Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Paragraph 43

And now, with fixed gaze and steady wings enter thou the way of certitude and truth. "Say: It is God; then leave them to entertain themselves with their cavilings."(Qur'án 6:91) Thus, wilt thou be accounted of those companions of whom He saith: "They that say 'Our Lord is God,' and continue steadfast in His way, upon them, verily, shall the angels descend."(Qur'án 41:30) Then shalt thou witness all these mysteries with thine own eyes.

In many ways this seems to be the first of two transitional paragraphs. We have just finished a huge section talking about the wayward religious leaders, and He seems to sum it all up by telling us to leave them to their cavilings, their trivial objections. He tells us to look forward with a "fixed gaze and steady wings", giving us a clear goal and firm intention.

He switches approach from the previous paragraphs, no longer referring to the allegorical, but telling us of the immediate reality of this next quote. If we proceed forward, unwavering in our determination, then we will be among those on whom the angels descend. The mysteries that have long been thought to be mere allegory Baha'u'llah says he, or we, will witness with our own eyes. These mysteries, though, seem to lie further ahead in the Qur'an, later in Surih 40.

Of course, we don't think He is saying that angels are going to fall on our head, dropping like reindeer from the sky, but if we look at it all with spiritual eyes, then we will see the angelic virtues circling around those who arise to serve His Cause, those who are steadfast in striving to build this new world civilization.

Now going back to the beginning, there is an interesting dynamic He points out. He references the Qur'an talking about those who "entertain themselves with their cavilings." What does this mean? As usual, we're not exactly sure, but for us we read it as referring to those people who find it fun to point out trivial faults. They are the ones who get a kick out of arguing. Rather then spending their time building something useful, they tear down anything they can.

This quote from the Qur'an is also in relation to those who would deny a new revelation. The uncle of the Bab, who was a learned Muslim, would know that Muhammad, in the beginning of 6:91, is telling the reader to ask the denier "Who sent down the Book of Moses". Obviously it is the same God that sent down the Qur'an, and also the Bayan.

Baha'u'llah is asking us to move with "fixed gaze and steady wings". By doing so, He is putting in our mind an image of an eagle that is soaring, or hunting. What is it that we are to be hunting? Perhaps the truth hidden within those verses.

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