An ant, walking on a piece of paper, saw the pen writing and began to praise the pen. Another ant, which was more keen-sighted, said, “Praise the fingers, for I deem this accomplishment to proceed from them.” Another ant, more clear-sighted than either, said, “I praise the arm, for the fingers are a branch of the arm,” et cetera.
A little ant saw a pen (writing) on a
paper, and told this mystery to another
ant,
Saying, “That pen made wonderful pictures
like sweet basil and
beds of lilies and roses.”
The other ant
said, “That artist
is the finger, and
this pen is actually (no
more than) the derivative (instrument) and
the sign.”
A third ant said, “It is the work of the
arm, by whose
strength the
slender finger depicted
it.”
3725. In this fashion
it (the argument) was
carried upward till a
chief of the ants, (who)
was
a little bit sagacious,
Said, “Do not
regard this accomplishment as proceeding from the
(material) form, which becomes unconscious in sleep and death.
Form is like a
garment or a staff:
(bodily)
figures do not move except by
means of intellect and
spirit.”
He (the wise ant)
was unaware that without
the controlling
influence of God that
intellect and heart (mind) would
be inert.
If He withdraw His favour
from it for a single moment, the acute
intellect will commit (many)
follies.
3730. When Dhu ’l-Qarnayn found it (Mount Qáf) speaking, he said, after Mount Qáf had bored the pearls of speech,
“O eloquent one, who art wise and knowest the mystery, expound to me the
Attributes of God.”
It answered, “Go,
for
those qualities are too terrible for (oral) exposition to put its
hand on them, Or for the pen to dare
inscribe with its point information concerning them
on the pages (of
books).”
He said,
“Relate a lesser tale concerning the wonders
of God, O goodly
divine.”
3735. It said, “Look,
the
King (God) has made
a plain full of snow-mountains, for the distance of a three hundred years' journey—
Mountain on mountain, beyond count and number: the snow comes continually to replenish
them.
One snow-mountain is being piled on another: the snow brings coldness to the earth.
At every moment snow-mountain is being piled on snow-mountain from the illimitable and vast storehouse.
O king, if there were not a valley (of snow) like
this, the glowing heat of Hell would annihilate me.”
3740. Know that (in this world) the
heedless are (like) snow-mountains,
to
the end that
the veils of the
intelligent
may
not be consumed.
Were it not for
the reflexion (effect) of snow-weaving (chilling) ignorance, that Mount Qáf would be consumed
by the fire of longing.
The Fire (of Hell) in sooth is
(only) an atom
of God's wrath; it is (only) a whip to threaten the base.
Notwithstanding such a wrath,
which is mighty and
surpassing all, observe
that the coolness of
His clemency is prior to it.
(’Tis) a spiritual priority, unqualified and unconditioned. Have you seen the prior and the posterior
without duality
(have you seen
them to be one)?
3745. If you have not seen them
(as one),
that is because of feeble understanding; for the minds of God's
creatures are (but)
a single grain of that mine.
Lay the blame on yourself, not on the evidences of the (true) Religion: how should
the bird of
clay reach the
sky of the (true) Religion?
The bird's lofty soaring-place is (only) the air, since its origin is from lust and sensuality.
Therefore be dumbfounded
without nay or yea, in order that a litter may come from
(the Divine) Mercy to
carry you.
Forasmuch as you are too dull to
apprehend these wonders (of God), if you say “yea” you will
be prevaricating;
3750. And if you say “nay,” the
“nay” will behead
(undo) you: on
account of
that “nay”
(the
Divine) Wrath will shut your (spiritual) window.
Be, then,
only dumbfounded
and distraught, nothing else, that God's aid may come in from before and behind.
When you have become dumbfounded and crazed and naughted, you have said with mute eloquence, “Lead us.”
It (the
wrath of God) is mighty, mighty; but when you begin to tremble,
that mighty (wrath)
becomes assuaged and
equable,
Because the mighty
shape is for (terrifying) the unbeliever; when
you have become
helpless, it is mercy
and kindness.
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