"Should any one of them be called upon to confront all the hosts of creation, he would assuredly prevail through the ascendancy of My Will. This, verily, is a proof of My power, though My creatures comprehend it not. This, verily, is a sign of My sovereignty, though My subjects understand it not. This, verily, is a token of My command, though My servants perceive it not. This, verily, is an evidence of Mine ascendancy, though none amongst the people is truly thankful for it, save those whose eyes God hath illumined with the light of His knowledge, whose hearts He hath made the repository of His Revelation, and upon whose shoulders He hath placed the weight of His Cause. These shall inhale the fragrances of the All-Merciful from the garment of His Name, and shall rejoice at all times in the signs and verses of their Lord. As for those who disbelieve in God, and join partners with Him, they shall indeed incur His wrath, shall be cast into the Fire, and shall be made to dwell, fearful and dismayed, in its depths. Thus do We expound Our verses, and make plain the truth with clear proofs, that perchance the people may reflect upon the signs of their Lord."
Comments:
• Speaking of those “people” whom Baha’u’llah indicated in Paragraph 1.34 He would “raise up”, “who will arise to win victory for” Him and “will purge mankind from the defilement of the outcast and the ungodly”, Baha’u’llah further explains in this Paragraph that each one of these “people” “would assuredly prevail” “through the ascendancy” of His “Will”.
• The creation of such “people” and their triumph in fulfilling their mission, Baha’u’llah confirms, is:
o “a sign of My sovereignty, though My subjects understand it not”;
o “a token of My command, though My servants perceive it not”;
o “an evidence of Mine ascendancy, though none amongst the people is truly thankful for it, save those whose eyes God hath illumined with the light of His knowledge, whose hearts He hath made the repository of His Revelation, and upon whose shoulders He hath placed the weight of His Cause.”
• Reflecting on such phrases should help us further appreciate the majesty and the power of the Manifestation of God. We also become aware that to “understand”, to “perceive” and to become “truly thankful” of these powers of the Manifestation of God, are all conditional on the Will of the Manifestation of God Himself.
• Another insight we gain from this paragraph is that those believers whom Baha’u’llah’s grace has allowed their “eyes” to be “illumined with the light of His knowledge” and their “hearts” to become “the repository of His Revelation”, they also have the privilege of carrying “the weight of the Cause” that He has “placed” on their “shoulders”! Among the many spiritual rewards that these believers will receive from our Lord is their ability to “inhale the fragrances of the All-Merciful from the garment of His Name” and to “rejoice at all times in the signs and verses of their Lord.”
• We know that the history of the Faith provides us with many heroes and heroines who did exceptional services for the Cause. Studying their lives will be very inspirational in motivating and sustaining us in our humble attempts. Please visit Baha’i Heroes and Heroines
• Another spiritual point that Baha’u’llah brings to our attention in this Paragraph concerns God’s “wrath” with respect to those who “disbelieve in God, and join partners with Him …” Let’s do a light exploration of these themes in light of the Writings, starting with those who “disbelieve in God.” In the following passage from the Writings of the Bab we become aware that a main criteria for believing in God is the recognition of His Manifestation:
O peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in the way of the One True God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God, the Preserver, intact at God's Holy Gate. O peoples of the earth! Bear ye allegiance unto this resplendent light wherewith God hath graciously invested Me through the power of infallible Truth, and walk not in the footsteps of the Evil One, inasmuch as he prompteth you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and verily God will not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will forgive other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth. Indeed His knowledge embraceth all things...
(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 48)
• Concerning those who “join partners” with God: In unequivocal language Bahá'u'lláh acknowledges that the essence of the Manifestation of God is exalted above all humanity and that He cannot join partners with anyone. The following reference from Baha’u’llah is very educational in this regard:
And now concerning thy reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory. To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names are remembered before the Throne of Glory.
Bear thou witness in thine inmost heart unto this testimony which God hath Himself and for Himself pronounced, that there is none other God but Him, that all else besides Him have been created by His behest, have been fashioned by His leave, are subject 193 to His law, are as a thing forgotten when compared to the glorious evidences of His oneness, and are as nothing when brought face to face with the mighty revelations of His unity.
He, in truth, hath, throughout eternity, been one in His Essence, one in His attributes, one in His works. Any and every comparison is applicable only to His creatures, and all conceptions of association are conceptions that belong solely to those that serve Him. Immeasurably exalted is His Essence above the descriptions of His creatures. He, alone, occupieth the Seat of transcendent majesty, of supreme and inaccessible glory. The birds of men's hearts, however high they soar, can never hope to attain the heights of His unknowable Essence. It is He Who hath called into being the whole of creation, Who hath caused every created thing to spring forth at His behest. Shall, then, the thing that was born by virtue of the word which His Pen hath revealed, and which the finger of His Will hath directed, be regarded as partner with Him, or an embodiment of His Self? Far be it from His glory that human pen or tongue should hint at His mystery, or that human heart conceive His Essence. All else besides Him stand poor and desolate at His door, all are powerless before the greatness of His might, all are but slaves in His Kingdom. He is rich enough to dispense with all creatures.
The tie of servitude established between the worshiper and the adored One, between the creature and the Creator, should in itself be regarded as a token of His gracious favor unto men, and not as an indication of any merit they may possess. To this testifieth every true and discerning believer. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 192)
• And, concerning “His [God’s] wrath”, the following excerpt from a letter written on behalf of the Guardian provides helpful insights:
As regards the passages in the sacred writings indicating the wrath of God; Shoghi Effendi says that the Divinity has many attributes: He is loving and merciful but also just. Just as reward and punishment, according to Bahá'u'lláh, are the pillars upon which society rests, so mercy and justice may be considered as their counterpart in the world to come. Should we disobey God and work against His commands He will view our acts in the light of justice and punish us for it. That punishment may not be in the form of fire, as some believe, but in the form of spiritual deprivation and degradation. This is why we read so often in the prayers statements such as "God do not deal with us with justice, but rather through thy infinite mercy." The wrath of God is in the administration of His justice, both in this world and in the world to come. A God that is only loving or only just is not a perfect God. The divinity has to possess both of these aspects as every father ought to express both in his attitude towards his children. If we ponder a while, we will see that our welfare can be insured only when both of these divine attributes are equally emphasised and practiced. (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in Arohanui - Letters to New Zealand, p. 32)
