On the Compass.

Conversus deinde ab superstitionem, quia ignorantes opera superstitionem crudus est, qui inscriptus est laborum maiores blasphemiam ab his imitando quod non potest comprehendere et exterminantes quod prae manibus est.

Signum ergo “compassum” esse magnam, quae Academia nomen tanta sumsit a machinam.  Similitudine nomen "Al Kompas", et facit aliud con passio, ut quidem Academiae certam ut verius dicuntur. 

Mussulmen enim credebam in orationibus, ipsi vertere quodam modo propheta ad illum locum ubi vixerit vel docuerit.  Apud antiquos enim Mussulmen qui habitabat iuxta Mecca locum qui vocatur, magna nec certamine tantus labor implendum. Quidam ad Meccam futurum oriente ad occidentem, qui habitabat orare, et habitatores Mecca occidentem, orientem petere futurum, et cetera. 
Sed tunc sicut Mussulmen migrare fecit, et ire procul mandatum eorum sustinuit in partem orare, tametsi longe ab domo Prophetae.  Unde coacti sunt, non ex sua sapientia, sed ignorantes ab officio religionis geo maior fieri, ut utra ut accuratius ostendere chartae, ut oraret.
Unum peculiarem simillimum videatur, licet tanta aeternam donare Deum momenti, de Mussulmen erant certa, iussit orare et non solum pro eo, et quidam quidem Deus volebat ire civitati uno tempore in animas eorum.

Didicerunt scientia, et in circino magnetite ergo Mussulmen valde capax eorum geometria et peregrinationes.

Facti sunt non solum ut expeditior in circino, sed peritior cogitationis vias, decursu saeculorum paucis ingeniosi homines animadverterat, quod singulis situm proprium haberet directionem Mecca. Nec circumdabit posse componi ex qualicumque indicant ingeniosa inventione quae semper vera Mecca. Etenim quae tantummodo locum habeat numquid forte fortuna austrinos conditione ville versus ambitum ostendat Mecca.

Ex diebus antiquis in Mussulmen movet tam paradoxum - nam solus, quia ignorans quo Mecca circino erat inanis esset. Sed haec machina non est determinare quonam Mussulman non semper orare. Ita non modo prorsus inutilis est, in definiendis versus ambitum Mecca, sed etiam omnino oportet determinare intendit.

In circulum vertitur in singulis hominibus, verum est Cor Dei. Ubicumque sit, tamen in veritate viam Dei manet in aeternum, an in illo homine, ut quodam percipiant.

Tamen via illa non numquam simpliciter, quia duo non possunt esse simul in eodem loco, et non est idem, non est tarnen ad duos in eadem directione Cor Dei. Aliud enim est unum hominem, alterum sine altero iudicatur, similiter nec unus Deus potest sustinere. Nam aliter unum posset peccatum, quod altera possit iudicari; oboediens aut magno et facere aliquid aliud quam Deus arridet.

Sic non est magis unum hominem quam alterum errorem, quia hoc ipsum quod est Cor Dei, aliud refragantibus, quod alio est Cor Dei. Nam eodem modo terrentur Mussulmen id circumierunt minima erroris occasionem satagerent Mecca versus usque ad os in ordinem desit locus, ita quoque contra omnes homines praeter maculam Cor Dei, ut omnino nusquam scire potest Cor Dei: et ita fallibilia animalia nihil nisi quam humilitas et obsecratio ad salutem petunt suscipit non meritis nostris.
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Turning, then from superstition; for superstition is only the crude work of the ignorant, which is disrespectfully scrawled upon the works of greater men, by those imitating what they cannot comprehend, and defacing all that comes to hand.

The Compass did become a great symbol of thought, so great that the Academy took its name from that device.   It is said that the similarity between the word "Al-Kompas", and the other word compassion made even more truly the certainty of that Academy that they should be called such.

For the Mussulmen did believe that in their prayers, they were to turn a certain way, towards that place where their Prophet had lived and taught.  For those Mussulmen in early days, living nearby the place called Mecca, the fulfillment of such a command was no great challenge.  Some who lived east of Mecca would turn west to pray; and those who lived west of Mecca, would turn east to pray, and such.  

But then as the Mussulmen did migrate and travel far away, their commandment to pray in that direction endured, notwithstanding their distance from that home of the Prophet.  Therefore, they were forced, not from their duty to wisdom but merely from their ignorant religion, to become great geometers, in order that they might construct maps to show them in which direction they might pray. 
Although it sounds most peculiar that God would endow one place with such eternal importance, the Mussulmen were fixated upon it; for not only were they commanded to pray to that place, they also were certain that God wished them to travel to that City at least one time in their lives.  Naturally, their interest in geometry was practical in this instance, for they needed to know not only the direction of that place, but also the means of travel thereto.  Having been taught the science of magnetite and the compass, therefore, the Mussulmen became much enabled in their geometry and travels.

As they became not only more facile with the compass, but also more skilled in the ways of thought, over the centuries some had noticed that each individual location had its own direction to Mecca.  No compass could be constructed by any sort of ingenious invention which would point true to Mecca.  In fact, only those places which were accidentally north or south of that town did ever possess the fortunate instance that the compass should point in the direction of Mecca.

The Mussulmen of old puzzled over such a paradox – for alone, a compass was worthless for knowing whither Mecca might be.  However, without this device, a Mussulman could not ever determine in what direction he should pray.  Thus, a compass was not only completely useless in determining the direction to Mecca, but also absolutely necessary.

Within each man lies a compass which ever points true to the Heart of God.  Notwithstanding wherever he might be, the path to God remains forever true, whether or not that man can perceive it at a certain instance in time.  

Nevertheless, that path is not ever invariant; for as two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time, without being one identity, nevertheless two persons cannot turn to the Heart of God in the identical direction.  For as one person is different than the other, and is judged independently of the other, no two persons can face God in the same manner.  Otherwise, one person might commit a sin, for which the other might be judged; or one might do a great and god-fearing thing, for which God smiles upon the other.  

Thus, one man may not be in greater error than another, for saying that the Heart of God is exactly this way, and another disagreeing, saying that the Heart of God is in another direction.  For in the same way that the Mussulmen fear – that the tiniest error with a compass while attempting to facing towards Mecca might cause one to face in a direction that far misses the mark; so, too, all humans miss the mark in facing the Heart of God, as we can never know the Heart of God exactly; and being such fallible creatures, we have nothing but humility and prayer to beg for that salvation which we cannot earn on our own merit.