"What aileth this people that they speak of that which they
understand not? They raise the same objections as did the followers of the
Qur'án when their Lord came unto them with His Cause. They, verily, are a
rejected people. They hindered others from appearing before Him Who is the
Ancient Beauty, and from sharing the bread of His loved ones. "Approach
them not," one was even heard to say, "for they cast a spell upon the
people and lead them astray from the path of God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting." By the righteousness of the one true God! He who is
incapable of speaking in Our presence hath uttered such words as none among the
former generations hath ever spoken, and hath committed such acts as none of
the unbelievers of bygone ages hath ever committed."
Comments
- As we explored in the previous paragraph: Baha’u’llah made us aware of some of the indignities that He, as the Manifestation of God, was subjected to, by a group of people that He designates as “infidels”. These individuals, Baha’u’llah reminds us, were those who “repudiated His Self” and rose up “against His Cause”, and claimed that His divine verses were “contrived”.
- In this Paragraph, Baha’u’llah elaborates further on the words and influence exerted by such individuals. As we read and reflect on Baha’u’llah’s explanation, one may wonder how many people continue to act in this way and to what degree this will increase as the Cause of God continues to grow in future.
- The pitiful plight of such people becomes very obvious when we read Baha’u’llah’s remarks that: “they speak of that which they understand not”.
- These people, according to Baha’u’llah, provided two main obstacles:
- The incredible privilege of living during the lifetime of the Manifestation of God and attaining His presence and the effect that that opportunity would have in one’s eternal growth and development is really beyond the understanding of us mortals. It is a unique privilege for those who had the bounty of living in the days of the Manifestation of God. For the rest of us this opportunity is only available in the next world. The Guardian’s secretary wrote on his behalf:
- "He was surely very sorry to hear of the passing away of your father who was such an old and devoted servant of the Cause. Such persons, at their passing, proceed to the presence of Bahá'u'lláh and partake of His infinite blessings and divine bounties. They enter into a state which, should we only have the eye to see, we would envy and earnestly desire. It is only because we ignore the beautiful and glorious life of the world beyond that we seem attached to our earthly abode and often forget the goal of our very existence here." (From a letter dated May 14, 1932 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Dawn of a New Day’)
- Concerning attaining the Divine presence Baha’u’llah explains:
- "In all the Divine Books the promise of the Divine Presence hath been explicitly recorded. By this Presence is meant the Presence of Him Who is the Dayspring of the signs, and the Dawning-Place of the clear tokens, and the Manifestation of the Excellent Names, and the Source of the attributes, of the true God, exalted be His glory. God in His Essence and in His own Self hath ever been unseen, inaccessible, and unknowable. By Presence, therefore, is meant the Presence of the One Who is His Vicegerent amongst men. He, moreover, hath never had, nor hath He, any peer or likeness. For were He to have any peer or likeness, how could it then be demonstrated that His being is exalted above, and His essence sanctified from, all comparison and likeness?" (Baha'u'llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
- In this paragraph Baha’u’llah also mentions that such infidels have prevented people from “sharing the bread of His loved ones”. Let’s explore the Writings to gain some understanding about this metaphor of “bread”:
- From Baha’u’llah:
- Such is the share of the pure in heart of the bread that hath descended from the realms of eternity and holiness. (Baha'u'llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
- This wronged One will cite but one of these instances, thus conferring upon mankind, for the sake of God, such bounties as are yet concealed within the treasury of the hidden and sacred Tree, that haply mortal men may not remain deprived of their share of the immortal fruit, and attain to a dewdrop of the waters of everlasting life which, from Baghdad, the "Abode of Peace," are being vouchsafed unto all mankind. We ask for neither meed nor reward. "We nourish your souls for the sake of God; we seek from you neither recompense nor thanks."[1] This is the food that conferreth everlasting life upon the pure in heart and the illumined in spirit. This is the bread of which it is said: "Lord, send down upon us Thy bread from heaven."[2] This bread shall never be withheld from them that deserve it, nor can it ever be exhausted. It groweth everlastingly from the tree of grace; it descendeth at all seasons from the heavens of justice and mercy. Even as He saith: "Seest thou not to what God likeneth a good word? To a good tree; its root firmly fixed, and its branches reaching unto heaven: yielding its fruit in all seasons."[2] (Baha'u'llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’) [1] Qur'án 76:9.][2] Qur'án 5:117.
- These are they who circle round the Cause of God even as the shadow doth revolve around the sun. Open, then, your eyes, O people of the Bayan, that haply ye may behold them! It is by virtue of their movement that all things are set in motion, and by reason of their stillness all things are brought to rest, would that ye might be assured thereof! Through them the believers in the Divine Unity have turned towards Him Who is the Object of the adoration of the entire creation, and by them the hearts of the righteous have found rest and composure, could ye but know it! Through them the earth hath been established, the clouds have rained down their bounty, and the bread of knowledge hath descended from the heaven of grace, could ye but perceive it! (Baha'u'llah, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
- O My God! Thou art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. Withhold not Thy servants from the most mighty Ocean, which Thou hast made the repository of the pearls of Thy knowledge and Thy wisdom, and turn them not away from Thy gate, which Thou hast opened wide before all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. O Lord! Leave them not to themselves, for they understand not and flee from that which is better for them than all that Thou hast created upon Thine earth. Cast upon them, O My God, the glances of the eye of Thy favour and bounty, and deliver them from self and passion, that they may draw nigh unto Thy most exalted Horizon, taste the sweetness of Thy remembrance, and delight in that bread which Thou hast sent down from the heaven of Thy Will and the firmament of Thy grace. From everlasting Thy bounty hath embraced the entire creation and Thy mercy hath surpassed all things. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. (Baha'u'llah, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
- These gifts are inherent in man himself. That which is preeminent above all other gifts, is incorruptible in nature, and pertaineth to God Himself, is the gift of Divine Revelation. Every bounty conferred by the Creator upon man, be it material or spiritual, is subservient unto this. It is, in its essence, and will ever so remain, the Bread which cometh down from Heaven. It is God's supreme testimony, the clearest evidence of His truth, the sign of His consummate bounty, the token of His all-encompassing mercy, the proof of His most loving providence, the symbol of His most perfect grace. He hath, indeed, partaken of this highest gift of God who hath recognized His Manifestation in this Day. (Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)
- From ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
- Thy writing was considered. Thank God that thou wert fed from the table which hath descended from heaven. That food is the "I am the bread which descended from heaven," recorded in the Gospel. That is faith, certainty, love and knowledge. I ask God that, day by day, thy steps may progress, that thou mayest grow firmer in the love of God; that unto thee and thy kindred a blessing of God shall come, and that thou mayest remain protected and sheltered under all conditions. Thus, may thy weakness be changed to strength and thy inability to power. (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha vol. 3)
- My heart aches, for I note with intense regret that the attention of the people is nowhere directed toward that which is worthy of this day and time. The Sun of Truth has risen above the world but we are ensnared in the dark of our imaginings. The waters of the Most Great Sea are surging all around us, while we are parched and weak with thirst. The divine bread is coming down from heaven, and yet we grope and stumble in a famine-stricken land. (Abdu'l-Baha, ‘The Secret of Divine Civilization’)
- The Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is food for all who hunger. God Who has given the revelation to His Prophets will surely give of His abundance daily bread to all those who ask Him faithfully. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)
- From Shoghi Effendi:
- Let them, at this momentous stage of their historic labours, eliminate, once and for all, every trace of inharmony from their midst, purge their hearts from every lingering suspicion, prejudice and animosity, acquire a clearer vision of the greatness of their Faith and the significance of their mission, give heed to the urgent and tragic needs of the vast multitudes of their disillusioned and sore-tried countrymen, now hungering for the Bread of Life, and arise, as one man, to discharge their sacred and inescapable responsibilities. The hour is propitious, the situation critical, the Cause infinitely precious, the prize within reach and inexpressibly glorious. (Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated 8 May, 1948; ‘Dawn of a New Day’)
- Dearly-beloved friends! What better field than the vast virgin territories, so near at hand, and waiting to receive, at this very hour, their full share of the onrushing tide of Bahá'u'lláh's redeeming grace? What theatre more befitting than these long-neglected nine remaining states and provinces in which the true heroism of the intrepid pioneers of His World Order can be displayed? There is no time to lose. There is no room left for vacillation. Multitudes hunger for the Bread of Life. The stage is set. The firm and irrevocable Promise is given. God's own Plan has been set in motion. It is gathering momentum with every passing day. The powers of heaven and earth mysteriously assist in its execution. Such an opportunity is irreplaceable. Let the doubter arise and himself verify the truth of such assertions. To try, to persevere, is to insure ultimate and complete victory. (Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated 28 January, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)
