157 i contemplated everything below the heavens and thought about it for a long time. i found that everything in it living and nonliving is naturally strong enough to bestow its characteristics upon other species. so you see the virtuous person wishing that all people were virtuous and you see the deficient person wishing that all people were deficient and you see everyone who mentions something that he urges others to do saying i will do such and such and everyone who has a doctrine wishes that people would agree with him. you see that in the elements when some of them become stronger than others it transforms them into their species and you see that in the composition of trees and in the nourishment of plants and trees with water and the moisture of the earth and their transformation into their species. so glory be to the inventor of that and its manager there is no god but him.
١٥٧ وتأملت كل ما دون السماء وطالت فيه فكرتي فوجدت كل شيء فيه، من حي وغير حي، من طبعه عن قوي أن يخلع غيره من الأنواع هيأته ويلبسه صفاته. فترى الفاضل يود لو كان الناس فضلاء، وترى الناقص يود لو كان كل الناس نقصاء، وترى كل من ذكر شيئا يحض عليه يقول أنا أفعل أمر كذا وكذا، وكل مذهب يود لو كان الناس موافقين له. وترى ذلك في العناصر، إذا قوي بعضها على بعض أحاله إلى نوعيته، وترى ذلك في تركيب الشجر وفي تغذي النبات والشجر بالماء ورطوبة الأرض وإحالتهما ذلك إلى نوعيتها. فسبحان مخترع ذلك ومدبره، لا إله إلا هو.