# Proofs of the Prophets

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Peter Terry, Proofs of the Prophets, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> PROOFS
> OF
> THE
> PROPHETS
> 
> [Type the abstract of the document here. The
> Peter Terry
> Compiler and Commentator
> 
> Volume I of the Bahá‟í Studies Series
> 
> Original compilation of texts related to
> proofs of prophethood, as found in the
> Writings of Bahá‟u‟lláh, the Báb, „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and in the Sacred
> Writings of various religions.
> 
> Passages from the Writings of the Báb are
> in some cases presented in the compiler‟s
> rendering of their French translation by
> A.L.M. Nicolas, originally published circa
> 1900-1911.
> 
> Published by Lulu Publications 2008
> 
> Copyright © 2008 by Peter Terry
> 
> All rights reserved under International and
> Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
> 
> ISBN: 978-1-4357-1346-8
> 
> Manufactured in the U.S.A.
> TABLE OF CONTENTS
> “The essential requirement for whoso advanceth a claim is to
> support his assertions with clear proofs and testimonies.”
> (Bahá‟u‟lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, in Summons of the Lord of
> Hosts:242)
> 
> FOREWORD…5                       20th PROOF…109
> PREFACE…7                        21st PROOF…117
> INTRODUCTION…9                   22nd PROOF…121
> OUTLINE…15                       23rd PROOF…125
> 1st PROOF…21                     24th PROOF…139
> 2nd PROOF…25                     25th PROOF…143
> 3rd PROOF…29                     26th PROOF…149
> 4th PROOF…35                     27th PROOF…153
> 5th PROOF…37                     28th PROOF…161
> 6th PROOF…41                     29th PROOF…163
> 7th PROOF…51                     30th PROOF…165
> 8th PROOF…57                     31st PROOF…167
> 9th PROOF…63                     32nd PROOF…171
> 10th PROOF…69                    33rd PROOF…173
> 11th PROOF…71                    34th PROOF…179
> 12th PROOF…73                    35th PROOF…183
> 13th PROOF…77                    36th PROOF…189
> 14th PROOF…81                    37th PROOF…193
> 15th PROOF…85                    38th PROOF…199
> 16th PROOF…89                    39th PROOF…201
> 17th PROOF…95                    40th PROOF…207
> 18th PROOF…101                   CONCLUSIONS…211
> 19th PROOF…105                   EPILOGUE…214
> 
> “Verily I say! No one hath apprehended the root of this
> Cause. It is incumbent upon everyone, in this day, to
> perceive with the eye of God, and to hearken with His ear.
> Whoso beholdeth Me with an eye besides Mine own will
> never be able to know Me.              None among the
> Manifestations of old, except to a prescribed degree, hath
> ever completely apprehended the nature of this
> Revelation.” (Bahá‟u‟lláh, The Advent of Divine Justice:77)
> “In this day the verses of the Mother Book are resplendent
> and unmistakable even as the sun. They can in no wise be
> mistaken for any past or more recent utterances. Truly this
> Wronged One desireth not to demonstrate His Own Cause
> with proofs produced by others. He is the One Who
> embraceth all things, while all else besides Him is
> circumscribed. Say, O people, peruse that which is current
> amongst you and We will peruse what pertaineth unto Us.”
> (Bahá‟u‟lláh, Kalimat-i-Firdawsiyyih, in Tablets of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas [TB]:74)
> 
> “The Cause is manifest, it shineth resplendent as the sun,
> but the people have become veils unto themselves. We
> entreat God that He may graciously assist them to return
> unto Him. He is, in truth, the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
> (Bahá‟u‟lláh, TB:79)
> 
> “Some of the divines who have declared this Servant an
> infidel have at no time met with Me. Never having seen
> Me, or become acquainted with My purpose, they have
> nevertheless spoken as they pleased and acted as they
> desired. Yet every claim requireth a proof, not mere words
> and displays of outward piety.” (Bahá‟u‟lláh, Suriy-i-
> Haykal, in Summons of the Lord of Hosts:223)
> 
> “The breezes of Revelation can never be confounded with
> other breezes. Now the Lote-Tree beyond which there is
> no passing standeth laden with countless fruits before thy
> face; besmirch not thyself with idle fancies, as have done
> the people aforetime.         These utterances themselves
> proclaim the true nature of the Faith of God. He it is Who
> witnesseth unto all things. To demonstrate the truth of His
> Revelation He hath not been, nor is He, dependent upon
> any one. Well nigh a hundred volumes of luminous verses
> and perspicuous words have already been sent down from
> the heaven of the will of Him Who is the Revealer of signs,
> and are available unto all. It is for thee to direct thyself
> towards the Ultimate Goal, and the Supreme End, and the
> Most Sublime Pinnacle, that thou mayest hear and behold
> what hath been revealed by God, the Lord of the worlds.”
> (Bahá‟u‟lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf:115)
> FOREWORD
> Whenever words and phrases are in italics or in CAPITAL LETTERS,
> these effects have been adopted for emphasis, and are not integral to
> the original source texts.
> 
> Long citations from the writings of the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh, and
> others who are identified in this study as Prophets are indented, while
> in citations from the Writings and utterances of „Abdu‟l-Bahá and the
> writings of Shoghi Effendi only the first line of the citation is indented.
> 
> All interpretations of texts cited in this study are not original to the
> compiler and commentator, and hence he does not claim to be their
> inventor. Nor does he claim that his interpretations are the only valid
> understandings of the texts cited. Let the reader read, reflect and
> come to his own conclusions.
> 
> The abbreviated titles of source texts are used almost without
> exception in this book:
> 
> ABDP: „Abdu‟l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy
> ABL: „Abdu‟l-Bahá in London
> ADJ: Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice
> AHW: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Arabic Hidden Words
> BG: Bhagavad-Gita
> BP: Bahá‟í Prayers
> BWF: „Abdu‟l-Bahá, Bahá‟u‟lláh, Bahá‟í World Faith
> ESW: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
> FV: Bahá‟u‟lláh, The Four Valleys
> GL: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá‟u‟lláh
> GPB: Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By
> GTT: Shoghi Effendi, Guidance for Today and Tomorrow
> JA: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Javahiru‟l-Asrar
> JN: Gospel of John
> KA: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas
> KI: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Kitáb-i-ĺqán
> LK: Gospel of Luke
> MK: Gospel of Mark
> MT: Gospel of Matthew
> PDC: Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come
> PHW: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Persian Hidden Words
> PM: Bahá‟u‟lláh, Prayers and Meditations
> PT: „Abdu‟l-Bahá, Paris Talks
> PUP: „Abdu‟l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace
> REV: Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse)
> SAQ: „Abdu‟l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions
> SDC: „Abdu‟l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization
> SLH: Bahá‟u‟lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts
> SP: Báb, The Seven Proofs
> SV: Bahá‟u‟lláh, The Seven Valleys
> SW: Star of the West
> SWAB: Selections from the Writings of „Abdu‟l-Bahá
> TAB: Tablets of „Abdu‟l-Bahá
> TB: Tablets of Bahá‟u‟lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
> TF: „Abdu‟l-Bahá, Tablet to Dr. Auguste Forel
> UAB: Utterances of Abdul Beha Abbas to two young men, American
> pilgrims to Acre, 1901; New York: The Board of Counsel, 1902
> PREFACE
> This book sets forth the proofs of prophethood described in the
> writings of Mírzá Husayn 'Alí Núrí (1817-1892), known as Bahá‟u‟lláh.
> Bahá‟u‟lláh was born in Tihran, the capital city of Iran, and was
> brought up in that city and on various properties in its vicinity and in
> the province of Mazindaran, northeast of Tihran. His father was a
> minister in the court of Muhammad Shah, the King of Iran, who left
> Bahá‟u‟lláh his extensive properties upon his demise, when his eldest
> son was only eighteen years of age. In spring of the year 1260
> according to the Islamic calendar (1844 Gregorian), at a time of
> considerable ferment through the Muslim domains because of the time
> prophecies which many believed would be fulfilled with its advent,
> Bahá‟u‟lláh received a document from an emissary named Mullá
> Husayn-i-Bushru'i. Upon reading that document, Bahá‟u‟lláh was
> immediately and unequivocally convinced of the divine inspiration and
> prophetic calling of its Author, Siyyid 'Alí Muhammad Shírází (1819-
> 1850), known as the Báb. Henceforth, Bahá‟u‟lláh was a Bábí, a
> follower of the Báb. He was active in the promotion of the new Faith,
> and was chiefly responsible for administering the gathering of Bábís
> who, in June/July of 1848, affirmed the independence of the Bábi
> Scriptures (called Bayán) from the Qur'an and hadith of the Islamic
> Dispensation, and the abrogation of the Islamic law (called sha'riah) by
> the new Bábí ordinances. Scarcely two years later, in July 1850 the Báb
> was executed by order of a group of secular and religious officials in
> the city of Tabriz, subsequent to imprisonment in the mountain
> fortresses of Mah-Ku and Chihriq. Another two years after this
> martyrdom, in August 1852, Bahá‟u‟lláh was arrested and imprisoned
> following a failed attempt on the life of Nasiri'd-Din Shah, then
> reigning King of Iran, by a few Bábís bent upon revenge for the
> government's approval of the execution of their beloved Báb. When
> released from this imprisonment, Bahá‟u‟lláh was exiled, along with
> family members and other Bábis, from the city of Tihran and the
> kingdom of Iran. He journeyed to Baghdad, in the land of 'Iraq,
> where the family and devoted friends took up their residence for over
> ten years. Bahá‟u‟lláh sojourned near the city of Sulaymaniyyih, in
> Kurdistan, northeast of Baghdad, for two years, from 1854 until 1856,
> and before and after this period were spent in Baghdad.
> 
> In the same year that Bahá‟u‟lláh became a follower of the Báb, 'Abbás
> (1844-1921), known as „Abdu‟l-Bahá was born, the eldest son of this
> eminent Exile. This son also became an ardent believer in the new
> Faith, whose favorite pass-time in youth was the memorization and
> recitation of Tablets revealed by the Báb. The Báb had promised the
> appearance of "Him Whom God shall make manifest," another
> Prophet to follow soon after the inception of the Bábí Faith, pointing
> to the years "9" (1269=1852/1853) and "19" (1279=1862/1863). In
> the year "9" „Abdu‟l-Bahá recognized Bahá‟u‟lláh as "Him Whom God
> shall make manifest" but the loyal son did not tell anyone this secret,
> because the time had not come for its disclosure. However, in the year
> "19" Bahá‟u‟lláh openly proclaimed to „Abdu‟l-Bahá and a few other
> Bábís, on the even of their departure from Baghdad, that "Him Whom
> God shall make manifest" was none other than himself. The family
> and many of their Bábí friends were summoned first to
> Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, then to
> Adrianople, a backwater town to the northwest of Constantinople, and
> finally to the prison-city of 'Akka, in the province of Palestine (now
> known as Acco, in the state of Israel). During these years of exile, first
> in Baghdad, then Sulaymaniyyih, then Constantinople, Adrianople,
> 'Akka, and finally in the house of Bahji, in the outskirts of 'Akka,
> Bahá‟u‟lláh wrote and dictated thousands of pages of prose and verse,
> on a fantastic range of subjects, in the Persian and Arabic languages.
> 
> One of the themes which is found in many of these Writings are the
> proofs of the prophets of God. Bahá‟u‟lláh does not consider only the
> proofs of the prophethood claimed by the Báb, or proofs of his own
> prophetic claims. He sets forth, in clear and authoritative fashion,
> citing verses from the Bible and Qur'an alike, the proofs of all of the
> Prophets of God. His son, „Abdu‟l-Bahá, whom he appointed the
> authoritative interpreter of his teachings, and his great-grandson,
> Shoghi Effendi, appointed to the same office by „Abdu‟l-Bahá, both
> elaborated these proofs of prophethood. This book is devoted to
> setting forth all of the proofs of prophethood which have been
> discovered in their writings and utterances.
> INTRODUCTION
> Among the teachings of Bahá‟u‟lláh is that science and religion are
> compatible; that religion must be in agreement with reason and
> science; that each must investigate reality for himself and all are
> encouraged to forego blind imitation of others in matters of religious
> belief and observance. These are lofty principles, but one might well
> wonder how they can be translated into practice. How might they be
> realized in the way we live our lives?
> 
> The writings of Bahá‟u‟lláh call upon every human being to do two
> things: First, to investigate reality, to search after truth, to seek out
> knowledge, to learn, and specifically, to read and to meditate on the
> Word of God; Second, to strive to understand the teachings, obey the
> commandments, live according to the ordinances, and aspire to
> approach the ideals set forth in the Word of God. Is the first purpose
> fulfilled by joining a religious community, taking an oath, converting
> or returning to a Faith? According to conventional wisdom, it is.
> Religious belief is generally assumed to be based on emotions which
> defy reasonable explanation and have no relation to logical or scientific
> thinking. Indeed, those who continue to ask questions after they have
> apparently become believers in a particular Faith are often looked
> upon with suspicion by their fellow religionists, and their "faith" is
> rendered doubtful, their "trustworthiness" is seriously compromised.
> This kind of "faith" is not well regarded by Bahá‟u‟lláh. He not only
> permits questioning, rather we are invited to ask questions if there is
> anything we do not understand. In "Seven Valleys" (Haft Vadi), a
> treatise penned in response to the questions of Shaykh Muhyi'd-Din, a
> Muslim judge [qadi] in the city of Khaniqin, in 'Iraq, Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> "If any of the utterances of this Servant may not be
> comprehended, or may lead to perturbation, the same must be
> inquired of again, that no doubt may linger, and the meaning
> be clear…"1
> 
> Some years later, in the "Book of Certitude" (Kitáb-i-ĺqán), a two-part
> reply to the questions of Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, one of the
> maternal uncles of the Báb, Bahá‟u‟lláh reaffirmed this principle in
> relation specifically to the Word of God:
> 
> Seven Valleys [SV], p. 40
> "They have even failed to realize, all this time, that, in every
> age, the reading of the scriptures and holy books is for no
> other purpose except to enable the reader to apprehend their
> meaning and unravel their innermost mysteries. Otherwise
> reading, without understanding, is of no abiding profit unto
> man."2
> 
> He insisted, in that same Book, that the understanding of the Word of
> God is not reserved for those with human learning, that it is accessible
> to the masses of humanity3:
> 
> "Heed not the idle contention of those who maintain that the
> Book and the verses thereof can never be a testimony unto
> the common people, inasmuch as they neither grasp their
> meaning nor appreciate their value. And yet, the unfailing
> testimony of God to both the East and the West is none other
> than the Qur'an. Were it beyond the comprehension of men,
> how could it have been declared as a universal testimony unto
> all people? If their contention be true, none would therefore
> be required, nor would it be necessary for them to know God,
> inasmuch as the knowledge of the divine Being transcendeth
> the knowledge of His Book, and the common people would
> not possess the capacity to comprehend it.
> "Such contention is utterly fallacious and inadmissable. It is
> actuated solely by arrogance and pride. Its motive is to lead
> the people astray from the Ridvan of divine good-pleasure
> and to tighten the reins of their authority over the people.
> "And yet, in the sight of God, these common people are
> infinitely superior and exalted above their religious leaders
> who have turned away from the one true God."
> 
> This first purpose of humanity, to investigate reality takes on an
> entirely different character when one considers it in the light of an
> Islamic tradition, cited by Bahá‟u‟lláh in that same Book:
> 
> "We will accordingly make mention of a few traditions, that
> these may impart constancy to the wavering soul, and
> tranquillity to the troubled mind. Thereby, will the testimony
> of God unto the people, both high and low, be complete and
> perfect.
> 
> 2Kitáb-i-ĺqán [KI], p. 172
> 3KI:210-211
> "Among them is the tradition, 'And when the Standard of
> Truth is made manifest, the people of both the East and the
> West curse it.' The wine of renunciation must needs be
> attained, and the meditation referred to in the words 'One
> hour's reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious
> worship' must needs be observed, so that the secret of the
> wretched behaviour of the people might be discovered, these
> people who, despite the love and yearning for truth which
> they profess, curse the followers of Truth when once He hath
> been made manifest."4
> 
> What sort of "faith" is this, which proclaims, along with Socrates, that
> the unexamined life is not worth living? Bahá‟u‟lláh designated his
> eldest son „Abdu‟l-Bahá as the authoritative interpreter of his writings
> and the expounder of his teachings. „Abdu‟l-Bahá has defined "faith"
> in the following terms:
> 
> "Although a person of good deeds is acceptable at the
> Threshold of the Almighty, yet it is first "to know,' and then 'to do'…
> "By faith is meant, first conscious knowledge, and second, the
> practice of good deeds."5
> 
> This is not a "faith" merely composed of "belief" nor one grounded in
> "imitation"--it is "faith" which is in harmony with science and reason.
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has invited all of humanity to recognize the Prophets of
> God, not one alone, but all. He affirms that each of the Prophets of
> God can be recognized through observing his signs, his proofs, his
> evidences and arguments. We may be accustomed to thinking of
> "signs" as pertaining to the seasons--April showers bring May flowers,
> 
> 4KI:238
> TAB:III:549 and BWF:383: The original text of this statement is
> found, in Persian, in Muntakhabátí az Makátíb-i-'Abdu'l-Bahá, III:99-
> 100: [avval dánistan ast va ba'da 'amal namúdan/ímán dánistan ast va
> 'amal khayr majrí dáshtan]; and in English translation, in Tablets of
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá (TAB:III:549) and Bahá‟í World Faith (BWF:383). The
> same principle was cited in:
> “A humanity which has come of age can respond to a directness of
> teaching that goes beyond the language of parable and allegory; faith is
> a matter not of blind belief, but of conscious knowledge.” (Bahá‟í
> International Community, 1992 May 29, Statement on Bahá‟u‟lláh, p.
> 5)
> autumn leaves and winter's snow and ice; and to roads--finding our
> way as we drive our cars from place to place to place. It may be quite a
> stretch for us to even imagine what the "signs" of God could be.
> 
> The terminology of proofs, evidence and arguments may remind us of
> mathematical formulas and rhetorical tactics we may have learned in
> high-school and college, or of movies about lawyers and newscasts
> about politicians. For some these words will recall the occasional
> unsympathetic classmate who was certain to counter whatever one
> might say with one relentless refrain: "Prove it! Prove it! Prove it!"
> How can proofs, evidence and arguments be associated with things of
> the Spirit, with religion, with God and His Prophets?
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh affirms the truth of something we probably take for
> granted--that there is one reality. This is not to say that reality is
> undifferentiated, but that there are not plural, multiple realities coexisting in the same space and time. That reality is something
> objective and verifiable, although the manner in which we experience
> its verifiability may be modified depending upon which facet of reality
> we are encountering. Bahá‟u‟lláh establishes the prophethood of all of
> the Prophets of God on a rational basis, a scientific foundation--this
> we will discover in the course of this book. This is not positivistic
> reason, materialistic philosophy, a science of physical things which can
> be discerned through the senses--the reason and science with which
> we are all somewhat familiar. Rather, this is the science of
> metaphysics (that is, beyond the physical), the science of the extrasensory, and it is as systematic, logical, inclusive, associative and
> reliable as our "physical" science. Indeed, Bahá‟u‟lláh affirms that
> inasmuch as this science has been developed under the guidance of the
> infallible and divinely-inspired Prophets of God, it is actually more
> reliable than any physical science.
> 
> This systematic formulation of the proofs of prophethood by a
> claimant to the prophetic station is entirely unprecedented in the
> recorded history of religion. While it would have been astonishing
> enough if Bahá‟u‟lláh had merely set forth scientific proofs in support
> of his own prophetic mission, Bahá‟u‟lláh has added astonishment to
> astonishment through the establishment of the prophethood of all of
> the Prophets of God on the same foundation. Hence, when we find
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá stating that the foundation of the religions of God is
> one, he is not saying something which is beyond our comprehension,
> something we must "believe" and not question, something which does
> not satisfy our minds. Rather, in affirming the one foundation of the
> teachings of the Prophets, „Abdu‟l-Bahá was simply stating a fact, for it
> is upon evident and clear signs, proofs, evidences and arguments that
> Bahá‟u‟lláh established the validity of the Prophets of God. This one
> foundation of the proofs of prophethood establishes the essential
> truth of all of these divinely-revealed Faiths.
> 
> There are various terms used in the writings of Bahá‟u‟lláh, „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá and Shoghi Effendi to denote the signs, proofs, evidences and
> arguments for God and His Prophets. Study of this terminology and
> of the subjects it refers to may acquaint us with dimensions of the
> Bahá‟í teachings which would otherwise remain hidden and
> unappreciated. Those who wish to acquaint themselves with these
> terms and their definitions in the original languages of the Bahá‟í
> Writings--Arabic and Persian--are invited to read COMPANION TO
> PROOFS OF THE PROPHETS, Part One: The Nomenclature of
> Proof.
> AN OUTLINE:
> PROOFS OF THE PROPHETS OF GOD
> 
> FIRST PROOF:
> PROPHECIES OF PREVIOUS PROPHETS
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:13,17,106,237;JA:7
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:ABDP:43;SW XVI:2:434
> 
> SECOND PROOF:
> WORDS OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:91-92,197,199-200,216,219-221,227;GL:105
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:ABDP:43
> 
> THIRD PROOF:
> REVELATION OF GOD
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:139-141;GL:60-62,67,85-86,105,142;BWF:116,117
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:143,377,378
> 
> FOURTH PROOF:
> DEEDS OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh: KI:197
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:ABDP:44;SAQ:14-42;PUP:364,366;PT:18
> 
> FIFTH PROOF:
> THE PROPHET IN HIMSELF
> Bahá‟u‟lláh: GL:47-48,105; KI:35,72-73,75,91-92,99-100;103-104
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:366;SAQ:43
> Shoghi Effendi:GPB:5,11,14,19-21
> 
> SIXTH PROOF:
> SUFFERING AND SACRIFICE OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:45,224,224-225,225-226,227-228;GL:56-57,75-76,85-86,
> 88-90,99-100;ESW:36,84-85; WOB:118-119
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:KH:631-633/PUP:461
> 
> SEVENTH PROOF:
> COURAGEOUS PROCLAMATION OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:35,45,230-234
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:340;SAQ:43-44;SW:XIV:8:231;
> SW VIII:13:178
> EIGHTH PROOF:
> EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE EXALTED
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:146-147,154-156,221-222;GL:82-85;TB:186; K157
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:125,277,340,401-402;SAQ:30-31
> 
> NINTH PROOF:
> AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE MADE
> LOW
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:33,36,146-147;TB:186;K157
> 
> TENTH PROOF:
> THE STAR-HERALD OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:62,63,65
> 
> ELEVENTH PROOF:
> THE HUMAN HERALD OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:62-66;ESW:158,171
> 
> TWELFTH PROOF:
> THE TRIUMPH OF THE CAUSE OF THE PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:GL:91,219-220;PDC:90
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:405
> Matthew 15:13; Acts 5:34,38-39
> 
> THIRTEENTH PROOF:
> ANNULMENT OF PREVIOUS DISPENSATIONS BY
> PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:38-39,44-45,238;GL:147;KA:#7
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:365
> 
> FOURTEENTH PROOF:
> INNATE, DIVINELY-INSPIRED KNOWLEDGE OF
> PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:100;SV:26;GL:58,90-91,219;TB:149;K104
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:ABDP:53-54; SAQ:28-29
> 
> FIFTEENTH PROOF:
> FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHET'S PROPHECIES
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:ESW:148,150;GL:58,221
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:232,339,410,432
> SIXTEENTH PROOF:
> REPUDIATION OF THE PROPHET BY RELIGIOUS
> LEADERS
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:GL:56-58,83;TB:206;KI:14-15,165,182,228-229,238
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PT:102;SAQ:30,35-36;PUP:431
> 
> SEVENTEENTH PROOF:
> PENETRATION AND POTENCY OF THE PROPHET'S
> WORD
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:TB:173-174;GL:141;KA:#3-5
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:SWAB:291-292;PUP:340-341,347;SW IX:9:104
> 
> EIGHTEENTH PROOF:
> DIVINE AND ETERNAL SOVEREIGNTY OF THE
> PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:99-100,106-107,234;GL:302
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:5,210-211,276-277
> 
> NINETEENTH PROOF:
> PROPHET CONFIRMS THE TRUTH OF PREVIOUS
> PROPHET
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:20-21;KA:#182
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:154,234,338-339,393,403,404
> 
> TWENTIETH PROOF:
> PROPHET IS MATERIAL, HUMAN AND SPIRITUAL
> EDUCATOR
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:GL:156-158
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:SAQ:8-13;PUP:77-78,308-311,352-353, 364,405-406,465
> 
> TWENTY-FIRST PROOF:
> PROPHET IS THE DIVINE PHYSICIAN
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:GL:80-81,213,254-255;KI:247
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:155,171,204;SWAB:59
> 
> TWENTY-SECOND PROOF:
> MIRACLES ARE THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT OF PROOFS
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:364;ABDP:43-44;SAQ:44-45,115-118
> 
> TWENTY-THIRD PROOF:
> TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHETS
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:38-39,120,121
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:SWAB:7:20-21;ABDP:43-46;PUP:5-6,61,365-366
> TWENTY-FOURTH PROOF:
> SPIRITUAL PROOF OF THE SPIRITUAL SEASONS
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:GL:27,84,94,167;TB:86
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:SAQ:83-86,229
> 
> TWENTY-FIFTH PROOF:
> SPIRITUAL PROOF OF THE SPIRITUAL SUN OF
> REALITY
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:SAQ:86-88;WOB:127;PT:127-129,137;ABDP:59-62
> 
> TWENTY-SIXTH PROOF:
> SPIRITUAL PROOF OF THE MYSTIC HERALD
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:195-200;HWA:#1-2;SV:5-8,11-12
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:277
> 
> TWENTY-SEVENTH PROOF:
> GARDENER OF MANKIND
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:SV:3,4;HWP:#1,2,18;KI:191,211;GL:31,319,320-321
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:BWF:309-310,352,379,420,438;SAQ:225-
> 226;SW:XIV:2,p.43;TAB:I:641;SWAB:129;PUP:24,51-52,77,118,214-
> 215,235,353,399,400,427-428
> 
> TWENTY-EIGHTH PROOF:
> NOT WITHOUT HONOUR SAVE IN HIS COUNTRY
> AND OWN HOUSE
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:174;ESW:92;P&M:LXVI:106-110
> Shoghi Effendi:GPB:X,163
> Jesus:MT 13:57;MK 6:4;LK 4:24;JN 4:44
> 
> TWENTY-NINTH PROOF:
> EVERY PROPHET IS EXILED FROM HIS HOMELAND
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:174
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:Tablet cited in letter of Shoghi Effendi, dated 9 April
> 1923;SAQ:IV:15-16
> Shoghi Effendi:GPB:VII:107
> 
> THIRTIETH PROOF:
> PROPHET OF GOD MUST COME FROM THE EAST
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:GPB:XVI:253-254
> THIRTY-FIRST PROOF:
> PROPHET ALWAYS APPEARS AMONG THE MOST
> SPIRITUALLY DEPRIVED AND DEGRADED OF
> MANKIND
> Shoghi Effendi:ADJ:17-18
> Bhagavad-Gita:IV:7
> Bhagavata:vol. IX, XXIV:56
> Genesis:VI:5-8
> 
> THIRTY-SECOND PROOF:
> PROPHET FOUNDS A NEW CIVILIZATION
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:SDC:96
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:Khitabat:393-394;PUP:142
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:PUP:375
> 
> THIRTY-THIRD PROOF:
> ALL PROPHETS MANIFEST THE GLORY OF GOD
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:Muntakhabati: #4:14;SWAB:#4:15;Khitabat:117-
> 119;PT:68-70;SAQ:IX:35;X:43
> Bhagavad-Gita:XI:12
> Exodus:24:16-17;33:18-22;34:29-35;Leviticus:9:6;Isaiah:33:18-
> 22;35:2;40:5
> Gospel of Matthew:16:27;Gospel of John:1:14;2:11;17:5,22;2
> Corinthians:3:7-11,18;Revelation of St. John:21:23
> Qur'an:24:36
> Balyuzi:KG:132-133
> F.E.Peters:A Reader in Classical Islam:382-383
> 
> THIRTY-FOURTH PROOF:
> TESTING OF BELIEVERS IN EVERY DISPENSATION
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:49,52-53,68-69,162,255
> 
> THIRTY-FIFTH PROOF:
> EVERY AGE THE LIGHT IS SEEMINGLY QUENCHED
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:73,127;GL:56-58,101-102;WOB:118-119
> 
> THIRTY-SIXTH PROOF:
> PEOPLE KNOWN BY THEIR COUNTENANCE
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:173-174
> Exodus 13:16;Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18;Ezekiel 9:4
> Revelation of St. John 7:3, 9:4, 13:16-17, 14:1, 14:9, 20:4, 22:4
> 
> THIRTY-SEVENTH PROOF:
> LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD OF GOD
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:80-82;JA:14,22-24,48,72-73
> THIRTY-EIGHTH PROOF:
> OPPRESSION IN EVERY DISPENSATION
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:29-31
> 
> THIRTY-NINTH PROOF:
> RETURN OF THE PROPHETS AND THEIR CHOSEN
> ONES
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:116-117,118-119,120-121,148-149,150-152,152-
> 153,153-154,158-160,161,162,179
> 
> FORTIETH PROOF:
> REJECTION OF PROPHET IN EVERY DISPENSATION
> BECAUSE HE DOES NOT CONFORM TO CURRENT
> UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
> Bahá‟u‟lláh:KI:170-171,181-182;GL:82-83
> FIRST PROOF:
> PROPHECIES OF PREVIOUS PROPHETS
> 
> The earliest proof that we come into contact with for every new
> Prophet of God are the prophecies of previous, preceding Prophets
> which are fulfilled in the manifestation of succeeding Prophets.
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá has stated regarding this proof of prophethood:
> 
> "One of the proofs is through the fulfillment of former
> prophecies...The prophecies deal with dates and symbols which
> proclaim the end of each dispensation. In former books the
> conditions are explained concerning subsequent manifestors of the
> divine plan." (ABDP:43)
> 
> On another occasion he categorically asserted that every Prophet
> predicted his successor and acknowledged the truth of his predecessor.
> 
> "The Prophets of God manifested complete love for all. Each
> One announced the glad tidings of His successor, and each subsequent
> One confirmed the teachings and prophecies of the Prophet Who
> preceded Him." (PUP:234)
> 
> "Abraham, on Him be peace, made a covenant concerning
> Moses and gave the glad-tidings of His coming. Moses made a
> covenant concerning the promised Christ, and announced the good
> news of His advent to the world. Christ made a covenant concerning
> the Paraclete and gave the tidings of His coming. The Prophet
> Muhammad made a covenant concerning the Báb, and the Báb was
> the One promised by Muhammad, for Muhammad gave the tidings of
> His coming. The Báb made a Covenant concerning the Blessed
> Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh, and gave the glad-tidings of His coming for the
> Blessed Beauty was the One promised by the Báb. Bahá'u'lláh made a
> covenant concerning a Promised One Who will become manifest after
> one thousand or thousands of years. That Manifestation is Bahá'u'lláh's
> Promised One, and will appear after a thousand or thousands of years.
> He, moreover, with His Supreme Pen, entered into a great Covenant
> and Testament with all the Bahá'ís whereby they were all commanded
> to follow the Centre of the Covenant after His ascension, and depart,
> not even to a hair's breadth, from obeying Him." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, from
> a Tablet - translated from the Persian, published in SW XVI:2, p. 434;
> and in "Bahá'í World Faith" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976),
> p. 358); cited in The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, pp. 114-115)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" makes several references to this theme
> which are quoted in full here:
> "And now, ponder upon these things. What could have
> caused such contention and conflict? Why is it that the
> advent of every true Manifestation of God hath been
> accompanied by such strife and tumult, by such tyranny and
> upheaval? This notwithstanding the fact that all the Prophets
> , whenever made manifest unto the peoples of the world, have
> invariably foretold the coming of yet another Prophet after
> them, and have established such signs as would herald the
> advent of the future Dispensation. To this the records of all
> sacred books bear witness." (KI:12-13)
> 
> "Those words uttered by the Revealers of the beauty of the
> one true God, setting forth the signs that should herald the
> advent of the Manifestation to come..." (KI:17)
> 
> "Moreover, the Prophets of old, each and every one,
> whenever announcing to the people of their day the advent of
> the coming Revelation, have invariably and specifically
> referred to that sovereignty with which the promised
> Manifestation must needs be invested. This is attested by the
> scriptures of the past." (KI:106)
> 
> "For whatsoever hath come to pass, hath been prophesied by
> them who are the Mines of divine knowledge, and Recipients
> of God's eternal law." (KI:237)
> 
> "Through the power of God and His might, I shall now relate
> certain passages revealed in the Books of old, and mention
> some of the signs heralding the appearance of the
> Manifestations of God in the sanctified persons of His chosen
> Ones, that thou mayest recognize the Dayspring of this
> everlasting morn and behold this Fire that blazeth in the Tree
> which is neither of the East nor of the West.4 Perchance thine
> eyes may be opened upon attaining the presence of thy Lord
> and thy heart partake of the blessings concealed within these
> hidden treasuries. Render thanks then unto God, Who hath
> singled thee out for this grace and Who hath numbered thee
> with them that are assured of meeting their Lord. "
> (Jawahiru‟l-Asrar [JA]:7)
> 
> The detailed and painstaking application of this prophetic proof with
> regard to each of the Prophets is undertaken in subsequent books. In
> order to be acknowledged as a proof of all of the prophets, this proof
> must apply to each one of them. „Abdu‟l-Bahá indicates however, in
> reference to Scriptural prophecies, that "those who do not follow
> closely these things will not be convinced by proofs such as these.
> This then is not a final proof."(ABDP) Many people do not pay much
> attention to prophecies in the Holy Books, let alone to the fine points
> of their interpretation, and their fulfillment in actual historicallyverifiable events and personalities. As real and infallible even as this
> proof may be, it will not be convincing to many of those who are not
> familiar with the prophecies. This is a pragmatic statement, and one
> which might inspire religionists to reconsider the age-old practice of
> repeating arguments 'ad nauseum' when they obviously are not
> convincing to many of their listeners simply because they believe them
> to be true and they want others to believe as they believe.
> 
> Furthermore, inasmuch as "religious traditions are the report and
> record of understanding and interpretation of the Book" (PUP:22) and
> as "this understanding, this interpretation" has been reached through
> "the analysis of human reason"(PUP:22), and as we have already
> learned from „Abdu‟l-Bahá "that human reason is not to be relied
> upon as an infallible criterion"(PUP:21) then "Inasmmuch as the
> source of traditions and interpretations is human reason, and human
> reason is faulty, how can we depend upon its findings for real
> knowledge?"(PUP:22)
> 
> What is intended as a proof of the Prophets of God is turned by many
> into a prime reason for denial of and opposition to the Prophets of
> God. The essence of the teaching of divine philosophy on this matter
> is this: The only reliable, infallible interpretations of the prophecies are
> those of the Prophets of God themselves and whomever they may
> appoint as their spokesmen after their ascension from this world.
> SECOND PROOF:
> WORDS OF THE PROPHET
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá cites the "second proof" of the prophets of God as
> "their creative words and phrases which salute the hearts of
> humanity".6 It is imperative that distinction be made at this point
> between the Word of the Prophets, that is the actual physically
> manifested Word of God, and the process whereby the Word is
> revealed, which is called Revelation; and furthermore this must be
> distinguished from the Teachings contained in that Word which have
> come forth in that Revelation. Here we discuss the physically
> manifested Word of God itself as a proof. The most detailed
> exposition of this proof of the Prophets of God is found in the
> "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih" of the Báb. The seven proofs from which the book
> takes its name and which are the primary substance of this work are all
> centered on this Second Proof. Furthermore, the Báb bases all of his
> arguments in support of this proof upon specific verses from the
> Qur'an. The Báb states in the Fourth Proof7:
> 
> "The verses and the Book are superior to no matter what
> miracle, in such manner that, for the Muslim, there is no other
> way but to believe in this superiority which God Himself has
> affirmed in the Surah of the Spider"8—“Is it not enough for
> them that We have revealed to you the Book for their
> instruction? Surely in this is a blessing and an admonition to
> true believers.”"
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh cites this same Qur'anic verse and then writes9:
> 
> "This is the testimony which He, Himself, that ordained;
> greater proof than this there is none, nor ever will be: 'This
> proof is His Word; His own Self, the testimony of His truth.'"
> 
> However, the Báb does not assert that all of the prophets of God have
> had the proof of the Word of God, the Book. Rather does he affirm
> that Muhammad was the first to show this proof10:
> 
> 6 “„Abdu‟l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy”, p. 43.
> 7 "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih", p. 14; English translation from the French of
> 
> A.L.M.Nicolas.
> 8 Qur'an, XXIX:50, Dawood translation
> “Kitáb-i-ĺqán,” pp. 91-92.
> "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih", pp. 6-7; English translation from the French of
> A.L.M. Nicolas.
> "The essence of this discourse is this that God, in His sublime
> wisdom, gave the Qur'an as proof of the Mission of
> Muhammad. That was a gift which He had never made in
> likeness to any nation before Muhammad, such, that a single
> one of its verses is a sufficient proof for all those who are
> upon the earth. The impossibility in which all are found to
> cause to descend one alone from heaven is a proof of the
> power of God."
> 
> Hence, the Word of God in this sense of the revealed verses has
> existed as a proof of the prophets only from the mission of
> Muhammad. While the text of the Scriptures has not been revealed
> verbatim in previous Dispensations, nevertheless, the Word of God is
> not confined to the past millennium and a half. The most important
> reality of the Word of God is not the perfect recollection and
> transmission of the exact words of God. Rather it is the existence of a
> revealed book, a revealed law, a revealed teaching from God in every
> Dispensation. Again this statement must be qualified, for the
> existence of such a record can not be proven for any time previous to
> the Dispensation of Moses (although the Gathas of Zoroaster or the
> Bhagavad-Gita of Krishna may actual predate the Torah in their
> original redactions). However, in the historical memory of mankind,
> all of the prophets have revealed utterances which were recorded in
> books and have been preserved for posterity. Speaking of the
> prophets, „Abdu‟l-Bahá states: "Their word is the word of God, the
> commandment is the commandment of God, their prohibition is the
> prohibition of God."(PUP:193) He reminds us that "There is no
> intrinsic meaning in the leaves of a book, but the thought they convey
> leads you to reflect upon reality."(PUP:155) "For the Word of God is
> collective wisdom, absolute knowledge and eternal truth."(PUP:154)
> 
> In the words of Bahá‟u‟lláh:
> 
> "...He hath established the words He hath revealed as proof of
> His reality and truth. This is, verily, an evidence of His tender
> mercy unto men." (Lawh-i-Ashraf, GL:LII:105)
> 
> "When the channel of the human soul is cleansed from all
> worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive
> the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and
> will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude."
> (KI:197)
> "That city is none other than the Word of God revealed in
> every age and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the
> Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus the Gospel; in the day of
> Muhammad the Messenger of God the Qur'an; in this day the
> Bayán; and in the dispensation of Him Whom God will make
> manifest His own Book--the Book unto which all the Books
> of former Dispensations must needs be referred, the Book
> which standeth amongst them all transcendent and supreme."
> (KI:199-200)
> 
> "And likewise, He saith: 'And had We sent down unto Thee a
> Book written on parchment, and they had touched it with
> their hands, the infidels would surely have said "This is naught
> but palpable sorcery."' [Qur'an 6:7] Most of the verses of the
> Qur'an are indicative of this theme. We have, for the sake of
> brevity, mentioned only these verses. Consider, hath anything
> else besides the verses been established in the whole Book, as
> a standard for the recognition of the Manifestations of His
> Beauty, that the people might cling to, and reject the
> Manifestations of God? On the contrary, in every instance,
> He hath threatened with fire those that repudiate and scoff at
> the verses, as already shown.
> "Therefore, should a person arise and bring forth a myriad
> verses, discourses, epistles, and prayers, none of which have
> been acquired through learning, what conceivable excuse
> could justify those that reject them, and deprive themselves of
> the potency of their grace? What answer could they give
> when once their soul hath ascended and departed from its
> gloomy temple? Could they seek to justify themselves by
> saying: 'We have clung to a certain tradition, and not having
> beheld the literal fulfilment thereof, we have therefore raised
> such cavils against the Embodiments of divine Revelation,
> and kept remote from the law of God?' Hast thou not heard
> that among the reasons why certain Prophets have been
> designated as Prophets 'endowed with constancy' was the
> revelation of a Book unto them? And yet, how could this
> people be justified in rejecting the Revealer and Author of so
> many volumes of verses, and follow the sayings of him who
> hath foolishly sown the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men,
> and who, Satan-like, hath risen to lead the people into the
> paths of perdition and error?" (KI:219-221)
> 
> This meaning of the Word of God is more inclusive than the use of
> this term (of the verses, "ayat") by Muhammad in the Qur'an and by
> the Báb in the Bayán (the collective name for all of His Writings as
> well as specifically for the "Bayán-i-Farsi" and the "Bayán-i-'Arabi").
> There is, furthermore, yet another meaning of the Word of God which
> is universal to all of the prophets of God. „Abdu‟l-Bahá speaks of
> this: "Consider the statement recorded in the first chapter of the book
> of John: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
> and the Word was God.' This statement is brief but replete with the
> greatest meanings."(PUP:154) "In the Word of God there is still
> another unity--the oneness of the Manifestations of God, Abraham,
> Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh. This is a
> unity divine, heavenly, radiant, merciful--the one reality appearing in its
> successive Manifestations."(PUP:192) Therefore, generally whatever
> applies to Jesus applies to all of the Prophets. "Therefore, as Christ
> conveyed the perfect meaning of divine reality and embodied
> independent significance, He was the Word...The reality of Christ was
> the embodiment of divine virtues and attributes of God. For in
> Divinity there is no duality. All adjectives, nouns and pronouns in that
> court of sanctity are one; there is neither multiplicity nor
> division."(PUP:155)
> 
> Consequently, all of the Prophets of God were successive
> Manifestations of the Word of God. "The first thing that emanated
> from God is that universal reality, which the ancient philosophers
> termed the 'First Mind', and which the people of Baha' call the 'First
> Will'. This emanation, in that which concerns its action in the world
> of God, is not limited by time or place; it is without beginning or end;
> beginning and end in relation to God are one."(SAQ:237) The Báb
> writes in "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih", that "the first Dhikr, which emanates from
> the Primal Will, is similar to the sun...if it rises until the end that will
> never have an end, will be, even as it has been in the past, but one only
> and the same sun. But it is equally Him Who was manifested in all the
> prophets and it is He Who speaks in all their books."(pp. 4-5) He
> continues: "In the first evolution He was known under the name
> Adam, then under that of Noah in the epoch of this prophet; He was
> Abraham in His time, then Jesus, then Muhammad Rasu'l-Allah.
> Finally He is Him Whom God shall make manifest after Him Whom
> God shall make manifest in His epoch."(Ibid.,p. 6) From the 'First
> Will' or 'First Mind' emanated the 'Word of God', the 'Holy Spirit'.
> "The reality of prophethood, which is the Word of God and the
> perfect state of manifestation, did not have any beginning, and will not
> have any end."(SAQ:174) "The intention of this explanation is to
> show that the Words of God have innumerable significances and
> mysteries of meanings--each one a thousand and more."(PUP:155)1
> THIRD PROOF:
> REVELATION OF GOD
> 
> Divine philosophy requires that we define the terms we propose to use
> before any arguments are made. Revelation is defined as "the
> effulgence of God", "the bounties of God", and "the reality of
> Divinity is like unto the sun, and revelation is like unto the rays
> thereof."(PUP:377) "If we should assert that the bounties of God are
> not everlasting, we are forced to believe that Divinity can come to an
> end, whereas the reality of Divinity enfolds all virtues and by reason of
> these bounties is perfect. Were it not possessed of all these
> perfections or virtues, it could not be Divinity. The sun is the sun
> because of its rays, light and heat. If it could be dispossessed of them,
> it would not be the sun. Therefore, if we say that the divinity or
> sovereignty of God is accidental and subject to termination, we must
> perform think that Divinity itself is accidental, without foundation and
> not essential."(PUP:377) "Among the bounties of God is revelation.
> Hence revelation is progressive and continuous."(PUP:378) There are
> two kinds of Revelation described by Bahá‟u‟lláh:
> 
> KI:139-140: "Should they assert that the "Revelation" of God
> signifieth a "Universal Revelation", it is clear and evident that
> such revelation already existeth in all things. The truth of this
> We have already established, inasmuch as We have
> demonstrated that all things are the recipients and revealers of
> the splendours of that ideal King, and that the signs of the
> revelation of that Sun, the Source of all splendour, exist and
> are manifest in the mirrors of beings. Nay, were man to gaze
> with the eye of divine and spiritual discernment, he will readily
> recognize that nothing whatsoever can exist without the
> revelation of the splendour of God, the ideal King. Consider
> how all created things eloquently testify to the revelation of
> that inner Light within them."
> 
> And in another source Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> BWF:116,117: "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on
> the earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the
> attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom
> are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the
> revelation of that Most Great Light. Methinks, but for the
> potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How
> resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an
> atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a
> drop!
> "...From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all
> things, in their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the
> names and attributes of God within them. Each according to
> its capacity, indicateth, and is expressive of, the knowledge of
> God. So potent and universal is this revelation, that it hath
> encompassed all things visible and invisible...Man, the noblest
> and most perfect of all created things, excelleth them all in the
> intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller expression of its
> glory. And of all men, the most accomplished, the most
> distinguished, and the most excellent are the Manifestations of
> the Sun of Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations,
> live by the operation of Their Will, and move and have their
> being through the outpourings of Their Grace."
> 
> In referring to the second category of Revelation, Bahá‟u‟lláh in
> addressing certain Sufis writes:
> 
> KI:141-142: "And were they to say that by "divine Presence"
> is meant the "Secondary Revelation of God", interpreted as
> the "Holy Outpouring", this is admittedly applicable to the
> world of creation, that is, in the realm of the primal and
> original manifestation of God. Such revelation is confined to
> His Prophets and chosen Ones, inasmuch as none mightier
> than they hath come to exist in the world of being. This truth
> all recognize, and bear witness thereto. These Prophets and
> chosen Ones of God are the recipients and revealers of all the
> unchangeable attributes and names of God. They are the
> mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the light of God.
> Whatsoever is applicable to them is in reality applicable to
> God, Himself, Who is both the Visible and the
> Invisible...Therefore,   whosoever,     and    in    whatever
> Dispensation, hath recognized and attained unto the presence
> of these glorious, these resplendent and most excellent
> Luminaries, hath verily attained unto the "Presence of God"
> Himself, and entered the city of eternal and immortal life.
> Attainment unto such presence is possible only in the Day of
> Resurrection, which is the Day of the rise of God Himself
> through His all-embracing Revelation."
> 
> In the "Lawh-i-Tawhid", Bahá‟u‟lláh again addresses this topic of the
> specific Revelations of the Prophets of God:
> 
> GL:60-61,62: "From each and every revelation emanating
> from the Source of His glory, holy and never-ending
> evidences of unimaginable splendour have appeared, and out
> of every manifestation of His invincible power oceans of
> eternal light have outpoured...In every age and cycle He hath,
> through the splendorous light shed by the Manifestations of
> His wondrous Essence, recreated all things, so that
> whatsoever reflecteth in the heavens and on the earth the
> signs of His glory may not be deprived of the outpourings of
> His mercy, nor despair of the showers of His favors. How allencompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace!"
> 
> In yet another passage from another Tablet, Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> GL:67: "These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent
> Realities are the channels of God's all-pervasive grace. Led by
> the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme
> sovereignty, they are commissioned to use the inspiration of
> Their words, the effusions of Their infallible grace and the
> sanctifying breeze of Their Revelation for the cleansing of
> every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross and
> dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then, will
> the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as
> resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from
> behind the veil of concealment, and implant the ensign of its
> revealed glory upon the summits of men's hearts."
> 
> It is evident from these quotations, that by Revelation is meant much
> more than the teachings of the prophets. When Bahá‟u‟lláh writes the
> "first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self.
> Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to
> recognize either the one or the other He hath established the words
> He hath revealed as proof of His reality and truth."(GL:105) Hence,
> this Revelation, not just the Universal Revelation of God but even the
> Specific Revelation of God is not contained in words. Bahá‟u‟lláh
> wrote:
> 
> "How great the multitude of truths which the garment of
> words can never contain! How vast the number of such
> verities as no expression can adequately describe, whose
> significance can never be unfolded, and to which not even the
> remotest allusions can be made!" (BWF:133;GL:176)
> 
> However, he himself revealed innumerable verses. Shoghi Effendi
> writes in reference to Bahá‟u‟lláh‟s return from Kurdistan in 1856, that
> "during the first two years after His return from His retirement,
> according to the testimony of Nabil, who was at that time living in
> Baghdad, the unrecorded verses that streamed from His lips averaged,
> in a single day and night, the equivalent of the Qur'an! As to those
> verses which He either dictated or wrote Himself, their number was
> no less remarkable than either the wealth of material they contained,
> or the diversity of subjects to which they referred. A vast, and indeed
> the greater, proportion of these writings were, alas, lost irretrievably to
> posterity. No less and authority than Mirza Aqan Jan, Bahá‟u‟lláh's
> amanuensis, affirms, as reported by Nabil, that by the express order of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh, hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His
> own hand, were obliterated and cast into the river. "Finding me
> reluctant to execute His orders," Mirza Aqa Jan has related to Nabil,
> "Bahá‟u‟lláh would reassure me saying: 'None is to be found at this
> time worthy to hear these melodies.'...Not once, or twice, but
> innumerable times, was I commanded to repeat this act."" (Shoghi
> Effendi, "God Passes By", US edition 1971, p. 138)
> 
> Clearly, although these many thousands of revealed verses were
> destroyed by order of Bahá‟u‟lláh himself, this did not hold back in any
> way the Specific Revelation from God, either from reaching him, or
> from reaching all creation through his intermediation. This Revelation
> of the prophet is of course apparent in the outflow of his wisdom, his
> teachings, and these come in the form of words. But it is also clearly
> evident in all of the events of His time, in the "signs of the times":
> 
> GL:142: "Through the mere revelation of the word
> "Fashioner", issuing forth from His lips and proclaiming His
> attribute to mankind, such power is released as can generate,
> through successive ages, all the manifold arts which the hands
> of man can produce. This, verily, is a certain truth. No
> sooner is this resplendent word uttered, than its animating
> energies, stirring within all created things, give birth to the
> means and instruments whereby such arts can be produced
> and perfected. All the wondrous achievements ye now
> witness are the direct consequences of the Revelation of this
> Name. In the days to come, ye will, verily, behold things of
> which ye have never heard before...Every single letter
> proceeding out of the mouth of God is indeed a mother letter,
> and every word uttered by Him Who is the Well Spring of
> Divine Revelation is a mother word, and His Tablet a Mother
> Tablet."
> 
> One of the sources of this transformative power of Revelation is the
> sacrifice which the prophets of God make in carrying out their mission
> to humanity. Each one of these prophets has endured great suffering,
> as will be recounted in a subsequent proof.
> In the "Lawh-i-Fatah A'dham" Bahá‟u‟lláh describes the influence
> upon all creatures of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ:
> 
> GL:85-86: "Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up
> His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great
> weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity
> was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed
> in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee.
> The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the
> profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts
> which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted
> by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the
> quickening power released by His transcendent, His allpervasive, and resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He
> came into the world, He shed the splendour of His glory upon
> all created things."
> 
> As a demonstration of the power and influence of divine revelation,
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá describes the present century in glowing words:
> 
> PUP:378: "Consider how great has been the progress in this
> radiant century. Civilization has unfolded. Nations have developed.
> Industrialism and jurisprudence have expanded. Sciences, inventions
> and discoveries have increased...For example, the sciences of bygone
> centuries are not adequate for the present because sciences have
> undergone reform. The industrialism of the past will not ensure
> present efficiency because industrialism has advanced. The laws of the
> past are being superseded because they are not applicable to this time.
> All material conditions pertaining to the world of humanity have
> undergone reform, have achieved development, and the institutions of
> the past are not to be compared with those of this age."
> 
> There are practically innumerable references in the writings and talks
> of „Abdu‟l-Bahá to this theme, but one more will suffice to show that
> the Revelation of God is indeed a potent phenomenon and a
> convincing proof of the truth of the new prophet of God:
> 
> PUP:143: "In the estimation of historians this radiant century
> is equivalent to one hundred centuries of the past. If comparison be
> made with the sum total of all former human achievements, it will be
> found that the discoveries, scientific advancement and material
> civilization of this present century have equaled, yea far exceeded the
> progress and outcome of one hundred former centuries. The
> production of books and compilations of literature alone bears witness
> that the output of the human mind in this century has been greater
> and more enlightening than all the past centuries together."
> 
> Hence it is evident that divine philosophy considers the state of the
> world, indeed of the universe (hence of the sun, the other planets,
> comets, meteors, and the stars beyond this solar system) as revealing
> the truth of the prophet of God. Whether the universal or the specific
> Revelation, both are proofs of the prophet. The Báb in "Dala'il-i-
> Sab'ih" has stated this argument succinctly as follows:
> 
> "And what proof then must you have of His Unity? His
> existence is the most complete proof thereof, and the very
> existence of exterior things is the most formal proof that they
> were created by Him. That is the philosophical proof for him
> who voyages upon the sea of Truth." (SP:3)
> FOURTH PROOF:
> DEEDS OF THE PROPHETS
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh writes in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" writes that the true seeker will
> discover in the “mighty deeds” of the Prophet “the signs of God”:
> 
> KI:197: "He will likewise clearly distinguish all the signs of
> God--His wondrous utterances [Second Proof], His great
> works [Third Proof], and mighty deeds [Fourth Proof]--from
> the doing, words and ways of men, even as a jeweller who
> knoweth the gem from the stone, or the man who
> distinguisheth the spring from autumn and heat from cold."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá states this proof succinctly in one of his talks:
> 
> "A clear proof of validity lies in the achievements and here we
> are confronted by certain irrefutable facts. The prophets have come
> from the lowliest and most humiliated of the nations and in each age
> the prophet has raised his downtrodden nation to the highest zenith of
> prosperity and success among the nations of the earth. For instance,
> His Holiness Christ was quite alone. He was a Jew among the Jews.
> He came at a time when the Israelites were under the yoke of the
> Romans. He revivified the people till they were transferred from one
> state of existence into a higher state of existence." (ABDP:44)
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá develops this proof in great detail, in the cases of
> Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb, Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Some
> Answered Questions" (pp. 14-42) and in talks collected in
> “Promulgation of Universal Peace". "The deeds of Moses are
> conclusive evidences of His Prophethood. If a man be fair, unbiased
> and willing to investigate reality, he will undoubtedly testify to the fact
> that Moses was, verily, a man of God and a great
> Personage."(PUP:364) "Christ ratified and proclaimed the foundation
> of the law of Moses. Muhammad and all the Prophets have revoiced
> that same foundation of reality. Therefore, the purposes and
> accomplishments of the divine Messengers have been one and the
> same. They were the source of advancement to the body politic and
> the cause of the honor and divine civilization of humanity, the
> foundation of which is one and the same in every dispensation. It is
> evident, then, that the proofs of the validity and inspiration of a
> Prophet of God are the deeds of beneficent accomplishment and the
> greatness emanating from Him. If He proves to be instrumental in the
> elevation and betterment of mankind, He is undoubtedly a valid and
> heavenly Messenger."(PUP:366)           He distinguishes between the
> philosophers who "glory in their exalted thoughts" to which class "the
> majority of philosophers belong, their teachings being above their
> actions", and the "Spiritual Teacher [who] is the first to follow His
> own teaching; He brings down into the world of action His spiritual
> conceptions and ideals. His Divine thoughts are made manifest to the
> world. His thought is Himself, from which He is inseparable."(PT:18)
> 
> The deeds of the prophet of God must be such as to be a convincing
> proof of the truth of the station claimed, the station of absolute
> servitude to the Threshold of God. The prophet must acknowledge
> his total dependency upon God, not just in words, but in his every
> action. Only the careful examination of the individual lives of the
> prophets as recorded in the Sacred Scriptures and in other reliable
> sources can enable the seeker to ascertain the merits of the individual
> prophets for himself.
> FIFTH PROOF:
> THE PROPHET IN HIMSELF
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh wrote in "Lawh-i-Ashraf", "Say: The first and foremost
> testimony establishing His truth is His own Self." (GL:105) Now we
> will consider the Self, the Personality of the Prophet apart from His
> deeds, His actions. Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" wrote about the
> prophets:
> 
> KI:99-100;GL:47: "…those luminous Gems of Holiness...are
> one and all, the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the
> central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose.
> From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is
> derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is
> but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His
> deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of Divine knowledge,
> and the Repositories of celestial wisdom."
> 
> Elsewhere in Kitáb-i-ĺqán, Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> KI:103-104;GL:48: "These attributes of God are not and have
> never been vouchsafed specially unto certain Prophets, and
> withheld from others. Nay, all the Prophets of God, His wellfavoured, His holy, and chosen Messengers, are, without
> exception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments of
> His attributes. They only differ in the intensity of their
> revelation, and the comparative potency of their light."
> 
> KI:35: "Immeasurably high are the Prophets of God exalted
> above the comprehension of men, who can never know them
> except by their own Selves. Far be it from His glory that His
> chosen Ones should be magnified by any other than their own
> persons. Glorified are they above the praise of men; exalted
> are they above human understanding!"
> 
> KI:75: "It behooveth us, therefore, to make the utmost
> endeavour, that, by God's invisible assistance, these dark veils,
> these clouds of Heaven-sent trials, may not hinder us from
> beholding the beauty of His shining Countenance, and that we
> may recognize Him only by His own Self."
> 
> KI:91-92: "Wert thou to explore the sacred domain of truth,
> thou wilt find that all things are known only by the light of
> His recognition, that He hath ever been, and will continue for
> ever to be, known through Himself...greater proof than this
> there is none, nor ever will be: “This proof is His Word; His
> own Self, the testimony of His truth.”"
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá has fully developed this proof but only insofar as it
> relates to Bahá‟u‟lláh. However, there are also indications in historical
> accounts that identify a "greatness emanating from"(PUP:366) other
> prophets of God, and an indication that in the case of earlier prophets
> "through the honour of entering his presence, many souls became
> confirmed believers; they had no need of other proofs."(SAQ:43)
> Two examples which come immediately to mind are those of Jesus
> Christ and Muhammad. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew met
> Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew (4:18-19), dropped
> their fishing nets and became his disciples, while Khadija and 'Ali, the
> wife and cousin of Muhammad became respectively the first female
> and male believers in his Revelation with no more proof than the
> proof of his own Person. In an historical account of the life of the
> Báb, we encounter repeatedly attestations to the Báb's personal charm,
> which attest to the power of his very presence to attest to the truth of
> his claims:
> 
> GPB:5: "I sat spellbound by His utterance, oblivious of time
> and of those who awaited me…"11
> 
> GPB:11: "Siyyid Yahyay-i-Darabi, surnamed Vahid, one of the
> most erudite, eloquent and influential of his12 subjects...he, in the
> course of three interviews, was completely won over by the arguments
> and personality of the Báb."
> 
> GPB:14: "He was ceremoniously received13, and such was the
> spell He cast over the people of that city that, on one occasion, after
> His return from the public bath, an eager multitude clamored for the
> water that had been used for His ablutions. So magic was His charm
> that His host, forgetful of the dignity of his high rank, was wont to
> wait personally upon Him."
> 
> GPB:19: "An unruly, a proud and unreasoning people were
> gradually subdued by the gentleness of the Báb, were chastened by His
> modesty, were edified by His counsels, and instructed by His wisdom.
> 
> 11Shoghi  Effendi citing Mulla Husayn's account of witnessing the
> declaration of the Báb, from Nabil‟s Narrative; in “The Dawnbreakers”, p. 62.
> 12Muhammad Shah's.
> 13This refers to the reception of the Báb in the home of one of the
> 
> principal ecclesiastical authorities of Isfahan circa 1846-47.
> They were so carried away by their love for Him that their first act
> every morning, notwithstanding the remonstrations of the
> domineering 'Ali Khan, and the repeated threats of disciplinary
> measures received from Tihran, was to seek a place14 where they could
> catch a glimpse of His face, and beseech from afar His benediction
> upon their daily work."
> 
> GPB:20: "Though at the outset he acted with the utmost
> severity, he was eventually compelled to yield to the fascination of his
> Prisoner. Nor were the kurds, who lived in the village of Chihriq15,
> and whose hatred of the Shi'ahs exceeded even that of the inhabitants
> of Mah-Ku, able to resist the pervasive power of the Prisoner's
> influence. They too were to be seen every morning, ere they started
> for their daily work, to approach the fortress and prostrate themselves
> in adoration before its holy Inmate."
> 
> GPB:20: "On His arrival in that town16 Prince Malik Qasim
> Mirza ceremoniously received Him, and was even seen, on a certain
> Friday, when his Guest was riding on His way to the public bath, to
> accompany Him on foot, while the Prince's footmen endeavored to
> restrain the people who, in their overflowing enthusiasm were pressing
> to catch a glimpse of so marvelous a Prisoner."
> 
> GPB:20-21: "Tabriz, in its turn in the throes of wild
> excitement, joyously hailed His arrival. Such was the fervor of popular
> feeling that the Báb was assigned a place outside the gates of the city.
> This, however, failed to allay the prevailing emotion. Precautions,
> warnings and restrictions served only to aggravate a situation that had
> already become critical."
> 
> It would be inappropriate at this juncture to cite the copious
> references to the personality, the charm, the magnetism, the spiritual
> gifts of each of the prophets, signs and proofs of their divine vocation.
> In succeeding volumes the reader will find detailed evidence provided
> for many of the prophets, excepting only those for whom the traces
> are dim and fragmentary, be they described in the Tanakh, the Qur'an
> or other Holy Scriptures.
> 
> There is an entirely different sense in which this proof of the person
> 
> 14This is related of the Báb‟s imprisonment in the mountain fortress of
> 
> Mah-Ku.
> 15This is related of the Báb‟s imprisonment in the fortress of Chihriq
> 
> and refers to his prison warder, Yahya Khan.
> 16This refers to the Báb‟s sojourn in Urumiyyih.
> of the Prophet of God applies to every Dispensation, and this is the
> degree to which his person is a test for humanity at that time. For the
> Prophet appears to be a human being, a man like other men, and the
> people expect something else, something miraculous:
> 
> "In another sense, they mean the appearance of that immortal
> Beauty in the image of mortal man, with such human
> limitations as eating and drinking, poverty and riches, glory
> and abasement, sleeping and waking, and such other things as
> cast doubt in the minds of men, and cause them to turn away.
> All such veils are symbolically referred to as 'clouds.'
> "These are the 'clouds' that cause the heavens of the
> knowledge and understanding of all that dwell on earth to be
> cloven asunder. Even as He hath revealed: 'On that day shall
> heaven be cloven by the clouds.' [Qur'an 25:25] Even as the
> clouds prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun, so do
> these things hinder the souls of men from recognizing the
> light of the divine Luminary. To this beareth witness that
> which hath proceeded out of the mouth of the unbelievers as
> revealed in the sacred Book: 'And they have said: "What
> manner of apostle is this? He eateth food, and walketh the
> streets. Unless and angel be sent down and take part in His
> warnings, we will not believe.:' [Qur'an 25:7] Other Prophets,
> similarly, have been subject to poverty and afflictions, to
> hunger, to the ills and chances of this world. As these holy
> Persons were subject to such needs and wants, the people
> were, consequently, lost in the wilds of misgivings and
> perplexity. How, they wondered, could such a personage be
> sent down from God, assert His ascendancy over all the
> peoples and kindreds of the earth, and claim Himself to be the
> goal of all creation,--even as He hath said: 'But for Thee, I
> would not have created all that are in heaven and on earth,' --
> and yet be subject to such trivial things? You must
> undoubtedly have been informed of the tribulations, the
> poverty, the ills, and the degradation that have befallen every
> Prophet of God and His companions. You must have heard
> how the heads of their followers were sent as presents unto
> different cities, how grievously they were hindered from that
> whereunto they were commanded. Each and every one of
> them fell a prey to the hands of the enemies of His Cause, and
> had to suffer whatsoever they decreed." (KI:72-73)
> SIXTH PROOF:
> SUFFERING AND SACRIFICE OF THE PROPHET AND
> HIS FOLLOWERS
> 
> This proof of the prophets of God is explicitly stated in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán"
> as a general principle:
> 
> "Moreover, consider the hardships and the bitterness of the
> lives of those Revealers of the divine Beauty." (KI:45)
> 
> "Other Prophets, similarly, have been subject to poverty and
> afflictions, to hunger, and to the ills and chances of this
> world...You must undoubtedly have been informed of the
> tribulations, the poverty, the ills, and the degradation that
> have befallen every Prophet of God and His companions.
> You must have heard how the heads of their followers were
> sent as presents unto different cities, how grievously they were
> hindered from that whereunto they were commanded. Each
> and every one of them fell a prey to the hands of the enemies
> of the Cause, and had to suffer whatsoever they decreed."
> (KI:73)
> 
> In His Tablet addressed to 'Abbas Faruq, Bahá‟u‟lláh writes as follows:
> 
> "Behold how the people, as a result of the verdict pronounced
> by the divines of His age, have cast Abraham, the Friend of
> God, into fire; how Moses, He Who held converse with the
> Almighty, was denounced as liar and slanderer. Reflect how
> Jesus, the Spirit of God, was, notwithstanding His extreme
> meekness and perfect tender-heartedness, treated by His
> enemies. So fierce was the opposition which He, the Essence
> of Being and Lord of the visible and the invisible, had to face,
> that He had nowhere to lay His head. He wandered
> continually from place to place, deprived of a permanent
> abode. Ponder that which befell Muhammad, the Seal of the
> Prophets, may the life of all else be a sacrifice unto Him.
> How severe the afflictions which the leaders of the Jewish
> people and of the idol-worshipers caused to rain down upon
> Him, Who is the sovereign Lord of all, in consequence of His
> proclamation of the unity of God and of the truth of His
> Message! By the righteousness of My Cause! My Pen
> groaneth, and all created things weep with a great weeping, as
> a result of the woes He suffered at the hands of them that
> have broken the Covenant of God, violated His Testament,
> rejected His proofs, and disputed His signs. Thus recount We
> unto thee the tale of that which happened in days past, haply
> thou mayest comprehend.
> "Thou hast known how grievously the Prophets of God, His
> Messengers and Chosen Ones, have been afflicted."
> (GL:XXIII:56-57)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh and „Abdu‟l-Bahá have described the sufferings of the
> prophets in the context of their redemptive services to mankind. They
> have related the hardships and bitterness of Moses amongst his
> brethren in Egypt, persecuted by Pharaoh, and languishing in the
> wilderness for fourty years; the homelessness and betrayals of Jesus
> Christ and his martyrdom upon the crucifix; the attacks upon
> Muhammad almost throughout his life; the imprisonment and
> martyrdom of the Báb; the imprisonment, exile and betrayals which
> were the lot of Bahá‟u‟lláh. Their sufferings in themselves, were due
> cause for the redemption of mankind in their respective epochs. As
> Bahá‟u‟lláh attests in "Lawh-i-Rida":
> 
> "That which thou hast heard concerning Abraham, the Friend
> of the All-Merciful, is the truth, and no doubt is there about it.
> The Voice of God commanded Him to offer up Ishmael as a
> sacrifice, so that His steadfastness in the Faith of God and His
> detachment from all else but Him may be demonstrated unto
> men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as
> a ransom for the sins and the iniquities of all the peoples of
> the earth. This same honor, Jesus, the Son of Mary, besought
> the one true God, exalted be His name and glory, to confer
> upon Him. For the same reason was Husayn offered up as a
> sacrifice by Muhammad, the Apostle of God."
> (GL:XXXII:75-76)
> 
> In the "Lawh-i-Fatah A'zam", Bahá‟u‟lláh elaborates upon the
> influence of this sacrifice of the prophet of God:
> 
> "Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath
> to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By
> sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into
> all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the
> peoples of the earth, and now manifest before thee. The
> deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the
> profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts
> which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted
> by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the
> quickening power released by His transcendent, His allpervasive, and resplendent Spirit." (GL:XXXVI:85-86)
> In a Tablet addressed to Muhammad Qabl Rida, Bahá‟u‟lláh affirms
> that he has submitted to suffering that mankind might be blessed:
> 
> "The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains
> that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath
> accepted to be made a prisioner within this most mighty
> Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty.
> He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the
> peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled
> with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the
> Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be
> abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be
> exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might
> prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the
> whole world, behold, how they have joined partners with God
> have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!"
> (GL:XLV:99-100)
> 
> He returns to this affirmation in "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf":
> 
> "In these days there are some who, far from being just and
> fair-minded, have assaulted Me with the sword of hatred and
> the spear of enmity...Most men have until now failed to
> discover the purpose of this Wronged One, nor have they
> known the reason for which He hath been willing to endure
> countless afflictions...
> "O Shaykh! I swear by the Sun of Truth Which hath risen
> and shineth above the horizon of this Prison! The betterment
> of the world hath been the sole aim of this Wronged One."
> (ESW:36)
> 
> In "Lawh-i-Burhan" and "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf" Bahá‟u‟lláh
> universalizes this sacrifice, this suffering of the prophets for the
> salvation of humanity:
> 
> "Reflect, that haply thou mayest recognize thine iniquity and
> be numbered with such as have repented. Thinkest thou that
> We fear thy cruelty? Know thou and be well assured that
> from the first day whereon the voice of the Most Sublime Pen
> was raised betwixt earth and heaven We offered Our souls,
> and Our bodies, and Our sons, and Our possessions in the
> path of God, the Exalted, the Great, and We glory therein
> amongst all created things and the Concourse on high. Unto
> this testify the things which have befallen Us in this straight
> Path. By God! Our hearts were consumed, and Our bodies
> were crucified, and Our blood was spilt, while Our eyes were
> fixed on the horizon of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the
> Witness, the All-Seeing." (Lawh-i-Burhan, cited in ESW:84-
> 85)
> 
> This theme is reiterated in "Surah al-Dam" by Bahá‟u‟lláh:
> 
> "Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God, for the wondrous
> revelations of Thy inscrutable decree and the manifold woes
> and trials Thou hast destined for Myself. At one time Thou
> didst deliver Me [as Abraham] into the hands of Nimrod; at
> another Thou hast allowed Pharoah's rod to persecute Me [as
> Moses]. Thou, alone, canst estimate, through Thine allencompassing knowledge and the operation of Thy Will, the
> incalculable afflictions I have suffered at their hands. Again
> Thou didst cast Me [as Joseph] into the prison-cell of the
> ungodly, for no reason except that I was moved to whisper
> into the ears of the well-favored denizens of Thy Kingdom
> an intimation of the vision with which Thou hadst, through
> Thy knowledge, inspired Me, and revealed to Me its meaning
> through the potency of Thy might. And again Thou didst
> decree that I [as John the Baptist] be beheaded by the sword
> of the infidel. Again I [as Jesus Christ] was crucified for
> having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy
> glorious unity, for having revealed to them the wondrous
> signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power. How bitter the
> humiliations heaped upon Me [as Imam Husayn], in a
> subsequent age, on the plain of Karbila! How lonely did I feel
> amidst Thy people! To what a state of helplessness I was
> reduced in that land! Unsatisfied with such indignities, My
> persecutors decapitated Me, and, carrying aloft My head from
> land to land paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving
> multitude, and deposited it on the seats of the perverse and
> faithless. In a later age, I [as the Báb] was suspended, and My
> breast was made a target to the darts of the malicious cruelty
> of My foes. My limbs were riddled with bullets, and My body
> was torn asunder. Finally, behold how, in this Day, My
> treacherous enemies have leagued themselves against Me, and
> are continually plotting to instill the venom of hate and malice
> into the souls of Thy servants. With all their might they are
> scheming to accomplish their purpose...Grievous as is My
> plight, O God, My Well-Beloved, I render thanks unto Thee,
> and My Spirit is grateful for whatsoever hath befallen Me in
> the path of Thy good-pleasure. I am well please with that
> which Thou didst ordain for Me, and welcome, however
> calamitous, the pains and sorrows I am made to suffer."
> (GL:XXXIX:88-90; WOB:118-119)
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá has explained the meanings of this sacrifice of the
> Prophet of God in a number of his addresses, including this reference
> to the mission of Jesus Christ, in "Some Answered Questions"
> (XXIX:137-138):
> 
> "But Christ, Who is the Word of God, sacrificed Himself.
> This has TWO meanings, an apparent and an esoteric meaning.
> [1]The outward meaning is this: Christ's intention was to represent and
> promote a Cause which was to educate the human world, to quicken
> the children of Adam, and to enlighten all mankind; and since to
> represent such a Cause--a Cause which was antagonistic to all the
> people of the world and all the nations and kingdoms—meant that He
> would be killed and crucified, so Christ in proclaiming His mission
> sacrificed His life. He regarded the cross as a throne, the wound as a
> balm, the poison as honey and sugar. He arose to teach and educate
> men, and so He sacrificed Himself to give the spirit of life. He
> perished in body, so as to quicken others by the spirit.
> "[2]The second meaning of sacrifice is this: Christ was like a
> seed, and this seed sacrificed its own form so that the tree might grow
> and develop. Although the form of the seed was destroyed, its reality
> became apparent in perfect majesty and beauty in the form of a tree.
> "The position of Christ was that of absolute perfection, He
> made His divine perfections shine like the sun upon all believing souls,
> and the bounties of the light shone and radiated in the reality of men.
> This is why he says 'I am the bread which descended from heaven;
> whosoever shall eat of this bread will not die.' [John 6:51] That is to
> say, that whosoever shall partake of this divine food, will attain unto
> eternal life; that is, every one who partakes of this bounty and receives
> these perfections will find eternal life, will obtain pre-existent favours,
> will be freed from the darkness of error, and will be illuminated by the
> light of His guidance....
> "The form of the seed was sacrificed for the tree, but its
> perfections, because of this sacrifice, became evident and apparent; the
> tree, the branches, the leaves and the blossoms being concealed in the
> seed. When the form of the seed was sacrificed, its perfections
> appeared in the form of leaves, blossoms, and fruits."
> 
> In another address, given on 29 November 1912, he expands upon
> this theme, citing FOUR meanings for the sacrifice of the Prophet of
> God (PUP:450-452):
> "In order to understand the reality of sacrifice let us consider
> the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It is true that He sacrificed
> Himself for our sake. What is the meaning of this? [1]When Christ
> appeared, He knew that He must proclaim Himself in opposition to all
> the nations and peoples of the earth. He knew that mankind would
> arise against Him and inflict upon Him all manner of tribulations.
> There is no doubt that one who put forth such a claim as Christ
> announced would arouse the hostility of the world and be subjected to
> personal abuse. He realized that His blood would be shed and His
> body rent by violence. Notwithstanding His knowledge of what would
> befall Him, He arose to proclaim His message, suffered all tribulation
> and hardships from the people and humanity--gave His blood in order
> to guide the world of mankind. He accepted every calamity and
> suffering in order to guide men to the truth. Had He desired to save
> His own life, and were He without wish to offer Himself in sacrifice,
> He would not have been able to guide a single soul. There was no
> doubt that His blessed blood would be shed and His body broken.
> Nevertheless, the Holy Soul accepted calamity and death in His love
> for mankind. This is one of the meanings of sacrifice.
> "[2]As to the second meaning: He said, 'I am the living bread
> which came down from heaven.' [John 6:51] It was not the body of
> Christ which came from heaven. His body came from the womb of
> Mary, but the Christly perfections descended from heaven; the reality
> of Christ came down from heaven. The Spirit of Christ and not the
> body descended from heaven. The body of Christ was but human.
> There could be no question that the physical body was born from the
> womb of Mary. But the reality of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, the
> perfections of Christ all came from heaven. Consequently, by saying
> He was the bread which came from heaven He meant that the
> perfections which He showed forth were divine perfections, that His
> light was the light of Reality. He said, 'If any man eat of this bread, he
> shall live forever.' [John 6:51] That is to say, whosever assimilates
> these divine perfections which are within Me will never die; whosoever
> has a share and partakes of these heavenly bounties I embody will find
> eternal life; he who takes unto himself these divine lights shall find
> everlasting life. How manifest the meaning is! How evident! For the
> soul which acquires divine perfections and seeks heavenly illumination
> from the teachings of Christ will undoubtedly live eternally. This is
> also one of the mysteries of sacrifice...
> "[3]As to the third meaning of sacrifice, it is this: If you plant
> a seed in the ground, a tree will become manifest from that seed. The
> seed sacrifices itself to the tree that will come from it. The seed is
> outwardly lost, destroyed; but the same seed which is sacrificed will be
> absorbed and embodied in that tree, its blossoms, fruit and branches.
> If the identity of that seed had not been sacrificed to the tree which
> became manifest from it, no branches, blossoms or fruits would have
> been forthcoming. Christ outwardly disappeared. His personal
> identity became hidden from the eyes, even as the identity of the seed
> disappeared; but the bounties, divine qualities and perfections of
> Christ became manifest in the Christian community which Christ
> founded through sacrificing Himself. When you look at the tree, you
> will realize that the perfections, blessings, properties and beauty of the
> seed have become manifest in the branches, twigs, blossoms and fruit;
> consequently, the seed has sacrificed itself to the tree. Had it not done
> so, the tree would not have come into existence. Christ, like unto the
> seed, sacrificed Himself for the tree of Christianity. Therefore, His
> perfections, bounties, favors, lights and graces became manifest in the
> Christian community, for the coming of which He sacrificed Himself.
> "[4]As to the fourth significance of sacrifice: It is the principle
> that a reality sacrifices its own characteristics. Man must sever himself
> from the influences of the world of matter, from the world of nature
> and its laws; for the material world is the world of corruption and
> death. It is the world of evil and darkness, of animalism and ferocity,
> bloodthirstiness, ambition and avarice, of self-worship, egotism and
> passion; it is the world of nature. Man must strip himself of all these
> imperfections, must sacrifice these tendencies which are peculiar to the
> outer and material world of existence.
> "On the other hand, man must acquire heavenly qualities and
> attain divine attributes. He must become the image and likeness of
> God. He must seek the bounty of the eternal, become the manifestor
> of the love of God, the light of guidance, the tree of life and the
> depository of the bounties of God. That is to say, man must sacrifice
> the qualities and attributes of the world of nature for the qualities and
> attributes of the world of God."
> 
> In two other addresses, „Abdu‟l-Bahá stressed the first meaning of the
> suffering and sacrifice of the Prophets, and particularly emphasized the
> motivation which inspired, indeed which compelled this self-sacrifice:
> 
> PUP:256-257: "What an infinite degree of love is reflected by
> the divine Manifestations toward mankind! For the sake of guiding
> the people They have willingly forfeited Their lives. To resuscitate
> human hearts They have accepted the cross. To enable human souls
> to attain the supreme degree of advancement, They have suffered
> during Their limited years extreme ordeals and difficulties. If Jesus
> Christ had not possessed love for the world of humanity, surely He
> would not have welcomed the cross. He was crucified for the love of
> mankind. Consider the infinite degree of that love. Without love for
> humanity John the Baptist would not have offered his life. It has been
> likewise with all the Prophets and Holy Souls. If the Báb had not
> manifested love for mankind, surely He would not have offered His
> breast for a thousand bullets. If Bahá‟u‟lláh had not been aflame with
> love for humanity, He would not have willingly accepted forty years'
> imprisonment.
> "Observe how rarely human souls sacrifice their pleasure or
> comfort for others, how improbable that a man would offer his eye or
> suffer himself to be dismembered for the benefit of another. Yet all
> the divine Manifestations suffered, offered Their lives and blood,
> sacrificed Their existence, comfort and all They possessed for the sake
> of mankind. Therefore, consider how much Thy love. Were it not for
> Their love for humanity, spiritual love would be mere nomenclature.
> Were it not for Their illumination, human souls would not be radiant.
> How effective is Their love! This is a sign of the love of God, a ray of
> the Sun of Reality."
> 
> PUP:28: "The Blessed Perfection [Bahá‟u‟lláh] was a prisoner
> twenty-five years. During all this time He was subjected to the
> indignities and revilement of the people. He was persecuted, mocked
> and put in chains. In Persia His properties were pillaged and His
> possessions confiscated. First, there was banishment from Persia to
> Baghdad, then to Constantinople, then to Adrianople, finally from
> Rumelia to the prison fortress of 'Akka.
> "During His lifetime He was intensely active. His energy was
> unlimited. Scarcely one night was passed in restful sleep. He bore
> these ordeals, suffered these calamities and difficulties in order that a
> manifestation of selflessness and service might become apparent in the
> world of humanlity; that the Most Great Peace should become a
> reality; that human souls might appear as the angels of heaven; that
> heavenly miracles would be wrought among men; that human faith
> should be strengthened and perfected; that the precious, priceless
> bestowal of God--the human mind--might be developed to its fullest
> capacity in the temple of the body; and that man might become the
> reflection and likeness of God, even as it hath been revealed in the
> Bible, 'Let us make man in our image.' [Genesis 1:26]
> "Briefly, the Blessed Perfection bore all these ordeals and
> calamities in order that our hearts might become enkindled and
> radiant, our spirits be glorified, our faults become virtues, our
> ignorance be transformed into knowledge; in order that we might
> attain the real fruits of humanity and acquire heavenly graces; in order
> that, although pilgrims upon earth, we should travel the road of the
> heavenly Kingdom, and although needy and poor, we might receive
> the treasures of eternal life. For this has He borne these difficulties
> and sorrows."
> 
> This suffering and sacrifice of the Prophet releases a power that
> transforms humanity, that recreates all existences. But it is not his
> suffering and sacrifice alone that is a proof of his mission, of his truth.
> It is the fact that the Prophet of God does not suffer for his own sake,
> or even because of the perversity of his oppressors, but for the sake of
> humanity. The Prophet of God is the living sacrifice which saves,
> which redeems mankind. His sacrifice makes the spiritual life of
> humanity possible. Hence one of the signs of all of the prophets is
> long-suffering and martyrdom in the path of the love of God.
> 
> A further elaboration of this proof indicates that the sufferings and
> sacrifices of the followers of the Prophet of God are a proof of his
> prophetic station. In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh expatiates upon the
> sufferings and sacrifices of the followers of the Báb (KI:222-227), and
> he articulates this principle therein in this fashion:
> 
> "Doth not the testimony of these holy souls, who have so
> gloriously risen to offer up their lives for their Beloved that
> the whole world marvelled at the manner of their sacrifice,
> suffice the people of this day?" (KI:224)
> 
> "Be fair: Is the testimony of those acceptable and worthy of
> attention whose deeds agree with their words, whose outward
> behaviour conforms with their inner life? The mind is
> bewildered at their deeds, and the soul marvelleth at their
> fortitude and bodily endurance. Or is the testimony of these
> faithless souls who breathe naught but the breath of selfish
> desire, and who lie imprisoned in the cage of their idle fancies,
> acceptable?" (KI:224-225)
> 
> He indicates that this proof is not reserved for the Dispensation of the
> Báb by citing the sacrifices of the Imam Husayn, during the
> Dispensation of Muhammad, as an earlier example of this proof, and
> comparing it to the glory of the Bábi martyrs:
> 
> "Were not the happenings of the life of the 'Prince of Martyrs'
> regarded as the greatest of all events, as the supreme evidence
> of his truth? Did not the people of old declare those
> happenings to be unprecedented? Did they not maintain that
> no manifestation of truth hath ever evinced such constancy,
> such conspicuous glory? And yet, that episode of his life,
> commencing as it did in the morning, was brought to a close
> by the middle of the same day, whereas, these holy lights have,
> for eighteen years, heroically endured the showers of
> afflictions which, from every side, have rained upon them.
> With what love, what devotion, what exultation and holy
> rapture, they sacrificed their lives in the path of the All-
> Glorious! To the truth of this all witness. And yet, how can
> they belittle this Revelation? Hath any age witnessed such
> momentous happenings? If these companions be not the true
> strivers after God, who else could be called by this name?
> Have these companions been seekers after power or glory?
> Have they ever yearned for riches? Have they cherished any
> desire except the good-pleasure of God?            If these
> companions, with all their marvelous testimonies and
> wondrous works, be false, who then is worthy to claim for
> himself the truth? I swear by God! Their very deeds are a
> sufficient testimony, and an irrefutable proof unto all the
> peoples of the earth, were men to ponder in their hearts the
> mysteries of divine Revelation." (KI:225-226)
> 
> "Furthermore, the sign of truth and falsehood is designated
> and appointed in the Book. By this divinely-appointed
> touchstone, the claims and pretensions of all men must needs
> be assayed, so that the truthful may be known and
> distinguished from the imposter. This touchstone is no other
> than this verse: 'Wish for death, if ye are men of truth.'
> [Qur'an 2:94] Consider these martyrs of unquestionable
> sincerity, to whose truthfulness testifieth the explicit text of
> the Book, and all of whom, as thou hast witnessed, have
> sacrificed their life, their substance, their wives, their children,
> their all, and ascended unto the loftiest chambers of Paradise.
> Is it fair to reject the testimony of these detached and exalted
> beings to the truth of this pre-eminent and glorious
> Revelation and to regard as acceptable the denunciations
> which have been uttered against this resplendent Light by this
> faithless people, who for gold have forsaken their faith, and
> who for the sake of leadership have repudiated Him Who is
> the First Leader of all mankind? This, although their
> character is now revealed unto all people who have recognized
> them as those who will in no wise relinquish one jot or one
> tittle of their temporal authority for the sake of God's holy
> Faith, how much less their life, their substance, and the like.
> "Behold how the divine Touchstone hath, according to the
> explicit test of the Book separated and distinguished the true
> from the false. Notwithstanding, they are still oblivious of
> this truth, and in the sleep of heedlessness, are pursuing the
> vanities of the world, and are occupied with thoughts of vain
> and earthly leadership." (KI:227-228)2
> SEVENTH PROOF:
> COURAGEOUS PROCLAMATION OF THE PROPHETS
> 
> The foregoing passage speaks of the fortitude of the prophets in the
> face of persecution, trials, tortures, martyrdom. It also speaks of the
> courage and steadfastness of the prophets in the proclamation of their
> Message, as articulated by Bahá‟u‟lláh in Kitáb-i-ĺqán:
> 
> "Reflect, how single-handed and alone they faced the world
> and all its peoples, and promulgated the Law of God! No
> matter how severe the persecutions inflicted upon those holy,
> those precious, and tender Souls, they still remained, in the
> plenitude of their power, patient, and, despite their
> ascendency, they suffered and endured."(KI:45)
> 
> In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to the Báb in these words:
> 
> "Another proof and evidence of the truth of this Revelation,
> which amongst all other proofs shineth as the sun, is the
> constancy of the eternal Beauty in proclaiming the Faith of
> God. Though young and tender of age, and though the Cause
> He revealed was contrary to the desire of all the peoples of
> the earth, both high and low, rich and poor, exalted and
> abased, king and subject, yet He arose and steadfastly
> proclaimed it. All have known and heard this. He was afraid
> of no one; He was regardless of consequences. Could such a
> thing be made manifest except through the power of a divine
> Revelation, and the potency of God‟s invincible Will? By the
> righteousness of God! Were any one to entertain so great a
> Revelation in his heart, the thought of such a declaration
> would alone confound him! Were the hearts of all men to be
> crowded into his heart, he would still hesitate to venture upon
> so awful an enterprise. He could achieve it only by the
> permission of God, only if the channel of his heart were to be
> linked with the Source of divine grace, and his soul be assured
> of the unfailing sustenance of the Almighty. To what, We
> wonder, do they ascribe so great a daring? Do they accuse
> Him of folly as they accused the Prophets of old? Or do they
> maintain that His motive was none other than leadership and
> the acquisition of earthly riches?" (KI:230-231)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to his own prophethood in similar terms:
> 
> "This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty
> and All-Knowing." (Tablet to Nasiri'd-Din Shah3)
> "Can anyone speak forth of his own accord that for which all
> men, both high and low, will protest against him? Nay, by
> Him Who taught the Pen the eternal mysteries, save him
> whom the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath
> strengthened."  (Tablet to Nasiri'd-Din Shah, cited in
> ESW:39-40)
> 
> "Think ye, O people, that I hold within My grasp the control
> of God's ultimate Will and Purpose? Far be it from Me to
> advance such a claim. To this I testify before God, the
> Almighty, the Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Had
> the ultimate destiny of God's Faith been in Mine hands, I
> would have never consented, even though for one moment, to
> manifest Myself unto you, nor would I have allowed one word
> to fall from My lips. Of this God Himself is, verily, a
> witness." (Tablet to Abu'l-Hasan fi'l-Shayan, GL:XLI:90-91)
> 
> "Had it been in my power, I would have, under no
> circumstances, consented to distinguish myself amongst men,
> for the Name I bear utterly disdaineth to associated itself with
> this generation whose tongues are sullied and whose hearts are
> false. And whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, lo,
> the voice of the Holy Ghost, standing on my right hand,
> aroused me, and the Supreme Spirit appeared before my face,
> and Gabriel foreshadowed me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred
> within my bosom, bidding me arise and break my silence. If
> your hearing be purged and your ears be attentive, ye will
> assuredly percieve that every limb of my body, nay all the
> atoms of my being, proclaim and bear witness to this call:
> 'God, besides Whom is none other God, and He, Whose
> beauty is now manifest, is the reflection of His glory unto all
> that are in heaven and on earth.'" (Tablet to 'Ali Muhammad
> Sharaj, GL:L:103-104)
> 
> "By the righteousness of God, my Well-Beloved! I have never
> aspired after worldly leadership. My sole purpose hath been
> to hand down unto men that which I was bidden to deliver by
> God, the Gracious, the Incomparable, that it may detach them
> from all that pertaineth to this world, and cause they to attain
> such heights as neither the ungodly can conceive, nor the
> froward     imagine."     (Tablet    to    Jinab-i-Muhammad,
> GL:LIV:108)
> 
> He writes specifically of the longing of the Báb to sacrifice his life in
> the path of the Cause of God:
> "Gracious God! In His Book, which He hath entitled
> "Qayyumu'l-Asma,"--the first, the greatest and mighteous of
> all books--He prophesied His own martyrdom. In it is this
> passage: "O thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself
> wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake; and
> have yearned for naught by martyrdom in the path of Thy
> love. Sufficient Witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the
> Protector, the Ancient of Days!"
> "Likewise, in His interpretation of the letter "Ha," He craved
> martyrdom, saying: "Methinks I heard a Voice calling in my
> inmost being: 'Do thou sacrifice the thing which Thou lovest
> most in the path of God, even as Husayn, peace be upon him,
> hath offered up his life for My sake?' And were I not regardful
> of this inevitable mystery, by Him, Who hath my being
> between His hands even if all the kings of the earth were to be
> leagued together they would be powerless to take from me a
> single letter, how much less can these servants who are worthy
> of no attention, and who verily are of the outcast....That all
> may know the degree of My patience, My resignation, and
> self-sacrifice in the path of God." (KI:231-232)
> 
> And Bahá‟u‟lláh comments upon this extraordinary statement quoted
> from the Báb:
> 
> KI:232: "Could the Revealer of such utterance be regarded as
> walking any way but the way of God, and as having yearned
> for aught else except His good-pleasure? In this very verse
> there lieth concealed a breath of detachment, which if it were
> to be breathed full upon the world, all beings would renounce
> their lives, and sacrifice their souls..."
> 
> KI:233-34: "Steadfastness in the Faith is a sure testimony, and
> a glorious evidence of the truth...And now consider how this
> Sadrih of the Ridvan of God hath, in the prime of youth, risen
> to proclaim the Cause of God. Behold what steadfastness
> that Beauty of God hath revealed. The whole world rose to
> hinder Him, yet it utterly failed. The more severe the
> persecution they inflicted on that Sadrih of Blessedness, the
> more His fervour increased, and the brighter burned the flame
> of His love. All this is evident, and none disputeth its truth.
> Finally, He surrendered His soul, and winged His flight unto
> the realms above."
> 
> In an informal talk recorded by Laura Clifford-Barney circa 1904-1906
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá said:
> SAQ:43-44: "We have undertaken to demonstrate logical
> proofs of the truth of His claim. We will cite another which alone is
> sufficient for all who are just, and which no one can deny. It is that
> this illustrious Being uplifted his Cause in the 'Greatest Prison'; from
> this Prison His light was shed abroad; His fame conquered the world;
> and the proclamation of His glory reached the East and West: until
> our time no such thing has ever occurred."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá refers to this proof in another of his talks, in 1912:
> 
> "…we must discover for a certainty whether They have been
> real Educators of mankind. Among the revelators of the law of God
> was Moses. When He appeared, all the contemporaneous nations
> rejected Him. Notwithstanding this, single and alone He promulgated
> the divine teachings and liberated a nation from the lowest condition
> of degradation and bondage...Christ, single and alone, without
> schooling or outward education and trained to labor in the shop of a
> carpenter appeared in the world at the time when the Jewish nation
> was in the greatest abasement. This radiant Youth, without wealth,
> power of armies or prestige, rescued the Jews who believed on Him
> from tyranny and degradation and lifted them to the highest plane of
> development and glory."(PUP:340)
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá was asked in 1912 by a member of the English
> Parliament for the most concise and sufficient proof of the
> prophethood of Bahá‟u‟lláh, and the response received was this:
> 
> SW:XIV:8:231: "The concise and sufficient proof is that
> Bahá‟u‟lláh in such a prison as Acre, and when under chains, raised His
> banner. In Tihran He was in prison and under chains. In Acre He
> was in prison.        Under these circumstances He raised His
> banner...There is nothing recorded comparable to this. What power is
> this, that from the beginning of the world until today such a thing has
> not happened!"
> 
> Later, in 1914 whilst confined to Palestine by the First World War, he
> was asked a similar question and replied:
> 
> SW:VIII:13:178: "The greatest proof of the Blessed
> Perfection--may my life be a ransom to Him!--consists in the fact that
> He was always manifest and evident under all conditions and
> circumstances. He was never concealed nor was He disguised for one
> day. In Persia, in Baghdad, in Constantinople, in Adrianople, and in
> the most great prison (Acca), Bahá‟u‟lláh ever withstood the
> persecutions of the enemies and kept His own ground in the face of
> the world. He never attempted to protect or shield Himself for one
> second. Before all nations and all religions He proclaimed His Cause
> and declared His teachings."
> 
> These are but the examples of two prophets, both of whom will be
> considered in much more detail in subsequent books. However, all of
> the prophets have labored for the Cause of God, labored in the face of
> opposition, oppression, poverty, betrayal and many other trials.
> Ultimately, however much we humans may study the lives of the
> prophets, we must remember: "Immeasurably high are the Prophets of
> God exalted above the comprehension of men, who can never know
> them except by their own Selves."(KI:35) Hence, the best source for
> the lives of the prophets are the descriptions of those lives penned by
> or attested to by the prophets themselves. This is the true standard by
> which all the testimonies of men are to be weighed and judged.
> EIGHTH PROOF:
> EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE EXALTED
> 
> The divine philosophy of Bahá‟u‟lláh and „Abdu‟l-Bahá waxes
> luxuriously eloquent upon this Proof, which indicates that the abased
> and ignorant ones among humanity are exalted and uplifted through
> contact with the prophet and the specific Revelation of God. This
> proof is not limited to certain prophets and withheld from others.
> Bahá‟u‟lláh writes in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:146: "This station is also one of the signs of the Day of
> Revelation; even as it is said: "The abased amongst you, He
> shall exalt; and they that are exalted, He shall abase." And
> likewise, He hath revealed in the Qur'an: “and We desire to
> show favour to those who were brought low in the land, and
> to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make of
> them Our heirs.”" [Qur'an 28:5]
> 
> We are reminded of the words from the Book of Isaiah (XL:4), also
> cited in the Gospel of Luke (3:5):
> 
> "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill
> shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and
> the rough places plain."
> 
> Also, of the words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Luke (6:20):
> 
> "Blessed be ye poor, for your's is the kingdom of God"
> 
> And in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke
> 18:25):
> 
> "Again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through
> the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the
> kingdom of God.”
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh elaborates on this same principle in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:146: "And how many of the ignorant who, by reason of
> their acceptance of the Faith, have soared aloft and attained
> the high summit of knowledge, and whose names have been
> inscribed by the Pen of Power upon the Tablet of divine
> knowledge."
> KI:221-222: "Amongst the proofs demonstrating the truth of
> this Revelation is this, that in every age and Dispensation,
> whenever the invisible Essence was revealed in the person of
> His Manifestation, certain souls, obscure and detached from
> all worldly entanglements, would seek illumination from the
> Sun of Prophethood and Moon of divine guidance, and would
> attain unto the divine Presence. For this reason, the divines
> of the age and those possessed of wealth, would scorn and
> scoff at these people. Even as He hath revealed concerning
> them that erred: 'Then said the chiefs of His people who
> believed not, "We see in Thee but a man like ourselves; and
> we see not any who have followed Thee except our meanest
> ones of hasty judgment, nor see we any excellence in you
> above ourselves: nay, we deem you liars."' [Qur'an 11:27]
> They caviled at those holy Manifestations, and protested
> saying: 'None hath followed you except the abject amongst us,
> those who are worthy of no attention.' Their aim was to show
> that no one amongst the learned, the wealthy, and the
> renowned believed in them. By this and similar proofs they
> sought to demonstrate the falsity of Him that speaketh naught
> but the truth."
> 
> TB:186: "When the Word of God is revealed unto all created
> things. Whoso then giveth ear and heedeth the Call is, indeed,
> reckoned among the most distinguished souls, though he be a
> carrier of ashes. And he who turneth away is accounted as the
> lowliest of His servants, though he be a ruler amongst men
> and the possessor of all the books that are in the heavens and
> on earth."
> 
> K157: "Behold, the 'mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign
> of the Sovereign' hath now been made manifest…In truth, it
> is in the hand of God to give what He willeth to whomsoever
> He willeth, and to withhold what He pleaseth from
> whomsoever He may wish. He knoweth the inner secrets of
> the hearts and the meaning hidden in the mocker's wink.
> How many an embodiment of heedlessness who came unto
> Us with purity of heart have We established upon the seat of
> Our acceptance; and how many an exponent of wisdom have
> We in all justice consigned to the fire. We are, in truth, the
> One to judge. He it is Who is the manifestation of 'God
> doeth whatsoever He pleaseth', and abideth upon the throne
> of 'He ordaineth whatsoever He chooseth.'"
> Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to specific Prophets and their fulfillment of this
> proof:
> 
> KI:154-56: "For instance, consider that among the Prophets
> was Noah. When He was invested with the robe of
> Prophethood, and was moved by the Spirit of God to arise
> and proclaim His Cause, whoever believed in Him and
> acknowledged His Faith, was endowed with the grace of a
> new life. Of him it could be truly said that he was reborn and
> revived, inasmuch as previous to his belief in God and his
> acceptance of His Manifestation, he had set his affections on
> the things of the world, such as attachment to earthly goods,
> to wife, children, food, drink, and the like, so much so that in
> the day-time and in the night-season his one concern had
> been to amass riches and procure for himself the means of
> enjoyment and pleasure. Aside from these things, before his
> partaking of the reviving waters of faith, he had been so
> wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so
> passionately devoted to the observance of their customs and
> laws, that he would have preferred to suffer death rather than
> violate one letter of those superstitious forms and manners
> current amongst his people...These same people, though
> wrapt in all these veils of limitation, and despite the restraint
> of such observances, as soon as they drank the immortal
> draught of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the hand of the
> Manifestation of the All-Glorious, were so transformed that
> they would renounce for His sake their kindred, their
> substance, their lives, their beliefs, yea, all else save God! So
> overpowering was their yearning for God, so uplifting their
> transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and all that is
> therein faded before their eyes into nothingness."
> 
> GL:XXXV:83-84: "In like manner, when Muhammad, the
> Prophet of God--may all men be a sacrifice unto Him--
> appeared and learned men of Mecca and Medina arose, in the
> early days of His Revelation, against Him and rejected His
> Message, while they who were destitute of all learning
> recognized and embraced His Faith. Ponder a while.
> Consider how Balal, the Ethiopian, unlettered though he was,
> ascended unto the heaven of faith and certitude, whilst
> 'Abdu'llah Ubayy, a leader among the learned, maliciously
> strove to oppose Him. Behold, how a mere shepherd was so
> carried away by the ecstasy of the words of God that he was
> able to gain admittance into the habitation of his Best-
> Beloved, and was united to Him Who is the Lord of Mankind,
> whilst they who pride themselves on their knowledge and
> wisdom strayed far from His path and remained deprived of
> His grace. For this reason He hath written: 'He that is exalted
> among you shall be abased, and he that is abased shall be
> exalted.' References to this theme are to be found in most of
> the heavenly Books, as well as in the sayings of the Prophets
> and Messengers of God."
> 
> K166: "Call ye to mind the shaykh whose name was
> Muhammad-Hasan, who ranked among the most learned
> divines of his day. When the True One [the Báb] was made
> manifest, this shaykh, along with others of his calling, rejected
> Him, while a sifter of wheat and barley accepted Him and
> turned unto the Lord."
> 
> The transformation of the believers through the influence of the Báb
> and Bahá‟u‟lláh are described by „Abdu‟l-Bahá in many of his talks:
> 
> SAQ:30-31: "As for the Báb...Many Ulama and public men,
> as well as other people, joyfully sacrificed their lives in His Cause, and
> hastened to the plain of martyrdom."
> 
> PUP:125: "The Báb became a martyr, and over twenty
> thousand men and women sacrificed their lives for their faith."
> 
> PUP:277: "In this century of the latter times Bahá‟u‟lláh has
> appeared and so resuscitated spirits that they have manifested powers
> more than human. Thousands of His followers have given their lives;
> and while under the sword, shedding their blood, they have
> proclaimed, "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha!" Such resuscitation is impossible
> except through a heavenly potency, a supernatural power, the divine
> power of the Holy Spirit."
> 
> PUP:401-402: "In the nineteenth century strife and hostility
> prevailed among the people of the Orient. Apathy and ignorance
> characterized the nations. They were indeed gloomy and dark,
> negligent of God and under the subjection of the baser instincts and
> passions of mankind. The struggle for existence was intense and
> universal."
> 
> The followers of the new Prophet are not the only debased ones who
> are exalted in arrival of each new Dispensation. For the new prophet
> recreates all of creation, and in the new era everything is turned upside
> down and inside out. Civilizations which have withstood the ages
> suddenly crumble and vanish--as did Egypt and Assyria in the epoch
> of Moses, as did Rome and Persia in the age of Jesus, as did
> Byzantium and India in the era of Muhammad, and as is presently
> occurring in the civilization of the West--and other new civilizations--
> Israel and Judah, India and China in the epoch of Moses; Western
> Europe in the age of Jesus; the various Islamic empires in the era of
> Muhammad; and the emerging world commonwealth in the present
> cycle. Those who have invested most in the old order will lose the
> most when it crumbles. Those who had the least to invest are the first
> ones to gain. In the old order of things, in every Dispensation, the
> poor are powerless and property-less and the rich have all the power
> and all the property. When the old order crumbles, either gradually or
> suddenly the rich are divested of their power and property, and the
> poor become the nouveaux riches and the new masters. Therefore,
> the exaltation of the abased has a temporal significance as well as a
> much more important spiritual meaning.
> NINTH PROOF:
> AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE MADE
> LOW
> 
> Many references which affirm this proof have already been cited in the
> portrayal of the previous proof, inasmuch as they are linked together
> in every Dispensation. Rather than cite those passages once more, the
> reader is directed to read them once more and consider their
> application to this proof. One manner of the fulfillment of this Proof
> of the Prophets is through the proclamation of the prophet to the
> ruling powers, ecclesiastical and secular, and the collapse of those
> powers as a consequence of rejecting the call of the prophet. There
> are innumerable examples of this scenario recorded in the Tanakh,
> including the stories of the prophet Samuel and king Saul; the prophet
> Moses and the Pharoah of Egypt; the prophet Daniel and the king
> Belshazzar; the prophet Elijah and the followers of Baal; the prophet
> Nathan and king David. Such stories are also found in the Qur'an and
> in other Scriptures. Jesus Christ was opposed by the combined
> powers of the Jewish ecclesiastical authorities and the Roman
> surrogate temporal powers. The Jewish priesthood was virtually
> eliminated as a governing power structure with the razing of the
> Temple less than 40 years following the martyrdom of the Messiah.
> The Temple was of course razed by the Roman government, which
> worked in league with the Jewish authorities in the prosecution and
> execution of Jesus Christ. It took the Roman authorities much longer
> to collapse, but in the generation following the mission of the Messiah
> the teachings of Christ were preached throughout the Roman Empire,
> and within a century there were large and influential communities of
> Christians, while in the 4th century the Roman Emperor, Constantine
> converted to Christianity, and from henceforth the Roman realms
> were governed by the power of Christ.
> 
> Muhammad is alleged to have dictated letters to the monarchs of
> territories abutting Arabia, inviting them to accept Islam. None of
> these monarchs indicated a willingness to do so. Within a century of
> the founding of Islam all of these territories were under Islamic
> governments, and hence their ruling powers had been overturned,
> their ecclesiastics for the most part deprived of influence as the
> majority of their populations converted to Islam, and their kings
> unseated by the conquering Muslims and replaced with rulers
> subservient to the teachings of Muhammad, the Messenger of God.
> Likewise, the Báb sent letters to the Shah of Iran, Muhammad Shah; to
> the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 'Abdu'l-Majid; to the Valid of
> Baghdad, Najib Pasha; to the Sherif of Makka; to the Grand Vizier of
> Iran, Hajji Mirza Aqasi; and to many of the Muslim clerics of Iran and
> 'Iraq. The response to his proclamation was, as in the case of all the
> prophets of the past, a negative one, and the consequences for the
> rulers will be discussed in the Gate devoted to the Proofs of the Báb.
> Bahá‟u‟lláh far outstripped his predecessors, in writing letters including
> the "Suriy-i-Muluk", addressed "to the entire company of the
> monarchs of East and West, and in which the Sultan of Turkey, and
> his ministers, the kings of Christendom, the French and Persian
> Ambassadors accredited to the Sublime Porte, the Muslim
> ecclesiastical leaders in Constantinople, its wise men and inhabitants,
> the people of Persia and the philosophers of the world are separately
> addressed"17; first Tablet to the Emperor of the French, Napoleon III;
> "the Lawh-i-Sultan, His detailed epistle to Nasiri'd-Din Shah"18, the
> Shah of Iran; and to "'Ali Pasha, the Grand Vizir[of the Sultan of
> Turkey], Bahá‟u‟lláh addressed the Suriy-i-Ra'is"19. These epistles were
> penned in Adrianople.
> 
> In Akka, Bahá‟u‟lláh addressed passages of "Kitab-i-Aqdas" to the
> "kings of the earth" (K78-K84,K87); to the "Emperor of
> Austria"(K85)20; to the "King of Berlin"(K86)21, and to the "Rulers of
> America and the Presidents of the Republics therein"(K88)22; penned
> His second Tablet to Napoleon III23; addressed an Epistle to
> 
> 17Shoghi Effendi in "God Passes By", US 1971 edition, p. 171-72.
> 18Ibid., p. 172.
> 19Ibid., p. 174.
> 20"Francis Joseph, the Austrian Emperor and heir of the Holy Roman
> 
> Empire"(Ibid., p. 208)
> 21Kaiser Wilhelm I, "King of Prussia and newly-acclaimed emperor of
> 
> a unified Germany"(Ibid.)
> 22Serving as Presidents of the Republics of the Americas in 1872 were
> 
> the following (with the Republics listed alphabetically): Domingo
> Faustino Sarmiento, President of Argentina; John A. MacDonald,
> Prime Minister of Canada; Federico Errazuriz Zanartu, President of
> Chile; Eustorgio Salgar and Manuel Murillo Toro, Presidents of
> Colombia; Tomas Guardia Gutierrez, President of Costa Rica;
> Buenaventura Baez, President of the Dominican Republic; Gabriel
> Garcia Moreno, President of Ecuador; Justo Rufino Barrios, President
> of Guatemala; Nissage Saget, President of Haiti; Benito Juarez and
> Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, Presidents of Mexico; Jose Vicente Cuadra,
> President of Nicaragua; Francisco Solano Lopez, President of
> Paraguay; Manuel Pardo, President of Peru; Ulysses S. Grant,
> President of the United States of America; Lorenzo Batlle y Grau and
> Tomas Gomensoro, Presidents of Uruguay; Antonio Guzman Blanco,
> President of Venezuela.
> 23GPB, p. 207.
> "Nicolaevitch Alexander II, the all-powerful Czar of Russia"24; "To 'Ali
> Pasha, the Grand Vizir of the Sultan of Turkey He addressed, shortly
> after His arrival in 'Akka, a second Tablet"25; while "To Queen
> Victoria He, during that same period, addressed an Epistle"26, and
> "Some of the weightiest passages of His Epistle to Queen Victoria are
> addressed to the members of the British Legislature, the Mother of
> Parliaments, as well as to the elected representatives of the peoples in
> other lands."27 Bahá‟u‟lláh also proclaimed his mission in an Epistle to
> Pope Pius IX, "the undisputed head of the most powerful Church in
> Christendom, possessor of both temporal and spiritual authority"28; in
> the "Kitab-i-Aqdas" he addressed the world's ecclesiastical leaders29;
> "To the patriarchs of the Christian Church He issued a specific
> summons"30; "To the archbishops of that Church...In passages
> addressed to its bishops...The concourse of Christian priests...And
> finally, in several passages addressed to the entire body of the
> followers of Jesus Christ"31; "To the entire body of Muslim
> ecclesiastics Bahá‟u‟lláh specifically devoted innumerable passages in
> His Books and Tablets"32. The replies of these various and sundry
> leaders to his letters, and the consequences of those responses will be
> considered in the volume devoted to Bahá‟u‟lláh‟s prophethood.
> Suffice it to say, as did David after the slaughter of king Saul and his
> son Jonathan and their army by the Amalekites in fulfillment of the
> prophecy of the prophet Samuel, "how are the mighty fallen!"(2
> Samuel 1:19b)
> 
> This is not however the only significance of this Proof. Bahá‟u‟lláh in
> "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" unravels another of the dimensions of this Proof:
> 
> KI:33: "And now, concerning His words--"The sun shall be
> darkened, and the moon shall not give light, and the stars shall
> fall from heaven." By the terms "sun" and "moon",
> mentioned in the writings of the Prophets of God, is not
> meant solely the sun and moon of the visible universe.
> 
> 24Ibid.
> 25Ibid.
> 26Ibid.
> 27Ibid., p. 211.
> 28Ibid, p. 209.
> 29Ibid.
> 30Ibid., pp. 209-210.
> 31Ibid., p. 210.
> 32Ibid.
> Nay, rather, manifold are the meanings they have intended for
> these terms. In every instance they have attached to them a
> particular significance."
> 
> KI:36: "In another sense, by these terms is intended the
> divines of the former Dispensation, who live in the days of
> the subsequent Revelations, and who hold the reins of religion
> in their grasp. If these divines be illumined by the light of the
> latter Revelation they will be acceptable unto God, and will
> shine with a light everlasting. Otherwise, they will be declared
> as darkened, even though to outward seeming they be leaders
> of men, inasmuch as belief and unbelief, guidance and error,
> felicity and misery, light and darkness, are all dependent upon
> the sanction of Him Who is the Day-Star of Truth.
> Whosoever among the divines of every age receiveth, in the
> Day of Reckoning, the testimony of faith from the Source of
> true knowledge, he verily becometh the recipient of learning,
> of divine favour, and of the light of true understanding.
> Otherwise, he is branded as guilty of folly, denial, blasphemy,
> and oppression."
> 
> Hence, the exalted are exalted if they submit to the new prophet, but
> in most cases the exalted do not submit and hence they are abased.
> This is as true of ecclesiastical leaders as it is of temporal leaders,
> indeed moreso inasmuch as the religious authorities have a grave
> responsibility, that of the spiritual guidance of the masses, and when
> they fail to recognize and follow the new prophet they not only
> deprive themselves of the Truth but also deprive their followers
> thereof. In "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih" the Báb writes that the Proofs are
> established for these knowledgeable ones, and in referring to the
> Second Proof:
> 
> SP:12: "Yes, the sight alone of but one of these verses
> (suffices) for those who have the intelligent and perspicacious
> eye: for the others, I do not speak of them, for they are not
> worthy of similar attention, God having said in the greater
> part of the Manifestations that these signs are for those who
> have Faith and Intelligence and not for the great majority of
> the creatures, who are not in a state to comprehend."
> 
> It may be useful for the reader to be reminded that, previous to the
> past century, it was not possible for the majority of mankind to
> comprehend, to understand the divine verses, inasmuch as the vast
> plurality of the human race was illiterate, and depended for what little
> learning they had upon an elite of professional educators who were
> not in the least motivated to uplift their charges out of the obscurity of
> ignorance. These instructors, who were in perhaps all cultures
> members of the ecclesiastical power structure, were not encouraged to
> facilitate the widespread education of the common people, rather, on
> the contrary, they were responsible for keeping the masses in a state of
> dependency upon themselves and upon the secular authorities and for
> rooting out any and all tendencies towards independent thinking,
> innovation and individual initiative. This order of things has persisted
> in most cultures until the dawn of the new age in the last century, and
> now, at the close of the twentieth century, the majority of humanity,
> although still far from its entirety is capable of reading at some level,
> and a considerable percentage of these have some training in
> systematic research, study and thinking which might enable them to
> appreciate the very signs and proofs which would have been
> unintelligible to their forefathers; to say nothing of their foremothers!
> TENTH PROOF:
> THE STAR-HERALD OF THE PROPHET
> 
> This divine philosophy makes the extraordinary assertion that
> preceding the appearance of every one of the Prophets of God there
> has been manifested in the sky a star heralding his coming. For
> Christians familiar with the account in the Gospel of Matthew (II:2,9-
> 10) of the star which the Magi kings followed in search of the
> Promised One, this assertion may not seem as curious as it will
> certainly for many Jews, Muslims and other religionists. Bahá‟u‟lláh, in
> "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" explains this phenomenon:
> 
> KI:62: "By "heaven" is meant the visible heaven, inasmuch as
> when the hour draweth nigh on which the Day-star of the
> heaven of justice shall be made manifest, and the Ark of
> divine guidance shall sail upon the sea of glory, a star will
> appear in the heaven, heralding unto its people the advent of
> that most great light. In like manner, in the invisible heaven a
> star shall be made manifest who, unto the peoples of the
> earth, shall act as a harbinger of the break of that true and
> exalted Morn. These twofold signs, in the visible and the
> invisible heaven, have announced the Revelation of each of
> the Prophets of God, as is commonly believed. Among the
> Prophets was Abraham, the Friend of God. Ere He
> manifested Himself, Nimrod dreamed a dream. Thereupon,
> he summoned the soothsayers, who informed him of the rise
> of a star in the heaven..."
> 
> This story is confirmed in the Sefer ha-Yashar, Ma‟aseh Avraham
> (Version B, in Bet ha-Midrash, II:119; also in Rabbenu BaHya in
> Torah Shelemah, III:643, n. 89) and in other legendary material which
> is not part of the canonical Jewish Scriptures.
> 
> KI:63: "After Him came Moses, He Who held converse with
> God. The soothsayers of His time warned Pharoah in these
> terms: “A star hath risen in the heaven, and lo! it
> foreshadoweth the conception of a Child Who holdeth your
> fate and the fate of your people in His hand.”"
> 
> Similar accounts are found in Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (2.205),
> in Pirke Rabbi Eliezer (Torah Shelemah, VIII:48, n.212), Exodus
> Rabbah (I:18; Torah Shelemah, VIII:46, n. 202; 47, n. 207; 41, n. 176)
> and Asatir (8).
> KI:64: "In like manner, when the hour of the Revelation of
> Jesus drew nigh, a few of the Magi, aware that the star of Jesus
> had appeared in heaven, sought and followed it, till they came
> unto the city which was the seat of the Kingdom of Herod.
> The sway of his sovereignty in those days embraced the whole
> of that land. These Magi said: "Where is He that is born King
> of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east and are
> come to worship Him!" When they searched, they found out
> that in Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, the Child had been
> born. This was the sign that was manifested in the visible
> heaven."
> 
> This is the account found in the Gospel of Matthew, for the Magi
> discover the birth place of Jesus by themselves, whereas the Gospel of
> Luke has King Herod point them in the right direction.
> 
> KI:65: "Likewise, ere the beauty of Muhammad was unveiled,
> the signs of the visible heaven were made manifest..."
> 
> In the biography of Muhammad authored by Ibn Ishaq (85-151 A.H.),
> preserved in the work of Ibn Hisham (d. 213 A.H.), it is related that a
> Jew living in Yathrib (later renamed Madinat al-Nabi, city of the
> Prophet in honor of Muhammad) told a gathering of his community
> on the even of Muhammad‟s birth that “This night the star is risen,
> under which the Apostle is born.”
> 
> KI:65: "And now concerning this wondrous and most exalted
> Cause. Know thou verily that many as astronomer hath
> announced the appearance of its star in the visible heaven..."
> 
> Astral phenomena associated with the declaration of the Báb in 1844
> have been identified by several Seventh Day Adventist writers,
> including Leroy E. Froom, “The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers”.
> 
> KI:66: "From all that We have stated it hath become clear and
> manifest that before the revelation of each of the Mirrors
> reflecting the divine Essence, the signs heralding their advent
> must needs be revealed in the visible heaven..."
> 
> Verification of the actual existence of stars or other celestial
> phenomena which heralded the appearance of each of the prophet of
> God will be attempted in subsequent volumes devoted to the proofs
> of prophethood applied to particular prophets.
> ELEVENTH PROOF:
> THE HERALDS OF THE PROPHETS
> 
> As we have already read, the star appearing in the physical heavens to
> announce the coming of the new prophet is complemented in the
> invisible heavens, that is in the spiritual realm which is manifested in
> holy souls. Bahá‟u‟lláh elucidates in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:62-63: "In like manner, in the invisible heaven a star shall
> be made manifest who, unto the peoples of the earth, shall act
> as a harbinger of the break of that true and exalted Morn.
> These twofold signs, in the visible and the invisible heaven,
> have announced the Revelation of each of the Prophets of
> God, as is commonly believed. Among the Prophets was
> Abraham, the Friend of God. Ere He manifested Himself,
> Nimrod dreamed a dream. Thereupon, he summoned the
> soothsayers, who in-formed him of the rise of a star in the
> heaven. Likewise, there appeared a herald who announced
> throughout the land the coming of Abraham. After Him
> came Moses, He Who held converse with God...In like manner, there appeared a sage who, in the darkness of the night,
> brought tidings of joy unto the people of Israel, imparting
> consolation to their souls, and assurance to their hearts. To
> this testify the records of the sacred books..."
> 
> KI:64-66: "In like manner, when the hour of the Revelation of
> Jesus drew nigh...the sign in the invisible heaven--the heaven
> of divine knowledge and understanding--it was Yahya, son of
> Zachariah, who gave unto the people the tidings of the
> Manifestation of Jesus. Even as He hath revealed: "God
> announceth Yahya to thee, who shall bear witness unto the
> Word from God, and a great one and chaste." By the term
> "Word" is meant Jesus, Whose coming Yahya foretold.
> Moreover, in the heavenly Scriptures it is written: "John the
> Baptist was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying,
> Repent ye: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." By John is
> meant Yahya. Likewise, ere the beauty of Muhammad was
> unveiled, the signs of the visible heaven were made manifest.
> As to the signs of the invisible heaven, there appeared four
> men who successively announced unto the people the joyful
> tidings of the rise of that divine Luminary. Ruz-bih, later
> named Salman, was honoured by being in their service. As
> the end of one of these approached, he would send Ruz-bih
> unto the other, until the fourth who, feeling his death to be
> nigh, addressed Ruz-bih saying: "O Ruz-bih! when thou hast
> taken up my body and buried it, go to Hijaz for there the Daystar of Muhammad will arise. Happy art thou, for thou shalt
> behold His face!" And now concerning this wondrous and
> most exalted Cause. Know thou verily that many an
> astronomer hath announced the appearance of its star in the
> visible heaven. Likewise, there appeared on earth Ahmad and
> Kazim, those twin resplendent lights--may God sanctify their
> resting-place! From all that We have stated it hath become
> clear and manifest that before the revelation of each of the
> Mirrors reflecting the divine Essence, the signs heralding their
> advent must needs be revealed in the visible heaven as well as
> in the invisible, wherein is the seat of the sun of knowledge, of
> the moon of wisdom, and of the stars of understanding and
> utterance. The sign of the invisible heaven must needs be
> revealed in the person of that perfect man who, before each
> Manifestation appeareth, educateth, and prepareth the souls of
> men for the advent of the divine Luminary, the Light of the
> unity of God amongst men."
> 
> As for the "sign in the invisible heaven" whom Bahá‟u‟lláh identifies as
> having heralded his revelation, he writes in "Epistle to the Son of the
> Wolf":
> 
> ESW:158: "John, son of Zacharias, said what My Forerunner
> hath said: "Saying, repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at
> hand. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but
> He that cometh after Me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am
> not worthy to bear." Wherefore, hath My Forerunner, as a
> sign of submissiveness and humility, said: "The whole of the
> Bayán is only a leaf amongst the leaves of His Paradise." And
> like-wise, He saith: "I am the first to adore Him, and pride
> Myself on My kinship with Him."
> 
> ESW:171: "The purpose of the Most Exalted One (the Báb)
> was to insure that the proximity of the Revelation should not
> withhold men from the Divine and everlasting Law, even as
> the companions of John (the Baptist) were prevented from
> acknowledging Him Who is the Spirit (Jesus).
> TWELFTH PROOF:
> THE TRIUMPH OF THE CAUSE OF THE PROPHET
> 
> In preceding proofs we have seen that all of the prophets have
> suffered rejection at the hands of the rulers of their lands and have
> been opposed or ignored by the majority of the commoners, so much
> so that it may be said, along with Jesus Christ: "A prophet is not
> without honour, save in his own country, and in his own
> house."(Gospels of Matthew 13:57b; Luke 4:24; John 4:44)
> Nevertheless, the True Cause prevails, and nothing can impede it from
> eventual triumph. Jesus speaks to this theme, according to the Gospel
> of Matthew:
> 
> "Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted,
> shall be rooted up.
> "Let them alone [the Pharisees]: they be blind leaders of the
> blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the
> ditch." (Gospel of Matthew 15:13-14)
> 
> After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the Book of Acts
> indicates that "one of the council"--that is, one of the Sanhedrin, the
> ruling council of Jewish elders in the land of Israel-- "a Pharisee,
> named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law" who "who had in reputation
> among all the people" (Acts 5:34), spoke these words to the assembled
> members regarding the followers of Jesus Christ:
> 
> "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let
> them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will
> come to nought:
> "But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest happly ye be
> found to fight against God." (Book of Acts 5:38-39)
> 
> It appears that this saying was quoted by the author(s) of the Book of
> Acts because it agreed with their understanding of this proof of
> prophethood. Bahá‟u‟lláh sets forth this proof in "Surat al-Muluk":
> 
> GL:219-220: "Dost thou imagine, O Minister of the Shah in
> the City (Constantinople), that I hold within My grasp the
> ultimate destiny of the Cause of God? Thinkest Thou that
> My imprisonment, or the shame I have been made to suffer,
> or even My death and utter annihilation, can deflect its
> course? Wretched is what thou hast imagined in thine heart!
> Thou art indeed of them that walk after the vain imaginings
> which their hearts devise. No God is there but Him.
> Powerful is He to manifest His Cause, and to exalt His
> testimony, and to esta-blish whatsoever is His Will, and to
> elevate it to so eminent a position that neither thine own
> hands, nor the hands of them that have turned away from
> Him, can ever touch or harm it. Dost thou believe thou hast
> the power to frustrate His Will, to hinder Him from executing
> His judgment, or to deter Him from exercising His
> sovereignty? Pretendest thou that aught in the heavens or in
> the earth can resist His Faith? No, by Him Who is the
> Eternal Truth! Nothing whatsoever in the whole of creation
> can thwart His Purpose...If this Cause be of God, no man can
> prevail against it; and if it be not of God, the divines amongst
> you, and they that follow their corrupt desires and such as
> have rebelled against Him will surely suffice to overpower it."
> (GL:219-220; the last sentence is quoted in PDC:90)
> 
> In another Tablet, "Lawh-i-Abu'l-Hasan fi'l-shin", Bahá‟u‟lláh
> underscores this theme with a personal appeal which recalls the words
> of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, "O my Father, if it be
> possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as
> thou wilt."(Gospel of Matthew 26:39b):
> 
> GL:91: "Think ye, O people, that I hold within My grasp the
> control of God's ultimate Will and Purpose? Far be it from
> Me to advance such a claim. To this I testify before God, the
> Almighty, the Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Had
> the ultimate destiny of God's Faith been in Mine hands, I
> would have never consented, even though for one moment, to
> manifest Myself unto you, nor would I have allowed one word
> to fall from My lips. Of this God Himself is, verily, a
> witness."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá has expatiated liberally upon this theme, such as from
> this talk that refers to its fulfillment in the case of Moses:
> 
> PUP:405: "For example, let us review the events connected
> with the history of Moses--upon Him be peace! He dwelt in Midian
> at a time when the children of Israel were in captivity and bondage in
> the land of Egypt, subjected to every tyranny and severe
> oppression...At such a time as this and under such forbidding
> conditions Moses appeared and shone forth with a heavenly radiance.
> He saved Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh and released them from
> captivity. He led them out of the land of Egypt and into the Holy
> Land…In a word He led them out of their condition of hopelessness
> and brought them to efficiency in the plane of confidence and valor.
> They became renowned throughout the ancient world until finally in
> the zenith and splendor of their new civilization the glory of the
> sovereignty of Solomon was attained."
> 
> In subsequent volumes, the case of each of the Prophets will be
> considered. The achievements of the prophet Moses have already
> been cited in the Eighth Proof, and they will be mentioned again in
> relation to yet another proof. How is it possible to recycle this
> historical evidence to prove more than one Proof to be correct? In
> the first case, we consider a Proof in support of Moses based upon his
> exaltation of the abased, through his influence upon his followers over
> a lengthy period of time. In order to support such a claim we must
> cite historical evidence that such an exaltation occurred. In this
> second case, we are considering a Proof founded upon the triumph of
> the Cause of God in the face of opposition and separate from the
> person and presence of the prophet. The reader must be satisfied that
> the historical record shows that the Cause of God in the Dispensation
> of Moses did in fact triumph and that this triumph was not dependent
> upon the physical presence of Moses. Clearly, much of the same
> historical record will be cited for the first case and the second case.
> Likewise, as we shall see presently, the same evidence would be
> required for a later Proof. In all three cases it is not dogma or belief or
> legend or some magical or mystical formula which is being referred to
> as corroborative evidence in support of these proofs--it is universally
> recognized factual evidence. This is just a reminder to the reader that
> divine philosophy is not an obscure theological science, one of "those
> which begin with words and end with words"(Bahá‟u‟lláh, "Third
> Tajalli", TB:52), rather it is "in reality, the science of Divinity...the
> revelation of reality"(PUP:326).
> 
> This proof, called "daliil-i-taqriir" (proof of establishment) was much
> developed by Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani in his Kitabu‟l-Fara‟id, and
> the reader is referred to a fine article on this subject, written by Dr.
> Kavian Milani and Dr. Leila Milani, entitled "The Proof Based on
> Establishment and the Proof Based on Verses," in JBS:VII:4 (June-
> September 1997).
> THIRTEENTH PROOF:
> PROPHET'S ANNULMENT OF PREVIOUS
> DISPENSATIONS
> 
> The universality of this Proof is stated briefly in Bahá‟u‟lláh's "Kitáb-i-
> ĺqán":
> 
> KI:39: "Inasmuch as every subsequent Revelation hath
> abolished the manners, habits, and teachings that have been
> clearly, specifically, and firmly established by the former
> Dispensation, these have accordingly been symbolically
> expressed in terms of "sun" and "moon"."
> 
> This is written in relation to the interpretation of certain verses in the
> Scriptures (Tanakh, Gospels and Qur'an) which refer to the darkening
> of the sun and the eclipse of the moon at the time of the end.
> Bahá‟u‟lláh interprets this as a symbolic depiction of the annulment of
> fundamental laws in each new Dispensation:
> 
> KI:38,39: "In another sense, by the terms "sun", "moon", and
> "stars" are meant such laws and teachings as have been
> established and pro-claimed in every Dispensation, such as the
> laws of prayer and fasting...The traditions established the fact
> that in all Dispensations the law of prayer hath constituted a
> fundamental element of the Revelation of all the Prophets of
> God--a law the form and the manner of which hath been
> adapted to the varying requirements of every age."
> 
> In the interpretation of another verse from the Scriptures, Bahá‟u‟lláh
> again makes reference to this theme:
> 
> KI:44-45: "As He hath said: "When the heaven shall be cloven
> asunder. " By "heaven" is meant the heaven of divine
> Revelation, which is elevated with every Manifestation, and
> rent asunder with every subsequent one. By "cloven asunder"
> is meant that the former Dispensation is superseded and
> annulled. I swear by God! That this heaven being cloven
> asunder is, to the discerning, an act mightier than the cleaving
> of the skies! Ponder a while. That a divine Revelation which
> for years hath been securely established; beneath whose
> shadow all who have embraced it have been reared and
> nurtured; by the light of whose law generations of men have
> been disciplined; the excellency of whose word men have
> heard recounted by their fathers; in such wise that human eye
> hath beheld naught but the pervading influence of its grace,
> and mortal ear hath heard naught but the resounding majesty
> of its command--what act is mightier than that such a
> Revelation should, by the power of God, be "cloven asunder"
> and be abolished at the appearance of one soul?"
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to his own Dispensation, annulling that of the Báb,
> in "Lawh-i-Ahmad Quli Khan":
> 
> GL:147: "…after the lapse of a few years the heaven of
> Divine decree was cleft asunder, and the Beauty of the Báb
> appeared in the clouds of the names of God, arrayed in a new
> raiment..."
> 
> In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh writes of the opposition of the people to
> the new prophet:
> 
> KI:238: "It is evident that the reason for such behaviour is
> none other than the annulment of those rules, customs,
> habits, and ceremonials to which they have been subjected.
> Otherwise, were the Beauty of the Merciful to comply with
> those same rules and customs, which are current amongst the
> people, and were He to sanction their observances, such
> conflict and mischief would in no wise be made manifest in
> the world.
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh reaffirms in "Kitab-i-Aqdas" the principle established in
> "Kitáb-i-ĺqán", that the laws of the new Prophet eclipse those of
> previous Dispensations:
> 
> KA:#7: "Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven
> of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all,
> though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every
> religion to be cleft asunder. He doeth what He pleaseth."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh qualifies this assertion, by affirming that essentially the
> Faith of God is “changeless”:
> KA:#182: "This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the
> past, eternal in the future."
> 
> This affirmation is embodied in a distinct Proof of the prophets which
> will be considered presently. „Abdu‟l-Bahá qualifies the annulment of
> divinely-ordained laws, by stipulating that the essential truths of the
> Cause of God are renewed in each Dispensation and by each Prophet.
> Therefore "the foundations of the religions of God are one
> foundation"(PUP:364), and for what "concerns the world of morality
> and ethical training of human nature...the advancement of the world of
> humanity in general...the knowledge of God...ideal and spiritual
> teaching, the essential quality of divine religion" this essence of religion
> is "not subject to change or transformation. It is the one foundation
> of all the religions of God. Therefore, the religions are essentially one
> and the same."(PUP:364-65)
> 
> However, religion is not comprised only of essential truths and eternal
> spiritual laws. Indeed, "each of the divine religions is separable into
> two divisions. One concerns the world of morality..." as we have
> already seen." (PUP:364) He elaborates upon the division of laws
> which are subject to annulment in every Dispensation by every
> Prophet:
> 
> PUP:365: "The second classification or division comprises
> social laws and regulations applicable to human conduct. This is not
> the essential spiritual quality of religion. It is subject to change and
> transformation according to the exigencies and requirements of time
> and place...During the cycle of Adam it was lawful and expedient for a
> man to marry his own sister, even as Abel, Cain and Seth, the sons of
> Adam, married their sisters...For instance, in the time of Noah certain
> requirements made it necessary that all seafood be allowable or lawful.
> During the time of the Abrahamic Prophethood it was considered
> allowable, because of a certain exigency, that a man should marry his
> aunt, even as Sarah was the sister of Abraham's mother...But in the law
> of the Pentateuch         revealed by Moses these marriages were
> forbidden and their custom and sanction abrogated. Other laws
> formerly valid were annulled during the time of Moses."
> FOURTEENTH PROOF:
> INNATE, DIVINELY-INSPIRED KNOWLEDGE OF THE
> PROPHETS
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to the divine knowledge of all the Manifestations of
> God in Kitáb-i-ĺqán:
> 
> KI:100: "They are the Treasuries of divine knowledge, and
> the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is
> transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the
> light that can never fade."
> 
> In other Writings, including the Seven Valleys, a Tablet addressed to
> 'Abbas Faruq, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, and Lawh-i-Hikmat, Bahá‟u‟lláh
> refers to his own innate and divinely-inspired knowledge:
> 
> SV:26: "There is many an utterance of the mystic seers and
> doctors of former times which I have not mentioned here,
> since I mislike the copious citation from sayings of the past;
> for quotation from the words of others proveth acquired
> learning, not the divine bestowal. Even so much as We have
> quoted here is out deference to the wont of men, and after the
> manner of the friends. Further, such are beyond the scope of
> this epistle. Our unwillingness to recount their sayings is not
> from pride, but is it a manifestation of wisdom and a
> demonstration of grace."
> 
> GL:XXIII:58: "Consider this Wronged One...though, in spite
> of His not being accounted among the learned, His being
> unschooled and inexperienced in the disputations current
> among the divines, He hath rained upon men the showers of
> His manifold and Divinely-inspired knowledge; yet, behold
> how this generation hath rejected His authority, and rebelled
> against Him!"
> 
> Gl:XLI:90-91: "God is My witness, O people! I was asleep
> on My couch, when lo, the Breeze of God wafting over Me
> roused Me from My slumber. His quickening Spirit revived
> Me, and My tongue was unloosed to voice His Call. Accuse
> Me not of having transgressed against God. Behold Me, not
> with your eyes but with Mine. Thus admonisheth you He
> Who is the Gracious, the All-Knowing. Think ye, O people,
> that I hold within My grasp the control of God‟s ulti-mate
> Will and Purpose? Far be it from Me to advance such claim.
> To this I testify before God, the Almighty, the Exalted, the
> All-Know-ing, the All-Wise. Had the ultimate destiny of
> God‟s Faith been in Mine hands, I would have never
> consented, even though for one mo-ment, to manifest Myself
> unto you, nor would I have allowed one word to fall from My
> lips. Of this God Himself is, verily, a witness."
> 
> GL:CXIII: "Dost thou imagine, O Minister of the Shah in the
> City33 , that I hold within My grasp the ultimate destiny of the
> Cause of God? Thinkest thou that My imprisonment, or the
> shame I have been made to suffer, or even My death and utter
> annihilation, can deflect its course? Wretched is what thou
> hast imagined in thine heart! Thou art indeed of them that
> walk after the vain imaginings which their hearts devise."
> 
> KA: #104: "We have not entered any school, nor read any of
> your dissertations. Incline your ears to the words of this
> unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto God, the
> Ever-Abiding. Better is this for you than all the treasures of
> the earth, could ye but comprehend it."
> 
> TB:149: "Thou knoweth full well that We perused not the
> books which men possess and We acquired not the learning
> current amongst them, and yet when We desire to quote the
> sayings of the learned and of the wise, presently there will
> appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a tablet all
> that which hath appeared in the world and is revealed in the
> Holy Books and Scriptures. Thus do We set down in writing
> that which the eye perceiveth. Verily His knowledge
> encompasseth the earth and the heavens."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá states this Proof in reference to all of the Prophets as
> follows:
> 
> ABDP:53-54: "The sun emanates from itself and does not
> draw its light from other sources. The divine teachers have the innate
> light; they have knowledge and understanding of all things in the
> universe; the rest of the world receives its light from them and through
> them the arts and sciences are revived in each age.
> "Abraham and Moses went to no school; Jesus had neither
> school nor master; Muhammed never had a lesson: the Báb and
> Bahá‟u‟lláh had no professors. Read the books written by Bahá‟u‟lláh-
> -the philosophers and savants in the Orient will bear witness to His
> 
> Constantinople.
> eloquence and learning. In the Orient this is considered a proof of His
> divinity. There they say, "If some one can write a letter like
> Bahá‟u‟lláh, Bahá‟u‟lláh's divinity cannot be denied." No one has yet
> competed. How can those who depend on mortals be divine
> messengers? How can a lamp which has to be lighted be eternal? The
> divine teacher does not come to acquire knowledge, for this tree of life
> is a fruit tree by birth and not through grafting. Behold the sacred tree
> which spreads its shade over the whole world! This is the mission of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh--for under this tree all questions are solved!"
> 
> While „Abdu‟l-Bahá makes reference to four prophets in the course of
> this argument, very little information is given for three out of the four.
> While the lack of schooling and the innate knowledge of Jesus Christ
> are reported in the Gospels, those attributes of Muhammad are
> reported in the "ahadith" (which, like the Gospels, are the recorded
> acts and sayings of the prophet compiled by certain of His followers
> after His ascension) in considerable detail but many of these accounts
> (in the "ahadith") are difficult or impossible to substantiate. On the
> other hand, there are extant testimonies from eye-witnesses to the
> childhood and youth of both the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh, and in both of
> these cases there seems to have been very little formal education.
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá cites one example of the innate knowledge revealed by
> Muhammad in the Qur'an:
> 
> "Though Pythagoras, and Plato during the latter part of his
> life, adopted the theory that the annual movement of the sun around
> the zodiac does not proceed from the sun, but rather from the
> movement of the earth around the sun; this theory had been entirely
> forgotten, and the Ptolemaic system was accepted by all
> mathematicians But there are some verses revealed in the Qur'an
> contrary to the theory of the Ptolemaic system. One of them is 'The
> sun moves in a fixed place,'34 which shows the fixity of the sun, and
> its movement around an axis. Again, in another verse, 'And each star
> moves in its own heaven.'35
> “Thus is explained the movement of the sun, of the moon, of
> the earth, and of other bodies. When the Qur'an appeared all the
> mathematicians ridiculed these statements, and attributed the theory to
> ignorance. Even the doctors of Islam, when they saw that these verses
> were contrary to the accepted Ptolemaic system, were obliged to
> explain them away. It was not until after the fifteenth century of the
> Christian era, nearly nine hundred years after Muhammad, that a
> famous astronomer made new observations and important discoveries
> 
> 34Qur‟an 36:38.
> 35Qur‟an 36:39-40.
> by the aid of the telescope which he had invented. The rotation of the
> earth, the fixity of the sun, and also its movement around an axis, were
> discovered. It became evident that the verses of the Qur'an agreed
> with existing facts, and that the Ptolemaic system was imaginary."
> (SAQ:28-29)
> FIFTEENTH PROOF:
> PROPHET'S PROPHECIES FULFILLED
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá asserts that "The purpose in religion is pure love and
> agreement. The Prophets of God manifested complete love for all.
> Each One announced the glad tidings of His successor, and each
> subsequent One confirmed the teachings and prophecies of the
> Prophet Who preceded Him. There was no disagreement or variance
> in the reality of Their teaching and mission. Discord has arisen among
> Their followers, who have lost sight of reality and hold fast to
> imitations."(PUP:234) "Each of the holy Manifestations announced
> the glad tidings of His successor, and each One confirmed the
> message of His predecessor."(PUP:339) "In conclusion, since the
> Prophets themselves, the Founders, have loved, praised and testified
> of each other, why should we disagree and be alienated?"(PUP:410)
> Inasmuch as divine philosophy asserts that all of the prophets have in
> turn prophesied of their successors and confirmed their predecessors,
> then we must conclude that in all cases the prophecies of the prophets
> have been fulfilled. The specific prophecies fulfilled by the Prophets
> are discussed in principle in the First Proof and, in great detail, in
> subsequent volumes devoted to particular Prophets. Bahá‟u‟lláh refers
> to this proof of his prophethood in His Tablet to 'Abbas Faruq:
> 
> GL:XXIII:58: "Consider this Wronged One. Though the
> clearest proofs attest the truth of His Cause; though the
> prophecies He, in an unmistakable language, hath made have
> been fulfilled...yet, behold how this generation hath rejected
> His authority, and rebelled against Him."
> 
> However, the prophet of God does not only prophesy the appearance
> of His immediate successor. There are many prophecies of the post-
> Mosaic Hebraic prophets recorded in the Tanakh which were not
> fulfilled by Jesus; there are prophecies attributed to Jesus Christ which
> are not realized in Muhammad; likewise, there are prophecies
> associated with Muhammad which were not claimed by the Báb.
> Sometimes the prophecies of a particular prophet skip over
> Dispensations and are fulfilled in a Dispensation far removed from
> that of the prophet himself. Also, a particular prophecy may be
> realized in one sense by the appearance of one Prophet and realized in
> another meaning through the manifestation of a successive Prophet.
> 
> Many of the prophets of God have also prophesied events which had
> nothing whatsoever to do with their prophetic successors. Noah
> prophesied the Flood to His generation; Abraham revealed that His
> descendants would people the Holy Land; Joseph prophesied,
> interpreting the dream of Pharoah that there would be seven years of
> plenty followed by seven years of famine, and this was so; Daniel
> interpreted the dream of Belshazzar, which was prophetic in nature;
> Nathan prophesied the death of the firstborn of David and Bathsheba
> as a punishment for their wrongdoing; a number of the Hebraic
> prophets prophesied the punishment of Israel for its idolatry and
> immorality, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos and
> Micah. There are also the many testimonies of the prophesies of the
> Qur'anic prophets. The fulfillment of these many prophecies is
> sometimes attested in the text of the Scriptures, and in other cases
> discernible from the historical record.
> 
> Both the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh revealed prophecies which were fulfilled
> within a matter of years, and both the prophecies and the fulfillments
> can be attested by factual evidences which are impossible to
> controvert. Speaking of Bahá‟u‟lláh, „Abdu‟l-Bahá cites a portion of
> his father‟s "Tablet to the Sultan of Turkey" and says, "There are many
> other prophecies in this book, especially in the Epistle to the Shah of
> Persia, all of which prophecies have come to pass. As they are lengthy,
> we will not have time to quote them."(PUP:399) Speaking again of
> these two Epistles and to the Tablets to Napoleon III and to other
> world rulers, he says, "The book containing these Epistles to the kings
> was published in India about thirty years ago and is known as Suratu'l-
> Haykal ("Discourse of the Temple"). Whatever is recorded in these
> Epistles has happened. Some of the prophecies contained in them
> came to pass after two years; others were fulfilled after five, ten or
> twenty years. The most important prophecies relative to events
> transpiring in the Balkans are being fulfilled at the present time [1912]
> though written long ago. For instance, in the Epistle which
> Bahá‟u‟lláh addressed to the Sultan of Turkey, the war and the
> occurrences of the present day were foretold by Him. These events
> were also prophesied in the Tablet He addressed to the city of
> Constantinople, even to the details of happenings now being witnessed
> in that city."(PUP:432)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh confirms that he did indeed reveal these prophecies and
> that they were fulfilled in such a short time interval in "Epistle to the
> Son of the Wolf":
> 
> ESW:148: "Accordingly in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, and in the
> Tablets to the Kings, and in the Lawh-i-Ra'is, and in the
> Lawh-i-Fu'ad, most of the things which have come to pass on
> this earth have been announced and prophesied by the Most
> Sublime Pen."
> ESW:150: "He, verily, hath manifested that which was hidden,
> when He, upon His return, mounted the throne of the Bayán.
> All that hath been sent down hath and will come to pass,
> word for word, upon earth. No possibility is left for anyone
> either to turn aside or protest. As fairness, however, is
> disgraced and concealed, most men speak as prompted by
> their own idle fancies."
> 
> Also, in the "Lawh-i-'Abbas Faruk", Bahá‟u‟lláh also asserts:
> 
> GL:58: "Consider this Wronged One. Though the clearest
> proofs attest the truth of His Cause; though the prophecies
> He, in an unmistakable language, hath made have been
> fulfilled; though, in spite of His not being accounted among
> the learned, His being unschooled and inexperienced in the
> disputations current among the divines, He hath rained upon
> men the showers of His manifold and Divinely-inspired
> knowledge; yet, behold how this generation hath rejected His
> authority, and rebelled against Him!"
> 
> And in "Lawh-i-Maqsud" Bahá‟u‟lláh quotes Muhammad:
> 
> GL:221: "He said, and He, verily, speaketh the truth: "Will ye
> slay a man because he saith my Lord is God, when he hath
> already come to you with proofs of his mission? And if he be
> a liar, on him will be his lie, but if he be a man of truth, part at
> least of what he threateneth will fall upon you." This is what
> God hath revealed unto His Well-Beloved One, in His
> unerring Book."
> SIXTEENTH PROOF:
> REPUDIATION OF PROPHETS BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS
> 
> "From the beginning of the world until the present time," is the
> testimony of „Abdu‟l-Bahá, "each 'Manifestation' sent from God has
> been opposed by an embodiment of the 'Powers of Darkness'. This
> dark power has always endeavoured to extinguish the light. Tyranny
> has ever sought to overcome justice. Ignorance has persistently tried
> to trample knowledge underfoot. This has, from the earliest ages,
> been the method of the material world. In the time of Moses, Pharaoh
> set himself to prevent the Mosaic Light being spread abroad. In the
> day of Christ, Annas and Caiaphas inflamed the Jewish people against
> Him and the learned doctors of Israel joined together to resist His
> Power. All sorts of calumnies were circulated against Him. The
> Scribes and Pharisees conspired to make the people believe Him to be
> a liar, an apostate, and a blasphemer. They spread these slanders
> throughout the whole Eastern world against Christ, and caused Him to
> be condemned to a shameful death! In the case of Muhammad also,
> the learned doctors of His day determined to extinguish the light of
> His influence. They tried by the power of the sword to prevent the
> spread of His teaching."(PT:102, UK-11th ed.)
> 
> In reference to the Báb he writes: "This illustrious soul arose with such
> power that He shook the supports of the religion, of the morals, the
> conditions, the habits, and the customs of Persia, and instituted new
> rules, new laws, and a new religion. Though the great personages of
> the State, nearly all the clergy, and the public men, arose to destroy and
> annihilate Him, He alone withstood them, and moved the whole of
> Persia."(SAQ:30) In reference to Bahá‟u‟lláh, "At the time when this
> great Light suddenly arose upon the horizon of Persia, all the people,
> the ministers, the Ulama, and men of other classes rose against Him,
> pursuing Him with the greatest animosity, and proclaiming 'that this
> man wishes to suppress and destroy the religion, the law, the nation,
> and the empire.' The same was said of Christ. But Bahá‟u‟lláh alone
> and without support resisted them all, without ever showing the least
> weakness."(SAQ:35-36) "When Bahá‟u‟lláh appeared in Persia, all the
> contemporaneous religious sects and systems rose against
> Him."(PUP:431) "His teachings were spread abroad, and his
> exhortations affected many of those who had been the most full of
> hatred, and made them firm believers; even the Persian government
> itself became awakened, and regretted that which had arisen through
> the fault of the Ulama."(SAQ:37)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has written on this theme, in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán," "Lawh-i-
> 'Abbas Faruq," "Lawh-i-Burhan," and other Tablets cited here:
> KI:165:    "It is clear and evident that whenever the
> Manifestations of Holiness were revealed, the divines of their
> day have hindered the people from attaining unto the way of
> truth. To this testify the records of all the scriptures and
> heavenly books. Not one Prophet of God was made manifest
> Who did not fall a victim to the relentless hate, to the
> denunciation, denial, and execration of the clerics of His day!"
> 
> KI:182: "For it behooveth no man to interpret the holy
> words according to his own imperfect understanding, nor,
> having found them to be contrary to his inclination and
> desires, to reject and repudiate the truth. For such, today, is
> the manner of the divines and doctors of the age, who occupy
> the seats of knowledge and learning, and who have named
> ignorance knowledge, and called oppression justice. Were
> these to ask the Light of Truth concerning those images
> which their idle fancy hath carved, and were they to find His
> answer inconsistent with their own conceptions and their own
> understanding of the Book, they would assuredly denounce
> Him Who is the Mine and Well-head of all Knowledge as the
> very negation of understanding. Such things happened in
> every age."
> 
> KI:228-229: "Let it be known, however, that none of these
> doctors and divines to whom We have referred was invested
> with the rank and dignity of leadership. For well-known and
> influential leaders of religion, who occupy the seats of
> authority and exercise the functions of leadership, can in no
> wise bear allegiance to the Revealer of truth, except
> whomsoever thy Lord willeth. But for a few, such things have
> never come to pass. 'And few of My servants are the thankful.'
> [Qur'an 34:13] Even as in this Dispensation [Bábi], not one
> amongst the renowned divines, in the grasp of whose
> authority were held the reins of the people, hath embraced the
> Faith. Nay, have striven against it with such animosity and
> determination that no ear hath heard and no eye hath seen the
> like. The Báb, the most exalted--may the life of all be a
> sacrifice unto Him,--hath specifically revealed an Epistle unto
> the divines of every city, wherein He hath fully set forth the
> character of the denial and repudiation of each of them."
> 
> GL:56-58: "Witness how every time the Day Star of Divine
> bounty hath shed the light of His Revelation upon the world,
> the people of His Day have arisen against Him, and
> repudiated His truth. They who were regarded as the leaders
> of men have invariably striven to hinder their followers from
> turning unto Him Who is the Ocean of God's limitless
> bounty. Behold how the people, as a result of the verdict
> pronounced by the divines of His age, have cast Abraham, the
> Friend of God, into fire; how Moses, He Who held converse
> with the Almighty, was denounced as liar and slanderer.
> Reflect how Jesus, the Spirit of God, was, notwithstanding
> His extreme meekness and perfect tender-heartedness, treated
> by His enemies. So fierce was the opposition which He, the
> Essence of Being and Lord of the visible and invisible, had to
> face, that He had nowhere to lay His head. He wandered
> continually from place to place, deprived of a permanent
> abode. Ponder that which befell Muhammad, the Seal of the
> Prophets, may the life of all else be a sacrifice unto Him.
> How severe the afflictions which the leaders of the Jewish
> people and of the idol-worshipers caused to rain upon Him,
> Who is the sovereign Lord of all, in consequence of His
> proclamation of the unity of God and of the truth of His
> Message! By the righteousness of My Cause! My Pen
> groaneth, and all created things weep with a great weeping, as
> a result of the woes He suffered at the hands of them that
> have broken the Covenant of God, violated His Testament,
> rejected His proofs, and disputed His signs. Thus recount We
> unto thee the tale of that which happened in days past, haply
> thou mayest comprehend...
> "At no time, in no Dispensation, have the Prophets of God
> escaped the blasphemy of their enemies, the cruelty of their
> oppressors, the denunciation of the learned of their age, who
> appeared in the guise of uprightness and piety. Day and night
> they passed through such agonies as none can ever measure,
> except the knowledge of the one true God, exalted be His
> glory."
> 
> TB:206: "What proof did the Jewish doctors adduce
> wherewith to condemn Him Who was the Spirit of God,
> when He came unto them with truth? What could have been
> the evidence produced by the Pharisees and the idolatrous
> priests to justify their denial of Muhammad, the Apostle of
> God when He came unto them with a Book that judged
> between truth and falsehood with a justice which turned into
> light the darkness of the earth, and enraptured the hearts of
> such as had known Him? Indeed thou hast produced, in this
> day, the same proofs which the foolish divines advanced in
> that age. Unto this testifieth He Who is the King of the realm
> of grace in this great Prison. Thou hast, truly, walked in their
> ways, nay, hast surpassed them in their cruelty, and hast
> deemed thyself to be helping the Faith and defending the Law
> of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
> 
> GL:XXXV:83: "Consider the Dispensation of Jesus Christ.
> Behold, the learned men of that generation, though eagerly
> anticipating the coming of the Promised One, have
> nevertheless denied Him. Both Annas, the most learned
> among the divines of His day, and Caiaphas, the high priest,
> denounced Him and pronounced the sentence of His death.
> In like manner, when Muhammad, the Prophet of God--may
> all men be a sacrifice unto Him--appeared, the learned of
> Mecca and Medina arose, in early days of His Revelation,
> against Him and rejected His Message...
> 
> It is evident then, that in every age virtually all of the ecclesiastical
> authorities have opposed the new prophet of God. Along with the
> opposition of religious leaders there has been in every age the denial
> and oppression of secular authorities as well, already indicated as
> Nimrod in the epoch of Abraham, Pharaoh in that of Moses, Herod in
> that of Jesus, various shaykhs and kings in that of Muhammad,
> Muhammad Shah and Nasiri'd-Din Shah and Grand Vizir Hajji Mirza
> Aqasi in that of the Báb, Nasiri'd-Din Shah and Sultan 'Abdu'l-Majid
> and Grand Vizir 'Ali Pasha in that of Bahá‟u‟lláh. However, divine
> philosophy does not regard the oppression and opposition of the
> secular leaders with the same seriousness as that of the religious
> authorities inasmuch as, in every age, the secular leaders follow the
> dictates of the religious authorities in matters of faith, and the
> emergence of a new prophet is decidedly a matter of faith. Nimrod,
> Pharaoh and Herod were all of them warned by their respective
> soothsayers of the immanent appearance of a Manifestation of God,
> and it is clear from the Scriptural accounts that these monarchs acted
> on the advice of their so-called spiritual guides. This may account to
> some degree for the strongly condemnatory language found in the
> prophets' writings in repudiation of soothsayers, which is found in the
> Tanakh and the Qur'an.
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh's review of the opposition and denial of the people, the
> leaders and the followers, referring to the prophetic missions of Noah,
> Salih, Abraham and Moses, to be found in pages 4 through 15 (US
> edition, 1970) inclusive in the English translation of "Kitáb-i-ĺqán"
> reaches these conclusions. A short excerpt is cited here:
> 
> KI:14-15: "Unto every discerning observer it is evident and
> manifest that had these people in the days of each of the
> Manifestations of the Sun of Truth sanctified their eyes, their
> ears, and their hearts from whatever they had seen, heard, and
> felt, they surely would not have been deprived of beholding
> the beauty of God, nor strayed far from the habitations of
> glory. But having weighed the testimony of God by the
> standard of their own knowledge, gleaned from the teachings
> of the leaders of their faith, and found it at variance with their
> limited understanding, they arose to perpetrate such unseemly
> acts.
> "Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered their people
> from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as
> they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some
> for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge
> and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of
> the people. By their sanction and authority, every Prophet of
> God hath drunk from the chalice of sacrifice, and winged His
> flight unto the heights of glory. What unspeakable cruelties
> they that have occupied the seats of authority and learning
> have inflicted upon the true Monarchs of the world, those
> Gems of divine virtue! Content with a transitory dominion,
> they have deprived themselves of an everlasting sovereignty."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh continues to develop this same theme in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán",
> with explanations of the reasons for the opposition of the leaders of
> religion which have in turn been largely responsible for the repudiation
> of the prophets by the generality of mankind in every age, and indeed,
> most of this book is devoted to unraveling this mighty theme along
> with establishing the true proofs of the prophets and the true
> interpretation of the meanings of the Scriptures. We will leave this
> proof for the present with a concluding quote from this peerless
> Epistle:
> 
> KI:238: "Among them is the tradition['hadith'], "And when
> the Standard of Truth is made manifest, the people of both
> the East and the West curse it." The wine of renunciation
> must needs be quaffed, the lofty heights of detachment must
> needs be attained, and the meditation referred to in the words
> "One hour's reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious
> worship" must needs be observed, so that the secret of the
> wretched behaviour of the people might be discovered, those
> people who, despite the love and yearning for truth which
> they profess, curse the followers of Truth when once He hath
> been made manifest. To this truth the above-mentioned
> tradition['hadith'] beareth witness."
> SEVENTEENTH PROOF:
> PENETRATION AND POTENCY OF WORD OF PROPHET
> 
> Divine philosophy considers that the Word of God, revealed in and
> through the prophet of God is a proof of each of the prophets of
> God. The penetration and potency of the Word of God is also
> considered a proof of each of the prophets of God, but while the first
> is a proof in itself, the second is a proof in its effects. „Abdu‟l-Bahá
> describes this proof, as revealed in the ordering of the world, an
> historical proof.
> 
> "Consider the flowers of a garden: though differing in kind,
> colour, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the
> waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by
> the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth
> unto their beauty. Thus when that unifying force, the penetrating
> influence of the Word of God, taketh effect, the difference of
> customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and dispositions
> embellisheth the world of humanity. This diversity, this difference is
> like the naturally created dissimilarity and variety of the limbs and
> organs of the human body, for each one contributeth to the beauty,
> efficiency and perfection of the whole. When these different limbs
> and organs come under the influence of man's sovereign soul, and the
> soul's power pervadeth the limbs and members, veins and arteries of
> the body, then difference reinforceth harmony, diversity strengtheneth
> love, and multiplicity is the greatest factor for coordination"
> (SWAB:291)
> 
> "In like manner, when diverse shades of thought,
> temperament and character are brought together under the power and
> influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human
> perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the
> celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth
> the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent
> thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men.
> Verily, it is the penetrating power in all things, the mover of souls and
> the binder and regulator in the world of humanity... Can any power
> withstand the penetrating influence of the Word of God? Nay, by
> God! The proof is clear and the evidence is complete!"(SWAB:291-
> 292, 292)
> 
> "The proof of the validity of a Manifestation of God is the
> penetration and potency ;of His Word, the cultivation of heavenly
> attributes in the hearts and lives of His followers and the bestowal of
> divine education upon the world of humanity. This is absolute proof.
> The world is a school in which there must be Teachers of the Word of
> God. The evidence of the ability of these Teachers is efficient
> education of the graduating classes."(PUP:341)
> 
> We have already encountered a proof of the prophet of God in His
> exaltation of the abased, and in the spiritual transformation of His
> followers. This present proof is not the proof of the "graduating
> classes themselves", but rather of the "efficient education" thereof.
> This is the proof of the power of the Word of God, which
> distinguishes the words, the utterances and the writings of the
> prophets of God from the words, whether spoken or written of
> ordinary men and women. „Abdu‟l-Bahá gives a detailed exposition on
> this theme to which we will refer presently. First, let us consider the
> words of Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Lawh-i-Maqsud" on this subject:
> 
> TB:173-74: "The Word of God is the king of words and its
> pervasive influence is incalculable. It hath ever dominated
> and will continue to dominate the realm of being. The Great
> Being sayeth: The Word is the master key for the whole
> world, inasmuch as through its potency the doors of the
> hearts of men, which in reality are the doors of heaven, are
> unlocked. No sooner had but a glimmer of its effulgent
> splendour shone forth upon the mirror of love than the
> blessed word 'I am the Best-Beloved' was reflected therein. It
> is an ocean inexhaustible in riches, comprehending all things.
> Every thing which can be perceived is but an emanation
> thereof. High, immeasurably high is this sublime station, in
> whose shadow moveth the essence of loftiness and splendour,
> wrapt in praise and adoration. Methinks people's sense of
> taste hath, alas, been sorely affected by the fever of negligence
> and folly, for they are found to be wholly unconscious and
> deprived of the sweetness of His utterance. How regrettable
> indeed that man should debar himself from the fruits of the
> tree of wisdom while his days and hours pass swiftly away.
> Please God, the hand of divine power may safeguard all
> mankind and direct their steps towards the horizon of true
> understanding."
> 
> In this passage Bahá‟u‟lláh speaks of the station of the Word of God
> and of its spiritual influence upon all things. There seems then to be
> one exception however to this influence, and this is in the case of man.
> For man in general is "found to be wholly unconscious and deprived
> of the sweetness of His utterance...from the fruits of the tree of
> wisdom". The Word of God evidently has a universal influence upon
> the realities of all things, and, separate from this, a specific influence
> upon those men who are conscious and endowed "with the sweetness
> of His utterance", who have partaken of "the fruits of the tree of
> wisdom". Is this not in one sense Adam and Eve once again, choosing
> the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil--and
> in choosing what was forbidden already choosing evil--rather than the
> permitted fruit of the tree of eternal life? The fruit latter tree was not
> forbidden to Adam and Eve until after they had already chosen to
> break the commandment of God, until they had polluted themselves
> with the evil choice of the forbidden fruit; then, to become eternal as
> well as disobedient was not permitted, for man can only have eternal
> life if he sacrifices his selfish free will, if he submits his will to the Will
> of God, if he returns to his original and perfect state of absolute
> obedience. Evil is not permitted eternal existence, it is transitory and
> evanescent and hence it is called illusion. Likewise, self-consciousness
> is not permitted eternity unless it is transformed and reborn into the
> spiritual life in which self becomes dependent upon God rather than
> upon man or beast or itself. Hence, even as there is a universal
> Revelation and a specific Revelation there is also a universal influence
> of the Word of God and also a specific influence of the Word of God.
> 
> Regarding the universal potency and penetration of the Word of God,
> Bahá‟u‟lláh wrote in "Lawh-i-Sada":
> 
> GL:141: "Every word that procedeth out of the mouth of
> God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into
> every human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this
> truth. All the wondrous works ye behold in this world have
> been manifested through the operation of His supreme and
> most exalted Will, His wondrous and inflexible Purpose."
> 
> Perhaps the most original aspect of this proof of the prophets is
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá's application thereof to the bringing about of unity
> amongst divers peoples. In speaking of Jesus Christ, he asserts:
> 
> "Furthermore, various people of the Greek, Roman, Egyptian
> and Assyrian nations were brought together in unity and agreement;
> where warfare and bloodshed had existed, humility and love were
> manifest...The power of His Word in cementing these nations together
> is as clear and evident as the sun at midday. There is no need of
> further demonstration." (PUP:340-41) Speaking of the Arabs in the
> epoch of Muhammad, "The nation consisted of warring, hostile tribal
> peoples inhabiting the vast Arabian peninsula, and their business
> consisted in fighting and pillaging each other, making captive women
> and children, killing each other. Muhammad appeared among such a
> people. He educated and unified these barbarous tribes, put an end to
> their shedding of blood."(PUP:346)
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá was modest. The historical facts are much more
> overwhelming when an accounting is made of all of the peoples who
> identify themselves as Christians and all of those who affirm that they
> are Muslims, whether historically or today. In 1912 „Abdu‟l-Bahá
> stated that "The Christian people number nearly three hundred
> millions and the Muslims about the same."(PUP:347) Historically, the
> numbers of Christians and Muslims have numbered in the billions, and
> presently they may number as many as one billion in each Faith. This
> is a tremendous number of souls to become united under one agency.
> Speaking of the prophet Bahá‟u‟lláh, the theme of unity continues:
> 
> "Today in Persia and the Orient you will find the followers of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh united in the closest ties of fellowship and love. They have
> abandoned religious prejudices and have become as one family. When
> you enter their meetings, you will find Christians, Muslims, Buddhists,
> Zoroastrians, Jews and representatives of other beliefs present, all
> conjoined in a wonderful unity without a trace of bigotry or fanaticism,
> and the light of the oneness of the world of humanity reflected in their
> faces. Day by day they are advancing, manifesting greater and still
> greater love for each other."(PUP:341)
> 
> Then the meaning of this proof is that the Word of God brings people
> together, harmonizes them, makes it possible for them to live together
> not just in peace but in love. If the word of the prophets can effect
> this influence upon the human soul then indeed it is more powerful
> than the word of any merely human being. The human soul though
> can not "taste" the "sweetness of His utterance" and partake of "the
> fruits of the tree of wisdom" (TB:173,174) unless it comes into contact
> with that soul. Speaking of the "sweetness" of the Word of God, says
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:
> 
> "The sweetest thing in this world is to obey strictly the
> commands of God and shun His prohibitions...For example, there is
> nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer. Man must live
> in a state of prayerfulness. The most blessed condition is the
> condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is "conversation with
> God." The greatest attainment or the sweetest state is no other than
> "conversation with God." It creates spirituality, generates mindfulness
> and celestial feelings, begets the attraction of the Kingdom and
> engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence...Often at night
> I do not sleep, and the thoughts of this world weigh heavily on my
> mind. I toss uneasily in my bed. Then in the darkness of the night I
> get up and pray--"converse with God." It is most sweet and uplifting.
> Prayer and supplication are so effective as to inspire one's heart for the
> whole day with high ideals and supreme serenity and calmness. One's
> heart must be sensitive to the music of prayer."(SW:IX:9:104)
> 
> As Bahá‟u‟lláh wrote, those souls which are affected by the "fever of
> negligence and folly" are "wholly unconscious and deprived of the
> sweetness of His utterance."(TB:173,174). This is a state of mind
> which is only possible for the soul that is healthy, that is not sick with
> the fever of negligence which neglects its exposure to the Word of
> God and the fever of folly which engages in behaviour that further
> estranges the soul from the Word of God. It is only possible if the
> soul wakes up, and becomes conscious of the sweetness of the Word
> of God. Bahá‟u‟lláh also writes in "Kitab-i-Aqdas":
> 
> KA:#3: "Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words
> which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he
> would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession,
> renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth
> of even one of His commandments, shining above the
> Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness."
> 
> KA:#4: "Say: From My laws the sweet-smelling savour of My
> garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of
> Victory will be planted upon the highest peaks. The Tongue
> of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory,
> addressed to My creation these words: "Observe My
> commandments, for the love of My beauty." Happy is the
> lover that hath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-
> Beloved from these words, laden with the perfume of a grace
> which no tongue can describe. 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."
> 
> KA:#5: "Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere
> code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine
> 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!"
> 
> The path which the soul must follow in order to heal itself of the fever
> of negligence and folly and in order to become conscious of the
> sweetness of the Word of God is elaborated in the scheme of divine
> philosophy in subsequent volume. A "mere code of laws" cannot
> transform a human soul, let alone unite millions of human beings in a
> spiritual community. The "sweetness of the words", the "sweetsmelling savour of My garment" and the "choice wine of fairness",
> these all describe the potency and power of the Word of God, the
> power of God in the world to entice, to enrapture and to intoxicate
> the heart of man.
> EIGHTEENTH PROOF:
> DIVINE AND ETERNAL SOVEREIGNTY OF THE
> PROPHET
> 
> The prophet of God is no ordinary man. His reality becomes apparent
> to most ordinary men only in the course of history, after the passing of
> centuries. The prophet of God is the spiritual king and his sovereignty
> is eternal. „Abdu‟l-Bahá compares the temporal monarch with the
> spiritual king:
> 
> "It is easy to bring human bodies under control. A king can
> bring under his rule and authority the bodies of his subjects
> throughout a whole country. In former centuries kings and rulers have
> absolutely dominated millions of men and have been thereby enabled
> to carry out whatsoever they desire. If they willed to bestow happiness
> and peace, they could do so; and if they determined to inflict suffering
> and discomfort, they were equally capable. If they desired to send
> men [in]to the field of battle, none could oppose their authority; and if
> they decreed their kingdoms should enjoy the bliss and serenity of
> immunity from war, this condition prevailed. In a word, kings and
> rulers have been able to control millions of human beings and have
> exercised that dominion with the utmost despotism and tyranny. The
> point is this: that to gain control over physical bodies is an extremely
> easy matter, but to bring spirits within the bonds[bounds] of serenity is
> a most arduous undertaking. This is not the work of everybody. It
> necessitates a divine and holy potency, the potency of inspiration, the
> power of the Holy Spirit. For example, Christ was capable of leading
> spirits into that abode of serenity. He was capable of guiding hearts
> into that haven of rest. From the day of His manifestation to the
> present time He has been resuscitating hearts and quickening spirits.
> He has exercised that vivifying influence in the realm of hearts and
> spirits; therefore, His resuscitating is everlasting."(PUP:276-77)
> 
> "How great the difference between the glory of Christ and the
> glory of an earthly conqueror! It is related by historians that Napoleon
> I embarked secretly by night from Egypt. His destination was France.
> During his campaign in Palestine revolution had broken out and grave
> difficulties had arisen in the home government. Christian worship had
> been forbidden by the revolutionists. The priests of Christianity had
> fled in terror. France had become atheistic; anarchy prevailed. The
> ship sailed out into a night brilliant with the light of the moon.
> Napoleon was pacing up and down the deck. His officers were sitting
> together, talking. One of them spoke of the similarity between
> Bonaparte and Christ. Napoleon stopped and said grimly, "Do you
> think I am going back to France to establish religion?" Jesus Christ
> established the religion of God through love. His sovereignty is
> everlasting. Napoleon overthrew governments in war and bloodshed.
> His dominion passed away: he himself was dethroned. Bonaparte
> destroyed human life; Christ was a Savior. Bonaparte controlled the
> physical bodies of men; Christ was a conqueror of human hearts.
> None of the Prophets of God were famous men, but They were
> unique in spiritual power. Love is the eternal sovereignty. Love is the
> divine power. By it all the kings of [the] earth are overthrown and
> conquered."(PUP:210-211)
> 
> Still speaking of Christ he says:
> 
> "Kings and nations rose against Him. Philosophers and the
> greatest men of learning assailed and blasphemed His Cause. All were
> defeated and overcome, their tongues silenced, their lamps
> extinguished, their hatred quenched; no trace of them now remains.
> They have become as nonexistent, while His Kingdom is triumphant
> and eternal. The brilliant star of His Cause has ascended to the zenith,
> while night has enveloped and eclipsed His enemies. His name,
> beloved and adored by a few disciples, now commands the reverence
> of [the] kings and nations of the world. His power is eternal; His
> sovereignty will continue forever, while those who opposed Him are
> sleeping in the dust, their very names unknown, forgotten. The little
> army of disciples has become a mighty cohort of millions."(PUP:5)
> 
> This proof of the prophet of God is clearly described by „Abdu‟l-Bahá,
> and although only the example of Jesus Christ is given here, in the
> appropriate Gates each of the prophets will be considered from this
> perspective, so that the reader may decide for himself whether or not
> that prophet is proven to be true. Bahá‟u‟lláh writes of this proof in
> "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" in reference to all of the Prophets of God:
> 
> KI:106-107: "Yea, the sovereignty attributed to the Qa'im and
> spoken of in the scriptures, is a reality, the truth of which
> none can doubt. This sovereignty, however, is not the
> sovereignty which the minds of men have falsely imagined.
> Moreover, the Prophets of old, each and every one, whenever
> announcing to the people of their day the advent of the
> coming Revelation, have invariably and specifically referred to
> that sovereignty with which the promised Manifestation must
> needs be invested. This is attested by the records of the
> scriptures of the past. This sovereignty hath not been solely
> and exclusively attributed to the Qa'im. Nay rather, the
> attribute of sovereignty and all other names and attributes of
> God have been and will ever be vouchsafed unto all the
> Manifestations of God, before and after Him, inasmuch as
> these Manifestations, as it hath already been explained, are the
> Embodiments of the attributes of God, the Invisible, and the
> Revealers of the divine mysteries."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh then explains the meaning of this divine sovereignty in
> several pages of "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" (pp. 107-112). He returns to this
> theme with an explanation of the divine sovereignty of the Báb:
> 
> KI:234: "And among the evidences of the truth of His
> manifestation were the ascendancy, the transcendent power,
> and supremacy which He, the Revealer of being and
> Manifestation of the Adored, hath, unaided and alone,
> revealed throughout the world. No sooner had that eternal
> Beauty revealed Himself in Shiraz, in the year sixty, and rent
> asunder the veil of concealment, than the signs of the
> ascendancy, the might, the sovereignty, and power, emanating
> from that Essence of Essences and Sea of Seas, were manifest
> in every land. So much so, that from every city there
> appeared the signs, the evidences, the tokens, the testimonies
> of that divine Luminary."
> 
> This statement will be studied carefully in the volume devoted to the
> Báb. Inasmuch as it states that "the signs of the ascendancy, the
> might, the sovereignty, and power" of the new prophet were "manifest
> in every land" and as soon as the Báb revealed himself, "in the year
> sixty", it should be easy enough to ascertain by this one proof alone
> whether or not the Báb was a prophet of God. Either there are
> evident signs of his power and sovereignty in every land and in every
> city or there are not. A study of the historical record should be
> sufficient for us to determine the truth of this stupendous claim.
> However, Bahá‟u‟lláh does not affirm that the Báb was the only
> prophet of God who manifested such signs of sovereignty and power.
> In "Lawh-i-Muhammad Zarandi Nabil-i-A'zam" Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> GL:302: "Let thine ear be attentive, O Nabil-i-A'zam, to the
> Voice of the Ancient of Days, crying to thee from the
> Kingdom of His all-glorious Name. He it is Who is now
> proclaiming from the realms above, and within the inmost
> essence of all created things: "I truly am God, there is none
> other God but Me. I am He Who, from everlasting, hath
> been the Source of all sovereignty and power, He Who shall
> continue, throughout eternity, to exercise His kingship and to
> extend His protection unto all created things. My proof is the
> greatness of My might and My sovereignty that embraceth the
> whole of creation."...
> "Blessed art thou, O My name, inasmuch as thou hast entered
> Mine Ark, and art speeding, through the power of My
> sovereign and most exalted might, on the ocean of grandeur,
> and art numbered with My favored ones whose names the
> Finger of God hath inscribed."
> 
> In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh writes of all of the prophets:
> 
> KI:99-100: "These sanctified Mirrors, these Day-springs of
> ancient glory are one and all Exponents on earth of Him Who
> is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate
> Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power;
> from Him is derived their sovereignty." (GL:47-48)
> NINETEENTH PROOF:
> PROPHET CONFIRMS TRUTH OF PREVIOUS PROPHET
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh articulates this proof in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:20-21: "Every discerning observer will recognize that in
> the Dispensation of the Qur'an both the Book and the Cause
> of Jesus were confirmed. As to the matter of names,
> Muhammad, Himself, declared: "I am Jesus." He recognized
> the truth of the signs, prophecies, and words of Jesus, and
> testified that they were all of God. In this sense, neither the
> person of Jesus nor His writings hath differed from that of
> Muhammad and His holy Book, inasmuch as both have
> championed the Cause of God, uttered His praise, and
> revealed His commandments."
> 
> In "Kitab-i-Aqdas" Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> KA:#182: "This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the
> past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and
> as to him that hath refused to seek it--verily, God is Self-
> Sufficient, above any need of His creatures."
> 
> KA:#183: "Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand
> of God is holding, in which all who are in the heavens and all
> who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate determined, if
> ye be of them that believe and recognize this truth. Say: This
> is the Most Great Testimony, by which the validity of every
> proof throughout the ages hath been established, would that
> ye might be assured thereof."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá confirms and expands upon Bahá‟u‟lláh‟s words in many
> passages of his talks:
> 
> "The Prophets of God manifested complete love for all. Each
> One announced the glad tidings of His successor, and each subsequent
> One confirmed the teachings and prophecies of the Prophet Who
> preceded Him."(PUP:234)
> 
> "Each of the holy Manifestations announced the glad tidings
> of His successor, and each One confirmed the message of His
> predecessor."(PUP:339)
> We have already encountered the two of the three proofs articulated in
> these statements by „Abdu‟l-Bahá--the prophecies of each of the
> prophets and the fulfillment of the prophecies of preceding prophets
> by subsequent prophets--and now we encounter the third proof, the
> confirmation of the teachings of the prophets by their successors. It
> has already been attested that each prophet annuls certain teachings of
> His predecessor, and indeed that this annulment constitutes a proof of
> the new prophet. „Abdu‟l-Bahá states that
> 
> "Each one of the divine religions has established two kinds of
> ordinances: the essential and the accidental. The essential ordinances
> rest upon the firm, unchanging, eternal foundations of the Word
> itself...The accidental laws concern the administration of outer human
> actions and relations, establishing rules and regulations requisite for
> the world of bodies and their control. They are ever subject to change
> and supercedure according to exigencies of time, place and condition."
> (PUP:338-39)
> 
> "For example, each of the divine religions contains two kinds
> of laws or ordinances. One division concerns the world of morality
> and ethical institutions. These are the essential ordinances...The second
> division comprises laws and institutions which provide for human
> needs and conditions according to exigencies of time and place. These
> are accidental, of no essential importance and should never have been
> made the cause and source of human contention."(PUP:393)
> 
> "The divine religions embody two kinds of ordinances. First,
> there are those which constitute essential, or spiritual, teachings of the
> Word of God...Second, there are laws and ordinances which are
> temporary and nonessential. These concern human transactions and
> relations. They are accidental and subject to change according to the
> exigencies of time and place."(PUP:403,404)
> 
> The second category of laws were subject to change in each new
> Dispensation, and one of the proofs already advanced for the new
> prophet of God is that He annuls certain of these "accidental"
> ordinances and enacts new "accidental" ordinances which are adapted
> "to the exigencies of time and place".
> 
> The ordinances which are confirmed by every one of the prophets,
> these are of the first category. „Abdu‟l-Bahá wants the reader to be
> entirely convinced that this category of ordinances is of much greater
> significance than the second category:
> "The essential ordinances rest upon the firm, unchanging,
> eternal foundations of the Word itself. They concern spiritualities,
> seek to stabilize morals, awaken intuitive susceptibilities, reveal the
> knowledge of God and inculcate the love of all mankind...the
> fundamental realities of the knowledge of God and the holy
> Manifestations, the purification of morals, the awakening of spiritual
> susceptibilities--eternal principles in which there is no change or
> transformation. Briefly, the foundation of the divine religions is one
> eternal foundation...The purpose of all the divine religions is the
> establishment of the bonds of love and fellowship among men, and
> the heavenly phenomena of the revealed Word of God are intended to
> be a source of knowledge and illumination to humanity."(PUP:339)
> 
> "These are the essential ordinances. They instill and awaken
> the knowledge and love of God, love for humanity, and virtues of the
> world of mankind, the attributes of the divine Kingdom, rebirth and
> resurrection from the kingdom of nature. These constitute one kind
> of divine law which is common to all and never subject to change.
> From the dawn of the Adamic cycle to the present day this
> fundamental law of God has continued changeless. This is the
> foundation of divine religion."(PUP:393)
> 
> "First, there are those which constitute essential, or spiritual,
> teachings of the Word of God. These are faith in God, the
> acquirement of the virtues which constitute perfect manhood,
> praiseworthy moralities, the acquisition of the bestowals and bounties
> emanating from the divine effulgences--in brief, the ordinances which
> concern the realm of morals and ethics. This is the fundamental
> aspect of the religion of God, and this is of the highest importance
> because knowledge of God is the fundamental requirement of man.
> Man must comprehend the oneness of Divinity. He must come to
> know and acknowledge the precepts of God and realize for a certainty
> that the ethical development of humanity is dependent upon religion.
> He must get rid of all defects and seek the attainment of heavenly
> virtues in order that he may prove to be the image and likeness of
> God."(PUP:403)
> 
> For the purpose of our discussion, let us consider the assertion that
> every prophet teaches these fundamental truths. "This is the essential
> foundation of all the divine religions, the reality itself, common to all.
> Abraham promulgated this; Moses proclaimed it. Christ and all the
> Prophets upheld this standard and aspect of divine religion."(PUP:404)
> "The divine Manifestations have been iconoclastic in Their teachings,
> uprooting error, destroying false religious beliefs and summoning
> mankind anew to the fundamental oneness of God. All of Them
> have, likewise, proclaimed the oneness of the world of humanity. The
> essential teaching of Moses was the law of Sinai, the Ten
> Commandments. Christ renewed and again revealed the commands of
> the one true God and precepts of human action. In Muhammad,
> although the circle was wider, the intention of His teaching was
> likewise to uplift and unify humanity in the knowledge of the one
> God. In the Báb the circle was again very much enlarged, but the
> essential teaching was the same. The Books of Bahá‟u‟lláh number
> more than one hundred. Each one is an evident proof sufficient for
> mankind; each one from foundation to apex proclaims the essential
> unity of God and humanity, the love of God, the abolition of war and
> the divine standard of peace. Each one also inculcates divine morality,
> the manifestation of lordly graces--in every word a book of meanings.
> For the Word of God is collective wisdom, absolute knowledge and
> eternal truth."(PUP:154)
> TWENTIETH PROOF:
> PROPHET IS MATERIAL, HUMAN AND SPIRITUAL
> EDUCATOR
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh makes brief reference to this proof in "Lawh-i-'Abdu'l-
> Wahhab":
> 
> GL:156-57,158: "The Prophets and Messengers of God have
> been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to
> the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying their
> revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the
> hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and with absolute
> detachment, to the throne of the Most High...
> "The majority of the truly wise and learned have, throughout
> the ages, as it hath been recorded by the Pen of Glory in the
> Tablet of Wisdom ["Lawh-i-Hikmat", TB:137-52], borne
> witness to the truth of that which the holy Writ of God hath
> revealed. Even the materialists have testified in their writings
> to the wisdom of these divinely-appointed Messengers, and
> have regarded the       references made by the Prophets to
> Paradise, to hell fire, to future reward and punishment, to
> have been actuated by a desire to educate and uplift the souls
> of men. Consider, therefore, how the generality of mankind,
> whatever their beliefs or theories, have recognized the
> excellence, and admitted the superiority, of these Prophets of
> God. These Gems of Detachment are acclaimed by some as
> the embodiments of wisdom, while others believe them to be
> the mouthpiece of God Himself."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá expands upon this theme:
> 
> "These are rational proofs; in this age the peoples of the world
> need the arguments of reason."(SAQ:8) „Abdu‟l-Bahá offers here a
> series of rational proofs, reasonable arguments in support of the need
> for, the existence and truth of the prophets of God. Speaking to a
> student of divine philosophy: "Therefore it must be our task to prove
> to the thoughtful by reasonable arguments the prophethood of Moses,
> of Christ, and of the other Divine Manifestations. And the proofs and
> evidences which we give must not be based on traditional but on
> rational arguments."(SAQ:13)
> "When we consider existence, we see that the mineral,
> vegetable, animal, and human worlds are all in need of an educator. If
> the earth is not cultivated it becomes a jungle where useless weeds
> grow; but if a cultivator comes and tills the ground, it produces crops
> which nourish living creatures. It is evident, therefore, that the soil
> needs the cultivation of the farmer. Consider the trees: if they remain
> without a cultivator they will be fruitless, and without fruit they are
> useless; but if they receive the care of a gardener, these same barren
> trees become fruitful, and through cultivation, fertilization, and
> engrafting, the trees which had bitter fruits yield sweet fruits."(SAQ:8)
> 
> "Nature is the material world. When we look upon it, we see
> that it is dark and imperfect. For instance, if we allow a piece of land
> to remain in its natural condition, we will find it covered with thorns
> and thistles; useless weeds and wild vegetation will flourish upon it,
> and it will become like a jungle. The trees will be fruitless, lacking
> beauty and symmetry; wild animals, noxious insects and reptiles will
> abound in its dark recesses. This is the incompleteness and
> imperfection of the world of nature. To change these conditions, we
> must clear the ground and cultivate it so that flowers may grow instead
> of thorns and weeds--that is to say, we must illumine the dark world of
> nature. In their primal natural state, the forests are dim, gloomy,
> impenetrable. Man opens them to the light, clears away the tangled
> underbrush and plants fruitful trees. Soon the wild woodlands and
> jungle are changed into productive orchards and beautiful gardens;
> order has replaced chaos; the dark realm of nature has become
> illumined and brightened by cultivation."(PUP:308-309)
> 
> "If we should relegate this plot of ground to its natural state,
> allow it to return to its original condition, it would become a field of
> thorns and useless weeds, but by cultivation it will become fertile soil,
> yielding a harvest. Deprived of cultivation, the mountain slopes would
> be jungles and forests without fruitful trees. The gardens bring forth
> fruits and flowers in proportion to the care and tillage bestowed upon
> them by the gardener."(PUP:353)
> 
> "Consider this Canadian country during the early history of
> Montreal when the land was in its wild, uncultivated and natural
> condition. The soil was unproductive, rocky and almost uninhabitable-
> -vast forests stretching in every direction. What invisible power
> caused this great metropolis to spring up amid such savage and
> forbidding conditions? It was the human mind. Therefore, nature and
> the effect of nature's laws were imperfect. The mind of man remedied
> and removed this imperfect condition, until now we behold as great
> city instead of a savage unbroken wilderness. Before the coming of
> Columbus America itself was a wild, uncultivated expanse of primeval
> forest, mountains and rivers--a very world of nature. Now it has
> become the world of man. It was dark, forbidding and savage; now it
> has become illumined with a great civilization and prosperity. Instead
> of forests, we behold productive farms, beautiful gardens and prolific
> orchards. Instead of thorns and useless vegetation, we find flowers,
> domestic animals and fields awaiting harvest. If the world of nature
> were perfect, the condition of this great country would have been left
> unchanged."(PUP:310-311)
> 
> "When we look upon the kingdoms of creation below man,
> we find three forms or planes of existence which await education and
> development. For instance, the function of a gardener is to till the soil
> of the mineral kingdom and plant a tree which under his training and
> cultivation will attain perfection of growth. If it be wild and fruitless,
> it may be made fruitful and prolific by grafting. If small and unsightly,
> it will become lofty, beautiful and verdant under the gardener's
> training, whereas a tree bereft of this cultivation retrogresses daily, its
> fruit grows acrid and bitter as the trees of the jungle, or it may become
> entirely barren and bereft of its fruitage."(PUP:77)
> 
> "Likewise, we observe that animals which have undergone
> training in their sphere of limitation will progress and advance
> unmistakably, become more beautiful in appearance and increase in
> intelligence. For instance, how intelligent and knowing the Arabian
> horse has become through training, even how polite this horse has
> become through education."(PUP:77)
> 
> "The same is true with respect to animals: notice that when
> the animal is trained it becomes domestic, and also that man, if he is
> left without training, becomes bestial, and, moreover, if left under the
> rule of nature, becomes lower than an animal; whereas if he is
> educated he becomes an angel. For the greater number of animals do
> not devour their own kind, but men, among the Negroes of Central
> Africa, kill and eat each other."(SAQ:8)
> 
> "As to the human world: It is more in need of guidance and
> education than the lower creatures."(PUP:77)
> 
> "If the animals are savage and ferocious, it is simply a means
> for their subsistence and preservation. They are deprived of that
> degree of intellect which can reason and discriminate between right
> and wrong, justice and injustice; they are justified in their actions and
> not responsible. When man is ferocious and cruel toward his
> fellowman, it is not for subsistence or safety. His motive is selfish
> advantage and willful wrong."(PUP:352)
> 
> "Reflect upon the vast difference between the inhabitants of
> Africa and those of America. Here the people have been civilized and
> uplifted; there they are in the utmost and abject state of savagery.
> What is the cause of their savagery and the reason of your civilization?
> It is evident that this difference is due to education and the lack of
> education."(PUP:77-78)
> 
> "If man is left in his natural state, he will become lower than
> the animal and continue to grow more ignorant and imperfect. The
> savage tribes of central Africa are evidences of this. Left in their
> natural condition, they have sunk to the lowest depths and degrees of
> barbarism, dimly groping in a world of mental and moral obscurity. If
> we wish to illumine this dark plane of human existence, we must bring
> man forth from the hopeless captivity of nature, educate him and
> show him the pathway of light and knowledge, until, uplifted from his
> condition of ignorance, he becomes wise and knowing; no longer
> savage and revengeful, he becomes civilized and kind; once evil and
> sinister, he is endowed with the attributes of heaven. But left in his
> natural condition without education and training, it is certain that he
> will become more depraved and vicious than the animal, even to the
> extreme degree witnessed among African tribes who practice
> cannibalism. It is evident, therefore, that the world of nature is
> incomplete, imperfect until awakened and illumined by the light and
> stimulus of education."(PUP:309)
> 
> "It is neither seemly nor befitting that such a noble creature,
> endowed with intellect and lofty thoughts, capable of wonderful
> achievements and discoveries in sciences and arts, with potential for
> ever higher perceptions and the accomplishment of divine purposes in
> life, should seek the blood of his fellowmen upon the field of battle.
> Man is the temple of God. He is not a human temple. If you destroy
> a house, the owner of that house will be grieved and wrathful. How
> much greater is the wrong when man destroys a building planned and
> erected by God! Undoubtedly, he deserves the judgment and wrath of
> God."(PUP:352)
> 
> "In these days there are new schools of philosophy blindly
> claiming that the world of nature is perfect. If this is true, why are
> children trained and educated in schools, and what is the need of
> extended courses in sciences, arts and letters in colleges and
> universities?"(PUP:309) "If a child is left in its natural state and
> deprived of education, there is no doubt that it will grow up in
> ignorance and illiteracy, its mental faculties dulled and dimmed; in fact,
> it will become like an animal. This is evident among the savages of
> central Africa, who are scarcely higher than the beast in mental
> development."(PUP:311)
> "What would be the result if humanity were left in its natural
> condition without education or training? All scientific discoveries and
> attainments are the outcomes of knowledge and education. The
> telegraph, phonograph, telephone were latent and potential in the
> world of nature but would never have come forth into the realm of
> visibility unless man through education had penetrated and discovered
> the laws which control them. All the marvelous developments and
> miracles of what we call civilization would have remained hidden,
> unknown and, so to speak, nonexistent, if man had remained in his
> natural condition, deprived of the bounties, blessings and benefits of
> education and mental culture. The intrinsic difference between the
> ignorant man and the astute philosopher is that the former has not
> been lifted out of his natural condition, while the latter has undergone
> systematic training and education in schools and colleges until his
> mind has awakened and unfolded to higher realms of thought and
> perception; otherwise, both are human and natural."(PUP:310)
> 
> "Now reflect that it is education that brings the East and the
> West under the authority of man; it is education that produces
> wonderful industries; it is education that spreads glorious sciences and
> arts; it is education that makes manifest new discoveries and laws. If
> there were no educator, there would be no such things as comforts,
> civilization, facilities, or humanity. If a man be left alone in a
> wilderness where he sees none of his own kind, he will undoubtedly
> become a mere brute; it is then clear that an educator is
> needed."(SAQ:9; see also: SW:XIV:2, p. 43)
> 
> Divine philosophy argues that an educator is needed for man. But
> what sort of educator? An educator which fits his nature. What then
> is his nature? „Abdu‟l-Bahá states that man's "nature is threefold:
> animal, human and divine" (PUP:465):
> 
> "…education is of three kinds: material, human, and spiritual.
> Material education is concerned with the progress and development of
> the body, through gaining its sustenance, its material comfort and ease.
> This education is common to animals and man. Human education
> signifies civilization and progress; that is to say, government,
> administration, charitable works, trades, arts and handicrafts, sciences,
> great inventions and discoveries of physical laws, which are the
> activities essential to man as distinguished from the animal. Divine
> education is that of the Kingdom of God: it consists in acquiring
> divine perfections, and this is true education; for in this estate man
> becomes the centre of divine appearance, the manifestation of the
> words, 'Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness.' This is
> the supreme goal of the world of humanity."(SAQ:9)
> "Now we need an educator who will be at the same time a
> material, human, and spiritual educator, and whose authority will be
> effective in all conditions. So if any should say, 'I possess perfect
> comprehension and intelligence, and I have no need of such an
> educator,' he would be denying that which is clear and evident, as
> though a child should say, 'I have no need of education; I will act
> according to my reason and intelligence, and so I shall attain the
> perfections of existence'; or as though the blind should say, 'I am in no
> need of sight, because many other blind people exist without
> difficulty.'"(SAQ:9-10)
> 
> "Then it is plain and evident that man needs an educator, and
> this educator must be unquestionably and indubitably perfect in all
> respects, and distinguished above all men. For otherwise he cannot be
> their educator. More particularly because he must be at the same time
> their material and human as well as their spiritual educator; that is to
> say, he will teach men to organize and carry out physical matters, and
> to regulate the form of society with regard to the establishing of help
> and assistance in life, so that material affairs may be organized and
> regulated for any circumstances that may occur. In the same way he
> will establish human education, that is to say, he must educate
> intelligence and thought in such a way that they may attain complete
> development, so that knowledge and science may increase, and the
> reality of things, the mysteries of beings, and the properties of
> existence may be discovered; that day by day instructions, inventions,
> and laws may be improved; and from things perceptible to the senses
> conclusions as to intellectual things may be deduced. He must also
> impart spiritual education; so that intelligence and comprehension may
> penetrate the metaphysical world, and may benefit from the
> sanctifying breeze of the Holy Spirit, and may enter into relationship
> with the Supreme Concourse. He must so educate the human reality
> that it may become the centre of the divine appearance, to such a
> degree that the attributes and names of God shall be resplendent in
> the mirror of the reality of man, and the holy verse, 'We will make man
> in Our image and likeness,' shall become true."(SAQ:10-11)
> 
> "It is clear that human power is not able to fill such a great
> office, and that the reason alone could not undertake the responsibility
> of so great a mission. How can one solitary person without help and
> without support lay the foundations of such a noble construction? He
> must depend on the help of the spiritual and divine power to be able
> to undertake this mission. One Holy Soul gives life to the world of
> humanity, changes the aspect of the terrestrial globe, causes
> intelligence to progress, vivifies souls, lays the foundation of a new
> existence, establishes the basis of a marvelous creation, organizes the
> world, brings nations and religions under the shadow of one standard,
> delivers man from the world of imperfections and vices, and inspires
> him with the desire and need of natural and acquired
> perfections."(SAQ:11)
> 
> "Therefore the universal educator must be at the same time
> not only a material, but also a human and spiritual educator; and he
> must possess a supernatural power, so that he may hold the position
> of a divine teacher. If he does not show forth such a holy power, he
> will not be able to educator, for if he be imperfect, how can he give a
> perfect education? If he be ignorant, how can he make others wise? If
> he be unjust, how can he make others just? If he be earthly, how can
> he make others heavenly?"(SAQ:12-13)
> 
> "Certainly nothing short of a divine power could accomplish
> so great a work. We ought to consider this with justice, for this is the
> office of justice. A Cause which all the governments and peoples of
> the world, with all their powers and armies, cannot promulgate and
> spread, one Holy Soul can promote without help or support! Can this
> be done by human power?"(SAQ:11-12) "It has now been proved by
> rational arguments that the world of existence is in the utmost need of
> an educator, and that its education must be effected by a divine power.
> There is no doubt that this holy power is due to inspiration, and that
> the world must be educated through this power which is above human
> power."(SAQ:13)
> 
> "Let me ask: What is the purpose of Prophethood? Why has
> God sent the Prophets? It is self-evident that the Prophets are the
> Educators of men and the Teachers of the human race. They come to
> bestow universal education upon humanity, to give humanity training,
> to uplift the human race from the abyss of despair and desolation and
> to enable man to attain the apogee of advancement and glory. The
> people are in darkness; the Prophets bring them into the realm of light.
> They are in a state of utter imperfection; the Prophets imbue them
> with perfections. The purpose of the prophetic mission is none other
> than the education and guidance of the people. Therefore, we must
> regard and be on the lookout for the man who is thus qualified--that is
> to say, any soul who proves to be the Educator of mankind and the
> Teacher of the human race is undoubtedly the Prophet of His
> age."(PUP:405)
> 
> "What, then, is the mission of the divine Prophets? Their
> mission is the education and advancement of the world of humanity.
> They are the real Teachers and Educators, the universal Instructors of
> mankind. If we wish to discover whether any one of these great Souls
> or Messengers was in reality a Prophet of God, we must investigate the
> facts surrounding His life and history, and the first point of our
> investigation will be the education He bestowed upon mankind. If He
> has been an Educator, if He has really trained a nation or people,
> causing it to rise from the lowest depths of ignorance to the highest
> station of knowledge, then we are sure that He was a Prophet. This is
> a plain and clear method of procedure, proof that is irrefutable. We
> do not need to seek other proofs."(PUP:364)
> 
> In reference to the prophet Moses, „Abdu‟l-Bahá asks:
> 
> "Could He have transformed a people from humiliation to
> glory without a holy and divine support? None other than a divine
> power could have done this. Therein lies the proof of Prophethood
> because the mission of a Prophet is education of the human race such
> as this Personage accomplished, proving Him to be a mighty Prophet
> among the Prophets and His Book the very Book of God. This is a
> rational, direct and perfect proof."(PUP:406)
> 
> "Now we must consider justly: did these Divine
> Manifestations who have appeared possess all these qualifications or
> not? If they had not these qualifications and these perfections, they
> were not real educators. Therefore it must be our task to prove to the
> thoughtful by reasonable arguments the prophethood of Moses, of
> Christ, and of the other Divine Manifestations. And the proofs and
> evidences which we give must not be based on traditional but on
> rational arguments."(SAQ:13)
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá applies this standard, that of the material, the human and
> divine educator to several prophets, and these arguments will be cited
> in subsequent volumes. In addition to the ones he treats, other
> prophets will be examined independently in an attempt to apply this
> standard universally to all of the prophets, inasmuch as he has
> explicitly stated the following: "Did these Divine Manifestations who
> have appeared possess all these qualifications or not? If they had not
> these qualifications and these perfections, they were not real
> educators."(SAQ:13)
> TWENTY-FIRST PROOF:
> PROPHET IS THE DIVINE PHYSICIAN
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Lawh-i-Manakji Sahib" sets forth this proof:
> 
> GL:213: "The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the
> pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth,
> in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own
> problem, and every soul its particular asPiration. 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, and
> center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements."
> 
> In "Lawh-i-Muhammad Ibrahim Khalil" Bahá‟u‟lláh writes:
> 
> GL:80-81: "The Prophets of God should be regarded as
> physicians whose task is to foster the well-being of the world
> and its peoples, that, through the spirit of oneness, they may
> heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given the
> right to question their words or disparage their conduct, for
> they are the only ones who can claim to have understood the
> patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ailments. No man,
> however acute his perception, can ever hope to reach the
> heights which the wisdom and understanding of the Divine
> Physician have attained. Little wonder, then, if the treatment
> prescribed by the physician in this day should not be found to
> be identical with that which he prescribed before. How could
> it be otherwise when the ills affecting the sufferer necessitate
> at every stage of his sickness a special remedy? In like
> manner, every time the Prophets of God have illumined the
> world with the resplendent radiance of the Day Star of Divine
> knowledge, they have invariably summoned its peoples to
> embrace the light of God through such means as best befitted
> the exigencies of the age in which they appeared. They were
> thus able to scatter the darkness of ignorance, and to shed
> upon the world the glory of their own knowledge. It is
> towards the inmost essence of these Prophets, therefore, that
> the eye of every man of discernment must be directed,
> inasmuch as their one and only purpose hath always been to
> guide the erring, and give peace to the afflicted. These are not
> days of prosperity and triumph. The whole of mankind is in
> the grip of manifold ills. Strive, therefore, to save its life
> through the wholesome medicine which the almighty hand of
> the unerring Physician hath prepared."
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá has applied the same metaphor in his Tablets and talks:
> 
> "Every divine Manifestation is the very life of the world, and
> the skilled physician of each ailing soul. The world of man is sick, and
> that competent Physician knoweth the cure, arising as He doth with
> teachings, counsels and admonishments that are the remedy for every
> pain, the healing balm to every wound. It is certain that the wise
> physician can diagnose his patient's needs at any season, and apply the
> cure."(SWAB:59)
> 
> "The world of humanity may be likened to the individual man
> himself; it has its illness[es] and ailments. A patient must be diagnosed
> by a skillful physician. The Prophets of God are the real Physicians.
> In whatever age or time They appear They prescribe for human
> conditions. They know the sicknesses; They discover the hidden
> sources of disease and indicate the necessary remedy. Whosoever is
> healed by that remedy finds eternal health."(PUP:204)
> 
> In these two separate statements „Abdu‟l-Bahá has stated this proof of
> the prophet of God--that He must be a true Physician who knows the
> ailments of mankind and prescribes the real remedy needed "for every
> pain, the healing balm to every wound." Are the ailments of mankind
> always the same, and hence are the treatments prescribed by the divine
> Physicians identical? We know already that the answer to this question
> is "no". "The treatment ordered by wise physicians of the past, and by
> those that follow after, is not one and the same, rather doth it depend
> on what aileth the patient; and although the remedy may change, the
> aim is always to bring the patient back to health."(SWAB:59) In divine
> philosophy every affirmation is supported by evidences, every proof
> by arguments, and in this case there are specific examples cited for
> certain of the prophets. These will be found in the Gates devoted to
> those prophets.
> 
> There are definite steps in the healing process of humanity according
> to divine philosophy. The first step is that the divine "doctor
> diagnoses the case and prescribes treatment. He does not prescribe,
> however, until he has made the diagnosis."(PUP:171) The next step,
> following diagnosis, is prescription: "the real Physician...appeared,
> recognized the symptoms and prescribed the real remedy. What was
> that remedy? It was His revealed teaching especially applicable to that
> age."(PUP:204) The steps taken so far in this series are those initiated
> by God through the agency of His prophet. The next step (or rather
> an infinite series in itself) is that taken by the individual man and
> collective humanity. Speaking of this remedy of the real Physician in
> every age, „Abdu‟l-Bahá stated, "Whosoever is healed by that remedy
> finds eternal health."(PUP:204) In speaking of the remedy of the most
> recent prophet of God, „Abdu‟l-Bahá said: "His teachings are universal
> and the standard for human action. They are not merely theoretical
> and intended to remain in books. They are the principles of action.
> Results follow action. Mere theory is fruitless. Of what use is a book
> upon medicine if it is never taken from the library shelf? When
> practical activity has been manifested, the teachings of God have
> borne fruit."(PUP:155) "Therefore, we must accept and partake of
> this healing remedy in order that complete recovery may be
> assured."(PUP:204)
> 
> Regarding the consequences visited upon humanity for neglecting the
> proper treatment of its maladies, Bahá‟u‟lláh writes in "Lawh-i-Malkah
> Victoria":
> 
> GL:254-55: "Regard the world as the human body which,
> though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted,
> through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies.
> Not for one day did it gain ease, nay its sickness waxed more
> severe, as if fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians,
> who gave full rein to their personal desires, and have erred
> grievously. And if, at one time, through the care of an able
> physician, a member of that body was healed, the rest
> remained afflicted as before. Thus informeth you the All-
> Knowing, the All-Wise."
> 
> Just who are the "ignorant physicians" to which Bahá‟u‟lláh refers?
> One clue as to their identity is found in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> KI:247: "Wherefore, then, do not these groveling, worm-like
> men pause to meditate upon these traditions, all of which are
> manifest as the sun in its noon-tide glory? For what reason do
> they refuse to embrace the Truth, and allow certain traditions,
> the significance of which they have failed to grasp, to
> withhold them from the recognition of the Revelation of God
> and His Beauty, and to cause them to dwell in the infernal
> abyss? Such things are to be attributed to naught but the
> faithlessness of the divines and doctors of the age."
> TWENTY-SECOND PROOF:
> MIRACLES ARE THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT OF PROOFS
> 
> Divine philosophy states that while so-called miracles may be the most
> commonly demanded proofs of prophethood, and the most popular
> proofs of prophethood among the generality of mankind, they are the
> least reliable and the least significant of all proofs. In reference to the
> prophet Moses „Abdu‟l-Bahá states: "We do not need to mention
> miracles, saying that out of rock water gushed forth, for such miracles
> and statements may be denied and refused by those who hear
> them."(PUP:364) "Miracles are likewise convincing to a limited
> number only. For instance, a Buddhist would not be convinced by the
> miracles of Moses which are proofs only for orthodox Jews, because
> they love and revere Moses. On the other hand, the miracles
> attributed to Jesus Christ are refuted by the Jews as a whole, saying
> 'No one lives today who has seen these miracles performed, therefore,
> who can bear testimony to them?'"(ABDP:43-44) „Abdu‟l-Bahá is
> cognizant of the great attachment of the followers of the prophets to
> the specific miracles which are traditionally claimed for these particular
> prophets, and understanding that such an attachment constitutes a veil
> between the Beloved and His lovers, a lengthy and detailed
> explanation is given of the true status of miracles as proofs of the
> prophets of God:
> 
> "The Holy Manifestations are the sources of miracles and the
> originators of wonderful signs.         For them, any difficult and
> impracticable thing is possible and easy. For through a supernatural
> power wonders appear from them, and by this power, which is beyond
> nature, they influence the world of nature. From all the Manifestations
> marvellous things have appeared.
> "But in the Holy Books an especial terminology is employed;
> and for the Manifestations these miracles and wonderful signs have no
> importance; they do not even wish to mention them. For, if we
> consider miracles a great proof, they are still only proofs and
> arguments for those who are present when they are performed, and
> not for those who are absent.
> "For example, if we relate to a seeker, a stranger to Moses and
> Christ, marvellous signs, he will deny them and will say: 'Wonderful
> signs are also continually related of false gods by the testimony of
> many people, and they are affirmed in the Books. The Brahmans have
> written a book about wonderful prodigies from Brahma.' He will also
> say: 'How can we know that the Jews and the Christians speak the
> truth, and that the Brahmans tell a lie? For both are generally admitted
> traditions, which are collected in books, and may be supposed to be
> true or false.' The same may be said of other religions: if one is true,
> all are true; if one is accepted, all must be accepted. Therefore,
> miracles are not a proof. For if they are proofs for those who are
> present, they fail as proofs to those who are absent.
> "But in the day of the Manifestation the people with insight
> see that all the conditions of the Manifestation are miracles, for they
> are superior to all others, and this alone is an absolute miracle.
> Recollect that Christ, solitary and alone, without a helper or protector,
> without armies and legions, and under the greatest oppression, uplifted
> the standard of God before all the people of the world, and withstood
> them, and finally conquered all, although outwardly He was crucified.
> Now this is a veritable miracle which can never be denied. There is no
> need of any other proof of the truth of Christ.
> "The outward miracles have no importance for the people of
> Reality. If a blind man receive sight, for example, he will finally again
> become sightless, for he will die, and be deprived of all his senses and
> powers. Therefore causing the blind man to see is comparatively of
> little importance, for this faculty of sight will at last disappear. If the
> body of a dead person be resuscitated, of what use is it since the body
> will die again? But it is important to give perception and eternal life,
> that is, the spiritual and divine life. For this physical life is not
> immortal, and its existence is equivalent to non-existence. So it is that
> Christ said to one of His disciples: 'Let the dead bury their dead'; for
> 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
> spirit is spirit.'
> "Observe: those who in appearance were physically alive,
> Christ considered dead; for life is the eternal life, and existence is the
> real existence. Wherever in the Holy Books they speak of raising the
> dead, the meaning is that the dead were blessed by eternal life; where it
> is said that the blind received sight, the signification is that he obtained
> the true perception; where it is said a deaf man received hearing, the
> meaning is that he aquired spiritual and heavenly hearing. This is
> ascertained from the text of the Gospel where Christ said: 'These are
> like those of whom Isaiah said, They have eyes and see not, they have
> ears and hear not; and I healed them.'
> "The meaning is not that the Manifestations are unable to
> perform miracles, for they have all power. But for them inner sight,
> spiritual healing, and eternal life are the valuable and important things.
> Consequently, whenever it is recorded in the Holy Books; that such an
> one was blind and recovered his sight, the meaning is that he was
> inwardly blind, and that he obtained spiritual vision, or that he was
> ignorant and became wise, or that he was negligent and became
> heedful, or that we was worldly and became heavenly.
> "As this inner sight, hearing, life, and healing are eternal, they
> are of importance. What, comparatively, is the importance, the value,
> and the worth of this animal life with its powers? In a few days it will
> cease like fleeting thoughts. For example, if one re-lights an
> extinguished lamp, it will again become extinguished; but the light of
> the sun is always luminous. This is of importance."(SAQ:115-118)
> 
> "I do not wish to mention the miracles of Bahá‟u‟lláh, for it
> may perhaps be said that these are traditions, liable both to truth and
> to error, like the accounts of the miracles of Christ in the Gospel,
> which come to us from the apostles and not from any one else, and
> are denied by the Jews. Though if I wish to mention the supernatural
> acts of Bahá‟u‟lláh, they are numerous; they are acknowledged in the
> Orient, and even by some strangers to the Cause. But these narratives
> are not decisive proofs and evidences to all; the hearer might perhaps
> say that this account may not be in accordance with what occurred, for
> it is known that other sects recount miracles performed by their
> founders. For instance, the Brahmanists relate miracles: from what
> evidence may we know that those are false and that these are true? If
> these are fables, the others also are fables; if these are generally
> accepted, so also the others are generally accepted: consequently these
> accounts are not satisfactory proofs. Yes, miracles are proofs for the
> bystander only, and even he may regard them not as a miracle but as
> an enchantment. Extraordinary feats have also been related of some
> conjurors.
> "Briefly, my meaning is that many wonderful things were done
> by Bahá‟u‟lláh, but we do not recount them; as they do not constitute
> proofs and evidences for all the peoples of the earth; and they are not
> decisive proofs even for those who see them, they may think that they
> are merely enchantments.
> "Also, most of the miracles of the Prophets which are
> mentioned have an inner significance. For instance, in the Gospel it is
> written that at the martyrdom of Christ darkness prevailed, and the
> earth quaked, and the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the
> top to the bottom, and the dead came forth from their graves. If these
> events had happened they would indeed have been wonderful, and
> would certainly have been recorded in the history of the times. They
> would have become the cause of much troublings of heart. The
> soldiers would either have taken down Christ from the cross or they
> would have fled. These events are not related in any history, therefore
> it is evident they ought not to be taken literally, but as having an inner
> significance.
> "Our purpose is not to deny such miracles; our only meaning
> is that they do not constitute decisive proofs, and that they have an
> inner significance."(SAQ:44-45)
> 
> The testimonies of the prophets themselves and of their disciples
> regarding miracles will be reviewed in succeeding volumes. Suffice it
> to say, however, that divine philosophy does not regard miracles as
> decisive proofs of the prophets of God, but it does affirm that every
> one of the prophets of God has been capable of making miracles and
> that there are many accounts of such miracles, but that such miracles
> were only convincing to the individuals who actually witnessed them.
> The prophets themselves may present differing interpretations of the
> meaning of miracles, and certainly divine philosophy does not intend
> to be dogmatic or exclusionist, nor does it claim to supersede the
> revelations of the prophets--not for a moment! „Abdu‟l-Bahá simply
> affirms that there is a great difference between what men perceive as
> miracles--prodigies and wonders of which we humans are incapable
> and which we can perceive (or imagine that we perceive) with one or
> more of our physical senses--and the divine reality of miracles. True
> miracles are the myriad signs of the prophets of God. In this spirit the
> Báb writes in "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih":
> 
> SP:9: "If the verses of the Qur'an were not superior to the
> miracles of all of the prophets, how could those ones have
> been abrogated by these ones? How is it that, alone, the
> Qur'an could have remained? That is a strong and perfect
> proof that this proof is superior to the rod of Moses and other
> antecedent miracles of the preceding Manifestations."
> 
> Here, in this the First of Seven Proofs presented by the Báb, the
> verses of the Qur'an are described as the miracle of Muhammad, the
> miracle which is proof of his prophethood, a miracle superior to the
> miracles claimed for all of the prophets who preceded him. The Seven
> Proofs will be described in the volume devoted to the Báb, and then
> this spiritual interpretation of what constitutes a true miracle and a
> convincing proof will be explored. It should be pointed out that while
> the Báb asserts the superiority of the Word of God to all physical
> miracles, nevertheless, towards the end of his treatise he describes
> certain physical miracles which have been associated with his
> Revelation. Likewise, while miracles are not regarded as "decisive
> proofs"(SAQ:45) by „Abdu‟l-Bahá, and while "we do not recount
> them"(SAQ:45), nevertheless, "if I wish to mention the supernatural
> acts of Bahá‟u‟lláh, they are numerous; they are acknowledged in the
> Orient, and even by some strangers to the Cause."(SAQ:44) The
> miracles attributed to each one of the prophets will be discussed in the
> volume devoted to each, and always with this qualification--that stories
> of physical miracles "do not constitute proofs and evidences for all the
> peoples of the earth; and they are not decisive proofs even for those
> who see them, they may think that they are merely
> enchantments."(SAQ:45)
> TWENTY-THIRD PROOF:
> TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHETS
> 
> As we have already seen in previous proofs, each of the prophets of
> God reveals divine teachings, which constitute the true remedy for the
> ills that afflict mankind in the age to which they are addressed, and
> these teachings are of two kinds--the primary spiritual teachings, which
> are ratified and restated by every one of the prophets, and the
> secondary social teachings, which are annulled and recreated to suit the
> needs of each stage in the evolution of mankind. In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" we
> find that Bahá‟u‟lláh makes reference to certain teachings of the
> Prophets which are renewed in every Dispensation:
> 
> KI:38-39: "In another sense, by the terms 'sun', 'moon', and
> 'stars', are meant such laws and teachings as have been
> established and proclaimed in every Dispensation, such as the
> laws of prayer and fasting. These have, according to the law
> of the Qur'an, been regarded, the beauty of the Prophet
> Muhammad had passed beyond the veil, as the most
> fundamental and binding laws of His dispensation. To this
> testify the texts of the traditions and chronicles, which, on
> account of their being widely known, need not be referred to
> here. Nay rather, in every Dispensation the law concerning
> prayer hath been emphasized and universally enforced. To
> this testify the recorded traditions ascribes to the lights that
> have emanated from the Day-star of Truth, the essence of the
> Prophet Muhammad. The traditions established the fact that
> in all Dispensations the law of prayer hath constituted a
> fundamental element of the Revelation of all the Prophets of
> God--a law the form and the manner of which hath been to
> the varying requirements of every age."
> 
> KI:120,121: "In every age and century, the purpose of the
> Prophets of God and their chosen ones hath been no other
> but to affirm the spiritual significance of the terms 'life,'
> 'resurrection,' and 'judgment'...Similarly, the records of all the
> scriptures bear witness to this and this most exalted word."
> 
> The dual character of the divine Word was explained by „Abdu‟l-Bahá
> on a number of occasions, and recorded in numerous sources.36 This
> 
> 36UAB   (Utterances of Abdul Beha Abbas to two young men,
> American pilgrims to Acre, 1901; New York: The Board of Counsel,
> 1902):18-19; SAQ:55-57; PUP:97-98, 106, 168, 338-39, 364-66, 393,
> 445.
> truth was also affirmed by Shoghi Effendi in a number of his letters.37
> Separate studies are devoted to a)the essential and b)the secondary
> teachings and ordinances of the Religion of God, citing examples from
> the extant Scriptures associated with various of the Prophets of God.
> Yet another study examines the secondary teachings and laws of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh, those which are specific to this Age and Cycle, which
> pertain to the outward life of humankind at this time in its evolution.
> The twofold character is the Law of God is related to the twofold
> station of the Prophets of God, explained by Bahá‟u‟lláh in Kitáb-i-
> ĺqán:
> 
> "These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station.
> One is the station of pure abstraction and essential unity..."
> (KI:152)
> 
> "We have already in the foregoing pages assigned two stations
> unto each of the Luminaries arising from the Daysprings of
> eternal holiness. One of these stations, the station of essential
> unity, We have already explained. 'No distinction do We
> make between any of them.' [Qur'an 2:136] The other is the
> station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of creation
> and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each
> Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely
> prescribed mission, a predestined Revelation, and specially
> designated limitations. Each one of them is known by a
> different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfils a
> definite Mission, and is entrusted with a particular
> Revelation." (KI:176)
> 
> "It hath ever been evident that all these divergences of
> utterance are attributable to differences of station. Thus,
> viewed from the standpoint of their oneness and sublime
> detachment, the attributes of Godhead, Divinity, Supreme
> Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been and are applicable
> to those Essences of being, inasmuch as they all abide on the
> throne of divine Revelation, and are established upon the seat
> of divine Concealment. Through their appearance the
> Revelation of God is made manifest, and by their countenance
> the Beauty of God is revealed. Thus it is that the accents of
> God Himself have been heard uttered by these Manifestations
> of the divine Being.
> 
> Included in GTT:2,118,129.
> "Viewed in the light of their second station--the station of
> distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations, characteristics
> and standards,--they manifest absolute servitude, utter
> destitution and complete self-effacement. Even as He saith: 'I
> am the servant of God. I am but a man like you.'38
> "From these incontrovertible and fully demonstrated
> statements strive thou to apprehend the meaning of the
> questions thou hast asked, that thou mayest become steadfast
> in the Faith of God, and not be dismayed by the divergences
> in the utterances of His Prophets and Chosen Ones."
> (KI:177-178)
> 
> We might conclude from these statements of Bahá‟u‟lláh that certain
> teachings of the Prophets of God relate to their first station, "the
> station of essential unity" (KI:152, 176), while other teachings, which
> are particular to certain Prophets and not to others are indicative of
> their second station, "the station of distinction" (KI:176), and that
> these teachings "pertaineth to the world of creation and to the
> limitations thereof." We will discover, in the utterances of „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá, a depiction of the twofold character of the Law of God which
> appears to represent His interpretation of this teaching of Bahá‟u‟lláh.
> In the record of „Abdu‟l-Bahá's utterances, the earliest source for this
> fundamental Bahá‟í teaching is found in a talk on 24 November 1901,
> in which he explained:
> 
> "The law and commandments are divided into two branches,
> spiritual teachings and corporeal or material teachings. Spiritual
> teachings pertain to morality and character which are the breezes of
> the Holy Spirit, the life of the soul. The spiritual teachings will never
> be abolished in any cycle, as they are the eternal law. One of the
> commandments is the love of God, and is the virtue that crowns the
> heads of the believers...
> "The material teachings, those which distinguish lawful from
> unlawful things, change according to the exigency of the times,
> because circumstances and conditions are not always the same."
> (UAB:18-19)
> 
> In "Some Answered Questions." „Abdu‟l-Bahá elaborates on this
> subject:
> 
> "--the law of God is divided into two parts; one is the
> fundamental basis which comprises all spiritual things, that is to say, it
> 
> Hadith; see Qur'an 12:109; 14:11; 18:110; 19:58; 21:7,8
> refers to the spiritual virtues and divine qualities; this does not change
> nor alter: it is the Holy of Holies which is the essence of the Law of
> Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb, and
> Bahá‟u‟lláh, and which lasts and is established in all the prophetic
> cycles...
> "The second part of the Religion of God, which refers to the
> material world, and which comprises fasting, prayer, forms of worship,
> marriage, and divorce, the abolition of slavery, legal processes,
> transactions, indemnities for murder, violence, theft, and injuries, this
> part of the Law of God which refers to material things, is modified
> and altered in each prophetic cycle in accordance with the necessities
> of the times." (SAQ:XI:55,56-57)
> 
> In public and private addresses alike, „Abdu‟l-Bahá returned repeatedly
> to this theme during his trips to Europe in 1911, and to Europe and
> North America, in 1912-1913. While "Paris Talks" and "„Abdu‟l-Bahá
> on Divine Philosophy," both of which were compiled from his
> European addresses, contain allusions to this theme, "The
> Promulgation of Universal Peace" has a number of explicit references
> thereto. In all of these sources, „Abdu‟l-Bahá begins by affirming that
> there are two parts, branches, aspects, functions, kinds, divisions to the
> law of God:
> 
> "The cause of this fellowship and unity lies in the fact that the
> divine law has two distinct aspects or functions: one the essential or
> fundamental, the other material or accidental. The first aspect of the
> revealed religion of God is that which concerns the ethical
> development and spiritual progress of mankind, the awakening of
> potential human susceptibilities and the descent of divine bestowals.
> These ordinances are changeless, essential, eternal. The second
> function of the divine religion deals with material conditions, the laws
> of human intercourse and social regulation. These are subject to
> change and transformation in accordance with the time, place and
> conditions. The essential ordinances of religion were the same during
> the time of Abraham, the day of Moses and the cycle of Jesus, but the
> accidental or material laws were abrogated and superseded according
> to the exigency and requirement of each succeeding age." (PUP:97-98)
> 
> "Inasmuch as the essential reality of the religions in one and
> their seeming variance and plurality is adherence to forms and
> imitations which have arisen, it is evident that these causes of
> difference and divergence must be abandoned in order that the
> underlying reality may unite mankind in its enlightenment and upbuilding. All who hold fast to the one reality will be in agreement and
> unity. Then shall the religions summon people to the oneness of the
> world of humanity and to universal justice; then will they proclaim
> equality of rights and exhort men to virtue and to faith in the loving
> mercy of God. The underlying foundation of the religions is one;
> there is no intrinsic difference between them. Therefore, if the
> essential and fundamental ordinances of the religions be observed,
> peace and unity will dawn, and all the differences of sects and
> denominations will disappear." (PUP:99)
> 
> "Each of the divine religions embodies two kinds of
> ordinances. The first is those which concern spiritual susceptibilities,
> the development of moral principles and the quickening of the
> conscience of man. These are essential or fundamental, one and the
> same in all religions, changeless and eternal--reality not subject to
> transformation. Abraham heralded this reality, Moses promulgated it,
> and Jesus Christ established it in the world of mankind. All the divine
> Prophets and Messengers were the instruments and channels of this
> same eternal, essential truth.
> "The second kind of ordinances in the divine religions is those
> which relate to the material affairs of humankind. These are the
> material or accidental laws which are subject to change in each day of
> manifestation, according to the exigencies of the time, conditions and
> differing capacities of humanity.
> "In brief, every one of the divine religions contains essential
> ordinances, which are not subject to change, and material ordinances,
> which are abrogated according to the exigencies of time. But the
> people of the world have forsaken the divine teachings and followed
> forms and imitations of the truth. Inasmuch as these human
> interpretations and superstitions differ, dissensions and bigotry have
> arisen, and strife and warfare have prevailed. By investigating the truth
> or foundation of reality underlying their own and other beliefs, all
> would be united and agreed, for this reality is one; it is not multiple
> and not divisible." (PUP:106)
> 
> "The religions of God have the same foundation, but the
> dogmas appearing later have differed. Each of the divine religions has
> two aspects. The first is essential. It concerns morality and
> development of the virtues of the human world. This aspect is
> common to all. It is fundamental; it is one; there is no difference, no
> variation in it. As regards the inculcation of morality and the
> development of human virtues, there is no difference whatsoever
> between the teachings of Zoroaster, Jesus and Bahá‟u‟lláh. In this they
> agree; they are one. The second aspect of the divine religions is
> nonessential. It concerns human needs and undergoes change in every
> cycle according to the exigency of the time. Therefore, the
> nonessentials which deal with details of community are changed
> according to the exigency of the time and conditions. But the essential
> foundations of the teachings of Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus and
> Bahá‟u‟lláh is identical, is one; there is no difference whatsoever. Man
> must leave imitation and seek reality. The contemporaneous religious
> beliefs differ because of their allegiance to dogma. It is necessary,
> therefore, to abandon imitations and seek their fundamental reality."
> (PUP:168,169)
> 
> "Each one of the divine religions has established two kinds of
> ordinances: the essential and the accidental. The essential ordinances
> rest upon the firm, unchanging, eternal foundations of the Word itself.
> They concern spiritualities, seek to stabilize morals, awaken intuitive
> susceptibilities, reveal the knowledge of God and inculcate the love of
> all mankind. The accidental laws concern the administration of outer
> human actions and relations, establishing rules and regulations
> requisite for the world of bodies and their control. These are ever
> subject to change and supercedure according to the exigencies of time,
> place and condition, the fundamental realities of the knowledge of
> God and the holy Manifestations, the purification of morals, the
> awakening of spiritual susceptibilities--eternal principles in which there
> is no change or transformation. Briefly, the foundation of the divine
> religions in one eternal foundation, but the laws for temporary
> conditions and exigencies are subject to change. Therefore, by
> adherence to these temporary laws, blindly following and imitating
> ancestral forms, difference and divergence have arisen among
> followers of the various religions, resulting in disunion, strife and
> hatred. Blind imitations and dogmatic observances are conducive to
> alienation and disagreement; they lead to bloodshed and destruction of
> the foundations of humanity. Therefore, the religionists of the world
> must lay aside these imitations and investigate the essential foundation
> or reality itself, which is not subject to change or transformation. This
> is the divine means of agreement and unification." (PUP:338-339)
> 
> "But when we speak of religion, we mean the essential
> foundation or reality of religion, not the dogmas and blind imitations
> which have gradually encrusted it and which are the cause of the
> decline and effacement of a national allegiance to the essential
> foundation of the divine religions is ever the cause of development
> and progress, whereas the abandonment and beclouding of that
> essential reality through blind imitations and adherence to dogmatic
> beliefs are the causes of a nation's debasement and degradation."
> (Khatirat:610-621/PUP:363)
> 
> "Furthermore, we wish to establish the point that the
> foundations of the religions of God are one foundation. This
> foundation is not multiple, for it is reality itself. Reality does not admit
> of multiplicity, although each of the divine religions is separable into
> two divisions. One concerns the world of morality and the ethical
> training of human nature. It is directed to the advancement of the
> world of humanity in general; it reveals and inculcates the knowledge
> of God and makes possible the discovery of the verities of life. This is
> ideal and spiritual teaching, the essential quality of divine religion, and
> not subject to change or transformation. It is the one foundation of
> all the religions of God. Therefore, the religions are essentially one
> and the same.
> "The second classification or division comprises social laws
> and regulations applicable to human conduct. This is not the essential
> spiritual quality of religion. It is subject to change and transformation
> according to the exigencies and requirements of time and place. Time
> changes conditions and laws change to suit conditions. We must
> remember that these changing laws are not the essentials; they are the
> accidentals of religion. The essential ordinances established by a
> Manifestation of God are spiritual; they concern moralities, the ethical
> development of man and faith in God. They are ideal and necessarily
> permanent--expressions of the one foundation and not amenable to
> change or transformation. Therefore, the fundamental basis of the
> revealed religion of God is immutable, unchanging throughout the
> centuries, not subject to the varying conditions of the human world."
> (Khatirat:610-621/PUP:364-365, 365-366)
> 
> "Whence this conflict and strife? The real underlying cause is
> lack of religious unity and association, for in each of the great religions
> we find superstition, blind imitation of creeds, and theological
> formulas adhered to instead of the divine fundamentals, causing
> difference and divergence among mankind instead of agreement and
> fellowship. Consequently, strife, hatred and warfare have arisen, based
> upon this divergence and separation. If we investigate the foundations
> of the divine religions, we find them to be one, absolutely changeless
> and never subject to transformation. For example, each of the divine
> religions contains two kinds of laws or ordinances. One division
> concerns the world of morality and ethical institutions. These are the
> essential ordinances. They instill and awaken the knowledge and love
> of God, love for humanity, the virtues of the world of mankind, the
> attributes of the divine Kingdom, rebirth and resurrection from the
> kingdom of nature. These constitute one kind of divine law which is
> common to all and never subject to change. From the dawn of the
> Adamic cycle to the present day this fundamental law of God has
> continued changeless. This is the foundation of divine religion.
> "The second division comprises laws and institutions which
> provide for human needs and conditions according to exigencies of
> time and place. These are accidental, of no essential importance and
> should never have been made the cause and source of human
> contention. Such ordinances, therefore, constitute the second or
> nonessential division of the divine religions and are not of importance,
> for they deal with human transactions which are ever changing
> according to the requirements of time and place. Therefore, the
> intrinsic foundations of the divine religions are one." (PUP:393-394)
> 
> "In reality, the foundations of the divine religions are one and
> the same. The differences which have arisen between us are due to
> blind imitations of dogmatic beliefs and adherence to ancestral forms
> of worship. Abraham was the founder of reality. Moses, Christ,
> Muhammad were the manifestations of reality. Bahá‟u‟lláh was the
> Glory of reality. This is not simply an assertion; it will be proved.
> "Let me ask your closest attention in considering this subject.
> The divine religions embody two kinds of ordinances. First, there are
> those which constitute essential, or spiritual, teachings of the Word of
> God. These are faith in God, the acquirement of the virtues which
> characterize perfect manhood, praiseworthy moralities, the acquisition
> of the bestowals and bounties emanating from the divine
> effulgences—in brief, the ordinances which concern the realm of
> morals and ethics. This is the fundamental aspect of the religion of
> God, and this is of the highest importance because knowledge of God
> is the fundamental requirement of man. This is the essential
> foundation of all the divine religions, the reality itself, common to all.
> Abraham promulgated this; Moses proclaimed it. Christ and all the
> Prophets upheld this standard and aspect of divine religion.
> "Second, there are laws and ordinances which are temporary
> and nonessential. These concern human transactions and relations.
> They are accidental and subject to change according to the exigencies
> of time and place. These ordinances are neither permanent nor
> fundamental.
> "It has been shown conclusively, that the foundation of the
> religion of God remains permanent and unchanging. It is that fixed
> foundation which ensures the progress and stability of the body politic
> and the illumination of humanity. It has ever been the cause of love
> and justice amongst men. It works for the true fellowship and
> unification of all mankind, for it never changes and is not subject to
> supercedure. The accidental, or nonessential, laws which regulate the
> transactions of the social body and everyday affairs of life are
> changeable and subject to abrogation." (PUP:403, 404, 404-405)
> 
> "We must bestow commendation upon all people, thus
> removing the discord and hatred which have caused alienation
> amongst men. Otherwise, the conditions of the past will continue,
> praising ourselves and condemning others; religious wars will have no
> end, and religious prejudice, the prime cause of this havoc and
> tribulation, will increase. This must be abandoned, and the way to do
> it is to investigate the reality which underlies all the religions. This
> underlying reality is the love of humanity. For God is one and
> humanity is one, and the only creed of the Prophets is love and unity."
> (PUP:410)
> 
> "Therefore, we must investigate the reality of divine religion,
> discover its reality, reestablish it and spread its message throughout the
> world so that it may become the source of illumination and
> enlightenment to mankind, the spiritually dead become alive, the
> spiritually blind receive sight and those who are inattentive to God
> become awakened.
> "The teachings and ordinances of the divine religions are of
> two kinds. The first are spiritual and essential in nature--such as faith
> in God, faith in Christ, faith in Moses, faith in Abraham, faith in
> Muhammad, the love of God and the oneness of the world of
> humanity. These divine principles shall be spread throughout the
> world. Strife and enmity shall disappear, ignorance, hatred and
> hostility cease and all the human race be bound together. The second
> kind of ordinances and teachings concern the outer conditions and
> transactions of the world of mankind. They are the nonessential,
> accidental or temporary laws of human affairs which are subject to
> change and transformation according to the exigencies of time and
> place.
> "But the followers of the divine religions have turned away
> from the principles and ordinances which are essential and unchanging
> in the Word of God, forsaking those fundamental realities which have
> to do with the life of the human world, the eternal life--such as the
> love of God, faith in God, philanthropy, knowledge, spiritual
> perception, divine guidance--holding these to be contingent and
> nonessential while wrangling and disagreeing over such questions as
> whether divorce is lawful or unlawful, or whether this or that
> observance of a minor law is orthodox and true. The Jews consider
> divorce lawful; the Catholic Christians deem it unlawful; the outcome
> is discord and hostility between them. If they would investigate the
> one fundamental reality underlying the laws revealed by Moses and
> Christ, this condition of hatred and misunderstanding would be
> dispelled and divine unity prevail. Investigation of the one
> fundamental reality and allegiance to the essential unchanging
> principles of the Word of God can alone establish unity and love in
> human hearts." (PUP:444-445,445-446)
> "Each divine revelation is divided into two parts. The first
> part is essential, and belongs to the world of morality. It is the
> exposition of significances and realities. It is the expression of the love
> of God, the knowledge of God. This is one in all the religions,
> unchangeable and immutable. The second part is inessential. It belongs
> to practical life, to transactions and business, and changes according to
> the requirements of the time of each prophet." („Abdu‟l-Bahá,
> Khitabat, pp. 737-747; "Abdu'l-Baha on Divine Philosophy," chapter
> V)
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wrote regarding these two parts of the religion of God
> in a number of his letters, including those excerpted here:
> 
> "The Revelation proclaimed by Bahá‟u‟lláh, His followers
> believe, is divine in origin, all-embracing in scope, broad in its outlook,
> scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles and dynamic in
> the influence it exerts on the hearts and minds of men. The mission
> of the Founder of their Faith, they conceive it to be, to proclaim that
> religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is
> continuous and progressive, that the Founders of all past religions,
> though differing in the non-essential aspects of their teachings, "abide
> in the same Tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are seated upon the
> same throne, utter the same speech and proclaim the same Faith."
> (Shoghi Effendi, in a letter to the High Commissioner for Palestine,
> entitled "The World Religion of Bahá‟u‟lláh: A Summary of Its Aims,
> Teachings and History," June 1933)
> 
> "The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá‟u‟lláh,
> followers of His Faith firmly believe, is that religious truth is not
> absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and
> progressive process, that all the great religions on the world are divine
> in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their
> aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but
> facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they
> differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their
> missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of
> human society. His purpose, far from belittling the station of the
> Prophets gone before Him or of whittling down their teachings, is to
> restate the basic truths which these teachings enshrine in a manner
> that would conform to the needs, and be in consonance with the
> capacity, and be applicable to the problems, the ills, and perplexities,
> of the age in which we live." (Shoghi Effendi, in a letter to the United
> Nations Special Commission on Palestine, entitled "The Faith of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh," 14 July 1947; reprinted in "The Promised Day is Come,"
> Foreword, p. v, 1961; reprinted also in GTT:2,3)
> "The Faith standing identified with the name of Bahá‟u‟lláh
> disclaims any intention to belittle any of the Prophets gone before
> Him, to whittle down any of their teachings, to obscure, however
> slightly, the radiance of their Revelations, to oust them from the hearts
> of their followers, to abrogate the fundamentals of their doctrines, to
> discard any of their revealed Books, or to suppress the legitimate
> aspirations of their adherents. Repudiating the claim of any religion to
> be the final revelation of God to man, disclaiming finality for His own
> Revelation, Bahá‟u‟lláh inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of
> religious truth, the continuity of Divine Revelation, the
> progressiveness of religious experience. His aim is to widen the basis
> of all revealed religions and to unravel the mysteries of their scriptures.
> He insists on the unqualified recognition of the unity of their purpose,
> restates the eternal verities they enshrine, co-ordinates their functions,
> distinguishes the essential and the authentic from the non-essential and
> spurious in their teachings, separates the God-given truths from the
> priest-prompted superstitions, and on this as a basis proclaims the
> possibility, and even prophesies the inevitability, of their unification,
> and the consummation of their highest hopes." (Shoghi Effendi, letter
> dated 28 March, 1941, entitled, "The Promised Day is Come," p. 112;
> reprinted in GTT:118)
> 
> "Nor does the Bahá‟í Revelation, claiming as it does to be the
> culmination of a prophetic cycle and the fulfillment of the promise of
> all ages, attempt, under any circumstances, to invalidate those first and
> everlasting principles that animate and underlie the religions that have
> preceded it. The God-given authority, vested in each one of them, it
> admits and establishes as its firmest and ultimate basis. It regards
> them in no other light except as different stages in the eternal history
> and constant evolution of one religion, Divine and indivisible, of
> which it itself forms but an integral part. It neither seeks to obscure
> their Divine origin, nor to dwarf the admitted magnitude of their
> colossal achievements. It can countenance no attempt that seeks to
> distort their features or to stultify the truths which they instill. Its
> teachings do not deviate a hair-breadth from the verities they enshrine,
> nor does the weight of its message detract one jot or one tittle from
> the influence they exert or the loyalty they inspire. Far from aiming at
> the overthrow of the spiritual foundation of the world's religious
> systems, its avowed, its unalterable purpose is to widen their basis, to
> restate their fundamentals, to reconcile their aims, to reinvigorate their
> life, to demonstrate their oneness, to restore the pristine purity of their
> teachings, to co-ordinate their functions, and to assist in the realization
> of their highest aspirations, the fundamental principle which
> constitutes the bedrock of Bahá‟í belief, the principle that religious
> truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is orderly,
> continuous, and progressive, and not spasmodic or final." (Shoghi
> Effendi, letter addressed to the Western believers, 8 February 1934,
> entitled, "The Dispensation of Bahá‟u‟lláh," reprinted in "The World
> Order of Bahá‟u‟lláh," pp. 114,115; reprinted in GTT:129,131)
> 
> Given the prominence given this teaching in Bahá‟í source literature, it
> is not surprising that „Abdu‟l-Bahá cites the teachings of the prophets
> as one of the most significant proofs of prophethood:
> 
> "When the prophets of God appear upon this earth, their
> validity is established by means of certain proofs. One of the proofs is
> through the fulfillment of former prophecies...their creative words and
> phrases which salute the hearts of humanity...their deeds...their
> teachings."(ABDP:43)
> 
> "A supreme proof is the teaching. For instance the precepts
> of Christ were sufficient proof of His validity. There is no greater
> proof than these teachings. They were the light of that cycle and the
> spirit of that age. All that He said accorded with the needs of the
> humanity of that time. They were peerless and unique. Consider His
> Holiness Bahá‟u‟lláh and His teaching[s]. They are the spirit of this
> cycle--the light of this age. They illumine the dark places of humanity,
> for they address themselves to the heart of the race. For instance, the
> greatest evil of this century is war. In the new age Bahá‟u‟lláh has
> prohibited war. The need of this century is universal peace--
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has instituted it. The most urgent requisite of mankind is
> the declaration of the oneness of the world of humanity--this is the
> great principle of Bahá‟u‟lláh. That which will leaven the human world
> is a love that will insure the abandonment of pride, oppression and
> hatred. The principles of Bahá‟u‟lláh are the remedy and balm for the
> wounded world; and without their inculcation, reconciliation between
> the nations will not be reached. These very teachings of Bahá‟u‟lláh
> are the greatest proofs of His claim. Such a power hath appeared
> from Him as will suffice to convince the whole world. The proof of
> the sun is its light and heat."(ABDP:45-46)
> 
> While 'Abdu'-Baha has developed this proof of all of the prophets
> mostly through a very detailed exposition of the teachings of the
> prophet Bahá‟u‟lláh; nevertheless, this is a universal proof of all of the
> prophets as attested in these statements: "In the world of existence the
> greatest bestowals of God are His teachings...Without the teachings of
> God the world of humanity is like the animal kingdom...the teachings
> of God are the bestowals specialized for man."(PUP:61) Regarding
> the teachings of Moses, he writes:
> "Moses lived in the wilderness of Sinai where crime
> necessitated direct punishment. There were no penitentiaries or
> penalties of imprisonment. Therefore, according to the exigency of
> the time and place it was a law of God that an eye should be given for
> an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It would not be practicable to enforce
> this law at the present time...In the Torah there are many commands
> concerning the punishment of a murderer. It would not be allowable
> or possible to carry out these ordinances today...In fact, laws for the
> ordinary conditions of life are only valid temporarily. The exigencies
> of the time of Moses justified cutting off a man's hand for theft, but
> such a penalty is not allowable now. Time changes conditions, and
> laws change to suit conditions. We must remember that these
> changing laws are not the essentials; they are the accidentals of
> religion. The essential ordinances established by a Manifestation of
> God are spiritual; they concern moralities, the ethical development of
> man and faith in God. They are ideal and necessarily permanent--
> expressions of the one foundation and not amenable to change or
> transformation. Therefore, the fundamental basis of the revealed
> religion of God is immutable, unchanging throughout the centuries,
> not subject to the varying conditions of the human world. Christ
> ratified and proclaimed the foundations of the law of Moses.
> Muhammad and all the Prophets have revoiced that same foundation
> of reality."(PUP:365-66)
> 
> "The divine Prophets came to establish the unity of the
> Kingdom in human hearts. All of them proclaimed the glad tidings of
> the divine bestowals to the world of mankind. All brought the same
> message of divine love to the world."(PUP:5)
> 
> The essential teachings of Jesus Christ are described:
> 
> "His essential teaching was the unity of mankind and the
> attainment of supreme human virtues through love. He came to
> establish the Kingdom of peace and everlasting life. Can you find in
> His words any justification for discord and enmity? The purpose of
> His life and the glory of His death were to set mankind free from the
> sins of strife, war and bloodshed. The great nations of the world boast
> that their laws and civilization are based upon the religion of Christ.
> Why then do they make war upon each other? The Kingdom of
> Christ cannot be upheld by destroying and disobeying it...Is this
> destruction of human life obedience to His laws and teachings?
> Where does He command it? Where does He consent to it? He was
> killed by His enemies; He did not kill. He even loved and prayed for
> those who hung Him on the cross. Therefore, these wars and
> cruelties, this bloodshed and sorrow are Antichrist, not Christ...No less
> bitter is the conflict between sects and denominations. Christ was a
> divine Center of unity and love. Whenever discord prevails instead of
> unity, wherever hatred and antagonism take the place of love and
> spiritual fellowship, Antichrist reigns instead of Christ. Who is right in
> these controversies and hatreds between sects? Did Christ command
> them to love or to hate each other? He loved even His enemies and
> prayed in the hour of His crucifixion for those who killed Him.
> Therefore, to be a Christian is not merely to bear the name of Christ
> and say, "I belong to a Christian government." To be a real Christian
> is to be a servant in His Cause and Kingdom, to go forth under His
> banner of peace and love toward all mankind...to refresh the world by
> the water of life of His teachings--in all things to be like Him and filled
> with the spirit of His love."(PUP:5-6)
> TWENTY-FOURTH PROOF:
> SPIRITUAL PROOF OF THE SPIRITUAL SEASONS
> 
> While divine philosophy asserts that "first we must speak of the logical
> proofs, afterwards the spiritual proofs...which we cannot at the
> beginning put forth for the benefit of the materialists"(SAQ:229); and
> while this argument in its original context applies to proofs of the
> origin of the human species; as we have already understood from
> studying the criteria of truth recognized by divine philosophy in the
> Introduction, besides logical proofs there are also spiritual proofs.
> Inasmuch as all of the logical proofs and traditional proofs have been
> stated, now there will be a careful consideration of the spiritual proofs.
> The first spiritual proof which we will study is that there are "spiritual
> cycles of the Prophets" which correspond in the spiritual realm to the
> cycle of seasons in the material world:
> 
> "In this material world time has cycles; places change through
> alternating seasons, and for souls there are progress, retrogression, and
> education.
> "Sometime[s] it is the season of spring, at another time it is
> the season of autumn, and again it is the season of summer or the
> season of winter.
> "In the spring there are the clouds which send down the
> precious rain, the musk-scented breezes and life-giving zephyrs; the air
> is perfectly temperate, the rain falls, the sun shines, the fecundating
> wind wafts the clouds, the world is renewed, and the breath of life
> appears in plants, in animals, and in men. Earthly beings pass from
> one condition to another. All things are clothed in new garments, and
> the black earth is covered with herbage; mountains and plains are
> adorned with verdure, trees bear leaves and blossoms, gardens bring
> forth flowers and fragrant herbs. The world becomes another world,
> and it attains to a life-giving spirit. The earth was a lifeless body; it
> finds a new spirit, and produces endless beauty, grace, and freshness.
> Thus the spring is the cause of new life, and infuses a new spirit.
> "Afterwards comes the summer, when the heat increases, and
> growth and development attain their greatest power. The energy of
> life in the vegetable kingdom reaches to the degree of perfection, the
> fruit appears, and the time of harvest ripens; a seed has become a
> sheaf, and the food is stored for winter. Afterwards comes
> tumultuous autumn when unwholesome and sterile winds blow, it is
> the season of sickness, when all things are withered, and the balmy air
> is vitiated. The breezes of spring are changed to autumn winds, the
> fertile green trees have become withered and bare, flowers and
> fragrant herbs fade away, the beautiful garden becomes a dust-heap.
> Following this comes the season of winter, with cold and tempests. It
> snows, rains, hails, storms, thunders and lightens, freezes and congeals;
> all plants die, and animals languish and are wretched.
> "When this state is reached, again a new life-giving spring
> returns, and the cycle is renewed. The season of spring with its hosts
> of freshness and beauty, spreads its tent on the plains and mountains
> with great pomp and magnificence. A second time the form of the
> creatures is renewed, and the creation of beings begins afresh; bodies
> grow and develop, the plains and wildernesses become green and
> fertile, trees bring forth blossoms, and the spring of last year returns in
> the utmost fullness and glory. Such is, and such ought to be, the cycle
> and succession of existence: such is the cycle and revolution of the
> material world.
> "It is the same with the spiritual cycles of the Prophets. That
> is to say, the day of the appearance of the Holy Manifestations is the
> spiritual springtime, it is the divine splendour, it is the heavenly
> bounty, the breeze of life, the rising of the Sun of Reality. Spirits are
> quickened, hearts are refreshed and invigorated, souls become good,
> existence is set in motion, human realities are gladdened, and grow and
> develop in good qualities and perfections. Universal progress takes
> place, and there are resurrection and lamentation; for it is the day of
> judgment, the time of turmoil and distress, at the same time that it is
> the season of joy, of happiness, and of absolute attraction.
> "Afterwards the life-giving spring ends in fruitful summer.
> The word of God is exalted, the Law of God is promulgated; all things
> reach perfection. The heavenly table is spread, the holy breezes
> perfume the East and the West, the teachings of God conquer the
> world, men become educated, praiseworthy results are produced,
> universal progress appears in the world of humanity, and the divine
> bounties surround all things. The Sun of Reality rises from the
> horizon of the Kingdom with the greatest power and heat. When it
> reaches the meridian it will begin to decline and descend, and the
> spiritual summer will be followed by autumn, when growth and
> development are arrested. Breezes change into blighting winds, and
> the unwholesome season dissipates the beauty and freshness of the
> gardens, plains, and bowers. That is to say, attraction and goodwill do
> not remain, divine qualities are changed, the radiance of hearts is
> dimmed, the spirituality of souls is altered, virtues are replaced by
> vices, and holiness and purity disappear. Only the name of the
> Religion of God remains, and the exoteric forms of the divine
> teachings. The foundations of the Religion of God are destroyed and
> annihilated, and nothing but forms and customs exist. Divisions
> appear, firmness is changed into instability, and spirits become dead;
> hearts languish, souls become inert, and winter arrives; that is to say,
> the coldness of ignorance envelopes the world and the darkness of
> human error prevails. After this come indifference, disobedience,
> inconsiderateness, indolence, baseness, animal instincts, and the
> coldness and insensibility of stones. It is like the season of winter
> when the terrestrial globe, deprived of the effect of the heat of the sun,
> becomes desolate and dreary. When the world of intelligence and
> thought has reached to this state, there remain only continual death
> and perpetual non-existence.
> "When the season of winter has had its effect, again the
> spiritual springtime returns and a new cycle appears. Spiritual breezes
> blow, the luminous dawn gleams, the divine clouds give rain, the rays
> of the Sun of Reality shine forth, the contingent world attains unto a
> new life, and is clad in a wonderful garment. All the signs and the gifts
> of the past springtime reappear, with perhaps even greater splendour
> in this new season."(SAQ:83-86)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to the spiritual springtime in which the new Prophet
> of God is made manifest in a number of his Tablets:
> 
> GL:XIV:27: "The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted
> Pen, for the Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching.
> Bestir thyself, and magnify, before the entire creation, the
> name of God, and celebrate His praise, in such wise that all
> created things may be regenerated and made new." (Tablet of
> Ridvan)
> 
> GL:XXXV:84: "God grant that, in these days of heavenly
> delight, ye may not deprive yourselves of the sweet savors of
> the All-Glorious God, and may partake, in this spiritual
> Springtime, of the outpourings of His grace."
> 
> GL:XLIII:94, LXXXV:167; TB:86: "It behoveth you to
> refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favors
> which in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime are being
> showered upon you." (Lawh-i-Dunya)
> TWENTY-FIFTH PROOF:
> SPIRITUAL PROOF OF THE SPIRITUAL SUN OF
> REALITY
> 
> The second spiritual proof of all of the prophets is articulated by
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá:
> 
> "The spiritual cycles of the Sun of Reality are like the cycles of
> the material sun: they are always revolving and being renewed. The
> Sun of Reality, like the material sun, has numerous rising and dawning
> places: one day it rises from the zodiacal sign of Cancer, another day
> from the sign of Libra or Aquarius, another time it is from the sign of
> Aries that it diffuses its rays. But the sun is one sun and one reality;
> the people of knowledge are lovers of the sun, and are not fascinated
> by the places of its rising and dawning. The people of perception are
> seekers of the Truth, and not of the places of its appearance, nor of its
> dawning points; therefore they will adore the Sun from whatever point
> in the zodiac it may appear, and they will seek the Reality in every
> Sanctified Soul who manifests it. Such people always attain to the
> truth, and are not veiled from the Sun of the Divine World. So, the
> lover of the sun and the seeker of the light will always turn towards the
> sun, whether it shines from the sign of Aries or gives its bounty from
> the sign of Cancer, or radiates from Gemini; but the ignorant and
> uninstructed are lovers of the signs of the zodiac, and enamoured and
> fascinated by the rising-places, and not by the sun. When it was in the
> sign of Cancer they turned towards it, though afterwards the sun
> changed to the sign of Libra; as they were lovers of the sign, they
> turned towards it and attached themselves to it, and were deprived of
> the influences of the sun merely because lit had changed its place. For
> example, once the Sun of Reality poured forth its rays from the sign of
> Abraham, and then it dawned from the sign of Moses and illuminated
> the horizon; afterwards it rose with the greatest power and brilliancy
> from the sign of Christ: those who were the seekers of Reality,
> worshipped that Reality wherever they saw it, but those who were
> attached to Abraham were deprived of its influences, when it shone
> upon Sinai and illuminated the reality of Moses. Those who held fast
> to Moses when the Sun of Reality shone from Christ with the utmost
> radiance and lordly splendour, were also veiled; and so forth.
> "Therefore man must be the seeker after the Reality; and he
> will find that Reality in each of the Sanctified Souls. He must be
> fascinated and enraptured, and attracted to the divine bounty; he must
> be like the butterfly who is the lover of the light from whatever lamp it
> may shine, and like the nightingale who is the lover of the rose in
> whatever garden it may grow.
> "If the sun were to rise in the West, it would still be the sun;
> one must not withdraw from it on account of its rising-place, nor
> consider the West to be always the place of sun-set. In the same way,
> one must look for the heavenly bounties, and seek for the Divine
> Aurora. In every place where it appears, one must become its
> distracted lover. Consider that if the Jews had not kept turning to the
> horizon of Moses, and had only regarded the Sun of Reality, without
> any doubt they would have recognized the Sun in the dawning-place of
> the reality of Christ, in the greatest divine splendour. But, alas! a
> thousand times alas! attaching themselves to the outward words of
> Moses, they were deprived of the divine bounties and the lordly
> splendours!"(SAQ:86-88)
> 
> The use of the sun as a metaphor for the prophetic reality has been
> anticipated in a number of Sacred Writings and religious practices.
> The Báb uses it in many of his Writings, including in this passage from
> "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih":
> 
> SP:3-6: "If you sail upon the Ocean of Creation, know that
> the first "Dhikr", which emanates from the Primal Will, is
> similar to the sun which God the Most Exalted created by His
> Power...in every Manifestation, it is this First Dhikr which He
> has revealed in keeping with His own decision. Know
> therefore, that in this sense, He is like the Sun. Indeed, this
> star, if it rises until the end that will never have an end, will be,
> even as it has been in the past, but one only and the same sun.
> But, it is equally Him Who was manifested in all the prophets
> and it is He Who speaks in all their books...In the first
> evolution He was known under the name Adam, then under
> that of Noah in the epoch of this prophet; He was Abraham
> in His time, then Jesus, then Muhammad Rasu'l-Allah. Finally
> He is Him Whom God shall make manifest after Him Whom
> God shall make manifest in His epoch."
> 
> This same solar metaphor is found throughout the Writings of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh, and is often employed by „Abdu‟l-Bahá as well. As for the
> identification of the dawning-points of the Sun of Reality, in other
> words the original homelands and nationalities and declaration dates of
> the prophets, with the signs of the zodiac, another example of this may
> serve to elucidate the purpose of „Abdu‟l-Bahá.
> 
> He writes, in a Tablet addressed to a Bahá‟í in Mazandaran:
> 
> WOB:127: "The Revelation of the Báb may be likened to the
> sun, its station corresponding to the first sign of the Zodiac—the sign
> Aries--which the sun enters at the Vernal Equinox. The station of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh's Revelation, on the other hand, is represented by the sign
> Leo, the sun's mid-summer and highest station. By this is meant that
> this holy Dispensation is illumined with the light of the Sun of Truth
> shining from its most exalted station, and in the plenitude of its
> resplendency, its heat and glory."
> 
> That „Abdu‟l-Bahá identified the Revelation of the Báb (who called
> himself the "Primal Point") with the first sign of the Zodiac, the sign
> Aries is by no means accidental: the sun enters this sign at the Vernal
> Equinox, which is the first day of spring, and the first day of the
> ancient Persian calendar, called "Naw-Ruz". The Primal Point began
> the calendar he revealed in "Bayán-i-Farsi" (Third Vahid) on Naw-Ruz,
> hence at the Vernal Equinox, at the point at which the sun enters the
> zodiacal sign of Aries. Furthermore, in "Bayán-i-Farsi" the Primal
> Point calls this day "the Day of the Point" (Fifth Vahid, Third Báb),
> and "the Day of God" (Sixth Vahid, Fourteenth Báb). The attribution
> of the zodiacal sign of Leo to Bahá‟u‟lláh will be discussed in a
> succeeding volume, along with suggestions as to the apportionment of
> other signs to individual prophets according to the traditional histories
> and religious observances associated with them.
> 
> Before continuing with other proofs, it would seem to be necessary to
> explain the apparent contradiction between the first passage cited,
> which states that the true seeker will not be attached to the dawningplace of the Sun of Reality, and the second passage quoted which
> indicates that the dawning-place does indeed convey important
> significances, namely the character and intensity of the divine
> Revelation associated with its particular prophet. In the first text the
> seeker is advised that unless he is detached from these dawning-places
> he will not recognize the new appearance of the Sun of Reality and
> hence will be deprived of His divine illumination. The second passage
> can be interpreted along the same lines, for if the seeker has failed to
> recognize the Primal Point in his day because of his appearance in "the
> first sign of the Zodiac" then he will have deprived himself of the
> illumination of the Sun of Reality, and if he fails to recognize
> Bahá‟u‟lláh because his appearance is not in the same sign as that of
> his predecessor, because he is manifested in "the sign Leo, the sun's
> mid-summer and highest station" then once again he will be bereft of
> the "light of the Sun of Truth shining from its most exalted station,
> and in the plenitude of its resplendency, its heat and glory."
> 
> Another significance of this comparison of two Revelations with two
> zodiacal signs is that the Primal Point became manifest in the East,
> and from the province of Fars and land of Persia both of which are
> associated historically and prophetically with the sign of the Ram
> (which is the animal associated with Aries), while Bahá‟u‟lláh through
> his successive banishments--from Tihran to Baghdad, from Baghdad
> to Constantinople, from Constantinople to Adrianople, from
> Adrianople to Akka and Haifa in the province of Palestine and land of
> Syria--journeyed westwards (as does the sun from its rising in the East
> to its noontide glory between East and West), manifesting his reality
> first to a small company of His closest associates in Baghdad, then
> more universally in Adrianople, and finally at the apex of his glory in
> Palestine. „Abdu‟l-Bahá associates the Revelation of Bahá‟u‟lláh then
> with the western movement of the sun, with its manifestation in full
> brilliancy between East and West--which more perfectly describes the
> status of the Holy Land than any other place on the planet--and with
> the Lion, which is the ancient symbol of the tribe of Judah and hence
> of King David, from whose race, according to Jewish interpretations
> of their Holy Bible, must come the Saviour of the world. The Lion is
> the animal associated with the zodiacal sign of Leo and also gives this
> sign its name. This short exposition just begins to explore the
> correspondences which exist between the zodiacal signs and the
> dawning-points of the prophets of God. The principal principle
> underlying this proof however is that "the ignorant and uninstructed
> are lovers of the signs of the zodiac, and enamoured and fascinated by
> the rising-places, and not by the sun."
> 
> "It gives me great joy, for I see that you are seekers after truth.
> You are not held in bondage by the chains of prejudice, and your
> greatest longing is to know the truth. Truth may be likened to the sun!
> The sun is the luminous body that disperses all shadows; in the same
> way does truth scatter the shadows of our imagination. As the sun
> gives life to the body of humanity so does truth give life to their souls.
> Truth is a sun that rises from different points on the horizon.
> "Sometimes the sun rises from the centre of the horizon, then
> in summer it rises farther north, in winter farther south--but it is
> always the self-same sun, however different are the points of its rising.
> "In like manner truth is one, although its manifestations may
> be very different. Some men have eyes and see. These worship the
> sun, no matter from which point on the horizon it may dawn; and
> when the sun has left the winter sky to appear in the summer one, they
> know how to find it again. Others there are who worship only the
> spot from which the sun arose, and when it arises in its glory from
> another place they remain in contemplation before the spot of its
> former rising. Alas! these men are deprived of the blessings of the
> sun. Those who in truth adore the sun itself will recognize it from
> whatsoever dawning-place it may appear, and will straightway turn
> their faces towards its radiance.
> "We must adore the sun itself and not merely the place of its
> appearance. In the same way men of enlightened heart worship truth
> on whatever horizon it appears. They are not bound by personality,
> but they follow the truth, and are able to recognize it no matter from
> whence it may come. It is this same truth which helps humanity to
> progress, which gives life to all created beings, for it is the Tree of Life!
> "In His teaching Bahá‟u‟lláh gives us the explanation of truth,
> and I wish to speak to you briefly about this, for I see that you are
> capable of understanding."(PT:127-29)
> 
> "No one truth can contradict another truth. Light is good in
> whatsoever lamp it is burning! A rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden
> it may bloom! A star has the same radiance if it shines from the East or
> from the West. Be free from prejudice, so will you love the Sun of
> Truth from whatsoever point in the horizon it will arise! You will
> realize that if the Divine light of truth shone in Jesus Christ it also
> shone in Moses and in Buddha. The earnest seeker will arrive at this
> truth. This is what is meant by the 'Search after Truth'.
> "It means, also, that we must be willing to clear away all that
> we have previously learned, all that would clog our steps on the way to
> truth; we must not shrink if necessary from beginning our education all
> over again. We must not allow our love for any religion or any one
> personality to so blind our eyes that we become fettered by superstition!
> When we are freed from all these bonds, seeking with liberated minds,
> then shall we be able to arrive at our goal.
> "'Seek the truth, the truth shall make you free.' So shall we see
> the truth in all religions, for truth is in all and truth is one!"(PT:137)
> TWENTY-SIXTH PROOF:
> SPIRITUAL PROOF OF THE MYSTIC HERALD
> 
> The highest station to which man may aspire is that station wherein he
> has become utterly transformed, in which he has been reborn into a
> spiritual life which is eternal. In this new life he perceives limitless and
> infinite proofs of the spiritual realities including the reality of the
> prophets of God. Speaking of this second birth, „Abdu‟l-Bahá states:
> 
> "Such resuscitation is impossible except through a heavenly
> potency, a supernatural power, the divine power of the Holy Spirit.
> Through a natural and mere human power this is impossible.
> Therefore, the question arises: How is this resuscitation to be
> accomplished? There are certain means for its accomplishment by
> which mankind is regenerated and quickened with a new birth. This is
> the second birth mentioned in the heavenly Books.                    Its
> accomplishment is through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The
> resuscitation or rebirth of the spirit of man is through the science of
> the love of God." (PUP:277)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh describes this second birth, or rebirth, in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:195-200: "Only when the lamp of search, of earnest
> striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid
> love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker's
> heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon
> his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of
> doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of
> knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will
> the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit,
> shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn,
> and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the
> heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence.
> Then will the manifold favours and outpouring grace of the
> holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the
> seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a
> new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate
> the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the
> hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he
> will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the
> stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things
> the mysteries of divine Revelation and the evidences of an
> everlasting manifestation. I swear by God! Were he that
> treadeth the path of guidance and seeketh to scale the heights
> of righteousness to attain unto this glorious and supreme
> station, he would inhale at a distance of a thousand leagues
> the fragrance of God, and would perceive the resplendent
> morn of a divine Guidance rising above the dayspring of all
> things. Each and every thing, however small, would be to him
> a revelation, leading him to his Beloved, the Object of his
> quest.
> "So great shall be the discernment of this seeker that he will
> discriminate between truth and falsehood even as he doth
> distinguish the sun from shadow. If in the uttermost corners
> of the East the sweet savours of God be wafted, he will
> assuredly recognize and inhale their fragrance, even though he
> be dwelling in the uttermost ends of the West. He will
> likewise clearly distinguish all the signs of God--His wondrous
> utterances, His great works, and mighty deeds--from the
> doings, words and ways of men, even as the jeweler who
> knoweth the gem from the stone, or the man who
> distinguisheth the spring from autumn and heat from cold.
> When the channel of the human soul is cleansed from all
> worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive
> the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and
> will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude.
> Therein he will discern the wonders of His ancient wisdom,
> and will perceive all the hidden teachings from the rustling
> leaves of the Tree--which flourisheth in that City. With both
> his inner and his outer ear he will hear from its dust the
> hymns of glory and praise ascending unto the Lord of Lords,
> and with his inner eye will he discover the mysteries of
> "return" and "revival." How unspeakably glorious are the
> signs, the tokens, the revelations, and splendours which He
> Who is the King of names and attributes hath destined for
> that City! The attainment of this City quencheth thirst
> without water, and kindleth the love of God without fire.
> Within every blade of grass are enshrined the mysteries of an
> inscrutable wisdom, and upon every rose-bush a myriad
> nightingales pour out, in blissful rapture, their melody. Its
> wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the Burning Bush, and
> its sweet savours of holiness breathe the perfume of the
> Messianic Spirit. It bestoweth wealth without gold, and
> conferreth immortality without death. In every leaf ineffable
> delights are treasured, and within every chamber unnumbered
> mysteries lie hidden. They that valiantly labour in quest of
> God's will, when once they have renounced all else but Him,
> will be so attached and wedded to that City that a moment's
> separation from it would to them be unthinkable. They will
> hearken unto infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that
> assembly, and receive the surest testimonies from the beauty
> of its Rose and the melody of its Nightingale. Once in about
> a thousand years shall this City be renewed and readorned.
> "Wherefore, O my friend, it behooveth us to exert the highest
> endeavour to attain unto that City, and, by the grace of God
> and His loving-kindness, render asunder the "veils of glory";
> so that, with inflexible steadfastness, we may sacrifice our
> drooping souls in the path of the New Beloved. We should
> with tearful eyes, fervently and repeatedly, implore Him to
> grant us the favour of that grace. That city is none other than
> the Word of God revealed in every age and dispensation. In
> the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus
> the Gospel; in the days of Muhammad the Messenger of God
> the Qur'an; in this day the Bayán; and in the dispensation of
> Him Whom God will make manifest His own Book--the
> Book unto which all the Books of former Dispensations must
> needs be referred, the Book which standeth amongst them all
> transcendent and supreme. In these cities spiritual sustenance
> is bountifully provided, and incorruptible delights have been
> ordained. The food they bestow is the bread of heaven, and
> the Spirit they impart is God's imperishable blessing. Upon
> detached souls they bestow the gift of Unity, enrich the
> destitute, and offer the cup of knowledge unto them who
> wander in the wilderness of ignorance. All the guidance, the
> blessings, the learning, the understanding, the faith, and
> certitude, conferred upon all that is in heaven and on earth,
> are hidden and treasured within these Cities."
> 
> We also find these words in his "Haft Vadi":
> 
> SV:5-8,11-12 passim: "It is incumbent on these servants that
> they cleanse the heart--which is the wellspring of divine
> treasures--from every marking, and that they turn away from
> imitation, which is following the traces of their forefathers
> and sires, and shut the door of friendliness and enmity upon
> all the people of the earth. In this journey the seeker reacheth
> a stage wherein he seeth all created things wandering
> distracted in search of the Friend...
> "The true seeker hunteth naught but the object of his quest,
> and the lover hath no desire save union with his beloved. Nor
> shall the seeker reach his goal unless he sacrifice all things.
> That is, whatever he hath seen, and heard, and understood, all
> must he set at naught, that he may enter the realm of the
> spirit, which is the City of God. Labor is needed, if we are to
> seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to drink of the honey of
> reunion with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we shall cast
> away the world...
> "And if, by the help of God, he findeth on this journey a trace
> of the traceless Friend, and inhaleth the fragrance of the longlost Joseph from the heavenly messenger, he shall straightway
> step into the Valley of Love and be dissolved in the fire of
> love. In this city the heaven of ecstasy is upraised and the
> world-illumining sun of yearning shineth, and the fire of love
> is ablaze; and when the fire of love is ablaze, it burneth to
> ashes the harvest of reason...
> "And if, confirmed by the Creator, the lover escapes from the
> claws of the eagle of love, he will enter the Valley of
> Knowledge and come out of doubt into certitude, and turn
> from the darkness of illusion to the guiding light of the fear of
> God. His inner eyes will open and he will privily converse
> with his Beloved; he will set ajar the gate of truth and piety,
> and shut the doors of vain imaginings. He in this station is
> content with the decree of God, and seeth war as peace, and
> findeth in death the secrets of everlasting life. With inward
> and outward eyes he witnesseth the mysteries of resurrection
> and in the realms of creation and the souls of men, and with a
> pure heart apprehendeth the divine wisdom in the endless
> Manifestations of God. In the ocean he findeth a drop, in a
> drop he beholdeth the secrets of the sea...
> "After passing through the Valley of knowledge, which is the
> last plane of limitation, the wayfarer cometh to the Valley of
> Unity and drinketh from the cup of the Absolute, and gazeth
> on the Manifestations of Oneness. In this station he pierceth
> the veils of plurality, fleeth from the worlds of the flesh, and
> ascendeth into the heaven of singleness. With the ear of God
> he heareth, with the eye of God he beholdeth the mysteries of
> divine creation."
> 
> The reader will certainly find many correspondences both between
> these two sources4 and between these verses of Bahá‟u‟lláh and the
> statements of „Abdu‟l-Bahá. This spiritual proof will be examined fully
> in subsequent volumes.
> TWENTY-SEVENTH PROOF:
> THE PROPHET IS THE GARDENER OF HUMANITY
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has used the image, the symbol of the garden to describe a
> number of phenomena, all of which are related to the Divine
> Gardener, the Prophet of God. In the prologue to the "Haft Vadi", he
> writes of the "green garden" of holiness and the "garden" of man's
> being:
> 
> SV:3,4: "...the bird of thy soul shall...gather the fruits of
> communion in the gardens of 'Then feed on every kind of
> fruit.' [Qur'an 16:71]
> "By My life, O friend, 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...thou wouldst soar in the air
> even as thou walkest upon the earth, and move over the water
> as thou runnest on the land. Wherefore, may it rejoice Me,
> and thee, and whosoever mounteth into the heaven of
> knowledge, and whose heart is refreshed by this, that the wind
> of certitude hath blown over the garden of his being, from the
> Sheba of the All-Merciful."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh wrote "Kalimat-i-Maknuneh" at about the same time as
> "Haft Vadi" and in the Persian work by this name he writes:
> 
> HWP:#1,2,18: "The first call of the Beloved is this: O mystic
> nightingale! Abide not but in the rose-garden of the spirit...
> "O friend! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the
> rose of love...
> "O ye dwellers in the highest paradise! Proclaim unto the
> children of assurance that within the realms of holiness, nigh
> unto the celestial paradise, a new garden hath appeared..."
> 
> In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh also refers to the "garden" of man's heart:
> 
> KI:211: "The understanding of His words and the
> comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven are
> in no wise dependent upon human learning. They depend
> solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of
> spirit. This is evidenced by those who, today, though without
> a single letter of the accepted standards of learning, are
> occupying the loftiest seats of knowledge; and the garden of
> their hearts is adorned, through the showers of divine grace,
> with the roses of wisdom and the tulips of understanding."
> In the same Book he affirms that these spiritual treasures can only be
> found in "the ideal Garden":
> 
> KI:191: "O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the
> gems of divine knowledge, and the fragrance of the mystic
> Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden, and the lilies
> of ancient wisdom can blossom nowhere except in the city of
> a stainless heart."
> 
> During twelve days in the month of April (1863 C.E.), while residing
> in the garden of Najib Pasha, situated in the midst of an island in the
> Tigris River, adjoining the city of Baghdad, Bahá‟u‟lláh declared his
> Prophethood to a select group of his followers. Afterwards he
> referred to this period as "Ridvan," which originally means "garden" in
> Arabic, but has come to mean "paradise" in both Persian and Arabic.
> In one of the works which commemorates that season (which he
> designated as the Most Great Festival to be celebrated annually),
> entitled "Lawh-i-Ridvan", Bahá‟u‟lláh compares the presence of the
> Manifestation of God to a "garden of delight":
> 
> GL:XIV:31: "Guide, then, the people unto the garden of
> delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise."
> 
> Another Tablet, also written to honor the Festival of Ridvan, sounds
> the same theme:
> 
> GL:CLI:319: "Release yourselves, O nightingales of God,
> from the thorns and brambles of wretchedness and misery,
> and wing your flight to the rose-garden of unfading splendor.
> O My friends that dwell upon the dust! Haste forth unto your
> celestial habitation."
> 
> GL:CLI:320-321: "Hear Me, ye mortal birds! In the Rose
> Garden of changeless splendor a Flower hath begun to
> bloom, compared to which every other flower is but a thorn,
> and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of
> beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with the
> whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of
> your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concentrated
> efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the paradise of His
> presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the
> incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of holiness,
> and to obtain a portion of this perfume of celestial glory."
> We may compare these pronouncements to the depiction of the
> Garden of Eden. Gan Eden (as it is known in Hebrew) was not just
> an idyllic environment for man to live in, it was also his training
> ground--it was where he learned to name and to govern the creatures
> of the earth, and also where he learned the consequences of
> disobedience to the divine command:
> 
> Bereshit/Genesis1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in
> our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion
> over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
> the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
> that creepeth upon the earth."
> 
> Bereshit/Genesis 2:15-17: "And the Lord God took the man,
> and put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
> "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every
> tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat:
> "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
> not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
> surely die."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá speaks of the first man and his development in
> horticultural terms, in "Some Answered Questions":
> 
> "Man from the beginning was in this perfect form and
> composition, and possessed capacity and aptitude for acquiring
> material and spiritual perfections, and was the manifestation of these
> words, 'We will make man in Our image and likeness.' He has only
> become more pleasing, more beautiful, and more graceful. Civilization
> has brought him out of his wild state, just as the wild fruits which are
> cultivated by a gardener become finer, sweeter, and acquire more
> freshness and delicacy. The gardeners of the world of humanity are
> the Prophets of God."( SAQ:XLIX:225-226; BWF:309-310)
> 
> In his last "Tablet to America" there is the following reference to the
> "Divine Gardener":
> 
> "The Divine Gardener cuts off the dry or weak branch from
> the good tree and grafts to it, a branch from another tree. He both
> separates and unites. This is that which His Holiness Christ says: that
> from all the world they come and enter the Kingdom, and the children
> of the Kingdom shall be cast out." (BWF:438)
> In another Tablet, „Abdu‟l-Bahá explains that the death of a youth
> seemingly before his time is actually according to an "inscrutable
> divine wisdom" which is known only to the Divine Gardener:
> 
> "The inscrutable divine wisdom underlies such heart-rending
> occurrences. It is as if a kind gardener transfers a fresh and tender
> shrub from a narrow place to a vast region. This transference is not
> the cause of the withering, the waning or the destruction of that shrub,
> nay rather it makes it grow and thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy
> and attain verdure and fruition. This hidden secret is well-known to
> the gardener, while those souls who are unaware of this bounty
> suppose that the gardener in his anger and wrath has uprooted the
> shrub. But to those who are aware this concealed fact is manifest and
> this predestined decree considered a favor. Do not feel grieved and
> disconsolate therefore at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness, nay
> under all circumstances pray and beg for that youth forgiveness and
> elevation of station." (BWF:379)
> 
> He describes the ideal garden of humanity, in one of the "Tablets of
> the Divine Plan":
> 
> "When the rain, the heat, the sun and the gentle zephyrs
> cooperate with each other, what beautiful gardens are produced! How
> the various kinds of hyacinths, flowers, trees and plants associate with
> each other and are conducive to the adornment and charm of one
> another! Hence the oneness of the bounty of the sun, the oneness of
> rain and the oneness of the breeze have so overcome all other
> considerations, that the variety of hues, fragrances and tastes have
> increased the adornment, the attraction and sweetness of the whole.
> In a similar manner, when the divine Collective Center and the
> outpouring of the Sun of Reality and the breaths of the Holy Spirit are
> brought together, the variety of races and the differences existing
> between countries will become the cause of the embellishment,
> decoration and elegance of the world of humanity." (BWF:420)
> 
> In an address at the Unitarian Church in Dublin, New Hampshire, on
> 11 August 1912, he likens the Manifestations of God generally (and
> Jesus Christ specifically) to Divine Gardeners and Divine Farmers:
> 
> "Man though he progress materially, is in need of the breaths
> of the Holy Spirit, of divine education, of the outpourings of the
> Kingdom. Not until man receives this bounty can he become perfect.
> Therefore the holy, divine Manifestations have appeared in every cycle
> and dispensation so that they may give the human souls this divine
> education, may banish the imperfections of the human world and
> make manifest ideal perfections. The world of nature is like a jungle.
> His Holiness the Christ was the Divine Gardener. He made this
> jungle to be a rose garden, these fruitless trees fruitful. These lands
> which according to the laws of nature should bring forth weeds and
> tares He filled with roses and tulips. This Divine Farmer sowed the
> earth with seeds; the worthless grass He threw away. The thorn
> bushes which according to the law of nature should grow He rooted
> sout, and through divine education the thorny place became a rose
> garden. Had it remained in its original state it would have been either
> a jungle or a bramble patch.
> "The point is this, that man, however much he may progress
> materially, however much he may acquire of material perfection
> belongs, still, to the animal world and is in need of the breaths of the
> Holy Spirit, of divine education. If man partakes of the breaths of the
> Holy Spirit then the divine reality appears in the human world in
> utmost perfection and man becomes as the image and likeness of
> God." (SW:XIV:2, p. 43)
> 
> In an address delivered on 10 November 1912, Bahá‟u‟lláh is likened
> to a Gardener of humanity:
> 
> "The love of Bahá‟u‟lláh is in your hearts. Your souls are
> rejoicing in the glad tidings of Bahá‟u‟lláh. My hope is that the white
> and the black will be united in perfect love and fellowship, with
> complete unity and brotherhood. Associate with each other, think of
> each other, and be like a rose garden...Although different in colors,
> yet--praise be to God!--you receive rays from the same sun. From one
> cloud the rain is poured upon you. You are under the training of one
> Gardener, and this Gardener is kind to all. Therefore, you must
> manifest the utmost kindness towards each other, and you may rest
> assured that whenever you are united, the confirmations of the
> Kingdom of Abha will reach you, the heavenly favors will descend, the
> bounties of God will be bestowed, the Sun of Reality will shine, the
> cloud of mercy will pour its showers, and the breeze of divine
> generosity will waft its fragrances upon you." (PUP:427-428)
> 
> The need and function of the Gardener of humanity is explained in
> other addresses of „Abdu‟l-Bahá:
> 
> "If a piece of ground is left in its natural state, wild weeds,
> thorns and trees of the jungle will grow upon it. But if we cultivate
> that same piece of ground, the result will be that it will rid itself of
> natural imperfections and become transformed into a beautiful rose
> garden or an orchard of fruitful trees. This is a proof that the world of
> nature is defective." (Address of 7 November 1912; PUP:400)
> "When we look upon the kingdoms of creation below man,
> we find three forms or planes of existence which await education and
> development. For instance, the function of a gardener is to till the soil
> of the mineral kingdom and plant a tree which under his training and
> cultivation will attain perfection of growth. If it be wild and fruitless,
> it may be made fruitful and prolific by grafting. If small and unsightly,
> it will become lofty, beautiful and verdant under the gardener's
> training, whereas a tree bereft of his cultivation retrogresses daily, its
> fruit grows acrid and bitter as the trees of the jungle, or it may become
> entirely barren and bereft of its fruitage." (Address of 2 May 1912;
> PUP:77)
> 
> "If we should relegate this plot of ground to its natural state,
> allow it to return to its original condition, it would become a field of
> thorns and useless weeds, but by cultivation it will become fertile soil,
> yielding a harvest. Deprived of cultivation, the mountain slopes would
> be jungles and forests without fruitful trees. The gardens bring forth
> fruits and flowers in proportion to the care and tillage bestowed upon
> them by the gardener. Therefore, it is not intended that the world of
> humanity should be left to its natural state. It is in need of the
> education divinely provided for it. The holy, heavenly Manifestations
> of God have been the Teachers. They are the divine Gardeners Who
> transform the jungles of human nature into fruitful orchards and make
> the thorny places blossom as the rose." (Address of 8 October 1912;
> PUP:353)
> 
> In all of these passages, „Abdu‟l-Bahá likened humanity to a garden,
> and the Prophet of God as the Divine Gardener of humanity. In
> keeping with this symbolism, he also affirms the oneness of humanity
> in the imagery of flowers in a garden:
> 
> "Be as one spirit, one soul, leaves of one tree, flowers of one
> garden, waves of one ocean...The difference in adornment of color
> and capacity of reflection among the flowers gives the garden its
> beauty and charm.           Therefore, although we are of different
> individualities, different in ideas and of various fragrances, let us strive
> like flowers of the same divine garden to live together in harmony."
> (Address of 17 April 1912; PUP:24)
> 
> "Flowers may be variegated in colors, but they are all flowers
> of one garden. Trees differ though they grow in the same orchard.
> All are nourished and quickened into life by the bounty of the same
> rain, all grow and develop by the heat and light of the one sun, all are
> refreshed and exhilarated by the same breeze that they may bring forth
> varied fruits. This is according to the creative wisdom. If all trees
> bore the same kind of fruit, it would cease to be delicious. In their
> never-ending variety man finds enjoyment instead of monotony.
> "And now as I look into your faces, I am reminded of trees
> varying in color and form but all bearing luscious and delectable fruits,
> fragrant and delightful to the inner and outer senses." (Address of 23
> April 1912; PUP:51-52)
> 
> "All mankind are the fruits of one tree, flowers of the same
> garden, waves of one sea." (Address of 12 May 1912; PUP:118)
> 
> "May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same
> heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that
> through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the
> world of mankind, for you are the ones who are called to uplift the
> cause of unity among the nations of the earth." (Address of 29 June
> 1912; PUP:214-215)
> 
> "O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the
> garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love." (Address of
> 14 July 1912; PUP:235)
> 
> "My hope is that the white and the black will be united in
> perfect love and fellowship, with complete unity and brotherhood.
> Associate with each other, think of each other, and be like a rose
> garden. Anyone who goes into a rose garden will see various roses,
> white, pink, yellow, red, all growing together and replete with
> adornment. Each one accentuates the beauty of the other. Were all of
> one color, the garden would be monotonous to the eye. If they were
> all white or yellow or red, the garden would lack variety and
> attractiveness; but when the colors are varied, white, pink, yellow, red,
> there will be the greatest beauty. Therefore, I hope that you will be
> like a rose garden." (Address of 10 November 1912; PUP:427)
> 
> As will have been noted by the reader, the garden is a symbol for the
> physical reality of humanity--their variety and essential harmony--and
> also for the spiritual reality of humanity, which is being realized among
> the believers at present and which will be more fully and universally
> manifested in the world of humanity in the future. In one of his
> addresses, that of 8 November 1912, „Abdu‟l-Bahá reads from an
> Epistle written by Bahá‟u‟lláh to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire,
> which ends with these prophetic words:
> 
> "Verily, the Servant hath assuredly come to vivify the world
> and bring to union whosoever is upon the surface of the whole earth.
> That which God willeth shall overcome, and thou shalt see the earth as
> the garden of Abha. Thus hath it been written by the pen of
> command in an irrevocable Tablet." (PUP:399)
> 
> In an ecstatic Tablet written to celebrate the New Age and at the time
> of the vernal equinox, „Abdu‟l-Bahá addresses these words to his
> followers:
> 
> "The new year hath appeared and the spiritual springtime is at
> hand. The black earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and
> mountains are teeming with red flowers; from the borders of the
> wilderness the tall grasses are standing like advance guards before the
> cypress and jessamine trees; while the birds are singing among the rose
> branches like the angels in the highest heavens, announcing the gladtidings of the approach of that spiritual spring, and the sweet music of
> their voices is causing the real essence of all things to move and
> quiver." (TAB:I:641; BWF:352)
> 
> He also uses this imagery to describe the hearts of men, each one of
> which is a garden which must be properly tended by the Divine
> Gardener in order to yield the most beauty and fragrance:
> 
> "Be like a well-cultivated garden wherein the roses and
> variegated flowers of heaven are growing in fragrance and beauty. It is
> my hope that your hearts may become as ready ground, carefully tilled
> and prepared, upon which the divine showers of the bounties of the
> Blessed Perfection [Bahá‟u‟lláh] may descend and the zephyrs of this
> divine springtime may blow with quickening breath. Then will the
> garden of your hearts bring forth its flowers of delightful fragrance to
> refresh the nostril of the heavenly Gardener." (Address of 17 April
> 1912; PUP:24)
> TWENTY-EIGHTH PROOF:
> A PROPHET IS NOT WITHOUT HONOUR, SAVE IN HIS
> OWN COUNTRY, AND IN HIS OWN HOUSE
> 
> In all four of the canonical Gospels, Jesus the Messiah refers to this
> proof of Prophethood:
> 
> "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country,
> and in his own house." (Gospel of Matthew 13:57)
> 
> "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country,
> and among his own kin, and in his own house." (Gospel of
> Mark 6:4)
> 
> "No prophet is accepted in his own country…" (Gospel of
> Luke 4:24)
> 
> "For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in
> his own country." (Gospel of John 4:44)
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has written, about the people in the days of the
> Manifestations of God:
> 
> KI:174: "Were these people, wholly for the sake of God and
> with no desire but His good-pleasure, to ponder the verses of
> the Book in their heart, they would of a certainty find
> whatsoever they seek. In its verses would they find revealed
> and manifest all the things, be they great or small, that have
> come to pass in this Dispensation. They would even
> recognize in them references to the opposition and disdainful
> arrogance of government and people…"
> 
> ESW:92: "Hath, from the foundation of the world until the
> present day, any Light or Revelation shone forth from the
> dayspring of the will of God which the kindreds of the earth
> have accepted, and Whose Cause they have acknowledged?
> Where is it to be found, and what is its name? Since the Seal
> of the Prophets (Muhammad)--may all else but Him be His
> sacrifice--and before Him the Spirit of God (Jesus), as far
> back as the First Manifestation, all have at thee time of Their
> appearance suffered grievously. Some were held to be
> possessed, others were called impostors, and were treated in a
> manner that the pen is ashamed to describe. By God! There
> befell Them what hath made all created things to sigh, and yet
> the people are, for the most part, sunk in manifest ignorance!
> Shoghi Effendi refers to this proof in "God Passes By", when he
> compares the rejection of various earlier Prophets with that endured
> by Bahá‟u‟lláh39:
> 
> "More odious than the unrelenting hostility which Abu-Jahl,
> the uncle of Muhammad, had exhibited, more shameful than the
> betrayal of Jesus Christ by His disciple, Judas Iscariot, more perfidious
> than the conduct of the sons of Jacob towards Joseph their brother,
> more abhorrent than the deed committed by one of the sons of Noah,
> more infamous than even the criminal act perpetrated by Cain against
> Abel, the monstrous behavior of Mirza Yahya, one of the halfbrothers of Bahá‟u‟lláh, the nominee of the Báb, and recognized chief
> of the Bábi community, brought in its wake a period of travail which
> left its mark on the fortunes of the Faith for no less than half a
> century."
> 
> Chapter X, p. 163.
> TWENTY-NINTH PROOF:
> EVERY PROPHET IS EXILED FROM HIS HOMELAND
> 
> Every Prophet of God has not only been rejected by his people, the
> neighbors and associates and often the very family into which he has
> been born, but every One has been exiled from his homeland. This is
> one of the signs of Prophethood. In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh sets
> forth this proof of prophethood:
> 
> "Were these people, wholly for the sake of God and with no
> desire but His good-pleasure, to ponder the verses of the
> Book in their heart, they would of a certainty find whatsoever
> they seek. In its verses would they find revealed and manifest
> all the things, be they great or small, that have come to pass in
> this Dispensation. They would even recognize in them
> references unto the departure of the Manifestations of the
> names and attributes of God from out their native land and to
> the dwelling and establishment of the Universal Manifestation
> in an appointed and specially designated land. No man,
> however, can comprehend this except he who is possessed of
> an understanding heart." (KI:174)
> 
> In one of his Tablets40, „Abdu‟l-Bahá states the following:
> 
> "Abraham's migration from his native land caused the
> bountiful gifts of the All-Glorious to be made manifest, and the setting
> of Canaan's brightest star unfolded to the eyes the radiance of Joseph.
> The flight of Moses, the Prophet of Sinai, revealed the Flame of the
> Lord's burning Fire, and the rise of Jesus breathed the breaths of the
> Holy Spirit into the world. The departure of Muhammad, the Beloved
> of God, from the city of His Birth was the cause of the exaltation of
> God's Holy Word, and the exile and banishment of the Sacred Beauty
> led to the diffusion of the Light of His Divine Revelation throughout
> all regions. Take ye good heed, O people of insight!"
> 
> In "Some Answered Questions" (chapter IV, pp. 15-16; last paragraph
> cited in “God Passes By”, Chapter VII, p 107), „Abdu‟l-Bahá writes of
> the exile of Abraham and compares it to the exiles of other
> Manifestations of God:
> 
> Translated by Shoghi Effendi and quoted in a letter dated 9 April
> 1923 and addressed to a National Spiritual Assembly. The author is
> deeply grateful to the Research Department of the Bahá‟í World
> Centre for bringing this statement to his attention.
> "In consequence of His exile the descendants of Abraham
> became powerful, and the Holy Land was given to them in
> consequence of His exile a Moses and a being like Christ were
> manifested from His posterity, and Hagar was found from whom
> Ishmael was born, one of whose descendants was Muhammad. In
> consequence of His exile the Báb appeared from His posterity, and the
> Prophets of Israel were numbered among the descendants of
> Abraham. And so it will continue for ever and ever. Finally, in
> consequence of His exile the whole of Europe and most of Asia came
> under the protecting shadow of the God of Israel. See what a power it
> is that enabled a man who was a fugitive from His country to found
> such a family, to establish such a faith, and to promulgate such
> teachings. Can any one say that this occurred accidentally? We must
> be just--was this man an Educator or not?
> "Since the exile of Abraham from Ur to Aleppo in Syria
> produced this result, we must consider what will be the effect of the
> exile of Bahá‟u‟lláh in His several progresses from Tihran to Baghdad,
> from thence to Constantinople, to Roumelia, and to the Holy Land."
> 
> Shoghi Effendi writes in "God Passes By" (chapter VII, p. 107):
> 
> "This enforced and hurried departure of Bahá‟u‟lláh from His
> native land, accompanied by some of His relatives, recalls in some of
> its aspects, the precipitate flight of the Holy Family into Egypt; the
> sudden migration of Muhammad, soon after His assumption of the
> prophetic office, from Mecca to Medina; the exodus of Moses, His
> brother and His followers from the land of their birth, in response to
> the Divine summons, and above all the banishment of Abraham from
> Ur of the Chaldees to the Promised Land--a banishment which, in the
> multitudinous benefits it conferred upon so many divers peoples,
> faiths and nations, constitutes the nearest historical approach to the
> incalculable blessings destined to be vouchsafed, in this day, and in
> future ages, to the whole human race, in direct consequence of the
> exile suffered by Him Whose Cause is the flower and fruit of all
> previous Revelations."
> THIRTIETH PROOF:
> THE PROPHET OF GOD MUST COME FROM THE EAST
> 
> Every one of the Prophets of God has arisen in the East. „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá affirms that this has always been the case, and hence this is also
> one of the proofs of the Prophet. Shoghi Effendi quotes „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá's statement to this effect in "God Passes By" (chapter XVI, pp.
> 253-254):
> 
> "From the beginning of time until the present day," is „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá's own testimony, "the light of Divine Revelation hath risen in the
> East and shed its radiance upon the West. The illumination thus shed
> hath, however, acquired in the West an extraordinary brilliancy.
> Consider the Faith proclaimed by Jesus. Though it first appeared in
> the East, yet not until its light had been shed upon the West did the
> full measure of its potentialities become manifest." "The day is
> approaching," He has affirmed, "when ye shall witness how, through
> the splendor of the Faith of Bahá‟u‟lláh, the West will have replaced
> the East, radiating the light of Divine guidance."
> 
> While „Abdu‟l-Bahá only cites two Prophets in this passage in relation
> to this proof, Jesus and Bahá‟u‟lláh, in similar statements he refers to
> other Prophets who fulfilled this proof:
> 
> "In the Holy Books it is recorded that when the Sun of Truth
> dawns, it will appear in the East, and its light will be reflected in the
> West. Already its dawning has taken place in the East, and its signs are
> appearing in the West.
> "On Sunday last at Carnegie Hall the revered soul who
> introduced „Abdu‟l-Bahá gave voice to the statement that according to
> tradition demons would appear from the land of the sunrise, but now
> we find angels appearing instead. At the time this statement was made
> a reply was not possible, but today we will speak of it. The great
> spiritual lights have always appeared in the East. The Blessed
> Perfection, Bahá‟u‟lláh, appeared in the East. Jesus Christ dawned
> upon the horizon of the East. Moses, Aaron, Joseph and all the
> Israelitish prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah and others
> appeared from the Orient. The lights of Muhammad and the Báb
> shone from the East. The eastern horizon has been flooded with the
> effulgence of these great lights, and only from the East have they risen
> to shine upon the West." („Abdu‟l-Bahá at home of Mr. and Mrs.
> Kinney, New York, 17 April 1912, in PUP, p. 23)
> 
> "Therefore, it is shown that the divine Manifestations, the
> holy Mouthpieces of God, are the Collective Centers of God. These
> heavenly Messengers are the real Shepherds of humanity, for whenever
> They appear in the world They unite the scattered sheep. The
> Collective Center has always appeared in the Orient. Abraham,
> Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad were Collective Centers of Their day
> and time, and all arose in the East. Today Bahá‟u‟lláh is the Collective
> Center of unity for all mankind, and the splendor of His light has
> likewise dawned from the East." („Abdu‟l-Bahá at Church of the
> Ascension, New York, 2 June 1912, PUP, p. 165)
> 
> "I have come from distant countries of the Orient where the
> lights of heaven have ever shone forth, from regions where the
> Manifestations of God have appeared and the radiance and power of
> God have been revealed to mankind." („Abdu‟l-Bahá at Unitarian
> Church, Philadelphia, 9 June 1912, "Khitabat," p. 432; PUP, p. 172)
> 
> "In the Books of the Prophets certain glad tidings are
> recorded which are absolutely true and free from doubt. The East has
> ever been the dawning point of the Sun of Reality. All the Prophets of
> God have appeared there. The religions of God have been
> promulgated, the teachings of God have been spread and the law of
> God founded in the East. The Orient has always been the center of
> lights. The West has acquired illumination from the East, but in some
> respects the reflection of the light has been greater in the Occident."
> („Abdu‟l-Bahá at home of Madame Morey, 29 August 1912, PUP, p.
> 289)
> 
> "And ye who are the people of the Orient--the Orient which
> has ever been the dawning point of lights from whence the Sun of
> Reality has ever shone forth, casting its effulgence upon the West--ye,
> therefore, must become the manifestation of lights." („Abdu‟l-Bahá at
> Japanese YMCA, 7 October 1912, "Khitabat," p. 600)
> 
> Inasmuch as „Abdu‟l-Bahá has stated that all of the Prophets have
> dawned from the East "from the beginning of time until the present
> day" this is a universal proof of Prophethood.
> THIRTY-FIRST PROOF:
> PROPHET OF GOD ALWAYS APPEARS AMONG THE
> MOST SPIRITUALLY DEPRIVED AND DEGRADED OF
> MANKIND
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh seems to allude to this proof in this passage:
> 
> "Were these people, wholly for the sake of God and with no
> desire but His good-pleasure, to ponder the verses of the
> Book in their heart, they would of a certainty find whatsoever
> they seek. In its verses would they find revealed and manifest
> all things, be they great or small, that have come to pass in this
> Dispensation. They would even recognize in them references
> unto the departure of the Manifestations of the names and
> attributes of God from out their native land41; to the
> opposition and disdainful arrogance of government and
> people42; and the dwelling and establishment of the Universal
> Manifestation in an appointed and specially designated land."
> (KI:174)
> 
> The Manifestation invariably appears in “an appointed and specially
> designated land” which is, according to Shoghi Effendi, inhabited by
> the most spiritually deprived and depraved of mankind, hence those
> who are most in need of the redeeming grace of the Prophet of God,
> and whose transformation will most clearly demonstrate the divine
> influence of that Prophet. Shoghi Effendi has written eloquently, in
> "The Advent of Divine Justice"43, that the Prophets of God have
> invariably appeared to depraved peoples:
> 
> "How often have the Prophets of God, not excepting
> Bahá‟u‟lláh Himself, chosen to appear, and deliver their Message in
> countries and amidst peoples and races, at a time when they were
> either fast declining, or had already touched the lowest depths of
> moral and spiritual degradation.        The appalling misery and
> wretchedness to which the Israelites had sunk, under the debasing and
> tyrannical rule of the Pharaohs, in the days preceding their exodus
> 
> 41Please see the Twenty-Ninth Proof.
> 42Please see the Twenty-Eighth Proof.
> “The Advent of Divine Justice”, pp. 17-18. The author is most
> grateful to the Research Department of the Bahá‟í World Centre for
> bringing this passage from Shoghi Effendi's letter dated 25 December
> 1938 to the Bahá‟ís of Canada and the United States of America to his
> attention.
> from Egypt under the leadership of Moses; the decline that had set in
> the religious, the spiritual, the cultural, and the moral life of the Jewish
> people, at the time of the appearance of Jesus Christ; the barbarous
> cruelty, the gross idolatry and immorality, which had for so long been
> the most distressing features of the tribes of Arabia and brought such
> shame upon them when Muhammad arose to proclaim His Message in
> their midst; the indescribable state of decadence, with its attendant
> corruption, confusion, intolerance, and oppression, in both the civil
> and religious life of Persia, so graphically portrayed by the pen of a
> considerable number of scholars, diplomats, and travelers, at the hour
> of the Revelation of Bahá‟u‟lláh--all demonstrate this basic and
> inescapable fact. To contend that the innate worthiness, the high
> moral standard, the political aptitude, and social attainments of any
> race or nation is the reason for the appearance in its midst of any of
> these Divine Luminaries would be an absolute perversion of historical
> facts, and would amount to a complete repudiation of the undoubted
> interpretation placed upon them, so clearly and emphatically, by both
> Bahá‟u‟lláh and „Abdu‟l-Bahá.
> "How great, then, must be the challenge to those who,
> belonging to such races and nations, and having responded to the call
> which these Prophets have raised, to unreservedly recognize and
> courageously testify to this indubitable truth, that not by reason of any
> racial superiority, political capacity, or spiritual virtue which a race or
> nation might possess, but rather as a direct consequence of its crying
> needs, its lamentable degeneracy, and irremediable perversity, has the
> Prophet of God chosen to appear in its midst, and with it as a lever
> has lifted the entire human race to a higher and nobler plane of life
> and conduct. For it is precisely under such circumstances, and by such
> means that the Prophets have from time immemorial, chosen and
> were able to demonstrate their redemptive power to raise from the
> depths of abasement and of misery, the people of their own race and
> nation, empowering them to transmit in turn to other races and
> nations the saving grace and the energizing influence of their
> Revelation.
> "In the light of this fundamental principle it should be always
> borne in mind, nor can it be sufficiently emphasized, that the primary
> reason why the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh chose to appear in Persia, and to
> make it the repository of their Revelation, was because, of all the
> peoples and nations of the civilized world, that race and nation had, as
> so often depicted by „Abdu‟l-Bahá, sunk to such ignominious depths,
> and manifested so great a perversity, as to find no parallel among its
> contemporaries. For no more convincing proof could be adduced
> demonstrating the regenerating spirit animating the Revelations
> proclaimed by the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh than their power to transform
> what can be truly regarded as one of the most backward, the most
> cowardly, and perverse of peoples into a race of heroes, fit to effect in
> turn a similar revolution in the life of mankind."
> 
> Shoghi Effendi's emphatic formulation of this proof of Prophet must
> be applied to all Prophets, inasmuch as he affirms it to be "a
> fundamental principle." If we look for examples of this state of
> degradation, we find plenty in the Bible. For example, in the Book of
> Genesis (Bereshit), it is written in the sixth chapter:
> 
> "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
> earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
> was only evil continually.
> "And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the
> earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.
> "And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created
> from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the
> creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me
> that I have made them.
> "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (6:5-8)
> 
> Also in the story of Abraham, Moses, Jesus (generation of vipers),
> Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá‟u‟lláh we have clear examples of this
> which will be cited and discussed in subsequent volumes.
> THIRTY-SECOND PROOF:
> ALL PROPHETS FOUND CIVILIZATIONS
> 
> In "The Secret of Divine Civilization" ("Risalih-i-Madaniyyih"),
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá wrote, regarding the founding of true civilization:
> 
> "By the Lord God, and there is no God but He, even the
> minutest details of civilized life derive from the grace of the Prophets
> of God. What thing of value to mankind has ever come into being
> which was not first set forth either directly or by implication in the
> Holy Scriptures?" (p. 96)
> 
> This same principle is found affirmed in some of his talks in North
> America, published in "The Promulgation of Universal Peace":
> 
> "The Prophets of God have founded the laws of divine
> civilization." („Abdu‟l-Bahá to Unitarian Conference, Boston, 24 May
> 1912, "Khatirat," pp. 393/394; PUP, p. 142)
> 
> "The philosophers have founded material civilization. The
> Prophets have founded divine civilization. Christ was the Founder of
> heavenly civilization. Mankind receives the bounties of material
> civilization as well as divine civilization from the heavenly Prophets."
> („Abdu‟l-Bahá at Hotel Sacramento, 25 October 1912, PUP, p. 375)
> 
> In the application of this proof to each of the Prophets of God, we
> will find that each of those Prophets have been the Founders of great
> civilizations--Moses the Founder of Israelite and Jewish civilization;
> Zoroaster the Founder of Persian civilization; Krishna the Founder of
> Hindu civilization; Buddha the Founder of Buddhist civilization; Jesus
> the Founder of Christian civilization; and Muhammad the Founder of
> Islamic civilization. On the basis of the fulfillment of this proof by the
> other Prophets of God, „Abdu‟l-Bahá affirms that the Báb and
> Bahá‟u‟lláh are co-Founders of a universal human civilization which is
> gradually emerging during our own lifetimes.
> THIRTY-THIRD PROOF:
> ALL PROPHETS MANIFEST THE GLORY OF GOD
> 
> In the Torah and the Books of the Lesser Prophets there are many
> references to the radiance of "Kavod Adonai". Dr. Solomon
> Mandelkern, in his Biblical Concordance in Hebrew (with definitions
> of terms in Latin), entitled "Qonqordantsiah le-Tanakh", revised,
> corrected and completed by Rabbi Chaim Mordecai Brecher, with
> supplementary corrections and notes by Abraham Avrunin, published
> in New York by Shulsinger Brothers, 1955--has defined "Kavod" as
> "divitiae; opes; copia; honor, gloria, magnificentia, splendor, maiestas;
> praedicatio, hymnus" and in the English translations of the Bible we
> usually find this word translated as "Glory". In the book of Shmot
> (Exodus), the Prophet Moses has a conversation with the Lord God,
> which speaks directly to the heart of this subject and is therefore
> pertinent of a full citation here:
> 
> Exo 33:12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest
> unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know
> whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee
> by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 33:13 Now
> therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me
> now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy
> sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 33:14 And he
> said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
> 33:15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me,
> carry us not up hence. 33:16 For wherein shall it be known here
> that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in
> that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy
> people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
> 33:17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also
> that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight,
> and I know thee by name. 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee,
> shew me thy glory [Kavod]. 33:19 And he said, I will make all
> my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of
> the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be
> gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 33:20
> And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man
> see me, and live. 33:21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a
> place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 33:22 And it shall
> come to pass, while my glory [Kavod] passeth by, that I will put
> thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand
> while I pass by: 33:23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou
> shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
> The first reference to the radiance of "Kavod Adonai" becoming
> manifest in a Prophet is found in these verses of the Book of Exodus:
> 
> Exo 34:29: And it came to pass, when Moses came down
> from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses'
> hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist
> not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
> 34:30: And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw
> Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were
> afraid to come nigh him. 34:31: And Moses called unto them;
> and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto
> him: and Moses talked with them. 34:32: And afterward all the
> children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in
> commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in
> mount Sinai. 34:33: And till Moses had done speaking with
> them, he put a veil on his face. 34:34: But when Moses went
> in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off,
> until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the
> children of Israel that which he was commanded. 34:35: And
> the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of
> Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again,
> Until he went in to speak with him.
> 
> There are testimonies to this radiance of the "Glory of God" in the
> Scriptures associated with Krishna and Zoroaster. In "Bhagavad-Gita"
> we read, in chapter XI (verse 12):
> 
> "If the light of a thousand suns were to blaze forth all at once
> in the sky, that might resemble the splendour of that exalted
> Being." (translation by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, p. 273)
> 
> The seminal Zoroastrian principle which F.E.Peters transliterated as
> "xvarneh" ("A Reader in Classical Islam," Princeton, 1994, pp. 382-
> 383); A.V. Williams-Jackson rendered as "hvarneh" ("Encyclopaedia of
> Religion and Ethics," 1962, volume 2, p. 269); A.J. Carnoy
> transliterated as "xvarenanh" (Ibid., volume 12, p. 862); and Gherardo
> Gnoli as "khvarenah" ("The Enclopedia of Religion," 1987, volume
> 15, p. 587)--is described as that "Glory" and radiance which is
> possessed by kings and heros as a sign of the divine right of leadership,
> and associated at its apex with the Prophethood of Zoroaster.
> 
> In the Book of Isaiah we find a verse with "Kavod Adonai" which was
> translated into Greek in the Septuagint (LXX), into Arabic by Rabbi
> Saadia ben Yosef al-Fayyumi (ha-Gaon), and which we find in various
> English renderings. A comparison of this verse (35:2) finds that
> "Kavod Adonai" is "Doxa Theos" in Greek, "Karuma Allah" in
> Arabic, and "Glory" in English. In the Gospels we find references to
> the "doxa" of the Son of God (Gospel of John 1:14, 2:11, 17:5 and
> 17:22); to the "doxa" of the Son of Man (Gospel of Matthew 16:27).
> In one of the letters of Paul, his Second Epistle to the Corinthians
> (3:7-11), he says that "the children of Israel could not steadfastly
> behold the face of Moses for the glory [doxa] of his countenance".
> The Apocalypse of St. John of Patmos (21:23) tells of the heavenly
> Jerusalem, that "the glory [doxa] of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is
> the light thereof."
> 
> As for translations of the Bible into Arabic, the first of such renditions
> to be preserved to this day is that of Saadia ha-Gaon al-Fayyumi.
> Saadia has sometimes translated the "Kavod Adonai" as "Nur Allah"
> as in Exodus (24:16-17), Leviticus (9:6), and Isaiah (40:5). He has also
> translated "Kavod" as "Nur" as in Exodus (33:18-22). The LXX
> renders the "Kavod Adonai" of Isaiah 40:5 as "Doxa Kirios"--which
> Saadia translated as "Nur Allah".
> 
> There are many references to a radiance which emanated from the
> Prophet Muhammad, but as these are found in traditions (hadith) and
> biographies which are not entirely reliable sources, we will turn to the
> text of the Qur'an and to its interpretation by „Abdu‟l-Bahá, found in
> "Khitabat" (pp. 117-119) and in "Paris Talks" (pp. 68-70):
> 
> "This light of the intellect [nur-i-'aql] is the highest light that
> exists, for it is born of the Light Divine [nur ilahi].
> "The light of the intellect enables us to understand and realize
> all that exists, but it is only the Divine Light [nur ilahi] that can give us
> sight for the invisible things, and which enables us to see truths that
> will only be visible to the world thousands of years hence.
> "It was the Divine Light [nur ilahi] which enabled the
> prophets [anbaya'] to see two thousand years in advance what was
> going to take place and today we see the realization of their vision.
> Thus it is this Light which we must strive to seek, for it is greater than
> any other.
> "It was by this Light that Moses was enabled to see and
> comprehend the Divine Appearance [tajali al-wahiyyat], and to hear
> the Heavenly Voice spoke to him from the Burning Bush [Exodus
> 3:2].
> "It is of this Light Muhammad is speaking when he says,
> 'Allah is the light of the heavens, and of the earth.'" (Khatirat, pp. 17-
> 118; PT, p. 69)
> The Qur‟anic verse to which „Abdu‟l-Bahá refers here is from
> "Suratu'l-Nur" (24:36):
> 
> "Allah is the Light [nur] of the heavens and the earth. The
> similitude of His light is as a lustrous niche, wherein is a lamp.
> The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a glittering star.
> It is lit from a blessed tree--an olive--neither of the east nor of
> the west, whose oil would well-nigh glow forth even though
> fire touched it not. Light upon light! Allah guides to His light
> whomsoever He will. And Allah sets forth parables to men,
> and Allah knows all things full well." (translation of Mawlavi
> Sher Ali, p. 342)
> 
> It is notable that Paul uses the same imagery, of the radiance from
> God in a glass in this verse from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians
> (3:18):
> 
> "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory
> [doxa] of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
> glory [doxa] to glory [doxa], even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá wrote a Tablet ("Munkhatabati az Makatib „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá," No. 4, p. 14; "Selections from the Writings of „Abdu‟l-Bahá,"
> No. 4, p. 15) in which he sets forth this proof of Prophet in the case
> of Bahá‟u‟lláh:
> 
> "And among His signs [ayatih] are His splendours [anwarhi],
> rising [al-mashriqih] above the horizon of oneness [min afaq al-tawhid,
> His lights [ish'atahi] streaming out [as-salTa'ih] from the dayspring of
> might [min al-maTala' al-majid]"
> 
> In "Some Answered Questions," „Abdu‟l-Bahá refers to Bahá‟u‟lláh as
> "this great Light" (chapter IX, p. 35) and "the evident Light" (chapter
> X, p. 43). Furthermore, the Most Great Name (Ism-i-A'zam), "Baha'"
> or "Abha" in its superlative form, is rendered as "light, radiance,
> brilliancy" as well as "splendor, glory' beauty". But there is yet a more
> tangible sign of this proof in Bahá‟u‟lláh, and for a report in
> confirmation of this we go to the testimony of Aqa Siyyid Isma'il-I-
> Zavari'i, known as Dhabih, who described this meeting with
> Bahá‟u‟lláh to Muhammad Zarandi, Nabil-i-A'zam (cited in Balyuzi,
> "Bahá‟u‟lláh, King of Glory," pp. 132-133):
> 
> "What I have seen cannot be described. After I asked Him
> for spiritual sustenance, and He said that it had been granted to me,
> door after door opened upon my heart, and my soul became
> acquainted with thoughts not of this world. One night, in His biruni,
> His Blessed Person asked for a candle to peruse a paper, and I, as
> usual lost in wonderment at my own condition, suddenly thought: 'Is it
> possible that that visage, the sight of which the Chosen Ones and the
> Messengers of God had longed to behold, could be unveiled in a
> human temple?' and as soon as this thought passed through my mind,
> His blessed voice called out to me: 'Aqa Siyyid Isma'il, look!' and when
> I gazed at His blessed face, I saw that which no word can ever
> describe. All that I can say is this: it seemed as if a hundred thousand
> seas, vast and sunlit, billowed upon that Blessed Face. What happened
> then, I do not know. My last word to you is this: never ask for
> anything like this and be contented with what is given unto you, and
> always say, 'O God! Allow it all to end well with us'--and pray for me
> that my own end shall be well."
> 
> It is essential that students of the proofs of Prophethood recognize
> that the divine "glory" is not manifest in one Prophet alone and
> exclusively. No matter how much we may esteem Moses or Jesus,
> Muhammad or Krishna, Zoroaster or Buddha, the Báb or Bahá‟u‟lláh,
> we would fail to understand this proof if we were to regard any one of
> these Prophets of God as the only manifestation of divine "glory";
> likewise, if we allege that any one of the Prophets of God is deprived
> of this attribute, we have failed to understand the principle animating
> this proof. This, then, is one of the proofs of every Prophet of God.
> If it is true of one Prophet, then of all the Prophets.
> THIRTY-FOURTH PROOF:
> TESTING OF THE BELIEVERS IN EVERY
> DISPENSATION
> 
> In many verses of the "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh indicates that those
> who claim to believe in God and in His Prophets are tested in every
> Dispensation, and hence it appears that this testing is, in itself, a proof
> of authentic prophethood. He explains that there are two kinds of
> language employed in the holy Scriptures, and that the symbolic
> language is one of the means whereby the believers are tested, whereby
> their faith in God and His Prophets is found to be true or false,
> depending upon their understanding of the symbolic terms, and their
> fulfillment in the appearance of the new Prophet of God:
> 
> KI:254-255: "It is evident unto thee that the Birds of Heaven
> and Doves of Eternity speak a twofold language. One
> language, the outward language, is devoid of allusions, is
> unconcealed and unveiled; that it may be a guiding lamp and a
> beaconing light whereby wayfarers may attain the heights of
> holiness, and seekers may advance into the realm of eternal
> reunion. Such are the unveiled traditions and the evident
> verses already mentioned. The other language is veiled and
> concealed, so that whatever lieth hidden in the heart of the
> malevolent may be made manifest and their innermost being
> be disclosed. Thus hath Sadiq [1], son of Muhammad [2],
> spoken: 'God verily will test them and sift them.' This is the
> divine standard, this is the Touchstone of God, wherewith He
> proveth His servants. None apprehendeth the meaning of
> these utterances except them whose hearts are assured, whose
> souls have found favour with God, and whose minds are
> detached from all else but Him. In such utterances, the literal
> meaning, as generally understood by the people, is not what
> hath been intended."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has based this exposition upon Surat al-'Imran (3:7), in
> which it is revealed that there are two kinds of verses, muhkamatun and
> mutashabihatun, and that it is the latter which tests the hearts of men.
> He cites one of the traditions of Muhammad al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam,
> a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. This proof, which
> Bahá‟u‟lláh here articulates as "This is the divine standard, this is the
> Touchstone of God, wherewith He proveth His servants" is referred
> to in various other verses of "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:49: "Know verily that the purpose underlying all these
> symbolic terms and abstruse allusions, which emanate from
> the Revealers of God's holy Cause, hath been to test and
> prove the peoples of the world; that thereby the earth of the
> pure and illuminated hearts may be known from the
> perishable and barren soil. From time immemorial such hath
> been the way of God amidst His creatures, and to this testify
> the records of the sacred books."
> 
> KI: 52-53: "Yea, such things as throw consternation into the
> hearts of all men come to pass only that each soul may be
> tested by the touchstone of God, that the true may be known
> and distinguished from the false...
> "Were you to ponder, but for a while, these utterances in your
> heart, you would surely find the portals of understanding
> unlocked before your face, and would behold all knowledge
> and the mysteries thereof unveiled before your eyes. Such
> things take place only that the souls of men may develop and
> be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire.
> Otherwise, that ideal King hath, throughout eternity, been in
> His Essence independent of the comprehension of all beings,
> and will continue, for ever, in His own Being to be exalted
> above the adoration of every soul. A single breeze of His
> affluence doth suffice to adorn all mankind with the robe of
> wealth; and one drop out of the ocean of His bountiful grace
> is enough to confer upon all beings the glory of everlasting
> life. But inasmuch as the divine Purpose hath decreed that
> the true should be known from the false, and the sun from the
> shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season sent down upon
> mankind the showers of tests from His realm of glory."
> 
> One example of this test in action, the literal rather than symbolic
> understanding which most Muslims have of the title, “Seal of the
> Prophets” given to Muhammad in the Qur‟an [33:49], which literal
> understanding has prevented them from recognizing the Báb:
> 
> KI:161-162, 162: "Notwithstanding the obviousness of this
> theme, in the eyes of those that have quaffed the wine of
> knowledge and certitude, yet how many are those who,
> through failure to understand its meaning, have allowed the
> term “Seal of the Prophets” to obscure their understanding,
> and deprive them of the grace of all His manifold bounties!…
> "The mystery of this theme hath, in this Dispensation, been a
> sore test unto all mankind. Behold, how many are those who,
> clinging unto these words, have disbelieved Him Who is their
> true Revealer."
> Bahá‟u‟lláh affirms that God can compel all of humanity to embrace
> His Cause ("a single breeze...one drop..."), but that the purpose of
> God is to test the souls of men, and that this is the pattern in every
> Dispensation. He further indicates, that were certain of the symbolic
> verses to be fulfilled in the literal sense which many believers expected,
> this would so overwhelm the consciousness of men that they would be
> unable either to accept or reject the new Prophet of God; thereby
> God's purpose would be frustrated:
> 
> KI:80-81: "They have even failed to perceive that were the
> signs of the Manifestation of God to appear in every age in
> the visible realm in accordance with the text of established
> traditions, none could possibly deny or turn away, nor would
> the blessed be distinguished from the miserable, and the
> transgressor from the God-fearing. Judge fairly: Were the
> prophecies recorded in the Gospel to be literally fulfilled; were
> Jesus, Son of Mary, accompanied by angels, to descend from
> the visible heaven upon the clouds; who would dare to
> disbelieve, who would dare to reject the truth, and wax
> disdainful? Nay, such consternation would immediately seize
> all the dwellers of the earth that no soul would feel able to
> utter a word, much less to reject or accept the truth."
> 
> He also indicates that there is a way for each soul to pass this test, to
> discover the true meaning of the symbolic verses of Scripture:
> 
> KI:68-69: "Wert thou to cleanse the mirror of thy heart from
> the dust of malice, thou wouldst apprehend the meaning of
> the symbolic terms revealed by the all-embracing Word of
> God made manifest in every Dispensation, and wouldst
> discover the mysteries of divine knowledge. Not, however,
> until thou consumest with the flame of utter detachment
> those veils of idle learning, that are current amongst men,
> canst thou behold the resplendent morn of true knowledge."
> THIRTY-FIFTH PROOF:
> EVERY AGE THE LIGHT IS SEEMINGLY QUENCHED
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh points out that in every Age, that is, in every Dispensation
> associated with an independent Manifestation of God, it seems that
> the combined forces of the temporal world positively eclipse the
> radiance of that new Prophet:
> 
> KI:73: "You must undoubtedly have been informed of the
> tribulations, the poverty, the ills, and the degradation that
> have befallen every Prophet of God and His companions."
> 
> KI:126-127: "Were the verse 'And verily Our host shall
> conquer' [Qur'an 37:173] to be literally interpreted, it is
> evident that it would in no wise be applicable to the chosen
> Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn, whose
> heroism was manifest as the sun, crushed and subjugated,
> quaffed at last the cup of martyrdom in Karbila, the land of
> Taff. Similarly, the sacred verse 'Fain would they put out
> God's light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect
> His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.' [Qur'an XX:XXX]
> Were it to be literally interpreted it would never correspond
> with the truth. For in every age the light of God hath, to
> outward seeming, been quenched by the peoples of the earth,
> and the Lamps of God extinguished by them. How then
> could the ascendancy of the sovereignty of these Lamps be
> explained? What could the potency of God's will to 'perfect
> His light' signify? As hath already been witnessed, so great
> was the enmity of the infidels, that none of these divine
> Luminaries ever found a place for shelter, nor tasted of the
> cup of tranquillity. So heavily were they oppressed, that the
> least of men inflicted upon these Essences of being
> whatsoever he listed. These sufferings have been observed
> and measured by the people. How, therefore, can such people
> be capable of understanding and expounding these words of
> God, these verses of everlasting glory?"
> 
> TB:215: "How numerous the oppressors before thee who
> have arisen to quench the light of God, and how many the
> impious who murdered and pillaged until the hearts and souls
> of men groaned by reason of their cruelty? The sun of justice
> hath been obscured, inasmuch as the embodiment of tyranny
> hath been stablished upon the throne of hatred, and yet the
> people understand not." (Lawh-i-Burhan)
> Bahá‟u‟lláh does not restrict his references to the sufferings of the
> Prophets. He also writes of the sufferings of the followers of the
> Prophets, highlighting those of the Imam Husayn, the third Imam
> among the "chosen Ones" and "Lamps of God":
> 
> KI:73: "You must have heard how the heads of their followers
> were sent as presents unto different cities, how grievously they
> were hindered from that whereunto they were commanded.
> Each and every one of them fell a prey to the hands of the
> enemies of His Cause, and had to suffer whatsoever they
> decreed."
> 
> GL:XXIII:56-58: "Consider the former generations. Witness
> how every time the Day Star of Divine bounty hath shed the
> light of His Revelation upon the world, the people of His Day
> have arisen against Him, and repudiated His truth. They who
> were regarded as the leaders of men have invariably striven to
> hinder their followers from turning unto Him Who is the
> Ocean of God's limitless bounty.
> "Behold how the people, as a result of the verdict pronounced
> by the divines of His age, have cast Abraham, the Friend of
> God , into fire; how Moses, He Who held converse with the
> Almighty, was denounced as liar and slanderer. Reflect how
> Jesus, the Spirit of God, was, notwithstanding His extreme
> meekness and perfect tender-heartedness, treated by His
> enemies. So fierce was the opposition which He, the Essence
> of Being and Lord of the visible and invisible, had to face, that
> He had nowhere to lay His head. He wandered continually
> from place to place, deprived of a permanent abode. Ponder
> that which befell Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, may
> the life of all else be a sacrifice unto Him. How severe the
> afflictions which the leaders of the Jewish people and of the
> idol-worshipers caused to rain down upon Him, Who is the
> sovereign Lord of all, in consequence of His proclamation of
> the unity of God and of the truth of His Message! By the
> righteousness of My Cause! My Pen groaneth, and all created
> things weep with a great weeping, as a result of the woes He
> suffered at the hands of them that have broken the Covenant
> of God, violated His Testament, rejected His proofs, and
> disputed His signs. Thus recount We unto thee the tale of
> that which happened in days past, haply thou mayest
> comprehend.
> "Thou hast known how grievously the Prophets of God, His
> Messengers and Chosen Ones, have been afflicted. At no
> time, in no Dispensation, have the Prophets of God escaped
> the blasphemy of their enemies, the cruelty of their
> oppressors, the denunciation of the learned of their age, who
> appeared in the guise of uprightness and piety. Day and night
> they passed through such agonies as none can ever measure,
> except the knowledge of the one true God, exalted be His
> glory.
> "Consider this Wronged One. Though the clearest proofs
> attest the truth of His Cause; though the prophecies He, in an
> unmistakable language, hath made have been fulfilled; though,
> in spite of His not been accounted among the learned, His
> being unschooled and inexperienced in the disputations
> current among the divines, He hath rained upon men the
> showers of His manifold and Divinely-inspired knowledge;
> yet, behold how this generation hath rejected His authority,
> and rebelled against Him! He hath, during the greater part of
> His life, been sore-tried in the clutches of His enemies. His
> sufferings have now reached their culmination in this afflicted
> Prison, unto which His oppressors have so unjustly thrown
> Him."
> 
> In this passage, Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to Abraham, Moses, Jesus,
> Muhammad and himself as examples of "the Prophets of God", not
> one of whom has "escaped the blasphemy of their enemies, the cruelty
> of their oppressors, the denunciation of the learned of their age...such
> agonies as none can ever measure, except the knowledge of the one
> true God , exalted be His glory."
> 
> GL:XLVII:101-102: "O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying
> once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He
> hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you.
> Deal with Me as ye wish, for I have vowed to lay down My
> life in the path of God. I will fear no one, though the powers
> of earth and heaven be leagued against Me. Followers of the
> Gospel! If ye cherish the desire to slay Muhammad, the
> Apostle of God, seize Me and put an end to My life, for I am
> He, and My Self is His Self. Do unto Me as you like, for the
> deepest longing of Mine heart is to attain the presence of My
> Best-Beloved in His Kingdom of Glory. Such is the Divine
> decree, if ye know it. Followers of Muhammad! If it be your
> wish to riddle with your shafts the breast of Him Who hath
> caused His Book the Bayán to be sent down unto you, lay
> hands on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved,
> the revelation of His own Self, though My name be not His
> name. I have come in the shadows of the clouds of glory, and
> am invested by God with invincible sovereignty. He, verily, is
> the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I, verily, anticipate
> from you the treatment ye have accorded unto Him that came
> before Me. To this all things, verily, witness, if ye be of those
> who hearken. O people of the Bayán! If ye have resolved to
> shed the blood of Him Whose coming the Báb hath
> proclaimed, Whose advent Muhammad hath prophesied, and
> Whose Revelation Jesus Christ Himself hath announced,
> behold Me standing, ready and defenseless, before you. Deal
> with Me after your own desires."
> 
> In this Tablet, Bahá‟u‟lláh, personally affirming the station of "essential
> unity" (KI:152,176) of the "Manifestations of God" (KI:152,176), "the
> standpoint of their oneness and sublime detachment" (KI:177),
> specifically identifies himself as one and the same as Jesus, as
> Muhammad, as the Báb, and as Him Whom God shall manifest.
> 
> WOB:118-119: "Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God, for the
> wondrous revelations of Thine inscrutable decree and the
> manifold woes and trials Thou hast destined for myself. At
> one time Thou didst deliver me into the hands of Nimrod [1];
> at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod to persecute me
> [2].    Thou alone canst estimate, through Thine allencompassing knowledge and the operation of Thy Will, the
> incalculable afflictions I have suffered at their hands. Again
> Thou didst cast me into the prison cell of the ungodly for no
> reason except that I was moved to whisper into the ears of the
> well-favored denizens of Thy kingdom an intimation of the
> vision with which Thou hadst, through Thy knowledge,
> inspired me and revealed to me its meaning through the
> potency of Thy might [3]. And again Thou didst decree that I
> be beheaded by the sword of the infidel [4]. Again I was
> crucified for having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems
> of Thy glorious unity, for having revealed to them the
> wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power [5].
> How bitter the humiliations heaped upon me, in a subsequent
> age, on the plain of Karbila [6]! How lonely did I feel amidst
> Thy people; to what state of helplessness I was reduced in that
> land! Unsatisfied with such indignities, my persecutors
> decapitated me and carrying aloft my head from land to land
> paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving multitude and
> deposited it on the seats of the perverse and faithless. In a
> later age I was suspended and my breast was made the target
> to the darts of the malicious cruelty of my foes [7]. My limbs
> were riddled with bullets and my body was torn asunder.
> Finally, behold how in this day my treacherous enemies have
> leagued themselves against me, and are continually plotting to
> instill the venom of hate and malice into the souls of Thy
> servants [8]. With all their might they are scheming to
> accomplish their purpose...Grievous as is my plight, O God,
> my Well-beloved, I render thanks unto Thee, and my spirit is
> grateful for whatsoever hath befallen me in the path of Thy
> good-pleasure. I am well-pleased with that which Thou didst
> ordain for me, and welcome, however calamitous, the pains
> and sorrows I am made to suffer."
> 
> Again, in this Tablet, Bahá‟u‟lláh identifies himself as the One
> persecuted in the past in the Person of Abraham [1], Moses [2], Joseph
> [3], John the Baptist [4], Jesus [5], the Imam Husayn [6], and the Báb
> [7], as well as indicating that, once more, He is made to suffer the most
> grievous afflictions in this Age and with the name Bahá‟u‟lláh [8]. The
> identification of these persons is confirmed in a letter written on
> behalf of Shoghi Effendi by his secretary, quoted as #100 in
> "Directives from the Guardian" (New Delhi: BPT, n.d., p. 57):
> 
> "The names of those cited in Bahá‟u‟lláh's Prayer in the
> Dispensation [The Dispensation of Bahá‟u‟lláh, in WOB:97-157] are
> quite correct as you gave them (Abraham, Moses, Joseph, John the
> Baptist, Christ, Muhammad, Imam Husayn, the Báb and
> Bahá‟u‟lláh)…In the prayer mentioned above, Bahá‟u‟lláh identifies
> himself with Imam Husayn. This does not make the Imam Husayn a
> Prophet, but his position was very unique, and we know Bahá‟u‟lláh
> claims to be the 'return' of the Imam Husayn. He, in other words,
> identifies His Spirit with these Holy Souls gone before, that does not,
> of course, make Him any way their re-incarnation. Nor does it mean
> all of them were Prophets."
> THIRTY-SIXTH PROOF:
> PEOPLE KNOWN BY THEIR COUNTENANCE
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to another sign of each Dispensation, which might
> consequently serve as a proof of prophethood if fulfilled. In "Kitáb-i-
> ĺqán" he writes:
> 
> KI:173-174: "And it came to pass that on a certain day a
> needy man came to visit this Soul, craving for the ocean of
> His knowledge...We then asked him saying: 'Hast thou not
> read the Qur'an, and art thou not aware of this blessed verse:
> 'On that day shall neither man nor spirit be asked of his Sin?'
> [Qur'an 55:39] Dost thou not realize that by 'asking is not
> meant asking by tongue or speech, even as the verse itself
> doth indicate and prove it?' For afterward it is said: 'By their
> countenance shall the sinners be known, and they shall be
> seized by their forelocks and their feet.' [Qur'an 55:41]
> "Thus the peoples of the world are judged by their
> countenance. By it, their misbelief, their faith, and their
> iniquity are all made manifest. Even as it is evident in this day
> how the people of error are, by their countenance, known and
> distinguished from the followers of divine Guidance."
> 
> While it may not be apparent from the literal wording of this text, that
> Bahá‟u‟lláh associates this sign with every Dispensation, when one
> takes into account the references to this theme in the Qur'an (one of
> which is cited here by Bahá‟u‟lláh), in the Jewish and Christian
> Scriptures, it becomes clear that this sign is universal. Some selections
> from these Scriptures are cited below:
> 
> Exodus 13:9: "And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine
> hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's
> law may be in thy mouth..."
> 
> Exodus 13:16: "And it shall be for a token upon thine hand,
> and for frontlets between thine eyes..."
> 
> Deuteronomy 6:5-6: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God
> with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
> might.
> "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in
> thine heart..."
> 
> Deuteronomy 6:8: "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
> thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes."
> Deuteronomy 11:18: "Therefore shall ye lay up these my
> words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign
> upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your
> eyes."
> 
> The Torah speaks here of the sign upon the forehead, between the
> eyes, of the children of God, denoting their obedience to His law.
> Likewise, some of the other Hebrew prophets speak of the same
> principle, albeit in a broader context:
> 
> Proverbs 1:7-9: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
> knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
> "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not
> the law of thy mother:
> "For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and
> chains about thy neck."
> 
> Ezekiel 9:3-6: "And the glory of the God of Israel was gone
> up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of
> the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen,
> which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
> "And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the
> city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the
> foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the
> abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
> "And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him
> through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither
> have ye pity:
> "Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children, and
> women: but come not near any man upon whom is the
> mark..."
> 
> The frontlets between the eyes of the Israelites are not sufficient any
> longer to redeem them from the destruction of disbelief. Ezekiel
> indicates nonetheless that it is a mark upon the forehead which
> distinguishes the righteous from the unrighteous, those who are
> condemned to death from those who are saved for life. In the
> Christian Scriptures are found verses which point to the mark of the
> righteous and also the mark of the unrighteous. In this excerpt from
> the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus counsels his followers to put on the
> "phylacteries" which are the traditional response to the Torah's
> commandment to wear the Word of God as "frontlets" between the
> eyes:
> Matthew 23:1-5: "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
> "All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe
> and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do
> not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne,
> and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not
> move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they
> do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries,
> and enlarge the borders of their garments..."
> 
> The most copious source of verses on the importance of the human
> countenance is the Book of Revelation. The first such reference is to
> those who are "sealed" with the "seal of the living God...in their
> foreheads":
> 
> Apocalypse 7:2-3: "And I saw another angel descending from
> the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a
> loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt
> the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the
> sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God
> in their foreheads."
> 
> Apocalypse 9:4: "And it was commanded them that they
> should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing,
> neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal
> of God in their foreheads."
> 
> These citations from the Revelation (Apocalypse) of St. John are
> somewhat similar to the wording of the quote from the Book of
> Ezekiel. St. John continues as follows:
> 
> Apocalypse 7:4-5: "And I hear the number of them which
> were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and
> four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."
> 
> Apocalypse 14:1: "And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the
> mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four
> thousand, having his Father's name written in their
> foreheads."
> 
> These verses do not seem to have a parallel in the Jewish Scriptures,
> although the association of the "chosen people" ("many are called, but
> few are chosen" Matthew 20:16; 22:14) with the tribes of Israel, and
> with the number of those tribes--twelve--multiplied by itself and then
> by one thousand certainly has roots in the Torah, and in other books
> of the TANAKH. St. John also relates a vision of another sort of
> mark, one which identifies those who are unrighteous:
> 
> Apocalypse 13:11: "And I beheld another beast coming up out
> of the earth: and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake
> as a dragon...
> 
> Apocalypse 13:15-17: "And he had power to give life unto the
> image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
> speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image
> of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small
> and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in
> their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man
> might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of
> the beast, or the number of his name."
> 
> Apocalypse 14:9-11: "And the third angel followed them,
> saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his
> image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
> The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
> is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
> and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
> presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
> And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
> ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
> beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
> name."
> 
> In another verse, the Apocalypse specifically distinguished the
> righteous from those who have received the mark of the beast upon
> their foreheads:
> 
> Apocalypse 20:4: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,
> and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of
> them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the
> word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,
> neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
> foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with
> Christ a thousand years."
> 
> Apocalypse 22:3-4: "And there shall be no more curse: but the
> throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants
> shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall
> be in their foreheads."
> THIRTY-SEVENTH PROOF:
> LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD OF GOD
> 
> In every Age and Dispensation, the learned in religion and their
> followers interpret the Scriptures in a literal fashion, thereby fail to
> recognize the new Prophet of God. Bahá‟u‟lláh refers to this sign of
> the new prophetic Dispensation in these words, first in reference to
> the Jews, then to Christians, to Muslims, and finally to Bábis:
> 
> KI:17-19: "And when the days of Moses were ended, and the
> light of Jesus, shining forth from the dayspring of the Spirit,
> encompassed the world, all the people of Israel arose in
> protest against Him. They clamoured that He Whose advent
> the Bible had foretold must needs promulgate and fulfil the
> laws of Moses, whereas this youthful Nazarene, who laid
> claim to the station of the divine Messiah, had annulled the
> law of divorce and of the sabbath day--the most weighty of all
> the laws of Moses. Moreover, what of the signs of the
> Manifestation yet to come? These people of Israel are even
> unto the present day still expecting that Manifestation which
> the Bible hath foretold! How Manifestations of Holiness,
> how many Revealers of the light everlasting, have appeared
> since the time of Moses, and yet Israel, wrapt in the densest
> veils of satanic fancy and false imaginings, is still expecting
> that the idol of her own handiwork will appear with such signs
> as she herself hath conceived! Thus hath God laid hold on
> them for their sins, hath extinguished in them the spirit of
> faith, and tormented them with the flames of the nethermost
> fire. And this for no other reason except that Israel refused to
> apprehend the meaning of such words as have been revealed
> in the Bible concerning the signs of the coming Revelation.
> As she never grasped their true significance, and, to outward
> seeming, such events never came to pass, she, therefore,
> remained deprived of recognizing the beauty of Jesus and of
> beholding the face of God. And they still await His coming!
> From time immemorial even unto this day, all the kindreds
> and peoples of the earth have clung to such fanciful and
> unseemly thoughts, and thus have deprived themselves of the
> clear waters streaming from the springs of purity and
> holiness."
> 
> KI:80-83: "As the adherents of Jesus have never understood
> the hidden meaning of these words, and as the signs which
> they are the leaders of their Faith have expected have failed to
> appear, they therefore refused to acknowledge, even until
> now, the truth of those Manifestations of Holiness that have
> since the days of Jesus been made manifest. They have thus
> deprived themselves of the outpourings of God's holy grace,
> and of the wonders of His divine utterance. Such is their low
> estate in this, the Day of Resurrection! They have even failed
> to perceive that were the signs of the Manifestation of God to
> appear in every age in the visible realm in accordance with the
> text of established traditions, none could possibly deny or turn
> away, nor would the blessed be distinguished from the
> miserable, and the transgressor from the God-fearing. Judge
> fairly: Were the prophecies recorded in the Gospel to be
> literally fulfilled; were Jesus, Son of Mary, accompanied by
> angels, to descend from the visible heaven upon the clouds;
> who would dare to disbelieve, who would dare to reject the
> truth, and wax disdainful? Nay, such consternation would
> immediately seize all the dwellers of the earth that no soul
> would feel able to utter a word, much less to reject or accept
> the truth. It was owing to their misunderstanding of these
> truths that many a Christian divine hath objected to
> Muhammad, and voiced his protest in such words: 'If Thou
> art in truth the promised Prophet, why then art Thou not
> accompanied by those angels our sacred Books foretold, and
> which must needs descend with the promised Beauty to assist
> Him in His Revelation and act as warners unto His people?'
> Even as the All-Glorious hath recorded their statement: 'Why
> hath not an angel been sent down to him, so that he should
> have a warner with Him?' [Qur'an 25:7]
> "Such objections and differences have persisted in every age
> and century. The people have always busied themselves with
> such specious discourses, vainly protesting: „Wherefore hath
> not this or that sign appeared?‟ Such ills befell them only
> because they have clung to the ways of the divines of the age
> in which they lived, and blindly imitated them in accepting or
> denying these Essences of Detachment, these holy and divine
> Beings. These leaders, owing to their immersion in selfish
> desires, and their pursuit of transitory and sordid things, have
> regarded these divine Luminaries as being opposed to the
> standards of their knowledge and understanding, and the
> opponents of their ways and judgments. As they have literally
> interpreted the Word of God, and the sayings and traditions
> of the Letters of Unity, and expounded them according to
> their deficient understanding, they have therefore deprived
> themselves and all their people of the bountiful showers of
> the grace and mercies of God. And yet they bear witness to
> this well-known tradition: „Verily Our Word is abstruse,
> bewilderingly abstruse.‟ In another instance, it is said: „Our
> Cause is sorely trying, highly perplexing; none can bear it
> except a favorite of heaven, or an inspired Prophet, or he
> whose faith God hath tested.‟ These leaders of religion admit
> that none of these three conditions is applicable to them. The
> first two conditions are manifestly beyond their reach; as to
> the third, it is evident that at no time have they been proof
> against those tests that have been sent by God, and that when
> the divine Touchstone appeared, they have shown themselves
> to be naught but dross."
> 
> KI:213-215: "Even as thou dost witness how the people of
> the Qur'an, like unto the people of old, have allowed the
> words 'Seal of the Prophets' to veil their eyes. And yet, they
> themselves testify to this verse:          'None knoweth the
> interpretation thereof but God and they that are wellgrounded in knowledge.' [Qur'an 3:7] And when He Who is
> well-grounded in all knowledge, He Who is the Mother, the
> Soul, the Secret, and the Essence thereof, revealeth that which
> is the least contrary to their desire, they bitterly oppose Him
> and shamelessly deny Him. These thou hast already heard and
> witnessed. Such deeds and words have been solely instigated
> by leaders of religion, they that worship no God but their own
> desire, who bear allegiance to naught but gold, who are wrapt
> in the densest veils of learning, and who, enmeshed by its
> obscurities, are lost in the wilds of error. Even as the Lord of
> being hath explicitly declared: 'What thinkest thou? He who
> hath made a God of his passions, and whom God causeth to
> err through a knowledge, and whose ears and whose heart He
> hath sealed up, and over whose sight He hath cast a veil--who,
> after his rejection by God, shall guide such a one? Will ye not
> then be warned?' [Qur'an 45:22]
> "Although the outward meaning of 'Whom God causeth to
> err through a knowledge' is what hath been revealed, yet to Us
> it signifieth those divines of the age who have turned away
> from the Beauty of God, and who, clinging unto their own
> learning, as fashioned by their own fancies and desires, have
> denounced God's divine Message and Revelation. 'Say: it is a
> weighty Message, from which ye turn aside!' [Qur'an 38:67]
> Likewise, He saith: 'And when Our clear verses are recited to
> them, they say, "This is merely a man who would fain pervert
> you from your father's worship." And they say, "This is none
> other than forget falsehood."' [Qur'an 34:43]
> "Give ear unto God's holy Voice, and heed thou His sweet
> and immortal melody. Behold how He hath solemnly warned
> them that have repudiated the verses of God, and hath
> disowned them that have denied His holy words."
> 
> KI:248: "We entreat the learned men of the Bayán not to
> follow in such ways, not to inflict, at the time of Mustaghath,
> upon Him Who is the divine Essence, the heavenly Light, the
> absolute Eternity, the Beginning and End of the
> Manifestations of the Invisible, that which hath been inflicted
> in this day. We beg them not to depend upon their intellect,
> their comprehension and learning, nor to contend with the
> Revealer of celestial and infinite knowledge."
> 
> JA:14: "Should they say: "These words are indeed from God,
> and have no interpretation other than their outward meaning",
> then what objection can they raise against the unbelievers
> among the people of the Book? For when the latter saw the
> aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard the
> literal interpretations of their divines, they refused to
> recognize God in those who are the Manifestations of His
> unity, the Exponents of His singleness, and the Embodiments
> of His sanctity, and failed to believe in them and submit to
> their authority. The reason was that they did not see the sun
> darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels
> visibly descend upon the earth, and hence they contended
> with the Prophets and Messengers of God. Nay, inasmuch as
> they found them at variance with their own faith and creed,
> they hurled against them such accusations of imposture, folly,
> waywardness, and misbelief as I am ashamed to re-count.
> Refer to the Qur'án, that thou mayest find mention of all this
> and be of them that understand its meaning. Even to this day
> do these people await the appearance of that which they have
> learned from their doctors and imbibed from their divines.
> Thus do they say: "When shall these signs be made manifest,
> that we may believe?" But if this be the case, how could ye
> refute their arguments, invalidate their proofs, and challenge
> them concerning their faith and their understanding of their
> Books and the sayings of their leaders?"
> 
> This theme, of the literal interpretation of Scripture, is discussed by
> Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" (pp. 26, 32, 80-84, 126-127, 220, 255-256)
> and "Jawahiru‟l-Asrar" (pp. 22-24, 48, 72-73); by „Abdu‟l-Bahá in
> "Some Answered Questions" (pp. 38, 85, 100, 106, 111, 123), in
> "Foundations of World Unity" (pp. 74, 75, 108), and in "The
> Promulgation of Universal Peace" (pp. 199, 245, 246, 291-293, 370,
> 416, 459, 460, 463) and in "Bahá‟í World Faith" (p. 280). Shoghi
> Effendi also wrote regarding the limitations of literal interpretations of
> Scripture, in letters quoted in "Directives from the Guardian" (p. 65),
> "Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand" (p. 41),
> "Dawn of a New Day" (pp. 79-80, 200, 202), "Unfolding Destiny" (p.
> 427), "Lights of Divine Guidance" (volume II, pp. 66, 66-67), and in
> his book, "God Passes By" (pp. 151-152). While most of the
> references in these works critique the literal interpretation of Scriptural
> verses, particularly by the clergy of every religion, and the obstacle
> which such interpretations have been, in every Age, to the recognition
> of the new Prophet of God, this should not be taken as a statement of
> blanket approval for a metaphorical interpretation of all Scriptural
> language.
> 
> As was indicated by Bahá‟u‟lláh in "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" (pp. 254-255), and in
> the Surat al-'Imran (Qur'an 3:7), there are two kinds of divine verses.
> Some of them are meant to be interpreted in a literal fashion.
> Bahá‟u‟lláh affirmed this to be the case in "Kitab-i-Aqdas," as follows:
> 
> KA:#144: "Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from
> God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is
> assuredly a lying impostor...Whosoever interpreteth this verse
> otherwise than its obvious meaning is deprived of the Spirit of
> God and of His mercy which encompasseth all created things.
> Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. Nay, rather
> follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise."
> (GLCLXV:346)
> 
> It is evident, from the language associated with this statement, that the
> literal interpretation of the divine verses may be a test to the believers
> and an obstacle to their recognition of the new Prophet of God in yet
> another fashion from that which has been described heretofore. If the
> believers fail to adhere to the literal interpretation of those verses
> which are mean to be understood according to their "obvious
> meaning" then that literal interpretation becomes a test of their faith,
> inasmuch as the one who strays from the authentic literal
> interpretation is "assuredly a lying impostor" and "is deprived of the
> Spirit of God and of His mercy". Likewise, if the believer does not
> adhere to this literal interpretation when intended by God, he will be
> tempted to consider the claims of prophetic pretenders who arise "ere
> the expiration of a full thousand years"--and as most readers will
> readily recognize, there have been a host of such pretenders who have
> arisen during the century since the ascension of Bahá‟u‟lláh. If those
> believers are seduced by such pretenders, they will fail to recognize the
> station of Bahá‟u‟lláh, whose divine authority reigns supreme over
> humankind until the coming of the next Prophet of God. Literal
> interpretation is a double-edged sword: when it is adhered to when the
> divine intention is symbolic, and when it is not adhered to when the
> divine intention is straightforward, in both cases it may result in souls
> failing to recognize the new Prophet.
> THIRTY-EIGHTH PROOF:
> OPPRESSION IN EVERY DISPENSATION
> 
> One of the proofs of the Prophets of God, is that there will come a
> time when, to employ the words of Krishna in the "Bhagavad-Gita"
> (Chapter IV, verse 7):
> 
> "Whenever there is a decline of righteousness [dharma] and
> rise of unrighteousness, O Bharata [Arjuna], then I send forth
> Myself." (translation of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, p. 154)
> 
> This verse is echoed in "Bhagavata" (volume IX, chapter 24, verse 56):
> 
> "Whenever       righteousness      [dharma]     wanes,  and
> unrighteousness increases the Almighty Lord, Hari, creates
> himself." (translation of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, p. 154)
> 
> It is at this time that the new Prophet of God becomes manifest in the
> world of creation. Bahá‟u‟lláh cites from the Gospel of Matthew in
> "Kitáb-i-ĺqán":
> 
> KI:24: "In the first Gospel according to Matthew it is
> recorded: And when they asked Jesus concerning the signs of
> His coming, He said unto them: 'Immediately after the
> oppression of those days shall the sun be darkened...'"
> 
> The King James Version gives the following version of this verse:
> 
> Matthew 24:29: "Immediately after the tribulation of those
> days shall the sun be darkened..."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh translates this verse from its Arabic version (which he has
> earlier cited) into Persian as follows:
> 
> KI:25: "When the oppression and afflictions that are to befall
> mankind will have come to pass, then shall the sun be
> withheld from shining..."
> 
> He then explains this verse some pages later:
> 
> KI:29: "As to the words--'Immediately after the oppression of
> those days'--they refer to the time when men shall become
> oppressed and afflicted, the time when the lingering traces of
> the Sun of Truth and the fruit of the Tree of knowledge and
> wisdom will have vanished from the midst of men, when the
> reigns of mankind will have fallen into the grasp of the foolish
> and ignorant, when the portals of divine unity and
> understanding--the essential and highest purpose in creation--
> will have been closed, when certain knowledge will have given
> way to idle fancy, and corruption will have usurped the station
> of righteousness."
> 
> Even as he has affirmed that all of the signs cited in the Gospels by
> Jesus refer not only to the appearance of Muhammad, but to the
> advent of all of the Manifestations of God, Bahá‟u‟lláh seems to affirm
> that this "oppression" takes place prior to the coming of every Prophet
> of God. He continues his interpretation, relating it to his own time:
> 
> KI:29-30: "Such a condition as this is witnessed in this day
> when the reigns of every community have fallen into the grasp
> of foolish leaders, who lead after their own whims and desire.
> On their tongue the mention of God hath become an empty
> name; in their midst His holy Word a dead letter. Such is the
> sway of their desires, that the lamp of conscience and reason
> hath been quenched in their hearts, and this although the
> fingers of divine power have unlocked the portals of the
> knowledge of God, and the light of divine knowledge and
> heavenly grace hath illumined and inspired the essence of all
> created things, in such wise that in each and every thing a
> door of knowledge hath been opened, and within every atom
> traces of the sun hath been made manifest...
> 
> KI:31-32: "What 'oppression' is greater than that which hath
> been recounted? What 'oppression' is more grievous than that
> a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to obtain unto the
> knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and
> from whom to seek it? For opinions have sorely differed, and
> the ways unto the attainment of God have multiplied. This
> 'oppression' is the essential feature of every Revelation.
> Unless it cometh to pass, the Sun of Truth will not be made
> manifest. For the break of the morn of divine guidance must
> needs follow the darkness of the night of error. For this
> reason, in all the chronicles and traditions reference hath been
> made unto these things, namely that iniquity shall cover the
> surface of the earth and darkness envelop mankind."
> THIRTY-NINTH PROOF:
> RETURN OF THE PROPHETS AND THEIR CHOSEN
> ONES
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh indicates that the Scriptural language which pertains to
> spiritual life is not meant to be understood literally, and that this has
> always been the case, in every Dispensation:
> 
> KI:116-117: "Nay, by „trumpet‟ is meant the trumpet-call of
> Muhammad‟s Revelation, which was sounded in the heart of
> the universe, and by „resurrection‟ is meant His own rise to
> proclaim the Cause of God. He bade the erring and wayward
> arise and speed out of the sepulchres of their bodies, arrayed
> them with the beauteous robe of faith, and quickened them
> with the breath of a new and wondrous life."
> 
> KI:118-119: "Such things have come to pass in the days of
> every Manifestation of God. Even as Jesus said: „Ye must be
> born again.‟ [John 3:7] Again He saith: „Except a man be
> born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
> Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
> and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.‟[John 3:5-6] The
> purport of these words is that whatsoever in every
> dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the
> breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those
> that have attained unto „life‟ and „resurrection‟ and have
> entered into the „paradise‟ of the love of God. And
> whosoever is not of them, is condemned to „death‟ and
> „deprivation,‟ to the „fire‟ of unbelief, and to the „wrath‟ of
> God. In all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the
> sentence of death, of fire, of blindness, of want of
> understanding and hearing, hath been pronounced against
> those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup of true
> knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived of the grace
> of the holy Spirit in their day. Even as it hath been previously
> recorded: „Hearts have they with which they understand not.‟
> [Qur‟an 7:178]
> "In another passage of the Gospel it is written: „And it came
> to pass that on a certain day the father of one of the disciples
> of Jesus had died. That disciple reporting the death of his
> father unto Jesus, asked for leave to go and bury him.
> Whereupon Jesus, that Essence of Detachment, answered and
> said: “Let the dead bury their dead.”" [Luke 9:60]
> KI:120-121: "In every age and century, the purpose of the
> Prophets of God and their chosen ones hath been no other
> than to affirm the spiritual significance of the terms „life,‟
> „resurrection,‟ and „judgment.‟...Wert thou to attain to but a
> dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou
> wouldst readily realize that true life is not the life of the flesh
> but the life of the spirit. For the life of the flesh is common
> to both men and animals, whereas the life of the spirit is
> possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from
> the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This
> life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by
> immortality. Even as it hath been said: „He who is a true
> believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come.‟
> If by „life‟ be meant this earthly life, it is evident that death
> must needs overtake it."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has indicated that even as these terms relating to spiritual
> life in the Scriptures are to be understood symbolically, relating to the
> life of faith and not to the life of the mortal flesh, likewise he has
> affirmed that the references to the „return‟ of the Prophets and their
> chosen ones are to be understood in a similar fashion. He begins by
> demonstrating the absurdity of a literal interpretation of certain
> Qur‟anic verses which refer to the „return‟ of the Prophets and their
> chosen ones:
> 
> KI:148-149: "And it came to pass that on a certain day a
> number of the opponents of that peerless Beauty, those that
> had strayed far from God‟s imperishable Sanctuary, scornfully
> spoke these words unto Muhammad: „Verily, God hath
> entered into a covenant with us that we are not to credit an
> apostle until he present us a sacrifice which fire out of heaven
> shall devour.‟ [Qur‟an 3:183] The purport of this verse is that
> God hath covenanted with them that they should not believe
> in any messenger unless he work the miracle of Abel and
> Cain, that is, offer a sacrifice, and the fire from heaven
> consume it; even as they had heard it recounted in the story of
> Abel, which story is recorded in the scriptures. To this,
> Muhammad, answering, said: „Already have Apostles before
> me come to you with sure testimonies, and with that of which
> ye speak. Wherefore slew ye them? Tell me, if ye are men of
> truth.‟ [Qur‟an 3:182] And now, be fair; how could those
> people living in the days of Muhammad have existed,
> thousands of years before, in the age of Adam or other
> Prophets?      Why should Muhammad, that Essence of
> truthfulness, have charged the people of His day with the
> murder of Abel or other Prophets? Thou hast none other
> alternative except to regard Muhammad as an impostor or a
> fool--which God forbid!--or to maintain that those people of
> wickedness were the self-same people who in every age
> opposed and caviled at the Prophets and Messengers of God,
> till they finally caused them all to suffer martyrdom."
> 
> KI:150-152: "Likewise, Muhammad, in another verse, uttereth
> His protest against the people of that age. He saith: „Although
> they had before prayed for victory over those who believed
> not, yet when there came unto them, He of Whom they had
> knowledge, they disbelieved in Him. The curse of God on the
> infidels!‟ [Qur‟an 2:89] Reflect how this verse also implieth
> that the people living in the days of Muhammad were the
> same people who in the days of the Prophets of old
> contended and fought in order to promote the Faith, and
> teach the Cause, of God. And yet, how could the generations
> living at the time of Jesus and Moses, and those who lived in
> the days of Muhammad, be regarded as being actually one and
> the same people? Moreover, those whom they had formerly
> known were Moses, the Revealer of the Pentateuch, and Jesus,
> the Author of the Gospel. Notwithstanding, why did
> Muhammad say: „When He of Whom they had knowledge
> came unto them‟--that is Jesus or Moses—„they disbelieved in
> Him‟? Was not Muhammad to outward seeming called by a
> different name? Did He not come forth out of a different
> city? Did He not speak a different language, and reveal a
> different Law? How then can the truth of this verse be
> established, and its meaning be made clear?
> "Strive therefore to comprehend the meaning of „return‟
> which hath been so explicitly revealed in the Qur‟an itself, and
> which none hath as yet understood. What sayest thou? If
> thou sayest that Muhammad was the „return‟ of the Prophets
> of old, as is witnessed by this verse, His companions must
> likewise be the „return‟ of the bygone companions, even as the
> „return‟of the former people is clearly attested by the text of
> the above-mentioned verses. And if thou deniest this, thou
> hast surely repudiated the truth of the Qur‟an, the surest
> testimony of God unto men. In like manner, endeavour to
> grasp the significance of „return,‟ „revelation,‟ and
> „resurrection,‟ as witnessed in the days of the Manifestations
> of the divine Essence, that thou mayest behold with thine
> own eyes the „return‟ of the holy souls into sanctified and
> illumined bodies, and mayest wash away the dust of
> ignorance, and cleanse the darkened self with the waters of
> mercy flowing from the Source of divine Knowledge; that
> perchance thou mayest, through the power of God and the
> light of divine guidance, distinguish the Morn of everlasting of
> splendour form the darksome night of error."
> 
> KI:152-153: "Thus hath Muhammad, the Point of the Qur‟an,
> revealed: „I am all the Prophets.‟ Likewise, He saith: „I am the
> first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus.‟" (see KI:162)
> 
> KI:153-154: "It is clear and evident to thee that all the
> Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have
> appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt observe with
> discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all abiding in the
> same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the
> same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the
> same Faith. Such is the unity of those Essences of being,
> those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable splendour.
> Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of Holiness
> proclaim saying: „I am the return of all the Prophets,‟ He
> verily speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent
> Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact, the
> truth of which is firmly established. Inasmuch as the return of
> the Prophets of God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath
> been conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen
> ones also is therefore definitely proven. This return is too
> manifest in itself to require any evidence or proof."
> 
> KI:158-160: "O brother, behold how the inner mysteries of
> „rebirth,‟ of „return,‟ and of „resurrection‟ have each, through
> these all-sufficing, these unanswerable, and conclusive
> utterances, been unveiled and unravelled before thine eyes.
> God grant that through His gracious and invisible assistance,
> thou mayest divest thy body and soul of the old garment, and
> array thyself with the new and imperishable attire.
> “Therefore, those who in every subsequent Dispensation
> preceded the rest of mankind in embracing the Faith of God,
> who quaffed the clear waters of knowledge at the hand of the
> divine Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits of faith and
> certitude, these can be regarded, in name, in reality, in deeds,
> in words, and in rank, as the „return‟ of those who in a former
> Dispensation had achieved similar distinctions.              For
> whatsoever the people of a former Dispensation have
> manifested, the same hath been shown by the people of this
> latter generation. Consider the rose: whether it blossometh in
> the East or in the West, it is none the less a rose. For what
> mattereth in this respect is not the outward shape and form of
> the rose, but rather the smell and fragrance which it doth
> impart.
> “Purge thy sight, therefore, from all earthly limitations, that
> thou mayest behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the
> exponents of one Cause, the manifestations of one Self, and
> the revealers of one Truth, and that thou mayest apprehend
> the mystic „return‟ of the Words of God as unfolded by these
> utterances. Reflect for a while upon the behaviour of the
> companions of the Muhammadan Dispensation. Consider
> how, through the reviving breath of Muhammad, they were
> cleansed from the defilements of earthly vanities, were
> delivered from selfish desires, and were detached from all else
> but Him. Behold how they preceded all the peoples of the
> earth in attaining unto His holy Presence--the Presence of
> God Himself--how they renounced the world and all that is
> therein, and sacrified freely and joyously their lives at the feet
> of that Manifestation of the All-Glorious. And now, observe
> the return of the self-same determination, the self-same
> constancy and renunciation, manifested by the companions of
> the Point of the Bayán. Thou hast witnessed how these
> companions have, through the wonders of the grace of the
> Lord of Lords, hoisted the standards of sublime renunciation
> upon the inaccessible heights of glory. These Lights have
> proceeded from but one Source, and these fruits are the fruits
> of one Tree. Thou canst discern neither difference nor
> distinction among them. All this is by the grace of God! On
> whom He will, He bestoweth His grace."
> 
> KI:161: "From these statements therefore it hath been made
> evident and manifest that should a Soul in the „End that
> knoweth no end‟ be made manifest and arise to proclaim and
> uphold a Cause which in „the Beginning that hath no
> beginning‟ another Soul had proclaimed and upheld, it can be
> truly declared of Him Who is the Last and of Him Who was
> the First that they are one and the same, inasmuch as both are
> the Exponents of one and the same Cause. For this reason,
> hath the Point of the Bayán—may the life of all else but Him
> be His sacrifice!—likened the Manifestations of God unto the
> sun which, though it rise from the „Beginning that hath no
> beginning‟ until the „End that knoweth no end,‟ is none the
> less the same sun. Now, wert thou to say, that this sun is the
> former sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest that
> this sun is the „return‟ of that sun, thou also speakest the truth.
> Likewise, from this statement it is made evident that the term
> „first‟ applicable to the „last‟; inasmuch as both the „first‟ and
> the „last‟ have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith."
> 
> KI:162: "Hath not Muhammad, Himself, declared: „I am all
> the Prophets‟? Hath He not said as We have already
> mentioned: „I am Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus‟? Why
> should Muhammad, that immortal Beauty, Who hath said: „I
> am the first Adam‟ be incapable of saying also: „I am the last
> Adam‟? For even as He regarded Himself to be the „First of
> the Prophets‟--that is Adam--in like manner, the „Seal of the
> Prophets‟ is also applicable unto that divine Beauty. It is
> admittedly obvious that being the „First of the Prophets,‟ He
> likewise is their „Seal.‟"
> 
> KI:179: "Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers of
> that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And were they all
> to proclaim: „I am the Seal of the Prophets,‟ they verily utter
> but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they
> are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one
> revelation."
> FORTIETH PROOF:
> REJECTION OF PROPHET IN EVERY DISPENSATION
> BECAUSE HE DOES NOT CONFORM TO CURRENT
> UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
> 
> In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh addresses the diversity of the claims
> made by the Prophets of God and concludes with this weighty
> affirmation:
> 
> KI:181-182: "Those words uttered by the Luminaries of Truth
> must needs be pondered, and should their significance not be
> grasped, enlightenment should be sought from the Trustees of
> the depositories of Knowledge, that these may expound their
> meaning, and unravel their mystery. For it behooveth no man
> to interpret the holy words according to his own imperfect
> understanding, nor, having found them to be contrary to his
> inclination and desires, to reject and repudiate their truth. For
> such, today, is the manner of the divines and doctors of the
> age, who occupy seats of knowledge and learning, and who
> have named ignorance knowledge, and called oppression
> justice. Were these to ask the Light of Truth concerning
> those images which their idle fancy hath carved, and were they
> to find His answer inconsistent with their own conceptions
> and their own understanding of the Book, they would
> assuredly denounce Him Who is the Mine and Wellhead of all
> Knowledge as the very negation of understanding. Such
> things have happened in every age."
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh issues a challenge to each of us, that we do our utmost to
> comprehend the reason for the rejection of the Prophets of God in
> every Dispensation:
> 
> GL:XXXV:82-83: "Ponder a while. What is it that prompted,
> in every Dispensation, the peoples of the earth to shun the
> Manifestation of the All-Merciful? What could have impelled
> them to turn away from Him and to challenge His authority?
> Were men to meditate on these words which have flowed
> from the Pen of the Divine Ordainer, they would, one and all,
> hasten to embrace the truth of this God-given, and everenduring Revelation, and would testify to that which He
> Himself hath solemnly affirmed. It is the veil of idle
> imaginations which, in the days of the Manifestations of the
> Unity of God and the Day Springs of His everlasting glory,
> hath intervened, and will continue to intervene, between them
> and the rest of mankind. For in those days, He Who is the
> Eternal Truth manifesteth Himself in conformity with that
> which He Himself hath purposed, and not according to the
> desires and expectations of men. Even as He hath revealed:
> 'So oft, then, as an Apostle cometh to you with that which
> your souls desire not, do ye swell with pride, and treat some as
> impostors, and slay others.' [Qur'an XX:XXX]
> "There can be no doubt whatever that had these Apostles
> appeared in bygone ages and cycles, in accordance with the
> vain imaginations which the hearts of men have devised, no
> one would have repudiated the truth of these sanctified
> Beings. Though such men have been, night and day,
> remembering the one true God, and have devoutly engaged in
> the exercise of their devotions, yet they failed in the end to
> recognized, and partake of the grace of, the Day Springs of
> the signs of God and the Manifestations of His irrefutable
> evidences. To this the Scriptures bear witness. Thou hast, no
> doubt, heard about it."
> 
> In "Kitáb-i-ĺqán" Bahá‟u‟lláh has alluded to this fact, that devout
> adherence to religious obligations does not specialize souls for
> recognizing the new Prophet of God:
> 
> KI:238: "The wine of renunciation must needs be quaffed, the
> lofty heights of detachment must needs be attained, and the
> meditation referred to in the words 'One hour's reflection is
> preferable to seventy years of pious worship' must needs be
> observed, so that the secret of the wretched behaviour of the
> people might be discovered, those people who, despite the
> love and yearning for truth which they profess, curse the
> followers of Truth when once He hath been made manifest."
> (KI:238)
> 
> In every age and Dispensation, the followers of the Prophets of old
> have permitted their own understandings to veil them from the truth,
> revealed in the Person and Teachings of the new Prophet of God.
> They have failed to understand that the Manifestation is not bound by
> human standards and limitations, that He doeth whatsoever He
> willeth:
> 
> KI:170-171: "But apart from all these things, had this people
> attained unto a drop of the crystal streams flowing from the
> words: „God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth
> whatsoever He pleaseth,‟ they would not have        raised any
> unseemly cavils, such as these, against the focal Center of His
> Revelation. The Cause of God, all deeds and words, are held
> within the grasp of His power. „All things lie imprisoned
> within the hollow of His mighty Hand; all things are easy and
> possible unto Him.‟ He accomplisheth whatsoever He
> willeth, and doeth all that He desireth. „Whoso sayeth “why”
> or “wherefore” hath spoken blasphemy!‟ Were these people
> to shake off the slumber of negligence and realize that which
> their hands have wrought, they would surely perish, and
> would of their own accord cast themselves into fire—their
> end and real abode. Have they not heard that which He hath
> revealed: „He shall not be asked of His doings‟? [Qur‟an
> 21:23] In the light of these utterances, how can man be so
> bold as to question Him, and busy himself with idle sayings?"
> 
> As Bahá‟u‟lláh affirmed, in language of the most unmistakable clarity
> and spiritual potency in "Kitab-i-Aqdas":
> 
> "Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with
> such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for
> the Book itself is the unerring balance established amongst
> men. In this most perfect balance whatsoever the peoples and
> kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the
> measure of its weight should be tested according to its own
> standard, did ye but know it." (KA:99; GL:XCVIII:198)
> 
> The editor of this collection of proofs has attempted to adhere to this
> high standard, and to remain faithful to Bahá‟u‟lláh's affirmation, in
> "Kalimat-i-Firdawsiyyih":
> 
> "In this day the verses of the Mother Book are resplendent
> and unmistakable even as the sun. They can in no wise be
> mistaken for any of the past or more recent utterances. Truly
> this Wronged One desireth not to demonstrate His Own
> Cause with proofs produced by others. He is the One Who
> embraceth all things, while all else besides Him is
> circumscribed." (TB:74)
> CONCLUSIONS
> 
> This work has been over a decade in preparation. Nevertheless, its
> compiler has no doubt that there are other proofs of prophethood set
> forth in the Writings of Bahá‟u‟lláh, the Tablets and talks of „Abdu‟l-
> Bahá and the letters of Shoghi Effendi, and that proofs not found in
> these sources may also be discovered elsewhere, in other Scriptures.
> Indeed, he has not yet succeeded in discovering the references in other
> Scriptures to all the proofs cited in this book, and has only included
> such indicators when they were already familiar to him or when they
> became manifest during his investigation of the Bahá‟í texts.
> Furthermore, while many proofs have been articulated, yet there are
> infinite proofs which have never been written down, which cannot be
> written down. Bahá‟u‟lláh speaks of these proofs in "Tafsir Surat va'lshams" (GL:LXXXIX:176):
> 
> "How great the multitude of truths which the garment of
> words can never contain! How vast the number of such
> verities as no expression can adequately describe, whose
> significance can never be unfolded, and to which not even the
> remotest allusions can be made!"
> 
> „Abdu‟l-Bahá refers to such proofs in relation to human recognition of
> the existence of God, in "Some Answered Questions" (II:7):
> 
> "These obvious arguments are adduced for weak souls; but if
> the inner perception be open, a hundred thousand clear proofs
> become visible."
> 
> The proofs of prophethood set forth in this volume are not just an
> abstract paradigm. Bahá‟u‟lláh and his interpreters claim that the
> Prophets of God have, each and every one, appeared in conformity
> with these proofs. The proofs articulated here are an objective
> standard whereby the prophethood of any claimant to divine guidance
> may be effectively evaluated. While some examples of the fulfillment
> of particular proofs by specific Prophets have been included in this
> text, a systematic study of the manner in which any particular Prophet
> has embodied these proofs has not been attempted here. In
> subsequent volumes, the compiler will apply each of these prophetic
> standards to a number of the Founders of religions, including
> Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad. Those same
> standards will be applied to those two more recent claimants to the
> prophetic office, the Báb, and Bahá‟u‟lláh. Is it not appropriate that
> Bahá‟u‟lláh should be judged according to the criteria he himself
> established for recognizing the truth, the authenticity of the Prophets
> of God? The reader familiar with his Writings may recall that
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has repeatedly affirmed that he should only be judged
> according to his own standards, that he can only be understood when
> seen through his own eyes. In his last Book, Bahá‟u‟lláh cites the
> following prophecy of the Báb, referring to “Him Whom God shall
> manifest”:
> 
> ESW:153: "And also He [the Báb] saith: „Know thou with
> absolute certainty, and through the firmly established and
> most irrevocable decree, that He--exalted be His glory, and
> magnified be His might, and sanctified be His holiness, and
> glorified be His grandeur, and lauded be His ways--maketh
> each thing to be known through its own self; who then can
> know Him through any one except Himself.‟...And again, He--
> exalted be He--saith: „Look not upon Him with any eye except
> His own. For whosoever looketh upon Him with His eye, will
> recognize Him; otherwise he will be veiled from Him.‟"
> 
> Bahá‟u‟lláh restated this teaching of the Báb in “Kitáb-i-ĺqán”:
> 
> KI:199-200: "That city is none other than the Word of God
> revealed in every age and dispensation...in the dispensation of
> Him Whom God will make manifest His own Book--the
> Book unto which all the Books of former Dispensations must
> needs be referred, the Book which standeth amongst them all
> transcendent and supreme."
> 
> In one of his Tablets, Bahá‟u‟lláh reaffirms the words of the Báb:
> 
> ADJ:77: "Whoso beholdeth Me with an eye besides Mine own
> will never be able to know Me.             None among the
> Manifestations of old, except to a prescribed degree, hath ever
> completely apprehended the nature of this Revelation."
> 
> He affirms this as a general principle and not just in relation to his
> own Book:
> 
> KA:#99: "Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of
> God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst
> you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established
> amongst men. In this most perfect Balance whatsoever the
> peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed,
> while the measure of its weight should be tested according to
> its own standard, did ye but know it."
> Whether in consideration of the proofs of prophethood as set forth in
> this volume, or in the consideration of the fulfillment of those proofs
> by the Founders of various religions, the reader is entirely at liberty to
> continue or to discontinue his perusal at any time; s/he is free to
> accept or to reject the signs, proofs, evidence and arguments set forth
> here. This is a right which is guaranteed to every human being by the
> Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and recognized by most of
> the governments of the world. It is likewise a right which is solemnly
> and repeatedly affirmed by Bahá‟u‟lláh himself, in many of his Tablets,
> some of which are cited below:
> 
> KI:24: "This is My counsel unto thee and unto the beloved of
> God. Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever
> wisheth, let him turn away."
> 
> KI:221: "We have shown thee these two ways; walk thou the
> way thou choosest."
> 
> BP:210-211: "Thus doth the Nightingale utter His call unto
> you from this prison. He hath but to deliver this clear
> message. Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this
> counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his
> Lord." (Lawh-i-Ahmad)
> 
> KA:#182: "Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that
> hath refused to seek it--verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above
> any need of His creatures."
> 
> TB:41: "This Wronged One calleth aloud for the sake of God.
> Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever
> wisheth, let him turn away." (Tarazat)
> 
> TB:211: "We exhort, wholly for the sake of God, His servants.
> Let him who wisheth turn unto Him, and him who wisheth
> turn aside." (Lawh-i-Burhan)
> EPILOGUE
> 
> Those whose thirst has not been quenched, who wish to consider how
> these forty proofs may be applied to each of the Prophets of God may
> proceed to the volume devoted to each in this series on Prophetic
> Proofs. These volumes will be published sequentially, from the most
> recent Prophet to the Prophet most shrouded in legend and mystery.
> This will permit the reader to consider the implications of progressive
> revelation in reverse order rather than from start to finish. If you do
> not have the COMPANION TO PROOFS OF THE PROPHETS
> and wish to purchase a copy, it can be ordered from most bookstores
> and online from Amazon.com and from the publisher at:
> http://www.lulu.com/browse/adv_search.php
> 
> If the reader wishes to contact the author with a kind word of
> encouragement, a question, or to point out anything in this volume
> that is incorrectly cited, ill-conceived, poorly explained, or awkwardly
> positioned in the sequence of ideas presented, the author may be
> reached at: proofsoftheprophets@yahoo.com
> 
> All readers who wish to participate in a community of interest related
> to the PROOFS OF THE PROPHETS are invited to become
> members      of    a     yahoo       group:   proofsoftheprophetssubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> ENDNOTES
> 1In  conclusion, this Second Proof applies in one sense literally to
> Muhammad and to all the prophets who follow him; in another sense
> rather literally--in the sense of "There is no intrinsic meaning in the
> leaves of a book, but the thought they convey leads you to reflect
> upon reality"(PUP:155)--to the prophets who are historically
> recognized, all of whom are survived by books which are attributed to
> their revelations; and in yet another meaning which applies to all of the
> prophets of God, the many named and the many more unnamed.
> 2„Abdu‟l-Bahá, in a talk given on 3 December 1912, encouraged those
> 
> assembled in a home in New York City with words which recall those
> of Bahá‟u‟lláh in reference to the followers of the Báb:
> "You must become the lamps of Bahá‟u‟lláh so that you may
> shine with eternal light and be the proofs and evidences of His truth.
> Then will such signs of purity and chastity be witnessed in your deeds
> and actions that men will behold the heavenly radiance of your lives
> and say, 'Verily, ye are the proofs of Bahá‟u‟lláh. Verily, Bahá‟u‟lláh is
> the True One, for He has trained such souls as these, each one of
> which is a proof in himself.' They will say to others, 'Come and
> witness the conduct of these souls; come and listen to their words,
> behold the illumination of their hearts, see the evidences of the love of
> God in them, consider their praiseworthy morals, and discover the
> foundations of the oneness of humanity firmly implanted within them.
> What greater proof can there be than these people that the message of
> Bahá‟u‟lláh is truth and reality?' It is my hope that each one of you
> shall be a herald of God, proclaiming the evidences of His appearance,
> in words, deeds and thoughts. Let your actions and utterances be a
> witness that you are of the Kingdom of Bahá‟u‟lláh." (Khitabat, pp.
> 631-633; PUP:461)
> Tablet to the Shah, cited in ESW:11,39.
> Bahá‟u‟lláh has also described this state in "Kalimat-i-Maknun-i-
> 'Arabiyyah":
> 
> HWA:#1-2: "O son of spirit!
> "My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant
> heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable
> and everlasting.
> "O son of spirit!
> "The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not
> away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I
> may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own
> 
> eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of
> thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy
> neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to
> be. Verily Justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My lovingkindness. Set it then before thine eyes."
>
> — *Proofs of the Prophets (Used by permission of the curator)*