Chapter 66
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Conflicting writings regarding recognition of the next Manifestation of God.
Passage 1 by House indicates the next Manifestation of God (one of "the chosen Ones of God")
will appear after 1000 years, which conflicts with the writings of Baha'u'llah; and
is presumably tied to the fact that the writings of Shoghi Effendi
claim (errorneously/falsely) that only Independent Prophets are Manifestations
of God. As shown in Chapter 1, both of the two classes of Prophets (Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets) are Manifestations
of God, and are to be recognised and followed by true believers, as was
the case in past dispensations, in keeping with recognition of Divine Unity. For example, in the era of
Muhammad, true believers recognised and followed the Holy Imams, who are Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Muhammad, who are Manifestations of God, and are referred to in many places in the Quran. Similarly, true believers in the dispensation of Baha'u'llah are to recognise and follow the Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah, the first of whom was Abdu'l-Baha, as indicated in Chapter 24. In passage 2.1 from the Aqdas, "the people of Baha who speak not except by His leave" is a reference to the Dependent/Lesser of Prophets Baha'u'llah, similar to the "chosen Ones of God" mentioned in passage 2.2, who are "they that speak not till He hath spoken". In passage 2.3, "a company of His chosen ones" is a another reference to the Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah, whom true believers are to recognise and follow. In passage 3, "Those countenances which are hid
within the chambers of chastity" and "the manifestations of Thy Divine holiness", are also references to Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Bahá'u'lláh, who are Manifestations of God. In passage 4,
Bahá'u'lláh is named as one of the Manifestations (Independent
Prophets) that "possess some perfections which make the other
Manifestations dependent upon Them". That is, Bahá'u'lláh has
Dependent/Lesser Prophets who are also Manifestations of God; the same way
Muhammad had Dependent/Lesser Prophets, the Holy Imams, who are also Manifestations of God. Passage 5 is one of many individual references to Dependent/Lesser Prophets of
Baha'u'llah in the Surih of the Temple, an important tablet, who is the "manifestation of Our sovereignty" (i.e. the Manifestation of God). Passage 6 is another individual reference to a Dependent/Lesser Prophet of
Baha'u'llah, in the Surih of the Temple, who is the "Manifestation of Our own Self" (i.e. the Manifestation of God). In passage 7, "the beauties of divine mystery" is another reference to the Dependent/Lesser of
Baha'u'llah using symbolic language, and those who reject/disbelieve them "shall be accounted
among the faithless in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed", similar to those who rejected the Holy Imams in the era of Muhammad.
1)
With reference to infallibility, you quote from
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh that "trials and
tribulations have, from time immemorial, been the lot of the chosen Ones of God...",
and express concern that this implies that the Universal House of
Justice will not recognize the next Manifestation of God.
There are several statements in the Sacred
Scriptures of our Faith which are related to this general subject, and
one in particular is found in "The Dispensation of Baha’u'llah", (The
World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 117) as follows: "My fears are for Him
Who will be sent down unto you after Me -- Him Who will be invested
with great sovereignty and mighty dominion". When a National Assembly
wrote to the Guardian, asking about this reference, the following reply
was sent on his behalf.
...this refers to the Manifestation Who is to come after a thousand or more years,
Who like all previous Messengers of God will be subjected to
persecutions, but will eventually triumph over them. For men of
ill-will have been and will always continue to be in this world, unless
mankind reaches a state of complete and absolute perfection -- a
condition which is not only improbable but actually impossible to
attain.
As you see, the persecutions to which the next
Manifestation will be subjected will be carried out, according to the
above statement, by "men of ill-will" who, alas, "will continue to be
in this world". There is nothing in the Writings to support the view
that the opposition or persecution will be instigated or inflicted by
the Universal House of Justice.
You are aware, of course, that one of the reasons
for the appearance of a new Manifestation of God is to bring forth a
spiritual renewal, as the former Dispensation would have passed through
its stages of growth and reached its zenith. You can be sure that the
Supreme Institution of the Faith, "under the care and protection of the
Abha Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness,
the Exalted One", will exert every effort to recognize, when the time
is ripe, the reality of the new Manifestation, and lead men to Him. How
the majority of the people at that time will respond is a truth locked
up in the treasury of God's knowledge.
-- Universal House of Justice, Letter to an individual believer, 6th June, 1997.
Full text at the following link: https://bahai-library.com/uhj_recognition_next_manifestation
2.1)
Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs. None hath the right to dispose of them without leave from Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation.
After Him, this authority shall pass to the Aghsan, and after them to
the House of Justice -- should it be established in the world by then
-- that they may use these endowments for the benefit of the Places
which have been exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath been
enjoined upon them by Him Who is the God of might and power. Otherwise,
the endowments shall revert to the people of Baha who speak not except by His leave
and judge not save in accordance with what God hath decreed in this
Tablet -- lo, they are the champions of victory betwixt heaven and earth -- that they may use them in the manner that hath been laid down
in the Book by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 34
2.2)
Know ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial, been the lot of the chosen Ones of God
and His beloved, and such of His servants as are detached from all else
but Him, they whom neither merchandise nor traffic beguile from the
remembrance of the Almighty, they that speak not till He hath spoken, and act according to His commandment.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 128
2.3)
There lay concealed within the Holy Veil, and prepared for the service
of God, a company of His chosen ones [Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah] who shall be manifested unto men,
who shall aid His Cause, who shall be afraid of no one, though the
entire human race rise up and war against them. These are the ones who,
before the gaze of the dwellers on earth and the denizens of heaven,
shall arise and, shouting aloud, acclaim the name of the Almighty, and
summon the children of men to the path of God, the All-Glorious, the
All-Praised. Walk thou in their way, and let no one dismay thee. Be of
them whom the tumult of the world, however much it may agitate them in
the path of their Creator, can never sadden, whose purpose the blame of
the blamer will never defeat.
Go forth with the Tablet of God and His signs, and rejoin them that
have believed in Me, and announce unto them tidings of Our most holy
Paradise. Warn, then, those that have joined partners with Him. Say: I
am come to you, O people, from the Throne of glory, and bear you an
announcement from God, the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Most
Great. In mine hand I carry the testimony of God, your Lord and the
Lord of your sires of old. Weigh it with the just Balance that ye
possess, the Balance of the testimony of the Prophets and Messengers of
God. If ye find it to be established in truth, if ye believe it to be
of God, beware, then, lest ye cavil at it, and render your works vain,
and be numbered with the infidels. It is indeed the sign of God that
hath been sent down through the power of truth, through which the
validity of His Cause hath been demonstrated unto His creatures, and
the ensigns of purity lifted up betwixt earth and heaven....
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 280-284
3)
Lauded be Thy name, O Thou Who art the Goal of my desire! I swear by
Thy glory! How great is my wish to attain unto a detachment so complete
that were there to appear before me those countenances which are hid
within the chambers of chastity, and the beauty of which Thou didst
veil from the eyes of the entire creation, and whose faces Thou didst
sanctify from the sight of all beings,and were they to unveil
themselves in all the glory of the splendors of Thine incomparable
beauty, I would refuse to look upon them, and would behold them solely
for the purpose of discerning the mysteries of Thy handiwork, which
have perplexed the minds of such as have drawn nigh unto Thee, and awed
the souls of all them that have recognized Thee. I would, by Thy power
and Thy might, soar to such heights that nothing whatsoever would have
the power to keep me back from the manifold evidences of Thy
transcendent dominion, nor would any earthly scheme shut me out from
the manifestations of Thy Divine holiness.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p. 337
4)
Know that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of the divine
bounties, and the lights of inspiration are visible and evident in all
the Holy Manifestations; but the glorious Word of God, Christ, and the
Greatest Name, Bahá'u'lláh, are manifestations and evidences which are
beyond imagination, for They possess all the perfections of the former Manifestations; and more than that, They possess some perfections which
make the other Manifestations dependent upon Them. So all the Prophets
of Israel were centers of inspiration; Christ also was a receiver of
inspiration, but what a difference between the inspiration of the Word
of God and the revelations of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah!
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 149-150
5)
1.38
O Second Letter [Dependent/Lesser Prophet] of this Temple [the Word, Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet], betokening My name, the Almighty! We
have made thee the manifestation of Our sovereignty and the dayspring
of Our Names. Potent am I to fulfil that which My tongue speaketh.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 21
6)
1.81
O Living [the pre-existent Dependent/Lesser Prophet when on the earthly plane] Temple!
We, verily, have made Thee a mirror unto the kingdom of names, that
Thou mayest be, amidst all mankind, a sign of My sovereignty, a herald
unto My presence, a summoner unto My beauty, and a guide unto My straight and perspicuous Path.
We have exalted Thy Name among Our servants as a bounty from Our
presence. I, verily, am the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. We
have, moreover, adorned Thee with the ornament of Our own Self, and
have imparted unto Thee Our Word, that Thou mayest ordain in this
contingent world whatsoever Thou willest and accomplish whatsoever Thou
pleasest. We have destined for Thee all the good of the heavens and of
the earth, and decreed that none may attain unto a portion thereof
unless he entereth beneath Thy shadow, as bidden by Thy Lord, the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We have conferred upon Thee the Staff of
authority and the Writ of judgement, that Thou mayest test the wisdom
of every command. We have caused the oceans of inner meaning and explanation to surge from Thy heart in remembrance of Thy Lord, the God of mercy,
that Thou mayest render thanks and praise unto Him and be of those who
are truly thankful. We have singled Thee out from amongst all Our
creatures, and have appointed Thee as the Manifestation of Our own Self unto all who are in the heavens and on the earth.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 43
For the prophets and messengers do serve as intermediaries for the
divine emanation, and whatever reacheth the creatures from the Eternal
Truth is by means of these temples of sanctity and essences of
abstraction, these mines of knowledge and manifestations of the divine
command.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablet on Hinduism and Zoroastrianism - Provisional translation by Juan Cole.
.. for 1000 years there shall arise no Sun [Independent Prophet]. All the appearances will be beneath the shadow of the Most Great Appearance [Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet]: they will be as stars of guidance [Dependent/Lesser Prophets]. All of them shall gather around this Fountain of Life; all of them will become illumined with the rays of this Sun;
all of them will receive a share and a portion from this great Sea; all
of them will become vivified with this soul-imparting breeze;..
-- Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 283.
7)
Praise be unto God Who hath made the Most Great Infallibility the shield for the temple of His Cause in the realm of creation,
and hath assigned unto no one a share of this lofty and sublime
station--a station which is a vesture which the fingers of transcendent
power have woven for His august Self. It befitteth no one except Him
Who is seated upon the mighty throne of `He doeth what He pleaseth'.
Whoso accepteth and recognizeth that which is written down at this
moment by the Pen of Glory is indeed reckoned in the Book of God, the
Lord of the beginning and the end, among the exponents of divine unity,
they that uphold the concept of the oneness of God.
When the stream of words reached this stage, the sweet savours of true
knowledge were shed abroad and the day-star of divine unity shone forth
above the horizon of His holy utterance. Blessed is he whom His Call
hath attracted to the summit of glory, who hath drawn nigh to the
ultimate Purpose, and who hath recognized through the shrill voice of
My Pen of Glory that which the Lord of this world and of the next hath
willed. Whoso faileth to quaff
the choice wine which We have unsealed through the potency of Our Name,
the All-Compelling, shall be unable to discern the splendours of the
light of divine unity or to grasp the essential purpose underlying the
Scriptures of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the sovereign Ruler of
this world and of the world to come. Such a man shall be accounted
among the faithless in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed.
O thou honoured enquirer! We bear witness that thou didst firmly adhere
unto seemly patience during the days when the Pen was held back from
movement and the Tongue hesitated to set forth an explanation regarding
the wondrous sign, the Most Great Infallibility. Thou hast asked this
Wronged One to remove for thee its veils and coverings, to elucidate
its mystery and character, its state and position, its excellence,
sublimity and exaltation. By the life of God! Were We to unveil the
pearls of testimony which lie hid within the shells of the ocean of
knowledge and assurance or to let the beauties of divine mystery which [who]
are hidden within the chambers of utterance in the Paradise of true
understanding, step out of their habitation, then from every direction
violent commotion would arise among the leaders of religion and thou
wouldst witness the people of God held fast in the teeth of such wolves
as have denied God both in the beginning and in the end. Therefore We
restrained the Pen for a considerable lapse of time in accordance with
divine wisdom and for the sake of protecting the faithful from those
who have bartered away heavenly blessings for disbelief and have chosen
for their people the abode of perdition.
O thou seeker who art gifted with keen insight. I swear by Him Who
attracted the Concourse on High through the potency of His most sublime
Word! Verily, the birds abiding within the domains of My Kingdom and
the doves dwelling in the rose-garden of My wisdom utter such melodies
and warblings as are inscrutable to all but God, the Lord of the
kingdoms of earth and heaven; and were these melodies to be revealed
even to an extent smaller than a needle's eye, the people of tyranny
would utter such calumnies as none among former generations hath ever
uttered, and would commit such deeds as no one in past ages and
centuries hath ever committed. They have rejected the bounty of God and
His proofs and have repudiated the testimony of God and His signs. They
have gone astray and have caused the people to go astray, yet perceive
it not. They worship vain imaginings but know it not. They have taken
idle fancies for their lords and have neglected God, yet understand
not. They have abandoned the most great Ocean and are hastening towards
the pool, but comprehend not. They follow their own idle fancies while
turning aside from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 106-107
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