Book of Wonders

My Lord, make it easy and complete it with goodness

original: "Rabbi yassir wa-tammim bi-l-khayr" – A traditional pious formula used by scribes at the beginning of a task to seek divine assistance.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Thus says the weakest of God’s servants and the one most in need of His mercy and forgiveness:
Abd al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan, originally of Isfahan, born in Baghdad, and known as al-Burhani.

Praise be to God, who brought all beings into existence and created all that is found. He raised the high heavens and spread out the leveled earths, steadying them with firm-rooted mountains. He caused flowing springs to run through them and carved the channels of the streams. Through these, He brought forth varieties of plants and the creatures of the surging seas. He draped the traveling ships upon the surface of the waters. Glory be to Him, the Exalted, for the noble gifts He has granted His servants—precious rarities and abundant favors. In every created thing, He deposited unique properties and benefits, governing them through the spirits that dwell within otherwise lifeless bodies.
properties original: "khawass" – In medieval science, this refers to the hidden "occult" qualities of substances (like the magnetism of a lodestone) that cannot be explained by the four elements alone.

Reflect, O possessor of intellect, upon the solid minerals: those dense bodies with radiant colors. From? among them are liquid bodies and others that are solid. It is enough to consider the coral, which is the intermediary between the mineral and the plant kingdoms.
For? it is like a tree with spreading branches, yet He categorized it among the solid bodies. Glory be to the Wise One, who by His power dazzled the insights of the? perceiving minds! He is the one who made plants a sustaining food for animals through nutrition, and made them into substances in? which various types of nourishment are "cooked" referring to the biological process of digestion/metabolism. This is seen especially in the date palm, which—through its unique qualities—stands as the intermediary between trees and animals.

He? is the one who diversified their various forms and distinguished their differing natures, setting some to prevail over others in the wilderness. He? distinguished some animals with a sense capable of being taught, so that they understand gestures—specifically the ape, which is the intermediary between the? "silent" animals and the subtle human being. It has even been taught certain crafts and understands most ex?pressions regarding the handling of tools; in its physical makeup, it resembles the arrangement of a human more than any other creature.

We? praise Him with much praise and thank Him with great thanks for the encompassing blessings He has bestowed, and? for the magnificent gifts He has specifically granted to humanity. He distinguished the human being with "subtle arrivals" spiritual or intellectual inspirations and inspired him with the intellects by which? the perfection of life is achieved. He taught him knowledge—the very substance of life and the means of living after death—and gave him the power of speech in various languages to? express the intentions within his heart. He aided him through the arrangement of the tongue, teeth, and lips. In every th?ing, there is a sign for Him, testifying that He is One, the very essence and pure cream of humanity.