Surah 79: al-Nāziʿāt
79:1 By those that pluck harshly, by those that draw fiercely.
These verses allude to the artifacts of power, the marvels of creativity, and the subtleties of wisdom in the creation of the creatures. All are the place of the gaze of the common people and the cause of their finding the road. The common people gaze with the eye of the head on the artifacts and marvels and they see the traces of mercy and power. They take the artisanry as the evidence of the existence of the Artisan. They start their traveling from the causes so as to reach the Presence of the Causer. To this allude His words, “Have they not gazed upon the dominion of the heavens and the earth? [7:185]. Have they not gazed upon the heaven above them? [50:6]. Have they not traveled in the earth to gaze? [30:9]. So gaze on the traces of God's mercy [30:50]. He it is who shows you His signs [40:13]. We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and in their souls until it is clear to them that He is the Real [41:53].”
Then the recognizers of the road and the sincerely truthful of the threshold have another state and another gaze. They gaze at the Artisan with the eye of the secret core and they see the secrets of solicitude. They gaze at the Innovator with the eye of the heart and they see the lights of guidance. They gaze at the Real with the eye of the spirit and they see the flag of existence. They gaze at the Witnessed with the eye of witnessing and they see the Friend face-to-face.
O indigent man! How long will you look at the artifacts and wonders? Look once at the Artisan and Wonder-Worker to see the marvels of the subtleties. From the artifacts and wonders you see what arises from Him. From the Artisan and Wonder-Worker you see what is worthy of Him. When someone gazes only at the marks giving witness to His artifacts, he has not stepped into the road of the chevaliers. No whiff has reached his nostrils of this talk. It is often the case that there are neither artifacts nor wonders, neither creatures nor attachments, neither time nor the earth, neither place nor the emplaced, neither Throne nor Carpet, neither Heaven nor Samak, neither sphere nor angel, neither moon nor Fish, neither entities nor traces, neither face-to-face vision nor reports-the Real is present and the Haqiqah is there. The Self-Standing lasts, similar to nothing. He was, is, and will be, without beginning and end, without alteration or transition. He is described by the attributes of majesty and beauty. Everything created is coming not to be and undergoing annihilation. In the majesty of His exaltedness the Creator is that which is to be and to subsist. All that is upon it undergoes annihilation and there subsists the face of thy Lord, Possessor of Majesty and Generous Giving [55:26-27]. Everything is perishing but His face [28:88].
Wait, O chevalier, until they open up this blue dome and roll back this dust-colored carpet. They will break Pleiades' necklace, blacken the face of moon and sun, and smash Arcturus on the Fish. Then this promise will be hard cash: