Paragraph 233

Such contention is utterly fallacious and inadmissible. It is actuated solely by arrogance and pride. Its motive is to lead the people astray from the Riḍván of divine good-pleasure and to tighten the reins of their authority over the people. And yet, in the sight of God, these common people are infinitely superior and exalted above their religious leaders who have turned away from the one true God. The understanding of His words and the comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven are in no wise dependent upon human learning. They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of spirit. This is evidenced by those who, today, though without a single letter of the accepted standards of learning, are occupying the loftiest seats of knowledge; and the garden of their hearts is adorned, through the showers of divine grace, with the roses of wisdom and the tulips of understanding. Well is it with the sincere in heart for their share of the light of a mighty Day!

Baha'u'llah is continuing to demonstrate the Station of the Bab through these quotes from the Qur'an. But here, like the previous paragraph, it is more commentary that the actual quotes.

To start, which "contention" is "utterly fallacious and inadmissible"? The one from the previous paragraph, "the idle contention of those who maintain that the Book and verses thereof can never be a testimony unto the common people". This is so ridiculous. As He points out Muhammad says that the Qur'an "is a guidance unto the God-fearing", not just the learned. To claim that it is only for the religious leaders denies what the Book itself says.

The reason these leaders say this, though, is because they don't want to give up their authority.

Again, this ability to understand the Word of God is not based on learning, but as He says here, "upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of spirit".

We could go on at length about each of these attributes, but honestly, if you've been studying the Iqan this long, you've probably made good strides on each of these already.

As an additional reminder, this isn't just about the Qur'an. In the middle of this paragraph, Baha'u'llah says, "The understanding of His words..." Whose words? God's words. "...(A)nd the comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven..." Note that the Birds is plural. Who are the Birds of Heaven? Muhammad is one. And so is Jesus. And Moses. And Buddha. And Krishna. This is about all the revealed Words of God, not just one set.

Despite all the other wonderful aspects of this paragraph, what really stood out for us was the garden, and especially the "roses of wisdom and the tulips of understanding". Why are roses referring to wisdom, and tulips to understanding?

Come to think of it, what is the role of the bird here?

Well, let's get right back to the beginning: the garden itself. First, it is the garden of the heart. But to better understand this whole analogy, let's explore the role of these various things in an everyday garden of the backyard variety.

Ok, first, the garden is just outside the back door of your house. It's your quiet place of refuge when you want to get away for a little while.

The rains take care of watering it for you, and give it a freshness that is invigorating. Because of this light rain, the flowers are able to grow.

Oh, but flowers need light, too. Where is the light? It is the "light of a mighty Day", there at the end. So that's a good reminder that we have come out of the darkness of the night and have entered into a new day.

Now, on to the flowers. The roses and tulips.

It's an interesting choice here. Roses blossom in the summer, but tulips are one of the first flowers in the spring, heralding the end of winter. But even in the spring, there are still the rosebushes, those thorny branches leftover from the previous year.

But what about the birds? What is their role in the garden? Ah, that's also interesting. First, they return with the spring, just as in the saying "the first robin of the season". They sing their lovely song, giving an attractive quality to it before you even enter. They are also special pollinators, helping spread the seeds. And they even take care of a lot of the pests that can damage or kill the flowers.

Now, what does it all mean?

As we pointed out, this isn't actually a garden of the backyard variety. It is the garden of the heart. The rains are the "showers of divine grace", those bounties that are pouring out on all humanity through the Revelations of the various Faiths. The birds are the ones who are bringing that Revelation to the garden through their utterance, the Word of God.

It is through both of these that the flowers of wisdom and knowledge are able to grow. And they don't grow out in the wilderness, but in the heart of the believer. When we pay attention to the Word of God and strive to apply it in our lives, that wisdom grows in strength.

By choosing roses and tulips, two flowers that grow at different times, Baha'u'llah gives us a sense of timelessness to it.

But even if we look at the roses in the early spring, when they are still just those thorny branches, the wisdom that the early believers share is like thorns to the followers of the old faith. They are like that "flame of fire to my enemies", as He says in the Tablet of Ahmad, even as they are that "river of life eternal to My loved ones" in that same piece.

Understanding, especially the understanding of the mysteries of the old religion, come very early to the followers of the new Faith, just like the tulips arrive early in the season. Wisdom often comes later. Both are attractive, but there is something about wisdom that just draws us nearer.

There is a beauty to this description that truly makes us want to be there. It evokes a longing in our heart to be that garden, to have it grow within us. And He tells us how we can do that: sincerity.

The more sincere we are in our search, the stronger and more beautiful will be that garden.