hadis i halila or confutation of atheism 1000006460

8/13/2019 Hadis I Halila or Confutation of Atheism 1000006460

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Printed by T. P. Thakor at the Praja Bamlhu

Printing Works, Jethabhai's PoI0j Ehadia,

AHMTSDABAD.


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In e

Oh, Allah May Thy peace beMohammed and descendants.

This little book which I giveto the public is the translation ofHadls-i-Hallia^ the tradition ofthe myrobalan fruit* It has comedown to us from Hazrat ImamJMar*U8'Sadik (May Peace of God beupon him) the sixth of the TwelveImmaculate Imikos of the house ofMohammed~4he Prophet, He livedin the middle of the second centuryof Islamic era* After the most tragicmassacre of the Third Imam HazratHuseln. (May Peace of God be uponhim) who fought against the hostileforces of ungodly Omnmyyads.for theprotectionf the faith of Islam, andthe holy principles, which his grand-


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father-the Prophet-hadaiddown forthe guidanceand progress of man;and fell a martyr to the eause? at

Karbala, the whole familyof theProphet especiallyhe Imams tookto seclusion. They preferredeacefulpreachingf Islam to takingany part,whatsoever,in the secular dissentibnsthen rife in Arabia, In the nightofmiseryand tmhappinesshey followedtrulyand faithfullyhe preceptsoftheir ancestor and found consolationin intellectualpursuits.Their ardentlove of knowledge,their passionatedevotion to the cause of humanity-their spiritlookingpwardsfar abovethe literalnessof common interpreta-ions

of the law-show the spiritualityand xpansivenessf Islam, The de-inition

by Imam J far-us-Sidik ofscience or knowledgegivesome ideaof their faith in the progress of man/*The enlightenmentf the heart kitsessence; Truth,itsprincipalbjeet;Inspzritioa,ts guide;Reason, its ac-eptor;

God its Inspirer,nd wordsof man, itsutterer. .........While theOmmayyads discouragedhe peaceful


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pursuitsof mind, the children ofFatima (theImams) with remarkableliberalism favoured learning/'1

As a matter of fact, whateversuccess the Moslems achieved in thefield of learning,cience, or spiritu-lisms

has had its foundation in theteachingsof these Imams. None butthese Imams were the authorisedexponents of the and theHadises (traditions)fthe Prophet*When the Prophet saw that his timeto leave this transient world had ap-roached,

lie preachedis last sermonand said I leave behind me twothings for you. The book of God(Kitab lll4all) and my descen-ants(Itarat). If you shall holdfast to them, you shall not go astrayafter me. They (Kitab-ul-lah andItarat) shall not be separatedromeach other,tillthey reach HattZ*I

(inparadise)nitedly. 2It will not be without interest,-1

am sure, to read this which1. The Spiritof Islam . 2, Sahili Bukhari,

Sahxh. Muslim c.


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shows the liberalityf their teachingsand proves the existence of One Godso vividly*s it is admitted on allhands that beliefin God, Who is thecreator of this universe and to Whomevery man is responsibleor his actionsin this world, is essential for themoral and material progress of man,I hope this will supply himmuch food for reflection*nd lead himto the right path. The argumentsare so perfect,o simpleand logical.Besides there is absolutelynothingto injurehe susceptibilitiesf anyman belongingo any caste or creed*It is equallyedifyingo the Moslemsas well as non-Moslems,as the Godpreachedin it is not the God of onlyone nation, but is the God of allnations and all worldsAlamin).

Perhaps the modern reader willfind some of the arguments forwardedby the Imam in some contrast to tliopresentday science,but it must beunderstood that the Inum intended toteach God ,and not the science. The


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Imkm, as far as science was concerned*simplyfollowed the conceptionspre-alent

In the age to which he be

longed.Now I must admit that I

have translated this Hadis fromi4Tanhid ul-Ainimai9 by MolviSyed Mohammed Haroon Saheb whohas rendered therebyand many othervaluable books a substantial serviceto the cause of Islam,

I must not also forgetto thankmy learned friend Mr* Alam KhanAla Dad Khan, G. B. V. C. for allthe help he has given me in trans-ating

this Hadis and for manyother valuable suggestions.

And last but not the least,haveto tender my most cordial thanks toMessrs* Mohammed J far H jiSharifD0?jee?and Gulam Hosein SilehHasan (Hami-e-Islam)f Africa, fortheir most generous pecuniary helpfor the publicationf this book. I can-ot

but appreciateheir kind feelingstowards me, their zealous love for the


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diffusion of the teaeliiugs of the Iui;im?,and the unostentatious services to the

causeof religion; and pray that they

zn$y long be spared to the community.

Vail Mohammed (X Momin.

2T th April 1918AH BDA.BAD

(Gujarat)


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HADIS-I-HALILAOR

neMEtiontftkBlyrohihiTMTuffaz-Zilbin Omar Jaufi wrote a* *letter to Hazarat Imam Jaffar as-SadiqueMay the peace ofGod be uponMm) that some peopleheld the NoGod'1 theory and contested amongthemselves with groundlessrguments.He requestedhe Imam to refute theseatheists,s he (theImam) had donaon previousoccasions*

The Imam repliedIn the nameof the Most Merciful and the MostCompassionateod. May He theAlmightygiveus the good sense ofa?0r remainingobedient to His will,drawingdown upon us His pleasureand mercy. Your letter with referenceto those evilsthat have creptinto out1


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midst dulyto hand* You mentionthese 'atheisticaldisputesnd con-troversies have become a menace toour religionIslam),nd JOE desireme to publish book in condemnationand contradiction of them* as I havedone (forantagonistsnd opponentsc God) before.

Let us offer our thanks to God-the Most High-,for allHis blessingsto usl and for His Hujjat(proof)n-omparable,

and the Justice of trialwith which he tests His favourite aswell as His ordinaryslaves. One ofthe greatestand most importantfavours from Him is the establish-ent

of eonvineiDgroof-deepn tlmInnermost heart of each creature-thai;(He is/ Thus He has secured the vowof His Mdara/at (knowledgef Kinbeing)from all His creatures*andhas sent (throughis prophet)igsacred book Qur n-wbich containsefficaciousremedies for all doubts andsuspicions.od has done allthis forman. He has not left him, nor anyother thingdependentupon


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Him He has directlyHimself. He Himself Is In-

and the Praised. By mylife hese in ignorance relosers hen they deny the existence-of God in the face of allthose perfectand clear proofsnd signs which sur-ound

them* The skyfthe earthfandthe wonderful thingspertainingoboth?evince beyondalldoubts the exi-tence

of some creator. These men have-openedfor themselves a gateleadingto a crime* They seek their inInsatiable*ncessant worldlypursuits*Their sensual desire has blightedhe-purity of their hearts. For theiroppressionnd tyranny* Godabandonded them. Satan has assumeddominion over them, Thus God sealsthehearts of the proudand the arrogant*.

It is a matter of great surprisethat man seeingin himself perfectcreation can still so unreasonablyrefute the theoryof a perfectreator,The structure of the body, the per-ection

of itsdesignand itsconnectionwith some spiritualhing called the


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soul,reveal or manifest its creator tobe of extraordinaryisdom aocl in-ellect

1 vow by my lifethat thesemen have bestowed no thoughtuponthe questionr else they most haveobserved this distinctand vivid por-fectionin creation*(e,g. The designofthe universe,od the knowledgethatthese thingsonce were not (inexist-nce),

should have called forth an un-esitatingaffirmation of a creator)

xxx, Thefre is not a singlethingthat does not show signsf the Godwho created it I write to you anaccount of the arguments 1 had withan atheist physicianf India. Hevisited me frequently,lwaysdiscus*inghis % God theoryand placingforth all his arguments in supportofit Once while poundingHalila (My*robalan fruit), new idea came tohim, f his Universe, said he sud-enly,

has existed for eternityefore,and will stillexist for eternity.mtree grows and another withers;onetree lives whilst its brother dies;ndthe link that binds them togetherexisted in the past,and will exist in


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the future* Your claim to the DivineknowledgeIs a baseless one? foundedon no such actual proofas to justifythe existence of God It can onlybecalled a belief-a belief inherited fromyour forefathers and traditions'1*

Proceedingwith the same force*he went on to say, that the existenceof various thingsof the Universe whe-her

real or not could only be deter-inedthrough the medium of the

live senses. Eyes with which we see*ears by which we hear*nose by whichwe smell,and hands and feet withwhich we touch and feel Continuingthe chain of his arguments to theextent of hie self-made principlesesaid,*Now I have never known Godthrough any of the above mentioned.senses^ and cannot therefore believeinHim, But I request that you willlet me hear those arguments withwhich you convince others. When hereached thus far I said : I prove Hisexistence by the inherent instinct ofHis being,hich each man9 whether anaffirmed atheist or not,has, in him.


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can you say so T He*f he mind cannot know the$f any thingthroughany medium butthat of the fife senses. Have youGod, heard His voice*smelled Him,tasted Him with your tongue, ortouched Him with your hands or feet ?How could one realizeHim f

aYour denial of Godf then Is,wsaid I, because yon have not feltHim with the senses givento us forknowingobjects,too have not feltHim with either of them. But mybeliefis as strong as your disbelief*Both cannot be right;do you admitthis f

Most certainly*11e repKed.'Eitheryou are mistakes or I am/1

yoll araright*here is BO dangerfor me iathreateningyou with God'ssore for your disoelief.

4SNo/'aid he,You shall,e in mdanger.1'

If I am right/'sked I,lfDo younot think that you will suffer the


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punishmentfor your disbelief,nd 1shall receive a reward,for beingfrom your opinions?1

Quitepossibly*9e replied,Will you tellme/11 askedfwhich

of us is the wisersgrantingthe pos-ibilityof both the situations ?'

Oh, He replied.Your belief isa presumption,groundlessssertion,while mine is a truth, based uponcommon sense I do not perceiveimby my senses, therefore He does notexist

*fWhen yoar senses**,aid I, couldnot percei?eGod? you disbelievedHim, while I,on the contrary,elievedin Him, beeausD my senses failed todiscern Him* The very theorythatmade you disbelieveompelledme tobelieve in Him/1

How is it possible he asked*Because, I replied,thingsare

'Murc kab* compound.EveryMural-kab possesses shape and colour thatattracts the senses. Therefore thatwhich is felt or known by the senses,


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havingshapeand colour,annot be God.Your argumentfor disbeliefsfoolish^because God cannot be like any ofthe thingsperceivedy the senses^aor can He be said to bear any re-emblance

to anythingwhich lias toundergon ordealofchangeand decay.For,everythings under the one andthe same law-the Jaw of transforma-ion

and decline,God our creator can-otbe perceivabley the five senses

you mention;for,He isnot a tilingwhich is Murakk'Al or created,...,.............Ife was visibleto the eye,and perceivableo the senses. Hewould have resembled the thingshatare visible and perceivableo thesenses on account of their beingMurakJcal) and created,and in thatcase He would no longerave remain*ed a creator.

What nonsense you talk saidhe. **No,I cannot believeunless I per*eeive by any of these fivesenses*

Since,e so persistentlydheredto his theory,he follyof which I-stroveto -pointut,I saidfI charge

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yoii then for the very defect youaccused me of. Your claim is withoutreason and proofsalso* Your arguments are too on the same lines,asyou thought*ere mine;and for whichyou had such an aversion/1

l4How can I be held liablefor the-same defect as you?'*he asked*

You, in the beginning/'eplied,falselyeproached me with this Ithat my claim to the knowledge ofGod was purelytraditional and hadno actual basis for the fact* Thatimputationis now applicableo yourbecause you persistin the theorythat a thingnot known throughthmedium of the senses is not-existent,thoughstrongevidence proves it other-ise.

You disregardhe arguments*and all messages from God throughthe prophetsand the favoured of God. ....Telle? have you visited everycorner of this world?

*0f course not. he said.I went on* Have you ever ascend-dor visitedthis sky,hich you behold


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with your eyes* or boon in the bowelsof the earth? HaYeyon traversed theworld,dl?ed in every s al and movedthroughthe atmosphere?o presum-tuouslydeny the existence of aaomniscient mnipotentcreator,youmost have been to all these places ,

*No ,he said,You know 1 havenever/5

Well/9I said,How can you saythat He is not in those placeshereneither you nor your senses have ewerbeen? ^Perhaps,e may be livingthere

I cannot be certain* ho said.Perhaps person of extraordinaryintelligenceay residein one of thoseplaces/*

As, I went on, you 'have ad-ittedthe probabilityf a creator,

you will,I hope,be inducedto admitthe certainty.rom flatdenial youha?e come to doubt,from that per-lapsto faith ,

*fhisdoubt, e said,istheof the questionnent placeshat my

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senses have not seen, but I am atloss to understand how a thingbe said to exist unless feltby them.9

fCWell, explainhis,and bringyou to a beliefthroughthe mediumofthis HdKfa?

Oh yes/ said,Try.hewill be very suitable.,or It Is one ofthe fruitsof medical science in whick1 am well versed.

I take the 'JlaKte, I said,because it is nearest to us* Had any-hing

else been there instead^t couldalso have provedGod's existence/'EverythingurakJ db (compound)

is created* Creation shows a creator.'That,hich was not; Is, And thatwhich is,is destroyedby God, Godmade it and destroyedt. Tell me doyou see this HtduaT

C Ido/'he said.Can you see

1 asked,What isin its Interior?No.*sThen there must not be a stone

in this one/9I said,for you do notsee It with your eyes.11


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f How can I say that f he replied;there may not be one/*

^Nor I persisted^a kernel hiddenunder the shell nor colour within?

I know nothing/e repliedbotlimay be absent/'

I am sure/1I said3you will atooce admit that it can be had iaIndia,for all Indian physciansagreeon this point/1

They may be wroog in theiropinion/'e said,I don't admit it/r

All right/1aid I, but you atleast believethat this fruit grows insome partof the world.

I have seen that placewhere itgrows/1Then is it this placer-Yes.Will you belieyeby the presenceof this Halifa that there are otherHaKIas,which you do not see with

your eyes f I asked*No/1 he repliedobstinately*his

may be the onlyone of its kind/1Seeingim thus wilfullyent uponignorance, asked him, what tie-


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.thoughthe Halila to be? Whetherit was a productof a tree or It hadcome into existence by Itself?

fiflm not foolish to say that it.has come into existence by itself*Itis emphaticallyhe productof atree/1

aThen, you admit , said I, lfthd.existenceof a tree which you ha?enot seen*3'l4Yes he said*But I addthat the Halifo tree like all otherthingshas self-existedor alleternity*Can you refute this beliefof mine T

Yes ,I said,in connection withthe halila 9ave you seen the treefrom which this one came? Do yonknow it perfectlyell?

11Yes/3he answered,lsDid you see the Jidila before it

-came into existence T*No, how could ITThen perhaps/'aid I,it might

have 'happenedhus:-lsWhen you saw the tree firs%it

had no halilas*But nert time you13


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not? said I,If1 show youa designr a painting,ou willto believe it was done byon /1

Yes/3lie said,Doe it not strike you/1that this

halUa is made upon a fixed standard-specialolour,specialize*specialeed*,specialaste-some portionf itskernelissoft,hile the rest hard-one portioncoalescingnto another has formed acompound-theres a layerver layer*bodyover body*and colour over colour?'It has a hard material-envelopedby a soft one* Its structure is.composedof particleslliedtogether*.Its yellowcolour has a whitish tinge*It has a skin to preserve it fromexternal influences* Roots to conveymoisture* Leaves that preserve itfrom the sun-lest it be burnt andscorched to ashes,r the cold-lestitbereduced to thinnessand loseitsvigour

l4Would it not have been better/asked he* I4to cover the seed -with.leavesT15


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God was the best judge ;1replied.Ead it been coveredleavesas you suggesthe air without*which givest strengthnd vigourwould not have reached it. It couldnot have been influencedby the coldwhich makes it robust* The suawould have had no power to ripenit It would have gone rotten, Thesedifferentinfluences proportionatelydivided*elpto bringhe fruitto theperfectionesignedy the]powerfulwisdom of God-the Almighty/1

#lYoararguments/3aid he, haveconvinced me that this haKfa iscreated on some designunderlyingIts form.

The seed in its rudimentarystate/'aidI,was neitherkerne norshellIt had neithercolour nor tasteIt was onlywater,**

Tee, e said,thfe1 know.11 If God/ said I, had notstrengthenedhedropof water,which

was no biggerthan a mustard seed,suggestedts shape,proportboatelj

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divided its particle ow couldvery small dropof water have reachedIts present state of development?How could Ithave assumed itspresentform,tineombiaed as it wae withor particles?resume some develop-ment. But it would be in sizeand bulkand should onlyhave consisted in the-Increase of water* It could not havescientificallyssumed itspresentshape-it would have had no definiteshape.

iYon prove to me3*,e said,beyondall doubts,the existence of some amwho. has created these things.Yourargumentsanent the tree'sgrowth,tsdevelopment,tsmod of bearingfruit*the shapeof that fruit,have convincedme. But why make it a distinctcreator?Why not say these thingshave createdthemselves of their own accord?1

Because,*replied, the designpointsto a perfectntelligence,oeait not?

Yes,itdoes/' He admitted.It isobvious/'

Then ,I asked,do you think itconsistentto Bay that perfectntelligence17


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and wisdom came intonon-existence?No, he

'Do you not know/'1 asked,thatthis Haifa is 'JEfdrfisthat itdid notexist beforejut came intoafterwards?nd that italsoand returns to non-existence

Yes,I do know this*',e replied.*This halila may be hddis. But I' did not say that itscreator was 'idclw/and that he could not create his ownbeing.t is possiblehat he may be4faddisf7r he may be ^VajiM^ajud(self-existingrom alleternity) *

A littlewhile ago*said I,c'youadmittedthat the creator could not be'Hddis but the H lil was Ilddis.Tell me then,how the fruitwhich isa created thing(Hddb),itself?When you declareHalila fruitto be a created thing,tfollowsthai you do not think itto boits own creator. If,however,youresume your oldstandpointfargument,persistingn sayingthe fruit tobe Itsown creator,ou are

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what at firstyou denied Youpossessedonsciousness of perfectin-elligence

though the properund its attributesare not known toyou/1

How is it he asked, that Inow admit what 1 firstdenied?*

|Itisthus:9'I replied.When youadmitted the existence of some wiseand perfectintelligence^ou admittedGod* But called It by the name of4haKla9tnstead ofcallingtGod- Allah*If you had used but a littleiscretionand reflectionsyou must have realisedthat the halila had no power to createor designitself/*

*Have you other proofsbesides-this?'*he asked,or this is all?I ha?e many; I replied,Will

you tellme why this haMla which youaay to have createditself,s so insigni-icant

and powerlessthing that itcan not save itselfrom beingplucked,squeezednd devoured?1

Because it has onlythe power ofcreatingtself'1e said.19


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tolfyou are inclinedto IDyour obstinacy o so; bit at.assure me as to when thiscreated itself-whethert did it beforeit came into existence*r afterwards?If you say afterwards,ou are absurd*Because it is impossibleor a thingto create its own self when it wasalreadyreated.The purportof yourassertion would be that the halilamade itselftwice : Itwould mean thatitsfirstendeavours consistedIE creatingitself,nd when it was quitereadyand created,t createditselfagaio*most absurd and impossibleheory-the aquisitioEf what is alreadyacquiredTahsil-e-Hasil)*f you saythat it created itselfbefore itinto existence t is reallystupid,Because it was absolutelyothinge*fore it came into existence* How isit possibleor a non-existinghingtocreate another thing You considermybeliefin an existingilinghatanother non-existinghingas absurd*But you do not consider your own? asto the non-existinghinghaving thepower to create an already

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thing, absurd and stupid.e your-elfthe judge,and tell me whose

theoryis absurd and irrational/1Yours/'said he, is the

correct.'Then why do you not accepttTUI do not know/1he replied*Though

itisquitelearto me, that 'Mwmkkab9thingsincludinghe lialilaare nottheir own creators* But a doubtarises in my mind that the tree mayperhapse the creator of the 'hdlttotifor the 'halild is the productof thetree/1

Well asked I, who made thetree then?

AnotherThis is all the same/1 said I,

f 'Rather fixa limit,Else our argumentsmust go round and round in acireletayingno goalor termination,If you want to come to any conclusionbelieve the creator to be God^ andterminate the chain of argumentIf you preferour own belieffor the21


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of not arrivingt a finalI willquestionoo once more upon Ii f

aDo questione/* said lie,Is it not right*, asked,l(t iat

the tree springsup from the Ixtlifa,after the halila becomes extinct?

Yes/' he replied,*'The tree lives about a hundred

years after the death of halila,whichyou think is the creator of the tree)*Tell me then,who preserves the treeand makes it thick and strong?Whonourishes it,guardsit and providesthe leaves? Surelyyou must say thatit was He who created it. If yoncall the 'halila'the creator, and Baythat dead *thingmanages tlio above-mentioned things,our words conveyno meaning*Because the words *eroator*and ^guardiazfean one and the name,and itisimpossibleor a dead creator tobe guardian*oreover*the tree beginsto grow only when the Juxlikito dissolveand annihilate itself.Whozithe tree attains fullgrowth,theseed is dead. In this ease tellme


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to guard nourish andthe tree T

That 1 can not say/ saki he.Why don't you believe/'asked,

that It is God the Almighty?Surelyyou caa have no more doubts lingeringin your mind/*

I have some,**e said. Yon havenot yet givenme convincingroofsofHis existence*

If you will stillpersistin yourabsurd theory that existingthingsmast bo known throughthe mediumof five senses, let me tell you that thesenses can not know anythingexceptthroughthe mind's medium* The mindis the true guide,It is the mindwhich bringsall tilingsnto closeaffinity*our assertion is quitethereverse of this*You hold that the mindlias no power whatsoever to knowAnythingwithout the intermeddlingfthe sonsos-quitewrong assertion.

Your argument is quitenew, hesaid* ''BeforeI admit it,I must havedetail^23


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Then I beginto giveyon someI said,lsYou mast know that when one-sense or even all the senses become

useless,-earsdeafened,yes Winded,smellingpower vanished,the mindalone regulateshe respectiveunctionsof the senses* The mind only guidesone to perform particularhingora?oid it;and thingsdone by its sug-estionbringabout a very wholesomeresult.

*'Your argument3 e said, eemsa very strongone1 but explaint tome more distinctlynd concisely/

Alright ,sked I. Do you knowthat the mind survive the death ofthe senses?3*

Yes,*he replied.But itsand knowledgef thingsanish withthe senses. For instance-earsan hear,but not so the mind;it is deaf withthe ears/3

l4Doyou know91,sked I,that whena mother givesbirth to a child,hatchild'ssenses have no power to actThe senses are quiteunfitto performany functionat that periodf life/1

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1 do know* he replied.Tell me then/1said I which of

the senses suggestedthe child to cryfor milk, and to be cheerful and jollywhen it sucked It? Which, of the sensesexcited the birds of prey^ and the birdsthat feed on grainto supplytheiryoungones with fleshand grainrespectivelyWhy does one feed on flesh nd theother smaller kind on grain? Againregardingwater fowl'-why are theyable to swim on the surface of thewater, and those Inhabitinghe landdrawn and die when thrown intowater? When all the creatures havethe same senses how is itpossibleorthe water fowl to derive greaterbene-its

than the land fowl? Why do thebirds of the air die,If kept In waterfor a short time, and the fish-those

inhabitinghe sea die,If keptout ofwater for a while? Do not thesedifferentcharacteristics of senses relateyour theory of their all-powerfulness;and suggest a greaterintellect,an in-ellect

that has created these speciesof birds and fish,intentionallyrdain*


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ed th$t one should live on land' andthe other IE water-that has created'Circumstances to suit their necessities?If senses were consistentlyowerfulthey would have shown a similarityfaction in all the species.Also haveyou not observed the ant which hasfjever seen water, beginsto swim whenthrown into it,and the strong andclever man who does not know theart of swimming, sinks down to thebottom, and comes to the surface adead body? Now if the theory thatall thingsare known by the sensesfee correct,~whyoes not the wise ex-erienced

stout man use his senses inorder to save his life as the ant does?Do you not also know that the mind,-the treasure house of wisdom-is pre*sent in a brute child as well as in ahuman-child? That it is the mind thatsuggeststhe child to cry for milk,thebirds of grainto feed on grain,andthe carnivorous to prey upon flesh/*

I know onlythis said he, thatthe mind can onlyknow thingsthroughthe senses/3


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You stilladhere to your argu-entin favour of the senses, though

once you admitted that it is the mindthat guidesthe senses* Very well;Now I shall prove to you in connec-ion

with these senses that they areunable to know anythingbut externalthings*They can in' no way knowthe existence of invisible things-theAlmighty God, the Soul- For thusdoes the Creator giftus with a mindand establish throughits medium His*Hujjat'proofsof His existence.)ehas created the senses? that theymayobserve external conditions and arguein favour of Him. When the eyeobserved creation in all its parts itdrew the attention of the mind to it.The eye saw the celestialsky retain-d

in a positionithout obvious sup-port,their regularityf motion, rotation, and revolution,-theyeitherlacked behind that they come in closerproximityto us, nor proceededfar*ther that they might undergo anydamage.Their distance from us remainsuntouched and so their condition*Theydo not get old or decayedthough


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centuriesofsuccessive nightsand dayshave passed*heir corners or ends donot falldown* The motion of the seven

planetsalso dependsn rotation of the-sky. They change their placeseveryday,every month, and efery year.Some are very rapid,ome are veryslow in their movement^ but none toorapid,one too slow. They allreturn tothe same placeafter performingheirfiiedduties* With unswervingmotionsome of them take theircourses towardsthe North? and sometimes towards-the South, They remain obscureduringday and visible at ntghi Theappearances of the Sun and Moon atcertain placesat certain times asunderstood by those men well versedIn the Science of Astronomy, to menendowed with thinkingpower aresurelynot the results of any humanexperienceor will Nor do theythinkthat the investigations,earches orresearches of any human being canproduce a like phenomena* Thusputtingeverythingto severe test andscrutinythe mind reasons, and con-eludes that there must be some one


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who lias created this most worderfulUniverse^who liaspreservedhe skiesIn their natural position,preventedthem from fallingdown upon theEarth* Along with the skies he hascreated the planetsand the stars*Again when the eye observed theaarth to be convex and informed themind of its observation,he mind feltthat the upholderof this Earth in itspresentform must be He who keptit in its fixed place nd preventeditfrom slippingnto space, and that Hemust be the same, who retained theskies overhead in firm position*hemind also felt that if there tad beeEno upholderf these thingSghe Earth,with the weightof all it possesses-such as mountains trees*seas^ sandsetc* would have easilyrumbled down*'The mind with the eye'shelpdecidedthat the creator -of the Earth mustbe He who created the skies ....Then again the ear heard the noiseof boisterous whirlwinds,and that ofsoft and pleasantreezes. The eyesaw that the former uprootedmightytrees*demolished strongestbuildings^


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and swept sandhills to the groundcarryinghem from one placeto an-ther,

Thoogh the eye observed allthese movements, yetitcould see none-who performedhem. The ear couldhear no one* Nor could my of thesenses detect His presence, The eye^could not see the air because of itsextent; hands could not hold it,because it was not solid* The eyethe ear and the senses could knownothingwithout the mind's assistance.It was the mind that said that therewas some One, who controlled allthese things.When the senses' cotf*veyedtheir impressionso the,rnind^the mind sensiblyhought that thewind could not blow of its own accord*It thoughtjf it blew of its own ac*cord,it would blow on continuouslyand would not pause. Because it isprovedin science of natural philosophythat a. natural force does not stop;unless resistedby some strongerorce*Again it would not have demolishedone thingand leftanother unmolest*ed?and pulleddown one tree and notthe next one-it would have blown over

*0


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one portionf land and not another.Cogitatinghus,the mind concludedthat some one controlled the wind,moved it or stoppedit just as Hepleased*ent or withdrew itscurrentsfrom whomsoever He liked, Againwhen the mind saw that the windwas connected with the sky and itswonders,tunhesitatinglyecided thatthe creator of the wind is He whohas created and upheld the skles^earth and alltheir wonders. Likewise-when the eye, the ears and other senses-unitedlyinformed the mind of anearthquakelt reflectedupon the quak-ng

of a mightyearth*with its moun-tains,eas and other greatappurten-nces,

and upon the fact that theearth is one solidbodywithout fissuresor disunitedparts?et one partshakesand the other remains unaffected,e-olishing

buildingsn one hand andnot on the other;and as a result itconcluded that the One who shookone portionof the Earth and savedthe other is He who moves the windand controls the air witholdinghemor not, accordingo His pleasure.e81


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is the designernd organizerf theskies and the earth and all thingspertainingo them. The mind guessedfor certainthat it was quiteimpossiblefor the Earth to quakeby Itself.Beoanse beingnaturallyirm it shouldnever have shaken at all And if itwas not naturallyirm,it should neverceased shaking.Because the naturalcondition of every thingalways re*mains immutable. Thus it was provedto the mind that He who createdanddesignedhe earth shakes any por-ion

of it or not Again the eye ob-ervedanother wonderful sign of

God's existence in the cloud whichby His order hangslike smoke over-ead

between the Earth and sky*It does not possess a bodyto collidewith mountains* It passes through,trees without shakingor breakingtheir branches or stickirgo them*It often passes througharavans^ andwhen it is dark and thick obscurestheirway* Despitetslightppearanceit carriesvast quantitiesfwater* Itsqualitiesre beyonddescription.tcarriesimmense thunderboltsightn-

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ing,snow, hail,dew (congested)omuch that the human imaginationan*not fullyomprehendits secrets orits wonders. It soars very high inthe regions of skies: Sometimes it isseen in a scattered state* Sometimesin united position*ts movementsdependupon the wind that isregulatedby the will of God, Through itsinfluencet sometimes riseshighanddescends low, not lettingf coursequantityf water it holds,alldownupon the Earth, When it does,itpours down in showers. Many a timewe see it passingoverhead coveringcities,owns and palacesithout lettingeven a dropof water falldown. Whenit has spreadver hundreds of milesof land,t beginso raindropbydrop*and sometimes in torrents from thesame quantityof water. Sometimesit rains so continuouslyhat resprvoirs^tank lakes and riversoverflow,androads are flooded,nd mountains ofwater seem to stand before the eyes*Sometimes it rains so violentlyhatthe ears get deafened with its roarand thunder* With this rain, God33


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revivesthe dryland,changesits colourand cloathes it in green verdure/ Thegrass which is the fodder of beasts,beginso springup After it ceasesraining,he cloudsdisperse,nd gradiiallybecome invisible none can saywhere they have gone to. Theseobservations were no sooner conveyedto the mind;,by the eye, than did themind beginto reflectover them. Itthoughtthat if these movements andfunctions of the clouds had come intoexistence of themselves and were notregulatedy any perfectwisdoin?itcould not have been possibleor thecloud to carry half the weight ofwater* And that if the cloud poureddown the rain by itself,t could nothave gone further from itsplaee ndit would not have raineddropbydrop,but on the contraryould have pouredall the water down all at once on thespot,because it is destituteof intelli*genee, and cannot foresee the resultof rainingll at once on the same spot*In this case the mind thoughtthatthe buildingsould have collapsed,vegetableroductruined,one portion

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of the land would have been-Irrigated,nd the other would havebeen left dry and barren. Thus think-ng,

the mind concluded that thecreator of all these things must beone and the same. Because had therebeen more than one^ say two or three,there must have arisen differencesanddisagreementsn so longa periodithregard to the regularityf thesefunctions. Some would have beenslower than others,ome loftythingswould have lowered down, and lowerthingswould have taken higherplaces-some planets (in contradiction toprescribedules)would have riseninstead of settingnd some set insteadof rising*n short the unityof design,so manifest in the creation,onvincedthe mind of the fact that the creator1of all the obvious and obscure thingsand wonders of the universe is He,who has been existingrom alleternitybefore anythingwas created. He isthe creator and upholderf the sky,the creator and designerf the Earth,and the creator of allthe thingsI havejustmentioned and other things too35'


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numerous to enumerate. Again theeye observed succession of nightsnddays followingach other with nopossiblehangein the regularityndcondition. It saw them mergingoneinto another in regularhours^ theirpecnlaritiesf lightnd darkness heirvaryingshortness and length.t sawthe stars and planetsunaffected bythese successionsof daysand nights,the approachand departuref thedifferentseasons, theircommencementand end unvarying.t informed themind. And the mind with thatinstinctiveense givento itby God-Almighty,ealizedbeyondall doubts*that the creator of all this perfectwisdom must be one Omnipotent^Omniscient,ternal God, It thoughtif there had existed more than onecreator,ach creator would not haveconsideredthe others creation worthanything,nd would have tried toexcel the others in design.Thusinstead of regularitynd uniformitythere would have been- disorder andtumult .Also the ears heard themessage of God throughhe apostles,

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which verified the conclusion of themind. The ears heard evidence as toGod the Creator havingneither a wifenor a son nor a partner^and themessage went to the mind for it torealize the truth/1

What you described said he^4iare very wonderful things-Thingshad nerer heard before* StillI hesi-ate

to aecept;what you have said,unless you give me some more convineingproofs/*

Well, said I, when you feelyourselfunable to refute or find faultwith my descriptionsnd begin towaver in your argumentsI am confi-ent

your mind will very shortlyas-you Insha-Allah (ifGod pleases)*

of the truth that the senses can knownothing without the mind's help.Now tell me have you ever experi*3nced a dream in which you wereeating something and relishingtspleasanttaste?

Yes, said he,Have you ever dreamt31 1 asked?

^fchat you are laughingor weeping


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bitterly,ravellingn known or un-nowncountries,recognizinghose

countries you Lad seen or known?

Yee liereplied,I had had manysuch dreams,

Have you ever/'I asked, seenin your dreams relatives,arent orbrothers that had died longago, andidentifiedthem as you did in thelifetime?51

WLy not? he exclaimed ' haveexperiencedany such dreams

Well then/'said I, which ofyour senses feltthe dead man andpointedim oat to the mind that itcould recognizeim and converse withhim? Which sense relish the food,recognizedhe countries known orunknown, throughwhich ittravelled?Which sense wept and laughed?

ul am confounded lie said,Icannot reply,hich of my senses (inthis sleepingtate)did the abovethings.In fact when one is asleep*he is like one dead,and in that con-ition,

it is quiteimpossibleor theIf


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senses to feel,know, see or tearanything/'

' Teilme/ asked I,when startled^you woke from your sleep*Did younot recollectyour dream sufficientlyto narrate to your relationsand friends,forgettingothing?

Yes , lie repliedSometimes 1have seen a tilingn a dream and thesame thingagainin a wakingstate.**

Alright ,aid I, which of thesenses imbued you with the meoioryof what you saw when those senseswere asleep?

None of the senses/7said lie,seem to havo had any hand therein/*

Can you not see now said I,that it is the mind that sees allthese tilings,emembering(in dream*ingstate)when all the senses

_

haveceased working?Don't you know thatthe iniiiilhas been endowed withreason, by means of which God esta-lishes

His Hujjafi.What 1 see in a dream said he,

*isunsubstantial likea 'SuraV (mirage),ft


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clThisrefutes the argumentregard-log the *$urab\ Because the latter isquiteunreal-when one approaches tfades away* But here the case isquitecontrary* The action in thedream leaves behind traces to proYe-the realityf sensation/7

aThe dreamer/1he saidssees thesame thingsthat his senses in a stateof wakefuiness have witnessed,

Very well/'said I, you streng-henmy argument^ when you admit

the mind's abilityo comprehend andidentifyhe thingsof which the senses(no longerworking)have no rememberance. Why did you first assertthat the mind even with the helpofthe senses and in the state of wake*fulness has not this power, and thatthey are the senses onlywhich compre-end

all these things?Will you tellme who (when the senses were outof work) gave this power to mindthat has neither ears nor eyes? Ba*cause now you admit that it was themind who saw the woman and enjoyedthe pleasureof her company eventhough the senses were not at work ?


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It is foolish to admit the knowledgeof the mind when the senses aresleepingnd to deny it, when thesenses are waking, A man of reasonmust believe that the mind is theking,and primeadministrator of thesenses* However foallsh he may be?lie cannot be ignorantf tho fact thatthe hand cannot extract the eye,nor amputatethe tongue,or can haveany sense any power to deal withany part of the body without itspermission,uggestionnd contrivance.God has created the mind to be theregent of the body, and the bodycan onlyfeel,ee or hear,throughitsagency. If the mind conceives retreat^the body can not advance,nd vwe*versa. It is onlythroughits mediumthe senses work They are obedientto its orders, If the mind prohibitsthem to act,they at once obey itscommand It is the mind OH whichsorrows prey, and joysenliven*D spitethe loss or derangementf the senses*the mind remains intact* But ifthemind gets out of order the sensesshare the same fate,he eyes do not seeproperly,he ears do not understand.*


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I scarcelyelieved/'aid he,thatyou would be able to deal with thesedifficultquestionwithout being con-founded* Your arguments are soelegants to appear irrefutable.3'

^Listen, aid I,and 1 will morefirmlyconvince you? as to the truthof what 1 have narrated,and of thethingsyou have seen in your dreams/

Do so, he exclaimed,I am nota littleastounded at your eloquence/5

When you think of any calling/'asked I,or devise plansto build orerect something,o you not deliverorder to that effect?

Yes. He replied,While devisinguch plans,and

formingdesignsf non-existinghings,do you make any of your senses thepartnerof the mind that creates them ?J

crNo. He replied.Jfsit not visible ,aid I, thatthingsdone in complianceith the

mind's mature judgment,re of a highorder T (Thenis it not proved thatit is the mind that knows all thethingsand not the senses?)49


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I think so/slie said,But pleasego on with,your arguments* am nowanxious to throw offdoubts and acceptthe truth/1

*So much the better said I.alell me ifthere are any astronomersin your natife place?

*'You do not seem to be acquaint-dwith the extent of astronomical

knowledgepossessedy my country-men, he said. I don't think thereIs a nation to surpass us in thisparticularcience.11

Well,tell me/' asked I, howthey acquiredthis knowledge ofastronomy,for this knowledgecan-ot

be acquiredhroughthe mediumof the senseSj but throughprofoundthoughtand deepreflection?

Yes, he replieditis true: Somewise and learned persons preparedtables of such importaoc8?whichgenerationfter generationn sue-eessiye order have followed.When aninquirys made, the movements andthe positionsf the Sun, Moon andstars are considered:Theystate which

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of the visible are ill-omened,ndwhich of the invisible-nes are aus-icious,

They are so well versed inthis science that 'theyrarelyrr IEtheir calculations.People take theirchildren to these astrologers?nd theycalculatingrom the movements of theplanets,redictvents and incidentsoccurred or to occur in the child'slife/*

rtWhat concern, I asked? harethe movements of the planets,iththe livesof children,hat theirparents

them to astrologers?*Because, he replied,each child'sbirth correspondsith a planet's

movement If this were not so? theastrologersould make mistakes* Theycalculatethe movement-day monthand year-inwhich the child is bor%and are correct in their conclusions/*

If this be reallytrue, said I,you have described a science sowonderful,that none other can becomparedto it,or be more worthyofrespect;for the incidents and theaccidents of a person'sifefrom birthto death are known throughitsmeans*Do you think the knowledgeof this45


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science Is an innate one, bom withevery person?

No/1 he said,I do not think itis SOBJ*

*Then, let us think/'aid I,as tohow this knowledgewas acquired*And let us see if it be correct to saythat all peoplecannot acquireit,thoughallare born in connection withth movements of the planetsandsiprs,I am readyto grantthat onlyfew peoplelearn and master thescience* But the questions ow didthey learn or master it-speciallyheknowledgewhich declares one star to-be ill-omenedand the other to bauspicious?ow have theyfixed the-time,hour and degrees,he slow orrapidmovements of the planetsandthe stars,their exact positionver orbelow the Earth ; and theirpredictions,which you mention? How have theygatheredhem? I cannot believethatany of the creatures inhabitinghisglobeare so advanced as to penetratethe secrets of the visibleand invisibleUniverse.

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You may not believe/'aid lie,|Bot that they haye done so, I ampositivebout/1

When you assert/'aidhe, lfthatall the Earth's inhabitants are bomla conjunctionith the movements ofthe stars and planetslhe wise man(Hakim) who first discovered thescience of astronomy must have beenborn likewise/5

Of course/1he exclaimed hemust be included in the categoryofthe human race/'

*4Then does not your reason guideyou to the factthat these planetsndstars existed before the birth of thatwise inan5 who, as you say discoveredthe science of astronomy,and wasborn in conjunctionith the move-ents

of the stars and planets?Indeed.1'saidhe,the planetsnd.

stars must have existed prioro hisbirth.

Tell nieslsaid I; how could thewise inventor of the science leara themethod ofcalculatinghe stars without47


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a master to teach him? If you mythat he had a master,then that mastermost have existedbefore tlieexistenceof the stars. And indeed must l*He, who established the rules andregulationsor those movement^ onwhich you say the events of a lif rt*based and from which the future ofa new born child is forotold.fakingthisforgrantedhe wise man- inventorof the science-must have been thofollower and pupilf that master*win*had existedbefore the Htarn,and hadcreated him-the wise man-in con-unction

with the ofof them* Then He who the

e was He who lived thethe creator of and tho

peopleom accordingo theirments, Pra-snpposinghe ago of thewise man to be ten that of theEarth?he must have had theobservationof the m wenow. They musthead as theydo now-whero lay thedifferenceetween him and UD? Howdid he know thewhilst we do not? Had he

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power to go nearer to this very highfirmament^ and more closelystudytfee secrets of the stars,their positionand movement; learn which of themeclipsehe Sun and the Moon; whichare consistent with .the birth ofchildren;which are ill-omened andauspicious apidor slow? and manyother things,uch as the length oftime they are concealed under theEarth,and the exact hours of theirappearance and disappearance?owchances it that a human beinghas sogreat a knowledgeof thingsheavenly^since deep reflection cannot giveit tohim, and his senses cannot reach sofar? How did he invent the methodof calculationby which is known themovement of the SUE and Moons andthe knowledge-whichmong the sevenplanetsis auspiciousor ilk mened;the exact positionf these luminaries*and correct judgment as to whichwas risingor a settingone? Howcould he-on the surface of the Earth.-studythat which was in the heavens?How could he see those stars whichare made invisibleby the Sun's blind-


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ing luster?If you suggest that hflew up to the skiesly mind stillmisgivese, for even then lie couldnot master the science without ateacher;when one cannot master anearthlysciencethus?how then can liemaster a science not of the Earth?

*SIdo not even recollect/aid he,of hearingof a human beieg goingtip to the skies.

^Perhaps/1suggestedthe wiseman may have done so5 and you maynot be aware of it/1

I would not acceptits thruth,he said,from any source/

I agree with you there;'1said^ttbutlet us presuppose the fact of thewise man's abilityo climb up to theskies*In that ease we shall have tobelievethat he performedincrediblejourney isitede?ery star and planet,stayingwith them as they set orrose tillhe had gainedfullest know-edge

about those functions;and assome of the planetsake as much asthirtyears to completeheirrotation,

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he must necessarilyave stayedwithfor the prescribederiodhow-verlongit may have been in order

to fullycollectall information* Letus all this for grantedalso,thatlie not onlyascended to the skiesj,but lie travelled in company with

and every luminary,tillhe hadfullyacquaintedith theirhabits* Stillhowever, his observations

could not be called completentilhehad studied those stars under theEarth, la this he must take the sameamount of time, that he took in ob-erving

the heavenly stars, for themovements of the stars beneath the

cannot be said to be the same,and to the science to itspre

nicetyof calculation he mustno pointf knowledge*o know

the of time these stars remaininvisible,hether by day or by night,Is very necessary;besides,he questionmast be settledfullynd for ever as

was onlyone wise man to doit If there had been more than one

man* they must havo differedincalculations*Now reallydoes it.

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not strikeyon that It is only youwho can hold the idea of a man.,who dived down into the depthsofthe

seas,and penetratedhroughthe

darkness of the Earth; who floatedalongthe skies,lingingo theand the planetsand acquiringtheknowledgeof their movement anddoingthe same to stars under theEarth?*

*I do not hold/1said he, theopinionhat any man can ascend theskiesjr dive to the bottom of theseas? or penetratethe interior ofthe Earth/

As you don*t hold this opinionaaid I,tell me then how thewise man (whom yoia think to beinventor)earn the scienceof Astro*nomy? How could he completehisresearchesinconnectionwith,itwhen liecame intoexistencelongafterthetioaof the stars he knew allabout r

In face of your arguments liesaid,titdoes not seem prudentorwise to say that this scienceinvented by a beingof this T

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Then, said I, you admit thatthis science can onlybe known to onecognizantith the ins and outs of

as well as Earth?'-If I do so, lie said,I must

admit God, who you say isthe creatorof and earth*

Have you not told me* Iaskedfthat the calculationsbased on Astro*nomy are perfectlyorrect and thebirth of childrencorrespondo certainmovements of the stars?

Yos he replied,I have toldyonHO, and also 1 have no doubt of this,but r have a doubt as to therebeinga creator/1

That doubt willbe removed/7saidI;have you not said that no human

can scale up to the skies,ortravelincompany with the movementsof tho Sun, moDn, and Stars-East?Wont or in any directionT

To scale tip to the skies is injxjfwibWe said.

\Voli i said,what other alter*have you beyond admitting

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that It was a heavenlyteacher whotaughtthis science?

If I say so , said lie,that noteacher taught this sciencesI amabsurd;and If 1 say It was an earthlyteacher,it would be an equallyIrra-ional

statement,for no human beingever by himself acquiredknowledgeof heaven above?or of hell beneath;for no human beinghas the powerto pry into those thingsbeyond therange of his eye'sobservation. Evengrantingcloseness of observation noinward knowledgean be gained,oraccordingo my beliefnothings realexceptwhat is known through themedium of senses, and it is obviousthat the senses have DO hand here,The eye can onlyperceiveovements,and nothingbeyondthat. Tho know-edge

and calculationof the movements,the differencesbetween rapidnd slow,the season of the disappearingndthe re-appearingf the stars arebeyondhe scope of the senses/1

ftlfyou wish to studythe scienceof the heavens/'sked I,would you

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choose an earthlybeingor a heavenlybeing as your teacher?

I would choose a heavenlybeing,*Itfireplied;because the stars hang inhis region,where earthlybeingcannotreach/7

Alright.Now 1 hope you willj^iveourselfo profoundthought,anddear up all doubts from your mind*

If all the people of the earthhave their birth in conjunctioniththe movements of the stars-eithersinister or auspicious,t stands toreason that the stars pre-existedhepeopleof the earth. Don't you thinkHO ?

''Yep,1 do,**e replied.Well then, said I, your state-ent

as to man having existed onoarth,has been contradicted by youyour olf.ou have admitted withoutthe least doubt, that the human raceeamo into existence after the stars,and ifthe stars pre-existedhe humanrace, it necessarilyollows that theearth also pre-existedhe humanrace/1


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*SIdo not say he said,fthattheearth pre-existedhem/*

If the earth/3aid I, which theAlmighty God created as a carpetfor men to walk on3 did not pre-existthe race, these beingstogetherwiththe lower orders of life,ould havehad nothingto rest upon* It is notreasonable to state that theylived inspace, for they do not possesswings.1*

Of what goodwould wings havedone/'said he,when they had nomeans of subsistence/'

Bravo, said I, c'Do you nowentertain doubts as to the pre*eiistence of the earth as well as the stars?

No, said he,now I am fullyconvinced of the pre-existencef both/'

TJ1 now, said I, dilate uponsuch subjects,hat excitingourcuriosity,ay add to your store ofknowledge*

Your previousarguments/' liesaid are sufficientto remove mydoubts.

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You know I suppose, said I,that it in In the sky,the Sun, Mooaand stars performtheir duties/1

Ye 1 do* he replied.Would you not call It the basis

and foundation of luminaries?Yen, 1 would, ho replied,

la my opinionthen/1saidI,the-stars which you twy, are connectedwith the birth of the human racewere created after the skies,ecause-it is in the nkies they performtheirrotition-HornotimOH moving upwardsand sonwtimos downwards.1'

All provedHO clearly, aid he*that only an insane man could denyit. The sky in the foundation of theluminarit'H,nd undoubtedlypre-minted thorn,for it is in it that thosehaul luminaries move and performtheir dutioH.

Now/' said I,you have admittedthe creator of the stars^accordingowhcwe ntovomonts, human beingsarebom, to bo tho same as He, who57


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created the skies and the earth,forwithout the earth,there could bo nocreation.

11Yes you are right/ e said,Isee no alternative but to accept thisas true/5

''Does not your reason furtherpointout/1 said I, that He Whocreated the earth, the skies,Sun,Moon and other planetsust bo All-powerfulrid wise, for without theskies,he creatures of the earth mustperish;or the heavenlybodies urodirectlynecessary for those uponthe earth to live? For instance,had there onlybeen no Sun, nothingcould ripen,he poisonouslhictof thoair would not be nullifiedand every-hin

would die,said he, I would bear

witness to the wisdom of God, whomade all these things,or you havocompletelyverthrown my doubts. 1must hold your theorythat the teacherof the science of Astronomy,nd theinventor of the calculationsappertain-ng

to it,cannot be an inhabitant of58


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Has there/1asked I,ever beena time when the human was inignoranceof knowledge(llm)and its*benefits n fact as senseless as thisHalilaT

Why not?'1 lie replied,Then*must have been a time, when nonewas acquaintedith medical scienceand its advantages.Knowledge wasacquired1*

*How? when they wero totallyignorantof science,how did thenacquiret?

By experience)nd experiments,he said*after considerable time.

Whence came the idea of expori-menting? asked. W hat made themthink-such arid such thingmade intomedicine was beneficialto the humanbody,when the external form of wmuof these thingsappear hurtful,ndsome placedon the tongue arc sobitter as to cause painand uneasiness '{And how came they to tho investi-ation

of such medicinal plantsthatwere totallyunknown, and not

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recognizedby their senses, for todemand an unknown thing is quitean inipossibiiitynd absurdity?''

Experienceed to the investi-ation,he saidf andInvention of themedical science/'

Well/1 said 1, tell me whoinvented it,r who described the natureand effectsof the herbs used, whensome grow far west and some othersfar east? Do you not sensiblyfeelthat the person who did so, was onewho inhabited the placeshere theygrew ?J

Yes/ he said;and what a wiseman he was, for he has drawn everyother man to his side to agree withhis conclusions

If yon wish to abide by yourpromiseto me, and givejusticeo thetruth, tell me how that man-tkeinventor cam to know the nature oevery medicinal plant?Let us supposehe got himself acquaintedith allthe medicinal plantsn his village,reven the whole of Persia;but can'61


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4 hey to know the placeshere thesearticlesare produced,hen theyareso differentin kind and nature^andgrow at so greata distancefrom eachother-of some plantsoots alone areused,of others the fruit,hell,ssencejuice,um or oil-someare used intern-ally,nd others externally;gain,indifferentcountries theyhold differentnames; the peoplefdifferentountriesare not alwaysfriendlyo each other^they vary in opinions*anners andmodes of life;one nation desires topredominatever the other,theyslaughterand pillagend try toimprisonne another;itisnot alwayseasy for a strangerto carry oninvestigationHow was that knowledgegained?an you say that the personwho invented the science went toevery nook and corner of the world?learnt every language,nd travelledevery country? That he was able to-investigatehe medicines from eastto west quitefearlesslynd safely^and, that he never fellsick,did notundergoany troubles but remainedhealthyand intact?That he made no63


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mistakes as never misdirected;oundall the countries,emembered all lielearnt emained always happy, andfinishedallhis researcheswith regardto the originnd nature and effectsofwhat he sough-despitelldifferencesof colour,qualitynd names? Thathe gotcorrect descriptionf each andevery tree,its origin mell and taste^its leaves,flowers and fruits? Canyou reallyhink the enterpriseuch.as one individualmay undertake and.accomplish,hen you considerthat each,and every medicine has at least twentydifferentnatures ? Is it not impossiblethat he learntthe science of medicine*the secrets of the trees that demandcloseobservationand grow in so manydifferentcountries?Even grantingimthe possibility,ow did he come bythe knowledgehat such and such aplantcould be used as a medicine*orthe senses do not hold the innateideas?How did he separate the bitter,the sweet,the saltishand acrid trees-one from another? If you say thathe did so by inquiry,and conversewith the peopleof differentlands

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they grew inshow came he to Inquireand converse about the thingsun-nown

to him? How came it to hismind that he must ask these ques^tions of a particularan? And howcould he arrive at a satisfactoryOD-clusion espiteo many social andpoliticalarriers*nd the differenceof languages?Even grantinghesethings,hence came the knowledgeof advantagesand disadvantagesfmedicine? Why this effected a cure^and this an injury-theirature,theirsweet and bitter tastes,the softnessof one and the hardness of the other?If you answer, by pondering, sayit is impossible;ecause these thingsare beyondthe scope of the sensesand cannot be comprehendedbythought You cannot say either itwas by personaltest; for had hemade experimentsupon himself hemust have died from some poisonouseffectsthat he had not before known.And if you say that he travelled inall the countries,ived with everyclass of people,mastered theirlanguages,experimentedpon65


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killingome here and some thereyetstillit was impossibleo know theexact nature of one medicine without

killingany people.nd is itpossiblethat these peopleould allow him tocontinue his experimentspon themto take more lives?Still let us saythat by some miracle they listenedto what he said?and tolerated hisdeadlyexperiments*ell, where didhe get the opportunitynd time formixingthe various things,nd know*ing the respectiveeights?How didlie learn the proportionecessary tomix one with another? Never mind*Granted, this knowledge was alsoacquired.hence came the knowledgethat an overdose would bring deathto the person to whom it is administered,hilst an underdose wouldhave no good effect?Grantingagainthat he succeeded in acquiringllthis*travelled in all parts of the world,and had the necessary longlifeto doso? how did he acquirehe knowledgeof those thingsnot belongingo thevegetableworld? You are perhapsaware that some of the medicines

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unless mixed with the bile of thegallbladders of certain beasts a?)dbirds on earth and sea? are ineffiea*clous and not

pure.As such is the

ease, his mode of investigationustbe similar to the one relatingo thevegetableorld* He has no otheralternative,ut to investigatehe birdsand beasts of the world, slay themand examine theirgallbladders. Welllet him have finished his investiga-ions

with the birds and beasts ofthis world, there ifemain now theanimals of the sea* To know theirjiatore it was just as necessary todive down into the seas and investi-ate

them also,s it was necessaryfor him to in?estigatehe vegetableworld* It does not matter ifyou donot know all these things,but youcannot deny the knowledge,hat theanimals of the sea live in the sea.,and that to thoroughlyknow themhe must necessarilyive in the sea, andstudythem in that element. Tell menow can you reasonablysay thatthese thingsere known throughex-perlencend experiment?167


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I am completelyt a loss toreply/ o said

C1 will describe somethingmore/said Ijwhich will convince you ofthe truth. You are probablyawarethat the biles of the differentanimalsunless mixed with aromatic roots can*not form a prescription/'

Yes * he said,Tell me;*'said I, Eow he ftted

the exact weightsof medicine to sucha nicety?s you are a physicianouprobablyknow only too well thatyou put four hundred 'miskals* of aparticulareafor fruit,nd one or twoof another in a compoundprescription^some few 'miskals9 sometimes lesssometimes more, tillthe prescriptionreaches a satisfactoryoint When aparticularose of a particularedi*cine is gi?ento a patientsufferingfrom diarrohcea,t cures him of it,yet the same medicine la largedoseswhen givenin a case of cholie hasquitean oppositeeffect,nd set uppurging.ow cams the physicianythe knowledgeof the effects of


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medicines? How lie knew that onemedicine would affectthe head andnot the foot,though it is easier forthe medicine to descend than to rise^that if it is given for the lowerextremities,t willnot affectthe higherthoughthe head is near the mouth,and could be more easilyaffected?In the same way particularedicinescarried the affected partby meansof blood vessels are used for itsdifferent parts of the body* Firstof all these internal medicines reachthe stomach and from thence byreason of their power are distributedto the different parts of the body.How did that wise man discoverthatthe effectmeant for the brain wouldnot reach the hands,legs,loins,rabdomen etc or vice versa J Was itreallypossibleor his senses to haveknowh, all these things?Why domedicines administered for one partof the body produceo effecton theother, parts?How did his sensesknow that a certainmedicine affectedthe ears, and not the eyes?Why do-differentmedicines cure diseases in69


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different parts? And howsenses reason or discernment to knowthe plaeesf all tfaos partsconcealedas they are from external contempla-ion-blood

vessels are hidden inmuscles,,nd covered up with skin,towhich the medicines reach? Thesenses by themselves cannot detectthem/'

you say, said IIP, wasalreadynown to me, but we physi-ians

hold the opinionghat the personwho invented the science,performedpost-mortem examinations hen thepatientas not cured of his disease^-and thus examined the blood vesselspassages and placesand located thetraces of the medicines.

Do you not know ,I asked,thatthe medicines taken internallyirculatewith the blood throughoutthe body*and become mixed up with it?

Yes I know it, e replied,Don't you know, I asked again,

cthat when a person dies his bloodthickens?'9

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Yes It does ,he replied,Then, I asked, alww did the

physicianxamine the medicine*whenit was clotted In the blood,for alltrace was surelylost,nd In such astate could not be analyzedroperly

r I am at my wit's end now, liesaid,

Agintellme, how the peopleereable to know the beneficialeffectsofthe roots and plantsthey had inves-igated

and their locations? Howlearnt they to analyzeand mix themtogether,ascertain their respectiveweights,and discover the need of gallbladders and stones In certain medi-cinesT

You have discussed the subjectwith such perfection/1aid he, thatI have neither the imaginationorthoughtnor wit to find a way ofproperlynsweringour question*sthese prescriptionsave not Inventedthemselves they must have beenInvented by some one else,and thatsome one else must have acquireda71


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thoroughknowledgeof the naturesand qualitiesf the items he hasplacedn such order* Will you kindlyexplaino ma how the peopleereable to know those medicines thatwere beneficialto health,and howtheycould investigatehese thingsnevery partof the world?

Since you wish me to explaintto you/5said I, al shallgiveyou anillustration,nd discuss it in such away that you will easilylearn whothe inventor of medicine was, whocreated the various kinds of plantsand fruits,nd who made the bodyand blood vessels,which carry themedicine through it to its affectedparts,

If yon will do so he said,Ishall be very gladindeed/'

Supposing,aid I,a certain manhad planted gardensurrounded bya wall to protecttfrom outsideharm.Do you not think the owner wouldknow every tree plantedherein,ndits position?fter a time the trees

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to bear fruits,nd allsmallestfegetatlonlsobloomed. In the mean-ime

you happenedto go there,anddesired the owner to bringou certainfruits and vegetableods.The ownerwent to do so. Were you not in thatcase sure that he would go straightto the exact place,here the desiredfruitsand podsgrew, knowingperfectlywell where theywere,-in near or adistant partof the garden You knewhe would not waste time puzzlingoTer their whereabouts/1

Yes/1 he said;he would un-oubtedlyfind the placeseasily/1

But if the owner/'said I,insteadof goinghimself asked you to go intothe garden,and pluck the desiredthingsfor yourself,ould you havegone straightor them without lookingearnestlyere and there 3

ftlcould not have done so, hesaid, without knowing the properplaces .

Supposing,aid I,you reachedthese placesafter some considerabel78


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exertion and trouble* For instance youtouched and examined each and everytree tillyou found out the desiredone* but If you failed to detect thattree,you would be forced to returnempty-handed/'

I don't see how I could findoatthe whereabouts of a tree?of whoseposition had no knowledge;75aid he.

Seeing/'aid I, how helplessyour senses are in guidirgou; sure-y

your mind tellsyou that he whoplantedhis largegarden which ex-ends

from east to west, and northand south?must have taughtthat wiseman, whom you considered to haveinvented the science of medicine. Canyou not easilyunderstand that thenames of the medicines and the citieswherein theycould be found, wereshown to the wise man by Him? andthat He must have been as well versedin the location of the vegetableorldas the owner himself? (as the ownerof that garden1 instanced to you)*It is reasonable to say that He, whotaughtthe exact whereabouts of the

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tree that grew in the garden as He?who plantedthem; and He whotaughttheiradvantagesisadvantagesand weightsand was also that Self-ame

person.reasoning/1aid he?|eseems

to be flawless/5If the creator of body of man/*said I,%ith its nerves^ Yeins and in-estines

throughwhich the medicinescourse from head to foot were notthe same person as the creator ofthis garden would that creator ha?eknown and made known to man theexistence of those trees and herbs^their proportionn medicine and theirnecessityo the well-beingf man?Would that creator know that suchmedicines were particularlyeneficialto certain diseasesand had such andsuch effecton certain nerve T

How could he know these things?*He said*

These things are not knownthroughthe medium of senses. So ifman is aware of them it must be*75


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throughthe teachingof Him? whocreated the gardenof the worldjforHe alone could know the effectsandnature of that which He created.1

Then, said I,does It not followthat the fegetablend the animalworld would have one and thecreator? If there had existed twocreators,ne for human bsiogsandtheir ailments,nd the other for thevegetableorld*the firstwould haveno knowledgef medicines and thediseases they cure, and the othersimilarlyould have no knowledgefthe plantsand trees by which medi-ines

are made;but if the creator ofthe animal and ?egetableworld beone and the same, it would be easyfor him to know the medicine for theparticularisease.He would be fullyaware of the nature of medicine aidIts exact weight and effect on thebody-whethert would effecta cureto the brain,eet or some other partof the human body.For havingcreat-d

both the medicine and the bodyle iscognizantf the scienceof both.'1

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aYou are reallyright/'ie said,If there were two differentcreators*each would have been ignorantf thescience of the other/'

aThen/Jsaid 1, aHe who taughtthe wise man, whom you consider tobe the inventor of this science andestablished it,is the creator of thegardenof the world* He created thehuman body. He informed the wiseman (who was probably prophetlike Lukaman or Daud) the natureof all plantsand trees their locationsand surroundingstttributes such asleaves and veins^ oily substances*branches,bark and fruits,,e taughtMm the use and nature of medicineand the weightto be used* He madeall the beasts and birds of the worldtogetherith those gallladders whichare also necessary to medicine. If thecreator of birds and beasts had been-differentfrom he, who created theman and the vegetableworld, hwould never have known the effectsofthe gallbladdersthich should bemixed with vegetableedicines and77


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which not; but as He was the creatorof all,He knew their actionsfattri-utes

and namesj which knowledgeHe imparted to the wise prophet,and this is Iww the wise cameto know the advantagesand the dis*advantagesf medicines belongingtothe vegetableand animal kingdom.In no other way could he have knownall those things.In truth he musthave been some Prophet or Apostletaughtby the Most august omnipo-ent

gloriousod of the Universe/*What you say is quiterightf

he said ^Before your eloquenceallreasoningof the senses and so calledexperiencepaleinto insignificance.

Since you have admitted somuoh, said I, *'Let us go a step-further^ and with our senses reasonwhether it was advisable for Himwho plantedthe world's garden,andcreated the animal world for the-benefit of the human racel to scatterall these thingsin the land belongingto some other person than himself?If He did so, He could not have


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carried any experimentof any sortupon His belongingsxcept by theother's permission*on't you thinksof

Yes/' he replied.The earth onwhich, this garden is planted,usthave also been created by Him whocreated the gardenplants,rees andanimals.

You think the earth belongsoHim, said I, because of its closeconnection with those other creationsthat belongto Him?'

Yes, he said.Are you not also aware, asked

I,that a gardenof such magnificence,containingen and animals alongwithits trees, and other eieations,to bekept in health must bo irrigated,ndrefreshed with life-givingater?

Yes, he replied*None of thesecreations can live without water/'

Will you say/'sked I,that thecreator of the gardenwith all thatis in it,is not the creator of water;that the existence of the gardenthat79


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lie created dependspon the pleasureof He* who created the water, whomay stopItssupplyhen he chooses?'*

It is Impossible/'e replied^tobelieve in the existence of two creatoiSj one for the gardenand onefor the water* I am sure there isone creator for the both, and it isthe same who created the mountainswhich are the sources of greatri?ersand flowingaters, If this irrigationhad been by other one, the gardenand its contents must ha? witteredand died* He who created the gardenmust have created the water first*knowing it was needed to keepthegardenin tne best condition,*

If there were no store of waterasked I,to flow to the gardenfandrefresh it in case of emergency* doyou not think it would have beendestroyedor you may ha?e heardthat it has many times sufferedthroughwant of water?

Yes/5he replied,I am woaderingnow if there is any need of anyone to manage these things.he law

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of nature may be, that water mustaver flow without cessation/1

You haye admitted, aidI,thatbut for the ocean and its store ofwater the gardenmighthave becomedry and barren/1

Yes/1e said*Well/*said I, I intend to eon-vince you of the creator of the ocean

beingthe same creator as He of theearth;and that the ocean is reallya reservoir held in reserve into whichthe streams and rivers pour theirsuperfluousnergy for time of need.And that in the ocean He has cre-ted

many goodand profitablehings.Convince me of this, lie said,.*fas you have done alreadywith re-ardto other things/'

Are yon not aware that allsurplus-water is collectedby the sea?'

c Yes/'he replied.Have you ever known itsquantity

beingincreasedthroughn abundanceof rain3or decrease throughxcessiveheat or famine? I asked*81


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ft'Xo;3e replied*Does not your reason say/'said

I,|Cthat the God who created thegardenas He who created the oceanfand that He fixed a limit to thelatter? The proofwhich stands Infavour of my argument Is that,werethose groat mountains like waveswhich arise out of the sea, not re-trained

from passing certain limit,they would have overwhelmed thewhole gardenof the world. We seedespiteheir furyand passion,hatthere is a fixed limit,which reaching,their furyand passionecome spent/'

Yes, he said,you are quiteright.he wonder of the phenomenamakes your argumentsvery strong.

ttlwilldwell farther on the matter/said I,and convince you of the con-ection

of the differentcreations onewith another-a connection which mustprove to you that the Universe isthe work of one omnipotent,mnisci-nt,

and omnipresentod. You muatbe aware that many gardensre not

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watered by rivers or streams. Thatmany vegetablesrees and plantsgrowingin forest are suppliedaterby the rains which failfrom the sky^and all the wild beasts who inhabitthese spots,depend on the rain forwater also/'

Certainly,e said*IIJWelI,o not your sensesl which

you claim to be the perfectmeans-by which we come to the knowledgeof things,ointoat to you that the-ein

clouds carry water to those placesdevoid of riversand streams ? If theseclouds were creation of some otherthan Heg who created the garden^that other might have stoppedsup-lying

water at any time, and theowner of the gaidenmust have beenin perpetualnxieties as to the w$lfare of his garden.

You are indeed right; he said,4llhere is a perfectconnection witheach and everythingf the world. Itwould be absurd to say that thecreator of the garden,tscontents andthe store of water laid for its use, is-83


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not the same as the creator of thesky and the clouds* He must be the

to water Ms garden,t certainnecessary moments

lest His gardendie* I wish you to discuss a littlefurther,hat I may clearmy brain ofany lingeringoubt and be thoroughlyconvinced of the truth.1*

f*Inskar-Allalr wiib.od's pleasure,1 will con?5nce you that the thingsofthis world are created by somowise creator. I will convince youthroughthis sha li a?and prove its-connection with the thingsof thegardenand the skies/9

al can hardlyimagine/3aid he,that you can remoye all my doubtsthroughhe medium of this

I will from it/'aidI,**show youthe stabilityf creation,he atoms-and ingredients,hat go to make per-ectdevelopment and from thiskalila'sfirstconnection with its roots-and branches prove the dependenceHOthinghas on another,and the close.relationborne to celestialobjects.

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S|Ifyou prove these tilings esaid,r*I can no longerdoubt1'SlYou must know/1 said I, that

the oZt7a springsfrom the earth^fibers run to one strong root thatflingsp a stem. The stem has branches*and the branches twigs,and the twigsare studded with pearl-likeuds fromwhich leaves emerge* and all thesethingsform a canopy to shelter thewhole-buds,flowers,fruits,rom theseverityf the cold or heat

No doubt can lingern my mind,he said*the halila with its perfee-tion,and connection with the placewhere it grew5 its roots and leaves,witnesses with me that there isonlyone creator;that He has no partner(shairik).or his creationsare relatedto each other and are in harmonyone with another,

If I further pro? to you/'saidI, the wisdom and necessityf thesecreations,nd the dependencef eachon the other willyou bear witness tothe existence and wisdom (hikmat)fGod?5


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What creation Is thatf I askedIt is man you have not mention-

eel He replied.Don't you know, I said,that

these thingsare most closelyonnect*fid with man? God has created allthese thingsfor his benefit.

Can you prove it to my satisfac-ion?He asked*Why not? I repliedI will

prove it to you so thoroughlys thatyou will afterwards bear testimonyto the fact that the world and every-hing

in it is for the use and benefitof man.

Tell me, how? he asked.He has created the sky, I said^

overhead as a roof for him-had itbeen lower or just up to his headlie would have suffered. The Sunwould have scorched him to death.The stars He created as guideso himwhen he travelled at night by seaor land,others serve him for astro-omical

calculationsand to prove thesenses' inaptnesso know everything*87


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necessary. If there had been all heator cold, nothingcould have lived.The garden would perishwith thebeingsin it,for all these thingsareconnected with the air that floatsinthe space. The coldness checks exces-ive

perspiration,nd the heat nul-ifiesthe harmful effectsof the food

on the bocly?esides activelyssistingin its development-hen the bodygets dried moisture is producedbyit;when moist the heat absorbs themoisture. In the same way theclouds absorb or giveout; you seethey rain iu proportionateuantityto the need of the world. If theydid not,the whole world would runrisk of total destruction* God sendsrain regularlyo the earth inhabitedby the sons of Adam-the carpetonwhich they walk, or cradle wherinthey sleep,God has keptthe worlduprightfor him-the mountains arethe weights,and from the mountainsthe rivers flow to water the world-without these streams of water theearth must have remained dry andthe peoplein a poor condition. He89


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has created the seas, over which menYoyage, In these seas are creaturessome of which give food to man, andornaments by which he adorns him-elf.

The combination of the wholeworld and the uniformityf designthroughoutplainlyndicate one creatorof the whole. For nowhere existsthe contrast and differenceof opinionthat must necessarilyrise,ia theease of another creator. The sky liasproducedthingsfor man's benefit anddie earth likewise. There are ?ege*tables,resh grapes, grain,lives,ates,rreen gardens,fruits and pasturesskilfullyevised for man's use andpleasure.he beasts also,from whichman gets wool to manufacture intoclothing,o rids and many otherpurposes are created by God for him.They are necessary for his upkeepand well-being.ou must bear inmind that there are two distinctspeciesf lifein the world. One ofgeneration,he other of production.One is made to eat,the other to baeaten both (kindsof) creatures neces-arily

being the same. Because He90


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who constructed the human bodyalso knows the correct food for itHe gave the appetitethat asks thefood,the stomach that digests ndsupplieshe tissues and replenishesthe blood* He arrangedthose intes-ines

throughwhich waste and effetematter passes* Had the creator ofman been other than the creatorof his food.He would not have creat-d

the appetitehat wants the foodof that other creature,nor would theother creature allow his creation tobe so eaten/1

*You have by your eloquence/'esaid,made me unhesitatinglyeclarethat the creator of all the thingsison and the same. is the onlydue wine* merciful om

hadis i halila or confutation of atheism 1000006460

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