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Chapter 65
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Stars - a symbolic term used to refer to Prophets (both Independent and Dependent).
1)
The Manifestations of God, the Day Stars of His divine guidance:
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
2)
'... the terms "sun," "moon," and "stars" primarily signify the Prophets of God, the saints, and their companions...'
The term "suns" hath many a time been applied in the writings of the
"immaculate Souls" unto the Prophets of God, those luminous Emblems of
Detachment. Among those writings are the following words recorded in
the "Prayer of Nudbih":[1] "Whither are gone the resplendent Suns?
Whereunto have departed those shining Moons and sparkling Stars?" Thus,
it hath become evident that the terms "sun," "moon," and "stars"
primarily signify the Prophets of God, the saints, and their
companions, those Luminaries, the light of Whose knowledge hath shed
illumination upon the worlds of the visible and the invisible.
[1 "Lamentation" attributed to the Twelfth Imam.]
In another sense, by these terms is intended the divines of the former
Dispensation, who live in the days of the subsequent Revelations, and
who hold the reins of religion in their grasp. If these divines be
illumined by the light of the latter Revelation they will be acceptable
unto God, and will shine with a light everlasting. Otherwise, they will
be declared as darkened, even though to outward seeming they be leaders
of men, inasmuch as belief and unbelief, guidance and error, felicity
and misery, light and darkness, are all dependent upon the sanction of
Him Who is the Day-star of Truth. Whosoever among the divines of every
age receiveth, in the Day of Reckoning, the testimony of faith from the
Source of true knowledge, he verily becometh the recipient of learning,
of divine favour, and of the light of true understanding. Otherwise, he
is branded as guilty of folly, denial, blasphemy, and oppression.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 35
3)
My chosen servants [chosen
ones], the Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah, who are also "stars of
the heaven of My loving providence and the lamps of My guidance unto
all mankind".
Assist ye, O My people, My chosen servants who have arisen to make
mention of Me among My creatures and to exalt My Word throughout My
realm. These, truly, are the stars of the heaven of My loving
providence and the lamps of My guidance unto all mankind. But he whose
words conflict with that which hath been sent down in My Holy Tablets
is not of Me. Beware lest ye follow any impious pretender. These
Tablets are embellished with the seal of Him Who causeth the dawn to
appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the heavens and the earth. Lay
hold on this Sure Handle and on the Cord of My mighty and unassailable
Cause.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 61
4)
"The shining stars of the Muhammadan Dispensation" -- the Holy Imams, Dependent Prophets of Muhammad.
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, 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
5)
"These twelve stars are the twelve Imáms, who were the promoters of the Law of Muhammad.."
12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with
the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars:
-- Bible: Revelation
The Law of God is also compared to an adorned bride who appears with
most beautiful ornaments, as it has been said in chapter 21 of the
Revelation of St. John: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband." And in chapter 12, verse 1, it is said: "And there appeared a
great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." This woman
is that bride, the Law of God that descended upon Muhammad. The sun
with which she was clothed, and the moon which was under her feet, are
the two nations which are under the shadow of that Law, the Persian and
Ottoman kingdoms; for the emblem of Persia is the sun, and that of the
Ottoman Empire is the crescent moon. Thus the sun and moon are the
emblems of two kingdoms which are under the power of the Law of God.
Afterward it is said: "upon her head is a crown of twelve stars." These
twelve stars are the twelve Imáms, who were the promoters of the Law of
Muhammad and the educators of the people, shining like stars in the
heaven of guidance.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 68
6)
"those stars of the heaven of Divine Unity, the Holy Imáms" -- Dependent Prophets of Muhammad.
If we ponder a while over the Qur'ánic verses and proofs, and the
traditional accounts which have come down to us from those stars of the
heaven of Divine Unity, the Holy Imáms, 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.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 55
7)
"luminous and sparkling stars"
that "derived their grace and brilliance from the bounties of the Abha
Realm" refers to Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah, whose receive their
revelation from Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet.
19. Praise be to Him through Whose splendours the earth and the heavens
are aglow, through Whose fragrant breathings the gardens of holiness
that adorn the hearts of the chosen are trembling for joy, to Him Who
hath shed His light and brightened the face of the firmament. Verily
there appeared luminous and sparkling stars, glittering, shining out,
and casting forth their rays upon the supreme horizon. They derived
their grace and brilliance from the bounties of the Abha Realm, then,
stars of guidance, they poured down their lights upon this earth.
Praise be to Him Who hath fashioned this new era, this age of majesty,
even as an unfolding pageant where the realities of all things can be
exposed to view. Now are clouds of bounty raining down and the gifts of
the loving Lord are clearly manifest; for both the seen and the unseen
worlds have been illumined, and the Promised One hath come to earth and
the beauty of the Adored One hath shone forth.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 38
8)
Day Star of the Bayan, the Bab, an Independent Prophet.
Ages rolled away, until they attained their consummation in this, the
Lord of days, the Day whereon the Day Star of the Bayan manifested
itself above the horizon of mercy, the Day in which the Beauty of the
All-Glorious shone forth in the exalted person of Ali-Muhammad, the
Báb. No sooner did He reveal Himself, than all the people rose up
against Him. By some He was denounced as one that hath uttered slanders
against God, the Almighty, the Ancient of Days. Others regarded Him as
a man smitten with madness, an allegation which I, Myself, have heard
from the lips of one of the divines. Still others disputed His claim to
be the Mouthpiece of God, and stigmatized Him as one who had stolen and
used as his the words of the Almighty, who had perverted their meaning,
and mingled them with his own. The Eye of Grandeur weepeth sore for the
things which their mouths have uttered, while they continue to rejoice
upon their seats.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 145
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