Paragraph 225

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.