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Chapter 23
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Divine Unity as relates to the Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets.
1)
LXXXIV. Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and
immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe
reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and
transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity.
He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed
sovereignty over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in the
mirror of the entire creation. All existence is dependent upon Him, and
from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is
what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle.
Some, deluded by their idle fancies, have conceived all created things
as associates and partners of God, and imagined themselves to be the
exponents of His unity. By Him Who is the one true God! Such men have
been, and will continue to remain, the victims of blind imitation, and
are to be numbered with them that have restricted and limited the
conception of God.
He is a true believer in Divine unity who, far from confusing duality
with oneness, refuseth to allow any notion of multiplicity to becloud
his conception of the singleness of God, who will regard the Divine
Being as One Who, by His very nature, transcendeth the limitations of
numbers.
The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who
is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the
inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is
meant that whatever pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings,
whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their
aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any reservation, as
identical with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to
which a true believer in the unity of God can ever hope to attain.
Blessed is the man that reacheth this station, and is of them that are
steadfast in their belief.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 166-167
2)
XXI. O Salman! The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever
been, and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men. No
man's understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a
token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He
hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the
Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these
sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self.
Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their
call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the
truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself.
Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso
disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the
Way of God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the
Standard of His Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of
His Truth, and the signs of His glory.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 49
3)
This is that which Salmán[2] and 'Abú Dharr[3] related of the
utterances of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Alí [Imam Ali] - Peace be upon Him!
'Alí said:
He whose acceptance of my guardianship is based on external reality
more than internal truth, he is that one "whose balance will be
light"[4] Those whose scale will be light, their souls will be in
perdition.[5] O Salmán! The faith of no believer will attain perfection
unless and until he recognizeth Me with luminousness. If he attaineth
unto this, then he hath truly attained faith; he is the one whose heart
is tested with true faith, whose breast is dilated in true Islám and
whose faith is based on discernment. He who is convicted of shortcoming
in this cognition - he will be a doubter, immersed in disbelief.
O Salmán! and O Jandáb![6] In truth, recognition of Me in luminousness
is the recognition of God,[7] and Recognition and knowledge of God is
indeed knowledge of Me; this is what is meant by sincere devotion.[8]
Mankind was not ordered by God to seek naught except to attain unto
this unity.[9] They were commanded to worship but One God.[10] And they
have been commanded no more than this: "To worship God, offering Him
sincere devotion, being true (in faith), to establish regular prayer;
and to practice regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and
Straight."[11]
"Worshipping God" is belief in Divine Unity. "Sincere devotion" and
"being true in Faith"[12] is confession of the Prophethood of the
Prophet. "Establishing Prayer" is my Guardianship and Friendship.[13]
He who pledges fealty and friendship unto Me hath truly established the
obligatory prayer. Yet, this matter is hard, exceedingly hard! "Regular
charity" in the above verse is confession to the Imámate. All this is
the true religion.[14]
The Holy Qur'án hath testified
that true Faith is recognition of divine unity and confession to both
the Prophet and the Imámate. He who attaineth unto both hath fulfilled
his faith. A true believer is the one who does not reject any matter
pertaining to Us, for God Himself hath dilated His Breast such that He
may accept all. He will not doubt or be mistrustful. He who cavileth
why and wherefore becometh a disbeliever. We are, verily, the Cause of
God![15]
O Salmán! O Jandáb![16] Verily, God hath made me His Trustee over His
creation and His Vicegerent on His earth, in His territories, and over
His servants. He hath given Me what no artist can depict and no man of
understanding can truly comprehend. If thou wert to know Me in this
fashion, thou shalt attain unto true belief.[17]
O Salmán! God, exalted be He saith: "Nay, seek God's help with patient
perseverance and prayer: it is indeed hard except to those who bring a
lowly spirit."[18] "Patient perseverance" is Muhammad and "Prayer" is
my Wilayat.[19] Thus, that is why God hath declared it is hard. He doth
not reveal the Two[20] are hard. In truth, My Guardianship is
perplexing only to those who bring a lowly spirit. These latter are
they who have sought discernment using the light of My guidance.
O Salmán! We are the Mystery of God[21] that shalt not remain hidden.
We are His light that shalt never be extinguished, His Grace that is
expected from none other save Him. Muhammad
is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all![22] Muhammad is our
first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all. He who recognizeth Us in
this regard hath, in truth, consummated his Faith.
O Salmán, and O Jandáb! Muhammad and I were the Light that was voicing
forth the divine eulogy before any other reality started to praise Him.
We were the cause of illumination unto all creation. This one Light was
divided by God into two portions, the Chosen "Mustafa"[23], and His
Vicegerent, "Murtada"[24], and vouchsafed unto creation. God, exalted
be His Glory, said to each half, "Be Muhammad!", "Be 'Alí!"[25] It is thus that the Prophet said: "I am from 'Alí and 'Alí is from Me. None can give forth My Trust but Myself and 'Alí."[26]
This refers to our unity in the worlds of Light and Spirit. Similar is
this divine utterance: "and If He dieth or is slain."[27] "Dieth"
refers to the passing away of the Prophet. "Slain" refers to the
martyrdom of the Successor[28], for the Two are one Entity, one
Signification and one Light. Their unity is in purpose and attributes.
They are different in Their corporeal entity and their Names. But in
the world of spirit, They are One Spirit. In Spirit, He said, "Thou art
the Spirit within My Limbs." In the world of bodies, He saith: "Thou
art of Me and I am of Thine. Thou shalt inherit after Me."
-- Imam Ali, The Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nurániyyat (Recognition with Luminousness). Translation by K. Fananapazir.
Full text available at: https://bahai-library.com/imam-ali_marifat_nuraniyyat
4)
If we ponder a while over the Qur'anic verses and proofs, and the
traditional accounts which have come down to us from those stars of the
heaven of Divine Unity, the Holy Imams, we shall be convinced of the
fact that if a soul is endowed with the attributes of true faith and
characterized with spiritual qualities he will become to all mankind an
emblem of the outstretched mercies of God. For the attributes of the
people of faith are justice and fair-mindedness; forbearance and
compassion and generosity; consideration for others; candor,
trustworthiness, and loyalty; love and loving-kindness; devotion and
determination and humanity. If therefore an individual is truly
righteous, he will avail himself of all those means which will attract
the hearts of men, and through the attributes of God he will draw them
to the straight path of faith and cause them to drink from the river of
everlasting life.
--Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 55
5)
XXIV. Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to
make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or
to discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed
their Revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if
ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye assured,
moreover, that the works and acts of each and every one of these
Manifestations of God, nay whatever pertaineth unto them, and
whatsoever they may manifest in the future, are all ordained by God,
and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Whoso maketh the
slightest possible difference between their persons, their words, their
messages, their acts and manners, hath indeed disbelieved in God, hath
repudiated His signs, and betrayed the Cause of His Messengers.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 59
6)
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."[1] 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." [1 Qur'an 55:29.]
--Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 66
7)
XXVIII. Happy is the man who will arise to serve My Cause, and glorify
My beauteous Name. Take hold of My Book with the power of My might, and
cleave tenaciously to whatsoever commandment thy Lord, the Ordainer,
the All-Wise, hath prescribed therein. Behold, O Muhammad, how the
sayings and doings of the followers of Shi'ih Islam have dulled the joy
and fervor of its early days, and tarnished the pristine brilliancy of
its light. In its primitive days, whilst they still adhered to the
precepts associated with the name of their Prophet, the Lord of
mankind, their career was marked by an unbroken chain of victories and
triumphs. As they gradually strayed from the path of their Ideal Leader
and Master, as they turned away from the Light of God and corrupted the
principle of His Divine unity, and as they increasingly centered their
attention upon them who were only the revealers of the potency of His
Word, their power was turned into weakness, their glory into shame,
their courage into fear. Thou dost witness to what a pass they have
come. Behold, how they have joined partners with Him Who is the
Focal-Point of Divine unity. Behold how their evil doings have hindered
them from recognizing, in the Day of Resurrection, the Word of Truth,
exalted be His glory. We cherish the hope that this people will
henceforth shield themselves from vain hopes and idle fancies, and will
attain to a true understanding of the meaning of Divine unity.
The Person of the Manifestation
hath ever been the representative and mouthpiece of God. He, in truth,
is the Day Spring of God's most excellent Titles, and the Dawning-Place
of His exalted Attributes. If any be set up by His side as peers, if
they be regarded as identical with His Person, how can it, then, be
maintained that the Divine Being is One and Incomparable, that His
Essence is indivisible and peerless? Meditate on that which We have,
through the power of truth, revealed unto thee, and be thou of them
that comprehend its meaning.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 69
8)
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by Them Who are the
Tabernacles of Thy Divine holiness, Who are the Manifestations of Thy
transcendent unity and the Day-Springs of Thine inspiration and
revelation, to grant that Thy servants may not be kept back from this
Divine Law which, at Thy will and according to Thy pleasure, hath
branched out from Thy most great Ocean. Do Thou, then, ordain for them
that which Thou didst ordain for Thy chosen ones and for the righteous
among Thy creatures, whose constancy in Thy Cause the tempests of
trials have failed to shake, and whom the tumults of tests have been
powerless to hinder from magnifying Thy most exalted Word -- the Word
through Which the heavens of men's idle fancies and vain imaginations
have been split asunder. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the
All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh, p. 27
9)
Praise be unto God Who hath made the Most Great Infallibility
the shield for the temple of His Cause in the realm of creation, and
hath assigned unto no one a share of this lofty and sublime station --
a station which is a vesture which the fingers of transcendent power
have woven for His august Self. It befitteth no one except Him Who is
seated upon the mighty throne of 'He doeth what He pleaseth'. Whoso
accepteth and recognizeth that which is written down at this moment by
the Pen of Glory is indeed reckoned in the Book of God, the Lord of the
beginning and the end, among the exponents of divine unity, they that
uphold the concept of the oneness of God.
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.
O thou honoured enquirer! [1] We bear witness that thou didst firmly
adhere unto seemly patience during the days when the Pen was held back
from movement and the Tongue hesitated to set forth an explanation
regarding the wondrous sign, the Most Great Infallibility. Thou hast
asked this Wronged One to remove for thee its veils and coverings, to
elucidate its mystery and character, its state and position, its
excellence, sublimity and exaltation. By the life of God! Were We to
unveil the pearls of testimony which lie hid within the shells of the
ocean of knowledge and assurance or to let the beauties of divine
mystery which are hidden within the chambers of utterance in the
Paradise of true understanding, step out of their habitation, then from
every direction violent commotion would arise among the leaders of
religion and thou wouldst witness the people of God held fast in the
teeth of such wolves as have denied God both in the beginning and in
the end. Therefore We restrained the Pen for a considerable lapse of
time in accordance with divine wisdom and for the sake of protecting
the faithful from those who have bartered away heavenly blessings for
disbelief and have chosen for their people the abode of perdition.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 105
10)
FIX your gaze upon wisdom in all things, for it is an unfailing
antidote. How often hath it turned a disbeliever into a believer or a
foe into a friend? Its observance is highly essential, inasmuch as this
theme hath been set forth in numerous Tablets revealed from the
empyrean of the Will of Him Who is the Manifestation of the light of
divine unity. Well is it with them that act accordingly.
Centre your attention unceasingly upon that which will cause the Word
of God to be exalted. In this Most Great Revelation goodly deeds and a
praiseworthy character are regarded as the hosts of God, likewise is
His blessed and holy Word. These hosts are the lodestone of the hearts
of men and the effective means for unlocking doors. Of all the weapons
in the world this is the keenest.
Beseech thou God to graciously assist all men to observe that which His
all-glorious Pen hath recorded in the sacred Books and Tablets.
THIS Wronged One doth mention him who hath set his face toward the
Incomparable One, the All-Knowing, him who beareth witness unto His
unity even as the All-Glorious Pen hath borne witness as it moveth
swiftly within the arena of utterance. Blessed is the soul that hath
recognized its Lord and woe betide him who hath grievously erred and
doubted.
Man is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been and
will ever be worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless
tree is but fit for fire. The fruits of the human tree are exquisite,
highly desired and dearly cherished. Among them are upright character,
virtuous deeds and a goodly utterance. The springtime for earthly trees
occurreth once every year, while the one for human trees appeareth in
the Days of God -- exalted be His glory. Were the trees of men's lives
to be adorned in this divine Springtime with the fruits that have been
mentioned, the effulgence of the light of Justice would, of a
certainty, illumine all the dwellers of the earth and everyone would
abide in tranquillity and contentment beneath the sheltering shadow of
Him Who is the Object of all mankind. The Water for these trees is the
living water of the sacred Words uttered by the Beloved of the world.
In one instant are such trees planted and in the next their branches
shall, through the outpourings of the showers of divine mercy, have
reached the skies. A dried-up tree, however, hath never been nor will
be worthy of any mention.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 256
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