Paragraph 116

We shall cite in this connection only one verse of that Book. Shouldst thou observe it with a discerning eye, thou wilt, all the remaining days of thy life, lament and bewail the injury of Muḥammad, that wronged and oppressed Messenger of God. That verse was revealed at a time when Muḥammad languished weary and sorrowful beneath the weight of the opposition of the people, and of their unceasing torture. In the midst of His agony, the Voice of Gabriel, calling from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, was heard saying: “But if their opposition be grievous to Thee—if Thou canst, seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven.". The implication of this utterance is that His case had no remedy, that they would not withhold their hands from Him unless He should hide Himself beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight unto heaven.

"This connection". Which connection? Well, in the previous paragraph Baha'u'llah mentioned the sufferings of Muhammad. And remember, this is in relation to the sovereignty of the Bab. How could the Bab have the sovereignty of the Qa'im when He suffered so much, and was even executed? This was, basically, the question of His uncle to Baha'u'llah. Here He is reminding us of the very same type of persecutions that Muhammad suffered. And just in case we forget, it is also a study of these sufferings that leads us to certitude of faith, so it's a good thing for us to look at them here.

And "one verse"? Do you remember the last time Baha'u'llah quoted a single verse in this book? It was way back in paragraph 24. Baha'u'llah quoted Jesus in Matthew 24, and that led to so much in Part 1.

But let's look here again. Baha'u'llah is quoting a single verse, “But if their opposition be grievous to Thee—if Thou canst, seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven.". And if we recall His example from Part 1, there are myriads of meanings contained within this single verse.

The first thing that comes to mind is a saying of Muhammad, Himself: "Prayer is a ladder by which everyone may ascend to Heaven." Following through on the metaphor of the ladder, Baha'u'llah says that music is "a ladder by which souls may ascend to the realm on high." He also said, "Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent." "Obligatory prayer", He said elsewhere, "is a ladder of ascent for the believer." So we have a few different ladders that could also be alluded to here. This ladder to heaven could be a retreat into prayer, the uplifting joy of music, or even knowledge, presumably of the divine.

As for an "opening into the earth", if we look in the Writings, we often see reference to "the earth of men's hearts", or some variation thereof. Perhaps this could also be a reference to His, Muhammad, finding His way into men's hearts, which is, as we know, the seat of God. "Thy heart is My home;", Baha'u'llah writes in the Hidden Words, "sanctify it for My descent."

The question, though, is what does this have to do with us? How can we apply this in our own life? To start, perhaps we can remember these "ladders" when we are faced with sufferings in our own life. We can recall the sufferings of the Manifestations of God, Whose sufferings are outlined so simply and beautifully in the very beginning paragraphs of this book. We can meditate on what it means to find "an opening into the earth", whether that means that there is no escape and we need to face this with radiant acquiescence, or whether we need to find that opening into their heart.

Paragraph 115

For this reason did Muḥammad cry out: “No Prophet of God hath suffered such harm as I have suffered.” And in the Qur’án are recorded all the calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as well as all the afflictions which He suffered. Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be informed of that which hath befallen His Revelation. So grievous was His plight, that for a time all ceased to hold intercourse with Him and His companions. Whoever associated with Him fell a victim to the relentless cruelty of His enemies.

This paragraph continues the discussion of sovereignty, a most fascinating discussion that covers a large section of the book, and was one of the pivotal questions asked by the uncle of the Bab.

Looking at the beginning, though, we are faced with the immediate question of "'For this reason'? For what reason?" Well, this brings us back to the previous paragraph in which Baha'u'llah has described the fierce torment that was instigated by the divines of the age against Muhammad. It was this "fierce... torment" that cause Muhammad to cry out. We may remember, though, back in paragraph 63 Baha'u'llah described the situation of the Bab in the following terms: "How severe the persecutions inflicted upon Him - charges and persecutions the like of which men have neither seen nor heard." If Muhammad cried out at His persecutions, which were severe, Baha'u'llah is pointing out that the Bab's sufferings were even worse. Then, if that wasn't enough, He also just alluded to the beginning of His own sufferings at the end of the previous paragraph. "Hath not the same befallen this Servant and been witnessed by all?"

Something that we see here, which we haven't really commented on for a while, is the word "haply", as well as the phrase "Refer ye thereunto". This reminds us very strongly of Part 1, in which we are regularly encouraged to "reflect", "consider the past", "meditate profoundly", and other phrases used to help us remember to consider what we have already learned through religious history.

Do we think this request that we refer to the past Books is a coincidence? Of course not. Baha'u'llah seems to have carefully prepared us for this. He began this whole book by teaching us how to recognize a Manifestation of God, giving plenty of examples from the stories from history that we already knew. He reminded us to continually look to the past and consider what we are seeing today. He began this exploration of the past, in paragraphs 7 through 17, by reminding us of the sufferings of the Manifestations we already recognize. There, we noticed that the sufferings appeared to increase in intensity as time went on. By looking at the sufferings of Muhammad, we can see that they continue in that direction. Now, He is also saying that the Bab suffered even more, and we can expect that "He Whom God shall make manifest" will suffer even greater torments.

Following this look at the lives of the Manifestations at the beginning of Part 1, He then took a single passage from Jesus, found in Matthew 24, and dissected it phrase by phrase for many paragraphs, showing us just a little of the incredible depths that can be found in that one passage.

Are these not the very tools that we are being encouraged to use here, now?

Beyond that, we also want to remember that this book is supposed to be a template on how to teach. If that's the case, then doesn't this mean that we need to help people, not to mention ourselves, become more familiar with the sufferings and trials suffered by both the Bab and Baha'u'llah, not to mention 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Guardian? Have we actually done this? Do we know anyone who actually became a recognized Baha'i by studying these denials and tests? Honestly, we, the writers, don't.

Many times we see this sort of appeal as just a means of playing on people's emotions. But we need to be clear that this is not the case here. Far from it. Instead, it seems to be a fundamental aspect of strengthening one's faith. Way back in paragraph 6, a couple of sentences we love to quote over and over again we read: "Should you acquaint yourself with the indignities heaped upon the Prophets of God, and apprehend the true causes of the objections voiced by their oppressors, you will surely appreciate the significance of their position. Moreover, the more closely you observe the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be your faith in the Cause of God."

We are amazed, even flabbergasted (love that word), at just how important these first few paragraphs are to the rest of the book. We never dreamed that so far into this study we would still be constantly referring back to these same ideas. It just gives us a greater appreciation of this book, and just how tightly knit this entire book really is.

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Addition - As you may have noticed, dear Reader, we have taken the time to go back and review all that we have written about Part 2 before continuing on. Of course, this has meant studying these passages again which naturally leads to more insights. Learning more and more about this book, and grasping some of its countless ideas, is an unending process.

Most of the time we are content to just leave what we have written, not wanting to tire you out with our own ramblings. Today, however, we noticed something that we had missed in all our previous readings of this paragraph.

In the middle, you will note the sentence: "Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be informed of that which hath befallen His Revelation."

"His Revelation"? Wasn't He talking about the sufferings of Muhammad?  Shouldn't it be "that which hath befallen Him"? But no. It is "His Revelation".

Why?

Of course, we don't really know, but we can take a guess. Perhaps Baha'u'llah is trying to draw our attention to how far the followers of Muhammad have fallen. When we re-read the Qur'an, and study the sufferings of the early believers, and then compare that to the actions of the Muslims at the time of the Bab, we cannot help but be overwhelmed at the stark contrast.

Then when we look at the actions of the Babis, or the Baha'is later on, we can see how they are exhibiting a similar spiritual station to that of the early Muslims.

Of course, we can also do the same with the Gospel and compare the early Christians to the Christian community of today.

The point here, we believe, is to note how communities are like the seasons, moving from the spiritual springtime to the desolation of winter.

As this book is all about teaching, we can see that Baha'u'llah does not directly condemn anyone here, but instead encourages the uncle to re-read his history and make the comparison himself.

Paragraph 114

Furthermore, by sovereignty is meant the all-encompassing, all-pervading power which is inherently exercised by the Qá’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 Qá’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 Muḥammad, 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’lláh-i-Ubayy, Abú-‘Amír, the hermit, Ka’b-Ibn-i-Ashraf, and Nadr-Ibn-i-Hárith, 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?

The uncle of the Bab has asked a very good question. Where, he wonders, is the sovereignty of the Bab seen? If He is the Promised One, why haven't we witnessed this sovereignty that is supposed to be His?

It's a great question, and one that Baha'u'llah spends considerable time answering.

To do this, He has us reflect on the past, once again. You may remember from Part One that He regularly has us "consider the past", "reflect", "ponder". This is now the foundation upon which He can answer this very important question.

Throughout this response, He will remind us of the sufferings of the Messengers of the Past, hearkening back to paragraph 6. Remember paragraph 6? That is where He said "the more closely you observe the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be your faith in the Cause of God." As the whole point of this book, indeed, it's very name, is about enhancing our certitude, this is a very important point.

He will also demonstrate how Their sovereignty has always manifested itself over time.

Here, though, He is looking at Muhammad, and how some of the people of His day treated Him. It's a rare example of His use of actual names. Why? Why the names? Because they are remembered for having denied Muhammad. Perhaps He is reminding the uncle, and by extension us, that we don't want to be remembered for such lamentable behaviour.

It is also worth noting that at the beginning of this paragraph He says "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". He spent a good deal of Part 1 of this book offering us many definitions of the terms used by Jesus in Matthew 24. It seems as if this was all in preparation for His response to this very question. His redefining of terms is exactly what He prepared us for.

When we consider the past, we can readily see that the Jewish people expected the Messiah to come riding on a horse and wielding a flaming sword, conquering the Romans as He went. Today, many Christians expect Jesus to come down on a cloud and take over the planet. This has always been the expectation, the literal conquering of the oppressors of the day, and the people have always failed to see Their true sovereignty until much time has passed.

Also, His use of the examples of what befell Muhammad would have been strikingly familiar to the uncle of the Bab. The mullahs and religious leaders of that day called the Bab an impostor. They had doctors sent in to interview Him to see if they could have pronounced Him a lunatic. They labelled Him a calumniator. Each and every one of these accusations which was thrown against Muhammad was similarly hurled against the Bab. And it was the divines of that day who did this. They were the ones who denounced Him and cast Him out from their midst. Then, to top it all off, they also had Baha'u'llah imprisoned and exiled.

The parallels must have been very obvious to the uncle, and this paragraph must have just driven it all home.

Finally, there is a one last thing that catches our attention, and that is Baha'u'llah's mention of "the thorns and briars which they have strewn over His path". This reminds us of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. It is as if those very thorns that were thrown in His path, which must have caused Him untold sufferings, became that very crown that symbolized His sovereignty. This just goes right back to paragraph 6, and helps us become even firmer in our faith.