Consider,
how He hath appointed and decreed this self-same Book, the
Qur'án,
as a guidance unto all that are in heaven and on earth. He, the
divine
Being, and unknowable Essence, hath, Himself, testified that this
Book
is, beyond all doubt and uncertainty, the guide of all mankind until
the
Day
of Resurrection.
--
Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 202
Explanation of "Resurrection" in writings of the Bab.
The
Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto
any
other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people
of
the
land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they
would
not have believed, and thus they were not told!
When
the Apostle of God [Muhammad] appeared, He did not announce unto the
unbelievers
that the Resurrection had come, for they could not bear the news.
That
Day is indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree
proclaimeth
from eternity unto eternity, `Verily, I am God. No God is there but
Me'.
Yet those who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they
refuse
even to call Him a believer, although such a title in the realm of His
heavenly
Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the most insignificant
follower
of His previous Dispensation. Thus, had the people in the days of the
Apostle
of God regarded Him at least as a believer of their time how would they
have
debarred Him, for seven years while He was in the mountain, from access
to
His
Holy House [Ka'bah]? Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the
Bayán,
if the people had not refused to concede the name believer unto Him, how
could
they have incarcerated Him on this mountain, without realizing that the
quintessence
of belief oweth its existence to a word from Him? Their hearts are
deprived
of the power of true insight, and thus they cannot see, while those
endowed
with the eyes of the spirit circle like moths round the Light of Truth
until
they are consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of Resurrection is
said
to be the greatest of all days, yet it is like unto any other day. VIII,
9.
--
The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 78
Jesus
says he is the "resurrection" with the same meaning as above -- that is,
Jesus
is the Prophet ("Son") of God for that era. The "dead" who believe in him
refers
to the spiritually dead who gain everlasting life by believing in Christ.
11:25
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
11:26
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou
this?
11:27
She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the
Son
of God, which should come into the world.
--
Bible: John
Baha'u'llah uses similar symbolism as used by Jesus above.
Blessed
the lifeless one who is quickened through My reviving breaths.
--
Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 16
The
breeze of the All-Merciful hath wafted, and the souls have been quickened
in
the tombs of their bodies. Thus hath the decree been fulfilled by God,
the
Mighty,
the Beneficent.
--
Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 118
Explanation of "Resurrection" in writings of the Bahá'u'lláh and the Bab.
It
hath been demonstrated and definitely established, through clear
evidences,
that by "Resurrection" is meant the rise of the Manifestation of
God
to proclaim His Cause, and by "attainment unto the divine Presence" is
meant
attainment unto the presence of His Beauty in the person of His
Manifestation.
For verily, "No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all
vision."[1]
Notwithstanding all these indubitable facts and lucid
statements,
they have foolishly clung to the term "seal," and remained
utterly
deprived of the recognition of Him Who is the Revealer of both the
Seal
and the Beginning, in the day of His presence. "If God should chastise
men
for their perverse doings, He would not leave upon the earth a moving
thing!
But to an appointed time doth He respite them."[2] But apart from
all
these things, had this people attained unto a drop of the crystal
streams
flowing from the words: "God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and
ordaineth
whatsoever He pleaseth," they would not have raised any unseemly
cavils,
such as these, against the focal Center of His Revelation. The
Cause
of God, all deeds and words, are held within the grasp of His power.
"All
things lie imprisoned within the hollow of His mighty Hand; all things
are
easy and possible unto Him." He accomplisheth whatsoever He willeth,
and
doeth all that He desireth. "Whoso sayeth 'why' or 'wherefore' hath
spoken
blasphemy!" Were these people to shake off the slumber of negligence
and
realize that which their hands have wrought, they would surely perish,
and
would of their own accord cast themselves into fire -- their end and
real
abode. Have they not heard that which He hath revealed: "He shall not
be
asked of His doings?"[3] In the light of these utterances, how can man
be
so bold as to question Him, and busy himself with idle sayings? [1
Qur'an
6:103.] [2 Qur'an 16:61.] [3 Qur'an 21:23.]
--Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 169
This
is the meaning of the "Day of Resurrection," spoken of in all the
scriptures,
and announced unto all people. Reflect, can a more precious, a
mightier,
and more glorious day than this be conceived, so that man should
willingly
forego its grace, and deprive himself of its bounties, which like
unto
vernal showers are raining from the heaven of mercy upon all mankind?
Having
thus conclusively demonstrated that no day is greater than this Day,
and
no revelation more glorious than this Revelation, and having set forth
all
these weighty and infallible proofs which no understanding mind can
question,
and no man of learning overlook, how can man possibly, through
the
idle contention of the people of doubt and fancy, deprive himself of
such
a bountiful grace? Have they not heard the well-known tradition: "When
the
Qá'im riseth, that day is the Day of Resurrection?" In like
manner, the
Imáms,
those unquenchable lights of divine guidance, have interpreted the
verse:
"What can such expect but that God should come down to them
overshadowed
with clouds," --a sign which they have unquestionably regarded
as
one of the features of the Day of Resurrection --as referring to Qá'im
and
His manifestation.
--
Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 143-144
The
substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended by the Day of
Resurrection
is the Day of the appearance of the Tree of divine Reality,
but
it is not seen that any one of the followers of Shí'ih Islám
hath
understood
the meaning of the Day of Resurrection; rather have they
fancifully
imagined a thing which with God hath no reality. In the
estimation
of God and according to the usage of such as are initiated into
divine
mysteries, what is meant by the Day of Resurrection is this, that
from
the time of the appearance of Him Who is the Tree of divine Reality,
at
whatever period and under whatever name, until the moment of His
disappearance,
is the Day of Resurrection.
For
example, from the inception of the mission of Jesus --may peace be upon
Him--till
the day of His ascension was the Resurrection of Moses. For
during
that period the Revelation of God shone forth through the appearance
of
that divine Reality, Who rewarded by His Word everyone who believed in
Moses,
and punished by His Word everyone who did not believe; inasmuch as
God's
Testimony for that Day was that which He had solemnly affirmed in the
Gospel.
And from the inception of the Revelation of the Apostle of God--may
the
blessings of God be upon Him-- till the day of His ascension was the
Resurrection
of Jesus-- peace be upon Him--wherein the Tree of divine
Reality
appeared in the person of Muhammad, rewarding by His Word everyone
who
was a believer in Jesus, and punishing by His Word everyone who was not
a
believer in Him. And from the moment when the Tree of the Bayán
appeared
until
it disappeareth is the Resurrection of the Apostle of God, as is
divinely
foretold in the Qur'án; the beginning of which was when two hours
and
eleven minutes had passed on the eve of the fifth of Jamádiyu'l-Avval,
1260
A.H., which is the year 1270 of the Declaration of the Mission of
Muhammad.
This was the beginning of the Day of Resurrection of the Qur'án,
and
until the disappearance of the Tree of divine Reality is the
Resurrection
of the Qur'án. The stage of perfection of everything is
reached
when its resurrection occurreth. The perfection of the religion of
Islám
was consummated at the beginning of this Revelation; and from the
rise
of this Revelation until its setting, the fruits of the Tree of Islám,
whatever
they are, will become apparent. The Resurrection of the Bayán will
occur
at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest.
For
today the Bayán is in the stage of seed; at the beginning of the
manifestation
of Him Whom God shall make manifest its ultimate perfection
will
become apparent. He is made manifest in order to gather the fruits of
the
trees He hath planted; even as the Revelation of the Qá'im [He Who
ariseth],
a descendant of Muhammad--may the blessings of God rest upon
Him--
is exactly like unto the Revelation of the Apostle of God Himself
[Muhammad].
He appeareth not, save for the purpose of gathering the fruits
of
Islám from the Qur'ánic verses which He [Muhammad] hath sown
in the
hearts
of men. The fruits of Islám cannot be gathered except through
allegiance
unto Him [the Qá'im] and by believing in Him. At the present
time,
however, only adverse effects have resulted; for although He hath
appeared
in the midmost heart of Islám, and all people profess it by reason
of
their relationship to Him [the Qá'im], yet unjustly have they consigned
Him
to the Mountain of Mákú, and this notwithstanding that in
the Qur'án
the
advent of the Day of Resurrection hath been promised unto all by God.
For
on that Day all men will be brought before God and will attain His
Presence;
which meaneth appearance before Him Who is the Tree of divine
Reality
and attainment unto His presence; inasmuch as it is not possible to
appear
before the Most Holy Essence of God, nor is it conceivable to seek
reunion
with Him. That which is feasible in the matter of appearance before
Him
and of meeting Him is attainment unto the Primal Tree. II, 7.
--
The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 106-108
Explanation of "Resurrection" in writings of the Abdu'l-Baha.
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Question. -- What is the meaning of Christ's resurrection after three days?
Answer.
-- The resurrections of the Divine Manifestations are not of the
body.
All Their states, Their conditions, Their acts, the things They have
established,
Their teachings, Their expressions, Their parables and Their
instructions
have a spiritual and divine signification, and have no
connection
with material things. For example, there is the subject of
Christ's
coming from heaven: it is clearly stated in many places in the
Gospel
that the Son of man came from heaven, He is in heaven, and He will
go
to heaven. So in chapter 6, verse 38, of the Gospel of John it is
written:
"For I came down from heaven"; and also in verse 42 we find: "And
they
said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we
know?
How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?" Also in John,
chapter
3, verse 13: "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that
came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."
Observe
that it is said, "The Son of man is in heaven," while at that time
Christ
was on earth. Notice also that it is said that Christ came from
heaven,
though He came from the womb of Mary, and His body was born of
Mary.
It is clear, then, that when it is said that the Son of man is come
from
heaven, this has not an outward but an inward signification; it is a
spiritual,
not a material, fact. The meaning is that though, apparently,
Christ
was born from the womb of Mary, in reality He came from heaven, from
the
center of the Sun of Reality, from the Divine World, and the Spiritual
Kingdom.
And as it has become evident that Christ came from the spiritual
heaven
of the Divine Kingdom, therefore, His disappearance under the earth
for
three days has an inner signification and is not an outward fact. In
the
same way, His resurrection from the interior of the earth is also
symbolical;
it is a spiritual and divine fact, and not material; and
likewise
His ascension to heaven is a spiritual and not material ascension.
Beside
these explanations, it has been established and proved by science
that
the visible heaven is a limitless area, void and empty, where
innumerable
stars and planets revolve.
Therefore,
we say that the meaning of Christ's resurrection is as follows:
the
disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of Christ. The
Reality
of Christ, which signifies His teachings, His bounties, His
perfections
and His spiritual power, was hidden and concealed for two or
three
days after His martyrdom, and was not resplendent and manifest. No,
rather
it was lost, for the believers were few in number and were troubled
and
agitated. The Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body; and when after
three
days the disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve
the
Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings, putting
His
counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the Reality of Christ
became
resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion found life; His
teachings
and His admonitions became evident and visible. In other words,
the
Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty
of
the Holy Spirit surrounded it.
Such
is the meaning of the resurrection of Christ, and this was a true
resurrection.
But as the clergy have neither understood the meaning of the
Gospels
nor comprehended the symbols, therefore, it has been said that
religion
is in contradiction to science, and science in opposition to
religion,
as, for example, this subject of the ascension of Christ with an
elemental
body to the visible heaven is contrary to the science of
mathematics.
But when the truth of this subject becomes clear, and the
symbol
is explained, science in no way contradicts it; but, on the
contrary,
science and the intelligence affirm it.
--Abdu'l-Baha,
Some Answered Questions, p. 103
It
is the same with the spiritual cycles of the Prophets -- that is to say,
the
day of the appearance of the Holy Manifestations is the spiritual
springtime;
it is the divine splendor; it is the heavenly bounty, the
breeze
of life, the rising of the Sun of Reality. Spirits are quickened;
hearts
are refreshed and invigorated; souls become good; existence is set
in
motion; human realities are gladdened, and grow and develop in good
qualities
and perfections. General progress is achieved and revival takes
place,
for it is the day of resurrection, the time of excitement and
ferment,
and the season of bliss, of joy and of intense rapture.
--Abdu'l-Baha,
Some Answered Questions, p. 74
