Part 12 (2/2)
I Swear by the most holy Essence of G.o.d-exalted and glorified be He-that in the Day of the appearance of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest a thousand perusals of the Bayan cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest.
Ponder a while and observe that everything in Islam hath its ultimate and eventual beginning in the Book of G.o.d. Consider likewise the Day of the Revelation of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, He in Whose grasp lieth the source of proofs, and let not erroneous considerations shut thee out from Him, for He is immeasurably exalted above them, inasmuch as every proof proceedeth from the Book of G.o.d which is itself the supreme testimony, as all men are powerless to produce its like. Should myriads of men of learning, versed in logic, in the science of grammar, in law, in jurisprudence and the like, turn away from the Book of G.o.d, they would still be p.r.o.nounced unbelievers. Thus the fruit is within the supreme testimony itself, not in the things derived therefrom. And know thou of a certainty that every letter revealed in the Bayan is solely intended to evoke submission unto Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, for it is He Who hath revealed the Bayan prior to His Own manifestation. V, 8.
”In this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned ...”
In this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned to bestow His mighty utterances and resplendent signs upon the Point of the Bayan, and hath ordained them as His matchless testimony for all created things. Were all the people that dwell on earth to a.s.semble together, they would be unable to produce a single verse like unto the ones which G.o.d hath caused to stream forth from the tongue of the Point of the Bayan. Indeed, if any living creature were to pause to meditate he would undoubtedly realize that these verses are not the work of man, but are solely to be ascribed unto G.o.d, the One, the Peerless, Who causeth them to flow forth from the tongue of whomsoever He willeth, and hath not revealed nor will He reveal them save through the Focal Point of G.o.d's Primal Will. He it is, through Whose dispensations divine Messengers are raised up and heavenly Books are sent down. Had human beings been able to accomplish this deed surely someone would have brought forth at least one verse during the period of twelve hundred and seventy years which hath elapsed since the revelation of the Qur'an until that of the Bayan. However, all men have proved themselves impotent and have utterly failed to do so, although they endeavoured, with their vehement might, to quench the flame of the Word of G.o.d. II, 1.
”Thou beholdest how vast is the number of people who ...”
Thou beholdest how vast is the number of people who go to Mecca each year on pilgrimage and engage in circ.u.mambulation, while He, through the potency of Whose Word the Ka'bah [the sanctuary in Mecca] hath become the object of adoration, is forsaken in this mountain. He is none other but the Apostle of G.o.d Himself, inasmuch as the Revelation of G.o.d may be likened to the sun. No matter how innumerable its risings, there is but one sun, and upon it depends the life of all things. It is clear and evident that the object of all preceding Dispensations hath been to pave the way for the advent of Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d. These, including the Mu?ammadan Dispensation, have had, in their turn, as their objective the Revelation proclaimed by the Qa'im. The purpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest.
And this Faith-the Faith of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest-in its turn, together with all the Revelations gone before it, have as their object the Manifestation destined to succeed it. And the latter, no less than all the Revelations preceding it, prepare the way for the Revelation which is yet to follow. The process of the rise and setting of the Sun of Truth will thus indefinitely continue-a process that hath had no beginning and will have no end.
Well is it with him who in every Dispensation recognizeth the Purpose of G.o.d for that Dispensation, and is not deprived therefrom by turning his gaze towards the things of the past. IV, 12.
”The substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended ...”
The substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended by the Day of Resurrection is the Day of the appearance of the Tree of divine Reality, but it is not seen that any one of the followers of _Sh_i'ih Islam hath understood the meaning of the Day of Resurrection; rather have they fancifully imagined a thing which with G.o.d hath no reality. In the estimation of G.o.d and according to the usage of such as are initiated into divine mysteries, what is meant by the Day of Resurrection is this, that from the time of the appearance of Him Who is the Tree of divine Reality, at whatever period and under whatever name, until the moment of His disappearance, is the Day of Resurrection.
For example, from the inception of the mission of Jesus-may peace be upon Him-till the day of His ascension was the Resurrection of Moses. For during that period the Revelation of G.o.d shone forth through the appearance of that divine Reality, Who rewarded by His Word everyone who believed in Moses, and punished by His Word everyone who did not believe; inasmuch as G.o.d's Testimony for that Day was that which He had solemnly affirmed in the Gospel. And from the inception of the Revelation of the Apostle of G.o.d-may the blessings of G.o.d be upon Him-till the day of His ascension was the Resurrection of Jesus-peace be upon Him-wherein the Tree of divine Reality appeared in the person of Mu?ammad, rewarding by His Word everyone who was a believer in Jesus, and punis.h.i.+ng by His Word everyone who was not a believer in Him. And from the moment when the Tree of the Bayan appeared until it disappeareth is the Resurrection of the Apostle of G.o.d, as is divinely foretold in the Qur'an; the beginning of which was when two hours and eleven minutes had pa.s.sed on the eve of the fifth of Jamadiyu'l-Avval, 1260 A.H.,(66) which is the year 1270 of the Declaration of the Mission of Mu?ammad. This was the beginning of the Day of Resurrection of the Qur'an, and until the disappearance of the Tree of divine Reality is the Resurrection of the Qur'an. The stage of perfection of everything is reached when its resurrection occurreth. The perfection of the religion of Islam was consummated at the beginning of this Revelation; and from the rise of this Revelation until its setting, the fruits of the Tree of Islam, whatever they are, will become apparent. The Resurrection of the Bayan will occur at the time of the appearance of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest. For today the Bayan is in the stage of seed; at the beginning of the manifestation of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest its ultimate perfection will become apparent. He is made manifest in order to gather the fruits of the trees He hath planted; even as the Revelation of the Qa'im [He Who ariseth], a descendant of Mu?ammad-may the blessings of G.o.d rest upon Him-is exactly like unto the Revelation of the Apostle of G.o.d Himself [Mu?ammad]. He appeareth not, save for the purpose of gathering the fruits of Islam from the Qur'anic verses which He [Mu?ammad]
hath sown in the hearts of men. The fruits of Islam cannot be gathered except through allegiance unto Him [the Qa'im] and by believing in Him. At the present time, however, only adverse effects have resulted; for although He hath appeared in the midmost heart of Islam, and all people profess it by reason of their relations.h.i.+p to Him [the Qa'im], yet unjustly have they consigned Him to the Mountain of Maku, and this notwithstanding that in the Qur'an the advent of the Day of Resurrection hath been promised unto all by G.o.d. For on that Day all men will be brought before G.o.d and will attain His Presence; which meaneth appearance before Him Who is the Tree of divine Reality and attainment unto His presence; inasmuch as it is not possible to appear before the Most Holy Essence of G.o.d, nor is it conceivable to seek reunion with Him. That which is feasible in the matter of appearance before Him and of meeting Him is attainment unto the Primal Tree. II, 7.
”The evidence set forth by G.o.d can never be compared ...”
The evidence set forth by G.o.d can never be compared with the evidences produced by any one of the peoples and kindreds of the earth; and beyond a shadow of doubt no evidence is set forth by G.o.d save through the One Who is appointed as His supreme Testimony. Moreover, the proof of revealed verses doth, alone and of itself, conclusively demonstrate the utter impotence of all created things on earth, for this is a proof which hath proceeded from G.o.d and shall endure until the Day of Resurrection.
And if anyone should reflect on the appearance of this Tree, he will undoubtedly testify to the loftiness of the Cause of G.o.d. For if one from whose life only twenty-four years have pa.s.sed, and who is devoid of those sciences wherein all are learned, now reciteth verses after such fas.h.i.+on without thought or hesitation, writes a thousand verses of prayer in the course of five hours without pause of the pen, and produceth commentaries and learned treatises on such lofty themes as the true understanding of G.o.d and of the oneness of His Being, in a manner which doctors and philosophers confess surpa.s.seth their power of understanding, then there is no doubt that all that hath been manifested is divinely inspired.
Notwithstanding their life-long diligent study, what pains do these divines take when writing a single line in Arabic! Yet after such efforts the result is but words which are unworthy of mention. All these things are for a proof unto the people; otherwise the religion of G.o.d is too mighty and glorious for anyone to comprehend through aught but itself; rather by it all else is understood. II, 1.
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