Chapter C87
---------------
"Temple" is one of the terms applied to Independent Prophets and Dependent/Lesser Prophets.
1)
Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet, the Temple of God.
CXLVI. It is Our wish and desire that every one of you may become a
source of all goodness unto men, and an example of uprightness to
mankind. Beware lest ye prefer yourselves above your neighbors. Fix
your gaze upon Him Who is the Temple of God amongst men. He, in truth,
hath offered up His life as a ransom for the redemption of the world.
He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the Gracious, the Most High. If any
differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before your face, and
overlook the faults of one another for My name's sake and as a token of
your love for My manifest and resplendent Cause. We love to see you at
all times consorting in amity and concord within the paradise of My
good-pleasure, and to inhale from your acts the fragrance of
friendliness and unity, of loving-kindness and fellowship. Thus
counselleth you the All-Knowing, the Faithful. We shall always be with
you; if We inhale the perfume of your fellowship, Our heart will
assuredly rejoice, for naught else can satisfy Us. To this beareth
witness every man of true understanding.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 315
Thus have We built the Temple with the hands of power and might, could ye but know it. This is the Temple promised unto you in the Book. Draw ye nigh unto it.
This is that which profiteth you, could ye but comprehend it. Be fair,
O peoples of the earth! Which is preferable, this, or a temple which is
built of clay? Set your faces towards it. Thus have ye been commanded
by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Follow ye His bidding,
and praise ye God, your Lord, for that which He hath bestowed upon you.
He, verily, is the Truth. No God is there but He. He revealeth what He
pleaseth, through His words "Be and it is".
-- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 136
The Cause of Bahá'u'lláh is the same as the Cause of Christ. It is the same Temple and the same Foundation.
Both of these are spiritual springtimes and seasons of the
soul-refreshing awakening and the cause of the renovation of the life
of mankind. The spring of this year is the same as the spring of last
year. The origins and ends are the same. The sun of today is the sun of
yesterday. In the coming of Christ, the divine teachings were given in
accordance with the infancy of the human race. The teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh have the same basic principles, but are according to the
stage of the maturity of the world and the requirements of this
illumined age.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 400
2)
Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet, the "manifest Temple".
Say: O King of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice calling from this
manifest Temple: "Verily, there is none other God but Me, the
Everlasting, the Peerless, the Ancient of Days." Take heed lest pride
debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest
earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the Lord of the
Throne above and of the earth below.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 51
3)
"all the Prophets of God"... are "Temples"...
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. 103
4)
Prophets are temples.
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.
5)
"All the Prophets" (i.e. both Independent Prophets and Dependent Prophets) are the "Temples of the Cause of God".
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.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 153
6)
Abdu'l-Baha, a Branch, is named a Temple: "temple of Abha".
Say: Verily, the ocean of pre-existence [Abdu'l-Baha] hath branched forth from this
most great Ocean [Baha'u'llah, the Root]. Blessed, therefore, is he who abides upon Its shores,
and is of those who are established thereon. Verily, this most sacred
temple of Abha -- the Branch of Holiness hath branched forth from the
Sadratu'l-Muntaha. Blessed is whosoever sought shelter beneath it and
is of those who rest therein.
Say: Verily, the branch of command hath sprung forth from this root
which God hath firmly planted in the ground of the will, the limb of
which has been elevated to a station which encompasses all existence.
Therefore, exalted be He for this creation, the lofty, the blessed, the
inaccessible, the mighty!
O ye people! Draw nigh unto It, and taste the fruits of its knowledge
and wisdom on the part of the mighty, the knowing One. Whosoever will
not taste thereof shall be deprived of the bounty, even though he hath
partaken of all that is in the earth -- were ye of those who know.
Say: Verily a word hath gone forth in favor from the most great Tablet
and God has adorned It with the mantle of Himself, and made it
sovereign over all in the earth and a sign of His grandeur and
omnipotence among the creatures; in order that through it, the people
shall praise their Lord, the mighty, the powerful, the wise; and that,
through it, they shall glorify their creator and sanctify the self of
God which standeth within all things. Verily, this is naught but a
Revelation upon the part of the wise, the ancient One!
Say: O people, praise ye God, for its Manifestation, for verily it is
the most great favor upon you and the most perfect blessing upon you;
and through Him every moldering bone is quickened Whosoever turns to
Him hath surely turned unto God, and whosoever turneth away from Him
hath turned away from My beauty denied My proof and is of those who
transgress. Verily, He is the remembrance of God amongst you and His
trust within you, and His manifestation unto you and His appearance
among the servants who are nigh. Thus have I been commanded to convey
to you the message of God, your Creator; and I have delivered to you
that of which I was commanded. Whereupon, thereunto testifieth God,
then His angels, then His messengers, and then His holy servants.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Tablet of the Branch - from BWF
7)
In the passage below, Imam Ali,
the first Dependent Prophet of Muhammad, is named a Temple,
and is the first of the angels referred to in Qur'án 2:210: "Will they
wait until Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds, with angels (in
His train)." "angels (in His train)" refers to the Holy Imams who appeared in succession after Muhammad. "Allah comes to them" is also a reference to the fact that the Holy Imams are Manifestations of God (Dependent Prophets of Muhammad, one of the two classes of Prophets). Those
who rejected Imam Ali ("He came down in the clouds of Revelation in the
Temple of 'Ali"), a Manifestation of God, brought their own perdition.
Say I swear by God! They to whom you attribute knowledge and have
accepted them as your divines they are in the sight of God the worst of
men nay the quintessence of evil flees from them. Thus has the matter
been inscribed in the scrolls of God's knowledge. We testify that they
have not drunk from the fountains of knowledge and they have not
attained unto a word of Wisdom and have not become aware of the
mysteries of Revelation and have been racing in the land of their
selfish desires. Nothing of rejection and denial against a prophet or a
successor of a prophet has come to pass except after their permission.
Thus has always been their injunction carried out on the Countenances
of holiness.
Say to them: O ignorant ones! Did We not reveal in the past: "A Day
that God shall come in the canopies of clouds."[4] How is it that when
He came down in the clouds of Revelation in the Temple of 'Ali [Imam Ali],
you turned away and rejected Him and waxed haughty and brought about
your own perdition?[5] Was it not also revealed in your Book: "the Day
when Thy Lord comes or certain of the signs of Thy Lord."[6] And when
He did come with evident signs wherefore did ye turn away from those
signs and veiled yourselves with the veils of self?..
[4] Qur'án 2:210.
[5] Qur'án 25:18 and 48:12.
[6] Qur'an 6:158.
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih-i-Sabr (Lawh-i-Ayyúb), Surih of Patience or Tablet of Job - (Trans. K. Fananapazir)
208. O ye who believe! enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not
the footsteps of the Evil One; for he is to you an avowed enemy.
209. If ye backslide after the clear (signs) have come to you, then know that Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.
210. Will they wait until Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds,
with angels (in His train) and the question is (thus) settled? But to
Allah do all questions go back (for decision).
211. Ask the Children of Israel how many Clear (Signs) We have sent
them. But if anyone, after Allah's favor has come to him, substitutes
(something else), Allah is strict in punishment.
212. The life of this world is alluring to those who reject faith, and
they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them
on the Day of Resurrection; for Allah bestows His abundance without
measures on whom He will.
-- The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 2.
8)
In passage below, the "immortal temples" are the Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah (also
referred to as "assayers" earlier in the same tablet, "handmaidens" in Tablet of the Holy Mariner revealed in Arabic, "Maids of Heaven" in Gleanings CXXIX and CLIII, and as
"His [God's] servants" in the last paragraph of the Surih of the
Temple).
We have passed beyond the loftiness of abstraction, the sublimity of
divine oneness, the ultimate recognition that God is above all
attributes, and the most great sanctification. Now, they must put forth
their utmost effort and give their unswerving attention, so that their
inward secrets not be contrary to their overt behavior, nor their
outward deeds at variance with their inner mysteries. We have traversed
the stage of expending the self for others. Arise to expend justice and
fairness upon the souls that pertain to you.
In the end, however, you prefer the cloak of carnal longing and desire
to the robe of divine benediction, and you exchange the song of the
nightingale of immortality for the disagreeable croaking of death that
issues from the throats of the hateful and rebellious. How miserable a
trade you make! We are from God and to him do we return. God willing,
we maintain the hope that the immortal temples of glory shall, through
the adornment of holiness and the divine attributes, appear illumined,
gentle, pure and undefiled like the eternal sun. This is not difficult
for God.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet of the Holy Mariner from the Persian. A provisional translation by Juan Cole.
9)
In passage below, "temples of
pre-existence" and "chaste maidens of beauty" are the pre-existent
Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah. There are some variations in
the symbolic terms used to refer to Dependent/Lesser Prophets of
Baha'u'llah, but the inner meaning is the same, based on the context.
The sun has risen over the sacred horizon, and the concourse on high
has been illumined by its radiance. The scent of musk has diffused from
the knolls of sanctity, perfuming the temples of pre-existence. Happy
is he who adorns himself with these fragrances! The luminary of the
Cause has risen in the midst of the sky, and has taken the form of a
full moon, brilliant in its whiteness. Concourse of the near ones, seek
to be illumined by its splendor! Say: The throne has been established
behind the pavilion of majesty, and about it circle chaste maidens of
beauty bearing flagons brimming with the water of life. Blessed is the
person who attains to sprinkled droplets thereof. Say: The Maiden of
Eternity has uncovered Beauty itself with a gut-wrenching gaze. Blessed
is the one who is struck by her glance! Say: The voice of God has been
heard from the sanctuary of eternity, and the hearts of the mystic
knowers have been enthralled by its melodies.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Surah of the Companions - A provisional translation by Juan Cole.
10)
The Surih of the Temple, an important tablet revealed by Baha'u'llah, is another
place where Baha'u'llah refers to His many Dependent/Lesser Prophets, in
addition to other important themes. "Temples" is one of the terms Baha'u'llah applies to Prophets (both Independent Prophets
and Dependent Prophets), who are the Face of God on earth, as reflected in the words, "temples of the Oneness of God", in the passage below. "Raise up, then, from this Temple," refers to Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet. "the temples of the Oneness of God" refers to the pre-existent Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah summoned to appear on earth by him. "be of them that are illumined by His
light" -- be among the true believers who recognise the Dependent Prophets.
1.12
O Pen of the Most High! Hearken unto the Call of Thy Lord, raised from
the Divine Lote-Tree in the holy and luminous Spot, that the sweet
accents of Thy Lord, the All-Merciful, may fill Thy soul with joy and
fervour, and that the breezes that waft from My name, the
Ever-Forgiving, may dispel Thy cares and sorrows. Raise up, then, from
this Temple [Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet], the temples [Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah] of the Oneness of God,
that they may tell out, in the kingdom of creation, the tidings of
their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and be of them that are
illumined by His light.
1.13
We, verily, have ordained this Temple [Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet] to be the source of all existence
in the new creation, that all may know of a certainty My power to
accomplish that which I have purposed through My word "Be", and it is!
Beneath the shadow of every letter of this Temple
We shall raise up a people whose number none can reckon save God, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Erelong shall God bring forth from
His Temple such souls as will remain unswayed by the insinuations of
the rebellious, and who will quaff at all times of the cup that is life
indeed. These, truly, are of the blissful.
1.14
These are servants [Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah]
who abide beneath the shelter of the tender mercy of their Lord, and
who remain undeterred by those who seek to obstruct their path. Upon
their faces may be seen the brightness of the light of the
All-Merciful, and from their hearts may be heard the remembrance of
Mine all-glorious and inaccessible Name. Were they to unloose their
tongues to extol their Lord, the denizens of earth and heaven would
join in their anthems of praise -- yet how few are they who hear! And
were they to glorify their Lord, all created things would join in their
hymns of glory. Thus hath God exalted them above the rest of His creation, and yet the people remain unaware!
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 8.
11)
In the passage below, "O Temple
of Divine Revelation!" is the last of the many passages in the tablet
which refer to the Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah. The "Temple of
Divine Revelation" is also the Maid of Heaven (Dependent Prophet). The Dependent
Prophets are also referred to as "His servants" in the last paragraph
(1.101) of the Surih of the Temple, and all else besides them are as
naught ("Nay, all in their holy presence
fade into utter nothingness, and are a thing forgotten"), described in more detail in subsequent
passage from the Iqan about the Manifestations of God (in this case,
Dependent Prophets).
1.100
O Temple of Divine Revelation! Sound the trumpet
in My Name! O Temple of Divine mysteries! Raise the clarion call of Thy
Lord, the Unconditioned, the Unconstrained! O Maid of Heaven! Step
forth from the chambers of paradise and announce unto the people of the
world: By the righteousness of God! He Who is the Best-Beloved of the
worlds -- He Who hath ever been the Desire of every perceiving heart,
the Object of the adoration of all that are in heaven and on earth, and
the Cynosure of the former and the latter generations -- is now come!
1.101
Take heed lest ye hesitate in recognizing this resplendent Beauty when
once He hath appeared in the plenitude of His sovereign might and
majesty. He, verily, is the True One, and all else besides Him is as
naught before a single one of His servants, and paleth into nothingness
when brought face to face with the revelation of His splendours.
Hasten, then, to attain the living waters of His grace, and be not of
the negligent. As to him who hesitateth, though it be for less than a
moment, God shall verily bring his works to naught and return him to
the seat of wrath; wretched indeed is the abode of them that tarry!
-- Baha'u'llah, Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 54
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
Back to Table of Contents.