So, the stories or parables in the Words, like for example, those in the Tenth and Twenty-Second Words, are sorts of allusions. The truths at the end of the stories are extremely correct, extremely true and conformable to reality; they are the allusive meanings of the stories. Their essential meanings are comparisons that bring distant objects close like a telescope and however they may be it does not damage their veracity and truthfulness. Moreover, each of those stories is a comparison or parable. Purely to enable people in general to understand, what is properly communicated without words is put into words, and immaterial and abstract matters are represented in material form.
THIRD AIM
After receiving this decisive and convincing answer to his second question,20 the representative of all the people of misguidance was reduced to silence, but then asked the following third question.
"Phrases in the Qur'an like The Best of Creators,21 and,The Most Compassionate of the Compassionate,22 suggest that there are other creators and compassionate ones. And you also say, 'the Creator of all the worlds possesses endless perfections. United in Him are the utmost levels of every kind of perfection. Whereas, the perfections of beings are known through their opposites: if there was no pain, pleasure would not be a sort of perfection; if there was no darkness, light could not be proved to exist; if there was no separation, there would be no pleasure in union, and so on, would there?"
The Answer: We shall answer the first part of the question in five Indications.
FIRST INDICATION: From beginning to end, the Qur'an demonstrates Divine Unity; this is a clear indication that those sort of phrases in the Qur'an are not as you understand them. Rather, The Best of Creators is to say, "He is at the highest and best rank of creativity," which in no way indicates that there is another creator. Like the other attributes, creativity has many degrees or ranks. The Best of Creators means, "He is a Glorious Creator at the furthest and most excellent degree of creativity."
SECOND INDICATION: Terms like, The Best of Creators do not look to a plurality of creators, but to the varieties of the state of being creature. That is, "He is a Creator Who creates everything in an appropriate form, at the most faultless degree." Verses like, Who makes most excellent everything He creates, 23 express this meaning.
THIRD INDICATION: The comparison suggested by terms like, The Best of Creators, God is Most Great, The Best Judge between truth and falsehood,24 and The Most Bountiful are not comparative and superlative adjectives comparing God Almighty's attributes and actions, which are actual, with others who possess samples of those attributes and actions. For all the perfections in the universe, and in jinn, men, and angels are but pale shadows in relation to His perfection. How should any comparison be possible? It is rather human beings, and particularly the people of neglect, who see perfection in terms of comparison.