"Beware lest ye speak of duality in regard to My Self, for all the atoms of the earth proclaim that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the Mighty, the Loving. From the beginning that hath no beginning I have proclaimed, from the realm of eternity, that I am God, none other God is there save Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting; and unto the end that hath no end I shall proclaim, amidst the kingdom of names, that I am God, none other God is there beside Me, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. Say: Lordship is My Name, whereof I have created manifestations in the world of being, while We Ourself remain sanctified above them, would ye but ponder this truth. And Godhead is My Name, whereof We have created exponents whose power shall encompass the people of the earth and make them true worshippers of God, could ye but recognize it. Thus should ye regard all Our Names, if ye be endued with insight."
Comments:
• In this paragraph, Baha’u’llah further educates us concerning Divinity and Its Manifestations in this physical world. Acknowledging the fact that, “the Essence of God”, as explained by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, “is incomprehensible to the human mind, for the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite Mystery”, and that since “God contains all, He [therefore] cannot be contained,” (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 23) and furthermore, reminding ourselves that “That which contains is superior to that which is contained,” we find ourselves in need of receiving divine explanations by His Manifestation – such as this Paragraph—to get some insights into such very lofty themes.
• Another point that we need to be humbly cognizant of is the principle that “in Divinity there is no duality. All adjectives, nouns and pronouns in that court of sanctity are one; there is neither multiplicity nor division.” (‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 155)
• With these backgrounds, let’s explore Paragraph 1.45. But before we do that, let’s remind ourselves that, as was explained in the Comments portions associated with a number of previous Paragraphs (such as Paragraph 1.17), that the “the One Who speaks with the voice of God in this Tablet is identical with the One spoken to” -- both being Baha’u’llah. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3, p. 133).
• We become aware in this Paragraph that we should guard ourselves against any tendency to imply the notion of “duality” with respect to the Entity of the Manifestation of God and Its relationship to God. To further explore and understand this very important point let’s turn to the Writings. Below are two references, from Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
1. From Baha’u’llah:
“Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in the mirror of the entire creation. All existence is dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle.
Some, deluded by their idle fancies, have conceived all created things as associates and partners of God, and imagined themselves to be the exponents of His unity. By Him Who is the one true God! Such men have been, and will continue to remain, the victims of blind imitation, and are to be numbered with them that have restricted and limited the conception of God.
He is a true believer in Divine unity who, far from confusing duality with oneness, refuseth to allow any notion of multiplicity to becloud his conception of the singleness of God, who will regard the Divine Being as One Who, by His very nature, transcendeth the limitations of numbers.
The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the unity of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station, and is of them that are steadfast in their belief.” (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 165)
2. From ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
“Consider the statement recorded in the first chapter of the book of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This statement is brief but replete with the greatest meanings. Its applications are illimitable and beyond the power of books or words to contain and express. Heretofore the doctors of theology have not expounded it but have restricted it to Jesus as "the Word made flesh," the separation of Jesus from God, the Father, and His descent upon the earth. In this way the individualized separation of the godhead came to be taught.
The essential oneness of Father, Son and Spirit has many meanings and constitutes the foundation of Christianity. Today we will merely give a synopsis of explanation. Why was Jesus the Word?
In the universe of creation all phenomenal beings are as letters. Letters in themselves are meaningless and express nothing of thought or ideal -- as, for instance, a, b, etc. Likewise, all phenomenal beings are without independent meaning. But a word is composed of letters and has independent sense and meaning. Therefore, as Christ conveyed the perfect meaning of divine reality and embodied independent significance, He was the Word. He was as the station of reality compared to the station of metaphor. There is no intrinsic meaning in the leaves of a book, but the thought they convey leads you to reflect upon reality. The reality of Jesus was the perfect meaning, the Christhood in Him which in the Holy Books is symbolized as the Word.
"The Word was with God." The Christhood means not the body of Jesus but the perfection of divine virtues manifest in Him. Therefore, it is written, "He is God." This does not imply separation from God, even as it is not possible to separate the rays of the sun from the sun. The reality of Christ was the embodiment of divine virtues and attributes of God. For in Divinity there is no duality. All adjectives, nouns and pronouns in that court of sanctity are one; there is neither multiplicity nor division. The intention of this explanation is to show that the Words of God have innumerable significances and mysteries of meanings -- each one a thousand and more.” (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 154)
• Another fascinating gem that one could gleam from this Paragraph is Baha’u’llah’s reference to “manifestations in the world of being” that He has “created”. We understand that such creations are expressions of Baha’u’llah’s Name “Lordship”. One very powerful example of such creation is the person of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, as attested by Baha’u’llah in the Suriy-i-Ghusn (Surih of the Branch):
“There hath branched from the Sadratu'l-Muntaha this sacred and glorious Being, this Branch of Holiness; well is it with him that hath sought His shelter and abideth beneath His shadow. Verily the Limb of the Law of God hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly implanted in the Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch hath been so uplifted as to encompass the whole of creation. Magnified be He, therefore, for this sublime, this blessed, this mighty, this exalted Handiwork I . . . A Word hath, as a token of Our grace, gone forth from the Most Great Tablet -- a Word which God hath adorned with the ornament of His own Self, and made it sovereign over the earth and all that is therein, and a sign of His greatness and power among its people . . . Render thanks unto God, O people, for His appearance; for verily He is the most great Favour unto you, the most perfect bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering bone is quickened. Whoso turneth towards Him hath turned towards God, and whoso turneth away from Him hath turned away from My Beauty, hath repudiated My Proof, and transgressed against Me. He is the Trust of God amongst you, His charge within you, His manifestation unto you and His appearance among His favoured servants . . . We have sent Him down in the form of a human temple. Blest and sanctified be God Who createth whatsoever He willeth through His inviolable His infallible decree. They who deprive themselves of the shadow of the Branch, are lost in the wilderness of error are consumed by the heat of worldly desires, and are of those who will assuredly perish.” (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah, pp. 45-46)
• Baha’u’llah further indicates that through His Name “Godhead”, He has “created exponents whose power shall encompass the people of the earth and make them true worshippers of God …” Since “exponent” is defined in the dictionary as “a person who sets forth, expounds, or promotes principles, methods, etc, a person or thing that is an example or symbol (of something), representative”, next time we receive His grace to be able to offer some service to the Cause we should keep this in mind and give any credits to Baha’u’llah Himself!
• The Paragraph ends by Baha’u’llah’s reminder that just as such creations are due to His Names: “Lordship” and “Godhead”, that are also His other creations through “all Our Names”.
• A lot to reflect on and appreciate the incredible privilege of being His followers!
