Early Writings — Page 78
78 THE heart. Those who follow these people and submit, ultimately reach the station where God blesses them with divine understanding. The claim that no one has seen God is like the example of a blind person who rejects the existence of the sun and says that until he sees the sun himself, he will not accept that it exists. The response to such a person would be that since you are blind, you cannot observe the sun with your eyes; therefore, the manner in which you can reach the truth is by trusting the statements of those who have in fact seen the sun; when your eyes are cured, you too will be able to see the sun. We also ask atheists to tell us whether pleasure and pain is caused by someone else or whether we control this. If humans control this phenomenon, then why are people unable to pro- long their lives according to their own wishes? Why can they not increase the pleasure in their lives? One person dies in old age, whereas the other dies when they are young, even though everyone desires a long life. On certain occasions a man desires pleasure, but they are struck with grief. This demonstrates that a higher being controls the phenomenon of pain and grief—and that being is God Almighty. ' 1. Al-Hakam, dated 21 May 1909, pp. 1-3