Part 12 (1/2)
Know thou that in the Bayan purification is regarded as the most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto G.o.d and as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou thine ear that thou mayest hear no mention besides G.o.d, and purge thine eye that it behold naught except G.o.d, and thy conscience that it perceive naught other than G.o.d, and thy tongue that it proclaim nothing but G.o.d, and thy hand to write naught but the words of G.o.d, and thy knowledge that it comprehend naught except G.o.d, and thy heart that it entertain no wish save G.o.d, and in like manner purge all thine acts and thy pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured in the paradise of pure love, and perchance mayest attain the presence of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, adorned with a purity which He highly cherisheth, and be sanctified from whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth not support Him. Thus shalt thou manifest a purity that shall profit thee.
Know thou that every ear which hearkeneth unto His Words with true faith shall be immune from the fire. Thus the believer, through his recognition of Him will appreciate the transcendent character of His heavenly Words, will whole-heartedly choose Him over others, and will refuse to incline his affections towards those who disbelieve in Him. Whatever one gaineth in the life to come is but the fruit of this faith. Indeed any man whose eye gazeth upon His Words with true faith well deserveth Paradise; and one whose conscience beareth witness unto His Words with true faith shall abide in Paradise and attain the presence of G.o.d; and one whose tongue giveth utterance to His Words with true faith shall have his abode in Paradise, wherein he will be seized with ecstasy in praise and glorification of G.o.d, the Ever-Abiding, Whose revelations of glory never end and the reviving breaths of Whose holiness never fail. Every hand which setteth down His Words with true faith shall be filled by G.o.d, both in this world and in the next, with things that are highly prized; and every breast which committeth His Words to memory, G.o.d shall cause, if it were that of a believer, to be filled with His love; and every heart which cherisheth the love of His Words and manifesteth in itself the signs of true faith when His Name is mentioned, and exemplifieth the words, 'their hearts are thrilled with awe at the mention of G.o.d',(64) that heart will become the object of the glances of divine favour and on the Day of Resurrection will be highly praised by G.o.d. IX, 10.
”If at the time of the appearance of Him Whom G.o.d will ...”
If at the time of the appearance of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest all the dwellers of the earth were to bear witness unto a thing whereunto He beareth witness differently, His testimony would be like unto the sun, while theirs would be even as a false image produced in a mirror which is not facing the sun. For had it been otherwise their testimony would have proved a faithful reflection of His testimony.
I swear by the most sacred Essence of G.o.d that but one line of the Words uttered by Him is more sublime than the words uttered by all that dwell on earth. Nay, I beg forgiveness for making this comparison. How could the reflections of the sun in the mirror compare with the wondrous rays of the sun in the visible heaven? The station of one is that of nothingness, while the station of the other, by the righteousness of G.o.d-hallowed and magnified be His Name-is that of the Reality of things....
If in the Day of His manifestation a king were to make mention of his own sovereignty, this would be like unto a mirror challenging the sun, saying: 'The light is in me'. It would be likewise, if a man of learning in His Day were to claim to be an exponent of knowledge, or if he who is possessed of riches were to display his affluence, or if a man wielding power were to a.s.sert his own authority, or if one invested with grandeur were to show forth his glory. Nay, such men would become the object of the derision of their peers, and how would they be judged by Him Who is the Sun of Truth! III, 12.
”It is not permissible to ask questions from Him Whom ...”
It is not permissible to ask questions from Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest, except that which well beseemeth Him. For His station is that of the Essence of divine Revelation... Whatever evidence of bounty is witnessed in the world, is but an image of His bounty; and every thing owes its existence to His Being... The Bayan is, from beginning to end, the repository of all of His attributes, and the treasury of both His fire and His light. Should anyone desire to ask questions, he is allowed to do so only in writing, that he may derive ample understanding from His written reply and that it may serve as a sign from his Beloved. However, let no one ask aught that may prove unworthy of His lofty station. For instance, were a person to inquire the price of straw from a merchant of rubies, how ignorant would he be and how unacceptable. Similarly unacceptable would be the questions of the highest-ranking people of the world in His presence, except such words as He Himself would utter about Himself in the Day of His manifestation.
Methinks I visualize those who would, prompted by their own deluded conceptions, write to Him and ask Him questions about that which hath been revealed in the Bayan, and He would answer them with words not of His Own, but divinely inspired, saying: 'Verily, verily, I am G.o.d; no G.o.d is there but Me. I have called into being all the created things, I have raised up divine Messengers in the past and have sent down Books unto Them. Take heed not to wors.h.i.+p anyone but G.o.d, He Who is My Lord and your Lord. This indeed is the undoubted truth. However, alike shall it be to Me; if ye believe in Me, ye will provide good for your own souls, and if ye believe not in Me, nor in that which G.o.d hath revealed unto Me, ye will suffer yourselves to be shut out as by a veil. For verily I have been independent of you heretofore, and shall remain independent hereafter. Therefore it behooveth you, O creatures of G.o.d, to help your own selves and to believe in the Verses revealed by Me...' III, 13.
”The Bayan shall const.i.tute G.o.d's unerring balance till the ...”
The Bayan shall const.i.tute G.o.d's unerring balance till the Day of Resurrection which is the Day of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest. Whoso acteth in conformity with that which is revealed therein will abide in Paradise, under the shadow of His affirmation and reckoned among the most sublime Letters in the presence of G.o.d; while whoso deviateth, were it even so much as the tip of a grain of barley, will be consigned to the fire and will be a.s.sembled neath the shadow of negation. This truth hath likewise been laid bare in the Qur'an where in numerous instances G.o.d hath set down that whoever should pa.s.s judgement contrary to the bounds fixed by Him, would be deemed an infidel...
In these days how few are those who abide by the standard laid down in the Qur'an. Nay, nowhere are they to be found, except such as G.o.d hath willed.
Should there be, however, such a person, his righteous deeds would prove of no avail unto him, if he hath failed to follow the standard revealed in the Bayan; even as the pious deeds of the Christian monks profited them not, inasmuch as at the time of the manifestation of the Apostle of G.o.d-may the blessings of G.o.d rest upon Him-they contented themselves with the standard set forth in the Gospel.
Had the divine standard laid down in the Qur'an been truly observed, adverse judgements would not have been p.r.o.nounced against Him Who is the Tree of divine Truth. As it hath been revealed: 'Almost might the heavens be rent and the earth be cleft asunder and the mountains fall down in fragments.'(65) And yet how much harder than these mountains their hearts must be to have remained unmoved! Indeed no paradise is more glorious in the sight of G.o.d than attainment unto His good-pleasure. II, 6.
”The One true G.o.d may be compared unto the sun and ...”
The One true G.o.d may be compared unto the sun and the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror placed before the sun than it reflects its light. The unbeliever may be likened unto a stone. No matter how long it is exposed to the suns.h.i.+ne, it cannot reflect the sun. Thus the former layeth down his life as a sacrifice, while the latter doeth against G.o.d what he committeth. Indeed, if G.o.d willeth, He is potent to turn the stone into a mirror, but the person himself remaineth reconciled to his state.
Had he wished to become a crystal, G.o.d would have made him to a.s.sume crystal form. For on that Day whatever cause prompteth the believer to believe in Him, the same will also be available to the unbeliever. But when the latter suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, the same cause shutteth him out as by a veil. Thus, as is clearly evident today, those who have set their faces toward G.o.d, the True One, have believed in Him because of the Bayan, while such as are veiled have been deprived because of it. VI, 4.
”I swear by the most holy Essence of G.o.d-exalted and ...”