"O Tongue of this Temple! We, verily, have created thee through Our name, the All-Merciful, have taught thee whatsoever had remained concealed in the Bayan, and have bestowed upon thee the power of utterance, that thou mayest make mention of Mine exalted Self amidst My creatures. Proclaim, then, this wondrous and mighty Remembrance, and fear not the manifestations of the Evil One. Thou wert called into being for this very purpose by virtue of My transcendent and all-compelling command. Through thee have We unloosed the Tongue of Utterance to expound all that hath been, and We shall again, by My sovereign power, unloose it to speak of that which is yet to come. Erelong shall We bring into being through thee eloquent tongues that will praise and extol Me amongst the Concourse on high and amidst the peoples of the world. Thus have the verses of God been revealed, and thus hath it been decreed by the Lord of all names and attributes. Thy Lord, verily, is the True One, the Knower of things unseen. Nothing whatsoever shall prevent these tongues from magnifying their Creator. Through them, all created things shall arise to glorify the Lord of names and to bear witness that there is none other God save Me, the All-Powerful, the Most-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. Nor shall those who make mention of Me speak aught unless they be inspired by this Tongue from its lofty station. Few, however, are they who understand! No tongue is there that speaketh not the praises of its Lord and maketh not mention of His Name. Amongst the people, however, are those who understand and utter praises, and those who utter praises, yet understand not."
Comments:
* As we read and reflect on the verses of God in this paragraph let’s remember what we explored in Paragraph 1.17: Adib Taherzadeh made a reference to a Tablet from Baha’u’llah in which He explains that “Haykal [Temple] which is addressed in this Surih is the Person of Bahá'u'lláh, and so is the voice which addresses the Haykal.”
* Baha’u’llah reminds us in this paragraph about the Mission that He has been entrusted with and Its link with That of the Bab’s. This is where we read “We, verily, have created thee through Our name, the All-Merciful, have taught thee whatsoever had remained concealed in the Bayan …”
* We become aware that Baha’u’llah is called upon to:
“make mention of Mine exalted Self amidst My creatures.”; and to
“Proclaim … this wondrous and mighty Remembrance ..”; and not to
“fear … the manifestations of the Evil One.”
As His humble followers, these are our marching orders too!
* Let’s consult the Writings a bit to get a richer understanding of the Entity of the “Remembrance of God”, which is a reference to His Manifestation. It’s such a beautiful way to think of these precious Divine Educators who are sent by God for our continuing education, as the “Remembrance of God” – we are being reminded about God through Them, by turning to Them! We read, for example in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, how Baha’u’llah addressed the Emperor of Austria in this regard:
“O Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring of God's Light dwelt in the prison of 'Akká at the time when thou didst set forth to visit the Aqsa Mosque. Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him by Whom every house is exalted and every lofty gate unlocked. We, verily, made it a place whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this remembrance, when He appeared with the Kingdom of God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 50)
Referring to the Advent of the Bab, Baha’u’llah says:
“Would ye ask the Jews whether Jesus was the True One from God, or the idols if Muhammad was an Apostle of His Lord, or inquire from the people of the Qur'án as to Him Who was the Remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great? (Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 42)
Warning the divines of His age, Baha’u’llah indicates:
“Beware lest any name debar you from Him Who is the Possessor of all names, or any word shut you out from this Remembrance of God, this Source of Wisdom amongst you.” (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 79)
Providing some spiritual insight to the believers, Baha’u’llah explaines that:
“Thou hast gained admittance into the Paradise of God’s Remembrance, through thy recognition of Him Who is the Embodiment of that Remembrance amongst men. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p303)
It is also awe-inspiring to note that both the Bab and Baha’u’llah were designated as the “Most Great Remembrance of God”:
“O King of Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance, for God hath, in very truth, destined for thee, and for such as circle round thee, on the Day of Judgement, a responsible position in His Path. I swear by God, O Shah! If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His Remembrance, God will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn thee, before the kings, unto hell-fire, and thou shalt not, in very truth, find on that Day any helper except God, the Exalted. (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp 41-42)
“O VAFA! Render thanks unto thy Lord for having aided thee to embrace His Cause, enabled thee to recognize the Manifestation of His Own Self and raised thee up to magnify Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance in this glorious Announcement. (Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah p181)
* What about the phrase: “… and fear not the manifestations of the Evil One.” What or who is the “Evil One” and what are its “manifestations”? In the Lawh-i-Dunya (Tablet of the World) Baha’u’llah explains that:
“Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that surroundeth you. Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self. The Evil One is he that hindereth the rise and obstructeth the spiritual progress of the children of men. (Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 86)
* One insight that we could glean from this passage is to strive to have a “world-embracing” “vision” instead of one “confined” to our “own self”. It is remarkable how in light of Baha’u’llah’s Teachings – designed to bring about the spiritual and material unity of all the inhabitants of the planet earth – how Evil and its manifestations are defined in the Baha’i Writings.
* Some other parts of Paragraph 1.21 that we could highlight are:
o Through Baha’u’llah “the Tongue of Utterance” has been “unloosed … to expound all that hath been, and …that which is yet to come.”
o Through Baha’u’llah “eloquent tongues” will be brought into being that will “praise and extol” the Manifestation of God “amongst the Concourse on high and amidst the peoples of the world.”
o “Nothing whatsoever shall prevent these tongues from magnifying their Creator. Through them, all created things shall arise to glorify the Lord of names and to bear witness that there is none other God save Me, the All-Powerful, the Most-Glorious, the Best-Beloved.”
o That we have confidence that when we are called upon to “make mention” of our Lord, Baha’u’llah will come to our assistance and will inspire us to speak.
