140 Ghazzali's Alchemy of Happiness. 



You should know also that in the world of spirits, God 

 had ennobled man with beauty and its qualities, and had 

 made him sufficiently acquainted with Himself and His 

 attributes ; and the spirits continued for a long time par- 

 ticipating in enjoyment in the land of affection, intoxicated 

 and in ecstacy with the cup of love and the wine of celes- 

 tial union. Afterwards in accordance with divine wisdom 

 and by soverign decree, they fell from that exalted world 

 to this lower world, — from the world of union to the world 

 of separation. In this world of trial, having entered into 

 bodies and become entangled with the things of sense and 

 with worldly occupations, and shut out from the spiritual 

 world, they forgot its intimate friendships and the joys of 

 its society. Being so far distant from that world, the 

 being and character of God became completely veiled from 

 the view of some, and the love and union which had ex- 

 isted in their hearts from all eternity disappeared. None 

 the less however, it is still the case, that when man sees 

 beauty and perfection, the spirit cannot help admiring it. 

 But as the intimacy and friendship which had formerly 

 existed have been clouded over, and the animal impulses, 

 passions and lusts have become predominant, they ima- 

 gine that the love of pleasure belongs to the delights of re- 

 ligion, and regard it as a necessity of the soul. 



The spirits of some men, however, in becoming attached 

 to a body, retained the divine guidance, and the spiritual 

 world in consequence was not concealed from their view, 

 nor did they forget its friendly society or the attributes 

 and qualities of its holy spirits. And as the glory of the 

 infinite being and his attributes was not veiled from their 

 eyes, their desire for the blessed union and longing for 

 the vision of beauty increased daily. In accordance with 

 this, it is related by Soheil Tested (may God's mercy be 

 upon him !) that " from the moment that the blessed God 

 in the world of spirits and the assembly of holy union 



