THE FLASHES
The Thirtieth Flash
Even a small lamp goes out if it is not regularly maintained. Consider, then, the wisdom and power of the Hakīm-i Dhul-JalālAllah, Whose wisdom and majesty are without limit., Who keeps the sun—which, according to cosmography, is more than a million times larger than the earth and has existed for more than a million years—burning without coal or oil, never allowing it to go out.[1]
Say: “SubhānAllāhAn expression meaning “Allah is far above all imperfections.”.” And say, as many times as there are āshirātExtremely small units of time, each equivalent to one 60¹⁰th of an hour. that pass during the lifetime of the sun: “MāshāAllāhAn expression meaning “What Allah has willed,” used to express admiration or appreciation while acknowledging Allah’s will., BārakAllāhAn expression meaning “May Allah bless it,” used to express appreciation, joy, praise, or gratitude., Lā-ilāha-illā-HuThere is no god except Him..”
Thus, a wondrous order prevails among these heavenly lamps, and they are watched over with the utmost care. The boiler supplying those immense masses of fire and countless luminous lamps is, as it were, a Hell whose heat is inexhaustible, providing them with heat without light.
And the machinery and central power plant of those electric lamps are an everlasting Paradise, providing them with light and radiance. Through the supreme manifestation of the Names al-Hakam“The Supreme Judge”; one of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah, signifying that He judges all things with perfect wisdom, justice, and authority. and al-HakīmAllah, the All-Wise, Whose wisdom is infinite., they continue to burn in perfect order.
Likewise, by analogy, hundreds of sciences bear certain testimony that this universe is adorned with countless manifestations of wisdom and purpose, all within a perfect order. And through this wondrous and all-encompassing wisdom, He has brought together, in miniature, the order and wisdom of the entire universe within even the smallest living being and a single seed.
It is clear and self-evident that the orderly pursuit of aims, purposes and benefits can arise only through choice, will, intention and divine volition, and in no other way. It cannot be the work of unconscious causes or of nature, which possess neither choice, will, intention nor consciousness. Nor can they have any part in it.
It is therefore beyond description how extraordinary the ignorance and madness of failing to recognise or denying a Fāil-i Mukhtār“The One Who Acts Freely”; a divine title referring to Allah as the One Who acts according to His own free will and choice, without compulsion, necessity, or dependence upon anything. and a Sāni-i HakīmThe All-Wise Creator; a divine title referring to Allah as the Creator of all things, Whose works display perfect wisdom, order, purpose, and harmony., Whose existence is required and demonstrated by the countless manifestations of order and wisdom in all the beings of this universe.
Indeed, if anything in this world deserves to be called the height of madness, it is this unbelief. For even the most blindly ignorant person can understand how profound the blindness and ignorance of failing to see or acknowledge Him must be, although the countless manifestations of order and wisdom in the creatures of the universe bear witness to His existence and Unity.
I would even venture to say that, among unbelievers, the sophists—who deny the existence of the universe and are therefore regarded as fools—are the most reasonable. For since it is impossible to acknowledge the existence of the universe without believing in Allah, its Creator, they have resorted to denying the universe itself.
They have even denied their own existence, declaring, “Nothing exists.” By abandoning reason, they have, under the guise of reason, escaped the boundless irrationality of other deniers and, in a certain sense, drawn closer to reason.
Consider how much wood, coal, and oil would be needed to fuel the sun, which serves as the stove or lamp that warms the palace of the world. According to the calculations of cosmography, keeping it burning for a single day would require piles of wood equivalent to a million earths and thousands of seas filled with oil.
Now reflect upon the majesty, wisdom, and power of the All-Powerful One of Glory, Who keeps the sun shining continuously without wood or oil, and say, as many times as there are particles in the sun: “SubhānAllāhAn expression meaning “Allah is far above all imperfections.”, MāshāAllāhAn expression meaning “What Allah has willed,” used to express admiration or appreciation while acknowledging Allah’s will., BārakAllāhAn expression meaning “May Allah bless it,” used to express appreciation, joy, praise, or gratitude..”
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