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Chapter 15
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Clouds that hinder mankind from recognising Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets.
1)
Clouds that hindered Christians from recognising Muhammad and the Twelve Imams:
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 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." Rendered into the Persian tongue, 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.
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.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 25-26
2)
Clouds that hinder believers from recognising the Manifestation of God:
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 day
spring 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
those circumstances, become so veiled that, without the least question,
they pronounce the Manifestation of God as 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.
It behoveth us, therefore, to make the utmost endeavor, 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.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 26-27
Say: Tribulation is a horizon unto My Revelation. The day star of grace
shineth above it, and sheddeth a light which neither the clouds of
men's idle fancy nor the vain imaginations of the aggressor can obscure.
Follow thou the footsteps of thy Lord, and remember His servants even
as He doth remember thee, undeterred by either the clamor of the
heedless ones or the sword of the enemy.... Spread abroad the sweet
savors of thy Lord, and hesitate not, though it be for less than a
moment, in the service of His Cause. The day is approaching when the
victory of thy Lord, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful, will be
proclaimed.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 42
3)
Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet, coming "in the clouds of light".. In the next passage from the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, when referring to one of the handmaidens
[Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah], mention is made to what "hath been
hidden within the tabernacle of light" -- teachings that are
apprehended by those who are pure and understand the mystical holy
writings based on the qualities described in the next passage from the
Iqan ("Well is it with the sincere in heart for their share of the
light of a mighty Day!"):
O King of Paris! Tell the priest to ring the bells no longer. By God,
the True One! The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared in the form of Him Who
is the Most Great Name, and the fingers of the will of Thy Lord, the
Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in the heaven of Immortality,
in His name, the All-Glorious. Thus have the mighty verses of Thy Lord
been again sent down unto thee, that thou mayest arise to remember God,
the Creator of earth and heaven, in these days when all the tribes of
the earth have mourned, and the foundations of the cities have
trembled, and the dust of irreligion hath enwrapped all men, except
such as God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased to spare. Say:
He Who is the Unconditioned is come, in the clouds of light, that He
may quicken all created things with the breeze of His Name, the Most
Merciful, and unify the world, and gather all men around this Table
which hath been sent down from heaven. Beware that ye deny not the
favour of God after it hath been sent down unto you. Better is this for
you than that which ye possess; for that which is yours perisheth,
whilst that which is with God endureth. He, in truth, ordaineth what He
pleaseth. Verily, the breezes of forgiveness have been wafted from the
direction of your Lord, the God of Mercy; whoso turneth thereunto,
shall be cleansed of his sins, and of all pain and sickness. Happy the
man that hath turned towards them, and woe betide him that hath turned
aside.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 17
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! Thereupon she [the Maid of
Heaven, Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet] summoned unto herself one
maiden [one Dependent Prophet of Baha'u'llah] from her handmaidens,
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! And commanded her: "Descend into space [appear on earth] from the mansions of eternity,
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "And turn thou unto that which they have concealed in the inmost of their hearts.
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Shouldst thou inhale the
perfume of the robe from the Youth that hath been hidden within the
tabernacle of light by reason of that which the hands of the wicked
have wrought,
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious! "Raise a cry within thyself,
that all the inmates of the chambers of Paradise, that are the
embodiments of the eternal wealth, may understand and hearken;
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet of the Holy Mariner, Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 224
The understanding of His words and the comprehension of the utterances
of the Birds of Heaven are in no wise dependent upon human learning.
They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom
of spirit. This is evidenced by those who, today, though without a
single letter of the accepted standards of learning, are occupying the
loftiest seats of knowledge; and the garden of their hearts is adorned,
through the showers of divine grace, with the roses of wisdom and the
tulips of understanding. Well is it with the sincere in heart for their
share of the light of a mighty Day!
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 211
4)
In the following passage,
"the angels of God are seen descending" is a reference to the pre-existent Dependent Prophets of Bahá'u'lláh appearing on earth. This is paralleled to the next passage from the Quran, "the Light which we have sent down",
which is a reference to the pre-existent Twelve Holy Imams (Dependent Prophets of Muhammad) appearing on earth;
cited in "Introduction to Shi'i Islam" by Moojan Momen, p. 151-153.
Following are two translations of similar passages on the twelve
Messengers who appeared
in the era of Moses (among: Joshua, Aaron, David, Solomon, Daniel,
Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Samuel, Amos, Hezekiah, Elijah).
This is the Day whereon the All-Merciful hath come down in the clouds
of knowledge, clothed with manifest sovereignty. He well knoweth the
actions of men. He it is Whose glory none can mistake, could ye but
comprehend it. The heaven of every religion hath been rent, and the
earth of human understanding been cleft asunder, and the angels of God are seen descending.
Say: This is the Day of mutual deceit; whither do ye flee? The
mountains have passed away, and the heavens have been folded together,
and the whole earth is held within His grasp, could ye but understand
it. Who is it that can protect you? None, by Him Who is the
All-Merciful! None, except God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the
Beneficent. Every woman that hath had a burden in her womb hath cast
her burden. We see men drunken in this Day, the Day in which men and
angels have been gathered together.
Say: Is there any doubt concerning God? Behold how He hath come down
from the heaven of His grace, girded with power and invested with
sovereignty. Is there any doubt concerning His signs? Open ye your
eyes, and consider His clear evidence. Paradise is on your right hand,
and hath been brought nigh unto you, while Hell hath been made to
blaze. Witness its devouring flame. Haste ye to enter into Paradise, as
a token of Our mercy unto you, and drink ye from the hands of the
All-Merciful the Wine that is life indeed.
Drink with healthy relish, O people of Bahá. Ye are indeed they with
whom it shall be well. This is what they who have near access to God
have attained. This is the flowing water ye were promised in the Qur'án, and later in the Bayán, as a recompense from your Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed are they that quaff it.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 45-46
64:8 Believe, therefore, in God and His Apostle, and in the Light which we have sent down. And God is well acquainted with all that ye do.
64:9 The Day that He assembles you (all) for a Day of Assembly,- that
will be a Day of mutual loss and gain (among you), and those who
believe in God and work righteousness,- He will remove from them their
ills, and He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that will be the Supreme Achievement.
64:10 But those who reject Faith and treat Our Signs as falsehoods, they will be Companions of the Fire, to dwell therein for aye: and evil is that Goal.
-- Qur'an: 64 - AT-TAGHABUN.
5:12. Allah did aforetime take a Covenant from the Children of Israel, and We appointed twelve captains among them, and Allah said: "I am with you: if ye (but) establish regular prayers, practice regular charity, believe in My apostles, honor and assist them and loan to Allah a beautiful loan, verily I will wipe out from you your evils, and admit you to gardens with rivers flowing beneath; but if any of you, after this, resisteth faith, he hath truly wandered from the path of rectitude.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 5.
5:12 Allah made a covenant of old with the Children of Israel and We raised among them twelve chieftains, and Allah said: Lo! I am with you. If ye establish worship and pay the poor-due, and believe in My messengers and support them, and lend unto Allah a kindly loan, surely I shall remit your sins, and surely I shall bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Whoso among you disbelieveth after this will go astray from a plain road.
-- The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 5.
5)
In the following passage from Gleanings CXXIX:
"concealed within the Holy Veil" -- refers to the realm of pre-existence of the Dependent/Lesser Prophets, same as the pre-existence of the Holy Imams.
"His chosen ones" -- the Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah.
"Warn, then, those that have joined partners with Him" -- warn
those who reject the Dependent Prophet as the Face of God (similar, for
example, to those who rejected Imam Ali as the Face of God in the era
of Muhammad).
"I am come from the Throne of glory" -- reference to her/his station as a Dependent Prophet of Baha'u'llah.
"And bear you an announcement from God" -- the declaration of the Dependent Prophet.
"Weigh it with the just Balance that ye possess, the Balance of the testimony of the Prophets and Messengers of God" -- judge their revelation with same standards you use for Prophets and Messengers of God, as they are.
"And render your works vain, and be numbered with the infidels" -- reference to believers who after serving the faith reject a Dependent Prophet, and thereby render their works vain.
"Thus hath He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful come down in the
clouds of His testimony" -- reference to the appearance of a
Dependent Prophet in "clouds", similar to the appearance of the Manifestations of God in" clouds" mentioned in passages above:
There lay concealed within the Holy Veil, and prepared for the service
of God, a company of His chosen ones who shall be manifested unto men,
who shall aid His Cause, who shall be afraid of no one, though the
entire human race rise up and war against them. These are the ones who,
before the gaze of the dwellers on earth and the denizens of heaven,
shall arise and, shouting aloud, acclaim the name of the Almighty, and
summon the children of men to the path of God, the All-Glorious, the
All-Praised. Walk thou in their way, and let no one dismay thee. Be of
them whom the tumult of the world, however much it may agitate them in
the path of their Creator, can never sadden, whose purpose the blame of
the blamer will never defeat.
Go forth with the Tablet of God and His signs, and rejoin them that
have believed in Me, and announce unto them tidings of Our most holy
Paradise. Warn, then, those that have joined partners with Him. Say: I
am come to you, O people, from the Throne of glory, and bear you an
announcement from God, the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Most
Great. In mine hand I carry the testimony of God, your Lord and the
Lord of your sires of old. Weigh it with the just Balance that ye
possess, the Balance of the testimony of the Prophets and Messengers of
God. If ye find it to be established in truth, if ye believe it to be
of God, beware, then, lest ye cavil at it, and render your works vain,
and be numbered with the infidels. It is indeed the sign of God that
hath been sent down through the power of truth, through which the
validity of His Cause hath been demonstrated unto His creatures, and
the ensigns of purity lifted up betwixt earth and heaven.
Say: This is the sealed and mystic Scroll, the repository of God's
irrevocable Decree, bearing the words which the Finger of Holiness hath
traced, that lay wrapt within the veil of impenetrable mystery, and
hath now been sent down as a token of the grace of Him Who is the
Almighty, the Ancient of Days. In it have We decreed the destinies of
all the dwellers of the earth and the denizens of heaven, and written
down the knowledge of all things from first to last. Nothing whatsoever
can escape or frustrate Him, whether created in the past or to be
created in the future, could ye but perceive it.
Say: The Revelation sent down by God hath most surely been repeated,
and the outstretched Hand of Our power hath overshadowed all that are
in the heavens and all that are on the earth. We have, through the
power of truth, the very truth, manifested an infinitesimal glimmer of
Our impenetrable Mystery, and lo, they that have recognized the
radiance of the Sinaic splendor expired, as they caught a lightening
glimpse of this Crimson Light enveloping the Sinai of Our Revelation.
Thus hath He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful come down in the
clouds of His testimony, and the decree accomplished by virtue of the
Will of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
Say: Step out of Thy holy chamber, O Maid of Heaven, inmate of the
Exalted Paradise! Drape thyself in whatever manner pleaseth Thee in the
silken Vesture of Immortality, and put on, in the name of the
All-Glorious, the broidered Robe of Light. Hear, then, the sweet, the
wondrous accent of the Voice that cometh from the Throne of Thy Lord,
the Inaccessible, the Most High. Unveil Thy face, and manifest the
beauty of the black-eyed Damsel, and suffer not the servants of God to
be deprived of the light of Thy shining countenance. Grieve not if Thou
hearest the sighs of the dwellers of the earth, or the voice of the
lamentation of the denizens of heaven. Leave them to perish on the dust
of extinction. Let them be reduced to nothingness, inasmuch as the
flame of hatred hath been kindled within their breasts. Intone, then,
before the face of the peoples of earth and heaven, and in a most
melodious voice, the anthem of praise, for a remembrance of Him Who is
the King of the names and attributes of God. Thus have We decreed Thy destiny. Well able are We to achieve Our purpose.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 282
6)
In the passage below, Imam Ali,
the first Dependent Prophet of Muhammad, is the first of the angels referred to in Qur'án 2:210: "Will they
wait until Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds, with angels (in
His train)." "angels (in His train)" refers to the Holy Imams, who appeared in succession after the ascension of Muhammad. "Allah comes to them" is also a reference to the fact that the Holy Imams are Manifestations of God (Dependent Prophets of Muhammad, one of the two classes of Prophets). Those
who rejected Imam Ali ("He came down in the clouds of Revelation in the
Temple of 'Ali"), a Manifestation of God, brought their own perdition.
Say I swear by God! They to whom you attribute knowledge and have
accepted them as your divines they are in the sight of God the worst of
men nay the quintessence of evil flees from them. Thus has the matter
been inscribed in the scrolls of God's knowledge. We testify that they
have not drunk from the fountains of knowledge and they have not
attained unto a word of Wisdom and have not become aware of the
mysteries of Revelation and have been racing in the land of their
selfish desires. Nothing of rejection and denial against a prophet or a
successor of a prophet has come to pass except after their permission.
Thus has always been their injunction carried out on the Countenances
of holiness.
Say to them: O ignorant ones! Did We not reveal in the past: "A Day
that God shall come in the canopies of clouds."[4] How is it that when
He came down in the clouds of Revelation in the Temple of 'Ali [Imam Ali],
you turned away and rejected Him and waxed haughty and brought about
your own perdition?[5] Was it not also revealed in your Book: "the Day
when Thy Lord comes or certain of the signs of Thy Lord."[6] And when
He did come with evident signs wherefore did ye turn away from those
signs and veiled yourselves with the veils of self?..
[4] Qur'án 2:210.
[5] Qur'án 25:18 and 48:12.
[6] Qur'an 6:158.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih-i-Sabr (Lawh-i-Ayyúb), Surih of Patience or Tablet of Job - (Trans. K. Fananapazir)
208. O ye who believe! enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not
the footsteps of the Evil One; for he is to you an avowed enemy.
209. If ye backslide after the clear (signs) have come to you, then know that Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.
210. Will they wait until Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds,
with angels (in His train) and the question is (thus) settled? But to
Allah do all questions go back (for decision).
211. Ask the Children of Israel how many Clear (Signs) We have sent
them. But if anyone, after Allah's favor has come to him, substitutes
(something else), Allah is strict in punishment.
212. The life of this world is alluring to those who reject faith, and
they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them
on the Day of Resurrection; for Allah bestows His abundance without
measures on whom He will.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 2.
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