Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 9
9 whereby they reject a truth due to their own lack of knowledge. Even in daily matters we observe that all tasks are not done by the same person, rather, differ- ent people are assigned varying tasks. A water-carrier will fetch water, a launderer will wash clothes, and a cook will prepare food. Hence, division of labour is a phenomenon we observe even in the system instituted by man himself. Therefore, always bear in mind that different faculties are responsible for vari- ous tasks. Man has been vested with many a great faculty, and diverse duties have been assigned to each for their perfection. The ignorant philosopher seeks to de- termine all matters on the basis of their own limited reason, even though this is completely inappropriate. Historical matters can only be determined by history itself. Moreover, how can one acquire a knowledge of the properties of things except by true experience. Inductive matters are settled through reason. Similarly, there are individually distinct means in place to acquire a knowledge of various things. Man falls to deception and deprives himself of a deeper knowledge of the reality of things when he attempts to attain a complete knowledge of matters by one avenue alone. I do not deem it necessary to speak on the truthful nature of this principle, because even the least bit of reflection makes this manifestly clear and we observe the truth of these matters in our daily lives. Hence, when the soul separates itself from the body or forges a relationship with it, these phenomena cannot be determined by our faculty of reason alone. For if this was the case, philosophers and thinkers would not have gone astray. Knowledge of the Soul Is Acquired from the Fountain of Prophethood In the same manner, the relationship that souls possess with graves is a truth no doubt; however, one cannot learn of it through the use of one’s eye. It is the task of one’s spiritual eye to perceive this phenomenon. If anyone expects to reach the depth of this matter by mere reason alone, then let any paragon of reason tell us even so much as to whether the soul exists or not. There are a thousand disa- greements on this issue alone and countless philosophers who are bent towards atheism reject the existence of the soul altogether. If this was an issue that could be solved by reason alone, why would any difference of opinion exist at all? For when the task of an eye is to see, I cannot accept how it is possible for the eye of one person to visually discern a white-coloured object for what it is, while the very same organ in another person should function to sense the taste of that same white object. My purpose is to show that reason alone cannot even tell us