The Resurrection

The fifth principle: These transient creatures have not been created to fall into non-existence, that is, to appear briefly and then vanish. Rather, they have a short-lived existence and attain a predetermined state so that their forms may be observed, their images preserved, their meanings understood, and their results recorded. They will appear as enduring images for those who will live eternally in Paradise, and they will also serve other purposes in the realm of eternity.

Since a creature perishes from one aspect but attains permanence from many aspects, it may be understood that it only appears to perish, while in reality it has fulfilled its duty and been released from service. This means that it was created for eternity, not to fall into non-existence.

For example, a flower smiles at us briefly and then conceals itself behind the veil of transience. Just as a word leaves the mouth and leaves thousands of echoes in ears, and conveys meanings to minds as numerous as its listeners, so too a flower departs only after fulfilling its duty, which is to convey its message. It leaves this place by engraving its outward form in the memory of every being that has seen it and by leaving its qualities in every seed. It is as though every memory and every seed functions as a photograph preserving its beauty and as a storehouse for its continued existence.

If this is the case with plants, which belong to the lowest level of life, it may be understood how closely man, who belongs to the highest level of life and whose soul is immortal, is connected with eternity. And since the developmental program and representative form of immense flowering and fruit-bearing trees, which serve as a kind of soul for them, are preserved with perfect order in tiny seeds amid turbulent changes and thereby gain permanence, one may understand how closely the human soul is connected with eternity: a soul endowed with comprehensive faculties and a lofty essence, clothed in wujūd-i khārijī, and bearing consciousness and an immaterial law from ālam-i amr.

The sixth principle: Man has not been left to his own devices, like an animal grazing freely with a rope around its neck. On the contrary, all his deeds are recorded and written down, and the consequences of all his actions are preserved for the day when he will be called to account.

The seventh principle: The disappearance of creatures in autumn, which came into being in spring and summer, is not total annihilation, but rather a release from service after the completion of their duties.^[1] It is also a wise clearing of space and preparation for the new creatures that will appear in the following spring to fulfill their tasks. Moreover, it serves as a warning from the One free of all fault to conscious beings, awakening them from the heedlessness that makes them forget their duties and from the intoxication that makes them neglect gratitude.

Indeed, the fruits, blossoms, and leaves hanging from the branches and tips of a tree—one of the treasuries of sustenance of the Merciful One—must depart after they have grown old and fulfilled their duties, so that the door does not remain closed to those who come after them. Otherwise, an obstruction would arise to the services performed by their fellow members of the species and to the comprehensiveness of His mercy. Moreover, once their freshness has passed, they would fall into decline and become neglected. Likewise, spring is like a fruit-bearing tree on which examples of the resurrection are manifested. In the same way, humanity in every age is like a tree offering wise lessons. The face of the earth is also like a tree brought into existence by the power of Allah, upon which unique examples of resurrection are displayed. Indeed, even the world is like an astonishing tree whose fruits are sent to the market of the Hereafter. ↩︎