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Kitáb-i-Íqán
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Pages 93-257
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PART TWO
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| 1 |
Verily He Who is the Day-star of Truth and Revealer of
the Supreme Being holdeth, for all time, undisputed sovereignty
over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be
found on earth to obey Him. He verily is independent of all
earthly dominion, though He be utterly destitute. Thus We
reveal unto thee the mysteries of the Cause of God, and bestow
upon thee the gems of divine wisdom, that haply thou mayest
soar on the wings of renunciation to those heights that are
veiled from the eyes of men.
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| 2 |
THE significance and essential purpose underlying
these words is to reveal and demonstrate
unto the pure in heart and the sanctified in
spirit that they Who are the Luminaries of truth
and the Mirrors reflecting the light of divine
Unity, in whatever age and cycle they are sent
down from their invisible habitations of ancient
glory unto this world, to educate the souls of men
and endue with grace all created things, are invariably
endowed with an all-compelling power,
and invested with invincible sovereignty. For these
hidden Gems, these concealed and invisible Treasures,
in themselves manifest and vindicate the
reality of these holy words: "Verily God doeth
whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever
He pleaseth."
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| 3 |
To every discerning and illumined heart it is
evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the
divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every
human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent
and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from
His glory that human tongue should adequately
recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend
His fathomless mystery. He is and hath ever
been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence,
and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden
from the sight of men. "No vision taketh in
Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile,
the All-Perceiving."
[1]
No tie of direct intercourse
can possibly bind Him to His creatures.
He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation
and union, all proximity and remoteness. No
sign can indicate His presence or His absence; inasmuch
as by a word of His command all that are
in heaven and on earth have come to exist, and by
His wish, which is the Primal Will itself, all have
stepped out of utter nothingness into the realm of
being, the world of the visible.
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| 4 |
Gracious God! How could there be conceived
any existing relationship or possible connection
between His Word and they that are created of
it? The verse: "God would have you beware of
Himself"
[2]
unmistakably beareth witness to the
reality of Our argument, and the words: "God was
alone; there was none else besides Him" are a sure
testimony of its truth. All the Prophets of God and
their chosen Ones, all the divines, the sages, and
the wise of every generation, unanimously recognize
their inability to attain unto the comprehension
of that Quintessence of all truth, and confess
their incapacity to grasp Him, Who is the inmost
Reality of all things.
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| 5 |
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of
Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the
Source of infinite grace, according to His saying:
"His grace hath transcended all things; My grace
hath encompassed them all" hath caused those
luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the
realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human
temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that
they may impart unto the world the mysteries of
the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties
of His imperishable Essence. These sanctified Mirrors,
these Day-springs of ancient glory are one and
all the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the
central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate
Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge
and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty.
The beauty of their countenance is but a
reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign
of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of
divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial
wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that
is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that
can never fade. Even as He hath said: "There is
no distinction whatsoever between Thee and
them; except that they are Thy servants, and are
created of Thee." This is the significance of the
tradition: "I am He, Himself, and He is I, myself."
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| 6 |
The traditions and sayings that bear direct reference
to Our theme are divers and manifold; We
have refrained from quoting them for the sake of
brevity. Nay, whatever is in the heavens and whatever
is on the earth is a direct evidence of the
revelation within it of the attributes and names
of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined
the signs that bear eloquent testimony to
the revelation of that most great Light. Methinks,
but for the potency of that revelation, no being
could ever exist. How resplendent the luminaries
of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast
the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! To
a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among
all created things, hath been invested with the
robe of such gifts, and hath been singled out for
the glory of such distinction. For in him are potentially
revealed all the attributes and names of God
to a degree that no other created being hath excelled
or surpassed. All these names and attributes
are applicable to him. Even as He hath said: "Man
is My mystery, and I am his mystery." Manifold
are the verses that have been repeatedly revealed
in all the heavenly Books and the holy Scriptures,
expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme. Even
as He hath revealed: "We will surely show them
Our signs in the world and within themselves."
[3]
Again He saith: "And also in your own selves:
will ye not then behold the signs of God?"
[4]
And
yet again He revealeth: "And be ye not like those
who forget God, and whom He hath therefore
caused to forget their own selves."
[5]
In this connection,
He Who is the eternal King--may the souls
of all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be
a sacrifice unto Him--hath spoken: "He hath
known God who hath known himself."
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I swear by God, O esteemed and honoured
friend! Shouldst thou ponder these words in thine
heart, thou wilt of a certainty find the doors of
divine wisdom and infinite knowledge flung open
before thy face.
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| 8 |
From that which hath been said it becometh
evident that all things, in their inmost reality, testify
to the revelation of the names and attributes
of God within them. Each according to its capacity,
indicateth, and is expressive of, the knowledge
of God. So potent and universal is this revelation,
that it hath encompassed all things, visible and invisible.
Thus hath He revealed: "Hath aught else
save Thee a power of revelation which is not possessed
by Thee, that it could have manifested
Thee? Blind is the eye which doth not perceive
Thee." Likewise, hath the eternal King spoken:
"No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived
God within it, God before it, or God after
it." Also in the tradition of Kumayl it is written:
"Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the Morn
of eternity, and lo! its waves have penetrated the
inmost reality of all men." Man, the noblest and
most perfect of all created things, excelleth them
all in the intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller
expression of its glory. And of all men, the most
accomplished, the most distinguished and the most
excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of
Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations,
live by the operation of their Will, and move and
have their being through the outpourings of their
grace. "But for Thee, I would have not created
the heavens." Nay, all in their holy presence fade
into utter nothingness, and are a thing forgotten.
Human tongue can never befittingly sing their
praise, and human speech can never unfold their
mystery. These Tabernacles of holiness, these primal
Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading
glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible
of the Invisibles. By the revelation of these
gems of divine virtue all the names and attributes
of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty
and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory,
bounty and grace, are made manifest.
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| 9 |
These attributes of God are not and have never
been vouchsafed specially unto certain Prophets,
and withheld from others. Nay, all the Prophets
of God, His well-favoured, His holy, and chosen
Messengers, are, without exception, the bearers of
His names, and the embodiments of His attributes.
They only differ in the intensity of their revelation,
and the comparative potency of their light. Even
as He hath revealed: "Some of the Apostles We
have caused to excel the others."
[6]
It hath therefore
become manifest and evident that within the tabernacles
of these Prophets and chosen Ones of God
the light of His infinite names and exalted attributes
hath been reflected, even though the light of
some of these attributes may or may not be outwardly
revealed from these luminous Temples to
the eyes of men. That a certain attribute of God
hath not been outwardly manifested by these Essences
of Detachment doth in no wise imply that
they Who are the Daysprings of God's attributes
and the Treasuries of His holy names did not actually
possess it. Therefore, these illuminated Souls,
these beauteous Countenances have, each and every
one of them, been endowed with all the attributes
of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and the
like, even though to outward seeming they be
shorn of all earthly majesty. To every discerning
eye this is evident and manifest; it requireth
neither proof nor evidence.
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| 10 |
Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have
failed to seek from the luminous and crystal
Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of
God's holy words, they therefore have languished,
stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy
and waywardness. They have strayed far from the
fresh and thirst-subduing waters, and gathered
round the salt that burneth bitterly. Concerning
them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken: "And if
they see the path of righteousness, they will not
take it for their path; but if they see the path of
error, for their path will they take it. This, because
they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless of
them."
[7]
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| 11 |
To this testifieth that which hath been witnessed
in this wondrous and exalted Dispensation. Myriads
of holy verses have descended from the
heaven of might and grace, yet no one hath turned
thereunto, nor ceased to cling to those words of
men, not one letter of which they that have spoken
them comprehend. For this reason the people have
doubted incontestable truths, such as these, and
caused themselves to be deprived of the Ridván of
divine knowledge, and the eternal meads of celestial
wisdom.
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| 12 |
And now, to resume Our argument concerning
the question: Why is it that the sovereignty of the
Qá'im, affirmed in the text of recorded traditions,
and handed down by the shining stars of the Muhammadan
Dispensation, hath not in the least been
made manifest? Nay, the contrary hath come to
pass. Have not His disciples and companions been
afflicted of men? Are they not still the victims of
the fierce opposition of their enemies? Are they
not today leading the life of abased and impotent
mortals? Yea, the sovereignty attributed to
the Qá'im and spoken of in the scriptures, is
a reality, the truth of which none can doubt.
This sovereignty, however, is not the sovereignty
which the minds of men have falsely imagined.
Moreover, the Prophets of old, each and
every one, whenever announcing to the people of
their day the advent of the coming Revelation,
have invariably and specifically referred to that
sovereignty with which the promised Manifestation
must needs be invested. This is attested by
the records of the scriptures of the past. This sovereignty
hath not been solely and exclusively attributed
to the Qá'im. Nay rather, the attribute of
sovereignty and all other names and attributes of
God have been and will ever be vouchsafed unto
all the Manifestations of God, before and after
Him, inasmuch as these Manifestations, as it hath
already been explained, are the Embodiments of
the attributes of God, the Invisible, and the Revealers
of the divine mysteries.
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| 13 |
Furthermore, by sovereignty is meant the all-encompassing,
all-pervading power which is inherently
exercised by the Qá'im whether or not He
appear to the world clothed in the majesty of
earthly dominion. This is solely dependent upon
the will and pleasure of the Qá'im Himself. You
will readily recognize that the terms sovereignty,
wealth, life, death, judgment and resurrection,
spoken of by the scriptures of old, are not what
this generation hath conceived and vainly imagined.
Nay, by sovereignty is meant that sovereignty
which in every dispensation resideth within, and
is exercised by, the person of the Manifestation,
the Day-star of Truth. That sovereignty is the spiritual
ascendancy which He exerciseth to the fullest
degree over all that is in heaven and on earth, and
which in due time revealeth itself to the world in
direct proportion to its capacity and spiritual receptiveness,
even as the sovereignty of Muhammad,
the Messenger of God, is today apparent
and manifest amongst the people. You are well
aware of what befell His Faith in the early days
of His dispensation. What woeful sufferings did
the hand of the infidel and erring, the divines of
that age and their associates, inflict upon that spiritual
Essence, that most pure and holy Being! How
abundant the thorns and briars which they have
strewn over His path! It is evident that wretched
generation, in their wicked and satanic fancy, regarded
every injury to that immortal Being as a
means to the attainment of an abiding felicity;
inasmuch as the recognized divines of that age,
such as `Abdu'lláh-i-Ubayy, Abú-`Amír, the hermit,
Ka'b-Ibn-i-Ashraf, and Nadr-Ibn-i-Hárith, all
treated Him as an impostor, and pronounced Him
a lunatic and a calumniator. Such sore accusations
they brought against Him that in recounting them
God forbiddeth the ink to flow, Our pen to move,
or the page to bear them. These malicious imputations
provoked the people to arise and torment
Him. And how fierce that torment if the divines
of the age be its chief instigators, if they denounce
Him to their followers, cast Him out from their
midst, and declare Him a miscreant! Hath not the
same befallen this Servant, and been witnessed by
all?
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| 14 |
For this reason did Muhammad cry out: "No
Prophet of God hath suffered such harm as I have
suffered." And in the Qur'án are recorded all the
calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as
well as all the afflictions which He suffered. Refer
ye thereunto, that haply ye may be informed
of that which hath befallen His Revelation. So
grievous was His plight, that for a time all ceased
to hold intercourse with Him and His companions.
Whoever associated with Him fell a victim to the
relentless cruelty of His enemies.
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| 15 |
We shall cite in this connection only one verse of
that Book. Shouldst thou observe it with a discerning
eye, thou wilt, all the remaining days of thy
life, lament and bewail the injury of Muhammad,
that wronged and oppressed Messenger of God.
That verse was revealed at a time when Muhammad
languished weary and sorrowful beneath the
weight of the opposition of the people, and of their
unceasing torture. In the midst of His agony, the
Voice of Gabriel, calling from the Sadratu'l-Muntahá,
was heard saying: "But if their opposition
be grievous to Thee--if Thou canst, seek out an
opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven."
[8]
The implication of this utterance is that His case
had no remedy, that they would not withhold their
hands from Him unless He should hide Himself
beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight
unto heaven.
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Consider, how great is the change today! Behold,
how many are the Sovereigns who bow the
knee before His name! How numerous the nations
and kingdoms who have sought the shelter of His
shadow, who bear allegiance to His Faith, and
pride themselves therein! From the pulpit-top
there ascendeth today the words of praise which,
in utter lowliness, glorify His blessed name; and
from the heights of minarets there resoundeth the
call that summoneth the concourse of His people
to adore Him. Even those Kings of the earth who
have refused to embrace His Faith and to put off
the garment of unbelief, none the less confess and
acknowledge the greatness and overpowering majesty
of that Day-star of loving kindness. Such is
His earthly sovereignty, the evidences of which
thou dost on every side behold. This sovereignty
must needs be revealed and established either in
the lifetime of every Manifestation of God or after
His ascension unto His true habitation in the
realms above. What thou dost witness today is but
a confirmation of this truth. That spiritual ascendency,
however, which is primarily intended, resideth
within, and revolveth around Them from
eternity even unto eternity. It can never for a moment
be divorced from Them. Its dominion hath
encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth.
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The following is an evidence of the sovereignty
exercised by Muhammad, the Day-star of Truth.
Hast thou not heard how with one single verse He
hath sundered light from darkness, the righteous
from the ungodly, and the believing from the infidel?
All the signs and allusions concerning the
Day of Judgment, which thou hast heard, such as
the raising of the dead, the Day of Reckoning, the
Last Judgment, and others have been made manifest
through the revelation of that verse. These revealed
words were a blessing to the righteous who
on hearing them exclaimed: "O God our Lord,
we have heard, and obeyed." They were a curse
to the people of iniquity who, on hearing them affirmed:
"We have heard and rebelled." Those
words, sharp as the sword of God, have separated
the faithful from the infidel, and severed father
from son. Thou hast surely witnessed how they
that have confessed their faith in Him and they
that rejected Him have warred against each other,
and sought one another's property. How many
fathers have turned away from their sons; how
many lovers have shunned their beloved! So mercilessly
trenchant was this wondrous sword of God
that it cleft asunder every relationship! On the
other hand, consider the welding power of His
Word. Observe, how those in whose midst the
Satan of self had for years sown the seeds of malice
and hate became so fused and blended through
their allegiance to this wondrous and transcendent
Revelation that it seemed as if they had sprung
from the same loins. Such is the binding force of
the Word of God, which uniteth the hearts of them
that have renounced all else but Him, who have
believed in His signs, and quaffed from the Hand
of glory the Kawthar of God's holy grace. Furthermore,
how numerous are those peoples of divers
beliefs, of conflicting creeds, and opposing temperaments,
who, through the reviving fragrance of
the Divine springtime, breathing from the Ridván
of God, have been arrayed with the new robe of
divine Unity, and have drunk from the cup of His
singleness!
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This is the significance of the well-known words:
"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together."
[9]
Behold
the ignorance and folly of those who, like
the nations of old, are still expecting to witness
the time when these beasts will feed together in
one pasture! Such is their low estate. Methinks,
never have their lips touched the cup of understanding,
neither have their feet trodden the path
of justice. Besides, of what profit would it be to
the world were such a thing to take place? How
well hath He spoken concerning them: "Hearts
have they, with which they understand not, and
eyes have they with which they see not!"
[10]
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Consider how with this one verse which hath
descended from the heaven of the Will of God, the
world and all that is therein have been brought to
a reckoning with Him. Whosoever acknowledged
His truth and turned unto Him, his good works
outweighed his misdeeds, and all his sins were remitted
and forgiven. Thereby is the truth of these
words concerning Him made manifest: "Swift is
He in reckoning." Thus God turneth iniquity into
righteousness, were ye to explore the realms of
divine knowledge, and fathom the mysteries of His
wisdom. In like manner, whosoever partook of the
cup of love, obtained his portion of the ocean of
eternal grace and of the showers of everlasting
mercy, and entered into the life of faith--the
heavenly and everlasting life. But he that turned
away from that cup was condemned to eternal
death. By the terms "life" and "death," spoken of
in the scriptures, is intended the life of faith and
the death of unbelief. The generality of the people,
owing to their failure to grasp the meaning of
these words, rejected and despised the person of
the Manifestation, deprived themselves of the light
of His divine guidance, and refused to follow the
example of that immortal Beauty.
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| 20 |
When the light of Qur'ánic Revelation was
kindled within the chamber of Muhammad's holy
heart, He passed upon the people the verdict of
the Last Day, the verdict of resurrection, of judgment,
of life, and of death. Thereupon the standards
of revolt were hoisted, and the doors of
derision opened. Thus hath He, the Spirit of God,
recorded, as spoken by the infidels: "And if thou
shouldst say, `After death ye shall surely be raised
again,' the infidels will certainly exclaim, `This is
nothing but manifest sorcery.'"
[11]
Again He speaketh:
"If ever thou dost marvel, marvellous surely
is their saying, `What! When we have become dust,
shall we be restored in a new creation?'"
[12]
Thus,
in another passage, He wrathfully exclaimeth:
"Are We wearied out with the first creation? Yet
are they in doubt with regard to a new creation!"
[13]
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| 21 |
As the commentators of the Qur'án and they
that follow the letter thereof misapprehended the
inner meaning of the words of God and failed to
grasp their essential purpose, they sought to demonstrate
that, according to the rules of grammar,
whenever the term "idhá" (meaning "if" or
"when") precedeth the past tense, it invariably
hath reference to the future. Later, they were sore
perplexed in attempting to explain those verses of
the Book wherein that term did not actually occur.
Even as He hath revealed: "And there was a blast
on the trumpet,--lo! it is the threatened Day!
And every soul is summoned to a reckoning,--with
him an impeller and a witness."
[14]
In explaining this
and similar verses, they have in some cases argued
that the term "idhá" is implied. In other instances,
they have idly contended that whereas the Day of
Judgment is inevitable, it hath therefore been referred
to as an event not of the future but of the
past. How vain their sophistry! How grievous their
blindness! They refuse to recognize the trumpet-blast
which so explicitly in this text was sounded
through the revelation of Muhammad. They deprive
themselves of the regenerating Spirit of God
that breathed into it, and foolishly expect to hear
the trumpet-sound of the Seraph of God who is but
one of His servants! Hath not the Seraph himself,
the angel of the Judgment Day, and his like been
ordained by Muhammad's own utterance? Say:
What! Will ye give that which is for your good in
exchange for that which is evil? Wretched is that
which ye have falsely exchanged! Surely ye are a
people, evil, in grievous loss.
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| 22 |
Nay, by "trumpet" is meant the trumpet-call of
Muhammad's Revelation, which was sounded in
the heart of the universe, and by "resurrection" is
meant His own rise to proclaim the Cause of God.
He bade the erring and wayward arise and speed
out of the sepulchres of their bodies, arrayed them
with the beauteous robe of faith, and quickened
them with the breath of a new and wondrous
life. Thus at the hour when Muhammad, that
divine Beauty, purposed to unveil one of the mysteries
hidden in the symbolic terms "resurrection,"
"judgment," "paradise," and "hell," Gabriel, the
Voice of Inspiration, was heard saying: "Erelong
will they wag their heads at Thee, and say, `When
shall this be?' Say: `Perchance it is nigh.'"
[15]
The
implications of this verse alone suffice the peoples
of the world, were they to ponder it in their hearts.
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| 23 |
Gracious God! How far have that people strayed
from the way of God! Although the Day of Resurrection
was ushered in through the Revelation of
Muhammad, although His light and tokens had
encompassed the earth and all that is therein, yet
that people derided Him, gave themselves up to
those idols which the divines of that age, in their
vain and idle fancy, had conceived, and deprived
themselves of the light of heavenly grace and of
the showers of divine mercy. Yea, the abject beetle
can never scent the fragrance of holiness, and the
bat of darkness can never face the splendour of the
sun.
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| 24 |
Such things have come to pass in the days of
every Manifestation of God. Even as Jesus said:
"Ye must be born again."
[16]
Again He saith: "Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit."
[17]
The purport of these
words is that whosoever in every dispensation is
born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath of
the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those
that have attained unto "life" and "resurrection"
and have entered into the "paradise" of the love of
God. And whosoever is not of them, is condemned
to "death" and "deprivation," to the "fire" of unbelief,
and to the "wrath" of God. In all the scriptures,
the books and chronicles, the sentence of
death, of fire, of blindness, of want of understanding
and hearing, hath been pronounced against
those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup
of true knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived
of the grace of the holy Spirit in their day.
Even as it hath been previously recorded: "Hearts
have they with which they understand not."
[18]
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| 25 |
In another passage of the Gospel it is written:
"And it came to pass that on a certain day the father
of one of the disciples of Jesus had died. That
disciple reporting the death of his father unto
Jesus, asked for leave to go and bury him. Whereupon,
Jesus, that Essence of Detachment, answered
and said: "Let the dead bury their dead."
[19]
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| 26 |
In like manner, two of the people of Kúfih went
to `Alí, the Commander of the Faithful. One
owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was
to be the purchaser. They had agreed that this
transaction should be effected and the contract be
written with the knowledge of `Alí. He, the exponent
of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said:
"Write thou: `A dead man hath bought from another
dead man a house. That house is bounded by
four limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the
other to the vault of the grave, the third to the
Sirat, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.'" Reflect,
had these two souls been quickened by the
trumpet-call of `Alí, had they risen from the grave
of error by the power of his love, the judgment of
death would certainly not have been pronounced
against them.
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| 27 |
In every age and century, the purpose of the
Prophets of God and their chosen ones hath been
no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of
the terms "life," "resurrection," and "judgment."
If one will ponder but for a while this utterance
of `Alí in his heart, one will surely discover all
mysteries hidden in the terms "grave," "tomb,"
"sirat," "paradise" and "hell." But oh! how strange
and pitiful! Behold, all the people are imprisoned
within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the
nethermost depths of worldly desire! Wert thou to
attain to but a dewdrop of the crystal waters of
divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize
that true life is not the life of the flesh but the life
of the spirit. For the life of the flesh is common to
both men and animals, whereas the life of the spirit
is possessed only by the pure in heart who have
quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of
the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth no death,
and this existence is crowned by immortality. Even
as it hath been said: "He who is a true believer
liveth both in this world and in the world to come."
If by "life" be meant this earthly life, it is evident
that death must needs overtake it.
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| 28 |
Similarly, the records of all the scriptures bear
witness to this lofty truth and this most exalted
word. Moreover, this verse of the Qur'án, revealed
concerning Hamzih, the "Prince of Martyrs,"
[20]
and Abú-Jahl, is a luminous evidence and sure testimony
of the truth of Our saying: "Shall the dead,
whom We have quickened, and for whom We have
ordained a light whereby he may walk among men,
be like him, whose likeness is in the darkness,
whence he will not come forth?"
[21]
This verse descended
from the heaven of the Primal Will at a
time when Hamzih had already been invested with
the sacred mantle of faith, and Abú-Jahl had
waxed relentless in his opposition and unbelief.
From the Wellspring of omnipotence and the
Source of eternal holiness, there came the judgment
that conferred everlasting life upon Hamzih,
and condemned Abú-Jahl to eternal damnation.
This was the signal that caused the fires of unbelief
to glow with the hottest flame in the heart of
the infidels, and provoked them openly to repudiate
His truth. They loudly clamoured: "When did
Hamzih die? When was he risen? At what hour
was such a life conferred upon him?" As they understood
not the significance of these noble sayings,
nor sought enlightenment from the recognized expounders
of the Faith, that these might confer a
sprinkling of the Kawthar of divine knowledge
upon them, therefore such fires of mischief were
kindled amongst men.
| |
| 29 |
Thou dost witness today how, notwithstanding
the radiant splendour of the Sun of divine knowledge,
all the people, whether high or low, have
clung to the ways of those abject manifestations of
the Prince of Darkness. They continually appeal
to them for aid in unraveling the intricacies of
their Faith, and, owing to lack of knowledge, they
make such replies as can in no wise damage their
fame and fortune. It is evident that these souls, vile
and miserable as the beetle itself, have had no portion
of the musk-laden breeze of eternity, and have
never entered the Ridván of heavenly delight.
How, therefore, can they impart unto others the
imperishable fragrance of holiness? Such is their
way, and such will it remain for ever. Only those
will attain to the knowledge of the Word of God
that have turned unto Him, and repudiated the
manifestations of Satan. Thus God hath reaffirmed
the law of the day of His Revelation, and inscribed
it with the pen of power upon the mystic Tablet
hidden beneath the veil of celestial glory. Wert
thou to heed these words, wert thou to ponder their
outward and inner meaning in thy heart, thou
wouldst seize the significance of all the abstruse
problems which, in this day, have become insuperable
barriers between men and the knowledge of
the Day of Judgment. Then wilt thou have no more
questions to perplex thee. We fain would hope
that, God willing, thou wilt not return, deprived
and still athirst, from the shores of the ocean of
divine mercy, nor come back destitute from the
imperishable Sanctuary of thy heart's desire. Let
it now be seen what thy search and endeavours will
achieve.
| |
| 30 |
To resume: Our purpose in setting forth these
truths hath been to demonstrate the sovereignty of
Him Who is the King of kings. Be fair: Is this
sovereignty which, through the utterance of one
Word, hath manifested such pervading influence,
ascendancy, and awful majesty, is this sovereignty
superior, or is the worldly dominion of these kings
of the earth who, despite their solicitude for their
subjects and their help of the poor, are assured only
of an outward and fleeting allegiance, while in
the hearts of men they inspire neither affection nor
respect? Hath not that sovereignty, through the
potency of one word, subdued, quickened, and revitalized
the whole world? What! Can the lowly
dust compare with Him Who is the Lord of Lords?
What tongue dare utter the immensity of difference
that lieth between them? Nay, all comparison
falleth short in attaining the hallowed sanctuary of
His sovereignty. Were man to reflect, he would
surely perceive that even the servant of His threshold
ruleth over all created things! This hath already
been witnessed, and will in future be made
manifest.
| |
| 31 |
This is but one of the meanings of the spiritual
sovereignty which We have set forth in accordance
with the capacity and receptiveness of the people.
For He, the Mover of all beings, that glorified
Countenance, is the source of such potencies as
neither this wronged One can reveal, nor this unworthy
people comprehend. Immensely exalted is
He above men's praise of His sovereignty; glorified
is He beyond that which they attribute unto Him!
| |
| 32 |
And now, ponder this in thine heart: Were sovereignty
to mean earthly sovereignty and worldly
dominion, were it to imply the subjection and external
allegiance of all the peoples and kindreds of
the earth--whereby His loved ones should be exalted
and be made to live in peace, and His enemies
be abased and tormented--such form of
sovereignty would not be true of God Himself,
the Source of all dominion, Whose majesty and
power all things testify. For, dost thou not witness
how the generality of mankind is under the sway
of His enemies? Have they not all turned away
from the path of His good-pleasure? Have they
not done that which He hath forbidden, and left
undone, nay repudiated and opposed, those things
which He hath commanded? Have not His friends
ever been the victims of the tyranny of His foes?
All these things are more obvious than even the
splendour of the noon-tide sun.
| |
| 33 |
Know, therefore, O questioning seeker, that
earthly sovereignty is of no worth, nor will it ever
be, in the eyes of God and His chosen Ones. Moreover,
if ascendency and dominion be interpreted
to mean earthly supremacy and temporal power,
how impossible will it be for thee to explain these
verses: "And verily Our host shall conquer."
[22]
"Fain would they put out God's light with their
mouths: But God hath willed to perfect His light,
albeit the infidels abhor it."
[23]
"He is the Dominant,
above all things." Similarly, most of the Qur'án
testifieth to this truth.
| |
| 34 |
Were the idle contention of these foolish and
despicable souls to be true, they would have none
other alternative than to reject all these holy
utterances and heavenly allusions. For no warrior
could be found on earth more excellent and nearer
to God than Husayn, son of `Alí, so peerless and
incomparable was he. "There was none to equal or
to match him in the world." Yet, thou must have
heard what befell him. "God's malison on the head
of the people of tyranny!"
[24]
| |
| 35 |
Were the verse "And verily Our host shall conquer"
to be literally interpreted, it is evident that
it would in no wise be applicable to the chosen
Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn,
whose heroism was manifest as the sun, crushed
and subjugated, quaffed at last the cup of martyrdom
in Kárbilá, the land of Táff. Similarly, the
sacred verse "Fain would they put out God's light
with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect
His light, albeit the infidels abhor it." Were it to
be literally interpreted it would never correspond
with the truth. For in every age the light of God
hath, to outward seeming, been quenched by the
peoples of the earth, and the Lamps of God extinguished
by them. How then could the ascendancy
of the sovereignty of these Lamps be explained?
What could the potency of God's will to "perfect
His light" signify? As hath already been witnessed,
so great was the enmity of the infidels, that none
of these divine Luminaries ever found a place for
shelter, or tasted of the cup of tranquillity. So
heavily were they oppressed, that the least of men
inflicted upon these Essences of being whatsoever
he listed. These sufferings have been observed and
measured by the people. How, therefore, can such
people be capable of understanding and expounding
these words of God, these verses of everlasting
glory?
| |
| 36 |
But the purpose of these verses is not what they
have imagined. Nay, the terms "ascendancy,"
"power," and "authority" imply a totally different
station and meaning. For instance, consider the
pervading power of those drops of the blood of
Husayn which besprinkled the earth. What ascendancy
and influence hath the dust itself, through
the sacredness and potency of that blood, exercised
over the bodies and souls of men! So much so, that
he who sought deliverance from his ills, was healed
by touching the dust of that holy ground, and
whosoever, wishing to protect his property, treasured
with absolute faith and understanding, a little
of that holy earth within his house, safeguarded all
his possessions. These are the outward manifestations
of its potency. And were We to recount its
hidden virtues they would assuredly say: "He verily
hath considered the dust to be the Lord of
Lords, and hath utterly forsaken the Faith of
God."
| |
| 37 |
Furthermore, call to mind the shameful circumstances
that have attended the martyrdom of Husayn.
Reflect upon his loneliness, how, to outer
seeming, none could be found to aid him, none to
take up his body and bury it. And yet, behold how
numerous, in this day, are those who from the uttermost
corners of the earth don the garb of pilgrimage,
seeking the site of his martyrdom, that
there they may lay their heads upon the threshold
of his shrine! Such is the ascendancy and power of
God! Such is the glory of His dominion and majesty!
| |
| 38 |
Think not that because these things have come
to pass after Husayn's martyrdom, therefore all
this glory hath been of no profit unto him. For that
holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and
abideth within the retreats of celestial glory upon
the Sadrih of heavenly reunion. These Essences
of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice.
They have offered, and will continue to offer up
their lives, their substance, their souls, their spirit,
their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved. By them,
no station, however exalted, could be more dearly
cherished. For lovers have no desire but the good-pleasure
of their Beloved, and have no aim except
reunion with Him.
| |
| 39 |
Should We wish to impart unto thee a glimmer
of the mysteries of Husayn's martyrdom, and reveal
unto thee the fruits thereof, these pages could
never suffice, nor exhaust their meaning. Our hope
is that, God willing, the breeze of mercy may blow,
and the divine Springtime clothe the tree of being
with the robe of a new life; so that we may discover
the mysteries of divine Wisdom, and,
through His providence, be made independent of
the knowledge of all things. We have, as yet, descried
none but a handful of souls, destitute of all
renown, who have attained unto this station. Let
the future disclose what the Judgment of God will
ordain, and the Tabernacle of His decree reveal.
In such wise We recount unto thee the wonders of
the Cause of God, and pour out into thine ears the
strains of heavenly melody, that haply thou mayest
attain unto the station of true knowledge, and partake
of the fruit thereof. Therefore, know thou of
a certainty that these Luminaries of heavenly majesty,
though their dwelling be in the dust, yet their
true habitation is the seat of glory in the realms
above. Though bereft of all earthly possessions,
yet they soar in the realms of immeasurable riches.
And whilst sore tried in the grip of the enemy, they
are seated on the right hand of power and celestial
dominion. Amidst the darkness of their abasement
there shineth upon them the light of unfading
glory, and upon their helplessness are showered the
tokens of an invincible sovereignty.
| |
| 40 |
Thus Jesus, Son of Mary, whilst seated one day
and speaking in the strain of the Holy Spirit, uttered
words such as these: "O people! My food is
the grass of the field, wherewith I satisfy my hunger.
My bed is the dust, my lamp in the night the
light of the moon, and my steed my own feet. Behold,
who on earth is richer than I?" By the righteousness
of God! Thousands of treasures circle
round this poverty, and a myriad kingdoms of
glory yearn for such abasement! Shouldst thou attain
to a drop of the ocean of the inner meaning of
these words, thou wouldst surely forsake the world
and all that is therein, and, as the Phoenix wouldst
consume thyself in the flames of the undying Fire.
| |
| 41 |
In like manner, it is related that on a certain day,
one of the companions of Sádiq complained of his
poverty before him. Whereupon, Sádiq, that immortal
beauty, made reply: "Verily thou art rich,
and hast drunk the draught of wealth." That
poverty-stricken soul was perplexed at the words
uttered by that luminous countenance, and said:
"Where are my riches, I who stand in need of a
single coin?" Sádiq thereupon observed: "Dost
thou not possess our love?" He replied: "Yea, I
possess it, O thou scion of the Prophet of God!"
And Sádiq asked him saying: "Exchangest thou
this love for one thousand dinars?" He answered:
"Nay, never will I exchange it, though the world
and all that is therein be given me!" Then Sádiq
remarked: "How can he who possesses such a
treasure be called poor?"
| |
| 42 |
This poverty and these riches, this abasement
and glory, this dominion, power, and the like, upon
which the eyes and hearts of these vain and foolish
souls are set,--all these things fade into utter nothingness
in that Court! Even as He hath said: "O
men! Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God
is the Rich, the Self-Sufficing."
[25]
By `riches' therefore
is meant independence of all else but God, and
by `poverty' the lack of things that are of God.
| |
| 43 |
Similarly, call thou to mind the day when the
Jews, who had surrounded Jesus, Son of Mary,
were pressing Him to confess His claim of being
the Messiah and Prophet of God, so that they
might declare Him an infidel and sentence Him to
death. Then, they led Him away, He Who was
the Day-star of the heaven of divine Revelation,
unto Pilate and Caiaphas, who was the leading
divine of that age. The chief priests were all assembled
in the palace, also a multitude of people
who had gathered to witness His sufferings, to deride
and injure Him. Though they repeatedly questioned
Him, hoping that He would confess His
claim, yet Jesus held His peace and spake not.
Finally, an accursed of God arose and, approaching
Jesus, adjured Him saying: "Didst thou not
claim to be the Divine Messiah? Didst thou not
say, `I am the King of Kings, My word is the Word
of God, and I am the breaker of the Sabbath
day?'" Thereupon Jesus lifted up His head and
said: "Beholdest thou not the Son of Man sitting
on the right hand of power and might?" These
were His words, and yet consider how to outward
seeming He was devoid of all power except that
inner power which was of God and which had encompassed
all that is in heaven and on earth. How
can I relate all that befell Him after He spoke
these words? How shall I describe their heinous
behaviour towards Him? They at last heaped on
His blessed Person such woes that He took His
flight unto the fourth Heaven.
| |
| 44 |
It is also recorded in the Gospel according to
St. Luke, that on a certain day Jesus passed by a
Jew who was sick of the palsy, and lay upon a
couch. When the Jew saw Him, he recognized
Him, and cried out for His help. Jesus said unto
him: "Arise from thy bed; thy sins are forgiven
thee." Certain of the Jews, standing by, protested
saying: "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"
And immediately He perceived their thoughts,
Jesus answering said unto them: "Whether is it
easier to say to the sick of the palsy, arise, and take
up thy bed, and walk; or to say, thy sins are forgiven
thee? that ye may know that the Son of Man
hath power on earth to forgive sins."
[26]
This is the
real sovereignty, and such is the power of God's
chosen Ones! All these things which We have repeatedly
mentioned, and the details which We have
cited from divers sources, have no other purpose
but to enable thee to grasp the meaning of the allusions
in the utterances of the chosen Ones of God,
lest certain of these utterances cause thy feet to
falter and thy heart to be dismayed.
| |
| 45 |
Thus with steadfast steps we may tread the Path
of certitude, that perchance the breeze that bloweth
from the meads of the good-pleasure of God
may waft upon us the sweet savours of divine acceptance,
and cause us, vanishing mortals that we
are, to attain unto the Kingdom of everlasting
glory. Then wilt thou comprehend the inner meaning
of sovereignty and the like, spoken of in the traditions
and scriptures. Furthermore, it is already
evident and known unto thee that those things to
which the Jews and the Christians have clung, and
the cavilings which they heaped upon the Beauty
of Muhammad, the same have in this day been upheld
by the people of the Qur'án, and been witnessed
in their denunciations of the "Point of the
Bayán"--may the souls of all that dwell within
the kingdom of divine Revelations be a sacrifice
unto Him! Behold their folly: they utter the self-same
words, uttered by the Jews of old, and know
it not! How well and true are His words concerning
them: "Leave them to entertain themselves
with their cavilings!"
[27]
"As Thou livest, O Muhammad!
they are seized by the frenzy of their
vain fancies."
[28]
| |
| 46 |
When the Unseen, the Eternal, the divine Essence,
caused the Day-star of Muhammad to rise
above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils
which the Jewish divines raised against Him was
that after Moses no Prophet should be sent of God.
Yea, mention hath been made in the scriptures of
a Soul Who must needs be made manifest and Who
will advance the Faith, and promote the interests
of the people, of Moses, so that the Law of the
Mosaic Dispensation may encompass the whole
earth. Thus hath the King of eternal glory referred
in His Book to the words uttered by those wanderers
in the vale of remoteness and error: "`The
hand of God,' say the Jews, `is chained up.'
Chained up be their own hands! And for that
which they have said, they were accursed. Nay,
outstretched are both His hands!"
[29]
"The hand of
God is above their hands."
[30]
| |
| 47 |
Although the commentators of the Qur'án have
related in divers manners the circumstances attending
the revelation of this verse, yet thou shouldst
endeavour to apprehend the purpose thereof. He
saith: How false is that which the Jews have imagined!
How can the hand of Him Who is the King
in truth, Who caused the countenance of Moses to
be made manifest, and conferred upon Him the
robe of Prophethood--how can the hand of such a
One be chained and fettered? How can He be
conceived as powerless to raise up yet another
Messenger after Moses? Behold the absurdity of
their saying; how far it hath strayed from the path
of knowledge and understanding! Observe how in
this day also, all these people have occupied themselves
with such foolish absurdities. For over a
thousand years they have been reciting this verse,
and unwittingly pronouncing their censure against
the Jews, utterly unaware that they themselves,
openly and privily, are voicing the sentiments and
belief of the Jewish people! Thou art surely aware
of their idle contention, that all Revelation is
ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed,
that from the day-springs of eternal holiness no
sun shall rise again, that the Ocean of everlasting
bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle
of ancient glory the Messengers of God have
ceased to be made manifest. Such is the measure
of the understanding of these small-minded, contemptible
people. These people have imagined that
the flow of God's all-encompassing grace and plenteous
mercies, the cessation of which no mind can
contemplate, has been halted. From every side
they have risen and girded up the loins of tyranny,
and exerted the utmost endeavour to quench with
the bitter waters of their vain fancy the flame
of God's burning Bush, oblivious that the globe
of power shall within its own mighty stronghold
protect the Lamp of God. The utter destitution
into which this people have fallen doth surely suffice
them, inasmuch as they have been deprived of
the recognition of the essential Purpose and the
knowledge of the Mystery and Substance of the
Cause of God. For the highest and most excelling
grace bestowed upon men is the grace of "attaining
unto the Presence of God" and of His recognition,
which has been promised unto all people. This is
the utmost degree of grace vouchsafed unto man
by the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days, and the
fulness of His absolute bounty upon His creatures.
Of this grace and bounty none of this people hath
partaken, neither have they been honoured with
this most exalted distinction. How numerous are
those revealed verses which explicitly bear witness
unto this most weighty truth and exalted Theme!
And yet they have rejected it, and, after their own
desire, misconstrued its meaning. Even as He hath
revealed: "As for those who believe not in the
signs of God, or that they shall ever meet Him,
these of My mercy shall despair, and for them doth
a grievous chastisement await."
[31]
Also He saith:
"They who bear in mind that they shall attain unto
the Presence of their Lord, and that unto Him
shall they return."
[32]
Also in another instance He
saith: "They who held it as certain that they must
meet God, said, `How oft, by God's will, hath a
small host vanquished a numerous host!'"
[33]
In yet
another instance He revealeth: "Let him then who
hopeth to attain the presence of his Lord work a
righteous work."
[34]
And also He saith: "He ordereth
all things. He maketh His signs clear, that ye
may have firm faith in attaining the presence of
your Lord."
[35]
| |
| 48 |
This people have repudiated all these verses,
that unmistakably testify to the reality of "attainment
unto the Divine Presence." No theme hath
been more emphatically asserted in the holy scriptures.
Notwithstanding, they have deprived themselves
of this lofty and most exalted rank, this supreme
and glorious station. Some have contended
that by "attainment unto the Divine Presence" is
meant the "Revelation" of God in the Day of Resurrection.
Should they assert that the "Revelation"
of God signifieth a "Universal Revelation," it is
clear and evident that such revelation already existeth
in all things. The truth of this We have already
established, inasmuch as We have demonstrated
that all things are the recipients and revealers
of the splendours of that ideal King, and
that the signs of the revelation of that Sun, the
Source of all splendour, exist and are manifest in
the mirrors of beings. Nay, were man to gaze with
the eye of divine and spiritual discernment, he will
readily recognize that nothing whatsoever can exist
without the revelation of the splendour of God,
the ideal King. Consider how all created things eloquently
testify to the revelation of that inner Light
within them. Behold how within all things the
portals of the Ridván of God are opened, that
seekers may attain the cities of understanding and
wisdom, and enter the gardens of knowledge and
power. Within every garden they will behold the
mystic bride of inner meaning enshrined within
the chambers of utterance in the utmost grace and
fullest adornment. Most of the verses of the Qur'án
indicate, and bear witness to, this spiritual theme.
The verse: "Neither is there aught which doth not
celebrate His praise"
[36]
is eloquent testimony thereto;
and "We noted all things and wrote them
down,"
[37]
a faithful witness thereof. Now, if by
"attainment unto the Presence of God" is meant
attainment unto the knowledge of such revelation,
it is evident that all men have already attained
unto the presence of the unchangeable Countenance
of that peerless King. Why, then, restrict
such revelation to the Day of Resurrection?
| |
| 49 |
And were they to maintain that by "divine
Presence" is meant the "Specific Revelation of
God," expressed by certain Súfís as the "Most
Holy Outpouring," if this be in the Essence Itself,
it is evident that it hath been eternally in the divine
Knowledge. Assuming the truth of this hypothesis,
"attainment unto the divine Presence" is in this
sense obviously possible to no one, inasmuch as this
revelation is confined to the innermost Essence,
unto which no man can attain. "The way is barred,
and all seeking rejected." The minds of the favourites
of heaven, however high they soar, can never
attain this station, how much less the understanding
of obscured and limited minds.
| |
| 50 |
And were they to say that by "divine Presence"
is meant the "Secondary Revelation of God," interpreted
as the "Holy Outpouring," this is admittedly
applicable to the world of creation, that is,
in the realm of the primal and original manifestation
of God. Such revelation is confined to His
Prophets and chosen Ones, inasmuch as none
mightier than they hath come to exist in the world
of being. This truth all recognize, and bear witness
thereto. These Prophets and chosen Ones of God
are the recipients and revealers of all the unchangeable
attributes and names of God. They are
the mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the
light of God. Whatsoever is applicable to them is
in reality applicable to God, Himself, Who is both
the Visible and the Invisible. The knowledge of
Him, Who is the Origin of all things, and attainment
unto Him, are impossible save through
knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous
Beings who proceed from the Sun of Truth.
By attaining, therefore, to the presence of these
holy Luminaries, the "Presence of God" Himself
is attained. From their knowledge, the knowledge
of God is revealed, and from the light of
their countenance, the splendour of the Face of
God is made manifest. Through the manifold attributes
of these Essences of Detachment, Who are
both the first and the last, the seen and the hidden,
it is made evident that He Who is the Sun of
Truth is "the First and the Last, the Seen, and the
Hidden."
[38]
Likewise the other lofty names and exalted
attributes of God. Therefore, whosoever, and
in whatever Dispensation, hath recognized and
attained unto the presence of these glorious, these
resplendent and most excellent Luminaries, hath
verily attained unto the "Presence of God" Himself,
and entered the city of eternal and immortal
life. Attainment unto such presence is possible
only in the Day of Resurrection, which is the Day
of the rise of God Himself through His all-embracing
Revelation.
| |
| 51 |
This is the meaning of the "Day of Resurrection,"
spoken of in all the scriptures, and announced
unto all people. Reflect, can a more precious,
a mightier, and more glorious day than this
be conceived, so that man should willingly forego
its grace, and deprive himself of its bounties, which
like unto vernal showers are raining from the
heaven of mercy upon all mankind? Having thus
conclusively demonstrated that no day is greater
than this Day, and no revelation more glorious
than this Revelation, and having set forth all these
weighty and infallible proofs which no understanding
mind can question, and no man of learning
overlook, how can man possibly, through the
idle contention of the people of doubt and fancy,
deprive himself of such a bountiful grace? Have
they not heard the well-known tradition: "When
the Qá'im riseth, that day is the Day of Resurrection?"
In like manner, the Imáms, those unquenchable
lights of divine guidance, have interpreted the
verse: "What can such expect but that God should
come down to them overshadowed with clouds,"
[39]
--a sign which they have unquestionably regarded
as one of the features of the Day of Resurrection
--as referring to Qá'im and His manifestation.
| |
| 52 |
Strive, therefore, O my brother, to grasp the
meaning of "Resurrection," and cleanse thine ears
from the idle sayings of these rejected people.
Shouldst thou step into the realm of complete detachment,
thou wilt readily testify that no day is
mightier than this Day, and that no resurrection
more awful than this Resurrection can ever be conceived.
One righteous work performed in this Day,
equalleth all the virtuous acts which for myriads
of centuries men have practised--nay, We ask forgiveness
of God for such a comparison! For verily
the reward which such a deed deserveth is immensely
beyond and above the estimate of men. Inasmuch
as these undiscerning and wretched souls
have failed to apprehend the true meaning of "Resurrection"
and of the "attainment unto the divine
Presence," they therefore have remained utterly
deprived of the grace thereof. Although the sole
and fundamental purpose of all learning, and the
toil and labour thereof, is attainment unto, and the
recognition of, this station, yet they are all immersed
in the pursuit of their material studies.
They deny themselves every moment of leisure,
and utterly ignore Him, Who is the Essence of all
learning, and the one Object of their quest! Methinks,
their lips have never touched the cup of
divine Knowledge, nor do they seem to have attained
even a dewdrop of the showers of heavenly
grace.
| |
| 53 |
Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of
God's Revelation to attain unto the grace of the
"Divine Presence" and to recognize His Manifestation,
be justly called learned, though he may
have spent aeons in the pursuit of knowledge, and
acquired all the limited and material learning of
men? It is surely evident that he can in no wise be
regarded as possessed of true knowledge. Whereas,
the most unlettered of all men, if he be honoured
with this supreme distinction, he verily is accounted
as one of those divinely-learned men
whose knowledge is of God; for such a man hath
attained the acme of knowledge, and hath reached
the furthermost summit of learning.
| |
| 54 |
This station is also one of the signs of the Day
of Revelation; even as it is said: "The abased
amongst you, He shall exalt; and they that are
exalted, He shall abase." And likewise, He hath
revealed in the Qur'án: "And We desire to show
favour to those who were brought low in the land,
and to make them spiritual leaders among men,
and to make of them Our heirs."
[40]
It hath been
witnessed in this day how many of the divines,
owing to their rejection of the Truth, have fallen
into, and abide within, the uttermost depths of
ignorance, and whose names have been effaced
from the scroll of the glorious and learned. And
how many of the ignorant who, by reason of their
acceptance of the Faith, have soared aloft and attained
the high summit of knowledge, and whose
names have been inscribed by the Pen of Power
upon the Tablet of divine Knowledge. Thus,
"What He pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm:
for with Him is the Source of Revelation."
[41]
Therefore, it hath been said: "To seek evidence,
when the Proof hath been established is but an unseemly
act, and to be busied with the pursuit of
knowledge when the Object of all learning hath
been attained is truly blameworthy." Say O people
of the earth! Behold this flamelike Youth that
speedeth across the limitless profound of the Spirit,
heralding unto you the tidings: "Lo: the Lamp
of God is shining," and summoning you to
heed His Cause which, though hidden beneath
the veils of ancient splendour, shineth in the
land of `Iráq above the day-spring of eternal holiness.
| |
| 55 |
O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore
the heavens of the Revelation of the Qur'án,
were it to contemplate the realm of divine knowledge
unfolded therein, thou wouldst assuredly find
unnumbered doors of knowledge set open before
thee. Thou wouldst certainly recognize that all
these things which have in this day hindered this
people from attaining the shores of the ocean of
eternal grace, the same things in the Muhammadan
Dispensation prevented the people of that age from
recognizing that divine Luminary, and from testifying
to His truth. Thou wilt also apprehend the
mysteries of "return" and "revelation," and wilt
securely abide within the loftiest chambers of certitude
and assurance.
| |
| 56 |
And it came to pass that on a certain day a number
of the opponents of that peerless Beauty, those
that had strayed far from God's imperishable
Sanctuary, scornfully spoke these words unto Muhammad:
"Verily, God hath entered into a covenant
with us that we are not to credit an apostle
until he present us a sacrifice which fire out of
heaven shall devour."
[42]
The purport of this verse
is that God hath covenanted with them that they
should not believe in any messenger unless he
work the miracle of Abel and Cain, that is, offer
a sacrifice, and the fire from heaven consume
it; even as they had heard it recounted in the story
of Abel, which story is recorded in the scriptures.
To this, Muhammad, answering, said: "Already
have Apostles before me come to you with sure
testimonies, and with that of which ye speak.
Wherefore slew ye them? Tell me, if ye are men
of truth."
[43]
And now, be fair; How could those
people living in the days of Muhammad have existed,
thousands of years before, in the age of
Adam or other Prophets? Why should Muhammad,
that Essence of truthfulness, have charged
the people of His day with the murder of Abel or
other Prophets? Thou hast none other alternative
except to regard Muhammad as an impostor or a
fool--which God forbid!--or to maintain that
those people of wickedness were the self-same
people who in every age opposed and caviled at
the Prophets and Messengers of God, till they
finally caused them all to suffer martyrdom.
| |
| 57 |
Ponder this in thine heart, that the sweet gales
of divine knowledge, blowing from the meads of
mercy, may waft upon thee the fragrance of the Beloved's
utterance, and cause thy soul to attain the
Ridván of understanding. As the wayward of every
age have failed to fathom the deeper import of
these weighty and pregnant utterances, and imagined
the answer of the Prophets of God to be irrelevant
to the questions they asked them, they
therefore have attributed ignorance and folly to
those Essences of knowledge and understanding.
| |
| 58 |
Likewise, Muhammad, in another verse, uttereth
His protest against the people of that age. He
saith: "Although they had before prayed for victory
over those who believed not, yet when there
came unto them, He of Whom they had knowledge,
they disbelieved in Him. The curse of God
on the infidels!"
[44]
Reflect how this verse also implieth
that the people living in the days of Muhammad
were the same people who in the days of
the Prophets of old contended and fought in order
to promote the Faith, and teach the Cause, of God.
And yet, how could the generations living at the
time of Jesus and Moses, and those who lived in
the days of Muhammad, be regarded as being
actually one and the same people? Moreover, those
whom they had formerly known were Moses, the
Revealer of the Pentateuch, and Jesus, the Author
of the Gospel. Notwithstanding, why did Muhammad
say: "When He of Whom they had knowledge
came unto them"--that is Jesus or Moses--
"they disbelieved in Him?" Was not Muhammad
to outward seeming called by a different name?
Did He not come forth out of a different city? Did
He not speak a different language, and reveal a
different Law? How then can the truth of this
verse be established, and its meaning be made
clear?
| |
| 59 |
Strive therefore to comprehend the meaning of
"return" which hath been so explicitly revealed in
the Qur'án itself, and which none hath as yet
understood. What sayest thou? If thou sayest that
Muhammad was the "return" of the Prophets of
old, as is witnessed by this verse, His Companions
must likewise be the "return" of the bygone Companions,
even as the "return" of the former people
is clearly attested by the text of the above-mentioned
verses. And if thou deniest this, thou
hast surely repudiated the truth of the Qur'án, the
surest testimony of God unto men. In like manner,
endeavour to grasp the significance of "return,"
"revelation," and "resurrection," as witnessed in
the days of the Manifestations of the divine Essence,
that thou mayest behold with thine own eyes
the "return" of the holy souls into sanctified and
illumined bodies, and mayest wash away the dust
of ignorance, and cleanse the darkened self with
the waters of mercy flowing from the Source of
divine Knowledge; that perchance thou mayest,
through the power of God and the light of divine
guidance, distinguish the Morn of everlasting
splendour from the darksome night of error.
| |
| 60 |
Furthermore, it is evident to thee that the Bearers
of the trust of God are made manifest unto the
peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a new
Cause and the Bearers of a new Message. Inasmuch
as these Birds of the Celestial Throne are all
sent down from the heaven of the Will of God,
and as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible
Faith, they therefore are regarded as one soul and
the same person. For they all drink from the one
Cup of the love of God, and all partake of the
fruit of the same Tree of Oneness. These Manifestations
of God have each a twofold station. One is
the station of pure abstraction and essential unity.
In this respect, if thou callest them all by one
name, and dost ascribe to them the same attribute,
thou hast not erred from the truth. Even as He
hath revealed: "No distinction do We make
between any of His Messengers!"
[45]
For they one
and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledge
the Unity of God, and herald unto them the
Kawthar of an infinite grace and bounty. They are
all invested with the robe of Prophethood, and
honoured with the mantle of glory. Thus hath
Muhammad, the Point of the Qur'án, revealed: "I
am all the Prophets." Likewise, He saith: "I am
the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus." Similar
statements have been made by `Alí. Sayings such
as this, which indicate the essential unity of those
Exponents of Oneness, have also emanated from
the Channels of God's immortal utterance, and the
Treasuries of the gems of divine knowledge,
and have been recorded in the scriptures. These
Countenances are the recipients of the Divine
Command, and the day-springs of His Revelation.
This Revelation is exalted above the veils of plurality
and the exigencies of number. Thus He saith:
"Our Cause is but one."
[46]
Inasmuch as the Cause
is one and the same, the Exponents thereof also
must needs be one and the same. Likewise, the
Imáms of the Muhammadan Faith, those lamps of
certitude, have said: "Muhammad is our first,
Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all."
| |
| 61 |
It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets
are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who
have appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt
observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold
them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring
in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne,
uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the
same Faith. Such is the unity of those Essences of
being, those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable
splendour. Wherefore, should one of these
Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: "I
am the return of all the Prophets," He verily
speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent
Revelation, the return of the former Revelation
is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established.
Inasmuch as the return of the Prophets of
God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath been
conclusively demonstrated, the return of their
chosen ones also is therefore definitely proven.
This return is too manifest in itself to require any
evidence or proof. For instance, consider that
among the Prophets was Noah. When He was invested
with the robe of Prophethood, and was
moved by the Spirit of God to arise and proclaim
His Cause, whoever believed in Him and acknowledged
His Faith, was endowed with the grace of a
new life. Of him it could be truly said that he was
reborn and revived, inasmuch as previous to his
belief in God and his acceptance of His Manifestation,
he had set his affections on the things of the
world, such as attachment to earthly goods, to
wife, children, food, drink, and the like, so much
so that in the day-time and in the night season his
one concern had been to amass riches and procure
for himself the means of enjoyment and pleasure.
Aside from these things, before his partaking of
the reviving waters of faith, he had been so
wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so
passionately devoted to the observance of their
customs and laws, that he would have preferred to
suffer death rather than violate one letter of those
superstitious forms and manners current amongst
his people. Even as the people have cried: "Verily
we found our fathers with a faith, and verily, in
their footsteps we follow."
[47]
| |
| 62 |
These same people, though wrapt in all these
veils of limitation, and despite the restraint of such
observances, as soon as they drank the immortal
draught of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the
hand of the Manifestation of the All-Glorious,
were so transformed that they would renounce for
His sake their kindred, their substance, their lives,
their beliefs, yea, all else save God! So overpowering
was their yearning for God, so uplifting their
transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and
all that is therein faded before their eyes into
nothingness. Have not this people exemplified the
mysteries of "rebirth" and "return"? Hath it not
been witnessed that these same people, ere they
were endued with the new and wondrous grace of
God, sought through innumerable devices, to
ensure the protection of their lives against destruction?
Would not a thorn fill them with terror, and
the sight of a fox put them to flight? But once having
been honoured with God's supreme distinction,
and having been vouchsafed His bountiful
grace, they would, if they were able, have freely
offered up ten thousand lives in His path! Nay,
their blessed souls, contemptuous of the cage of
their bodies, would yearn for deliverance. A single
warrior of that host would face and fight a multitude!
And yet, how could they, but for the transformation
wrought in their lives, be capable of
manifesting such deeds which are contrary to the
ways of men and incompatible with their worldly
desires?
| |
| 63 |
It is evident that nothing short of this mystic
transformation could cause such spirit and behaviour,
so utterly unlike their previous habits and
manners, to be made manifest in the world of
being. For their agitation was turned into peace,
their doubt into certitude, their timidity into courage.
Such is the potency of the Divine Elixir,
which, swift as the twinkling of an eye, transmuteth
the souls of men!
| |
| 64 |
For instance, consider the substance of copper.
Were it to be protected in its own mine from becoming
solidified, it would, within the space of
seventy years, attain to the state of gold. There are
some, however, who maintain that copper itself is
gold, which by becoming solidified is in a diseased
condition, and hath not therefore reached its own
state.
| |
| 65 |
Be that as it may, the real elixir will, in one
instant, cause the substance of copper to attain the
state of gold, and will traverse the seventy-year
stages in a single moment. Could this gold be
called copper? Could it be claimed that it hath not
attained the state of gold, whilst the touch-stone is
at hand to assay it and distinguish it from copper?
| |
| 66 |
Likewise, these souls, through the potency of the
Divine Elixir, traverse, in the twinkling of an eye,
the world of dust and advance into the realm of
holiness; and with one step cover the earth of limitations
and reach the domain of the Placeless. It
behooveth thee to exert thine utmost to attain unto
this Elixir which, in one fleeting breath, causeth
the west of ignorance to reach the east of knowledge,
illuminates the darkness of night with the
resplendence of the morn, guideth the wanderer in
the wilderness of doubt to the well-spring of the
Divine Presence and Fount of certitude, and conferreth
upon mortal souls the honour of acceptance
into the Ridván of immortality. Now, could this
gold be thought to be copper, these people could
likewise be thought to be the same as before they
were endowed with faith.
| |
| 67 |
O brother, behold how the inner mysteries of
"rebirth," of "return," and of "resurrection" have
each, through these all-sufficing, these unanswerable,
and conclusive utterances, been unveiled and
unravelled before thine eyes. God grant that
through His gracious and invisible assistance, thou
mayest divest thy body and soul of the old garment,
and array thyself with the new and imperishable
attire.
| |
| 68 |
Therefore, those who in every subsequent Dispensation
preceded the rest of mankind in embracing
the Faith of God, who quaffed the clear
waters of knowledge at the hand of the divine
Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits of faith
and certitude, these can be regarded, in name, in
reality, in deeds, in words, and in rank, as the "return"
of those who in a former Dispensation had
achieved similar distinctions. For whatsoever the
people of a former Dispensation have manifested,
the same hath been shown by the people of this
latter generation. Consider the rose: whether it
blossometh in the East or in the West, it is none
the less a rose. For what mattereth in this respect is
not the outward shape and form of the rose, but
rather the smell and fragrance which it doth
impart.
| |
| 69 |
Purge thy sight, therefore, from all earthly limitations,
that thou mayest behold them all as the
bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause,
the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of
one Truth, and that thou mayest apprehend the
mystic "return" of the Words of God as unfolded
by these utterances. Reflect for a while upon the
behaviour of the companions of the Muhammadan
Dispensation. Consider how, through the reviving
breath of Muhammad, they were cleansed from
the defilements of earthly vanities, were delivered
from selfish desires, and were detached from all
else but Him. Behold how they preceded all the
peoples of the earth in attaining unto His holy
Presence--the Presence of God Himself--how
they renounced the world and all that is therein,
and sacrificed freely and joyously their lives at the
feet of that Manifestation of the All-Glorious.
And now, observe the "return" of the self-same
determination, the self-same constancy and renunciation,
manifested by the companions of the Point
of the Bayán.
[48]
Thou hast witnessed how these companions
have, through the wonders of the grace of
the Lord of Lords, hoisted the standards of sublime
renunciation upon the inaccessible heights of
glory. These Lights have proceeded from but one
Source, and these fruits are the fruits of one Tree.
Thou canst discern neither difference nor distinction
among them. All this is by the grace of God!
On whom He will, He bestoweth His grace.
Please God, that we avoid the land of denial, and
advance into the ocean of acceptance, so that we
may perceive, with an eye purged from all conflicting
elements, the worlds of unity and diversity,
of variation and oneness, of limitation and detachment,
and wing our flight unto the highest and innermost
sanctuary of the inner meaning of the
Word of God.
| |
| 70 |
From these statements therefore it hath been
made evident and manifest that should a Soul in
the "End that knoweth no end" be made manifest,
and arise to proclaim and uphold a Cause which in
"the Beginning that hath no beginning" another
Soul had proclaimed and upheld, it can be truly
declared of Him Who is the Last and of Him
Who was the First that they are one and the same,
inasmuch as both are the Exponents of one and the
same Cause. For this reason, hath the Point of the
Bayán--may the life of all else but Him be His
sacrifice!--likened the Manifestations of God unto
the sun which, though it rise from the "Beginning
that hath no beginning" until the "End that
knoweth no end," is none the less the same sun.
Now, wert thou to say, that this sun is the former
sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest
that this sun is the "return" of that sun, thou also
speakest the truth. Likewise, from this statement it
is made evident that the term "last" is applicable
to the "first," and the term "first" applicable to the
"last;" inasmuch as both the "first" and the "last"
have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith.
| |
| 71 |
Notwithstanding the obviousness of this theme,
in the eyes of those that have quaffed the wine of
knowledge and certitude, yet how many are those
who, through failure to understand its meaning,
have allowed the term "Seal of the Prophets" to
obscure their understanding, and deprive them of
the grace of all His manifold bounties! Hath not
Muhammad, Himself, declared: "I am all the
Prophets?" Hath He not said as We have already
mentioned: "I am Adam, Noah, Moses, and
Jesus?" Why should Muhammad, that immortal
Beauty, Who hath said: "I am the first Adam" be
incapable of saying also: "I am the last Adam"?
For even as He regarded Himself to be the "First
of the Prophets"--that is Adam--in like manner,
the "Seal of the Prophets" is also applicable unto
that Divine Beauty. It is admittedly obvious
that being the "First of the Prophets," He likewise
is their "Seal."
| |
| 72 |
The mystery of this theme hath, in this Dispensation,
been a sore test unto all mankind. Behold,
how many are those who, clinging unto these
words, have disbelieved Him Who is their true
Revealer. What, We ask, could this people presume
the terms "first" and "last"--when referring
to God--glorified be His Name!--to mean? If
they maintain that these terms bear reference to
this material universe, how could it be possible,
when the visible order of things is still manifestly
existing? Nay, in this instance, by "first" is meant
no other than the "last" and by "last" no other than
the "first."
| |
| 73 |
Even as in the "Beginning that hath no beginnings"
the term "last" is truly applicable unto
Him who is the Educator of the visible and of the
invisible, in like manner, are the terms "first" and
"last" applicable unto His Manifestations. They
are at the same time the Exponents of both the
"first" and the "last." Whilst established upon the
seat of the "first," they occupy the throne of the
"last." Were a discerning eye to be found, it will
readily perceive that the exponents of the "first"
and the "last," of the "manifest" and the "hidden,"
of the "beginning" and the "seal" are none other
than these holy Beings, these Essences of Detachment,
these divine Souls. And wert thou to soar in
the holy realm of "God was alone, there was none
else besides Him," thou wilt find in that Court all
these names utterly non-existent and completely
forgotten. Then will thine eyes no longer be obscured
by these veils, these terms, and allusions.
How ethereal and lofty is this station, unto which
even Gabriel, unshepherded, can never attain, and
the Bird of Heaven, unassisted, can never reach!
| |
| 74 |
And, now, strive thou to comprehend the meaning
of this saying of `Alí, the Commander of the
Faithful: "Piercing the veils of glory, unaided."
Among these "veils of glory" are the divines and
doctors living in the days of the Manifestation of
God, who, because of their want of discernment
and their love and eagerness for leadership, have
failed to submit to the Cause of God, nay, have
even refused to incline their ears unto the divine
Melody. "They have thrust their fingers into their
ears."
[49]
And the people also, utterly ignoring God
and taking them for their masters, have placed
themselves unreservedly under the authority of
these pompous and hypocritical leaders, for they
have no sight, no hearing, no heart, of their own to
distinguish truth from falsehood.
| |
| 75 |
Notwithstanding the divinely-inspired admonitions
of all the Prophets, the Saints, and Chosen
ones of God, enjoining the people to see with their
own eyes and hear with their own ears, they have
disdainfully rejected their counsels and have
blindly followed, and will continue to follow, the
leaders of their Faith. Should a poor and obscure
person, destitute of the attire of men of learning,
address them saying: "Follow ye, O people!
the Messengers of God,"
[50]
they would, greatly surprised
at such a statement, reply: "What! Meanest
thou that all these divines, all these exponents of
learning, with all their authority, their pomp and
pageantry, have erred, and failed to distinguish
truth from falsehood? Dost thou, and people like
thyself, pretend to have comprehended that which
they have not understood?" If numbers and excellence
of apparel be regarded as the criterions of
learning and truth, the peoples of a bygone age,
whom those of today have never surpassed in
numbers, magnificence and power, should certainly
be accounted a superior and worthier
people.
| |
| 76 |
It is clear and evident that whenever the Manifestations
of Holiness were revealed, the divines of
their day have hindered the people from attaining
unto the way of truth. To this testify the records of
all the scriptures and heavenly books. Not one
Prophet of God was made manifest Who did not
fall a victim to the relentless hate, to the denunciation,
denial, and execration of the clerics of His
day! Woe unto them for the iniquities their hands
have formerly wrought! Woe unto them for that
which they are now doing! What veils of glory
more grievous than these embodiments of error!
By the righteousness of God! to pierce such veils
is the mightiest of all acts, and to rend them
asunder the most meritorious of all deeds! May
God assist us and assist you, O concourse of the
Spirit! that perchance ye may in the time of His
Manifestation be graciously aided to perform
such deeds, and may in His days attain unto the
Presence of God.
| |
| 77 |
Furthermore, among the "veils of glory" are
such terms as the "Seal of the Prophets" and the
like, the removal of which is a supreme achievement
in the sight of these base-born and erring
souls. All, by reason of these mysterious sayings,
these grievous "veils of glory," have been hindered
from beholding the light of truth. Have they not
heard the melody of that bird of Heaven,
[51]
uttering
this mystery: "A thousand Fátimih I have
espoused, all of whom were the daughters of Muhammad,
Son of `Abdu'lláh, the `Seal of the
Prophets?'" Behold, how many are the mysteries
that lie as yet unravelled within the tabernacle of
the knowledge of God, and how numerous the
gems of His wisdom that are still concealed in His
inviolable treasuries! Shouldest thou ponder this
in thine heart, thou wouldst realize that His
handiwork knoweth neither beginning nor end.
The domain of His decree is too vast for the
tongue of mortals to describe, or for the bird of the
human mind to traverse; and the dispensations of
His providence are too mysterious for the mind of
man to comprehend. His creation no end hath
overtaken, and it hath ever existed from the "Beginning
that hath no beginning"; and the Manifestations
of His Beauty no beginning hath beheld,
and they will continue to the "End that knoweth
no end." Ponder this utterance in thine heart, and
reflect how it is applicable unto all these holy
Souls.
| |
| 78 |
Likewise, strive thou to comprehend the meaning
of the melody of that eternal beauty, Husayn,
son of `Alí, who, addressing Salmán, spoke words
such as these: "I was with a thousand Adams, the
interval between each and the next Adam was fifty
thousand years, and to each one of these I declared
the Successorship conferred upon my father." He
then recounteth certain details, until he saith: "I
have fought one thousand battles in the path of
God, the least and most insignificant of which was
like the battle of Khaybar, in which battle my
father fought and contended against the infidels."
Endeavour now to apprehend from these two traditions
the mysteries of "end," "return," and "creation
without beginning or end."
| |
| 79 |
O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the
celestial Melody above the strivings of human ear
to hear or mind to grasp its mystery! How can the
helpless ant step into the court of the All-Glorious?
And yet, feeble souls, through lack of understanding,
reject these abstruse utterances, and question
the truth of such traditions. Nay, none can
comprehend them save those that are possessed of
an understanding heart. Say, He is that End for
Whom no end in all the universe can be imagined,
and for Whom no beginning in the world of creation
can be conceived. Behold, O concourse of the
earth, the splendours of the End, revealed in the
Manifestations of the Beginning!
| |
| 80 |
How strange! These people with one hand cling
to those verses of the Qur'án and those traditions
of the people of certitude which they have found
to accord with their inclinations and interests, and
with the other reject those which are contrary to
their selfish desires. "Believe ye then part of the
Book, and deny part?"
[52]
How could ye judge that
which ye understand not? Even as the Lord of
being hath in His unerring Book, after speaking of
the "Seal" in His exalted utterance: "Muhammad
is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets,"
[53]
hath revealed unto all people the promise
of "attainment unto the divine Presence." To this
attainment to the presence of the immortal King
testify the verses of the Book, some of which We
have already mentioned. The one true God is My
witness! Nothing more exalted or more explicit
than "attainment unto the divine Presence" hath
been revealed in the Qur'án. Well is it with him
that hath attained thereunto, in the day wherein
most of the people, even as ye witness, have turned
away therefrom.
| |
| 81 |
And yet, through the mystery of the former
verse, they have turned away from the grace promised
by the latter, despite the fact that "attainment
unto the divine Presence" in the "Day of Resurrection"
is explicitly stated in the Book. It
hath been demonstrated and definitely established,
through clear evidences, that by "Resurrection" is
meant the rise of the Manifestation of God to proclaim
His Cause, and by "attainment unto the
divine Presence" is meant attainment unto the
presence of His Beauty in the person of His Manifestation.
For verily, "No vision taketh in Him,
but He taketh in all vision."
[54]
Notwithstanding all
these indubitable facts and lucid statements, they
have foolishly clung to the term "seal," and remained
utterly deprived of the recognition of Him
Who is the Revealer of both the Seal and the Beginning,
in the day of His presence. "If God
should chastise men for their perverse doings, He
would not leave upon the earth a moving thing!
But to an appointed time doth He respite them."
[55]
But apart from all these things, had this people
attained unto a drop of the crystal streams flowing
from the words: "God doeth whatsoever He willeth,
and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth," they
would not have raised any unseemly cavils, such as
these, against the focal Center of His Revelation.
The Cause of God, all deeds and words, are held
within the grasp of His power. "All things lie
imprisoned within the hollow of His mighty
Hand; all things are easy and possible unto Him."
He accomplisheth whatsoever He willeth, and
doeth all that He desireth. "Whoso sayeth `why' or
`wherefore' hath spoken blasphemy!" Were these
people to shake off the slumber of negligence and
realize that which their hands have wrought, they
would surely perish, and would of their own
accord cast themselves into fire--their end and real
abode. Have they not heard that which He hath
revealed: "He shall not be asked of His doings?"
[56]
In the light of these utterances, how can man be so
bold as to question Him, and busy himself with
idle sayings?
| |
| 82 |
Gracious God! So great is the folly and perversity
of the people, that they have turned their
face toward their own thoughts and desires, and
have turned their back upon the knowledge and
will of God--hallowed and glorified be His name!
| |
| 83 |
Be fair: Were these people to acknowledge the
truth of these luminous words and holy allusions,
and recognize God as "Him that doeth whatsoever
He pleaseth," how could they continue to cleave
unto these glaring absurdities? Nay, with all their
soul, they would accept and submit to whatsoever
He saith. I swear by God! But for the divine
Decree, and the inscrutable dispensations of Providence,
the earth itself would have utterly destroyed
all this people! "He will, however, respite
them until the appointed time of a known day."
| |
| 84 |
Twelve hundred and eighty years have passed
since the dawn of the Muhammadan Dispensation,
and with every break of day, these blind and
ignoble people have recited their Qur'án, and yet
have failed to grasp one letter of that Book! Again
and again they read those verses which clearly testify
to the reality of these holy themes, and bear
witness to the truth of the Manifestations of eternal
Glory, and still apprehend not their purpose.
They have even failed to realize, all this time,
that, in every age, the reading of the scriptures
and holy books is for no other purpose except to
enable the reader to apprehend their meaning and
unravel their innermost mysteries. Otherwise reading,
without understanding, is of no abiding profit
unto man.
| |
| 85 |
And it came to pass that on a certain day a needy
man came to visit this Soul, craving for the ocean
of His knowledge. While conversing with him,
mention was made concerning the signs of the Day
of Judgment, Resurrection, Revival, and Reckoning.
He urged Us to explain how, in this wondrous
Dispensation, the peoples of the world were
brought to a reckoning, when none were made
aware of it. Thereupon, We imparted unto him,
according to the measure of his capacity and understanding,
certain truths of Science and ancient
Wisdom. We then asked him saying: "Hast thou
not read the Qur'án, and art thou not aware of this
blessed verse: `On that day shall neither man nor
spirit be asked of his Sin?'
[57]
Dost thou not realize
that by `asking' is not meant asking by tongue or
speech, even as the verse itself doth indicate and
prove? For afterward it is said: `By their countenance
shall the sinners be known, and they shall
be seized by their forelocks and their feet.'"
[58]
| |
| 86 |
Thus the peoples of the world are judged by
their countenance. By it, their misbelief, their
faith, and their iniquity are all made manifest.
Even as it is evident in this day how the people
of error are, by their countenance, known and distinguished
from the followers of divine Guidance.
Were these people, wholly for the sake of
God and with no desire but His good-pleasure, to
ponder the verses of the Book in their heart, they
would of a certainty find whatsoever they seek. In
its verses would they find revealed and manifest all
the things, be they great or small, that have come
to pass in this Dispensation. They would even recognize
in them references unto the departure of
the Manifestations of the names and attributes of
God from out their native land; to the opposition
and disdainful arrogance of government and
people; and to the dwelling and establishment of
the Universal Manifestation in an appointed and
specially designated land. No man, however, can
comprehend this except he who is possessed of an
understanding heart.
| |
| 87 |
We seal Our theme with that which was formerly
revealed unto Muhammad that the seal
thereof may shed the fragrance of that holy musk
which leadeth men unto the Ridván of unfading
splendour. He said, and His Word is the truth:
"And God calleth to the Abode of Peace;
[59]
and
He guideth whom He will into the right way."
[60]
"For them is an Abode of Peace with their Lord!
and He shall be their Protector because of their
works."
[61]
This He hath revealed that His grace
may encompass the world. Praise be to God, the
Lord of all being!
| |
| 88 |
We have variously and repeatedly set forth
the meaning of every theme, that perchance every
soul, whether high or low, may obtain, according
to his measure and capacity, his share and portion
thereof. Should he be unable to comprehend a certain
argument, he may, thus, by referring unto
another, attain his purpose. "That all sorts of men
may know where to quench their thirst."
| |
| 89 |
By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling
upon the dust, can, besides these melodies, utter a
myriad songs, and is able, apart from these utterances,
to unfold innumerable mysteries. Every
single note of its unpronounced utterances is immeasurably
exalted above all that hath already
been revealed, and immensely glorified beyond
that which hath streamed from this Pen. Let the
future disclose the hour when the Brides of inner
meaning will, as decreed by the Will of God,
hasten forth, unveiled, out of their mystic mansions,
and manifest themselves in the ancient realm
of being. Nothing whatsoever is possible without
His permission; no power can endure save through
His power, and there is none other God but He.
His is the world of creation, and His the Cause of
God. All proclaim His Revelation, and all unfold
the mysteries of His Spirit.
| |
| 90 |
We have already in the foregoing pages assigned
two stations unto each of the Luminaries arising
from the Daysprings of eternal holiness. One of
these stations, the station of essential unity, We
have already explained. "No distinction do We
make between any of them."
[62]
The other is the
station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world
of creation and to the limitations thereof. In this
respect, each Manifestation of God hath a distinct
individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a
predestined Revelation, and specially designated
limitations. Each one of them is known by a different
name, is characterized by a special attribute,
fulfils a definite Mission, and is entrusted with a
particular Revelation. Even as He saith: "Some of
the Apostles We have caused to excel the others.
To some God hath spoken, some He hath raised
and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We gave
manifest signs, and We strengthened Him with the
Holy Spirit."
[63]
| |
| 91 |
It is because of this difference in their station
and mission that the words and utterances flowing
from these Well-springs of divine knowledge
appear to diverge and differ. Otherwise, in the
eyes of them that are initiated into the mysteries
of divine wisdom, all their utterances are in reality
but the expressions of one Truth. As most of the
people have failed to appreciate those stations to
which We have referred, they therefore feel perplexed
and dismayed at the varying utterances pronounced
by Manifestations that are essentially one
and the same.
| |
| 92 |
It hath ever been evident that all these divergences
of utterance are attributable to differences
of station. Thus, viewed from the standpoint of
their oneness and sublime detachment, the attributes
of Godhead, Divinity, Supreme Singleness,
and Inmost Essence, have been and are applicable
to those Essences of being, inasmuch as they all
abide on the throne of divine Revelation, and are
established upon the seat of divine Concealment.
Through their appearance the Revelation of God
is made manifest, and by their countenance the
Beauty of God is revealed. Thus it is that the
accents of God Himself have been heard uttered
by these Manifestations of the divine Being.
| |
| 93 |
Viewed in the light of their second station--the
station of distinction, differentiation, temporal
limitations, characteristics and standards,--they
manifest absolute servitude, utter destitution
and complete self-effacement. Even as He saith:
"I am the servant of God.
[64]
I am but a man like you."
[65]
| |
| 94 |
From these incontrovertible and fully demonstrated
statements strive thou to apprehend the
meaning of the questions thou hast asked, that thou
mayest become steadfast in the Faith of God, and
not be dismayed by the divergences in the utterances
of His Prophets and Chosen Ones.
| |
| 95 |
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations
of God to declare: "I am God!" He verily speaketh
the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto.
For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that
through their Revelation, their attributes and
names, the Revelation of God, His name and His
attributes, are made manifest in the world. Thus,
He hath revealed: "Those shafts were God's, not
Thine!"
[66]
And also He saith: "In truth, they who
plighted fealty unto thee, really plighted that
fealty unto God."
[67]
And were any of them to voice
the utterance: "I am the Messenger of God," He
also speaketh the truth, the indubitable truth. Even
as He saith: "Muhammad is not the father of any
man among you, but He is the Messenger of
God."
[68]
Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers
of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence.
And were they all to proclaim: "I am the
Seal of the Prophets," they verily utter but the
truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For
they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit,
one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation
of the "Beginning" and the "End," the
"First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and "Hidden"
--all of which pertain to Him Who is the innermost
Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of Essences.
And were they to say: "We are the servants
of God," this also is a manifest and indisputable
fact. For they have been made manifest in the
uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of
which no man can possibly attain. Thus in moments
in which these Essences of being were deeply
immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting
holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest
summits of divine mysteries, they claimed their
utterance to be the Voice of divinity, the Call of
God Himself. Were the eye of discernment to be
opened, it would recognize that in this very state,
they have considered themselves utterly effaced
and non-existent in the face of Him Who is the
All-Pervading, the Incorruptible. Methinks, they
have regarded themselves as utter nothingness, and
deemed their mention in that Court an act of blasphemy.
For the slightest whispering of self,
within such a Court, is an evidence of self-assertion
and independent existence. In the eyes of them that
have attained unto that Court, such a suggestion is
itself a grievous transgression. How much more
grievous would it be, were aught else to be mentioned
in that Presence, were man's heart, his
tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be busied with
anyone but the Well-Beloved, were his eyes to behold
any countenance other than His beauty, were
his ear to be inclined to any melody but His voice,
and were his feet to tread any way but His way.
| |
| 96 |
In this day the breeze of God is wafted, and His
Spirit hath pervaded all things. Such is the outpouring
of His grace that the pen is stilled and the
tongue is speechless.
| |
| 97 |
By virtue of this station, they have claimed for
themselves the Voice of Divinity and the like,
whilst by virtue of their station of Messengership,
they have declared themselves the Messengers of
God. In every instance they have voiced an utterance
that would conform to the requirements of
the occasion, and have ascribed all these declarations
to Themselves, declarations ranging from the
realm of divine Revelation to the realm of creation,
and from the domain of Divinity even unto
the domain of earthly existence. Thus it is that
whatsoever be their utterance, whether it pertain
to the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood,
Messengership, Guardianship, Apostleship or
Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a
doubt. Therefore, these sayings which We have
quoted in support of Our argument must be attentively
considered, that the divergent utterances of
the Manifestations of the Unseen and Daysprings
of Holiness may cease to agitate the soul and perplex
the mind.
| |
| 98 |
Those words uttered by the Luminaries of
Truth must needs be pondered, and should their
significance be not grasped, enlightenment should
be sought from the Trustees of the depositories of
Knowledge, that these may expound their meaning,
and unravel their mystery. For it behooveth no
man to interpret the holy words according to his
own imperfect understanding, nor, having found
them to be contrary to his inclination and desires,
to reject and repudiate their truth. For such, today,
is the manner of the divines and doctors of
the age, who occupy the seats of knowledge and
learning, and who have named ignorance knowledge,
and called oppression justice. Were these to
ask the Light of Truth concerning those images
which their idle fancy hath carved, and were they
to find His answer inconsistent with their own conceptions
and their own understanding of the Book,
they would assuredly denounce Him Who is the
Mine and Wellhead of all Knowledge as the very
negation of understanding. Such things have happened
in every age.
| |
| 99 |
For instance, when Muhammad, the Lord of
being, was questioned concerning the new moons,
He, as bidden by God, made reply: "They are
periods appointed unto men."
[69]
Thereupon, they
that heard Him denounced Him as an ignorant
man.
| |
| 100 |
Likewise, in the verse concerning the "Spirit,"
He saith: "And they will ask Thee of the Spirit.
Say, `the Spirit proceedeth at My Lord's command.'"
[70]
As soon as Muhammad's answer was
given, they all clamorously protested, saying: "Lo!
an ignorant man who knoweth not what the Spirit
is, calleth Himself the Revealer of divine Knowledge!"
And now behold the divines of the age who,
because of their being honoured by His name, and
finding that their fathers have acknowledged His
Revelation, have blindly submitted to His truth.
Observe, were this people today to receive such
answers in reply to such questionings, they would
unhesitatingly reject and denounce them--nay,
they would again utter the self-same cavils, even as
they have uttered them in this day. All this, notwithstanding
the fact that these Essences of being
are immensely exalted above such fanciful images,
and are immeasurably glorified beyond all these
vain sayings and above the comprehension of every
understanding heart. Their so-called learning,
when compared with that Knowledge, is utter
falsehood, and all their understanding naught but
blatant error. Nay, whatsoever proceedeth from
these Mines of divine Wisdom and these Treasuries
of eternal knowledge is truth, and naught
else but the truth. The saying: "Knowledge is
one point, which the foolish have multiplied"
is a proof of Our argument, and the tradition:
"Knowledge is a light which God sheddeth into
the heart of whomsoever He willeth" a confirmation
of Our statement.
| |
| 101 |
Inasmuch as they have not apprehended the
meaning of Knowledge, and have called by that
name those images fashioned by their own fancy
and which have sprung from the embodiments of
ignorance, they therefore have inflicted upon the
Source of Knowledge that which thou hast heard
and witnessed.
| |
| 102 |
For instance, a certain man,
[71]
reputed for his
learning and attainments, and accounting himself
as one of the pre-eminent leaders of his people,
hath in his book denounced and vilified all the exponents
of true learning. This is made abundantly
clear by his explicit statements as well as by his
allusions throughout his book. As We had frequently
heard about him, We purposed to read
| |