Elucidation of Objectives — Page 19
Tau di h-e-Mar a m 19 power in which the two of us—the Messiah son of Mary and my own humble self—resemble, the answer is that it is an overall quality with which the spiritual sensibilities of the two of us have been endowed. At one end, the chain stretches deep down below, and at the other, reaches high above. The descent signifies the extreme anguish and concern for the good of God’s creatures. It reinforces the already close and strong ties that exist between the Messenger of God and his de- voted disciples, and transmits the spiritual vitality inherent in the holy person of the Messenger to all the green and vibrant branches. The upward journey sym- bolizes the superior love, which is rooted in strong faith. God so wills that love at first sprouts in the heart of the worshipper and then attracts the love of the Almighty Himself. When the two loves meet—each functioning as the male and female counterpart—they give birth to a strong communion and intense affinity between the Creator and the created. The blazing flames of Divine love set afire the tinder dry firewood of human love, giving birth to a third phenomenon known as R uh ul Qudus 27. The spiritual birth of man at this level is deemed to take place when God Almighty especially wills such love to 27 Literally the Spirit of Holiness (The Qur’an 16:103). In the present context the meanings are explained in the text. [Translator]