the name the Faithful: the one affirming that these descriptions belong to Him beginninglessly, although their ruling appears only in originated things. Modesty therefore enters truthfulness. Hence he says, “Modesty belongs to faith.”
As for his saying, God bless him and grant him peace, that modesty brings only good, this is a true, truthful saying. Remaining upon the origin brings only good, for no claim accompanies it. One is receptive to every divine description with which the Real wills to describe him, with no contrary within the locus to reject it or opposite to repel it. The Real remains doing what He wills, without opponent or contender.
(Modesty in Attributing the Description to the Real)
His being described by it is His leaving the servant to be qualified by the Real's descriptions and conceding them to him, without embarrassing him concerning them. Rather, He affirms him, raises his rank through them, and does not give the lie to his claim, for he is His locus of disclosure. This is through the Real's being Modest.
A report states that, on the Day of Resurrection, God says to an old man, “My servant, you did such-and-such,” concerning things he ought not to have done. He says, “Lord, I did not,” though he did. The Real says, “Take him to the Garden.” The angels who counted his work say, “Our Lord, do You not know he did such-and-such?” He says, “Yes, but when he denied it, I was too modest before him to belie his grey hairs.”
If the Real is too modest before the servant to belie his grey hairs, and honours him, the servant has greater reason to possess this attribute.
Modesty has degrees among the knowers
Notes
Translator’s note TN4213-1: The final account is introduced as a report. God does not affirm that the old man's denial is factually true; the story says He refrains from giving the lie to his grey hairs and commands his entry into the Garden.
