KİTABIN MUKADDİMESİ · Dördüncü Madde
**Fourth Article**
Describes certain states and atmospheres of the universe.
Beloved! It is known that the scholars of Tafsir (commentary) and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) have stated: The Most High God created a sea of water between the earth and the heavens, in the midst of the sea of air beneath the star-sea mentioned above. This is called the *bahr-i mekfūf* (closed sea). Within it swim and roam hundreds of thousands of creatures like fish. The waters of this sea brought about the Flood of Noah, and Noah’s people were destroyed by the waters of this sea.
When the Most High God intends to send rain, He sends forth from the *bahr-i arzāq* (sea of sustenance) above the heavens, apportioned provisions at specific times, descending them from one heaven to another and delivering them to the *bahr-i mekfūf*, where they are carried by the wind. The wind informs the clouds. Then, like a winnowing basket, the clouds sift the water laden with sustenance, transforming it into raindrops. From there, at God’s command, an angel descends each raindrop and places it in its designated location.
Since angels are created from light, when they perform the task of descending a raindrop from the sky to the earth, they do not collide but can pass through one another like rays of light.
Not a single drop of rain falls from the heavens to the earth without being measured and accounted for. Each raindrop has numerous benefits for both land and sea. If that drop is filled with sustenance, plants sprout on the land, and in the sea, it gives rise to pearls. Thus, the sustenance descends from its sea, through the rain-sea, then to the clouds, and from them to the lands and seas. The Most High God has created countless mountains of snow and hail within the atmosphere, that is, the sea of air. When He intends to send snow and hail to one side of the earth, He commands the angel Mikā’il (peace be upon him). Mikā’il then commands his representative, Ismā’il, who appoints an angel to deliver each raindrop to the place intended by God. As the Most High God says: “He sends down hail from mountains [of clouds]” (Noah 24/43).
After the Most High God created water from the green essence mentioned above, He created wind from its vapor. There are three kinds of winds between earth and heavens. One is *rîh-i akīm* (barren wind), which was sent to the people of ‘Ad. Another is *rîh-i sawād* (black wind), which carries the sea of stars, the sea of rain, and the mountains of snow and hail, holding them within the atmosphere. The third type of wind is that of the earth’s inhabitants – the air moving from east to west, south to north, combining and separating clouds and vapors, carrying rain and snow to where they are destined to fall. Thus, the movement of winds depends on Mikā’il (peace be upon him)’s management and his guidance; they move and stop at his command. The Most High God has also breathed into this air, the spirits of His creation. This wind is a source of happiness, well-being, order, and harmony for all beings. Were it not for the wind, everything would decay and rot; [10/b] all beasts would perish.
The wind has numerous benefits, such as bringing rain and causing plants to sprout, beautifying faces, preserving life, and providing freshness to things. The Most High God created clouds with empty and transparent interiors. When Mikā’il (peace be upon him)’s helpers gather them and bring them closer to the earth, they cover the sky; they become thick layers of clouds. When the appointed angels raise the clouds into the heavens and remove them from the earth, they again become scattered and luminous. The Most High God created an angel named Ra’d to direct the clouds and placed him under Mikā’il (peace be upon him)’s command. He has a whip made of iron with which he drives the clouds like herds of camels. Fire emanates from his whip due to its forceful striking; that fire is what they call lightning. When a spark of that fire falls to the earth, it is called thunder. The frightening roar heard during a flash of lightning is the voice of Ra’d, a small angel, who praises and glorifies God in reverence as he performs his task, and thus directs the clouds to their destinations. As the Most High God says in the Noble Qur'an: “The thunder extols [God’s] praise; and the angels too glorify Him.” (Ra’d 13/13).
It is related in a Hadith that what appears as a green or red arc in the sky is not the *kavs-i kuzāh* (rainbow), for *kuzāh* is the name of Satan. Rather, it may be a sign of God’s mercy, a manifestation of His power, and an announcement of abundance, within the bow of God (*kawsullah*).
The Most High God created the air close to the earth as gentle so that the creatures of the earth can smell and breathe it and sustain their lives. Above this air is smoke, above that are white clouds, above those are rain clouds, and above them are various birds that fly. These birds have no nests in the sea surrounding the heavens nor a dwelling on the earth; they only inhabit the air, eat from the air, sleep in the air, and mate and lay eggs in the air. The egg remains suspended until it hatches, wings develop, and it begins to fly upwards towards its true home. Above the air inhabited by these birds, the Most High God created mountains of snow and hail, above that the heavens surrounding the sea mentioned earlier, above that a gentle layer of air, and above that the sea of stars. The light of the sun, moon, and stars is truly great and intense; between them and us lies this gentle air, clear seas, and snow.
The heat of the sun would not be borne by any living being.
FOURTH SECTION
We will explain in five items the number of the seven seas, the eight mountains of Kaf, the conditions of the seven layers of earth; the inhabitants of each layer, Hell and its seven levels, those found in each level, the signs of the Day of Resurrection and the situation on that day, the annihilation of the universe, and the condition of the Final Judgment.