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He
has created everything in the best
way.
(32:7)
Everything is
clothed in a form tailored to the
receptivity of its nature with
perfect measure and order, and
assembled with the finest art, by
the most direct method, in the best
shape and the easiest manner, and in
most practicable structure. Look at
the ‘dress’ of birds, for
example: see how easily they can
ruffle or set their feathers and yet
use them continually. Giving things
bodies and dressing them in forms in
a wise manner with no waste and
nothing in vain, bears witness, to
the number of those things, to the
necessary existence of an All-Wise
Maker and points to an Absolutely
Powerful and Knowing One.
Universal
purposiveness and wisdom
The order and
organization in creation and
management of creatures, which are
recruited season by season on the
earth, manifest a universal
purposiveness and wisdom. Since an
attribute cannot be without the one
it qualifies, that universal wisdom
necessarily shows a Wise One. The
wonderful adornment within that veil
of wisdom evidently shows an
all-embracing grace. That
all-embracing grace necessarily
shows a Gracious, Munificent
Creator. The all-encompassing
favoring and benevolence within the
veil of the grace show evidently an
all-encompassing mercy. That
all-encompassing mercy necessarily
shows an All-Merciful,
All-Compassionate One. The
sustenance and provision of all
living creatures on that veil of
mercy, all perfectly and
appropriately for their needs, show
clearly an upbringing and training
providence and a compassionate
Lordship. That training and
administering necessarily show an
All-Munificent Provider.
Each of the
creatures on the earth, thus raised
with perfect wisdom, adorned with
perfect graciousness, favored with
perfect mercy, and nurtured with
perfect caring and compassion, bears
witness to the necessary existence
of an All-Wise, Munificent,
Compassionate, Providing Maker, and
points to His Unity. So also
consider all together the
all-encompassing wisdom which is
manifest on the earth as a whole
with everything on it-it shows
clearly a purpose and will; and the
perfect grace encompassing all
creatures in accordance with the
wisdom; and the all-embracing mercy
which comprises both the grace and
wisdom and touches all creatures;
and the most generous sustaining and
nurturing which comprises the mercy,
wisdom and grace and touches all
living creatures. Just as the seven
colors form the light which
illuminates the earth undoubtedly
shows the sun, so too that grace
within wisdom, and mercy within
grace, and sustaining and nurturing
within mercy, show brilliantly and
on a vast scale and at a high
degree, the Unity and Lordship of a
Most Wise, Munificent,
Compassionate, Providing
Necessarily-Existent One.
Surely
in the heavens and the earth are
signs for the believers.
(45:3)
Absolute
order despite infinite
liberality; absolute balance
despite absolute speed in
creation; absolute beauty
despite absolute multiplicity
and variety; absolute artistry
despite absolute ease in
creation; absolute
correspondence despite very
great distances; perfect
differentiation despite utter
intermingling; absolute value
despite absolute abundance.
On
observing the face of the earth
in summertime, we see that an
infinite generosity and absolute
liberality, which could be
expected to cause disorder and
confusion, are apparent within
an infinite order and harmony.
See all the plants which adorn
the face of the earth.
Also,
the absolute speed in creation
of things, which would normally
result in imbalance and loss of
decorum, is observed within a
perfect equilibrium. See all the
fruits which adorn the face of
the earth.
Also,
the absolute multiplicity and
variety, which would normally
bring about triviality, indeed,
ugliness, is apparent within
perfect beauty of art. See all
the flowers which gild the face
of the earth.
Also,
the absolute ease in creation of
things, which would normally
cause simplicity and lack of
art, is seen within an art,
skill and attention of infinite
degree. See all the seeds, which
are like the tiny containers and
programs of the members of
plants and trees on the earth
and the small cases containing
their life-histories.
Also,
the great distances, which would
normally necessitate difference
and diversity, appear within an
absolute correspondence and
conformity. See all the
varieties of cereal grains sown
in all parts of the earth.
Also,
the utter intermingling, which
would normally cause confusion
and mess, is on the contrary to
be seen within perfect
differentiation and separation.
Consider how seeds, which are
cast into the earth all mixed-up
together and resemble one
another with regard to their
substance, are perfectly
differentiated when they are
about to sprout, and how the
various substances entering
trees are separated out
perfectly for the leaves,
flowers, and fruits, and how the
various foods which enter the
stomach all mixed-up together
are separated out perfectly for
the various members and cells of
the body. Consider all this and
see the perfect power within
perfect wisdom.
Also,
the infinite abundance and
profusion, which would normally
cause triviality and
worthlessness, are seen to be
most valuable and most
worthwhile in regard to the
creatures and art on the earth.
Consider among all those
innumerable wonders of art only
the varieties of mulberry, those
sweets of Divine Power, on the
table of the All-Merciful One on
the earth, and observe the
perfect mercy combined with the
perfect art.
So, just as
daytime shows the light, and the
light, the sun, the great value
together with or despite the
infinite profusion; and within the
infinite profusion, the infinite
differentiation and separation
together with or despite the
boundless intermingling; and within
the infinite differentiation and
separation, the infinite conformity
and resemblance together with or
despite the great distances; and
within infinite resemblance, the
infinite care and attention in the
making alongside or despite the
infinite ease and facility; and
within the most beautiful making,
the infinite equilibrium, balance,
and lack of waste along with or
despite the absolute speed and
rapidity; and within utmost lack of
of waste, the highest degree of
beauty of art together with or
despite the utmost abundance and
multiplicity; and within the highest
degree of art, the absolute order
and harmony together with the utmost
liberality-all bear witness to the
necessary existence, Unity and
Oneness of an All-Powerful One of
Majesty, an All-Wise One of
Perfection, an All-Compassionate One
of Grace and Beauty, and the
perfection of His Power and the
grace and beauty of His Lordship.
They demonstrate the meaning of the
verse, His are the Most Beautiful
Names (20:8).
Have
they not considered the truth
contained in the inner dimension
of the heavens and the earth?
(7:185)
Perfection in
structure and composition
A perfect,
well-designed and artistic
construction like a palace evidently
points to a perfect act-that is, a
building points to an act of
construction. A perfect,
well-performed act necessarily
points to a perfect ‘actor’, to
a skilful master-builder. The title
of a skilful master-builder clearly
points to a perfect attribute, to an
artistic ability. A perfect
attribute, a perfect competence in
an art evidently points to the
existence of a perfect capacity. A
perfect capacity or potentiality
points to the existence of a noble
spirit, an exalted being.
So, likewise, the
ever-renewed, refreshed and replaced
works filling the face of the earth,
indeed the universe, evidently show
acts of perfect degree. Those acts
taking place in an infinitely wise
and well-ordered system clearly show
an agent or ‘actor’ with perfect
titles and names. For, as everybody
knows, well-arranged and wise acts
cannot be without someone doing
them, The infinitely perfect titles
point to the infinitely perfect
attributes of that agent. For just
as according to grammar, the active
participles and the nouns denoting
one who does something- like doer,
actor, and speaker etc.-are derived
from verbs, so also the origins of
nouns in Arabic are adjectives. The
perfect attributes point to perfect
personal potentialities, and those
perfect potentialities point most
certainly to the one with a
limitless degree of perfection.
Thus, since the
works of art and creatures in the
whole of the universe are each a
perfect work, and since each bears
witness to an act, and the act to a
name, and the name to an attribute,
the attribute to a potentiality, and
the potentiality to a being, then-as
well as testifying to their number
to the necessary existence and Unity
of a single Maker of Majesty-they
constitute as a whole a ‘stairway’
of knowledge of God leading to Him
in a form as strong as the chain of
creatures, and a proof of truth in
series which is indubitable in all
aspects.
So, O poor,
heedless unbeliever! With what can
you break this proof as strong as
the chain of beings? With what can
you shut up this window which has
innumerable openings to show the
rays of truth to the number of
creatures. What veil of heedlessness
can you draw across it?
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