Paragraph 209

And as to this man’s attainments, his ignorance, understanding and belief, behold what the Book which embraceth all things hath revealed; “Verily, the tree of Zaqqúm shall be the food of the Athím.” And then follow certain verses, until He saith: “Taste this, for thou forsooth art the mighty Karím!” Consider how clearly and explicitly he hath been described in God’s incorruptible Book! This man, moreover, feigning humility, hath in his own book referred to himself as the “athím servant”: “Athím” in the Book of God, mighty among the common herd, “Karím” in name!

Now, with incredible elegance, Baha'u'llah begins His shift from this "certain man, reputed for his learning and attainment", who accounts "himself as one of the preeminent leaders of his people", and turns our attention back to the Qur'an.

This is significant in that He has just given us this negative example of one who has no interest in discovering the truth. He has shown us what happens when one is only concerned about their own ego and reputation. From here, though, He will soon outline the attributes of a true seeker, one who is desperate to discover the truth. From there, He will then use the Qur'an to begin His proof of the Bab's station and mission. By reminding us here of the power inherent in the Qur'an, He is preparing us to use sacred text as a guide for uncovering the truth, just as He did in Part One with that single quote from Jesus guiding us towards the recognition of Muhammad.

Baha'u'llah begins this paragraph with a bit of an outline about this man. He refers to his "attainments, his ignorance, understanding and belief". We have already seen his ignorance, claiming that all these various pseudo-sciences are necessary for understanding spiritual matters. This also touches on his understanding and belief. But what has this man done?

Haji Mirza Karim Khan was a Shaykhi, that school of thought which produced all of the Letters of the Living, those first to believe in the Bab. Karim Khan, however, did not embrace the Cause of the Bab. Instead, he decided to declare himself the leader of this school, even going so far as to claim to be the "fourth pillar of Islam" alongside God, Muhammad, and the Imams. This clearly demonstrates how his humility was, as Baha'u'llah says, merely feigned. However, after significant opposition from other clergymen, he quickly withdrew this claim, but that is how far his ego was out of control. After that, he wrote a number of books and treatises attacking the Bab and His followers.

The uncle, of course, would have been very aware of all this. But enough about this man. Let's look at the rest of this paragraph.

Notice how these quotes call to mind the entirety of Surih 44. That Surih begins with the story of Moses at a time when He been banished from Egypt, just as Baha'u'llah had recently been banished from Iran at the time of this writing. It goes on to show how the Egyptians came to nothing, and those who attacked the Jews lost everything. Their wealth and fame had all been lost. It continues on with the quote that Baha'u'llah cited, referencing how the sinners shall suffer. It then concludes with a mention of the rewards that are awaiting those who believe.

Over and over in this book, Baha'u'llah is referencing those passages in the Qur'an that contrast those who disbelieve from those who believe, those who persecute the believers and those who suffer for their belief. He is continually calling to mind the question of belief itself, and helping us ask which side of history we want to be on.

Throughout this volume, Baha'u'llah reminds us of the nature of "Return", and how not only does the Messenger return, but so do all the surrounding circumstances, including the various types of people, both the oppressors and the believers. He continually draws us back to sacred Text, both the Bible and Qur'an, reminding us of the profundity of these books, and how they can be our guide to the future.

Then there is the word "consider". Consider this book, the Qur'an. Think about it carefully before making your decision regarding the validity of the Station of the Bab.

Study this book, the Qur'an. Notice how it not only talks about the various circumstances attending the lives of the Messengers, it even calls out by name such perfidious individuals as Karim Khan.

It is with such reminders that Baha'u'llah winds down this section of the Iqan, getting us ready to see what the Qur'an has to say about the Bab, Himself.

Of course, before that, there is still the internal preparation we must do to be ready to engage in such a search.

Paragraph 208

Among the sciences which this pretender hath professed is that of alchemy. We cherish the hope that either a king or a man of preeminent power may call upon him to translate this science from the realm of fancy to the domain of fact and from the plane of mere pretension to that of actual achievement. Would that this unlearned and humble Servant, who never laid any pretension to such things, nor even regarded them as the criterion of true knowledge, might undertake the same task, that thereby the truth might be known and distinguished from falsehood. But of what avail! All this generation could offer Us were wounds from its darts, and the only cup it proffered to Our lips was the cup of its venom. On Our neck We still bear the scar of chains, and upon Our body are imprinted the evidences of an unyielding cruelty.

Continuing on with this "certain man, reputed for his learning and attainment", who accounts "himself as one of the preeminent leaders of his people", Baha'u'llah focuses in on a single one of his preposterous claims, the mastery of alchemy.

What makes this most fascinating to us is to compare it to what Baha'u'llah has already said about alchemy in paragraphs 165 - 167. In those paragraphs He refers to the potency of the "Divine Elixir", the Word of God, and how it can transform people from one state of being to another, more golden state of being. Of course, He also points out that those people who have been touched and transformed by the Word of God cannot be compared to themselves from before that transformation. They have so utterly changed, become so much more spiritual, that it is like the copper that has been changed to gold.

Here, in this paragraph, He asks that someone take this man up on his claim. Specifically, He cherishes "the hope" that someone in a position of power do this, as He Himself is essentially seen as a powerless exile at this point.

Further to this, though, He also hopes that someone ask Him to do the same thing. It is very reminiscent of that later challenge when some members of the clergy asked Him to perform a miracle, presuming He wouldn't accept such a challenge. Immediately upon this request, He agreed, provided they chose a single miracle and, upon its performance, accepted His claim. They were unable to do this, and so never followed through.

Over and over Baha'u'llah seems to dare people to challenge Him to do such things, and every single time they do not.

Then, at the end of this paragraph, there is another point He introduces: His sufferings. Why? Why would He introduce this idea here?

This suffering is not the suffering of exasperation, but a literal physical suffering. He had already been bastinadoed, imprisoned, and even exiled for His faith. When He was imprisoned in the Siyyah-Chal, the chains on His neck bent His back and left their scars on Him for life. When He says He bears the scars of their cruelty, and that His body bears the evidence of it, this is not hyperbole. It is a reality.

Of what use is it, He asks, to hope for such a test as to be asked to change copper to gold. This generation, He implies, is not interested in investigating the truth. All that it has given Him is suffering.

And just in case we have forgotten, remember that line from way back in paragraph 6, "the more closely thou observest the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be thy faith in the Cause of God"? In addition to this, in paragraph 80 He said of those same Manifestations, "Each and every one of them fell a prey to the hands of the enemies of His Cause, and had to suffer whatsoever they decreed." As He is just getting ready to embark on the actual proofs of the Mission and Station of the Bab, it seems that this is a hint at how to become more certain of Baha'u'llah's own Station, too.

Paragraph 207

Gracious God! How great is Our amazement at the way the people have gathered around him, and have borne allegiance to his person! Content with transient dust, these people have turned their face unto it, and cast behind their backs Him Who is the Lord of Lords. Satisfied with the croaking of the crow and enamored with the visage of the raven, they have renounced the melody of the nightingale and the charm of the rose. What unspeakable fallacies the perusal of this pretentious book hath revealed! They are too unworthy for any pen to describe, and too base for one moment’s attention. Should a touchstone be found, however, it would instantly distinguish truth from falsehood, light from darkness, and sun from shadow.

We are still looking at this "certain man, reputed for his learning and attainment", who accounts "himself as one of the preeminent leaders of his people".

This paragraph begins with exasperation. "Gracious God!"

Why? What is Baha'u'llah exasperated about? If we look at the last sentence of the previous paragraph, we see that this refers to the "heights of extravagance his claims have reached".

But it's not only that. It's the way "people have gathered around him, and have borne allegiance to his person." As Baha'u'llah says in paragraph 111, quoting the Qur'an, "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." No wonder He is amazed.

For us, it is a good reminder to be cautious about following the crowd. Are we following merely to follow? Or have we consciously thought about it? Remember, we are not to "regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets". But that doesn't mean we need to ignore anything anyone else says. It means that we should be cautious, make sure that what is being said makes sense and is in line with the Writings. Being attracted to what another person says is not necessarily bad. But we need to see whether we are attracted like the moth to the light or the fly to the fertilizer. It all hearkens back, of course, to paragraphs 14 and 15, too, and not weighing the Word of God "by the standard of their own knowledge".

But all of this can become a distraction.

Why would we bother paying attention to the cawing of the crow when we can listen to the beautiful melody of the nightingale? Why would we waste our time with the "visage of the raven" when we can surround ourself with the beauty of the rose? We should focus our attention on the positive, spending our precious time building up what is good rather than focusing on the negative. Those petty things that try to divert our attention away from the Word of God and the building of this new civilization are not worthy of our attention.

What a lesson this is for us in this age of social media, which thrives on this distraction and relishes in these petty arguments. No. We shouldn't bother with such things, for once we have the divine Word of God, we can "instantly distinguish truth from falsehood, light from darkness, and sun from shadow".

Paragraph 206

We were surprised exceedingly when We observed that his one purpose was to make the people realize that all these learnings were possessed by him. And yet, I swear by God that not one breath, blowing from the meads of divine knowledge, hath ever been wafted upon his soul, nor hath he ever unraveled a single mystery of ancient wisdom. Nay, were the meaning of Knowledge ever to be expounded unto him, dismay would fill his heart, and his whole being would shake to its foundation. Notwithstanding his base and senseless statements, behold to what heights of extravagance his claims have reached!

In this paragraph, the fourth of ten that looks at this "certain man, reputed for his learning and attainments", Baha'u'llah turns His attention to this man's character.

The first thing that catches our attention is the adverb, "exceedingly". He wasn't just surprised. Baha'u'llah was "surprised exceedingly". Why?

As so often is the case, we don't really know. How can anyone know the mind of a Manifestation? But we suspect it has to do with this man motivations. He wasn't concerned about educating people. He wasn't interested in raising the spiritual state of those who followed him. He wasn't even thinking about guiding people to the Messenger of God, nor even God Himself. No. His only purpose was to boost his own ego.

It seems only natural that this would surprise someone whose very essence was a lack of ego.

And this isn't speculation on Baha'u'llah's part. It is something He actually observed. He saw it, clear as day. He saw this man's behaviour and discerned his motives.

The second point that caught our attention is this man's lack of understanding. He obviously does not possess true knowledge, according to Baha'u'llah, Who has read his book. In fact, so far is he from true knowledge that if he were to encounter it, he would freak out. "...(H)is whole being would shake to its foundation."

To better understand this, we need to look all the way back to paragraphs 14 and 15. There He points out that this man's behaviour, similar to other religious fanatics throughout history, "can be attributed to naught save the petty-mindedness of such souls as tread the valley of arrogance and pride..." Baha'u'llah goes on to say, "Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered their people from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of the people."

In other words, this man's "lust for leadership" has prompted him to ignore the truth. His ego has convinced him to attack anything that might cast a shadow on how others perceive him. As He says in paragraph 28, "With all their power and strength they strive to secure themselves in their petty pursuits, fearful lest the least discredit undermine their authority or blemish the display of their magnificence." This man, "reputed for his learning and attainments", exemplifies these warnings. And were he to gain a bit of true knowledge, he would then see himself as one of those described in that next sentence, one of those "voracious beasts (that) have gathered and preyed upon the carrion of the souls of men."

We can clearly see how his egotism has carried him away to those "heights of extravagance". These claims that he alone knows all these sciences "necessary" for understanding the Miraj shows that he lacks the detachment needed to "attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding".

Contrary to this, Baha'u'llah never claims that anything other than detachment and purity of heart are needed to recognize these truths. Later, in paragraphs 213 to 219, He will go into more depth as to what this entails.

Paragraph 205

In this day, they that are submerged beneath the ocean of ancient Knowledge, and dwell within the ark of divine wisdom, forbid the people such idle pursuits. Their shining breasts are, praise be to God, sanctified from every trace of such learning, and are exalted above such grievous veils. We have consumed this densest of all veils with the fire of the love of the Beloved—the veil referred to in the saying: “The most grievous of all veils is the veil of knowledge.” Upon its ashes, We have reared the tabernacle of divine knowledge. We have, praise be to God, burned the “veils of glory” with the fire of the beauty of the Best-Beloved. We have driven from the human heart all else but Him Who is the Desire of the world, and glory therein. We cleave to no knowledge but His Knowledge, and set our hearts on naught save the effulgent glories of His light.

Here we are at the third of ten paragraphs looking at "a certain man, reputed for his learning and attainments", or as we like to think of it, the tablet of the false seeker. After all the various arguments Baha'u'llah has laid out in this book, this is the final gift he offers us before outlining the qualities of the true seeker in paragraphs 213 - 219. It is an amazing example of what not to do, before clearly guiding us to the proper manner in which to seek the truth.

Before we get into it, note the contrasting elements throughout this one paragraph. We begin with the ocean, and the ark which sails upon it. He then brings us back to our body with the reference to the breast, and then up towards the veil which, presumably covers the face. This veil is then burned with fire and we are left with its ashes. These ashes then form the foundation upon which is built the tabernacle, that sacred tent housing the Holy of Holies. The praise of God is like a burnt offering, soaring up towards the heavens, which brings us right back down to the heart, which has been cleansed and purified. Out to the ocean, in to the heart, up to the heavens, and back down to the heart again. So majestic. So powerful. And so grounding.

Going back to the beginning of this paragraph, we find ourselves at the ocean once again. In paragraph 1 we were trying to "attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding", but now we are "submerged beneath the ocean". We are not just pleasantly swimming on the surface, we are diving deep within it. But we are not in danger. Oh, no. We dwell within the "ark of divine wisdom", safe within its confines, free to dive into the ocean whenever we wish.

But this is not a total freedom to do anything we want. There are some rules that we follow. Of course, we don't follow them merely because they are there. We obey them because they are for our benefit. They are the sort of laws that aid us in our growth and development. One of those laws helps us avoid those senseless disciplines that avail us nothing.

As we move on, we find that these learnings appear to obscure the heart, as He refers to the "shining breasts" being "sanctified from every trace of such learning". This puts us in mind of all the writings that describe the heart as a mirror, from which we must cleanse the dross. These idle teachings espoused by this "man of learning" are like that dross.

Baha'u'llah then refers to this learning as a veil. As we saw earlier in the book, veils are those things that obscure the light of God for the individual. They are closer to us, more personal, than the clouds, which also obscure the light, but do so for everyone.

Now that we recognize the veil, we have to get rid of it, but how? In the Long Obligatory Prayer, Baha'u'llah asks God to "make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty". By turning towards God, facing the true beauty of the All-Beloved, that veil is burned away so that we may see His true beauty in all its glory.

Once this false and obscuring knowledge has been burned away, we find ourselves left with nothing but these ashes which can then be used to help us recognize the true knowledge that He is laying bare before us. This is how we are able to raise the "tabernacle of true knowledge". And again, looking at the concept of the tabernacle, we can see why it would be used here. It is the movable tent that housed the Spirit in the desert for the Jewish peoples, and where they store the Torah today.

By focusing on God, that source of all knowledge, our heart is cleansed. Nothing else remains within it but the love of God.

Back in paragraph 76, Baha'u'llah said, " Know verily that Knowledge is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but a reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source of the former is God Himself; the motive-force of the latter the whisperings of selfish desire." Here we are getting rid of the latter and focusing all our energies on the former.

This is where we want to be. This is what we want to do. And the following paragraphs remind us of what happens when we don't, when we turn towards ourselves and use our own limited knowledge as the "standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets."

Paragraph 204

Gracious God! Such is the measure of his understanding. And yet, behold what cavils and calumnies he hath heaped upon those Embodiments of God’s infinite knowledge! How well and true is the saying: “Flingest thou thy calumnies unto the face of Them Whom the one true God hath made the Trustees of the treasures of His seventh sphere?” Not one understanding heart or mind, not one among the wise and learned, hath taken notice of these preposterous statements. And yet, how clear and evident it is to every discerning heart that this so-called learning is and hath ever been rejected by Him Who is the one true God. How can the knowledge of these sciences, which are so contemptible in the eyes of the truly learned, be regarded as essential to the apprehension of the mysteries of the “Mi‘ráj,” whilst the Lord of the “Mi‘ráj” Himself was never burdened with a single letter of these limited and obscure learnings, and never defiled His radiant heart with any of these fanciful illusions? How truly hath he said: “All human attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across space.” By the righteousness of God! Whoso desireth to fathom the mystery of this “Mi‘ráj,” and craveth a drop from this ocean, if the mirror of his heart be already obscured by the dust of these learnings, he must needs cleanse and purify it ere the light of this mystery can be reflected therein.

This is the second of the ten paragraphs Baha'u'llah uses to talk about the negative example set by Haji Mirza Karim Khan.

As you can see, it seems to begin with His exasperation, something that occurs seldomly, but occasionally, in this book. This is, in fact, the fifth time He has used the phrase "Gracious God" so far, and it is interesting to note when He uses it, but not where we want to go here.

Instead, He begins by reminding us that this individual said you needed to understand multiple different so-called sciences to understand one of the mysteries of Muhammad, the Miraj. The derision that Baha'u'llah uses towards this claim is evident when He says, "Such is the measure of his understanding." And then He exposes his character by referring to the "cavils and calumnies" he heaps upon those that disagree with him, especially "those Embodiments of God's infinite knowledge".

It is worth pointing out that cavils are petty and insignificant points of argument, while calumnies are lies designed to attack the character of an individual. As bad as backbiting is, at least it is based upon a truth. Calumnies don't even have that going for them. By using these two terms, Baha'u'llah is really giving us a sampling of this man's character.

Then, referring back to those sciences that are deemed necessary by this guy for understanding the Word of God, Baha'u'llah goes on and says that it is absurd to think that this would be the case. He points out that Muhammad, Himself, never wasted His time with these silly and obscure teachings.

Instead of wasting our time with these ideas, Baha'u'llah points out that what is important, especially for the understanding of religious truth, is the purification of the heart.

All of this, of course, goes right back to the very beginning of the book, where He says, "No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth."

This man seems to want to understand the Miraj. Let's presume the best of him here. Let's presume he is sincere in this desire.

He says that to properly understand it, you first have to understand all these different branches of learning, no matter how absurd some of them may be. But that's not what Baha'u'llah says. He doesn't say, "No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding unless he knows these various sciences." That's not what He says at all. He places the emphasis on detachment, not learning.

So what is the purpose of talking about this man here?

In some ways, it is the last step before He describes the station and attributes of the true seeker. By talking about Haji Mirza Karim Khan, Baha'u'llah is giving us a powerful negative example to avoid. After all, this is an individual who incited many people to rebel against the Bab and His followers. He is one of those souls of whom Baha'u'llah talks in paragraph 6. Remember paragraph 6? That is where He says "...the more closely you observe the denials... the firmer will be your faith..."

This is an individual who offered countless denials. But rather than just sharing those denials, Baha'u'llah is exposing a little bit of his character for us. And to be sure, it is of a type of character we really want to avoid.

Paragraph 203

For instance, a certain man, reputed for his learning and attainments, and accounting himself as one of the preeminent leaders of his people, hath in his book denounced and vilified all the exponents of true learning. This is made abundantly clear by his explicit statements as well as by his allusions throughout his book. As We had frequently heard about him, We purposed to read some of his works. Although We never felt disposed to peruse other peoples’ writings, yet as some had questioned Us concerning him, We felt it necessary to refer to his books, in order that We might answer Our questioners with knowledge and understanding. His works, in the Arabic tongue, were, however, not available, until one day a certain man informed Us that one of his compositions, entitled Irshádu’l-‘Avám, could be found in this city. From this title We perceived the odor of conceit and vainglory, inasmuch as he hath imagined himself a learned man and regarded the rest of the people ignorant. His worth was in fact made known by the very title he had chosen for his book. It became evident that its author was following the path of self and desire, and was lost in the wilderness of ignorance and folly. Methinks he had forgotten the well-known tradition which sayeth: “Knowledge is all that is knowable; and might and power, all creation.” Notwithstanding, We sent for the book, and kept it with Us a few days. It was probably referred to twice. The second time, We accidentally came upon the story of the “Mi‘ráj” of Muḥammad, of whom was spoken: “But for Thee, I would not have created the spheres.” We noticed that he had enumerated some twenty or more sciences, the knowledge of which he considered to be essential for the comprehension of the mystery of the “Mi‘ráj.” We gathered from his statements that unless a man be deeply versed in them all, he can never attain to a proper understanding of this transcendent and exalted theme. Among the specified sciences were the science of metaphysical abstractions, of alchemy, and natural magic. Such vain and discarded learnings, this man hath regarded as the prerequisites of the understanding of the sacred and abiding mysteries of divine Knowledge.

With this paragraph, Baha'u'llah begins talking about a "certain man". He will talk about this individual for a good ten paragraphs, what we see as the culmination of those twenty-two paragraphs discussing the two stations of the Manifestations of God. Previously He had given us the positive example of a sincere seeker who was willing to look at new ideas in his search for truth. But now He is giving us the negative example of one who was not. To us it gets the reader to ask themselves whether or not they are truly open to this new concept of the Manifestations, and which of these two individuals they want to emulate.

To begin, we want to point out that this "certain man" was Haji Mirza Karim Khan, a disciple of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim. He had the temerity to "take over" the school founded by Shaykh Ahmad, despite the fact that Siyyid Kazim told his disciples to disperse and search for the Promised One. He fancied himself as the leader of this new movement and became an inveterate enemy of both the Babis and the Baha'is.

Baha'u'llah is using this man as an example from the previous paragraph, in which He talked about people who do not understand what true Knowledge is, and instead follow "those images fashioned by their own fancy and which have sprung from the embodiments of ignorance".

Many people questioned Baha'u'llah about this man, and so He says He had to "refer to his books, in order that We might answer Our questioners with knowledge and understanding". This is such a great example of doing the research before commenting.

In fact, it seems to be the exact opposite of what this other man does.

Baha'u'llah is showing humility here. This other man is showing nothing but haughty pride and arrogance. Entitling his book "Guidance unto the Ignorant"? What presumption. To claim that you must master all these various schools of thought before you can understand the Word of God? How ridiculous. The Word of God is there for all, not just the so-called learned. As Jesus said, all you need is faith the size of a mustard grain, not a whole tree.

Of course, He will elaborate on all this in the paragraphs to come.

For now, this all revolves around the dangers of pride. It goes right back to the beginning of the book where He says "Sanctify your souls, of peoples of world". And one of the first steps in sanctifying our soul is to be humble in our search for truth.

If we look back at how Baha'u'llah talks about the earlier Manifestations, back at the very beginning of the book, He regularly encourages the reader to verify what He says. He doesn't place Himself above the reader. Instead He encourages the reader to walk the path of learning for themselves, demonstrating humility while guiding the reader to greater truths.