people of that age. He saith: "Although they had before prayed for victory
over those who believed not, yet when there came unto them, He of Whom
they had knowledge, they disbelieved in Him. The curse of God on the
infidels!"(114) Reflect how this verse also implieth that the people
living in the days of Muhammad were the same people who in the days of the
Prophets of old contended and fought in order to promote the Faith, and
teach the Cause, of God. And yet, how could the generations living at the
time of Jesus and Moses, and those who lived in the days of Muhammad, be
regarded as being actually one and the same people? Moreover, those whom
they had formerly known were Moses, the Revealer of the Pentateuch, and
Jesus, the Author of the Gospel. Notwithstanding, why did Muhammad say:
"When He of Whom they had knowledge came unto them"--that is Jesus or
Moses--"they disbelieved in Him?" Was not Muhammad to outward seeming
called by a different name? Did He not come forth out of a different city?
Did He not speak a different language, and reveal a different Law? How
then can the truth of this verse be established, and its meaning be made
clear?
Strive therefore to comprehend the meaning of "return" which hath been so
explicitly revealed in the Qur'an itself, and which none hath as yet
understood. What sayest thou? If thou sayest that Muhammad was the
"return" of the Prophets of old, as is witnessed by this verse, His
Companions must likewise be the "return" of the bygone Companions, even as
the "return" of the former people is clearly attested by the text of the
above-mentioned verses. And if thou deniest this, thou hast surely
repudiated the truth of the Qur'an, the surest testimony of God unto men.
In like manner, endeavour to grasp the significance of "return,"
"revelation," and "resurrection," as witnessed in the days of the
Manifestations of the divine Essence, that thou mayest behold with thine
own eyes the "return" of the holy souls into sanctified and illumined
bodies, and mayest wash away the dust of ignorance, and cleanse the
darkened self with the waters of mercy flowing from the Source of divine
Knowledge; that perchance thou mayest, through the power of God and the
light of divine guidance, distinguish the Morn of everlasting splendour
from the darksome night of error.
Furthermore, it is evident to thee that the Bearers of the trust of God
are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a new
Cause and the Bearers of a new Message. Inasmuch as these Birds of the
Celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and
as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are
regarded as one soul and the same person. For they all drink from the one
Cup of the love of God, and all partake of the fruit of the same Tree of
Oneness. These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. One is
the station of pure abstraction and essential unity. In this respect, if
thou callest them all by one name, and dost ascribe to them the same
attribute, thou hast not erred from the truth. Even as He hath revealed:
"No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers!"(115) For they
one and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledge the Unity of
God, and herald unto them the Kawthar of an infinite grace and bounty.
They are all invested with the robe of Prophethood, and honoured with the
mantle of glory. Thus hath Muhammad, the Point of the Qur'an, revealed: "I
am all the Prophets." Likewise, He saith: "I am the first Adam, Noah,
Moses, and Jesus." Similar statements have been made by 'Ali. Sayings such
as this, which indicate the essential unity of those Exponents of Oneness,
have also emanated from the Channels of God's immortal utterance, and the
Treasuries of the gems of divine knowledge, and have been recorded in the
scriptures. These Countenances are the recipients of the Divine Command,
and the day-springs of His Revelation. This Revelation is exalted above
the veils of plurality and the exigencies of number. Thus He saith: "Our
Cause is but one."(116) Inasmuch as the Cause is one and the same, the
Exponents thereof also must needs be one and the same. Likewise, the Imams
of the Muhammadan Faith, those lamps of certitude, have said: "Muhammad is
our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all."
It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of
the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt
observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all abiding in the
same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne,
uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith. Such is the
unity of those Essences of being, those Luminaries of infinite and
immeasurable splendour. Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of
Holiness proclaim saying: "I am the return of all the Prophets," He verily
speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the
return of the former Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly
established. Inasmuch as the return of the Prophets of God, as attested by
verses and traditions, hath been conclusively demonstrated, the return of
their chosen ones also is therefore definitely proven. This return is too
manifest in itself to require any evidence or proof. For instance,
consider that among the Prophets was Noah. When He was invested with the
robe of Prophethood, and was moved by the Spirit of God to arise and
proclaim His Cause, whoever believed in Him and acknowledged His Faith,
was endowed with the grace of a new life. Of him it could be truly said
that he was reborn and revived, inasmuch as previous to his belief in God
and his acceptance of His Manifestation, he had set his affections on the
things of the world, such as attachment to earthly goods, to wife,
children, food, drink, and the like, so much so that in the day-time and
in the night season his one concern had been to amass riches and procure
for himself the means of enjoyment and pleasure. Aside from these things,
before his partaking of the reviving waters of faith, he had been so
wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so passionately devoted
to the observance of their customs and laws, that he would have preferred
to suffer death rather than violate one letter of those superstitious
forms and manners current amongst his people. Even as the people have
cried: "Verily we found our fathers with a faith, and verily, in their
footsteps we follow."(117)
These same people, though wrapt in all these veils of limitation, and
despite the restraint of such observances, as soon as they drank the
immortal draught of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the hand of the
Manifestation of the All-Glorious, were so transformed that they would
renounce for His sake their kindred, their substance, their lives, their
beliefs, yea, all else save God! So overpowering was their yearning for
God, so uplifting their transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and
all that is therein faded before their eyes into nothingness. Have not
this people exemplified the mysteries of "rebirth" and "return"? Hath it
not been witnessed that these same people, ere they were endued with the
new and wondrous grace of God, sought through innumerable devices, to
ensure the protection of their lives against destruction? Would not a
thorn fill them with terror, and the sight of a fox put them to flight?
But once having been honoured with God's supreme distinction, and having
been vouchsafed His bountiful grace, they would, if they were able, have
freely offered up ten thousand lives in His path! Nay, their blessed
souls, contemptuous of the cage of their bodies, would yearn for
deliverance. A single warrior of that host would face and fight a
multitude! And yet, how could they, but for the transformation wrought in
their lives, be capable of manifesting such deeds which are contrary to
the ways of men and incompatible with their worldly desires?
It is evident that nothing short of this mystic transformation could cause
such spirit and behaviour, so utterly unlike their previous habits and
manners, to be made manifest in the world of being. For their agitation
was turned into peace, their doubt into certitude, their timidity into
courage. Such is the potency of the Divine Elixir, which, swift as the
twinkling of an eye, transmuteth the souls of men!
For instance, consider the substance of copper. Were it to be protected in
its own mine from becoming solidified, it would, within the space of
seventy years, attain to the state of gold. There are some, however, who
maintain that copper itself is gold, which by becoming solidified is in a
diseased condition, and hath not therefore reached its own state.
Be that as it may, the real elixir will, in one instant, cause the
substance of copper to attain the state of gold, and will traverse the
seventy-year stages in a single moment. Could this gold be called copper?
Could it be claimed that it hath not attained the state of gold, whilst
the touch-stone is at hand to assay it and distinguish it from copper?
Likewise, these souls, through the potency of the Divine Elixir, traverse,
in the twinkling of an eye, the world of dust and advance into the realm
of holiness; and with one step cover the earth of limitations and reach
the domain of the Placeless. It behooveth thee to exert thine utmost to
attain unto this Elixir which, in one fleeting breath, causeth the west of
ignorance to reach the east of knowledge, illuminates the darkness of
night with the resplendence of the morn, guideth the wanderer in the
wilderness of doubt to the well-spring of the Divine Presence and Fount of
certitude, and conferreth upon mortal souls the honour of acceptance into
the Ridvan of immortality. Now, could this gold be thought to be copper,
these people could likewise be thought to be the same as before they were
endowed with faith.
O brother, behold how the inner mysteries of "rebirth," of "return," and
of "resurrection" have each, through these all-sufficing, these
unanswerable, and conclusive utterances, been unveiled and unravelled
before thine eyes. God grant that through His gracious and invisible
assistance, thou mayest divest thy body and soul of the old garment, and
array thyself with the new and imperishable attire.
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 none the less 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.
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 behaviour of the
companions of the Muhammadan Dispensation. Consider how, through the
reviving breath of Muhammad, 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 self-same
determination, the self-same constancy and renunciation, manifested by the
companions of the Point of the Bayan.(118) 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.
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 Bayan--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 none the less 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.
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 Muhammad, 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 Muhammad, 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."
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."
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!
And, now, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of this saying of 'Ali,
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."(119) 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.
Notwithstanding the divinely-inspired admonitions of all the Prophets, the
Saints, and Chosen ones of God, enjoining the people to see with their own
eyes and hear with their own ears, they have disdainfully rejected their
counsels and have blindly followed, and will continue to follow, the
leaders of their Faith. Should a poor and obscure person, destitute of the
attire of men of learning, address them saying: "Follow ye, O people! the
Messengers of God,"(120) they would, greatly surprised at such a
statement, reply: "What! Meanest thou that all these divines, all these
exponents of learning, with all their authority, their pomp and pageantry,
have erred, and failed to distinguish truth from falsehood? Dost thou, and
people like thyself, pretend to have comprehended that which they have not
understood?" If numbers and excellence of apparel be regarded as the
criterions of learning and truth, the peoples of a bygone age, whom those
of today have never surpassed in numbers, magnificence and power, should
certainly be accounted a superior and worthier people.
It is clear and evident that whenever the Manifestations of Holiness were
revealed, the divines of their day have hindered the people from attaining
unto the way of truth. To this testify the records of all the scriptures
and heavenly books. Not one Prophet of God was made manifest Who did not
fall a victim to the relentless hate, to the denunciation, denial, and
execration of the clerics of His day! Woe unto them for the iniquities
their hands have formerly wrought! Woe unto them for that which they are
now doing! What veils of glory more grievous than these embodiments of
error! By the righteousness of God! to pierce such veils is the mightiest
of all acts, and to rend them asunder the most meritorious of all deeds!
May God assist us and assist you, O concourse of the Spirit! that
perchance ye may in the time of His Manifestation be graciously aided to
perform such deeds, and may in His days attain unto the Presence of God.
Furthermore, among the "veils of glory" are such terms as the "Seal of the
Prophets" and the like, the removal of which is a supreme achievement in
the sight of these base-born and erring souls. All, by reason of these
mysterious sayings, these grievous "veils of glory," have been hindered
from beholding the light of truth. Have they not heard the melody of that
bird of Heaven,(121) uttering this mystery: "A thousand Fatimihs I have
espoused, all of whom were the daughters of Muhammad, Son of 'Abdu'llah,
the 'Seal of the Prophets?'" Behold, how many are the mysteries that lie
as yet unravelled within the tabernacle of the knowledge of God, and how
numerous the gems of His wisdom that are still concealed in His inviolable
treasuries! Shouldest thou ponder this in thine heart, thou wouldst
realize that His handiwork knoweth neither beginning nor end. The domain
of His decree is too vast for the tongue of mortals to describe, or for
the bird of the human mind to traverse; and the dispensations of His
providence are too mysterious for the mind of man to comprehend. His
creation no end hath overtaken, and it hath ever existed from the
"Beginning that hath no beginning"; and the Manifestations of His Beauty
no beginning hath beheld, and they will continue to the "End that knoweth
no end." Ponder this utterance in thine heart, and reflect how it is
applicable unto all these holy Souls.
Likewise, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of the melody of that
eternal beauty, Husayn, son of 'Ali, who, addressing Salman, spoke words
such as these: "I was with a thousand Adams, the interval between each and
the next Adam was fifty thousand years, and to each one of these I
declared the Successorship conferred upon my father." He then recounteth
certain details, until he saith: "I have fought one thousand battles in
the path of God, the least and most insignificant of which was like the
battle of _Kh_aybar, in which battle my father fought and contended
against the infidels." Endeavour now to apprehend from these two
traditions the mysteries of "end," "return," and "creation without
beginning or end."
O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the celestial Melody above the
strivings of human ear to hear or mind to grasp its mystery! How can the
helpless ant step into the court of the All-Glorious? And yet, feeble
souls, through lack of understanding, reject these abstruse utterances,
and question the truth of such traditions. Nay, none can comprehend them
save those that are possessed of an understanding heart. Say, He is that
End for Whom no end in all the universe can be imagined, and for Whom no
beginning in the world of creation can be conceived. Behold, O concourse
of the earth, the splendours of the End, revealed in the Manifestations of
the Beginning!
How strange! These people with one hand cling to those verses of the
Qur'an and those traditions of the people of certitude which they have
found to accord with their inclinations and interests, and with the other
reject those which are contrary to their selfish desires. "Believe ye then
part of the Book, and deny part?"(122) How could ye judge that which ye
understand not? Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book, after
speaking of the "Seal" in His exalted utterance: "Muhammad is the Apostle
of God and the Seal of the Prophets,"(123) hath revealed unto all people
the promise of "attainment unto the divine Presence." To this attainment
to the presence of the immortal King testify the verses of the Book, some
of which We have already mentioned. The one true God is My witness!
Nothing more exalted or more explicit than "attainment unto the divine
Presence" hath been revealed in the Qur'an. Well is it with him that hath
attained thereunto, in the day wherein most of the people, even as ye
witness, have turned away therefrom.