BİRİNCİ FEN · ÜÇÜNCÜ BÂB · ONUNCU FASIL · Beşinci Madde
Fifth Article
Regarding how the body changes and the soul’s abiding nature.
O beloved! Know that the people of wisdom have said: The reason the human soul does not change, while the body does, is because the soul originates from the exalted realm. [108/b] In the exalted realm, there is no coming into being nor decay; therefore, the soul, being a part of it, remains in a fixed state. However, the body's components are taken from this lower realm. And the lower realm is a place of coming into being and decay, for the body is created from four elements. Thus, humankind’s creation has been found as part of a realm of arising and dissolution. It is known that the parts always return to the whole, and the whole inclines towards the part and flows toward it.
The proof that the part returns to the whole is that ultimately, humans age and return to the soul-realm. The verse “We are servants of Allah, and unto Him we shall surely return” (Al-Baqarah, 2/156) fulfills its meaning. And the proof that the whole inclines towards the part and flows toward it is the constant descent of Divine grace through the intellect universal into the world of manifestation. Indeed, the noble verse “All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds” (Al-Fatihah, 1/2) is a just witness to this. Therefore, both the part inclines towards and flows toward the whole, and the part returns to it and inclines towards it. A further proof that the part returns to the whole is that humans experience hunger and thirst. For the body’s components are constantly returning to the whole. Weakness and deficiency always befall the body. Engaging in eating and drinking signifies the replacement of what has diminished from the body. That is, new elements come from food into the body, replacing those that have gone towards the elements; and thus the body gains strength. For the body’s nourishment is derived from plants and animals, which are themselves obtained from its original elements. Therefore, in truth, the parts of our bodies, lasting five years, completely decay and gradually exit our bodies moment by moment, returning to the whole.
For example, when we are fifty-five years old, the components within our bodies are different from those that were present when we were fifty years old; these have come to replace the portions that have left the body, gradually filling their place and assuming their forms. However, those who do not know this state consider the body to be in a fixed condition, like the soul. The analogy is as follows: If someone erects a tent in the desert, and all its poles and ropes are black, and then once a week he goes and removes one black pole, replacing it with a white one, and unravels one black rope, tying a white one in its place, continuing this process until he has completely removed all the black poles and ropes and replaced them with white ones, those who do not know of this change would see the tent standing as it was erected last year, appearing to have all its parts intact. Yet, all its poles and ropes have changed and transformed. Just as these white poles and ropes are other than the original black ones, so too does the human body constantly change and transform from within and without, with new elements being gathered from nourishment to replace what is lost, completely changing and transforming every five years. Thus, the inclination of the part towards the whole, and the whole towards the part, has been proven by these evidences. The truth remains known only to Allah, Most High.