50 AN INTRODUCTION TO SUFI DOCTRINE

itself ; it could not exclude the Infinite, which descends
mysteriously into it and, virtually, reabsorbs it into
Its Plenitude. The Divine Infinity necessarily includes
this triad of aspects.

The following is a translation of the surat al-
fatihah, which “ opens”’ the Quran :

“Praise to God, the Lord of the worlds,
The Compassionate, The Merciful,
The King of the day of Judgment.

It is Thee whom we adore and it is with Thee we
seek refuge.

Lead us on the straight way,
The way of those on whom is thy grace,

Not (that of) those who suffer Thy wrath, nor of
those who stray.

The tripartite division is traditional. The first
part, as far as the words “The King of the day of
judgment”, mentions the chief aspects of the Divinity ;
the last part, beginning with the words : “Lead us on
the straight way ”’, enumerates the fundamental tenden-
cies of man; the verse between these expresses the
relation between God and man, which has two aspects :
dependence and participation.

By praise (al-hamd) offered to God the spirit soars,
mind takes wing; its starting point may be any earthly
object which does not amount to a mere limitation,
anything which is not merely a “fact” and nothing
more; every positive quality includes a depth of in-