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HOW
DO THE DIVINE NAMES MANIFEST THEMSELVES
AND WHAT
ARE THEIR RESULTS?
A
king has different titles in respect of the
different departments of his government, and
different styles and attributes among the
classes of his subjects, and different names
and signs in the levels of his rule, for
example, ‘supreme judge’ in the
department of justice, ‘chief
administrator’ in the civil service, ‘commander-in-chief’
in the army, and ‘supreme teacher’ in
the education department. If, starting from
these examples, you know the rest of his
names and titles, you will understand that a
single king may have numerous names and
titles in respect of the departments of his
government and levels of his rule. It is as
if, by virtue of his public person and
private system of communication, that king
is present in every department, and through
his laws, regulations, and representatives,
he superintends all his officials and
watches all his subjects, and is seen by
them. Behind the veil at every level, he
administers, executes his orders, and is
watchful through his decree, knowledge, and
power.
Similarly,
the Lord of the Worlds, Who is the King of
eternity, has at the levels of his Lordship’s
manifestations reputations and designations
which are all different but which correspond
to each other. In the spheres of His
Divinity, He has names and marks which are
all different but whose manifestations are
concentric with one another. He has in His
majestic execution of His rule
representations and appellations which are
all different but which resemble one
another, and in the operations of His Power
He has titles which are all different but
which are linked with each other. In the
manifestations of His Attributes He has
sacred ways of disclosing Himself which are
all different but which point to one
another. In His modes of acting, He has wise
operations which are of numerous sorts but
which perfect one another. In His colorful
artistry and varied works of art, He has
magnificent aspects of Lordship which are of
different kinds but which correspond to each
other. Besides, in every world, in every
division of beings, each one of His Most
Beautiful Names is individually manifested.
In that world or sphere that Name is
dominant, and the other Names are
subordinate to it. Furthermore, in every
level of beings, in every small or large
division of them, whose individual members
are large or small, God has a particular
display of Himself, a particular
manifestation of Lordship, and a particular
manifestation of one of His Names. Although
the Name in question has a universal
manifestation, it concentrates on something
particular in such a way that you think it
is peculiar to that thing exclusively. In
addition, although the All-Majestic Creator
is nearer to everything than itself, He is
separated from it through seventy thousand
veils of light. For example, you can
consider how many veils or degrees there are
between the Name of Creator and the degrees
of Its creativity manifested in you, between
you and the greatest degree and supreme
title which is the Creator of the Universe.
That means, provided you transcend the
outward dimensions of the universe, you may
reach, through the door of being a creature,
to the highest limit of the manifestations
of the Name of Creator, and draw close to
the sphere of Divine Attributes.
Since
the veils have windows opening on each
other, and the Names appear concentric with
each other, and the designations correspond
to each other, and the representations are
like one another, and the operations perfect
one another, and the various dispositions of
Lordship co-operate with one another, then
it is surely necessary for one who
recognizes Almighty God by one of His Names,
titles, or aspects of His Lordship, etc.
that he does not deny His other titles,
actions, and aspects of Lordship. Rather, if
one does not make a transition from the
manifestation of one Name to the other
Names, one is in a loss. For example, if one
does not notice the Name, the All-Knowing
where he sees the works of the Names, the
All-Powerful and the Creator, one may fall
into heedlessness and the misguidance of
regarding nature as self-originator.
Therefore, one should always keep in view
and recite ‘He!’ and ‘He is God!’ He
should listen, and hear from everything: ‘He
is God, the One!’ In unison with all the
rest of the creation, he should proclaim:
‘There is no god but He!’ Thus, through
the declaration, God, there is no god but
He; His are the Most Beautiful Names, the
manifest Qur‘an points to these truths
which I have mentioned.
If
you would like to observe those elevated
truths more closely, go and ask a stormy sea
or the quaking earth: ‘What are you
saying?’ Surely, you will hear them
repeating: ‘O Majestic One! O Majestic
One, O Honorable One of Might! O
All-Compelling One!’ Then ask the small
creatures and their young that are
maintained with care and compassion on the
land and in the sea: ‘What are you saying?’
For sure they will hymn: ‘O Gracious One!
O Gracious One! O Most Compassionate One!’
Then listen to the heavens how they sing:
‘O Majestic One of Grace!‘ Give ear to
the earth, which says: ‘O Gracious One of
Majesty!‘ Pay attention to the animals and
hear how they invoke: ‘O Most Merciful
One! O Provider!‘ When you ask the
springtime, you will hear it reciting many
Names such as ‘O Most Caring One! O Most
Merciful One! O Most Compassionate One! O
Most Munificent One! O Gracious One! O
Affectionate One! O Fashioner! O
Illuminating One! O Favoring One! O Adorner!’
Lastly, ask a human being who is truly
human, and see how he recites and manifests
all the Most Beautiful Names of God and how
they are inscribed on his forehead. If you
look carefully, you too may discern them one
by one. It is as if the universe is a huge
orchestra singing the Divine Names. With the
songs sung in the least notes and tones
mixed with the highest, the universe
produces a magnificent harmony.
Man
is the place of manifestation of all the
Names. However, the Names being various and
being manifested in various ways and degrees
has caused variety in the universe, and
variety in the angels’ worshipping; it is
likewise responsible for varieties among
human beings. This has also resulted in
differences among the laws of the Prophets,
the ways of saints, and the paths of
purified scholars. For example, the Name the
All-Power-ful was more predominant in Jesus,
upon him be peace, than the other Names
manifested in him. In those who follow the
path of love, the Name the All-Loving One
prevails, and in those who follow the path
of contemplation and reflection, the Name
the All-Wise.
So,
if someone is at the same time a teacher, an
officer, a lawyer, and an inspector in the
civil service, in each office he has
relations and duties, salaries and
responsibilities, and promotion, and enemies
and rivals who try to cause him to fail in
his services. He meets with the king with
many titles, and having recourse to him
through his many titles, seeks help from him
in many ways.
In
exactly the same way, man, who is the object
of the manifestations of numerous Divine
Names and is charged with many duties and is
the target of many kinds of enmity, seeks
refuge in God by invoking many of His Names.
In fact, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be
peace and blessings, who is the pride of
mankind and truly the most perfect man,
prayed to God through a thousand and one of
Him Names in his supplication named Jawshan
al-Kabir, and sought refuge in Him from
Hellfire. It is because of this that God, in
the sura, Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of
men, the Sovereign of men, The Deity of men,
from the evil of the slinking whisperer, who
whispers in the breasts of men, from jinn
and men, God commands us to seek refuge in
Him through three of His titles, and In the
Name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate, He teaches us to seek help
from Him through three of His Names.
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