenant was referred to in the allegory, and it was said, ‘anyone who is not blind understands through seeing his decorations that this person only acts in accordance with the commands of the king, and that he is His special servant. Now that noble lieutenant is the Most Noble Messenger (ASW).’

Yes; for the like of this ornamented universe, the Holy Artful Maker necessarily requires the like of this Most Noble Messenger, just like the sun necessarily entails its light; for the sun cannot be known unless it spreads lights. In the same way, divinity cannot be known unless messengers are sent.

Is it at all possible that a beauty of the utmost perfection should not wish to manifest itself by means of an indicator, and an introducer?

And is it possible that a perfect work of art of surpassing beauty should not wish to reveal itself by means of a towncrier who attracts the attention of all to [that beauty]?

And is it at all possible that the universal kingdom of universal Lordship should not wish to proclaim its unity and eternal independence and besoughtness within the realms of

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1. There is not a single thing but that it celebrates His praise (Qur’ān: al-Isrā’, 17:44)