ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Risalah Al- Wilayah, Vicegerency Chapter 4: What is the way towards perfection after knowing that it is possible? We say: The relation of the realities to what exists in this material realm and the physical self is the relation of the outward (zahir) to the inward (batin). Every existing characteristic connected with the outward is in reality attached to its inward and to the outward itself by its accident and in conformity with it.

Thus, the self-evident perception of the self in relation to itself is primarily and in reality related to its inward aspects, and then by accident and concordance (agreement) related to its self.

The reality which is the inward aspect of the self is more immediately perceived by the self than the actual self and is more self-evident than it, and that which is inward to this inwardness is even more prior and evident than this inwardness, and this continues until it reaches a reality to which all realities culminate. This reality is the precedent of all things known and the most evident of all self-evident things.

Considering that existence in it is sheer and undifferentiated, a second for it or another kind of it cannot be conceptualized, therefore, regarding the perception of this existence, there is no place for a refuter to refute or a denier to deny. This argument is of course complete and flawless.

We then say: Every existing reality necessitates that it be complete in its self, both in its essence and accidents, and this is a necessary self-evident premise, but it is in need of complete conceptualization (tasawwur) . So, if we were to suppose a reality, A , which has accidents B , C, and D , then this reality necessitates, in its essence, that A should not be lacking in A , for if A is deficient in A it would no longer be A , given that we have supposed it to be A .

Moreover, it also necessitates that accidents B , C and D , be their very selves, which, if they were lacking in B , C and D , given that we have already supposed them to be B , C and D and nothing more, as is apparent.

This is what every reality necessitates in its essence and accidents, and this is what we call perfection (kamal) and happiness (saadah) The reality of every perfection is that which is not qualified in its essence by a qualification of non-existence, for this would be a deficiency (naqs) . This is because every perfection in its essence has its essence.