12. Liberality* is inattention to the disbursement of money, so as to pay in the proper manner, to whoever may be entitled, whatever may be due. We are told, among other dicta of the Sanctified, “God hath declared he chose the religion of Islām for himself; and whereas nothing but liberality and good conduct could bring a religion to perfection, he embellished his own with both.” In another place it is said, “The first thing which at the day of judgment they will put into the scale of virtues, will be good conduct and liberality.” And again, “When God created the true faith, it said, O God, give me strength; whereupon God made its strength to consist in good conduct and liberality: and when he created infidelity, it said, O God, give me strength; whereupon God made its strength to consist in parsimony and ill-humour.” Imām Ghazāly has related that once, when a set of infidels of the tribe of Unter were made prisoners and brought before the refuge of revelation, he ordered all but one to be put to death. On this Aly, the commander of the faithful, remarked, “God is one, and his faith is one, and their offence is likewise one and the same; on what principle then has a single one been spared?” He answered, “Gabriel* came down and told me to kill all, but save this one, because he was liberal.” It has likewise been handed down to us, how the Almighty signified to Moses, “Thou shalt not put Sāmiry* to death, for that he is liberal, and liberality has its return at our hands.”

Under the head of liberality are many divisions, the particulars of which would be regarded as tedious; but it is important to observe, that courage usually necessitates liberality;* for when endurance of dangers and perseverance under perils where death may be expected, becomes a quality of the mind, so that it appears not of moment to give away life itself, surely the diminution or destruction of property cannot enter into one’s serious regard: it would be very strange if it did. But for liberality it cannot be said generally to necessitate courage in its turn; though after equity, there is more approach to it here than with the other virtues.

Under genus equity the species are twelve: fidelity, union, exactitude, tenderness, brotherhood, gratitude, good fellowship, good faith, cordiality, submission, resignation, devotion.

Fidelity is a term for faithful friendship, and the sign of truth in affection is, that it remove (as far as in law and reason they admit removal) the laws of duality, and draw close the bond of unity; in such sort, that what one dislikes for oneself he dislike also for his friend, and what one wishes on his own account he wish on the other’s likewise. The refuge of revelation has alluded to this fact when he says, “None of you can be called a true believer, till he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

Union is when the opinions and concerns of many become blended and conformed together into one course of mutual co-operation.

Exactitude is, that one should allow of no devia­tion from the course of mutual dependence; though many explain it by the performance of promises and the discharge of obligations.

Tenderness is to be impressed and affected by any thing untoward that befalls another, and to exhaust one’s endeavour in removing it. For to the possessors of reason and masters of discrimination, it is clear and established, that the whole of the several existing corpuscules of life derive the efflu­ence of existence from the source of real unity,* and that the collective currents of all created beings, in virtue of their all draining the milk of prepara­tion from the elactative guidance of the Supreme, keep pace with each other in their progress, and continue in juxtaposition through the limits of motion or at the point of rest; more particularly indi­viduals of the human race, with whom, by reason of the establishment of a scriptural rule and pattern, the bond of spiritual unity is secured and strength­ened, and the tie of vital affinity corroborated and confirmed.

This is a subject susceptible of treatment in various degrees, and to different lengths. It is told us of the prophet Shaily,* that the marks of a stick with which they were beating an animal became visible on his limbs.* The secret intent of which statement, although to the eyes of those imprisoned in the corner-confinements of custom, who never reached the essence of things, nor looked on the beauty of reality, it may remove the explanation beyond the assignable limits of possible distance, is no abortion of the fancy. And herein, certain conditions might be propounded, after which no difficulty would remain to the understanding in receiving the like of what is now declared. Thus much has been graven on the tablet of compilation as a sounder to the depths of intellect in those who are engrossed by the science of ordinary routine, or else —

Brotherhood is to make one’s relatives sharers in one’s opulence and comforts. And in like manner as there is an obligation in material propinquity, moral propinquity, which is the affinity of souls, and is termed the divine proximity or propinquity, has also its claims, and these the more legitimate and obligatory of the two.* It was a saying of Omar’s, “Propinquity is flesh and blood; proximity is life and soul.” How great is the difference between them!

Good fellowship is to manage one’s transactions in such a way as not to disincline the regard of one’s fellows; always within practicable limits, and con­ditionally on the preservation of the canons of equity.

Good faith is to discharge the claims of others and keep one’s self far from censure and reproach.

Cordiality is to seek for the friendship of one’s equals and betters, by good words, deeds, and respects, and whatever else may be the means of attracting regard.

Submission is to acquiesce in and receive with satisfaction (although perhaps repugnant to the inclination) the commands of God, the laws of the institutes, rules of the faith, and so forth, according to the canons laid down by the fathers of the reli­gion and elders of the calling. The sacred Lord of Lords, in his book of standing miracles, has set forth submission (for the extremest degree of exhortation) as the foundation of true faith. As when the Almighty says, No! by him who is your Lord, they are not true believers, till they make thee judge in the differences that arise between them; not feeling displeasure in their souls at what thou decreest, but submitting with a perfect submission.*

Resignation is, that in matters not entrusted to the power or care of man, and where reflection finds no opportunity for action, one should forbear to wish for increase or diminution, for acceleration or delay; but, entrusting them to him who is the best of all trustees, should lay superfluous imaginings aside.

The sacred Prince of Men used to say, there was a prayer which every one who repeated as he left his house would receive a good portion for his sub­sistence from the uncoined treasures* of the munifi­cent Almighty. “Oh God, make me content with thy decree, and bless me in that which thou hast destined; until I wish not the acceleration of what thou hast delayed, nor the delay of what thou hast accelerated; for all things are in thy power.” The intelligent reader will here perceive, that the intent of this prayer is to request the gift of resignation and acquiescence in the issues of destiny. For our own will we should conform to the will of God, and wholly cleanse the chambers of our hearts from the perturbing calls of passion and inclination. Then will the tranquillity of the supreme and the security of the infinite descend upon our hearts; then it is that events will befall according to our wills, and things make their appearance in the order of our wishes.

Devotion is, that we make it the symbol of our conduct and the uniform of our party to magnify and praise the great Originator, who, without any foregone merit on our part, brought us forth by his fostering grace and bounty from the blank of inex­istence to the theatre of being, and poured on us unbounded blessings from the treasury of divine favour: a quality which the whole host of those who are nearest to his presence, angels, prophets, believers, converts, patriarchs, and inspired sages, have held to be attained only by obedience to the dictates of his law, and deference to the restrictions imposed by the canons of his church; combined with self-restraint and abstinence from sin. The subdivisions of devotion are no other than the prac­tices of the institute; and as science treats of things in order that the intellect may fully master them, and the particulars of ritual laws do not come within the department of the intellect, (whose utmost hold on such matters is by the quarter of compendium seeing that it is only by the light of revelation that we can penetrate the retreats of religious mystery,) the precepts of divinity come within the active wis­dom only as touching the abstract; as touching the detail, they fall beyond it.*

As to the species of virtues engendered by com­mixture of some with others, they are innumerable. Indeed, philosophers assert that even as tempera­ments are various in individuals, and no two persons can have the same, morals have likewise their neces­sary varieties, neither can two persons have the same habitude.* Aristotle says, the reason of par­ticular men differing from each other in appearance beyond the difference observable in other animals, is this, that different mental states (though all still governed by the general temperament) are induced in different men by the varieties of their perceptions, and every mental state engenders a particular expression.* The expression of the cheerful is distinct from that of the angry, and the expression of the afflicted from that of the gratified. With the indi­viduals of other animal species it is different.* Having only the perception of their generic nature, the difference of state will not be considerable, and consequently in appearance they are all alike.

In concluding this part of the treatise, instances of assumption* may be remarked under a strict application of the premises laid down, and among them this, that penetration, quickness of intellect, and other such qualities, are enumerated under genus Wisdom as its species, when the truth is they are its causes; if, that is, we are to abide by that explanation of wisdom which they have given in the preceding pages;* yet if they explain wisdom for the attribute into which the observative power settles by acquaintance with the conditions of things, the said species may certainly be included under it. And so in what they say of the reasoning power, that when its action is in equilibrio, knowledge results from it; the consequence may be managed as above. But for all such assumptions throughout the science a general excuse has already been offered.*