3-1264 Since another handled its leg, he said, “I found the elephant’s shape to be like a

pillar”.

3-1265 Another laid his hand on its back: he said, “Truly, this elephant was like a
throne”.

3-1262 The hand of one fell on its trunk: he said, “This creature is like a water-pipe”.

3-1263 The hand of another touched its ear: to him it appeared to be like a fan.

3-1266 Similarly, whenever anyone heard a description of the elephant, he only

understood it as the part that he had touched.

3-1267 Because of the diverse places of view, their statements differed: one man
entitled it “dāl”, another “alif”1528.

3-1268 If there had been a candle in each one’s hand, the difference would have
disappeared from their words.

3-1269 The eye of sense-perception is only like the palm of the hand: the palm does
not have power to reach the whole of it (the elephant).

3-1270 The eye of the Sea1529 is one thing, and the foam1530 another: leave the foam
and look with the eye of the Sea.

The eternity of God’s Essence1531 and the meaning of

the Divine colour which is without colour. [3.3.3]
6-59 Colourlessness is the origin of colours, peaces are the origins of war.

1-2467 Since colourlessness (pure Unity) became the captive of colour (manifestation
in the phenomenal world), a Moses came into conflict with a Moses.

1-2468 When you attain to the colourlessness which you originally possessed, Moses
and Pharaoh are at peace with each other.

2-1345 The dye (i.e. religion) of Allāh1532is the dyeing-vat of Hū (the Absolute God):
in it all multi-coloured things become of one colour.

6-3214 The only real Creator seeks and prevails over all, so that He may utterly
destroy all unreal existences.

6-3234 But if you get two eyes that can recognize God, you will see that the entire
expanse of both worlds is full of the Beloved.

1528
I.e. crooked like the letter ‫ ﺪ‬or straight like the letter ‫( ﺍ‬Nich.)
1529
I.e. the eye of Reality (Nich.).
1530
I.e. phenomena (Nich.).
1531
Qur’ān 28:88.
1532
Qur’ān 2:138.

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