such harm as I have suffered." And in the Qur'an are recorded all the
calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as well as all the
afflictions which He suffered. Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be
informed of that which hath befallen His Revelation. So grievous was His
plight, that for a time all ceased to hold intercourse with Him and His
companions. Whoever associated with Him fell a victim to the relentless
cruelty of His enemies.
We shall cite in this connection only one verse of that Book. Shouldst
thou observe it with a discerning eye, thou wilt, all the remaining days
of thy life, lament and bewail the injury of Muhammad, that wronged and
oppressed Messenger of God. That verse was revealed at a time when
Muhammad languished weary and sorrowful beneath the weight of the
opposition of the people, and of their unceasing torture. In the midst of
His agony, the Voice of Gabriel, calling from the Sadratu'l-Muntaha, was
heard saying: "But if their opposition be grievous to Thee--if Thou canst,
seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven."(78) The
implication of this utterance is that His case had no remedy, that they
would not withhold their hands from Him unless He should hide Himself
beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight unto heaven.
Consider, how great is the change today! Behold, how many are the
Sovereigns who bow the knee before His name! How numerous the nations and
kingdoms who have sought the shelter of His shadow, who bear allegiance to
His Faith, and pride themselves therein! From the pulpit-top there
ascendeth today the words of praise which, in utter lowliness, glorify His
blessed name; and from the heights of minarets there resoundeth the call
that summoneth the concourse of His people to adore Him. Even those Kings
of the earth who have refused to embrace His Faith and to put off the
garment of unbelief, none the less confess and acknowledge the greatness
and overpowering majesty of that Day-star of loving kindness. Such is His
earthly sovereignty, the evidences of which thou dost on every side
behold. This sovereignty must needs be revealed and established either in
the lifetime of every Manifestation of God or after His ascension unto His
true habitation in the realms above. What thou dost witness today is but a
confirmation of this truth. That spiritual ascendency, however, which is
primarily intended, resideth within, and revolveth around Them from
eternity even unto eternity. It can never for a moment be divorced from
Them. Its dominion hath encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth.
The following is an evidence of the sovereignty exercised by Muhammad, the
Day-star of Truth. Hast thou not heard how with one single verse He hath
sundered light from darkness, the righteous from the ungodly, and the
believing from the infidel? All the signs and allusions concerning the Day
of Judgment, which thou hast heard, such as the raising of the dead, the
Day of Reckoning, the Last Judgment, and others have been made manifest
through the revelation of that verse. These revealed words were a blessing
to the righteous who on hearing them exclaimed: "O God our Lord, we have
heard, and obeyed." They were a curse to the people of iniquity who, on
hearing them affirmed: "We have heard and rebelled." Those words, sharp as
the sword of God, have separated the faithful from the infidel, and
severed father from son. Thou hast surely witnessed how they that have
confessed their faith in Him and they that rejected Him have warred
against each other, and sought one another's property. How many fathers
have turned away from their sons; how many lovers have shunned their
beloved! So mercilessly trenchant was this wondrous sword of God that it
cleft asunder every relationship! On the other hand, consider the welding
power of His Word. Observe, how those in whose midst the Satan of self had
for years sown the seeds of malice and hate became so fused and blended
through their allegiance to this wondrous and transcendent Revelation that
it seemed as if they had sprung from the same loins. Such is the binding
force of the Word of God, which uniteth the hearts of them that have
renounced all else but Him, who have believed in His signs, and quaffed
from the Hand of glory the Kawthar of God's holy grace. Furthermore, how
numerous are those peoples of divers beliefs, of conflicting creeds, and
opposing temperaments, who, through the reviving fragrance of the Divine
springtime, breathing from the Ridvan of God, have been arrayed with the
new robe of divine Unity, and have drunk from the cup of His singleness!
This is the significance of the well-known words: "The wolf and the lamb
shall feed together."(79) Behold the ignorance and folly of those who,
like the nations of old, are still expecting to witness the time when
these beasts will feed together in one pasture! Such is their low estate.
Methinks, never have their lips touched the cup of understanding, neither
have their feet trodden the path of justice. Besides, of what profit would
it be to the world were such a thing to take place? How well hath He
spoken concerning them: "Hearts have they, with which they understand not,
and eyes have they with which they see not!"(80)
Consider how with this one verse which hath descended from the heaven of
the Will of God, the world and all that is therein have been brought to a
reckoning with Him. Whosoever acknowledged His truth and turned unto Him,
his good works outweighed his misdeeds, and all his sins were remitted and
forgiven. Thereby is the truth of these words concerning Him made
manifest: "Swift is He in reckoning." Thus God turneth iniquity into
righteousness, were ye to explore the realms of divine knowledge, and
fathom the mysteries of His wisdom. In like manner, whosoever partook of
the cup of love, obtained his portion of the ocean of eternal grace and of
the showers of everlasting mercy, and entered into the life of faith--the
heavenly and everlasting life. But he that turned away from that cup was
condemned to eternal death. By the terms "life" and "death," spoken of in
the scriptures, is intended the life of faith and the death of unbelief.
The generality of the people, owing to their failure to grasp the meaning
of these words, rejected and despised the person of the Manifestation,
deprived themselves of the light of His divine guidance, and refused to
follow the example of that immortal Beauty.
When the light of Qur'anic Revelation was kindled within the chamber of
Muhammad's holy heart, He passed upon the people the verdict of the Last
Day, the verdict of resurrection, of judgment, of life, and of death.
Thereupon the standards of revolt were hoisted, and the doors of derision
opened. Thus hath He, the Spirit of God, recorded, as spoken by the
infidels: "And if thou shouldst say, 'After death ye shall surely be
raised again,' the infidels will certainly exclaim, 'This is nothing but
manifest sorcery.'"(81) Again He speaketh: "If ever thou dost marvel,
marvellous surely is their saying, 'What! When we have become dust, shall
we be restored in a new creation?'"(82) Thus, in another passage, He
wrathfully exclaimeth: "Are We wearied out with the first creation? Yet
are they in doubt with regard to a new creation!"(83)
As the commentators of the Qur'an and they that follow the letter thereof
misapprehended the inner meaning of the words of God and failed to grasp
their essential purpose, they sought to demonstrate that, according to the
rules of grammar, whenever the term "idha" (meaning "if" or "when")
precedeth the past tense, it invariably hath reference to the future.
Later, they were sore perplexed in attempting to explain those verses of
the Book wherein that term did not actually occur. Even as He hath
revealed: "And there was a blast on the trumpet,--lo! it is the threatened
Day! And every soul is summoned to a reckoning,--with him an impeller and a
witness."(84) In explaining this and similar verses, they have in some
cases argued that the term "idha" is implied. In other instances, they
have idly contended that whereas the Day of Judgment is inevitable, it
hath therefore been referred to as an event not of the future but of the
past. How vain their sophistry! How grievous their blindness! They refuse
to recognize the trumpet-blast which so explicitly in this text was
sounded through the revelation of Muhammad. They deprive themselves of the
regenerating Spirit of God that breathed into it, and foolishly expect to
hear the trumpet-sound of the Seraph of God who is but one of His
servants! Hath not the Seraph himself, the angel of the Judgment Day, and
his like been ordained by Muhammad's own utterance? Say: What! Will ye
give that which is for your good in exchange for that which is evil?
Wretched is that which ye have falsely exchanged! Surely ye are a people,
evil, in grievous loss.
Nay, by "trumpet" is meant the trumpet-call of Muhammad's Revelation,
which was sounded in the heart of the universe, and by "resurrection" is
meant His own rise to proclaim the Cause of God. He bade the erring and
wayward arise and speed out of the sepulchres of their bodies, arrayed
them with the beauteous robe of faith, and quickened them with the breath
of a new and wondrous life. Thus at the hour when Muhammad, that divine
Beauty, purposed to unveil one of the mysteries hidden in the symbolic
terms "resurrection," "judgment," "paradise," and "hell," Gabriel, the
Voice of Inspiration, was heard saying: "Erelong will they wag their heads
at Thee, and say, 'When shall this be?' Say: 'Perchance it is nigh.'"(85)
The implications of this verse alone suffice the peoples of the world,
were they to ponder it in their hearts.
Gracious God! How far have that people strayed from the way of God!
Although the Day of Resurrection was ushered in through the Revelation of
Muhammad, although His light and tokens had encompassed the earth and all
that is therein, yet that people derided Him, gave themselves up to those
idols which the divines of that age, in their vain and idle fancy, had
conceived, and deprived themselves of the light of heavenly grace and of
the showers of divine mercy. Yea, the abject beetle can never scent the
fragrance of holiness, and the bat of darkness can never face the
splendour of the sun.
Such things have come to pass in the days of every Manifestation of God.
Even as Jesus said: "Ye must be born again."(86) Again He saith: "Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit."(87) The purport of these words is that whosoever
in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath
of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained
unto "life" and "resurrection" and have entered into the "paradise" of the
love of God. And whosoever is not of them, is condemned to "death" and
"deprivation," to the "fire" of unbelief, and to the "wrath" of God. In
all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death, of
fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath been
pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup of
true knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived of the grace of the
holy Spirit in their day. Even as it hath been previously recorded:
"Hearts have they with which they understand not."(88)
In another passage of the Gospel it is written: "And it came to pass that
on a certain day the father of one of the disciples of Jesus had died."
That disciple reporting the death of his father unto Jesus, asked for
leave to go and bury him. Whereupon, Jesus, that Essence of Detachment,
answered and said: "Let the dead bury their dead."(89)
In like manner, two of the people of Kufih went to 'Ali, the Commander of
the Faithful. One owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was to be
the purchaser. They had agreed that this transaction should be effected
and the contract be written with the knowledge of 'Ali. He, the exponent
of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said: "Write thou: 'A dead man
hath bought from another dead man a house. That house is bounded by four
limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the other to the vault of the
grave, the third to the Sirat, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.'"
Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the trumpet-call of 'Ali,
had they risen from the grave of error by the power of his love, the
judgment of death would certainly not have been pronounced against them.
In every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their
chosen ones hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of
the terms "life," "resurrection," and "judgment." If one will ponder but
for a while this utterance of 'Ali in his heart, one will surely discover
all mysteries hidden in the terms "grave," "tomb," "sirat," "paradise" and
"hell." But oh! how strange and pitiful! Behold, all the people are
imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the nethermost
depths of worldly desire! Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the
crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true
life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit. For the life
of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of the
spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the
ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth
no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality. Even as it hath
been said: "He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the
world to come."
If by "life" be meant this earthly life, it is evident that death must
needs overtake it.
Similarly, the records of all the scriptures bear witness to this lofty
truth and this most exalted word. Moreover, this verse of the Qur'an,
revealed concerning Hamzih, the "Prince of Martyrs,"(90) and Abu-Jahl, is
a luminous evidence and sure testimony of the truth of Our saying: "Shall
the dead, whom We have quickened, and for whom We have ordained a light
whereby he may walk among men, be like him, whose likeness is in the
darkness, whence he will not come forth?"(91) This verse descended from
the heaven of the Primal Will at a time when Hamzih had already been
invested with the sacred mantle of faith, and Abu-Jahl had waxed
relentless in his opposition and unbelief. From the Wellspring of
omnipotence and the Source of eternal holiness, there came the judgment
that conferred everlasting life upon Hamzih, and condemned Abu-Jahl to
eternal damnation. This was the signal that caused the fires of unbelief
to glow with the hottest flame in the heart of the infidels, and provoked
them openly to repudiate His truth. They loudly clamoured: "When did
Hamzih die? When was he risen? At what hour was such a life conferred upon
him?" As they understood not the significance of these noble sayings, nor
sought enlightenment from the recognized expounders of the Faith, that
these might confer a sprinkling of the Kawthar of divine knowledge upon
them, therefore such fires of mischief were kindled amongst men.
Thou dost witness today how, notwithstanding the radiant splendour of the
Sun of divine knowledge, all the people, whether high or low, have clung
to the ways of those abject manifestations of the Prince of Darkness. They
continually appeal to them for aid in unraveling the intricacies of their
Faith, and, owing to lack of knowledge, they make such replies as can in
no wise damage their fame and fortune. It is evident that these souls,
vile and miserable as the beetle itself, have had no portion of the
musk-laden breeze of eternity, and have never entered the Ridvan of
heavenly delight. How, therefore, can they impart unto others the
imperishable fragrance of holiness? Such is their way, and such will it
remain for ever. Only those will attain to the knowledge of the Word of
God that have turned unto Him, and repudiated the manifestations of Satan.
Thus God hath reaffirmed the law of the day of His Revelation, and
inscribed it with the pen of power upon the mystic Tablet hidden beneath
the veil of celestial glory. Wert thou to heed these words, wert thou to
ponder their outward and inner meaning in thy heart, thou wouldst seize
the significance of all the abstruse problems which, in this day, have
become insuperable barriers between men and the knowledge of the Day of
Judgment. Then wilt thou have no more questions to perplex thee. We fain
would hope that, God willing, thou wilt not return, deprived and still
athirst, from the shores of the ocean of divine mercy, nor come back
destitute from the imperishable Sanctuary of thy heart's desire. Let it
now be seen what thy search and endeavours will achieve.
To resume: Our purpose in setting forth these truths hath been to
demonstrate the sovereignty of Him Who is the King of kings. Be fair: Is
this sovereignty which, through the utterance of one Word, hath manifested
such pervading influence, ascendancy, and awful majesty, is this
sovereignty superior, or is the worldly dominion of these kings of the
earth who, despite their solicitude for their subjects and their help of
the poor, are assured only of an outward and fleeting allegiance, while in
the hearts of men they inspire neither affection nor respect? Hath not
that sovereignty, through the potency of one word, subdued, quickened, and
revitalized the whole world? What! Can the lowly dust compare with Him Who
is the Lord of Lords? What tongue dare utter the immensity of difference
that lieth between them? Nay, all comparison falleth short in attaining
the hallowed sanctuary of His sovereignty. Were man to reflect, he would
surely perceive that even the servant of His threshold ruleth over all
created things! This hath already been witnessed, and will in future be
made manifest.
This is but one of the meanings of the spiritual sovereignty which We have
set forth in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people.
For He, the Mover of all beings, that glorified Countenance, is the source
of such potencies as neither this wronged One can reveal, nor this
unworthy people comprehend. Immensely exalted is He above men's praise of
His sovereignty; glorified is He beyond that which they attribute unto
Him!
And now, ponder this in thine heart: Were sovereignty to mean earthly
sovereignty and worldly dominion, were it to imply the subjection and
external allegiance of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth--whereby
His loved ones should be exalted and be made to live in peace, and His
enemies be abased and tormented--such form of sovereignty would not be true
of God Himself, the Source of all dominion, Whose majesty and power all
things testify. For, dost thou not witness how the generality of mankind
is under the sway of His enemies? Have they not all turned away from the
path of His good-pleasure? Have they not done that which He hath
forbidden, and left undone, nay repudiated and opposed, those things which
He hath commanded? Have not His friends ever been the victims of the
tyranny of His foes? All these things are more obvious than even the
splendour of the noon-tide sun.
Know, therefore, O questioning seeker, that earthly sovereignty is of no
worth, nor will it ever be, in the eyes of God and His chosen Ones.
Moreover, if ascendency and dominion be interpreted to mean earthly
supremacy and temporal power, how impossible will it be for thee to
explain these verses: "And verily Our host shall conquer."(92) "Fain would
they put out God's light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect
His light, albeit the infidels abhor it."(93) "He is the Dominant, above
all things." Similarly, most of the Qur'an testifieth to this truth.
Were the idle contention of these foolish and despicable souls to be true,
they would have none other alternative than to reject all these holy
utterances and heavenly allusions. For no warrior could be found on earth
more excellent and nearer to God than Husayn, son of 'Ali, so peerless and
incomparable was he. "There was none to equal or to match him in the
world." Yet, thou must have heard what befell him. "God's malison on the
head of the people of tyranny!"(94)
Were the verse "And verily Our host shall conquer" to be literally
interpreted, it is evident that it would in no wise be applicable to the
chosen Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn, whose heroism was
manifest as the sun, crushed and subjugated, quaffed at last the cup of
martyrdom in Karbila, the land of Taff. Similarly, the sacred verse "Fain
would they put out God's light with their mouths: But God hath willed to
perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it." Were it to be literally
interpreted it would never correspond with the truth. For in every age the
light of God hath, to outward seeming, been quenched by the peoples of the
earth, and the Lamps of God extinguished by them. How then could the
ascendancy of the sovereignty of these Lamps be explained? What could the
potency of God's will to "perfect His light" signify? As hath already been
witnessed, so great was the enmity of the infidels, that none of these
divine Luminaries ever found a place for shelter, or tasted of the cup of
tranquillity. So heavily were they oppressed, that the least of men
inflicted upon these Essences of being whatsoever he listed. These
sufferings have been observed and measured by the people. How, therefore,
can such people be capable of understanding and expounding these words of
God, these verses of everlasting glory?
But the purpose of these verses is not what they have imagined. Nay, the
terms "ascendancy," "power," and "authority" imply a totally different
station and meaning. For instance, consider the pervading power of those
drops of the blood of Husayn which besprinkled the earth. What ascendancy
and influence hath the dust itself, through the sacredness and potency of
that blood, exercised over the bodies and souls of men! So much so, that
he who sought deliverance from his ills, was healed by touching the dust
of that holy ground, and whosoever, wishing to protect his property,
treasured with absolute faith and understanding, a little of that holy
earth within his house, safeguarded all his possessions. These are the
outward manifestations of its potency. And were We to recount its hidden
virtues they would assuredly say: "He verily hath considered the dust to
be the Lord of Lords, and hath utterly forsaken the Faith of God."
Furthermore, call to mind the shameful circumstances that have attended
the martyrdom of Husayn. Reflect upon his loneliness, how, to outer
seeming, none could be found to aid him, none to take up his body and bury
it. And yet, behold how numerous, in this day, are those who from the
uttermost corners of the earth don the garb of pilgrimage, seeking the
site of his martyrdom, that there they may lay their heads upon the
threshold of his shrine! Such is the ascendancy and power of God! Such is
the glory of His dominion and majesty!
Think not that because these things have come to pass after Husayn's
martyrdom, therefore all this glory hath been of no profit unto him. For
that holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and abideth within the
retreats of celestial glory upon the Sadrih of heavenly reunion. These
Essences of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice. They have
offered, and will continue to offer up their lives, their substance, their
souls, their spirit, their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved. By them,
no station, however exalted, could be more dearly cherished. For lovers
have no desire but the good-pleasure of their Beloved, and have no aim
except reunion with Him.