|
Holy Kitab I Aqdas
Texts 1-19
Texts 20-38
Texts 39-57
Texts 58-76
Texts 77-95
Texts 96-114
Texts 115-133
Texts 134-152
Texts 153-171
Texts 172-190
Holy Kitab I Iqan
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Section 10
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Prayers & Meditations by Bahaullah
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Section 10
Section 11
Section 12
Section 13
Section 14
Section 15
Section 16
Section 17
Section 18
Section 19
Section 20
Section 21
Section 22
Section 23
Friendly sites
Hagia Sophia
Solitaire
Tetris
Space Invaders
Q-bert
Moon Patrol
Bubble Bobble
Lady Bug
Bomb Jack
Ghosts n Goblins
Burger time
| |
|
Holy Kitab I
Iqan:
Section 4 |
Addressing subsequently his
listener, he saith:
"Hast thou ever seen the philosopher's stone?" Reflect, how this
symbolic language, more eloquent than any speech, however
direct, testifieth to the non-existence of a true believer. Such
is the testimony of Sadiq. And now consider, how unfair and
numerous are those who, although they themselves have failed to
inhale the fragrance of belief, have condemned as infidels those
by whose word belief itself is recognized and established.
And now, inasmuch as these holy beings have sanctified
themselves from every human limitation, have become endowed with
the attributes of the spiritual, and have been adorned with the
noble traits of the blessed, they therefore have been designated
as "angels." Such is the meaning of these verses, every word of
which hath been expounded by the aid of the most lucid texts,
the most convincing arguments, and the best established
evidences.
As the adherents of Jesus have never understood the hidden
meaning of these words, and as the signs which they and the
leaders of their Faith have expected have failed to appear, they
therefore refused to acknowledge, even until now, the truth of
those Manifestations of Holiness that have since the days of
Jesus been made manifest. They have thus deprived themselves of
the outpourings of God's holy grace, and of the wonders of His
divine utterance. Such is their low estate in this, the Day of
Resurrection! They have even failed to perceive that were the
signs of the Manifestation of God in every age to appear in the
visible realm in accordance with the text of established
traditions, none could possibly deny or turn away, nor would the
blessed be distinguished from the miserable, and the
transgressor from the God-fearing.
Judge fairly: Were the prophecies recorded in the Gospel to be
literally fulfilled; were Jesus, Son of Mary, accompanied by
angels, to descend from the visible heaven upon the clouds; who
would dare to disbelieve, who would dare to reject the truth,
and wax disdainful? Nay, such consternation would immediately
seize all the dwellers of the earth that no soul would feel able
to utter a word, much less to reject or accept the truth. It was
owing to their misunderstanding of these truths that many a
Christian divine hath objected to Muhammad, and voiced his
protest in such words: "If Thou art in truth the promised
Prophet, why then art Thou not accompanied by those angels our
sacred Books foretold, and which must needs descend with the
promised Beauty to assist Him in His Revelation and act as
warners unto His people?" Even as the All-Glorious hath recorded
their statement: "Why hath not an angel been sent down to him,
so that he should have been a warner with Him?" [Qur'an 25:7.]
Such objections and differences have persisted in every age and
century. The people have always busied themselves with such
specious discourses, vainly protesting: "Wherefore hath not this
or that sign appeared?" Such ills befell them only because they
have clung to the ways of the divines of the age in which they
lived, and blindly imitated them in accepting or denying these
Essences of Detachment, these holy and divine Beings. These
leaders, owing to their immersion in selfish desires, and their
pursuit of transitory and sordid things, have regarded these
divine Luminaries as being opposed to the standards of their
knowledge and understanding, and the opponents of their ways and
judgments. As they have literally interpreted the Word of God,
and the sayings and traditions of the Letters of Unity, and
expounded them according to their own deficient understanding,
they have therefore deprived themselves and all their people of
the bountiful showers of the grace and mercies of God. And yet
they bear witness to this well-known tradition: "Verily Our Word
is abstruse, bewilderingly abstruse." In another instance, it is
said: "Our Cause is sorely trying, highly perplexing; none can
bear it except a favorite of heaven, or an inspired Prophet, or
he whose faith God hath tested." These leaders of religion admit
that none of these three specified conditions is applicable to
them. The first two conditions are manifestly beyond their
reach; as to the third, it is evident that at no time have they
been proof against those tests that have been sent by God, and
that when the divine Touchstone appeared, they have shown
themselves to be naught but dross.
Great God! Notwithstanding their acceptance of the truth of this
tradition, these divines who are still doubtful of, and dispute
about, the theological obscurities of their faith, yet claim to
be the exponents of the subtleties of the law of God, and the
expounders of the essential mysteries of His holy Word. They
confidently assert that such traditions as indicate the advent
of the expected Qa'im have not yet been fulfilled, whilst they
themselves have failed to inhale the fragrance of the meaning of
these traditions, and are still oblivious of the fact that all
the signs foretold have come to pass, that the way of God's holy
Cause hath been revealed, and the concourse of the faithful,
swift as lightning, are, even now, passing upon that way, whilst
these foolish divines wait expecting to witness the signs
foretold. Say, O ye foolish ones! Wait ye even as those before
you are waiting!
Were they to be questioned concerning those signs that must
needs herald the revelation and rise of the sun of the
Muhammadan Dispensation, to which We have already referred, none
of which have been literally fulfilled, and were it to be said
to them: "Wherefore have ye rejected the claims advanced by
Christians and the peoples of other faiths and regard them as
infidels," knowing not what answer to give, they will reply:
"These Books have been corrupted and are not, and never have
been, of God." Reflect: the words of the verses themselves
eloquently testify to the truth that they are of God. A similar
verse hath been also revealed in the Qur'an, were ye of them
that comprehend. Verily I say, throughout all this period they
have utterly failed to comprehend what is meant by corrupting
the text.
Yea, in the writings and utterances of the Mirrors reflecting
the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation mention hath been made of
"Modification by the exalted beings" and "alteration by the
disdainful." Such passages, however, refer only to particular
cases. Among them is the story of Ibn-i-Suriya. When the people
of Khaybar asked the focal center of the Muhammadan Revelation
concerning the penalty of adultery committed between a married
man and a married woman, Muhammad answered and said: "The law of
God is death by stoning." Whereupon they protested saying:
"No such law hath been revealed in the Pentateuch." Muhammad
answered and said: "Whom do ye regard among your rabbis as being
a recognized authority and having a sure knowledge of the
truth?" They agreed upon Ibn-i-Suriya. Thereupon Muhammad
summoned him and said: "I adjure thee by God Who clove the sea
for you, caused manna to descend upon you, and the cloud to
overshadow you, Who delivered you from Pharaoh and his people,
and exalted you above all human beings, to tell us what Moses
hath decreed concerning adultery between a married man and a
married woman." He made reply: "O Muhammad! death by stoning is
the law." Muhammad observed:
"Why is it then that this law is annulled and hath ceased to
operate among the Jews?" He answered and said: "When
Nebuchadnezzar delivered Jerusalem to the flames, and put the
Jews to death, only a few survived. The divines of that age,
considering the extremely limited number of the Jews, and the
multitude of the Amalekites, took counsel together, and came to
the conclusion that were they to enforce the law of the
Pentateuch, every survivor who hath been delivered from the hand
of Nebuchadnezzar would have to be put to death according to the
verdict of the Book. Owing to such considerations, they totally
repealed the penalty of death." Meanwhile Gabriel inspired
Muhammad's illumined heart with these words: "They pervert the
text of the Word of God." [Qur'an 4:45.]
This is one of the instances that have been referred to. Verily
by "perverting" the text is not meant that which these foolish
and abject souls have fancied, even as some maintain that Jewish
and Christian divines have effaced from the Book such verses as
extol and magnify the countenance of Muhammad, and instead
thereof have inserted the contrary. How utterly vain and false
are these words! Can a man who believeth in a book, and deemeth
it to be inspired by God, mutilate it?
Moreover, the Pentateuch had been spread over the surface of the
earth, and was not confined to Mecca and Medina, so that they
could privily corrupt and pervert its text. Nay, rather, by
corruption of the text is meant that in which all Muslim divines
are engaged today, that is the interpretation of God's holy Book
in accordance with their idle imaginings and vain desires. And
as the Jews, in the time of Muhammad, interpreted those verses
of the Pentateuch, that referred to His Manifestation, after
their own fancy, and refused to be satisfied with His holy
utterance, the charge of "perverting" the text was therefore
pronounced against them. Likewise, it is clear, how in this day,
the people of the Qur'an have perverted the text of God's holy
Book, concerning the signs of the expected Manifestation, and
interpreted it according to their inclination and desires.
In yet another instance, He saith: "A part of them heard the
Word of God, and then, after they had understood it, distorted
it, and knew that they did so." [Qur'an 2:75.] This verse, too,
doth indicate that the meaning of the Word of God hath been
perverted, not that the actual words have been effaced. To the
truth of this testify they that are sound of mind.
Again in another instance, He saith: "Woe unto those who, with
their own hands, transcribe the Book corruptly, and then say:
'This is from God,' that they may sell it for some mean price."
[Qur'an 2:79.] This verse was revealed with reference to the
divines and leaders of the Jewish Faith. These divines, in order
to please the rich, acquire worldly emoluments, and give vent to
their envy and misbelief, wrote a number of treatises, refuting
the claims of Muhammad, supporting their arguments with such
evidences as it would be improper to mention, and claimed that
these arguments were derived from the text of the Pentateuch.
The same may be witnessed today. Consider how abundant are the
denunciations written by the foolish divines of this age against
this most wondrous Cause! How vain their imaginings that these
calumnies are in conformity with the verses of God's sacred
Book, and in consonance with the utterances of men of
discernment!
Our purpose in relating these things is to warn you that were
they to maintain that those verses wherein the signs referred to
in the Gospel are mentioned have been perverted, were they to
reject them, and cling instead to other verses and traditions,
you should know that their words were utter falsehood and sheer
calumny. Yea "corruption" of the text, in the sense We have
referred to, hath been actually effected in particular
instances.
A few of these We have mentioned, that it may become manifest to
every discerning observer that unto a few untutored holy Men
hath been given the mastery of human learning, so that the
malevolent opposer may cease to contend that a certain verse
doth indicate "corruption" of the text, and insinuate that We,
through lack of knowledge, have made mention of such things.
Moreover, most of the verses that indicate "corruption" of the
text have been revealed with reference to the Jewish people,
were ye to explore the isles of Qur'anic Revelation.
We have also heard a number of the foolish of the earth assert
that the genuine text of the heavenly Gospel doth not exist
amongst the Christians, that it hath ascended unto heaven. How
grievously they have erred! How oblivious of the fact that such
a statement imputeth the gravest injustice and tyranny to a
gracious and loving Providence! How could God, when once the
Day-star of the beauty of Jesus had disappeared from the sight
of His people, and ascended unto the fourth heaven, cause His
holy Book, His most great testimony amongst His creatures, to
disappear also? What would be left to that people to cling to
from the setting of the day-star of Jesus until the rise of the
sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation? What law could be their stay
and guide? How could such people be made the victims of the
avenging wrath of God, the omnipotent Avenger? How could they be
afflicted with the scourge of chastisement by the heavenly King?
Above all, how could the flow of the grace of the All-Bountiful
be stayed? How could the ocean of His tender mercies be stilled?
We take refuge with God, from that which His creatures have
fancied about Him! Exalted is He above their comprehension!
Dear friend! Now when the light of God's everlasting Morn is
breaking; when the radiance of His holy words: "God is the light
of the heavens and of the earth" [Qur'an 24:35.] is shedding
illumination upon all mankind; when the inviolability of His
tabernacle is being proclaimed by His sacred utterance:
"God hath willed to perfect His light;" [Qur'an 9:33.] and the
Hand of omnipotence, bearing His testimony: "In His grasp He
holdeth the kingdom of all things," is being outstretched unto
all the peoples and kindreds of the earth; it behooveth us to
gird up the loins of endeavour, that haply, by the grace and
bounty of God, we may enter the celestial City:
"Verily, we are God's," and abide within the exalted habitation:
"And unto Him we do return."
It is incumbent upon thee, by the permission of God, to cleanse
the eye of thine heart from the things of the world, that thou
mayest realize the infinitude of divine knowledge, and mayest
behold Truth so clearly that thou wilt need no proof to
demonstrate His reality, nor any evidence to bear witness unto
His testimony.
O affectionate seeker! Shouldst thou soar in the holy realm of
the spirit, thou wouldst recognize God manifest and exalted
above all things, in such wise that thine eyes would behold none
else but Him. "God was alone; there was none else besides Him."
So lofty is this station that no testimony can bear it witness,
neither evidence do justice to its truth. Wert thou to explore
the sacred domain of truth, thou wilt find that all things are
known only by the light of His recognition, that He hath ever
been, and will continue for ever to be, known through Himself.
And if thou dwellest in the land of testimony, content thyself
with that which He, Himself, hath revealed: "Is it not enough
for them that We have sent down unto Thee the Book?" [Qur'an
29:51] This is the testimony which He, Himself, hath ordained;
greater proof than this there is none, nor ever will be: "This
proof is His Word; His own Self, the testimony of His truth."
And now, We beseech the people of the Bayan, all the learned,
the sages, the divines, and witnesses amongst them, not to
forget the wishes and admonitions revealed in their Book. Let
them, at all times, fix their gaze upon the essentials of His
Cause, lest when He, Who is the Quintessence of truth, the
inmost Reality of all things, the Source of all light, is made
manifest, they cling unto certain passages of the Book, and
inflict upon Him that which was inflicted in the Dispensation of
the Qur'an. For, verily, powerful is He, the King of divine
might, to extinguish with one letter of His wondrous words, the
breath of life in the whole of the Bayan and the people thereof,
and with one letter bestow upon them a new and everlasting life,
and cause them to arise and speed out of the sepulchres of their
vain and selfish desires. Take heed, and be watchful; and
remember that all things have their consummation in belief in
Him, in attainment unto His day, and in the realization of His
divine presence. "There is no piety in turning your faces toward
the east or toward the west, but he is pious who believeth in
God and the Last Day." [Qur'an 2:176.] Give ear, O people of the
Bayan, unto the truth whereunto We have admonished you, that
haply ye may seek the shelter of the shadow extended, in the Day
of God, upon all mankind.
END OF PART ONE
PART TWO
Verily He Who is the Day-star of Truth and Revealer of the
Supreme Being holdeth, for all time, undisputed sovereignty over
all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on
earth to obey Him. He verily is independent of all earthly
dominion, though He be utterly destitute. Thus We reveal unto
thee the mysteries of the Cause of God, and bestow upon thee the
gems of divine wisdom, that haply thou mayest soar on the wings
of renunciation to those heights that are veiled from the eyes
of men.
THE significance and essential purpose underlying these words is
to reveal and demonstrate unto the pure in heart and the
sanctified in spirit that they Who are the Luminaries of truth
and the Mirrors reflecting the light of divine Unity, in
whatever age and cycle they are sent down from their invisible
habitations of ancient glory unto this world, to educate the
souls of men and endue with grace all created things, are
invariably endowed with an all-compelling power, and invested
with invincible sovereignty. For these hidden Gems, these
concealed and invisible Treasures, in themselves manifest and
vindicate the reality of these holy words: "Verily God doeth
whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth."
To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God,
the unknowable Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted
beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence,
ascent and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory
that human tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that
human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is and hath
ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and
will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight
of men. "No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision;
He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving." [Qur'an 6:103.] No tie
of direct intercourse can possibly bind Him to His creatures.
He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation and union,
all proximity and remoteness. No sign can indicate His presence
or His absence; inasmuch as by a word of His command all that
are in heaven and on earth have come to exist, and by His wish,
which is the Primal Will itself, all have stepped out of utter
nothingness into the realm of being, the world of the visible.
Gracious God! How could there be conceived any existing
relationship or possible connection between His Word and they
that are created of it? The verse: "God would have you beware of
Himself" [Qur'an 3:28.] unmistakably beareth witness to the
reality of Our argument, and the words: "God was alone; there
was none else besides Him" are a sure testimony of its truth.
All the Prophets of God and their chosen Ones, all the divines,
the sages, and the wise of every generation, unanimously
recognize their inability to attain unto the comprehension of
that Quintessence of all truth, and confess their incapacity to
grasp Him, Who is the inmost Reality of all things.
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus
closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace,
according to His saying: "His grace hath transcended all things;
My grace hath encompassed them all" hath caused those luminous
Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in
the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto
all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of
the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His
imperishable Essence. These sanctified Mirrors, these
Day-springs of ancient glory are one and all the Exponents on
earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence
and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and
power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of
their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their
revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the
Treasuries of divine knowledge, and the Repositories of
celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is
infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can never fade.
Even as He hath said: "There is no distinction whatsoever
between Thee and them; except that they are Thy servants, and
are created of Thee." This is the significance of the tradition:
"I am He, Himself, and He is I, myself."
The traditions and sayings that bear direct reference to Our
theme are divers and manifold; We have refrained from quoting
them for the sake of brevity. Nay, whatever is in the heavens
and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of the
revelation within it of the attributes and names of God,
inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear
eloquent testimony to the revelation of that most great Light.
Methinks, but for the potency of that revelation, no being could
ever exist. How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that
shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge
within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of man, who,
among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of
such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such
distinction. For in him are potentially revealed all the
attributes and names of God to a degree that no other created
being hath excelled or surpassed. All these names and attributes
are applicable to him. Even as He hath said: "Man is My mystery,
and I am his mystery." Manifold are the verses that have been
repeatedly revealed in all the heavenly Books and the holy
Scriptures, expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme. Even
as He hath revealed: "We will surely show them Our signs in the
world and within themselves." [Qur'an 41:53.] Again He saith:
"And also in your own selves: will ye not then behold the signs
of God?" [Qur'an 51:21.] And yet again He revealeth: "And be ye
not like those who forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused
to forget their own selves." [Qur'an 59:19.] In this connection,
He Who is the eternal King-may the souls of all that dwell
within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him-hath
spoken: "He hath known God who hath known himself."
I swear by God, O esteemed and honoured friend! Shouldst thou
ponder these words in thine heart, thou wilt of a certainty find
the doors of divine wisdom and infinite knowledge flung open
before thy face.
From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all
things, in their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of
the names and attributes of God within them. Each according to
its capacity, indicateth, and is expressive of, the knowledge of
God. So potent and universal is this revelation, that it hath
encompassed all things, visible and invisible. Thus hath He
revealed: "Hath aught else save Thee a power of revelation which
is not possessed by Thee, that it could have manifested Thee?
Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee." Likewise, hath
the eternal King spoken:
"No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived God within
it, God before it, or God after it." Also in the tradition of
Kumayl it is written:
"Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the Morn of eternity,
and lo! its waves have penetrated the inmost reality of all
men." Man, the noblest and most perfect of all created things,
excelleth them all in the intensity of this revelation, and is a
fuller expression of its glory. And of all men, the most
accomplished, the most distinguished and the most excellent are
the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. Nay, all else besides
these Manifestations, live by the operation of their Will, and
move and have their being through the outpourings of their
grace. "But for Thee, I would have not created the heavens."
Nay, all in their holy presence fade into utter nothingness, and
are a thing forgotten. Human tongue can never befittingly sing
their praise, and human speech can never unfold their mystery.
These Tabernacles of holiness, these primal Mirrors which
reflect the light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him
Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of
these gems of divine virtue all the names and attributes of God,
such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and
wisdom, glory, bounty and grace, are made manifest.
These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed
specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay,
all the Prophets of God, His well-favoured, His holy, and chosen
Messengers, are, without exception, the bearers of His names,
and the embodiments of His attributes. They only differ in the
intensity of their revelation, and the comparative potency of
their light. Even as He hath revealed: "Some of the Apostles We
have caused to excel the others." [Qur'an 2:253.] It hath
therefore become manifest and evident that within the
tabernacles of these Prophets and chosen Ones of God the light
of His infinite names and exalted attributes hath been
reflected, even though the light of some of these attributes may
or may not be outwardly revealed from these luminous Temples to
the eyes of men. That a certain attribute of God hath not been
outwardly manifested by these Essences of Detachment doth in no
wise imply that they Who are the Daysprings of God's attributes
and the Treasuries of His holy names did not actually possess
it. Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these beauteous
Countenances have, each and every one of them, been endowed with
all the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and
the like, even though to outward seeming they be shorn of all
earthly majesty. To every discerning eye this is evident and
manifest; it requireth neither proof nor evidence.
Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have failed to seek
from the luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the
inner meaning of God's holy words, they therefore have
languished, stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy
and waywardness. They have strayed far from the fresh and
thirst-subduing waters, and gathered round the salt that burneth
bitterly. Concerning them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken:
"And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take
it for their path; but if they see the path of error, for their
path will they take it. This, because they treated Our signs as
lies, and were heedless of them." [Qur'an 7:145.]
To this testifieth that which hath been witnessed in this
wondrous and exalted Dispensation. Myriads of holy verses have
descended from the heaven of might and grace, yet no one hath
turned thereunto, nor ceased to cling to those words of men, not
one letter of which they that have spoken them comprehend. For
this reason the people have doubted incontestable truths, such
as these, and caused themselves to be deprived of the Ridvan of
divine knowledge, and the eternal meads of celestial wisdom.
And now, to resume Our argument concerning the question: Why is
it that the sovereignty of the Qa'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 Qa'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 Qa'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.
Furthermore, by sovereignty is meant the all-encompassing,
all-pervading power which is inherently exercised by the Qa'im
whether or not He appear to the world clothed in the majesty of
earthly dominion. This is solely dependent upon the will and
pleasure of the Qa'im Himself. You will readily recognize that
the terms sovereignty, wealth, life, death, judgment and
resurrection, spoken of by the scriptures of old, are not what
this generation hath conceived and vainly imagined.
Nay, by sovereignty is meant that sovereignty which in every
dispensation resideth within, and is exercised by, the person of
the Manifestation, the Day-star of Truth. That sovereignty is
the spiritual ascendancy which He exerciseth to the fullest
degree over all that is in heaven and on earth, and which in due
time revealeth itself to the world in direct proportion to its
capacity and spiritual receptiveness, even as the sovereignty of
Muhammad, the Messenger of God, is today apparent and manifest
amongst the people. You are well aware of what befell His Faith
in the early days of His dispensation. What woeful sufferings
did the hand of the infidel and erring, the divines of that age
and their associates, inflict upon that spiritual Essence, that
most pure and holy Being! How abundant the thorns and briars
which they have strewn over His path! It is evident that
wretched generation, in their wicked and satanic fancy, regarded
every injury to that immortal Being as a means to the attainment
of an abiding felicity; inasmuch as the recognized divines of
that age, such as Abdu'llah-i-Ubayy, Abu-'Amir, the hermit,
Ka'b-Ibn-i-Ashraf, and Nadr-Ibn-i-Harith, all treated Him as an
impostor, and pronounced Him a lunatic and a calumniator. Such
sore accusations they brought against Him that in recounting
them God forbiddeth the ink to flow, Our pen to move, or the
page to bear them. These malicious imputations provoked the
people to arise and torment Him. And how fierce that torment if
the divines of the age be its chief instigators, if they
denounce Him to their followers, cast Him out from their midst,
and declare Him a miscreant! Hath not the same befallen this
Servant, and been witnessed by all? |
|
| |
Friendly sites
Michel Platini
Frank Rijkaard
Ruud Gullit
|
