It is not hidden from the mirror-hearts of the quick-sighted and far-seeing—who know the mysteries of truth, and who show forth the secrets behind the divine veils, and are curtain-openers of elemental (i.e., terrestrial and celestial) mysteries—that the profound wisdom and secret power of the Creator ordain that it is by the weddings of heavenly* sires with earthly mothers, and after various cycles of lunar* aspects, and of applications,* of syzygies and oppositions of the sun and moon, of conjunctions of the superior* and inferior planets, risings and settings, appearances and disappearances of stars, lunar and solar eclipses, qualities of exaltations and falls,* influences of zeniths and nadirs,* and the like, (which are architects in the workshop of production and change, and artists in the picture-gallery of invention and contrivance) that the unique one comes forth from the secret inner chambers into the palace of manifestation, and that Unity emerges from the veiled ones of the cabinet of non-existence and displays its glory in the sublime assembly of Being, to be the cause of the arrangement of the Universe and the means of discriminating between justice and oppression throughout the world. How can arrangement result from simple* matter? How will it make progress when the constitution of every individual is founded on a collection of opposite tendencies,* when there is colossal egotism in every brain, when justice is unattainable, love non-existent, appetite rampant, and concupiscence daily on the increase?
The wise and far-sighted man is aware that in every period it is indispensable that there be a ruler who shall be strengthened by God's help and made fortunate by eternal blessings. And the philosopher perceives that such a power must be spiritual as well as possessed of strength of arm. The man of experience knows that many years must elapse before a ruby* develop in the embryonic sac of the mine and arrive at maturity, so as to be fit for a royal diadem. How many revolutions of epochs then, and how many cycles, are required before such a priceless pearl and unique jewel,* lacking in naught, can obtain his special preparation, so that by ascending steps, he arrive at the fulness of perfection? Acute and experienced observers perceive that the length of the period is dependent on the number of the subjects,* for the greater their number, the greater are the opposition and incommensurability. The greatness of the Lord of an Age is more conspicuous when he takes the burden of the whole world and of mankind on the head (farq) of genius, and guards the flocks (firq) of the universe from strife, and arranges and completes, by virtue of his wisdom, the work of the world and of mankind. But whenever, in the plenitude of His desires, the Divine Workman wills, that the arrangement of things spiritual and temporal and the culture of the inner and outer worlds be placed in the hands of one individual of the human race, how can the period of preparation of such a lofty comprehension and sublime intellect be calculated by the human understanding, and how can finite cycles contain it? Inasmuch as the enlightened and wise of our time find these two supreme gifts* in the writing on the luminous forehead of the Lord* of the World (Akbar), they quite justly admit their inability to expound his orbit.* To them, this very fact is bliss, that by the Divine aid, they have come to know him. For the comprehension of the stages of development of such a Lord is not within the compass of human calculation. They know that in venerating this Great One, they are doing reverence to the Divine power and are worshipping the very Godhead. They spend all their energies in acquiring his grace, as that necessarily includes the compassing of the grace of the incomparable God. What bliss can be greater than this? Or what fortune can be more exquisite than this boon? And the enlightened and far-seeing man whose visual ray has been strengthened by the antimony of rectitude, knows from the analogy* of an auspicious star, it was after thousands of years had been spent, womb after womb, in the cradle of preparation, that the broidery of existence was bestowed on her Majesty Ālanqūā,* so that she might become* worthy of that world-illuminating Light, which is the interpretation of that anthropomorphic Sun* which stands at the entrance-gate of ancient tradition and constitutes the basal inscription* of true histories. And he perceives that the same Light which took shape, without human instrumentality or a father's loins, in the pure womb of her Majesty Ālanqūā, after having, in order to arrive at perfection, occupied during several ages the bodily wrappings of other holy witnesses, is manifesting itself at the present day, in the pure entity of this unique God-knower and God-worshipper (Akbar).
VERSE.How many ages have passed away!
How many planetary conjunctions occurred,
That this happy star might come forth from heaven!
It is an ancient custom and established institute that the messengers of the eternal city and the heralds of the opening of the gates* of munificence, before the appearance of an elect one,—such that one only comes into existence after thousands of years,—rejoice the privileged and wakeful-hearted by the glad tidings of his approach. For every event is stationed* behind the veil of a time and the precise* moment (of its appearance) is concealed and hidden. Yet before it become a certainty, they open a wicket* in the invisible world in face of the senses, and the window-fronts hold a lattice* of indications.
Sometimes the manifestations occur in the visible world, and sometimes their lustre is exhibited in dreamland,—which is an image of the world of mortals,—so that the recipients may have hope while on the highway of desire, and may await the wished-for light and may be observing the ascension of the auspicious star, for expectation enhances joy, and joy is the ornament of felicity. And whatever takes form after longing and striving, and obtains its fulfilment after watching and waiting, has a charm about it which is not met with otherwise.
An instance of this is the circumstance that his Majesty Jahānbānī Jannat-āshiyānī (Humāyūn) after receiving an intimation of the advent of the glorious one (ān ḥaẓrat) was ever keeping the dust-stained head of supplication on the earth of humility; and placing the apex of beseechment on the threshold of the Ka‘ba of requests, and turning the face of hope towards the altar of entreaty, used to pray with invocations and longing, for that living blessing, which in truth, is an auspicious ascension* and an increase of life.
VERSE.O Lord, by the lamplight of Thy Essence,
By the ocean pearls of Thy Attributes,
By those holy Ones (prophets and saints) who come forth like pure roses,
Whose souls are washed by the fountains of the sun,
Grant a jewel to my fortune's crown;
Grant a star to my exaltation's heaven;
Grant a moonlight to my chamber,*
Which may disperse the darknesses of the Universe;
Irradiate my existence by a sun,
That* the nine heavens may come within my adoration.
Give perpetuity to my afflicted soul,
So* that, if death come by a hundred ways, I may not die.
Of a truth, a son who will be one's successor and take one's place on the glorious throne, is something which is a compensation for life,—for which there is no compensation,—and is a substitute for bye-gone years. He is the fruit of life's garden and a celestial lantern, fed from the oil of the Divine bounty. He kindles the family lamp of the whole line of ancestors and fixes it firmly on the throne of fortune. He lengthens and broadens the shades of justice and glory over the heads of mortals. Especially, if he be such a rare and exquisite product and so consummately dutiful that, if he be called Primus* of the Poles of Saints, it is but proper, and if he be termed the knot in the grand chain of sovereignty,* Father of Fathers,* and Great Ancestor, it is but just and in accordance with the real facts. It is exceptionally suitable that a king who in succession to a line of ancestors is placed on a throne of rule and sway, and is world-dominating and world-adorning, should have an illustrious successor and such an one is of all men, the most eager in this quest.
At length, on 4th Rabī‘u-l-awwal, 947, of the lunar (Ḥijra) era (Friday, 10 July, 1540) his Majesty Jahānbānī Jannat-āshiyānī had, after paying his devotions to the Author of bounty, laid for a time his head on the pillow of repose and his limbs on the couch of tranquility, when, suddenly, under the auspicious veil of sleep,—hence called the cabinet of secrets—he became aware that God, (Glory be to Him) was bestowing on him an illustrious successor whose greatness shone from his forelock, and the lightning of whose splendour was flashing from his temples. From the light of his guidance, the dark regions of thoughts and opinions were illuminated, and the glory of his justice was lighting up the fields of night and day. It is in accordance with the communication which was made by the messengers of the invisible world regarding his Majesty (Akbar) that the glorious name of that divine masterpiece exalts at the present day, pulpits and proclamations. The superscriptions* of the gold and silver coins also tell of it.
When his Majesty awoke, he first returned thanks to God for the majestic message and splendid grace and then told the circumstance to the intimates of his harem and the servants of his threshold.*