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Kitáb-i-Íqán
PART ONE
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IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD,
THE EXALTED, THE MOST HIGH.
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No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding
except he be detached from all that is in heaven and
on earth. Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that
haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for
you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations
of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament
of the Bayán.
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THE essence of these words is this: they that
tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the
wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all
that is earthly--their ears from idle talk, their
minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from
worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth.
They should put their trust in God, and,
holding fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then
will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories
of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding,
and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite
and unseen, inasmuch as man can never hope to attain
unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can
never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge
and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality,
nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and
favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the
words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for
the true understanding and recognition of God and
His Prophets.
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Consider the past. How many, both high and
low, have, at all times, yearningly awaited the advent
of the Manifestations of God in the sanctified
persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they
expected His coming, how frequently have they
prayed that the breeze of divine mercy might blow,
and the promised Beauty step forth from behind
the veil of concealment, and be made manifest to
all the world. And whensoever the portals of grace
did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did
rain upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen
did shine above the horizon of celestial might,
they all denied Him, and turned away from His
face--the face of God Himself. Refer ye, to
verify this truth, to that which hath been recorded
in every sacred Book.
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Ponder for a moment, and reflect upon that
which hath been the cause of such denial on the
part of those who have searched with such earnestness
and longing. Their attack hath been more
fierce than tongue or pen can describe. Not one
single Manifestation of Holiness hath appeared
but He was afflicted by the denials, the repudiation,
and the vehement opposition of the people
around Him. Thus it hath been revealed: "O the
misery of men! No Messenger cometh unto them
but they laugh Him to scorn."
[Qur'án 36:30]
Again He saith:
"Each nation hath plotted darkly against their
Messenger to lay violent hold on Him, and
disputed with vain words to invalidate the
truth."
[Qur'án 40:5]
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In like manner, those words that have streamed
forth from the source of power and descended
from the heaven of glory are innumerable and
beyond the ordinary comprehension of man. To
them that are possessed of true understanding and
insight the Súrah of Húd surely sufficeth. Ponder
a while those holy words in your heart, and, with
utter detachment, strive to grasp their meaning.
Examine the wondrous behaviour of the Prophets,
and recall the defamations and denials uttered by
the children of negation and falsehood, perchance
you may cause the bird of the human heart to wing
its flight away from the abodes of heedlessness and
doubt unto the nest of faith and certainty, and
drink deep from the pure waters of ancient wisdom,
and partake of the fruit of the tree of divine
knowledge. Such is the share of the pure in heart
of the bread that hath descended from the realms
of eternity and holiness.
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Should you acquaint yourself with the indignities
heaped upon the Prophets of God, and apprehend
the true causes of the objections voiced by
their oppressors, you will surely appreciate the
significance of their position. Moreover, the more
closely you observe the denials of those who have
opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes,
the firmer will be your faith in the Cause of God.
Accordingly, a brief mention will be made in this
Tablet of divers accounts relative to the Prophets
of God, that they may demonstrate the truth that
throughout all ages and centuries the Manifestations
of power and glory have been subjected to
such heinous cruelties that no pen dare describe
them. Perchance this may enable a few to cease to
be perturbed by the clamour and protestations
of the divines and the foolish of this age, and
cause them to strengthen their confidence and certainty.
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Among the Prophets was Noah. For nine hundred
and fifty years He prayerfully exhorted His
people and summoned them to the haven of security
and peace. None, however, heeded His call.
Each day they inflicted on His blessed person such
pain and suffering that no one believed He could
survive. How frequently they denied Him, how
malevolently they hinted their suspicion against
Him! Thus it hath been revealed: "And as often
as a company of His people passed by Him, they
derided Him. To them He said: `Though ye scoff
at us now, we will scoff at you hereafter even as
ye scoff at us. In the end ye shall know.'"
[Qur'án 11:38]
Long
afterward, He several times promised victory to
His companions and fixed the hour thereof. But
when the hour struck, the divine promise was not
fulfilled. This caused a few among the small number
of His followers to turn away from Him, and
to this testify the records of the best-known books.
These you must certainly have perused; if not, undoubtedly
you will. Finally, as stated in books and
traditions, there remained with Him only forty or
seventy-two of His followers. At last from the
depth of His being He cried aloud: "Lord! Leave
not upon the land a single dweller from among
the unbelievers."
[Qur'án 71:26]
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And now, consider and reflect a moment upon
the waywardness of this people. What could have
been the reason for such denial and avoidance on
their part? What could have induced them to refuse
to put off the garment of denial, and to adorn
themselves with the robe of acceptance? Moreover,
what could have caused the nonfulfilment of the
divine promise which led the seekers to reject that
which they had accepted? Meditate profoundly,
that the secret of things unseen may be revealed
unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a
spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you
may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial
even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried,
and will continue to try, His servants, so that light
may be distinguished from darkness, truth from
falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error,
happiness from misery, and roses from thorns.
Even as He hath revealed: "Do men think when
they say `We believe' they shall be let alone and
not be put to proof?"
[Qur'án 29:2]
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And after Noah the light of the countenance of
Húd shone forth above the horizon of creation.
For well-nigh seven hundred years, according to
the sayings of men, He exhorted the people to
turn their faces and draw nearer unto the Ridván
of the divine presence. What showers of afflictions
rained upon Him, until at last His adjurations
bore the fruit of increased rebelliousness, and His
assiduous endeavours resulted in the wilful blindness
of His people. "And their unbelief shall only
increase for the unbelievers their own perdition."
[Qur'án 35:39]
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And after Him there appeared from the Ridván
of the Eternal, the Invisible, the holy person of
Salíh, Who again summoned the people to the
river of everlasting life. For over a hundred years
He admonished them to hold fast unto the commandments
of God and eschew that which is forbidden.
His admonitions, however, yielded no
fruit, and His pleading proved of no avail. Several
times He retired and lived in seclusion. All
this, although that eternal Beauty was summoning
the people to no other than the city of God. Even
as it is revealed: "And unto the tribe of Thámúd
We sent their brother Salíh. `O my people,' said
He, `Worship God, ye have none other God beside
Him....' They made reply: `O Salíh, our
hopes were fixed on thee until now; forbiddest
thou us to worship that which our fathers worshipped?
Truly we misdoubt that whereunto thou
callest us as suspicious.'"
[Qur'án 11:61, 62]
All this proved fruitless,
until at last there went up a great cry, and all
fell into utter perdition.
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Later, the beauty of the countenance of the
Friend of God
[Abraham.]
appeared from behind the veil,
and another standard of divine guidance was
hoisted. He invited the people of the earth to the
light of righteousness. The more passionately He
exhorted them, the fiercer waxed the envy and
waywardness of the people, except those who
wholly detached themselves from all save God,
and ascended on the wings of certainty to the station
which God hath exalted beyond the comprehension
of men. It is well known what a host of
enemies besieged Him, until at last the fires of
envy and rebellion were kindled against Him.
And after the episode of the fire came to pass, He,
the lamp of God amongst men, was, as recorded
in all books and chronicles, expelled from His
city.
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And when His day was ended, there came the
turn of Moses. Armed with the rod of celestial
dominion, adorned with the white hand of divine
knowledge, and proceeding from the Párán of the
love of God, and wielding the serpent of power and
everlasting majesty, He shone forth from the Sinai
of light upon the world. He summoned all the
peoples and kindreds of the earth to the kingdom
of eternity, and invited them to partake of the
fruit of the tree of faithfulness. Surely you are
aware of the fierce opposition of Pharaoh and his
people, and of the stones of idle fancy which the
hands of infidels cast upon that blessed Tree. So
much so that Pharaoh and his people finally arose
and exerted their utmost endeavor to extinguish
with the waters of falsehood and denial the fire of
that sacred Tree, oblivious of the truth that no
earthly water can quench the flame of divine wisdom,
nor mortal blasts extinguish the lamp of everlasting
dominion. Nay, rather, such water cannot
but intensify the burning of the flame, and such
blasts cannot but ensure the preservation of the
lamp, were ye to observe with the eye of discernment,
and walk in the way of God's holy will and
pleasure. How well hath a believer of the kindred
of Pharaoh, whose story is recounted by the
All-Glorious in His Book revealed unto His beloved
One, observed: "And a man of the family
of Pharaoh who was a believer and concealed his
faith said: `Will ye slay a man because he saith
my Lord is God, when He hath already come to
you with signs from your Lord? If he be a liar,
on him will be his lie, but if he be a man of
truth, part of what he threateneth will fall upon
you. In truth God guideth not him who is a transgressor,
a liar.'"
[Qur'án 40:28]
Finally, so great was their
iniquity that this self-same believer was put to a
shameful death. "The curse of God be upon the
people of tyranny."
[Qur'án 11:21]
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And now, ponder upon these things. What could
have caused such contention and conflict? Why is
it that the advent of every true Manifestation of
God hath been accompanied by such strife and
tumult, by such tyranny and upheaval? This notwithstanding
the fact that all the Prophets of God,
whenever made manifest unto the peoples of the
world, have invariably foretold the coming of yet
another Prophet after them, and have established
such signs as would herald the advent of the future
Dispensation. To this the records of all sacred
books bear witness. Why then is it that despite the
expectation of men in their quest of the Manifestations
of Holiness, and in spite of the signs recorded
in the sacred books, such acts of violence, of oppression
and cruelty, should have been perpetrated in
every age and cycle against all the Prophets and
chosen Ones of God? Even as He hath revealed:
"As oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with that
which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride,
accusing some of being impostors and slaying
others."
[Qur'án 2:87]
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Reflect, what could have been the motive for
such deeds? What could have prompted such behaviour
towards the Revealers of the beauty of the
All-Glorious? Whatever in days gone by hath been
the cause of the denial and opposition of those
people hath now led to the perversity of the people
of this age. To maintain that the testimony of
Providence was incomplete, that it hath therefore
been the cause of the denial of the people, is but
open blasphemy. How far from the grace of the
All-Bountiful and from His loving providence
and tender mercies it is to single out a soul from
amongst all men for the guidance of His creatures,
and, on one hand, to withhold from Him the full
measure of His divine testimony, and, on the other,
inflict severe retribution on His people for having
turned away from His chosen One! Nay, the manifold
bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at all
times, through the Manifestations of His divine
Essence, encompassed the earth and all that dwell
therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been
withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness
ceased to rain upon mankind. Consequently,
such behaviour can be attributed to naught
save the petty-mindedness of such souls as tread
the valley of arrogance and pride, are lost in the
wilds of remoteness, walk in the ways of their idle
fancy, and follow the dictates of the leaders of
their faith. Their chief concern is mere opposition;
their sole desire is to ignore the truth. Unto every
discerning observer it is evident and manifest that
had these people in the days of each of the Manifestations
of the Sun of Truth sanctified their eyes,
their ears, and their hearts from whatever they
had seen, heard, and felt, they surely would not
have been deprived of beholding the beauty of
God, nor strayed far from the habitations of glory.
But having weighed the testimony of God by the
standard of their own knowledge, gleaned from
the teachings of the leaders of their faith, and
found it at variance with their limited understanding,
they arose to perpetrate such unseemly acts.
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Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered
their people from attaining the shores of eternal
salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority
in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of
leadership, others through want of knowledge and
understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation
of the people. By their sanction and authority,
every Prophet of God hath drunk from the chalice
of sacrifice, and winged His flight unto the heights
of glory. What unspeakable cruelties they that
have occupied the seats of authority and learning
have inflicted upon the true Monarchs of the
world, those Gems of divine virtue! Content with
a transitory dominion, they have deprived themselves
of an everlasting sovereignty. Thus, their
eyes beheld not the light of the countenance of the
Well-Beloved, nor did their ears hearken unto the
sweet melodies of the Bird of Desire. For this reason,
in all sacred books mention hath been made of
the divines of every age. Thus He saith: "O people
of the Book! Why disbelieve the signs of God to
which ye yourselves have been witnesses?"
[Qur'án 3:70]
And
also He saith: "O people of the Book! Why clothe
ye the truth with falsehood? Why wittingly hide
the truth?"
[Qur'án 3:71]
Again, He saith: "Say, O people of
the Book! Why repel believers from the way of
God?"
[Qur'án 3:99]
It is evident that by the "people of the
Book," who have repelled their fellow-men from
the straight path of God, is meant none other than
the divines of that age, whose names and character
have been revealed in the sacred books, and alluded
to in the verses and traditions recorded therein,
were you to observe with the eye of God.
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With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring
eye of God, scan for a while the horizon of divine
knowledge, and contemplate those words of perfection
which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply
the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now
beneath the veil of glory and treasured within the
tabernacle of His grace, may be made manifest
unto you. The denials and protestations of these
leaders of religion have, in the main, been due to
their lack of knowledge and understanding. Those
words uttered by the Revealers of the beauty of
the one true God, setting forth the signs that should
herald the advent of the Manifestation to come,
they never understood nor fathomed. Hence they
raised the standard of revolt, and stirred up mischief
and sedition. It is obvious and manifest that
the true meaning of the utterances of the Birds of
Eternity is revealed to none except those that manifest
the Eternal Being, and the melodies of the
Nightingale of Holiness can reach no ear save that
of the denizens of the everlasting realm. The Copt
of tyranny can never partake of the cup touched
by the lips of the Sept of justice, and the Pharaoh
of unbelief can never hope to recognize the hand
of the Moses of truth. Even as He saith: "None
knoweth the meaning thereof except God and them
that are well-grounded in knowledge."
[Qur'án 3:7]
And yet,
they have sought the interpretation of the Book
from those that are wrapt in veils, and have refused
to seek enlightenment from the fountain-head
of knowledge.
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And when the days of Moses were ended, and
the light of Jesus, shining forth from the dayspring
of the Spirit, encompassed the world, all the
people of Israel arose in protest against Him.
They clamoured that He Whose advent the Bible
had foretold must needs promulgate and fulfil the
laws of Moses, whereas this youthful Nazarene,
who laid claim to the station of the divine Messiah,
had annulled the law of divorce and of the sabbath
day--the most weighty of all the laws of Moses.
Moreover, what of the signs of the Manifestation
yet to come? These people of Israel are even unto
the present day still expecting that Manifestation
which the Bible hath foretold! How many Manifestations
of Holiness, how many Revealers of the
light everlasting, have appeared since the time of
Moses, and yet Israel, wrapt in the densest veils of
satanic fancy and false imaginings, is still expectant
that the idol of her own handiwork will appear
with such signs as she herself hath conceived!
Thus hath God laid hold of them for their sins,
hath extinguished in them the spirit of faith, and
tormented them with the flames of the nethermost
fire. And this for no other reason except that Israel
refused to apprehend the meaning of such words as
have been revealed in the Bible concerning the
signs of the coming Revelation. As she never
grasped their true significance, and, to outward
seeming, such events never came to pass, she, therefore,
remained deprived of recognizing the beauty
of Jesus and of beholding the face of God. And
they still await His coming! From time immemorial
even unto this day, all the kindreds and peoples
of the earth have clung to such fanciful and unseemly
thoughts, and thus have deprived themselves
of the clear waters streaming from the
springs of purity and holiness.
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In unfolding these mysteries, We have, in Our
former Tablets which were addressed to a friend
in the melodious language of Hijáz, cited a few
of the verses revealed unto the Prophets of old.
And now, responding to your request, We again
shall cite, in these pages, those same verses, uttered
this time in the wondrous accents of `Iráq, that
haply the sore athirst in the wilds of remoteness
may attain unto the ocean of the divine presence,
and they that languish in the wastes of separation
be led unto the home of eternal reunion. Thus the
mists of error may be dispelled, and the all-resplendent
light of divine guidance dawn forth above
the horizon of human hearts. In God We put Our
trust, and to Him We cry for help, that haply
there may flow from this pen that which shall
quicken the souls of men, that they may all arise
from their beds of heedlessness and hearken unto
the rustling of the leaves of Paradise, from the
tree which the hand of divine power hath, by the
permission of God, planted in the Ridván of the
All-Glorious.
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To them that are endowed with understanding,
it is clear and manifest that when the fire of the
love of Jesus consumed the veils of Jewish limitations,
and His authority was made apparent and
partially enforced, He the Revealer of the unseen
Beauty, addressing one day His disciples, referred
unto His passing, and, kindling in their hearts the
fire of bereavement, said unto them: "I go away
and come again unto you." And in another place
He said: "I go and another will come Who will
tell you all that I have not told you, and will fulfil
all that I have said." Both these sayings have but
one meaning, were you to ponder upon the Manifestations
of the Unity of God with divine insight.
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Every discerning observer will recognize that in
the Dispensation of the Qur'án both the Book and
the Cause of Jesus were confirmed. As to the matter
of names, Muhammad, Himself, declared: "I
am Jesus." He recognized the truth of the signs,
prophecies, and words of Jesus, and testified that
they were all of God. In this sense, neither the
person of Jesus nor His writings hath differed
from that of Muhammad and of His holy Book,
inasmuch as both have championed the Cause of
God, uttered His praise, and revealed His commandments.
Thus it is that Jesus, Himself, declared:
"I go away and come again unto you."
Consider the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun
of yesterday," it would speak the truth. And
should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind,
claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak
the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the
days are but one and the same, it is correct and
true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular
names and designations, that they differ,
that again is true. For though they are the same,
yet one doth recognize in each a separate designation,
a specific attribute, a particular character.
Conceive accordingly the distinction, variation,
and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations
of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the
allusions made by the creator of all names and attributes
to the mysteries of distinction and unity,
and discover the answer to thy question as to why
that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry
times, called Himself by different names and titles.
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Afterwards, the companions and disciples of
Jesus asked Him concerning those signs that must
needs signalize the return of His manifestation.
When, they asked, shall these things be? Several
times they questioned that peerless Beauty, and,
every time He made reply, He set forth a special
sign that should herald the advent of the promised
Dispensation. To this testify the records of the four
Gospels.
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This wronged One will cite but one of these instances,
thus conferring upon mankind, for the
sake of God, such bounties as are yet concealed
within the treasury of the hidden and sacred Tree,
that haply mortal men may not remain deprived
of their share of the immortal fruit, and attain to a
dewdrop of the waters of everlasting life which,
from Baghdád, the "Abode of Peace," are being
vouchsafed unto all mankind. We ask for neither
meed nor reward. "We nourish your souls for the
sake of God; we seek from you neither recompense
nor thanks."
[Qur'án 76:9]
This is the food that conferreth everlasting
life upon the pure in heart and the illumined
in spirit. This is the bread of which it is
said: "Lord, send down upon us Thy bread from
heaven."
[Qur'án 5:117]
This bread shall never be withheld from
them that deserve it, nor can it ever be exhausted.
It groweth everlastingly from the tree of grace; it
descendeth at all seasons from the heavens of justice
and mercy. Even as He saith: "Seest thou not
to what God likeneth a good word? To a good
tree; its root firmly fixed, and its branches reaching
unto heaven: yielding its fruit in all seasons."
[Qur'án 14:24]
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O the pity! that man should deprive himself of
this goodly gift, this imperishable bounty, this
everlasting life. It behooveth him to prize this food
that cometh from heaven, that perchance, through
the wondrous favours of the Sun of Truth, the
dead may be brought to life, and withered souls
be quickened by the infinite Spirit. Make haste, O
my brother, that while there is yet time our lips
may taste of the immortal draught, for the breeze
of life, now blowing from the city of the Well-Beloved,
cannot last, and the streaming river of holy
utterance must needs be stilled, and the portals of
the Ridván cannot for ever remain open. The day
will surely come when the Nightingale of Paradise
will have winged its flight away from its earthly
abode unto its heavenly nest. Then will its melody
be heard no more, and the beauty of the rose cease
to shine. Seize the time, therefore, ere the glory of
the divine springtime hath spent itself, and the
Bird of Eternity ceased to warble its melody, that
thy inner hearing may not be deprived of
hearkening unto its call. This is My counsel unto
thee and unto the beloved of God. Whosoever
wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth,
let him turn away. God, verily, is independent
of him and of that which he may see and witness.
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These are the melodies, sung by Jesus, Son of
Mary, in accents of majestic power in the Ridván
of the Gospel, revealing those signs that must needs
herald the advent of the Manifestation after Him.
In the first Gospel according to Matthew it is
recorded: And when they asked Jesus concerning
the signs of His coming, He said unto them: "Immediately
after the oppression
[The Greek word used (Thlipsis) has two meanings: pressure and oppression.]
of those days shall
the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers of the earth shall be shaken: and then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And
he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet."
[Matthew 24:29-31]
Rendered into the Persian tongue,
[The passage is quoted by Bahá'u'lláh in Arabic and interpreted in Persian.]
the
purport of these words is as follows: When the
oppression and afflictions that are to befall mankind
will have come to pass, then shall the sun
be withheld from shining, the moon from giving
light, the stars of heaven shall fall upon the earth,
and the pillars of the earth shall quake. At that
time, the signs of the Son of man shall appear in
heaven, that is, the promised Beauty and Substance
of life shall, when these signs have appeared, step
forth out of the realm of the invisible into the visible
world. And He saith: at that time, all the
peoples and kindreds that dwell on earth shall bewail
and lament, and they shall see that divine
Beauty coming from heaven, riding upon the
clouds with power, grandeur, and magnificence,
sending His angels with a great sound of a trumpet.
Similarly, in the three other Gospels, according
to Luke, Mark, and John, the same statements
are recorded. As We have referred at length to
these in Our Tablets revealed in the Arabic tongue,
We have made no mention of them in these
pages, and have confined Ourselves to but one
reference.
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Inasmuch as the Christian divines have failed
to apprehend the meaning of these words, and did
not recognize their object and purpose, and have
clung to the literal interpretation of the words of
Jesus, they therefore became deprived of the
streaming grace of the Muhammadan Revelation
and its showering bounties. The ignorant among
the Christian community, following the example
of the leaders of their faith, were likewise prevented
from beholding the beauty of the King of
glory, inasmuch as those signs which were to accompany
the dawn of the sun of the Muhammadan
Dispensation did not actually come to pass. Thus,
ages have passed and centuries rolled away, and
that most pure Spirit hath repaired unto the retreats
of its ancient sovereignty. Once more hath
the eternal Spirit breathed into the mystic trumpet,
and caused the dead to speed out of their sepulchres
of heedlessness and error unto the realm of
guidance and grace. And yet, that expectant community
still crieth out: When shall these things be?
When shall the promised One, the object of our
expectation, be made manifest, that we may arise
for the triumph of His Cause, that we may sacrifice
our substance for His sake, that we may offer
up our lives in His path? In like manner, have such
false imaginings caused other communities to stray
from the Kawthar of the infinite mercy of Providence,
and to be busied with their own idle
thoughts.
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Beside this passage, there is yet another verse
in the Gospel wherein He saith: "Heaven and
earth shall pass away: but My words shall not
pass away."
[Luke 21:33]
Thus it is that the adherents of Jesus
maintained that the law of the Gospel shall never
be annulled, and that whensoever the promised
Beauty is made manifest and all the signs are revealed,
He must needs re-affirm and establish the
law proclaimed in the Gospel, so that there may
remain in the world no faith but His faith. This is
their fundamental belief. And their conviction is
such that were a person to be made manifest with
all the promised signs and to promulgate that
which is contrary to the letter of the law of the Gospel,
they must assuredly renounce him, refuse to
submit to his law, declare him an infidel, and laugh
him to scorn. This is proved by that which came
to pass when the sun of the Muhammadan Revelation
was revealed. Had they sought with a humble
mind from the Manifestations of God in every
Dispensation the true meaning of these words revealed
in the sacred books--words the misapprehension
of which hath caused men to be deprived
of the recognition of the Sadratu'l-Muntahá, the
ultimate Purpose--they surely would have been
guided to the light of the Sun of Truth, and would
have discovered the mysteries of divine knowledge
and wisdom.
|
28 |
This servant will now share with thee a dewdrop
out of the fathomless ocean of the truths treasured
in these holy words, that haply discerning hearts
may comprehend all the allusions and the implications
of the utterances of the Manifestations of
Holiness, so that the overpowering majesty of the
Word of God may not prevent them from attaining
unto the ocean of His names and attributes, nor
deprive them of recognizing the Lamp of God
which is the seat of the revelation of His glorified
Essence.
|
29 |
As to the words--"Immediately after the oppression
of those days"--they refer to the time when
men shall become oppressed and afflicted, the time
when the lingering traces of the Sun of Truth and
the fruit of the Tree of knowledge and wisdom
will have vanished from the midst of men, when
the reins of mankind will have fallen into the grasp
of the foolish and ignorant, when the portals of
divine unity and understanding--the essential and
highest purpose in creation--will have been closed,
when certain knowledge will have given way to
idle fancy, and corruption will have usurped the
station of righteousness. Such a condition as this
is witnessed in this day when the reins of every
community have fallen into the grasp of foolish
leaders, who lead after their own whims and desire.
On their tongue the mention of God hath become
an empty name; in their midst His holy
Word a dead letter. Such is the sway of their desires,
that the lamp of conscience and reason hath
been quenched in their hearts, and this although the
fingers of divine power have unlocked the portals
of the knowledge of God, and the light of divine
knowledge and heavenly grace hath illumined and
inspired the essence of all created things, in such
wise that in each and every thing a door of knowledge
hath been opened, and within every atom
traces of the sun hath been made manifest. And yet,
in spite of all these manifold revelations of divine
knowledge, which have encompassed the world,
they still vainly imagine the door of knowledge to
be closed, and the showers of mercy to be stilled.
Clinging unto idle fancy, they have strayed far
from the Urvatu'l-Vuthqá of divine knowledge.
Their hearts seem not to be inclined to knowledge
and the door thereof, neither think they of its
manifestations, inasmuch as in idle fancy they have
found the door that leadeth unto earthly riches,
whereas in the manifestation of the Revealer of
knowledge they find naught but the call to self-sacrifice.
They therefore naturally hold fast unto
the former, and flee from the latter. Though they
recognize in their hearts the Law of God to be one
and the same, yet from every direction they issue
a new command, and in every season proclaim a
fresh decree. No two are found to agree on one and
the same law, for they seek no God but their own
desire, and tread no path but the path of error. In
leadership they have recognized the ultimate object
of their endeavour, and account pride and
haughtiness as the highest attainments of their
heart's desire. They have placed their sordid machinations
above the divine decree, have renounced
resignation unto the will of God, busied themselves
with selfish calculation, and walked in the way of
the hypocrite. With all their power and strength
they strive to secure themselves in their petty pursuits,
fearful lest the least discredit undermine
their authority or blemish the display of their
magnificence. Were the eye to be anointed and illumined
with the collyrium of the knowledge of
God, it would surely discover that a number of
voracious beasts have gathered and preyed upon
the carrion of the souls of men.
|
30 |
What "oppression" is greater than that which
hath been recounted? What "oppression" is more
grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and
wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God,
should know not where to go for it and from whom
to seek it? For opinions have sorely differed, and
the ways unto the attainment of God have multiplied.
This "oppression" is the essential feature of
every Revelation. Unless it cometh to pass, the Sun
of Truth will not be made manifest. For the break
of the morn of divine guidance must needs follow
the darkness of the night of error. For this reason,
in all chronicles and traditions reference hath been
made unto these things, namely that iniquity shall
cover the surface of the earth and darkness shall
envelop mankind. As the traditions referred to are
well known, and as the purpose of this servant is
to be brief, He will refrain from quoting the text
of these traditions.
|
31 |
Were this "oppression" (which literally meaneth
pressure) to be interpreted that the earth is to
become contracted, or were men's idle fancy to
conceive similar calamities to befall mankind, it is
clear and manifest that no such happenings can
ever come to pass. They will assuredly protest
that this pre-requisite of divine revelation hath not
been made manifest. Such hath been and still is
their contention. Whereas, by "oppression" is
meant the want of capacity to acquire spiritual
knowledge and apprehend the Word of God. By
it is meant that when the Day-star of Truth hath
set, and the mirrors that reflect His light have departed,
mankind will become afflicted with "oppression"
and hardship, knowing not whither to
turn for guidance. Thus We instruct thee in the
interpretation of the traditions, and reveal unto
thee the mysteries of divine wisdom, that haply
thou mayest comprehend the meaning thereof, and
be of them that have quaffed the cup of divine
knowledge and understanding.
|
32 |
And now, concerning His words--"The sun
shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give
light, and the stars shall fall from heaven." By the
terms "sun" and "moon," mentioned in the writings
of the Prophets of God, is not meant solely the
sun and moon of the visible universe. Nay rather,
manifold are the meanings they have intended for
these terms. In every instance they have attached
to them a particular significance. Thus, by the
"sun" in one sense is meant those Suns of Truth
Who rise from the dayspring of ancient glory, and
fill the world with a liberal effusion of grace from
on high. These Suns of Truth are the universal
Manifestations of God in the worlds of His attributes
and names, even as the visible sun that assisteth,
as decreed by God, the true One, the
Adored, in the development of all earthly things,
such as the trees, the fruits, and colours thereof,
the minerals of the earth, and all that may be witnessed
in the world of creation, so do the divine
Luminaries, by their loving care and educative influence,
cause the trees of divine unity, the fruits of
His oneness, the leaves of detachment, the blossoms
of knowledge and certitude, and the myrtles of
wisdom and utterance, to exist and be made manifest.
Thus it is that through the rise of these Luminaries
of God the world is made new, the waters
of everlasting life stream forth, the billows of loving-kindness
surge, the clouds of grace are gathered,
and the breeze of bounty bloweth upon all
created things. It is the warmth that these Luminaries
of God generate, and the undying fires they
kindle, which cause the light of the love of God to
burn fiercely in the heart of humanity. It is
through the abundant grace of these Symbols of
Detachment that the Spirit of life everlasting is
breathed into the bodies of the dead. Assuredly
the visible sun is but a sign of the splendour of that
Day-star of Truth, that Sun Which can never have
a peer, a likeness, or rival. Through Him all
things live, move, and have their being. Through
His grace they are made manifest, and unto Him
they all return. From Him all things have sprung,
and unto the treasuries of His revelation they all
have repaired. From Him all created things did
proceed, and to the depositories of His law they
did revert.
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33 |
That these divine Luminaries seem to be confined
at times to specific designations and attributes,
as you have observed and are now observing,
is due solely to the imperfect and limited comprehension
of certain minds. Otherwise, they have
been at all times, and will through eternity continue
to be, exalted above every praising name, and
sanctified from every descriptive attribute. The
quintessence of every name can hope for no access
unto their court of holiness, and the highest and
purest of all attributes can never approach their
kingdom of glory. Immeasurably high are the
Prophets of God exalted above the comprehension
of men, who can never know them except by their
own Selves. Far be it from His glory that His
chosen Ones should be magnified by any other than
their own persons. Glorified are they above the
praise of men; exalted are they above human understanding!
|
34 |
The term "suns" hath many a time been applied
in the writings of the "immaculate Souls" unto the
Prophets of God, those luminous Emblems of Detachment.
Among those writings are the following
words recorded in the "Prayer of Nudbih":
["Lamentation" attributed to the Twelfth Imám.]
"Whither are gone the resplendent Suns? Whereunto
have departed those shining Moons and
sparkling Stars?" Thus, it hath become evident
that the terms "sun," "moon," and "stars" primarily
signify the Prophets of God, the saints, and
their companions, those Luminaries, the light of
Whose knowledge hath shed illumination upon the
worlds of the visible and the invisible.
|
35 |
In another sense, by these terms is intended the
divines of the former Dispensation, who live in
the days of the subsequent Revelations, and who
hold the reins of religion in their grasp. If these
divines be illumined by the light of the latter Revelation
they will be acceptable unto God, and will
shine with a light everlasting. Otherwise, they will
be declared as darkened, even though to outward
seeming they be leaders of men, inasmuch as belief
and unbelief, guidance and error, felicity and misery,
light and darkness, are all dependent upon the
sanction of Him Who is the Day-star of Truth.
Whosoever among the divines of every age receiveth,
in the Day of Reckoning, the testimony of faith
from the Source of true knowledge, he verily becometh
the recipient of learning, of divine favour,
and of the light of true understanding. Otherwise,
he is branded as guilty of folly, denial, blasphemy,
and oppression.
|
36 |
It is evident and manifest unto every discerning
observer that even as the light of the star fadeth
before the effulgent splendour of the sun, so doth
the luminary of earthly knowledge, of wisdom,
and understanding vanish into nothingness when
brought face to face with the resplendent glories
of the Sun of Truth, the Day-star of divine enlightenment.
|
37 |
That the term "sun" hath been applied to the
leaders of religion is due to their lofty position,
their fame, and renown. Such are the universally
recognized divines of every age, who speak with
authority, and whose fame is securely established.
If they be in the likeness of the Sun of Truth, they
will surely be accounted as the most exalted of all
luminaries; otherwise, they are to be recognized as
the focal centres of hellish fire. Even as He saith:
"Verily, the sun and the moon are both condemned
to the torment of infernal fire."
[Qur'án 55:5]
You are no doubt
familiar with the interpretation of the term "sun"
and "moon" mentioned in this verse; no need therefore
to refer unto it. And whosoever is of the element
of this "sun" and "moon", that is, followeth
the example of these leaders in setting his face
towards falsehood and in turning away from the
truth he undoubtedly cometh out of infernal
gloom and returneth thereunto.
|
38 |
And now, O seeker, it behooveth us firmly to
cling unto the Urvatu'l-Vuthqá, that perchance
we may leave behind the darksome night of error,
and embrace the dawning light of divine guidance.
Shall we not flee from the face of denial, and seek
the sheltering shadow of certitude? Shall we not
free ourselves from the horror of satanic gloom,
and hasten towards the rising light of the heavenly
Beauty? In such wise, we bestow upon you the
fruit of the Tree of divine knowledge, that ye may
gladly and joyously abide in the Ridván of divine
wisdom.
|
39 |
In another sense, by the terms `sun', `moon', and
`stars' are meant such laws and teachings as have
been established and proclaimed in every Dispensation,
such as the laws of prayer and fasting.
These have, according to the law of the Qur'án,
been regarded, when the beauty of the Prophet
Muhammad had passed beyond the veil, as the
most fundamental and binding laws of His dispensation.
To this testify the texts of the traditions and
chronicles, which, on account of their being widely
known, need not be referred to here. Nay rather,
in every Dispensation the law concerning prayer
hath been emphasized and universally enforced.
To this testify the recorded traditions ascribed
to the lights that have emanated from the Day-star
of Truth, the essence of the Prophet Muhammad.
|
40 |
The traditions established the fact that in all
Dispensations the law of prayer hath constituted a
fundamental element of the Revelation of all the
Prophets of God--a law the form and the manner
of which hath been adapted to the varying requirements
of every age. Inasmuch as every subsequent
Revelation hath abolished the manners,
habits, and teachings that have been clearly, specifically,
and firmly established by the former Dispensation,
these have accordingly been symbolically
expressed in terms of `sun' and `moon'. "That
He might prove you, which of you excel in
deeds."
[Qur'án 67:2]
|
41 |
Moreover, in the traditions the terms "sun" and
"moon" have been applied to prayer and fasting,
even as it is said: "Fasting is illumination, prayer
is light." One day, a well-known divine came to
visit Us. While We were conversing with him, he
referred to the above-quoted tradition. He said:
"Inasmuch as fasting causeth the heat of the body
to increase, it hath therefore been likened unto the
light of the sun; and as the prayer of the night-season
refresheth man, it hath been compared unto
the radiance of the moon." Thereupon We realized
that that poor man had not been favoured with a
single drop of the ocean of true understanding, and
had strayed far from the burning Bush of divine
wisdom. We then politely observed to him saying:
"The interpretation your honour hath given to this
tradition is the one current amongst the people.
Could it not be interpreted differently?" He asked
Us: "What could it be?" We made reply: "Muhammad,
the Seal of the Prophets, and the most
distinguished of God's chosen Ones, hath likened
the Dispensation of the Qur'án unto heaven, by
reason of its loftiness, its paramount influence, its
majesty, and the fact that it comprehendeth all religions.
And as the sun and moon constitute the
brightest and most prominent luminaries in the
heavens, similarly in the heaven of the religion of
God two shining orbs have been ordained--fasting
and prayer. `Islám is heaven; fasting is its sun,
prayer, its moon.'"
|
42 |
This is the purpose underlying the symbolic
words of the Manifestations of God. Consequently,
the application of the terms "sun" and "moon" to
the things already mentioned hath been demonstrated
and justified by the text of the sacred verses
and the recorded traditions. Hence, it is clear and
manifest that by the words "the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven" is intended the
waywardness of the divines, and the annulment of
laws firmly established by divine Revelation, all
of which, in symbolic language, have been foreshadowed
by the Manifestation of God. None except
the righteous shall partake of this cup, none
but the godly can share therein. "The righteous
shall drink of a cup tempered at the camphor
fountain."
[Qur'án 76:5]
|
43 |
It is unquestionable that in every succeeding
Revelation the "sun" and "moon" of the teachings,
laws, commandments, and prohibitions which
have been established in the preceding Dispensation,
and which have overshadowed the people of
that age, become darkened, that is, are exhausted,
and cease to exert their influence. Consider now,
had the people of the Gospel recognized the meaning
of the symbolic terms "sun" and "moon," had
they sought, unlike the froward and perverse, enlightenment
from Him Who is the Revealer of
divine knowledge, they would have surely comprehended
the purpose of these terms, and would
not have become afflicted and oppressed by the
darkness of their selfish desires. Yea, but since they
have failed to acquire true knowledge from its very
Source, they have perished in the perilous vale of
waywardness and misbelief. They still have not
awakened to perceive that all the signs foretold
have been made manifest, that the promised Sun
hath risen above the horizon of divine Revelation,
and that the "sun" and "moon" of the teachings,
the laws, and learning of a former Dispensation
have darkened and set.
|
44 |
And now, with fixed gaze and steady wings
enter thou the way of certitude and truth. "Say:
It is God; then leave them to entertain themselves
with their cavilings."
[Qur'án 6:91]
Thus, wilt thou be accounted
of those companions of whom He saith:
"They that say `Our Lord is God,' and continue
steadfast in His way, upon them, verily, shall the
angels descend."
[Qur'án 41:30]
Then shalt thou witness all these
mysteries with thine own eyes.
|
45 |
O my brother! Take thou the step of the spirit,
so that, swift as the twinkling of an eye, thou mayest
flash through the wilds of remoteness and bereavement,
attain the Ridván of everlasting reunion,
and in one breath commune with the
heavenly Spirits. For with human feet thou canst
never hope to traverse these immeasurable distances,
nor attain thy goal. Peace be upon him
whom the light of truth guideth unto all truth, and
who, in the name of God, standeth in the path of
His Cause, upon the shore of true understanding.
|
46 |
This is the meaning of the sacred verse: "But
nay! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the
Wests,"
[Qur'án 70:40]
inasmuch as the "Suns" referred to have
each their own particular rising and setting place.
And as the commentators of the Qur'án have failed
to grasp the symbolic meaning of these "Suns,"
they therefore were at pains to interpret the above-quoted
verse. Some of them maintained that owing
to the fact that the sun each day rises from a different
point, the terms "easts" and "wests" have been
mentioned in the plural. Others have written that
by this verse the four seasons of the year are intended,
inasmuch as the dawning and setting
points of the sun vary with the change of the seasons.
Such is the depth of their understanding!
None the less, they persist in imputing error and
folly to those Gems of knowledge, those irreproachable
and purest Symbols of wisdom.
|
47 |
In like manner, strive thou to comprehend from
these lucid, these powerful, conclusive, and unequivocal
statements the meaning of the "cleaving
of the heaven"--one of the signs that must needs
herald the coming of the last Hour, the Day of
Resurrection. As He hath said: "When the heaven
shall be cloven asunder."
[Qur'án 82:1]
By "heaven" is meant
the heaven of divine Revelation, which is elevated
with every Manifestation, and rent asunder with
every subsequent one. By "cloven asunder" is
meant that the former Dispensation is superseded
and annulled. I swear by God! That this heaven
being cloven asunder is, to the discerning, an act
mightier than the cleaving of the skies! Ponder a
while. That a divine Revelation which for years
hath been securely established; beneath whose
shadow all who have embraced it have been reared
and nurtured; by the light of whose law generations
of men have been disciplined; the excellency
of whose word men have heard recounted by their
fathers; in such wise that human eye hath beheld
naught but the pervading influence of its grace,
and mortal ear hath heard naught but the resounding
majesty of its command--what act is mightier
than that such a Revelation should, by the power
of God, be "cloven asunder" and be abolished at
the appearance of one soul? Reflect, is this a mightier
act than that which these abject and foolish
men have imagined the "cleaving of the heaven"
to mean?
|
48 |
Moreover, consider the hardships and the bitterness
of the lives of those Revealers of the divine
Beauty. Reflect, how single-handed and alone they
faced the world and all its peoples, and promulgated
the Law of God! No matter how severe
the persecutions inflicted upon those holy, those
precious, and tender Souls, they still remained,
in the plenitude of their power, patient, and,
despite their ascendancy, they suffered and endured.
|
49 |
In like manner, endeavour to comprehend the
meaning of the "changing of the earth." Know
thou, that upon whatever hearts the bountiful
showers of mercy, raining from the "heaven" of
divine Revelation, have fallen, the earth of those
hearts hath verily been changed into the earth of
divine knowledge and wisdom. What myrtles of
unity hath the soil of their hearts produced! What
blossoms of true knowledge and wisdom hath their
illumined bosoms yielded! Were the earth of their
hearts to remain unchanged, how could such souls
who have not been taught one letter, have seen no
teacher, and entered no school, utter such words
and display such knowledge as none can apprehend?
Methinks they have been moulded from
the clay of infinite knowledge, and kneaded with
the water of divine wisdom. Therefore, hath it
been said: "Knowledge is a light which God casteth
into the heart of whomsoever He willeth." It is
this kind of knowledge which is and hath ever
been praiseworthy, and not the limited knowledge
that hath sprung forth from veiled and obscured
minds. This limited knowledge they even stealthily
borrow one from the other, and vainly pride
themselves therein!
|
50 |
Would that the hearts of men could be cleansed
from these man-made limitations and obscure
thoughts imposed upon them! haply they may be
illumined by the light of the Sun of true knowledge,
and comprehend the mysteries of divine wisdom.
Consider now, were the parched and barren
soil of these hearts to remain unchanged, how
could they ever become the Recipients of the revelation
of the mysteries of God, and the Revealers
of the divine Essence? Thus hath He said: "On
the day when the earth shall be changed into another
earth."
[Qur'án 14:48]
|
51 |
The breeze of the bounty of the King of creation
hath caused even the physical earth to be changed,
were ye to ponder in your hearts the mysteries of
divine Revelation.
|
52 |
And now, comprehend the meaning of this
verse: "The whole earth shall on the Resurrection
Day be but His handful, and in His right hand
shall the heavens be folded together. Praise be to
Him! and high be He uplifted above the partners
they join with him!"
[Qur'án 39:67]
And now, be fair in thy
judgment. Were this verse to have the meaning
which men suppose it to have, of what profit, one
may ask, could it be to man? Moreover, it is evident
and manifest that no such hand as could be
seen by human eye could accomplish such deeds,
or could possibly be ascribed to the exalted Essence
of the one true God. Nay, to acknowledge
such a thing is naught but sheer blasphemy, an
utter perversion of the truth. And should it be supposed
that by this verse are meant the Manifestations
of God, Who will be called upon, on the Day
of Judgment, to perform such deeds, this too seemeth
far from the truth, and is surely of no profit. On
the contrary, by the term "earth" is meant the
earth of understanding and knowledge, and by
"heavens" the heavens of divine Revelation. Reflect
thou, how, in one hand, He hath, by His
mighty grasp, turned the earth of knowledge and
understanding, previously unfolded, into a mere
handful, and, on the other, spread out a new and
highly exalted earth in the hearts of men, thus
causing the freshest and loveliest blossoms, and
the mightiest and loftiest trees to spring forth from
the illumined bosom of man.
|
53 |
In like manner, reflect how the elevated heavens
of the Dispensations of the past have, in the right
hand of power, been folded together, how the
heavens of divine Revelation have been raised by
the command of God, and been adorned by the
sun, the moon, and stars of His wondrous commandments.
Such are the mysteries of the Word of
God, which have been unveiled and made manifest,
that haply thou mayest apprehend the morning
light of divine guidance, mayest quench, by
the power of reliance and renunciation, the lamp
of idle fancy, of vain imaginings, of hesitation, and
doubt, and mayest kindle, in the inmost chamber
of thine heart, the new-born light of divine knowledge
and certitude.
|
54 |
Know verily that the purpose underlying all
these symbolic terms and abstruse allusions, which
emanate from the Revealers of God's holy Cause,
hath been to test and prove the peoples of the
world; that thereby the earth of the pure and illuminated
hearts may be known from the perishable
and barren soil. From time immemorial such
hath been the way of God amidst His creatures,
and to this testify the records of the sacred books.
|
55 |
And likewise, reflect upon the revealed verse
concerning the "Qiblih."
[The direction toward which the face must be turned when praying.]
When Muhammad,
the Sun of Prophethood, had fled from the dayspring
of Bathá
[Mecca.]
unto Yathrib,
[Medina.]
He continued to
turn His face, while praying, unto Jerusalem, the
holy city, until the time when the Jews began to
utter unseemly words against Him--words which
if mentioned would ill befit these pages and would
weary the reader. Muhammad strongly resented
these words. Whilst, wrapt in meditation and wonder,
He was gazing toward heaven, He heard the
kindly Voice of Gabriel, saying: "We behold Thee
from above, turning Thy face to heaven; but We
will have Thee turn to a Qiblih which shall please
Thee."
[Qur'án 2:144]
On a subsequent day, when the Prophet,
together with His companions, was offering the
noontide prayer, and had already performed two
of the prescribed Rik'áts,
[Prostrations.]
the Voice of Gabriel
was heard again: "Turn Thou Thy face towards
the sacred Mosque."
[At Mecca.]
,
[Qur'án 2:149]
In the midst of that same
prayer, Muhammad suddenly turned His face
away from Jerusalem and faced the Ka'bih.
Whereupon, a profound dismay seized suddenly
the companions of the Prophet. Their faith was
shaken severely. So great was their alarm, that
many of them, discontinuing their prayer, apostatized
their faith. Verily, God caused not this turmoil
but to test and prove His servants. Otherwise,
He, the ideal King, could easily have left the Qiblih
unchanged, and could have caused Jerusalem to
remain the Point of Adoration unto His Dispensation,
thereby withholding not from that holy city
the distinction of acceptance which had been conferred
upon it.
|
56 |
None of the many Prophets sent down, since
Moses was made manifest, as Messengers of the
Word of God, such as David, Jesus, and others
among the more exalted Manifestations who have
appeared during the intervening period between
the Revelations of Moses and Muhammad, ever
altered the law of the Qiblih. These Messengers of
the Lord of creation have, one and all, directed
their peoples to turn unto the same direction. In
the eyes of God, the ideal King, all the places of
the earth are one and the same, excepting that
place which, in the days of His Manifestations, He
doth appoint for a particular purpose. Even as He
hath revealed: "The East and West are God's:
therefore whichever way ye turn, there is the face
of God."
[Qur'án 2:115]
Notwithstanding the truth of these
facts, why should the Qiblih have been changed,
thus casting such dismay amongst the people, causing
the companions of the Prophet to waver, and
throwing so great a confusion into their midst?
Yea, such things as throw consternation into the
hearts of all men come to pass only that each soul
may be tested by the touchstone of God, that the
true may be known and distinguished from the
false. Thus hath He revealed after the breach
amongst the people: "We did not appoint that
which Thou wouldst have to be the Qiblih, but
that We might know him who followeth the
Apostle from him who turneth on his heels."
[Qur'án 2:143]
"Affrighted asses fleeing from a lion."
[Qur'án 74:50]
|
57 |
Were you to ponder, but for a while, these utterances
in your heart, you would surely find the portals
of understanding unlocked before your face,
and would behold all knowledge and the mysteries
thereof unveiled before your eyes. Such things take
place only that the souls of men may develop and
be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire.
Otherwise, that ideal King hath, throughout
eternity, been in His Essence independent of the
comprehension of all beings, and will continue, for
ever, in His own Being to be exalted above the
adoration of every soul. A single breeze of His
affluence doth suffice to adorn all mankind with the
robe of wealth; and one drop out of the ocean of
His bountiful grace is enough to confer upon all
beings the glory of everlasting life. But inasmuch
as the divine Purpose hath decreed that the true
should be known from the false, and the sun from
the shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season
sent down upon mankind the showers of tests from
His realm of glory.
|
58 |
Were men to meditate upon the lives of the
Prophets of old, so easily would they come to
know and understand the ways of these Prophets
that they would cease to be veiled by such deeds
and words as are contrary to their own worldly desires,
and thus consume every intervening veil with
the fire burning in the Bush of divine knowledge,
and abide secure upon the throne of peace and certitude.
For instance, consider Moses, son of `Imrán,
one of the exalted Prophets and Author of a
divinely-revealed Book. Whilst passing, one day,
through the market, in His early days, ere His
ministry was proclaimed, He saw two men engaged
in fighting. One of them asked the help of Moses
against his opponent. Whereupon, Moses intervened
and slew him. To this testifieth the record
of the sacred Book. Should the details be cited,
they will lengthen and interrupt the course of the
argument. The report of this incident spread
throughout the city, and Moses was full of fear,
as is witnessed by the text of the Book. And when
the warning: "O Moses! of a truth, the chiefs take
counsel to slay Thee"
[Qur'án 28:20]
reached His ears, He went
forth from the city, and sojourned in Midian in
the service of Shoeb. While returning, Moses entered
the holy vale, situate in the wilderness of
Sinai, and there beheld the vision of the King of
glory from the "Tree that belongeth neither to the
East nor to the West."
[Qur'án 24:35]
There He heard the soul-stirring
Voice of the Spirit speaking from out of
the kindled Fire, bidding Him to shed upon Pharaonic
souls the light of divine guidance; so that,
liberating them from the shadows of the valley of
self and desire, He might enable them to attain
the meads of heavenly delight, and delivering
them, through the Salsabíl of renunciation, from
the bewilderment of remoteness, cause them to enter
the peaceful city of the divine presence. When
Moses came unto Pharaoh and delivered unto him,
as bidden by God, the divine Message, Pharaoh
spoke insultingly saying: "Art thou not he that
committed murder, and became an infidel?" Thus
recounted the Lord of majesty as having been said
by Pharaoh unto Moses: "What a deed is that
which Thou hast done! Thou art one of the ungrateful.
He said: `I did it indeed, and I was one
of those who erred. And I fled from you when I
feared you, but My Lord hath given Me wisdom,
and hath made Me one of His Apostles.'"
[Qur'án 26:19]
|
59 |
And now ponder in thy heart the commotion
which God stirreth up. Reflect upon the strange
and manifold trials with which He doth test His
servants. Consider how He hath suddenly chosen
from among His servants, and entrusted with the
exalted mission of divine guidance Him Who was
known as guilty of homicide, Who, Himself, had
acknowledged His cruelty, and Who for well-nigh
thirty years had, in the eyes of the world, been
reared in the home of Pharaoh and been nourished
at his table. Was not God, the omnipotent King,
able to withhold the hand of Moses from murder,
so that manslaughter should not be attributed unto
Him, causing bewilderment and aversion among
the people?
|
60 |
Likewise, reflect upon the state and condition of
Mary. So deep was the perplexity of that most
beauteous countenance, so grievous her case, that
she bitterly regretted she had ever been born. To
this beareth witness the text of the sacred verse
wherein it is mentioned that after Mary had given
birth to Jesus, she bemoaned her plight and cried
out: "O would that I had died ere this, and been
a thing forgotten, forgotten quite!"
[Qur'án 19:22]
I swear by
God! Such lamenting consumeth the heart and
shaketh the being. Such consternation of soul, such
despondency, could have been caused by no other
than the censure of the enemy and the cavilings
of the infidel and perverse. Reflect, what answer
could Mary have given to the people around her?
How could she claim that a Babe Whose father
was unknown had been conceived of the Holy
Ghost? Therefore did Mary, that veiled and immortal
Countenance, take up her Child and return
unto her home. No sooner had the eyes of the
people fallen upon her than they raised their voice
saying: "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not
a man of wickedness, nor unchaste thy mother."
[Qur'án 19:28]
|
61 |
And now, meditate upon this most great convulsion,
this grievous test. Notwithstanding all
these things, God conferred upon that essence of
the Spirit, Who was known amongst the people as
fatherless, the glory of Prophethood, and made
Him His testimony unto all that are in heaven and
on earth.
|
62 |
Behold how contrary are the ways of the Manifestations
of God, as ordained by the King of creation,
to the ways and desires of men! As thou
comest to comprehend the essence of these divine
mysteries, thou wilt grasp the purpose of God, the
divine Charmer, the Best-Beloved. Thou wilt regard
the words and the deeds of that almighty
Sovereign as one and the same; in such wise that
whatsoever thou dost behold in His deeds, the
same wilt thou find in His sayings, and whatsoever
thou dost read in His sayings, that wilt thou recognize
in His deeds. Thus it is that outwardly such
deeds and words are the fire of vengeance unto the
wicked, and inwardly the waters of mercy unto the
righteous. Were the eye of the heart to open, it
would surely perceive that the words revealed
from the heaven of the will of God are at one with,
and the same as, the deeds that have emanated from
the Kingdom of divine power.
|
63 |
And now, take heed, O brother! If such things
be revealed in this Dispensation, and such incidents
come to pass, at the present time, what would the
people do? I swear by Him Who is the true Educator
of mankind and the Revealer of the Word of
God that the people would instantly and unquestionably
pronounce Him an infidel and would
sentence Him to death. How far are they from
hearkening unto the voice that declareth: Lo! a
Jesus hath appeared out of the breath of the Holy
Ghost, and a Moses summoned to a divinely-appointed
task! Were a myriad voices to be raised, no
ear would listen if We said that upon a fatherless
Child hath been conferred the mission of Prophethood,
or that a murderer hath brought from the
flame of the burning Bush the message of "Verily,
verily, I am God!"
|
64 |
If the eye of justice be opened, it will readily
recognize, in the light of that which hath been
mentioned, that He, Who is the Cause and ultimate
Purpose of all these things, is made manifest in this
day. Though similar events have not occurred in
this Dispensation, yet the people still cling to such
vain imaginings as are cherished by the reprobate.
How grievous the charges brought against Him!
How severe the persecutions inflicted upon Him--
charges and persecutions the like of which men
have neither seen nor heard!
|
65 |
Great God! When the stream of utterance
reached this stage, We beheld, and lo! the sweet
savours of God were being wafted from the dayspring
of Revelation, and the morning breeze was
blowing out of the Sheba of the Eternal. Its tidings
rejoiced anew the heart, and imparted immeasurable
gladness to the soul. It made all things
new, and brought unnumbered and inestimable
gifts from the unknowable Friend. The robe of
human praise can never hope to match Its noble
stature, and Its shining figure the mantle of utterance
can never fit. Without word It unfoldeth the
inner mysteries, and without speech It revealeth
the secrets of the divine sayings. It teacheth lamentation
and moaning to the nightingales warbling
upon the bough of remoteness and bereavement,
instructeth them in the art of love's ways, and
showeth them the secret of heart-surrender. To the
flowers of the Ridván of heavenly reunion It revealeth
the endearments of the impassioned lover,
and unveileth the charm of the fair. Upon the
anemones of the garden of love It bestoweth the
mysteries of truth, and within the breasts of lovers
It entrusteth the symbols of the innermost subtleties.
At this hour, so liberal is the outpouring of
Its grace that the holy Spirit itself is envious! It
hath imparted to the drop the waves of the sea, and
endowed the mote with the splendour of the sun.
So great are the overflowings of Its bounty that the
foulest beetle hath sought the perfume of the musk,
and the bat the light of the sun. It hath quickened
the dead with the breath of life, and caused them to
speed out of the sepulchres of their mortal bodies.
It hath established the ignorant upon the seats of
learning, and elevated the oppressor to the throne
of justice.
|
66 |
The universe is pregnant with these manifold
bounties, awaiting the hour when the effects of Its
unseen gifts will be made manifest in this world,
when the languishing and sore athirst will attain
the living Kawthar of their Well-Beloved, and the
erring wanderer, lost in the wilds of remoteness
and nothingness, will enter the tabernacle of life,
and attain reunion with his heart's desire. In the
soil of whose heart will these holy seeds germinate?
From the garden of whose soul will the blossoms
of the invisible realities spring forth? Verily, I
say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning
in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming
waters of holy utterance can never quench its flame.
Oceans can never allay this Leviathan's burning
thirst, and this Phoenix of the undying fire can
abide nowhere save in the glow of the countenance
of the Well-Beloved. Therefore, O brother! kindle
with the oil of wisdom the lamp of the spirit within
the innermost chamber of thy heart, and guard
it with the globe of understanding, that the breath
of the infidel may extinguish not its flame nor dim
its brightness. Thus have We illuminated the
heavens of utterance with the splendours of the Sun
of divine wisdom and understanding, that thy
heart may find peace, that thou mayest be of those
who, on the wings of certitude, have soared unto
the heaven of the love of their Lord, the All-Merciful.
|
67 |
And now, concerning His words: "And then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven."
By these words it is meant that when the sun of
the heavenly teachings hath been eclipsed, the stars
of the divinely-established laws have fallen, and
the moon of true knowledge--the educator of mankind--
hath been obscured; when the standards of
guidance and felicity have been reversed, and the
morn of truth and righteousness hath sunk in night,
then shall the sign of the Son of man appear in
heaven. By "heaven" is meant the visible heaven,
inasmuch as when the hour draweth nigh on which
the Day-star of the heaven of justice shall be made
manifest, and the Ark of divine guidance shall sail
upon the sea of glory, a star will appear in the
heaven, heralding unto its people the advent of
that most great light. In like manner, in the invisible
heaven a star shall be made manifest who,
unto the peoples of the earth, shall act as a harbinger
of the break of that true and exalted Morn.
These twofold signs, in the visible and the invisible
heaven, have announced the Revelation of each of
the Prophets of God, as is commonly believed.
|
68 |
Among the Prophets was Abraham, the Friend
of God. Ere He manifested Himself, Nimrod
dreamed a dream. Thereupon, he summoned the
soothsayers, who informed him of the rise of a star
in the heaven. Likewise, there appeared a herald
who announced throughout the land the coming of
Abraham.
|
69 |
After Him came Moses, He Who held converse
with God. The soothsayers of His time warned
Pharaoh in these terms: "A star hath risen in the
heaven, and lo! it foreshadoweth the conception of
a Child Who holdeth your fate and the fate of
your people in His hand." In like manner, there
appeared a sage who, in the darkness of the night,
brought tidings of joy unto the people of Israel,
imparting consolation to their souls, and assurance
to their hearts. To this testify the records of the
sacred books. Were the details to be mentioned,
this epistle would swell into a book. Moreover, it
is not Our wish to relate the stories of the days that
are past. God is Our witness that what We even
now mention is due solely to Our tender affection
for thee, that haply the poor of the earth may attain
the shores of the sea of wealth, the ignorant be
led unto the ocean of divine knowledge, and
they that thirst for understanding partake of
the Salsabíl of divine wisdom. Otherwise, this
servant regardeth the consideration of such
records a grave mistake and a grievous transgression.
|
70 |
In like manner, when the hour of the Revelation
of Jesus drew nigh, a few of the Magi, aware that
the star of Jesus had appeared in heaven, sought
and followed it, till they came unto the city which
was the seat of the Kingdom of Herod. The sway
of his sovereignty in those days embraced the whole
of that land.
|
71 |
These Magi said: "Where is He that is born
King of the Jews? for we have seen His star
in the east and are come to worship Him!"
[Matthew 2:2]
When they had searched, they found out that in
Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, the Child had
been born. This was the sign that was manifested
in the visible heaven. As to the sign in the invisible
heaven--the heaven of divine knowledge and understanding--
it was Yahyá, son of Zachariah, who
gave unto the people the tidings of the Manifestation
of Jesus. Even as He hath revealed: "God
announceth Yahyá to thee, who shall bear witness
unto the Word from God, and a great one and
chaste."
[Qur'án 3:39]
By the term "Word" is meant Jesus,
Whose coming Yahyá foretold. Moreover, in the
heavenly Scriptures it is written: "John the Baptist
was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and
saying, Repent ye: for the Kingdom of heaven is
at hand."
[Matthew 3:1-2]
By John is meant Yahyá.
|
72 |
Likewise, ere the beauty of Muhammad was unveiled,
the signs of the visible heaven were made
manifest. As to the signs of the invisible heaven,
there appeared four men who successively announced
unto the people the joyful tidings of the
rise of that divine Luminary. Rúz-bih, later named
Salmán, was honoured by being in their service.
As the end of one of these approached, he would
send Rúz-bih unto the other, until the fourth who,
feeling his death to be nigh, addressed Rúz-bih
saying: "O Rúz-bih! when thou hast taken up my
body and buried it, go to Hijáz for there the Day-star
of Muhammad will arise. Happy art thou, for
thou shalt behold His face!"
|
73 |
And now concerning this wondrous and most
exalted Cause. Know thou verily that many an astronomer
hath announced the appearance of its
star in the visible heaven. Likewise, there appeared
on earth Ahmad and Kázim,
[Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá'í and Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí.]
those twin resplendent
lights--may God sanctify their resting-place!
|
74 |
From all that We have stated it hath become
clear and manifest that before the revelation of
each of the Mirrors reflecting the divine Essence,
the signs heralding their advent must needs be revealed
in the visible heaven as well as in the invisible,
wherein is the seat of the sun of knowledge, of
the moon of wisdom, and of the stars of understanding
and utterance. The sign of the invisible
heaven must needs be revealed in the person of
that perfect man who, before each Manifestation
appeareth, educateth, and prepareth the souls of
men for the advent of the divine Luminary, the
Light of the unity of God amongst men.
|
75 |
And now, with reference to His words: "And
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory." These
words signify that in those days men will lament
the loss of the Sun of the divine beauty, of the
Moon of knowledge, and of the Stars of divine
wisdom. Thereupon, they will behold the countenance
of the promised One, the adored Beauty, descending
from heaven and riding upon the clouds.
By this is meant that the divine Beauty will be
made manifest from the heaven of the will of God,
and will appear in the form of the human temple.
The term "heaven" denoteth loftiness and exaltation,
inasmuch as it is the seat of the revelation of
those Manifestations of Holiness, the Day-springs
of ancient glory. These ancient Beings, though
delivered from the womb of their mother, have in
reality descended from the heaven of the will of
God. Though they be dwelling on this earth, yet
their true habitations are the retreats of glory in
the realms above. Whilst walking amongst mortals,
they soar in the heaven of the divine presence.
Without feet they tread the path of the spirit, and
without wings they rise unto the exalted heights of
divine unity. With every fleeting breath they cover
the immensity of space, and at every moment traverse
the kingdoms of the visible and the invisible.
Upon their thrones is written: "Nothing whatsoever
keepeth Him from being occupied with any
other thing;" and on their seats is inscribed: "Verily,
His ways differ every day."
[Qur'án 55:29]
They are sent
forth through the transcendent power of the Ancient
of Days, and are raised up by the exalted will
of God, the most mighty King. This is what is
meant by the words: "coming in the clouds of
heaven."
|
76 |
In the utterances of the divine Luminaries the
term "heaven" hath been applied to many and divers
things; such as the "heaven of Command,"
the "heaven of Will," the "heaven of the divine
Purpose," the "heaven of divine Knowledge," the
"heaven of Certitude," the "heaven of Utterance,"
the "heaven of Revelation," the "heaven of Concealment,"
and the like. In every instance, He hath
given the term "heaven" a special meaning, the significance
of which is revealed to none save those
that have been initiated into the divine mysteries,
and have drunk from the chalice of immortal life.
For example, He saith: "The heaven hath sustenance
for you, and it containeth that which you are
promised;"
[Qur'án 51:22]
whereas it is the earth that yieldeth
such sustenance. Likewise, it hath been said: "The
names come down from heaven;" whereas they
proceed out of the mouth of men. Wert thou to
cleanse the mirror of thy heart from the dust of
malice, thou wouldst apprehend the meaning of
the symbolic terms revealed by the all-embracing
Word of God made manifest in every Dispensation,
and wouldst discover the mysteries of divine
knowledge. Not, however, until thou consumest
with the flame of utter detachment those veils of
idle learning, that are current amongst men, canst
thou behold the resplendent morn of true knowledge.
|
77 |
Know verily that Knowledge is of two kinds:
Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the
fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but a
reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source
of the former is God Himself; the motive-force of
the latter the whisperings of selfish desire. The one
is guided by the principle: "Fear ye God; God
will teach you;"
[Qur'án 2:282]
the other is but a confirmation of
the truth: "Knowledge is the most grievous veil
between man and his Creator." The former bringeth
forth the fruit of patience, of longing desire, of
true understanding, and love; whilst the latter
can yield naught but arrogance, vainglory and
conceit. From the sayings of those Masters of holy
utterance, Who have expounded the meaning of
true knowledge, the odour of these dark teachings,
which have obscured the world, can in no wise be
detected. The tree of such teachings can yield no
result except iniquity and rebellion, and beareth no
fruit but hatred and envy. Its fruit is deadly poison;
its shadow a consuming fire. How well hath
it been said: "Cling unto the robe of the Desire of
thy heart, and put thou away all shame; bid the
worldlywise be gone, however great their name."
|
78 |
The heart must needs therefore be cleansed from
the idle sayings of men, and sanctified from every
earthly affection, so that it may discover the hidden
meaning of divine inspiration, and become the
treasury of the mysteries of divine knowledge.
Thus hath it been said: "He that treadeth the snow-white
Path, and followeth in the footsteps of the
Crimson Pillar, shall never attain unto his abode
unless his hands are empty of those worldly things
cherished by men." This is the prime requisite of
whosoever treadeth this path. Ponder thereon, that,
with eyes unveiled, thou mayest perceive the truth
of these words.
|
79 |
We have digressed from the purpose of Our argument,
although whatsoever is mentioned serveth
only to confirm Our purpose. By God! however
great Our desire to be brief, yet We feel We cannot
restrain Our pen. Notwithstanding all that
We have mentioned, how innumerable are the
pearls which have remained unpierced in the shell
of Our heart! How many the húrís of inner meaning
that are as yet concealed within the chambers
of divine wisdom! None hath yet approached
them;--húrís, "whom no man nor spirit hath
touched before."
[Qur'án 55:56]
Notwithstanding all that hath
been said, it seemeth as if not one letter of Our
purpose hath been uttered, nor a single sign divulged
concerning Our object. When will a faithful
seeker be found who will don the garb of pilgrimage,
attain the Ka'bih of the heart's desire,
and, without ear or tongue, discover the mysteries
of divine utterance?
|
80 |
By these luminous, these conclusive, and lucid
statements, the meaning of "heaven" in the aforementioned
verse hath thus been made clear and
evident. And now regarding His words, that the
Son of man shall "come in the clouds of heaven."
By the term "clouds" is meant those things that are
contrary to the ways and desires of men. Even as
He hath revealed in the verse already quoted: "As
oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with that which
your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing
some of being impostors and slaying others."
[Qur'án 2:87]
These "clouds" signify, in one sense, the annulment
of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations,
the repeal of rituals and customs current
amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate faithful
above the learned opposers of the Faith. In another
sense, they mean the appearance of that immortal
Beauty in the image of mortal man, with such human
limitations as eating and drinking, poverty
and riches, glory and abasement, sleeping and waking,
and such other things as cast doubt in the
minds of men, and cause them to turn away. All
such veils are symbolically referred to as "clouds."
|
81 |
These are the "clouds" that cause the heavens of
the knowledge and understanding of all that dwell
on earth to be cloven asunder. Even as He hath revealed:
"On that day shall the heaven be cloven
by the clouds."
[Qur'án 25:25]
Even as the clouds prevent the
eyes of men from beholding the sun, so do these
things hinder the souls of men from recognizing
the light of the divine Luminary. To this beareth
witness that which hath proceeded out of the
mouth of the unbelievers as revealed in the sacred
Book: "And they have said: `What manner of
apostle is this? He eateth food, and walketh the
streets. Unless an angel be sent down and take part
in His warnings, we will not believe.'"
[Qur'án 25:7]
Other
Prophets, similarly, have been subject to poverty
and afflictions, to hunger, and to the ills and
chances of this world. As these holy Persons were
subject to such needs and wants, the people were,
consequently, lost in the wilds of misgivings and
doubts, and were afflicted with bewilderment and
perplexity. How, they wondered, could such a person
be sent down from God, assert His ascendancy
over all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and
claim Himself to be the goal of all creation,--
even as He hath said: "But for Thee, I would not
have created all that are in heaven and on earth,"
--and yet be subject to such trivial things? You
must undoubtedly have been informed of the tribulations,
the poverty, the ills, and the degradation
that have befallen every Prophet of God and His
companions. You must have heard how the heads
of their followers were sent as presents unto different
cities, how grievously they were hindered
from that whereunto they were commanded. Each
and every one of them fell a prey to the hands of
the enemies of His Cause, and had to suffer whatsoever
they decreed.
|
82 |
It is evident that the changes brought about in
every Dispensation constitute the dark clouds that
intervene between the eye of man's understanding
and the divine Luminary which shineth forth from
the dayspring of the divine Essence. Consider how
men for generations have been blindly imitating
their fathers, and have been trained according to
such ways and manners as have been laid down by
the dictates of their Faith. Were these men, therefore,
to discover suddenly that a Man, Who hath
been living in their midst, Who, with respect to
every human limitation, hath been their equal, had
risen to abolish every established principle imposed
by their Faith--principles by which for
centuries they have been disciplined, and every
opposer and denier of which they have come to regard
as infidel, profligate and wicked,--they would
of a certainty be veiled and hindered from
acknowledging His truth. Such things are as
"clouds" that veil the eyes of those whose inner
being hath not tasted the Salsabíl of detachment,
nor drunk from the Kawthar of the knowledge of
God. Such men, when acquainted with these circumstances,
become so veiled that without the least
question, they pronounce the Manifestation of God
an infidel, and sentence Him to death. You must
have heard of such things taking place all down
the ages, and are now observing them in these days.
|
83 |
It behooveth us, therefore, to make the utmost
endeavour, that, by God's invisible assistance, these
dark veils, these clouds of Heaven-sent trials, may
not hinder us from beholding the beauty of His
shining Countenance, and that we may recognize
Him only by His own Self. And should we ask for
a testimony of His truth, we should content ourselves
with one, and only one; that thereby we may
attain unto Him Who is the Fountain-head of infinite
grace, and in Whose presence all the world's
abundance fadeth into nothingness, that we may
cease to cavil at Him every day and to cleave unto
our own idle fancy.
|
84 |
Gracious God! Notwithstanding the warning
which, in marvelously symbolic language and
subtle allusions, hath been uttered in days past, and
which was intended to awaken the peoples of the
world and to prevent them from being deprived of
their share of the billowing ocean of God's grace,
yet such things as have already been witnessed have
come to pass! Reference to these things hath also
been made in the Qur'án, as witnessed by this
verse: "What can such expect but that God should
come down to them overshadowed with clouds?"
[Qur'án 2:210]
A number of the divines, who hold firmly to the
letter of the Word of God, have come to regard
this verse as one of the signs of that expected resurrection
which is born of their idle fancy. This,
notwithstanding the fact that similar references
have been made in most of the heavenly Books,
and have been recorded in all the passages
connected with the signs of the coming Manifestation.
|
85 |
Likewise, He saith: "On the day when the
heaven shall give out a palpable smoke, which shall
enshroud mankind: this will be an afflictive torment."
[Qur'án 44:10]
The All-Glorious hath decreed these very
things, that are contrary to the desires of wicked
men, to be the touchstone and standard whereby
He proveth His servants, that the just may be
known from the wicked, and the faithful distinguished
from the infidel. The symbolic term
"smoke" denotes grave dissensions, the abrogation
and demolition of recognized standards, and the
utter destruction of their narrow-minded exponents.
What smoke more dense and overpowering
than the one which hath now enshrouded all the
peoples of the world, which hath become a torment
unto them, and from which they hopelessly fail to
deliver themselves, however much they strive?
So fierce is this fire of self burning within them,
that at every moment they seem to be afflicted with
fresh torments. The more they are told that this
wondrous Cause of God, this Revelation from the
Most High, hath been made manifest to all mankind,
and is waxing greater and stronger every day,
the fiercer groweth the blaze of the fire in their
hearts. The more they observe the indomitable
strength, the sublime renunciation, the unwavering
constancy of God's holy companions, who, by the
aid of God, are growing nobler and more glorious
every day, the deeper the dismay which ravageth
their souls. In these days, praise be to God, the
power of His Word hath obtained such ascendancy
over men, that they dare breathe no word. Were
they to encounter one of the companions of God
who, if he could, would, freely and joyously, offer
up ten thousand lives as a sacrifice for his Beloved,
so great would be their fear, that they forthwith
would profess their faith in Him, whilst privily
they would vilify and execrate His name! Even as
He hath revealed: "And when they meet you, they
say, `We believe'; but when they are apart, they
bite their fingers' ends at you, out of wrath. Say:
`Die in your wrath!' God truly knoweth the very
recesses of your breasts."
[Qur'án 3:119]
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Ere long, thine eyes will behold the standards of
divine power unfurled throughout all regions, and
the signs of His triumphant might and sovereignty
manifest in every land. As most of the divines have
failed to apprehend the meaning of these verses,
and have not grasped the significance of the Day
of Resurrection, they therefore have foolishly interpreted
these verses according to their idle and
faulty conception. The one true God is My witness!
Little perception is required to enable them
to gather from the symbolic language of these two
verses all that We have purposed to propound, and
thus to attain, through the grace of the All-Merciful,
the resplendent morn of certitude. Such are the
strains of celestial melody which the immortal
Bird of Heaven, warbling upon the Sadrih of
Bahá, poureth out upon thee, that, by the permission
of God, thou mayest tread the path of divine
knowledge and wisdom.
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And now, concerning His words: "And He shall
send His angels...." By "angels" is meant those
who, reinforced by the power of the spirit, have
consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human
traits and limitations, and have clothed themselves
with the attributes of the most exalted Beings
and of the Cherubim. That holy man, Sádiq,
[The sixth Imám of the Shí'ihs.]
in his eulogy of the Cherubim, saith: "There stand
a company of our fellow-Shí'ihs behind the
Throne." Divers and manifold are the interpretations
of the words "behind the Throne." In one
sense, they indicate that no true Shí'ihs exist.
Even as he hath said in another passage: "A true
believer is likened unto the philosopher's stone."
Addressing subsequently his listener, he saith:
"Hast thou ever seen the philosopher's stone?" Reflect,
how this symbolic language, more eloquent
than any speech, however direct, testifieth to the
non-existence of a true believer. Such is the testimony
of Sádiq. And now consider, how unfair and
numerous are those who, although they themselves
have failed to inhale the fragrance of belief, have
condemned as infidels those by whose word belief
itself is recognized and established.
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And now, inasmuch as these holy beings have
sanctified themselves from every human limitation,
have become endowed with the attributes of the
spiritual, and have been adorned with the noble
traits of the blessed, they therefore have been designated
as "angels." Such is the meaning of these
verses, every word of which hath been expounded
by the aid of the most lucid texts, the most convincing
arguments, and the best established evidences.
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As the adherents of Jesus have never understood
the hidden meaning of these words, and as the
signs which they and the leaders of their Faith
have expected have failed to appear, they therefore
refused to acknowledge, even until now, the
truth of those Manifestations of Holiness that have
since the days of Jesus been made manifest. They
have thus deprived themselves of the outpourings
of God's holy grace, and of the wonders of His
divine utterance. Such is their low estate in this,
the Day of Resurrection! They have even failed to
perceive that were the signs of the Manifestation
of God in every age to appear in the visible realm
in accordance with the text of established traditions,
none could possibly deny or turn away, nor
would the blessed be distinguished from the miserable,
and the transgressor from the God-fearing.
Judge fairly: Were the prophecies recorded in the
Gospel to be literally fulfilled; were Jesus, Son of
Mary, accompanied by angels, to descend from the
visible heaven upon the clouds; who would dare to
disbelieve, who would dare to reject the truth, and
wax disdainful? Nay, such consternation would
immediately seize all the dwellers of the earth that
no soul would feel able to utter a word, much less
to reject or accept the truth. It was owing to their
misunderstanding of these truths that many a
Christian divine hath objected to Muhammad,
and voiced his protest in such words: "If Thou art
in truth the promised Prophet, why then art Thou
not accompanied by those angels our sacred Books
foretold, and which must needs descend with the
promised Beauty to assist Him in His Revelation
and act as warners unto His people?" Even as the
All-Glorious hath recorded their statement: "Why
hath not an angel been sent down to him, so that
he should have been a warner with Him?"
[Qur'án 25:7]
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Such objections and differences have persisted
in every age and century. The people have always
busied themselves with such specious discourses,
vainly protesting: "Wherefore hath not this or that
sign appeared?" Such ills befell them only because
they have clung to the ways of the divines of the
age in which they lived, and blindly imitated them
in accepting or denying these Essences of Detachment,
these holy and divine Beings. These leaders,
owing to their immersion in selfish desires, and
their pursuit of transitory and sordid things, have
regarded these divine Luminaries as being opposed
to the standards of their knowledge and understanding,
and the opponents of their ways and
judgments. As they have literally interpreted the
Word of God, and the sayings and traditions of
the Letters of Unity, and expounded them according
to their own deficient understanding, they have
therefore deprived themselves and all their people
of the bountiful showers of the grace and mercies
of God. And yet they bear witness to this well-known
tradition: "Verily Our Word is abstruse,
bewilderingly abstruse." In another instance, it is
said: "Our Cause is sorely trying, highly perplexing;
none can bear it except a favorite of heaven,
or an inspired Prophet, or he whose faith God
hath tested." These leaders of religion admit that
none of these three specified conditions is applicable
to them. The first two conditions are manifestly
beyond their reach; as to the third, it is evident
that at no time have they been proof against
those tests that have been sent by God, and that
when the divine Touchstone appeared, they have
shown themselves to be naught but dross.
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Great God! Notwithstanding their acceptance
of the truth of this tradition, these divines who are
still doubtful of, and dispute about, the theological
obscurities of their faith, yet claim to be the
exponents of the subtleties of the law of God, and
the expounders of the essential mysteries of His
holy Word. They confidently assert that such traditions
as indicate the advent of the expected
Qá'im have not yet been fulfilled, whilst they themselves
have failed to inhale the fragrance of the
meaning of these traditions, and are still oblivious
of the fact that all the signs foretold have come to
pass, that the way of God's holy Cause hath been
revealed, and the concourse of the faithful, swift as
lightning, are, even now, passing upon that way,
whilst these foolish divines wait expecting to witness
the signs foretold. Say, O ye foolish ones!
Wait ye even as those before you are waiting!
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Were they to be questioned concerning those
signs that must needs herald the revelation and rise
of the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation, to
which We have already referred, none of which
have been literally fulfilled, and were it to be said
to them: "Wherefore have ye rejected the claims
advanced by Christians and the peoples of other
faiths and regard them as infidels," knowing not
what answer to give, they will reply: "These Books
have been corrupted and are not, and never have
been, of God." Reflect: the words of the verses
themselves eloquently testify to the truth that they
are of God. A similar verse hath been also revealed
in the Qur'án, were ye of them that comprehend.
Verily I say, throughout all this period they have
utterly failed to comprehend what is meant by corrupting
the text.
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Yea, in the writings and utterances of the Mirrors
reflecting the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation
mention hath been made of "Modification
by the exalted beings" and "alteration by the
disdainful." Such passages, however, refer only to
particular cases. Among them is the story of Ibn-i-Suríyá.
When the people of Khaybar asked the
focal center of the Muhammadan Revelation concerning
the penalty of adultery committed between
a married man and a married woman, Muhammad
answered and said: "The law of God is death
by stoning." Whereupon they protested saying:
"No such law hath been revealed in the Pentateuch."
Muhammad answered and said: "Whom
do ye regard among your rabbis as being a recognized
authority and having a sure knowledge of
the truth?" They agreed upon Ibn-i-Suríyá. Thereupon
Muhammad summoned him and said: "I
adjure thee by God Who clove the sea for you,
caused manna to descend upon you, and the cloud
to overshadow you, Who delivered you from Pharaoh
and his people, and exalted you above all human
beings, to tell us what Moses hath decreed
concerning adultery between a married man and a
married woman." He made reply: "O Muhammad!
death by stoning is the law." Muhammad observed:
"Why is it then that this law is annulled
and hath ceased to operate among the Jews?" He
answered and said: "When Nebuchadnezzar delivered
Jerusalem to the flames, and put the Jews
to death, only a few survived. The divines of that
age, considering the extremely limited number of
the Jews, and the multitude of the Amalekites,
took counsel together, and came to the conclusion
that were they to enforce the law of the Pentateuch,
every survivor who hath been delivered from the
hand of Nebuchadnezzar would have to be put to
death according to the verdict of the Book. Owing
to such considerations, they totally repealed the
penalty of death." Meanwhile Gabriel inspired
Muhammad's illumined heart with these words:
"They pervert the text of the Word of God."
[Qur'án 4:45]
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This is one of the instances that have been referred
to. Verily by "perverting" the text is not
meant that which these foolish and abject souls
have fancied, even as some maintain that Jewish
and Christian divines have effaced from the Book
such verses as extol and magnify the countenance
of Muhammad, and instead thereof have inserted
the contrary. How utterly vain and false are these
words! Can a man who believeth in a book, and
deemeth it to be inspired by God, mutilate it?
Moreover, the Pentateuch had been spread over
the surface of the earth, and was not confined
to Mecca and Medina, so that they could privily
corrupt and pervert its text. Nay, rather, by corruption
of the text is meant that in which all Muslim
divines are engaged today, that is the interpretation
of God's holy Book in accordance with their
idle imaginings and vain desires. And as the Jews,
in the time of Muhammad, interpreted those verses
of the Pentateuch, that referred to His Manifestation,
after their own fancy, and refused to be satisfied
with His holy utterance, the charge of "perverting"
the text was therefore pronounced against
them. Likewise, it is clear, how in this day, the
people of the Qur'án have perverted the text of
God's holy Book, concerning the signs of the expected
Manifestation, and interpreted it according
to their inclination and desires.
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In yet another instance, He saith: "A part of
them heard the Word of God, and then, after they
had understood it, distorted it, and knew that they
did so."
[Qur'án 2:75]
This verse, too, doth indicate that the
meaning of the Word of God hath been perverted,
not that the actual words have been effaced. To the
truth of this testify they that are sound of mind.
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Again in another instance, He saith: "Woe unto
those who, with their own hands, transcribe the
Book corruptly, and then say: `This is from God,'
that they may sell it for some mean price."
[Qur'án 2:79]
This
verse was revealed with reference to the divines
and leaders of the Jewish Faith. These divines, in
order to please the rich, acquire worldly emoluments,
and give vent to their envy and misbelief,
wrote a number of treatises, refuting the claims of
Muhammad, supporting their arguments with such
evidences as it would be improper to mention, and
claimed that these arguments were derived from
the text of the Pentateuch.
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The same may be witnessed today. Consider
how abundant are the denunciations written by the
foolish divines of this age against this most wondrous
Cause! How vain their imaginings that these
calumnies are in conformity with the verses of
God's sacred Book, and in consonance with the utterances
of men of discernment!
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Our purpose in relating these things is to warn
you that were they to maintain that those verses
wherein the signs referred to in the Gospel are
mentioned have been perverted, were they to reject
them, and cling instead to other verses and traditions,
you should know that their words were
utter falsehood and sheer calumny. Yea "corruption"
of the text, in the sense We have referred to,
hath been actually effected in particular instances.
A few of these We have mentioned, that it may
become manifest to every discerning observer that
unto a few untutored holy Men hath been given
the mastery of human learning, so that the malevolent
opposer may cease to contend that a certain
verse doth indicate "corruption" of the text, and
insinuate that We, through lack of knowledge,
have made mention of such things. Moreover, most
of the verses that indicate "corruption" of the text
have been revealed with reference to the Jewish
people, were ye to explore the isles of Qur'ánic
Revelation.
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We have also heard a number of the foolish of
the earth assert that the genuine text of the heavenly
Gospel doth not exist amongst the Christians,
that it hath ascended unto heaven. How grievously
they have erred! How oblivious of the fact that
such a statement imputeth the gravest injustice and
tyranny to a gracious and loving Providence! How
could God, when once the Day-star of the beauty
of Jesus had disappeared from the sight of His
people, and ascended unto the fourth heaven, cause
His holy Book, His most great testimony amongst
His creatures, to disappear also? What would be
left to that people to cling to from the setting of
the day-star of Jesus until the rise of the sun of
the Muhammadan Dispensation? What law could
be their stay and guide? How could such people be
made the victims of the avenging wrath of God,
the omnipotent Avenger? How could they be afflicted
with the scourge of chastisement by the
heavenly King? Above all, how could the flow of
the grace of the All-Bountiful be stayed? How
could the ocean of His tender mercies be stilled?
We take refuge with God, from that which His
creatures have fancied about Him! Exalted is He
above their comprehension!
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Dear friend! Now when the light of God's everlasting
Morn is breaking; when the radiance of
His holy words: "God is the light of the heavens
and of the earth"
[Qur'án 24:35]
is shedding illumination upon
all mankind; when the inviolability of His tabernacle
is being proclaimed by His sacred utterance:
"God hath willed to perfect His light;"
[Qur'án 9:33]
and the
Hand of omnipotence, bearing His testimony: "In
His grasp He holdeth the kingdom of all things,"
is being outstretched unto all the peoples and kindreds
of the earth; it behooveth us to gird up the
loins of endeavour, that haply, by the grace and
bounty of God, we may enter the celestial City:
"Verily, we are God's," and abide within the exalted
habitation: "And unto Him we do return."
It is incumbent upon thee, by the permission of
God, to cleanse the eye of thine heart from the
things of the world, that thou mayest realize the
infinitude of divine knowledge, and mayest behold
Truth so clearly that thou wilt need no proof to
demonstrate His reality, nor any evidence to bear
witness unto His testimony.
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O affectionate seeker! Shouldst thou soar in the
holy realm of the spirit, thou wouldst recognize
God manifest and exalted above all things, in such
wise that thine eyes would behold none else but
Him. "God was alone; there was none else besides
Him." So lofty is this station that no testimony
can bear it witness, neither evidence do justice
to its truth. Wert thou to explore the sacred
domain of truth, thou wilt find that all things are
known only by the light of His recognition, that
He hath ever been, and will continue for ever to
be, known through Himself. And if thou dwellest
in the land of testimony, content thyself with that
which He, Himself, hath revealed: "Is it not
enough for them that We have sent down unto
Thee the Book?"
[Qur'án 29:51]
This is the testimony which He,
Himself, hath ordained; greater proof than this
there is none, nor ever will be: "This proof is
His Word; His own Self, the testimony of His
truth."
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And now, We beseech the people of the Bayán,
all the learned, the sages, the divines, and witnesses
amongst them, not to forget the wishes and admonitions
revealed in their Book. Let them, at all
times, fix their gaze upon the essentials of His
Cause, lest when He, Who is the Quintessence of
truth, the inmost Reality of all things, the Source
of all light, is made manifest, they cling unto certain
passages of the Book, and inflict upon Him
that which was inflicted in the Dispensation of the
Qur'án. For, verily, powerful is He, the King of
divine might, to extinguish with one letter of His
wondrous words, the breath of life in the whole of
the Bayán and the people thereof, and with one
letter bestow upon them a new and everlasting life,
and cause them to arise and speed out of the
sepulchres of their vain and selfish desires. Take
heed, and be watchful; and remember that all
things have their consummation in belief in Him,
in attainment unto His day, and in the realization
of His divine presence. "There is no piety in turning
your faces toward the east or toward the west,
but he is pious who believeth in God and the Last
Day."
[Qur'án 2:176]
Give ear, O people of the Bayán, unto the
truth whereunto We have admonished you, that
haply ye may seek the shelter of the shadow extended,
in the Day of God, upon all mankind.
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