Nature is that condition or reality which outwardly is the
source of the life and death, or, in other words, of the composition and
decomposition, of all things.
This nature is subject to a sound organization, to
inviolable laws, to a perfect order, and to a consummate design, from which it
never departs. To such an extent is this true that were you to gaze with the
eye of insight and discernment, you would observe that all things — from the
smallest invisible atom to the largest globes in the world of existence, such as
the sun or the other great stars and luminous bodies — are most perfectly
organized, be it with regard to their order, their composition, their outward
form, or their motion, and that all are subject to one universal law from which
they never depart.
When you consider nature itself, however, you see that it
has neither awareness nor will. For instance, the nature of fire is to burn; it
burns without consciousness or will. The nature of water is to flow; it flows
without consciousness or will. The nature of the sun is to shed light; it
shines without consciousness or will. The nature of vapour is to rise; it rises
without consciousness or will. It is therefore evident that the natural
movements of all created things are compelled, and that nothing moves of its
own will save animals and, in particular, man.
Man is able to resist and oppose nature inasmuch as he
discovers the natures of things and, by virtue of this discovery, has mastery
over nature itself. Indeed, all the crafts that man has devised proceed from
this discovery. For example, he has invented the telegraph, which connects the
East and the West. It is therefore evident that man rules over nature.
Now, can such organization, order, and laws as you observe in existence be attributed merely to the effect of nature, notwithstanding that nature itself has neither consciousness nor understanding? It is therefore evident that this nature, which has neither consciousness nor understanding, is in the grasp of the omnipotent Lord, Who is the Ruler of the world of nature and Who causes it to manifest whatsoever He desires.
Some say that human existence is among those things that
have appeared in the world of being and that are due to the exigencies of
nature. Were this true, man would be the branch and nature the root. But is it
possible that there could exist a will, a consciousness, and certain
perfections in the branch which are absent in the root?
Hence it is clear that nature, in its very essence, is in
the grasp of God’s might, and that it is that Eternal and Almighty One Who
subjects nature to ideal laws and organizing principles, and Who rules over it.
~ ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table Talks in
Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; Some Answered Questions’, revised
translation by a Committee at the Baha’i World Centre)
