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Chapter 18
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The Covenant as relates to the Prophets (both Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets), all of whom are the Face of God.
1)
God has entered into a covenant with mankind "concerning Him Who is the Day-Spring of [His] Thy Revelation".
This is the Day, O my Lord, which Thou didst announce unto all mankind
as the Day whereon Thou wouldst reveal Thy Self, and shed Thy radiance,
and shine brightly over all Thy creatures. Thou hast, moreover, entered
into a covenant with them, in Thy Books, and Thy Scriptures, and Thy
Scrolls, and Thy Tablets, concerning Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy
Revelation, and hast appointed the Bayan to be the Herald of this Most
Great and all-glorious Manifestation, and this most resplendent and
most sublime Appearance.
And when the world's horizon was illumined, and He Who is the Most
Great Name was manifested, all disbelieved in Him and in His signs,
except such as have been carried away by the sweetness of Thy
glorification and praise. There befell Him what must remain inscrutable
to everyone except Thee, Whose knowledge transcendeth all who are in
Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth.
Thou well knowest, O my God, that the Revealer of the Bayan (the Bab)
hath commanded all mankind concerning Thy Cause, and Thy Revelation,
and Thy Sovereignty. He hath said, and sweet is His speech: "Beware
lest the Bayan and its Letters keep you back from Him Who is the Most
Merciful and from His sovereignty." He, moreover, hath written: "Were
He to produce no more than one verse, ye must not deny Him. Haste ye
towards Him, that haply He may cause to descend upon you what He
pleaseth, as a token of His grace unto you. He truly is the Possessor
of His servants, and the King of creation."
-- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 275
2)
In the following passage, those
who rejected Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet, "have violated His
[God's] Covenant". In the second passage it also says, "[they] ignored the
Covenant of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him" by
rejecting the Prophet. In the third passage it also says, "This is the
Father foretold by Isaiah, and the Comforter concerning Whom the Spirit
[Jesus] had covenanted with you." -- i.e. the appearance of the
Prophet, who is the Face of God, represents God's Covenant.
Praise be unto God Who hath manifested the Point, hath unfolded
therefrom the knowledge of all things, whether of the past or of the
future -- a Point He hath chosen to be the Herald of His Name and the
Harbinger of His Great Revelation which hath caused the limbs of all
mankind to quake and the splendour of His light to shine forth above
the horizon of the world. Verily, this is the Point which God hath
ordained to be an ocean of light for the sincere among His servants and
a flame of fire to the froward amidst His creatures and the impious
among His people -- they who bartered away the gift of God for
unbelief, and the celestial food for hypocrisy, and led their
associates to a wretched abode. These are the people who have
manifested sedition throughout the world and have violated His Covenant
on the Day when the immortal Being mounted His throne and the Crier
raised His Voice from the haven of security and peace in the holy Vale.
O followers of the Bayan! Fear ye the All-Merciful. This is the One Who
hath been glorified by Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and before Him by
the Spirit [1] and yet before Him by the One Who discoursed with
God.[2] This is the Point of the Bayan calling aloud before the Throne,
saying: 'By the righteousness of God, ye have been created to glorify
this Most Great Announcement, this Perfect Way which lay hid within the
souls of the Prophets, which was treasured in the hearts of the chosen
ones of God and was written down by the glorious Pen of your Lord, the
Possessor of Names.'
[1 Jesus.]
[2 Moses.]
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 102
Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of the Bayan. For
indeed they erred grievously, misguided the people, ignored the
Covenant of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him, the
One, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize
the Point of the Bayan, for had they recognized Him they would not have
rejected His manifestation in this luminous and resplendent Being. And
since they fixed their eyes on names, therefore when He replaced His
Name 'the Most Exalted' by 'the Most Glorious' their eyes were dimmed.
They have failed to recognize Him in these days and are reckoned with
those that perish.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 185
1.122
Give ear unto that which the Dove of Eternity warbleth upon the twigs
of the Divine Lote-Tree: O peoples of the earth! We sent forth him who
was named John to baptize you with water, that your bodies might be
cleansed for the appearance of the Messiah. He, in turn, purified you
with the fire of love and the water of the spirit in anticipation of
these Days whereon the All-Merciful hath purposed to cleanse you with
the water of life at the hands of His loving providence. This is the
Father foretold by Isaiah, and the Comforter concerning Whom the Spirit
had covenanted with you. Open your eyes, O concourse of bishops, that
ye may behold your Lord seated upon the Throne of might and glory.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 63
O concourse of lovers, give out the glad tidings with all your heart,
for the time of waiting is over, and the covenant hath come, and the
Beloved hath shone in wondrous beauty.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablet Feast of Ridvan (a provisional translation).
3)
In the following passage, those who rejected Muhammad, the Independent Prophet, "have broken the Covenant of God".
Ponder that which befell Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, may the
life of all else be a sacrifice unto Him. How severe the afflictions
which the leaders of the Jewish people and of the idol-worshipers
caused to rain upon Him, Who is the sovereign Lord of all, in
consequence of His proclamation of the unity of God and of the truth of
His Message! By the righteousness of My Cause! My Pen groaneth, and all
created things weep with a great weeping, as a result of the woes He
suffered at the hands of them that have broken the Covenant of God,
violated His Testament, rejected His proofs, and disputed His signs.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 56
4)
Imam Ali, the first Dependent/Lesser Prophet in the era of Muhammad, is "the One who pledged an
everlasting covenant with your spirits on the dawn of creation" and
"the Object of the covenant".
Unto me, too, hath been vouchsafed the Path, the Balance, the Banner,
and the Kawthar. I am the one who shall face the children of Adam on
the Day of Judgement and shall bring them to account and shall direct
them to their habitations. And verily, I am the punishment of fire
meted unto the damned. These are the bounties of God unto me. And
should anyone deny that I shall return after the Return[3], or deny
that I shall come back after the Raj'at[4], or should anyone reject the
truth that I shall appear again, even as I have done from the beginning
that hath no beginning or even unto the end that hath no end, he,
verily, hath denied the truth of all of Us. And verily I say unto you,
he who denies any one of Us, hath denied God. I am the one who hath
summoned you; I am the companion of your prayers and invocations. I am
the Lord of retribution, and I am the Master of the signs and the Lord
of the wondrous symbols of guidance. I am cognisant of the mysteries of
creation; I am the One who brought the iron unto Men[5]. I am forever
new and forever pre-existent, the One who brought the Angels from out
of their habitations, the One who pledged an everlasting covenant with
your spirits on the dawn of creation and Who, on that day, asked,
through the will of God, the Self-subsisting, these words: "Am I not
your Lord?" I am the Word of God [Kalimat'u'lláh] which hath been
uttered in the world of creation, the Object of the covenant that hath
been promised in the prayers and salutations which lie in the reality
of all created things. I am the name that hath been invoked by orphans
and by widows, the door to the city of knowledge and the refuge of
patience and forbearance. I am the upraised flag of God, the companion
of the banner of divine praise, the Lord of infinite bounty and of
infinite grace. But should I tell you all that I am, you would
doubtless disbelieve Me. For I am also the slayer of oppressors, the
treasury of divine favours in this world and of the next. I am the
master of the believers, the guide of those who seek the way. The truth
is Mine and certitude is at My side. Leadership is Mine and the
righteous shall follow Me. I am the first to acknowledge faith, the
Cord of God that shall not be broken, the One who will raise the world
to justice even as it hath been brought low by oppression. I am the
companion of Gabriel and the archangel Michael is beside Me. I am the
tree of guidance, and the essence of righteousness. I shall gather
together the world of creation through the Word of God that gathers
together all things. I give life unto humanity and I am the treasury of
all divine commands. To Me hath been given the Luminous Pen and the
Crimson Camel[6].
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Glorification (translation by K. Fananapazir).
Full text available at: https://bahai-library.com/imam-ali_khutbat_iftikhar
3:81. Behold! Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: "I give
you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you a Messenger confirming what is
with you; do ye believe him and render him help." Allah said: "Do ye
agree, and take this My Covenant as binding on you?" They said: "We
agree." He said: "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the
witnesses."
3:82. If any turn back after this, they are perverted transgressors.
3:83. Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah? While all
creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed
to His Will (accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 3.
2:26. Allah disdains not to use the similitude of things, lowest as
well as highest. Those who believe know that it is truth from their
Lord; but those who reject Faith say: "What means Allah by this
similitude?" By it He causes many to stray, and many He leads into the
right path, but He causes not to stray, except those who forsake (the
path).
2:27. Those who break Allah's Covenant after it is ratified, and who
sunder what Allah has ordered to be joined, and do mischief on earth:
These cause loss (only) to themselves.
2:28. How can ye reject the faith in Allah? Seeing that ye were without
life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will
again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 2.
5)
The following passages are
about Imam Husayn, the third Dependent/Lesser Prophet in the era of Muhammad,
and one of the "chosen Ones of God". In the Tablet of visitation for Imam
Husayn Baha'u'llah refers to him as "the
Sovereign of the Visible and Invisible", and those who opposed him
"have violated God's Covenant and Testament and have denied His proof,
repudiated His grace and disputed with His signs!"...
5.47
Know ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial, been
the lot of the chosen Ones of God and His beloved, and such of His
servants as are detached from all else but Him, they whom neither
merchandise nor traffic beguile from the remembrance of the Almighty,
they that speak not till He hath spoken, and act according to His
commandment. Such is God's method carried into effect of old, and such
will it remain in the future. Blessed are the steadfastly enduring,
they that are patient under ills and hardships, who lament not over
anything that befalleth them, and who tread the path of resignation.
5.48
That which hath befallen Us hath been witnessed before. Ours is not the
first goblet dashed to the ground in the lands of Islam, nor is this
the first time that such schemers have intrigued against the beloved of
the Lord. The tribulations We have sustained are like unto the trials
endured aforetime by Imam husayn. For he was approached by messengers
from malicious and evil-hearted plotters, inviting him to come forth
from the city; yet when he came unto them, accompanied by his kindred,
they rose up against him with all their might, until at last they slew
him, slaughtered his sons and his brothers, and took captive the
remainder of his family. So did it come to pass in an earlier age, and
God, verily, is a witness unto My words. Of his lineage there survived
none, whether young or old, save his son 'Ali al-Awsat, known as
Zaynu'l-'Abidin [the fourth Imam].
-- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 204
O denizens of the city of names and O countenances residing in the
chambers of the all-highest paradise! O companions of faithfulness in
the kingdom of eternity! Change ye your glad white and red garments
unto black clothes of mourning, for the supreme calamity and the
greatest loss hath come to pass, because of which, the Messenger of God
hath wailed and lamented and the heart of Fátimih hath melted.
Thereupon, the dwellers of the Abhá Tabernacle and those sailing upon
the Crimson Ark, seated upon seats of love and loyalty, wept with a
great weeping.
Ah! Ah! How I lament My sorrows caused by an injustice that hath set
afire the realities of all beings; how I grieve over that which hath
befallen the Sovereign of the Visible and Invisible at the hands of
those who have violated God's Covenant and Testament and have denied
His proof, repudiated His grace and disputed with His signs!
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablet of Visitation for Imám Husayn (a provisional translation by K. Fananapazir).
Full text available at: https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_fananapazir_visitation_husayn
6)
"I have summoned the Maids of
Heaven to emerge from behind the veil of concealment" -- Bahá'u'lláh
has called on His pre-existent Dependent/Lesser Prophets to appear on
earth. "and have clothed them with these words of Mine
-- words of consummate power and wisdom" -- and they
receive their revelation from Him, the Independent Prophet (explained
further by Abdu'l-Baha when describing the "two classes of Prophets").
Those who "violate not the Covenant of God" are the ones who recognise
and follow the Dependent/Lesser Prophets, who are the Face of God (like
the Holy Imams in the era of Muhammad), and "Break not the bond that
uniteth you with your Creator." Bahá'u'lláh, the Independent Prophet,
receives his revelation directly from God. No Independent Prophet will
appear until after at least one thousand years of Baha'u'llah's dispensation have passed.
Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of
waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with
the dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in
the heavens of My divine knowledge.
O My servants! Through the might of God and His power, and out of the
treasury of His knowledge and wisdom, I have brought forth and revealed
unto you the pearls that lay concealed in the depths of His everlasting
ocean. I have summoned the Maids of Heaven to emerge from behind
the veil of concealment, and have clothed them with these words of Mine
-- words of consummate power and wisdom. I have, moreover, with the
hand of divine power, unsealed the choice wine of My Revelation, and
have wafted its holy, its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance upon all
created things. Who else but yourselves is to be blamed if ye choose to
remain unendowed with so great an outpouring of God's transcendent and
all-encompassing grace, with so bright a revelation of His resplendent
mercy?...
O My servants! There shineth nothing else in Mine heart except the
unfading light of the Morn of Divine guidance, and out of My mouth
proceedeth naught but the essence of truth, which the Lord your God
hath revealed. Follow not, therefore, your earthly desires, and violate
not the Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to Him. With firm
determination, with the whole affection of your heart, and with the
full force of your words, turn ye unto Him, and walk not in the ways of
the foolish. The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing,
bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it.
Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be not of
those that have erred and strayed from His ways.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 328
7)
In the following passage, "His
loved ones" and they "whose hearts witness to His unity, whose tongues
proclaim His oneness, and who speak not except by His leave" are
the Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah, who are the Face of God (like
the Holy Imams in the era of Muhammad).
True believers in the Unity of God follow them, faithful to the
commandment: "forget not His covenant with you, and be not of them that
are shut out as by a veil from Him."
The days of your life are far spent, O people, and your end is fast
approaching. Put away, therefore, the things ye have devised and to
which ye cleave, and take firm hold on the precepts of God, that haply
ye may attain that which He hath purposed for you, and be of them that
pursue a right course. Delight not yourselves in the things of the
world and its vain ornaments, neither set your hopes on them. Let
your reliance be on the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the
Most Great. He will, erelong, bring to naught all the things ye
possess. Let Him be your fear, and forget not His covenant with you,
and be not of them that are shut out as by a veil from Him.
Beware that ye swell not with pride before God, and disdainfully reject
His loved ones. Defer ye humbly to the faithful, they that have
believed in God and in His signs, whose hearts witness to His unity,
whose tongues proclaim His oneness, and who speak not except by His
leave. Thus do We exhort you with justice, and warn you with truth,
that perchance ye may be awakened.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 127
8)
In the passage below, from the
writings of Abdu'l-Baha, the "torches of God's oneness" is another
reference to Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah, "who would be
the very embodiments of guidance". They are said to be
"torches of God's oneness", "shining in the heavens where God reigneth
alone" as they are Face of God on earth (like
the Holy Imams in the era of Muhammad); and those who recognise and follow
them show "staunchness [firmness] in the Covenant".
203. O thou who art enamoured of the Covenant! The Blessed Beauty [Baha'u'llah]
hath promised this servant that souls would be raised up who would be
the very embodiments of guidance, and banners of the Concourse on high,
torches of God's oneness, and stars
of His pure truth, shining in the heavens where God reigneth alone.
They would give sight to the blind, and would make the deaf to hear;
they would raise the dead to life. They would confront all the peoples
of the earth, pleading their Cause with proofs of the Lord of the seven
spheres.
It is my hope that in His bounty He will soon raise up these souls,
that His Cause may be exalted. The lodestone which will attract this grace is staunchness in the Covenant. Render thou thanks unto God that thou art firmest of the firm.
O my God, aid Thou Thy servant
to raise up the Word, and to refute what is vain and false, to
establish the truth, to spread the sacred verses abroad, reveal the
splendours, and make the morning's light to dawn in the hearts of the
righteous.
Thou art verily the Generous, the Forgiving.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 250
And in the Book of the Covenant He explicitly saith that the object of this verse 'Who hath branched from this Ancient Root'
is the Most Mighty Branch. And He commandeth all the Aghsan, the Afnan,
the kindred and the Bahá'ís to turn toward Him. Now, either one must
say that the Blessed Beauty hath made a mistake, or He must be obeyed.
'Abdu'l-Bahá hath no command for the people to obey save the diffusion
of the fragrances of God, the exaltation of His Word, the promulgation
of the oneness of the world of humanity, the establishment of universal
peace, and other of the commands of God. These are divine commands and
have nothing to do with 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Whoever wisheth may accept them,
and anyone who rejecteth them may do as he pleaseth.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 213
9)
In the following passage, those
who have "remained faithful to the Covenant" are they who "apprehended
that which I concealed within the treasury of My Words"; consistent
with statements, "They that have truly recognized the Unity of God" and
"discern the splendours of the light of divine unity" mentioned in the
subsequent passages related to true believers.
Blessed is he who hath remained faithful to My Covenant, and whom the
things of the world have not kept back from attaining My Court of
holiness. Blessed is the man who hath detached himself from all else
but Me, hath soared in the atmosphere of My love, hath gained
admittance into My Kingdom, gazed upon My realms of glory, quaffed the
living waters of My bounty, hath drunk his fill from the heavenly river
of My loving providence, acquainted himself with My Cause, apprehended
that which I concealed within the treasury of My Words, and hath shone
forth from the horizon of divine knowledge engaged in My praise and
glorification. Verily, he is of Me. Upon him rest My mercy, My
loving-kindness, My bounty and My glory.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 17
This sign of the revelation of the Divine Being in them that have
joined partners with Him may, in a sense, be regarded as a reflection
of the glory with which the faithful are illumined. None, however, can
comprehend this truth save men endued with understanding. They that
have truly recognized the Unity of God should be regarded as the
primary manifestations of this Name. It is they who have quaffed the
wine of Divine Unity from the cup which the hand of God hath proffered
unto them, and who have turned their faces towards Him. How vast the
distance that separateth these sanctified beings from those men that
are so far away from God!...
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 191
When the stream of words reached this stage, the sweet savours of true
knowledge were shed abroad and the day-star of divine unity shone forth
above the horizon of His holy utterance. Blessed is he whom His Call
hath attracted to the summit of glory, who hath drawn nigh to the
ultimate Purpose, and who hath recognized through the shrill voice of
My Pen of Glory that which the Lord of this world and of the next hath
willed. Whoso faileth to quaff the choice wine which We have unsealed
through the potency of Our Name, the All-Compelling, shall be unable to
discern the splendours of the light of divine unity or to grasp the
essential purpose underlying the Scriptures of God, the Lord of heaven
and earth, the sovereign Ruler of this world and of the world to come.
Such a man shall be accounted among the faithless in the Book of God,
the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 105
10)
In the following passage, those
who "have broken the Covenant of God" are they who reject the Prophet, "Him Who is the Dayspring of His signs". Following it are two more passages related to the same theme..
1.92
Say: O people! We have commanded you in Our Tablets to strive, at the
time of the promised Revelation, to sanctify your souls from all names,
and to purify them from all that hath been created in the heavens or on
the earth, that therein may appear the splendours of the Sun of Truth
which shineth forth above the horizon of the Will of your Lord, the
Almighty, the Most Great. We have, moreover, commanded you to cleanse
your hearts from every trace of the love or hate of the peoples of the
world, lest aught should divert you from one course or impel you
towards another. This, verily, is among the weightiest counsels I have
vouchsafed unto you in the perspicuous Book, for whoso attacheth
himself to either of these shall be prevented from attaining a proper
understanding of Our Cause. To this beareth witness every just and
discerning soul.
1.93
Ye, however, have broken the Covenant of God, forgotten His Testament,
and at last turned away from Him Whose appearance hath solaced the eyes
of every true believer in the Divine Unity. Lift up the veils and
coverings that obscure your vision, and consider the testimonies of the
Prophets and Messengers, that haply ye may recognize the Cause of God
in these days when the Promised One hath come invested with a mighty
sovereignty. Fear God, and debar yourselves not from Him Who is the
Dayspring of His signs. This shall, in truth, but profit your own
selves; as to your Lord, He, verily, can afford to dispense with all
creatures. From everlasting was He alone; there was none else besides
Him. He it is in Whose name the standard of Divine Unity hath been
planted upon the Sinai of the visible and invisible worlds, proclaiming
that there is none other God but Me, the Peerless, the Glorious, the
Incomparable.
1.94
Behold, however, how those who are but a creation of His Will and
Command have turned aside from Him and have taken unto themselves a
lord and master beside God; these, truly, are of the wayward. The
mention of the All-Merciful hath at all times been upon their lips, and
yet when He was manifested unto them through the power of truth they
warred against Him. Wretched indeed shall be the plight of such as have
broken the Covenant of their Lord when the Luminary of the world shone
forth above the horizon of the Will of God, the Most Holy, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise! It was against God that they unsheathed the
swords of malice and hatred, and yet they perceive it not. Methinks
they remain dead and buried in the tombs of their selfish desires,
though the breeze of God hath blown over all regions. They, truly, are
wrapt in a dense and grievous veil. And oft as the verses of God are
rehearsed unto them, they persist in proud disdain; it is as though
they were devoid of all understanding, or had never heard the Call of
God, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 49
1.85
Say: O ye manifestations of My Names! Should ye offer up all that ye
possess, nay your very lives, in the path of God, and invoke Him to the
number of the grains of sand, the drops of rain, and the waves of the
sea, and yet oppose the Manifestation of His Cause at the time of His appearance, your works shall in no wise
be mentioned before God. Should ye, however, neglect all righteous
works and yet choose to believe in Him in these days, God perchance
will put away your sins. He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the Most
Bountiful. Thus doth the Lord inform you of His purpose, that haply ye
may not wax proud before the One through Whom whatsoever hath been
revealed from all eternity hath been confirmed. Happy is he who
approacheth this Most Sublime Vision, and woe to them that turn aside!
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 45
No doubt is there that obedience is unacceptable except through
obedience to the Proof of God. Had that not been so, then the deeds of
them that showed enmity towards the People of the House would have been
mentioned before God, whereas in this day, all decree that none should
worship them, nor have their deeds borne any fruit. In this way, the
non- Shi'is today act in accordance with the decrees of the Qur'án,
whereas, since they have turned aside from the Imamate (vilayat), these
deeds are worthless in the sight of God.
-- The Bab, The Persian Bayan.
11)
"O Living Temple!" (paragraph
1.18) is one of many references to the Dependent/Lesser Prophets of
Baha'u'llah ("temples of the Oneness of God") mentioned in the Surih of
the Temple, referred to in separate paragraphs in the English translation. "O Living
Temple!" refers to the pre-existent Dependent/Lesser Prophet when on this
earthly plane. "Temple" is one of the many titles Baha'u'llah uses to
refer to Prophets. Those faithful to the covenant recognise and follow
the Dependent/Lesser Prophets, the same as those who recognised and followed the Holy Imams in the era of Muhammad. "O Eyes of this Temple!" (paragraph 1.19) is a
symbolic reference to another Dependent/Lesser Prophet of Baha'u'llah. The words, "that which We had covenanted with them before the
foundation of the world" can be paralled to the words of Imam Ali in passage #4 above, "the One who pledged an everlasting covenant with
your spirits on the dawn of creation"; and to the words of Baha'u'llah in passage below, "O people, be faithful to the covenant of God, and break not the pact to which ye swore in the world of pre-existence".
1.18
O Living Temple! Through Thee have We gathered together all created
things, whether in the heavens or on the earth, and called them to
account for that which We had covenanted with them before the
foundation of the world. And lo, but for a few radiant faces and
eloquent tongues, We found most of the people dumbfounded, their eyes
staring up in fear. From the former We brought forth the creation of
all that hath been and all that shall be. These are they whose
countenances God hath graciously turned away from the face of the
unbelievers, and whom He hath sheltered beneath the shadow of the Tree
of His own Being; they upon whose hearts He hath bestowed the gift of
peace and tranquillity, and whom He hath strengthened and assisted
through the hosts of the seen and the unseen.
1.19
O Eyes of this Temple [the Maid of Heaven, Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet]! Look not upon the heavens and that which they
contain, nor upon the earth and them that dwell thereon, for We have
created you to behold Our own Beauty: See it now before you! Withhold
not your gaze therefrom, and deprive not yourselves of the Beauty of
your Lord, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. Erelong shall We bring
into being through you keen and penetrating eyes that will contemplate
the manifold signs of their Creator and turn away from all that is
perceived by the people of the world. Through you shall We bestow the
power of vision upon whomsoever We desire, and lay hold upon those who
have deprived themselves of this gracious bounty. These, verily, have
drunk from the cup of delusion, though they perceive it not.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 10
Say: O people, be faithful to the covenant of God, and break not the pact to which ye swore in the world of pre-existence, in the Presence of God,
the Mighty, the Glorious, the All-Knowing. Say: Then open your eyes! By
God, the Eternal Truth, He hath resurrected all on that Day, at that
time. And God hath come in the shadows of the clouds. Blessed be God,
the Dispatcher, the Mighty, the Exalted, the Great. Then shall all who
are in the heavens be stricken with fear, and all the people of the
concourse on High shall lament, save for the one who hath been taken by
the hand of the Most Glorious by virtue of His mighty, exalted and most
high Sovereignty, the one who hath had the veils obscuring his sight
torn by the fingers of the divine decree, and the one whom God hath
delivered from those who were in doubt about attaining the presence of
God, the King, the Mighty, the Beauteous.
-- Baha'u'llah, Garden of Justice - provisional translation by Juan Cole.
12)
The covenant represented by the Maid of Heaven, a Dependent/Lesser Prophet of Baha'u'llah..
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.
Beware that Thou divest not Thyself, Thou Who art the Essence of
Purity, of Thy robe of effulgent glory. Nay, enrich Thyself
increasingly, in the kingdom of creation, with the incorruptible
vestures of Thy God, that the beauteous image of the Almighty may be
reflected through Thee in all created things and the grace of Thy Lord
be infused in the plenitude of its power into the entire creation.
If Thou smellest from any one the smell of the love of Thy Lord, offer
up Thyself for him, for We have created Thee to this end, and have
covenanted with Thee, from time immemorial, and in the presence of the
congregation of Our well-favored ones, for this very purpose. Be not
impatient if the blind in heart hurl down the shafts of their idle
fancies upon Thee. Leave them to themselves, for they follow the
promptings of the evil ones.
Cry out before the gaze of the dwellers of heaven and of earth: I am
the Maid of Heaven, the Offspring begotten by the Spirit of Bahá. My
habitation is the Mansion of His Name, the All-Glorious. Before the
Concourse on high I was adorned with the ornament of His names. I was
wrapt within the veil of an inviolable security, and lay hidden from
the eyes of men. Methinks that I heard a Voice of divine and
incomparable sweetness, proceeding from the right hand of the God of
Mercy, and lo, the whole Paradise stirred and trembled before Me, in
its longing to hear its accents, and gaze on the beauty of Him that
uttered them. Thus have We revealed in this luminous Tablet, and in the
sweetest of languages, the verses which the Tongue of Eternity was
moved to utter in the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 282 (Gleanings CXXIX).
13)
In the following passage, the Covenant represented by Jesus, an Independent Prophet, is foretold by John the Baptist..
O manifestations of justice, when the gales of might blow, summon the
people of the Bayan and remind them of this Great, this Most Great
Announcement. Then ask them, "O people, by what proof have ye believed
in 'Al' (the Bab) and yet have rejected the One of Whom He gave glad
tidings in all the Tablets. Examine matters critically, O ignorant
ones. Fear God, O concourse of the heedless! Do ye assert your faith in
My Herald while disbelieving in My own Self, the Mighty, the Wise? Your
likeness is as those who believed in John, the Prophet, who proclaimed
to the people the kingdom of God. But when the Word (Jesus) became
manifest, they rejected and slandered Him. The malediction of God be
upon the wrong-doers! John had called the servants each and every day
in His loudest voice, and concluded with them the Covenant of the Word
of God, prophesying to them that they would attain His presence. In the
end, John sacrificed His own life out of love for that glorious and
wondrous Soul. But when the veil was rent and the Most Great Word
appeared, they opposed Him, and said, "He has transgressed against the
commandments of John." Thus have their base selves deceived them,
insofar as they were deprived of meeting their Lord, the Mighty, the
Powerful.
-- Baha'u'llah, Garden of Justice - provisional translation by Juan Cole.
14)
In the era of Moses, those who followed the twelve captains ("believe in My apostles") are faithful to the covenant..
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."
13. But because of their breach of their Covenant, We cursed them, and
made their hearts grow hard: they change the words from their (right)
places and forget a good part of the Message that was sent them, nor
wilt thou cease to find them, barring a few, ever bent on (new)
deceits: but forgive them and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah
loveth those who are kind.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 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.
13 And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them
and made hard their hearts. They change words from their context and
forget a part of that whereof they were admonished. Thou wilt not cease
to discover treachery from all save a few of them. But bear with them
and pardon them. Lo! Allah loveth the kindly.
-- The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 5
In each cycle the guardians and holy souls have been twelve. So Jacob
had twelve sons; in the time of Moses there were twelve heads or chiefs
of the tribes; in the time of Christ there were twelve Apostles; and in
the time of Muhammad there were twelve Imams. But in this glorious
manifestation there are twenty-four, double the number of all the
others, for the greatness of this manifestation requires it. These holy
souls are in the presence of God seated on their own thrones, meaning
that they reign eternally.
[1 Rev. 11:16-17.]
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 57
Thou didst ask as to the tenth to the seventeenth verses of the
twenty-first chapter of Saint John the Divine's Revelation. Know thou
that according to mathematical principles, the firmament of this
earth's brilliant day-star hath been divided among twelve
constellations, which they call the twelve zodiacal signs. In the same
way, the Sun of Truth shineth out from and sheddeth its bounties
through twelve stations of holiness, and by these heavenly signs are
meant those stainless and unsullied personages who are the very
well-springs of sanctity, and the dawning-points proclaiming the oneness of God.
Consider how in the days of the Interlocutor (Moses), there were twelve
holy beings who were leaders of the twelve tribes; and likewise in the
dispensation of the Spirit (Christ), note that there were twelve
Apostles gathered within the sheltering shade of that supernal Light,
and from those splendid dawning-points the Sun of Truth shone forth
even as the sun in the sky. Again, in the days of Muhammad, observe
that there were twelve dawning-points of holiness, the manifestors of
God's confirming help. Such is the way of it.
Accordingly did Saint John the Divine tell of twelve gates in his
vision, and twelve foundations. By `that great city, the holy
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God' is meant the holy Law of
God, and this is set forth in many Tablets and still to be read in the
Scriptures of the Prophets of the past: for instance, that Jerusalem
was seen going out into the wilderness.
The meaning of the passage is that this heavenly Jerusalem hath twelve
gates, through which the blessed enter into the City of God. These
gates are souls who are as guiding stars, as portals of knowledge and grace; and within these gates there stand twelve angels. By `angel'
is meant the power of the confirmations of God--that the candle of
God's confirming power shineth out from the lamp-niche of those
souls--meaning that every one of those beings will be granted the most
vehement confirming support.
These twelve gates surround the entire world, that is they are a
shelter for all creatures. And further, these twelve gates are the
foundation of the City of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and on each one
of these foundations is written the name of one of the Apostles of
Christ. That is to say, each one maketh manifest the perfections, the
joyous message, and the excellency of that holy Being.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 165
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