The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 156
PREFACE ESSENCE OF ISLAM 155 demolish the walls of heedlessness, topple the towers of arrogance, and completely uproot the reigns of human darkness from the dominion of human existence and destroy, disgrace, and demonstrate the insignif- icance and worthlessness of the passions of nafs-e-ammārah [the self that incites to evil] that were hitherto ruling the human heart and were regarded as honourable. Second, that one should develop a thorough acquaintance with the beauty and beneficence of Allah, glorified be His eminence; For, per- fect love is born either through beauty or through benevolence. The beauty of Allah, glorified be His eminence, comprises the excellences of His being and attributes. These excellences are that He is pure good- ness, the fountain of all grace, and the source of all bounties. He com- bines all perfections in Himself; He is the Refuge of everything; He is the Creator and Fashioner of all beings; He is the Ultimate Cause of all causes, and the effect or ineffectiveness of every cause is entirely within His control at every moment. He is One, without partner in His being, attributes, words, actions, and in all His perfections. He is Eternal and Everlasting, encompassing all perfect attributes. He is supremely Benevolent and exceedingly Merciful. Though He holds absolute power to punish, He forgives the transgressions of thou- sands of years in but a single moment of sincere repentance. He is very Gentle, Forbearing, and the Concealer of faults, who sees millions of hateful actions and despicable sins, yet does not hasten to punish. If His spiritual beauty were to appear in visible form, all hearts would fall down to Him like moths. However, He concealed His beauty from others and revealed it only to those who seek Him with sincerity. He has cast a reflection of His beauty upon every beautiful object, whether it was the sun, moon, or stars, which appear so lovely in their glittering brightness; or the faces of beautiful human beings that look so attractive and charming; or the fresh, bedewed, and pretty flow- ers which, through their hues, fragrance, and brilliance, draw hearts towards themselves. In reality, all these partake, but as a mere speck, in the eternal and unfading beauty [of God], reflecting it in but a