tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38061552008375975012024-03-05T02:53:47.198-08:00Kitab-i-Iqan StudyA number of years ago, we began a study of the Kitab-i-Iqan, and have just recently decided to do it again. This time we felt it useful to try and share our thoughts on this Text with others. We hope it is useful to you in your studies, and look forward to hearing of your own insights.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-69148781116280641732022-03-30T09:42:00.000-07:002022-03-30T09:42:46.467-07:00Paragraph 153<p><i></i></p><blockquote><i> Strive, therefore, O my brother, to grasp the meaning of “Resurrection,” and cleanse thine ears from the idle sayings of these rejected people. Shouldst thou step into the realm of complete detachment, thou wilt readily testify that no day is mightier than this Day, and that no resurrection more awful than this Resurrection can ever be conceived. One righteous work performed in this Day, equaleth all the virtuous acts which for myriads of centuries men have practiced—nay, We ask forgiveness of God for such a comparison! For verily the reward which such a deed deserveth is immensely beyond and above the estimate of men. Inasmuch as these undiscerning and wretched souls have failed to apprehend the true meaning of “Resurrection” and of the “attainment unto the divine Presence,” they therefore have remained utterly deprived of the grace thereof. Although the sole and fundamental purpose of all learning, and the toil and labor thereof, is attainment unto, and the recognition of, this station, yet they are all immersed in the pursuit of their material studies. They deny themselves every moment of leisure, and utterly ignore Him, Who is the Essence of all learning, and the one Object of their quest! Methinks, their lips have never touched the cup of divine Knowledge, nor do they seem to have attained even a dewdrop of the showers of heavenly grace.</i></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Back in paragraph 151, Baha'u'llah said, in the last sentence, "...the Day of Resurrection... is the Day of the rise of God Himself through His all-embracing Revelation." That is it, His definition. When He tells us to "Strive... to grasp the meaning of 'Resurrection'", this is the meaning He is telling us to work hard to understand. And, of course, in paragraph 152 He elaborated on that definition. He reminded us that there is nothing more wonderful and marvelous than to be alive at the time of a Messenger of God.</p><p>Now, here in paragraph 153, He goes a bit further. First He reminds to not bother ourselves with the sayings and definitions of those who don't get it. If some bozo says that the Day of Resurrection is something wild, nonsensical and fantastical, who cares? Just ignore them. They're yahoos. Baha'u'llah has given us a good definition. Go with it. Use it. Strive to understand it better. And as we do, we will come to understand more of the world around us.</p><p>Later in this paragraph, He helps us make this connection. He says that the "sole and fundamental purpose of all learning... is attainment unto... this station..." Of course, most of the people are only concerned about the material aspect of their studies. They don't concern themselves with the spiritual, but that is only to their detriment.</p><p>Imagine a scenario in which some fool goes into a science classroom before the class begins and proceeds to give some silly idea of the nature of light or evolution. Can you imagine a question on the final exam about what they said? Of course not. When the class begins, though, you will ask the person to move aside so that the true teacher can now begin their class. And then you will quiz the students on what they said, not on the silly ideas that were presented earlier.</p><p>In this scenario, the good science teacher would not only explain the principles and laws involved, but would go on and talk about the application of those ideas. They would address the moral issues involved, and talk about the impact on society. It is not only useless to talk about, for example, nuclear energy in terms of how to start a nuclear reaction, it is actually dangerous if you do not address the impacts such a reaction can have on the health of the people. But when you talk about the importance of unity, health, safety, the need for clean energy, and so forth, then the beneficial effects of these laws becomes more apparent.</p><p>Now, let's go back to the word "strive". It means to work hard. It means to put great effort into something. Here, it seems to imply that overcoming the previous mis-understandings of what was meant by "resurrection" will require strength of character. We need to build up that inner strength in order to carry the weight of this new definition, which implies serious work on our part later.</p><p>And He ends all this with a reference to water, first referred to way back in paragraph 1 with the "ocean of true understanding". Here we are getting a "true understanding" of the meaning of "Resurrection", and it will have implications on our life and actions, which He will address in the rest of the book.</p>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-25970383037786481892022-03-25T10:13:00.000-07:002022-03-25T10:13:19.757-07:00Paragraph 152<p></p><blockquote><p><i>This is the meaning of the “Day of Resurrection,” spoken of in all the scriptures, and announced unto all people. Reflect, can a more precious, a mightier, and more glorious day than this be conceived, so that man should willingly forego its grace, and deprive himself of its bounties, which like unto vernal showers are raining from the heaven of mercy upon all mankind? Having thus conclusively demonstrated that no day is greater than this Day, and no revelation more glorious than this Revelation, and having set forth all these weighty and infallible proofs which no understanding mind can question, and no man of learning overlook, how can man possibly, through the idle contention of the people of doubt and fancy, deprive himself of such a bountiful grace? Have they not heard the well-known tradition: “When the Qá’im riseth, that day is the Day of Resurrection”? In like manner, the Imáms, those unquenchable lights of divine guidance, have interpreted the verse: “What can such expect but that God should come down to them overshadowed with clouds,”109—a sign which they have unquestionably regarded as one of the features of the Day of Resurrection—as referring to the Qá’im and His manifestation.</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>"This is the meaning..." What is the meaning to which He is referring? To get the answer, we need to look at the last couple of sentences in the previous paragraph.</p><p>To put this into context first, though, let us remember where He is in His argument. The uncle of Bab had asked about the sovereignty of the Bab, claiming that He was a merchant, a prisoner, and even executed. How, he wondered, did this demonstrate sovereignty?</p><p>Previously, we had understood these various statements about the promised Qa'im to refer to some Messenger who would appear in the future. Baha'u'llah turns this around on us and shows us that they refer to all the Messengers. If we claim that the Bab was a merchant and could not have been a divine Messenger, well, so was Muhammad. If we say He was executed and therefore could not be the Promised One, Jesus was also executed. Any claim we make against the Bab for not showing the sovereignty of God in the way we expect can be turned around to try and deny another Messenger we already recognize.</p><p>Conversely, any statements we read about the wonder and awe of the promised Day to come can also be applied to the Day of any Messenger we already recognize.</p><p>Over and over Baha'u'llah continually draws us back to this concept of singularity and unity. To recognize one of the Messengers is to recognize them all. To deny one is to deny them all.</p><p>These glorious statements about the "Presence of God" at the time of the Resurrection refer to the time of any and all of the other Messengers, too. "...(W)hosoever, and in whatever Dispensation, hath recognized and attained unto the presence of these glorious, these resplendent and most excellent Luminaries, hath verily attained unto the 'Presence of God'..."</p><p>"Reflect" He says, "can a more precious, a mightier, a more glorious day than this be conceived..?" Remember from way back at the beginning of Part 1? Whenever He tells us to consider, meditate or reflect, it is always because He has introduced a new concept that we may naturally resist. The same holds true here. He is giving us a new understanding of a concept we thought we understood. And now, in the middle of this paragraph, He is asking us to consider it before outright denying it.</p><p>"(N)o day is greater than this Day, and no revelation more glorious that this Revelation..." That Day which is so precious is not just the time of the Bab, nor only the time of Baha'u'llah, but rather that Day in which any Messenger of God is walking the earth.</p><p>Of course, this leads us to very important question, which is at the heart of all that Baha'u'llah is addressing here. Are we living at such a time?</p>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-42118197839447613662022-03-16T11:34:00.000-07:002022-03-16T11:34:34.650-07:00Paragraph 151<p></p><blockquote><i>And were they to say that by “divine Presence” is meant the “Secondary Revelation of God,” interpreted as the “Holy Outpouring,” this is admittedly applicable to the world of creation, that is, in the realm of the primal and original manifestation of God. Such revelation is confined to His Prophets and chosen Ones, inasmuch as none mightier than they hath come to exist in the world of being. This truth all recognize, and bear witness thereto. These Prophets and chosen Ones of God are the recipients and revealers of all the unchangeable attributes and names of God. They are the mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the light of God. Whatsoever is applicable to them is in reality applicable to God, Himself, Who is both the Visible and the Invisible. The knowledge of Him, Who is the Origin of all things, and attainment unto Him, are impossible save through knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous Beings who proceed from the Sun of Truth. By attaining, therefore, to the presence of these holy Luminaries, the “Presence of God” Himself is attained. From their knowledge, the knowledge of God is revealed, and from the light of their countenance, the splendour of the Face of God is made manifest. Through the manifold attributes of these Essences of Detachment, Who are both the first and the last, the seen and the hidden, it is made evident that He Who is the Sun of Truth is “the First and the Last, the Seen, and the Hidden.” Likewise the other lofty names and exalted attributes of God. Therefore, whosoever, and in whatever Dispensation, hath recognized and attained unto the presence of these glorious, these resplendent and most excellent Luminaries, hath verily attained unto the “Presence of God” Himself, and entered the city of eternal and immortal life. Attainment unto such presence is possible only in the Day of Resurrection, which is the Day of the rise of God Himself through His all-embracing Revelation.</i></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>This is the third of three definitions looking at the meaning of "attainment unto the divine Presence".</p><p>To recap, the first definition was attaining to the Revelation. But, as He points out, this is always possible, not just in the time of the Manifestation. So, in a sense, it's too broad a definition. The second definition was attaining to the very essence of God Himself. But, as Baha'u'llah points out, this is impossible, even for the Manifestations. So, in a sense, it's too narrow a definition.</p><p>Now He offers the understanding that it means attaining the presence of the Manifestation Himself. This is the Goldilocks definition. It is just right. Whatever we see in the Manifestation can be regarded as being of God, too. In essence, He helps turn our vision away from the idea of God, Himself, and towards the concept of recognizing God through the Manifestation.</p><p>In this paragraph, Baha'u'llah offers us one of the most concise concepts of a Manifestation we have ever read. He likens them to "mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the light of God". Now, to be fair, this idea has been there throughout history, but has been easily misunderstood. The mirror is so bright, and so beautiful, that it has been seen to be the sun it is reflecting. We have confused the Manifestation for God Himself. The mirror is not the sun, but a perfect representation of the sun, just as the Manifestation is not God, but the perfect representation of God.</p><p>There is an interesting thing about mirrors, though. One is the way in which they reflect the light, how faithfully and accurately you can see what is being reflected. The other is how much light they actually reflect. What we mean by this is, in the first instance, how clear the image is. If the mirror is warped, or has bubbles, then the image will not be accurate. It will be distorted.</p><p>On the other hand, the material which makes up the mirror will also determine its ability to reflect. One substance may only reflect 10% of the light, while another might reflect 50%, or more.</p><p>We were really made aware of this one day at the Grand Canyon. We were standing at the edge looking over these magnificent rock formations, all the strata and colours. It was truly incredible. But then we noticed a large slab of obsidian next to us. It was highly polished, like a mirror. And when you looked at the rocks reflected in the obsidian mirror, you could actually see more detail than if you looked at the rocks directly. By reflecting only a small percentage of the light, more details were made apparent.</p><p>Perhaps the Manifestation is like this. God is so awesome, as in awe-inspiring, and overwhelming, that we require the reflection of His light in the Manifestation to even be able to see a glimmer of the details.</p><p>We are also reminded of paragraph 1, once again. Way back at the beginning, we were told that nobody could ever "attain the shores of the Ocean of true understanding except he be detached" from everything. Here, Baha'u'llah refers to the Manifestations as those "Essences of Detachment".</p><p>It is also worth noting that the quote He cites, from Qur'an 57, is taken from a discourse on the order of creation. This is noteworthy because this little section about attaining the divine Presence is following His own explanation of the hierarchy of creation. He went from all things reflecting an attribute of God to humanity reflecting all the attributes. He then reminded us that of all people on the planet it is the Manifestations that reflect these attributes to the highest degree. At the same time, this quote also reminds us that all the Manifestations have an underlying essence of oneness about them. They are all "the First and the Last, the Seen and the Hidden". At every turn He draws our attention to the Manifestations and continually shows us how they are all, essentially, the same spirit. In essence, He is really addressing the idea of the Manifestations, their Names and attributes, and showing their relation to God, as intermediaries between God and the world of Creation.</p><p>For us today, we can see this as a reminder to look at how people define their terms and help them understand the implications of their definitions, just as He does in these paragraphs. Baha'u'llah showed us how different people understood the phrase "attaining the divine Presence" and then spoke briefly about the implications of each understanding. One was too broad. One was too narrow. One was just right.</p><p>Similar to this, we can look at the idea prayer as another example. Some people feel that prayer is only defined as one particular style, such as the Lord's Prayer, which is, of course, too narrow. Others feel that it has no effect, which is also not accurate, for many respond to prayer and are affected by it. But 'Abdu'l-Baha's definition of prayer as "conversation with God" is just right. It allows for the many styles, as well as the different effects it has on people.</p><p>One of the greatest gifts we have in the Baha'i Faith is the gift of being able to translate these various ideas through the understanding that Baha'u'llah has shared with us.</p>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-74271514813518742402022-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:002022-01-25T09:13:07.127-08:00Paragraph 150<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And were they to maintain that by “divine Presence” is meant the “Specific Revelation of God,” expressed by certain Ṣúfís as the “Most Holy Outpouring,” if this be in the Essence Itself, it is evident that it hath been eternally in the divine Knowledge. Assuming the truth of this hypothesis, “attainment unto the divine Presence” is in this sense obviously possible to no one, inasmuch as this revelation is confined to the innermost Essence, unto which no man can attain. “The way is barred, and all seeking rejected.” The minds of the favorites of heaven, however high they soar, can never attain this station, how much less the understanding of obscured and limited minds.</i></blockquote>
This is the second of three definitions He offers around the phrase, "attaining unto the divine Presence" in the Day of Resurrection. The first definition, offered in paragraph 149, was attaining to the Revelation of God. He says that it cannot refer to this as this has happened in every Dispensation. All the Messengers have brought their message, their Revelation. So, in a sense, it is too broad a definition.<div><br /></div><div>Here, in this paragraph, He says that some think of it as referring to seeing "the innermost Essence" of God. This, He says, is impossible. Nobody can ever do that, not even the Manifestations.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Prayers and Meditations, number LXXV, He says, "Whoso claimeth to have known Thee hath, by virtue of such a claim, testified to his own ignorance; and whoso believeth himself to have attained unto Thee all the atoms of the earth would attest his powerlessness and proclaim his failure."</div><div><br /></div><div>He seems to say that if we believe that we can attain the actual presence of God, and approach His innermost essence, we are sorely mistaken. It's not that we, or the Manifestations, are any lesser or lower for this inability, but rather that God is just that much greater than we ever imagined. Here, as elsewhere, Baha'u'llah is raising our vision, giving us a grander view of reality.<br />
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It all hearkens back to paragraph 104, and His explanation of God. He explained to us that God is "immensely exalted beyond" anything we can conceive, and this, our inability to attain His innermost Essence, is a natural implication of this new understanding of God's station.</div><div><br /></div><div> Two questions, though, stand out for us. First, why is it "the minds" at the end of this paragraph, and not the hearts or the souls? Second, who are the "favorites of heaven"?</div><div><br /></div><div>In regards to the first, we can find the beginning of an answer in the Arabic Hidden Words, number 66:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 18px;">O Children of the Divine and Invisible Essence! Ye shall be hindered from loving Me and souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of Me. For minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me."</span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 18px;"></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 18px;"></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 18px;">As we get closer to God, we come to understand God more and more. Here, He points out that we can never get so close to God as to understand His inner Essence. And in fact, we can never get close enough to another individual to understand their inner essence either. Why would we presume to be able to get close enough to God to do the same? To presume we can is the pinnacle of egotism, which merely leads us further away.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>As for who is a "favorite of heaven", the only other time we see this phrase in the Writings is earlier in this book, in paragraph 89. It is used in relation to showing the fallacy of those who use "specious discourses" to try and disprove the Manifestation. He points to a quote in which it is said, "Our Cause is sorely trying, highly perplexing; none can bear it except he be a favorite of heaven, or an inspired Prophet, or he whose faith god hath tested."</div><div><br /></div><div>So, who would be a favorite of heaven? That's a great question. We'll leave it as one of the mysteries of the faith. Besides, our minds are quite limited and obscured, so who are we to say.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<br /></div>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-78902515183059899822021-11-02T11:46:00.000-07:002021-11-02T11:46:33.636-07:00Paragraph 149<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This people have repudiated all these verses, that unmistakably testify to the reality of “attainment unto the Divine Presence.” No theme hath been more emphatically asserted in the holy scriptures. Notwithstanding, they have deprived themselves of this lofty and most exalted rank, this supreme and glorious station. Some have contended that by “attainment unto the Divine Presence” is meant the “Revelation” of God in the Day of Resurrection. Should they assert that the “Revelation” of God signifieth a “Universal Revelation,” it is clear and evident that such revelation already existeth in all things. The truth of this We have already established, inasmuch as We have demonstrated that all things are the recipients and revealers of the splendors of that ideal King, and that the signs of the revelation of that Sun, the Source of all splendor, exist and are manifest in the mirrors of beings. Nay, were man to gaze with the eye of divine and spiritual discernment, he will readily recognize that nothing whatsoever can exist without the revelation of the splendor of God, the ideal King. Consider how all created things eloquently testify to the revelation of that inner Light within them. Behold how within all things the portals of the Riḍván of God are opened, that seekers may attain the cities of understanding and wisdom, and enter the gardens of knowledge and power. Within every garden they will behold the mystic bride of inner meaning enshrined within the chambers of utterance in the utmost grace and fullest adornment. Most of the verses of the Qur’án indicate, and bear witness to, this spiritual theme. The verse: “Neither is there aught which doth not celebrate His praise” is eloquent testimony thereto; and “We noted all things and wrote them down,” a faithful witness thereof. Now, if by “attainment unto the Presence of God” is meant attainment unto the knowledge of such revelation, it is evident that all men have already attained unto the presence of the unchangeable Countenance of that peerless King. Why, then, restrict such revelation to the Day of Resurrection?</i></blockquote>
<br />This paragraph is, in a way, a great summary of all we have already read in Part 2. Everything in creation shows an attribute of God, while humanity shows all the attributes, and the Messengers show them to the highest degree. The question, though, is why? Here, He gives us an answer: so that we may achieve understanding and wisdom. This, in a sense, can be seen as a purpose of creation.<div><br /></div><div>He then points out, continuing the theme from the previous few paragraphs, that revelation is never final. </div><div><br /><div>He goes on to explain that many people think these great things will only happen at the time of the Return. They believe it is only in the time of the Messenger to come that we will "attain the divine Presence". Here, Baha'u'llah is pointing out that this has happened during the time of every Manifestation. It is not an either / or, but an and.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The way in which He puts forth all these ideas is a great model for us to examine. He re-iterates what He has already said, allowing the reader to follow His train of thought. Then, after this quick summation, He adds another single, small step: Why restrict these ideas and concepts to only the "Day of Resurrection"? They have occurred during every Revelation.</div><div><br /></div><div>He demonstrates for us, by His very argument, how to gently lead a seeker one step at a time, never overwhelming, never pushing. Instead, He reminds us of the path on which we have just walked and then gets us to consider the next logical step. By asking that last question in the paragraph, He allows us the freedom to consider and explore these ideas for ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>This question of what is meant by "divine Presence" is one that He will help us explore over the next few paragraphs. To get us started, He begins with some basic observations, and gives us a lot of beautiful imagery to attract us to this glorious vision.</div><div><div>
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Here we want to look a little bit at this vision He has given us, and explore the imagery He puts before us.<br />
<br />He says that "within all things", within all of creation, there are the doors to this beautiful garden, the Garden of Ridvan, where He will later declare His Mission. Then, within this garden, there are cities, which conveys just how vast and beautiful this first garden is. And within these cities there are yet more gardens, almost like the essence of gardens distilled. Now we enter this smaller garden, nestled within the "cities of understanding and wisdom". But even within this smaller garden, there is still more. There is a building with a room, an inner chamber, and enshrined therein is "the mystic bride of inner meaning".</div><div><br /></div><div>Our goal, He seems to say, is not this first, larger garden, nor is it the cities within. Our goal isn't even the smaller garden within these cities. Nor is our goal this inner chamber. No. Our real goal is "the mystic bride of inner meaning enshrined within".<br />
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Similarly, our goal is not to receive the Word of God, nor is it to understand the literal surface meaning of these Words. Our true goal is to strive to better understand their "inner meaning".</div></div></div></div>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-85531117883700865002019-10-08T18:03:00.000-07:002019-10-08T18:03:50.985-07:00A Thought on Part 2As you are aware, over the past few months we have been going back over Part 2 of this book. We had noticed that we were feeling fairly lost, and couldn't figure out why. Then we realized that we had gone over Part 1 about 3 times before we began writing about it, so why, we wondered, did we think we could write about Part 2, never having studied it together.<br />
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The way that we did this was to just read it, paragraph by paragraph, and see if we could figure out what Baha'u'llah's outline was. How did He organize His argument? How did He present it? How did He lead the uncle of the Bab, step by step, to this glorious revelation?<br />
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And we were still lost.<br />
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We read some, and stumbled, and read a bit more, and stumbled a bit more. But we noticed that each week we would try to recall what Baha'u'llah had talked about leading up to where we were. And by trying to recapture what we had read, we discovered that an outline was unveiling itself before our eyes.<br />
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In essence, this is what we would say each week as began to get ready to move on to the next few paragraphs.<br />
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Beginning with paragraph 102, the first one in Part 2, He reminds us of these wonderful contradictions: the Manifestation is the Sovereign, although nobody obeys Him; He is utterly independent of all save God, but is destitute, too. He reminds us, in the next paragraph, that the Manifestations are sent down to educate us about God, and about ourselves. That is Their job, if you will. Then He goes on, in paragraph 104, to tell us that God is unknowable, and exalted beyond all attributes. There is no direct connection between God and us. Since we can't know God directly, He sends us His Messengers (paragraph 106).<br />
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After this, in paragraph 107, He tells us that everything in creation shows forth an attribute of God, but within every human all the attributes are shown to some degree. In other words, everything shows one aspect of God, but humanity shows all these attributes. And out of all of humanity, the Messengers show this to the highest degree (109). All the Manifestations have all these attributes, whether or not they are visible to others (110), whether it is sovereignty, dominion, or any other attribute of God. But even then the people have failed to seek divine knowledge from Them (111).<br />
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So what about Sovereignty, the root of the question that the uncle asked Baha'u'llah (113)?<br />
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This sovereignty is not what we expect (114). It is not the pomp and glory of the gilded kings that we think of when we traditionally think of sovereignty. It is a spiritual sovereignty that They show either during Their life, or afterwards (117).<br />
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He then goes on to give a few examples, reminding us of how They showed the attribute of the Judge by dividing the good from the wicked (120). Then He reminds us that these various terms, "resurrection", "judgement", "paradise", "hell": these are all symbolic terms (123). Every Messenger has reaffirmed this. It is, in essence, their "purpose" (128).<br />
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Today, in the 1860s, we can see the same pattern playing out with the Bab (130).<br />
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Then He asks a great question. Which type of sovereignty is more important: the physical sovereignty of a monarch on earth, or the spiritual sovereignty of the Messenger (131)? Obviously the latter.<br />
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Baha'u'llah then offers a few paragraphs in which He demonstrates the symbolic meaning of many traditions, showing how they cannot possibly be literal, especially in the light of history. Through this, we get a glimpse of the real sovereignty held by the Manifestations.<br />
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He then looks at the concept of being in the "Divine presence", and the various interpretations of what this can mean. His conclusion is that it refers to being in the presence of the Manifestation during His time on earth. And that is why this time, while He was still walking on earth, was so important.<br />
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From there He continues by asking us to ponder the state of the world today (133). Look at the people around you, and see if they are really being obedient to the law of God, or not. For many centuries, people have long felt that when the next Messenger appears, They will conquer their enemies, and establish a wonderful kingdom on earth. Baha'u'llah shows that this was not the case with any of the past religions, so why would it be true today? Their sovereignty was not of this earth, and any earthly rule came much later.<br />
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He then spends a number of paragraphs outlining the true sovereignty held by the Manifestations, and their followers.<br />
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After all that, He then goes on to talk about the idea that God would never send another Messenger. He points out the foolishness of this idea, and talks about many prophecies alluding to another Manifestation. By paragraph 152, He has already clearly demonstrated the true meaning of the phrase "the Day of Resurrection".<br />
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And this, dear Reader, is as far as we have gotten over the summer.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-19088679787996711082019-04-23T18:00:00.002-07:002019-04-23T18:00:24.467-07:00IntermissionDearly loved Readers,<br />
<br />
This short note is to let you know that we are going to take a break for a few months. We have realized that we read and studied part 1 of this great book 3 times before we began writing this blog, but have not yet really studied the entirety of part 2 before writing about it.<br />
<br />
We feel that this needs to be done before we continue.<br />
<br />
Come this autumn we will continue writing again, and hopefully be able to share our thoughts about what we have learned during this time: how to apply it to our lives, to our service to the Faith, and to the current needs of the Plan.<br />
<br />
We hope that you will continue to join us in our journey, and truly look forward to any thoughts or insights you may have.<br />
<br />
With love and prayers,<br />
<br />
Samuel and MeadMeadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-85527792551959856142019-04-02T18:02:00.003-07:002021-10-20T09:46:08.576-07:00Paragraph 148<blockquote>
<i>Although the commentators of the Qur’án have related in divers manners the circumstances attending the revelation of this verse, yet thou shouldst endeavour to apprehend the purpose thereof. He saith: How false is that which the Jews have imagined! How can the hand of Him Who is the King in truth, Who caused the countenance of Moses to be made manifest, and conferred upon Him the robe of Prophethood—how can the hand of such a One be chained and fettered? How can He be conceived as powerless to raise up yet another Messenger after Moses? Behold the absurdity of their saying; how far it hath strayed from the path of knowledge and understanding! Observe how in this day also, all these people have occupied themselves with such foolish absurdities. For over a thousand years they have been reciting this verse, and unwittingly pronouncing their censure against the Jews, utterly unaware that they themselves, openly and privily, are voicing the sentiments and belief of the Jewish people! Thou art surely aware of their idle contention, that all Revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the day-springs of eternal holiness no sun shall rise again, that the Ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle of ancient glory the Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest. Such is the measure of the understanding of these small-minded, contemptible people. These people have imagined that the flow of God’s all-encompassing grace and plenteous mercies, the cessation of which no mind can contemplate, has been halted. From every side they have risen and girded up the loins of tyranny, and exerted the utmost endeavour to quench with the bitter waters of their vain fancy the flame of God’s burning Bush, oblivious that the globe of power shall within its own mighty stronghold protect the Lamp of God. The utter destitution into which this people have fallen doth surely suffice them, inasmuch as they have been deprived of the recognition of the essential Purpose and the knowledge of the Mystery and Substance of the Cause of God. For the highest and most excelling grace bestowed upon men is the grace of “attaining unto the Presence of God” and of His recognition, which has been promised unto all people. This is the utmost degree of grace vouchsafed unto man by the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days, and the fulness of His absolute bounty upon His creatures. Of this grace and bounty none of this people hath partaken, neither have they been honoured with this most exalted distinction. How numerous are those revealed verses which explicitly bear witness unto this most weighty truth and exalted Theme! And yet they have rejected it, and, after their own desire, misconstrued its meaning. Even as He hath revealed: “As for those who believe not in the signs of God, or that they shall ever meet Him, these of My mercy shall despair, and for them doth a grievous chastisement await.” Also He saith: “They who bear in mind that they shall attain unto the Presence of their Lord, and that unto Him shall they return.” Also in another instance He saith: “They who held it as certain that they must meet God, said, ‘How oft, by God’s will, hath a small host vanquished a numerous host!’” In yet another instance He revealeth: “Let him then who hopeth to attain the presence of his Lord work a righteous work.” And also He saith: “He ordereth all things. He maketh His signs clear, that ye may have firm faith in attaining the presence of your Lord.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Which verse is He referring to at the very beginning of this paragraph? The two previously quoted at the end of paragraph 147, in which the Jewish people of that time said that God's hand was chained up.<br />
<br />
Now, before we begin to look at various nuances in this paragraph, we want to note the flow of ideas in here: While there are many theories about the circumstances around these verses, Baha'u'llah does not seem to care about that. He is more concerned about the purpose that these verses serve. This regularly seems to be His method: look at the purpose and don't get caught up in pointless details.<br />
<br />
So here, in this paragraph, He summarizes these verses as the Jewish peoples saying that God cannot send another Messenger. Of course, this is nothing new. This argument is used by many people of all sorts of faiths. But it is interesting to note the difference between saying that God is incapable of sending another Messenger, and just not recognizing the current One. That latter is not the argument here.<br />
<br />
No. Baha'u'llah wants to focus our attention on the argument that God is unable to send another Messenger. Really? That's absurd. How could God be powerless to send another Messenger? Baha'u'llah refers to the people that use this argument as both "small-minded" and "contemptible".<br />
<br />
They are "small-minded" because they are unable to conceive of the astonishing greatness and bounty of God. They believe that the Book of God found in their faith is somehow the final Book of God, and that He is somehow unable to add more.<div><br />
They are "contemptible" because this notion is not worthy of consideration.</div><div>
<br />Over and over again we hear people arguing that we should neither add nor take away from the Bible. Some will cite Matthew, "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." The most famous example of this is found in Deuteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it..." Of course, if we take this literally, than anything after Deuteronomy should not be in the Bible and this would include most of the Tanakh and all of the New Testament.</div><div>
<br />There are others who claim that God has said all He needed to say in their holy Book, even though Jesus Himself says, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."</div><div>
<br />So why does Baha'u'llah mention this argument here? Because it has gained ground. There are many people who use this argument. Baha'u'llah is merely pointing out the absurdity of it. But if we believe all the other things in the Qur'an, especially all those statements about "attaining unto the Presence of God", then we cannot accept this facile argument.<br />
<br />
In many ways this brings us back to the beginning of Part 2, paragraph 103. Way back in that paragraph Baha'u'llah talks about the Messengers of God, "in whatever age and cycle they are sent down", and reminds us that "God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth." We are never in a position to say what God can or cannot do.<br />
<br />
Those quotes at the end of this paragraph really help us see a path. First, we need to believe that God will send another Messenger. Every single Faith, including the Baha'i Faith, talks about the coming of yet another One. And always remember that every Faith began with small numbers, so don't let the fewness of believers turn you away. Next, be sure to do good. If we do not "work a righteous work", what is the point of our life? Finally, remember that it is God Who orders all things, not man.<br />
<br />
To believe that we are somehow in control, and that our knowledge is infallible, leads us only to "the bitter waters of (our) vain fancy", and not to the life-giving waters of the Lord.<br />
<br /></div>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-62280752127102522992019-03-19T17:47:00.002-07:002021-10-13T08:52:44.788-07:00Paragraph 147<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When the Unseen, the Eternal, the divine Essence, caused the Day-star of Muhammad to rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils which the Jewish divines raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet should be sent of God. Yea, mention hath been made in the scriptures of a Soul Who must needs be made manifest and Who will advance the Faith, and promote the interests of the people, of Moses, so that the Law of the Mosaic Dispensation may encompass the whole earth. Thus hath the King of eternal glory referred in His Book to the words uttered by those wanderers in the vale of remoteness and error: “‘The hand of God,’ say the Jews, ‘is chained up.’ Chained up be their own hands! And for that which they have said, they were accursed. Nay, outstretched are both His hands!” “The hand of God is above their hands.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Here Baha'u'llah is introducing a similar argument to that which was used against Muhammad, as recorded in the Qur'an. The uncle of the Bab, who, as you recall, was a devout Muslim , was most likely aware of this argument.<br />
<br />
What is interesting to note is that Baha'u'llah is not citing the Bab, or any contemporary authors, but is strictly referring to a book that this man would regard as sacred. It is also worth noting that this argument comes quite late in the Kitab-i-Iqan. Baha'u'llah does not open with this. It is a nearly 150 paragraphs into it. By this point, Baha'u'llah has already firmed up the foundation of this man's belief, and is building His argument on what is now solid ground.<br />
<br />
The argument, as you can see, basically says that the Jews argued that God was unable to send down another Messenger, which is exactly the same argument that the Muslim divines of the day were using against the Bab. Baha'u'llah will go more into this over the next few paragraphs.<br />
<br />
But now that we have seen a summary, we want to look in a slightly different direction.<br />
<br />
Quite often we like to focus on a single word or phrase and explore what we can learn from it. Here, we want to look at the attributes of God that Baha'u'llah cites at the beginning of this paragraph: the Unseen, the Eternal, the divine Essence.<br />
<br />
He has just finished up a series of paragraphs in which He has talked about the spiritual understanding of the word "sovereign", and how it refers to the Promised One in a spiritual sense, and not in a literal sense. And here He immediately begins by reminding us that God is the Unseen. It only makes sense, in this context, that the sovereignty to which the traditions refer would also be "unseen".<br />
<br />
He is also beginning an argument to show that God's hands cannot be tied up. For us to think that God cannot send down another Messenger really limits Him. And this limitation would not be for our lifetime, nor even for another hundred, or thousand years, but for the rest eternity. That's a long time for God to cut off communication. And really, when we stop to think about it, it just doesn't make any sense.<br /><br />
Another point to consider is how we reflect that attribute of God, the Eternal. While our soul may be eternal, we, in our bodies, most definitely are not. We only last around a hundred years, if we are lucky. But the Manifestations? Their dispensations tend to last a thousand years. So maybe Baha'u'llah is also alluding to the truth that only God is eternal, and that the various religions come and go.<div><br /></div><div>God is eternal. The Manifestations are, in a sense, around for a thousand years. We are only here for a hundred. So again we can see this progression that is so often found in the Writings<br />
<br />
If we are only here for a hundred years, at the most, then what are we going to do with the time we have? Are we going to try to bolster our own ego by showing how great our religion of the past was, or are we going to spend our time striving to build something new? Muhammad spoke at great length about the Last Days, and isn't it worth our time to investigate to see if we are living in those days? And if God has sent down another Messenger, shouldn't we do all we can to learn His message and strive to put it into practice?</div><div><br /></div><div>As for the divine Essence, this seems to regularly refer in Baha'u'llah's writings to the source of the Manifestations. They are regularly referred to as the "Manifestations of His divine Essence", "the Mirrors reflecting the divine Essence", and so forth. It reminds us of the very source of Their power. If we consider ourselves as created in the image of God, and that this imaging refers to our own spiritual attributes, then we might think of the Manifestations as the capital version of this divine Essence, while we would be the lower case version of that. God, of course, would be in all caps.<br />
<br />
Much of the rest of this book looks at the qualities of a true seeker, and gives inspirational examples of those heroes who have given their all to help support this new Message. It seems that Baha'u'llah, here, is just beginning to get us to consider stepping off the path on which we have been walking, and begin looking at this new one.</div>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-702953576432926822019-02-26T18:19:00.004-08:002021-10-13T08:38:07.099-07:00Paragraph 146<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Thus with steadfast steps we may tread the Path of certitude, that perchance the breeze that bloweth from the meads of the good-pleasure of God may waft upon us the sweet savours of divine acceptance, and cause us, vanishing mortals that we are, to attain unto the Kingdom of everlasting glory. Then wilt thou comprehend the inner meaning of sovereignty and the like, spoken of in the traditions and scriptures. Furthermore, it is already evident and known unto thee that those things to which the Jews and the Christians have clung, and the cavilings which they heaped upon the Beauty of Muhammad, the same have in this day been upheld by the people of the Qur’án, and been witnessed in their denunciations of the “Point of the Bayán”—may the souls of all that dwell within the kingdom of divine Revelations be a sacrifice unto Him! Behold their folly: they utter the self-same words, uttered by the Jews of old, and know it not! How well and true are His words concerning them: “Leave them to entertain themselves with their cavilings!” “As Thou livest, O Muhammad! they are seized by the frenzy of their vain fancies.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
At this point, it feels as if Baha'u'llah is moving on to another section in the Book. He seems to have finished His discourse on the nature of true sovereignty and is now moving on to talk more about the various arguments that the people have against the new Faith, the "cavilings", as He says, or petty arguments. Over the next number of paragraphs He will focus on various of these arguments, showing how they are the same arguments that were used against Muhammad.<br />
<br />
It is interesting to us how He moves from these previous paragraphs about sovereignty to this new idea of these petty arguments. It seems to us that He's not actually answering any direct questions that the uncle has asked, but instead is building up the foundation of his belief so that the questions he asked are no longer relevant.<br />
<br />
To do this, we noted that He ended the previous paragraph with the references to our feet and our heart. Here He opens this new section with a further reference to the "steps we may tread", placing those very steps in the middle of a pleasant meadow, with a gentle breeze blowing across us. We want to keep walking there. We want to follow His argument. We want to see where He is going.<br />
<br />
Baha'u'llah is doing all He can to keep us with Him, ensuring with such gentleness that we don't get lost.<br />
<br />
As we have mentioned previously, all those passages about true sovereignty are alluded to in the very beginning of Part 2, paragraph 102, when He talks about the Messenger having "undisputed sovereignty". Now He seems to be carrying us to the end of that same paragraph, where He says "that haply thou mayest soar on the wings of renunciation to those heights that are veiled from the eyes of men."<br />
<br />
Part 1, you may recall, centred around the theme of detachment. Now we are moving into the realm of renunciation, the formal rejection of a previously held belief. For us to continue on this path, we, or the uncle particularly, will have to renounce some of the concepts we previously held. And that, we feel, is why He began with such a lengthy discourse adjusting our understanding of true sovereignty.<br />
<br />
In this paragraph, Baha'u'llah does another very interesting thing in preparation for the next series of paragraphs. he reminds the uncle, and the reader, of the very arguments that are mentioned in the Qur'an that were perpetrated against Muhammad. These are the same arguments that He will later point out as being the same as those used against the Bab.<br />
<br />
The reason that this intrigues us, and we feel is a great example for us as teachers of the Faith, is that He doesn't try to use the Writings of the Bab to press His point. In fact, He doesn't even quote a single word from the Bab. No. All His arguments stem from the Qur'an, a book that the uncle recognizes as sacred Text.<br />
<br />
When we are trying to help someone move from their own faith path to recognize Baha'u'llah, we should also, perhaps, do the same. We should show the ardent seeker how their own sacred Book points us to the Twin Messengers. From there, they will be in a far better position to begin to recognize that divine Voice calling from the wilderness.<br />
<br />
At the end of this paragraph, Baha'u'llah quotes that wonderful line form the Qur'an, "Leave them to entertain themselves with their cavilings!" For us, this is a reminder that we are truly free to walk away when we encounter those souls who have no further interest than mere arguing. We should feel comfortable leaving them to themselves. After all, there are plenty of people out there who are very interested in truly investigating the world around them, and sincere in their questions. This is a just a good reminder from Baha'u'llah that not everyone we encounter will be sincere in their questions.<br />
<br />
* * * * *<br />
<br />
By the way, Mead here. Before we conclude for this paragraph, I just want to say congratulations to my dear friend, Samuel, my co-writer here. He and his wife just had their first baby a couple of weeks ago. As we talked on the phone about this paragraph, we could hear her murmuring in the background. It was such a beautiful sound by which to study the Word of God.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-9704784170884863382019-01-29T17:45:00.001-08:002021-10-13T08:31:01.001-07:00Paragraph 145<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It is also recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke, that on a certain day Jesus passed by a Jew who was sick of the palsy, and lay upon a couch. When the Jew saw Him, he recognized Him, and cried out for His help. Jesus said unto him: “Arise from thy bed; thy sins are forgiven thee.” Certain of the Jews, standing by, protested saying: “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” And immediately He perceived their thoughts, Jesus answering said unto them: “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, arise, and take up thy bed, and walk; or to say, thy sins are forgiven thee? that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.” This is the real sovereignty, and such is the power of God’s chosen Ones! All these things which We have repeatedly mentioned, and the details which We have cited from divers sources, have no other purpose but to enable thee to grasp the meaning of the allusions in the utterances of the chosen Ones of God, lest certain of these utterances cause thy feet to falter and thy heart to be dismayed.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
In many ways, this is the last substantial paragraph regarding "sovereignty", the next paragraph being the summation of this whole section. And isn't it interesting that He has looked to Jesus for these last two examples to explain what is truly meant by that word?<br />
<br />
The uncle of the Bab, no doubt, would have recognized the sovereign nature of Jesus, and probably known these stories. He was, after all, fairly well-read in religion.<br />
<br />
In the previous paragraph, the question was asked about His claim, and Jesus basically said, "Can't you see Me? Sitting on the right hand of power and might?" The uncle would obviously have understood this, even though at that point in His story, Jesus is a prisoner, and about to suffer crucifixion. He appears to all to be a lowly prisoner, and yet He claims to have this great seat.<br />
<br />
In this paragraph, He goes to heal someone, and further extends this to the forgiveness of his sins. How can this be? The Jews wonder. And His reply is to the effect of "What's more difficult? Healing someone of these ills? Or forgiving their sins?" To many of us, we would say the former, for we don't understand how that miraculous healing can occur. Yet, to one who is wise, the latter would be. To the common person, merely saying these words, forgiving their sins, is easy, for there is no proof of it, but to one who understands Jesus' station, they know that the latter is infinitely more difficult.<br />
<br />
As Baha'u'llah says, "This is the real sovereignty..."<br />
<br />
To go on a bit of a tangent, we just want to look at the concept of Jesus' healing for a moment. Baha'u'llah, in Gleanings, writes, "Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified." He continues by pointing out, "Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God."<br />
<br />
To look at this again, we realize that any doctor can basically heal the body. And while we know that healing is also dependent upon God, this physical healing is something that more and more people can accomplish today. But here, Baha'u'llah links these stories of healing by Jesus to the education of humanity.<br />
<br />
Today, we see various social ills running rampant. Racism, for example, is on the rise. And we know that racism is based on ignorance, and is considered a disease. So when we think about healing humanity from this illness, racism, we can see how the education given through the holy Writings can be a great source for healing us, and our society, from this horrendous disease.<br />
<br />
In this paragraph, Baha'u'llah quotes Jesus pointing out that it is the spiritual that is far more important. Sure, healing the body is wonderful and all, but healing the soul, forgiving the sins, is of far greater import.<br />
<br />
Hasn't this been His message throughout regarding sovereignty? Earthly sovereignty pales in comparison to that divine sovereignty.<br />
<br />
And here, we can see that it is Their ability to heal these dreadful ills of both the individual and society that are, again, far more important than anything else.<br />
<br />
There is also an allusion to the importance of recognizing the Messenger. Baha'u'llah says that the Jew "recognized Him", and perhaps that is why Jesus was able to forgive his sins. By placing this point here in the text, perhaps Baha'u'llah is adding the reminder to the uncle that he needs to recognize his Nephew if he also wants his sins forgiven.<br />
<br />
Now that He has finished His explanation of true sovereignty, it seems timely that He introduce the importance of recognizing. And don't forget, part 1 was centered around this whole issue of being detached from one's own beliefs and understandings so that recognition was possible. Here, we seem to be coming back to that theme again.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-20064877341631855422019-01-08T17:58:00.001-08:002019-01-08T17:58:52.315-08:00Paragraph 144<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Similarly, call thou to mind the day when the Jews, who had surrounded Jesus, Son of Mary, were pressing Him to confess His claim of being the Messiah and Prophet of God, so that they might declare Him an infidel and sentence Him to death. Then, they led Him away, He Who was the Day-star of the heaven of divine Revelation, unto Pilate and Caiaphas, who was the leading divine of that age. The chief priests were all assembled in the palace, also a multitude of people who had gathered to witness His sufferings, to deride and injure Him. Though they repeatedly questioned Him, hoping that He would confess His claim, yet Jesus held His peace and spake not. Finally, an accursed of God arose and, approaching Jesus, adjured Him saying: “Didst thou not claim to be the Divine Messiah? Didst thou not say, ‘I am the King of Kings, My word is the Word of God, and I am the breaker of the Sabbath day?’” Thereupon Jesus lifted up His head and said: “Beholdest thou not the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and might?” These were His words, and yet consider how to outward seeming He was devoid of all power except that inner power which was of God and which had encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth. How can I relate all that befell Him after He spoke these words? How shall I describe their heinous behaviour towards Him? They at last heaped on His blessed Person such woes that He took His flight unto the fourth Heaven.</i></blockquote>
<br />
"Similarly"? Similar to what?<br />
<br />
In the previous number of paragraphs we have seen how the wealth and sovereignty wielded by the Manifestations are not the wealth and sovereignty that most people think of when they consider these terms. And so similarly Jesus was sitting at the "right hand of power and might", although to those around Him He seemed devoid of those things.<br />
<br />
Again and again Baha'u'llah is showing us how those standards by which we judge those around us fail when considering the Messengers and the Holy Ones.<br />
<br />
This is another example of how we often fail to look at the spiritual reality, dwelling instead on the material.<br />
<br />
But let's look at this from the perspective of the uncle of the Bab. How would he have seen this example?<br />
<br />
To start, he was probably not all that familiar with Christian apologetics, so we won't go into that. But we know that he recognized Jesus as a Manifestation of God, and he would have agreed with what Jesus was saying. He also would have likely made a connection between this story from the Bible and the stories of Muhammad being asked to prove His Station, too. When asked to demonstrate a miracle, Muhammad pointed out that the Qur'an itself was a miracle. Was Muhammad a ruler over men, in the material sense? Of course not. Was He a sovereign? Again, not in the material sense.<br />
<br />
Over and over Baha'u'llah is showing these, and similar stories, reminding us that we should not judge the Bab by these deficient standards. It is as Baha'u'llah says, way back in the first couple paragraphs of this book: that no one "shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding" until we cease "to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets".<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, we were looking at this and wondering where we had seen this notion of a deficient standard. We knew that there was a quote we had read about it that sort of nailed it, but could not remember where it was. And then, after a quick search, we discovered, to our vast amusement, that it was in the first two paragraphs of this book. Even now, so far into it, Baha'u'llah is still bringing us back to the very beginning of this same volume.<br />
<br />
Now, as for how this applies to us, it is nothing short of a stark reminder that we, too, need to keep the standard of God firmly in our sight. It is so easy to be distracted by the arguments of those who would deny this Faith, claiming that it does not fulfill the various prophecies or promises in the way that they would demand. Here, Baha'u'llah is alluding to that quote from Gleanings, number 42, "Follow thou the footsteps of thy Lord, and remember His servants even as He doth remember thee, undeterred by either the clamor of the heedless ones or the sword of the enemy.... Spread abroad the sweet savors of thy Lord, and hesitate not, though it be for less than a moment, in the service of His Cause."<br />
<br />Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-21802636686409638722018-12-18T17:53:00.003-08:002019-01-08T17:09:01.035-08:00Paragraph 143<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This poverty and these riches, this abasement and glory, this dominion, power, and the like, upon which the eyes and hearts of these vain and foolish souls are set,—all these things fade into utter nothingness in that Court! Even as He hath said: “O men! Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the Rich, the Self-Sufficing.” By ‘riches’ therefore is meant independence of all else but God, and by ‘poverty’ the lack of things that are of God.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Way back in paragraph 102, the first paragraph of Part 2, you will recall He wrote, "He verily is independent of all earthly dominion, though He be utterly destitute." Here, Baha'u'llah is continuing to help us redefine what we think of as common terms: sovereignty, wealth, power, dominion, and the like.<br />
<br />
In fact, by citing this particular verse from the Qu'ran, 35:15, He is also reminding us of the entire Surih in which it is found. This Surih, or chapter of the Qu'ran, begins by warning the people not to be deceived by those whose motives are satanic, and then continues on by giving examples of contrasts that are not equal. He reminds us in this Surih, that not all things are equal. There is a great difference between the darkness and the light, the living and the dead. And we would do well to remember this.<br />
<br />
It seems to us that every time Baha'u'llah quotes a passage from the Qu'ran, He is not merely quoting that particular passage, but in fact is reminding us of the entire context of the quote itself.<br />
<br />
In Part 1 of this book, the Kitab-i-Iqan, Baha'u'llah gave us multiple meanings of those phrases from Jesus, found in Matthew 24. Here, in Part 2, He is redefining basic terms so that these meanings can make sense.<br />
<br />
For example, if we think of wealth as the mere acquisition of worldly property, then the statements about the wealth of the Messenger of God make no sense. Neither Jesus nor Muhammad were what we would call wealthy. And if we try to apply this limited definition to the Bab, then we would see that it doesn't apply to Him either.<br />
<br />
But when we look at Baha'u'llah's new definition, wealth and riches being independent of all save God, then we recognize the true wealth of all the Messengers and saints.<br />
<br />
Whether in science or philosophy or religion, if we have poor definitions of our terms, then we can only go so far in our understanding before things break down. But when we get a better set of definitions, miracles can seemingly occur. The best example we have of this is Einstein redefining our concepts of time and space. Before his new definitions, we had found the limitations of the Newtonian definitions, and could not get any further in our discoveries. But with Einstein's new definitions, we had breakthroughs in various fields like chemistry, nuclear physics, computer technology, and discovered all the wonders and miracles of the modern age.<br />
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The same holds true with these new definitions that Baha'u'llah is giving us, too. When we apply the old definitions, we find that we can only go so far in our understanding of the world. Various quotes and traditions make no sense when we examine them closely. But when we use His new definitions, then wonders open up before our eyes, and everything seems so much clearer.<br />
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As we discover these new meanings, and begin to embrace them in our lives, and our vision of the world around us, it is as 'Abdu'l-Baha said, "Thou shalt surely behold wondrous traces and shalt discover the signs of thy Mighty Lord."Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-87207875392795485622018-12-04T18:15:00.002-08:002018-12-04T18:15:24.590-08:00Paragraph 142<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>In like manner, it is related that on a certain day, one of the companions of Sádiq complained of his poverty before him. Whereupon, Sádiq, that immortal beauty, made reply: “Verily thou art rich, and hast drunk the draught of wealth.” That poverty-stricken soul was perplexed at the words uttered by that luminous countenance, and said: “Where are my riches, I who stand in need of a single coin?” Sádiq thereupon observed: “Dost thou not possess our love?” He replied: “Yea, I possess it, O thou scion of the Prophet of God!” And Sádiq asked him saying: “Exchangest thou this love for one thousand dinars?” He answered: “Nay, never will I exchange it, though the world and all that is therein be given me!” Then Sádiq remarked: “How can he who possesses such a treasure be called poor?”</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Here, Baha'u'llah is continuing His theme of true wealth.<br />
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He says, "In like manner...", and we can see the similar refocusing of our understanding of what is meant by wealth. Whereas in the previous paragraph He talks about how poverty and wealth are an internal perception of the true wealth in the world around us, here He looks a bit more closely at what is truly valuable, namely the love of God.<br />
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It's very interesting to read this story, in our overly-consumeristic culture, for the emphasis is placed so directly on the intangible. It touches on detachment from the material, and also on the importance of love.<br />
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Today, we focus so much of our attention on work and our paycheck that we often forget about what is truly important in our life. Time and again we read of elders who are on their deathbed saying that they regret not spending more time with their family. They will often comment that they have never heard anyone say that they wished they worked a few more hours. Even as we write this, it sounds ridiculous. And yet, this is how we often define ourselves, and others. We talk about our job, or our salary.<br />
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In some cultures, though, the emphasis is on family, or religion. They talk about their ancestors or which faith they follow. In these cultures there is often a healthier balance in their lives.<br />
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When we see the true wealth of our relations, whether by blood or love, then we are far more aware of the great bounties in our life.<br />
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Baha'u'llah, in His Hidden Words, writes, "I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee." He also says, "I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty?" In both these quotes, He reminds us of the great gifts He has bestowed upon us, and that it is usually ourselves, through our lack of awareness and gratitude, that create our own inner poverty.<br />
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Here, in this story, Sadiq reminds his companion that there are many things worth far more than a few measly coins. The love of one's family, the time spent with one's children, those moments spent growing older with one's spouse: how can any of these be worth sacrificing for a bit of pocket change?<br />
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Now, this is not to say that we shouldn't work. Of course we should earn a living. But this is just to help put that into a healthy perspective.<br />
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And that, we feel, is one of the things we can learn from this paragraph.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-2777042593847006502018-11-06T18:28:00.002-08:002021-09-30T10:59:11.419-07:00Paragraph 141<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Thus Jesus, Son of Mary, whilst seated one day and speaking in the strain of the Holy Spirit, uttered words such as these: “O people! My food is the grass of the field, wherewith I satisfy my hunger. My bed is the dust, my lamp in the night the light of the moon, and my steed my own feet. Behold, who on earth is richer than I?” By the righteousness of God! Thousands of treasures circle round this poverty, and a myriad kingdoms of glory yearn for such abasement! Shouldst thou attain to a drop of the ocean of the inner meaning of these words, thou wouldst surely forsake the world and all that is therein, and, as the Phoenix wouldst consume thyself in the flames of the undying Fire.</i></blockquote>
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Back in paragraph 102, the first paragraph in Part 2, Baha'u'llah says that the Messenger of God has "undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey Him." From there, He goes on to say that He is also "independent of all earthly dominion, though He be utterly destitute."<br />
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As He has just talked about the issue of sovereignty, we can now see that He is moving on to the next topic, namely that of wealth and poverty.<br />
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Here, in this paragraph, we see that He is connecting this to the previous theme with the word "thus". By going back a sentence we read, "Amidst the darkness of their abasement there shineth upon them the light of unfading glory, and upon their helplessness are showered the tokens of an invincible sovereignty." Now He is connecting this to the issue of wealth and poverty, demonstrating the truth of this assertion with the quote from Jesus, which clearly shows His sovereignty over the world.<br />
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If we try to focus on what we typically think of as wealth, then we will fall into the same problem as we did when we thought of sovereignty as being an earthly sovereignty. The Manifestations generally are not wealthy, in the sense that They do not have money stored up in a bank somewhere. Their wealth, Their ability to survive in the world, comes from a different perspective of the world itself. They do not count wealth based on what They can buy. They see wealth as a recognition of what is possible.<br />
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If we think of wealth as a recognition of choice, and use the buying of a car as our example, then we can clearly see that the more money we have, the more options we have. But when we recognize that we do not need a car, that our feet will carry us more places with less damage to the world around us, then we realize that we have even more choice then we first considered.<br />
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Jesus is pointing out, in this quote, that He will never starve, for He sees all the different bounties that God has given us in the world. He can eat the grass in the field, if need be. He will never be homeless, for the entire world is His bed. He has lights in the night far more beautiful than anything in our modern electric world. This, He seems to say, is true wealth, and we should not be distracted by such trivialities as money.<br />
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There is another thing here that catch our attention, too: Thousands of treasures circle round this poverty, and a myriad kingdoms of glory yearn for such abasement!<br />
<br />
What does this mean?<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is a recognition that this poverty, this lack of material wealth is, in fact, worth far more than any material riches. Gold, we know, can be stolen, or lost, but this perspective of our position in the world is eternal. We may lose everything we have of our material possessions, but this understanding of the true bounty all around us allows us to be detached from them.<br />
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Tying it back to the issue of sovereignty, He says that these many kingdoms long for such abasement. It reminds us of E. G. Browne's comment that Baha'u'llah was "the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain", even though to outward seeming He was a prisoner.<br />
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We could talk more about this, but really, Baha'u'llah will further explore this theme over the next few paragraphs.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-54137815234704698972018-10-30T17:50:00.002-07:002021-09-23T10:46:01.914-07:00Paragraph 140<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Should We wish to impart unto thee a glimmer of the mysteries of Husayn’s martyrdom, and reveal unto thee the fruits thereof, these pages could never suffice, nor exhaust their meaning. Our hope is that, God willing, the breeze of mercy may blow, and the divine Springtime clothe the tree of being with the robe of a new life; so that we may discover the mysteries of divine Wisdom, and, through His providence, be made independent of the knowledge of all things. We have, as yet, descried none but a handful of souls, destitute of all renown, who have attained unto this station. Let the future disclose what the Judgment of God will ordain, and the Tabernacle of His decree reveal. In such wise We recount unto thee the wonders of the Cause of God, and pour out into thine ears the strains of heavenly melody, that haply thou mayest attain unto the station of true knowledge, and partake of the fruit thereof. Therefore, know thou of a certainty that these Luminaries of heavenly majesty, though their dwelling be in the dust, yet their true habitation is the seat of glory in the realms above. Though bereft of all earthly possessions, yet they soar in the realms of immeasurable riches. And whilst sore tried in the grip of the enemy, they are seated on the right hand of power and celestial dominion. Amidst the darkness of their abasement there shineth upon them the light of unfading glory, and upon their helplessness are showered the tokens of an invincible sovereignty.</i></blockquote>
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<br />
Here we are, the last of the six paragraphs that talk about the Imam Husayn.<br />
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It is worth remembering, here, that this is the conclusion of Baha'u'llah's argument about "true sovereignty". This was all in response to the uncle's question about how his Nephew could possibly be the Promised One when He did not appear to be a sovereign at all.<br />
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In this paragraph, after a beautiful reminder of the glorious station of the Imam Husayn, Baha'u'llah sums it up for us. Within the darkness of his abasement we could see "the light of unfading glory", and in his helplessness we could see his "invincible sovereignty". There appears to be a strange contradiction here, but this just brings us right back to paragraph 102, the very beginning of Part 2. In that paragraph, you will recall, the Messenger of God holds "undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey Him." We can see it so clearly in Husayn, and Baha'u'llah allows us, at this point, to make that connection to the Bab on our own.<br />
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He talks of the "mysteries" of Husayn's martyrdom, and the "fruits thereof", reminding us that we don't really know the benefit of his martyrdom. All good Shi'ite Muslims are well aware of Husayn, and revere him, rightly so, but that doesn't mean that they have thought about this aspect of his life and death.<br />
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Similarly, we can presume that we don't really know the effects of the martyrdom of the Bab. We do know, though, that although His "dwelling be in the dust," His "true habitation is the seat of glory in the realms above".<br />
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There is a lot of metaphor in this paragraph, a lot to do with nature. There are the fruits of his martyrdom, the breeze of mercy, the divine Springtime, the tree of being. We see the Tabernacle again, and following that we get that metaphor of music, as well as those mysterious apparent contradictions.<br />
<br />
But what really stands out to us, amidst this wealth of imagery, is that singular word "haply", with luck. We first encountered this word way back in paragraph 1, where we were told "Sanctify your souls... that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which... hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayán." Then we were told to "scan for a while the horizon of divine knowledge, and contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom... may be made manifest unto you." Over and over again He shows us these great insights into the sacred Texts of the past, hoping that, with luck, we might understand.<br />
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When He gets to Part 2, it is no longer just about understanding. In that first paragraph, paragraph 102, He hopes that through all of this, "haply", we may "soar on the wings of renunciation to those heights that are veiled from the eyes of men." He reminds us that these heights are veiled from our sight, but goes on to remind us of what we already know. These heights are real, and, with luck, we may have the opportunity to move up to them, if we but strive.<br />
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Most of all, here, we need to be careful not to let ourselves be blinded by the fact that to outward appearances, these holy Souls were disgraced, abased and powerless. Truly, He seems to say, we should know better.<br />
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In the end, if we question the validity of the Bab based on our understanding of sovereignty, then we have to question all those great souls of the past that we already revere. But when we re-examine what we understand of true sovereignty, and begin to get a better understanding of the spiritual nature of Their sovereignty, then we not only gain a greater appreciation of those Messengers of the past, and Their followers, we also come to a better understanding of the station of the Bab, Himself. This, presumably, is just a taste of that fruit of "true knowledge".Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-5125737883423144722018-10-09T18:39:00.002-07:002018-10-09T18:39:18.941-07:00Paragraph 139<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Think not that because these things have come to pass after Husayn’s martyrdom, therefore all this glory hath been of no profit unto him. For that holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and abideth within the retreats of celestial glory upon the Sadrih of heavenly reunion. These Essences of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice. They have offered, and will continue to offer up their lives, their substance, their souls, their spirit, their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved. By them, no station, however exalted, could be more dearly cherished. For lovers have no desire but the good-pleasure of their Beloved, and have no aim except reunion with Him.</i></blockquote>
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This is the fifth of six paragraphs relating to the Imam Husayn. In it, as you can see, He talks about the sacrifice made by Husayn, and by extension all those who have made such sacrifices in the path of their Lord. It gives a list of some of the things we can offer up in this path, whether it is our life, our material goods, our very soul or spirit, everything.<br />
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This is a direct reminder, also, that our actions are not limited in their effect to this world. Do we wish to be like Husayn, or like any of the heroes of the Faith that we admire? Here He is giving us the method. He is showing us how far we have to be willing to go, how much we may be called upon to give up.<br />
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And it is very interestingly placed in the context of this book. By this point the uncle of the Bab is likely beginning to see his Nephew as being the Promised One. And while some of us may have been content with convincing the uncle, or anyone for that matter, of the truth of the Cause, Baha'u'llah, quite naturally, goes further. Here He seems to be saying, as we said way back at that juncture between parts one and two, "You believe? Fine. What are you going to do about it?"<br />
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Most of the rest of the book deals with those various heroes who have sacrificed their all, and this is just the beginning of those numerous, inspiring stories.<br />
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But here, at the very beginning of this paragraph, we are reminded that our actions, his actions, are and were not limited to this world. It is the great danger we all face, thinking that our actions are limited to this world. Here, Baha'u'llah reminds us that if we believe, then this is one of the implications of our belief: We must accept the reality that our actions carry on into the next world.<br />
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And yet there is a caution, too. We should not fall into the trap of doing good merely for the reward of heaven. We should "have no desire but the good-pleasure" of our Lord.<br />
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It is as 'Abdu'l-Baha said: "In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven... The spiritual man finds no delight in anything save in commemoration of God."<br />
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This, we are reminded, is the touchstone. Husayn and all those "Essences of being", were prepared to sacrifice literally everything to be nearer to their Lord. How can we do any less?<br />
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One last point. We looked at this list that Baha'u'llah gave us: their lives, their substance, their souls, their spirit, their all. And honestly, we don't understand why they are in this order. We'll look at it for just a moment, but ask you, dear Reader, if you can shed more light on it.<br />
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To start, offering up your life, difficult as it is, sort of ends there. You offer it up as a martyr, and bang, you're done. That's it.<br />
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But when you offer up your substance, your material wealth, as Baha'u'llah did when He became a Babi, there is a very real question of how you survive. How do you pay for your next meal? Your shelter? How do you provide for your family? While martyrdom is quick, in some ways, this becomes more of a life-long martyrdom. So with these two, we see the beginning of that crescendo pattern that we love to look for in the Writings.<br />
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The next two, your soul and your spirit, we are stumped on. We just don't get it. Obviously they are of a higher order than both your life and your materials possessions, but why are they in that order? In fact, how are they different? It may make more sense in the original, but for us, we're stuck.<br />
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Finally, there is your all. Well, that about takes care of it, doesn't it? You can't get much more than your all. And in fact, there is a story that we are reminded of with this, that of Adam. As Tahirih pointed out, Adam was a Manifestation of God, the first One in the Adamic Cycle. The Cycle was named after Him, so come on, of course He was a Manifestation. But how does this accord with how He is treated in, say, the Bible, or history? For centuries He was regarded as something of a buffoon, having eaten the apple just because Eve asked Him. Well, this doesn't sound like a Manifestation to us. But, as Tahirih said in her incredible poem, Adam's Wish, He sacrificed His reputation to allow us, humanity, to begin this path that has led us to the revelation of both the Bab and Baha'u'llah. He taught us the difference between good and evil, and that opened up the path of choice, which has resulted in this incredible spiritual journey for all humanity. And we, the spiritual children of this glorious faith of ours, have the incredible bounty of helping humanity move on to the next stage in this path.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-72549677348878998972018-10-02T17:37:00.004-07:002021-09-23T10:32:53.974-07:00Paragraph 138<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Furthermore, call to mind the shameful circumstances that have attended the martyrdom of Husayn. Reflect upon his loneliness, how, to outer seeming, none could be found to aid him, none to take up his body and bury it. And yet, behold how numerous, in this day, are those who from the uttermost corners of the earth don the garb of pilgrimage, seeking the site of his martyrdom, that there they may lay their heads upon the threshold of his shrine! Such is the ascendancy and power of God! Such is the glory of His dominion and majesty!</i></blockquote>
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Here we are at the fourth of six paragraphs that talk about the Imam Husayn. It all falls under the response to the question of the uncle trying to understand how the Bab demonstrated the sovereignty that was to be shown by the Promised One.<br />
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By bringing up the Imam Husayn, whom the uncle honours, and pointing out the "shameful circumstances that have attended the martyrdom" of this man, Baha'u'llah is reminding us to look to the past. If this uncle calls into question the validity of the Bab due to His martyrdom, then how can he claim to properly respect the Imam Husayn?<br />
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"Call to mind". "Reflect". These are two things that we were regularly asked to do back in Part 1. By this point, we should be fairly decent at this.<br />
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There is no question in the mind or heart of the uncle that he already knows this, and Baha'u'llah is helping him reframe his knowledge. He is pointing out the many similarities between the stories of this Imam and the Bab.<br />
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And the reference to none taking up his body? That reminds us of the Bab, Himself. At the time, only a handful of people knew that His body had been rescued from the moat outside Tabriz.<br />
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Today, people don't just seek the site of His martyrdom, they go to His actual Shrine as part of their Baha'i Pilgrimage.<br />
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To us, the importance of this paragraph, and in fact the whole section on the Imam Husayn, is to help remind us to recognize what others feel is important and sacred. We can always use that as a starting point in our teaching. At no point does Baha'u'llah belittle Islam or any of the Imams. He continually reaffirms what the uncle knows and points out those tidbits of knowledge that will help him advance on his spiritual journey.<br />
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Baha'u'llah regularly goes back to history, shows what the uncle already knows, and seems to say, "See how this applies today?" He shows how everything that we love in the history of our religion, no matter what religion it is, can be directly applied today.<br />
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There are two other interesting points here that seem to come together. The uncle's faith is very much alive. He is a firm believer, but he is not closed-minded about it. He has serious questions that have prevented him from recognizing his Nephew, but he is willing to listen.<br />
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It is as if Baha'u'llah is saying that questions are ok. We are not expected to know everything. But we are expected to be open to hearing an answer.<br />
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Today, when talking about the Faith with others, it is important to understand this distinction. There are many people who are very spiritual, but closed to hearing anything different. There are also those who are very open to learning new things, but are not spiritual at all. We, however, need to be open to recognizing those who are both spiritual and open.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-74730626843627547222018-09-25T17:54:00.005-07:002021-09-16T11:28:10.772-07:00Paragraph 137<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But the purpose of these verses is not what they have imagined. Nay, the terms “ascendancy,” “power,” and “authority” imply a totally different station and meaning. For instance, consider the pervading power of those drops of the blood of Husayn which besprinkled the earth. What ascendancy and influence hath the dust itself, through the sacredness and potency of that blood, exercised over the bodies and souls of men! So much so, that he who sought deliverance from his ills, was healed by touching the dust of that holy ground, and whosoever, wishing to protect his property, treasured with absolute faith and understanding, a little of that holy earth within his house, safeguarded all his possessions. These are the outward manifestations of its potency. And were We to recount its hidden virtues they would assuredly say: “He verily hath considered the dust to be the Lord of Lords, and hath utterly forsaken the Faith of God.”</i></blockquote>
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This is the third of six paragraphs talking about the Imam Husayn, and as you can see, Baha'u'llah is directing our attention to the fact that the verses cited are not what we believe they are. They do not mean what the generality of the people believe they mean. If they did, if they were to be taken literally, then they do not accord with known and recognized historical events. So either these quotes don't mean what we generally think they do, or they don't fit in with what we know of history. As we can't change history, it's easier to admit that we just don't quite understand these things correctly.<br />
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Here we begin to see with greater clarity one of the reasons He spent so much time looking at that marvelous quote from Jesus in Matthew 24. The methodology that He used in the majority of Part 1 is now being used here to better understand these references to the Imam Husayn, whom the uncle of the Bab reveres. As they were not literal at the time, it is easy to suppose that they may not be literal today, either.<br />
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You see, again, Baha'u'llah is taking the uncle from where he is, a devout Muslim who greatly admires the Imam Husayn, and helping him understand how his accurate understanding of the station of Husayn can be applied to the Bab. And make no mistake, this is not mere platitude. Baha'u'llah truly loves and admires the Imam Husayn.<br />
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He Highly praises the Imam and even goes so far as to remind the uncle just how spiritually powerful this individual is. Even the mere dust that covers the ground where he shed his blood is a potent remedy and protection.<br />
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But this leads us to a second point. It seems to us that Baha'u'llah is not actually saying anything magical here. While it is worth remembering that the Faith is, as all religions are, fundamentally mystical at its core, it also accords with science.<br />
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Here we find it just as interesting to read what He is not saying as what He is.<br />
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He does not say that we can take this dust and make instant cure-alls with it. He does not say that we can sell it as a home security system. He very carefully says that "he who sought deliverance... was healed..." He points out that those who wished to protect their property used this holy dust with "absolute faith and understanding".<br />
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In every religion we find examples of people being healed when they came in contact with the hem of the Manifestation's clothing, or other similar things we might call miracles. But in every case the onus seems to be on the faith of the individual. Baha'u'llah, here, calls this an "outward manifestation" of the potency of this blood, physically linking it to the actual blood that was spilled. But then He talks about the hidden virtues it has. This is what has caught our attention.<br />
<br />
It made us go back and re-read the references here in this paragraph, and now we wonder if He could also be alluding to the Imam Husayn's blood, as in his blood-line. Could this be a reference to his heritage, being a descendant of Muhammad's family? Could it also be an allusion to the Bab, Himself, Who is his own descendant?Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-4986552483035694742018-09-11T18:05:00.003-07:002021-09-16T11:19:30.610-07:00Paragraph 136<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Were the verse “And verily Our host shall conquer” to be literally interpreted, it is evident that it would in no wise be applicable to the chosen Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn, whose heroism was manifest as the sun, crushed and subjugated, quaffed at last the cup of martyrdom in Karbilá, the land of Táff. Similarly, the sacred verse “Fain would they put out God’s light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.” Were it to be literally interpreted it would never correspond with the truth. For in every age the light of God hath, to outward seeming, been quenched by the peoples of the earth, and the Lamps of God extinguished by them. How then could the ascendancy of the sovereignty of these Lamps be explained? What could the potency of God’s will to “perfect His light” signify? As hath already been witnessed, so great was the enmity of the infidels, that none of these divine Luminaries ever found a place for shelter, or tasted of the cup of tranquillity. So heavily were they oppressed, that the least of men inflicted upon these Essences of being whatsoever he listed. These sufferings have been observed and measured by the people. How, therefore, can such people be capable of understanding and expounding these words of God, these verses of everlasting glory?</i></blockquote>
<br />
This paragraph is the second of six that talks about the Imam Husayn. It's interesting because it continues the discussion about sovereignty, and how it isn't the literal sovereignty that many people believe.<br />
<br />
One question we could ask is why Baha'u'llah is spending so much time talking about the Imam Husayn. A possible answer we could give would be that Baha'u'llah is seen as his return, but we think there is a far more plausible answer: He is writing this for the uncle of the Bab. This uncle, as you well know by now, was a devout Shi'ite Muslim. He revered the Imam Husayn and saw him as a paragon of virtue. He was, and still is, held in the highest regard by the Shi'ites. If He were talking to a Catholic, you can well imagine that He would have used Saint Peter as His example. If He were speaking to a Jew, He might have used Aaron as His example. We don't know, but we can presume that He would have used someone that they would highly regard.<br />
<br />
On the surface we can see this as a rebuttal of how we traditionally interpret Scripture, namely the awaiting of a literal fulfillment of these prophecies, but really, Baha'u'llah already does this so well that we don't feel we need to go into it any further.<br />
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Instead, what we want to consider is how Bah'u'llah does this. Remember, this incredible text can be seen as a model for how we are to teach the Faith.<br />
<br />
The main problem here is that the question the uncle asked had to do with a presumptive understanding that the sovereignty spoken of in the Qur'an had to be an earthly, literal sovereignty. Baha'u'llah has to correct him of this misunderstanding before He can go on.<br />
<br />
To do this, He is looking at a few quotes that the uncle would have been familiar with, and is showing how they cannot possibly be seen as literal.<br />
<br />
Back in paragraph 134, He chose three quotes, and is now repeating two of them. He is not taking new quotes, but using the ones He just quoted. He is even quoting them again in the same order He previously used. This undoubtedly makes it easier for the uncle to follow.<br />
<br />
He is also alluding to the Bab, when He says "in every age the light of God hath, to outward seeming, been quenched..." After all, this was another one of the points that confused the uncle. If the Bab really was a Manifestation, how is it that, at the time of this writing, His Faith seemed to be on the verge of extinction?<br />
<br />
So really, this applies to us, too. After all, when Husayn was martyred, it looked as if the Shi'ite line was going to go extinct. When Baha'u'llah wrote this book, it seemed as if the Babi Faith was also on the verge of extinction. Both of them, though, were kept alive and vibrant by those followers who kept their eye on the teachings, and continued to spread their beliefs. They survived because the staunch followers were not down-heartened by their seeming lack of success. They were not dismayed by the loss of a few leaves on the tree of their faith, but recognized that this is just a natural part of the growth cycle.<br />
<br />
Similarly, we, too, can continue to look forward, seeing the signs of growth where they appear, and continue to work towards the spread of this religion of ours. We may notice various setbacks at times, but can trust that, like the religions of the past, we will grow past them.<br />
<br />
After all, remember what Baha'u'llah has continually told us throughout this book? "Consider the past." Isn't that what He is doing? When we consider the past, and reflect on what we already know, we will clearly see that their interpretation does not conform with what we know has happened in history.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-65483698063974136012018-09-04T18:41:00.000-07:002018-09-04T18:41:12.419-07:00Paragraph 135<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Were the idle contention of these foolish and despicable souls to be true, they would have none other alternative than to reject all these holy utterances and heavenly allusions. For no warrior could be found on earth more excellent and nearer to God than Husayn, son of ‘Alí, so peerless and incomparable was he. “There was none to equal or to match him in the world.” Yet, thou must have heard what befell him. “God’s malison on the head of the people of tyranny!”</i></blockquote>
Ah yes, another short paragraph. These are usually the most difficult to write about, but not because there is so little there, but rather because they are so jam-packed.<br />
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To start, we have to ask the question, "Which idle contention?"<br />
<br />
To get an idea, we have to go back a paragraph, to the end of 134. Baha'u'llah has just quoted 3 verses. “And verily Our host shall conquer.” “Fain would they put out God’s light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.” “He is the Dominant, above all things.”<br />
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Looking at these quotes, and the idea mentioned in paragraph 133, that these quotes must refer to a physical reality instead of a spiritual one, Baha'ullah is pointing out the absurd contradiction to history. If these quotes were supposed to be earthly, instead of spiritual, then how could the religious leaders explain Imam Husayn? He sure didn't conquer. He was defeated at Karbila. Dominant? Nope. He was defeated in battle.<br />
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But these leaders recognize the authority of so noble a figure as Husayn, son of Ali, and therefore recognize the spiritual nature of his victory.<br />
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Now, the question is how does this apply to us? Well, to us it demonstrates how we can respond to any objection raised against the Faith.<br />
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When the religious leaders said that the Bab could not be a Manifestation, they said that He would have to demonstrate earthly sovereignty. Ok, we could reply, how did Husayn show earthly sovereignty?<br />
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In fact, the same objection could be, and has been, raised by some Christians. "When Jesus returns, He will be sovereign over the whole earth."<br />
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This was the same objection raised against Jesus in His own lifetime. How do they answer this? "He had a spiritual sovereignty."<br />
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So did Husayn. So did the Bab. So does Baha'u'llah.<br />
<br />
Any objection raised can be turned back upon the objector. Whatever defense they offer can also be offered in this instance.<br />
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Whatever objection they present was likely also presented against their own Founder.<br />
<br />
Baha'u'llah points out that there must be a consistency of argument. Whatever works for one must work for all.<br />
<br />
At no point have any of the Messengers been interested in the authority and power of this world. They have always worked towards the spiritual, striving in every Dispensation to draw our attention upwards, from this earthly plane towards the spiritual worlds of God.<br />
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At the very end of this paragraph, He curses the "people of tyranny". Why? Because, like all curses, it is a natural result of their own behaviour. These leaders, these "people of tyranny", are doing all they can to move our vision back down to the earthly plane, which is the very antithesis of these teachings. We know that when our vision is turned towards the heavens, we reflect the light of God, but when we turn our vision to those things of the dust, we reflect that lifeless dust, instead. By being so focused on the physical, so distant from the spiritual, they are forcing themselves to do nothing more than reflect the lifeless dust of this world. Can we imagine a greater curse than this?Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-63748336824411779072018-07-17T18:15:00.002-07:002021-09-16T11:04:50.070-07:00Paragraph 134<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Know, therefore, O questioning seeker, that earthly sovereignty is of no worth, nor will it ever be, in the eyes of God and His chosen Ones. Moreover, if ascendency and dominion be interpreted to mean earthly supremacy and temporal power, how impossible will it be for thee to explain these verses: “And verily Our host shall conquer.” “Fain would they put out God’s light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.” “He is the Dominant, above all things.” Similarly, most of the Qur’án testifieth to this truth.</i></blockquote>
Here, it would be so easy to continue to talk about how the earthly sovereignty is worthless, but this is what Baha'u'llah is already doing. We could continue to talk about how these quotes are obviously not referring to "earthly supremacy and temporal power", but again, this is so obvious from the context here.<br />
<br />
Instead, we would like to look at the three quotes He has chosen to use here: "Our host shall conquer"; "God hath willed to perfect His light"; and "He is the Dominant".<br />
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The first is in the future perfect tense, giving us a promise of something that will happen, without question. The second quote seems to explain how, showing that it is through this perfecting of His light. The last one is a reminder that this is what we have always seen in the other religions, their dominance.<br />
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So while we can rest assured in the promise, and the example from the past, our primary concern is the how. How will God perfect His light? What does it mean for God to "perfect His light"? And how would the people be able to put it out "with their mouths"?<br />
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To get a better idea of this, we decided to look at a few other quotes.<br />
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The first one that came to mind was "A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding..."<br />
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You see, for God to perfect His light, He uses the tools at hand, namely the followers of the new religion. This is how it was done in the past, and we can presume, given what we have been reading in this book, that this will be His method in the present day.<br />
<br />
In fact, there is a marvelous passage from 'Abdu'l-Baha in which He says, "The purpose of the appearance of the Manifestations of God is the training of the people. That is the only result of Their mission, the real outcome. The outcome of the whole life of Jesus was the training of eleven disciples and two women. Why did He suffer troubles, ordeals and calamities? For the training of these few followers. That was the result of His life. The product of the life of Christ was not the churches but the illumined souls of those who believed in Him. Afterward, they spread His teachings."<br />
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Given that we seem to be the ones who have the responsibility for passing on these teachings, it seems that we are also instrumental in passing on this light. How do we do it?<br />
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Looking at the quote, the one about the lodestone, it seems we are given a bit of a clue. A lodestone, as you know, is a magnet, and so speaking with kindness, quite simply, is attractive. Well, given our experience, that just makes sense. We react far more positively to those that speak kindly than to those that speak harshly. It's the old "attracting flies with honey, as opposed to vinegar" motif, but with more spiritual importance.<br />
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In fact, looking at the quote, we realize that when someone speaks harshly, we are less likely to even bother listening to them. And so a kindly tongue really does clothe the words with meaning. After all, if we do not listen to the other person, then their actual words are truly meaningless.<br />
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But "the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding"? Again if we talk about the teaching of Baha'u'llah with a kindly tongue, ensuring that we do all we can to be as gracious and gentle as possible, then the person is far more willing to listen, and to listen closely. We can easily imagine our words as a fountain, to which others can approach and from which they can drink. If we fill our words with Baha'u'llah's teachings, then they end up drinking that divine draught.<br />
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It is through this teaching that the light of God's message penetrates more and more hearts.<br />
<br />
In the Hidden Words, revealed around the same time as this book, Baha'u'llah writes, "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 18px;">Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee." And so we get a better understanding of the nature of this light, and its relation to us.</span><br />
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Honestly, though we can find hundreds more quotes on this theme, if not more, we don't want to bury you, dear Reader, in too many. Instead, let us look at the best example of this process in action that we can think of: Baha'u'llah's revelation of this very book.<br />
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When we consider how this book came to be revealed, can we imagine a better example of a kindly tongue perfecting the light of God in another's heart?<br />
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And honestly, it is only through the changing of the heart that God's light becomes dominant.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-65314627130663051652018-07-03T17:53:00.001-07:002021-09-14T11:23:56.582-07:00Paragraph 133<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And now, ponder this in thine heart: Were sovereignty to mean earthly sovereignty and worldly dominion, were it to imply the subjection and external allegiance of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth—whereby His loved ones should be exalted and be made to live in peace, and His enemies be abased and tormented—such form of sovereignty would not be true of God Himself, the Source of all dominion, Whose majesty and power all things testify. For, dost thou not witness how the generality of mankind is under the sway of His enemies? Have they not all turned away from the path of His good-pleasure? Have they not done that which He hath forbidden, and left undone, nay repudiated and opposed, those things which He hath commanded? Have not His friends ever been the victims of the tyranny of His foes? All these things are more obvious than even the splendour of the noon-tide sun.</i></blockquote>
<br />
"And now..." Here He is implying that He is moving onto a new section, a new thought. And at the very beginning He is asking us to "ponder". Whenever we see this word, or any of its synonyms, such as "meditate" or "consider", we take it very seriously. We have seen, as you will no doubt recall, in Part 1 of this book that every time He tells us to do this, it is so that we can begin to get a deeper understanding of some difficult truth that will become the foundation of what is to come.<br />
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So what is happening here? What is it that we are to ponder? And why?<br />
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Before we go onto those questions, we want to take a look back at paragraph 102, that first paragraph of Part 2.<br />
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You will recall that He talks about "He Who is the Day-star of Truth and Revealer of the Supreme Being" and His "undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey Him." Over the past 30 paragraphs, He has helped us redefine our understanding of this "sovereignty". He has carefully moved us away from an earthly understanding, which naturally would lead to God's loved ones being exalted and living in peace, and towards this more accurate understanding of this spiritual sovereignty that He does wield.<br />
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When we look at the past, we can see that no Manifestation has had this life of ease that the people imagine, nor have the early followers found lives of peace. The early Christians did not expect to get a warm reception when they delivered the Message. They expected to be crucified.<br />
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In the latter part of paragraph 102, Baha'u'llah talks about how we may be able to "soar on the wings of renunciation to those heights that are veiled from the eyes of men." This, we feel, is the key to understanding the rest of Part 2, this renunciation. From here on out, He is going to direct our attention to the tests and trials that the early believers have faced in other religious traditions, namely Islam, since He is addressing the uncle of the Bab. And then, from there, He will direct our gaze towards the early Babi heroes, whom we will be encouraged to emulate.<br />
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But, if we have a poor understanding of this sovereignty, it all stops here. For if we expect a life of ease and comfort, we will never make the necessary sacrifices needed to transform the planet and all the peoples on it. It is like the Buddha said to His disciples when He sent them out to teach. "What if they ignore you?" "Then we will be glad that they have not harmed us." "Well, what if they harm you?" "Then we will be glad that they do not imprison us." "What if they throw you in prison?" "We will be glad they do not kill us." "And what if they kill you?" "Then we will be glad to die as martyrs, for what is greater than to die for the glory of God?"<br />
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And so, Baha'u'llah gives us these questions to ponder.<br />
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He points out, very logically, that if we actually believe that God is the earthly sovereign of this planet, then that would mean that we would all be following and obeying His laws. Clearly, this is not the case. When we look at God's laws, no matter which religion we examine, we will find that the majority of the people on earth are clearly not following this guidance. Wherever we turn, we can easily see that the people are not obeying His laws. In fact, in most areas, the majority are acting contrary to the guidance in the sacred Books of the world.<br />
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Doesn't this get us to sit up and think? Pay attention? Do we not, when pondering this, ask ourselves if we are acting according to God's teachings? Or are we acting like most people, being greedy and self-centred?<br />
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He ties all this to the stories of the heroes of both Islam and the Babi religion, encouraging the friends to arise, in His day, to the same degree of self-sacrifice. Similarly, today, we are encouraged to use these very same stories of those heroes of the Faith, those Dawn-Breakers, to encourage those around us to their own great feats of service. The stories are wonderful, but if they do not motivate us to serve today, then they are nothing more than mere history. And if they do not encourage us to arise in our own turn, then they are, also, no more than mere stories. It is our reaction to them, our own willingness to strive to emulate their greatness, that give the stories of the heroes the meaning that will last through the ages.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-9522723996227071772018-06-19T18:21:00.002-07:002021-09-14T11:17:05.073-07:00Paragraph 132<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This is but one of the meanings of the spiritual sovereignty which We have set forth in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people. For He, the Mover of all beings, that glorified Countenance, is the source of such potencies as neither this wronged One can reveal, nor this unworthy people comprehend. Immensely exalted is He above men’s praise of His sovereignty; glorified is He beyond that which they attribute unto Him!</i></blockquote>
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The first question we have is "What is one of the meanings?" Well, if we look back at the previous paragraph, He has said that the sovereignty alluded to here is the power of the Word of God. This is so much more powerful than any earthly sovereignty, which is what the uncle of the Bab was wondering about.<br />
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The next point that catches our attention is the fact that this is only "one of the meanings". We are reminded of Part 1, in which Baha'u'llah spent so much time discussing the myriad meanings in Matthew 24. Obviously, He could do the same here. He can give us meaning upon meaning, writing many volumes all on the meaning and interpretation of this single word, sovereignty.<br />
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But that leads us to the next point: He is only going as far as is "in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people". This reminds us very much of what He just said in paragraph 114, that the sacred Word "revealeth itself to the world in direct proportion to its capacity and spiritual receptiveness". That is, it is only revealed as much as we are able to bear it. This also brings us back to Jesus, in John 16:12, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."<br />
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Perhaps that is part of the joys of trying to study the infinite: you can never get it all. No matter how much we praise Him, no matter how exalted we think He is, we are guaranteed to fall short.<br />
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By the way, it is also interesting to note that this concept of sovereignty is alluded to in the very beginning of the book, in the introductory invocation: "In the Name of our Lord, the Exalted, the Most High". The very title, "Lord", is an allusion to that absolute sovereignty, while even the attributes of exalted and most high are doomed to fall short of His true exaltation and... high-ness? Sure. We'll go with that.<br />
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Given that any attempt at a description is destined to fall short, that He is so far beyond anything that we can attribute to Him, how can we even begin to approach any study of Him? If we look back at the very beginning of the book, we will see that a posture of humility is key. We must be detached from anything we know, not forget it, but not be so attached that we are not willing to hear a new perspective. With this stance, we allow ourselves to be open to this new perspective given to us by the Manifestation.<br />
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And you know what? It also works in our daily life. As soon as we close ourselves off to a new perspective, we are no longer able to learn. When we no longer are learning, we are moving backwards, for nothing in the world remains in stasis. So this concept of detachment, so pivotal in Part 1, really does come into play here, too.<div><br /></div><div>* * * * *</div><div><br /></div><div>As we look at this paragraph again, another point comes to mind.</div><div><br /></div><div>We imagine a town in which the messenger of the King arrives. He proclaims the new message from the King, and reads out the new law that is to take effect. Although the law takes effect immediately, it still takes time for it to spread throughout the town. It takes even longer for it to be understood, and for the people to act upon it. Even though the law is there, there is a mercy from the just sovereign for the first little while, allowing the people to become used to this new law. They will likely have their guards issue warnings for the first little while, and work towards educating the people to this new law. But over time, it will become a routine part of their life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Similarly, the Messenger of God arrives and proclaims the new Law to the people. In the epochal history with which we are dealing, it likely takes a few hundred years for this gradual effect, the education of the people, to become apparent. But in the end, the new law will become infused within the life of the community.</div>Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806155200837597501.post-74567889451191313792018-06-12T18:26:00.001-07:002021-09-14T11:01:18.473-07:00Paragraph 131<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To resume: Our purpose in setting forth these truths hath been to demonstrate the sovereignty of Him Who is the King of kings. Be fair: Is this sovereignty which, through the utterance of one Word, hath manifested such pervading influence, ascendancy, and awful majesty, is this sovereignty superior, or is the worldly dominion of these kings of the earth who, despite their solicitude for their subjects and their help of the poor, are assured only of an outward and fleeting allegiance, while in the hearts of men they inspire neither affection nor respect? Hath not that sovereignty, through the potency of one word, subdued, quickened, and revitalized the whole world? What! Can the lowly dust compare with Him Who is the Lord of Lords? What tongue dare utter the immensity of difference that lieth between them? Nay, all comparison falleth short in attaining the hallowed sanctuary of His sovereignty. Were man to reflect, he would surely perceive that even the servant of His threshold ruleth over all created things! This hath already been witnessed, and will in future be made manifest.</i></blockquote>
"To resume". Our hearts leap when we read this phrase. Baha'u'llah, through His grace and bounty, is helping us grasp His outline here. He is reminding us of where this is all leading. And this is really wonderful, for by this point we had actually forgotten. It is so good that He reminds us.<br />
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So, why did He write all that He had written in these past couple dozen paragraphs? It has been to to demonstrate Bab's sovereignty.<br />
<br />
As we mentioned earlier, the overarching theme of this entire half of the book is summed up in the word "sovereignty", as far as we can tell. He first mentions it here in paragraph 102, that first paragraph of Part 2 - He holds, for all time, "undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey Him." He brings it up again in 109 and 110 as one of many attributes the Manifestation of God has. In 113, He looks at the question asked by the uncle about why this sovereignty has not been made manifest in the Bab. Baha'u'llah then proceeds to explain that it was manifest similarly as it was in Muhammad. If we examine the Qur'an we can clearly see that this sovereignty was not manifest outwardly in His life, but is very evident today. If we understand how it was manifested during Muhammad's time, we can see that the same sovereignty is expressed today in the Bab. And this, in short, brings us up to where we are right now.<br />
<br />
Here, though, He refocuses the question. The uncle was clearly asking about the earthly sovereignty of kings and rulers, and wondering why the Bab did not demonstrate this. Baha'u'llah reminds him of the true nature of Muhammad's sovereignty, which he clearly recognizes, and asks which is superior. Is the earthly sovereignty superior to the spiritual? Of course not. The spiritual is always more important than the material.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough in this particular paragraph He uses phrases like "King of kings" and "Lord of lords". Why? Why does He use them here? The uncle, like most of us, naturally thinks of the king when he thinks of a sovereign, and has naturally placed the Bab at that level. Why, he is wondering, is the Bab not ruling like a king? Baha'u'llah is reminding us of these phrases, which we are all familiar with, even outside of Handel's Messiah, and that the king of a country, no matter how lofty that throne may be, is only at one level. The Manifestation of God is at a much higher level of sovereignty.<br />
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This awareness of the many levels of sovereignty make us think of others, too, such as the throne of our heart, and being sovereign in our own life. It reminds us that even at the level of our own actions, we have to continually remember that the spiritual is always more important than the physical. In other words, we have to act with integrity and truthfulness, trustworthiness and compassion, and not sacrifice these qualities to, say, get a promotion at work.<br />
<br />
Another aspect of this paragraph is His graciousness towards the rulers mentioned here. He presumes that they are showing "solicitude for their subjects" and providing "help of the poor". Here He is reminding them of what it is they should be doing. It is as if He is saying "Well, of course they're doing this", and hoping that they arise to do it. But, He also reminds them that this does not inspire "affection or respect". In the political realm, any allegiance is likely only fleeting and outward, not deep and sincere. This should not stop them from doing what is right and just. It should not affect the bounties that they pour out upon their subjects. It's a beautiful reminder, and we can learn from this. Not only should we always do what is right and just, but we should presume the best of others, too, in the hope that they will arise to that station.<br />
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Finally, one last point that caught our attention. "Reflect", He says. Over and over this word, or a synonym, comes up, and it usually arises when there is an important point to consider. Here, He is telling us to specifically reflect on "the servant of His threshold", and his station. Well, as soon as we see this phrase, we are immediately put in mind of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Now, if we reflect on the Master, and consider what signs He had already shown in His life when Baha'u'llah was writing this, we can clearly see that He was already showing great signs. It has "already been witnessed". The stories of His childhood abound and show the greatness to which He would rise. Baha'u'llah also mentions that this station "will in future be made manifest". And that, dear Reader, sure feels prophetic.Meadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02046847133963919765noreply@blogger.com0