Paragraph 185

Twelve hundred and eighty years have passed since the dawn of the Muḥammadan Dispensation, and with every break of day, these blind and ignoble people have recited their Qur’án, and yet have failed to grasp one letter of that Book! Again and again they read those verses which clearly testify to the reality of these holy themes, and bear witness to the truth of the Manifestations of eternal Glory, and still apprehend not their purpose. They have even failed to realize, all this time, that, in every age, the reading of the scriptures and holy books is for no other purpose except to enable the reader to apprehend their meaning and unravel their innermost mysteries. Otherwise reading, without understanding, is of no abiding profit unto man.

We are now at paragraph 25 out of thirty paragraphs that look at the station of "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God. It is interesting to remember this with each succeeding paragraph, and try to understand how it all relates to this singular theme. How does this one, this paragraph, relate to the theme?

Let's start at that first sentence. He refers to these people as "blind and ignoble". He has already covered "blind" in many paragraphs throughout this book, often referring to the phrase about having eyes but not seeing.

What about "ignoble"? This is interesting, as we find this famous passage from the Hidden Words, written around the same time as this book: "Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself."

Here we are told that we are inherently noble, created that way. But, He points out, we have abased ourselves. God didn't abase us. We did. How?

Throughout these recent paragraphs He has regularly talked about those people that have not grasped the underlying purpose of religion. He talked about how they have fallen prey to those "divines and doctors... who, because of their want of discernment and their love and eagerness for leadership, have failed to submit to the Cause of God". He says that these people, who have fallen prey to such misguided leaders, "have placed themselves unreservedly under the authority of these pompous and hypocritical leaders". He then accuses these same people of having "no sight, no hearing, no heart, of their own to distinguish truth from falsehood". He further said these people "cling to those verses... and... traditions... which they have found to accord with their inclinations and interests, and... reject those which are contrary to their selfish desires."

They have truly abased themselves. They have allowed others, as mentioned in the previous few paragraphs, to dictate how they are to see the world. It is a willful blindness, a purposeful denial of seeing the world for ourselves. This is not noble, for they are abdicating that God-given right of free will.

He goes on, in this same paragraph, to say that "they have failed to grasp one letter" of their holy scriptures.

What does this mean? It probably does not mean that they are illiterate, for they read the Writings every morning. But He uses the word "grasp", which means to fully comprehend. So what is it that they do not fully comprehend?

We like to look at Christianity as our example. Everything in the message of Jesus, for example, is all about love. If we were to interpret anything in the Bible that leads us to something other than love, we have misunderstood it. It really is that simple.

Similarly, everything in the Baha'i Writings is all about unity. If we interpret anything in the Writings for ourselves that does not lead us to unity, then we are guaranteed that we have missed the essential point.

This is why this section is so important in this book. It is why we feel He spends so much time on this theme, for it is the essential theme of the entire Faith.

Every Faith has its own essential message, and it seems that the Messengers come to remind us of this. We, as humanity, often veer off from that essential message and it is the next Messenger that calls us back. And then, like any good teacher, after correcting our mistakes, they show us the next steps we need to take.

This seems to be the recurring pattern.

Perhaps that is why, at the end of this passage, He reminds us that "reading, without understanding, is of no abiding profit unto man".

"Abiding" is another interesting word, especially in this context. As an adjective, it means long lasting or enduring. If we get just a surface understanding, it might change our behaviour for a short time, but it sure won't be enduring.

As we dive deeper into the ocean of these Writings, we will find more and more mysteries, as we have found time and again. Whether it is the development of the metaphors or the movement of the nouns, there are layers upon layers of meaning in the Writings.

It also reminds us of one of our favourite quotes from Mark Twain. He said, "The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read."

Similarly, the one who only glances at the Writings without taking the time to dive into them does not have any significant advantage over the one who does not read them. It is like having a gold mine, in which you know there are treasures to be found, but not taking the time to find them.

Going right back to the beginning of this book, He has told us that this is about getting to the "shores of the Ocean of true understanding". Then He told us to "Consider the past...", "Ponder... and reflect..." He asks us to acquaint ourselves with the stories of the Messengers and their sufferings. He tells us to meditate and consider over and over again. He wants us to work for it, for there is no other way to have it truly impact our life.

For centuries, the followers of different religions were told to recite the sacred verses in languages they didn't understand. Whether it was Catholics reciting the Bible in Latin, or Muslims reading in Arabic, to the ones reading they were no more than senseless syllables. Sacred, yes, but with no inherent meaning beyond their sacredness.

There is a great story of the Bab from when He was a child. He had gone to school and was told to recite the opening words of the Qur'an. The words were in Arabic, but He only spoke Persian. And so He refused. He said that He would not recite them unless He was told what they meant. His teacher pretended to not know, and the Bab, six years-old or so at the time, said that He knew and would explain them, if the teacher wanted. The teacher, likely amused, said yes. The Bab then went on to explain them in a way that truly impressed the teacher, so much so that years later he still recalled this event.

For us, this is a great example of not being willing to read something without understanding it.

Paragraph 184

Be fair: Were these people to acknowledge the truth of these luminous words and holy allusions, and recognize God as “Him that doeth whatsoever He pleaseth,” how could they continue to cleave unto these glaring absurdities? Nay, with all their soul, they would accept and submit to whatsoever He saith. I swear by God! But for the divine Decree, and the inscrutable dispensations of Providence, the earth itself would have utterly destroyed all this people! “He will, however, respite them until the appointed time of a known day.”

Paragraph 24 out of thirty paragraphs that look at the station of "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God.

What does He mean by "Be fair"? Simply, it means to consider everything in the situation so that we can make a good judgement.

If we take a look at the idea that people believe in their sacred teachings, and especially understand that God does as He wants, then they would never be able to reconcile this absurd behaviour. Which behaviour? Accepting some of the verses but denying others.

So why, then, do they continue to "cleave unto these glaring absurdities"? He has given us a lot of reasons. Ignorance. Blindly following the leaders of their faith. Attachment to their own desires. Sometimes it's those "veils of glory" He mentioned way earlier in the book. But in the end, all these reasons are absurd.

In fact, not only are they absurd, they are "glaring absurdities". They are totally obvious to anyone who looks with the eye of fairness. Beyond that, Baha'u'llah said earlier, in paragraph 6, "the more closely you observe the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be your faith in the Cause of God". By taking the time to focus our attention on these "glaring absurdities", on the obvious hypocrisy of those that follow a religion in this manner, He seems to be helping us strengthen our faith.

In Part One, He was very forgiving with some of these excuses, recognizing that some people deny the new Messenger because they are attached to their old Book. In paragraph 27, He said that He was sharing some of these teachings with the hope that "the overpowering majesty of the Word of God may not prevent them... nor deprive them..." from recognizing the new Manifestation.

Now, though, He is being a bit harsher.

He's already assured the friends that if they made an honest mistake, they can still move forward. A good heart will always win out in the end.

If they've denied because of selfish reasons, only accepting what "they have found to accord with their inclinations and interests", He reminds them that this is not acceptable. Well, neither are, but in this case, He pulls out the big guns: "...the earth itself would have utterly destroyed all this people". It reminds us of that Hidden Word in which He says, "ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you."

But what about the "inscrutable dispensations of Providence"? What exactly does that mean? Inscrutable means that we can't understand it. Dispensations are exemptions from a rule, even temporary. So it seems that the people who are behaving in this way have been given a reprieve by God from immediate justice.

How do we know it's temporary? By the next sentence in which He says that God will "respite them until the appointed time of a known day."

One question though, that bears looking at is how does this fit into the theme of the "pure abstraction and absolute unity" of the Messengers? And that, dear Friends, is what Baha'u'llah will respond to in the next paragraph.

Paragraph 183

Gracious God! So great is the folly and perversity of the people, that they have turned their face toward their own thoughts and desires, and have turned their back upon the knowledge and will of God—hallowed and glorified be His name!

 

Paragraph 23 of the thirty paragraphs that look at the station of "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God.

And here He goes again. "Gracious God!" You can just hear the exasperation. But, as He points out, God truly is gracious.

So let's go back a second. Why is this here? Why does He feel the need to point out this attribute of God here?

As usual, we're not really sure, but it follows a series of paragraphs in which He is describing how the people have taken some verses, like the "Seal of the Prophets", and rejected others, even though they have no basis for picking and choosing from sacred Text. They do this, He says, because the former verses "accord with their inclinations and interests" and the latter "are contrary to their selfish desires". Over and over, throughout history, we have done this. When Moses came down with the Ten Commandments, He found the people reverting to their previous idolic behaviour.

Here, Baha'u'llah is seeing it again.

But what exactly is He seeing?

Well, He says, that the people have great "folly and perversity". Not just a little. A great amount.

What is folly? What is perversity? Why does he choose these particular terms?

Folly, quite simply, is a lack of good sense, foolishness. Perversity, on the other hand, is a deliberate desire to behave in an unreasonable or unacceptable way.

To understand why He is using these terms, let's look at what He is describing. We can easily picture a person standing there. Their face is turned towards "their own thoughts and desires", which means their back is turned away from "the knowledge and will of God". These are not the same things. We want one thing, God wants another. As He says so poetically in the Persian Hidden Words, "How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire? Wings have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic holiness and not the regions of satanic fancy." Or more simply, "Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you..."

Why on earth would we ever turn away from what God desires for us? That is utter foolishness. This is true folly. But to do it deliberately? It's one thing to accidentally turn aside from something, but to do it on purpose? That is the epitome of perversity, according to the definition of the word.

Fortunately, God is gracious.

One last question, though. Why does He finish this paragraph off with "hallowed and glorified be His name"?

We are reminded of the inescapable and absolute sovereignty of the Manifestation through this phrase. The King's messengers often begin, "In the name of the King", letting us know for whom they are speaking, and under whose authority. Same with the Messengers of God, those divine Manifestations.

It puts us in mind of the beginning of the prayer from Jesus. "Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name." We're also reminded that this very book begins with the intonation, "In the Name of our Lord, the Exalted, the Most High". Part Two begins, you may recall, "Verily He Who is the Daystar of Truth and Revealer of the Supreme Being holdeth, for all time, undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey Him." Now we feel we have a far deeper understanding of how this applies to our reality.

Paragraph 182

And yet, through the mystery of the former verse, they have turned away from the grace promised by the latter, despite the fact that “attainment unto the divine Presence” in the “Day of Resurrection” is explicitly stated in the Book. It hath been demonstrated and definitely established, through clear evidences, that by “Resurrection” is meant the rise of the Manifestation of God to proclaim His Cause, and by “attainment unto the divine Presence” is meant attainment unto the presence of His Beauty in the person of His Manifestation. For verily, “No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision.” Notwithstanding all these indubitable facts and lucid statements, they have foolishly clung to the term “seal,” and remained utterly deprived of the recognition of Him Who is the Revealer of both the Seal and the Beginning, in the day of His presence. “If God should chastise men for their perverse doings, He would not leave upon the earth a moving thing! But to an appointed time doth He respite them.” But apart from all these things, had this people attained unto a drop of the crystal streams flowing from the words: “God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth,” they would not have raised any unseemly cavils, such as these, against the focal Center of His Revelation. The Cause of God, all deeds and words, are held within the grasp of His power. “All things lie imprisoned within the hollow of His mighty Hand; all things are easy and possible unto Him.” He accomplisheth whatsoever He willeth, and doeth all that He desireth. “Whoso sayeth ‘why’ or ‘wherefore’ hath spoken blasphemy!” Were these people to shake off the slumber of negligence and realize that which their hands have wrought, they would surely perish, and would of their own accord cast themselves into fire—their end and real abode. Have they not heard that which He hath revealed: “He shall not be asked of His doings”? In the light of these utterances, how can man be so bold as to question Him, and busy himself with idle sayings?

 

Paragraph 22 of the thirty paragraphs that look at the station of "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God. You probably notice by now that we are repeating at the beginning of each article where we are. We find that this constant reminder really helps us keep track of where Baha'u'llah is in His argument.

Baha'u'llah does this, too, in a sense. He regularly reminds the uncle of what He has previously said, showing the major plot points, if you will, so that the uncle does not get lost in his journey toward certitude.

If we are to try and follow His methods in teaching the Faith to others, this is surely a great lesson for us.

To summarize the paragraph, He begins by referencing the quotes He just used. The "former verse"? The one referring to "the Seal of the Prophets", and the mystery contained therein. The "latter" verse? "Attainment unto the divine Presence". He then reminds us, through the uncle, that He's already given us an explanation of "Resurrection", and how this "divine Presence" refers to meeting the Manifestation of God, mainly because God is just way too big, too grand, too whatever. But, of course, people cling to what they know, and He refers to them as foolish for not going further. But just in case we want to judge them harshly for this, He reminds us we've made foolish mistakes, too. So don't go climbing on any high horse.

There is a question, though, for us. This "attainment unto the divine Presence"? What exactly does that mean? Of course it means the actual physical presence, we know that. He told us so many times. But does that mean that grumpy, old uncle Joe who happened to pass Him on the street received this incredible "grace"? We don't think so. Seeing Him was likely not enough. We think it is conditional upon recognition. How often have we dreamed of living in the time of the Manifestation we follow? How often have we heard people claim that of course they would recognize Him? The truth is if we were honest with ourselves, we likely would not have recognized Him in His lifetime. That is a bounty accorded very few. But if we were to be granted that bounty, then can we even begin to imagine being in His presence? Can we even begin to imagine the awe and wonder we might feel? How many of us spontaneously fell to our knees on Pilgrimage, either at His Shrine or before His photograph? How much more would we react in His actual presence?

Ok, that aside, He now gets to the heart of this matter: "God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth". We first see this back at the very beginning of Part 2, and only now, nearly 80 paragraphs later, does He expound on it. We've seen hints of it previously, starting at the very beginning of the book when we are told to be "detached from all that is in heaven and on earth", and put our "trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way."

Remember when suggested to go back to the beginning of this book and re-read it looking for indications of the essential oneness and absolute unity of the Messengers? You can do the same with this quote and you will discover that it reads very differently when you begin looking for those signs that He does what He wants.

But let's be honest. This is what people don't seem to understand. They want God to do what they want, rather than following what He wants. If they understood this, they would not have raised their voices in protest.

It is important to note, though, in the statement about “Whoso sayeth ‘why’ or ‘wherefore’ hath spoken blasphemy!”, the "why" is asked in protest, as in "Why did you do that? It's not what I want." This is not the same as asking "why" to gain a better understanding. The former is childish and treats God as subservient, while the latter is asking in a state of search. Even in so great a book as the Kitab-i-Aqdas, He says we are "free to ask what you need to ask, but not such idle questions as those on which the men of former times were wont to dwell."

Finally, at least for this paragraph, we have one last point to consider. You have likely noticed how often Baha'u'llah tells us to ponder, meditate, or consider. You probably are aware of how many times He gives us seemingly rhetorical questions to think about. As long as we are going back to the beginning of the book to look for these different trends, such as the essential unity or how He does what He wants, try answering every one of the questions with that latter concept.

"What could have been the reason", He asks in paragraph 8, "for such denial and avoidance on their part?" Because God does what He wants, and we generally don't like that.

"What could have induced them", He continues, "to refuse to put off the garment of denial, and to adorn themselves with the robe of acceptance?" Because God does what He wants, and we generally don't like that.

This quote, this concept, seems to be the answer to almost all of the questions He has asked.

In addition, this quote, "God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth,” has been referred to as the greatest challenge in any dispensation.

Paragraph 181

How strange! These people with one hand cling to those verses of the Qur’án and those traditions of the people of certitude which they have found to accord with their inclinations and interests, and with the other reject those which are contrary to their selfish desires. “Believe ye then part of the Book, and deny part?” How could ye judge that which ye understand not? Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book, after speaking of the “Seal” in His exalted utterance: “Muḥammad is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets,” hath revealed unto all people the promise of “attainment unto the divine Presence.” To this attainment to the presence of the immortal King testify the verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned. The one true God is My witness! Nothing more exalted or more explicit than “attainment unto the divine Presence” hath been revealed in the Qur’án. Well is it with him that hath attained thereunto, in the day wherein most of the people, even as ye witness, have turned away therefrom.

Paragraph 21 of the thirty paragraphs that look at the station of "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God. The length of this section should give some clue as to its importance. And if you want a fun little exercise, go back to the very beginning, paragraph 1, and try re-reading the first dozen or so paragraphs specifically looking for references to this theme, the absolute unity of the Messengers.

In this paragraph, He begins with the phrase, "How strange". It's an unusual phrase, strange, in fact. It's used a total of five times in this book, but why does He use it here? Well, He's noticing an oddity in the behaviour of the people. Let's see if we can find what that oddity is.

To start, He refers to "these people". Which people? Well, if we go back to paragraph 172, we find reference to those who "have allowed the term 'Seal of the Prophets' to obscure their understanding". In paragraph 173, they are found "clinging unto these words", yet have "disbelieved Him Who is their true Revealer". In paragraph 175, they are found to be "utterly ignoring God" and taking the "pompous and hypocritical leaders" for their masters. They are the ones who, in paragraph 177, have been "hindered" from "attaining unto the way of truth". By paragraph 180, after having shared some of the traditions, Baha'u'llah reminds us that the "celestial Melody" is "above the strivings of human ear to hear or mind to grasp its mystery". And so, these people reject the teachings they cannot understand, claiming they must be false.

Now, isn't that strange? Why would we dismiss something we don't understand? Instead, if the Book and the teachings have been found to be good, wouldn't we just strive to expand our understanding? If we believe a book is sent down by our Creator for our benefit, why would we ever imagine that some of the verses in it must be false?

There have been many times in our study of this book that we have come across a phrase or a sentence that we just couldn't make heads or tails of. It was beyond us. Did we think that it must not be accurate? Of course not. Instead, we sat down and examined it even more closely. We pushed ourselves until it began to make sense in the overall context of the book. And every single time, it greatly enhanced our understanding of this volume, not to mention the Faith itself.

So, yes, it truly is strange that a group of people would claim they follow a book that they know is beyond them, and yet when they come across verses that don't line up with their current beliefs and desires, figure the book must be wrong.

The strange part, though, is not the rejection, but the claim. There are countless people who reject sacred text but for the most part, they do not claim to be believers.

For us, it goes back to the fundamental question of what it means to be a follower.

Quite simply, it means that you follow whatever you are a follower of. You are obedient to it. But this should not be done blindly. It should be done after careful investigation. For example, when one of us became a Baha'i, it was after 5 years of investigation. Throughout that search, there were many things we disagreed with, but after a few years of experience, Baha'u'llah was always proven correct. Eventually the day came when we read something else that was seemingly contentious, and said, "That can't be right. Oh, wait. It's Baha'u'llah. He must be right." That was when we realized we were now a follower. We had become convinced of His superior vision, and even His station. This meant that in the future, whenever we ran across anything we either didn't understand or disagreed with, we presumed Baha'u'llah was correct, and endeavoured to understand His perspective.

What's even more strange, though, is that they put their own selfish desires above the Word of God. They cling to those passages that reinforce what they want, and deny those that would force them to change their behaviour. But isn't that part of the purpose of religion? To get us to change? To improve? If we are to just keep doing whatever it is we are currently doing, why would we need the religion?

Once we have recognized the supremacy of the Book and the Messenger, why would we deny anything they say or write? It is not a buffet, where we get to pick and choose whatever we prefer. It's the complete deal.

Another point that stands out for us is the use of the word "King". It reminds us that all these paragraphs that are dealing with the oneness of the Manifestations fall under the heading of "sovereignty', this overarching theme in part two. So let's take a quick look at that, too.

The concept of "Kingship" is a station that is occupied by an individual at a particular given time. Once that person passes away, another steps into that same position. They have the exact same position, the same authority, the same powers, as all the other Kings. The position is what is important. And, of course, each King will act as is necessary for the needs of their age. Some of the laws they pass today, and some of the actions they take, may appear contradictory to the laws or actions of a previous King, but presuming their wisdom they are all acting in the best interests of their kingdom.

In this section, these thirty paragraphs, Baha'u'llah is emphasizing this aspect of the station of the Manifestations, and will go into more detail about it in the next few.

Paragraph 180

O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the celestial Melody above the strivings of human ear to hear or mind to grasp its mystery! How can the helpless ant step into the court of the All-Glorious? And yet, feeble souls, through lack of understanding, reject these abstruse utterances, and question the truth of such traditions. Nay, none can comprehend them save those that are possessed of an understanding heart. Say, He is that End for Whom no end in all the universe can be imagined, and for Whom no beginning in the world of creation can be conceived. Behold, O concourse of the earth, the splendors of the End, revealed in the Manifestations of the Beginning!

On to paragraph 20 of the thirty paragraphs focusing on "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God. We're getting there, slowly but surely.

"O my beloved!" What a beautiful opening to this paragraph. What a tender way to touch our heart, allowing His words to sink just that little bit deeper.

But what words, what concept is it that He is trying to get us to understand on an even deeper level?

We think it is that "celestial Melody" which has been mentioned numerous times in this book. Now, it's interesting to note that in the previous paragraph, the melody that is intoned by Husayn is not capitalized. It is in the lower case. But here it is capitalized. Perhaps that's because the melody sung by the Manifestation is that capital M Melody, while the "cover version" sung by those lovers is just that, a cover version, to use a modern analogy.

What is this melody? What is it trying to say? We think it is the absolute oneness of the Messengers of God. Remember, this whole section is all about that theme. In fact, one could argue that this whole book, if not the Revelation of Baha'u'llah itself, is all about this exalted theme.

Let's step back a second, though. He also says that it is beyond our ability to "grasp its mystery". Really? It's beyond our ability to understand that the Messengers are all one?

Well, yes.

Think about it for a moment. How can it be that Baha'u'llah is, I mean really is, the same as Muhammad, and Adam, and Moses, and Jesus, and Buddha, and all the other Manifestations of the divine Spirit? Again, think about it. How can they really be one and the same? This is quite the mystery. We might say, on a poetical or metaphorical level, that they are like each other. But Baha'u'llah seems to be going quite a bit further. He seems to say that yes, they really are absolutely identical. "Pure abstraction and essential unity."

How can we, puny mortals that we are, even begin to hope to comprehend this incredible reality?

It's true, He says. Yet, there are those who deny it, those "feeble souls". Why are they called "feeble"? We are not sure, but they are definitely not showing the strength of character to confront the difficulties in their faith. Instead, they just outright deny the statements, claim they are not authentic. Remember, these traditions He just cited, from Ali and Husayn, are not in the Qur'an. They are Hadith. Traditions that have been passed down through the ages. Since these "feeble souls" don't understand them, rather than struggle to come to an understanding they just say that they're not true traditions. They reject the validity of them.

But there are those who do accept them, who do comprehend them to a degree. What distinguishes them from the former? Their heart.

Imagine, for a moment, you grew up as a fundamentalist Christian. And yes, we can use any religion, but we're just choosing one at random. You have been taught the Jesus is the one and only. Now you are being asked to think of Muhammad as a Manifestation, too. It would be very easy to give a blanket denial and say no way. But it takes a special kind of openness, a rare kind of heart, to accept that how you feel about Jesus is how the Muslim feels about Muhammad, and give that respect, too. This is not a condition of the mind. It is a condition of the heart.

Once we accept that others feel about their Messenger as we do about ours, it is a short distance to recognition and love. It is no longer a major leap of faith, but instead becomes a simple step of love.

But what about that last line? "Behold, O concourse of the earth, the splendors of the End, revealed in the Manifestations of the Beginning!" How are we to understand this? Well, there are a number of ways. After all, we're talking about sacred text, so there are numerous levels on which we can understand this.

Given the mystical nature of this question, it may be a good idea to look to His most mystical work, The Seven Valleys. In the Realm of Knowledge, the third valley which is called "Realm" in this new translation, He talks about the lover who is chased by the night watchmen. At first he curses them for the torment he is feeling, but when he climbs over the wall to escape them, finds the lover he has been seeking. Then, after this, he lavishes his praise on these same watchmen, for they were the ones who led him to his goal. Baha'u'llah then says that if he, the lover, had seen the end in the beginning, he would have praised these watchmen all along. But then He mentions that this is the last "station of limitation" before we enter the Valley of Unity.

Perhaps that's where we are here in the Iqan.

By seeing the Messengers as separate, we limit them. We place limits upon creation.

But when we understand their absolute unity, their essential oneness, we begin to recognize that they truly are unique.

Remember, back at the beginning of Part Two Baha'u'llah spoke of how They are at the pinnacle of creation, that central focal point between God and man. In His hierarchy of creation, the Manifestations were clearly at the top, which is one of the reasons why we obey them.

When we understand this, then we cannot imagine a world, a universe, existing without a Messenger of God. We begin to see why they are referred to as having neither beginning nor end. And we begin to get a glimpse of the beauty and majesty of even Adam, who suffered His loss of reputation for having eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so that we could begin to walk on this millennials-long path to get to this point in history and be shown this truth, and hear this divine Melody.

And remember, one of the attributes of a melody is that it is beautiful to listen to. What could be more beautiful than seeing the love you feel for your Manifestation in all people.

Paragraph 179

Likewise, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of the melody of that eternal beauty, Ḥusayn, son of ‘Alí, who, addressing Salmán, spoke words such as these: “I was with a thousand Adams, the interval between each and the next Adam was fifty thousand years, and to each one of these I declared the Successorship conferred upon my father.” He then recounteth certain details, until he saith: “I have fought one thousand battles in the path of God, the least and most insignificant of which was like the battle of Khaybar, in which battle my father fought and contended against the infidels.” Endeavor now to apprehend from these two traditions the mysteries of “end,” “return,” and “creation without beginning or end.”

Here we are at paragraph 19 of these thirty paragraphs focusing on "pure abstraction and essential unity", the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God.

The first thing that we noticed here is the word "likewise" at the beginning. What is He likening it to? The quote in the previous paragraph, “A thousand Fáṭimihs I have espoused, all of whom were the daughters of Muḥammad, Son of ‘Abdu’lláh, the ‘Seal of the Prophets’”.

You will recall that he, Ali, is not saying that he married a thousand women, all of whom were Muhammad's daughter. No. He is talking about the recurrence of themes that are all under the general category of the "Return".

Similar to his marriage to Fátimih, Ali is saying that all the Messengers had successors, like him. Each and every one of Them also faced these incredible battles. Over and over the similarities between all the Manifestations is evident. This is His overarching theme throughout this book, the absolute oneness of the Messengers.

What really stands out to us in this paragraph, though, are the words "strive" and "endeavor". There is an importance to the effort we make, a value to the striving. While we can never truly understand the full vastness of all of this, we can come to a better and better understanding. As we mentioned so many times in our study of the first paragraphs of this book, the time we take to pray and meditate and make a concentrated effort to study these concepts, the better we will make sense of it all.

So often in religion, we are taught things as if they are in a fixed and firm chronological order. We are taught there is a beginning and an ending, from Genesis to Revelation, with nothing before or after that. But when we read our sacred texts, we see that this is not the case. We see many references to the "beginning that hath no beginning" or the "end that hath no end". We see continual thoughts about the concept of eternity, as well as the explicit statements about a "Return".

How are we to make sense of all this, given the current concepts that are taught?

Well, this goes back to the statements at the beginning of the book, and the idea found throughout all religious texts. We need to see the world through our own eyes, and not through the eyes of others. We need to listen to the voice of the divine with our own ears, not the ears of others.

It's also worth noting that even though we aren't from this culture, the one that these traditions come from, we still have the capacity to understand them. Of course, there's probably a lot more to them than we are aware of, but isn't that always true when dealing with religious ideas?

Through these two traditions, the one about a thousand Adams, and the one about the battle, He is asking us to strive to "apprehend... the mysteries of 'end,' 'return,' and 'creation without beginning or end.'”

The best parallel we can think of is the calendar. The Gregorian year ends on 31 December, and the next one begins the following day. In fact, it begins at the very moment the previous one ends. But is it the end of time? Of course not. The end of December means the "return" of January. Time, outside the imposed boundaries of the calendar system we happen to use, has no beginning and no end. It is continual.

Unlike this post. We could easily continue, but feel this is enough for now.