[Brother! You wanted a few words of advice from me. So listen to a few truths included in eight short stories, which since
you are a soldier, are in the form of comparisons of a military nature. I consider my own soul to need advice more than
anyone, and at one time I addressed my soul at some length with Eight Words inspired by eight verses of the Qur'an from
which I had benefited. Now I shall address my soul with these same Words, but briefly and in the language of ordinary
people. Whoever wishes may listen together with me.]

                                    The First Word

Bismillah, In the Name of God, is the start of all things good. We too shall start with it. Know, O my soul! Just as this
blessed phrase is a mark of Islam, so too it is constantly recited by all beings through their tongues of disposition. If you want
to know what an inexhaustible strength, what an unending source of bounty is Bismillah, listen to the following story which
is in the form of a comparison. It goes like this:

Someone who makes a journey through the deserts of Arabia has to travel in the name of a tribal chief and enter under his
protection, for in this way he may be saved from the assaults of bandits and secure his needs. On his own he will perish in
the face of innumerable enemies and needs. And so, two men went on such a journey and entered the desert. One of them
was modest and humble, the other proud and conceited. The humble man assumed the name of a tribal chief, while the
proud man did not. The first travelled safely wherever he went. If he encountered bandits, he said: "I am travelling in the
name of such-and-such tribal leader," and they would not molest him. If he came to some tents, he would be treated
respectfully due to the name. But the proud man suffered such calamities throughout his journey that they cannot be
described. He both trembled before everything and begged from everything. He was abased and became an object of scorn.

And so, my proud soul! You are the traveller, and this world is a desert. Your impotence and poverty have no limit, and your
enemies and needs are endless. Since it is thus, take the name of the Pre-Eternal Ruler and Post-Eternal Lord of the desert
and be saved from begging before the whole universe and trembling before every event.

Indeed, this phrase is a treasury so blessed that your infinite impotence and want bind you to an infinite power and mercy; it
makes that impotence and want a most acceptable intercessor at the Court of One All-Powerful and Compassionate. The
person who acts saying, "In the Name of God," resembles someone who enrolls in the army. He acts in the name of the
government; he has fear of no one; he speaks, performs every matter, and withstands everything in the name of the law and
the name of the government.

At the beginning we said that all beings say, "In the Name of God" through the tongue of disposition. Is that so?

Indeed, it is so. If you were to see that a single person had come and had driven all the inhabitants of a town to a place by
force and compelled them to work, you would be certain that he had not acted in his own name and through his own power,
but that he was a soldier, acting in the name of the government and relying on the power of a king.

In the same way, all things act in the name of Almighty God, for minute things like seeds and grains bear huge trees on their
heads; they raise loads like mountains. That means all trees say: "In the Name of God," fill their hands from the treasury of
Mercy, and offer them to us. All gardens say: "In the Name of God," and become cauldrons from the kitchens of Divine
Power in which are cooked numerous varieties of different foods. All blessed animals like cows, camels, sheep, and goats,
say: "In the Name of God," and become fountains of milk from the abundance of Mercy, offering us a most delicate and
pure food like the water of life in the name of the Provider. The roots and rootlets, soft as silk, of all plants, trees, and
grasses, say: "In the Name of God," and pierce and pass through hard rock and earth. Mentioning the name of God, the
name of the Most Merciful, everything becomes subjected to them.""

Indeed, the roots spreading through hard rock and earth and producing fruits as easily as the branches spread through the air
and produce fruits, and the delicate green leaves retaining their moisture for months in the face of extreme heat, deal a slap
in the mouths of Naturalists and jab a finger in their blind eyes, saying: "Even heat and hardness, in which you most trust, are
under a command. For, like the Staff of Moses, each of those silken rootlets conform to the command of, And We said, O
Moses, strike the rock with your staff, 1 and split the rock. And the delicate leaves fine as cigarette paper recite the
verse, O fire be coolness and peace 2 against the heat of the fire, each like the members of Abraham (UWP).

Since all things say, "In the Name of God," and bearing God's bounties in God's name, give them to us, we too should say,
"In the Name of God." We should give in the name of God, and take in the name of God. And we should not take from
heedless people who neglect to give in God's name.

Question: We give a price to people, who are like tray-bearers. So what price does God want, Who is the true owner?

The Answer: Yes, the price the True Bestower of Bounties wants in return for those valuable bounties and goods is three
things: one is remembrance, one is thanks, and one is reflection. Saying, "In the Name of God" at the start is
remembrance, and, "All praise be to God" at the end is thanks. And perceiving and thinking of those bounties, which are
valuable wonders of art, being miracles of power of the Unique and Eternally Besought One and gifts of His mercy, is
reflection. However foolish it is to kiss the foot of a lowly man who conveys to you the valuable gift of a king and not to
recognize the gift's owner, to praise and love the apparent source of bounties and forget the True Bestower of Bounties is a
thousand times more foolish.

O my soul! If you do not wish to be foolish in that way, give in God's name, take in God's name, begin in God's name, and
act in God's name.

                                            * * *

                            The Second Station of the Fourteenth Flash

This, which has been included here because of its relevance, concerns six of the thousands of mysteries contained in In the
Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

NOTE: A bright light from In the Name Of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate concerning Divine Mercy appeared to
my dull mind from afar. I wanted to record it for myself in the form of notes, and to hunt it down and capture it, and
circumscribe the light with twenty to thirty Mysteries. But unfortunately I was not able to do this at the present time and the
twenty or thirty Mysteries were reduced to five or six.

When I say: "Oh, man!", I mean myself. And while this lesson is directed particularly to my own soul, I refer it as the
Second Station of the Fourteenth Flash for the approval of my meticulous brothers in the hope that it may benefit those with
whom I am connected spiritually and whose souls are more prudent than mine. This lesson looks to the heart more than the
mind, and regards spiritual pleasure rather than rational proofs.

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

[The Queen] said: "Ye chiefs! Here is -delivered to me- a letter worthy of respect. It is from Solomon, and is [as follows]:
'In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate'. "1

A number of mysteries will be mentioned in this Station.

FIRST MYSTERY

I saw one manifestation of In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate as follows:

On the face of the universe, the face of the earth, and the face of man are three Stamps of Dominicality one within the
other and each showing samples of the others.

The First is the Great Stamp of Godhead, which is manifest through the mutual assistance, cooperation, and embracing and
corresponding to one another of beings in the totality of the universe. This looks to In the Name of God.

The Second is the Great Stamp of Divine Mercifulness, which is manifest through the mutual resemblance and proportion,
order, harmony, favour and compassion in the disposal, raising and administration of plants and animals on the face of the
earth. This looks to In the Name of God, the Merciful.

Then there is the Exalted Stamp of Divine Compassionateness, which is manifest through the subtleties of Divine
beneficence, fine points of Divine clemency, and rays of Divine compassion on the face of man's comprehensive nature.
This looks to The Compassionate in In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

That is to say, In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate is the sacred title of three Stamps of Divine
Oneness, which form a luminous line on the page of the world, and a strong cord, and shining filament. That is, through being
revealed from above, the tip of In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate rests on man, the fruit of the
universe and miniature copy of the world. It binds the lower world to the Divine Throne. It is a way for man to ascend to the
Divine Throne.

SECOND MYSTERY

In order not to overwhelm minds by Divine Unity, which is apparent in the boundless multiplicity of creatures, the Qur'an of
Miraculous Exposition constantly points out the manifestation of Divine Oneness within Divine Unity. For example, the sun
encompasses numberless things with its light. In order to consider the sun itself in the totality of its light, a most extensive
conceptual ability and comprehensive view is necessary. So, lest the sun itself be forgotten, it is displayed in every shining
object by means of its reflection. And in accordance with the capacity of each, all shining objects display the sun's qualities,
such as its light and heat, together with the manifestation of its essence. And just as in accordance with their capacities, all
lustrous objects show the sun together with all its attributes, so too do the sun's qualities, like its light and heat and the seven
colours in its light, all encompass all the things facing it.

And in the same way, And God's is the highest similitude 2 -but let there be no mistake in the comparison- just as Divine
Oneness and Eternal Besoughtedness have a manifestation together with all the Divine Names in everything, in animate
creatures in particular, and especially in man's mirror-like essence, so too through Divine Unity does each of the Divine
Names connected to beings encompass all beings. Thus, lest minds become overwhelmed by Divine Unity and hearts forget
the Most Pure and Holy Essence, the Qur'an constantly puts before the eyes the Stamp of Divine Oneness within Divine
Unity. And that is In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, which points out the three important points of the
Stamp.

THIRD MYSTERY

What makes this boundless universe rejoice is clearly Divine Mercy. And what illuminates these dark beings is self-evidently
Divine Mercy. And what fosters and raises creatures struggling within these endless needs is self-evidently again Divine
Mercy. And what causes the whole universe to be turned towards man, like a tree together with all its parts is turned
towards its fruit, and causes it to look to him and run to his assistance is clearly Divine Mercy. And what fills and illuminates
boundless space and the empty, vacant world and makes it rejoice is self-evidently Divine Mercy. And what designates
ephemeral man for eternity and makes him the addressee and beloved of a Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal One is
self-evidently Divine Mercy.

Oh man! Since Divine Mercy is such a powerful, inviting, sweet, assisting lovable truth, say: In the Name of God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate, adhere to this truth and be saved from absolute desolation and the pains of unending needs.
And draw close to the throne of the Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal Monarch, and through the compassion and rays of Divine
Mercy, become the addressee, friend, and beloved of that Monarch.

Indeed, to gather with wisdom around man the realms of beings in the universe, and to make them hasten to meet all his
needs with perfect order and favour is clearly one of two situations. Either each realm of beings in the universe itself knows
man, and obeys him, runs to help him, which just as it is completely irrational is also impossible in many respects, or an
absolutely impotent being like man has to possess the power of the mightiest absolute sovereign, or this assistance occurs
through the knowledge of an Absolutely Powerful One behind the veil of the universe. That is to say, it is not that the
different beings in the universe know man, but that they are the evidences of a Knowing, Compassionate One being
acquainted with him and knowing him.

Oh man! Come to your senses! Is it at all possible that the All-Glorious One, Who causes all the varieties of creatures to
turn towards you and stretch out their hands to assist you, and causes them to say: "Here we are!" in the face of your needs,
is it possible that He does not know you, is not acquainted with you, does not see you? Since He does know you, He informs
you that He knows you through His Mercy. So, you know Him too, and with respect let Him know that you know Him, and
understand with certainty that what subjugates the vast universe to an absolutely weak, absolutely impotent, absolutely
needy, ephemeral, insignificant creature like you, and despatches it to assist you is the truth of Divine Mercy, which
comprises wisdom, favour, knowledge, and power.

Most certainly, a Mercy such as this requires universal and sincere thanks, and earnest and genuine respect. Therefore, say:
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, which is the interpreter and expression of such sincere thanks and
genuine respect. And make it the means of attaining to the Mercy, and an intercessor at the Court of the All-Merciful One.

Indeed, the existence and reality of Divine Mercy is as clear as the sun. For just as a woven tapestry centred on one point is
formed by the order and situation of the threads of its warp and weft coming from all directions, so too the luminous threads
extending from the manifestation of a thousand and one Divine Names in the vast sphere of the universe weave such a seal
of compassionateness, tapestry of clemency, and seal of benevolence within a Stamp of Mercy that it demonstrates itself to
minds more brilliantly than the sun.

The Beauteous All-Merciful One, Who orders the sun and moon, the elements and minerals, plants and animals like the
warp and weft of a vast woven tapestry through the rays of His thousand and one Names, and causes them to serve life;
and demonstrates His compassion through the exceedingly sweet and self-sacrificing compassion of all mothers, plant and
animal; and subjugates animate creatures to human life, and from this demonstrates man's importance and a most fine and
lovely large tapestry of Divine Dominicality, and manifests His most brilliant Mercy, has, in the face of His own absolute
lack of need made His Mercy an acceptable intercessor for animate creatures and man.

Oh man! If you are truly a human being, say: In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Find that intercessor.
For sure, it is clearly, self-evidently, Divine Mercy which, without forgetting or confusing any of them raises, nurtures, and
administers the four hundred thousand different plant and animal species on the earth at precisely the right time, and with
perfect order, wisdom, and beneficence, and stamps the Seal of Divine Oneness on the face of the globe of the earth. And
just as the existence of Divine Mercy is as certain as the existence of the beings on the face of the earth, so too do the
beings form as many evidences to its reality as their own number.

Like on the face of the earth there is such a Seal of Mercy and Stamp of Divine Oneness, so also on the face of man's
nature is a Stamp of Divine Mercy which is not inferior to the Stamp of Compassion and vast Stamp of Mercy on the face
of the universe. Simply, man possesses a comprehensiveness like being a point of focus of a thousand and one Divine
Names.

Oh man! Is it at all possible that the One Who gives you this face, and places such a Stamp of Mercy and Seal of Oneness
on it would leave you to your own devices, attach no importance to you, pay no attention to your actions, make the whole
universe, which is turned towards you, futile and pointless, and make the tree of creation rotten and insignificant with
decayed fruit? Would He cause to be denied His Mercy, which is as obvious as the sun, and His Wisdom, which is as clear
as light, neither of which can in any way be doubted, nor are in any way deficient? God forbid!

Oh man! You should know that there is a way to ascend to the throne of Divine Mercy, and that is, In the Name of God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate. If you want to understand how important this way of ascent is, look at the beginning of the
one hundred and fourteen chapters of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, and at the beginnings of all estimable books, and
at the start of all good works. And a clear proof of the God-determined grandeur of In the Name of God is that the very
foremost Islamic scholars like Imam Shafi'i (may God be pleased with him) said: "Although In the Name of God the
Merciful, the Compassionate is one verse, it was revealed one hundred and fourteen times in the Qur'an."

FOURTH MYSTERY

To declare: "You alone do we worship" in the face of the manifestation of Divine Unity within boundless multiplicity is not
sufficient for everyone; the mind wanders. It is necessary to possess a heart as broad as the globe of the earth in order to
observe the Unique and Single One behind the unity in the totality of beings, and to say: "You alone do we worship, and from
You alone do we seek help". 3 As a consequence of this, so that the Seal of Divine Oneness should be apparent on all
species and realms of beings just as it is shown clearly on individual objects, and that they should call to mind the Unique and
Single One, it is shown within the Stamp of Divine Mercy. Thus everyone at every level may turn to the Most Pure and
Holy One, and saying: "You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help," address Him directly.

It is in order to express this mighty mystery and clearly point out the Seal of Divine Mercy that the All-Wise Qur'an
suddenly mentions the smallest sphere and most particular matter when describing the vastest sphere of the universe, for
example, the creation of the heavens and the earth. And so that the mind does not wander, nor the heart drown, and the
spirit may find directly its True Object of Worship, it opens the subject of man's creation and man's voice, and the subtle
details of the bounties and wisdom in his features, for example, while mentioning the creation of the heavens and earth. The
verse,

And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and in your colours4

demonstrates this truth in a miraculous fashion.

Indeed, within innumerable creatures and an infinite multiplicity, there are sorts and degrees of Stamps of Divine Unity like
concentric circles from the greatest Stamp to the smallest. But however clear that Unity is, it is still a unity within
multiplicity. It cannot truly address observers. It is because of this that there has to be the Stamp of Divine Oneness behind
Unity. So that unity does not call to mind multiplicity, and directly before the Most Pure and Holy One a way may be opened
up to the heart.

Furthermore, in order to direct gazes towards the Stamp of Divine Oneness and attract hearts towards it, a most captivating
design, shining light, agreeable sweetness, pleasing beauty, and powerful truth, which is the Stamp of Divine Mercy and Seal
of Divine Compassion, has been placed on it. For sure, it is the strength of that Mercy which attracts the gazes of conscious
beings, draws them to It, and causes them to reach the Seal of Oneness and to observe the Unique and Single One, and
from that to manifest the true address in You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help.

Thus, it is through In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate being the index of the Sura al-Fatiha and a concise
summary of the Qur'an that it is the sign and interpreter of this mighty mystery. One who acquires this sign may travel
through the levels of Divine Mercy. And one who causes this interpreter to speak may learn the mysteries of Divine Mercy
and see the lights of Divine Compassion and pity.

FIFTH MYSTERY

There is a Hadith which goes something like this:

God created man in the form of the All-Merciful One.

It has been interpreted by some Sufis in an extraordinary way inappropriate to the tenets of belief. Some of them who were
ecstatics even considered man's spiritual nature to be 'in the form of the All-Merciful'. Since ecstatics are mostly immersed
in contemplation and confused, they are perhaps to be excused in holding views contrary to reality. But on consideration,
those in their senses cannot accept their ideas which are contrary to the fundamentals of belief. If they do, they are in error.

Indeed, the Most Pure and Holy Deity, Who administers with order the whole universe as though it was a palace or house,
and spins the stars as though they were particles and causes them to travel through space with wisdom and ease, and
employs minute particles as though they were orderly officials, has no partner, match, opposite, or equal. So also according
to the meaning of the verse:

There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He hears and sees [all things],5

He has no form, like, or peer, there is nothing resembling or similar to Him. However, according to the meaning and manner
of comparison of the following verse,

And His is the highest similitude in the heavens and the earth, and He is Exalted in Might, Full of Wisdom, 6

His actions, attributes, and Names may be considered. That is to say, there is allegory and comparison in regard to actions.
One aim of the above - mentioned Hadith is as follows: "Man is in a form showing the Divine Name of All-Merciful in its
entirety."

For sure, as we explained before, just as the Divine Name of All-Merciful is manifest through the rays of a thousand and
one Names on the face of the universe, and is apparent through the innumerable manifestations of God's absolute
Dominicality on the face of the earth, so also is the complete manifestation of the Name All-Merciful apparent in a small
measure in man's comprehensive form, like on the face of the earth and the face of the universe.

A further indication is this: the evidences to the Necessarily Existent One of places of manifestation like animate creatures
and man, who are proofs of and mirrors to the All-Merciful and Compassionate One, are so certain, clear, and obvious that
just as it may be said of a shining mirror which reflects the image of the sun: "That mirror is the sun", indicating to the clarity
of its brilliance and evidence, so also it has been said and may be said: "Man is in the form of the All-Merciful One",
indicating to the clearness of his evidence and completeness of his connection. It is as a consequence of this mystery that
the more moderate of those who believed in 'the unity of existence' said: "There is no existent but He", as a way of
expressing the clarity of this evidence and perfection of connection.

Oh God! Oh Most Merciful One! Most Compassionate One! Through the truth of In the Name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate have mercy on us as befits Your Compassionateness, and allow us to understand the mysteries of In the
Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate as befits Your Mercifulness. AMEN.

SIXTH MYSTERY

Oh unhappy man struggling within a boundless impotence and endless want! You should understand just what a valuable
means and acceptable intercessor is Divine Mercy. For Divine Mercy is the means to an All-Glorious Sovereign in Whose
army both the stars and minute particles serve together in perfect order and obedience. And that All-Glorious One and
Sovereign of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity is self-sufficient, He is utterly without need.

He is rich without limit being in no respect needy of the universe and beings. The whole universe is under His command and
direction, utterly obedient beneath His majesty and grandeur, submissive before His sublimity. That is Divine Mercy for you,
Oh man! It raises you to the presence of the One absolutely lacking any need, the Eternal Sovereign, and makes you His
friend, addressee, and well-loved servant. But just as you cannot reach the sun, are far from it and can no way draw close
to it, although the sun's light gives you its reflection and manifestation by means of your mirror, in the same way you are
infinitely distant from the Most Pure and Holy One, the Sun of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, and cannot draw close to
Him, but the light of His Mercy makes Him closer to us.

And so, O man! He who finds this Mercy finds an eternal unfailing treasury of light. And the way to find it is through
following the Practices of the Most Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who was the most brilliant
example and representative of Mercy, its most eloquent tongue and herald, and was described in the Qur'an as a 'Mercy to
All the Worlds.'

And the means to this embodiment of Mercy who is a Mercy to All the Worlds is to utter the prayer calling down God's
blessings upon him. Indeed, the meaning of this prayer is Mercy. As a prayer of Mercy for that living embodiment of Divine
Mercy, it is the means of reaching the Mercy to All the Worlds. So, make this prayer the means to the Mercy to All the
Worlds for yourself, and at the same time make Him the means to the Mercy of the Most Merciful One.

The whole Muslim community in all their great numbers uttering this prayer which is synonymous with Mercy for the Mercy
to All the Worlds proves in brilliant fashion what a valuable Divine gift is Divine Mercy, and how broad is its sphere.

To Conclude: Just as the most precious jewel in the treasury of Mercy and its doorkeeper is the Prophet Muhammed (Upon
whom be blessings and peace), so too is its first key In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. And its most
easy key the prayer for the Prophet.

Oh God! Through the truth of In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate grant blessings and peace to the one
whom You sent as a mercy to all the worlds as befits Your Mercy, and in veneration of him, and to all his Family and
Companions. And grant us Mercy so as to make us free of want for the mercy of any other than You from among Your
creatures. AMEN.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us. Indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.