LXXXIV.
Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and
immeasurably
exalted above, all created things. The whole universe
reflecteth
His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth
His
creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine
unity. He Who is the
Eternal
Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over
the
world of being, Whose image is reflected in the mirror of the entire
creation.
All existence is dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the
source
of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by Divine
unity;
this is its fundamental principle.
Some,
deluded by their idle fancies, have conceived all created things as
associates
and partners of God, and imagined themselves to be the exponents
of
His unity. By Him Who is the one true God! Such men have been, and will
continue
to remain, the victims of blind imitation, and are to be numbered
with
them that have restricted and limited the conception of God.
He
is a true believer in Divine unity
who, far from confusing duality with
oneness,
refuseth to allow any notion of multiplicity to becloud his
conception
of the singleness of God, who will regard the Divine Being as
One
Who, by His very nature, transcendeth the limitations of numbers.
The
essence of belief in Divine unity
consisteth in regarding Him Who is
the
Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible,
the
unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever
pertaineth
to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or
forbiddeth,
should be considered, in all their aspects, and under all
circumstances,
and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of
God
Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the
unity
of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this
station,
and is of them that are steadfast in their belief.
--
Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah,
p. 166-167
XXI.
O Salman! 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.
--Baha'u'llah,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 49
XXIV.
Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make
any
distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to
discriminate
against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed their
Revelation.
This indeed is the true meaning of Divine
Unity, if ye be of
them
that apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye assured, moreover, that
the
works and acts of each and every one of these Manifestations of God,
nay
whatever pertaineth unto them, and whatsoever they may manifest in the
future,
are all ordained by God, and are a reflection of His Will and
Purpose.
Whoso maketh the slightest possible difference between their
persons,
their words, their messages, their acts and manners, hath indeed
disbelieved
in God, hath repudiated His signs, and betrayed the Cause of
His
Messengers.
--Baha'u'llah,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 59
And
now, with reference to His words: "And then shall all the tribes of the
earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven
with power and great glory." These words signify that in those days
men
will lament the loss of the Sun of the divine beauty, of the Moon of
knowledge,
and of the Stars of divine wisdom. Thereupon, they will behold
the
countenance of the promised One, the adored Beauty, descending from
heaven
and
riding upon the clouds. By this is meant that the divine Beauty
will
be made manifest from the heaven of the will of God, and will appear
in
the form of the human temple. The term "heaven" denoteth loftiness and
exaltation,
inasmuch as it is the seat of the revelation of those
Manifestations
of Holiness, the Day-springs of ancient glory. These ancient
Beings,
though delivered from the womb of their mother, have in reality
descended
from the heaven of the will of God. Though they be dwelling on
this
earth, yet their true habitations are the retreats of glory in the
realms
above. Whilst walking amongst mortals, they soar in the heaven of
the
divine presence. Without feet they tread the path of the spirit, and
without
wings they rise unto the exalted heights of divine
unity. With
every
fleeting breath they cover the immensity of space, and at every
moment
traverse the kingdoms of the visible and the invisible. Upon their
thrones
is written: "Nothing whatsoever keepeth Him from being occupied
with
any other thing;" and on their seats is inscribed: "Verily, His ways
differ
every day."[1] They are sent forth through the transcendent power of
the
Ancient of Days, and are raised up by the exalted will of God, the most
mighty
King. This is what is meant by the words: "coming in the clouds of
heaven."
[1 Qur'an 55:29.]
--Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 66
XXVIII.
Happy is the man who will arise to serve My Cause, and glorify My
beauteous
Name. Take hold of My Book with the power of My might, and cleave
tenaciously
to whatsoever commandment thy Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise,
hath
prescribed therein. Behold, O Muhammad, how the sayings and doings of
the
followers of Shi'ih Islam have dulled the joy and fervor of its early
days,
and tarnished the pristine brilliancy of its light. In its primitive
days,
whilst they still adhered to the precepts associated with the name of
their
Prophet, the Lord of mankind, their career was marked by an unbroken
chain
of victories and triumphs. As they gradually strayed from the path of
their
Ideal Leader and Master, as they turned away from the Light of God
and
corrupted the principle of His
Divine unity,
and as they increasingly
centered
their attention upon them who were only the revealers of the
potency
of His Word, their power was turned into weakness, their glory into
shame,
their courage into fear. Thou dost witness to what a pass they have
come.
Behold, how they have joined partners with Him Who is the Focal-Point
of
Divine unity. Behold how their evil doings have hindered them from
recognizing,
in the Day of Resurrection, the Word of Truth, exalted be His
glory.
We cherish the hope that this people will henceforth shield
themselves
from vain hopes and idle fancies, and will attain to a true
understanding
of the meaning of Divine unity.
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
If
we ponder a while over the Qur'anic verses and proofs, and the
traditional
accounts which have come down to us from those stars
of the
heaven
of Divine Unity, the Holy Imams, 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. For the attributes of the people
of
faith are justice and fair-mindedness; forbearance and compassion and
generosity;
consideration for others; candor, trustworthiness, and loyalty;
love
and loving-kindness; devotion and determination and humanity. If
therefore
an individual is truly righteous, he will avail himself of all
those
means which will attract the hearts of men, and through the
attributes
of God he will draw them to the straight path of faith and cause
them
to drink from the river of everlasting life.
--Abdu'l-Baha,
The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 55
Praised
be Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by Them Who are the
Tabernacles
of Thy Divine holiness, Who are the Manifestations
of Thy
transcendent
unity and the Day-Springs of Thine inspiration
and revelation,
to
grant that Thy servants may not be kept back from this Divine Law which,
at
Thy will and according to Thy pleasure, hath branched out from Thy most
great
Ocean. Do Thou, then, ordain for them that which Thou didst ordain
for
Thy chosen ones and for the righteous among Thy creatures, whose
constancy
in Thy Cause the tempests of trials have failed to shake, and
whom
the tumults of tests have been powerless to hinder from magnifying Thy
most
exalted Word -- the Word through Which the heavens of men's idle
fancies
and vain imaginations have been split asunder. Thou art, verily,
the
Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.
--Baha'u'llah,
Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 27
Praise
be unto God Who hath made the Most Great Infallibility the shield
for
the temple of His Cause in the realm of creation, and hath assigned
unto
no one a share of this lofty and sublime station -- a station which is
a
vesture which the fingers of transcendent power have woven for His august
Self.
It befitteth no one except Him Who is seated upon the mighty throne
of
'He doeth what He pleaseth'. Whoso accepteth and recognizeth that which
is
written down at this moment by the Pen of Glory is indeed reckoned in
the
Book of God, the Lord of the beginning and the end, among the exponents
of
divine
unity, they that uphold the concept of the
oneness of God.
When
the stream of words reached this stage, the sweet savours of true
knowledge
were shed abroad and the day-star of divine unity shone forth
above
the horizon of His holy utterance. Blessed is he whom His Call hath
attracted
to the summit of glory, who hath drawn nigh to the ultimate
Purpose,
and who hath recognized through the shrill voice of My Pen of
Glory
that which the Lord of this world and of the next hath willed. Whoso
faileth
to quaff the choice wine which We have unsealed through the potency
of
Our Name, the All-Compelling, shall be unable to discern the splendours
of
the light of divine unity or to grasp the essential purpose underlying
the
Scriptures of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the sovereign Ruler of
this
world and of the world to come. Such a man shall be accounted among
the
faithless in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
O
thou honoured enquirer! [1] We bear witness that thou didst firmly adhere
unto
seemly patience during the days when the Pen was held back from
movement
and the Tongue hesitated to set forth an explanation regarding the
wondrous
sign, the Most Great Infallibility. Thou hast asked this Wronged
One
to remove for thee its veils and coverings, to elucidate its mystery
and
character, its state and position, its excellence, sublimity and
exaltation.
By the life of God! Were We to unveil the pearls of testimony
which
lie hid within the shells of the ocean of knowledge and assurance or
to
let the beauties of divine mystery which are hidden within the chambers
of
utterance in the Paradise of true understanding, step out of their
habitation,
then from every direction violent commotion would arise among
the
leaders of religion and thou wouldst witness the people of God held
fast
in the teeth of such wolves as have denied God both in the beginning
and
in the end. Therefore We restrained the Pen for a considerable lapse of
time
in accordance with divine wisdom and for the sake of protecting the
faithful
from those who have bartered away heavenly blessings for disbelief
and
have chosen for their people the abode of perdition.
--Baha'u'llah,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 105
FIX
your gaze upon wisdom in all things, for it is an unfailing antidote.
How
often hath it turned a disbeliever into a believer or a foe into a
friend?
Its observance is highly essential, inasmuch as this theme hath
been
set forth in numerous Tablets revealed from the empyrean of the Will
of
Him Who is the Manifestation of the light
of divine unity. Well is it
with
them that act accordingly.
Centre
your attention unceasingly upon that which will cause the Word of
God
to be exalted. In this Most Great Revelation goodly deeds and a
praiseworthy
character are regarded as the hosts of God, likewise is His
blessed
and holy Word. These hosts are the lodestone of the hearts of men
and
the effective means for unlocking doors. Of all the weapons in the
world
this is the keenest.
Beseech
thou God to graciously assist all men to observe that which His
all-glorious
Pen hath recorded in the sacred Books and Tablets.
THIS
Wronged One doth mention him who hath set his face toward the
Incomparable
One, the All-Knowing, him who beareth witness unto His unity
even
as the All-Glorious Pen hath borne witness as it moveth swiftly within
the
arena of utterance. Blessed is the soul that hath recognized its Lord
and
woe betide him who hath grievously erred and doubted.
Man
is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been and will
ever
be worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless tree is
but
fit for fire. The fruits of the human tree are exquisite, highly
desired
and dearly cherished. Among them are upright character, virtuous
deeds
and a goodly utterance. The springtime for earthly trees occurreth
once
every year, while the one for human trees appeareth in the Days of God
--
exalted be His glory. Were the trees of men's lives to be adorned in
this
divine Springtime with the fruits that have been mentioned, the
effulgence
of the light of Justice would, of a certainty, illumine all the
dwellers
of the earth and everyone would abide in tranquillity and
contentment
beneath the sheltering shadow of Him Who is the Object of all
mankind.
The Water for these trees is the living water of the sacred Words
uttered
by the Beloved of the world. In one instant are such trees planted
and
in the next their branches shall, through the outpourings of the
showers
of divine mercy, have reached the skies. A dried-up tree, however,
hath
never been nor will be worthy of any mention.
--Baha'u'llah,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 256
