Aslam

(2) World and its Contents. Think of the world as it is your habitation and think of its rivers, oceans, seas, mountains, mines and other things and then think of the region of heaven. God has fixed the world, so that it cannot move and He placed inoun tains ,in it, so that it may not toss. He made some places so high that nobody can move around them. Think of the earth. It remains dead. When rain falls upon it, it becomes swollen and then grow therein plants, grass and creepers with which animals of various kinds sustain their lives. He made out of dry stones water with which he made all creatures and grew plants and trees of various fruits.

Some plant gives food, some gives strength, some saves life, some destroys life, some cools, some irritates, some uproots jaundice, some increases it, some controls spleen, some purifies blood. 'Some circulates blood, some brings sleep, some gives strength and some weakness. So there is nothing which grows out of the earth which does not give some benefits. It is beyond the power of men to comprehend all the benefits. These are foods for reflection of the intelligent.

380 THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES Vol-IV

Mountains and mines: There are under the mountains and underneath the ground wonderful signs of God. There are mines of gold, silver, pearls and emeralds therein. Some are mixed with other mineral substances, such as gold, silver, iron, lead. Some are not mixed like emeralds and rubbies. Look then to the mines underneath the ground. Out of them, salts, sulphur, tar etc. are found. If there is no salt the taste of food goes. God therefore creates some kinds of saltish earth which mixed with water and burntby sun-fire produces pure salt.

Therefore God has created everything with some object or other. He has not created it out of sport. God says: I have not created the heavens and earth and what is therein out of mere sport. I have created them with truth.

(4) God's signs in the creation of creatures: God created some animals which fly in the air, some walk on the ground with two feet, some creep on their bellies, some with four feet, some with ten feet, some with one hundred feet. You will find in it insects. Their forms, nature and constitution also are different. You will find in them wonderful signs which show the craftsmanship of the Creator. If we describe the wonderful workings of flies, ants, bees, spiders etc. you will see wonders in them. Look how they construct heir habitation, how they collect food and how they love their mates, how they store up food. We could not have done their works with all our might. Do you think that the spider does it of its own accord and that it has got no teacher? Do all these things not prove that the Creator is the Mighty, the Wise?

Man is the most wonderful among the animals. He does not express wonder after seeing himself. How mighty is He who created man, the wonder of creations.