(^696) ISLAMIC MYSTICAL LITERATURE
Jabir said, "Lord, let your servant hear how
the Iblis tale unfolds and how it ends."
Baqir said, "Jabir, the elder of the beings
told the godhead, 'There's only one true god,
and he stands in the highest realm.' The others
gathered in groupings of six ranks. They called
the king a liar, and every rank took up
a diverse blasphemy against the king.
THE FAITHLESS FALL TO THE EARTH
"Then the high king was furious and ordered
Salman to hurl the beings out of the green sea.
He removed their violet mantle and spread
it out below them, making it the earth
under their feet. He made the violet sea
from it, decking it with a million lights
and spirits and mountains made of crystal
with running waters, and called it paradise.
This is the fourth paradise. Three realms above
is the sea colored ruby, a paradise
named palace of glory; the sea color
of fire that is the paradise named 'the palace
of dominion'; and the emerald-green sea,
that is the paradise named 'the palace
of eternity.' But the three realms
below them are named the gardens of Eden
and gardens of refuge. Sun-colored sea
is palace of dominion. Moon-colored sea
is paradise of gardens of refuge;
and the blue sea is the garden of Eden,
and every realm was one time called the heaven
of beings, and then they turned into the earth.
The paradise of the high king has no
borders or end, fulfilling words of god:
'a garden huge as heaven and the earth.'^106
- Qur'an sura 57.