[183] And the Sage Muhammad ibn Sinan said: I asked the Scholar—His glory is mighty: 'Inform me regarding the stars—what are they?' He replied: 'They are the souls of the believers; when they achieve absolute purification, you see them permanently suspended within the celestial Kingdom, in close proximity to the Living One who never dies.'

The trustworthy youth [al-Shabb al-Tiqah] stated in Kitab al-Ma'arif: One of the sages was asked concerning the Sublime Personages [al-Ashkhas al-Ulwiyyah], and he replied: 'They recognized the Universal Cause [al-'Illah al-Kulliyyah], and consequently, they were transformed into pearlescent stars.

"And Shaykh Ibrahim Shama was asked concerning the believer: 'When he passes away [intaqala], into what does he transform?' He replied, through his chain of transmission on the authority of the ancient trustworthy authorities: 'Verily, when the believer passes away, he transitions into a spiritual station called the Station of Glad Tidings [Darajat al-Basha'ish], which is situated immediately beneath the Station of the Attainers [Darajat al-Lahiqin]. He remains stationary there for either seven days or seven months, and it serves as the locus for the ascension of absolute purification.'