|
DECISIVE
ARGUMENTS FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE AND UNITY
In the
name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
God
is the Creator of all things, and He is guardian and
watcher over everything. To Him belong the keys of the
heavens and Earth. (39:62-3)
Glory
be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom and inner
dimensions of all things. (36:83)
There
is nothing but with Us are the stores thereof. (15:21)
There
is not a moving creature but He has grasp of it by the
forelock. (11:56)
The
role of material or natural causes in creation
O you
who attribute all things and events in this world to the law
of causality. The causes to which you ascribe creativity are
only veils covering the operation of Divine Power, for God’s
Dignity and Grandeur require such veils. However, the Eternal
Divine Power, absolutely independent of everything, is
ever-active and creates, for Divine Unity and Glory require
that it be so.
The
Eternal Monarch has officers, but they have no authority of
their own to execute His orders independently. Thus they are
not partners to His Sovereignty; rather, their only functions
are to serve as media through which His Lordship’s acts and
executions are watched and known, and as observers and
witnesses. By doing so, they obey His laws and commands of
creation and thereby perform their duty of worship, which is
required by their nature and disposition. In short, they exist
because they must manifest the dignity of Divine Power and
majesty of Divine Lordship and Sovereignty. Human monarchs, on
the other hand, need officers and other means to help them
enforce their rule. There is no resemblance or relation
between these two kinds of officers.
Since
most people cannot discern the beauty and wisdom behind
events, they complain and object. In order to divert such
complaints from God, causes are placed as an intervening veil
(between people and God’s acts). However, those who see the
real beauty and wisdom in events know the truth of what is
going on. A parable clarifies this point: The Angel of Death
complained to God that His servants would complain of his role
as the taker of souls. God answered him: “I will put illness
and misfortune between you and them so that they will complain
of them, not of you.”
In sum,
God’s Dignity and Grandeur require apparent causes to
prevent complaints and to hide, from those who reason
superficially, the hand of Power’s involvement in certain
seemingly insignificant or vile things and affairs. At the
same time, God’s Unity and Glory require that these apparent
causes have no part in either the creation or disposition of
things.
Belief
in God’s Unity has two degrees
Belief
in God’s Unity has two degrees. The first degree is
believing superficially that God has no partners, and that the
universe belongs only to Him. Such believers may be
susceptible to deviation and confusion. The second degree is
being firmly convinced that God is One, that everything
belongs to Him exclusively, and that only He creates. Such
believers see His seal and observe His stamp on all things.
Free from all doubt, they feel themselves always and
everywhere in His Presence. Their conviction cannot be diluted
by deviation or doubt.
For you
to acquire such conviction in God’s Unity, consider the
following arguments:
ARGUMENTS
Life
is the brightest evidence of God, Who makes everything
out of one thing and makes one thing out of many things
God
Almighty sets a special seal on each thing He makes, showing
that He is the Creator of all things. He sets a special stamp
on each creature, demonstrating that He is the Maker of all
things. On each “letter” that the Power “writes,”
there is an inimitable signature specific to the Eternal
Monarch.
For
example, look at the seal He has put on life. Consider how,
through life, one thing is made into many, and many things are
made into one. For example, God transforms the water we drink
into a means for forming innumerable animal organs and
systems. Through His command, a single entity becomes “many.”
Conversely, He changes many varieties of foods into a
particular body or skin, a whole system or subsystem. Thus “many”
things become, by God’s command, a single entity. Whoever
has an intellect, consciousness, and a heart must conclude
that making a single, simple entity from many things and using
a single entity to make many things is a seal special to the
Creator of all things.
The
one who made the honeybee an index of most things, and
who inserted in human nature most parts of the Book of
Creation, must be the same and single Creator.
Being
complex and inclusive in character, a living thing is a
miniature universe, a shining fruit of the tree of creation, a
nucleus of creation made by the Creator as a sample or pattern
for most species. It is as if that living thing is a drop
filtered through wisdom from creation with absolutely exact
measures, an all-inclusive point extracted from existence
through knowledge with absolutely precise calculations. As one
who does not have the supreme disposition of creation cannot
create anything, the one who made the honeybee an index of
most things, and who inserted in human nature most parts of
the Book of Creation, must be the Creator. He encoded the
future life of a fig tree in its tiny seed, and made the human
heart a small-scale copy of thousands of worlds, as well as a
window opening onto them. He recorded humanity’s past life
and everything related to it in human memory. The One Who has
done these and many similar things can only be the Creator of
all things, and His doing so is a stamp specific to the Lord
of the Worlds.
He: a point of Divine Unity demonstrated by a molecule
of air
It is a
fact that a handful of soil serves as a flower-bed for
hundreds of flowers one after another. If this process is
attributed to ‘nature’ or ‘causality’, then it is
necessary either for there to exist in such a handful of soil
hundreds of the tiniest machines or factories [to produce the
flowers] and also an immaterial ‘factory’ [to determine
and govern their whole lives in place of the Divine Knowledge
and Destiny], or for each particle of that small amount of
soil to know how to make all those different flowers in their
different characteristics and with their living elements. To
put it simply: each particle would have to possess infinite
knowledge and limitless power such as only God truly owns.
In just
the same way, in each molecule of air (which is a conductor of
Divine Will and Command) in each gust, each shift of air such
as can be identified making the sound He, there must either be
present, on the minutest scale, the centers, exchanges,
receivers, and transmitters of all the telephones, telegraphs
and radios in the world, so that each molecule of air could
perform those countless acts at the same time; or each
particle or molecule must dispose all the relevant faculties
(of mind, spirit, personality, etc.) of all the different
users of the telephones, telegraphs, radios, and must know all
their different languages, and transmit them to the other
particles at the same time. Just such an impossibility is
required by the ways of the unbelievers, naturalists and
materialists, in which not one impossibility, but
impossibilities and difficulties to the number of particles of
air are apparent.
If
attributed to the Majestic Maker, however the air together
with all its particles becomes a ‘soldier’ under His
Command. Through the leave and Power of its Creator, and
through connection to and reliance on Him, and through the
manifestation of its Maker’s Power, in an instant with the
speed of lightning, and with the ease of uttering the word He
and the movement of air, its innumerable universal duties are
performed as easily as the single duty of one individual
particle. That is, the air becomes a ‘page’ for the
endless, wonderful, orderly inscriptions of the Pen of Power;
its particles become the ribs of the Pen, and the duties of
those particles, the points inscribed by the Pen. It works as
easily as the movement of a single particle.
If a
few other points are jumbled around one point on a piece of
white paper, it will be almost impossible to distinguish that
point; and if a man does several different jobs at the same
time he will be confused: and if a living creature is loaded
with many burdens at the same time, it will be crushed; and if
a man were to give ear to or utter numerous different words
all at the same time, those words would be confused and
muddled.
Despite
this being the case, although thousands of different points,
letters and words are deposited in each molecule, even in each
particle, of the air, they are conveyed without any confusion
and irregularity. Also, although the air performs a great many
different duties at the same time, it carries them out without
any confusion; each molecule or particle of the air is loaded
with very heavy burdens, yet bears them without lagging or
displaying any weakness at all. Again, thousands of different
words of all different sorts and meanings enter into ears and
issue out of mouths with perfect order and without being
muddled. By carrying out all of its extraordinary duties, each
particle and molecule of air proclaims in the tongue of its
being and functioning and in ecstasy and perfect freedom, and
through the testimony of the above truth: there is no deity
but He, and, Say: He is God, the One. It travels among
air-clashing waves like storms of lightning and thunder in
perfect order without confusing its duties, not one of which
prevents any other.
The
deduction must be: either each particle or molecule of air
necessarily has infinite wisdom, knowledge, will, and power,
and other qualities through which to be absolutely dominant
over all the other particles so that it can perform all those
functions-a notion that is absurd and inconceivable to the
number of particles, and no devil can ever conceive it-or else
(and this is evident to the degree of certainty based on
knowledge, certainty based on eye-witnessing or clear
observation, and certainty based on personal experience) that
the element of air functions in the world of transformations
and changes as a changing ‘page’ for the Pen of Power and
Destiny used by the All-Majestic One with infinite knowledge
and wisdom, and as a signboard, known as the Tablet of
Abrogation and Confirmation, on which a changeable copy of the
Divine decrees on the Supreme Preserved Tablet are reflected.
Thus,
just as air demonstrates the above-mentioned wonders and
manifestation of Divine Oneness in only the duty of
transmitting sound and images and shows the infinite
impossibility of the way of misguidance, so also does it
perform such other important duties as transmitting subtle
forces like electricity, light, and the forces of attraction
and repulsion all at the same time as it performs the duty of
transmitting sound. Also, with perfect order and without any
confusion it carries out duties essential for the lives of all
plants and animals, such as respiration and pollination. Air
decisively proves that it is a very important means of
conveying the Divine Will and Command, and that there is no
way or possibility of random chance, blind force, deaf nature,
confused, aimless causality, and powerless, lifeless,
unknowing matter, taking part in or having any influence on
the performance of the air’s duties. Also, each particle,
each molecule proclaims in the tongue of its being and
functioning: There is no deity but God, and, Say: He is God,
the One.
Beings
coming to life and being revived demonstrates God’s
Unity
Look at
the signature put on the acts of bringing to life and
reviving. Out of innumerable possible examples, we mention
only one: In each transparent or apparently transparent thing,
from planets to drops and glass, there is a stamp-an image or
reflection-specific to the Sun.
The
Unique, Eternal Sun1
also sets on each living thing a seal, a stamp, of reviving
and bringing to life, which reveals itself by manifesting all
of His Names on that thing. If all material causes-supposing
they had power and will-came together to produce the like of
that stamp, they could not do so, even if they helped each
other (The Quran, 17:88).
Assume
that the images of the Sun reflected in drops, glass, or any
transparent thing are not attributed to the Sun. If this were
the case, one would have to accept that there is a real, tiny
Sun in each drop facing the Sun, in each piece of glass
reflecting the Sun’s light, and that every transparent thing
has become a Sun.
Assume
that every living thing and life, and every act of bringing to
life, is not attributed to the manifestation of the Divine
Names. Assume that the belief that life is the focus of the
Divine Names’ manifestations, which could be regarded as the
rays of the Eternal Sun, is not acceptable. If this were so,
each living thing would have to have an infinite power of
creation, all-encompassing knowledge, and absolute will, and
attributes that it is impossible to be found in anything other
than the Necessarily Existent Being.2 Also, each
atom would have to have divinity, for the existence of
everything would have to be ascribed to itself. Likewise, if
the existence of everything is ascribed to causes, absolute
divinity would have to be attributed to each cause. Thus there
would be countless partners in Divinity, which necessarily
requires absolute independence and rejection of any
partnership.
Consider
an atom or a seed. See how astonishing its well-arranged
composition and relationships are. It has relationships with
all parts of the living thing of which it is a part, as well
as relationships with all members of its species and all other
creatures. Its relationships and duties resemble those of a
private with respect to military officers. If the atom’s or
seed’s connection to the Absolute Power were severed, it
would have to be admitted that it has eyes to see all things
and an all-comprehensive consciousness.
In
summary: If the Sun’s reflection in a drop is attributed to
the actual Sun, many Suns would have to exist in the smallest
things. It is the same with the Absolutely Powerful One, in
relation to Whose Power all things that exist, without
exception, are the same. Accepting the above assertion
requires accepting countless divinities.
P.S:
1 & 2. God Almighty should be considered
from five perspectives. One is His Essence as Divine
Being―Zāt, in Islamic terminology. His
Essence cannot be known by anyone except God Himself. A
Prophetic Tradition says: Do not reflect on God’s
Essence, instead, reflect on His works and acts. For God
has no partners, likes and resemblance, which is pointed
to by the verse: There is nothing like or compared unto
Him. The second perspective is God’s Essential, “Innate”
Qualities as being God. These are the source of the
Attributes. The third perspective is His Attributes. The
Attributes have three kinds: one is His Essential
Attributes, which are: Existence, Having No Beginning,
Eternal Permanence, Being Unlike the Created,
Self-Subsistence. The second is the Positive Attributes,
which are: Life, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Will,
Hearing, Seeing, Creating. The third is the “Negative”
Attributes. The Negative Attributes are innumerable but
can be summed up in a definition: God is absolutely free
from any defective and shortcoming. The Attributes are
the sources of Names. Life gives rise to the All-Living,
Knowledge to All-Knowing, Power to All-Powerful, etc.
God has many Names, about one thousand of which are
known by human beings. The Names are the sources of the
Acts. For example, giving life has its source in the
All-Living; knowing everything down to the smallest
originates in the All-Knowing, etc. God is “known”
by His acts, Names and Attributes. Whatever exists in
the universe, in the worlds, material and immaterial, is
the result of the manifestation of God’s Names and
Attributes. For example, the universal and individual
provision points to His Name, the All-Providing; the
All-Healing is the source of remedies and patients’
recovering from illnesses. Philosophy has its source in
Wisdom, etc. The acts, Names and Attributes are the “links”
between God and the created, or the “reflectors”
with which to have knowledge of God.
Although
we try to know or recognize God by His acts, Names and
Attributes, since there is nothing resembling Him, we
must refrain to think about Him in the terms associating
likeness or comparison unto Him. First of all, He is
absolutely One, Single, that is, He is God without any
resemblance what or howsoever. In this sense, His
Oneness is not in terms of number. However, He has also
Unity. He has relations with the created. In order to
have some knowledge of Him through His acts, Names and
Attributes, some comparisons are permissible. This is
pointed to in the verse: For God is the highest
comparison. The writer’s using the Sun as a unit of
comparison to understand God’s acts, Names and
Attributes should be considered from this perspective.
All things in the universe are interrelated with one
another
The
universe resembles a tree, which has grown from a seed
containing the program of the future full form of the tree.
So, all things in the universe are closely interrelated with
one another. Each particle in the body, for example, a
particle in the pupil of the eye, has relations with the eye
itself, as well as with the head, and the powers of
reproduction, attraction and repulsion, with the veins and
arteries, and with other veins, and motor and sensory nerves,
which serve the circulation of blood and the working of the
body, and with the rest of the body, and it has also duties in
relation to each. This evidently shows one who is not blind
that the whole of the body, including every particle, is a
work of an Eternal, All-Powerful One and operates under His
command.
Everything is in its exact place in creation and in
close co-operation with everything else
The
seeds of all flowering and fruit-bearing plants are the same
in composition: they are all composed of carbon, nitrogen,
hydrogen, and oxygen. They only differ on account of and in
respect of the program of their progenitor deposited in them
by Divine Destiny. If we put the seeds of various flowering
and fruit-bearing plants one after another in a flower-pot
filled with earth, which is composed of particular or certain
elements, each plant will appear in the wonderful form and
shape, the amazing members, peculiar to it. If those particles
were not subjugated to, and under the command of, One Who
knows each thing with all its features, structures, and
life-cycles, and the conditions of its life, and is capable of
endowing everything with a being suitable to it and everything
necessary for it, and to Whose Power everything is subjected
without the least resistance, then either there would have to
be in each particle of the earth ‘immaterial factories’
determining all the future lives of the plants, and workshops
to the number of all the flowering and fruit-bearing plants,
so that each could be the origin for all those various beings,
differing in form, taste, color, and members, or each of those
plants should have an all-encompassing knowledge and a power
capable of forming themselves. That means, if the connection
of beings with Almighty God is severed, then it becomes
necessary to accept gods to the number of the particles of
earth. This is the most inconceivable of superstitions.
Every particle testifies to God in two ways
Also,
in each particle are two further true witnesses to the
necessary existence and Unity of the Maker: despite its
absolute powerlessness, each particle is able to do a great
variety of significant duties, and despite its lifelessness,
by acting in conformity with the universal order, each
particle displays a universal consciousness. That means, each
particle testifies, through its impotence, to the necessary
existence of the Absolutely All-Powerful One, and through
acting in conformity with the order of the universe, to His
Unity.
Attributing existence to One God is the easiest way to
explain it
Writing
a book requires only a writer and a pen. However, if it is
printed on a printing press, there would have to be as many
iron letters as actual letters in the book. Also, many people
would be needed to make those letters and arrange them for
printing the book. Sura Ya Sin is written in very small
letters inside the two Arabic letters “Ya” and “Sin.”
If a book is written in small, fine letters within a single
word, then one would need as many iron letters as actual
letters in the book to print that single word.
If you
say that the universe is a book written with the pen of a
Single One, then you are following the easiest and most
reasonable path. If, by contrast, you attribute the universe’s
existence to nature or material causes, you are following the
most unreasonable and difficult way. In such a case, “printing”
a single living thing would require as many instruments as
printing most of the universe would demand. This seems to be
an impossible supposition.
Suppose
different kinds of seeds have been buried in a soil-filled
pot. Empty the pot and fill it with soil taken from the Earth’s
surface. In both cases, the result will be almost the same.
The same result can be observed all over the Earth. Despite
the variety in shape, color, taste, and appearance, any soil
can be used to produce all flowers and fruit-bearing trees.
Thus each seed, despite their physical simplicity and
similarity to each other, would have to have special machines
or workshops to form the entire plant or tree.
Every created letter of the Book of the Universe points
to God in many ways
Any
letter in a book points to itself as a letter and in one
respect only. However, it points to its writer in many
respects. Similarly, every “created” letter of the Book of
the Universe points to itself only as a letter. However, it
points to its Maker in many respects, both individually and in
the words and sentences in which it is included, and manifests
its Maker’s titles, describing them as if it were a long,
fine poem.
Absolute balance, orderliness and distinguishing despite
things being almost infinitely
mingled
The
Glorious Maker puts His special stamp on each particular or
individual thing, and His specific seal on each part of a
whole. Likewise, He puts His special stamp on each species and
each whole. He puts the stamp of His Unity on the whole of the
universe, as well as on any part of it, thus demonstrating His
Unity. By concentrating the manifestations of all or some of
His Names on a single entity, He displays His Oneness.3
P.S.
3. Unity and Oneness are used to denote two
different meanings. The original word which we translate
as Unity is Wahidiya, meaning God’s manifesting all
His Names throughout the universe or on any part of it.
Oneness, the original of which is Ahadiya, means God’s
concentrating all or some of His Names on a single
entity. This second manifestation¾the manifestations of
Oneness¾causes differentiation among species and
individuals. In this book, we have used them sometimes
interchangeably and sometimes each with its specific
meaning.
Look at
the stamp pointed out in: Look at the prints of God’s Mercy,
how He revives the Earth after its death. He verily is the
Reviver of the dead in the same way, and He is powerful over
all things (30:50). The revival of the Earth is an astonishing
“resurrection” or coming to life again. Hundreds of
thousands of animal and vegetable species are raised to life.
There are far more members of many non-human species than
there are human beings. Nevertheless, to fulfill certain
subtle purposes, most plants are not raised in their exact
former identities, but in forms bearing a substantial and
close resemblance to their previous ones. However they are
revived, their revival indicates the ease of Resurrection
[that will occur at the end of time after the universe’s
destruction].
Despite
their being infinitely mixed with each other, reviving those
innumerable species without any confusion and with exact
differentiation is a special stamp of the One of infinite
Power and all-encompassing Knowledge.
Species
are infinitely mixed and intermingled, and there is great
similarity among them. On the “page” of the Earth,
hundreds of thousands of “books” are written without
confusion or mistake, with infinite order, and with absolute
accuracy in distinguishing among them. This is also a special
seal of the One in Whose hand are the kingdom and keys of all
things. He is not prevented from doing one thing while
simultaneously doing something else.
During
spring, there is an exalted, subtly embroidered seal belonging
to the Lord, one showing itself in absolute accuracy and
orderliness, abundance and extensiveness, and with absolute
speed and ease. You see that completely mixed things are
perfectly distinguished and separated. This seal is particular
to the One Who can do many things at once, from Whom nothing
is hidden, and for Whom nothing is difficult.
In this
same season, we see extraordinary art and activity on the
Earth based on purposefulness, insight, wisdom, and
munificence. This occurs everywhere, in exactly the same way,
orderliness, and abundance. This art and activity are seals of
the One Who, despite being nowhere, is present everywhere
through His Power and Knowledge, Whom nothing wearies, and Who
never needs help.
Mutual helping and cooperation in the universe
As the
stamp of the Oneness of Him Who is Eternally Besought-of-All,
is observed on the “page” of the Earth and throughout the
heavens and the Earth, so also is the stamp of His Unity
observed on the universe as a whole. The universe is like a
magnificent palace, a well-ordered factory, a well-planned
city, all of whose elements or parts work together for great
purposes. Even over long distances, elements hasten to help
each other when needed and do not get lost. Those who discern
this truth see how some parts help other parts to meet their
needs. It is as if they respond to each other’s requests for
help and, in close cooperation and obedience to a single
manager, work in orderliness and serve living beings for
specific purposes.
Look at
this principle of mutual helping and cooperation. The Sun and
the moon, day and night, and summer and winter work with
plants to help animals and to convey their food to them, which
they take from the treasury of Mercy. Animals hasten to help
human beings. For example, honeybees and silkworms take honey
and silk from the treasury of the All-Merciful and carry them
to humanity. Particles of soil, air, and water help fruits and
vegetation, each of which have a different taste and quality
of nourishment. In turn, they help the body’s cells in
perfect orderliness and for great purposes.
This
perfect, purposeful, and well-arranged mutual helping is
manifested by all of those things, especially inanimate
objects. It is also an evident proof and clear argument that
they are servants of an All-Wise Sustainer, workers of a
Munificent Manager who work by His command and leave, and by
His Power and Wisdom.
Providing each being just on time and according to its
need
The
food needed by living things is distributed among them on time
and according to their need. This well-arranged universal
providence, contained in an all-encompassing mercy, implies
love for and knowledge of those being supplied. Such
all-encompassing mercy combined with perfect graciousness
implies favoring and gratifying. Such graciousness combined
with universal wisdom implies a certain purpose and
consciousness. Such universal wisdom combined with a perfect
arrangement makes all things dependent on each other. Such
dependence requires mutual helping and solidarity among all
parts of existence. All of this is a special stamp of the One
Who is the Lord, Sustainer, Provider, and Director of all
things. It is also a seal particular to the One to Whose
Command the sun, the moon, and the stars are subjugated. He is
the One Who has made all things good which He has created
(32:7). When He wills a thing, He only says: “Be,” and it
is (36:82).
One who cannot create, own and administer the universe
cannot
create, own and administer an atom
The
stamp of Oneness is seen on all individual things and species,
on the earth and the universe, and is distributed throughout
the world on such universal elements as air, water, and soil.
Planting
seeds in an arable land indicates that the land is controlled
by the owner of the seeds, and that the seeds belong to the
one who controls the land. All those universal elements [like
water, air and soil implying an all-encompassing knowledge and
wisdom] through their simplicity, uniformity, and
comprehensiveness, and all the things “planted” in
them-these fruits of Mercy, miracles of Power, and words of
Wisdom-through their world-wide distribution for certain
purposes, are evidence that the comprehensive and
comprehended, as well as the “land” and the “seeds”
planted in it, are at the disposal of a single Maker. Each
species and element testifies that it belongs to the One Who
owns everything. Each flower or fruit, each animal or
micro-organism, is a seal proclaiming, a stamp pronouncing, a
signature declaring in the tongue of perfect harmony,
orderliness, and purpose: “The One Who owns me owns this
space. Whoever created me created it. Whoever uses me as a
letter “wrote” it. Whoever made me a stitch wove it.”
The One
Who disposes of the smallest creatures and manages the life of
the weakest beings has the supreme disposition of all
elements. The One Who employs all elements manages the lives
of all animals and plants, and holds them in His hand of
Lordship. This is a stamp of Unity that is seen by anyone
whose eyes are not blind and whose heart is not sealed.
Can you
claim absolute ownership and disposal of anything in the
universe? Ask an individual being, and it will reply: “Whoever
is the absolute owner of my species can claim to own me;
otherwise he or she cannot.” Ask the species, and they will
reply: “Whoever has the absolute ownership of the Earth,
both its exterior and interior, can claim to own me; otherwise
he or she cannot.” Ask the Earth, and it will reply: “Whoever
has the absolute ownership of the whole universe can claim to
own me; otherwise he or she cannot.”
The
extraordinary ease of creating so many species
distributed world-wide comes from the Oneness of their
Creator
We have
pointed out some stamps of Unity put on parts, individual
beings, and wholes; on the universe; and on life, living
beings, and bringing to life. Among these innumerable seals of
Oneness on species and wholes, let us look at another one.
The
difficulty or ease of creating a tree and a fruit is the same,
as both depend on the same law of growth and issue from the
same center. Depending on the same law of raising and upkeep
diminishes difficulty and expenditure, so much so that there
is no difference between one person growing a tree with
abundant fruit and many people raising a single fruit tree. A
single fruit grown by many people requires as many tools as
does growing a tree with abundant fruit. Similarly, the
instruments, machines, and factories needed to equip an army
would be the same if only a single soldier were to be
equipped. The difference is only qualitative. Also, printing
thousands of copies of a book is not much more expensive than
printing a single copy. If each copy were printed on a
different printing press, the amount paid would be thousands
of times greater than that paid for thousands of copies from
the same press.
In sum:
If innumerably multiple things are not attributed to a single
source, then-besides having to attribute a single thing to
innumerably multiple things-the number of difficulties would
equal the number of those things. So, the extraordinary ease
of creating so many species distributed world-wide comes from
the Oneness of their Creator.
The essential similarities among members of a species
and species of a class
The
essential similarities among members of a species and species
of a class show the oneness of the stamp and the singleness of
the “pen,” and testify that such similarities are the work
of a Single One. Also, the absolute ease [of their creation in
such abundance] and the small expenditure spent on them
demonstrate that they are the work of a Single Being. If this
were not so, their creation would be impossibly difficult.
This observed ease and economy of means also shows that God
has no partners in His Essence and acts, for such a condition
would destroy the order, which, in turn, would ruin the
universe.
Just as life proves Divine Oneness and the necessity of
His Existence, death proves His Permanence and Eternity.
The
images of the sun reflected in bubbles floating on a river and
the sea, as well as in transparent things on the earth, bear
witness to the sun. These images disappear when the sun sets
or the river enters a tunnel, and new ones appear when the sun
rises again or the river comes out of the tunnel. This
testifies to the permanence of the sun’s light and
demonstrates that these images are the work of a single sun.
Their existence shows the sun’s existence; their
disappearance shows that there is only one “eternal” sun.
Similarly,
the existence of creatures shows the necessary existence of
the Necessarily Existent Being. Their disappearance, together
with the causes of their existence and their replacement with
new creatures, bear witness to His Permanence, Eternity, and
Oneness. For along with the alternation of day and night,
seasons and years, beautiful beings are renewed, and fine
creatures are replaced as they “set” while their likes “rise.”
All of this testifies to the existence of an Eternally
Beautiful One Who continuously manifests Himself, and to His
Permanence and Oneness. The disappearance of causes and their
effects, along with the succession of years and centuries and
their being followed by their likes, bear witness that causes
and their effects are created for subtle purposes. All of
those fine beings coming in successively are creatures of the
All-Majestic, All-Gracious, and Beautiful One, all of Whose
Names are beautiful and holy. All of this activity testifies
that they are His changing works, moving mirrors, and
successive stamps and seals.
Just
as creatures testify to the All-Glorious One’s necessary
existence and Oneness, they also testify to His Attributes
of Majesty, Beauty, and Perfection
Just as
creatures testify to the All-Glorious One’s necessary
existence and Oneness, they also testify to His Attributes of
Majesty, Beauty, and Perfection; the perfection of His
Essence; and the fact that His Being, essential “Qualities,”
Attributes, Names, and acts have no defect or deficiency.
A work’s
perfection points to the act’s perfection. The act’s
perfection points to the title’s perfection. The title’s
perfection points to the attribute’s perfection. The
attribute’s perfection points to the being’s essential
capacity or indispensable quality. The being’s perfection of
the essential or indispensable quality points to the being’s
perfection.
A
palace’s perfect structure and decoration manifests the
perfection of the engineer’s work. The work’s perfection
shows the title’s perfection, meaning that the engineer is
skillful, expert, and capable. The title’s perfection
displays the perfection of the engineer’s qualities, meaning
that the engineer is knowledgeable, intelligent, capable, and
efficient. The perfection of the qualities displays these
essential capacities, meaning that the engineer has fully
realized his or her superior capacities and distinguished
potential. The perfection of the capacities reveals one’s
perfection as an engineer.
Similarly,
the perfection of the works we observe in the universe bears
witness to the perfection of the activity behind them, which,
in turn, bears witness to the perfection of the titles of the
one doing the work. The perfection of the titles testifies to
the perfection of the qualities or attributes, for names or
titles issue from attributes. The perfection of attributes
reveals the perfection of the essential capacities that are
the attributes’ sources. The perfection of the essential
capacities testifies to the perfection of the All-Glorious
Being.
Actually, compared to
His glorious Perfection and majestic Beauty, all perfection or
beauty in the universe is only a dim or vague shadow. |
|
