Know that this Universe, in its entirety, is nothing else but one
individual being; that is to say, the outermost heavenly sphere,
together with all included therein, is as regards individuality beyond
all question a single being like Said and Omar. The variety of its
substances—I mean the substances of that sphere and all its component
parts—is like the variety of the substances of a human being: just as,
e.g., Said is one individual, consisting of various solid substances,
such as flesh, bones, sinews, of various humours, and of various
spiritual elements; in like manner this sphere in its totality is
composed of the celestial orbs, the four elements and their
combinations; there is no vacuum whatever therein, but the whole space
is filled up with matter. Its centre is occupied by the earth, earth is
surrounded by water, air encompasses the water, fire envelopes the air,
and this again is enveloped by the fifth substance (quintessence).
These substances form numerous spheres, one being enclosed within
another so that no intermediate empty space, no vacuum, is left. One
sphere surrounds and closely joins the other. All the spheres revolve
with constant uniformity, without acceleration or retardation; that is
to say, each sphere retains its individual nature as regards its
velocity and the peculiarity of its motion; it does not move at one
time quicker, at another slower. Compared with each other, however,
some of the spheres move with less, others with greater velocity. The
outermost, all-encompassing sphere, revolves with the greatest speed;
it completes its revolution in one day, and causes everything to
participate in its motion, just as every particle of a thing moves when
the entire body is in motion; for existing beings stand in the same
relation to that sphere as a part of a thing stands to the whole. These
spheres have not a common centre; the centres of some of them are
identical with the centre of the Universe, while those of the rest are
different from it. Some of the spheres have a motion independent of
that of the whole Universe, constantly revolving from East to West,
while other spheres move from West to East. The stars contained in
those spheres are part of their respective orbits; they are fixed in
them, and have no motion of their own, but participating in the motion
of the sphere of which they are a part, they appear themselves to move.
The entire substance of this revolving fifth element is unlike the
substance of those bodies which consist of the other four elements, and
are enclosed by the fifth element.
The number of these spheres encompassing the Universe cannot possibly
be less than eighteen; it may even be larger; but this is a matter for
further investigation. It also remains an open question whether there
are spheres which, without moving round the centre of the Universe,
have nevertheless a circular motion. Within that sphere which is
nearest to us, a substance is contained which is different from the
substance of the fifth element; it first received four primary forms,
and then became in these four forms, four kinds of matter: earth,
water, air, fire. Each of the four elements occupies a certain position
of its own assigned to it by nature; it is not found in another place,
so long as no other but its own natural force acts upon it; it is a
dead body; it has no life, no perception, no spontaneous motion, and
remains at rest in its natural place. When moved from its place by some
external force, it returns towards its natural place as soon as that
force ceases to operate. For the elements have the property of moving
back to their place in a straight line, but they have no properties
which would cause them to remain where they are, or to move otherwise
than in a straight line. The rectilinear motions of these four elements
when returning to their original place are of two kinds, either
centrifugal, viz., the motion of the air and the fire; or centripetal,
viz., the motion of the earth, and the water; and when the elements
have reached their original place, they remain at rest.
The spherical bodies, on the other hand, have life, possess a soul by
which they move spontaneously; they have no properties by which they
could at any time come to a state of rest; in their perpetual rotations
they are not subject to any change, except that of position. The
question whether they are endowed with an intellect, enabling them to
comprehend, cannot be solved without deep research. Through the
constant revolution of the fifth element, with all contained therein,
the four elements are forced to move and to change their respective
positions, so that fire and air are driven into the water, and again
these three elements enter the depth of the earth. Thus are the
elements mixed together; and when they return to their respective
places, parts of the earth, in quitting their places, move together
with the water, the air and the fire. In this whole process the
elements act and react upon each other. The elements intermixed, are
then combined, and form at first various kinds of vapours; afterwards
the several kinds of minerals, every species of plants, and many
species of living beings, according to the relative proportion of the
constituent parts. All transient beings have their origin in the
elements, into which again they resolve when their existence comes to
an end. The elements themselves are subject to being transformed from
one into another; for although one substance is common to all,
substance without form is in reality impossible, just as the physical
form of these transient beings cannot exist without substance. The
formation and the dissolution of the elements, together with the things
composed of them, and resolving into them, follow each other in
rotation. The changes of the finite substance, in successively
receiving one form after the other, may therefore be compared to the
revolution of the sphere in space, when each part of the sphere
periodically reappears in the same position.
As the human body consists both of principal organs and of other
members which depend on them and cannot exist without the control of
those organs, so does the universe consist both of principal parts,
viz., the quintessence, which encompasses the four elements and of
other parts which are subordinated and require a leader, viz., the four
elements and the things composed of them.
Again, the principal part in the human body, namely, the heart, is in
constant motion, and is the source of every motion noticed in the body;
it rules over the other members, and communicates to them through its
own pulsations the force required for their functions. The outermost
sphere by its motion rules in a similar way over all other parts of the
universe, and supplies all things with their special properties. Every
motion in the universe has thus its origin in the motion of that
sphere; and the soul of every animated being derives its origin from
the soul of that same sphere.
The forces which according to this explanation are communicated by the
spheres to this sublunary world are four in number, viz., (a) the force
which effects the mixture and the composition of the elements, and
which undoubtedly suffices to form the minerals; (b) the force which
supplies every growing thing with its vegetative functions; (c) the
force which gives to each living being its vitality, and (d) the force
which endows rational beings with intellect. All this is effected
through the action of light and darkness, which are regulated by the
position and the motion of the spheres round the earth.
When for one instant the beating of the heart is interrupted, man dies,
and all his motions and powers come to an end. In a like manner would
the whole universe perish, and everything therein cease to exist if the
spheres were to come to a standstill.
The living being as such is one through the action of its heart,
although some parts of the body are devoid of motion and sensation, as,
e.g., the bones, the cartilage, and similar parts. The same is the case
with the entire universe; although it includes many beings without
motion and without life, it is a single being living through the motion
of the sphere, which may be compared to the heart of an animated being.
You must therefore consider the entire globe as one individual being
which is endowed with life, motion, and a soul. This mode of
considering the universe is, as will be explained, indispensable, that
is to say, it is very useful for demonstrating the unity of God; it
also helps to elucidate the principle that He who is One has created
only one being.
Again, it is impossible that any of the members of a human body should
exist by themselves, not connected with the body, and at the same time
should actually be organic parts of that body, that is to say, that the
liver should exist by itself, the heart by itself, or the flesh by
itself. In like manner, it is impossible that one part of the Universe
should exist independently of the other parts in the existing order of
things as here considered, viz., that the fire should exist without the
co-existence of the earth, or the earth without the heaven, or the
heaven without the earth.
In man there is a certain force which unites the members of the body,
controls them, and gives to each of them what it requires for the
conservation of its condition, and for the repulsion of injury—the
physicians distinctly call it the leading force in the body of the
living being; sometimes they call it “nature.” The Universe likewise
possesses a force which unites the several parts with each other,
protects the species from destruction, maintains the individuals of
each species as long as possible, and endows some individual beings
with permanent existence. Whether this force operates through the
medium of the sphere or otherwise remains an open question.
Again, in the body of each individual there are parts which are
intended for a certain purpose, as the organs of nutrition for the
preservation of the individual, the organs of generation for the
preservation of the species, the hands and eyes for administering to
certain wants, as to food, etc.; there are also parts which, in
themselves, are not intended for any purpose, but are mere accessories
and adjuncts to the constitution of the other parts. The peculiar
constitution of the organs, indispensable for the conservation of their
particular forms and for the performance of their primary functions,
produces, whilst it serves its special purpose, according to the nature
of the substance, other things, such as the hair and the complexion of
the body. Being mere accessories, they are not formed according to a
fixed rule; some are altogether absent in many individuals; and vary
considerably in others. This is not the case with the organs of the
body. You never find that the liver of one person is ten times larger
than that of another person, but you may find a person without a beard,
or without hair on certain parts of his body, or with a beard ten times
longer than that of another man. Instances of this phenomenon, viz.,
great variation as regards hair and colour, are not rare. The same
differences occur in the constitution of the Universe. Some species
exist as an integral part of the whole system; these are constant and
follow a fixed law; though they vary as far as their nature permits,
this variation is insignificant in quantity and quality. Other species
do not serve any purpose; they are the mere result of the general
nature of transient things, as, e.g., the various insects which are
generated in dunghills, the animals generated in rotten fruit, or in
fetid liquids, and worms generated in the intestines, etc. In short,
everything devoid of the power of generation belongs to this class. You
will, therefore, find that these things do not follow a fixed law,
although their entire absence is just as impossible as the absence of
different complexions and of different kinds of hair amongst human
beings.
In man there are substances the individual existence of which is
permanent, and there are other substances which are only constant in
the species not in the individuals, as, e.g., the four humours. The
same is the case in the Universe; there are substances which are
constant in individuals, such as the fifth element, which is constant
in all its formations, and other substances which are constant in the
species, as, e.g., the four elements and all that is composed of them.
The same forces which operate in the birth and the temporal existence
of the human being operate also in his destruction and death. This
truth holds good with regard to this whole transient world. The causes
of production are at the same time the causes of destruction. This may
be illustrated by the following example. If the four forces which are
present in every being sustained by food, viz., attraction, retention,
digestion, and secretion, were, like intelligent forces, able to
confine themselves to what is necessary, and to act at the proper time
and within the proper limits, man would be exempt from those great
sufferings and the numerous diseases [to which he is exposed]. Since,
however, such is not the case, and since the forces perform their
natural functions without thought and intelligence, without any
consciousness of their action, they necessarily cause dangerous
maladies and great pains, although they are the direct cause of the
birth and the temporal existence of the human being. This fact is to be
explained as follows: if the attractive force would absorb nothing but
that which is absolutely beneficial, and nothing but the quantity which
is required, man would be free from many such sufferings and disorders.
But such is not the case; the attractive force absorbs any humour that
comes within the range of its action, although such humour be
ill-adapted in quality or in quantity. It is, therefore, natural that
sometimes a humour is absorbed which is too warm, too cold, too thick,
or too thin, or that too much humour is absorbed, and thus the veins
are choked, obstruction and decay ensue, the quality of the humour is
deteriorated, its quantities altered, diseases are originated, such as
scurvy, leprosy, abscess, or a dangerous illness, such as cancer,
elephantiasis, gangrene, and at last the organ or organs are destroyed.
The same is the case with every one of the four forces, and with all
existing beings. The same force that originates all things, and causes
them to exist for a certain time, namely, the combination of the
elements which are moved and penetrated by the forces of the heavenly
spheres, that same cause becomes throughout the world a source of
calamities, such as devastating rain, showers, snow-storms, hail,
hurricanes, thunder, lightning, malaria, or other terrible catastrophes
by which a place or many places or an entire country may be laid waste,
such as landslips, earthquakes, meteoric showers and floods issuing
forth from the seas and from the interior of the earth.
Bear in mind, however, that in all that we have noticed about the
similarity between the Universe and the human being, nothing would
warrant us to assert that man is a microcosm; for although the
comparison in all its parts applies to the Universe and any living
being in its normal state, we never heard that any ancient author
called the ass or the horse a microcosm. This attribute has been given
to man alone on account of his peculiar faculty of thinking, I mean the
intellect, viz., the hylic intellect which appertains to no other
living being. This may be explained as follows. An animal does not
require for its sustenance any plan, thought or scheme; each animal
moves and acts by its nature, eats as much as it can find of suitable
things, it makes its resting-place wherever it happens to be, cohabits
with any mate it meets while in heat in the periods of its sexual
excitement. In this manner does each individual conserve itself for a
certain time, and perpetuates the existence of its species without
requiring for its maintenance the assistance or support of any of its
fellow creatures; for all the things to which it has to attend it
performs by itself. With man it is different; if an individual had a
solitary existence, and were, like an animal, left without guidance, he
would soon perish, he would not endure even one day, unless it were by
mere chance, unless he happened to find something upon which he might
feed. For the food which man requires for his subsistence demands much
work and preparation, which can only be accomplished by reflection and
by plan; many vessels must be used, and many individuals, each in his
peculiar work, must be employed. It is therefore necessary that one
person should organize the work and direct men in such a manner that
they should properly co-operate, and that they should assist each
other. The protection from heat in summer and from cold in winter, and
shelter from rain, snow, and wind, require in the same manner the
preparation of many things, none of which can properly be done without
design and thought. For this reason man has been endowed with
intellectual faculties, which enable him to think, consider, and act,
and by various labours to prepare and procure for himself food,
dwelling and clothing, and to control every organ of his body, causing
both the principal and the secondary organs to perform their respective
functions. Consequently, if a man, being deprived of his intellectual
faculties, only possessed vitality, he would in a short time be lost.
The intellect is the highest of all faculties of living creatures; it
is very difficult to comprehend, and its true character cannot be
understood as easily as man’s other faculties.
There also exists in the Universe a certain force which controls the
whole, which sets in motion the chief and principal parts, and gives
them the motive power for governing the rest. Without that force, the
existence of this sphere, with its principal and secondary parts, would
be impossible. It is the source of the existence of the Universe in all
its parts. That force is God; blessed be His name! It is on account of
this force that man is called microcosm; for he likewise possesses a
certain principle which governs all the forces of the body, and on
account of this comparison God is called “the life of the Universe”;
comp. “and he swore by the life of the Universe” (Dan. xii. 7).
You must understand that in the parallel which we have drawn between
the whole universe, on the one hand, and the individual man, on the
other, there is a complete harmony in all the points which we mentioned
above; only in the following three points a discrepancy may be noticed.
First, the principal organ of any living being which has a heart,
derives a benefit from the organs under the control of the heart, and
the benefits of the organs thus become the benefits of the heart. This
is not the case in the constitution of the universe. That part which
bestows authority or distributes power, does not receive in return any
benefit from the things under its control; whatever it grants, is
granted in the manner of a generous benefactor, not from any selfish
motive, but from a natural generosity and kindliness; only for the sake
of imitating the ways of the Most High.
Secondly, living creatures endowed with a heart have it within the body
and in the midst thereof; there it is surrounded by organs which it
governs. Thus it derives a benefit from them, for they guard and
protect it, and they do not allow that any injury from without should
approach it. The reverse occurs in the case of the Universe. The
superior part encompasses the inferior parts, it being certain that it
cannot be affected by the action of any other being; and even if it
could be affected, there is nobody without it that could affect it.
While it influences all that is contained within, it is not influenced
by any act or force of any material being. There is, however, some
similarity [between the universe and man] in this point. In the body of
animals, the organs more distant from the principal organ are of less
importance than those nearer to it. Also in the universe, the nearer
the parts are to the centre, the greater is their turbidness, their
solidity, their inertness, their dimness and darkness, because they are
further away from the loftiest element, from the source of light and
brightness, which moves by itself and the substance of which is the
most rarefied and simplest: from the outermost sphere. At the same
ratio at which a body is nearer this sphere, it derives properties from
it, and rises above the spheres below it.
Thirdly. The faculty of thinking is a force inherent in the body, and
is not separated from it, but God is not a force inherent in the body
of the universe, but is separate from all its parts. How God rules the
universe and provides for it is a complete mystery; man is unable to
solve it. For, on the one hand, it can be proved that God is separate
from the universe, and in no contact whatever with it; but, on the
other hand, His rule and providence can be proved to exist in all parts
of the universe, even in the smallest. Praised be He whose perfection
is above our comprehension.
It is true, we might have compared the relation between God and the
universe, to the relation between the absolute acquired intellect and
man; it is not a power inherent in the body, but a power which is
absolutely separate from the body, and is from without brought into
contact with the body. The rational faculty of man may be further
compared to the intelligence of the spheres, which are, as it were,
material bodies. But the intelligence of the spheres, purely spiritual
beings, as well as man’s absolute and acquired intellect, are subjects
of deep study and research; the proof of their existence, though
correct, is abstruse, and includes arguments which present doubts, are
exposed to criticism, and can be easily attacked by objectors. We have,
therefore, preferred to illustrate the relation of God to the universe
by a simile which is clear, and which will not be contradicted in any
of the points which have been laid down by us without any
qualification. The opposition can only emanate either from an ignorant
man, who contradicts truths even if they are perfectly obvious, just as
a person unacquainted with geometry rejects elementary propositions
which have been clearly demonstrated, or from the prejudiced man who
deceives himself. Those, however, who wish to study the subject must
persevere in their studies until they are convinced that all our
observations are true, and until they understand that our account of
this universe unquestionably agrees with the existing order of things.
If a man is willing to accept this theory from one who understands how
to prove things which can be proved, let him accept it, and let him
establish on it his arguments and proofs. If, on the other hand, he
refuses to accept without proof even the foregoing principles, let him
inquire for himself, and ultimately he will find that they are correct.
“Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for
thy good” (Job v. 27).
After these preliminary remarks, we will treat of the subject which we
promised to introduce and to explain.