The Third Letter

The Third Letter

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.(17:44)

[Part of a letter sent to the well-known student of his. [^1] ]

[^1]: See, p. 28, fn. 1.

F i f t h l y: You wrote in one of your letters to me that you wanted to share my feelings here, so listen now to one thousandth of them.

One night at the height of a hundred-storey building in my tree-house at the top of a cedar tree, I looked at the beautiful face of the heavens gilded with stars and saw an elevated light of miraculousness and brilliant secret of eloquence in the All-Wise Qur’an’s oath of,

So verily I call to witness the planets That recede, go forth, or hide*.(81:15-16)

This verse, which refers to the planets and their being concealed and spread abroad, displays to the gaze of observers an elevated embroidery full of art and an exalted, instructive tapestry. The planets emerge from the sphere of the sun, their commander, and entering that of the fixed stars, display fresh embroideries and instances of art in the skies. Sometimes they come shoulder to shoulder with another star like themselves and display a beautiful situation. At other times they enter among the small stars and assume the position of commander. Especially in this season after evening, Venus on the horizon, and before the early dawn one of its shining companions, display a truly graceful and lovely scene. Later, after carrying out their duties as inspectors and acting as shuttles in the tapestries of art, they return, and entering the dazzling sphere of the sun, hide themselves. Now they demonstrate as brilliantly as the sun the majestic dominicality and glittering