mining; His creating the macrocosm makes it as a place of prostration, while His giving of existence to the microcosm makes it as prostrating; His bringing the former into being makes it as a property, while His giving of existence to the latter makes it as owned; His art in the former displays it as a book, while His colouring in the latter shines through speech; His power in the former reveals His majesty, while His mercy in the latter arrays His bounty; His majesty in the former testifies that He is One, while His bounty in the latter proclaims that He is Single, Undivided; His stamp on the former is on all things, universal and particular, while His seal on the latter is on the body and on the limbs.
F i r s t S e c t i o n : “The macrocosm is similar to the microcosm; what is fashioned by His power is a missive expressing His determining.” That is to say, the macrocosm, which is called the universe, and the microcosm, which is its miniature specimen and is called man, point to evidences of divine unity, both within man’s self and outside it, that are written by the pens of divine power and divine determining.
There is within man the sample, on a very small scale, of the orderly art which is in the universe. And as the art that is present in the vast sphere testifies to the Single Maker, so the microscopic art which is on a tiny scale in man points to the Maker and demonstrates His unity. Moreover, as man is a meaningful missive inscribed by his Sustainer, and a well-composed ode written by divine determining, so is the universe a well-composed ode written by that same pen, but on a vast scale.
Is it at all possible that anything other than the Single One of Unity could have a hand in placing the stamp of uniqueness on men’s faces, which, although they resemble one another, all have their distinguishing marks; and have a hand in setting the seal of unity on the universe, all of whose creatures co-operate, helping and supporting one another? Could anything interfere in this?
S e c o n d S e c t i o n : “His creating the macrocosm makes it as a place of prostration, while His giving of existence to the microcosm makes it as prostrating.” It has this meaning: the All-Wise Maker created the macrocosm in such a novel, wonderful form, inscribing on it the signs of His grandeur, that He transformed it into a mighty mosque. And He created man in this way: giving him intellect and causing him to prostrate in wonderment with it at those miracles of His art and at His wondrous power, He caused him to read the signs of His grandeur. Thus girding him ready for worship in that mighty mosque, He created him as a prostrating slave.
Is it at all possible that the true object of worship of those prostrating