Paragraph 175

And, now, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of this saying of ‘Alí, the Commander of the Faithful: “Piercing the veils of glory, unaided.” Among these “veils of glory” are the divines and doctors living in the days of the Manifestation of God, who, because of their want of discernment and their love and eagerness for leadership, have failed to submit to the Cause of God, nay, have even refused to incline their ears unto the divine Melody. “They have thrust their fingers into their ears.” And the people also, utterly ignoring God and taking them for their masters, have placed themselves unreservedly under the authority of these pompous and hypocritical leaders, for they have no sight, no hearing, no heart, of their own to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Paragraph fifteen of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity". Whew. We're halfway there.

Now, it may seem that this paragraph is familiar. The theme certainly is. We encountered it over and over again in Part 1.

Looking at this paragraph, it seems useful to put it into simple language, ensuring that we understand the very basic message Baha'u'llah is giving here. First, those that are considered "learned" in the time of the Messenger can be seen as veils blocking our vision of the Manifestation. This goes back to many passages in part one, such as paragraph 15. There are too many examples for us to go into here, but simply looking back at part one will amply demonstrate this. The question, though, is why they are like veils in this instance. The answer is, as He states here, "want of discernment and their love and eagerness for leadership". It is because of these two qualities that they have strayed from the guidance given to them in their own scriptures. They have placed leadership above what is being taught to them. Second, though, the people have fallen prey to their sway. These people believe these leaders and follow, without question, what they say. They are seemingly enamoured by the pomp these leaders show, and utterly ignore the hypocrisy.

Understanding this is the basis for the paragraphs to come. All the troubles, all the tribulations, all the trials these great Teachers face is due to the fact that these leaders love the thought of leadership beyond the truth found within their own Writings. And this, too, is one of the reasons that the Messengers need to come. Their love of leadership has led these foolish leaders astray, and the effect of the Writings has been diminished. Society has fallen to pieces. Injustice runs rampant. All the signs He talked about in part one are the result of this. Therefore the next Messenger needs to come and put things right again.

Of course, this is not to condemn all religious leaders. He is not doing that. He is specifically condemning those who have ignored what is in their Scriptures because of their love of leadership. There are others who, as stated back in part one, are merely ignorant. But here it is a very specific condemnation against those who have both this "want of discernment" combined with this love of leadership.

Now, the next question is why does Baha'u'llah bring this up here? What is His methodology in helping bring the uncle closer to recognition?

Earlier on He offered some condemnation of some of the religious leaders, but not so much that it would repel a good Muslim. He drew on what was obvious to any student of religion, and pointed out that there were some today who also loved leadership more than truth. However, He is much further in His argument. The uncle is already far more aware of the similarities between the days of Muhammad and his own day. Baha'u'llah can be much more direct without fear of driving the uncle away. Slowly He builds His argument, allowing the uncle the time to come to agreement. He is so careful to not put any ideas or concepts between the uncle and the truth.

All of this leads us to a strange question. What is the difference between these "veils" and the "clouds" He talked about earlier?

The "clouds", as described in paragraphs 79 - 82, are those things about the Messenger that prevent us from recognizing them and their glory. For example, He cites the fact that they walk and talk just like us, while changing the laws such as altering where we face when praying. They are the things that get us to ask, "Who does he think he is?" They are also things that everyone knows and witnesses.

The "veils", though, cover our own eyes. A desire for leadership, for example, does not get us to question the Messenger specifically. They get us to question anything contrary to our own thoughts. Our love of the pomp that the religious leaders show do not make us question whether or not Baha'u'llah is who He says He is. It has nothing to do with Him. Instead, this pomp distracts us individually from what is important. It is a veil over us, and not the Messenger.

The clouds are there for everyone. The veils are specific to the individual. Everyone knew that Moses stuttered, and the Jesus was regarded as fatherless. Even their followers recognized these truths. They were just not distracted by it.

The veils are specific. Not everyone loves the pomp, but those that do will be prevented from recognizing. For others, the veil might be their own love of leadership. For some, the veil might be the fact that they love their leaders and believe them with absolute certainty.

In these paragraphs, Baha'u'llah is no longer dealing with abstract generalities. He is talking about very specific things that apply to actual people and showing how their misplaced priorities get in the way of them recognizing the next Messenger.

All of this shows how those that turn away have placed something else besides the Messenger at the centre of their heart.

For some, if they have to choose between obedience to their own teachings or doing things that will give more power in a leadership position, they will choose the latter.

For others, if they have to choose between what they read in their own Writings and following the leader of their particular religion, they will choose the leader.

Here, Baha'u'llah is beginning to remind us that the Messenger is the absolute Sovereign. Nothing should be more important than what they say.

All of this is in part two of this incredible book, and the main theme of part two is this sovereignty. So you see how this all ties together? You see how it all flows?

And more importantly, you see where this is all leading?

As we come to recognize the absolute unity of the Messengers, we will see these same themes over and over in their stories. We will recognize the problems of the past in the problems of the present. We can clearly see how the people in the days of Muhammad put obedience to their leaders over obedience to Jesus or Muhammad. And by applying this same keenness of sight to today, we can see the same issues again.

Paragraph 174

Even as in the “Beginning that hath no beginnings” the term “last” is truly applicable unto Him who is the Educator of the visible and of the invisible, in like manner, are the terms “first” and “last” applicable unto His Manifestations. They are at the same time the Exponents of both the “first” and the “last.” Whilst established upon the seat of the “first,” they occupy the throne of the “last.” Were a discerning eye to be found, it will readily perceive that the exponents of the “first” and the “last,” of the “manifest” and the “hidden,” of the “beginning” and the “seal” are none other than these holy Beings, these Essences of Detachment, these divine Souls. And wert thou to soar in the holy realm of “God was alone, there was none else besides Him,” thou wilt find in that Court all these names utterly non-existent and completely forgotten. Then will thine eyes no longer be obscured by these veils, these terms, and allusions. How ethereal and lofty is this station, unto which even Gabriel, unshepherded, can never attain, and the Bird of Heaven, unassisted, can never reach!

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

At this point, it is worth noting that Baha'u'llah is getting far more mystical and abstract here. You may have noticed it. We sure did. It is often said that the Seven Valleys is the mystical book that Baha'u'llah wrote around this time, while the Iqan is far more practical. And while this is certainly true, there is still a lot of mysticism in this book, too.

But what would we expect? After all, He is talking about deep religious issues here. And the faith is, as the Guardian said, fundamentally mystical at its core. So if you feel a bit lost here, don't worry. We do, too. It is, however, good to remember that we need to walk this path with practical, yet mystical, feet.

In this paragraph, Baha'u'llah is further elevating both God and the Manifestations in our eyes. He is reminding us that these various terms not only refer to God, but also to the Manifestations. In beginning to describe the eternal nature of these supreme beings, He points out that they are eternally on their throne, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end.

In many ways it can be seen like mirrors reflecting the sun. On the earth, they are all reflecting the same light. But when we ascend to the sun itself, all there is is light.

If we were to attain that holy realm He mentions towards the end there then all we would experience is that light. The mirrors themselves would seemingly disappear.

However, to even begin to understand this in any real sense, we have to be detached from our previous understanding of religion. And we have to also be detached from the love we may feel for the Messenger we grew up loving, not to mention all the cultural things that go with it. After all, way back in paragraph 27, He cautioned us about the "overpowering majesty of the Word of God", and how it could prevent us "from attaining unto the ocean of His names and attributes" and deprive us of "recognizing the Lamp of God".

So, again, these recent paragraphs were far more abstract and mystical, which also meant that there is very little for us to hold onto. Quite often the concepts will slip through our intellectual fingers like sand.

But, if we can continually remind ourselves that all these various and seemingly contradictory terms, like first and last, manifest and hidden, beginning and seal, all refer to the Messengers of God, and refer to each and every one of them, then we will begin to understand more of what He is saying here.

As we learned in Part One of this book, all the prophecies concerning the return of any one of them refers to all of them. The circumstances of their lives, the sorry state of the society in which they live, and the ascendancy of their followers, and even the eventual rise of their religious teachings, is applicable to each of them.

When we walk into a church and understand that it is Jesus there on the cross, and that it is Muhammad there on the cross, and that it is Buddha and Moses and the Bab and Baha'u'llah there on that cross, then we begin to understand the oneness of their station. When we recognize that each and every one of them are also sitting under the lote tree, along with Buddha, then we will better recognize what Baha'u'llah is talking about here.

As He says so powerfully in Gleanings:

If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you... If ye cherish the desire to slay Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, seize Me and put an end to My life, for I am He, and My Self is His Self... If it be your wish to riddle with your shafts the breast of Him Who hath caused His Book the Bayán to be sent down unto you, lay hands on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the revelation of His own Self, though My name be not His name... If ye have resolved to shed the blood of Him Whose coming the Báb hath proclaimed, Whose advent Muḥammad hath prophesied, and Whose Revelation Jesus Christ Himself hath announced, behold Me standing, ready and defenseless, before you. Deal with Me after your own desires.

Understanding this is of such importance that He will continue to explain it to us in a number of different ways over the next dozen or so paragraphs, sixteen to be precise.

But from here on out, He will use more stories and analogies, which give us more to talk about.

Paragraph 173

The mystery of this theme hath, in this Dispensation, been a sore test unto all mankind. Behold, how many are those who, clinging unto these words, have disbelieved Him Who is their true Revealer. What, We ask, could this people presume the terms “first” and “last”—when referring to God—glorified be His Name!—to mean? If they maintain that these terms bear reference to this material universe, how could it be possible, when the visible order of things is still manifestly existing. Nay, in this instance, by “first” is meant no other than the “last” and by “last” no other than the “first.”

Now we come to the thirteenth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity". It's a good thing we're not superstitious. After all, it's bad luck to be superstitious.

He begins this one with the "mystery of this theme". Which theme? The "obvious" oneness of the Messengers. As the Universal House of Justice wrote, "While it is true to speak of the unity of all religions, understanding of the context is vital. At the deepest level, as Bahá’u’lláh emphasizes, there is but one religion. Religion is religion, as science is science." Here, in these thirty paragraphs, Baha'u'llah is emphasizing the oneness of the founders, too.

But He also says that it's a "sore test". Why? Well, we're not sure, but it seems like this is the main reason why there is so much dispute between faiths. Many see the founder they follow as unique, in competition with the other founders of other faiths. The followers seem to fall into the old "my founder is better than your founder" routine, never realizing the ridiculousness of it all.

Every one of these divine teachers comes from God. Every single one of them praises God. And their teachings, the teachings of each and every one of them, leads us closer to God. So, perhaps, the "true Revealer" would be that essence they all share, that absolute oneness that Baha'u'llah is discussing here. Remember, He also quoted the Qur'an where it says, "No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers".

Seeing as this is a test, it would probably be a good idea to go back to Part One and look again at the concept of tests. Over and over He talks about how there are many tests facing humanity when it comes to religion, and this is but another one. Remember, He did say "the changes brought about in every Dispensation constitute the dark clouds that intervene between the eye of man’s understanding and the divine Luminary", and the changing of the name of the founder is a great change.

Now, as far as the whole "first" and "last" issue, if we believe God exists beyond this material universe, then the whole concept of time, in relation to God, is absurd. And if time, in relation to God, is absurd, how much moreso the ideas of "first" and "last"? When looking at it all from the standpoint of beyond time, then they would all be synonymous. First and last would be indistinguishable.

However, we are living within the confines of time, so this can be very confusing for us. Maybe that just adds to why this is a "sore test".

But here Baha'u'llah comes to our rescue. He graciously gives us the answer when He says:

Nay, in this instance, by “first” is meant no other than the “last” and by “last” no other than the “first.”

If we take the time to ponder this, to meditate on it, and think about that overall essential unity of all the Messengers, then it begins to become clearer. But, if you're like us, it's still difficult to grasp.

Fortunately, over the next few paragraphs, it will become even more clear.

Paragraph 172

Notwithstanding the obviousness of this theme, in the eyes of those that have quaffed the wine of knowledge and certitude, yet how many are those who, through failure to understand its meaning, have allowed the term “Seal of the Prophets” to obscure their understanding, and deprive them of the grace of all His manifold bounties! Hath not Muḥammad, Himself, declared: “I am all the Prophets”? Hath He not said as We have already mentioned: “I am Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus”? Why should Muḥammad, that immortal Beauty, Who hath said: “I am the first Adam” be incapable of saying also: “I am the last Adam”? For even as He regarded Himself to be the “First of the Prophets”—that is Adam—in like manner, the “Seal of the Prophets” is also applicable unto that Divine Beauty. It is admittedly obvious that being the “First of the Prophets,” He likewise is their “Seal.”

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

He begins this one by saying "Notwithstanding", which means "despite the truth of this". He has already talked about the oneness of the Messengers for many pages, and "despite the truth of this", people still use the following argument against it.

He continues by saying that this theme He is addressing is obvious. While this may come as a surprise, in retrospect it turns out that it is actually very evident. It's just that nobody thought to notice it for many centuries.

So, what is it that is actually so "obvious"? The implications of this theme.

He goes on to say that many people have allowed the phrase "Seal of the Prophets" to keep them from acknowledging another Messenger. This is exactly the same as those Christians, for example, who allow the statements, "I am the way and the truth and the light. No man comes to the Father except through me" to keep them from acknowledging any other religion. In both cases, and in many similar ones in other faith paths, people use these phrases as a validation of some sort of finality. As the Universal House of Justice said, in One Common Faith, "it is obviously the expression of the central truth of revealed religion: that access to the unknowable Reality that creates and sustains existence is possible only through awakening to the illumination shed from that Realm."

When we look at other statements, though, such as when Jesus says, "Had you believed Moses you would have believed Me", or "Before Abraham was, I am", He is implying a continuity of teachers.

When we see that all the Messengers share this "essential unity", the term "Seal of the Prophets" applies to them all, as does the "me" in that beautiful statement from Jesus.

When we turn our eyes to other faith traditions, we find similar statements of this continuity, such as when Buddha said, "In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals... He will reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter."

We find it also in the Mi'kmaq stories where the great teacher, Glooscap, promised to return to Mi'kma'ki whenever there was trouble.

Over and over, throughout the various religions, we find this constant promise of guidance from on high. It is, in fact, what Baha'u'llah refers to as the Greater Covenant.

Finally, while there is so much more we could write, we feel Baha'u'llah is so precise in this paragraph that we are concerned about writing too much, so we will just take a moment here to look at the phrase "those that have quaffed the wine of knowledge and certitude".

We note that it is a very particular caveat. Only those who have drunk of this wine are able to recognize the truth of what He is saying. While we understand that "certitude" is the eventual goal of this book, given its title, the word "knowledge" brings us right back to the beginning, where, in paragraph 1, we read:

No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth.

Without this detachment, we can become too fixated on the particular messenger we follow, such as Jesus or Muhammad. Because of this love, which is both noble and appropriate, we can become blinded by their light and miss the light shining in another messenger. We need to be detached from that "heaven", not to the point where we forget about it, but just enough that we can see it in another.

Through this detachment, as well as this perspective that Baha'u'llah is offering us, we can arrive at a better understanding of the oneness of all the messengers and arise to a far greater certainty of these truths, for we will see it in all the various paths.

Again, we could go on, but we don't want to obscure what He has made so clear. It is so clear, in fact, that He even uses the word "obvious" twice, when talking about this particular theme.

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.