Chapter C95
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Compilation on "the station of pure abstraction and
essential unity" of the Manifestations of God (Independent Prophets and
Dependent/Lesser Prophets).
1)
Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of the Bayan. For
indeed they erred grievously, misguided the people, ignored the
Covenant of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him, the
One, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize
the Point of the Bayan, for had they recognized Him they would not have
rejected His manifestation in this luminous and resplendent Being. And
since they fixed their eyes on names, therefore when He replaced His
Name 'the Most Exalted' by 'the Most Glorious' their eyes were dimmed.
They have failed to recognize Him in these days and are reckoned with
those that perish. Indeed, had they known Him through His own Self or
by virtue of that which He hath revealed, they would not have
repudiated Him when He appeared in this glorious and incomparable Name,
which God hath ordained to be the Sword of His Revelation between
heaven and earth, and through which truth is separated from error, even
from now until the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the
worlds.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 185
XLVII. O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the
Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person,
been made manifest unto you. Deal with Me as ye wish, for I have vowed
to lay down My life in the path of God. I will fear no one, though the
powers of earth and heaven be leagued against Me. Followers of the
Gospel! If ye cherish the desire to slay Muhammad, the Apostle of God,
seize Me and put an end to My life, for I am He, and My Self is His
Self. Do unto Me as ye like, for the deepest longing of Mine heart is
to attain the presence of My Best-Beloved in His Kingdom of Glory. Such
is the Divine decree, if ye know it. Followers of Muhammad! If it be
your wish to riddle with your shafts the breast of Him Who hath caused
His Book the Bayan to be sent down unto you, lay hands on Me and
persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the revelation of His own
Self, though My name be not His name. I have come in the shadows of the
clouds of glory, and am invested by God with invincible sovereignty.
He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I, verily,
anticipate from you the treatment ye have accorded unto Him that came
before Me. To this all things, verily, witness, if ye be of those who
hearken. O people of the Bayan! If ye have resolved to
shed the blood of Him Whose coming the Báb hath proclaimed, Whose
advent Muhammad hath prophesied, and Whose Revelation Jesus Christ
Himself hath announced, behold Me standing, ready and defenseless,
before you. Deal with Me after your own desires.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 100
2)
The following passages on the
"station of pure abstraction and essential unity" of the Manifestations
of God includes Muhammad, Adam, Noah, Moses and Jesus, who are
Independent Prophets; and Imam Ali and the Imams, who are
Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Muhammad.
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!"[1]
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'án, 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 [Imam 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."[2]
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."
[1 Qur'án 2:285.]
[2 Qur'án 54:50.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 151
O Salman! And O Jandab [Abu Dharr]! In truth My recognition in luminousness is the recognition of God
[Ma'rifat Allah] and Recognition and knowledge of God is indeed my
knowledge and this is what is meant by sincere devotion/pure religion
[ad-Deen al Khaalis, Qur'an 39:3]...
Salman! We are the Mystery of God [Sirru'llah] that shall not remain
hidden. We are His light that shall never be extinguished, His Grace
that is not to be expected from any one but Him. Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all.
Muhammad is our first, Muhammad
our last, Muhammad our all. He who recognises us in this regard has
consummated the Faith in truth.
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nuraaniyyat (Recognition with Luminousness). Translation by K. Fananapazir.
2:285. The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from
his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in
Allah, His angels, His books, and His Messengers. "We make no
distinction (they say) between one and another of His Messengers." And
they say: "We hear, and we obey: (we seek) Thy forgiveness, Our Lord,
and to Thee is the end of all journeys."
2:286. On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.
It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it
earns. (Pray): "Our Lord! condemn us not if we forget or fall into
error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay
on those before us; our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we
have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness.
Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who
stand against Faith."
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 2
54:50. And Our command is but a single (Act), like the twinkling of an eye.
54:51. And (oft) in the past, have We destroyed gangs like unto you: Then is there any that will receive admonition?
54:52. All that they do is noted in (their) Books (of Deeds):
54:53. Every matter, small and great, is on record.
54:54. As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers.
54:55. In an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 54
I shall soon depart from amongst you, but be watchful and aware; be on
your guard against the tests and tribulations caused by the 'Ummayyds
and their worldly powers. And after they shall pass away, the kingdom
will revert to the 'Abbasids[11] who will bring both sorrow and
happiness to mankind. And they shall build a city called Baghdád, which
shall be between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Woe betide men in those
latter days, for amongst them will rise the oppressors among My people,
who shall build palaces for themselves and courts and tabernacles. For
they shall seek supremacy through intrigue and impiety. Two score and
two kings shall rule among the children of the 'Abbasids, after whose
reign shall come to pass the Most Great Tribulation on the surface of
the earth. Then shall the True Qá'im rise up once more. Then shall I
show My Face amongst men, and it shall be as luminous as the face of
the moon amid the other stars. But note well the ten signs associated
with my coming. The first sign shall be the inversion of banners on the
highways of Kúfa[12]; the second, the abeyance of true worship and the
prescribed prayers; the third, the end of true pilgrimage. The fourth
sign shall be an eclipse in the lands of Khorasán[13], the gathering of
constellations and the appearance of comets in the sky. There shall be
chaos and confusion, massacre, pillage and robbery in the world. Many
other signs shall there be too, surpassing all these signs, among which
is the sign of wonderment. But when all these signs have passed away,
then, verily, shall the Qá'im Himself arise in truth.
-- Imam Ali, Khutbat'ul-Iftikhár (The Sermon of Glorification). Translation by K. Fananapazir.
Full text available at: https://bahai-library.com/imam-ali_khutbat_iftikhar
I am the Christ who heals the blind and the lepers, who creates the
birds and disperses the storm-clouds. I am he and he is I. Indeed, Christ is the establisher of the truth, he
is the king of this world and of the hereafter. Jesus the Son of Mary
is from me and I am from him. He is the supreme Word of God.
-- Imam Ali (Ja’far ibn Mansur al-Yaman, Kitab al-Kashf). Translator unknown.
"Whoso wishes to behold Adam and Seth, behold I am Adam and Seth; whoso
wishes to behold Noah and his son Shem, behold I am Noah and Shem;
whoso wishes to behold Abraham and Ishmael, behold I am Abraham and
Ishmael; whoso wishes to behold Moses and Joshua, behold I am Moses and
Joshua; whoso wishes to behold Jesus and Simon, behold I am Jesus and
Simon."
-- Hadith from Imám Ja'far Al-Sádiq relating to the Twelfth Imám,
quoted in al-Ahsá'í, "Risála fi `l-'Isma wa `l-raj'a," in Jawámi', vol.
1, part 1, p. 85; also quoted idem, Sharh al-ziyára, vol. 3, p. 92, and
the Báb, Dalá'il, pp. 3-4.
3)
The following passages are about the two classes of Prophets, who are the Manifestations
of God, are the Manifestations of the First and the Last.
I shall restate here My theme, that perchance this may assist thee in
recognizing thy Creator. Know thou that God - exalted and glorified be
He - doth in no wise manifest His inmost Essence and Reality. From time
immemorial He hath been veiled in the eternity of His Essence and
concealed in the infinitude of His own Being. And when He purposed to
manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory in
the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the
invisible plane to the visible, that His name "the Manifest" might be
distinguished from "the Hidden" and His name "the Last" might be
discerned from "the First", and that there may be fulfilled the words:
"He is the First and the Last; the Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth
all things!" Thus hath He revealed these most excellent names and most
exalted words in the Manifestations of His Self and the Mirrors of His
Being.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 33
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God
to declare: "I am God," He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt
attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that
through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of
God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world.
Thus, He hath revealed: "Those shafts were God's, not Thine." And also
He saith: "In truth, they who plighted fealty unto Thee, really
plighted that fealty unto God." And were any of them to voice the
utterance, "I am the Messenger of God," He, also, speaketh the truth,
the indubitable truth. Even as He saith: "Muhammad is not the father of
any man among you, but He is the Messenger of God." Viewed in this
light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that
unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim, "I am the Seal of
the Prophets," they, verily, utter but the truth, beyond the faintest
shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit,
one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the
"Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and
the "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the Innermost Spirit
of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences. And were they to say, "We
are the Servants of God," this also is a manifest and indisputable
fact. For they have been made manifest in the uttermost state of
servitude, a servitude the like of which no man can possibly attain.
Thus in moments in which these Essences of Being were deep immersed
beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when they
soared to the loftiest summits of Divine mysteries, they claimed their
utterances to be the Voice of Divinity, the Call of God Himself.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 53
And were they to say that by "divine Presence" is meant the "Secondary
Revelation of God," interpreted as the "Holy Outpouring," this is
admittedly applicable to the world of creation, that is, in the realm
of the primal and original manifestation of God. Such revelation is
confined to His Prophets and chosen Ones,
inasmuch as none mightier than they hath come to exist in the world of
being. This truth all recognize, and bear witness thereto. These
Prophets and chosen Ones of God are the recipients and revealers of all
the unchangeable attributes and names of God. They are the mirrors that
truly and faithfully reflect the light of God. Whatsoever is applicable
to them is in reality applicable to God, Himself, Who is both the
Visible and the Invisible. The knowledge of Him, Who is the Origin of
all things, and attainment unto Him, are impossible save through
knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous Beings who proceed
from the Sun of Truth. By attaining, therefore, to the presence of
these holy Luminaries, the "Presence of God" Himself is attained. From
their knowledge, the knowledge of God is revealed, and from the light
of their countenance, the splendour of the Face of God is made
manifest. Through the manifold attributes of these Essences of
Detachment, Who are both the first and the last, the seen and the
hidden, it is made evident that He Who is the Sun of Truth is "the
First and the Last, the Seen, and the Hidden."[1] Likewise the other
lofty names and exalted attributes of God. Therefore, whosoever, and in
whatever Dispensation, hath recognized and attained unto the presence
of these glorious, these resplendent and most excellent Luminaries,
hath verily attained unto the "Presence of God" Himself, and entered
the city of eternal and immortal life. Attainment unto such presence is
possible only in the Day of Resurrection, which is the Day of the rise
of God Himself through His all-embracing Revelation.
[1 Qur'án 57:3.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 141
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."
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 161
And know thou that He [God]
indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the sun to continue till
the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will be more
than one sun; and were its settings to endure for evermore, still there
hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun. It is this Primal Will which appeareth resplendent in every Prophet
and speaketh forth in every revealed Book. It knoweth no beginning,
inasmuch as the First deriveth its firstness from It; and knoweth no
end, for the Last oweth its lastness unto It.
In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in
Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham
in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of
Muhammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the 'Point of the Bayan'; the
day of Him Whom God shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who
will appear after Him Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner
meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of God, 'I am all the
Prophets', inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them
hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun.
-- The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 125
Regarding their statement that "our faith and religion is superior to
every other", by this is meant such Prophets as have appeared before
them. Viewed from one perspective these holy Souls are one: the first
among them is the same as the last, and the last is the same as the
first. All have proceeded from God, unto Him have they summoned all
men, and unto Him have they returned. This theme hath been set forth in
the Book of Certitude, which is indeed the cynosure of all books, and
which streamed from the Pen of Glory in the early years of this Most
Great Revelation. Blessed is he that hath beheld it and pondered its
contents for the love of God, the Lord of creation.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tabernacle of Unity
4)
In the following passage from the Hidden Words, "My servant", is the Dependent Prophet of
Baha'u'llah, who is also the Face of God (like Baha'u'llah). The
statement "his face is My face" is true when the Manifestations of God
are viewed from the "station of pure abstraction and essential unity"; similar in inner meaning to how the Holy Imams said, "Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our
last, Muhammad our all", which is cited by Baha'u'llah in passage #2 above when explaining the station. "Be then abashed before Me" -- recognise the sovereignty of the Dependent Prophet (who is the Face of God) -- recognise the sovereignty of God.
30. O SON OF MAN!
Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words
5)
"Thereupon the countenance of the favored
damsel beamed above the celestial chambers even as the light that
shineth from the face of the Youth above His mortal temple" -- the countenance of the Dependent
Prophet of Bahá'u'lláh, one of the handmaidens, which is inwardly the same as the countenance of the Youth (Baha'u'llah). "she rose to her full height in the midmost heart of
creation" refers to the declaration of the Dependent Prophet.
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
Thereupon she [the Maid of Heaven, Baha'u'llah, the Independent
Prophet] summoned unto herself one maiden [one Dependent Prophet of
Baha'u'llah] from her handmaidens,
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
And commanded her: "Descend into space [appear on earth] from the mansions of eternity,...
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
Thereupon the countenance of the favored damsel beamed above the
celestial chambers even as the light that shineth from the face of the Youth above His mortal temple;
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
She then descended with such an adorning as to illumine the heavens and all that is therein.
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
She bestirred herself and perfumed all things in the lands of holiness and grandeur.
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
When she reached that place she rose to her full height in the midmost heart of creation,
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet of the Holy Mariner.
6)
The following passage is about the
suffering and/or martyrdom of different Prophets when viewed from the
"station of pure abstraction and essential unity" of the Manifestations
of God, including Imam Husayn, the third Dependent/Lesser Prophet in the era of Muhammad.
XXXIX. Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God, for the wondrous revelations
of Thy inscrutable decree and the manifold woes and trials Thou hast
destined for Myself. At one time Thou didst deliver Me into the hands
of Nimrod [Abraham]; at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod to persecute Me [Moses]..... Again I was crucified for having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy glorious unity [Jesus],
for having revealed to them the wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and
everlasting power. How bitter the humiliations heaped upon Me, in a
subsequent age, on the plain of Kárbilá! [Imam Husayn]
How lonely did I feel amidst Thy people! To what a state of
helplessness I was reduced in that land! Unsatisfied with such
indignities, My persecutors decapitated Me, and, carrying aloft My head
from land to land paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving
multitude, and deposited it on the seats of the perverse and faithless.
In a later age, I was suspended, and My breast was made a target to the
darts of the malicious cruelty of My foes. My limbs were riddled with
bullets, and My body was torn asunder [The Bab].
Finally, behold how, in this Day, My treacherous enemies have leagued
themselves against Me, and are continually plotting to instill the
venom of hate and malice into the souls of Thy servants [Baha'u'llah].
With all their might they are scheming to accomplish their purpose..
Grievous as is My plight, O God, My Well-Beloved, I render thanks unto
Thee, and My Spirit is grateful for whatsoever hath befallen me in the
path of Thy good-pleasure. I am well pleased with that which Thou didst
ordain for Me, and welcome, however calamitous, the pains and sorrows I
am made to suffer.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 88-90
7)
To them that are endowed with understanding, it is clear and manifest
that, when the fire of the love of Jesus consumed the veils of Jewish
limitations, and His authority was made apparent and partially
enforced, He, the Revealer of the unseen Beauty, addressing one day His
disciples, referred unto His passing, and, kindling in their hearts the
fire of bereavement, said unto them: "I go away and come again unto
you." And in another place He said: "I go and another will come, Who
will tell you all that I have not told you, and will fulfil all that I
have said." Both these sayings have but one meaning, were ye to ponder
upon the Manifestations of the Unity of God with Divine insight.
Every discerning observer will recognize that in the Dispensation of
the Qur'án both the Book and the Cause of Jesus were confirmed. As to
the matter of names, Muhammad, Himself, declared: "I am Jesus." He
recognized the truth of the signs, prophecies, and words of Jesus, and
testified that they were all of God. In this sense, neither the person
of Jesus nor His writings hath differed from that of Muhammad and of
His holy Book, inasmuch as both have championed the Cause of God,
uttered His praise, and revealed His commandments. Thus it is that
Jesus, Himself, declared: "I go away and come again unto you." Consider
the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of yesterday," it would
speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind,
claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth. In
like manner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the same,
it is correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their
particular names and designations, that they differ, that again is
true. For though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a
separate designation, a specific attribute, a particular character.
Conceive accordingly the distinction, variation, and unity
characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness, that thou
mayest comprehend the allusions made by the Creator of all names and
attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the
answer to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should have,
at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles....
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 20
8)
The other station is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of creation, and to the limitations thereof.
In this respect, each Manifestation of God hath a distinct
individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a predestined
revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them is
known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute,
fulfils a definite mission, and is entrusted with a particular
Revelation. Even as He saith: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to
excel the others. To some God hath spoken, some He hath raised and
exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We gave manifest signs, and We
strengthened Him with the Holy Spirit."
It is because of this difference in their station and mission that the
words and utterances flowing from these Well Springs of Divine
knowledge appear to diverge and differ. Otherwise, in the eyes of them
that are initiated into the mysteries of Divine wisdom, all their
utterances are, in reality, but the expressions of one Truth. As most
of the people have failed to appreciate those stations to which We have
referred, they, therefore, feel perplexed and dismayed at the varying
utterances pronounced by Manifestations that are essentially one and
the same.
It hath ever been evident that all these divergencies of utterance are
attributable to differences of station. Thus, viewed from the
standpoint of their oneness and sublime detachment, the attributes of
Godhead, Divinity, Supreme Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been,
and are applicable to those Essences of Being, inasmuch as they all
abide on the throne of Divine Revelation, and are established upon the
seat of Divine Concealment. Through their appearance the Revelation of
God is made manifest, and by their countenance the Beauty of God is
revealed. Thus it is that the accents of God Himself have been heard
uttered by these Manifestations of the Divine Being.
Viewed in the light of their second station -- the station of
distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations, characteristics and
standards -- they manifest absolute servitude, utter destitution, and
complete self-effacement. Even as He saith: "I am the servant of God. I
am but a man like you."...
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 52
XXIV. Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to
make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or
to discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed
their Revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if
ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye assured,
moreover, that the works and acts of each and every one of these Manifestations of God, nay whatever pertaineth unto them, and
whatsoever they may manifest in the future, are all ordained by God,
and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Whoso maketh the
slightest possible difference between their persons, their words, their
messages, their acts and manners, hath indeed disbelieved in God, hath
repudiated His signs, and betrayed the Cause of His Messengers.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 59
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
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