The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 194
PREFACE FOOTNOTE 193 to apprehend the purpose of the function of angels without the medi- ation of angels. Thus, through the mediation of Gabriel, peace be on him, it was disclosed to the Final Messenger, may peace and blessings of Allah be on him, that the object of angels in the shooting of stars is to drive satans away. Consideration upon the spiritual system suggests that satans are driven away by the shooting of stars because there is personal animos- ity between satans and angels. At the time of the release of these shoot- ing stars, whom they also influence by the heat of the stars, the angels spread their bright power in the atmosphere and every shooting star that moves has an angelic life as it comes with the blessing of angels and it possesses a quality which consumes satans. It cannot, therefore, be objected that as jinns are created from fire, they cannot be harmed by fire; for, the harm that is inflicted upon jinns by shooting stars is not caused by fire but by the light which accompanies the shooting star which is lit by the angels and which by its nature consumes satans. No one should be led to object that this discourse of mine consists only of a set of baseless ideas and mere rhetoric which has no rational proof to support it, because I have already proven amply that everything happening or moving in this universe is not independent nor is it with- out the will of the Master, nor is it vain and purposeless. On the other hand, God has appointed regulators for the working of the upper and lower worlds otherwise called angels. So long as a person believes in the existence of God and is not an atheist, he would have to acknowl- edge that this entire system is not in vain and that everything that hap- pens or appears, issues from the wisdom and appropriate will of God Almighty, and that will is manifested in accordance with the system through physical means. As God Almighty has not invested the phys- ical bodies with knowledge and intelligence, the mediation of such things was needed which are invested with knowledge and intelligence for the fulfilment of things requiring knowledge and intelligence, and they are angels. As is obvious, the dignity of the angels necessitates that they do not