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:
- “Once I requested to be in Baha'u'llah's room when He was revealing Tablets. This request met with His approval. As I entered His room, I heard streams of words sweeping along in a torrential flow from His lips. It seemed that the atmosphere, the floor, the walls, and every atom in the room was filled with perfume. Only those who have had this indescribable experience can ever imagine what I mean. The flow of revelation continued for about five minutes. Then Baha'u'llah said to me, "You have on several occasions been here when the revelation of Tablets has taken place. Should the people of the whole world wish to be present and hear the words of revelation, We would permit them. But since We have approved courtesy and ordained it upon men, we are reluctant to display this power publicly." (Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali, ‘The Delight of Hearts’)
- In the Suriy-i-Muluk (Tablet to the Kings) Baha’u’llah again refers to the accusation by the unbelievers that he had used “sorcery” and what a bounty they will be denied as a result. He also mentions what happened to those that made similar accusations in past dispensations. Here are Baha’u’llah’s Words:
- “O ye learned of the world! Ye failed to seek Our presence, that ye might hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Spirit and perceive that which God in His bounty hath pleased to bestow upon Me. Verily, this grace hath now escaped you, did ye but know. Had ye sought Our presence, We would have imparted unto you a knowledge that would have rendered you independent of all else. But this ye failed to do, and thus hath the decree of God been fulfilled. Now have I been forbidden to disclose it, since We stand accused of sorcery, if ye perceive Our meaning. The same words were uttered by the deniers of old, men whom death hath long since overtaken and who now dwell in the fire bewailing their plight. The deniers of this day shall likewise meet their doom. Such is the irrevocable decree of Him Who is the All-Powerful, the Self-Sufficient.” (Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
- Referring to their time in Baghdad, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:
- “For eleven years and somewhat over, Bahá'u'lláh abode in 'Iraq-i-'Arab. The behavior and conduct of the sect were such that [His] fame and renown increased. For He was manifest and apparent amongst men, consorted and associated with all parties, and would converse familiarly with doctors and scholars concerning the solution of difficult theological questions and the verification of the true sense of abstruse points of divinity. As is currently reported by persons of every class, He used to please all, whether inhabitants or visitors, by His kindly intercourse and courteous address; and this sort of demeanor and conduct on His part led them to suspect sorcery and account Him an adept in the occult sciences.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘A Traveller's Narrative’)
- A very moving account concerning such issues is left by Nabil-i-‘Azam in the ‘Dawn-Breakers’ about the third meeting that the Shah’s messenger, Vahid, had with the Báb. Here we see how the Manifestation of God kindly and compassionately frees Vahid from any suspicion that He was performing sorcery or magic. Nabil quotes Vahid’s own testimony concerning this amazing third meeting:
- I resolved that in my third interview with the Báb I would in my inmost heart request Him to reveal for me a commentary on the Surih of Kawthar. [Qur'án, 108] I determined not to breathe that request in His presence. Should he, unasked by me, reveal this commentary in a manner that would immediately distinguish it in my eyes from the prevailing standards current among the commentators on the Qur'án, I then would be convinced of the Divine character of His Mission, and would readily embrace His Cause. If not, I would refuse to acknowledge Him. As soon as I was ushered into His presence, a sense of fear, for which I could not account, suddenly seized me. My limbs quivered as I beheld His face. I, who on repeated occasions had been introduced into the presence of the Shah and had never discovered the slightest trace of timidity in myself, was now so awed and shaken that I could not remain standing on my feet. The Báb, beholding my plight, arose from His seat, advanced towards me, and, taking hold of my hand, seated me beside Him. 'Seek from Me,' He said, 'whatever is your heart's desire. I will readily reveal it to you.' I was speechless with wonder. Like a babe that can neither understand nor speak, I felt powerless to respond. He smiled as He gazed at me and said: 'Were I to reveal for you the commentary on the Surih of Kawthar, would you acknowledge that My words are born of the Spirit of God? Would you recognize that My utterance can in no wise be associated with sorcery or magic?' Tears flowed from my eyes as I heard Him speak these words. All I was able to utter was this verse of the Qur'án: 'O our Lord, with ourselves have we dealt unjustly: if Thou forgive us not and have not pity on us, we shall surely be of those who perish.' (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)
- Another theme touched on in this paragraph by Baha’u’llah is the fact that the “very objections raised by the unbelievers” are by themselves “conclusive proofs to invalidate” such claims and “vindicate the truth” of the “Light” that is brought to humanity by the Manifestation of God. Since God has progressively revealed this “Light” to humanity by His various Manifestations, an unbiased seeker of truth should be able to find ample evidences of the demonstration of this fact in various ages. Below is an example given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
- “[1] When Christ appeared, twenty centuries ago, although the Jews were eagerly awaiting His Coming, and prayed every day, with tears, saying: 'O God, hasten the Revelation of the Messiah,' yet when the Sun of Truth dawned, they denied Him and rose against Him with the greatest enmity, and eventually crucified that divine Spirit, the Word of God, and named Him Beelzebub, the evil one, as is recorded in the Gospel. The reason for this was that they said: 'The Revelation of Christ, according to the clear text of the Torah, will be attested by certain signs, and so long as these signs have not appeared, whoso layeth claim to be a Messiah is an impostor. Among these signs is this, that the Messiah should come from an unknown place, yet we all know this man's house in Nazareth, and can any good thing come out of Nazareth? The second sign is that He shall rule with a rod of iron, that is, He must act with the sword, but this Messiah has not even a wooden staff. Another of the conditions and signs is this: He must sit upon the throne of David and establish David's sovereignty. Now, far from being enthroned, this man has not even a mat to sit on. Another of the conditions is this: the promulgation of all the laws of the Torah; yet this man has abrogated these laws, and has even broken the sabbath day, although it is the clear text of the Torah that whosoever layeth claim to prophethood and revealeth miracles and breaketh the sabbath day, must be put to death. Another of the signs is this, that in His reign justice will be so advanced that righteousness and well-doing will extend from the human even to the animal world -- the snake and the mouse will share one hole, and the eagle and the partridge one nest, the lion and the gazelle shall dwell in one pasture, and the wolf and the kid shall drink from one fountain. Yet now, injustice and tyranny have waxed so great in His time that they have crucified Him! Another of the conditions is this, that in the days of the Messiah the Jews will prosper and triumph over all the peoples of the world, but now they are living in the utmost abasement and servitude in the empire of the Romans. Then how can this be the Messiah promised in the Torah?'
- "In this wise did they object to that Sun of Truth, although that Spirit of God was indeed the One promised in the Torah. But as they did not understand the meaning of these signs, they crucified the Word of God. Now the Bahá'ís hold that the recorded signs did come to pass in the Manifestation of Christ, although not in the sense which the Jews understood, the description in the Torah being allegorical. For instance, among the signs is that of sovereignty. For Bahá'ís say that the sovereignty of Christ was a heavenly, divine, everlasting sovereignty, not a Napoleonic sovereignty that vanisheth in a short time. For well nigh two thousand years this sovereignty of Christ hath been established, and until now it endureth, and to all eternity that Holy Being will be exalted upon an everlasting throne.
- "In like manner all the other signs have been made manifest, but the Jews did not understand. Although nearly twenty centuries have elapsed since Christ appeared with divine splendour, yet the Jews are still awaiting the coming of the Messiah and regard themselves as true and Christ as false.” (‘Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha) [1] Written especially for Dr. Esslemont's immortal work Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era.]
