and His eternal life, and the realm of the hereafter and everlasting life, and the existence of the angels, and the other pillars of belief.
Also, just as life is the purest essence of the universe, distilled from of it, so it is a mighty mystery producing thanks, worship, praise, and love, the most important divine purposes in the universe and most important results of the world’s creation.
So consider these twenty-nine significant, valuable characteristics of life, and elevated, general duties. Then look and see the tremendousness of the name of Ever-Living behind the name of Giver of Life. Understand too how with these immense characteristics and fruits of life, the name of Ever-Living is a greatest name.
Also understand that since life is the most important result of the universe, and its greatest aim and most valuable fruit, it must have an aim and result as vast as the universe. For the tree’s result is its fruit, so the fruit’s result is the future tree by means of the seed. Yes, just as the aim and result of this life is eternal life, so one of its fruits is thanks to the Ever-Living Giver of Life, and worship and praise of Him and love for Him. And just as this thanks, love, praise and worship are the fruit of life, so are they the aim of the universe.
Understand also from this, the ugly ignorance and denial, indeed, unbelief, of those who say that the purpose of life is to live comfortably, enjoy oneself heedlessly, and indulge oneself in pleasure, and how they denigrate and insult the precious bounty of life, gift of consciousness, and bounty of reason, and what ghastly ingratitude they display.
SECOND SIGN
One would have to write treatises to the number of life’s attributes to explain all its degrees, attributes, and duties, which is a maximum manifestation of the names Ever-Living and Giver of Life, mentioned in the index in the First Sign. So since some of them have been elucidated in various parts of the Risale-i Nur, we refer you to them for some of the details, and here point out only a few others.
It was said in the twenty-third of the twenty-nine properties of life that since life’s two faces are transparent and unsullied, apparent causes have not been made a veil to the disposals of dominical power.
Yes, the meaning of this is as follows: for sure everything in the universe contains good and beauty, while evil and ugliness are minor, and have the function of being units of measurement to show the degrees of good and beauty and to augment and multiply their realities. In this way the evil becomes good and the ugliness, beauty. And apparent causes have