The connection between God and the creatures is that of the creator to the
creation; it is like the connection between the sun and the dark bodies of
contingent beings, and is the connection between the maker and the things
that he has made. The sun in its own essence is independent of the bodies
which it lights; for its light is in itself, and is free and independent
of the terrestrial globe; so the earth is under the influence of the sun
and receives its light, whereas the sun and its rays are entirely
independent of the earth. But if there were no sun, the earth and all
earthly beings could not exist.
The dependence through the creatures upon God is a dependence of
emanation: that is to say, creatures emanate from God, they do not
manifest Him. The relation is that of emanation and not that of
manifestation. The light of the sun emanates from the sun, it does not
manifest it. The appearance through emanation is like the appearance of
the rays from the luminary of the horizons of the world: that is to say,
the holy essence of the Sun of Truth is not divided, and does not descend
to the condition of the creatures. In the same way, the globe of the sun
does not become divided and does not descend to the earth: no, the rays of
the sun, which are its bounty, emanate from it, and illumine the dark
bodies.
But the appearance through manifestation is the manifestation of the
branches, leaves, blossoms and fruit from the seed; for the seed in its
own essence becomes branches and fruits, and its reality enters into the
branches, the leaves, and fruits. This appearance through manifestation
would be for God the Most High, simple imperfection, and this is quite
impossible; for the implication would be that the Absolute Pre-existent is
qualified with phenomenal attributes; but if this were so, pure
independence would become mere poverty, and true existence would become
non-existence, and this is impossible.
Therefore all creatures emanate from God; that is to say, it is by God
that all things are realized, and by Him that all beings have attained to
existence. The first thing which emanated from God is that universal
reality, which the ancient philosophers termed the "First Mind," and which
the people of Baha call the "First Will." This emanation, in that which
concerns its action in the world of God, is not limited by time or place;
it is without beginning or end; beginning and end in relation to God are
one. The pre-existence of God is the pre-existence of essence, and also
pre-existence of time, and the phenomenality of contingency is essential
and not temporal....
Though the "First Mind" is without beginning, it does not become a sharer
in the pre-existence of God, for the existence of the universal reality in
relation to the existence of God is nothingness, and it has not the power
to become an associate of God and like unto Him in pre-existence. This
subject has been before explained.
The existence of living things signifies composition, and their death
decomposition. But universal matter and the elements do not become
absolutely annihilated and destroyed: no, their non-existence is simply
transformation. For instance, when man is annihilated he becomes dust, but
he does not become absolutely non-existent; he still exists in the shape
of dust; but transformation has taken place, and this composition is
accidentally decomposed. The annihilation of the other beings is the same,
for existence does not become absolute non-existence, and absolute
non-existence does not become existence.