The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 167
Angles 67 167 according to the law. They ask whether God Almighty could not send down revelation direct without the mediation of angels. They admit that it is contrary to the law of nature that a sound should be heard without the mediation of air, but they are unaware of the law of nature whereby that air is needed which would spiritually carry the voice of God Almighty to the hearts of the recipients of revelation. They agree that to enable physical eyes to see the light of the sun is necessary, but they do not concede the need of any heavenly light for spiritual eyes. . Now we know the Divine law, that this universe with all its physical and spiritual faculties is like the limbs of. God. Everything in its place and time operates as such limbs. Every design of God Almighty is manifested through these limbs, and no design is manifested without their mediation. It should be realized that the relationship of Gabriel to Divine revelation that descends upon pure hearts, which is recognized as essential in Islāmic law, depends upon the true philosophy that we have just mentioned. According to the law of nature that we have mentioned for the communication of revelation or for the bestowal of the capacity to receive revelation, it is necessary that some creation should serve as a limb for the manifestation of the Divine design of revelation as is the case with the fulfilment of physical Divine designs. . That limb is, in other words, called Gabriel, who following a movement of the Divine, immediately comes into motion like a limb. When God Almighty turns with love towards a heart that loves Him, then according to the law that we have just mentioned Gabriel, who is related to. God Almighty like the air of the breath, or the light of the eye, has also to move simultaneously. In other words,