The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 192
PREFACE FOOTNOTE 191 stoning of satanic spirits. And how can we know that this occurrence is really meant to dispel and drive away satanic spirits from the heavens? The reply is that this objection arises only when people ignore the fact that there is a spiritual universe, or, when they do not believe in the existence of such a universe. AUTHOR'S MARGIN NOTE The answer to the question: What is the connection between the falling of mete- ors and the stoning of devils? Otherwise, the one who keeps an eye on both universes can easily understand that whatever changes or new events that take place in the higher or lower echelons and in all heavenly bodies are actually due to two causes: AUTHOR'S MARGIN NOTE There are two causes for all the changes in the celestial bodies and the terrestrial bodies. FIRSTLY, the chain of cause and effect in the physical universe, which is the special field of investigation and interest for the sci- entists and the superficial philosophers and which the superficial scholars believe to be structured and governed by the physical laws of cause and effects, and the stimuli and response. SECONDLY, the realm which is hidden from the short-sighted view of such superficial thinkers, and that is the realm of God Almighty's angels which supports the material realm behind the scenes and carries its enterprises to completion. People with a fully developed understand- ing are well aware that without the support of the spiritual universe the material universe can never function. Although, upon observing a set of circumstances, a superficial philosopher may assume that a particu- lar result must follow a particular set of circumstances, these people are shamefully disappointed when, notwithstanding those circumstances, the result turns out to be contrary to their assumptions or when the supposed circumstances themselves get out of their control. For example, a physician may carefully treat a king who is ill, or, even a party of physicians may engage themselves day and night diag- nosing the disease from which he suffers and in prescribing medicines and regulating his diet in order to exhaust all their medical skills, yet