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Chapter 41
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The Manifestations of God -- Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets.
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 were
Dependent 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 [Imam 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
I shall restate here My theme, that perchance this may assist thee in
recognizing thy Creator. Know thou that God - exalted and glorified be
He - doth in no wise manifest His inmost Essence and Reality. From time
immemorial He hath been veiled in the eternity of His Essence and
concealed in the infinitude of His own Being. And when He purposed to
manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory in
the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the invisible plane to the visible, that His name "the Manifest" might be distinguished from "the Hidden" and
His name "the Last" might be discerned from "the First", and that there
may be fulfilled the words: "He is the First and the Last; the
Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth all things!" Thus hath He revealed
these most excellent names and most exalted words in the Manifestations of His Self and the Mirrors of His Being.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 33
2)
His chosen Ones (the Independent Prophets and the Dependent/Lesser Prophets) are Manifestations of God, are the Face of God.
Consider the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all times,
yearningly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the
sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they expected His
coming, how frequently have they prayed that the breeze of divine mercy
might blow, and the promised Beauty step forth from behind the veil of
concealment, and be made manifest to all the world. And whensoever the
portals of grace did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did rain
upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen did shine above the horizon
of celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned away from His face
-- the face of God Himself. Refer ye, to verify this truth, to that
which hath been recorded in every sacred Book.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 4
3)
In the following passage, David,
a Dependent/Lesser Prophet in the era of Moses, is named as one of
the Manifestations of God. Jesus is also named as a Manifestation of God
(an Independent Prophet).
None of the many Prophets sent down, since Moses was made manifest, as
Messengers of the Word of God, such as David, Jesus, and others among
the more exalted Manifestations who have appeared during the
intervening period between the Revelations of Moses and Muhammad, ever
altered the law of the Qiblih. These Messengers of the Lord of creation
have, one and all, directed their peoples to turn unto the same
direction.
--Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 51
4)
All Prophets (i.e. both
Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets) are Manifestations of God,
and are seated on the same throne. In the next passage, Bahá'u'lláh
(the Ancient Beauty) states that he rules on the throne of David, as
both Baha'u'llah and David are Manifestations of God.
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
The Most Great Law is come, and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David. Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of
bygone ages have related.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 89
5)
In the following passage, Imam
Ali, the first Dependent Prophet in the era of Muhammad,
states, "We are the Face of God", as the Holy Imams are Manifestations
of God.
The Commander of the Faithful (Imam Ali) hath said: "I am He Who can
neither be named, nor described." And likewise He hath said: "Outwardly
I am an Imam; inwardly I am the Unseen, the Unknowable."
Abu-Ja'far-i-Tusi hath said: "I said to Abi Abdi'llah: '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.'"
-- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 112
6)
In the following passage, "Moon"
(a symbolic term used to refer to a Dependent Prophet), is
named as a Manifestation of God. In the era of Muhammad, the Holy Imams were Moons.
Amongst the proofs demonstrating the truth of this Revelation is this, that in every age and Dispensation, whenever the invisible Essence was revealed in the person of His Manifestation, certain souls, obscure and detached from all worldly entanglements, would seek illumination from the Sun of Prophethood and Moon of divine guidance, and would attain unto the divine Presence.
For this reason, the divines of the age and those possessed of wealth,
would scorn and scoff at these people. Even as He hath revealed
concerning them that erred: "Then said the chiefs of His people who
believed not, 'We see in Thee but a man like ourselves; and we see not
any who have followed Thee except our meanest ones of hasty judgment,
nor see we any excellence in you above ourselves: nay, we deem you
liars.'"[1] They caviled at those holy Manifestations,
and protested saying: "None hath followed you except the abject amongst
us, those who are worthy of no attention." Their aim was to show that
no one amongst the learned, the wealthy, and the renowned believed in
them. By this and similar proofs they sought to demonstrate the falsity
of Him that speaketh naught but the truth.
[1 Qur'án 11:27.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 221
Assist Thou Thy servants, O my Lord, to recognize Thy unity and to declare Thy oneness, that all may gather together around what Thou didst desire in this Day whereon the sun of Thine essence [Baha'u'llah] hath shone forth above the horizon of Thy will, and the moon of Thine own being [Abdu'l-Baha]
hath risen from the Day-Spring of Thy behest. Thou art He, O my Lord,
from Whose knowledge nothing whatsoever escapeth, and Whom no one can
frustrate. Thou doest Thy pleasure, by Thy sovereignty that
overshadoweth the worlds.
-- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 57
7)
In the following passage,
Bahá'u'lláh is named as one of the Manifestations (Independent
Prophets) that "possess some perfections which make the other
Manifestations dependent upon Them" -- that is, Bahá'u'lláh has
Dependent/Lesser Prophets who are also Manifestations of God -- the same way
Muhammad had Dependent/Lesser Prophets (the Holy Imams) who were also
Manifestations of God.
Know that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of the divine
bounties, and the lights of inspiration are visible and evident in all
the Holy Manifestations; but the glorious Word of God, Christ, and the
Greatest Name, Bahá'u'lláh, are manifestations and evidences which are
beyond imagination, for They possess all the perfections of the former
Manifestations; and more than that, They possess some perfections which
make the other Manifestations dependent upon Them. So all the Prophets
of Israel were centers of inspiration; Christ also was a receiver of
inspiration, but what a difference between the inspiration of the Word
of God and the revelations of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah!
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 149-150
8)
In the following passage, húrís
(Maidens) of inner meaning, is a symbolic reference to the Dependent
Prophets of Baha'u'llah (more details in section #8 of Chapter 3). The Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah are
also referred to as "countenances which are hid within the chambers of
chastity" and "manifestations of Thy Divine holiness" in the next
passage, as they are Manifestations of God.
We have digressed from the purpose of Our argument, although whatsoever
is mentioned serveth only to confirm Our purpose. By God! however great
Our desire to be brief, yet We feel We cannot restrain Our pen.
Notwithstanding all that We have mentioned, how innumerable are the
pearls which have remained unpierced in the shell of Our heart! How
many the húrís [Maidens] of inner meaning that are as yet
concealed within the chambers of divine wisdom! None hath yet
approached them;--húrís, "whom no man nor spirit hath touched before."
Notwithstanding all that hath been said, it seemeth as if not one
letter of Our purpose hath been uttered, nor a single sign divulged
concerning Our object. When will a faithful seeker be found who will
don the garb of pilgrimage, attain the Ka'bih of the heart's desire,
and, without ear or tongue, discover the mysteries of divine utterance?
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 70
Lauded be Thy name, O Thou Who art the Goal of my desire! I swear by
Thy glory! How great is my wish to attain unto a detachment so complete
that were there to appear before me those countenances which are hid
within the chambers of chastity, and the beauty of which Thou didst
veil from the eyes of the entire creation, and whose faces Thou didst
sanctify from the sight of all beings, and were they to unveil
themselves in all the glory of the splendors of Thine incomparable
beauty, I would refuse to look upon them, and would behold them solely
for the purpose of discerning the mysteries of Thy handiwork, which
have perplexed the minds of such as have drawn nigh unto Thee, and awed
the souls of all them that have recognized Thee. I would, by Thy power
and Thy might, soar to such heights that nothing whatsoever would have
the power to keep me back from the manifold evidences of Thy
transcendent dominion, nor would any earthly scheme shut me out from
the manifestations of Thy Divine holiness.
-- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 338
9)
Muhammad, an Independent Prophet, is a Manifestation of God.
Know then that when Muhammad, the Point of the Qur'án and the Light of
the All-Glorious, came with perspicuous verses and luminous proofs
manifested in such signs as are beyond the power of all existence to
produce, He bade all men follow this lofty and outstretched Path in
accordance with the precepts that He had brought from God. Whoso
acknowledged Him, recognized the signs of God in His inmost Being, and
saw in His beauty the changeless beauty of God, the decree of
"resurrection", "ingathering", "life", and "paradise" was passed upon
him. For he who had believed in God and in the Manifestation of His
beauty was raised from the grave of heedlessness, gathered together in
the sacred ground of the heart, quickened to the life of faith and
certitude, and admitted into the paradise of the divine presence. What
paradise can be loftier than this, what ingathering mightier, and what
resurrection greater? Indeed, should a soul be acquainted with these
mysteries, he would grasp that which none other hath fathomed.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 43
10)
The following passage about the
suffering and martyrdom of different Prophets when viewed from the
"station of pure abstraction and essential unity" of the Manifestations
of God (explained in passage #1 above), indicates Imam Husayn was a Manifestation of God (the third
Dependent Prophet in the era of Muhammad), 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
11)
In the following passage, Imam
Ali, the first Dependent Prophet in the era of Muhammad states, "In truth My recognition in luminousness is the recognition of
God", as he is a Manifestation of God. He also states, "Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all" which Baha'u'llah cites in the Kitab-i-Iqan (passage #1 above) when explaining the "station of pure abstraction and essential unity" of the Manifestations
of God, which includes the Holy Imams.
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.
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nuraaniyyat (Recognition with Luminousness) -- translation by K. Fananapazir.
12)
In the following passage, imamat
(the Holy Imams) are named as Manifestations of God.
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
13)
In the passage below, Imam Ali,
the first Dependent Prophet of Muhammad, 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 Muhammad, as his successors. "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.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih-i-Sabr (Lawh-i-Ayyúb), Surih of Patience or Tablet of Job -- (translation by K. Fananapazir)
2:208. 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.
2:209. If ye backslide after the clear (signs) have come to you, then know that Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.
2:210. 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).
2:211. 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.
2:212. 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)
The Bab (the Qá'im), an Independent Prophet, is named as a Manifestation of God. Also, it is stated, "the attribute of sovereignty and
all other names and attributes of God have been and will ever be
vouchsafed unto all the Manifestations of God".
And now, to resume Our argument concerning the question: Why is it that
the sovereignty of the Qá'im, affirmed in the text of recorded
traditions, and handed down by the shining stars of the Muhammadan
Dispensation [the Holy Imams], hath not in the least been made manifest? Nay, the
contrary hath come to pass. Have not His disciples and companions been
afflicted of men? Are they not still the victims of the fierce
opposition of their enemies? Are they not today leading the life of
abased and impotent mortals? Yea, the sovereignty attributed to the
Qá'im and spoken of in the scriptures, is a reality, the truth of which
none can doubt. This sovereignty, however, is not the sovereignty which
the minds of men have falsely imagined. Moreover, the Prophets of old,
each and every one, whenever announcing to the people of their day the
advent of the coming Revelation, have invariably and specifically
referred to that sovereignty with which the promised Manifestation must
needs be invested. This is attested by the records of the scriptures of
the past. This sovereignty hath not been solely and exclusively
attributed to the Qá'im. Nay rather, the attribute of sovereignty and
all other names and attributes of God have been and will ever be
vouchsafed unto all the Manifestations of God, before and after Him,
inasmuch as these Manifestations, as it hath already been explained,
are the Embodiments of the attributes of God, the Invisible, and the
Revealers of the divine mysteries.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 105
15)
It has been decreed by God that none may be compared to or likened to the Manifestations of God, who are the Face of God on earth. Following are additional references on the Manifestations of God.
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.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 69
Thy unity is inscrutable, O my God, to all except them that have
recognized Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy singleness and the
Day-Spring of Thy oneness. Whoso assigneth a rival unto Him hath
assigned a rival unto Thee, and whoso hath set up a peer for Him hath
set up a peer for Thyself. No, no, none can withstand Thee in the whole
of creation. Thou hast everlastingly been exalted far above all
comparison and likeness. Thy oneness hath been demonstrated by the
oneness of Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation. Whosoever
denieth this, hath denied Thy unity, and disputed with Thee about Thy
sovereignty, and contended with Thee in Thy realm, and repudiated Thy
commandments.
Assist Thou Thy servants, O my Lord, to recognize Thy unity and to
declare Thy oneness, that all may gather together around what Thou
didst desire in this Day whereon the sun of Thine essence hath shone forth above the horizon of Thy will, and the moon
of Thine own being hath risen from the Day-Spring of Thy behest. Thou
art He, O my Lord, from Whose knowledge nothing whatsoever escapeth,
and Whom no one can frustrate. Thou doest Thy pleasure, by Thy
sovereignty that overshadoweth the worlds.
-- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 57
And of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished and the
most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. Nay, all
else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation of their Will,
and move and have their being through the outpourings of their grace.
"But for Thee, I would have not created the heavens." Nay, all in their
holy presence fade into utter nothingness, and are a thing forgotten.
Human tongue can never befittingly sing their praise, and human speech
can never unfold their mystery. These Tabernacles of holiness, these
primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but
expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the
revelation of these gems of divine virtue all the names and attributes
of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy
and wisdom, glory, bounty and grace, are made manifest.
These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed
specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all the
Prophets of God, His well-favoured, His holy, and
chosen Messengers, are, without exception, the bearers of His
names, and the embodiments of His attributes. They only differ in the
intensity of their revelation, and the comparative potency of their
light. Even as He hath revealed: "Some of the Apostles We have caused
to excel the others."[1] It hath therefore become manifest and evident
that within the tabernacles of these Prophets and chosen Ones of God
the light of His infinite names and exalted attributes hath been
reflected, even though the light of some of these attributes may or may
not be outwardly revealed from these luminous Temples to the eyes of
men. That a certain attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested
by these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they Who are
the Daysprings of God's attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names
did not actually possess it. Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these
beauteous Countenances have, each and every one of them, been endowed
with all the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and the
like, even though to outward seeming they be shorn of all earthly
majesty. To every discerning eye this is evident and manifest; it
requireth neither proof nor evidence.
[1 Qur'án 2:253.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 102
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. These sanctified
Mirrors, these Day-springs of ancient glory are one and all the
Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its
Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and
power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their
countenance
is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a
sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of divine
knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is
transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed
the light that can never fade. Even as He hath said: "There is no
distinction whatsoever between Thee and them; except that they are Thy
servants, and are created of Thee." This is the significance of the
tradition: "I am He, Himself, and He is I, myself."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 99
XXI. O Salmán! 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
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.
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Glorification. Translation by K. Fananapazir.
Full text available at: https://bahai-library.com/imam-ali_khutbat_iftikhar
The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose task is to
foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through the
spirit of oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To
none is given the right to question their words or disparage their
conduct, for they are the only ones who can claim to have understood
the patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ailments. No man,
however acute his perception, can ever hope to reach the heights which
the wisdom and understanding of the Divine Physician have attained.
Little wonder, then, if the treatment prescribed by the physician in
this day should not be found to be identical with that which he
prescribed before. How could it be otherwise when the ills affecting
the sufferer necessitate at every stage of his sickness a special
remedy? In like manner, every time the Prophets of God have illumined
the world with the resplendent radiance of the Day Star of Divine
knowledge, they have invariably summoned its peoples to embrace the
light of God through such means as best befitted the exigencies of the
age in which they appeared. They were thus able to scatter the darkness
of ignorance, and to shed upon the world the glory of their own
knowledge. It is towards the inmost essence of these Prophets,
therefore, that the eye of every man of discernment must be directed,
inasmuch as their one and only purpose hath always been to guide the
erring, and give peace to the afflicted.... These are not days of
prosperity and triumph. The whole of mankind is in the grip of manifold
ills. Strive, therefore, to save its life through the wholesome
medicine which the almighty hand of the unerring Physician hath
prepared.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 80
Say: Fear ye God, then observe equity in your judgement of this Great
Announcement before which, as soon as it shone forth, every momentous
announcement bowed low in adoration. Say: O concourse of the foolish!
If ye reject Him, by what evidence can ye prove your allegiance to the
former Messengers of God or vindicate your belief in that which He hath
sent down from His mighty and exalted Kingdom? What benefit do your
possessions bestow upon you? What protection can your treasures afford
you? None, I swear by the Spirit of God that pervadeth all that are in
the heavens and on the earth. Cast away that which ye have put together
with the hands of idle fancy and vain imaginings and take fast hold of
the Book of God which hath been sent down by virtue of His
all-compelling and inviolable authority.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 248
1.67
O Inmost Heart of this Temple [the Maid of Heaven, Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet]! We have made thee the dawning-place of Our knowledge and the dayspring
of Our wisdom unto all who are in heaven and on earth. From thee have
We caused all sciences to appear, and unto thee shall We cause them to
return. And from thee shall We bring them forth a second time. Such,
indeed, is Our promise, and potent are We to effect Our purpose.
Erelong shall We bring into being through thee exponents of new and
wondrous sciences, of potent and effective crafts, and shall make
manifest through them that which the heart of none of Our servants hath
yet conceived. Thus do We bestow upon whom We will whatsoever We
desire, and thus do We withdraw from whom We will what We had once
bestowed. Even so do We ordain whatsoever We please through Our behest.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 35
1.85
Say: O ye manifestations [believers] 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!
1.86
How numerous those who expend all their wealth in the path of God, and
whom We find, at the hour of His Revelation, to be of the rebellious
and the froward! How many those who keep the fast in the daytime, only
to protest against the One by Whose very command the ordinance of the
fast was first established! Such men are, in truth, of the ignorant.
And how many those who subsist on the coarsest bread, who take for
their only seat the grass of the field, and who undergo every manner of
hardship, merely to maintain their superiority in the eyes of men! Thus
do We expose their deeds, that this may serve as a warning unto others.
These are the ones who subject themselves to all manner of austerities
before the gaze of others in the hope of perpetuating their names,
whilst in reality no mention shall remain of them save in the curses
and imprecations of the dwellers of earth and heaven.
-- 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
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]
-- 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
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.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 49
16)
Commentary by Abdu'l-Baha on reproach apparently directed at the Prophets/Manifestations.
Observe: the people of Israel rebelled, but apparently the reproach was
for Moses and Aaron. As it is said in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter
3, verse 26: "But the Lord was wroth with Me for your sakes, and would
not hear Me: and the Lord said unto Me, Let it suffice Thee; speak no
more unto Me of this matter."
Now this discourse and reproach really refer to the children of Israel,
who, for having rebelled against the command of God, were held captive
a long time in the Arid desert, on the other side of Jordan, until the
time of Joshua -- upon him be salutations. This address and reproach
appeared to be for Moses and Aaron, but in reality they were for the
people of Israel.
In the same way in the Qur'án it is said to Muhammad: "We have granted
Thee a manifest victory, so that God may forgive Thee Thy preceding and
subsequent sin."[1] This address, although apparently directed to
Muhammad, was in reality for all the people. This mode
of address, as before said, was used by the perfect wisdom of God, so
that the hearts of the people might not be troubled, anxious and
tormented.
[1 Cf. Qur'án 48:1-2.]
How often the Prophets of God and His supreme Manifestations in Their
prayers confess Their sins and faults! This is only to teach other men,
to encourage and incite them to humility and meekness, and to induce
them to confess their sins and faults. For these Holy Souls are pure
from every sin and sanctified from faults. In the Gospel it is said
that a man came to Christ and called Him "Good Master." Christ
answered, "Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that
is, God."[1] This did not mean -- God forbid! -- that Christ was a
sinner; but the intention was to teach submission, humility, meekness
and modesty to the man to whom He spoke. These Holy Beings are lights,
and light does not unite itself with darkness. They are life, and life
and death are not confounded. They are for guidance, and guidance and
error cannot be together. They are the essence of obedience, and
obedience cannot exist with rebellion.
[1 Matt. 19:16, 17.]
To conclude, the addresses in the form of reproach which are in the
Holy Books, though apparently directed to the Prophets -- that is to
say, to the Manifestations of God -- in reality are intended for the
people. This will become evident and clear to you when you have
diligently examined the Holy Books.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 169
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