# A Symbolic Profile of the Baha'i Faith

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Christopher Buck, A Symbolic Profile of the Baha'i Faith, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Published in the Journal of Bahá’í Studies Vol. 8, number 4 (1998)
> © Association for Bahá’í ™ Studies 1998
> 
> A Symbolic Profile of the Bahá’í Faith*
> Christopher Buck
> *This article is a slightly edited version of “A Symbolic Profile of the Bahá’í Faith”—Chapter Paradise and Paradigm: Key
> Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá’í Faith by Christopher Buck, forthcoming and reprinted by permission of the State
> University of New York Press.
> 
> Abstract
> Advanced study of the Bahá’í Faith must still deal with basics. While considerable progress has been made in
> historical research on Bábí and Bahá’í origins, much foundational work in Bahá’í Studies remains to be done at the
> level of text. Based on primary sources, this study will present a “symbolic profile” of Bahá’í consciousness, to the
> extent that it is shaped by the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ancillary texts. To order and classify the symbols, this
> profile will employ Ninian Smart’s dimensional model of religion, using the present writer’s acronym, DREEMS
> (Doctrinal, Ritual, Ethical, Experiential, Mythic, Social). Sherry Ortner’s key symbols paradigm, consisting of
> thought-orientating “root metaphors” and action-inciting “key scenarios,” completes the profile, while John
> Wansbrough provides insight into the formation of a new religious ethos through a process of symbolic
> transformation. This study will highlight some of the predominant Bahá’í symbols, to which others will surely be
> added.
> 
> Bahá’í Symbol Theory
> What makes a religion distinctive? Islam affords an analogy. In The Sectarian Milieu, John Wansbrough discusses
> the emergence and formation of the early Muslim community. Islam arose from within a preexisting “sectarian
> milieu”— a welter of “hardly distinguishable confessional groups” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu: Content
> and Composition of Islamic Salvation History 98). Contemporary historical sources disclose “the fact of Arab
> hegemony in the Fertile Crescent but virtually nothing of the confessional community called Islam” (Wansbrough,
> The Sectarian Milieu 118). What, then, led to the emergence of “Islam” as a distinct ethos, beyond the Arab ethnos?
> It was not the Arab conquests in which the self-definition of Islam inhered: “The elaboration of Islam was not
> contemporary with, but posterior to the Arab occupation of the Fertile Crescent and beyond” (Wansbrough, The
> Sectarian Milieu 99). Islam, as a religion, was not coeval with conquest. The political force of the early Arab
> expansion of the first two Islamic centuries did little to advance the ethos of the religion itself. A religious ethos
> requires interpretation and development.
> Imagery reifies the abstract. The ethos of Islam was shaped, in part, by a constellation of powerful, thought-
> orienting symbols. Fundamental to the documentation of confessional identity,” Wansbrough asserts, “was selection
> of appropriate insignia from the monotheist compendium of symbols, topoi, and theologoumena” (Wansbrough, The
> Sectarian Milieu 99). When these took shape and crystallized into their final form, they became “schemata of
> revelation” which “eventually generated a kind of subsidiary imagery,” fixed within an “initial range of symbols”
> (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 100). Rather than the military and political fact of conquest by Arabs who
> professed Islam, it was “the collection of confessional insignia which,” according to Wansbrough, “eventually
> crystallized as ‘Islam’” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 128). “Similarly,” Wansbrough continues, “the
> ecclesiological imagery of Aphrahat and Ephrem exhibits the successful, if occasionally strained, adaptation of a
> quite extraordinary range of motifs whose original symbolic value for the authority of the Church was anything but
> obvious” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 102–3). Whether in Islam or in early Syriac Christianity, symbols
> serve to orient the thoughts of the believer, inspiring and modeling strategies for action. An emergent symbol canon
> plays an emblematic role in communal self-definition.
> Symbols migrate. They can be taken up or assimilated from one tradition by another. This phenomenon
> involves a process of “symbolic transfer” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 102), resulting in a “transmission
> history of symbols” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 103). “The migration of symbols,” Wansbrough observes,
> “may be either productive or reductive” but “the crucial process is after all one of assimilation.” “It is hardly
> surprising,” as Wansbrough points out, “to find that those descriptions of community origins associated with the
> monotheistic confessions exhibit more similarities than differences” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu ix). While
> there are certainly formal similarities among the Western religions, this study will argue that the differences are
> paradigmatic. While symbols may be quarried from prior traditions and taken up in a new tradition, the symbols are
> reinterpreted in their new setting. How does this relate to the formation of a distinctive Bahá’í ethos?
> The Persian roots of the Bahá’í Faith are well known. Classical Persian poetry—particularly Perso-Islamic
> mystico-erotic poetry is the source of much of Bahá’u’lláh’s imagery. Much of Bahá’í symbolism may in fact be
> pre-Islamic in origin. Some symbols are ancient and are inherited, like an ancestral gene pool, from one historically
> contiguous tradition to the next. Symbols of Christian, Jewish, and Mesopotamian origin were doubtless mediated
> through both Islam and Persian cultural traditions. In the Persian symbolic landscape, it stands to reason that, while
> prescinding from arguing any direct symbolic genealogy, the pre-Islamic stratum would certainly include elements
> from the symbolic constellation underlying Persian Christianity.
> Originality must still be factored into analysis of these images. “However derivative the components,
> however disparate their original symbolic values and underlying mythologies,” Wansbrough stales, “their retention
> in a fresh configuration entails a successful semantic shift” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 102). This “fresh
> configuration” of symbols also involves a successful paradigm shift. The emergence and crystallization of Bahá’í
> identity derives from its universal impulse, not from its ethnic origins, and resides in its symbolic insignia, its
> grammar of images—images that are derivative, but reconfigured by a dynamic originality.
> Crucial to the crystallization of a distinctive Bahá’í paradigm, and to an elaboration of the Bahá’í ethos,
> were several factors, not the least of which was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s role in formulating and furthering a core set of
> Bahá’í “principles” and Shoghi Effendi’s privileging of Bahá’í texts that he chose to render into English. While
> acknowledging these elaborative developments, this study will focus primarily on some of the predominant and
> formative key symbols in Bahá’u’lláh’s writings. Such a project may be considered an exercise in what Ninian
> Smart terms “worldview analysis” (Smart, Worldviews 2).
> In his analysis of the Bahá’í symbolic vision, Alessandro Bausani writes:
> 
> An expression like: ‘the dove of eternity sings on the branches of the Túbá tree’ (the name of a tree
> symbolic of Muslim paradise) is susceptible of three levels of interpretation: (a) realistic level: in a pretty
> garden on a verdant tree a dove sings fascinating melodies; (b) mystic-symbolic level: in the Gardens of
> Paradise, outside of this lowly world, saints and blessed ones sing the praises of God; (c) realistic-symbolic
> level: Bahá’u’lláh at an exact moment in our time sends forth into the world a renewing spirit that will
> recreate it and give it form again in unitary visible forms, revealing his Writings in a definite place in the
> earth (the vicinity of Mt. Carmel). The spatial and temporal concreteness therefore, remains but makes
> itself translucent with eternity. (Bausani, “Some Aspects of the Bahá’í Expressive Style” 43)
> 
> This expression, “translucent with eternity,” is instructive, particularly with respect to the symbol’s opacity.
> A symbol is opaque until it is understood. It need not even be explicable. It is sufficient for it to be intuited. For the
> one to whom the symbol makes inspirational sense, the symbol is translucent, at once a way of looking at present
> reality, and at the same time affording a glimpse of the potential future, of a possible collective scenario, of the ideal
> real, the translucent shadows of the spiritual world to which a Bahá’í is ontologically and morally committed.
> These symbols take on a life of their own. In the inner world of spiritual consciousness, Bahá’u’lláh speaks
> of “subtle mysteries.” These are described as the “fruits of communion” with God in the garden of the heart. “By
> My life, O friend,” Bahá’u’lláh writes,
> 
> wert thou to taste of these fruits, from the green garden of these blossoms which grow in the lands of
> knowledge, beside the orient lights of the Essence in the mirrors of names and attributes—yearning would
> seize the reins of patience and reserve from out thy hand, and make thy soul to shake with the flashing
> light, and draw thee from the earthly homeland to the first, heavenly abode in the Center of Realities, and
> lift thee to a plane wherein thou wouldst soar in the air even as thou walkest upon the earth, and move over
> the water as thou rushest on the land. (Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys 3–4)
> 
> A series of potent images impels the believer to recreate waking life. Like dream-logic, Bahá’í symbolism is the
> logic of a vision of the world at peace, given its initial moral and spiritual impetus by Bahá’u’lláh. This poetic vision
> is a resource. It instills faith. If such faith is creative, it expresses itself in action. In this way, faith shapes social
> reality.
> An exhaustive survey of symbols that occur, for example, in Bahá’u’lláh’s correspondence, is not required
> for determining dominant motifs. A frequency inventory of motifs in Bahá’u’lláh’s writings would simply amount to
> a statistical, academic exercise, with an uncertain validity in the Bahá’í experience of Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, given
> its selective and limited exposure to them. Although the corpus of this Bahá’í scripture is enormous it is estimated
> that Bahá’u’lláh “revealed” around 15,000 “Tablets” of which some 7,000 are extant—those texts which exerted the
> most profound influence on Bahá’í communal consciousness are a relatively small and select number of the best-
> known and widely circulated works of Bahá’u’lláh. It is methodologically sound, therefore, to restrict data selection
> to the most renowned and influential writings of this founder.
> Bahá’u’lláh’s acknowledged masterpieces include, among other works. the following: Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The
> Most Holy Book (1873), Bahá’u’lláh’s weightiest work; Kitáb-i-Íqán: The Book of Certitude (1861–62),
> Bahá’u’lláh’s foremost doctrinal work; The Hidden Words (1858), Bahá’u’lláh’s principal ethical work:
> The Seven Valleys (1856), Bahá’u’lláh’s greatest mystical work; The Essence of the Mysteries, with its “Seven
> Cities”; The Four Valleys, complement of The Seven Valleys; The Tablet of Tajallíyát, with its four Effullgences; the
> Tablet of the World (1891), with its “five fundamental principles for the administration of the affairs of men”; the
> celebrated Súrih of the Temple (1869), inscribed in the form of a pentacle, with Bahá’u’lláh’s epistles to Pope Pius
> IX (1869), Napoleon III (1869), Czar Alexander II, Queen Victoria (1869) and Násiri’d-Dín Sháh (1868) inscribed
> within each of the five radial points of the star; the Tablet of Tarázát, with its six “Ornaments”; The Tablet of
> Ishráqat (1885), with its nine “Splendours”; the Kalimát-i-Firdawsíya (1889), with its eleven “Leaves of Paradise”;
> the Tablet of Bisháràt (1885 or later), with its fifteen “Glad-Tidings”; the Words of Wisdom, with its twenty-two
> aphorisms; the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (1891), with excerpts from most of these Tablets.
> On the basis of these representative texts, it is possible to create a ‘symbolic profile” of the Bahá’í Faith.
> Twelve “key symbols” are divided into two classes: “key scenarios” (action-inspiring narratives or mythic/cosmic
> events) and “root metaphors” (thought-orienting images). Each key symbol has three facets: Personal, Proclamatory,
> and Global. “Personal” refers to individual spirituality. “Proclamatory” relates to Bahá’u’lláh’s eschatological role
> and authority as “World Reformer.” “Global” emphasizes the actual content of Bahá’u’lláh’s world reforms. Thirty-
> six texts have been selected. Unless otherwise noted, all transliteration supplied in these texts is based on my own
> reading of the Persian and Arabic originals.
> 
> A Symbolic Profile of the Bahá’í Faith
> as Represented in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
> Dimension                Key Scenario                          Root Metaphors
> Doctrinal                The Promised One                      Physician
> Ritual                   The Covenant                          Wine/Water of Life
> Ethical                  Illumination                          Mirrors/Gems
> Experiential             Lover and Beloved                     Journey/Path
> Mythic                   The Maiden of Heaven                  Lote-Tree/Sinai
> Social                   Crimson Ark/Holy Mariner              Paradise
> 
> Key Scenarios
> Doctrinal
> The Promised One
> The symbol of the “Promised One” may be conceived of as a “prophetic/apocalyptic scenario.” Its strategy of action
> is recognition of Bahá’u’lláh’s prophetic credentials, leading to the embrace of faith in his revelatory authority,
> followed by a transformation in the believer’s own life, as he or she seeks to translate belief into action. The
> prominence of this key symbol is self-evident. For the nonspecialist in Bahá’í Studies, one validating warrant for the
> privileging of this key symbol might well be the fact of its lexicalization in Wendi Momen’s A Basic Bahá’í
> Dictionary, (Focused encyclopedias are useful in sketching consensus.) There, the entry “Promised One, the” is
> glossed: “The Promised One of the Bayán, ‘Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest’: Bahá’u’lláh. The Promised One
> of Islam, the Qá’im: the Báb. Generally, the Promised One of all religions: Bahá’u’lláh” (Momen, A Basic Bahá’í
> Dictionary 188). Although this term is conceptually shared with Bahá’u’lláh’s forerunner, the Báb, and, to a lesser
> extent, with Christ and Muhammad in their respective roles as fulfiller figures, Bahá’u’lláh is the primary referent.
> In Bahá’í texts one finds a certain dialectic between theology and history, embodied in the concept of
> “Progressive Revelation.” Progressive Revelation may be thought of as the theophoric movement in history
> achieving its most definitive, though not final, expression in the advent of Bahá’u’lláh. Like Einstein’s advancement
> of a theory of relativity in the physical universe, Bahá’u’lláh advanced a theory of religious relativity in the spiritual
> and moral universe—a theory that explains differences among religions in light of their similarity of purpose. In
> Christian terms, this is the Bahá’í counterpart to “salvation-history,” the religious “message” of history
> (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 1). The poetic depiction of this view of history is symbolically concentrated in
> the figure of the “Promised One” within the context of Progressive Revelation. Some typical texts in which the
> Promised One is mentioned are as follows:
> Personal: Tablet to Vafá: “Say, God is my witness! The Promised One Himself (lit., haykal al-maw’úd)
> hath come down from heaven, seated upon the crimson cloud (ghamám al-hamrá’) with the hosts of
> revelation (junúd al-wahy) on His right, and the angels of inspiration (malá’ikat al-ilhám) on His left, and
> the Decree hath been fulfilled at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the Almighty. . . . Hearken thou
> (isma’) unto the Words of thy Lord (kalimát rabbika) and purify thy heart (táhir sadraka) from every
> illusion (kull al-ishárát) so that the effulgent light of the remembrance of thy Lord may shed its radiance
> upon it, and it may attain the station of certitude (al-múqinín).” (Bahá’u’lláh, The Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
> Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas 182–83, Majmú’i-yi az Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá ka ba’d az Kitáb-i-
> Aqdas Názil Shuda 172)
> 
> Analysis: Key to personal salvation is recognition of Bahá’u’lláh as the “Promised One.” The conviction that
> prophecy-fulfillment has transpired, that the eschaton has been consummated, characterizes what scholars call a
> “realized eschatology.” Once decoded, the messianic dignity of the “Promised One” plays on traditional millenarian
> tensions, brought to life historically by the nineteenth-century chiliastic movements of Shaykhism and Babism. If
> one accepts Bahá’u’lláh’s prophetic credentials as true, it follows that Bahá’í doctrine has the same warrant of
> authenticity.
> 
> Proclamatory: Tablet to Czar Alexander II: “O peoples of the earth! . . . Say: This is an Announcement
> (naba’) whereat the hearts of the Prophets and Messengers (afidát al-nabíyín wa al-mursalín) have
> rejoiced. This is the One Whom the heart of the world (qalb al-’álam) remembereth and is promised in the
> Books of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. . . . Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine Own Self (vasf
> nafsí), but rather God Himself (nafs Alláh) were ye to judge fairly.” (Bahá’u’lláh, The Proclamation of
> Bahá’u’lláh to the Kings and Leaders of the World 29, Alwáh-i názila khitáb . . . 54)
> 
> Analysis: The “Promised One” expresses a key scenario of prophecy and fulfillment. The symbol of the Promised
> One presupposes messianic expectations in the world’s major religions. This is phenomenologically borne out by a
> comparative study of apocalyptic texts. But the idea that messianic visions are universal and convergent is entirely a
> Bábí concept modeled on Islamic thought, taken up in Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamations. Thus, Bahá’u’lláh announces
> himself as the “Promised One” foretold by the prophets of old. According to Wansbrough, this kind of symbolism
> “reveals a concept of authority based on precedent” (The Sectarian Milieu 130).
> 
> Global: Tablet to Janáb-i Mírzá Sádiq: “Verily I say, this is the day in which mankind can behold the Face,
> and hear the Voice, of the Promised One (áfáq-i-zuhúr). The Call of God (nidá-yi iláhí) hath been raised,
> and the light of His countenance (anvár-i-vajh) hath been lifted up upon men. . . . Great indeed is this Day!
> The allusions made to it in all the sacred Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every
> Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger hath thirsted for this wondrous Day (yawm-i-badí’) . . . God
> grant that the light of unity (núr-i-ittifáq) may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, ‘the Kingdom is
> God’s,’ may be stamped on the brow of all its peoples.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh 10–11 [VII], Múntakhabátí 15)
> 
> Analysis: This last passage illustrates a problem in translation, where the idea of “the Promised One” is supplied by
> the context of the text rather than as a technical term. What is rendered “the Promised One” is literally Horizons
> (plural) of Revelation” (áfáq-i-zuhúr; sing. ufuq). The precise technical term for “Promised One” in Bahá’í texts is
> the rather colorless word mau’úd (Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary 1346). Recognition of
> the Promised One is linked with a mission—on the part of both the Promised One and the Promised One’s
> followers—of unity (ittifáq). The term used here may also be rendered “harmony” or “concord” (Steingass, Persian-
> English Dictionary 15).
> The “Promised One” is a symbol of world-historical proportions. Bahá’u’lláh reveals the will of God for
> humanity in this age, Bahá’ís believe, and forecasts the future on the basis of his messianic role in shaping it. As
> Bahá’u’lláh states: “Even as He [Jesus] saith: ‘But ye cannot bear them now.’ That Dawning-Place of Revelation
> saith that on that Day He Who is the Promised One will reveal the things which are to come. Accordingly in the
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas, and in the Tablets to the Kings, and in the Lawh-i-Ra’ís, and in the Lawh-i-Fu’ád, most of the things
> which have come to pass on this earth have been announced and prophesied by the Most Sublime Pen” (Bahá’u’lláh,
> Epistle to the Son of the Wolf 148). When the promises of the Promised One come to pass, they validate that One’s
> prophetic credentials.
> 
> Ritual
> The Covenant
> In the context of Bahá’í Studies, certain problems arise in the use of the term “ritual” as a classification of Bahá’í
> practices. This problem has been discussed elsewhere (Buck, “Review of Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism by Denis
> MacEoin”).
> The Covenant is a Bahá’í key scenario, the importance of which is empirically indicated by the fact that it
> is lexicalized and explicated in four distinct entries in A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary (s.v. “Day of the Covenant”;
> “Covenant, Greater and Lesser”; “Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh”; “Covenant- breaker,” Momen, Basic Bahá’í
> Dictionary). The Covenant obliges Bahá’ís not only to recognize the counsels and laws of Bahá’u’lláh, which are
> binding on every Bahá’í, but to recognize the authority of the elected, legislative Bahá’í councils as well. One might
> conceive of the “Covenant” motif as an “authority scenario”—concerned with spiritual authority in general and with
> successorship in particular. Ortner’s requirement that a key scenario function as a “strategy for action” is satisfied
> here, in that the Covenant is a symbol stressing obedience.
> In Weberian terms, the “Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh” accentuates Bahá’u’lláh’s charisma, its devolution upon
> his successors (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi), and its routinization in Bahá’í administrative institutions (the
> Universal House of Justice, national and local Spiritual Assemblies). In the words of Shoghi Effendi, the Covenant
> is a divinely ordained “instrument” ordained by Bahá’u’lláh “[t]o direct and canalize these forces let loose by this
> Heaven-sent process [the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh], and to insure their harmonious and continuous operation after
> His ascension (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 237). The following passage has to do with what is generally referred
> to as the “Primordial Covenant” (mitháq), referring to a famous verse in the Qur’án in which God asks his creatures,
> “Am I not your Lord?” (alastu bi-rabbikum—Qur’án 7:172):
> 
> Personal: Persian Hidden Word #19: “O MY FRIENDS (ay dústán-i man)! Have ye forgotten that true and
> radiant morn (subh-i-sádiq-i rawshání-rá), when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all
> gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life (shajara-yi anísa), which is planted in the all-
> glorious paradise (firdaus-i-a’zam)? Awe-struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy
> words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire (hargiz ma-khwáhíd) that which I have not
> desired for you, and approach Me (nazd-i-man) not with lifeless hearts (dil-há-yi murda), defiled with
> worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls (sadr-rá), ye would at this present hour (hál
> án) recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance (bayán-i-man) should be made
> evident unto all of you” (Hidden Words Persian #19; English text: Hidden Words 27–28). (Note: In the
> Persian text, Hidden Words Persian #19 is actually numbered #19 and #20. This affects the subsequent
> numbering, so that the Persian and English numbers are off by one [but occasionally not, which is very
> confusing]. Thus there are eighty-two Persian Hidden Words in English, and eighty-three in Persian.
> Persian text of Hidden Words, Persian #19 [and #20]: Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 32–33.)
> 
> Analysis: The Primordial Covenant of preeternity is a paradigm for all time, especially the present. In Islam, the
> Primordial Covenant (Qur’án 7:172) is, in the words of Annemarie Schimmel, “the metahistorical foundation
> between God and humankind” (Schimmel, Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam
> 253). In religious epistemology, the confessional community itself is a cognitive category: the ecclesia
> (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 130–31). The Primordial Covenant is transferred from preexistence to the
> present:
> 
> Proclamatory: Tablet of Splendours: “Say: ‘Yea, by Him that rideth upon the clouds!’ Paradise is decked
> with mystic roses (jinnat bi-awrád al-ma’ání), and hell (al-sa’ír) hath been made to blaze with the fire of
> the impious (nár al-fujjár). Say: The light hath shone forth from the horizon of Revelation, and the whole
> earth hath been illumined at the coming of Him Who is the Lord of the Day of the Covenant!”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 119, Majmú’i-yi az Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá 69)
> 
> Analysis: “Reference to the past,” as Wansbrough notes, “is paradigmatic and retroflexive, again an expression of
> nostalgia” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 132). To this Hidden Word (Persian #19) we may usefully apply
> Wansbrough’s description of numen, in which legitimation is subsumed “as the product of a private vision”
> (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 131). Bahá’u’lláh employs a numinous form of legitimation for ecclesiastical
> purposes. “There is no question here of historical location,” Wansbrough comments, “the achievement—in this case
> the recollection of the primordial event—is personal, timeless in the sense that the precise circumstances of the
> epiphany do not really matter.” “In this context, the eternity of divine utterance,” Wansbrough adds, “being always
> and anywhere available, does not conflict with the alleged historicity of its public manifestation” (Wanshrough, The
> Sectarian Milieu 131).
> In Bahá’í salvation-history, the Covenant of God entails prophetic successorship from age to age, attested
> by the covert terms of prophecy. It is generally accepted that the individual believer has an obligation to embrace
> eschatological fulfilment when the advent of a true prophet occurs, constituting a fresh locus of authority.
> 
> Global: Book of the Covenant: “O ye that dwell on earth (ay ahl-i ‘álam)! The religion of God is for love
> and unity (muhabbat va ittihád); make it not the cause of enmity or dissension. . . . We fain would hope that
> the people of Bahá may be guided by the blessed words: ‘Say: All things are of God.’ This exalted
> utterance (kalima-yi ‘ulyá) is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and enmity (nár-i-daghína va
> baghdá’) which smouldereth within the hearts and breasts of men. By this single utterance contending
> peoples and kindreds will attain the light of true unity (núr-ittihád-i-heqíqí). . . . That which is conducive to
> the regeneration of the world (hayát-i ‘álam) and the salvation of the peoples and kindreds of the earth
> (niját-i-umam) hath been sent down from the heaven of the utterance of Him Who is the Desire of the
> world.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 220, 222, 223/Majmú ‘i-yi matbú’a-yi alváh-i mubáraka-yi
> hadrat-i Bahá’u’lláh 400, 403)
> 
> Analysis: “Within the monotheist tradition,” Wansbrough writes, “the organizing principle of a confessional
> community may be located in its definition of authority” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 50). Bahá’u’lláh’s
> authority may be viewed as the organizing principle of the Bahá’í community. “The concepts of legitimation and
> redemption, familiar to every student of comparative religion,” he elsewhere states, “are sociologically archetypal
> and more or less constant in the analysis of monotheist faiths” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 130–31).
> Wansbrough speaks of Islam, and by extension any of the monotheistic faiths, as “theodicy based upon a public
> epiphany deposited as the document of revelation” (Wanshrough, The Sectarian Milieu 130). Under these terms of
> reference, Bahá’u’lláh is the epiphany, and his writings are the record of revelation. That revelation serves as the
> founding document, the constitution of the community.
> The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh has both external and internal dimensions. The external covenant concerns
> world unity. The internal covenant is focused on internal unity within the Bahá’í community. The Covenant governs
> and guarantees the integrity of the community, as it models unity in a grand social experiment. While the Bahá’í
> Faith has little or no “ritual” in the performative sense of the term, its “ritual” elements are expressed in communal
> and individual worship. The Covenant, while subscribed to at the level of the individual, functions as the collective
> agreement to abide by the leadership provided by elected Bahá’í institutions (local Spiritual Assemblies, national
> Spiritual Assemblies, the Universal House of Justice). To merit moral authority in the eyes of the world as a model
> of global unity, the integrity of the Bahá’í community must be maintained, free of schism, while allowing for mature
> and constructive freedom of expression.
> 
> Ethical
> Illumination
> “Illumination” covers a range of Bahá’í metaphors that are obviously luciferous in nature. This is an ethically
> charged key scenario. Its strategy for action is to orient the believer in the direction of spiritual enlightenment,
> resulting in a transformation of thought and action. Various entries in A Bahá’í Dictionary attest to the symbolic
> importance of illumination. These entries include specific metaphors and names of Tablets that are constructed on
> models of illumination, to wit: century of light; Day of God; Dayspring of Revelation; Daystar; Ishráqát,
> Splendours; Tajallíyát, Effulgences: Tarázát, Ornaments; Unity, Seven Candles of. These have one image in
> common: enlightenment. Three representative texts are as follows:
> 
> Personal: Persian Hidden Words #73: “O MY FRIEND (ay dúst-i man)! Thou (tu) art the day-star (shams) of
> the heavens of My holiness (samá’-i-quds-i maní khud-rá), let not the defilement of the world (kusúf-i-
> dunyá) eclipse thy splendor. Rend (kharq kun) asunder the veil of heedlessness (hijáb-i-ghaflat-rá), that
> [untranslated text: “free of covering or veil” (bí-parda va hijáb)] from behind the clouds (khalf-i-saháb)
> thou mayest emerge resplendent and array all things (jamí’-i-mujúdát-rá) with the apparel of life (bi-
> khil’at-i-hastí).” (Hidden Words 47, Persian text, Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 62)
> Analysis: Radiance, metaphorically, is typically the property of spirituality. But sometimes it can be its opposite, as
> in some instances of fire imagery. Thus, light imagery has its “dark” side as well. In Hidden Words (Persian) #57,
> Bahá’u’lláh warns that association with the ungodly “turneth the radiance of the heart into infernal fire.” Light is
> capable of being either eternal or infernal, visible or eclipsed. Either way, the power to influence is potent and
> potentially omnipresent, like the spiritual sun dawning on the symbolic landscape, constrained mainly by the
> obstructing resistance of individual willpower. Here, the individual is urged to overcome self and passion, in order
> to radiate spirituality.
> 
> Proclamatory: Tablet to Maqsúd: “The Great Being saith (hadrat-i-mawjúdát mí-farmáyad): The Tongue
> of Wisdom (zabán-i-khirad) proclaimeth: He that hath Me not is bereft of all things. Turn ye away from all
> that is on earth and seek none else but Me. I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge (manam
> áftáb-i-bínish va daryá-yi dánish). I cheer the faint (pazhmurdigán-rá) and revive the dead (murdigán-rá). I
> am the guiding Light that illumineth the way (manam án rushanáyí ka ráh-i-dída binamáyam). I am the
> royal falcon on the arm of the Almighty (manam sháh-báz-i-dast-i bí-níyáz). I unfold the drooping wings of
> every broken bird (par-i-bastigán-rá bigusháyam) and start it on its flight (va parváz biyámúzam).”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 169, Majmú’i-yi az Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá 103)
> 
> Analysis: Illumination requires a source of illumination. Here, Bahá’u’lláh is represented as an illuminator, not a
> redeemer. The “Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge” evokes a panoramic image in which the entire
> landscape is suffused with the power and animus of God, focused through Bahá’u’lláh. By means of this pantheistic
> symbolism, the revelation of God is represented as the ground of spiritual being. The wisdom/knowledge complex
> serves as a mental and moral beacon along the spiritual path. In this use of extended, but mixed, metaphors, the bird-
> souls are animated by the royal falcon, a figure of phoenix-like powers. The grandeur of such a scene serves as a
> proclamation of the greatness of the Bahá’í revelation.
> 
> Global: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf “The utterance of God is a lamp (mishkát-i bayán), whose light
> (misbáh) is these words (ín kalima): [‘O peoples of the world! (ay ahl-i ‘álam)—missing in translation.] Ye
> are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch (hama bár-i yak dáríd va barg-i yak shákhsár).1 Deal
> ye one with another with the utmost love (bi-kamál-i mahabbat) and harmony (ittihád), with friendliness
> (maviddat) and fellowship (ittifáq). He Who is the Day Star of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is
> the light of unity (núr-i ittifáq) that it can illuminate the whole earth (áfáq-rá) This goal excelleth every
> other goal (ín qasd sultán-i maqásid), and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations (ín amal malik-i
> ámál).” (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 288 [CXXXII], Múntakhabátí az Áthar-i Hadrat-i
> Bahá’u’lláh 184, cf. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf 14)
> 
> Analysis: Individual enlightenment is internal, but society is external. By his enlightenment, Bahá’u’lláh provides
> the means for not only individual spiritual advancement but for the progress of society as well, In Bahá’í
> soteriology, personal salvation is dynamically linked to the needs of humanity. Systematic theologians may refer to
> this as mutual salvation. Belief in Bahá’u’lláh is a commitment to mutual salvation. As the sun (the Day-Star) is the
> source of all daylight, the power of unity to illumine the entire world is logically invoked. This image also suggests
> its opposite: disunity—or darkness—the Bahá’í counterpart of “chaos” in its own Genesis myth of a world socially
> recreated. Bahá’u’lláh has globalized light imagery to express his gospel of unity. Bahá’í ethics are predicated on
> unity.
> 
> Experiential
> Lover and the Beloved
> The strategy for action in this key scenario is to deepen the identification of the believer with God, as “revealed” or
> personified in Bahá’u’lláh. In Bahá’í terms, the “heart” is defined as: “The symbolic centre of an individual’s
> spirituality” (Momen, Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, s.v. “heart”). Similarly, the heart of Bahá’í spirituality is God, who
> is revealed through Bahá’u’lláh, the perfect mirror of the attributes and will of an otherwise inscrutable Deity. As
> the symbol of God, Bahá’ís relate to Bahá’u’lláh as the Beloved. A carryover from Islamic mysticism (Sufism), this
> may be thought of as a “mystical scenario.” Poetically, this relationship is expressed in a variety of motifs:
> 
> Personal: [Untitled Tablet]: “Hear Me, ye mortal birds! (ay bulbulán-i fání). In the Rose Garden of
> changeless splendor (dar gulzár-i báqi) a flower (gulí) hath begun to bloom (shikufta), compared to which
> every other flower is but a thorn (khár), and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of
> beauty (jawhar-i jamál) must pale and wither (lit., bí miqdár). Arise, therefore (pas), and, with the whole
> enthusiasm of your hearts (az dil), with all the eagerness of your souls (az ján), the full fervor of your will
> (raván), and the concentrated efforts of your entire being (az tan), strive to attain the paradise of His
> presence (lit., liqá-yi bí-zavál), and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower (lit., gul-i
> bí mathál), to breathe the sweet savors of holiness (ráyiha-yi quds-ruhání), and to obtain a portion (hissa)
> of this perfume of celestial glory (lit., nasím-i khwush-i sabá-yi ma’naví). Whoso followeth this counsel
> will break his chains asunder, will taste the abandonment of enraptured love (ín pand band-há bigusilad va
> silsila-yi junún-i ‘ishq-rá bijunbánad), will attain unto his heart’s desire (dil-há-rá bi-dil-dár rasánad), and
> will surrender his soul into the hands of his Beloved (lit., ján-há-rá bi-jánán sipárad).” (Gleanings from the
> Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 320–21, Múntakhabát 206. Daryáy-i-Danish 30)
> 
> Analysis: In one of his Words of Wisdom, Bahá’u’lláh says: “The essence of love is for man to turn his heart to the
> Beloved One, and sever himself from all else but Him, and desire naught save that which is the desire of his Lord”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 155). Here, “rose and nightingale” imagery, suffused with Sufi symbolism,
> vivifies and intensifies the experience of believer identification with the Theophany, Bahá’u’lláh, pictured here as a
> celestial rose. The Lover-Beloved relationship is expressed in the relationship of birds to the exquisite setting of a
> rose garden, in which a rose of surpassing beauty enthralls the bird-souls. Just as the quest for the Beloved is the
> paramount goal of Islamic mysticism, so too the mystical scenario in Bahá’í texts is the quest for the Beloved as the
> revelation (“glory” or “splendor”) of God, implicit in the name Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> Proclamatory: [Untitled Tablet]: “Behold how the manifold grace of God, which is being showered from
> the clouds of Divine glory (fadl-i subhání az ghamám-i rahmání), hath, in this day (dar ín ayyám),
> encompassed the world (ihátik). For whereas in days past (lit., agar-cha tá hál) every lover (‘ashiqán)
> besought and searched after his Beloved (ma’shúq and mahbúb), it is the Beloved Himself Who now is
> calling His lovers (ma’shúq tálib-i ‘ushsháq mí-namáyad) and is inviting them to attain His presence (va
> mahbúb júyá-yi ahbáb gashta). Take heed lest ye forfeit so precious a favor (ín fadl-rá ghanímat shamríd);
> beware lest ye belittle so remarkable a token of His grace (va ín ni’mat-rá kam nashmuríd).” (Bahá’u’lláh,
> Gleanings 320/Mútakhabát 206, Daiyáy-i-Danísh 29–30)
> 
> Analysis: This is a proclamation that the Beloved has arrived, but with a dramatic twist. A background in the
> Persian mystical tradition is essential in grasping the full impact of this poignant passage. In traditional Persian
> poetry, it is always the lover who seeks after the Beloved. In this scene, however, Bahá’u’lláh evokes a sudden
> reversal of roles: It is now the Beloved who beckons the lover. The “grace” of such a turnaround cannot be lost on
> the reader: a real, reciprocal relationship between the lover and the Beloved is now possible. This imagery speaks to
> the rapport between believer and Theophany.
> 
> Global: Tablet of Maqsúd: “The Word of God is the king of words (sultán-i kalimát) and its pervasive
> influence is incalculable. It bath ever dominated and will continue to dominate the realm of being. The
> Great Being saith: The Word is the master key for the whole world (miftáh-i a’zam), inasmuch as through
> its potency the doors of the hearts of men (abváb-i qulúb), which in reality are the doors of heaven (abváb-i
> samá’), are unlocked (maftúh). No sooner had but a glimmer of its effulgent splendour shone forth upon the
> mirror of love (mir’át-i hubb) than the blessed word ‘I am the Best-Beloved’ was reflected therein. It is an
> ocean (bahr) inexhaustible in riches, comprehending all things (lit., dárá va jámi’). Every thing which can
> be perceived (har-cha idrák shaved) is but an emanation therefrom (záhir gardad).” (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets
> of Bahá’u’lláh 173, Majmú’i-yi az Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá 107)
> 
> Analysis: In this text, the Beloved is incarnated in scripture. Scripture mirrors the wishes of the Beloved. This
> mystical scenario helps the believer cultivate more deeply a love of God, personified in Bahá’u’lláh as the “Best-
> Beloved”—orienting the believer, as a strategy for action, to reliance on the “Word of God” as the “king of words.”
> The universal ramifications of this passage are obvious: Bahá’í scripture is placed on a par with sacred scripture,
> surpassing even the Bible or the Qur’án in revelatory immediacy. Note how Paradise (the “doors of heaven”) is
> equated with the “doors of men’s hearts.” The image of the Beloved focalizes and intensifies the experiential
> dimension of Bahá’í life.
> Mythic
> The Maiden of Heaven
> “‘Scripture,’” as Wansbrough defines it, “is understood to record a single historical act: the transfer by angelic
> mediation of God’s decree from a celestial to a terrestrial register” (Wansbrough, Quranic Studies: Sources and
> Methods of Scriptural Interpretation 131). In Bahá’í terms, the “angelic mediation” to which Wansbrough refers is
> the celestial “Maiden of Heaven” (húrí). She is a singular houri, understood by Bahá’ís to symbolize the Holy Spirit
> and the source of Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation. Her symbolic importance is indicated by the lexical entry in A Basic
> Bahá’í Dictionary (s.v. “Maiden of Heaven”). Although the idea of otherworldly, black-eyed damsels is quranic,
> Bahá’u’lláh’s specific maiden imagery originated with the Báb, who wrote in the “Súrih of the Maiden” (Súrat al-
> Húríya): “O people of the earth! By the righteousness of the One true God, I am the Maid of Heaven (al-húríya)
> begotten by the Spirit of Bahá (waladtaní al-bahá’), abiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby, tender
> and vibrant; and in this mighty Paradise naught have I ever witnessed save that which proclaimeth the Remembrance
> of God by extolling the virtues of this Arabian Youth” (Qayyúm al-Asmá’ 29, tr. Báb, Selections from the Writings
> of the Báb 54; cited in Lambden, “The Word Bahá’: Quintessence of the Greatest Name of God” 34). To the extent
> that the Maiden of Heaven is symbolic, she is mythic. This does not, however, diminish her reality.
> Bahá’u’lláh has described the Maiden of Heaven in a number of works. She appears to function as his alter
> ego or celestial twin, almost in a Manichaean sense. She also has a corporate (symbolic of faith-community)
> function in that she is the litmus test of spiritual perspicuity and faithfulness, in her mythic search for the faithful
> believer. This is what one might consider an emotively intensifying “identification scenario” in which the believer’s
> faith in Bahá’u’lláh is deepened through contemplation of the Maiden of Heaven’s fidelity to her beloved. This
> figure will be explicated later, in the concluding section dealing with what is termed “the core Bahá’í myth.”
> More traditionally Islamic is the pairing of houris with believers in Paradise. Here, the identification
> scenario predicates “admittance into Paradise” with fulfilling the will of God:
> 
> Personal: Tablet to Vafá (=Waá—titles of Arabic tablets are Persianized in Bahá’í usage): “As to Paradise
> (al-jannat): It is a reality (haqq) and there can be no doubt about it, and now (al-yawm) in this world it is
> realized through love of Me and My good-pleasure (hubbí wa ridá’í). Whosoever attaineth unto it God will
> aid him in his world below, and after death (ba’d al-mawi) He will enable him to gain admittance into
> Paradise (fí jannat) whose vastness (ard) is as that of heaven and earth. Therein the Maids of glory and
> holiness (húríyat al-’izzat wa al-taqdís) will wait upon him in the daytime and in the night season, while
> the day-star (shams) of the unfading beauty of his Lord will at all times (fí kull hín) shed its radiance
> (yastadí’) upon him and he will shine so brightly that no one shall bear to gaze at him.” (Bahá’u’lláh,
> Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 189/ Majmú’i-yi az Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá 117–18)
> 
> Analysis: Paradise is pictured anthropomorphically on purpose. Maidens of Heaven, as inhabitants of paradise, take
> on a variety of symbolic functions in Bahá’u’lláh’s writings. In a departure from Bahá’u’lláh’s primary use of
> Maiden symbolism, the Qur’án’s promise of dark-eyed damsels requiting the true believer is preserved in this
> passage, as a traditional Islamic warrant of the reality of Paradise. Thus, the Maidens retain their eschatological
> function in tending to the faithful soul in heaven. On one level, this provides assurance of the afterlife—described in
> ideal but nevertheless earthly terms—creating a romantic expectation, the sensuality of which is decoded at a higher
> level of discourse. While the maidens are real, they are not literal. They are actually symbolic embodiments of
> spiritual perfections, which have become the alter egos of faithful believers. Bahá’u’lláh disenchants Paradise of a
> certain amorous sensuality which too literal a reading of quranic texts entails. The Qur’án’s mystico-erotic
> descriptions are held to be purely symbolic and nonsensual. This does not disinvest Paradise of its reality, but
> rarefies the believer’s understanding of it. The Maidens are personifications of the pearls of insight, the intimate
> companions of the pious soul. Individual enlightenment may be thought of as a lesser form of revelation, viz.
> inspiration, dependent upon Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation, with which a singular Maiden par excellence is associated.
> 
> Proclamatory: Tablet of Ridván: “Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers, the
> Maids of Heaven (fí há húríyat min a’lá al-ghurafát) have cried out and shouted: ‘Rejoice, ye dwellers of
> the realms above (ahl al-jinán), for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are ringing, in the name
> of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell (náqús al-a’zam), in the midmost heart of the heavens (qutb al-
> samá’). The hands of bounty have borne round the cup of everlasting life (lit., kawthar [a river of Paradise]
> al-baqá’). Approach, and quaff your fill.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 32/Múntakhabát 29)
> 
> Analysis: In Bahá’í understanding, the Maiden of Heaven is intimately linked with the agency of revelation. Her
> role eludes precise formulation. It is safest to say that the Maiden of Heaven is coincident with the act of revelation.
> The Maiden’s first role is that of annunciator. In this respect, she is the counterpart of the Archangel Gabriel in
> Islam. The Maiden’s first appearance to Bahá’u’lláh was during his imprisonment in the “Black Pit” (Síyáh-Chál) in
> 1852, where, in a vision, she assured Bahá’u’lláh of God’s protection and, moreover, of God’s revelation to him. In
> Christian terms, this may be thought of as Annunciation. In this passage, the Annunciation becomes proclamation, a
> public announcement of Bahá’u’lláh’s advent, not by the Maiden, but by the houris of paradise generally. This
> heavenly acclaim compensates for the relative lack of earthly recognition, as only a small proportion of the world’s
> population professes to be Bahá’í.
> 
> Global: [Untitled Tablet]: “Through the might of God and His power (bi-quva-yi yazdání va qudrat-i
> ruhání), and out of the treasury of His knowledge and wisdom (kanz-i ‘ilm va hikmat-i rabbání), I have
> brought forth and revealed unto you the pearls that lay concealed in the depths of His everlasting ocean
> (la’álí-yi sadaf-i bahr-i samadání). I have summoned the Maids of Heaven (lit., húríyát-i-ghuraf-i sitr va
> hijáb-ra) to emerge from behind the veil of concealment, and have clothed them with these words of
> Mine—words of consummate power and wisdom (dar mazáhir-i ín kalimát-i muhkamát mahshúr
> nimúdam). I have, moreover, with the hand of divine power, unsealed the choice wine of My Revelation
> (lit., iná’-i musk-i ahadíya-rá), and have wafted its holy, its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance (ravá’ih-i
> quds-i maknúna) upon all created things. Who else but yourselves is to be blamed if ye choose to remain
> unendowed with so great an outpouring of God’s transcendent and all-encompassing grace, with so bright a
> revelation of His resplendent mercy?” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 327–28/Múntakhabát 210–11)
> 
> Analysis: Beyond the Qur’án, in Bahá’í texts, the Maiden imagery focuses attention on Bahá’u’lláh, the earthly
> locus of Paradise, This Bahá’í “myth” even extends beyond Bahá’u’lláh: the Maiden also has an apocalyptic
> function. orienting Bahá’ís to the advent of another Manifestation of God a millennium or so in the future, as
> indicated in Persian Hidden Words #77.
> In this passage, the dark-eyed damsels are “clothed” in scripture, the implication being that the reading of
> scripture actuates an encounter with the maidens who, in mystic transport, unveil to the believer the divine “wisdom
> and power” that reside in the text. Bahá’í scripture is thus transcendentalized, but universalized at the same time.
> While paradise is typically thought of in transcendent, “vertical” terms, scripture potentializes paradise in mundane,
> “horizontal” terms. If its function is to orient humanity to the will of God, then sacred scripture potentially has
> global, world-historical influence. It is premature to assess the present or eventual impact of the Bahá’í revelation,
> which is seen as having covert as well as overt influences on globalization.
> 
> Social
> The Crimson Ark and the Holy Mariner
> The Crimson Ark forms part of what one might refer to as a faith-affirming “scenario of assurance and solidarity,”
> which conduces to social cohesion. The “Holy Mariner” is modeled on the patriarch Noah, an archetypal savior
> figure. While the specific imagery of the Ark traces back to the Báb, I have not yet found a Bábí text in which the
> Mariner himself actually figures in a key scenario, or dramatic scene. It is indicative of their twinned, symbolic
> importance that both Crimson Ark and Holy Mariner are found as entries in A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary (s.v. “Ark,
> Crimson” and “Holy Mariner, Tablet of the”). The Crimson Ark, much like Noah’s Ark, is a symbol of salvation.
> The ark is a corporate symbol. It suggests that individual salvation cannot be dissociated from the community of the
> saved. The following texts are representative of such imagery:
> 
> Personal: Words of Paradise: “Blessed (túbá) is he who preferreth (akhtára) his brother before himself.
> Verily, such a man is reckoned, by virtue of the Will of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, with the
> people of Bahá who dwell in the Crimson Ark (ahl al- Bahá fí al-safínat al-hamrá’).” (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets
> of Bahá’u’lláh 71/ Majmú’i-yi az Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá 39)
> 
> Analysis: In this beatitude from the “Tenth Leaf of the Most Exalted Paradise,” admittance into the Crimson Ark is
> conditioned not only on belief but also on altruism. If the purpose of faith is to effect a spiritual transformation of
> the individual, it follows that belief must be actualized and amplified in moral behavior. In this “scenario of
> assurance and solidarity,” there is, indeed, assurance of salvation, but only if one who professes to be a Bahá’í
> actually becomes a Bahá’í in character. This is not a matter of faith versus works, as in St. Paul or Luther, because
> faith and works cannot be opposed in Bahá’í thought. One is the complement of the other. Faith is the catalyst of
> personal transformation. What is required is not perfection (whether by faith or works), but rather a personal
> transformation effected by certitude of faith (belief in Bahá’u’lláh), moral rectitude (in following Bahá’í laws and
> Covenant), and sanctification (internalized holiness), which may be said to constitute a Bahá’í “order of
> salvation”—to borrow a Christian concept expressed in systematic theology. When moral behavior is socially
> referenced, each individual’s actions are seen as having communal significance. The ark-dwellers, as the biblical
> narrative suggests, must live together in harmony. The ark saves not only from without but from within.
> 
> Proclamatory: Kitáb-i-Aqdas (al-Kitáb al-Aqdas): “How great the blessedness that awaiteth the king who
> will arise to aid My Cause in My kingdom, who will detach himself from all else but Me! Such a king is
> numbered with the companions of the Crimson Ark—the Ark which God hath prepared for the people of
> Bahá. All must glorify his name, must reverence his station, and aid him to unlock the cities with the keys
> of My Name, the omnipotent Protector of all that inhabit the visible and invisible kingdoms. Such a king is
> the very eye of mankind, the luminous ornament on the brow of creation, the fountainhead of blessings
> unto the whole world.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶84, 50)
> 
> Analysis: As with the first selection, this second text identifies the inmates of the Crimson Ark as the “people of
> Bahá”—the Bahá’ís. While Bahá’ís hail from every background, a Bahá’í member of royalty, as a public figure, has
> a position of considerable importance. The monarch who professes to be a Bahá’í —such as Queen Marie of
> Rumania, who stated her Bahá’í allegiance publicly in the Toronto Daily Star (28 October 1926), and the reigning
> monarch of Western Samoa, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, whose conversion to the Bahá’í Faith was
> announced in 1973 has a distinct place of honor within the Ark. In the miasma of social chaos, the enlightened ruler
> is described as “the very eye of mankind,” a moral beacon. A member of royalty can add greatly to the prestige of
> the Bahá’í Faith, aiding in its proclamation.
> 
> Global: Tablet of Carmel: “Ere long will God sail His Ark (safínat Alláh) upon thee, and will manifest the
> people of Bahá (ahl al- Bahá’) who have been mentioned in the Book of Names (Kitáb al-Asmá’ =
> Qayyúm al- Asmá’).” (Bahá’u’lláh Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 5/Bahá’u’lláh Gleanings 16/Majmú’i-yi az
> Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá; Lambden “The Word Bahá” 35, n. 33)
> 
> Analysis: This final passage is construed as a prophecy foretelling completion of the Seat of the Universal House of
> Justice on the sacred slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel (Momen, A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, s.v. “Ark”). Thus,
> the Ark is launched by the Holy Mariner (Bahá’u’lláh) from Baghdad and comes to rest on Mt. Carmel. Over both
> land and sea, the Crimson Ark rises above the flood of social chaos. On the sacred mountain, the Ark symbolizes the
> Bahá’í institutions, especially the Universal House of Justice—the elected, international Bahá’í council that oversees
> the Bahá’í world. Religion must be institutionalized before it can be truly effective in promoting reform, so long as
> institutions canalize spiritual energy and activity for the welfare of others. Administering the affairs of the Bahá’í
> Faith requires proficiency in the art of consultation. Its efficacy is predicated on the integrity of individual members
> who, collectively, function as institutions. Now that the Universal House of Justice is at the helm of the Bahá’í ship
> of state, it functions as the proverbial Mariner.
> 
> Root Metaphors
> 
> Doctrinal
> Physician
> While key scenarios inspire ideal behavior, root metaphors orient thoughts. Of course, thoughts typically precede
> action, so the result is much the same. It may be said that root metaphors complement key scenarios.
> As salvation systems, world religions have something to offer. Each religion’s offer of salvation is
> referenced to a particular human predicament, whether that be sin, as in the case of Christianity, or suffering, as in
> the case of Buddhism. A religion cannot dispense salvation unless there is a presenting problem to be overcome. In
> the Bahá’í worldview, the root of all social evil is disunity, from injustice to war. This is a disease model, certainly.
> It follows, therefore, that where there is a disease, there ought to be a cure. As the diagnosis and treatment of a
> disease requires a physician, spiritual disorders require the intervention of a “divine physician”:
> 
> Personal: Tablet to Mánakchí Sáhib: “The All-Knowing Physician (pizishk-i dáná) hath His finger on the
> pulse of mankind (rag-i jahán [lit., pulse of the world]). He perceiveth the disease (lit., dard, pain), and
> prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy (darmán). Every age (har rúz-rá) hath its own problem
> (rází [lit., secret]), and every soul (har sar-rá) its particular aspiration (ávází). The remedy the world
> needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be
> anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in (imrúz-rá nigarán báshíd), and center your
> deliberations on its exigencies and requirements. . . . Say (bigú): O ye who are as dead (ay murdigán)! The
> hand of Divine bounty proferreth unto you the Water of Life (áb-i-zindigání). Hasten and drink your fill.
> Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 213/Múntakhabát 138–39)
> 
> Analysis: While the remedy in this passage is not specified, the authority of the divine physician is stressed. The
> “All-Knowing Physician” is Bahá’u’lláh. He prescribes the cure for the world’s social ills, but the remedy cannot be
> forced on people. While it may give the impression of being facile, the cure offered by Bahá’u’lláh, in his capacity
> as the divine physician, is unity. This unity is really a complex of interlocking interventions, addressing social
> reforms as well as individual transformation. Still, despite its multifarious applications, the organizing principle, the
> healing force, is unity. Unity is not a hard pill to swallow, but it does involve a regimen. So long as humanity (the
> corporate patient) does not place itself under the care of the Physician, it will fail to avail itself of the cure. In the
> next passage, the socioreligious “cure” is proclaimed, in an open letter to Queen Victoria:
> 
> Proclamatory: Tablet to Queen Victoria: “O ye the elected representatives (asháb al-majlis) of the people
> in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind, and
> bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan heedfully. Regard the world as the human body
> (ka haykal insán) which, though at its creation whole and perfect (sahíh wa kámil), hath been afflicted,
> through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies. . . . That which the Lord hath ordained as the
> sovereign remedy (al-daryáq al-a’zam) and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the
> union (ittihád) of all its peoples in one universal Cause (amr wáhid), one common Faith (sharí’a wáhida).
> This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired
> Physician (tabíb hádhiq kámil mu’ayid).” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 254–55/Múntakhabát 164)
> 
> Analysis: From 1866–70, in open letters to the world’s most powerful rulers and religious leaders of his day,
> Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed his mission and the essential elements of his teachings. In his epistle to Queen Victoria (c.
> 1869), a solution to the world’s ills is offered, in the form of a universal value system, a moral code to which all
> nations and peoples might subscribe. Such a proposal was intrinsically momentous and sudden, ahead of its time. At
> that time, however, Bahá’u’lláh did not have the status (and thus the perceived authority) to warrant serious
> consideration of his world reforms by world leaders. Apart from the veracity of the truth-claims it entails, this
> Hippocratic root metaphor suggests that the entire planet should recognize the prescriptive authority of Bahá’u’lláh
> as “a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician.” Time will tell whether or not the Bahá’í religion will succeed
> in its utopian aims to bring about world unity.
> 
> Global: Tablet to Fath-i A’zam: “The Prophets of God: should be regarded as physicians (payámbarán
> [sic] chun pizishkán-and) whose task is to foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through
> the spirit of oneness (bi-darmán-i yigánigí), they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity (bímárí-yi
> bigánigí). . . . The whole of mankind (mardumán-ra) is in the grip of manifold ills (bímárí). Strive,
> therefore, to save its life through the wholesome medicine (darmán) which the almighty hand of the
> unerring Physician (pizishk-i yazdán) hath prepared. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 80–81/Múntakhabát 59)
> 
> Analysis: As a faith community, Bahá’ís are known for their ideological commitment to making the earth as one
> homeland. Whether in the realm of the secular or of the sacred, implementation of Bahá’í ideals is effected through a
> variety of instrumentalities. However, most of the actual progress towards world unity to date has taken place in the
> secular sphere. This fact has been acknowledged in certain Bahá’í texts, in which non-Bahá’ís have been recognized
> for their contributions to the advancement of peace, justice, and world order. Bahá’u’lláh praised Queen Victoria for
> having abolished slavery in her kingdom, especially at a time when the slave-trade continued to be practiced in the
> Muslim world. President Woodrow Wilson is another prime example of this kind of recognition. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once
> commented that Wilson and his ideals signalized the dawn of the Most Great Peace (Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of
> Divine Justice 85). The cure was already being partially administered by enlightened leaders, as though it were the
> spirit of the age. This powerful root metaphor inclines Bahá’ís to interpret events that promote global unity, in both
> secular and sacred spheres, as evidence of a divine Physician at work, behind the scenes.
> Ritual
> Wine/Water of Life
> Sacred beverages, as portrayed in Bahá’í texts, are elixirs of immortality, knowledge, and ecstasy. The Water of
> Life, for instance, was introduced by the first of three physician texts cited above. Wine is a salient motif. Its relative
> importance is indicated by its selection as a separate entry in A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary (s.v. “wine”). A recent
> journal article on the Bahá’í symbolism of wine underscores its importance (Hatcher, “Unsealing the Choice Wine”;
> cf. McAuliffe “Wines of Earth and Paradise: Proscriptions and Promises”):
> 
> Personal: Persian Hidden Word #62: “O Son of Dust (ay pisar-i-khák)! Turn not away thine eyes (chashm
> mapúsh) from the matchless wine of the immortal Beloved (az khamr bí mithál-i mahbúb-i láyazál), and
> open them not (chashm magushá) to foul and mortal dregs (bi-khamr-i kadra-yi fáníya). Take (bar gír)
> from the hands of the divine Cup-bearer (az dast-i sáqí-yi ahadíya) the chalice of immortal life (ku’ús-i
> báqíya), that all wisdom may be thine (tá húsh shaví), and that thou mayest hearken (shinaví) unto the
> mystic voice calling from the realm of the invisible (az surúsh-i ghayb-i ma’naví). Cry aloud (bigú), ye that
> are of low aim (ay past fitrat-an)! Wherefore (chirá) have ye turned away from My holy and immortal
> wine (sharáb-i báqí-yi qudsam) unto evanescent water (áb-i fání)?” (English text: Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden
> Words 43–44, Persian text, Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 56)
> 
> Analysis: Wine is most frequently used as a metaphor for God-intoxication induced by the revelation of
> Bahá’u’lláh. As the earthly locus of divinity, Bahá’u’lláh is seen as the powered presence of the sacred, the nimbus
> of the numinous, the incarnation of divine attributes, as God revealed. This discovery, for those who embrace it,
> gives cause for celebration. The celestial champagne is metaphorically unsealed upon reunion with the Beloved
> (recognition of Bahá’u’lláh), but the real reward, in Bahá’í terms, is the satisfaction gained in fidelity to
> Bahá’u’lláh’s laws, to which wine is symbolically compared. In the preamble to the Most Holy Book, Bahá’u’lláh
> characterizes his law-code as “choice Wine”:
> 
> Proclamatory: Kitáb-i-Aqdas: “By My life! He who hath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the hands
> of My bountiful favour will circle around My commandments that shine above the Dayspring of My
> creation. Think not that We have revealed onto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the
> choice Wine (rahíq makhtúm) with the fingers of might and power. To this beareth witness that which the
> Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate upon this, O men of insight!” (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶ 4–5,
> 21)
> 
> Analysis: Wine is a heavenly beverage, symbolic of ecstasy. As a key symbol, it can never be literalized.
> Bahá’u’lláh has distinguished alcoholic wine from symbolic wine: “We meant by this Wine, the River of God, and
> His favour, the fountain of His living waters, and the Mystic Wine and its divine grace, even as it was revealed in
> the Qur’án, if ye are of those who understand” (Compilation of Compilations 2:245). The intoxication of the spirit
> must be earned, while the intoxication of earthly wine is simply a reflex of the nervous system to a low-level poison.
> The intoxicant is outlawed, not the intoxication. The believer who abstains from wine is one who is likely
> to comply with other religious requirements. In the application of the Bahá’í proscription of wine, a principle of
> gradualism is followed, especially in cultures where wine-drinking is traditionally accepted and is part of the
> prevalent lifestyle. As a root metaphor, wine speaks to the ritual dimension of the Bahá’í religion (by which its legal
> dimension is meant), in symbolically expressing obedience to Bahá’í law while literally forbidding, in principle and
> wherever practicable, the consumption of wine itself.
> Bahá’u’lláh invites scrutiny of his laws and precepts, to inspire confidence in their wisdom and potential
> efficacy. The laws are rooted in principles—principles worthy of recognition, whose merit deserves to be celebrated.
> Engendering enthusiasm for the Bahá’í agenda, this passage sets a tone for the rest of the Most Holy Book and its
> supplementary texts.
> 
> Global: Kitáb-i-Aqdas: “This day, it behoveth whoso hath quaffed the Mystic Wine of Everlasting Life
> from the Hands of the loving-kindness of the Lord his God, the Merciful, to pulsate even as the throbbing
> artery in the body of mankind, that through him may be quickened the world and every crumbling bone.”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶ 173, 82)
> 
> Analysis: While wine is a corporate symbol for Bahá’í laws, these laws are intended for the world to follow.
> Observing Bahá’í laws aids in the individual’s spiritual progress and transformation, and has an edifying impact on
> society. That impact may be small, but it is cumulative.
> 
> Ethical
> Mirror/Gems
> Reflective, radiant, and lustrous, mirrors and precious stones and pearls are often clustered together in Bahá’í texts,
> with more-or-less equivalent symbolism. Mirrors need burnishing, gems require polishing, pearls must be lustrous
> rather than dull. It is not the fact of being a jewel that counts; rather, it is the quality of refinement that proves the
> jewel’s worth. So it is that refinement of mind and heart is what counts most, yet these are not ends unto themselves.
> The true test of refinement is the impact of spiritual attainments on society.
> Most of Bahá’u’lláh’s symbolism is purely Perso-Islamic, but the immediate background of Bahá’í
> symbolism is Bábí. The Báb made extensive use of mirror imagery, to wit:
> 
> The One true God may be compared unto the sun and the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror
> placed before the sun than it reflects its light. The unbeliever may be likened unto a stone. . . . Indeed, if
> God willeth, He is potent to turn the stone into a mirror. . . . Had he wished to become a crystal, God would
> have made him to assume crystal form.” (The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb 103)
> 
> As the most perfect reflective surface, the mirror of the heart is said to reflect supernal light. But the mirror
> must first be polished and oriented towards the source of light before it can reflect light. This self-refinement is
> expressive of ethical intent and assiduous application:
> 
> Personal: The Seven Valleys: “O My Brother! (ay barádar-i man) A pure heart is as a mirror (qalb-i-latíf
> bi-manzala-yi á’yína ast); cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance (bi-sayqal-i hubb va inqitá’)
> from all save God, that the true sun (áftáb-i-haqíqí) may shine within it and the eternal morning (subh-i-
> azalí) dawn. . . . Yea, these mentionings that have been made of the grades of knowledge (ma’rátib-i ‘irfán)
> relate to the knowledge of the Manifestations of that Sun of Reality (ma’rifat-i tajallíyát-i án shams-i
> haqíqat), which casteth Its light (núr) upon the Mirrors (maráyá). And the splendor of that light is in the
> hearts (tajallí-yi án núr dar qulúb), yet it is hidden under the veilings of sense (hujabát-i nafsáníya) and the
> conditions of this earth (lit. va shu’únát-i ‘aradíiya—[text misread as ardíya]), even as a candle within a
> lantern of iron (chun sham’ zír-i fánús-i-hadíd), and only when the lantern is removed (literally, murtafa’,
> “raised”) doth the light of the candle shine out. In like manner, when thou strippest the wrappings of
> illusion (hujabát-i-afkíya) from off thine heart, the lights of oneness (anvár-i ahadíya) will be made
> manifest.” (Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys 21, 23–24/Áthár-i qalam-i a ‘lá 3:113,
> 116)
> 
> Analysis: Mirrors are perfect reflectors only under perfect conditions. Bahá’u’lláh’s image of the mirror is that of a
> brass mirror, not the mercury-coated glass we now think of as mirrors. Mirrors reflect whatever is in front of them,
> but cannot reflect unless polished. The burnishing of mirrors spoken of in Bahá’í texts assumes an essential
> orientation of the heart’s mirror towards the realm of spirit, so that what is required is not reorienting the mirror so
> much as refining it.
> 
> Proclamatory: The Book of Certitude: “The door (abváb, lit. “doors”) of the knowledge (‘irfán) of the
> Ancient of Days (dhát-i-azal) 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 (javáhir-i quds-i-núrání) to appear out of the realm of the spirit
> (‘aválim-i-ruh-i-ruhání), 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 (ín máráyá-yi qudsíya), these Day-springs of ancient glory
> are one and all the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe (shams-i-vujúd), its
> Essence and ultimate Purpose (jawhar-i maqsúd). . . . These Tabernacles of holiness (hayákil-i-qudsíya),
> these primal Mirrors (máráyá-yi avalíya-yi azalíya) which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but
> expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles (ghayb al-ghuyúb). 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.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Iqán 99–
> 100, 103/Persian text Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Iqán 74–75, 77)
> Analysis: Images frequently associated with mirrors in Bahá’í texts are gems and pearls. All three are
> metaphorically synonymous. In this passage, there is a shift in focus from imperfect to perfect mirrors, from
> imperfect to perfect gems. The perfect mirrors are the “primal Mirrors”—the Prophets or Manifestations of God—
> from which all secondary mirrors borrow their light. Unique to the Primal Mirrors is their ability to translate
> invisible light to visible light. This, of course, is supernal light, defined as the attributes of God. Reflections of godly
> radiance at the human level are spiritual attributes, nearly all of which have ethical associations. Whatever the
> symbolism, Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamations draw a dynamic connection between the prophets or “Manifestations of
> God” and the installation or personal discovery of the higher self.
> 
> Global: Words of Paradise: “O people of Báb! The source of crafts, sciences and arts is the power of
> reflection. Make ye every effort that out of this ideal mine (ma’dan-i haqíqí) there may gleam forth such
> pearls of wisdom and utterance (la’álí-yi hikmat va bayán) as will promote the well being and harmony
> (ásáyish va ittihád) of all the kindreds of the earth.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 72/Majnú’i-yi az
> Alváh-i Jamál-i Aqdas-i Abhá 40)
> 
> Analysis: Development of human potential, if it fails to make the world a better place, is seen as fruitless. In the
> American Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this has been called “spiritual materialism.” Society without religion is ill
> equipped to cultivate human virtues and nobility of character. Without the positive influence of religion, society can
> promote humanism and materialistic idealism, but this is unlikely to produce qualities of compassion and altruism,
> at least to the degree that religion can in its ideal form. In the Bahá’í worldview, the measure of a person’s worth is
> the degree to which he or she has made a positive contribution to human welfare. The alleviation of suffering, the
> moral and scientific education of society, and the general betterment of the human condition is integral the Bahá’í
> theology of mutual salvation. Pearls and gems are typically semi-precious or rare, as are saints, great artists, or
> renowned scientists. This “Word of Paradise” therefore concerns trades, professions, and scientific research,
> establishing a linkage between individual and social ethics.
> 
> Experiential
> The Journey/Path
> In her phenomenology of mysticism, Evelyn Underhill (Mysticism, ch. 6) speaks of three motifs universally used to
> narrate mystical experience in forms of allegory. These are the journey, alchemy, and love (cited by Schimmel, As
> through a Veil 64). In Sufi literature, the salience of these motifs cannot fail to impress the reader. The interior
> “journey” (safar) symbolizes the “wandering” (sulúk) of the “wayfarer” (sálik) on the path to God. “Alchemy” (al-
> kímiyá’) is the soul’s transformation along the way. Platonically passionate “love” (‘ishq) leads to union with the
> Divine. The first and third motifs are easily intertwined in stories of the quest for the Beloved.
> At the heart of Persian Sufi poetry is love mysticism. Earthly love, or “metaphorical love” (‘ishq-i-inajází)
> is emblematic of heavenly love. The nightingale and the rose—the lover and the beloved—are salient motifs.
> Allegorically, spiritual love is richly symbolized by the longing of the nightingale (bulbul) for the rose (gul, cf.
> Schimmel, “Rose und Nachtigall”). ‘Attár has the nightingale exclaim: “The nightingale has no strength to love the
> Símurgh— / for the nightingale the love of the rose is enough” (Schimmel, A Two-Colored Brocade 179).
> Sufi mysticism was a major stream that fed into Bahá’u’lláh’s expressive style and evolving program of reform.
> According to Amanat, Bahá’u’lláh’s “later works composed in the Sufi tradition, . . . reveal a mystical outlook
> pivotal to his later messianic claims and his sociomoral reforms” (Resurrection and Renewal 364). Foremost among
> the mystical works of Bahá’u’lláh is The Seven Valleys (Haft Vádí). Unofficially, Bahá’u’lláh’s The Seven Valleys
> was the first Bahá’í book ever published, lithographed in India by Jamal Effendi. (Because the work was published
> anonymously, many thought Jamal Effendi was himself the author.) The revelation of The Seven Valleys was
> occasioned by the questions of Shaykh Muhyi al-Dín, the Qádí of Khániqayn, a village northeast of Baghdad near
> the Persian border. Based on ‘Attár’s celebrated fable, Mantiq al-Tayr (commonly known in English as The
> Conference of the Birds), Bahá’u’lláh draws heavily on the symbolism of the mystical quest. Both Faríd al-Dín
> ‘Attár (d. 1220) and Bahá’u’lláh employ the symbolizing strategy of allegory to engage others in mystical
> experience. The Mantiq al-Tayr is the journey of thirty birds (sí murgh) in quest of the King of Birds, the Símurgh.
> The title comes from Qur’án 27:16, “O men, we have been taught the speech of birds [mantiq al-tayr] . . .”
> (Rodwell). This legendary Phoenix is said to live on “Mount Qáf” at the end of the world.
> A philosophical bird-allegory—the Risálat al-Tayr (Treatise of the Bird) by Ibn Síná (d. 1037)—had set a
> literary precedent over a century prior to ‘Attár. As a philosophical work, the protagonist of this story is the rational
> soul, on its path to the realm of pure Intellect. Such a conjunction (ittisál) with celestial Intelligence was antithetical
> to the Sufi quest, however. The tale is about a bird, which, after freeing itself from the nets in which it was ensnared,
> joins its companions in a journey across eight mountain peaks, in quest of the lofty palace of the King beyond the
> eighth mountain. It is this allegory in form, though not in content, that set a literary precedent for ‘Attar (Schimmel,
> A Two-Colored Brocade 178). (For English translation, see Heath, Allegory and Philosophy in Avicenna; cf. Heath,
> “Disorientation and Reorientation in Ibn Síná’s Epistle of the Bird: A Reading” and “Ibn Síná’s Journey of the
> Soul.” A manuscript of Ibn Síná’s Arabic prose treatise is archived in the Istanbul University Library [A. Y. 1458].)
> Other possible sources for ‘Attár’s allegory include an Arabic Risálat al-Tayr (Treatise of the Bird) by
> Muhammad al-Ghazzálí (d. 1111—cited in Schimmel, A Two-Colored Brocade 178); the Persian Risálat al-Tayr
> (Treatise of the Bird) by Ahmad al-Ghazzálí (d. 1126; cf. Ritter, “‘Attár” 1:753).; and a long qasída, the Tasbíh al-
> Tuyúr (The Rosary of the Birds) by Saná’í (d. 1131—cited in Schimmel, A Two-Colored Brocade 178). Saná’í was a
> master of the mathnaví, poetry composed in rhyming hemistiches for epic purposes (Schimmel, A Two-Colored
> Brocade 301). The masterwork on ‘Attár is still that of Helmut Ritter, Des Meer der Seele (“The Ocean of the
> Soul”), although the space devoted to Mantiq al-Tayr is limited.
> ‘Attár’s Mantiq al-Tayr contains a section narrating the actual journey through seven valleys. This piece is
> sometimes published independently under the title Haft Vádí (Nurbakhsh, Sufi Symbolism: The Nurbakhsh
> Encyclopedia of Sufi Terminology 167–68). Once the allegory is decoded, it is clear that the flight of these birds is
> modeled on the Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad, as ‘Attár (Mantiq al-Tayr) himself intimates: “A hundred
> thousand hearts and souls were destroyed / Until Muhammad one’ night reached ascension to heaven” (Schimmel,
> As through a Veil 65). The prophet’s steed, Buráq (Lightning), is mentioned in ‘Attár’s Seventh Valley: “First put
> aside the Self, and then prepare / To mount Boraq and journey through the air” (‘Attár, The Conference of the Birds
> 205/ Mantiq al-Tayr 257). As Peter Awn observes: “The internal structure of the work resembles an ascending spiral
> staircase” (“Sufism” 14:114). Carl Ernst has already treated the symbolism of soul-birds (“The Symbolism of Birds
> and Flight in the Writings of Rúzbiyán Baqlí” 353–66). The Símurgh is a symbol of the Godhead.
> Gaining insight into the structure of early Bahá’í thought is possible by studying Bahá’u’lláh in light of
> ‘Attár. Except for the inversion of the fourth and fifth valleys, the sequence of the valleys is identical, The Sufi al-
> Sulamí (d. 1021 C.E.) once wrote: “Sufism has a starting point, an end, and stages in between” (Schimmel,
> Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam 85, n. 56). The term maqám (stages or
> station) is quranic, in the verse which reads: “None of us but hath a certain station (maqám)” (Qur’án 37:164,
> Nicholson, The Kashf al-Mahjúb: The Oldest Persian Treatise on Sufiism 370–7 1).
> “Stations” are attainments. They mark progress in the path of discipline. “States” are gifts of grace, flashes
> of experience, in The Gulistán, the Persian poet Sa’dí has Jacob, biblical father of Joseph, say: “My state [hál] is that
> of leaping lightning” (lit., worldly lightning [barq-i jahán]—Sa’dí, The Gulistán or Rose Garden; cited in Nasr,
> “The Spiritual States in Sufism” 75, Persian text, n. 15). Bahá’u’lláh speaks of a condition in which one’s soul is
> made “to shake with the flashing light . . “ (Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys 4). Rúmí has
> expressed the distinction between the two: “The hál state is like the unveiling of the beauteous bride, / While the
> maqám [station] is the [king’s] being alone with the bride” (Mathnaví 1:1435, Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of
> Islam 99). Progress in reaching any or all of the “stations” was considered cumulative and thus permanent. “States,”
> however, were experienced as states of grace—transitory, like “flashes of lightning,” according to al-Junayd
> (Nicholson, The Kashf al-Mahjúb [8]). One might say that, on the Sufi “path” (taríqa), there was an interplay
> between what in Christian terms might be referred to as works and grace.
> In one of the first classic Sufi manuals—Kitáb al-Luma’ ft al-Tasawwuf (Book of the Flashes on Sufism)—
> Abú Nasr al-Sarráj (d. 988) enumerates seven stages along the mystical path (1914, 42–54; cited in Sells, “Ibn
> ‘Arabí’s Garden among the Flames: The Heart Receptive of Every Form” 103): [1] repentance (tawba), [2]
> abstinence (wara’), [3] renunciation (zuhd), [4] poverty (faqr; cf. Qur’án 35:16), [5] patience (sabr, cf. Qur’án
> 2:103), [6] trust in God (tawakkul), and [7] acceptance (ridá). These are followed by ten “states” (ahwál) of the soul:
> watchfulness (muráqaba), nearness (qurb), love (mahabba), fear (khawf), hope (rajá’), longing (shawq), intimacy
> (uns), tranquillity (itmi’nán), contemplation (musháhada), and finally, certainty (yaqín); cf. Qur’án 102 and 56:95),
> which is both the beginning and end of all of the “states.” Sarráj later adds two other states: intoxication and
> evanescence (Baldick, Mystical Islam: An Introduction to Sufism 55). Sarráj’s “stations” reflect a Qur’án-based,
> moral psychology characteristic of Sufism’s ascetic origins. Subtelny (“The Cult of ‘Abdulláh Ansárí under the
> Timurids”) mentions Ansárí’s Manázil al-sá’irín (Stages of the Mystics), the most famous Hanbalite treatise on
> Sufism. ‘Attár’s sequence represents a love-centered paradigm. This shift probably occurred due to the influence of
> the woman mystic Rabi’a al-Adawíya (d. 801), who established the primacy of altruistic Love (mahabba) for
> mystical intimacy (uns—see Smith, Rabí’a the Mystic and Her Fellow Saints in Islam).
> The present writer’s comparison of the two Haft Vádá texts in Persian found that the theme of pain (dard)
> was a salient motif throughout all of ‘Attár’s seven valleys, whereas an atmosphere of ecstasy pervades
> Bahá’u’lláh’s portrayal of the same quest. To illustrate this relationship, the translated names of each of the valleys
> will be paired with their corresponding technical terms in Persian. Illustrative phrases drawn from the English
> translations of these two texts are cited, as evidence of the recurrence of pain as ‘Attár’s leitmotif and ecstasy as
> Bahá’u’lláh’s own innovation on ‘Attár:
> 
> ‘Attár’s Haft Vádí (‘Attár, The Conference of the Birds):
> 
> Valley                      Name                    Meaning                Page Reference
> First                    Quest (talab)              By pain and grief                 170
> Second                   Love (‘ishq)               Paths of misery                   173
> Third                    Gnosis/Insight (ma’rifa)   Path brings sorrow                181
> Fourth                   Detachment (istighná’)     This journey’s pain               190
> Fifth                    Unity (tawhíd)             Lonely, long austerity            191
> Sixth                    Bewilderment (hayrat)      A place of pain                   196
> Seventh                  Nothingness (faná’)        This painful place                204
> 
> A technical discussion of each of these valleys is given by W. Skalmowski (“The ‘Seven Valleys’ of
> ‘Attár”).
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh’s Haft Vádí (Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys):
> 
> Valley                      Name                           Meaning                 Page
> Reference
> First              Search (talab)                         Nor downhearted                  5
> Second             Love (‘ishq)                           Heaven of ecstasy                8
> Third              Knowledge (ma’rifa)                    Content with decree             12
> Fourth             Unity (tawhíd)                         Ascend to heaven                17
> Fifth              Contentment (istghná’)                 From anguish to joy             29
> Sixth              Wonderment (hayrat)                    Oceans of grandeur              31
> Seventh            True Poverty and Absolute              Ecstasy alone                   39
> Nothingness (faqr-i haqíqí va faná’)
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh does not strictly follow this sequence of valleys. Elsewhere, in his Essence (lit., ‘Gems’) of the
> Mysteries (Jawáhir al-Asrár)—another mystical work revealed in Baghdad—there is a section in which the mystic
> quest takes the form of a journey through seven cities. A comparison of the two sets of valleys/cities is as follows:
> 
> Valley                      Jawáhir al-Asrár                            Haft Vádí
> First                             Search (talab)                             Search (talab)
> Second                            Love/ Yearning (‘ishq wa jadhb)            Love (‘ishq)
> Third                             Unity (tawhíd)                             Knowledge (ma’rifa)
> Fourth                            Wonderment (hayrat)                        Unity (tawhíd)
> Fifth                             Nothingness (faná’)                        Contentment (istghná’)
> Sixth                             Subsistence (baqá’)                        Wonderment (hayrat)
> Seventh                           City of No Name                            True Poverty/Nothingness
> (a) Acquiescence (taslím)              (faqr-i haqíqí va faná’)
> (b) Contentment (rida)
> 
> The final valley of the Seven Valleys is “The Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness” (faqr-i haqíqí va
> faná’). Schimmel notes that “poverty” (faqr) “can become almost a coterminous synonym of faná’, (‘annihilation’)”
> (“Mystical” 103). Faná’ is transcendence of the self, and baqá’ is absorption in God. Traditionally associated with
> the doctrine of faná’ is Báyizíd Bistámí (d. 874), but Julian Baldick cautions that there is no early source for this
> (Mystical Islam 37). The positive notion of baqá’ (lit., “survival” or “abiding”) as well as faná’ has also been
> ascribed to al-Kharráz of Baghdad (d. 899—Baldick, Mystical Islam 40). By the imagery of the journey, the reader
> is oriented towards the goal: recognition of Bahá’u’lláh as eschatological requital (cf. Fádil-i-Mázandarání, “Seven
> Cities in the Spiritual Tourney to God”). At the end of the Valley of Knowledge, on the verge of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh
> states: “At this hour the morn of knowledge hath arisen and the lamps of wayfaring and wandering are quenched”
> (Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys 16). The Persian text reads: “Dar ín vaql subh-i-ma’rifat tál
> shud va chirágh-ha-yi sayr-i-sulúk khámúsh gasht” (Áthár-i-qalam-i-a’lá 3:108). The following three texts suggest
> some of the imagery associated with the key symbol of the journey, which, in context, involves a constellation of
> symbols:
> 
> Personal: Persian Hidden Words #1: “O YE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MINDS TO KNOW AND EARS TO HEAR!
> The first call of the Beloved (avval surúsh-i-dúst) is this: O mystic nightingale (oy bulbul-i-ma’naví)!
> Abide not but in the rose-garden of the spirit. O messenger of the Solomon of love (ay hudhud-i-sulaymán-
> i-’ishq)! Seek no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved (sabá-yi jánán), and O immortal phoenix
> (ay ‘anqá-yi báqí)! dwell not save on the mount of faithfulness (qáf-i-vafá). Therein is thy habitation, if on
> the wings of thy soul thou soarest to the realm of the infinite and seekest to attain thy goal.” (English text:
> Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words 22; Persian text: Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 24)
> 
> Analysis: An equation is drawn between the Beloved, Sheba, and the Phoenix, invoking different symbolisms, but
> with the same message. Ultimately God is meant. Some Sufis believed that direct beatific vision of God was
> possible, while others did not. Bahá’í theology rejects the possibility that God can be seen by the human eye. No
> ziggurat can reach that high. Mortals cannot bridge the chasm between the finite and the infinite. But God can bridge
> that gap by means of revelation. Because knowledge of the will and attributes of God is relative to the degree that
> these are revealed, the mystic quest is best served by a pilgrimage to God’s place of revelation. This, according to
> Bahá’í theophanology, changes from age to age. The latest revelation of God to humanity is in the person of
> Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’ís hold. This is why the Phoenix is interpreted as quintessentially God, but manifested in God as
> revealed in Bahá’u’lláh. For this reason, a distinction obtains between Bahá’u’lláh as an historical figure and
> Bahá’u’lláh’s spiritual reality. Allegorically, God takes the form of the Phoenix, is revealed by the Phoenix, but both
> is and is not the Phoenix.
> 
> Proclamatory: [Untitled Tablet]: “We have revealed Ourself unto men, have unveiled the Cause, guided
> all mankind towards God’s Straight Path, promulgated the laws and have enjoined upon everyone that
> which shall truly profit them both in this world and in the next; yet they have pronounced judgment to shed
> My blood, whereat the Maid of Heaven hath wept sore, Sinai hath lamented and the Faithful Spirit was
> made to sigh with grief.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 251)
> 
> Analysis: The journey is interior, but progress along the Path requires external piety and righteousness. In The Seven
> Valleys, Bahá’u’lláh makes the requirements of this journey explicit with respect to religions law:
> 
> In all these journeys the traveler must stray not the breadth of a hair from the “Law,” for this is indeed the
> secret of the “Path” and the fruit of the Tree of “Truth”; and in all these stages he must cling to the robe of
> obedience to the commandments, and hold fast to the cord of shunning all forbidden things, that he may be
> nourished from the cup of the Law and informed of the mysteries of Truth. (Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys
> and the Four Valleys 39–40)
> 
> Holiness and mystical attainments are thus inseparable: “Be swift in the path of holiness, and enter the heaven of
> communion with Me. Cleanse thy heart with the burnish of the spirit, and hasten to the court of the Most High”
> (Hidden Words Persian #8, English text: Hidden Words 24; Persian text: Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 27).
> 
> Global: Tablet of Maqsúd: “The Great Being saith: O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose
> animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests (hifz) and promote the unity
> (ittihád) of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love (mahabbat) and fellowship (ittifáq) amongst
> men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight
> Path (sirát-i mustaqím), the fixed and immovable foundation.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 215
> [CX]/Múntakhabát 140/Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 168)
> 
> Analysis: Here, the mystic “journey” and the “straight Path” are considered inextricable complements. This
> relationship between adherence to religious law and mystical striving was not always a happy one. Especially in the
> nineteenth century, many Sufis were antinomian and would consider themselves above Islamic law. In many cases,
> this led to indulgence in wine and even addiction to opium (both are forbidden by Islam). Despite the rich legacy of
> classical Sufism—a legacy that is extended in Bahá’u’lláh’s mystical writings—the proliferation of various Sufi
> orders had not only a demoralizing but also a divisive effect in Islam, which was not given to modern notions of
> pluralism. Bahá’u’lláh reintegrates the exterior and interior dimensions of religion and predicates authentic mystical
> attainments on the performance of both.
> 
> Mythic
> Lote Tree/Sinai
> Sinai imagery in Bábí and Bahá’í symbolism has both biblical and quranic roots. Bahá’u’lláh’s designated successor
> and interpreter, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (d. 1921), clusters the image of the “Promised One” with traditional Sinai imagery:
> “The Blessed Beauty [Bahá’u’lláh] is the One promised by the sacred books of the past, the revelation of the Source
> of light that shone upon Mount Sinai, Whose fire glowed in the midst of the Burning Bush” (qtd. in Shoghi Effendi,
> World Order of Bahá’u’lláh 127). Here, the image of Bahá’u’lláh is that of the source of revelation, rather than the
> recipient of it. The Sinaitic “Fire” is colored crimson.
> Assimilation of Sinai imagery in Bahá’í sources is purely typological, a process Wanshrough observes as
> occurring within Islam: “Exempla preserved and transmitted from the ‘past’ (whether or not fictive) may be the
> deposit of an antiquarian impulse, but also witness to a concern for present and future” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian
> Milieu 130). The adducing of such exemplars is said to be “paradigmatic” in a way that is “ahistorical, formally
> though not substantively” (Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu 130). The paradigmatic function of Lote Tree/Sinai
> imagery is to present Bahá’u’lláh as the classic revelator with a new twist: instead of simply being the channel of
> revelation as have been previous messengers, Bahá’u’lláh claims to have been the source of revelation for those
> messengers. Some representative texts are as follows:
> 
> Personal: Arabic Hidden Words #63: “O SONS OF MAN! The light (al-núr) hath shone on thee from the
> horizon of the sacred Mount (al-túr) and the spirit of enlightenment (rúh al-saná’) hath breathed in the
> Sinai of thy heart. Wherefore, free thyself from the veils of idle fancies and enter into My court, that thou
> mayest be fit for everlasting life (al-baqá’) and worthy to meet Me (al-liqá’).” (Hidden Words 18, Arabic
> text, Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 19–20; cf. Lambden, “The Sinaitic Mysteries: Notes on Moses/Sinai
> Motifs in Bábí and Bahá’í Scripture” 121)
> 
> Analysis: The language of revelation, usually reserved for prophets, is metaphorically applied here to the individual.
> There is a sense in which the knowledge of God comes about as a personal disclosure or “revelation.” If the heart is
> likened to Mt. Sinai, the individual’s higher self becomes a Moses personified, leading one in an Exodus out of
> slavery into the Egypt of one’s baser passions. The Promised Land is Paradise which, in this case, is attainment to
> the “Presence” (al-liqá’) of God, by which the Manifestation of God (Bahá’u’lláh) is meant. Here the mythic
> imagery shifts from Sinai in the wilderness to a palace throne, as both symbolize the revelation of God’s law and of
> divine command ethics.
> 
> Proclamatory: Súrat al-Bayán: “Say: The Revelation sent down by God [lit., the latter turn: karrat al-
> ukhrá] hath most surely been repeated, and the outstretched Hand of Our Power bath overshadowed all that
> are in the heavens and all that are on the earth. We have, through the power of truth, the very truth,
> manifested an infinitesimal glimmer of Our impenetrable Mystery, and lo, they that have recognized the
> radiance of the Sinaic splendor (lit., the denizens of the Mount: al-túríyún) expired, as they caught a
> lightening glimpse of this Crimson Light (al-núr al-hamrá’) enveloping the Sinai of Our Revelation (lit.,
> the Sinaic locale: buq’at al-síná’). Thus hath He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful (jamál al-rahmán)
> come down in the clouds of His testimony, and the decree accomplished by virtue of the Will of God, the
> All-Glorious, the All-Wise.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 282/Áthár-i-qalam-i-a’lá 4:110, Lambden, “The
> Sinaitic Mysteries” 134)
> 
> Analysis: Considering that the Bábís were from a predominantly Muslim background, a word should be said about
> the literary form: “Say!” In his form-criticism of the Qur’án, Islamicist Richard Bell theorized that the “Say!”
> passages of the Qur’án were intended for Muslims to commit to memory, for reciting to nonbelievers when the
> authenticity of the Qur’án or the veracity of Islam was being challenged. Bahá’u’lláh employs this quranic rhetorical
> device as a form of revelation recognizable by Muslims/ Bábís, while recontextualizing it within a new revelatory
> context. While the quranic “Say”-passages are somewhat creedal in nature, Bahá’u’lláh’s say-passages tended to be
> more poetic or metaphorical.
> This passage is an obvious allusion to the twenty-eighth chapter of the Qayyúm a1-Asmá’, in which the
> Báb, through a creative and dramatic use of Sinai imagery, foretells the advent of a messiah. The wealth of imagery
> used here can easily be glossed over as ornate, when it is, in fact, condensed and highly allusive. A certain measure
> of metaphorical competency, not to mention biblical and quranic literacy, is required to “decode’ such a panoply of
> metaphors. Even so, there is innovation on some time-honored biblical and quarries imagery. For instance, rarely, if
> ever, in the Torah or Qur’án is “Crimson Light” to be found. However, in Qayyúm a1-Asmá’ 28 and elsewhere, the
> Báb references “crimson Light” to the Sinaitic ‘Fire” or epiphany (tajallí) at Qur’án 7:143 (Lambden. “The Sinaitic
> Mysteries” 102, citing Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb 53). The Báb (Qayyúm a1-Asmá’ 28; cf. the
> Báb, Qayyúm a1-Asmá’ 60) speaks of himself as “this Blessed Tree (ash-shajara al-mubáraká) dyed crimson with
> the oil of servitude” (Lambden. “The Sinaitic Mysteries” 96; cf. 98), and as “the Crimson Tree (shajarat al-
> hamrá’)” (Lambden, “The Sinaitic Mysteries” 105). Subtle creativity is a feature of the Báb’s own originality,
> which, while distinctive, is quranically “familiar.”
> The preponderating influence on Bahá’u’lláh’s imagery is, in fact, that of the Báb. As Lambden points out,
> Bahá’u’lláh’s imagery of the “Crimson Light’ emanating from the Sinaitic “Fire” harks directly back to Qayyúm a1-
> Asmá’ 28, which contains a prophetic passage heralding a messianic advent described as “the fierce and crimson
> Light,” understood to refer to Bahá’u’lláh (Lambden, “The Sinaitic Mysteries” 134; cf. 138, 142). In mythic
> resonance with Moses/Sinai imagery, this passage is no doubt a proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh’s messianic role for
> Bábís.
> In our third example of Lote Tree/Sinai imagery, the following passages were once thought to belong to
> Bahá’u’lláh’s “Tablet of the Hair” [sic], when it first appeared in the December, 1938, issue of Bahá’í News, in a
> translation published by permission of Shoghi Effendi. The contents of this “Tablet” have since been determined to
> have derived from several sources. These are documented in the citations below:
> 
> Global: “Tablets” of the Hair:
> [1] He is the Almighty! My hair is My Messenger. It is calling aloud at all times upon the branch
> of Fire within the hallowed and luminous Garden of Paradise, that perchance the inmates of the realm of
> creation may detach themselves from the world of dust and ascend unto the retreats of nearness—the Spot
> where the Fire seeketh illumination from the light of the Countenance of God, the Glorious, the Powerful.
> O ye that have consecrated yourselves to this Fire! Sing ye melodies, pour out sweet tones, rejoice
> with exceeding gladness and make haste to attain the presence of Him Who is the Object of adoration,
> bearing witness that no God is there besides God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the All-Compelling
> (Universal House of Justice translation; Arabic: Behmardi, La’álí al-Hikma, number 39).
> [2] He is the God of Wisdom! My hair is My Phoenix. Therefore hath it set itself upon the blazing
> fire of My Face and receiveth sustenance from the garden of My Countenance. This is the station wherein
> the Son of ‘Imrau [Moses] removed from the feet of selfish desire the coverings of attachment to all else
> but Him and was illumined by the splendours of the Light of holiness in the undying Fire kindled by God,
> the Potent, the Gracious, the Ever-Forgiving (Lambden, “The Sinaitic Mysteries” 129; Universal House of
> Justice translation; Arabic: Behmardi, La’álí al-Hikma, number 40).
> [3] He is the Most Excellent, the Best Beloved! A lock of My hair is My Cord. He who layeth fast
> hold on it shall never to all eternity go astray, for therein is his guidance to the splendours of the Light of
> His Beauty (Universal House of Justice translation; Arabic: Behmardi, La’álí al-Hikma, number 41).
> [4] He is God! My hair is My Veil whereby I conceal My beauty, that haply the eyes of the non-
> believers among My servants may not fall upon it. Thus do we conceal from the sight of the ungodly the
> glorious and sublime beauty of Our Countenance (Universal House of Justice translation; Arabic:
> Behmardi, La’álí al-Hikma, number 38).
> [5] He is the Eternal! My hair beareth witness for My Beauty that verily I am God and that there is
> none other God but Me. In My ancient eternity I have ever been God, the One, the Peerless, the
> Everlasting, the Ever-Living, the Ever-Abiding, the Self- Subsistent.
> O denizens of the everlasting Realm! Let your ears be attentive to the stirrings of this restless and
> agitated hair, as it moveth upon the Sinai of Fire, within the precincts of Light, this celestial Seat of divine
> Revelation. Indeed there is no God besides Me. In My most ancient pre-existence I have ever been the
> King, the Sovereign, the Incomparable, the Eternal, the Single, the Everlasting, the Most Exalted.
> O peoples of the heavens and of the earth! Were ye to sanctify your ears ye would hear My hair
> proclaim that there is none other God except Him, and that He is One in His Essence and in everything that
> beareth relationship unto Him. And yet how fiercely have you cavilled at this Beauty, notwithstanding that
> the outpourings of His grace have encompassed all that dwell in the billowing oceans of His Revelation and
> Creation. Be ye fair therefore in your judgment concerning His upright Religion, for the love of this Youth
> who is riding high upon the snow-white She-Camel betwixt earth and heaven; and be ye firm and steadfast
> in the path of Truth (Universal House of Justice translation; Arabic: Behmardi, La’álí al-Hikma, number
> 33).
> 
> Analysis: This is a truly mythic cluster of images. While the image that unifies these texts is Bahá’u’lláh’s hair,
> Moses/Sinai imagery features prominently, especially in recurring references to the Sinaitic “Fire,” which, as stated
> above, is associated with crimson as a consistent feature of Bábí/Bahá’í color symbolism. The final selection has
> global import in that it is addressed to the “peoples of the heavens and of the earth.” Especially dramatic is the use of
> referential “voice” in the narrative. Note how God is represented as speaking in the first person, following which the
> text suddenly shifts to use of the third person. This is consistent with the image of Moses as the “Interlocutor of
> God’ an epithet for Moses taken up in Bahá’í texts. Such Islamic images as the She-Camel contribute to this rich
> mix of metaphors. The overall impact of these five passages is to convey the spiritual authority of Bahá’u’lláh
> effectively.
> In Bábí/Bahá’í symbolism, the importance of the symbol of the Lote Tree is indicated by its inclusion as a
> separate entry in A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, defined as follows: “The ‘Tree beyond which there is no passing’.
> Originally, the tree which, in ancient times, the Arabs planted to mark the end of a road. In the Bahá’í Writings, a
> symbol of the Manifestation of God, the ‘Tree beyond which neither men nor angels can pass’; specifically.
> Bahá’u’lláh. Sometimes called the Divine or Sacred Lote Tree” (s.v. “Sadratu’l-Muntahá”). Bahá’u’lláh himself has
> explicated the symbolic significance of the “Lote Tree” (sidra): “. . . The Holy Tree [sadrat] is, in a sense, the
> Manifestation of the One True God, exalted be He. The Blessed Tree in the Land of Za’farán referreth to the land
> which is flourishing, blessed, holy and all-perfumed, where that ‘tree hath been planted” (“Errata” to Bahá’u’lláh,
> Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh 137, cf. Lambden, “The Sinaitic Mysteries” 145). The Lote Tree is associated with the
> “Blessed Tree” mentioned in the celebrated “Light Verse” of the Qur’án (Qur’án 24:35). In Bábí and Bahá’í
> imagery, the Burning Bush and the Lote Tree are equivalent, interchangeable, conflated (Lambden, “The Sinaitic
> Mysteries” 146).
> 
> Social
> Paradise
> Paradise unifies Bahá’í imagery. Paradise evokes all that is ideal on earth. In this respect, Bahá’í formulations of
> Paradise are far more utopian than eschatological, insofar as a distinct social agenda anti a discrete set of individual
> behaviors are rhetorically encouraged. Among the informal canon of other key terms, Paradise is given an entry in A
> Basic Bahá’í Dictionary (sv. “paradise” and “heaven and hell”). As anthropologically referenced symbols, heaven
> and hell refer to spiritual (and unspiritual) conditions.
> Paradise can be literal or symbolic, or both, In Bahá’í sacred texts, a conscious effort is made to draw
> correspondences between Earth and Heaven. In this way, celestial Paradise is emblematic of the ideal society on
> earth. Thus, the “vertical” or otherworldly dimension of paradise intersects with the “horizontal” or realized paradise
> on earth, from transcendence to immanence. To the extent that images of heaven are associated with the expression
> of human spirituality at its finest, a true believer can strive to experience paradise on earth.
> 
> Personal: Untitled Tablet: “Whoso (va har nafsí) hath recognized the Day Spring of Divine guidance and
> entered His holy court (subh-i-hidáyat va fajr-i-ahadíyat fá’iz shud) hath drawn nigh unto God and attained
> His Presence (bi-maqám-i qurb va vasl), a Presence which is the real Paradise, and of which the loftiest
> mansions of heaven are but a symbol. Such a man hath attained the knowledge of the station of Him Who is
> ‘at the distance of two bows,’ Who standeth beyond the Sadratu’l-Muntahá.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 70
> [XXIX]/Múntakhabát 53)
> 
> Analysis: Quranic imagery is used in this passage as an allusion to the Archangel Gabriel, who was the source of the
> revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad in the form of the Qur’án. Rather than association with Muhammad
> himself, Bahá’u’lláh is typologically identified with Gabriel. As such, a related epithet of Bahá’u’lláh, used as a
> prophetic circumlocution, is “Sender of the Messengers” (mursil-i-rusul), while the Báb has been called, in the
> Arabic Tablet of Ahmad, the “King of the Messengers” (sultán-i-rusul), while Muhammad has been named by
> Bahá’u’lláh as the “Seal of Thy Prophets and of Thy Messengers” (Bahá’í Prayers 74, based on Qur’án 33:40),
> where the term for “Messengers” is sufará’ (sing., safír, “ambassador”). This progression—”Seal of the
> Messengers” (Muhammad), “King of the Messengers” (the Báb), “Sender of the Messengers” (Bahá’u’lláh)—
> illustrates the explicit teleology of Bahá’í salvation-history.
> Earth–Paradise correspondences are reciprocal. In the passage cited, Heaven becomes a symbol of ideal
> society. Whatever the “loftiest mansions of Paradise” are, it is not Bahá’u’lláh’s purpose to disclose or speculate.
> Rather, the imagery of celestial habitations is employed to symbolize the potential for unity on Earth. This is the
> manifestation or fullness of the Kingdom of God on Earth, to use the Lord’s Prayer as an analogy. The intent is to
> foster improved social relations, as the personal welfare of the few cannot be morally divorced from the welfare of
> the many.
> 
> Proclamatory: Tablet to Czar Alexander II: “O Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the voice of God, the
> King, the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who, among the Concourse on
> high, beareth the most excellent titles, and Who, in the kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God,
> the Effulgent, the All-Glorious. Beware that nothing deter thee from setting thy face towards thy Lord, the
> Compassionate, the Most Merciful.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf 57)
> 
> Analysis: In this proclamation to the Czar of Russia, which is still the world’s geographically largest country,
> Bahá’u’lláh, in rhetorically trying to enlist the support of the Czar, alludes to his own vocation as the revealer of
> God’s will for humanity in the modern era. However, rather than the Czar himself, it is those who are struck by the
> claims made in this passage who may be impelled to investigate Bahá’u’lláh and to decide individually on the
> veracity and authenticity of Bahá’u’lláh’s truth-claims.
> The prophet (called the “Manifestation of God” in Bahá’í theophanology) is an extension and effulgence of
> the divine glory. Bahá’u’lláh, like Jesus Christ in Trinitarian terms, is nominally and functionally “God” for all
> revelatory intents and purposes. However, Bahá’í doctrine categorically rejects incarnation, a feature of Trinitarian
> belief, in which Christ is equated with God by virtue of sharing the same “essence.” Bahá’í doctrine excludes
> consubstantiality. The Manifestation of God is said to be God in nature, not in essence. This distinction
> contextualizes Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamation to the Czar.
> Paradise presupposes the presence of God. It also presupposes the presence of people. Entrance into
> Paradise is based in part on finding it. Because of its mythic proportions, Paradise has been popularly understood as
> primordial, otherworldly, and eschatological, but rarely in societal terms of reference, as a paradigm of the ideal
> faith-community.
> 
> Global: Persian Hidden Words #18: “O YE DWELLERS IN THE HIGHEST PARADISE! (ay ahl-i-firdaws-i-bar-
> ín). Proclaim unto the children of assurance (ahl-i yaqín-rá) that, within the realms of holiness, nigh unto
> the celestial paradise, a new garden hath appeared, round which circle the denizens of the realm on high
> and the immortal dwellers of the exalted paradise. Strive, then, that ye may attain that station, that ye may
> unravel the mysteries of love from its wind-flowers and learn the secret of divine and consummate wisdom
> from its eternal fruits.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words 27; Persian text, Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimát-i-Maknúnih 31–
> 32)
> 
> Analysis: Some ancient imagery is being recycled in this announcement of a new paradise. The thought orientation
> is clear: one is asked to conceive of the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh as the proximate locus of Paradise. To become
> Paradise-worthy, after finding out about the new paradise, one most potentialize the spiritual qualities inherent in
> every human being. This is not a matter of “meriting” paradise in the faith versus works debates within early
> Christianity, a debate that resurfaced in the Reformation. In Bahá’í anthropological terms each human being is
> already a spiritual creature. The goal of human existence, therefore, is to know and love God, to acquire virtues, and
> to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. Making the world a better place to live and consecrating one’s time
> and talent in the path of service to humanity contribute to social evolution, which, in utopian terms, is the bringing
> about of Paradise on Earth.
> 
> A Core Bahá’í Myth?
> The unity of the preceding imagery is evident throughout Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, most particularly in the allegorical
> texts. Most of the key symbols described above are constituent elements in the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, which is
> probably Bahá’u’lláh’s most well-known allegory. It was on March 26, 1863, that Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Tablet of
> the Holy Mariner (Walbridge. Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time 163), in a field known as Mazra’i-yi Vash
> shásh, on the outskirts of Baghdad (Gail, My Memories of Bahá’u’lláh 19).
> There are two parts to the Tablet of the Holy Mariner one Arabic, the other Persian. John Walbridge has
> provided a useful description of this celebrated tablet (Sacred Acts 163–65). The Arabic section is independent of,
> though related to, the Persian, such that each may be considered a distinct Tablet in its own right. Only the Arabic
> version has been translated. There may be a certain significance in the fact that the Arabic Tablet of the Holy
> Mariner was the first complete work of Bahá’u’lláh to be translated by Shoghi Effendi in his capacity as the
> Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. When originally published in the Star of the West magazine on 17 May 1922, it bore
> the title “The Song of the Holy Mariner.” This was later renamed “The Tablet of the Holy Mariner” and is included
> as an appendix in various editions of Bahá’í prayer books:
> 
> “The Tablet of the Holy Mariner”
> He is the Gracious, the Well-Beloved!
> O Holy Mariner!
> Bid thine ark of eternity appear before the Celestial Concourse,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Launch it upon the ancient sea, in His Name, the Most Wondrous,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And let the angelic spirits enter, in the Name of God, the Most High.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Unmoor it, then, that it may sail upon the ocean of glory,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Haply the dwellers therein may attain the retreats of nearness in the everlasting realm.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Having reached the sacred strand, the shore of the crimson seas,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Bid them issue forth and attain this ethereal invisible station,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> A station wherein the Lord hath in the Flame of His Beauty appeared within the deathless tree;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Wherein the embodiments of His Cause cleansed themselves of self and passion;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Around which the Glory of Moses doth circle with the everlasting hosts;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Wherein the Hand of God was drawn forth from His bosom of Grandeur;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Wherein the ark of the Cause remaineth motionless even though to its dwellers be declared all divine attributes.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> O Mariner! Teach them that are within the ark that which we have taught thee behind the mystic veil,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Perchance they may not tarry in the sacred snow-white spot,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> But may soar upon the wings of the spirit unto that station which the Lord hath exalted above all mention in the
> worlds below,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> May wing through space even as the favored birds in the realm of eternal reunion;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> May know the mysteries hidden in the Seas of light.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> They passed the grades of worldly limitations and reached that of the divine unity, the center of heavenly guidance.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> They have desired to ascend unto that state which the Lord hath ordained to be above their stations.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Whereupon the burning meteor cast them out from them that abide in the Kingdom of His Presence,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And they heard the Voice of Grandeur raised from behind the unseen pavilion upon the Height of Glory:
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "O guardian angels! Return them to their abode in the world below,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "Inasmuch as they have purposed to rise to that sphere which the wings of the celestial dove have never attained;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "Whereupon the ship of fancy standeth still which the minds of them that comprehend cannot grasp."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Whereupon the maid of heaven looked out from her exalted chamber,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And with her brow signed to the Celestial Concourse,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Flooding with the light of her countenance the heaven and the earth,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And as the radiance of her beauty shone upon the people of dust,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> All beings were shaken in their mortal graves.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> She then raised the call which no ear through all eternity hath ever heard,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And thus proclaimed: "By the Lord! He whose heart hath not the fragrance of the love of the exalted and glorious
> Arabian Youth,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "Can in no wise ascend unto the glory of the highest heaven."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Thereupon she summoned unto herself one maiden from her handmaidens,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And commanded her: "Descend into space from the mansions of eternity,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "And turn thou unto that which they have concealed in the inmost of their hearts.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "Shouldst thou inhale the perfume of the robe from the Youth that hath been hidden within the tabernacle of light by
> reason of that which the hands of the wicked have wrought,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "Raise a cry within thyself, that all the inmates of the chambers of Paradise, that are the embodiments of the eternal
> wealth, may understand and hearken;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "That they may all come down from their everlasting chambers and tremble,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "And kiss their hands and feet for having soared to the heights of faithfulness;
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "Perchance they may find from their robes the fragrance of the Beloved One."
> 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,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And sought to inhale their fragrance at a time that knoweth neither beginning nor end.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> She found not in them that which she did desire, and this, verily, is but one of His wondrous tales.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> She then cried aloud, wailed and repaired to her own station within her most lofty mansion,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And then gave utterance to one mystic word, whispered privily by her honeyed tongue,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And raised the call amidst the Celestial Concourse and the immortal maids of heaven:
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "By the Lord! I found not from these idle claimants the breeze of Faithfulness!
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> "By the Lord! The Youth hath remained lone and forlorn in the land of exile in the hands of the ungodly."
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> She then uttered within herself such a cry that the Celestial Concourse did shriek and tremble,
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> And she fell upon the dust and gave up the spirit. It seemeth she was called and hearkened unto Him that summoned
> her unto the Realm on High.
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Glorified be He that created her out of the essence of love in the midmost heart of his exalted paradise!
> Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
> Thereupon the maids of heaven hastened forth from their chambers, upon whose countenances the eye of no dweller
> in the highest paradise had ever gazed.
> Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!
> They all gathered around her, and lo! they found her body fallen upon the dust;
> Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!
> And as they beheld her state and comprehended a word of the tale told by the Youth, they bared their heads, rent
> their garments asunder, beat upon their faces, forgot their joy, shed tears and smote with their hands upon their
> cheeks, and this is verily one of the mysterious grievous afflictions—
> Glorified be our Lord, the Most High! (Baha'i Prayers, 221–29)
> 
> This Tablet is filled with Paradise imagery, the original focus of which was the Bábí community, out of
> which the inchoate Bahá’í community emerged. This narrative constitutes the core Bahá’í myth, of the soul’s
> journey to the presence of God in the person of Bahá’u’lláh, and in fidelity to his Covenant. Scenes of paradise, in
> heaven above, are used allusively in Bahá’í texts as an imagistic ideal of an ideal faith-community, on earth below.
> The Tablet of the Holy Mariner concludes with a section in Persian. Based on my own reading of the original text,
> while consulting Walbridge (Sacred Acts 164 65), the following narrative highlights significant words from the
> Persian.
> Bahá’u’lláh, the narrator, introduces himself as “the Persian ‘Iráqí” (al-fársi al-‘iráqí). The story resumes.
> By order of the Holy Mariner (malláh-i-qudsí), the passengers embark on the divine ship (ahl-i fulk-i-iláhí), the
> ancient Ark (safína-i-qidamí), to sail upon the Ocean of Names (bahr-i-asmá’). The purpose of the voyage was to
> traverse the stages of human limitations so that, by the leave of God, the travelers could reach the shores of Unity
> (shátí’-i-tawhíd), where they might quaff from the chalice of Oneness (tajríd). With the aid of God, the divine Ark
> voyaged across the Ocean of Wisdom (áb-i-hikmat), until it reached a station in which the Stagnant Name (ism-i-
> sákin—probably an allusion to Bahá’u’lláh archrival, Mírzá Yahyá Subh-i-Azal), seized control (sabaqat girift) and
> diverted its course (majrá). As a result, the Ark of the Spirit became motionless, prevented from further travel.
> At this moment, there came a decree from Heaven. The eternal Mariner (malláh-i-baqá’) disclosed to the shipmates
> (ahl-i-fulk) one single letter from the mystic, arcane word (harfí kalmia-yi ikhfá’), so that, with assistance from the
> invisible realm, they might pass through the Valley of Bewilderment of their lower natures (vádí-yi hayrat-i-
> nafsání), enter into the joyous atmosphere of spiritual oneness (vahdat-i-ruhání), and reach the summit of the divine
> Qáf of Immortality (qáf-i baqá’-yi ján) [mystic mountain thought to be in Qafqáz], to attain the presence of the
> Beloved (liqá’-yi-hadrat-i-jánan).
> As the passengers of the vessel (ahl-i-kashtí) received word from the celestial Friend, they opened their
> mystic wings (par-i-ma‘ná) at once (fí al-fawr) and soared into the holy atmosphere (havá-yi qudsí). By the grace of
> God (fadl-i-iláhí) and divine mercy (rahmat-i-subhání), they passed over the perilous ravines of self and passion
> (‘aqabát-i-nafs va havá), and over the deepest pits of the hells of ignorance and blindness (darakát-i-ghaflat va
> ‘amá).
> At this time (dar ín vaqt), from God’s holy realm there blew the breezes of Paradise (nasá’im-i-ridván),
> wafting over their bodies. And after winging their way through the atmosphere of nearness to God (qurb-i-iláhfí),
> having traversed the spiritual stages (sayr-i-maqámat-i-ma‘naví) along the way, the birds (tayrán), safe and sound,
> reached their final destination and alighted (nuzúl nimúdand) in the homeland of the lovers (vatan-i-‘áshigán).
> Whereupon the dwellers of this station (sakkán ín maqám) arose to serve their guests. The immortal Youths
> (ghulám-án-i-báqí) and the holy Cupbearer (sáqí-yi qudsí) proceeded to serve ruby-red wine (khamr-i-yáqútí). The
> guests became so intoxicated with the wine of divine knowledge (khamr-i-mahrúf) and goblet of divine wisdom
> (kás-i-hikmat) that they were freed from their own existence (hastí-yi khud) and everything in the universe.
> Attaching their hearts (dil bastand) to the beauty of the Friend (dust), they remained for centuries (qarn-há) in that
> privileged spiritual station (án maqám-i-khwush-i-rúhaní) and that holy, divine rose garden (gulzár-i-quds-i-
> rahmání).
> With the utmost bliss did they remain and tarry, until the gales of the divine Test (nasá’im-i-imtihán-i-
> subhání) and the winds of the ordeal of the Sovereign (aryáh-i-iftatán-i-sultaní) gusted from the Sheba of the
> command (amr) of the Eternal, such that they were attracted to the beauty of the Cupbearer (jamál-i-sáqí) and forgot
> the Immortal Visage (vajh-i-báqí). They thus imagined the shadow (zill) as the sun (shams), and mistook black
> specks (ashbáh) for light (núr). Whence they pursued (qasd namúdand) mere mirages of the Greatest Name (mi
> ‘árij-iism-i-a‘zam). The birds desired to fly in that atmosphere (án havá’), and to enter that Seat and Palace
> (mahall). As they flew, the divine assayers (sarráfán-i-iláhí), with the divine touchstone (bi-mihakk-i-qudsí) and by
> the decree (amr) of God, descended (íshán názil shudand) upon them. Because the assayers did not scent the
> fragrance of the spiritual Youth (aryáh-i-ghulám-i-ma‘naví) from the bird-souls, all (jamí‘-rá) were barred from
> further progress. And there transpired what had been recorded in the Preserved Tablet (lawh-i-mahfúz).
> Bahá’u’lláh then warns his followers not to become enamored of the mystic Cupbearer and not to become
> so inebriated with the wine of knowledge and wisdom. The wayfarer should seek guidance from him and not from
> the manifestations of Satan. Those who quest after the mystic path should first unite their outward and inward
> beings.
> This Tablet and its interpretation should be referenced to a later revelation known as the Lawh-i-Hawdaj or
> the Lawh-i-Sámsún, in which Bahá’u’lláh makes explicit reference to the Lawh-i-Malláh al-Quds. Bahá’u’lláh had
> been living in exile in Baghdad from 1853 to 1863. He left Baghdad on 3 May 1863, for Constantinople, capital of
> the Ottoman Empire. En route, there was a port on the shore of the Black Sea, known as Sámsún, where Bahá’u’lláh
> and his entourage arrived in early August, 1863. There, the Lawh-i-Sámsún was revealed. Its circumstances of
> revelation have been recounted in an unpublished narrative of Áqá Muhammad Ridá-yi Qannád-i-Shírází (Balyuzi,
> Bahá’u’lláh: The King of Glory 195; cf. Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh 2:6, 16; Gail, My Memories 35;
> Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 157). Stephen Lambden (“At the Shore of the Black Sea”) has published the
> previously unpublished Arabic text, to which he has attached a provisional translation and helpful commentary.
> In contrast to the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, in which the Mariner himself is said to have been addressed
> with a “secret, sorrowful Call” (Lambden, “At the Shore” 94), the Tablet of Sámsún is celebratory and joyous in
> tone. Both these texts narrate what might be thought of as a mystical pilgrimage to the sacred presence of
> Bahá’u’lláh, the locus of divine revelation, defined as the presence of God. In the Tablet of the Holy Mariner,
> Bahá’u’lláh is ordered by God to take command of his ship, the Ark of Eternity. This is a metaphorical description
> of Bahá’u’lláh’s assumption of leadership of the Bábí community, symbolized by the Ark. The doleful tones of this
> tablet indicate the opposition that Bahá’u’lláh would inevitably face from those Bábís who were partisans of
> Bahá’u’lláh’s half-brother and archrival, Mírzá Yahyá Subh-i-Azal. In the Tablet of Sámsún, Bahá’u’lláh’s status as
> leader of the Bábís has consolidated considerably, even though the final rupture with Subh-i-Azal would not take
> place until 1866 in Adrianople. On the shore of the Black Sea, the ocean voyage, described previously in the Tablet
> of the holy Mariner, becomes a concrete eventuality, even though the Black Sea itself is “transcendentalized”
> (Lambden, “At the Shore” 88).
> These two works stress the relationship between the integrity of personal faith and the integrity of the
> spiritual community. Allegories typically involve corporate or collective imagery. Clearly, the “Ark of Eternity”
> (referred to in later texts as “the Crimson Ark”) is the Bahá’í community. The use of this image is anchored in the
> Bábí constellation of images. Bahá’u’lláh appropriates and enlarges upon the same imagery found in the Qayyúm al-
> Asmá’, in which the Báb is understood as prophesying the advent of Bahá’u’lláh and his community of followers.
> The Tablet of the Holy Mariner literally describes the “maiden voyage” of the Ark, in the sense that the Maiden of
> Heaven is sent to assay the fidelity of those who would embark on the Ark, at a time when Bahá’u’lláh was about to
> make his momentous declaration on the eve of his exile to Istanbul. The loyalty of the passengers (who were among
> Bahá’u’lláh’s fellow exiles) was tested every step of the way. Such Ark/Mariner imagery recurs throughout
> Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, of which the following text is representative: “Verily, the sea of calamity hath surged, and
> gales have overtaken the Ark of God, the All-Encompassing, the Self-Subsistent. O Mariner! Be not daunted by
> gales, for He Who is the Breaker of Dawns is with Thee in this darkness which hath enveloped the worlds” (Ishráq
> Khávarí quoting Bahá’u’lláh, trans. by Balyuzi, Bahá’u’lláh: The King of Glory 326; cf. 185).
> One can appreciate why Shoghi Effendi, in his new capacity as Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith following the
> death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921, chose this tablet to be the first complete work of Bahá’u’lláh to offer, in translation,
> to the Bahá’í community. It is as though the entire allegory was reenacted when Shoghi Effendi took the helm and,
> as the new Mariner, steered the course of the Bahá’í world from 1921 to 1957. The Tablet of the Holy Mariner is an
> archetypal allegory replayed in transitions of leadership in Bahá’í history. These transitions precipitated tests of
> loyalty among Bahá’ís. The so-called Covenant-Breakers—those who challenged the designated leadership
> prerogatives, in succession, of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and now, the Universal House of
> Justice—seriously threatened the integrity of the community. Thus, the import of the Mariner allegory is never lost
> on Bahá’ís, even though the rest of the imagery is difficult, complex, and recondite. This is why this particular
> allegory arguably constitutes the core Bahá’í myth, in the voyage of an Ark that is launched in Baghdad and finally
> comes to rest on the slopes of Mount Carmel.
> 
> The Bahá’í Paradigm of Unity
> Bahá’í portrayals of Paradise are typically reflexive. Paradise is seen as a reality in the afterlife, but the angelic life
> begins in this life. Metaphors and scenarios of Paradise function to inspire lofty thought and to model ideal behavior
> in the present. Virtually all of the imagery used to portray ideal-typic scenes has, in a sense, been “recycled” from
> previously familiar paradise imagery. This grammar of images rehearses a stock repertoire of that which is heavenly.
> The specifically Bahá’í use of these key symbols is organized and structured around ideals of unity, ranging from a
> heart-to-world nexus to a unity of thought and purpose in world undertakings. This integrative worldview is the
> controlling force behind all of the passages cited above and amply illustrates the Bahá’í paradigm of concentric
> unity, which is the organizing principle behind almost every glimpse of paradise Bahá’u’lláh inspires.
> 
> Notes
> 
> 1. As a textual note, the sentence from this last passage, “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one
> branch” appears to be a citation from the Tablet to Mánakchí (Daryáy-i-Dánish: Selected from the Tablets of
> Bahá’u’lláh 7–8).
> 
> Works Cited
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> Cornell University Press, 1989.
> 
> ‘Attár, Farid al-Dín. The Conference of the Birds. Trans. Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis. Harmondsworth/New
> York: Penguin, 1984.
> ———. The Conference of the Birds. Mantiq ut-tair: a philosophical religious poem in prose. “Rendered into
> English from the literal and complete French translation of Garcin de Tassay by C. S. Nott.” London:
> Routledge and Kegan Paul [London: Janus, 1954], 1974.
> ———. Mantiq al-Tayr. Persian edition: Dr. M. J. Mashkur, ed. 1962. Mantiq ut-Tair. A philosophical and mystical
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> appendices [sic English title page]. 2d ed. Tehran: n.p., 1962.
> 
> Awn, Peter J. “Sufism.” In Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Mircea Eliade. New York: Macmillan, 1987. 104–23.
> 
> Báb, The. Selections from the Writings of the Báb. Trans. Habib Taherzadeh. Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1976.
> 
> Bahá’í Prayers: A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 4th ed. Wilmette, Ill.:
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust. 1991.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh. Ad’íyyih-Hadrat-i-Mahbúb: Prayers of Bahá’u’lláh. Frankfurt: Bahá’í Verlag, 136 Badí‘
> (1980). Facsimile of the Egyptian 1339 A.H. edition. 1980.
> ———. Alwáh-i mubáraka-yi hadrat-i Bahá Alláh shámil-i Ishráqát va chand lawh-i dígar. Ed. Mishkín-Qalam.
> Bombay: Násirí Press 1310 A.H. (1892–93).
> ———. Alwáh-inázila khatáb ba mulúk va rú’asá-yi ard. Tehran: Mu’asisa-yi Millí-yi Matbú ‘at-i Amrí, 124 Badi‘
> (1967–68). Reprinted.
> ———. Athár-i-qalam-i a‘lá. Vol. 3. Tehran: Mu’asisa-yi Millí-yi Matbú ‘at-i Amrí, 129 Badi‘ (1972–73), 1973.
> ———. Athár-i-qalam-i a‘lá. Vol. 4. Tehran: Mu’asisa-yi Millí-yi Matbú ‘at-i Amrí, 133 Badi‘ (1976–77), 1977.
> ———. Athár-i-qalam-i a‘lá. Vol. 6. Tehran: Mu’asisa-yi Millí-yi Matbú ‘at-i Amrí, 134 Badi‘ (1977–78).
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> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1985.
> ———. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Trans. Shoghi Effendi. Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust [1941], 1962.
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> — *A Symbolic Profile of the Baha'i Faith (Used by permission of the curator)*