The Resurrection

In that case, He would resemble someone who builds a palace, adorns every stone with thousands of decorations, embellishes every wall with thousands of ornaments, and places numerous valuable objects and necessities in every room, but does not put a roof on the palace, so that everything decays and is lost in vain. But that is inconceivable. For from Khayr-i Mutlaq only good proceeds, from Jamīl-i Mutlaq only beauty, and from Hakīm-i Mutlaq nothing meaningless can ever emerge.

Indeed, whoever boards the ship of history in thought and sails toward the past will discover that, like the dwelling, testing ground, and exhibition hall in which we now live, as many dwellings, arenas, exhibition halls, and worlds have passed away and disappeared as the number of years that have gone by. Although they differ from one another in form and qualities, they resemble one another in their order, their wondrousness, and the way they demonstrate the power and wisdom of the Creator.

Moreover, within those unstable dwellings, temporary arenas, and perishable exhibition halls, one will observe the order of a manifest wisdom, the signs of an evident ināyah, the indications of an overwhelming justice, and the fruits of an all-encompassing mercy. Provided his insight is intact, he will know with certainty that there is no wisdom more perfect than this wisdom, that no ināyah more excellent than the ināyah we observe is possible, that no justice higher than the justice being enacted exists, and that no mercy broader than the mercy whose fruits we see can be conceived.

If we were to suppose the impossible and assume that within the dominion of Sultān-i Sarmadī —Who performs all these acts, changes all these guesthouses, and replaces their guests— there were no enduring and stable realms, no exalted places, no eternal dwellings, no permanent inhabitants, and no blissful servants, then one would be forced to deny the reality and existence of wisdom, justice, ināyah, and mercy—the four spiritual elements which, in influence and scope, are like the physical elements of fire, air, water, and earth—although their existence is as universal and visible as those four elements themselves. For it is well known that this perishable world and everything within it cannot fully display the true reality of these spiritual elements.

Indeed, if there were no other place where these spiritual elements could fully manifest themselves, then we would be forced to deny the wisdom openly visible in everything, the ināyah we observe at every moment in our own lives and in the lives of other beings, the justice whose powerful signs we clearly perceive, and the mercy we see everywhere.^[1] This would be a madness like denying the sun while seeing its rays on a bright day. We would also have to assume that the Owner of these purposeful works, these generous acts, and these merciful bestowals—which we observe throughout the universe—is a cunning trickster and a merciless tyrant. This would be an utterly impossible reversal of truth. Even the most foolish sophists, who deny the existence of everything and even of themselves, would not easily consider accepting such a view.

Indeed, justice has two aspects: one positive, the other negative. The positive aspect consists of giving each rightful owner his right. This aspect of justice is clearly visible throughout this world. As was proven in the Third Truth, Fātir-i Dhul-Jalāl grants to all creatures, with unique balance and precise measure, all the necessary means and required rights for their life and continued existence, which they ask of Him through the language of their capacities, their innate needs, and their state of necessity. Thus, this aspect of justice is as certainly present as existence and life itself.

The other aspect consists of judging the wrongdoers. That is, the right of the wrongdoer is given through discipline and punishment. Although this aspect does not fully manifest in this world, there are countless signs and indications that point to its existence. For example, all the forms of discipline and punishment that have descended upon rebellious and obstinate peoples, from the peoples of Āad and Thamūd down to the present day, show with unfailing certainty that an exalted justice is present in the world. ↩︎