The four elements: from natural philosophy to qualities of the heart

Wherefore, O Cloud of Mercy, grant us some drops of rain. O Flowering Bed of grace, send forth a fragrant breeze. O Sea of all bestowals, roll towards us a great wave. O Sun of Bounty, send down a shaft of light.

So is the work of the Holy Spirit in your hearts. The earthly sun is like the Sun of Truth; the rain is the shower of the mercy of God; the seed is the word of God; the air is the fragrant waves of His Holy Spirit and the soil is the hearts of the people.

For the bounty of the cloud, the effulgence and heat of the sun and the breath of the vernal zephyrs can transform the tiny seed and develop it into a mighty tree.

And when Thy promise came to pass, and the set time was fulfilled, Thou didst lift, to an imperceptible degree, the veil of concealment, and lo, all the inmates of the kingdoms of Thy Revelation and of Thy creation shook and trembled, except those who were created by Thee, through the fire of Thy love, and the breath of Thine eagerness, and the water of Thy loving-kindness, and the clay of Thy grace.

Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath been spread in Thy Name, and extinguish not the burning flame that hath been kindled by Thine unquenchable fire. Withhold not from flowing that living water of Thine that murmureth with the melody of Thy glory and Thy remembrance, and deprive not Thy servants from the fragrance of Thy sweet savors breathing forth the perfume of Thy love.

Roll not up, O my Lord, what hath been spread out in Thy name, and extinguish not the lamp which Thine own fire hath lit. Withhold not, O my Lord, the water that is life indeed from running down --the water from whose murmuring the wondrous melodies which extol and glorify Thee can be heard. Deny not, moreover, Thy servants the sweet fragrance of the breath which hath been wafted through Thy love.

I know not what the water is with which Thou hast created me, or what the fire Thou hast kindled within me, or the clay wherewith Thou hast kneaded me.

And some maintain that earth is more excellent, and its benefits more evident. It is the refuge of all living things and the source of sustenance for every existing thing. It is trustworthy, not treacherous; rich, not poor. It manifests "Whoever performs a good deed shall receive tenfold," for when you give it a seed, it returns many times over. Plant a grain and it bestows a fruitful tree. When you furrow its breast, it gives forth bounty and blessing. It is gentle and forbearing, trustworthy and generous - unlike fire which consumes whatever you give it and whatever you feed it cries out "Is there more?"

They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace.

Know thou that the first thing that came into being from the Ancient Originator in the worlds of creation was the four elements, which are fire, air, water and earth, as ye have heard before and now hear again. Then appeared the four natures, which are heat, moisture, cold and dryness, as ye reckon and know. When these combined and united, there appeared for each one two qualities: for fire, heat and dryness, and likewise for the remaining three. … Whatsoever hath balanced qualities endureth through time, as ye observe in the sun and moon, and that which hath unbalanced qualities perisheth ere long, as ye behold in the creation of the lower worlds.

Then know that when God created all things from the four elements - fire, air, earth and water - the four primary natures emerged: heat, cold, moisture and dryness. When combined, fire became two parts heat and dryness; water two parts cold and moisture; earth two parts cold and dryness; and air two parts heat and moisture. … So the two active ones came, not the passive ones, for the active ones are fire and water while the passive ones are earth and air.

In the mixing and combination of things, two stations are to be considered: one through pure absolute power, and this depends on His leave and is specific to His presence; the other through the conjunction of harmonious things that are not mutually repellent, and this, after knowledge of the perfect nature, is known among the philosophers as "the egg," and it is the fashioned stone, containing the four natures, and after separation is capable of complete mixture.

If one is fully cognizant of the reason for the incursion of disease and can determine the balance of elements, he can cure diseases by administering the food that can restore the normal level of the deficient element.

Nothing is created in the heavens or on the earth except through them.

Moreover, it is impossible for something to become clothed in the garment of existence without a fire belonging to its first remembrance, then a water, and then an earth for the preservation of its existence.

Although the new philosophers have conclusively denounced the mistakes of their predecessors, yet they have made their own senses the standard by which they pass judgement. The philosophers of old believed in the four elements, and contended that the element of fire was above ether, but these materialist philosophers now maintain that all these elements are compounded rather than uncompounded, and that, while ether cannot be detected by the senses, it nonetheless encompasses all creation.

The components of the sun differ from those of this earth, for there are certain light and life-giving elements radiating from the sun. Exactly the same elements may exist in two bodies, but in varying quantities. For instance, there is fire and air in water, but the alloted measure is small in proportion.

Indeed, the masters of the craft [of alchemy] consider four elements necessary in their work, for they regard all things as subsisting through the four elements. In truth, all four are necessary to earth, for it is the seat of manifestation. Verily earth cannot bring forth vegetation without water, as is evident, hence water is necessary - "and from water We made all things living." … Fire too is necessary, for motion arises from heat and ever has, and in its absence no motion can occur, hence fire is necessary.

In regard to thy question concerning the science of letters: take, from the head of each ten, the first letter. Over the first, reckon the element of fire, circumambulating the Name of God, "the Withholder"; over the second, the element of air, around the Name of God, "the Living"; over the third, the element of water, around the Name of God, "the True"; and over the fourth, the element of earth, around the Name of God, "the Causer of Death." Then multiply the letters of each decade -- the first by the fourth, and the third by the second; thereafter subtract seven, and pass judgment upon the seven after thou hast regarded the twenty-nine mansions in the science of the stars. Conform the letters to their rulings: to fire the ordinance of fire, to air the ordinance of air, to water the ordinance of water, and to earth the ordinance of earth.

This is the Day whereon the Ocean of God’s mercy hath been manifested unto men, the Day in which the Daystar of His loving-kindness hath shed its radiance upon them, the Day in which the clouds of His bountiful favor have overshadowed the whole of mankind.

Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding and the breezes of the morn. Ye are the living waters upon which dependeth the life of all, and ye are the letters of the Book.

The purport of this provision is this, that if the land related unto the appearance of His body be exalted in this fashion – so that that place become a spot wherein the faithful don the garb of pilgrimage in order to circumambulate His House – what must be the case with the lands of the essential bodies that guide unto His Grandeur; the lands of the souls that guide unto His Unity; the lands of the spirits that guide unto His Thanks; and the lands of the hearts that guide unto His Glory? – whereof in the first the Fire of Love shineth forth; in the second the Air of Vicegerency is exalted; in the third the Water of Unity is ennobled; and in the fourth the Earth of Existence is elevated.

There are four columns to reality and these are tasbih, tahmid, tahlil and takbir - all of these are names whereby God is praised and each one corresponds with one of the four elements: tasbih with air, tahmid with fire, tahlil with water, and takbir with earth.

Catalogue reference: BB00003 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

In the rank of the First Remembrance, which is the most great of the degrees of the creation, this First Remembrance must exist for four causes: the creation by God, the very being, the form, and the utility or fruit. Existence is not possible in the world of contingency except by the aid of these four aspects. Each thing, to manifest its existence, must have an element of fire, an element of air and of water to conserve this existence, and an element of earth to accept the degrees.

Catalogue reference: BB00064 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

O My servants! Be as resigned and submissive as the earth, that from the soil of your being there may blossom the fragrant, the holy and multicolored hyacinths of My knowledge. Be ablaze as the fire, that ye may burn away the veils of heedlessness and set aglow, through the quickening energies of the love of God, the chilled and wayward heart. Be light and untrammeled as the breeze, that ye may obtain admittance into the precincts of My court, My inviolable Sanctuary.

Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified