بخش 16 - تمثیل لوح محفوظ و ادراک عقل هر کسی از آن لوح آنک امر و قسمت و مقدور هر روزهٔ ویست هم چون ادراک جبرئیل علیه‌السلام هر روزی از لوح اعظم عقل مثال جبرئیلست و نظر او به تفکر به سوی غیبی که معهود اوست در تفکر و اندیشهٔ کیفیت معاش و بیرون شو کارهای هر روزینه مانند نظر جبرئیلست در لوح و فهم کردن او از لوح

Like the Angel, the intellect receives (reads) every morning its daily lesson from the Guarded Tablet. Behold the inscriptions made without (use of) fingers upon non-existence and the amazement of the madmen at the blackness of them.

Every one is infatuated with some phantasy and digs in corners in mad desire for a (buried) treasure.

By a phantasy one person is filled with (desire for) magnificence and turns his face towards the mines (of precious ore) in the mountains;

And, (inspired) by a phantasy, another sets his face with bitter toil towards the sea for the sake of pearls;

And another (goes) into a church to perform religious exercises, while another (betakes himself) to sowing in his greed (for gain).

Through phantasy that one becomes the waylayer (destroyer) of him who has escaped (unhurt); and through phantasy this (other) becomes the salve (deliverer) of him who has been (sorely) wounded.

One loses his soul in the invocation of demons, while another sets his foot upon the stars.

He (the observer) sees that these modes of action in the external world are diverse (since they arise) from the various phantasies within.

This man (engaged in some occupation) is amazed at that man (occupied with something else) and says, “What is he about?” Every taster denies the other (whose taste is different).

Unless those phantasies were incongruous, how did the modes of action become diverse externally?

Since the qibla (the true object) of the soul has been hidden, every one has turned his face to a (different) quarter.