Paragraph 163

These same people, though wrapt in all these veils of limitation, and despite the restraint of such observances, as soon as they drank the immortal draft of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the hand of the Manifestation of the All-Glorious, were so transformed that they would renounce for His sake their kindred, their substance, their lives, their beliefs, yea, all else save God! So overpowering was their yearning for God, so uplifting their transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and all that is therein faded before their eyes into nothingness. Have not this people exemplified the mysteries of “rebirth” and “return”? Hath it not been witnessed that these same people, ere they were endued with the new and wondrous grace of God, sought through innumerable devices to ensure the protection of their lives against destruction? Would not a thorn fill them with terror, and the sight of a fox put them to flight? But once having been honored with God’s supreme distinction, and having been vouchsafed His bountiful grace, they would, if they were able, have freely offered up ten thousand lives in His path! Nay, their blessed souls, contemptuous of the cage of their bodies, would yearn for deliverance. A single warrior of that host would face and fight a multitude! And yet, how could they, but for the transformation wrought in their lives, be capable of manifesting such deeds which are contrary to the ways of men and incompatible with their worldly desires?

This is the third of thirty paragraphs in which Baha'u'llah elucidates the first of the twofold stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity". Here He is beginning to show us how it also applies to the companions of the Manifestation.

"These same people"? Who, precisely, are "these same people"?  They seem to be the "chosen ones" from the previous paragraph. They are the ones who "believed in Him and acknowledged His faith" and were "endowed with the grace of a new life".

One of the greatest examples of this transformation described later in this paragraph, is Mulla Husayn. The uncle of the Bab, to whom this book was written, was no doubt familiar with him and his story. It is even possible they had met, but we've never run across anything confirming that.

By all accounts, Mulla Husayn was your physically average theology student. He was generally regarded as weak of body. We kind of imagine him as your typical nerdy wimp. But what he lacked in physical prowess he more than made up for in spiritual strength.

This puts his later actions into an even greater light. The fortitude and heroism he demonstrated even before the events at the fort of the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi are impressive enough. Everything during his march to that fort, and after, are nothing short of miraculous.

And although he is truly a shining example of this transformation, he is but one of tens of thousands of examples from that era. Of course, there is a lot more to be said about Mulla Husayn, and Baha'u'llah will mention him in paragraph 248.

* * * * *

The next question is what are those "veils of limitation"?

From the previous paragraph, it is those "limitations of tradition", which brings us back to His description of the clouds from paragraphs 74 - 88. When discussing the clouds that come between the people and their Lord, He says, "These 'clouds' signify, in one sense, the annulment of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations, the repeal of rituals and customs current amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate faithful above the learned opposers of the Faith." Back in those paragraphs, He talks about what those veils look like. Here He talks more about the effect these veils have, and how it impacts the growth of the new Faith.

Step by step He guides us. Rather than overwhelming us, He shows us one step and allows us to take the time to understand it. Then, much later in the book He shows us the next step. In this way He allows us to have our very natural reactions and let those same reactions subside before moving us on to the  next step.

Now He shows us the effect of piercing those veils upon the believers in the new Revelation.

* * * * *

The next question we run across is at the very end of this passage. "And yet, how could they, but for the transformation wrought in their lives, be capable of manifesting such deeds which are contrary to the ways of men and incompatible with their worldly desires?"

Here the question is rhetorical, but He Himself will respond to it over the next few paragraphs. Nevertheless, we feel that when He asks a question like this, it is actually useful to take the time to ponder it. We need to feel free, and even encouraged, to try and answer the question for ourselves, and then feel the uplifting inspiration from the Most Mighty Pen as He offers us His own thoughts on it.

To help guide us, though, we found this other quote written around the same time, helpful.

O Son of Light!
Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.

Paragraph 162

It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith. Such is the unity of those Essences of being, those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable splendor. Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: “I am the return of all the Prophets,” He verily speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established. Inasmuch as the return of the Prophets of God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath been conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen ones also is therefore definitely proven. This return is too manifest in itself to require any evidence or proof. For instance, consider that among the Prophets was Noah. When He was invested with the robe of Prophethood, and was moved by the Spirit of God to arise and proclaim His Cause, whoever believed in Him and acknowledged His Faith was endowed with the grace of a new life. Of him it could be truly said that he was reborn and revived, inasmuch as previous to his belief in God and his acceptance of His Manifestation, he had set his affections on the things of the world, such as attachment to earthly goods, to wife, children, food, drink, and the like, so much so that in the daytime and in the night-season his one concern had been to amass riches and procure for himself the means of enjoyment and pleasure. Aside from these things, before his partaking of the reviving waters of faith, he had been so wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so passionately devoted to the observance of their customs and laws, that he would have preferred to suffer death rather than violate one letter of those superstitious forms and manners current amongst his people. Even as the people have cried: “Verily we found our fathers with a faith, and verily, in their footsteps we follow.”

 

This is the second of thirty paragraphs in which Baha'u'llah elucidates the first of the twofold stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity".

While we could write a lot about this paragraph, there are a few particular parts that really stand out to us.

•     If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes... 

What does "discriminating" mean? It means to show refined taste or good judgment. In other words, He is asking us to look at the various Messengers and use our own good judgement to recognize that they are all giving us the same message. He is asking us to recognize that all the various Faiths come from the same source. He is asking us to find those points of unity that bind the different religions together, rather than focusing on the differences of culture or language.

•     among the Prophets was Noah

Why does He refer to Noah here? We think it may be that He is the first of the Prophets mentioned in His original argument in Part 1, back in paragraph 7. Here, He is following the same order. In addition to this, He seems to be referencing another quote of Jesus found in Matthew. And again, this is not random. Back in paragraph 24 He quoted Jesus from Matthew 24: 29 - 31. Now He is referencing Matthew 24: 37 - 38. "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be..." You see how systematic Baha'u'llah is, how easy He makes it for us to follow His argument. This is another lesson we can follow when teaching His Cause.

•     abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith

Here we have an interesting movement of phrases. The tabernacle is that movable tent of God from which His Word is preached. This word leads us to heaven, where we find the Messenger seated on the throne. While on the throne, He is speaking, giving His teachings, and proclaiming the Faith of God.

Here is a reminder that every Messenger has taught us about the previous ones. Jesus taught about Moses and the Torah. Muhammad taught His people about Moses and Jesus, clarifying much that was in the Torah and the Gospel. And in every case, they spoke about the Messenger to come. This is a recurring theme. They all do this. They clarify the past, give us guidance in the present, and have us look to the future.

While there are many examples we could use to demonstrate this point, a simple one is the idea that Moses taught us "an eye for an eye", to ensure that our retribution in the face of an injustice does not carry us to excess. Jesus taught us to forgive those that sin against us. And Baha'u'llah takes it further when He tells us to prefer our brother to ourselves.

•     ...the return of their chosen ones also is therefore definitely proven. This return is too manifest in itself to require any evidence or proof... (W)hoever believed in Him and acknowledged His Faith was endowed with the grace of a new life.

This started with the stories in paragraphs 7 - 23, showing how all Manifestations follow same story arc. It continued by showing how the prophecy from Jesus applied to all of them. In the previous paragraph He said that the Manifestations all fulfill the station of "pure abstraction and essential unity". Now He's adding in the followers, and showing how they, too, partake of a form of unity. He is pointing out that the "chosen ones" are those who "believed" and "acknowledged His Faith". This is such a radically new understanding of "chosen", showing that it is due to the individual's choice and action, rather than some abstract virtue of birth.

•     ...before his partaking of the reviving waters of faith, he had been so wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so passionately devoted to the observance of their customs and laws, that he would have preferred to suffer death rather than violate one letter of those superstitious forms and manners current amongst his people

Baha'u'llah seems to be reminding the uncle that this describes the people of his day. He subtly points out that these customs that the people would die for are just "superstitious forms and manners".

You will note that this is a continuation of a theme He has talked about before in this book. We encountered it in paragraph 54 when we read of Muhammad turning away from Jerusalem during His prayer.  This was done, we will recall, "to test and prove His servants".

It also reminds us of paragraph 81, where are told to "Consider how men for generations have been blindly imitating their fathers", and were someone to come along and "abolish every principle imposed by their Faith... they would... be veiled and hindered from acknowledging His truth." In fact, we are even told that they would attack the one promoting this change, which is exactly what we have seen in the past, and the uncle was seeing it at the time this book was written.

It reminds us of the importance of detachment, that overarching theme of Part 1.

To see it again here, as He talks about the followers of the Messenger, reminds us of the tests we will face when we acknowledge His truth.