QUESTION XII.
704
How are eternal and temporal separate,
1
That one is the world, and the other God ?
ANSWER XII.
705
Eternal and
temporal are not separate from one another.
For in that Being this non-existent has its being.
706
The first is all in all, the other is like the 'Anka,
2
Save "The Truth" no names have things answering to them.
707
Not being to become existent this is impossible,
But real Being in point of existence is imperishable.
708
Neither does this become that, nor that this.
All difficulties are now plain before you ;
709
The whole world is merely an
imaginary thing,
It is like one point whirled round in a circle.
710
Go ! whirl round a single
spark of fire,
And from its quick motion you will see a circle.
711
Though one be counted again and again, 3
Yet surely one becomes not many by this counting.
712
Cast away the saying " What is other than Allah
"
By your own reason separate that from this.
713
How can you doubt that this is a
dream ?
4
For duality by the side of unity is a pure delusion.
714
Not being is single like being,
All plurality proceeds from attribution.
5
715
The manifestation of differences and plurality of things
Proceed from the chameleon contingent.
6
716
Since the Being in all of them is One,
7
They aU bear witness to the unity of " The Truth."
