And they were named: Elements (Istiqaat)1, Principles ('Anasir), and Pillars (Arkan).
Then He extracted [from] what was within it to form the Human [Form] from what is closest to Perfection, Majesty, and Equilibrium.
So It [The Universal Soul] poured its power upon that Type (Naw'). And from him appeared its majesty, its wisdom, and its speech through its Word. And It appeared in its totality from him upon its greatness, and connected him to the locus of its rank.
So he mingled with the High Separated Ones (Al-'Aliyat al-Mufaraqat) and united with the Remaining, Permanent Essences.
Footnotes
1Istiqaat (Stoicheia/Elements):The Natural Forms mentioned in the text of Al-Tanbih are what the Author of Al-Usayfir (Sanctified be his secret) spoke of: "And they were named Istiqaat, Elements, and Pillars."To confirm this, we quote again what came in Al-Tanbih by Al-Shirazi (Sanctified be his secret), where he spoke of the Four Shadows:"The First Shadow is called the Intellect.""The Second is called the Universal Soul.""The Third is called the Universal Word.""The Fourth is called the Universal Form."And for each of these Four Shadows, there is a Natural Form known by a specific name in the terminology of some of the folk:The First Form is called Universal Heat.The Second is called Universal Moisture.The Third is called Universal Cold.The Fourth is called Universal Dryness.And for these Four Natures, there are Four Figures (Ashkhas):The First is named Fire.The Second is named Air.The Third is named Water.The Fourth is named Earth.All of these branches, shadows, forms, natures, and figures branched off from the Divine Manifestations, which are:Knowledge, Power, Will, and Nature.These are sent with the Breath necessary for the life of creation and their uprightness to witness what appears of the gleams of illuminations of the Lordly Presence.Thus, Man became a creature upon the likeness of the Universal Form (Al-Surah al-Jami'a)—gathering the Universal Forms, Universal Meanings, Universal Realities, and Universal Secrets.And for this reason, it was said:"Indeed, Allah created Adam in the likeness of His Form."