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In another passage He saith: “And when Our clear verses are recited to them, their only argument is to say, ‘Bring back our fathers, if ye speak the truth!’” Behold, what foolish evidences they sought from these Embodiments of an all-encompassing mercy! They scoffed at the verses, a single letter of which is greater than the creation of heavens and earth, and which quickeneth the dead of the valley of self and desire with the spirit of faith; and clamored saying: “Cause our fathers to speed out of their sepulchers.” Such was the perversity and pride of that people. Each one of these verses is unto all the peoples of the world an unfailing testimony and a glorious proof of His truth. Each of them verily sufficeth all mankind, wert thou to meditate upon the verses of God. In the above-mentioned verse itself pearls of mysteries lie hidden. Whatever be the ailment, the remedy it offereth can never fail.

This is the sixth of the quotes from the Qur'an that will bring us all the way through paragraph 245.

It started with the reminder that the Word of God is the only source of guidance, and the challenge to try and write anything like it. He then said that if you aren't willing to accept this as a proof, why would you settle for believing in something less worthy? He then reminded us of the dangers of pride, and touched on the notion that many people ridicule the Word of God when it is offered to them.

Here, with this quote, He goes a step further and shows how the demands for further proof were even more absurd.

It is interesting to note that the first quote, about there being no doubt about the Qur'an, is sort of on its own. It is quoted in a paragraph, followed by a paragraph of commentary.

The second quote, about trying to produce verses like it, is also on its own, quoted and then followed by another paragraph of commentary.

These last four, though, are all cited one after the other, before we get to two paragraphs of commentary. By looking at the paragraphs without the quotes as something of a break, or an interlude, we can tie these four together as a unit.

1. Such are the verses of God: with truth do We recite them to thee. But in what revelation will they believe, if they reject God and His verses?
2. Woe to every lying sinner, who heareth the verses of God recited to him, and then, as though he heard them not, persisteth in proud disdain! Apprise him of a painful punishment.
3. And when he becometh acquainted with any of Our verses he turneth them to ridicule. There is a shameful punishment for them!
4. And when Our clear verses are recited to them, their only argument is to say, ‘Bring back our fathers, if ye speak the truth!

Now they seem to highlight the fact that people reject the verses out of pride, and offer ridiculous excuses for doing so.

By looking at it in this manner, we found that it helped us get a better understanding of His argument. Step 1 is understanding that the Qur'an is amazing. Step 2 is knowing that just writing verses like these is a sign that it's from God. Step 3 deals with the response that it seems to evoke from the disbelievers. After that we have three more verses, each of which is quoted on its own with commentary following.

At this point, though, Baha'u'llah really seems to be focusing on the reaction to the Word of God. Why?

Back in paragraph 6 we read, "...the more closely you observe the denials... the firmer will be your faith..."

Out of nine quotes He uses from the Qur'an to help guide us to the recognition of the Bab, nearly half of them have to do with this singular theme, the denials.

We are reminded of the story from the trial of the Bab when He was in Tabriz. He was brought before the authorities and asked to account for His claims. When He was asked to prove His cause, to substantiate His authority, He proceeded to reveal Verses. But the only thing that the clergy could find fault with was a supposed infraction of grammar. The Bab calmly pointed out that this same alleged infraction was also found multiple times in the Qur'an, but still they claimed He was mistaken, and "obviously ignorant". They could not attack His statements, nor His teachings, so they had to resort to attacking His conjugation of a verb. How ridiculous.

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In yet another passage He saith: “And when he becometh acquainted with any of Our verses he turneth them to ridicule. There is a shameful punishment for them!” The people derisively observed saying: “Work thou another miracle, and give us another sign!” One would say: “Make now a part of the heaven to fall down upon us”; and another: “If this be the very truth from before Thee, rain down stones upon us from heaven.” Even as the people of Israel, in the time of Moses, bartered away the bread of heaven for the sordid things of the earth, these people, likewise, sought to exchange the divinely revealed verses for their foul, their vile, and idle desires. In like manner, thou beholdest in this day that although spiritual sustenance hath descended from the heaven of divine mercy, and been showered from the clouds of His loving-kindness, and although the seas of life, at the behest of the Lord of all being, are surging within the Riḍván of the heart, yet these people, ravenous as the dogs, have gathered around carrion, and contented themselves with the stagnant waters of a briny lake. Gracious God! how strange the way of this people! They clamor for guidance, although the standards of Him Who guideth all things are already hoisted. They cleave to the obscure intricacies of knowledge, when He, Who is the Object of all knowledge, shineth as the sun. They see the sun with their own eyes, and yet question that brilliant Orb as to the proof of its light. They behold the vernal showers descending upon them, and yet seek an evidence of that bounty. The proof of the sun is the light thereof, which shineth and envelopeth all things. The evidence of the shower is the bounty thereof, which reneweth and investeth the world with the mantle of life. Yea, the blind can perceive naught from the sun except its heat, and the arid soil hath no share of the showers of mercy. “Marvel not if in the Qur’án the unbeliever perceiveth naught but the trace of letters, for in the sun, the blind findeth naught but heat.”

This is the fifth quote from the Qur'an that Baha'u'llah uses in His defense of the Cause of the Bab. Examination of these quotes will carry us all the way through paragraph 245.

It started with the reminder that the Word of God is the only source of guidance, and the challenge to try and write anything like it. He then said that if you aren't willing to accept this as a proof, why would you settle for believing in something less worthy? He then reminded us of the dangers of pride.

Here He is pointing out a sadly common reaction to the verses that descend from Heaven: people ridicule them.

In His example, Muhammad is talking about some previous Manifestations, just as He did in the Surih of Hud. He gives five examples of these Manifestations being rejected. At this point in the Surih, they have all told the people to be just and fair, and they all have been denounced. The last of these has just offered them the verses of God, and told the people to be good people and treat others with compassion. Their response was to say, "Who do you think you are? You're just another person like us." And then they demanded Him to strike them down with stones from heaven.

Once again Baha'u'llah is calling to mind the countless times that Muhammad, in the Qur'an, referred to a continuity of Manifestations. He is reminding us of how they have all given the same message. And He is specifically pointing out that they were all ridiculed and denied.

All of this from that second quote from the Qur'an.

Instead of recognizing that the verses of God were good, they sought proof from some absurd miracle. This is where they believed that proof came from. This is what they thought of as godly.

Baha'u'llah then reminds the uncle of the story of Moses, and how they denied Him. They chased after their own desires, instead of searching for the truth.

He also shows how they asked for stones from heaven, when what we really desire is rain. Nobody wants a meteor to fall upon them. What we actually want is the spring rains that cause the seeds to sprout.

He contrasts these healthy rains, that good water, for the "stagnant waters of a briny lake". And the people are content with this? "Gracious God! how strange..."

In the second half of this paragraph, after that exasperated comment, He talks about guidance, knowledge, and proof. The people seek guidance, but the standard of guidance is already waving. They want knowledge, but the source of all knowledge is shining like the sun. And then they want proof of that very same sun, never recognizing that the light itself is the proof of the sun, just as the sprouting of the earth is the proof of the rain's bounty. They demand all sorts of proofs, never realizing that the real proof is right before their eyes.

Why? Well, the only people who who don't see the light of the sun are those who are blind.

But you'll notice that Baha'u'llah never asks why they turn away. He just notes that they do. When we ask why, we can come up with all sorts of reasons. The problem, though, is that it leads us to judging others. We can never really know their motives. But we can see their actions.

These people turned away. They ridiculed the Manifestations. They demanded unreasonable proofs. From these actions we can discern that they must be spiritually blind.

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In another passage He saith: “Woe to every lying sinner, who heareth the verses of God recited to him, and then, as though he heard them not, persisteth in proud disdain! Apprise him of a painful punishment.” The implications of this verse, alone, suffice all that is in heaven and on earth, were the people to ponder the verses of their Lord. For thou hearest how in this day the people disdainfully ignore the divinely revealed verses, as though they were the meanest of all things. And yet, nothing greater than these verses hath ever appeared, nor will ever be made manifest in the world! Say unto them: “O heedless people! Ye repeat what your fathers, in a bygone age, have said. Whatever fruits they have gathered from the tree of their faithlessness, the same shall ye gather also. Ere long shall ye be gathered unto your fathers, and with them shall ye dwell in hellish fire. An ill abode! the abode of the people of tyranny.”

We now move on to the fourth quote from the Qur'an that Baha'u'llah uses in His defense of the Cause of the Bab. Examination of these quotes will carry us all the way through paragraph 245.

He began with the reminder that the Qur'an is the only source of guidance recommended by Muhammad for discovering the Manifestation of God. He continued with the verse that challenges us to try and write even a single Surih that matches it in quality. Then He offered a verse that says if you aren't willing to accept these matchless verses, are you settling for believing in something less worthy? Here, He cites a verse that chastises those who hear the verses of God, but remain proud of their own meager accomplishments, ignoring the greatness of these verses.

This passage, though, has a number of caveats contained within it. First, the person has to have had the verses of God recited to them, or, we presume, reading them would also suffice. Then, after encountering them, they have to pretend that they didn't hear or read them. This would be a form of lying, obviously. And then, despite this encounter with these matchless verses, they would have to remain proud in their contempt of them.

In some ways it reminds us of those who see a beautiful work of art, but refuse to acknowledge the skill of the painter. Of course, this says nothing about the taste of the individual. We may not enjoy the paintings of Picasso, but we still acknowledge his mastery with the brush.

Here, someone would have to read the beautiful poetical words of Muhammad and dismiss them as unworthy. It doesn't say that they have to believe they are from God. That concept is nowhere in this verse. But to hold them in contempt? To regard them as beneath one's dignity? That is truly reprehensible, and shows an egotism of the highest sort.

When Baha'u'llah speaks of the implications of this verse, that is one of them. It implies an ego that is so out of control that it cannot even begin to acknowledge the beauty found within these verses. And that sort of egotism, that "proud disdain", very naturally leads to its own form of punishment. 

At that time there were many Muslims who were ridiculing the verses of the Bab, telling people that they were dangerous and not worth reading. In response to this, and in light of the quote from the Qur'an, Baha'u'llah gives us an answer for when we encounter this sort of behaviour. He literally tells us what to say.

But why would He tell us to remind the people of what their "fathers" said in the past? This goes back to the very beginning of the book when He tells us to "consider the past". He is encouraging us to remind the people that their objections are the exact same objections that were uttered against Muhammad. You are "repeating what your fathers, in a bygone age, have said."

If they condemn the people of the past for not even looking at the verses of Muhammad, they are making exactly the same error.

It is interesting to note, however, that the condemnation does not appear to be for not believing. It seems to be for not considering them, ignoring them. As He says, they "disdainfully ignore the divinely revealed verses". They are not even giving them reasonable consideration. Again, there is a sense of pride involved here. They seem to believe that the verses are beneath them, not even worthy of their attention.

When we come back to the question of faith, if your faith is so weak that it cannot be challenged, then that says a lot about you, more than the challenges. If these verses really were so base, so unworthy, then a study of them would merely be a minor waste of time. But if they are of God, then ignoring them would be a major error.

Muhammad encouraged His followers to study anything and everything that was beneficial to humanity. If you ignore something, how would you ever know if it was beneficial? This is, at the very least, the attention that should be paid to the Writings of the Bab. Then, if you find that it is worthy, a deeper study would be encouraged.

But here, the people that are being condemned are those who are not even willing to take that first step.

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Likewise, He saith: “Such are the verses of God: with truth do We recite them to thee. But in what revelation will they believe, if they reject God and His verses?” If thou wilt grasp the implication of this verse, thou wilt recognize the truth that no manifestation greater than the Prophets of God hath ever been revealed, and no testimony mightier than the testimony of their revealed verses hath ever appeared upon the earth. Nay, this testimony no other testimony can ever excel, except that which the Lord thy God willeth.

Here we are at the third quote that Baha'u'llah is using from the Qur'an to help prove the Cause of the Bab. He has already shown us how Muhammad directs us to the Word of God when looking for proof, and how nobody else can write a Surih like it. In this third quote He points out to us that if we reject the verses of God, we have nothing left in which to believe.

In other words, in the previous quote He said that the verses of God were the highest form of writing possible. If you doubt it, try writing something similar. It's impossible.

And if we don't believe in these verses, what are we believing in? Something less worthy? That seems very silly.

Looking at this quote again, one thing we often find helpful is to see the quote in context. Oh, and if you do that, you may discover that different translations put this as verse 45:6, instead of 45:5 as cited in the Iqan. This just has to do with the different translations of the Qur'an.

If we look at the previous verse, we see that Muhammad is referring to the cyclical nature of day and night. This cyclical nature of reality has been an on-going theme throughout the Iqan, demonstrating for us over and over again how to recognize the new Manifestation. Citing this verse, as we have often seen in the Iqan, is a reminder of the previous verse and the context in which we find the quote.

It seems to be reminding us that we have just come through a period of darkness, an epic length night season, and are now back in the light with the new Revelation.

Following the quote Muhammad then refers to those who hear the Word of God and deny it, usually through arrogance, just as Baha'u'llah has mentioned throughout this book.

With this quote, Baha'u'llah is forcing us to make a choice. After reading the verses from the Bab, and recognizing that they are of a comparable quality to the Qur'an, are we going to deny them and find ourselves in the position of the verse after the one cited? Are we going to attempt to take refuge in our arrogance? Or will we acknowledge the superiority of the Writings?

But anything else we want to say is much better said in the next paragraph where Baha'u'llah talks about this very passage.

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O friend! It behooveth us not to waive the injunction of God, but rather acquiesce and submit to that which He hath ordained as His divine Testimony. This verse is too weighty and pregnant an utterance for this afflicted Soul to demonstrate and expound. God speaketh the truth and leadeth the way. He, verily, is supreme over all His people; He is the Mighty, the Beneficent.

As He moves on with His argument concerning the Station of the Bab, Baha'u'llah continues to look at various quotes from the Qur'an.

Before we get into this paragraph, we have to ask the question which verse is He referring to? "This verse is too weighty and pregnant an utterance..." Which verse? Presumably the one He has been talking about in the previous paragraph, "And if ye be in doubt as to that which We have sent down to Our Servant, then produce a Súrah like it, and summon your witnesses, beside God, if ye are men of truth." With that in mind, let's continue looking at the rest of this paragraph.

He begins this paragraph by, once again, reminding the uncle of the Bab of how Baha'u'llah perceives their relationship. He regards him as a friend. It is like the early believers in virtually every religion referring to each other as "brother". It is a reminder of the close camaraderie we should feel, and the fact that we are all working together to help move humanity forward. Over and over throughout this book, Baha'u'llah reminds us of this fact. Whether it is the Manifestation, the heroes or martyrs, or even a lowly writer of a blog, we all are part of this mighty torrent sweeping away the old and establishing the new. It is a form of mentoring.

Then He tells us that we are not to "waive this injunction of God". What does that mean? In the context of the quote which was just cited, it seems to mean that we have been told to write a Surih like one in the Qur'an, if we are in doubt. Muhammad did not say, "You might want to write a Surih like it", or "It would be a good idea if you considered writing a Surih..." No, He says do it. If you are in doubt, do it. Then you will see the impossibility of it. This is a command, an injunction, and we should not ignore it. And He isn't telling us to write a book, but just a Surih. And to be fair, some of the Surihs are just a few sentences, not even all that long. How hard can it be? Well, impossible.

He then goes on to say that this verse, this challenge to write something similar, is both "weighty" and "pregnant".

Again, we have to ask why. What is it about this quote that gives it such importance? It is the distinguishing feature of the Word of God.

Throughout religious history we can see how important it is, and how much people revered it. Whether it is the total reverence the Jewish people show when the Tanakh is brought out from the Tabernacle, or the way John refers to it in the beginning of the Gospel, we can begin to catch a glimpse of its significance.

And Baha'u'llah reminds us, over and over, that it is not the Manifestations that are the originators of this Word. It is God. God is the One that "speaketh the truth".

So when He says that this quote is "weighty", He might be referring to the importance of understanding that these verses are special. They are the way in which we learn about God's plan for today, no matter the age in which we live.

Then He says that this verse is also "pregnant". If so, to what is it giving birth?

Quite simply, it is the way in which we recognize the next Manifestation. There are many different ways in which people encounter the Manifestations, but the one that has the greatest effect upon their heart and soul is an encounter with their Word. It is the teachings that transform both the individual and the civilization. It is the sole proof of their reality after they have left this world. And, as Muhammad said, it is the sole criterion by which we can recognize the next Manifestation.

There is the beautiful reminder that it is not the Messenger, though, who speaks. It is God who is speaking. The Manifestation is the One who listens with an attentive ear, and conveys what God is saying to the rest of us, who are unable to hear with such acuity. God speaks, and He is leading us forward to a great destiny.

We may try to write similar verses, as commanded in the Qur'an, but we will fail, for "God is supreme over all" of us. Not only is He Mighty, but He is also Benficent, meaning that His Words produce great results, benefiting us all.