TENTH PRINCIPLE: Like with most of the other sorts of creatures, among mankind are certain individuals who are extraordinary by virtue of their acts and deeds. If those individuals have advanced in good deeds, they have been the cause of pride of mankind. Otherwise, they have been the cause of their shame. Also, they are hidden. It is as though each becomes a collective identity, an imaginary goal. Other individuals try to emulate them, and it is possible. That means, being absolute and indefinite, it is possible for such a perfect, extraordinary person to be present everywhere. In regard to this indefiniteness, according to logic, his universality may be posited in the form of a possible proposition. That is, it is possible for all acts to produce the following result: for example, "Whoever performs two rak'ats of prayers at such and such a time has performed the equivalent of the Hajj."¹⁹ It is thus the truth that at certain times two rak 'ats of prayers may be the equivalent of a Hajj. Due to its universality, this meaning may apply to all prayers of two rak'ats. That means what narrations of this sort refer to is not in fact continuous and universal, because since there are conditions of acceptance, it disallows it being continuous and universal. It is either in fact temporary and absolute or possible and universal. That is to say, the universality in this sort of Hadith is in regard to possibility. For example, "Backbiting is like murder."²⁰ This means, someone who indulges in backbiting is more harmful than deadly poison, like a killer. And for example, "A good word is a deed so good it is like freeing a slave."²¹

Here, in order to encourage and restrain, it points out the possibility of that indefinite perfect individual being present everywhere in absolute form as though it is actually the case, thus arousing eagerness for good and disgust for evil. Furthermore, the things of the eternal world cannot be measured on the scale of this world. The greatest thing here is not equal to the least thing there. Because the merits of actions look to that world, our worldly view is narrow for them. We cannot fit them into our minds. For example, Whoever reads this is given the reward of Moses and Aaron. That is to say:

All praise be to God, Sustainer of the heavens and Sustainer of the earth * Sustainer of all the worlds. His is the might in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. * All praise he to God, Sustainer of the heavens and Sustainer of the earths, * Sustainer of all the worlds, and His is the sublimity in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. * And His is the dominion, Sustainer of the heavens, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

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19. Kanz al-'Ummäl, vii, 808; Tabarânî, al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, 7740.
20. Musnad al-Firdaws, iii, 116, 117.
21. al-Manzari, al-Targhtb wa'l-Tarhib, iii. 421, 434; Kanz al-'Ummäl, iii, 589.

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