Thirteenth Droplet

What does he want, this pride of the human race, who taking behind him all the eminent of mankind, stands on top of the world, and raising up his hands, is praying? What is this unique being, who is truly the glory of the cosmos, seeking? Listen! He is seeking eternal happiness.  He is asking for eternal life, and to meet with God. He wants Paradise. And he wants all the sacred divine names, which display their beauty and decrees in the mirrors of beings. Even if it were not for reasons for the fulfilment of those countless requests, like mercy, grace, wisdom, and justice, a single of that Person’s (UWBP) prayers would have been sufficient for the construction of Paradise, the creation of which is as easy for divine power as the creation of the spring. Yes, just as his messengership was the reason for the opening of this place of examination and trial, so his worship and servitude of God were the reason of the opening of the next world.

Would the perfect order observed in the universe, which has caused scholars and the intelligent to pronounce: “It is not possible for there to be anything better than what exists,” [3] and the faultless beauty of art within mercy, the incomparable beauty of dominicality, permit the ugliness, the cruelty, the lack of order of its hearing and responding to the least significant, the least important desires and voices, and its considering unimportant the most important, the most necessary wishes, and its not hearing or understanding them, and not carrying them out? God forbid! A hundred thousand times, God forbid! Such a beauty would not permit such ugliness; it would not become ugly!

My imaginary friend! That is enough for now, we must return. For if we remain a hundred years in this age in the Arabian Peninsula, we still would comprehend completely only one hundredth of the marvels of that Person’s (UWBP) duties and the wonders he carried out, and we would never tire of watching him.

Now, come! We shall look at the centuries, which will turn above us. See how each has opened like a flower through the effulgence it has received from that Sun of Guidance!  They  have  produced  millions  of  enlightened  fruits  like  Abu  Hanifa, Shafi‘i, Abu Bayazid Bistami, Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir Gilani, Shah Naqshband, Imam Ghazali and Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi. But postponing the details of our observations to another time, we must recite some benedictions  for that displayer of miracles and bringer of guidance, which mention a number of his certain miracles:

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[3] Imam Gazâlî, Ihyâu Ulûmi’d-Din (Turk. trans.), iv, 258; Ibn ‘Arabi, al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya, i, 53; iv, 154.