The Role of Inherent Qualities in Dimensions of Existence and in Our Lives

• Is it inanimate? No, but it has the characteristics of inanimate objects.
• Is it a plant? No, but it has the qualities of a plant.
• Is it an animal? No, but it has the traits of an animal.
• Is it an angel? No, but it has intellect like angels.

If you have carefully studied the previous lessons, you have probably guessed right. The answer to our questions is the human being, and we aim to examine various inherent qualities in dimensions of existence. Although the human being has the inherent qualities of inanimate objects, plants, animals, and angels, he is none of these. He has another dimension that sets him apart from other creatures. The dimension that distinguishes him from other creatures is his spiritual (human) part. It is because of this dimension that he loves and desires to achieve perfection; he wants absolute perfection, and not finite or limited perfection.

The Relationship between Different Dimensions and Inherent Qualities of Human Existence

As we mentioned previously in the article on the of Law of Pairs, the pairing of various phenomena in the universe is quite apparent, such as night and day, men and women, positive and negative charges, etc. But It is interesting to note that each dimension of human existence has also a match or partner. It loves that partner, sees it as its beloved, and finds peace in it. In fact, these beloved things are the inherent qualities or effects of each of these dimensions, and they are completely compatible and in harmony with their own dimension. So the inherent qualities in dimensions of existence have a direct relationship with the beloved of each dimension. That is, inanimate qualities are the beloved of our inanimate dimension; vegetative qualities are the beloved of our vegetative dimension; animal and intellective qualities are also related to our animal and intellective dimensions.

Each dimension of our existence, in addition to its own potentials or qualities, possesses the qualities of lower levels as well. But no matter how fully a potential becomes actualized in its own dimension of existence, it will not go beyond that level and cannot gain the inherent qualities of other dimensions. For example, consider a very fast and beautiful cheetah; its speed and beauty indicates that it has a strong body, good health, and normal growth, and it probably belongs to a good breed. But no matter how exceptional it is in terms of speed and beauty, it is not called a human.

The Arrangement of Beloveds and Inherent Qualities in Dimensions of Existence

As mentioned before, inherent qualities in dimensions of existence are not general, and each dimension of existence has its own inherent qualities, hence its own beloved. For example, the inherent quality of our intellective dimension is understanding rational matters as much as possible; therefore, rational matters, studies, sciences, discoveries, and inventions will be the beloveds of our intellective dimension. The inherent quality of our animal dimension is progressing more and more in animal qualities such as social status, fame, lust, etc. As a result, this part of our existence puts all its effort into actualizing these potentials; the more animal potentials it can actualize, the more satisfied it feels.

Similarly, our vegetative dimension will be engaged in actualizing vegetative potentials such as reproduction, growth, beauty, etc. Our inanimate dimension keeps acquiring wealth of any kind.

This preoccupation is inherently neither positive nor negative. As we stated in the definition of inherent quality, this interest and preoccupation are completely fitri and innate.

The World of Diverse Qualities

We live in a world full of colors, attractions, remarkable phenomena, and wonders. On the other hand, we are not passive beings, we interact with various creatures and our surroundings. We constantly expose ourselves to:

• Inanimate qualities like our desire for luxuries and material things such as cars, jewelry, wealth, accommodation.
• Vegetative qualities like our desire for physical fitness and strength, beauty, reproduction, etc.
• Animal qualities like our desire to achieve status, fame, lust, etc.
• Intellective qualities like our desire for educational achievements, etc.

Each of these qualities can engage us to such an extent that we ignore other aspects of our existence. Sometimes, we become so attracted to the beauty of phenomena that we cannot easily free ourselves from their grip. Sometimes, we become captivated by animal qualities, which are far more attractive and diverse than vegetative and inanimate qualities. The world of animal qualities with its colorful attractions, desires, and passions has engaged and seduced billions of people, leaving no room for contemplation about their true self and their true beloved. However, among all these colorful beloveds, which one is our true beloved or the right match?

Our relationship with the inherent qualities in dimensions of existence is like that of a mother who eagerly waits for nine months for the healthy birth of her child, but she forgets her main goal, so she is constantly preoccupied with trivial matters during pregnancy or is overly concerned with staying fit. So she is unlikely to achieve her ultimate goal. Similarly, attachment to the desires of our lower dimensions distracts us from the beloved of our human dimension.

Prioritization of Inherent Qualities

Let us imagine someone wants to make their home secure, but instead of dealing with exposed electrical wires that cause serious and immediate danger, he spends his time, energy, and money on old water pipes. Now our estimative faculty (wahm) does exactly the same thing; it changes the priority and importance of tasks, making uncertain and estimative future appear important while underestimating the certain and distant future. It may even distract us from focusing on our supra-rational dimension by shifting our attention to actualizing the potentials of our lower dimensions, leading us to waste our precious life. But what is the faculty of estimation? What are the lower dimensions and the main inherent qualities in dimensions of existence? To discuss these topics, we must first introduce the faculties of our existence.

In this article, we examined the inherent qualities in dimensions of existence and stated that each dimension has its own matching inherent qualities. Our value depends on what potential we try to actualize, and to what extent we do this. To successfully reach our final destination, we need to prioritize the inherent qualities of dimensions of existence in order to reach our true beloved.