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Chapter 77
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Qualities needed to understanding the Holy Writings and their hidden meanings.
1)
The understanding of His words and the comprehension of the utterances
of the Birds of Heaven are in no wise dependent upon human learning.
They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom
of spirit. This is evidenced by those who, today, though without a
single letter of the accepted standards of learning, are occupying the
loftiest seats of knowledge; and the garden of their hearts is adorned,
through the showers of divine grace, with the roses of wisdom and the
tulips of understanding. Well is it with the sincere in heart for their
share of the light of a mighty Day!
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 211
2)
Meditate upon that which hath streamed forth from the heaven of the
Will of thy Lord, He Who is the Source of all grace, that thou mayest
grasp the intended meaning which is enshrined in the sacred depths of
the Holy Writings.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 143
3)
AT the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest
everyone should be well trained in the teachings of the Bayan, so that
none of the followers may outwardly cling to the Bayan and thus forfeit
their allegiance unto Him. If anyone does so, the verdict of
'disbeliever in God' shall be passed upon him.
--The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 85
4)
The heart must needs therefore be cleansed from the idle sayings of
men, and sanctified from every earthly affection, so that it may
discover the hidden meaning of divine inspiration, and become the
treasury of the mysteries of divine knowledge. Thus hath it been said:
"He that treadeth the snow-white Path, and followeth in the footsteps
of the Crimson Pillar, shall never attain unto his abode unless his
hands are empty of those worldly things cherished by men." This is the
prime requisite of whosoever treadeth this path. Ponder thereon, that,
with eyes unveiled, thou mayest perceive the truth of these words.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 70
5)
The third Taraz concerneth good character. A good character is, verily,
the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of
His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth
the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it
is accounted as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the
world must needs depend upon it. A goodly character is a means whereby
men are guided to the Straight Path and are led to the Great
Announcement. Well is it with him who is adorned with the saintly
attributes and character of the Concourse on High.
It beseemeth you to fix your gaze under all conditions upon justice and
fairness. In The Hidden Words this exalted utterance hath been revealed
from Our Most August Pen:
'O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is
Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it
not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine
own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine
own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder
this in thy heart; how it behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My
gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before
thine eyes.'
They that are just and fair-minded in their judgement occupy a sublime
station and hold an exalted rank. The light of piety and uprightness
shineth resplendent from these souls. We earnestly hope that the
peoples and countries of the world may not be deprived of the
splendours of these two luminaries.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 36
6)
Twelve hundred and eighty years have passed since the dawn of the
Muhammadan Dispensation, and with every break of day, these blind and
ignoble people have recited their Qur'án, and yet have failed to grasp
one letter of that Book! Again and again they read those verses which
clearly testify to the reality of these holy themes, and bear witness
to the truth of the Manifestations of eternal Glory, and still
apprehend not their purpose. They have even failed to realize, all this
time, that, in every age, the
reading of the scriptures and holy books is for no other purpose except
to enable the reader to apprehend their meaning and unravel their
innermost mysteries. Otherwise reading, without understanding, is of no
abiding profit unto man.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 172
7)
The attainment of the most great guidance is dependent upon knowledge
and wisdom, and on being informed as to the mysteries of the Holy
Words. Wherefore must the loved ones of God, be they young or old, be
they men or women, each one according to his capabilities, strive to
acquire the various branches of knowledge, and to increase his
understanding of the mysteries of the Holy Books, and his skill in
marshalling the divine proofs and evidences.
-- Compilation, Bahá'í Education, Abdu'l-Bahá
8)
O servant! Warn thou the servants of God not to reject that which they
do not comprehend. Say, implore God to open to your hearts the portals
of true understanding that ye may be apprised of that of which no one
is apprised. Verily, He is the Giver, the Forgiving, the Compassionate.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 188
9)
This sign of the revelation of the Divine Being in them that have
joined partners with Him may, in a sense, be regarded as a reflection
of the glory with which the faithful are illumined. None, however, can
comprehend this truth save men endued with understanding. They that
have truly recognized the Unity of God should be regarded as the
primary manifestations of this Name. It is they who have quaffed the
wine of Divine Unity from the cup which the hand of God hath proffered
unto them, and who have turned their faces towards Him. How vast the
distance that separateth these sanctified beings from those men that
are so far away from God!...
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 191
10)
Blessed is the one who discovereth the fragrance of inner meanings from
the traces of this Pen through whose movement the breezes of God are
wafted over the entire creation, and through whose stillness the very
essence of tranquillity appeareth in the realm of being. Glorified be
the All-Merciful, the Revealer of so inestimable a bounty. Say: Because
He bore injustice, justice hath appeared on earth, and because He
accepted abasement, the majesty of God hath shone forth amidst mankind.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 76
11)
Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its
secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its
depths. Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination to
embrace the truth of this Cause--a Cause through which the
potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His
sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto
Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal
in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath
refused to seek it--verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of
His creatures.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 118
12)
These are effectual and sufficient proofs that the conscience of man is
sacred and to be respected; and that liberty thereof produces widening
of ideas, amendment of morals, improvement of conduct, disclosure of
the secrets of creation, and manifestation of the hidden verities of
the contingent world. Moreover, if interrogation of conscience, which
is one of the private possessions of the heart and the soul, take place
in this world, what further recompense remains for man in the court of
divine justice at the day of general resurrection?
Convictions and ideas are within the scope of the comprehension of the
King of kings, not of kings; and soul and conscience are between the
fingers of control of the Lord of hearts, not of [His] servants. So in
the world of existence two persons unanimous in all grades [of thought]
and all beliefs cannot be found.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 91
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