God is called ‘King of Heaven and of the earth, and of the seen and unseen beings’ only because we have no better words than those we use for all the things of this world. To call God King does not raise Him in any way higher than the position He has; it only helps us to make his power and glory more intelligible to our mind. And yet there are certain characters which are kingly characters, and such characters may be seen in their perfection in God. It does not mean that every person does not have that character. It only means that from a higher position a soul may show that character more than in an ordinary capacity. And that character is love hidden behind indifference. In Sufi terms this character is denoted by a Persian word, binayaz, which means ‘hidden.’ It does not mean ‘the hidden God,’ it means hidden beauty. Love expressed is one thing, and love hidden is another. Love is often hidden under the veil of indifference, and the Sufi poets have pictured it most beautifully in their verses, which are nothing but pictures of human life and nature.

There are examples in the histories of the kings which show this character. Sometimes a person whom the king favored the most was kept back from being the prime minister. This does not mean that it was not the wish of the king, it only meant that the king considered the sympathy and admiration he had for the person more than the prime-minister-ship. One also sees it in other aspects: perhaps the king did not speak to a person for a long time; this did not mean that the king disfavored him, it only meant that the king knew that he would understand. There are instances when the patience of the saints and the sages has been tried to the uttermost. The pain and the suffering has been greater than the average person’s. Behind the indifference there are many reasons.

And then one sees the other part of kingliness, that sometimes those whom the king cared little for were graciously received and amply rewarded. And the ordinary mind could not conceive the reason behind this. The one who is responsible for his subjects is the king; he understood rightly, like a gardener who knows which plant to rear and which tree had better be out of the garden. In spite of all opposition from all around, the kings have held their idea, conscious of their duty.

So it is with God.

But, king apart, even the manner and method of a responsible person is not always understood by another whose responsibility is not the same. So how can man always understand the ways of God, the only King in the true sense of the word, before Whom all other kings are nothing but imitations? And it is the Kingship of God which manifests in the blooming of every soul. When a soul arrives at its full bloom, it begins to show the colour and spread the fragrance of the Divine Spirit of God.