The Seal of the Wisdom of Revelation (Futuh)1 in the Word of Salih
Among the signs are the signs of the mounts.2That is due to the difference in destinations.
Among those with mounts are those
who make their mounts stand by the command of Allah,
and among them are those who cross
the deserts with their mounts.
As for those who stand,
they are the people of the source,3
and those who cross the deserts are the aliens.
Each of these has the revelation (futuh) of the Unseen worlds
brought to him from Allah on every side.
Know, may Allah grant you success, that the business (of bringing into existence) is based on uniqueness (fardiyya), and uniqueness has triplicity which is from three and upwards. Three is the first singular. The universe exists from this Divine Presence. Allah, may He be exalted!, says, "Our Word to a thing when We desire it is just to say to it, 'Be' and it is." (16:40) This is an essence which has volition and speech.4 Had it not been for this essence and its volition, which is connecting attention to something particular in order to bring anything into being (and when He turns to that thing, He says, "Be"), that thing would not have been. Then tripartite uniqueness also appeared in that thing, and it is by this uniqueness in respect to the thing that it is valid that it take and that it be described by existence. Its triplicity is its thingness, its hearing, and obeying the command of the One who gives it form by bringing it into existence. It accepted three by the threeness of its fixed essence when it was in the state of its non-existence in counterbalance to the essence of the One who brought it into existence. Its hearing is in counterbalance to the volition of the One who brought it into existence. Its agreeing to comply with the command to take form is in counterbalance to His word "'Be!' and it is." Taking form is thus related to the thing. If it not had the capacity to take form from within itself when this is said, it would not have been. Allah only brought the thing into existence after it was not in the command of taking form, by the thing itself.
Allah confirmed that taking-form (takwin) belongs to the thing itself, not to Allah; and that that which belongs to Allah is His command. Similarly, He told us about Himself when He said, "Our Word to a thing when We desire it is just to say to it, "Be!" and it is." He ascribed taking-form to the thing itself from the command of Allah. Allah speaks the truth, so this is understood in the command itself. Someone who is feared and not disobeyed commands His slave: "Stand!" and the slave stands in obedience to his master's command. When this slave stands, the master only has the command to the slave to stand. Standing is the slave's action, not the master's action.
Thus taking-form is based on triplicity, i.e. from three, on both sides – the side of Allah and the side of creation. That applies to bringing meanings into existence by proofs. The proof must be compounded of three in a special structure and special condition. There must be a result from it. The result is that the thinker constructs his proof from two propositions. Each one proposition contains two singulars, and so it four. One of the four is repeated in the two propositions in order to link one to the other as is marriage. It is three and no more because of one is repeated in both of them. That is how it is– the goal exists. Then this compound occurs in a special aspect which is that the two propositions are connected to each other by the repetition of that one singular, by which triplicity, and the special condition that the principle be more general by cause or equal to it, is valid. Then the principle is true.
If it is not like that, then it will give a result which is not true. This existent thing in the universe is like the ascription of actions to the slave, removed from their ascription to Allah, or the ascribing of taking form, the object of our discussion, to Allah absolutely. But Allah only ascribed it to the thing which was told, "Be!" A representation of that is if we wish to prove that the universe exists from a cause,5 we say that every thing which is in-time has a cause.6 Thus we have the the in-time and the cause. Then in the other proposition we say that the universe is in time. The "in-time" is repeated in the two propositions. The third singular is "the universe". From this it follows that the universe has a cause and the conclusion appears in what was mentioned in the first proposition - that is the cause.
The special aspect is the repetition of the "in-time", and the special condition is the generality of the cause ('illa) because the cause is what effects the existence of the in-time. The principle is general in the in-timeness of the universe in relation to Allah.
We therefore make the judgement that every being which is "in-time" has a cause, i.e. in the greater proposition, unless that cause is equal to the principle or the principle is more general than the cause. So the universe would thus fall under the principle of the cause [in both cases]. The result is true.
The principle of triplicity also appears in bringing meanings into existence, which makes use of proofs. The root of phenomenal being is triplicity. For this reason, the wisdom of Salih, peace be upon him, is what Allah manifested in the delay of three days when He promised to punish the people of Salih, and the promise was kept. The truth was the result, and it was the Cry by which Allah destroyed them, and "morning found them lying flattemed in their homes." (11:67) On the first of the three days, the faces of the people became yellow, and on the second day red, and on the third day black. When the three days had passed, their predisposition was proved and corruption appeared in them. That manifestation was called "destruction".
The yellowing of the faces of the wretched is in counterbalance to the shining of the faces of the happy in the words of Allah, "Some faces on that day will be radiant (musfira)" (80:38) which comes from sufur, when the dawn becomes white. This is a manifestation as the yellowing of the faces on the first day was the manifestation of the sign of the wretchedness of Salih's people. Then came the counterbalance offered to His word about the happy, "laughing".(80:39) Laughter is one of the causes which produces redness in the face. Among the happy, it is the cheeks which are red.
Then He made the complexion of the wretched turn black as a counterbalance to His word, "joyous (mustabshira)".7 That is the effect that joy has on their skins as black effected the skins of the wretched. For this reason, He spoke of the two groups with good news (bushra). He spoke a word to them which affected their skin (bashara) which turned a colour by which skin had not been described before this event. Allah said in regarding the happy, "Their Lord gives them the good news of His mercy and good pleasure," (9:21) and He said about the wretched, "Give them the news of a painful punishment." (9:34) There was an effect on the skin of each group because of the effect of the discourse on them. It only appeared in them outwardly by virtue of the understanding which was fixed inside them. So it is them who have that effect on themselves just as taking form only comes from them. "Allah's is the conclusive argument." (6:149)
Whoever understands this wisdom and confirms it in himself and witnesses it, gives his self rest from connection to other. He knows that good and evil only come from him. By good, I mean what agrees with his goal and suits his nature and temperament. By evil, I mean what does not agree with his goal or suit his nature and temperament. The one who possesses this witnessing makes out excuses for all existent beings, even if they do not make excuses. He knows that all he has for himself is from himself, as we mentioned at the beginning, since knowledge follows the known. When something which does not agree with his goal comes to him, he tells himself , "Clench your fists and puff out your cheeks!" "Allah speaks the truth and He guides to the Way." (33:4)
1. Opening. Salih has this in view of the fact that the mountain split open to reveal the she-camel, he opened belief to those who believed in him. The camel is a mount.
2. Mounts which are miracles proving the truthfulness of the Prophets - like the Buraq of Muhammad and the she-camel of Salih.
3. Eyewitnessing.
4. i.e. a triplicity: Essence, volition, and speech (qawl).
5. Here he uses sabab, something by which something is brought about, rather than 'illa, which is something which alters or effects something, as in cause and effect. 'Illa is the reason behind judicial reasoning.
6. First proposition.
7. Comes from a root meaning skin (bashara), the root of bashshara, to give good news, is to announce something which produces a change in the complexion.