The stages of creation: from possibility to fulfilment

Know that God, glorified be He, hath created all things according to the stages of His action, even as the tongues of the family of God, peace be upon them, have clearly expounded in all their utterances that "naught existeth in earth or heaven save through seven: Will, Purpose, Destiny, Decree, Permission, Term, and Book." There is no doubt that the effect can only exist in the form of the action and its stages, and that the paths of realities and attributes in every world reflect these seven.

He hath brought forth Will for the existence of essences, Purpose for the determination of quiddities, Destiny for the ordering of beings, Decree for the manifestation of meanings in essential realities, and Permission, Term, and Book for the perfection of capacities in the realm of concrete existence - that all might know, through mention of these ranks, the truth of the Manifestations of His sanctity and the signs of His uniqueness in the kingdom of names and attributes, and whatsoever God hath ordained in the knowledge of ultimate ends and purposes unto infinity in the rank of essences, until it reacheth the station of dust.

… Wherefore, when the Command descended, it became seven, and thus did the Imam say: "Nothing exists, neither in earth nor in heaven, save through these seven: Will, Purpose, Destiny, Decree, Eternity, Duration, and the Book. Whoso asserteth the absence of any one of these hath verily disbelieved."

Glorified and exalted be He! He hath created the Will from naught through the existence of contingent things, then Purpose for the determination of essential realities, then Destiny for the geometry of material things, then Decree for the judgment of origination in beings, then Term for the limits of quiddities, then Permission for the manifestation of universals and particulars in the world of names and attributes, then the Book to encompass all that His knowledge hath encompassed in the realm of possibility.

I recognize, O my God, that whenever something is related to Thee, the decree of the Will is applicable to it, and whenever it is related to itself, the decree of Purpose is established in it. When this duality is realized the decree of predestination is manifested. After these three have descended, all seven will be generated, inasmuch as it is impossible for anything to be realized save through these seven stages. Six of them belong to the letter Wáw in connection to the limitations of things, and one of them belongeth to their manifestations in the station of the Sign of God.

And verily the meaning of the tradition is similar to the meaning of the verse "all things with God are as the greater world wherein all things are manifest." God, glorified be He, wished to expound in this tradition the stages of the divine action: "I was" signifies the stage of the Primal Will; "a hidden treasure" the stage of Purpose; "hidden" the stage of Decree; "and I loved" the stage of Divine destiny; "to be known" the stage of Permission; "so I created creation" the stage of Term; "that I might be known" the stage of the Book.

Regarding the seven days about which thou hadst written, this is one of the meanings of the Holy Book. But the second meaning is that the days represent ranks: the first rank is the mineral kingdom, the second rank is the vegetable kingdom, the third rank is the animal kingdom, the fourth rank is the human rational soul, the fifth rank is the realm of intellect, the sixth rank is the spiritual realm which is the Kingdom, and the seventh rank is that of Oneness, Lordship and Divinity. These ranks culminate in seven. The six ranks are the world of creation and existence, while the seventh rank is the world of Truth and sanctification from the conditions of creation.

He it is Who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clot, then from a morsel of flesh, then brought you forth as another creation. Blessed be God, the Best of creators, the All-Wise. He it is Who guardeth you in three veils of darkness and bringeth you forth from your mothers' wombs when ye know naught of the knowledge of the Book save a little portion.

There are seven general stages. The first is the stage of the inorganic being. From the mineral kingdom, it ascendeth to the stage of the plant…, and from the plant kingdom, it ascendeth to the stage of the animal….When it reacheth the stage of soul, spirit, and mind, then in accordance with that stage, it hath a death which will certainly destroy all privative aspects. Finally, the command will reach the stage of the inmost heart, which is the gulf of immortality and pure life, in the presence of the Lord of creation. There, for evermore, the servant will gaze towards God.

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This is the terminology of the late Shaykh. White represents the station of Will, which can assume any color one desires. Red represents the station of Fate, yellow represents Purpose, and blue represents Destiny.

And this movement hath seven aspects - they can neither be decreased nor increased, for everything hath seven aspects: the aspect of matter, the aspect of form, and the aspect of composition. When these three descended they became seven. Imam Rida (peace be upon him) said: "The Will, the Purpose, and Creation are three names with one meaning." Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Nothing exists in earth or heaven except through these seven characteristics: through will, purpose, destiny, decree, permission, term, and book." And these seven are the completions of agent and patient within themselves; and God hath decreed that all things must operate through their causes, though He is All-Powerful.

After the establishment of the grades of action, there remaineth no doubt that nothing existeth apart from God save through two aspects: an existential aspect, which pointeth to the manifestation of the One Who is revealed; and an essential aspect, which indicateth the modes of servitude and the receptivity of that manifestation. When these two aspects are affirmed, the rank of Qadar -- the station of linkage between the two aspects -- becometh manifest; and after the appearance of the three, the ordinance of the four is established, for the descent of the three is impossible save through the manifestation of the four.

The proof that a thing cannot receive existence except through seven aspects is that which I shall now indicate through wisdom's proof: For when a thing is mentioned, it has the rank of existence, and it cannot exist except through the rank of its essence, which is the cause of accepting existence. When duality is established, the link is established. When the link is established in the station of trinity, wisdom necessitates the rule of four in the descent of the Command from the unseen realm to the visible world. Therefore, in mentioning truth, the seven are required in all ranks of existence.

Then after the station of the Hidden Alif is the rank of the Soft Alif, which is the station of Destiny and contingent geometry, expressed as the station of Beauty. Then the station of the Unjoined Alif is the rank of Decree, Implementation and Origination. Then the station of the Joined Alif is the station of the Qa'im, which is the rank of Permission. Then the station of the Letters, which is the station of the Eight Imams and is the rank of Term. Then the station of the Word, which is the station of Fatima.

Glorified be God, the All-Knowing, Who hath fashioned things by the art of choice in a manner worthy of the wondrous lights: by the Will -- the secret of possibilities; by the Purpose -- the hidden core of existents; and by Decree -- He ordained the triune marking for the sake of the sign of delimitation.

… Then did the All-Wise inform, after the establishing of the five, of the decree of the Term and the Book, that naught of the ordinances of the Gate should fall from aught of things. God appointed the Term for the sake of causes, and He exalted the Book through the establishing of effects -- so that naught of existents should escape from the Book, but that they should find it expounded in causes within this Book, and its reasons made plain in the secret of this Gate.

What is meant is one of the holy Tablets. But it also alludes to the fact that the divine Tablets should be engraved on precious stones. In addition, there is a saying in the East by which the color white symbolizes divine will; red, divine decree and martyrdom; green, predestination; and yellow, execution of the decree.

Later on in order to find out their way in the desert they planted guideposts at the end of every several miles. This and other concomitant ideas led the path for further progress. Now instead of planting trees over the tombs they placed pieces of carved woods. For example if the deceased was brave they would carve the crude form of a lion; if crafty that of a fox and if blood-thirsty that of a dragon.

Thou hadst asked about fate, predestination and will. Fate and predestination consist in the necessary and indispensable relationships which exist in the realities of things. These relationships have been placed in the realities of existent beings through the power of creation and every incident is a consequence of the necessary relationship. For example, God hath created a relation between the sun and the terrestrial globe that the rays of the sun should shine and the soil should yield. These relationships constitute predestination, and the manifestation thereof in the plane of existence is fate. Will is that active force which controlleth these relationships and these incidents.

That which is counted among the irrevocable things cannot be changed, while other than this changes through means and deeds. The first inclination that arises in man before the appearance of means is the station of Will; the first conception of means is the station of Purpose; Destiny is the station of measure and proportion, meaning the appearance of means in measure; and Fate is the composition of what was destined.

… After the appearance of Fate, the execution is witnessed, which is the same as Permission. For everything there is and has been a Term, meaning the duration of its existence. Then appears the Book, which is the station of the completeness of the thing. Praise be to God that today the Mother of Stations is manifest, and that is severance from all things and committing all affairs to Him.

Nothing in the heavens or the earth exists save through seven properties: will, purpose, decree, fate, permission, the fixed time, and the book.

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Nothing takes place save through the will of God, and His purpose, His decree and fate... "Dost thou know what is the will?" "No." "It is the remembrance/intimation. And dost thou know what is the purpose?" "No." "It is the determination/resolution of that which hath been willed. And dost thou know what is decree?" "No." "It is the order of things (handasa), and the fixing of the boundaries between immortality and ephemerality. Fate is the settlement/establishment (ibram) and the iqamatu'l-'ayn.

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These seven stages are Will (mashiyyat), Purpose (iradih), predestination (qadar), fate (qada'), permission (idhn), fixed time (ajal), and the book (kitab).[1] The first stage of anything for which the "thingness" of existence is not a condition is the Will. The moment thingness is attached to it, it becometh Purpose, and this moment is accompanied by predestination. The manifestation of these three stages is fate.

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The first three grades, when they descend, manifest the seven. The first three stages form the unseen realm and the next four form the visible realm.

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The Bab interprets "verb" as a reference to the first stage of divine Action, Will, which is the source of existence... The noun symbolizes the second stage of divine Action, Determination, which is the source of the essences of things. The preposition represents the third stage, Destiny, which unites existence and essence: "Verily, the noun is the attribute of the thing as it is in its own station....

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Praise be to God, Who made the line generated from the Primal Point manifest in the letter Ba the ornament of the seal for His name overshadowing all names, Who then split it into two by the secret hidden between the two commands [Will (mashiyah) and Purpose (Iradah)], and took one up with the other under the veil of predestination [qadar]. Thereupon, the Most Great Book was completed and all who dwell in earth and heaven became adorned therewith so that the dawning-places of affirmation, subsequent to negation, might testify to that which the tree of fate [qada'] hath testified in the luminous Spot and turn toward the Dayspring of Alteration [bada'] at the scene of sacrifice....

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Reflect upon the stage of Purpose (iradih), which is the Eve of the Primal Adam and the Throne whereon the Will is seated in the station of the All-Merciful, and consider how God hath created it with four pillars. One pillar is the stage of fate (qada'), which is the element of fire and the manifestation of the efficient cause; its color is white due to its pure simplicity in relation to the conditions of multiplicity, dimension, and distinction.... Another pillar is the stage of permission (idhn), which is the element of air and the manifestation of the material cause; its color is yellow in relation to that which is determined... Another pillar is the stage of fixed time (ajal), which is the element of water and the manifestation of the formal cause, the eternal first Pen, and the third leaf of the divine Tree, whose essence is from the East and not the West. Its color is green, and through it the green of each thing is obtained... Another pillar is the stage of the Book (kitab), which is the element of earth and the manifestation of the final cause in the world of names and attributes. Its color is red, and through it the red in each thing is obtained, the scheme of each thing produced, and the measure of each thing determined.

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After the mode of Purpose, God hath ordained five additional modes. Among them is the stage of predestination, whose object is the design (handasa) of substances, matters, existences, natures, essences, accidents, and forms after the first causes at the root of the creative act. Multiplicities and the distinction of images from realities and essences from attributes emerge in this stage.... The condition of choosing good or evil ariseth in the third stage, which is made manifest after the conjunction of the two Commands. This is by virtue of the essence of things. The secret of the possible is only revealed in the station of predestination and the triangular figure.

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The fourth is fate, which is the realization of what has been predetermined and its composition in accordance with the natural system. Predestination is like measuring the materials of a bed for length, breadth, and shape. Fate corresponds to composing them into a bed. The fifth is execution, which is the concomitant of fate. It is the act of making something manifest, revealing the causes, and disclosing the means due to the combination within it of all the stages needed to make one cognizant of the impressions of the divine active attributes. The first four stages, therefore, are the elements of the divine Act, while the fifth is their disclosure.

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The truth is that when the creative action is related to existence, it is the Will; when it is related to the archetype ('ayn), in other words, the species form, it is Purpose; and when it is related to the limitations of the created, that is to say, their topography (handasa)--which includes length and breadth, continuance and mortality, term of duration, and the like--it is predestination. Through the accomplishment of the act of creation and the thing itself, it is fate; and through its manifestation, the revealing of causes, and the disclosure of means, it is execution....

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Know that the qada is a decisive judgment (hukm, or decree) of God concerning the things. God's decisive judgment concerning things is given in strict accordance with His Knowledge of the latter themselves and their properties. And God's Knowledge about the things is based on what is given by the very essences of the things. And the qadar is the specification of the appointed time at which each of the things should actually occur in accordance with its archetypal state without any alteration. But the qada itself, when it decides upon the destiny of each thing, does so only in accordance with its archetype. And this is the mystery of the qadar....

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The Crimson Land (Ard-i-Hamra) and the Most Crimson Hill (Kathib-i-Ahmar; cf.

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Haji Mirza Haydar Ali was in the presence of Abdu'l-Baha on 19 May 1916 in Haifa and asked the significance of colors in accord with Sufism: 'It is the terminology of the Shaykhis. White is the station of the Primal Will because it contains every color. The color red is the station of Predestination. Yellow (asfar/safra) is the feminine station of Purpose. The color blue is Fate. The white point (spot) means the Primal Will. The red point means Predestination. The yellow leaf/page (varaqatul-safra) is Purpose. The Blue Heaven (Sama'ul-Zarqa) is Fate. The Bab (Nuqtih-i-Ula) mentions in the Ahsanul-Qisas that Rutbih-i-Hamra (Red Rank) is the degree of Predestination.'

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Whatever is irrevocably decreed by fate cannot be changed, but whatever remaineth potential can be changed through means and actions. The first inclination that is created in man, before the appearance of means, is the stage of the Will; the first conception of means is the stage of Purpose; predestination is the stage of scheme and dimension, that is to say, the appearance of means in proper quantity. Fate is the composition of that which hath been decreed. … To God belongeth praise this day! The foundation of all stations is manifest, and it is detachment from all things and submission to His behest. In this case, these stations themselves are unveiled.

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Know thou that the root principle of the recognition of the modes of the causation of divine Action consisteth of seven stages, whose acknowledgement is the binding duty of all. True recognition is not complete without the recognition of all of these stages, and the recognition of the first is not accepted save through the recognition of the last.

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