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THE
WAY THE DIVINE NAMES MANIFEST
THEMSELVES
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, he is the
‘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.
The
veils have windows opening on
each other, the Names appear
concentric with each other, the
designations correspond to each
other, and the representations
are like one another. 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
Quran 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!’3 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
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-Powerful 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
His 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. In the phrase,
‘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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