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In another passage He likewise saith: “And if ye be in doubt as to that which We have sent down to Our Servant, then produce a Súrah like it, and summon your witnesses, beside God, if ye are men of truth.” Behold, how lofty is the station, and how consummate the virtue, of these verses which He hath declared to be His surest testimony, His infallible proof, the evidence of His all-subduing power, and a revelation of the potency of His will. He, the divine King, hath proclaimed the undisputed supremacy of the verses of His Book over all things that testify to His truth. For compared with all other proofs and tokens, the divinely revealed verses shine as the sun, whilst all others are as stars. To the peoples of the world they are the abiding testimony, the incontrovertible proof, the shining light of the ideal King. Their excellence is unrivaled, their virtue nothing can surpass. They are the treasury of the divine pearls and the depository of the divine mysteries. They constitute the indissoluble Bond, the firm Cord, the ‘Urvatu’l-Vuthqá, the inextinguishable Light. Through them floweth the river of divine knowledge, and gloweth the fire of His ancient and consummate wisdom. This is the fire which, in one and the same moment, kindleth the flame of love in the breasts of the faithful, and induceth the chill of heedlessness in the heart of the enemy.

Here is the second quote from the Qur'an which Baha'u'llah uses to prove the Cause of the Bab: “And if ye be in doubt as to that which We have sent down to Our Servant, then produce a Súrah like it, and summon your witnesses, beside God, if ye are men of truth.” It is very reminiscent of the passage from the Tablet of Ahmad, "O people, if ye deny these verses, by what proof have ye believed in God? Produce it, O assemblage of false ones."

He began by showing that we should only use the Qur'an, or more accurately the verses of God, as the basis for our proof. Now He is pointing out that these verses really are beyond compare. He will talk about this quote for two paragraphs.

In essence, though, He is reminding the friends that nobody else can produce verses like what we find in the Holy Books. The very production of them is, itself, a miracle. And this is one of the reasons why we should not "regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets". The words of the Manifestations are their proof, not anything that we could say or do. These words are, in short, divinely revealed. And all of this prepares us for looking at the Writings of the Bab as His proof. Not His fulfillment of prophecy. Not reports of His miracles. His Writings. Everything else is secondary, as demonstrated by this quote from Muhammad.

Baha'u'llah goes on and says that these verses are "His surest testimony, His infallible proof, the evidence of His all-subduing power, and a revelation of the potency of His will". Why these in this order? We're not sure, but we think it all begins with His testimony, His account of the truth that needs to be revealed. This truth is the proof of His Mission, and the Mission itself. It is how the world will be transformed. And this transformation is, in fact, a literal demonstration of His power, and how nothing can resist it. In the end, they truly do show "the potency of His will".

Baha'u'llah compares the the divinely revealed verses to the sun, while all other writings are merely as stars. This is quite a powerful comparison, for we can all visualize the difference between them. The stars are just little twinkling points of light that stand out only because the night sky is so dark. Once the sun rises, though, they fade to nothingness. There is, however, another dimension to this metaphor, of course. Stars can be a source of guidance in the night for sailors, but they fail to guide us in the daylight. During the daytime, sailors look to the sun for guidance. While not discounting the importance of all the commentaries on the Qur'an for helping us find our way over the past thousand years, He gently reminds us that they are not a proof of the validity of the sacred Text. The light of the sun is its own testimony.

One question that has come up a few times is what is the 'Urvatu’l-Vuthqá? We know it translates to the "sure handle" or the "firm cord", and that it refers to the Faith of God, but what exactly is it?

'Urvatu'l-Vuthqá is an old Arabic term referring to the handle on a ceramic vessel. If you imagine an old vessel for getting water in a well, you can picture a handle on it, also made of ceramic. Kind of like the handle on a coffee mug. A cord would be tied through this handle, and it would then be used to lower the vessel into the well to get some water. If you know anything about ceramics, you understand that this handle is the weakest point of the piece. It is the part that is most likely to break.

Now, imagine you are a traveler in the desert. You come across a well, and now you have a choice. If you're thirsty, you will draw out some of the water and drink your fill. Of course, you might not be thirsty, but you probably need to refill your canteens. Either way, this ceramic vessel is very important. And if the handle breaks, you might be in a lot of trouble. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that this handle is a matter of life and death. If it breaks, the chances of dying are quite high, for how else can you get the water you so desperately need?

But there is another aspect to it, namely the work involved. You don't just toss the vessel into the well. You have to carefully lower it and allow it to fill, presuming that there's water in the well. Then you need to haul it up. And just in case you've never done it, lifting a full pail of water out of a well is not easy. It's hard work. It requires determination and strength. And then, once we get it? We're delighted, even relieved. We can now safely continue on our journey.

The 'Urvatu’l-Vuthqá was a reference to the handle that would never break, and has come to be a symbol for the Faith of God. By using this term here, Baha'u'llah is reinforcing the concept of clinging to the Words in the Qur'an, and putting in the work of study, prayer, and faith, for anything else can fail us in our time of desperate need.

At this point we could talk about all the other metaphors He uses here. We could talk about the river, and how if a river stops flowing it becomes stagnant and a source of disease. We could go into detail about the fire, and how it has this duality of being a "flame of love" to some yet "induceth the chill of heedlessness" to others. We could mention how it reminds us of that line from the Tablet of Ahmad, "Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones", or how all of this brings to mind the Tablet of the World. But honestly, there is so much here that we feel we should just move on and let you, dear Reader, find your own connections and inspiration from this dewdrop from the Ocean of Divine Revelation.

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It is incumbent upon us not to depart from God’s irresistible injunction and fixed decree, as revealed in the above-mentioned verse. We should acknowledge the holy and wondrous Scriptures, for failing to do this we have failed to acknowledge the truth of this blessed verse. For it is evident that whoso hath failed to acknowledge the truth of the Qur’án hath in reality failed to acknowledge the truth of the preceding Scriptures. This is but the manifest implication of the verse. Were We to expound its inner meanings and unfold its hidden mysteries, eternity would never suffice to exhaust their import, nor would the universe be capable of bearing them! God verily testifieth to the truth of Our saying!

This paragraph continues to look at the quote from the Qur'an, “Alif. Lám. Mím. No doubt is there about this Book: It is a guidance unto the God-fearing.” After this, He will continue to look at the other passages from the Qur'an we mentioned in the previous post.

Here, He begins by telling us, in no uncertain terms, that we should not "depart from God’s irresistible injunction and fixed decree". This may seem a bit odd when referring to this passage, but it makes sense when we consider His audience.

The uncle of the Bab told Baha'u'llah that he had concerns about the Bab's claims. He couldn't understand how the Bab fulfilled various prophecies and traditions. The entire book, the Kitab-i-Iqan, is essentially a response to this overarching concern. And this passage, this and the previous paragraph, are the beginning of His actual response to this question. Everything before this led up to and prepared us for this response.

So, which decree is He talking about? The one that says there is no doubt about the Qur'an, and "It is a guidance unto the God-fearing."

To begin, though, He says that it is an obligation, the very meaning of "incumbent", to not "depart from God’s irresistible injunction and fixed decree, as revealed in the above-mentioned verse." In other words, we are duty-bound to turn to the Qur'an, and only the Qur'an, when seeking guidance in these matters. The uncle, however, was looking at some of the traditions, the Hadith. So the very first point Baha'u'llah makes, with this quote, is that he should only be looking at the Qur'an.

He then goes on and says that this acknowledgement of the superiority of the Qur'an actually extends to the other sacred Scriptures when He says that failing to recognize "the truth of the Qur'an" means that we have failed to "acknowledge the truth of the preceding Scriptures." This is one of the reasons why He used the verses from the Gospel back in Part 1 to prove the Cause of Muhammad. To truly recognize one of the Scriptures means to recognize the validity of them all. This is a theme to which He will refer over and over again throughout His Ministry.

If we truly recognize the truth of the Gospels, they will lead us to an understanding of the Station and Mission of Muhammad. This was the major theme in Part 1. Similarly, if we truly recognize the truth of the Qur'an, it will lead us directly to a better understanding of the Station and Mission of the Bab. This is what He will proceed to demonstrate over the next few dozen paragraphs.

Anything other than the Qur'an, whether it is the various traditions that are held by the different Muslim groups, or the commentaries on the Qur'an, as wise as they may be, will lead us astray.

But all of this is only a single meaning of this verse. It is the most obvious one.

Like those passages from the Gospel, there are many more layers of meaning contained within it. These other layers of meaning, though, are not relevant to His point, and so He doesn't share them here. This is a lesson of teaching from which we all can learn.

One other interesting point comes to mind, and that is the use of the word "truth" in this paragraph. Truth, just for clarification, is that which conforms to reality. It is not just opinion, it is reality. Our understanding, though, is, of course, a mere attempt to grasp at it.

He first talks about the "truth of this blessed verse." He then expands that to "the truth of the Qur’án". From there He goes even further and refers to "the truth of the preceding Scriptures." From a single verse to the entire Book, to all the sacred Books, He covers the entirety of religion in the past. But then He propels us forward by then referring to "the truth of Our saying".

From the micro- to the macro-, from the past through the present and into the future, Baha'u'llah never fails to give us a vision far beyond what we ever imagined.

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In the beginning of His Book He saith: “Alif. Lám. Mím. No doubt is there about this Book: It is a guidance unto the God-fearing.” In the disconnected letters of the Qur’án the mysteries of the divine Essence are enshrined, and within their shells the pearls of His Unity are treasured. For lack of space We do not dwell upon them at this moment. Outwardly they signify Muḥammad Himself, Whom God addresseth saying: “O Muḥammad, there is no doubt nor uncertainty about this Book which hath been sent down from the heaven of divine Unity. In it is guidance unto them that fear God.” Consider, how He hath appointed and decreed this selfsame Book, the Qur’án, as a guidance unto all that are in heaven and on earth. He, the divine Being, and unknowable Essence, hath, Himself, testified that this Book is, beyond all doubt and uncertainty, the guide of all mankind until the Day of Resurrection. And now, We ask, is it fair for this people to view with doubt and misgiving this most weighty Testimony, the divine origin of which God hath proclaimed, and which He hath pronounced to be the embodiment of truth? Is it fair for them to turn away from the thing which He hath appointed as the supreme Instrument of guidance for attainment unto the loftiest summits of knowledge, and to seek aught else but that Book? How can they allow men’s absurd and foolish sayings to sow the seeds of distrust in their minds? How can they any longer idly contend that a certain person hath spoken this or that way, or that a certain thing did not come to pass? Had there been anything conceivable besides the Book of God which could prove a more potent instrument and a surer guide to mankind, would He have failed to reveal it in that verse?

Now we are beginning to look at the actual proofs of the Bab's mission as gleaned from Qur'an. Baha'u'llah will use 9 different quotes to prove His case. This is just the first. Of course, He will intersperse commentary between the quotes, but in the end, He is looking at 9 quotes overall. This will take us all the way to paragraph 245. From there, He will look at the transformation of His followers, and then at the life and example of the Bab Himself, before reluctantly considering some of the traditions, and concluding this volume.

The first quote Baha'u'llah consider is: “Alif. Lám. Mím. No doubt is there about this Book: It is a guidance unto the God-fearing.”

Why does He select this one?

Put simply, He shows us that Muhammad Himself said the Qur'an is "a guidance unto all that are in heaven and on earth... beyond all doubt and uncertainty, the guide of all mankind until the Day of Resurrection." Nothing else is. To look to anything else for proof is ridiculous. And while some of the traditions may conform to the Qur'an, they are merely secondary in importance. In general, though, these various traditions are just confusing.

As Muhammad said, "No doubt is there about this Book". There are, however, a lot of questions about which traditions are authentic. People argue over whether one of another is authentic or not. But no Muslim would ever consider the Qur'an to be anything other than valid.

Worse, though, is that many place the words and sayings of various clergy at near the same level as the Qur'an. As Baha'u'llah says here, they "allow men’s absurd and foolish sayings to sow the seeds of distrust in their minds." And this, of course, brings us right back to the very beginning of this book, where He tells us to "be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth", and that we should cease "to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets."

The only standard set forth by Muhammad is the Qur'an itself. Not the traditions. Not the sayings of the clergy. Nothing else except the Word of God, that City of God that we attained when we fulfilled our quest as a true seeker.

The following lines are the various quotes from the Qur'an that Baha'u'llah will use in His defense of the Bab. He cites other verses, too, but they are more in support of His argument, and not really used in the argument itself. Note, of course, the flow of them, as notice how they all direct us back to the Writings themself.

• Alif. Lám. Mím. No doubt is there about this Book: It is a guidance unto the God-fearing.
• And if ye be in doubt as to that which We have sent down to Our Servant, then produce a Súrah like it, and summon your witnesses, beside God, if ye are men of truth.
• Such are the verses of God: with truth do We recite them to thee. But in what revelation will they believe, if they reject God and His verses?
• Woe to every lying sinner, who heareth the verses of God recited to him, and then, as though he heard them not, persisteth in proud disdain! Apprise him of a painful punishment.
• And when he becometh acquainted with any of Our verses he turneth them to ridicule. There is a shameful punishment for them!
• And when Our clear verses are recited to them, their only argument is to say, ‘Bring back our fathers, if ye speak the truth!
• As for those who believe not in the verses of God, or that they shall ever meet Him, these of My mercy shall despair, and these doth a grievous chastisement await.”
• Say, O people of the Book! do ye not disavow us only because we believe in God and in what He hath sent down to us, and in what He hath sent down aforetime, and because most of you are doers of ill?
• And had We sent down unto Thee a Book written on parchment, and they had touched it with their hands, the infidels would surely have said ‘This is naught but palpable sorcery.’

By continually referring to Muhammad's own comments about the Qur'an, and the power of those verses, Baha'u'llah seems to be challenging us to look to the verses of the Bab and see if they hold up.

"Produce a Súrah like it"? The Bab said He did, so check it out for yourself.

"...in what revelation will they believe, if they reject God and His verses?" Read the Bab's verses, and see what you think.

Over and over He indirectly directs our attention to the Bab's writings, subtly encouraging us to read them for ourselves. Of course, while doing this, He also debunks a lot of the criticisms that people had against the Bab, showing that Muhammad also faced those same criticisms.

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With unswerving vision, with pure heart, and sanctified spirit, consider attentively what God hath established as the testimony of guidance for His people in His Book, which is recognized as authentic by both the high and lowly. To this testimony we both, as well as all the peoples of the world, must cling, that through its light we may know and distinguish between truth and falsehood, guidance and error. Inasmuch as Muḥammad hath confined His testimonies to His Book and to His Family, and whereas the latter hath passed away, there remaineth His Book only as His one testimony amongst the people.

This paragraph completes the introduction to this section of the Iqan, in which Baha'u'llah begins His actual argument concerning the Bab and His mission. As we have said a few times now, the first of these major themes in His argument looks at a dozen different passages from the Qur'an, taking us all the way to paragraph 245, before continuing with the other two arguments, namely the transformation of His followers and His own life.

Before launching us on this marvelous journey of exploration, Baha'u'llah gives us yet another piece of advice on what it is we are to do. After all the reminders throughout this volume, the final piece of guidance is to use our "unswerving vision", our "pure heart", and our "sanctified spirit" to consider the truth. While these tools obviously are bestowed upon us by God, we have the very important duty of ensuring that these tools are in the best condition possible. Remember, this whole book began with the admonition to "Sanctify (our) souls". Now that we have been told just how it is that we can do that, it is time to put these tools to their intended use.

But how? What is it that we are to do with these tools? We are to "consider attentively" what has been given to us in the Qur'an.

In this paragraph, we are told to meticulously review what has been told to us in the Qur'an. Why the Qur'an? Because it is recognized as the "established... testimony of guidance" from Muhammad to His followers. Nobody disputes this. He also left His family as an additional testimony, but they've passed away, so it is only to the Qur'an we can look with any degree of confidence. And that is just what we will do over the next couple dozen paragraphs.

For now, though, let's look at this one again.

When He qualifies a phrase with an adverb, it is worth noting it, and asking ourselves why the qualification. Here we are not to merely consider the Qur'an, we are to consider it attentively. We are not just to read it, but to really pay attention as we do so. After all, this isn't just for the "learned", or those who are influential in the world. It is for everybody. Not only do the "high" in society recognize the validity of the Qur'an, the "lowly" do, too. Everyone has the capacity to recognize the light of God, to distinguish truth from falsehood, and to understand the difference between good guidance and that which is leading us to error. It is a universal capacity, part of what it means to be human. The greatest limitation is, quite simply, how well we have maintained those tools we have been given by our Creator.

Even if we are not pure in heart at this moment, and who of us is, we can always purify it. If our soul is not quite sanctified, and who could possibly claim such a thing, we can always better sanctify it. 

Then, once we have done our job of taking care of all this, as so beautifully outlined in the previous section describing the true seeker, then we can turn our attention to the Qur'an. Every Muslim, whether or not they accept the validity of His family, that basic distinguishing difference between the Shiites and the Sunnis, accepts the Qur'an. It is the central and major feature of Islam, and by reminding us to turn to the Qur'an, and the Qur'an alone, Baha'u'llah is helping us find that commonality uniting all Muslims.

It is worth noting that this other "testimony", His family, is not universally accepted by Muslims, and if we were to try and use the statements of the Imams to prove the validity of the Bab and His Cause, then only a fraction of the Muslims would be able to accept it.

The other aspect is that of the traditions, the Hadith. Most of the questions of the uncle were based on this. But by recognizing that Muhammad did not consider these as part of His testimony, to use them as a consideration for proof would not be appropriate. And as Baha'u'llah said just a few paragraphs ago, these traditions "grievously differ, and their obscurities are manifold." The Qur'an, though, does not differ between groups, nor does He consider it obscure. He spent the vast majority of Part One teaching us how to read sacred text, so by now, anything we may have felt was obscure has already been explained.

With all of this in mind, we are now ready to take the next step and begin looking at specific quotes from the Book of God, and see how they lead us to this Most Great Revelation.