The very words and deeds of these men bear eloquent
testimony to the truth of My words, if ye be of them that judge with fairness.
Whosoever attributeth the verses of God to sorcery hath not believed in any of
His Messengers, hath lived and laboured in vain, and is accounted of those who
speak that of which they have no knowledge. Say: O servant! Fear God, thy
Creator and thy Fashioner, and transgress not against Him, but judge with
fairness and act with justice. Those whom the Lord hath endued with knowledge
shall find, in the very objections raised by the unbelievers, conclusive proofs
to invalidate their claims and vindicate the truth of this manifest Light. Say:
Would ye repeat that which the unbelievers uttered when a Message came unto them
from their Lord? Woe betide you, O assemblage of foolish ones, and blighted be
your works!
Comments
- In this paragraph Baha’u’llah elaborates further concerning one of the accusations that those people who, as described in Paragraphs 1.54 and 1.55 “repudiated His Self”, rose up “against His Cause”, and claimed that His divine verses were “contrived” – charging that the verses of God revealed by Baha’u’llah were “sorcery”. Let’s explore this in light of the passages from the Writings and the literature of the Faith.
- In Paragraph 1.54 we read this statement from Baha’u’llah: “Whensoever We revealed Our clear verses unto such men, they rejected them, and whensoever they beheld that which the combined forces of the earth are powerless to produce, they pronounced it sorcery.” One understanding we gain from this quote is that the Manifestation of God did perform certain actions that “the combined forces of the earth are powerless to produce”. This must have been an incredible experience for those believers who were privileged to witness them! It also provided ammunition for those who chose not to believe in the divine powers of the Manifestation of God to denounce Him and attribute such incidents to “sorcery”.
- An example of “that which the combined forces of the earth are powerless to produce” was when Baha’u’llah revealed the Verses of God. We are very fortunate to have accounts left to posterity by some believers who were allowed to be present and witness the process of revelation. These accounts are very moving and awe inspiring! But to really “behold” and “experience” this process depends on the purity of heart, spiritual receptivity and capacity of those who Baha’u’llah allowed to be present. Here is one account by Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali, a very devoted believer:
