From the Risale-i Nur Collection

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FOURTH TRUTH
The Gate of Generosity and Beauty,
the Manifestation of the Names of Generous and Beautiful
Is it at all possible that infinite generosity and liberality, inexhaustible riches, unending treasures,
peerless and eternal beauty, flawless and everlasting perfection, should not require the existence
of grateful supplicants,
The Words / Tenth Word - Fourth Truth - p.79
yearning spectators and astounded onlookers, all destined to stay an eternity in an abode of bliss,
a place of repose? Yes, adorning the face of the world with all these objects of beauty, creating
the moon and the sun as its lamps, filling the surface of the earth with the finest varieties of
sustenance and thus making it a banquet of bounty, making fruit-trees into so many dishes, and
renewing them several times each season - all this shows the existence of infinite generosity and
liberality. Such unending liberality and generosity, such inexhaustible treasures of mercy, require
the existence of an abode of repose, a place of bliss, that shall be everlasting and contain all
desirable objects within it. They also require that those who enjoy such bliss should remain in
that abode of repose eternally, without suffering the pain of cessation and separation. For just as
the cessation of pain is a form of pleasure, so too the cessation of pleasure is a form of pain, one
that such infinite generosity is unwilling to countenance. It requires, then, the existence both of
an eternal paradise and of supplicants to abide in it eternally.
Infinite generosity and liberality desire to bestow infinite bounty and infinite kindness. The
bestowal of infinite bounty and infinite kindness require in turn infinite gratitude. This
necessitates the perpetual existence of those who receive all the kindness so that they can
demonstrate their thanks and gratitude for that perpetual bestowal and constant bounty. A petty
enjoyment, made bitter by cessation, and lasting for only a brief time, is not compatible with the requirements of generosity and liberality.
Look too at the different regions of the world, each like an exhibition where God’s crafts are
displayed. Pay attention to the dominical proclamations in the hands of all the plants and animals
on the face of the earth
10
and listen to the prophets and the saints, the heralds of the beauties of
dominicality. They unanimously display the flawless perfections of the Glorious Maker by
demonstrating His miraculous arts, and thus invite the gazes of men.
The Maker of this world has, then, most important, astounding and secret perfections. It is these
He wishes to display by means of His miraculous arts. For secret, flawless perfection wishes to
be manifested to those who will appreciate, admire and wonderingly gaze at it. Eternal perfection
requires eternal manifestation. Such eternal manifestation in turn requires the perpetual existence
of those who are to appreciate and admire it. The value of perfection will always sink in the view
of its admirer if he is devoid of perpetual existence.
11
Again, the beauteous, artistic, brilliant and
adorned creatures
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10. The existence of a brightly designed and brilliantly adorned flower, a most artfully conceived and bejewelled
fruit on a twig as thin as a wire, affixed to a dry, bonelike tree - this is without doubt a proclamation to all animate
beings of the fine arts produced by a most skilled, wise and
miraculous maker. This holds true not only of the vegetable kingdom, but also of the animal realm.
11. There is a proverbial occurrence pertaining to this point. A celebrated beauty once expelled from her presence a
common man who had become infatuated with her. In order to console himself, he said, "how ugly she is!", thus
denying her beauty.
Once a bear stood beneath a vine trellis, and wished to eat the grapes. But he was unable to reach out for the grapes,
or to climb up the trellis. So he said to himself, by way of consolation, "the grapes must be sour," and growling went
on his way.
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that cover the face of the globe, bear witness to the fairness of a peerless, transcendent beauty,
and indicate the subtle charms of an unparalleled, hidden pulchritude, just as sunlight bears
witness to the sun.
12
Each manifestation of that sacred, transcendent beauty, indicates the
existence of countless hidden treasures in each of God’s Names. Now so exalted, peerless and
hidden a beauty, just as it desires to view its own fairness in a mirror and to behold the degrees
and measures of its beauty in an animate reflection, desires also to become manifest, in order to
look on its own beauty through the eyes of others. That is, it wishes to look at its own beauty in
two ways; firstly, by beholding itself in mirrors of variegated colour; secondly, through the gaze
of yearning witnesses to itself, of bewildered admirers of its beauty.
In short, beauty and fairness desire to see and be seen. Both of these require the existence of
yearning witnesses and bewildered admirers. And since beauty and fairness are eternal and
everlasting, their witnesses and admirers must have perpetual life. An eternal beauty can never be
satisfied with transient admirers. An admirer condemned to irreversible separation will find his
love turning to enmity once he conceives of separation. His admiration will yield to ridicule, his
respect to contempt. For just as obstinate man is an enemy to what is unknown to him, so too he
is opposed to all that lies beyond his reach, and love that is not infinite will respond to a beauty

 

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that deserves unending admiration with implicit enmity, hatred and rejection. From this we
understand the profound reason for the unbeliever’s enmity to God.
So endless generosity and liberality, peerless fairness and beauty, flawless perfection - all these
require the existence of eternally grateful and longing supplicants and admirers. But we see in
this hospice of the world that everyone quickly leaves and vanishes, having had only a taste of
that generosity, enough to whet his appetite but not to satiate him, and having seen only a dim
light coming from the perfection, or rather a faint shadow of its light, without in any way being
fully satisfied. It follows, then, that men are going toward a place of eternal joy where all will be
bestowed on them in full measure.
In short, just as this world, with all its creatures, decisively demonstrates the existence of the
Glorious Maker, so too do His sacred attributes and Names indicate, show and logically require,
the existence of the hereafter.
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12. Although all beings that act as mirrors for God's beauty constantly vanish and disappear, those that succeed them
display and manifest in their forms and features the same beauty and fairness. This shows that the beauty in question
does not belong to them; the visible instances of beauty are rather the signs and indications of a transcendent and
sacred beauty.
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FIFTH TRUTH
The gate of Compassion and Muhammadan Worship,
the Manifestation of the Names of
Answerer of Prayer and Compassionate
Is it at all possible that a Lord possessing infinite compassion and mercy, Who most
compassionately fulfils the smallest need of His lowliest creatures in the most unexpected
fashion, Who heeds the muffled plea for help of His most obscure creature, and Who responds to
all the petitions He hears, whether vocal or mute - is it at all possible that such a Lord should not
pay heed to the greatest petition of the foremost among His servants, the most beloved among his
creatures, that He should not hear and grant his most exalted prayer? The kindness and ease
manifested in the feeding and nurturing of weak and young animals show that the Monarch of the
cosmos exercises his dominicality with infinite mercy.
Is it at all possible that a compassion merciful to this degree in the exercise of dominicality
should not accept the prayer of the most virtuous and beautiful of all creation?
13
This truth is
explained in the Nineteenth Word, but let us repeat our statement of the matter here:
O friend listening to these words together with my own soul! We said in the comparison that a
meeting took place on a certain island, and a most noble commander delivered a speech there. In
order to find out the truth indicated in the comparison, come, let us depart from this age, and in
our mind and imagination travel to the Arabian Peninsula in the blessed age of the Prophet, in
order to visit and watch him while he is performing his duties and engaging in worship. See, just
as he is the means for the attainment of eternal bliss, by means of his messengerhood and
guidance, so too he is the cause for the existence of that bliss and the means for the creation of Paradise, by means of his worship and prayer.
Now see! That being is praying for eternal bliss in such supreme supplication, with such sublime
worship, that it is as if this island, or even the whole world, were praying and supplicating
together with him. For the worship he performs contains within itself not only the worship of the
community tha
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13. He whose kingdom has lasted one thousand three hundred and fifty years, who has generally had more than three
hundred and fifty million subjects, to whom his subjects daily renew their pledge of allegiance and to whose
perfections they continually bear witness, whose commands are obeyed in perfect submission, whose spiritual hue
has colored half of the globe and a fifth of mankind, who is the beloved of men's hearts and the educator of their
spirits - such a being is without doubt the greatest servant of the Lord Who holds sway over the universe. Also, since
most of the realms of beings applauded that being's function and duty through each bearing the fruit of his miracles,
he is for sure the most beloved creature of the Fashioner of the cosmos. Similarly, the desire for perpetuity existing
in all men by virtue of their very nature, a desire that lifts men from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high,
is the greatest of all desires and petitions, fit to be presented to the Provider of all Needs only by the greatest among
His servants.
The Words / Tenth Word - Fifth Truth - p.82
follows him, but also that of all the other prophets, in its essential form, by virtue of the
correspondence existing between him and them. Moreover, he performs his supreme prayer and
offers his supplications in such a vast congregation that it is as if all luminous and perfect men,
from the time of Adam down to the present, were following him in prayer and saying “amen” to
his supplications!
14
He is praying for so universal a need -immortality- that not merely the people
of this earth, but also the inhabitants of the heavens and the entirety of creation are participating
in his supplications and silently proclaiming, “yes, o Lord! Grant his prayer; we too desire it.” He
petitions for everlasting bliss with such touching sadness, in so yearning, so longing, and so
pleading a fashion, that he causes the whole of the cosmos to weep and thus to share in his
prayer.
See, he desires and prays for bliss, for such a purpose and goal that he elevates man and all
creatures from captivity in the abysmal state of utter annihilation, from worthlessness,
uselessness, and purposelessness to the apex of preciousness, eternity, exalted function, and the
rank of being a script penned by God.
See, he makes his petition with such elevated plea for succour, makes his supplication with so
sweet a request for mercy, that it is as if he caused all beings, the heavens and God’s throne itself
to listen, and to echo his prayer ecstatically with cries of “amen, o Lord, amen!”
15
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15. Indeed, it is not at all possible that the Master of this world, all of Whose doings are self-evidently inspired by
consciousness, knowledge and wisdom, should be unaware and uninformed of the acts of the foremost among all of
His creatures. Again, it is not at all possible that the All-Knowing Master should remain indifferent to the deeds and
prayers of that foremost among His creatures, and deem them unimportant despite being aware of them. It is further
impossible that the Powerful and Merciful Master of the World should not accept his prayers, having not remained
indifferent to them. Yes, through the light of the Muhammedan Being the form of the world has changed. The true
essence of men and all beings in the cosmos became apparent through that light; it became clear that they are each
missives of the Eternally Besought One proclaiming the Divine Names, precious and profound beings with Godgiven functions and destined to manifest eternity. Were it not for that light, beings would be condemned to utter
annihilation, they would be valueless, meaningless, useless, confused, the result of blind chance, sunk in the darkness
of illusion. It is for this reason that just as men say "amen" to the prayer of the Prophet, so too all other beings, from
the face of the earth up to God's throne, from the soil to the stars, all take pride in his light, and proclaim their
connection with him. The very spirit of the worship of the Prophet is indeed none other than this prayer. Again, all
the motions and workings of the cosmos are in their essence prayer. For example, the progress of a seed until it
becomes a tree is a form of prayer to the Creator.
The Words / Tenth Word - Fifth Truth - p.83
See, he requests bliss and eternity from a Being, One so All-Hearing, Generous and Powerful, so
All-Seeing, Merciful and Knowledgeable that He sees, hears, accepts and takes pity upon the
most secret wish, the slightest desire of the most obscure of his creatures, this, in observable
form. He answers all pleas even if they are silently proffered. He bestows all things and answers
all pleas in so wise, percipient and merciful a fashion that no doubt remains that all that nurturing
and regulating can derive only from One All-Hearing and All-Seeing, One Generous and
Merciful.
Let us listen to what the Pride of All Being is requesting, that source of honour for all of
mankind, that one unique in all of creation, who bears on his back the burden of all men, who
standing on this earth lifts up his hands towards God’s throne and offers up a prayer which in its
reality contains the essence of the worship of all of mankind. See, he is asking for eternal bliss for
himself and for his community. He is asking for eternity and Paradise. He is making his plea
together with all the Divine Sacred Names that display their beauty in the mirrors of all created
being. You can see, indeed, that he is seeking intercession from those Names.
If there were not countless reasons and causes for the existence of the hereafter, a single prayer of
that exalted being would be enough for the creation of Paradise, a task as easy for the power of
the Merciful Creator as the creation of spring.
16
Indeed, how could the creation of spring be difficult for the Possessor of Absolute Power Who
each spring makes the face of the world into a plain of resurrection, and brings forth there a
hundred thousand examples of resurrection? In just the same way that the messengerhood of the
Prophet was the reason for the foundation of this realm of trial -the saying “were it not for thee,
were it not for thee, I would not have created the spheres”
17
being an indication of this- so too the
worship he performed was the cause for the foundation of the abode of bliss.
Is it at all possible that the flawless perfection of artistry, the peerless beauty of dominicality
expressed in the order of the world and the comprehensive mercy that reduce all to bewilderment, should not answer his prayer, and thus tolerate an extreme form of ugliness, cruelty and disorder?
Is it possible that it would listen to the most petty and insignificant desires and grant them, but
dismiss significant and important desires as worthless, and fail to
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16. To display wondrous samples of art, and examples of resurrection on the face of the earth that, compared with the
hereafter is like a narrow page, to inscribe and include on that single page, in perfect order, all the different species
of creation, that resemble three hundred thousand separate books, is certainly more difficult than building and
creating the delicate and symmetrical structure of Paradise in the broad realm of eternity. Indeed, it may be said that
to whatever degree Paradise is more elevated than the spring, to that degree the creation of the gardens of spring is
more difficult and wondrous than the creation of Paradise.
17. 'Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa, i, al-Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa, ii, 164
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fulfil them? No, a thousand times no! Such beauty can never accept such ugliness and itself
become ugly.

 

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18. It is unanimously agreed the total reversal of truths is impossible. It is quite impossible that something should
become the very opposite and reverse of itself, and impossible to the thousandth degree that something should retain
its own nature, and yet at the same time become identical with its opposite. Thus infinite beauty cannot become
ugliness, while yet remaining beauty, and, in our example, it is not possible that the beauty of Dominicality, a beauty
perceptible and manifest in its existence, should retain its quiddity as the beauty of Dominicality, but become the
very essence of ugliness. This would be the strangest of all impossible and false notions in the world
The Words / Tenth Word - Sixth Truth - p.85
of being tested in service. The abode itself changes each hour. Again, all of the monarch’s
subjects stay only for a few brief minutes in order to behold the samples of the precious bounty of
the Glorious Maker, to look on His miraculous works of art in the exhibition of the world with
the eye of a buyer. Then they disappear. The exhibition itself changes every minute. Whoever
leaves it, never returns, and whoever comes to it, will ultimately depart.
Now this state and circumstance definitively shows that behind and beyond this hospice, this
testing-ground, this exhibition, there are permanent palaces and eternal abodes that fully manifest
and support God’s everlasting sovereignty; there are gardens and treasurehouses full of the pure
and exalted originals of the forms and copies we see in this world. If we strive here in this world,
it is for the sake of what awaits us there. We work here, and are rewarded there. Bliss awaits
everyone there, in accordance with his capacity, as long as he does not squander his share. Yes, it
is impossible that such eternal kingship should concentrate exclusively on these wretched
transient beings.
Consider this truth through the telescope of the following comparison. You are travelling along a
road. You see a caravanserai ahead of you on the road, built by a great personage for people
coming to visit him. Millions are spent on the decoration of the caravanserai so that guests should
enjoy their one night’s stay there, and for their instruction. But the guests see very little of those
decorations, look at them for a very short time; briefly tasting the joys of what is offered them,
they go on their way without being satiated. But each guest takes a photograph of the objects in
the caravanserai by means of his special camera. Also, the servants of that great personage record
with great care the conduct of all the guests and preserve the record. You see, too, that he
destroys every day most of the valuable decorations, and replaces them with fresh decorations for
the newly arriving guests. After seeing all this, will any doubt remain that the personage who has
constructed this caravanserai on the road has permanent and exalted dwellings, inexhaustible and
precious treasures, an uninterrupted flow of great generosity? By means of the generosity
displayed in the caravanserai, he intends merely to whet the appetite of his guests for those things
he keeps in his immediate presence; to awaken their desire for the gifts he has prepared for them.
So too, if you look upon the state of the hospice of this world without falling into drunkenness,
you will understand the following nine principles:
• First Principle: You will understand that this world does not exist for its own sake, any more
than does the caravanserai. It is impossible that it should assume this shape by itself. Rather, it is
a well-constructed hospice, wisely designed to receive the caravan of beings that constantly
arrive to alight before departing again.
The Words / Tenth Word - Sixth Truth - p.86 • Second Principle: You will understand, too, that those living within this hospice are guests.
They are invited by their Generous Sustainer to the Abode of Peace.
• Third Principle: You will understand, further, that the adornments of this world are not simply
for the sake of enjoyment or admiration. For if they yield pleasure for a time, they cause pain for
a longer time with their cessation. They give you a taste and whet your appetite, but never satiate
you. For either the life of the pleasure is short, or your life is short, too brief for you to become
satiated. These adornments of high value and brief duration must, then, be for the sake of
instruction in wisdom,
19
for arousing gratitude, and for encouraging men to seek out the perpetual
originals of which they are copies. They are, then, for other exalted goals beyond themselves.
• Fourth Principle: You will understand also that the adornments of this world
20
are like
samples and forms of the blessings stored up in Paradise by the mercy of the Compassionate One
for the people of faith.
• Fifth Principle: You will understand, too, that all of these transient objects have not been
created for the sake of annihilation, in order to appear briefly and then vanish. The purpose for
their creation is rather briefly to be

 

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19. Now the life-span of everything is short, although its value is high and the subtleties of its artistry are most
exalted and beautiful. This implies that everything is only a sample, a form of something else, that it has the function
of drawing the gaze of the customer to the authentic and original object. This being the case, it may be said that the
variegated adornments of this world are the samples of the bounties of Paradise, prepared by the Compassionate and
Merciful One for His beloved servants.
20. There are numerous purposes for the existence of everything, and numerous results flow from its being. These
are not restricted to this world and to the souls of men, as the people of misguidance imagine, being thus lost in
vanity and purposelessness. On the contrary, the purposes for the existence and the results of the being of all things
relate to the following three categories.
The first and the most exalted pertains to the Creator. It consists of presenting to the gaze of the Pre-Eternal Witness
the bejewelled and miraculous wonders He has affixed to the object in question, as if in a military parade. To live for
a fleeting second is enough to attain that glance. Indeed, the potentiality and intent for existence is enough, without
ever emerging into life. This purpose is fully realized, for example, by delicate creatures that vanish swiftly and by
seeds and kernels, each a work of art, that never come to life, that is, never bear fruit or flower. They all remain
untouched by vanity and purposelessness. Thus the first purpose of all things is to proclaim, by means of their life
and existence, the miracles of power and the traces of artistry of the Maker and display them to the gaze of the
Glorious Monarch.
The second purpose of all existence and the result of all being pertains to conscious creation. Everything is like a
truth-displaying missive, an artistic poem, or a wise word of the Glorious Maker, offered to the gaze of angels and
jinn, of men and animals, and desiring to be read by them. It is an object for the contemplation and instruction of
every conscious being that looks upon it.
The third purpose of all existence and result of all being pertains to the soul of the thing itself, and consists of such
minor consequences as the experience of pleasure and joy, and living with some degree of permanence and comfort.
If we consider the purpose of a servant employed as a steersman on some royal ship, we see that only one hundredth
of that purpose relates to the steersman himself - i.e., the wage he receives; ninty-nine hundredths of the purpose
relate to the king who owns the ship. A similar relation exists between the purpose of a thing related to its own self
and its worldly existence, and its purpose related to its Maker. In the light of this multiplicity of purposes we can
now explain the ultimate compatibility between divine wisdom and economy on the one hand, and divine liberality
and generosity - in fact, infinite generosity - on the other hand, even though they appear to be opposites and
contradictory. In the individual purposes of things, liberality and generosity predominate, and the Name of Most
Generous is manifested. From the point of view of individual purpose, fruits and grains are indeed beyond
computation, and they demonstrate infinite generosity. But in universal purposes, wisdom predominates, and the name of All-Wise is manifested. However many purposes a tree has, each of its fruits contains that many purposes,
and these can be divided into the three categories we have established. Their universal purposes demonstrate an
infinite wisdom and economy. Infinite wisdom and infinite generosity and liberality are thus combined, despite their
apparent opposition. For example, one of the purposes for raising an army is the maintenance of order. Whatever
troops are available for the purpose will suffice or be more than enough. But the whole army will be barely enough
for other purposes such as protecting the national frontiers and repelling enemies; its size will be in perfect balance
with utter wisdom. Thus the wisdom of the state will be joined to its splendour, and it can be said that there is no
excess in the army.
The Words / Tenth Word - Sixth Truth - p.87
assembled in existence and acquire the desired form, so that these may be noted, their images
preserved, their meanings known, and their results recorded. This is so that, for example,
everlasting spectacles might be wrought for the people of eternity, and that they might serve other
purposes in the realm of eternity. You will understand that things have been created for eternity,
not for annihilation; and as for apparent annihilation, it has the sense of a completion of duty and
a release from service, for every transient thing advances to annihilation with one aspect, but
remains eternally with numerous other aspects.
Look, for example, at the flower, a word of God’s power; for a short time it smiles and looks at
us, and then hides behind the veil of annihilation. It departs just like a word leaving your mouth.
But it does so entrusting thousands of its fellows to men’s ears. It leaves behind meanings in
men’s minds as numerous as those minds. The flower, too, expressing its meaning and thus
fulfilling its function, goes and departs. But it goes leaving its apparent form in the memory of
everything that sees it, its inner essence in every seed. It is as if each memory and seed were a
camera to record the adornment of the flower, or a means for its perpetuation. If such be the case
with an object at the simplest level of life, it can be readily understood how closely tied to
eternity is man, the highest form of life and the possessor of an eternal soul. Again, from the fact
that the laws -each resembling a spirit- according to which large flowering and fruit bearing
plants are formed and the representations of their forms are preserved and perpetuated in most
regular fashion in tiny seeds throughout tempestuous changes - from this fact it can be easily
understood how closely tied and related to
The Words / Tenth Word - Seventh Truth - p.88
eternity is the spirit of man, which possesses an extremely exalted and comprehensive nature, and
which although clothed in a body, is a conscious and luminous law issuing from the divine
command.
• Sixth Principle: You will also understand that man has not been left to graze at will, with a
halter loosely tied around his neck; on the contrary, the forms of all his deeds are recorded and
registered, and the results of all his acts are preserved for the day when he shall be called to
account.
• Seventh Principle: You will understand, further, that the destruction visited upon the beautiful
creatures of summer and spring in the autumn is not for the sake of annihilation. Instead, it is a
form of dismissal after the completion of service.
21
It is also a form of emptying in order to clear
a space for the new creation that is to come in the following spring, of preparing the ground and making ready for the beings that are to come and assume their functions. Finally, it is a form of
Divine warning to conscious beings to awake from the neglect that causes them to forget their
duties, from the drunken torpor that causes them to forget their obligation of offering thanks.

 

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• Eighth Principle: You will understand this, too, that the eternal Maker of this transient world
has another, everlasting world; it is to this that He urges and impels His servants.
• Ninth Principle: You will understand, also, that so Compassionate a Being will bestow upon
His choice servants in that world such gifts as no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, nor
has their image crossed the heart of any man.
22
In this we believe.
SEVENTH TRUTH
The Gate of Protection and Preservation,
the Manifestation of the Names of Preserver and Guardian
Is it at all possible that God’s attribute of Preserver, which protects all things with the utmost
order and balance, -things in the heavens and on the earth, on dry land and in the ocean, dry and
wet, large and small, commonplace and exalted- and as it were, sifts their results by way of
accounting
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21. Yes, it is fitting that the fruits, flowers and leaves on the tips and branches of a tree, proceeding from the
treasuries of sustenance provided by divine mercy, should depart when they become old and their duties are at an
end. Otherwise the gate will remain closed to those that come after them, and a barrier will be erected against the
expansion of God's mercy and the services to be performed by their brethren (i.e., other members of the species).
Moreover, with the passing of youth, they will become wretched and distraught. Spring is like a fruit-bearing tree
that in turn is an indication of the plain of resurrection. Similarly, the world of humanity in every age is like a tree
inviting contemplation, and the world as a whole is like an amazing tree the fruits of which are dispatched to the
market of the hereafter.
22. Bukhari, Bad'ul-Khalq, 8; Tafsir al-Sura, xxxii, 1;Tawhid, 35; Muslim, Iman, 312.
The Words / Tenth Word - Seventh Truth - p.89
- is it at all possible that this attribute should permit the deeds and acts of man, man who has been
given the lofty disposition of humanity, the rank of God’s supreme vicegerency, and the duty of
bearing the Supreme Trust, not to be recorded, not to be passed through the sieve of accounting,
not to be weighed in the balance of justice, not to be punished or rewarded fittingly, even though
his acts and deeds closely pertain to God’s universal dominicality? No, it is not in any way
possible!
Yes, the Being that administers this cosmos preserves all things in order and balance. Order and
balance are the manifestation of knowledge and wisdom, of will and power. For we see that the
substance of every created object is fashioned in well-ordered and symmetrical fashion. Not only
is each of the forms it changes throughout its life well-ordered, but the totality of these forms is
also marked by the same orderliness. We see, too, that the Glorious Preserver preserves many
forms of all things the life of which comes to an end when they have performed their function and which depart from the manifest world, in the memories of men, that are like a kind of
preserved tablet,
23
or in a form of archetypal mirror. He also writes and inscribes a brief history
of their life in a seed, that is like the result and outcome of the whole. Thus He causes all things
to be preserved in mirrors pertaining to both the outer and inner worlds. The memory of man, the
fruit of the tree, the kernel of the fruit, the seed of the flower - all of these demonstrate the
universality and comprehensiveness of the law of preservation.
Do you not see that all the flowers and fruits of the vast spring, the records of their deeds in
appropriate form, the laws of their formation, and the images of their forms, are all inscribed into
the finite space of a minute seed and are there preserved? The following spring, their record of
deeds is set forth, in a form of accounting appropriate to them, and another vast world of spring is
brought forth, with the utmost order and wisdom. This demonstrates with what powerful
comprehensiveness God’s attribute of Preserver exercises itself. Considering that the results of
such transient, commonplace, impermanent and insignificant things are preserved, is it at all
possible that men’s deeds, that yield important fruit in the world of the unseen, the world of the
hereafter, and the world of spirits, from the point of view of universal dominicality, is it at all
possible that they should not be guarded and preserved, should not be recorded as a matter of
importance? No, by no means!
Yes, from this manifestation of God’s attribute of Preserver it can be deduced that the Master of
all creation devotes great care to the orderliness of all things that come to pass in His realm. He
pays great attention to the function of sovereignty, and lavishes extreme care on the dominicality
of kingship. Thus He records, or causes to be recorded, the pettiest of happen