The Thirtieth Flash

O heedless human being! This Hākim-i Hakam-i Hakīm-i Dhul-Jalāl wal-Jamāl“The Sovereign, Supreme Judge, and All-Wise One, Possessor of Majesty and Beauty”; a divine title referring to Allah as the absolute Ruler and Judge of all creation, Whose sovereignty, judgments, and actions manifest perfect wisdom, justice, majesty, and beauty., wills to make Himself known and loved by you in countless radiant ways through every one of His creatures. Know, then, how infinitely multiplied are your ignorance and loss if you fail to acknowledge Him through īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar). in response to His making Himself known, and if you fail to make yourself beloved to Him through worship in response to His making Himself loved.

The Second Matter

There is no room for partnership in the sovereignty of the All-Powerful and All-Wise Creator of this universe. For the supreme order prevailing in all things admits no partnership. Whenever several hands interfere in a single task, that task falls into disorder.

If there were two sultans in one country, two governors in one city, or two village heads in one village, disorder would inevitably arise in every aspect of their affairs. Indeed, the very fact that even the most junior official tolerates no interference from another in the performance of his duties demonstrates that the most fundamental characteristic of sovereignty is independence and exclusive authority. Thus, order requires unity, and sovereignty demands undivided authority.

If even a fleeting shadow of sovereignty among needy and weak human beings rejects interference, then true and absolute sovereignty, belonging to the Absolutely Powerful One, must surely reject all interference with the utmost force. If there were even the slightest interference, the order would be disrupted.

Yet this universe has been created in such a way that the creation of a single seed requires a power capable of creating an entire tree, while the creation of a tree requires a power capable of creating the universe itself.

If there were a partner who interfered in the affairs of this universe, he would necessarily have to share in the creation of even the smallest seed, for that seed is an example and a summary of the universe. In that case, two sovereignties that cannot coexist within the vastness of the universe would necessarily have to coexist within a seed, and even within a single particle.

Yet this is among the most absurd and inconceivable of all impossibilities arising from baseless imaginings.

Know, then, how infinitely compounded are the falsehood, error and absurdity of polytheism and unbelief, for they would imply that the Absolutely Powerful One, Who maintains all the conditions and qualities of the vast universe within the scales of justice and the order of wisdom, is helpless even in the creation of a single seed. And know how infinitely multiplied are the truth, reality and soundness of belief in Divine Unity.

Say, therefore:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ عَلٰى الْاٖ يمَانAll praise belongs to Allah for the blessing of īmān that He has bestowed upon us.