It is absurd to imagine that souls are different from one another in respect of nature, because all human souls belong to the same category and are the same in view of their nature or reality. Their mutual difference in respect of accidents is also impossible, because when a nature is attached to bodies or is attributed to them in any manner, it becomes different as the result of contact with accidents, for there must be difference in the parts of a body, but when a nature is not attached to bodies, it is impossible to find difference in it. The problem requires a lengthy discussion for its solution, but we cannot afford it at the cost of brevity.

The Condition of Human Souls and Difference among Them after the Death of Bodies

Then the inquirers further asked us: What becomes of the human soul after death? Do you think that there is plurality and difference among human souls after the death of bodies, when no sign of individuality is left after the dissolution of the physical form? We answered: This is not the same case as that of souls before the death of body because in the opinion of the true believers the departed souls differ in quality, in so far as each acquires from its body a different proclivity. Before death its preoccupation with the direction of matter, i.e. body, results in knowledge and ignorance, cleanliness and dirt, good and bad habits. These physical qualities generate in the soul those attributes which are called virtues or vices. That is why the souls become different after death, and this is the reason why we believe in plurality among human souls after death. As all separate intelligences are within the Universal Intelligence, so all individual souls are embraced by the Universal Soul. They are all same, because all are an offshoot of the same Universal Soul, yet distinct in individuals. Departed souls require preparation of a different kind. It is not improbable that the preparation required by perfect souls, which have departed from bodies, should be different from the one required by souls which have come into existence for the first time. Before the creation of bodies, the question of plurality cannot arise, for there cannot be an imaginable cause for difference among them. Continuing, they asked us to explain the meaning of the tradition: "..." and according to an another version: "..." [God made Adam like Himself, or God made Adam compassionate like Himself]. We explained:

The Meaning of Surat or Image

Surat (image or form) is a common noun. Some things are sometimes expressed through metaphor or allegory so that its impression on the heart of the listener may be deep. Its value is that it leaves a greater impression on the heart. This kind of metaphor belongs to the principle of expressing a certain meaning through a picture which contains the same meaning or a similar meaning. The knowledge that in such cases there are inner meanings which differ from the outward significations can be determined only either by rational or legal evidence. The feeble-minded will regard the literal exoteric meaning sensible and will not go beyond it, but the man who has an insight for realities will comprehend the secret it contains. On the authority of this tradition, a meaning other than the outward is intended. Surat or image means here an intellectual and not a physical image. In it those attributes of the human soul are mentioned which have been derived from the personality of God and His attributes and actions. Man and God are highly dynamic personalities distinct from each other and yet together. The human soul is a spiritual substance which is not a body possessing form, nor a substance restricted and limited. It is not space-filling and is neither connected to body nor disconnected from it, neither inside body, nor outside it. These attributes also belong to God. The essential attributes of the soul are that it is a pure intelligence possessing life, knowledge, and peace and can hear, see and speak. God has also the same attributes. The soul causes human bodies to function in the following manner. Our giving a form to something in our soul is not sufficient for the production of the form of that thing. Accordingly, together with knowledge we need an act of will which appears as a new factor. This originates from the faculty of desire. As a result of it, there comes into operation the faculty which causes the movement of the muscles and the tendons in the outer limbs. So with the movement of the muscles and the tendons the hand or some other limb begins to move. With the movement of the hand arises the movement of a pen or whatever external instrument there may be. With tke movement of the pen arises the movement of the matter, e.g. the ink in this case. And then comes into being the form of the written thing to which we had given a form in our souls. And this is the reason why the mere existence of form in our souls is neither power nor will. On the contrary, our power is with the principle which moves the muscles. So the form moves another mover, i.e. the principle of our power. Man’s action is inconceivable without power and will. And will is inconceivable without knowledge. The power of writing is in the hand and the fingers, but the knowledge of it is not in the hand. Nor is the will in the hand. When the digestive and other internal organs of the human bodies have become fully developed, the heart attracts to itself the essence of the vegetative spirit, and having further matured it forms the life; the essence of this again is attracted to the brain, where, after being matured, it is developed into the soul and the remainder dispersed through nerves into limbs, where it becomes the source of sense and motion. In the wombs these developments occupy several months, before body is actually born. The real self is connected with the body through the spirit, which is a subtle vapor like substance spreading all over the body. And those who have carefully considered the actions of God, and looked into the wonderful ways of His creation, have arrived at the conclusion that He created the vegetable and animal kingdoms out of the movement of various parts of the heavens and stars, which are moved by angels. They are also of opinion that man is an agent in this lower and lesser world of sense, as He is omnipotent in the upper and greater world of intelligence. He has the power to create anything He wills. Production and destruction are the effects of His will. So when He wills, He produces, and when He wills, He destroys. The most extraordinary cosmologies have been worked out, in which the various parts of the heavens which are living beings composed of bodies and souls, are equated to different parts of the human body. In its functions the human heart can be likened to the throne of God, the brain to the soul of the highest sphere, the senses to angels, who have but to obey God by nature, the muscles and limbs to heavens, the power in fingers is as reliable and firm as a spirit inseparably connected with bodies. The compounded ink which man uses for purposes of solving sums in arithmetic, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc., is a mixture of diverse elements. Man’s treasure house of imagination is the Lawh-i-Mahfuz or "The Preserved Tablet". The impression of the particulars of the world upon the souls of the heavens is like the impression of the memorables upon the faculty of memory, which is located inside the brain of man. Man comprehends his own attributes and, by comparison and analogy with these, he understands the attributes of God. Those who understand the attributes of God, as they are mirrored in the human soul, would understand the meaning lying hidden in the tradition: "..." [He who knows himself knows God]. It was also revealed to our Prophet that he who does not know the spirit does not know himself, and he who does not know himself does not know God. Explaining things further, we continued: What we find in the sacred texts is only an allegory proportioned to the limitations of common understanding, just as the verses and traditions with an anthropomorphic import are allegories used to facilitate understanding. If this devise were omitted, we would not be able to know God through the knowledge of ourselves and it would be impossible for us to reach our maximum development. The universe is the mirror of God and the heart of man is the mirror of the universe. The human soul is the masterpiece of creation, and the whole material world is placed under its control. If you then would know God, you must look into your own heart. If man had not been Divinely authorized to act as God’s agent in this world, the existence of the world would have been inconceivable, and man could never have learnt what God really is. Then they asked us: If the souls are originated, as bodies are, how would you explain the tradition:

"..."

[God created souls two thousand years before the creation of bodies, and I am the first of the prophets in birth and last of them in my prophethood. I was a prophet even when Adam was between water and mire.]

We said: The answer to your question is that this tradition does not prove the eternity of the soul. On the contrary, rational proof has actually compelled the intelligent to assent to the doctrine that the soul is originated. There is not a single branch of knowledge in which new terms have not been introduced for the sake of conveying meanings. Some of the sciences have external as well as internal meanings, that some of the terms are obvious and readily understood, while others are hidden and become evident through research. We would, therefore, interpret this tradition in the following manner. By soul God meant the souls of the angels, and by bodies, the bodies of the throne of God, the highest sphere, the seven heavens, the stars, fire, air, water and earth. You must know tliat man’s body is a mere nothing when compared with the body of the earth, and that the body of the earth is smaller than sun, which is again smaller than heaven above it. All the seven heavens placed over one another are greater than the ones placed under them, and these have no comparison in greatness with the highest sphere, containing all the heavens and the earth. The highest sphere is again smaller than God’s Throne. If you can think intellectually, you will be forced to the conclusion that by bodies as mentioned in the tradition the bodies of human beings are not meant. Similarly, by souls the tradition means the souls of angels and not those of the human beings. If you had the knowledge of angels and souls, you would hold that they are like a great fire that kindles all human souls, feeds and supplies the spirit of humanity, as oil feeds and supplies the flame in a lamp. Each of the angels has an individual soul distinct from the one possessed by another. On the contrary, although the human soul is one by nature, it gets divided when it is related to bodies, and after its separation from bodies, it returns to its original character and is reunified. God refers to the souls of the angels in the following verses of the Qur’an: "..." [Here the revealing angel speaks in person: There is not one of us but hath his known position. Lo! we are they who set the ranks. Lo! we, even we, are they who hymn His praise (xxxvii. 164-65)] and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "..." [Those who bow in worship do not prostrate themselves and those who stand in worship do not bow, and there is none whose rank is not specially reserved). Therefore, it follows from what we have said that, according to the tradition, the words "soul" and "bodies" refer to the souls and bodies of angels and heavenly spheres, and not to the souls and bodies of the human beings. The interpretation of the tradition [...] is as follows: Here the word khalq means existence in a state of spiritual abstraction and not in the sense of creation in this world, since he had no formal existence before he was born. This was possible, because God’s will is ancient. In its eternal nature it governs the creation of all human beings in a state of spiritual abstraction in accordance with the eternal foreknowledge of God. This type of existence is the Divine existence (Existence in Him) which is timeless and which we have before our coming here. It is not the same type of existence as is usually attributed to God’s creatures. It is a type of existence which only God knows and only He is aware of. Now God, in recognizing the Prophet’s existence, saw him in the beginning, when he was non-existent and unaware of his future existence in this world. He caused, as it were, His desire to flow over him, according to His will, till he was completely imbued with Divine qualities and freed from the shackles of time. The life which Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived in this world was without doubt the most perfect and penetrating. It was the most significant, dominant and more adequately described as conquering, victorious and truly overwhelming, as com- pared with the lives of other Prophets who had passed away before him. God gave him precedence over all other Prophets. That is why he is called the Seal of the Prophets and Lord of mankind. Nothing can be created or invented in this world of sense, unless the act of creation is preceded by an intention, i.e. an inner agitation. For instance, a mason intends to construct a house. For the first time his vision embraces a perspective of his proposed great house, which is laid originally on the plan of his mind, at the back of which he has the number of walls and rooms, etc., and the order in which bricks are to be placed to make the walls. Unless he plans the house according to his prearranged outline, he cannot construct it. Similarly, know that God creates man, so that he may attain nearness to Him. This nearness is impossible without the assistance of the intermediaries nearer to Him, i.e. the Prophets. Prophethood, therefore, is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. God’s claim to nearness is obligatory and binding upon all creatures because He made it obligatory upon them through the words of His Prophets, and not by reason alone. Prophethood becomes complete only when it has crossed a number of stages. Adam introduced it and Muhammad (peace be upon him) completed it as an Apostle of God. He was the one who had been made perfect by Prophethood and the one who had completed God’s mission. It is absurd to believe that the door of Prophethood is still left open, for an addition to "completion" is a loss rather than a gain. For instance, a hand has normally have fingers. It would be defective if it had six fingers, for then it would not function properly and would be decidedly as harmful as a hand with four fingers. Though the sixth finger is something more than is required, yet in actual practice it would contribute towards dislocation and confusion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) hinted to the same truth when he said: "..." [Prophetliood can be likened to a completely constructed house with a space left for a brick only and I am that brick]. When you have understood why it is obligatory to believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last of God’s Prophets, know that he was the first Prophet in view of his spiritual existence, and the last one in this world of matter. The tradition "..." also bears the same meaning, which we have already explained, for Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a Prophet even before Adam was created. God created Adam with the sole purpose of choosing the best among his sons who could and did gain promotion to the loftiest height where the stations of the Prophets and saints lie. The revelation of Prophethood has different stages, depending upon the degree of self-mortification and upon the degree in which the inner self (al-batin) is clean and free of things other than God, as well as upon the obtaining of guidance by means of the light of faith (yaqin). Know that according to a Divine decree first the fate of things is determined and then they are made, and the fate of all earthly things lies inscribed in the Preserved Tablet. A mason also plans his building in like manner and draws its proposed plan in a note-book. The treasure house of things to which Divine power extends includes mysterious and wonderful things. The most learned are sealed off from their knowledge and the comprehension of the greatest doctors cannot attain it.