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is, the one who gives
life, is He alone, in
which case, it is also He
alone Who creates all
things. For the spirit,
light, leaven, fundament,
result, and summary of
the universe is life, so
whoever grants life must
also be the Creator of
the whole universe. The
one who grants life,
then, is certainly He; it
is the Ever-Living and
Self-Subsistent One. And
so we point out the
mighty proof of this
degree in the profession
of Divine Unity as
follows. As
has been explained and
proved in another Word,
we see before us the
truly magnificent army of
animate beings with their
tents pitched on the
plain of the face of the
earth. Indeed, every
spring we see a new army
emerging From the World
of the Unseen freshly
mobilized; one army of
the innumerable armies of
the Ever-Living and
Self-Subsistent One.
Looking at this army, we
see within it more than
two hundred thousand
assorted and different
nations from the plant
families, and again more
than one hundred thousand
from the animal tribes.
Although the uniforms of
each tribe and family, as
well as their provisions,
drill, discharge, arms,
and period of service arc
all different, anyone who
has eyes in his head will
see, and having seen will
be unable to deny, that a
commander-in-chief
provides all these
different needs, with
perfect orderliness and
precise balance, at
exactly the right time.
And that He does this
through His infinite
power and wisdom, His
boundless knowledge and
will, His unending mercy,
His inexhaustible
treasuries, without
forgetting a single one
of them, or confusing or
mixing-up or delaying any
of them.
Is it
at all possible, then,
that anything could
meddle, interfere, and
have a share in this
giving of life and
administering, in this
nurturing and sustaining,
other than one who has an
a11-comprehensive
knowledge which
encompasses the army
together with all of its
attributes, and one who
has absolute power with
which to administer the
army and all of its
necessities? God forbid!
A hundred thousand times?
It is
obvious that if there are
ten tribes in one
battalion, because the
difficulty in equipping
them all separately will
amount to that of ten
battalions, impotent
human beings would be
compelled to equip them
in a single fashion.
Whereas the Ever-Living
and Self-Subsistent One
provides the different
equipment necessary for
the life of the more than
three hundred thousand
tribes within that
magnificent army.
Moreover, He provides it
with no trouble or
difficulty, in a light
and easy manner, most
wisely and maintaining
orderliness. And He
causes the mighty army to
declare with one tongue:
"It is He Who gives
life " and causes
the vast congregation in
the mosque of the
universe to recite:
God,
there is no god save Him,
the Ever-Living and
Self-Subsistent One.
Neither slumber overtakes
Him nor sleep. His is all
that is in the heavens
and all that is on earth.
Who is there that could
intercede with Him,
except by His leave? He
knows all that lies open
before men and all that
is hidden from them,
whereas they cannot
attain to ought of His
knowledge save that which
He wills. His Throne
extends over the heavens
and the earth, and He
feels no weariness in
preserving them. And He
alone is Truly Exalted,
Tremendous.
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