"O Pen of the Most High! Hearken unto the Call of Thy Lord, raised from the Divine Lote-Tree in the holy and luminous Spot, that the sweet accents of Thy Lord, the All-Merciful, may fill Thy soul with joy and fervour, and that the breezes that waft from My name, the Ever-Forgiving, may dispel Thy cares and sorrows. Raise up, then, from this Temple, the temples of the Oneness of God, that they may tell out, in the kingdom of creation, the tidings of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and be of them that are illumined by His light."
Comments:
• We find in the Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas that the "Pen of the Most High", "the Supreme Pen" and "the Most Exalted Pen" are references to Bahá'u'lláh, illustrating His function as Revealer of the Word of God. (The Universal House of Justice, Notes section of The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 176).
• We also understand that the “Divine Lote-Tree” is a reference to “the Tree beyond which there is no passing” – this being a symbol of the Manifestation of God. In the Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas we read that “This is used as a symbol in Islam, for example in the accounts of Muhammad's Night Journey, to mark the point in the heavens beyond which neither men nor angels can pass in their approach to God, and thus to delimit the bounds of divine knowledge as revealed to mankind. Hence it is often used in the Bahá'í Writings to designate the Manifestation of God Himself.” (UHJ, Notes section of The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 220)
• The beautiful way in which Baha’u’llah weaves together in this paragraph a number of references to the station of the Manifestation of God is both educational and awe-inspiring!
• Notice the part that Baha’u’llah instructs the “Pen” to pay attention to the “Call” of His “Lord” so that the “sweet accents” of His Lord may fill His soul “with joy and fervour” and that the “breezes” that blow from Baha’u’llah’s “name, the Ever-Forgiving, may dispel” His “cares and sorrows.” Since the Pen recorded the Word of God, should we infer from this paragraph that our on-going interaction with the Word of God will also fill our souls with “joy and fervour” and dispel our “cares and sorrows”? Food for thought!
• Another insight we get from this paragraph is the injunction from the Manifestation of God for the “Pen” to “Raise up” “in the kingdom of creation” “from this Temple” [meaning Baha’u’llah] “the temples of the Oneness of God “so that these temples “may tell out, in the kingdom of creation, the tidings of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and be of them that are illumined by His light.” What an amazing description to remember next time we see a picture of one of the existing Baha’i temples in the world!
Comments:
• We find in the Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas that the "Pen of the Most High", "the Supreme Pen" and "the Most Exalted Pen" are references to Bahá'u'lláh, illustrating His function as Revealer of the Word of God. (The Universal House of Justice, Notes section of The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 176).
• We also understand that the “Divine Lote-Tree” is a reference to “the Tree beyond which there is no passing” – this being a symbol of the Manifestation of God. In the Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas we read that “This is used as a symbol in Islam, for example in the accounts of Muhammad's Night Journey, to mark the point in the heavens beyond which neither men nor angels can pass in their approach to God, and thus to delimit the bounds of divine knowledge as revealed to mankind. Hence it is often used in the Bahá'í Writings to designate the Manifestation of God Himself.” (UHJ, Notes section of The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 220)
• The beautiful way in which Baha’u’llah weaves together in this paragraph a number of references to the station of the Manifestation of God is both educational and awe-inspiring!
• Notice the part that Baha’u’llah instructs the “Pen” to pay attention to the “Call” of His “Lord” so that the “sweet accents” of His Lord may fill His soul “with joy and fervour” and that the “breezes” that blow from Baha’u’llah’s “name, the Ever-Forgiving, may dispel” His “cares and sorrows.” Since the Pen recorded the Word of God, should we infer from this paragraph that our on-going interaction with the Word of God will also fill our souls with “joy and fervour” and dispel our “cares and sorrows”? Food for thought!
• Another insight we get from this paragraph is the injunction from the Manifestation of God for the “Pen” to “Raise up” “in the kingdom of creation” “from this Temple” [meaning Baha’u’llah] “the temples of the Oneness of God “so that these temples “may tell out, in the kingdom of creation, the tidings of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and be of them that are illumined by His light.” What an amazing description to remember next time we see a picture of one of the existing Baha’i temples in the world!
