Paragraph 171

From these statements therefore it hath been made evident and manifest that should a Soul in the “End that knoweth no end” be made manifest, and arise to proclaim and uphold a Cause which in “the Beginning that hath no beginning” another Soul had proclaimed and upheld, it can be truly declared of Him Who is the Last and of Him Who was the First that they are one and the same, inasmuch as both are the Exponents of one and the same Cause. For this reason, hath the Point of the Bayán—may the life of all else but Him be His sacrifice!—likened the Manifestations of God unto the sun which, though it rise from the “Beginning that hath no beginning” until the “End that knoweth no end,” is nonetheless the same sun. Now, wert thou to say that this sun is the former sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest that this sun is the “return” of that sun, thou also speakest the truth. Likewise, from this statement it is made evident that the term “last” is applicable to the “first,” and the term “first” applicable to the “last”; inasmuch as both the “first” and the “last” have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith.

 

We are now at the eleventh of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity". Now that He has demonstrated that the followers show all the same attributes, He is going back to the Messengers and demonstrating their oneness.

To do this, He employs the metaphor of the sun. We may call one day Monday and another Tuesday, but that is merely an earthly and limited perception. It is caused by the rotation of the earth itself and has no bearing on the reality of the sun.

Of course, we can differentiate them, as we do with the names of the days of the week, and we are correct, from a particular perspective. But that perspective is limited, and should not be mistaken for an absolute or universal truth. It is a truth from the perspective of the earth, not from that of the sun.

There are some that will claim there is a logical fallacy in the beginning of this paragraph, when He says that two people proclaiming the same teachings can be seen as "one and the same". And this perspective is the second of those two stations which Baha'u'llah will address, that of distinction. Here, though, it is like saying that two people who educate the children can both be called "teacher". Anyone who has been through school will understand this perspective.

But to deny the second, seeing them as "one and the same", comes from a cultural bias that we often don't notice, that of seeing Aristotelian, or western, logic as the only valid one. There are many ways of seeing these things, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. They all have their own advantages as well as their own limitations. To recognize the truth of what He is saying here requires detachment from this singular logical perspective, to acknowledge that there are truths in other perspectives.

Remember detachment? It was that very condition necessary to make it through Part One.

We, as Baha'is, often off-handedly say that the various religions all have the same teacher, that the Old Testament, or the Tanakh, and the New Testament are the same teachings. This ignores the very real argument that they are very different. One was centred around Moses and the other around Jesus. The first perspective, seeing them as the same, is looking at it from the first station Baha'u'llah is addressing, that of absolute unity, while the second is looking at it from the second station, that of distinction. It would be unjust to ignore this argument, and pretend it doesn't exist. Similarly, it is also unjust to ignore this truth, merely because it is a way of looking at logic that we don't normally consider. If we truly want to honour both the one we are teaching, as well as the Faith, this is an argument we need to look at, just as Baha'u'llah does here.

Now, please note that this is an argument that Baha'u'llah does not begin to address directly until this far in the book. It is not a simple concept that can be tossed about quickly. He gives us a lot of preparation before addressing it. In like manner, it seems to us that we need to be cautious in how we address it, too, when talking with our friends. To merely toss this off as a simple truth generally just builds up barriers between people. But by laying the groundwork first, it becomes a truth that can easily bring people together.

In many other passages the Manifestations are likened to mirrors. Using this analogy, we can imagine them all facing the sun. If we were to point to any of these mirrors, we could legitimately say "That is the sun." Of course, someone else could legitimately say, "No, that's only a mirror," but then they would be missing the bigger point.

What He is saying here is that we could point to any of these mirrors and say "That is the first sun to have risen upon the earth", and we would be correct. Of course we could also say, "That is the last sun that shall ever rise on the earth", and that, too, would be a correct statement.

He also draws our attention to the cyclical nature of Revelation, the idea of Return. We here on earth perceive the sun rising every morning and setting every night. This is the nature of our life here on earth. It is a recurring cycle that, when we think about it, has no bearing on the sun itself. It doesn't perceive itself as rising or setting, only we do. Similarly, we may perceive the rising and setting of these various Revelations. We can perceive their founding, their rise to ascendancy, and, if we are honest, their fall from those great spiritual heights to those times when "the sun be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall from heaven". This is like the rising and setting of the sun in our daily life. To try and claim that it is a different sun each day is to deny the obvious reality.

Now, let's go back and look the methodology that Baha'u'llah is employing here. We should remember that the uncle of the Bab is a Muslim, and Baha'u'llah is trying to teach him about the station of the Bab. He is drawing upon the statements from Muhammad about the "beginning that hath no beginning" and the "end that hath no end", and focusing on how the Bab talks about it. He is not talking about what He thinks yet, nor looking at His own ideas. He is keeping the focus solely on the Bab, who wrote:

...were ye to place unnumbered mirrors before the sun, they would all reflect the sun and produce impressions thereof, whereas the sun is in itself wholly independent of the existence of the mirrors and of the suns which they reproduce.

This is a great example for us. When we are teaching someone about the message of Baha'u'llah, we should keep the focus on Him.

Now, going back to the text again, we see that the Bab "likened the Manifestations of God unto the sun". This is another example of how we can look at a simile like this and gain a better understanding of a truth. Everything on earth revolves around the sun, even if we were not aware of it for so long. It is the source of light, the bringer of warmth, and the basis of life. So, too, are the Manifestations. They bring the light of civilization through their teachings. They bring the warmth of brotherhood to all who embrace their truths. They are the source of life for all who follow them. Baha'u'llah went on at length back in paragraphs 31 - 47 about the various meanings of "the sun, the moon, and the stars". This would be a good moment to go back and review what He said there. But we'll let you do that, as we've already gone on long enough about this paragraph.

Paragraph 170

Purge thy sight, therefore, from all earthly limitations, that thou mayest behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause, the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of one Truth, and that thou mayest apprehend the mystic “return” of the Words of God as unfolded by these utterances. Reflect for a while upon the behavior of the companions of the Muḥammadan Dispensation. Consider how, through the reviving breath of Muḥammad, they were cleansed from the defilements of earthly vanities, were delivered from selfish desires, and were detached from all else but Him. Behold how they preceded all the peoples of the earth in attaining unto His holy Presence—the Presence of God Himself—how they renounced the world and all that is therein, and sacrificed freely and joyously their lives at the feet of that Manifestation of the All-Glorious. And now, observe the “return” of the selfsame determination, the selfsame constancy and renunciation, manifested by the companions of the Point of the Bayán. Thou hast witnessed how these companions have, through the wonders of the grace of the Lord of Lords, hoisted the standards of sublime renunciation upon the inaccessible heights of glory. These Lights have proceeded from but one Source, and these fruits are the fruits of one Tree. Thou canst discern neither difference nor distinction among them. All this is by the grace of God! On whom He will, He bestoweth His grace. Please God, that we avoid the land of denial, and advance into the ocean of acceptance, so that we may perceive, with an eye purged from all conflicting elements, the worlds of unity and diversity, of variation and oneness, of limitation and detachment, and wing our flight unto the highest and innermost sanctuary of the inner meaning of the Word of God.

 

Now that we have crossed the bridge of the previous two paragraphs, we are at the tenth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity".

Here, in this paragraph, Baha'u'llah is asking us to do something very different than anything we have heard in the past. He is asking us to look beyond the simplistic differences and focus on the similarities. For example, some will claim that Christians worship God, while Muslims worship Allah, without realizing that they are the same. God. Dieu. Ahura Mazda. Gitchi Manitou. They are all referring to the same divine essence.

Some will claim that Jesus spoke Aramaic, while Muhammad spoke Arabic, but we are being asked to recognize that they both spoke of the divine teachings.

If we want to better understand the concept of "Return", He is suggesting that we look at the companions. See how they were changed upon their encounter with the divine teachings, that copper to gold scenario we just looked at. Reflect on their wonderous behviour. Notice how they arose to those great heights of detachment, determination, constancy, and renunciation. And now, reflect on the Babis. Did they not show the same attributes?

Finally, He is asking us to look beyond the obvious "conflicting elements" and find the greater points where they come together. For example, it is easy to see unity and diversity as mutually exclusive, but He is asking us to recognize where they come together in a greater harmony. Unity, for example, without diversity is uniformity. As we often see in the natural world, without diversity, the ecosystem is weaker, more susceptible to disease. But with great diversity, the unity of the ecosystem is far stronger, more resilient.

But, as usual, there is more to this paragraph than just the summary we have offered. Let's take a look at some of the hidden details.

In that first sentence, He says that if we look beyond these earthly limitations, we will "behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause, the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of one Truth". Who is the "them"? The followers. When we read this sentence on its own, it feels as if He's talking about the Messengers, but when you go back a paragraph and see this in the context, He is clearly referring to the followers, those great heroes who spread the Word of God amongst their compatriots. And while we could talk about the movement from Name to Cause to Self to Truth, let's move on.

We are asked to "reflect" on their behaviour, and "consider" the effect of the Word of God upon them. They were cleansed from thinking only about themselves, delivered from those desires, and this enabled them to be detached from everything but God. As you can see, it begins with being cleansed, which brings us back to the very beginning of this book. We must be "detached from all that is heaven and on earth" if we want to attain to this ocean. And we have to sanctify our soul and cleanse ourselves of all that is earthly, "their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, the hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth". If we do this, if we trust in God, then "will they be made worthy... and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen..."

It is also worth noting that these same companions are being referred to as the "Light" that has "proceeded from but one Source". They are seen as the "fruits of one tree". And we are told that we will see "neither difference nor distinction among them". Isn't it remarkable how Baha'u'llah has moved us from seeing the Messengers in this way to now seeing the followers in the same light? Just as there is no difference between the Manifestations at this stage, He is elevating our vision to seeing no difference between the followers, too. Those heroes of our religion that we revere? They are our very companions.

This is such an important concept that He even finishes this paragraph with a sentence that can be seen as a prayer, beseeching God's assistance. We are hoping to avoid these pitfalls, this denial, these seeming conflicts, and instead see the oneness that He is talking about. The very phrasing of this brings us back to paragraph 102, the first one in Part 2, where He hopes that we will "soar... to those heights that are veiled from the eyes of men."

Paragraph 169

Therefore, those who in every subsequent Dispensation preceded the rest of mankind in embracing the Faith of God, who quaffed the clear waters of knowledge at the hand of the divine Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits of faith and certitude, these can be regarded, in name, in reality, in deeds, in words, and in rank, as the “return” of those who in a former Dispensation had achieved similar distinctions. For whatsoever the people of a former Dispensation have manifested, the same hath been shown by the people of this latter generation. Consider the rose: whether it blossometh in the East or in the West, it is nonetheless a rose. For what mattereth in this respect is not the outward shape and form of the rose, but rather the smell and fragrance which it doth impart.

 

Here we are at the ninth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity". And we thought it might be a good idea to review how we got here.

Part 1, as you may recall, was essentially about how to recognize a Messenger of God. By looking at how a passage from Jesus related to Muhammad, Baha'u'llah showed us that it also related to all the Messengers. He showed us the pattern they follow in their lives, allowing us to apply that recognition to Muhammad, and therefore to the Bab, too. Incidentally, it also works for recognizing Baha'u'llah, so He is giving us a great bit of foreshadowing there.

Part 2 begins with a recognition of the sovereignty of the Messengers of God, which you may recognize as the basis of a question from the uncle of the Bab that led to this book. He then points out that we can never directly know God, but can learn about Him through His Messengers. Everything in creation shows a sign of God. Humanity shows all the signs of God. And the Messengers show those signs to the highest degree. This, basically, is a hierarchy of creation helping us understand why we follow them. It is a defense of their sovereignty. He then points out that all the Manifestations show all the attributes, to a greater or lesser degree depending on the needs of the age in which they appeared.

From there He demonstrates, quite clearly, how this sovereignty is not the earthly sovereignty that we often imagine. He spends many paragraphs demonstrating that their sovereignty is of a spiritual nature, and includes all the aspects of an earthly sovereignty, such as enacting laws, making pronouncements of judgement, and so forth.

To get to where we are now in the book, He talks about what it means to "attain the presence of God" and how it really means attaining the presence of the Manifestation in their lifetime. This leads to a discussion of their lifetime, and how it includes the return of all the things that happen in the life of a Messenger. Not only is it about their return, but also the return of the social circumstances in their life, as well as a return of the type of people that become their followers. And that, pretty much, is where we are now.

In the first sentence, He essentially points out that those believers in each Dispensation that arose during the life of the Messenger, and showed those qualities of heroism and wisdom that we honour, can be seen as the "return" of those similar followers  from the past. His definition of "return" is, in short, a return of those same qualities.

This is further emphasized by His observation of the rose. A rose is a rose, as Shakespeare famously said, no matter where it grows. Those distinguishing characteristics, such as its beautiful scent are what define it, and allow us to recognize it wherever it may be.

He also mentions some ways in which we can regard these followers throughout history. He says that we can see them all as having the same name, reality, deeds, words, and rank. It's an interesting list that we want to look at a bit more closely, as we always do when we see a list like this.

In name, we can say that they are all the "apostles" of that Messenger. Their "reality" is that spiritual reality that He talks about so often. They themselves have recognized that aspect of their being, and that is why they were willing to arise and sacrifice what they did. Those are their deeds. As for their words, they all speak of love, compassion, devotion, and all the other eternal teachings of the Messengers throughout the ages. Their rank is that high station to which they have all been hailed and lauded throughout history, which is a direct result of their deeds and words.

Do we not wish to attain to such a lofty station, too? Do we not want to be seen through the lens of history as a rose? The choice is ours, and much will depend on how we see ourselves, what we do, and what we say.

Paragraph 168

O brother, behold how the inner mysteries of “rebirth,” of “return,” and of “resurrection” have each, through these all-sufficing, these unanswerable, and conclusive utterances, been unveiled and unraveled before thine eyes. God grant that through His gracious and invisible assistance, thou mayest divest thy body and soul of the old garment, and array thyself with the new and imperishable attire.

 

We are at the eighth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity".

Now, this paragraph ties in closely with the next, and could easily be read with it, but we're going to continue with our methodology of looking at one paragraph at a time.

This one begins "O brother", and don't worry, it is not an expression of exasperation. It is obviously showing a sense of closeness to the uncle of the Bab. Throughout this book, and throughout His whole dispensation, He consistently shows this sense of closeness and camaraderie with the reader.

He then goes on to say that the terms "rebirth", "return", and "resurrection" have been clearly defined and explained. But where has He done this? In paragraph 153, He said we should "strive... to grasp the meaning of resurrection". In paragraph 160, He went on to tell us to "strive to understand the meaning of return". And in paragraph 163 He said, "Have not this people exemplified the mysteries of 'rebirth' and 'return'?"

By looking back at these previous paragraphs, we can see that the Resurrection is the Day of the Messenger of God on Earth, the time when they are literally walking amongst us. So, in this manner, the Return is not only the return of the Messenger, but also of the similarity of the times, and this would necessarily include a similarity of their followers. The spirit of love and generosity, of noble sacrifice, is found in the followers of all the Messengers, so in that sense, they could be said to be reborn in each age. But as they are also changed from how they were before they believed, the followers are also said to be reborn within their own life.

As we can all agree that these miraculous occurrences happened in the time of the religion we espouse, to deny them in another religion would be to deny them within our own, too. It would be using a different standard. And as we learned in Part 1, whatever criteria we apply to our own faith should be applied to all faiths. This is where we will undoubtedly see the unity of all religions.

Now we can better see why all this is in a section about the essentially unity of the Messengers.

Another question for us is what is a garment? It is a piece of clothing that both hides our body, and is how we present ourselves to others. It is how others see us. So, in the Persian Hidden Words, number 47, He tells us to "Put away the garment of vainglory", seemingly implying that this vainglory is not a part of our essential reality, but just a covering we wear that others can see. Now we can more readily remember how easy it is to shed this ugly garment and wear something more worthy and beautiful.

In the Arabic Hidden Words, number 14, He tells us "thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn". But how can we be His garment? Perhaps because it is through His followers that others can see Him. It is the followers that are quite often someone's first encounter with a religion, so we should strive to be worthy of representing something so marvelous.

So when He tells us to put on this new garment, He seems to be telling us to be far more aware of how we present ourselves to the world. Of course, then the question is how does He want us to present ourselves. And this is what He will tell us not only in the rest of this book, but throughout His whole dispensation.