since their ultimate objective is one—which is Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. They become completely sanctified above any material contamination [al-taghbir], and their individual acts of glorification blend entirely into one another, exactly like the blending of light emitted from multiple lamps—a pure, spiritual intermingling. 'There, the authority belongs to Allah, the True, the Manifest.' This is a definitive exposition regarding the ultimate return [ma'ad] of souls after their initial primordial descent [hubut]. For the soul never seeks its return and spiritual ascension unless it recognizes its origin and cosmic state; and whosoever fails to comprehend the primary emanation [al-isdar] shall never draw near to the ultimate arrival [al-wurud].

[162] And it is narrated from Kumayl ibn Ziyad that he said: I asked my Master, the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali—His glory is mighty—saying: 'O Commander of the Faithful, I desire that you make me recognize my own soul.' He replied: 'O Kumayl, and which of the souls is it that you want me to make you recognize?' I said: 'O my Master, is it anything other than a single soul?' He said: 'O Kumayl, it is but four distinct souls: the vegetative soul capable of growth [al-namiyah al-nabatiyyah], the sensory animal soul [al-hissiyyah al-hayawaniyyah],