Aslam

FIRST ILLUSTRATION: Take for instance that a well has been dug underneath the ground. There are two ways of pouring waters in it, one way through pipe or canal and another way is to dig the well very deep, so that water may gush forth from its bottom. The second mode is better as water obtained in this way is more pure and lasting. Similarly soul is like a well, knowledge is like water and the five senses are like pipes or canals.
Knowledge like water comes to the soul through the help of five organs like pipes or canals. If you wish to get pure knowledge, you shall have to shut up the five senses as you shut up the pipes or canals to get pure water into the well and dig it very deep so that pure water may gush forth from the bottom. The filth in the bottom of well must be cleared to allow pure water to gush forth from the bottom. So also in order to get pure and unadulterated knowledge, you shall have to shut up knowledge gained by the five senses because such knowledge is full of harasses, superstitions and errors.

Question. How can knowledge come out of soul when it remains without knowledge?

Answer. These matters are the wonderful actions of soul. It is difficult to get them from the worldly learnings. It may however be mentioned that real condition of everything was recorded in Lauhe Mahfuz or Guarded Tablet. That was recorded also in the souls of angels who are near God. As an architect prepares a plan before building a house and then builds it according to his plan, so also the Creator recorded His plan in the Guarded Tablet of everything of His reaction in the heavens and earth from first to last. Thereafter He takes out everything according to that prepared plan.

There are four stages of this material world-(l) its existence in the Guarded Tablet before creation of the world; (2) this material world comes into being according to this plan, (3) the world of ideas follows this material world, and (4) the world of intellect follows this world of ideas, that is its pictures fall in

26 Soul and its Attributes Vol-III

human soul. Some worlds are material and some immaterial. In the immaterial worlds also, one is more spiritual than another.
These are strategy of God. Look at the eye-ball. Though it is small, the pictures of the heavens and the earth fall in it. Then it comes within ideas and then it falls in soul. Man does not take cognisance of it till it reaches the soul. Praise be to God who created wonderful power in soul and eyes and He also made soul and eyes of some blind.