We should remember, however, the fact that each measure of time is nothing more than a relative measurement. From this point of view, we are already in the fourth millennium after the birth of Jesus, upon him be peace, and the third millennium after the hijrah, which is the starting point of the Muslim calendar. I bring up this issue due to the spiritual discomfort engendered by the terrifying auguries believed to be associated with the upcoming millennium, especially in the West. People live in perpetual hope, and thus are children of hope. At the instant they lose their hope, they also lose their fire of life, no matter if their physical existence continues.
Hope is directly proportional to having faith.
Just as winter constitutes one-fourth of a year, so the periods in a person s or a society s life corresponding to winter are also small. The gears of Divine acts revolve around such comprehensive wisdom and merciful purposes that just as the circulation of night and day builds one s hope and revivifies one s spirit, and every new year comes with expectations of spring and summer, so too the disastrous periods are short and followed by happy times in both an individ-ual s life and a nation s history. This circulation of the Days of God, which is centered in Divine Wisdom, is neither a fear nor a pessimism for those with faith, insight, and genuine perceptive faculties. Rather, it is a source of continuous reflection, remembrance, and thanksgiving for those having an apprehensive heart, inner perception, and the ability to hear. Just as a day develops in the heart of night, and just as winter furnishes the womb in which spring grows, so one s life is purified, matures, and bears its expected fruits within this circulation.