knowledge, and at His command and with His permission, as a veil to the dignity of Divine power.

The Fifth and Sixth Evidences: ‘And the regular decrees and fruitful determining’

The forms and proportions of all things, particularly plants, trees, animals, and men have been cut out with skilful art according to the principles of Divine decree and determining, which are two sorts of pre-eternal knowledge, sewn in a way entirely appropriate to the stature of each, and clothed on them perfectly. Each is given most well-ordered, regular, and wise shapes. These singly and all together point to an infinite knowledge and testify to their number to an All-Knowing Maker.

Yes, out of innumerable examples, we look at only a single tree and a human individual, and we see that both outwardly and inwardly the fruit-bearing tree and multi-membered man have been delimited by unseen compasses and a subtle pen of knowledge, and that each of their members have been given perfectly ordered fitting forms so that they may produce the required fruits and results and perform the duties of their natures. As for this, since it could occur only through infinite knowledge, they testify to the number of plants and animals to the necessary existence and boundless knowledge of a Maker and Giver of Form, an All-Knowing Determiner Who knows the relationships of everything with everything else and keeps these in view, and knows the definition through the compasses and pen of the decree and determining of pre-eternal knowledge of the outsides and insides of their fellow-men and fellow-trees and their species, and of their measured proportions and form, and they testify to the One Who does this.

The Seventh and Eighth Evidences: ‘And the specified appointed hour of death and fixed, regular sustenance’

Superficially, the appointed hour and sustenance appear to be un-known and unspecified, but for an important instance of wisdom under the veil of vagueness, the appointed hour is determined and specified on the page of every living being’s destiny in the notebook of pre-eternal Divine decree and determining; it can be neither brought forward nor delayed. There are numerous evidences that the sustenance of every living being is also appointed and determined