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Chapter 30
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The Holy Imams, Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Muhammad, Manifestations of God.
First Imam: Abul-Hasan Ali ibn Abu Talib - "Ali" ( - 661).
Second Imam: Abu Muhammad Hasan ibn Ali - "Hasan" (AH 3 - AH 49/669).
Third Imam: Abu Abdu'llah Husayn ibn Ali - "Husayn" (AH 4/626 - AH 61/680).
Fourth Imam: Ali, Zaynu'l-Abidin - "Zaynu'l-Abidin" (AH 38/658 - 94/712?).
Fifth Imam: Muhammad al-Baqir - "Baqir" (AH 57/676 - AH 117/735?).
Sixth Imam: Jafar as-Sadiq - "Sadiq" (AH 80/669? - AH 148/765).
Seventh Imam: Musa al-Kazim - "al-Kazim" (AH 128/745 - AH 183/799).
Eighth Imam: Ali ar-Rida - "ar-Rida" (AH 148/765 - AH 203/818).
Ninth Imam: Muhammad at-Taqi - "at-Taqi" (AH 195/810 - AH 220/835).
Tenth Imam: Ali al-Hadi - "al-Hadi" (AH 212/827? - AH 254/868).
Eleventh Imam: Hasan al-Askari - "al-Askari" (AH 232/846 - AH 260/873?).
Twelth Imam: Muhammad al-Mahdi - "al-Qaim" (the one who will arise).
-- Cited in "Introduction to Shi'i Islam" by Moojan Momen.
1)
The following passage on the
"station of pure abstraction and essential unity" of the Manifestations
of God includes Muhammad, Adam, Noah, Moses and Jesus, who are
Independent Prophets; and Ali [Imam Ali] and the Imams, who are
Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Muhammad.
These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. One is the
station of pure abstraction and essential unity. In this respect, if
thou callest them all by one name, and dost ascribe to them the same
attribute, thou hast not erred from the truth. Even as He hath
revealed: "No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers!"[1]
For they one and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledge the
Unity of God, and herald unto them the Kawthar of an infinite grace and
bounty. They are all invested with the robe of Prophethood, and
honoured with the mantle of glory. Thus hath Muhammad, the Point of the
Qur'án, revealed: "I am all the Prophets." Likewise, He saith: "I am
the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus." Similar statements have been
made by Ali. Sayings such as this, which indicate the essential unity
of those Exponents of Oneness, have also emanated from the Channels of
God's immortal utterance, and the Treasuries of the gems of divine
knowledge, and have been recorded in the scriptures. These Countenances
are the recipients of the Divine Command, and the day-springs of His
Revelation. This Revelation is exalted above the veils of plurality and
the exigencies of number. Thus He saith: "Our Cause is but one."[2]
Inasmuch as the Cause is one and the same, the Exponents thereof also
must needs be one and the same. Likewise, the Imams of the Muhammadan
Faith, those lamps of certitude, have said: "Muhammad is our first,
Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all."
[1 Qur'án 2:285.]
[2 Qur'án 54:50.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 152
-'They are all invested with the robe of prophethood'.
-'These Countenances are the recipients of the Divine Command and the Day Springs of His Revelation'.
-'I am all the Prophets' -- i.e. Muhammad embodies the nature and qualities that all the Prophets embody.
-'Muhammad is our first, Muhammad is our last, Muhammad our all' -- i.e. Muhammad is the first of us Manifestations of God whom the Imams also are..
And were they all [Manifestations of God]
to proclaim, "I am the Seal of the Prophets," they, verily, utter but
the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are all but
one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They are
all the manifestation of the "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and
the "Last," the "Seen" and the "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him
Who is the Innermost Spirit of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 54
-'Likewise, He saith: "I am the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus." Similar statements have been made by Imám `Alí'-- i.e.
Imam Ali identifies the unity of his Prophethood with that of earlier
Prophets in the same way Muhammad does and also Bahá'u'lláh does. Below
is such a passage by Imam Ali in a tablet referred to by Bahá'u'lláh
(in which Imam Ali also fortells the coming of Bahá'u'lláh).
I am the Master (sahib) of the First Creation before the First Noah,
and if you were to know what was between Adam and Noah of wondrous
events that I wrought and of nations that I caused to perish. And the
true Word of Thy Lord was fulfilled in them and evil is that which they
worked" I am the Master of the First Flood! I am the Master of the
Second Flood! I am the Master of the Deluge of Iram! I am the Master of
the Secret Mysteries! I am the Lord of 'Ad and its gardens! I am the
Lord of Thamud and its wondrous signs! I am the One that destroyed it,
I am the One that caused the Earthquakes! I am the One that caused
their Return and their Perdition! I am the Builder of those
civilisations and their Destroyer! I cause their Expiry and I cause
them to be quickened! I am the First and the Last! I am the External
and Manifest and I am the Internal and Hidden! I am with the Cycle
(kawr) before the Cycle began! I am the Companion of the Dispensation
(dawr) before the Dispensation started! I was with the Pen before the
Pen and I am with the Tablet prior to the Tablet being revealed! I am
the Lord of the First Pre-existence! I am the Lord of Jabulqa and of
Jabulsa! I am the Master of Highest Stage (rafraf) and of Bahram! I am
the One Who organised existence when there was no heaven as you have
them now nor earth as you know it now!
The Son of Suwairama said: "Are you, are you indeed that One?!"
'Ali replied: "I am, I am that One! There is no other God But God Who
is My Lord and the Lord of all created things. Unto Him belongs the
Creation and the World of Revelation
-- Imam Ali, Khutbih-i-Tutunjiyyih (The Sermon of the Twin Gulfs). A provisional translation by K. Fananapazir.
He whose acceptance of my guardianship is based on external reality
more than internal truth, he is that one "whose balance will be Light"
[Qur'an 7:9] Those whose scale will be light, will be their souls in
perdition [Qur'an 23:103 and 101:8]. Salman! The faith of no believer
will attain perfection unless and until he recognizes me with
luminousness. If he attains this then he has truly attained faith whose
heart is tested with true faith and whose chest is dilated in true
Islam whose faith is based on discernment. He who is convicted of
shortcoming in this cognition he will be a doubter immersed in
disbelief.
O Salman! And O Jandab [Abu Dharr]! In truth My recognition in
luminousness is the recognition of God [Ma'rifat Allah] and Recognition
and knowledge of God is indeed my knowledge and this is what is meant
by sincere devotion/pure religion [ad-Deen al Khaalis, Qur'an 39:3]...
Salman! We are the Mystery of God [Sirru'llah] that shall not remain
hidden. We are His light that shall never be extinguished, His Grace
that is not to be expected from any one but Him. Muhammad is our first,
Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all.
Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all. He who
recognises us in this regard has consummated the Faith in truth.
O Salman and O Jandab! 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 in two portions and vouchsafed unto creation the Chosen
"Mustapha" Prophet Muhammad and His Vicegerent in Whom He was well
pleased "Murtada". God, exalted be His Glory, said to each half "Be
Muhammad" "Be 'Ali". The Imperative is Kun the letters B and E. It is
thus that the Prophet said: " I am from 'Ali and 'Ali is from Me. None
can give forth my Trust but Myself and 'Ali".
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nuraaniyyat (Recognition with Luminousness). A provisional translation by K. Fananapazir.
2)
The Prophethood
(Dependent) of Imam Ali is indicated below in Revelation
11:10, one of "the two prophets" (Muhammad, the Independent Prophet; Imam Ali, the Dependent Prophet) who "tormented
them that dwelt on the earth", and whose dispensation lasted 1260 years.
11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall
see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer
their dead bodies to be put in graves.
11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and
make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two
prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
-- Bible: Revelation
"And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see
their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their
dead bodies to be put in graves."
As it was before explained, in the terminology of the Holy Books three
days and a half signify three years and a half, and three years and a
half are forty and two months, and forty and two months twelve hundred
and sixty days; and as each day by the text of the Holy Book signifies
one year, the meaning is that for twelve hundred and sixty years, which
is the cycle of the Qur'án, the nations, tribes and peoples would look
at their bodies--that is to say, that they would make a spectacle of
the Religion of God: though they would not act in accordance with it,
still, they would not suffer their bodies--meaning the Religion of
God--to be put in the grave. That is to say, that in appearance they
would cling to the Religion of God and not allow it to completely
disappear from their midst, nor the body of it to be entirely destroyed
and annihilated. Nay, in reality they would leave it, while outwardly
preserving its name and remembrance.
Those "kindreds, people and nations" signify those who are gathered
under the shadow of the Qur'án, not permitting the Cause and Law of God
to be, in outward appearance, entirely destroyed and annihilated--for
there are prayer and fasting among them -- but the fundamental
principles of the Religion of God, which are morals and conduct, with
the knowledge of divine mysteries, have disappeared; the light of the
virtues of the world of humanity, which is the result of the love and
knowledge of God, is extinguished; and the darkness of tyranny,
oppression, satanic passions and desires has become victorious. The
body of the Law of God, like a corpse, has been exposed to public view
for twelve hundred and sixty days, each day being counted as a year,
and this period is the cycle of Muhammad.
The people forfeited all that these two persons had established, which
was the foundation of the Law of God, and destroyed the virtues of the
world of humanity, which are the divine gifts and the spirit of this
religion, to such a degree that truthfulness, justice, love, union,
purity, sanctity, detachment and all the divine qualities departed from
among them. In the religion only prayers and fasting persisted; this
condition lasted for twelve hundred and sixty years, which is the
duration of the cycle of the Qurán. It was as if these two persons were
dead, and their bodies were remaining without spirit.
"And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make
merry, and shall send gifts to one another, because these two prophets
tormented them that dwelt on the earth." "Those who dwelt upon the
earth" means the other nations and races, such as the peoples of Europe
and distant Asia, who, when they saw that the character of Islám was
entirely changed, the Law of God forsaken-- that virtues, zeal and
honor had departed from among them, and that their qualities were
changed--became happy, and rejoiced that corruption of morals had
infected the people of Islám, and that they would in consequence be
overcome by other nations. So this thing has come to pass. Witness this
people which had attained the summit of power, how degraded and
downtrodden it is now.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 52-54
3)
The passage below also indicates the Prophethood of Imam Ali and his designation as the "branch" (Dependent/Lesser Prophet), based on the Bible, explained by Abdu'l-Bahá.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a
thousand two hundred and three-score days, clothed in sackcloth." These
two witnesses are Muhammad the Messenger of God, and `Alí, son of Abú
Tálib [Imam Ali].
In the Qur'án it is said that God addressed Muhammad, the Messenger of
God, saying: "We made You a Witness, a Herald of good news, and a
Warner"--that is to say, We have established Thee as the witness, the
giver of good tidings, and as One bringing the wrath of God. The
meaning of "a witness" is one by whose testimony things may be
verified. The commands of these two witnesses were to be performed for
twelve hundred and sixty days, each day signifying a year. Now,
Muhammad was the root, and `Alí the branch, like Moses and Joshua.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 48
And narrated Sad that the Prophet [Muhammad] said to 'Ali [Imam Ali], "Will you not be pleased from this that you are to me like Aaron [branch] was to Moses [root]?"
-- Volume 5, Book 57, Number 57: (Hadith, Bukhari Vol 5).
4)
Imam Ali is the Face of God,
i.e. a Prophet (Dependent/Lesser). He was referred to as the "Commander
of the Faithful" as those faithful to the covenant of Muhammad
recognised and followed him.
The Commander of the Faithful (Imám `Alí) hath said: "I am He Who can
neither be named, nor described." And likewise He hath said: "Outwardly
I am an Imám; inwardly I am the Unseen, the Unknowable."
Abú-Ja'far-i-Túsí hath said: "I said to Ábí `Abdi'lláh: `You are the
Way mentioned in the Book of God, and you are the Impost, and you are
the Pilgrimage.' He replied: `O man! We are the Way mentioned in the
Book of God,--exalted and glorified be He--and We are the Impost, and
We are the Fast, and We are the Pilgrimage, and We are the Sacred
Month, and We are the Sacred City, and We are the Kaaba of God, and We
are the Qiblih of God, and We are the Face of God.'"
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 112
5)
The Imams: the "manifestations of the power of God" and "the daysprings of His [God's] commandments".
4:59 O ye who believe! Obey God, and obey the Apostle, and those
charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among
yourselves, refer it to God and His Apostle, if ye do believe in God
and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final
determination.
-- Qur'an: 4 - AN-NISA.
And likewise in the sacred verse: "Obey God and obey the Apostle, and
those among you invested with authority." By "those invested with
authority" is meant primarily and more especially the Imáms -- the
blessings of God rest upon them! They, verily, are the manifestations
of the power of God, and the sources of His authority, and the
repositories of His knowledge, and the daysprings of His commandments.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 90
6)
The Holy Imams are the Proof of God (i.e. Manifestations of God -- Dependent/Lesser Prophets).
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
7)
"Prophethood", "successorship" and "imamat" in reference to the Holy
Imams; who are Manifestations of God (Dependent Prophets of Muhammad):
At this time the breeze of God is wafted and the spirit of God hath
surrounded. The pen is withheld from motion and the tongue hath ceased
utterance. Briefly: In this station the declaration of divinity and the
like have appeared from them, while in the station of messengership
they have declared prophethood. Likewise in every station they have
made a declaration expedient thereto and have attributed all these to
themselves; (declarations) concerning the world of command, the world
of creation, the worlds of divinity, and the worlds of phenomena.
Therefore whatever they may say and claim, including divinity, deity,
prophethood, messengership, successorship, imamat or servitude is true
and without doubt. Consequently these proven statements should be
reflected upon, that no one may be overtaken in the sayings of the
Manifestations of the Invisible and Dawning-places of Holiness.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í scriptures, p. 48
8)
The following passage on the
suffering and martyrdom of different Prophets when viewed from the
"station of pure abstraction and essential unity" of the Manifestations
of God, indicates Imam Husayn was a Prophet (Dependent), the one who was
martyred in Karbila.
XXXIX. Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God, for the wondrous revelations
of Thy inscrutable decree and the manifold woes and trials Thou hast
destined for Myself. At one time Thou didst deliver Me into the hands
of Nimrod [Abraham]; at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod to persecute Me [Moses]..... Again I was crucified for having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy glorious unity [Jesus],
for having revealed to them the wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and
everlasting power. How bitter the humiliations heaped upon Me, in a
subsequent age, on the plain of Kárbilá! [Imam Husayn]
How lonely did I feel amidst Thy people! To what a state of
helplessness I was reduced in that land! Unsatisfied with such
indignities, My persecutors decapitated Me, and, carrying aloft My head
from land to land paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving
multitude, and deposited it on the seats of the perverse and faithless.
In a later age, I was suspended, and My breast was made a target to the
darts of the malicious cruelty of My foes. My limbs were riddled with
bullets, and My body was torn asunder [The Bab].
Finally, behold how, in this Day, My treacherous enemies have leagued
themselves against Me, and are continually plotting to instill the
venom of hate and malice into the souls of Thy servants [Baha'u'llah].
With all their might they are scheming to accomplish their purpose..
Grievous as is My plight, O God, My Well-Beloved, I render thanks unto
Thee, and My Spirit is grateful for whatsoever hath befallen me in the
path of Thy good-pleasure. I am well pleased with that which Thou didst
ordain for Me, and welcome, however calamitous, the pains and sorrows I
am made to suffer.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 88-90
9)
Prophets are pre-existent.
Whomsoever He ordaineth as a Prophet, he, verily, hath been a Prophet
from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will thus remain until
the end that hath no end, inasmuch as this is an act of God. And
whosoever is made a Vicegerent by Him, shall be a Vicegerent in all the
worlds, for this is an act of God. For the will of God can in no wise
be revealed except through His will, nor His wish be manifested save
through His wish. He, verily, is the All-Conquering, the All-Powerful,
the All-Highest."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 155
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in
the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His
saying: "His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath
encompassed them all" hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to
appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human
temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto
the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the
subtleties of His imperishable Essence.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 99
References on the pre-existence of Muhammad and the Holy Imams, also indicating their Prophethood.
The following Tradition is attributed to the Prophet: 'God created 'Ali
and me from one light before the creation of Adam... then He split (the
light) into two halves, then He created (all) things from my light and
'Ali's light.'[5]
The First Imam, 'Ali, is reported to have said: 'God is one; He was
alone in His singleness and so He spoke one word and it became a light
and He created from that light Muhammad and He created me and my
descendants (i.e. the other Imams), then He spoke another word and it
became a Spirit and He caused it to settle upon that light and He
caused it to settle on our bodies. And so we are the Spirit of God and
His Word... and this was before He created the creation.[6]
-- cited in, Introduction to Shi'i Islam, Moojan Momen p. 148-149
O Salman and O Jandab! 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 in two portions and vouchsafed unto creation the Chosen
"Mustapha" Prophet Muhammad and His Vicegerent in Whom He was well
pleased "Murtada". God, exalted be His Glory, said to each half "Be
Muhammad" "Be 'Ali". The Imperative is Kun the letters B and E. It is
thus that the Prophet said: " I am from 'Ali and 'Ali is from Me. None
can give forth my Trust but Myself and 'Ali".
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nuraaniyyat (Recognition with Luminousness). A provisional translation by K. Fananapazir.
I am the First and the Last! I am the External and Manifest and I am
the Internal and Hidden! I am with the Cycle (kawr) before the Cycle
began! I am the Companion of the Dispensation (dawr) before the
Dispensation started! I was with the Pen before the Pen and I am with
the Tablet prior to the Tablet being revealed! I am the Lord of the
First Pre-existence! I am the Lord of Jabulqa and of Jabulsa! I am the
Master of Highest Stage (rafraf) and of Bahram! I am the One Who
organised existence when there was no heaven as you have them now nor
earth as you know it now!
-- Imam Ali, Khutbih-i-Tutunjiyyih (The Sermon of the Twin Gulfs). A provisional translation by K. Fananapazir.
As for the station of the Imams and of the near ones at the threshold
of grandeur, it is that of spiritual honor and glory. Their right is to
the authority of the All-Merciful, and their crown of glory is the dust
of the divine path. Their gleaming scepter is the lights of the bounty
of God. Their royal throne is the seat of hearts, and their exalted and
great crown is in the kingdom of God. They are the monarchs of the
world of spirit and heart, not that of water and clay. They are
sovereigns of the realm of the placeless, not of the graveyards of the
contingent world. No one can usurp or plunder this glorious station or
this pre-existent grandeur.
--`Abdu'l-Bahá's "Treatise on Leadership" (a provisional translation by J. Cole)
Pre-existence of the Bab (Twelfth Imam -- Imam Mihdi) and Bahá'u'lláh.
O congregation of the Bayán, and all who are therein! Recognize ye the
limits imposed upon you, for such a One as the Point of the Bayán
Himself hath believed in Him Whom God shall make manifest, before all
things were created. Therein, verily, do I glory before all who are in
the kingdom of heaven and earth.
-- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 168
10)
Explanation of the "Return" of the Prophets.
It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples
of the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. If
thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all
abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon
the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same
Faith. Such is the unity of those Essences of being, those Luminaries
of infinite and immeasurable splendour. Wherefore, should one of these
Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: "I am the return of all the
Prophets," He verily speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every
subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact,
the truth of which is firmly established. Inasmuch as the return of the
Prophets of God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath been
conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen ones also is
therefore definitely proven. This return is too manifest in itself to
require any evidence or
proof.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 153
Bahá'u'lláh is the Return of Imam Husayn, also indicating Imam Husayn
was a Prophet (Dependent) based on the explanation above on the
concept of "Return".
IX. O Husayn! Consider the eagerness with which certain peoples and
nations have anticipated the return of Imám-Husayn, whose coming, after
the appearance of the Qá'im, hath been prophesied, in days past, by the
chosen ones of God, exalted be His glory. These holy ones have,
moreover, announced that when He Who is the Day Spring of the manifold
grace of God manifesteth Himself, all the Prophets and Messengers,
including the Qá'im, will gather together beneath the shadow of the
sacred Standard which the Promised One will raise. That hour is now
come. The world is illumined with the effulgent glory of His
countenance. And yet, behold how far its peoples have strayed from His
path! None have believed in Him except them who, through the power of
the Lord of Names, have shattered the idols of their vain imaginings
and corrupt desires and entered the city of certitude. The seal of the
choice Wine of His Revelation hath, in this Day and in His Name, the
Self-Sufficing, been broken. Its grace is being poured out upon men.
Fill thy cup, and drink in, in His Name, the Most Holy, the All-Praised.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 12
11)
"Trumpet" symbolises the call or revelation of the prophet. Below
Muhammad fortells the coming of the Bab (first Trumpet) and Bahá'u'lláh
(second Trumpet). Further below Bahá'u'lláh refers to the trumpet-call
of Imam Ali also consistent with Imam Ali being a Prophet
(Dependent).
39:67 No just estimate have they made of God, such as is due to Him: On
the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and
the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is
He above the Partners they attribute to Him!
39:68 The Trumpet will (just) be sounded [appearance of the Bab], when
all that are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it
will please God (to exempt). Then will a second one be sounded
[appearance of Baha'u'llah], when, behold, they will be standing and
looking on!
39:69 And the Earth will shine with the Glory of its Lord [the Day of
God, era of Baha'u'llah]: the Record (of Deeds) will be placed
(open); the prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward and a just decision pronounced between them; and they
will not be wronged (in the least).
39:70 And to every soul will be paid in full (the fruit) of its Deeds; and (God) knoweth best all that they do.
39:71 The Unbelievers will be led to Hell in crowd: until, when they
arrive, there, its gates will be opened. And its keepers will say, "Did
not apostles come to you from among
yourselves, rehearsing to you the Signs of your
Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of This Day of yours?" The answer
will be: "True: but the Decree of Punishment has been proved true
against the Unbelievers!"
-- Qur'an: 39 - AZ-ZUMAR
Below, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the trumpet-call of Imam Ali, also consistent with him being a Prophet, God's Chosen One. The "judgment of death" was pronounced against those who failed to recognise his station..
In like manner, two of the people of Kufih went to Ali, the Commander
of the Faithful. One owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was
to be the purchaser. They had agreed that this transaction should be
effected and the contract be written with the knowledge of Ali. He, the
exponent of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said: "Write thou:
'A dead man hath bought from another dead man a house. That house is
bounded by four limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the other to the
vault of the grave, the third to the Sirat, the fourth to either
Paradise or hell.'" Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the
trumpet-call of Ali, had they risen from the grave of error by the
power of his love, the judgment of death would certainly not have been
pronounced against them.
In every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their
chosen ones hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance
of the terms "life," "resurrection," and "judgment." If one will ponder
but for a while this utterance of Ali in his heart, one will surely
discover all mysteries hidden in the terms "grave," "tomb," "sirat,"
"paradise" and "hell." But oh! how strange and pitiful! Behold, all the
people are imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath
the nethermost depths of worldly desire! Wert thou to attain to but a
dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily
realize that true life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the
spirit. For the life of the flesh is common to both men and animals,
whereas the life of the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart
who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of
certitude. This life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by
immortality. Even as it hath been said: "He who is a true believer
liveth both in this world and in the world to come." If by "life" be
meant this earthly life, it is evident that death must needs overtake
it.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 119
12)
Imam Ali, is "the One who pledged an everlasting covenant with your
spirits on the dawn of creation" and "the Object of the covenant",
consistent with him being a Prophet (Dependent). He is also the
"Cord of God", another symbolic term for a Prophet (Dependent).
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 (a provisional translation by K. Fananapazir).
Full text available at: https://bahai-library.com/imam-ali_khutbat_iftikhar
13)
In the passage below, Imam Ali, is named a Temple,
and 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.
14)
14.1 Imams (II), references to the Holy Imams in the Quran.
14.2 Imams (III), the successorship of the Holy Imams to Muhammad.
14.3 Imams (IV), Prophecies of the Holy Imams on the coming of the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
14.4
Imams (V), doctrines and practices introduced by the Holy Imams in the era of Muhammad.
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