Chapter 36
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Conflicting writings regarding the Throne of the Manifestations of God, as distinct from all others.
In passage 1 below, Shoghi
Effendi says, "If a person can accept Bahá'u'lláh's function, it should
not present any difficulty to them to also accept what He has ordained
in a Divinely guided individual [the Guardian] in matters pertaining to
the Faith." Shoghi Effendi (a regular human) is essentially drawing parallels
between himself and the Manifestation of God, which is forbidden by
God. Humans are not to be paralleled to or likened to the
Manifestations of God, who "have no like in creation", and about whom
it is said, "there is no relation, connection, similarity or reference
between that Throne and all else save it", as indicated in passages 2 - 5.
1)
89 GUIDANCE, DIVINE (Of Guardian)
"He feels that if ... ponders more deeply about the fundamentals of
Divine Revelation, she will also come to understand the Guardianship.
Once the mind and heart have grasped the fact that God guides men
through a Mouthpiece, a human being, a Prophet, infallible and
unerring, it is only a logical projection of this acceptance to also
accept the station of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardians. The Guardians are
the evidence of the maturity of mankind in the sense that at long last
men have progressed to the point of having one world, and of needing
one world management for human affairs. In the spiritual realm they
have also reached the point where God could leave, in human hands (i.e.
the Guardians) guided directly by the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, as the
Master states in His Will, the affairs of His Faith for this
Dispensation. This is what is meant by 'this is the day which will not
be followed by night.' In this Dispensation, divine guidance flows on
to us in this world after the Prophet's ascension, through first the
Master, and then the Guardians. If a person can accept Bahá'u'lláh's
function, it should not present any difficulty to them to also accept
what He has ordained in a Divinely guided individual in matters
pertaining to the Faith."
-- Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 33
2)
I testify, O Thou Who art the Lord of the whole creation, and the
Desire of whosoever hath sought Thee, that, amidst Thy creatures, They [the Manifestations of God]
resemble the sun which no matter how often it riseth and setteth is
still the one and the same sun. Whoso maketh any distinction between
any of Them hath truly failed to attain the ultimate purpose, and to
reach the highest goal, and hath been deprived of the mysteries of
unity and of the lights of sanctity and oneness. I testify, moreover,
that Thou hast decreed that none on the face of the earth should equal
Them, and none of Thy creatures be able to be compared with any of
Them, in order that Thine own singleness and peerlessness might be
recognized and established.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p. 50-51
Every one who is endowed with a clear insight will behold that They
(the Manifestations) were created before the creation of heaven and
earth, and that this has ever been the Throne of the Merciful, and will
forever be as it was; that there is no relation, connection, similarity or reference between that Throne and all else save it, and that all things testify with their inmost tongue; "Verily, these (bodies) are the Thrones of the Merciful One." They have no like in creation,
nor any equal in the world of emanation. From their elements all have
appeared in such wise that thou wilt find that, verily, from their Fire
fire hath appeared in the universe and hath spoken in the Blessed
Branch of Unity, in the lofty Sinai of Moses the Interlocutor, and that
from their Waters thou findest every soul living and immortal. So,
likewise, after this manner, consider its other elements; but with
manifest certainty. This was the mention of the place whereon He was
established. How much above this, then, will be the station of His
Chair, and that upon which He stands? (The Prophets.) All that which We
have revealed and mentioned unto thee in this Tablet is according to
the language of the people of creation; otherwise, by the One in the
grasp of Whose Power are all things, verily, We have utterances
concerning this station such as are not befitting to mention in these
days, during which the people have differed, and have cast the Lord of
Lords behind them, and have made an idol by the hands of lust, and have
circled around it and become of those who are attached to it.
-- Baha'u'llah, Lawh-i-Zuhúr, Tablet of the Manifestation - Provisional translation by an unknown author.
The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole
purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth... All things
must needs have a cause, a motive power, an animating principle. These
souls and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to
provide, the supreme moving impulse in the world of being.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 156-157
3)
Thy unity is inscrutable, O my God, to all except them that have
recognized Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy singleness and the
Day-Spring of Thy oneness. Whoso assigneth a rival unto Him hath
assigned a rival unto Thee, and whoso hath set up a peer for Him hath
set up a peer for Thyself. No, no, none can withstand Thee in the whole
of creation. Thou hast everlastingly been exalted far above all
comparison and likeness. Thy oneness hath been demonstrated by the
oneness of Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation. Whosoever
denieth this, hath denied Thy unity, and disputed with Thee about Thy
sovereignty, and contended with Thee in Thy realm, and repudiated Thy
commandments.
Assist Thou Thy servants, O my Lord, to recognize Thy unity and to
declare Thy oneness, that all may gather together around what Thou
didst desire in this Day whereon the sun of Thine essence [Baha'u'llah] hath shone
forth above the horizon of Thy will, and the moon of Thine own being [Abdu'l-Baha]
hath risen from the Day-Spring of Thy behest. Thou art He, O my Lord,
from Whose knowledge nothing whatsoever escapeth, and Whom no one can
frustrate. Thou doest Thy pleasure, by Thy sovereignty that
overshadoweth the worlds.
-- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 57
4)
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in
the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His
saying: "His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath
encompassed them all" hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to
appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human
temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto
the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the
subtleties of His imperishable Essence. These sanctified Mirrors, these
Day-springs of ancient glory are one and all the Exponents on earth of
Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate
Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is
derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a
reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless
glory. They are the Treasuries of divine knowledge, and the
Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace
that is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can never
fade. Even as He hath said: "There is no distinction whatsoever between
Thee and them; except that they are Thy servants, and are created of
Thee." This is the significance of the tradition: "I am He, Himself,
and He is I, myself."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 99
5)
And of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished and the
most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. Nay, all
else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation of their Will,
and move and have their being through the outpourings of their grace.
"But for Thee, I would have not created the heavens." Nay,
all in their holy presence fade into utter nothingness, and are a thing
forgotten. Human tongue can never befittingly sing their praise, and
human speech can never unfold their mystery.
These Tabernacles of holiness, these primal Mirrors which reflect the
light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the
Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of these gems of divine
virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and
power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty and
grace, are made manifest.
These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed
specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all the
Prophets of God, His well-favoured, His holy, and chosen Messengers,
are, without exception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments
of His attributes. They only differ in the intensity of their
revelation, and the comparative potency of their light. Even as He hath
revealed: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others."[1]
It hath therefore become manifest and evident that within the
tabernacles of these Prophets and chosen Ones of God the light of His
infinite names and exalted attributes hath been reflected, even though
the light of some of these attributes may or may not be outwardly
revealed from these luminous Temples to the eyes of men. That a certain
attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested by these Essences
of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they Who are the Daysprings of
God's attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names did not actually
possess it. Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these beauteous
Countenances have, each and every one of them, been endowed with all
the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and the like,
even though to outward seeming they be shorn of all earthly majesty. To
every discerning eye this is evident and manifest; it requireth neither
proof nor evidence.
[1 Qur'án 2:253.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 102
More references on God's Chosen Ones.
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