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— and by it he transports their produce to him; and by it he reaches the extraction of water from the depths of the earth until it rises to its surface.
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Indeed, he built for himself water wheels from which to draw it; and by wisdom he attains building splendid dwellings, wearing fine garments, and preparing delicious foods.
By it he attains the leading of armies and troops, the governance of kingdoms and states, until people are organized and settled.
By it he attains knowledge of the structure of the celestial sphere, the motion of the stars, the measures of their bodies, their distances, and all their states.
If anyone imagines that what is distinguished is something other than the human being, let him show us this distinguished thing or any part of it among others — and that he will not find.
It is thus fitting that the human being is the one commanded and prohibited, rewarded and punished — for he is the axis of the world and its foundation.
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When I understood these principles and what branches from them, I knew that the distinction of the human being is not a fantasy that arose in our minds, nor a partiality from which we are inclined to favor him.
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Rather, it is genuine truth and clear rightness. The Wise One distinguished him for this very reason: that He made him the locus of His command and prohibition.
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Section 2. I should now set out what I have designated in this chapter of what is required. I say: I reflected and asked myself — how can the world's whole weight rest on the human being, when we see his body to be small and insignificant?
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I pursued this and found: although his body is small, his soul is vaster than heaven and earth — for his knowledge encompasses what is in them both.
Indeed, it extends to knowledge of what is above them — what sustains their very existence — namely, the Creator (exalted and sanctified).