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Names, as we have seen above, but also he gives a very broad meaning of daytime and night (nahâr and OD\O), suggesting that every orb and divine Name has a corre-VSRQGLQJGD\WLPHDQGQLJKWOLNHRXUQRUPDOGD\WLPHDQGQLJKW-XVWDVRXUGD\WLPH
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varied daytimes and nights are all caused through the manifestation of the primary GLYLQH1DPHµthe Light¶>,,,@ZKLFKEULQJVLQWRPDQLIHVWH[LVWHQFHLQWKH
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VRZKHQWKHGLYLQH1DPHµthe Light¶LVFRQVLGHUHG IURPWKHSHUVSHFWLYHRI the existence of the exalted shadow imaged forth (in the cosmos: i.e. the )LUVW ,QWHOOHFWRU µ3HUIHFW +XPDQ %HLQJ¶ DQG IURP WKH SHUVSHFWLYH RI LWV
rising upon those who are in the world, then the world (i.e. the creatures) which are in this image will call this rising, until the time it sets for them, a µGD\WLPH¶DQGIURPWKHWLPHLWVHWVIRUWKHPWKH\FDOOLWDµQLJKW¶%XWWKDW
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in respect to the Earth both in its rising and in its setting (though it is visible to us only in its rising) . . . so in reality (that appearance of night) it is (only) a shadowDOWKRXJKWKH\FDOOLWµGDUNQHVV¶ 6RNQRZWKLV
,EQµ$UDEî’s concept of time
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of the isotropic orb, and the daytime and night that are caused by the heart RIWKHFRVPRV ±,PHDQWKH6XQ±LQRUGHUWRGHWHUPLQHWKURXJKWKHPWKH
effects of the divine Days that belong to the Names.
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7KXVDVZHKDYHMXVWVHHQHYHU\GLYLQH1DPHKDVDVSHFL¿F'D\ ZLWKLWVFRU-responding daytime and night), and, when the Day of one divine Name appears to be over, a Day of another Name starts, and so on; and all these are included in WKHHWHUQDO'D\RIWKHGLYLQH1DPHµWKH$JH¶
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$OODKEXWPRVWSHRSOHGRQRWNQRZWKDW6RLIZHGHVFHQGIURPWKHGLYLQH
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is when the Intellect turns away from her when he approaches his Lord to EHQH¿W E\ UHFHLYLQJ NQRZOHGJH IURP +LP DQG LWV GD\WLPH LQ UHVSHFW WR
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which is her daytime in the world below her – and that (contrast of these two universal powers) is called unseen and seen, letter and meaning, abstract DQGVHQVHG6RWKLVFDXVHVLQWKH6RXOD'D\WKDWKDVQRGD\WLPHDQGQLJKW
while in the world it has (what we perceive as) daytime and night. The same DSSOLHVWRWKH'D\RIWKHµ8QLYHUVDO0DWWHU¶ DOKD\OkDONXOO): its daytime is its essence, and its night is its form, while it is in itself a Day with no daytime and night.
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the day, the daytime and the night-time) leads to a very important conclusion that we (physically) moveLQWKHZRUOGLQWKHµGD\WLPH¶ nahâr RIWKH6RXODQG
that we (psychically or spiritually) perceiveWKHZRUOGLQWKHµQLJKWWLPH¶RIWKH
6RXO ± D NH\ V\PEROLVP RI WKH 4XU¶DQ DQG +DGLWK WKDW ,EQ µ$UDEv GHYHORSV DW
length throughout the )XWKkW and other works. This motion-perception that KDSSHQVLQWKHµGD\¶ yawm RIWKH6RXOLVDF\FOLFXQLWDFWLRQWKDWUHSHDWVHYHU\
day (in fact, every moment for us). In other words: we either move or perceive, but not at the same time.
Likewise, the Day in every orb is a Day with no daytime and night for that orb, but with the appearance of a daytime and night for (some of) the world EHORZLW,EQµ$UDEvHYHQJLYHVDQH[FHOOHQWH[DPSOHXVLQJDGHWDLOHGVFLHQWL¿F
explanation about something that we are familiar with nowadays, the phenomena of daytime and night on the Earth:
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its (apparent) rising and setting on the Earth – whereas in the sky it is all light, with no daytime and night. The outlet of the night from the sphere of WKH(DUWKZKHUHWKH6XQVHWVLVFRQHVKDSHG
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This is exactly what everybody admits now as a fact of science, shown in Figure
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But these Names in themselves have no daytime and night, but rather are all OLJKW,EQµ$UDEvH[SODLQVWKLVGLIIHULQJLQÀXHQFHRIWKHGLIIHUHQWGLYLQH1DPHV
further by saying:
6RLWVQLJKWLVWKHµXQVHHQ¶ JKD\E), which is what is hidden away from us EXW DW WKH VDPH WLPH DIIHFWV WKH KLJK 6SLULWV ZKLFK DUH DERYH 1DWXUH DQG
DOVRWKHURDPLQJ6SLULWV DQGLWVGD\WLPHLVWKHµVHHQ¶ZKLFKLVLWVHIIHFWLQ
natural bodies down to the last elementary body.
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different kinds of bodies and spirits, by dividing the daytime and night each into three thirds:
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its daytime three parts; so He, the Exalted, descends down to His servants in the last third of the night of His Days [.DQ] @DQGWKDWLVZKHQ
He is manifested to the natural spirits (DODUZkKDOWDEvµL\\D) that manage the material bodies; and in the middle third He manifests to the subjected spirits (DODUZkKDOPXVDNKNKDUD, or the angels of each heavenly sphere), and in the
¿UVWWKLUG+HPDQLIHVWVWRWKHµGRPLQDWLQJVSLULWV¶ DODUZkKDOPXKD\PLQD).
$QG+HGLYLGHGWKHGD\RIWKHVHGD\VLQWRWKUHHSDUWVDQGLQHYHU\SDUW
+HLVPDQLIHVWHGWRWKHZRUOGRIERGLHV±IRUWKH\DUHDOZD\VSUDLVLQJ$OODK
6RLQWKH¿UVWWKLUG+HLVPDQLIHVWHGWRWKHVXEWOHERGLHV DODMVkPDOODWvID)
)LJXUH The daytime and night in the sky.
Note
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in the case of the normal day on the Earth, the outlet of the night is extended in space as a cone.
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which are unseen by sight, in the middle third He is manifested to the trans-parent materials (DODMVkPDOVKDIIkID), and in the last third He is manifested to the dense materials (DODMVkPDONDWKvID). Without this manifestation, they would not be able to know Whom they are praising.
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