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مَكْتَبَةُ كَتِيبَةِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ

Epistle on Negation and Affirmation in the Gnosis of the Essence - Sulayman Abd Allah Ali Dahr Matar

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Page 166 of 229

This is precisely what the virtuous instructor and brilliant writer Hasan Jadid demonstrated in Al-Radd al-Tamm ‘ala Tanathur al-Awham by his saying:

“And we affirm that the form we perceive is the substance (al-jawhar) itself, not the accidental property (al-‘araḍī). Meaning: that upon which the vision falls is the very essence of that Light.”

which is stripped of every relation and attribution.

Let us first strike a parable: if we look at a copious spring of water that gushes forth with power and overflows continuously, what do we actually perceive of that spring? Verily, the intensity of its water's movement, rushing from the inside out, displays a moving, white froth upon its surface. This froth veils the reality of the water from us; thus, if we desire to perceive the water itself, it becomes impossible for us because it is veiled from us by two appearances: the appearance of the movement and the appearance of the froth. Our sensory perception falls entirely upon the froth and the movement of the water, both of which are accidental properties (‘araḍiyyān) in relation to the water, not substantial properties (jawhariyyān). That is to say: we perceive the accidental aspect of the water as a form.

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