confers on them the rank of the degree of vegetable life. And by presenting vegetable life in the form of sustenance, He grants it, through its motion and employment, the degree of fineness of animal life. And through employing the particles in animals, He raises them by way of being sustenance to the degree of human life. And by purifying the particles in a human body through repeated filtering, and by favouring them, He promotes them to the most delicate and subtle places, which are the brain and the heart. From all this it may be understood that the motion of particles is not without wisdom, but that the particles are made to hasten to a sort of perfection worthy of themselves.
Thirdly: Among the particles in animate beings, some, like those in pips and seeds, receive such a light, fineness, and quality that they are like a spirit or a king to the rest of the particles, to a huge tree, for example. Thus, since among all the particles of a huge tree some rise to this rank through fulfilling their delicate duties and passing through the many stages in the life of the tree, it demonstrates that through the command of the All-Wise Maker these particles receive a fineness, light, rank, and instruction on account of and in honour of the Divine Names manifested on them in accordance with the sorts of motion that are the functions of their natures, and in honour of them.
To Conclude: Since1 the All-Wise Maker has specified for everything a suitable point of perfection and an appropriate level of the effulgence of existence, by giving everything a disposition that will strive to reach that point of perfection, He drives them towards it. This ‘Law of Dominicality’ is in force in all plants and animals, as it is in inanimate beings, in which it promotes plain earth to the rank of diamonds and to the level of priceless jewels. Within this truth, the tip of a mighty ‘Law of Dominicality’ is apparent.
And since the All-Generous Creator bestows as payment to the animals He employs in the mighty law of generation a particular pleasure as a sort of wage. And He gives a wage of perfection to the animals employed in other dominical functions, like bees and nightingales, for example. He confers on them a level whereat they feel eagerness and receive pleasure. And within this the tip of a mighty ‘Law of Generosity’ is apparent.
And since the reality of everything looks to the manifestation of one of God Almighty’s Names, and is bound to it, and is a mirror to it; whatever beauty is apparent in each, it is due to the Name; the Name requires it to be thus. Whether or not the thing is aware of it, in the view of reality the beauty is demanded. And from this truth, the tip of a most mighty ‘Law of Beauty and Making Beautiful’ is apparent.
The sentence answering this ‘since’ and that at the beginning of the following six paragraphs is on page 581.