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Chapter 33
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Prophecies of the Holy Imams on the coming of the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh.
1)
The First Imam, Ali, fortells the coming of the Qaim (the Bab):
I shall soon depart from amongst you, but be watchful and aware; be on
your guard against the tests and tribulations caused by the 'Ummayyds
and their worldly powers. And after they shall pass away, the kingdom
will revert to the 'Abbasids[11] who will bring both sorrow and
happiness to mankind. And they shall build a city called Baghdád, which
shall be between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Woe betide men in those
latter days, for amongst them will rise the oppressors among My people,
who shall build palaces for themselves and courts and tabernacles. For
they shall seek supremacy through intrigue and impiety. Two score and
two kings shall rule among the children of the 'Abbasids, after whose
reign shall come to pass the Most Great Tribulation on the surface of
the earth. Then shall the True Qá'im rise up once more. Then shall I
show My Face amongst men, and it shall be as luminous as the face of
the moon amid the other stars. But note well the ten signs associated
with my coming. The first sign shall be the inversion of banners on the
highways of Kúfa[12]; the second, the abeyance of true worship and the
prescribed prayers; the third, the end of true pilgrimage. The fourth
sign shall be an eclipse in the lands of Khorasán[13], the gathering of
constellations and the appearance of comets in the sky. There shall be
chaos and confusion, massacre, pillage and robbery in the world. Many
other signs shall there be too, surpassing all these signs, among which
is the sign of wonderment. But when all these signs have passed away,
then, verily, shall the Qá'im Himself arise in truth.
-- Imam Ali, Khutbat'ul-Iftikhár (The Sermon of Glorification). A provisional translation by K. Fananapazir.
2)
The First Imam, Ali, fortells the coming of the Bahá'u'lláh:
O Jabir! When the Bell shall cry loud, when the stupor of the Nightmare
shall enshroud men, when the Cow shall speak, on that day there shall
happen wondrous, exceedingly wondrous Events, when the Fire shall be
ignited in My sight, when the Banner of the House of 'Uthman shall
appear in the Black Valley, when Basra shall be thrown into confusion
and they shall seek to conquer each other and each party shall seek the
other, when the armies of Khurasan shall begin to move, and when
Shu'ayb the son of Salih of Tamim shall be followed in Taliqan, and
Sa'id of Shusha shall be obeyed in Khuzistan, and the banner shall be
raised up by the Amalekites of the Kurds, and the Arabs shall seek
victory over Armenia and the Slavs, and Heraclitus shall submit to the
patriarchs of Sinan in Constantinople, anticipate ye then the
Revelation of the Speaker of Mount Sinai. This will appear with
manifest signs visible unto all, clearly perspicuous to them.
-- Imam Ali, Khutbih-i-Tutunjiyyih (The Sermon of the Twin Gulfs)
The Commander of the Faithful (Imám `Alí)--peace be upon him--moreover,
saith in the Khutbiy-i-Tutúnjíyyih: "Anticipate ye the Revelation of
Him Who conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush on Sinai." Husayn,
the son of `Alí--peace be upon him--likewise saith: "Will there be
vouchsafed unto anyone besides Thee a Revelation which hath not been
vouchsafed unto Thyself--A Revelation Whose Revealer will be He Who
revealed Thee. Blind be the eye that seeth Thee not!"
Similar sayings from the Imáms--the blessings of God be upon them--have
been recorded and are widely known, and are embodied in books worthy of
credence. Blessed is he that perceiveth, and speaketh the pure truth.
Well is it with him who, aided by the living waters of the utterance of
Him Who is the Desire of all men, hath purified himself from idle
fancies and vain imaginings, and torn away, in the name of the
All-Possessing, the Most High, the veils of doubt, and renounced the
world and all that is therein, and directed himself towards the Most
Great Prison.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 42
Say, this is the Day when the Speaker on Sinai hath mounted the throne
of Revelation and the people have stood before the Lord of the worlds.
This is the Day wherein the earth hath told out her tidings and hath
laid bare her treasures; when the oceans have brought forth their
pearls and the divine Lote-Tree its fruit; when the Sun hath shed its
radiance and the Moons have diffused their lights, and the Heavens have
revealed their stars, and the Hour its signs, and the Resurrection its
dreadful majesty;
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 107
3)
Bahá'u'lláh -- the Return of Imam Husayn:
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
4)
The Sixth Imam, Jafar as-Sadiq, fortells the coming of the Qaim (the Mahdi, The 12th Imam) -- the Bab:
It is evident unto thee that the Birds of Heaven and Doves of Eternity
speak a twofold language. One language, the outward language, is devoid
of allusions, is unconcealed and unveiled; that it may be a guiding
lamp and a beaconing light whereby wayfarers may attain the heights of
holiness, and seekers may advance into the realm of eternal reunion.
Such are the unveiled traditions and the evident verses already
mentioned. The other language is veiled and concealed, so that whatever
lieth hidden in the heart of the malevolent may be made manifest and
their innermost being be disclosed. Thus hath Sádiq, son of Muhammad,
spoken: "God verily will test them and sift them." This is the divine
standard, this is the Touchstone of God, wherewith He proveth His
servants. None apprehendeth the meaning of these utterances except them
whose hearts are assured, whose souls have found favour with God, and
whose minds are detached from all else but Him. In such utterances, the
literal meaning, as generally understood by the people, is not what
hath been intended. Thus it is recorded: "Every knowledge hath seventy
meanings, of which one only is known amongst the people. And when the
Qá'im shall arise, He shall reveal unto men all that which remaineth."
He also saith: "We speak one word, and by it we intend one and seventy
meanings; each one of these meanings we can explain."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 255
The Imám Sádiq hath said: "When our Qá'im will arise, the earth will shine with the light of her Lord."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 112
5)
The Bab refers to a prophecy of the Fifth Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir:
I swear by the truth of God! Wert thou to know that which I know, thou
wouldst forgo the sovereignty of this world and of the next, that thou
mightest attain My good-pleasure, through thine obedience unto the True
One... Wert thou to refuse, the Lord of the world would raise up one
who would exalt His Cause, and the Command of God would, verily, be
carried into effect.
Through the grace of God nothing can frustrate My purpose, and I am
fully conscious of that which God hath bestowed upon Me as a token of
His favour. If it were My will, I would disclose to Your Majesty all
things; but I have not done this, nor will I do it, that the Truth may
be distinguished from aught else beside it, and this prophecy uttered
by the Imám Báqir--may peace rest upon Him -- be fully realized: `What
must needs befall us in Ádhirbayján is inevitable and without parallel.
When this happeneth, rest ye in your homes and remain patient as we
have remained patient. As soon as the Mover moveth make ye haste to
attain unto Him, even though ye have to crawl over the snow.'
-- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 16
Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí, Shaykh Ahmad's disciple and successor, had
likewise written: "The Qá'im must needs be put to death. After He has
been slain the world will have attained the age of eighteen."
-- Taken from God Passes By, p. 97
O ye peoples of the earth! During the time of My absence I sent down
the Gates unto you. However the believers, except for a handful, obeyed
them not. Formerly I sent forth unto you Ahmad and more recently Kázim,
but apart from the pure in heart amongst you no one followed them. What
hath befallen you, O people of the Book? Will ye not fear the One true
God, He Who is your Lord, the Ancient of Days?... O ye who profess
belief in God! I adjure you by Him Who is the Eternal Truth, have ye
discerned among the precepts of these Gates anything inconsistent with
the commandments of God as set forth in this Book? Hath your learning
deluded you by reason of your impiety? Take ye heed then, for verily
your God, the Lord of Eternal Truth, is with you and in very truth is
watchful over you... Chapter XXVII.
-- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 51-52
6)
Traditions in Islam on the coming of the Bab referred to by Bahá'u'lláh.
Abú-`Abdi'lláh, questioned concerning the character of the Mihdí,
answered saying: "He will perform that which Muhammad, the Messenger of
God, hath performed, and will demolish whatever hath been before Him
even as the Messenger of God hath demolished the ways of those that
preceded Him."...
In the "Aválím," an authoritative and well-known book, it is recorded:
"A Youth from Baní-Háshim shall be made manifest, Who will reveal a new
Book and promulgate a new law;" then follow these words: "Most of His
enemies will be the divines."...
In another passage, it is related of Sádiq, son of Muhammad, that he
spoke the following: "There shall appear a Youth from Baní-Háshim, Who
will bid the people plight fealty unto Him. His Book will be a new
Book, unto which He shall summon the people to pledge their faith.
Stern is His Revelation unto the Arab. If ye hear about Him, hasten
unto Him." How well have they followed the directions of the Imáms of
the Faith and Lamps of certitude! Although it is clearly stated: "Were
ye to hear that a Youth from Baní-Háshim hath appeared, summoning the
people unto a new and Divine Book, and to new and Divine laws, hasten
unto Him," yet have they all declared that Lord of being an infidel,
and pronounced Him a heretic....
And now, consider this other tradition, and observe how all these
things have been foretold. In "Arbá'in" it is recorded: "Out of
Baní-Háshim there shall come forth a Youth Who shall reveal new laws.
He shall summon the people unto Him, but none will heed His call. Most
of His enemies will be the divines. His bidding they will not obey, but
will protest saying: `This is contrary to that which hath been handed
down unto us by the Imáms of the Faith.'" In this day, all are
repeating these very same words, utterly unaware that He is established
upon the throne of "He doeth whatsoever He willeth," and abideth upon
the seat of "He ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 240-243
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