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PART FIVE

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[Page 587]ARTICLES AND REVIEWS

1. Bahá’u’lláh by H. M. BALYUZI

(The following passages are reprinted, with permission, from the book Bahá’u’lláh, by H. M. Balyuzi. George Ronald, Oxford, 1963.)

“T he humanitarian and spiritualprinciples enunciated decades ago in the darkest East by Bahá’u’lláh and moulded by H im into a coherent scheme are one after the other being taken by a world unconscious of their source as the marks of progressive civilization. And the sense that mankind has broken with the past and that the oldguidance will not carry it through the emergencies of the present has filled with uncertainty and dismay all thoughtful men save those who have learned to find in the story of Bahá’u’lláh the meaning of all the prodigies and portents of our time.”

THE towering grandeur and the tender beauty of the life of a Manifestation of God cannot be comprehended by events usually associated with a saintly life. The immensity of such a life presents itself in that mysterious influence which it exerts over countless lives, an influence which functions not through social status and prestige, wealth, secular power or worldly dominion; indeed not even through a medium of mere superior knowledge and intellectual achievement.

The Manifestation of God is the Archetype, and His life is the supreme pattern. His vision, not arrested by time and space, encompasses the future as well as the past. He is the only and the necessary link between one period of social evolution and another. Without Him history is meaningless and coordination is impossible. Furthermore, the Manifestation of God releases deep reservoirs of spiritual power and quickens the forces latent in humanity. By Him, and by Him alone, can Man attain “second birth”.

Mirza Husayn-‘Ali, later surnamed Bahá’u’lláh, was born on November 12th, 1817, in Ṭihrán, the capital of Persia. His father, Mirza Buzurg of Nfir, held a responsible post in the ministerial circle of the flah’s court. A11 accounts of Bahá’u’lláh’s childhood indicate that from His earliest years He possessed remarkable and very unusual powers. At the age of seven, He appeared before the ghéh, to argue a case on behalf of His father, and proved His suit. His

Shoghi Effendi

character endeared Him not only to His kinsmen and immediate entourage, but to strangers as well. The minister was fully conscious of the extraordinary powers of his Son, although the destiny of the Child could not but be unknown to him. Bahá’u’lláh grew up in the environs of the court, amidst riches and great comfort. But when His father died, and the post left vacant in the court was offered to Him, He refused to accept it. The Grand Vizier, we are told, said that Mirza Husayn-‘Ali was intended for a work of greater magnitude, and the arena of government was too small a field for His capacities.

In those days, the nobility of Tran cared little for the sciences and the arts of the learned. Beyond excellent calligraphy, a knowledge of the sacred scriptures of Islam, and a wellfounded acquaintance with the works of such prominent figures in Persian literature as Rfimi, Firdausi, Sa‘di and Hafiz, they generally knew but little. There were notable exceptions of course. Bahá’u’lláh was more than an exception. Although untutored, He plunged freely and naturally into such talks and discussions as were considered to be the domain of the theologian and the scholar. Time and again He astounded the doctors of religion and the learned of the land by His clear reasoning and irrefutable logic. oftentimes a person encroaching upon precincts reserved to others becomes presumptuous, arrogant, and haughty. Bahá’u’lláh was modest, genial, and forbearing.

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This youthful scion of a house of nobility had an overwhelming passion for justice. He deserted the court to tend the oppressed and the aggrieved. Not once did He hesitate to champion the cause of the poor and the fallen who turned to Him for succour and help. None who deserved was refused. Thus passed the days of His Youth, until a day came when an emissary set out with a letter to seek Him, and the very qualities that made Him a haven and refuge, and raised Him in the esteem of His fellow men, convinced that emissary that the Son of the late minister from Nfir was indeed the Exalted Person intended to receive the letter of the Báb.

On May 22nd, 1844, a young merchant of Shíráz, whose name was Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, revealed Himself to a seeker as that Deliverer Whom the world of Islam anxiously awaited. An independent Manifestation of God and the Harbinger of a greater Manifestation, He took the title of the Báb, meaning “Gate”. His primary mission was to awaken the slumbering people of lrén, and to warn the followers of the Faith of Muhammad—a Faith by then, alas, laden with abuses. The Báb sent Mulla Husayn, that seeker who was the first to believe in Him, to the capital, and entrusted Him with a letter for an unnamed Person, supreme in heavenly rank. Mulla’. Husayn reached Tihran, determined to let Providence guide his steps. He searched indomitably, but in vain. At last a visitor came to him, whose home-town was Nuiin Mézindaran, the home of Bahá’u’lláh’s family. In the course of conversation Mulla Husayn inquired about the sons of the late Mirza Buzurg, the minister from Niir. Thus he heard of Mirza Husayn-‘Ali, and eagerly asked for more information. And when the full story was unfolded to him, he knew in an instant that he had found the unnamed Person Who was to receive the letter sent by the Báb. He had come to the end of his quest. In due course, the Báb’s Epistle was taken to Bahá’u’lláh, Who accepted the Truth that it contained. Thus at the age of twenty-seven, the Son of the minister, Who had withdrawn from the life of the court, the brilliant nobleman Whose sense of justice was a byword amongst all who knew Him, Whose knowledge, eloquence and lovable nature were exemplary, put Himself on the side of a religious renaissance that was bound to excite the hatred of the ruling classes of the realm.

The Bath had implicit assurance that the

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nobleman of Nfir would ultimately wield the sceptre of supreme authority. It was the Báb Who assigned to Him the designation Bahá’u’lláh—the Glory of God. One cannot fail to perceive the affection, the respect and the attachment which the Báb showed towards Bahá’u’lláh, sentiments which found no parallel in His regard for the rest of His able and devout followers.

Soon after His conversion, Bahá’u’lláh travelled to His native province on the shores of the Caspian Sea, to promote the Message of the Báb. He was highly esteemed in Mazindaran, and therefore apt to arouse controversy in orthodox camps. He challenged a clergyman of considerable local standing to refute His proofs, but the latter, finding himself unequal to the task, evaded the issue.

Then, in the middle part of 1848, occurred the Conference of Badasht. The followers of the Bab, harassed and persecuted, witnessing their Master in prison and cruel detention, came to meet in a secluded part of K_hurasan, in the northeast of Persia, to examine the problems facing them as a hounded community and adherents of a proscribed Faith. There was present the learned and confident Qud dfis, the most venerated of the first disciples of the Baththose who sought Him and found Him and believed in Him, and were named by Him “The Letters of the Living”. There was the silvertongued and courageous poetess Qurratu’l‘Ayn, later known as Táhirih, another of the Letters of the Living and the only one of that band of eighteen who never met the Báb, but believed in Him from afar and sent Him her eloquent homage through a kinsman who was setting out on his quest. Bahá’u’lláh, too, was there. Throughout the discussion He maintained a dignified silence, but when the Conference reached its end, His was the decisive and the undisputed word.

The Bábis had not yet fully grasped the significance of the Báb’s revelation. Qurratu’l‘Ayn discarded her veil and appeared in the assemblage of men with face uncovered, as a token of new birth and a new day. In that gathering she raised her voice in defiance of superstition, prejudice and blind imitation. Quddús, deeply versed in theology, and firm in his beliefs, would not sanction the advanced measures advocated by Qurratu’l-‘Ayn. Now Bahá’u’lláh threw the weight of His innate

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wisdom into the balance. The Báb, He told the assembly, was the Founder of a new Dispensation, and stood in the same heavenly lineage as Muhammad, Jesus and Moses. A few halfhearted souls left disgustedly, but the great majority were confirmed in their faith. When the Bath heard of the outcome of the Conference of Badasht, His delight was immense.

From Badasht, Bahá’u’lláh returned to Tihran. Not long after, He visited Mulla Husayn, who, with more than three hundred Bábis had sought refuge in the shrine of flayk_h Tabarsi in the forests of Mézindarén. Mullá Husayn built defences around the shrine, and was eventually joined by Quddi’is. The infuriated clergy stormed the government to send a punitive expedition against that hounded band of innocent and God—fearing men. Troops marched and laid siege to the fortress which sheltered the Babis. Hearing the news, Bahá’u’lláh left promptly for the Fort of Tabarsi, wishing to share the calamities of His brethren in faith. Providence had deemed that the heroic defenders of Shayl£h Tabarsi should seal the C ovenant of the Báb with their blood, and that Bahá’u’lláh should be preserved for a far greater purpose in days to come. He was stopped on His way, by the Governor’s men, and taken to the town of Amul. The doctors of religion preached death, and the mob thirsted for violence. In order to appease the populace, the deputy-governor decided to inflict some kind of punishment on the members of Bahá’u’lláh’s retinue. Bahá’u’lláh offered Himself in lieu of His friends, and voluntarily drew the wrath of the mob upon His own Person. He was bastinadoed.

On July 9th, 1850, the gracious and gentle Bab was shot in the public square of Tabríz. His breast, that heaved not but in adoration of God, was made the target of bullets. Bahá’u’lláh had sent Sulayman Khan, a brilliant and brave youth, to rescue the mangled remains of the Bab from the fury of the foe. And then He arranged for the concealment of the remains in order to protect them from the evil designs of the oppressors. For more than fifty years they were hidden from the knowledge of friends and enemies alike. Today they rest on Mount Carmel, in a beautiful mausoleum under a golden dome.

Not only did the Báb quafl‘ the cup of martyrdom, but His able and selfless lieutenants were

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one by one hunted down with brutal hatredMullá Ḥusayn, Quddfis, the erudite and fearless Vahid of Daréb, the indomitable Hujjat of Zanjan, all murdered and gone. In the length and breadth of Iran the Bábis had no peace, no security, no right to life itself. How long can a mutilated and agonised community bear and sustain the severe impact of continuous shocks! Bahá’u’lláh’s arduous task had already begun. In Him were centred all those highest qualities, human and divine, that went to make the Bath and Quddt’is. On Him, and Him alone, depended the fate of the Babis. It was to Him that the Bab had sent His seals, pen, and papers, a symbolic act of untold significance.

In J une, 1851 , Bahá’u’lláh travelled to ‘lraq. There the Babis lived in comparative safety, but were distracted and forlorn. Bahá’u’lláh refortified their faith, and gave them fresh hope. No sooner had He returned to Tihran than the storm broke out again. It was more than a storm. It was a holocaust.

The Babis presented, indeed, a sad spectacle in this period of their short but eventful history. Their morale was impaired and their energy sapped. The fickle and the timid amongst them could see no redeeming hand, no prospect of emancipation. Two irresponsible young men, driven to despair, decided to avenge their Master and their martyred brethren. To them the source of persecution and tyranny seemed to be no other than the person of the Sovereign ——the flab, in whose hand was the power to give themjustice. The Shéh, they argued in their tormented minds, had not exercised his sovereign authority in favour of their maligned and oppressed community, and therefore he had to pay the supreme penalty. So deranged were their faculties that they did not put in their pistols proper bullets for killing a man.

On August 12th, 1852, they ventured upon their insane attempt and failed. The §héh received only superficial injuries. The would-be murderers were not given the chance of a trial, and were summarily dealt with. But the matter did not end there. The enemies of the Báb had found their golden opportunity to exterminate His followers. Here at last, they frenziedly declaimed, was the proof of a deadly menace to the State.

Bahá’u’lláh was, at this moment, staying in a summer residence in the vicinity of the capital.

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His friends warned Him of the engulfing tide. They offered to hide Him from the wrath of His ill-wishers. But he remained calm and composed. He had nothing to fear, and the next day He rode towards the camp of the Shah. The news of His approach confounded the enemy. Whilst they were plotting His arrest, and starting to search for Him, He was coming to them, of His own accord. But when had Bahá’u’lláh ever shown fear or panic?

They laid their rough hands upon His Person. On the road to the dungeon in Tihran, a big crowd gathered to jeer at Him and to heap insults upon Him. He Who had been their friend and defender, their shield and support in need, was now the victim of their blazing hatred.

People did the same to Jesus. On Palm Sunday they went out to greet Him. They gave Him a royal welcome. And Jerusalem echoed with “Hosanna to the Son of David”. “Blessed is He,” they cried, “that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the Highest.” A few days later, in the courtyard of Pontius Pilate, they were given a choice. Which should die? Barrabas, the proved and convicted criminal, or Jesus, the Light of the World? They asked for the death of Jesus. They rejected the Christ. “Crucify Him,” they cried.

Thus has the world ever treated its true friend.

Among the crowd, which hurled abuse at Bahá’u’lláh and pelted Him with stones, was an old woman. She stepped forward with a stone in her hand to strike at Him. Although frenzied with rage, her steps were too weak for the pace of the procession. “Give me a chance to fling my stone in His face,” she pleaded with the guard. Bahá’u’lláh turned to them and said, “Suffer not this woman to be disappointed. Deny her not what she regards as a meritorious act in the sight of God.” Such was the measure of His compassion.

About the attempt on the life of the Shah, Bahá’u’lláh writes in His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf:

“By the righteousness of God! We were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless, they apprehended Us, and from Niyavarén, which was then the residence of His Majesty, conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the dungeon of Ṭihrán. A brutal man, accompanying Us on horseback, snatched ofi" Our hat,

THE Bahá’í WORLD

whilst We were being hurried along by a troop of executioners and officials. We were consigned for four months to a place foul beyond comparison. As to the dungeon in which this Wronged One and others similarly wronged were confined, a dark and narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival We were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the place of confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered. No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most fouI-smelling and gloomy place!”1

The prison cell in which Bahá’u’lláh was confined, together with many other Bábis, was a grim, dark and stench-laden pit that once had served as a reservoir for a. public bath, and to which the worst criminals were now consigned. Around His neck they placed one of the two most dreaded chains in the whole land. Under its ponderous weight His whole frame was bent. In that same book, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá’u’lláh speaks of those awesome chains:

“Shouldst thou at sometime happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty the shéh, ask the director and chiefjailer to show thee those two chains, one of which is known as Qara-Guhar, and the other as Salasil. I swear by the Day-Star of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them. ‘My grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of Job are but a part of My sorrows!”2

Nabil, the immortal historian of the Bahá’í Faith, recounts in his work the words which he himself heard from Bahá’u’lláh, describing the torments of those days:

“We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains. The air we breathed was laden with the foulest of impurities, while the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin. No ray of light was

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allowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy coldness. We were placed in two rows, each facing the other. We had taught them to repeat certain verses which, every night, they chanted with extreme fervour. ‘God is sufficient unto me; He verily is the All-sufficing!’ one row would intone, while the other would reply: ‘In Him let the trusting trust.’ The chorus of these gladsome voices would continue to peal out until the early hours of the morning. Their reverberation would fill the dungeon, and, piercing its massive walls, would reach the ears of Nasiri’d-Di’n Shéh, whose palace was not far distant from the place where we were imprisoned. ‘What means this sound ?’ he was reported to have exclaimed. ‘It is the anthem the Babis are intoning in their prison,’ they replied. The ghéh made no further remarks, nor did he attempt to restrain the enthusiasm which his prisoners, despite the horrors of their confinement, continued to display.”3

Day by day an official would come to the prison and call out the names of those who were to meet their martyr’s death on that day. And out would walk those whose names were called, with firm steps and shining brows. Hundreds of Bábis died in that blood-bath of 1852, after being subjected to excruciating tortures.

One of that glorious band was Sulayman gym, the same brave spirit who, at the bidding of Bahá’u’lláh, had rescued the body of the Bab. They bored nine holes in his body and placed nine lighted candles in them. Thus they paraded him in the streets, with a bowling mob jeering at his heels. Sulaymén flan was a young courtier, accustomed to power and display. On this day of his martyrdom he stopped in the midst of his tortures and exclaimed: “What greater pomp and pageantry than those which this day accompany my progress to win the crown of glory! Glorified be the Báb, Who can kindle such devotion in the breasts of His lovers, and can endow them with a power greater than the might of kings.” As the candles flickered in his wounds, he said, “You have long lost your sting, O flames, and have been robbed of your power to pain me. Make haste, for from your very tongues of fire I can hear the voice that calls me to my Beloved?” And when one of his tormentors reviled him, he answered with these lines:

“Clasping in one hand the wine—cup, in one hand the Loved One’s hair;

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Thus my doom would I envisage dancing through the market-square.”

Thus died Sulaymén Qan.

Another victim in this tornado was Táhirih, the beautiful, talented poetess of Qazvin—the same heroic soul who, at the Conference of Badasht, raised the call of the emanicpation of her sex. Now in the dead of night they strangled her and cast her body into a pit of which no trace was left. But the memory of her supreme constancy, courage and devotion will forever endure. She knew of her approaching end and was ready for it. To her hostess, the wife of the magistrate in whose custody she was placed, Táhirih said on the day preceding the night of her martyrdom: “I am preparing to meet my Beloved, and wish to free you from the cares and anxieties of my imprisonment.” She was in bridal array.

Such was the fortitude of the Babis and such was the magnitude of their sacrifice.

For four agony—laden months Bahá’u’lláh lingered in chains, in that dismal, pestilential dungeon Of Tihran.

But it was in the dark of that dungeon that Bahá’u’lláh saw the Light of God shining in His own Self. He Himself gives us a vivid and overpowering account of those hours when He became conscious of His heavenly Mission.

“During the days I lay in the prison of Ṭihrán, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear.”‘

God, in His infinite Grace, gave the world a Universal Manifestation of His Absolute Qualities and Attributes. The promise of the Bab, nay, the promise of all the Messengers of God, was fulfilled. The time, however, had not come for a public declaration. Ten more years had to elapse, before Bahá’u’lláh would announce His Manifestation to human kind.

There was no shadow of doubt that Bahá’u’lláh was not an accomplice in the attempt made

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on the life of the flab. Yet the enemies were loath to release Him, and at the same time they dared not bring Him to the scaffold. Once, poison was introduced into His food, and the effect of it remained with Him for many years. In the end He was freed and exiled from Tran. His property was confiscated, and nothing was left to Him of His wealth. The Russian minister invited Him to go to Russia where He would be assured of a free unmolested life. Bahá’u’lláh declined the invitation, and chose to proceed to ‘Iráq. On January 12th, 1853, He left Ṭihrán, never to return. With Him were the members of His family. The winter was severe. The route was over high mountains covered with deep snow, and the means of comfort were scant. Deprived of all His earthly goods, Bahá’u’lláh could not provide such facilities as would lessen the toils and hardships of that long and arduous journey. Travelling under those adverse conditions was immensely hard, and the pace was necessarily slow.

As Bahá’u’lláh neared the frontier, a period drew to its close. Were the people of Train aware of the loss they sustained ? Steeped in ignorance, sunk in bigotry, blinded by prejudice, theirs was not to see and know. And thus Bahá’u’lláh passed out of their midst. He Who once was loved and respected by rich and poor, high and low, prince and peasant alike, was now deserted by the same people on whom He had lavished mercy, love, justice, and charity at all times. Persia lost the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, but could His spirit ever be absent from that or any other land ?

In the Epilogue to Nabil’s Narrative, a history of the early days of the Cause, written by Nabil of Zarand, and translated by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, Shoghi Effendi thus described those tempestuous days culminating in Bahá’u’lláh’s exile: “Never had the fortunes of the Faith proclaimed by the Báb sunk to a lower ebb than when Bahá’u’lláh was banished from His native land to ‘Iráq. The Cause for which the Báb had given His life, for which Bahá’u’lláh had toiled and suffered, seemed to be on the very verge of extinction. Its force appeared to have been spent, its resistance irretrievably broken. Discouragement and disasters, each more devastating in its effect than the preceding one, had succeeded one another with bewildering

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rapidity, sapping its vitality and dimming the hopes of its stoutest supporters.”°

Bahá’u’lláh arrived at Baghdad in March, 1853. His physical strength was momentarily impaired. To a casual observer He might have looked like a man approaching His end. Indeed the court and the priesthood of Train were confident that Bahá’u’lláh was doomed to an early death and oblivion. But He survived all the hardships to which He was subjected, and as soon as He recovered from the effects of His harsh imprisonment and painful journey, He arose to reassemble and reanimate the stricken and shattered community of the Báb. That was the resolve He had come to, in the dungeon of Tihran.

“Day and night, while confined in that dungeon,” He tells us, “We meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Babis, wondering what could have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence, t0 perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon, decided to arise, after His release from prison, and undertake, with the utmost vigour, the task of regenerating this people.

“One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every side: ‘Verily, We shall render Thee Victorious by Thyself and by T by Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Ere long will God raise up the treasures of the earth—men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him.’ ”7

The plight of the Babis was grievous indeed. Stunned by the staggering blows dealt them by a vigilant and relentless enemy, disintegrated by factional strifes, they could not for the moment observe the guiding hand of Bahá’u’lláh. Yet, unknown to friend and foe, He was the Repository of Divine Revelation, the Vicar of God on Earth.

The Báb had clearly, and in most emphatic language, foretold the proximity of the advent of “Him Whom God Will Make Manifest”, that World Educator Who was to rear and lead humanity in the “Day of Days”. At this period many an adventurer forwarded a claim to that station. Thus a number of the Babis were

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7G“

The principalface Of the House of Balld’u’llah in Tihran showing the decorative windows of the main hall where Bahá’u’lláh was born.

divided into numerous parties, each supporting one of these self-appointed messiahs. The nominal head of the Babi Community, Bahá’u’lláh’s half—brother, Mirzá Yaḥyá, entitled Subh-i-Azal or “Morning of Eternity”, was incompetent to cope with the forces of disruption. He lacked courage. At a time when Bahá’u’lláh was facing the enemy with calm fortitude, Azal was a fugitive trying to save his own life. When Bahá’u’lláh was in chains, Azal roamed the countryside, in disguise. In the garb

of a dervish, he reached Baghdad, sometime after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh, not having raised so much as a finger in vindication of the Cause. It was Bahá’u’lláh Who had exposed Himself to the fury of the court and the clergy.

As conflicts grew and rifts widened, as baseless claims became more blatant, the hopes of the Bábi community sank lower and lower. And yet, still unknown to the Babis as the One promised to them by the Báb, there was amongst them and suffering with them, He Who

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was destined to change their misery to glory, their weakness to towering strength.

No sooner had Bahá’u’lláh started upon the task of rescuing the Bábis from their waywardness, than Subh-i-Azal, goaded by a few of the self-seeking who had chosen to make that already discredited figure the instrument of their own treacherous designs, began to obstruct Bahá’u’lláh’s benevolent lead. So fierce became the opposition engineered by Azal that Bahá’u’lláh decided to retire from the scene of contention. He had no wish to add to the injuries afflicting the Bábi community. One morning His household awoke to find Him gone. He sought an abode in the mountains of Kurdistan. Such seclusion from the society of men has always occurred in the lives of the Manifestations of God. Moses went out to the desert of Sinai. Buddha sought the wilds of India. Christ walked the wilderness. Muhammad paced the sun-baked hillocks of Arabia.

Bahá’u’lláh’s self-imposed exile was a test. Were He to be the only Guide capable of showing the right path to the Babis, the only One Who could restore to them their broken inner peace, their vision, their serenity, their faith and determination, the passage of time and His absence would prove it conclusively. And time did amply demonstrate the fact. This is how He writes of those days:

“A number of people who have never inhaled the fragrance of justice, have raised the standard of sedition, and have leagued themselves against Us. On every side We witness the menace of their spears, and in all directions We recognize the shafts of their arrows. This, although We have never gloried in anything, nor did We seek preference over any soul. To everyone We have been a most kindly companion, a most forbearing and affectionate friend. In the company of the poor We have sought their fellowship, and amidst the exalted and learned We have been submissive and resigned. I swear by God, the one true God! grievous as have been the woes and sufferings which the hand of the enemy and the people of the Book inflicted upon Us, yet all these fade into utter nothingness when compared with that which hath befallen Us at the hand of those who profess to be Our friends.

“What more shall We say? The universe, were it to gaze with the eye of justice, would be incapable of bearing the weight of this utter THE Bahá’í WORLD

ance! In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned the signs of impending events, We decided, ere they happened, to retire. We betook Ourselves to the wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for two years a life of complete solitude. From Our eyes there rained tears of anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night We had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body found no rest. By Him Who hath My being between His hands! notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being evinced an inefiable gladness. For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart of His decree transoendeth the boldest of human designs. None can escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can find release except through submission to His Will. By the righteousness of God! Our withdrawal contemplated no return, and Our separation hoped for no reunion. The one object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject of discord among the faithful, a source of disturbance unto Our companions, the means of injury to any soul, or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these, We cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We had no end in view. And yet, each person schemed after his own desire, and pursued his own idle fancy, until the hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons bidding Us return whence We came. Surrendering Our will to His, We submitted to His injunction.”a

Gradually the fame of Bahá’u’lláh spread around the district of Sulayméniyyih. None in the neighbourhood knew His identity, but all were charmed by His kindliness and wisdom. Some mistook Him for an adherent of a Si’ifi order. He was known by the name of Darvish Muhammad. And in a widening circle, Bag; dad came to hear of the wise hermit who had appeared in the mountainous regions of the north. They spoke of His knowledge, gentleness, piety and astonishing insight. The Babis, bereft of the counsels of Bahá’u’lláh, and sinking ever deeper into the mites of conflict and

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Detail afornamental window of the room in which Bahd’u’llcih was‘ born.

dissension, longed for His guidance, but knew not where to seek Him. No sooner did some of them hear of the Sage of Sulayméniyyih, than they saw behind that veil the very Person of Bahá’u’lláh, and dispatched emissaries to find Him and implore His return. Bahá’u’lláh was surprised to see them, but He knew that He had to answer the call. This was the voice of God, the plan of Providence. Time had shown His indispensability to the community of the Báb.

On March 19th, 1856, Bahá’u’lláh returned to Baghdad. His absence had lasted two years.

Henceforth His power, His word, and His command were gladly welcomed by the Bábl’s. They had gone through a severe ordeal, and had learned their lesson in the school of adversity. No doubt opposition was still rife. Azal, a man of weak will, was held aloft by a handful of the ambitious and the seIf-seeking, as a puppet leader. But the Bábis had come to know them for what they were. Bahá’u’lláh exerted His utmost efforts to protect His half-brother from the seditious devices of plotters and agitators, but Azal was of an inferior type. He disregarded

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the sound advice of the One Who was his true friend, and became more and more implicated in vain scheming.

Hitherto, the believers in the Báb had been recruited from the fli‘ih sect of Islam. Now, under the aegis of Bahá’u’lláh, others came to enlist. He recreated the withered lives of the Bábis. They were told not to resist by violence any encroachments made on their liberties. In this manner He stemmed the tide of lawlessness that at one time had seriously menaced the integrity of the Babi community. And so it came that Bahá’u’lláh’s Divine guidance rallied the Babis once again to a noble life. Once again they lived with faith in their hearts, their deeds testifying to the belief they bore.

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The Cause of the Bath was once more healthy and alive. The gloom of drift and anarchy had dispersed. From far and wide the Babis came to bask in the sunshine of Bahá’u’lláh’s love and guidance. Savants and learned men brought their intricate problems and received solutions to their satisfaction. But the renown attending upon the name of Bahá’u’lláh stirred anew the feelings of envy and hatred. A number of the S__hi‘ih divines assembled to determine a plan of action against the Faith of the Báb and its revered Exponent. One should take note of the fact that Shayth-i-Ansari, the most prominent of them all, refused to participate in their deliberations. They commissioned one of their members to wait upon Bahá’u’lláh and demand convincing proofs. This man did as he was bidden, and went back with a definite ofl‘er Bahá’u’lláh would bring forth any proof that the clergy might require, on condition that they would on their part pledge themselves to accept His authority thereafter. Their emissary told them that he had witnessed nothing but truth and righteousness in the words and deeds of the Babi Leader. Those men had come together, not to find truth, but to oppose it. Fearful lest Bahá’u’lláh should really bring forth the proof demanded by them, they refused to give any pledge, rejected the offer, and brought pressure upon the government of the mm to adopt repressive measures. The man Who acted as their emissary, himself a noted cleric, was disgusted by their behaviour, and as long as he lived, told the people the truth of what acutally transpired.

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The Persian Consul in Baghdad supported the divines, and so insistent became their pleading, cajoling and finally intimidation that the @5111 took fright and instructed his envoy at Constantinople to enter into negotiations with the Turkish government. He wanted Bahá’u’lláh to be escorted to the frontier, and handed over to his men. Failing that he demanded the removal of Bahá’u’lláh to a locality far from the borders of Train. Negotiations went on for some time between the two States, and at last the Sultan ordered the Governor of Baghdad to send Bahá’u’lláh to Constantinople. His enemies were jubilant, and His friends horrified and sorrowful. Can we stretch our imagination far enough to visualise the despondency and the heart-ache of the Babis in that month of April, 1863 ? Can we contemplate their grief?

Bahá’u’lláh moved to the garden of Riḍván, outside the gates of Baghdad. The Babis thronged there to see the last of their Beloved so cruelly torn from their midst. It was the twentysecond day of April. With tears in their eyes they gathered around Him. He was calm, serene and unruffled. The hour had struck. To that company Bahá’u’lláh revealed HimselfHe was the Promised One in Whose path the Bath had sacrificed His life, “Him Whom God will make manifest”, the fiah-Bahrém, the Fifth Buddha, the Lord of Hosts, the Christ come in the station of the Father, the Master of the Day of Judgment.

“Canst thou discover any one but Me, 0 Pen, in this Day ? What hath become of the creation and the manifestations thereof? What of the names and their kingdom ? Whither are gone all created things, whether seen or unseen ? What of the hidden secrets of the universe and its revelations ? Lo, the entire creation hath passed away! Nothing remaineth except My Face, the Ever-Abiding, the Resplendent, the AllGlorious.

“This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendours of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.

“This is the Day whereon the unseen world

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Another view Oftl1e House ofBahd’u’llélz in Tihra’n.

crieth out: ‘Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot—stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne. ’ The realm of glory exclaimeth: ‘Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future. . .’

“Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All—Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Riḍván and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the

garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. . .

“Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the 1ife~giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the softflowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity the wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the highest and Last End of all, in Whom the

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Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call: ‘The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler. . .’

“Rejoice with exceeding gladness, O people of Bahá, as ye call to remembrance the Day of supreme felicity, the Day whereon the Tongue of the Ancient of Days hath spoken, as He departed from His House, proceeding to the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of His name, the A11Merciful.”D

Heads were bent as the immensity of that Declaration touched the consciousness of men. Sadness had vanished; joy, celestial joy, prevailed.

Bahá’u’lláh left Baghdad on May 3rd, 1863, and arrived at the capital of the Turkish Empire three months later. He had been summoned there on the orders of the Sultan. Was He to face a formal trial? Was His case to be investigated by the Ottoman ruler in person? Was He to be led to prison in some distant part or to be kept indefinitely in Istanbul? Such questions undoubtedly assailed the minds of His people; no one was certain. Yet, although they could find no convincing answers, and although the future looked dark and perilous, many of His followers shared His exile with willing hearts.

From the Sublime Porte Bahá’u’lláh solicited no favour. His only protest was His silence. Several of the dignitaries of the capital called upon Him. Around an oriental court in the last century thrived malcontents and intriguers. While living in Baghdad, Bahá’u’lláh had been approached by a number of such persons who had hoped to win the affection of the Babis. He had refused to meet them, and the few who gained admittance to His presence had received no encouragement. In Constantinople, Bahá’u’lláh adhered to the same rule. He refused all association with their designs. His Cause had not the remotest connection with sedition; in fact, the whole urge of His teachings was absolutely otherwise. Was this not also the path taken by Christ eighteen hundred years before ? Calm, serene and patient, Bahá’u’lláh awaited the decision of His oppressors. Thus He spent four months at Istanbul. At last they banished Him to Adirnih (Adrianople).

So began another journey fraught with hardships. In falling snow, He and His companions

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set out towards their destination, without adequate means to provide against the rigours of a severe winter. The journey took them twelve days, and they arrived at Adirnih in a state of exhaustion. Yet even thus engulfed, Bahá’u’lláh could write in such terms as these: “1am not impatient of calamities in His way, nor of afi‘iictions for His love and at His goodpleasure. . . T hroug/z afih’ction hath His light shone, and His praise been bright unceasingly; this has been H is method through past ages and bygone times.”

Bahá’u’lláh was now a prisoner of the Ottoman government. It had no charge to bring against Him, and yet it restrained the freedom of His movements.

At Adrianople Bahá’u’lláh issued an open and public announcement of His Revelation, and the Babis, wherever they were, except for a few dissident voices, rallied to His Cause and submitted to His God-given Authority. Henceforth they were styled Bahá’ís. Azal, however, though outwardly subdued, was, with a number of the self-seeking around him, secretly engaged in opposition. The account of his intrigues and base dealings makes sorry reading. He and his accomplices dared not come into the open, because their motives were too transparent not to be detected and exposed. Azal imagined that he was undermining Bahá’u’lláh’s position; in fact he was bringing ruin upon himself. Bahá’u’lláh did His utmost to save His brother, but His kindness and generosity met with more venom and hatred. Time, that unfaltering test of right and wrong, eventually showed the hollowness of Azal’s contention and the misery of his purpose. He introduced poison into Bahá’u’lláh’s food. Bahá’u’lláh’s life was saved, but the effects of that deadly substance remained with Him to the end of His days. Having failed in his dastardly attempt, Azal turned round and pointed an accusing finger at Bahá’u’lláh. It was his Brother, he alleged, Who had poisoned the food, and then accidentally partaken of it. Today, at the remove of a century, we can pity the malefactor, and feel amused by his calumnies and presumptions. At the time, such vile conduct served to increase the rigours of Bahá’u’lláh’s life.

The following is an extract from the autobiography of Ustad Muhammad-‘Ali, the barber attendant upon Bahá’u’lláh in Adrianople:

One day, while I was attending at the bath,

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Detail ofomamentation in the bath of the House ofBahti’u’lláh in Tihra'n.

waiting for the Blessed Perfection to arrive, Azal came in, washed himself and began to apply henna. I sat down to serve him and he began to talk to me. He mentioned a former Governor of Nayrl’z who had killed the believers and had been an inveterate enemy of the

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Cause. Azal went on to praise courage and bravery and said that some were brave by nature and at the right time it showed in their conduct. He again mentioned Nayriz and said that at one time there was left of the children of the believers only one boy, of ten or eleven

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years. One day, when the Governor was in the bath, this boy went in with a knife, and as the Governor came out of the water, he stabbed him in the belly and ripped him open. The Governor cried out and his servants rushed into the bath, saw the boy with the knife in his hand and attacked him. Then they went to see how their master was, and the boy, although wounded, rose up and stabbed him again. Azal again began to praise bravery and to say how wonderful it is to be courageous. He then said, ‘See what they are doing in the Cause; everybody has risen up against me, even my brother, and in my wretched state I know nothing of comfort.’ His tone and implication were that he, being the successor of the Báb, was the wronged one and his Brother an usurper and aggressor. (I take refuge in God!) Then he again said that bravery is praiseworthy, and the Cause of God needs help. In all this talk, relating the story of the Governor of Nayriz and praising bravery and encouraging me, he was really urging me to kill Bahá’u’lláh.

The effect of all this upon me was so disturbing that I had never felt so shattered in my life. I felt as if the building were tumbling about me. I said nothing, but in a very agitated state of mind went out to the ante—room and sat upon the bench there. I told myself that I would go back to the bath and cut off his head, no matter what the consequences. Then I reflected that to kill him was not an easy matter and perhaps I would offend Bahá’u’lláh. Suppose I kill this man, I said to myself, and then go into the presence of the Blessed Perfection and He asks me why I killed him, what answer could I give? This thought prevented me from carrying out my intention. I returned to the bath and being very angry told Azal to ‘clear off’.* Azal began to whimper and to tremble and asked me to pour water over his head to wash off the henna. I complied and he washed and went out of the bath in a state of great trepidation and I have never seen him since.

My condition was such that nothing could calm me. As it happened the Blessed Perfection did not come to the bath that day, but Mirza Musé (Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother) came, and I told him that Azal had set me on fire with his fearful suggestion. Mirza Musa said, “He has been thinking of this for years; take no notice of him. He has always been thinking in this way.”

4‘ In Persian this is highly insulting.

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No one else came to the bath so I closed it. I then went to the Master* and told Him that Mirza Yaḥyá had spoken words which had infuriated me and that I had wanted to kill him but did not. The Master said this was something which people did not realize and told me not to speak of it but to keep it secret. I then went to Mirzá Aqa Jan (Bahá’u’lláh’s amanuensis and secretary) and reported the whole incident to him and asked him to tell Bahá’u’lláh. Aqé Jan returned and said: “Bahá’u’lláh says to tell Ustad Muhammad-‘Ali not to mention this to anyone.”

That night I collected all the writings of Azal and went to the coffee room of Bahá’u’lláh’s house and burnt them in the brazier. Before doing so I showed them to seven or eight of the believers present, sayin g “These are the writings of Azal”. They all protested and asked me why I did it. I answered that until today I esteemed Azal highly, but now he was less than a dog in my sight.

From Adrianople, and later from ‘Akká, Bahá’u’lláh addressed the rulers of the world in a series of Letters. To them He declared His Divine Mission, and called them to serve peace, justice and righteousness. The majestic sweep of His counsel and admonition revealed in these letters, arrests the deepest attention of every earnest student of the Bahá’í Faith.

Here we see a Prisoner wronged by the world, judged and condemned by a conspiracy of tyrants, facing the concourse of sovereigns, nay, the generality of mankind. He stands in judgment upon the values of human society, and undaunted, He throws a bold challenge, not alone to His oppressors, not alone to ephemeral shadows of earthly might and dominion, but principally to those dark passions and motives which dare to intervene between man and the goal destined for him by his Maker. Here, an Exile rejected and betrayed is seen to be the True and Only J udge.

• * *

Bahá’u’lláh’s fame was now spreading far and wide. Except for a very small number who supported Azal, the Babis, wherever they were, had accepted the Divine mandate of Bahá’u’lláh. The Turkish authorities in Adrianople treated Him with great courtesy and marked

‘ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s son and appointed successor.

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A view of the section ofBagha'a’d where the House of Bahá’u’lláh is locatedwlooking across the Tigris river.

respect. Governors such as Sulaymén Péshé and I_(_hur$id Pémé sought His company with eagerness. And many of His followers from Persia and neighbouring lands travelled to Adrianople to drink deeply at the fount of His Revelation. All these things stung his adversaries to fresh action. Azal and his miserable accomplices, discredited and disowned by the community, their tortuous devices and designs abortive and exposed, having failed repeatedly to shake the allegiance which the Bábis had given to Bahá’u’lláh, next tried to poison the minds of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire against Him—their true Benefactor Whom they hated so venomously. They sent anonymous letters to Constantinople, in which they accused Bahá’u’lláh of collusion with the Bulgarian leaders and European powers in a plot to capture the capital with the aid of His followers. Sultén ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz and his ministers took fright and Azal’s treachery bore him bitter fruit, for not only were Bahá’u’lláh and His people condemned to imprisonment in the desolate barracks of ‘Akká, but Azal himself was banished, to Cyprus—to oblivion. He outlived Bahá’í’lláh, dragging on existence until the year 1912, impenitent to the end, a broken

man, the victim of his passions and selfish pursuits.

One morning, without any previous intimation, soldiers were posted round the house of Bahá’u’lláh, and His followers were told to prepare for their departure from Adrianople. Bahá’u’lláh writes thus of that event:

“The loved ones of God and His kindred were left on the first night withautfaod. . . The people surrounded the house, and Muslims and Christians wept over Us. . . We perceived that the weeping Of the people of the Son (Christians) exceeded the weeping Of others—a sign for such as ponder.”10

Aqé Ridé, a steadfast follower of Bahá’u’lláh, who shared His exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká, relates that, “A great tumult seized the people. All were perplexed and full of regret. . . Some expressed their sympathy, others consoled us and wept over us. . . Most of our possessions were auctioned at half their value.”11

Some of the foreign consuls resident in Adrianople offered their assistance to Bahá’u’lláh, which He courteously refused. The Governor, I_(_hur§t_i1’d Pasha, considered his govern [Page 602]THE BAHA

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The House of Bahá’u’lláh in Constantinople.

ment’s decision a travesty of justice, and felt unable to carry it through. He deputed another official to inform Bahá’u’lláh of the judgment passed upon Him. People thronged to bid farewell to the One Whom they had learned to love and esteem. With tears welling from their eyes, they kissed the hem of His robe.

On August 12th, 1868, Bahá’u’lláh and His family, accompanied by a Turkish escort, took once again the road to exile. They reached ‘Akká. on the last day of the month.

‘Akká, Ptolemais of the ancient world, St. Jean d’Acre of the Crusaders that defied the siege of Richard I of England, and in a later age refused to bow to the might of Napoleon, a city that had gathered renown throughout the centuries, had indeed fallen into disrepute at this period of its chequered history. Its air and water were foul and pestilential Proverb had it that a bird flying over ‘Akká would fall dead. T0 its forbidding barracks were consigned the desperadoes and dangerous criminals of the Ottoman realms—there to perish.

This was also the city of which David had spoken as “The Strong City”, which Hosea had called “A door of hope”, of which Ezekiel had said, “Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came

from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. . . And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.”” And the Founder of Islam had thus eulogized this very city, “Blessed the man that hath visited ‘Akká, and blessed be he that hath visited the visitor of ‘Akká'. . . He that raiseth therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise.”13

The ‘Akká which opened its gates to receive as a prisoner the Deliverer of the world, was a city that had fathomed the depths of misery. And Bahá’u’lláh’s exile to Palestine, the Holy Land, His incarceration in the grim citadel of ‘Akká, was intended by His adversaries to be the final blow which, in their calculations, would shatter His Faith and fortune. How significant and momentous will this exile seem, if we recall certain prophecies uttered in the past. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Son of Bahá’u’lláh and the Expounder of His Message, thus speaks of this stupendous event:

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ful to His promise; for to some of the Prophets He had revealed and given the good news that ‘The Lord of Hosts should be manifested in the Holy Land.’ All these promises were fulfilled; and it is difficult to understand how Bahá’u’lláh could have been obliged to leave Persia, and to pitch His tent in this Holy Land, but for the persecution of His enemies, His banishment and exile.”“

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates,” David had so majestically announced; “even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”15

“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them,” Isaiah had said, “and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.””

“The Lord will roar from Zion,” had been Amos’s testimony, “and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither)“

And Micah had thus foreseen, “. . . from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain,” he shall come.“

Life in the barracks of ‘Akká. was indeed hard and hazardous. The prisoners were about seventy in number: men, women and children, all huddled in a few dirty and meagrely protected cells. They were viewed with the utmost hostility by the townsmen. On their arrival they were greeted derisively at the landing—place by a group of idle onlookers who had gathered in a mocking mood to see the “God of the Persians”. The first night in the prison they were, Bahá’u’lláh tells us, “deprived of either food or drink. . . They even begged for water and were refused.” Their rations consisted of three flat loaves of black and unpalatable bread for each person. Later slight concessions were made, but food remained pitiably inadequate and the water supply was polluted. Before long disease raged among them. In vain they pleaded with the governor for medical succour. All but two were ill and helpless. Three of them died. Two of

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these were brothers who died, in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “locked in each other’s arms”. Their bodies could not be removed, because the guards required money to induce them to carry out their duty. Bahá’u’lláh gave the carpet on which He slept, to be sold for this purpose. The sum thus raised was given to the wardens, and even then the dead were not given a proper burial. But amidst their afflictions, the prisoners retained their serenity. They were happy because they were co-sharers in the sufferings of their Lord, and dwelt near His Person.

For a long while the Bahá’ís in Írán and elsewhere possessed no news of Bahá’u’lláh. Later it was possible to establish communications, and a number came to ‘Akká to find prison walls intervening between them and the One Whose presence they so eagerly sought. Some hadjourneyed on foot over the high mountains of western Trim and the burning deserts of ‘Iráq and Syria. They had perforce to content themselves with a momentary glimpse of His figure, as He stood behind the bars, and they beyond the second of the moats which surrounded the prison. Only a wave of His hands from afar was their reward; and then they turned homewards, grateful for the bounty conferred upon them. That was enough to kindle a more vigorous flame in their hearts, enough to make their dedication more dedicated. Others came in their wake, and took back the memory of that Figure appearing at the window, behind iron bars—a memory which they treasured above everything in their lives. And some had the supreme bounty of gaining admittance to the “Most Great Prison”, to the Presence of Bahá’u’lláh.

Close confinement in the barracks lasted until October, 1870. Military reinforcements had been sent to that part of the Ottoman Empire and the citadel of ‘Akká was in demand for their accommodation. The prisoners were led out, but not to freedom. Bahá’u’lláh and His family were conducted to a small house within the city walls, and others were lodged in a caravanserai. They were still held as prisoners inside the town.

Four months before this event a further tragedy, dire and poignant, had cast its shadow upon them. That was the death of Mirzá Mihdi, entitled “The PurestBranch,” a younger son of Bahá’u’lláh. He had shared his Father’s exile from childhood, and was His amanuensis.

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One day at dusk, while walking on the roof of the prison, engaged in his devotions, he fell through a skylight and received fatal injuries. “His dying supplication to a grieving Father,” writes Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith, “was that his life might be accepted as a ransom for those who were prevented from attaining the presence of their Beloved.” He was twenty—two years old.

One might imagine that release from strict bondage would have spelt relief. Such was not the case however. Enclosed within the barracks, Bahá’u’lláh and His companions had few contacts with the inhabitants of ‘Akká, while rumours of the ugliest kind regarding them were spread abroad. Ignorant of the real identity of Bahá’u’lláh, the townsmen relegated Him and His followers to the same category as the previous inmates of the prison of ‘Akká. Even worse, in their unrestrained imaginations, they laid every odious act to the charge of the Bahá’ís, whom they described as renegades from the true faith, traitors to the august person of the Sultan, plotters against the peace and the security of the land, licentious rutfians and outlaws who deserved the censure of the righteous. These were the same Views held of Christians in the first centuries of the Christian Era. The Bahá’ís were ushered into this charged atmosphere of undisguised hatred and contempt. Their task of conciliation was indeed herculean.

Then happened an awful act, committed by seven of the Bahá’ís, which added to the furies of the populace. When the Ottoman authorities sent Bahá’u’lláh to the prison of ‘Akká, they included in the band of His followers accompanying Him, some of the accomplices of Azal, as spies. These men never lost an opportunity to torment the exiles and spread falsehoods. Their constant schemings brought fresh sorrows in their wake, further incited the townsmen against Bahá’u’lláh, and placed His life in great jeopardy. On His part Bahá’u’lláh repeatedly exhorted His followers to forbearance, and counselled them to avoid any deed which bore, no matter how remotely, any resemblance to retaliation. But the treachery and malevolence Of the adversaries waxed high. Then it was that seven of the Bahá’ís chose to disregard the injunctions of Bahá’u’lláh, and slew three of the evil men. This flagrant act not only aroused the people, but forcing the inter THE Bahá’í WORLD

vention of the officials, subjected the Person of Bahá’u’lláh to arrest and interrogation. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was put in chains for one night. Viewing this calamitous event, Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “My captivity cannot harm Me. That which can harm Me is the conduct of those who love Me, who claim to be related to Me, and yet perpetrate what causeth My heart and M y pen to groan. My captivity can bringr Me no shame,” He also wrote. “Nay, by My life, it conferreth on Me glory. That which can make Me ashamed is the conduct of such of My followers who profess to love Me, yet in fact follow the Evil One.”"

Such was the measure of Bahá’u’lláh’s sufferings in the prison-city of ‘Akká.

Notwithstanding the fierce prejudices which assailed them on every side, the Bahá’ís succeeded before long in subduing the hatred of the populace. A war was waged between the forces of character and integrity, and turbulent passions bred by ignorance. In the end victory went to the side which had risen above the plane of conflict, and in submitting its will to a Higher Will, had freed itself of fear and distrust. It gradually dawned upon the officials and the leaders of religion that their Chief Prisoner was not an ordinary man, that they had in their custody a Personage of vastly superior gifts and powers. They became enamoured of His majestic bearing, of His amazing knowledge of human affairs, of His disarming charity and forbearing nature. Their prisoner He was, but a time came when it was almost impossible to realize the fact, or to enforce the harsh and drastic injunctions of the government in Constantinople.

Bahá’ís came from far and wide, and with little difficulty attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. High officials of the Ottoman government sought interviews with the Prisoner, to pay Him their respects. The Mufti of ‘Akká, who was once a bigoted opponent, gave Him his allegiance. The new governor, Ahmad Big Tawfiq, begged to be allowed to render Him a personal service, and was told by Him to repair, instead, the aqueduct outside the town which had become derelict. This measure ensured the water supply of ‘Akká, and the people said that the air of their town had taken a decided turn for the better, since Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in their midst. Later, another governor, Mustafa' Diya

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Pasha made it known that should Bahá’u’lláh wish to leave ‘Akká for the countryside, He would not be prevented.

However nine years elapsed before Bahá’u’lláh left the confines of the city walls. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives us a graphic account of the circumstances of that significant event. Significant indeed it was, as it verified a promise uttered by Bahá’u’lláh long before, while still incarcerated in the forbidding barracks of the prison town. “Fear not,” He had written, “these doors shall be opened, My tent shall be pitched on Mount Carmel, and the utmost joy shall be realized.”

Bahá’u’lláh was very fond of the countryside, but, detained within the cheerless walls of ‘Akká, He was barred from the beauties of nature. A day came when He said, “I have not gazed 0n verdure for nine years. The country is the world of the soul, the city is the world of bodies.” Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá knew that the time had arrived when it would be possible to end the spell of imprisonment. Accordingly He went in search of a house in the plains. Some four miles north of ‘Akká, He rented the residence of ‘Abdu’lláh Pasha. This is the house which we know as Mazra‘ih. He also rented the garden of Na‘mayn which lay in the middle of a river, only a short distance from the city. Later Bahá’u’lláh gave it the name of Riḍván, an honour reminiscent of that garden outside Baghdad where Bahá’u’lláh first spoke of His Divine mandate. These abodes were ready to receive Him, but Bahá’u’lláh, considering Himself still a prisoner would not agree to leave the city walls. He maintained that He was not entitled to the freedom of His movements. A second and a third time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá repeated His request to His Father, and received the same answer. Next the Mufti of ‘Akká, flayfl ‘Aliy-i-Miri, who was very devoted to Bahá’u’lláh, pleaded with Him: “God forbid! Who has the power to make you a prisoner. You have kept yourself in prison.” At the end the Shay@ obtained His consent.

After two years at Mazra‘ih, Bahá’u’lláh moved His residence to a neighbouring housethe Mansion of Bahjí—built by a man named ‘Udi Khammér, and there He lived the remaining years of His life. Whilst Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned in the citadel, this charming mansion was in the process of construction, Now its owner had fled due to fear of a raging epidemic, and the spacious building was vacant. It was

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rented by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and afterwards purchased. Bahjí, meaning “Delight”, was near the coast, but far enough from the drab surroundings of ‘Akká to be invested with rural beauty. From the windows of His room, Bahá’u’lláh could watch the pure blue of the Mediterranean, the distant minarets of the prison-city, and even further, beyond the bay, He could see the dim outline of the gentle slope of Mount Carmel. The Mansion, in all its splendour, stands guard today over the adjoining Shrine which, to the Bahá’ís, is the most sacred spot on the face of the earth, and harbours the mortal remains of Bahá’u’lláh. In its radius one can experience that peace for which one’s soul has ever yearned.

Dr. J . E. Esslemont, author of that immortal work, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, thus describes the life at Bahjí: “Having in His earlier years of hardship shown how to glorify God in a state of poverty and ignominy, Bahá’u’lláh in His later years at Bahjí showed how to glorify God in a state of honour and affluence. The offerings of hundreds of thousands of devoted followers placed at His disposal large funds which He was called upon to administer. Although His life at Bahjí has been described as truly regal, in the highest sense of the word, yet it must not be imagined that it was characterized by material splendour or extravagance. The Blessed Perfection and His family lived in very simple and modest fashion, and expenditure on selfish luxury was a thing unknown in that household. Near His home the believers prepared a beautiful garden called Riḍván, in which He spent many consecutive days or even weeks, sleeping at night in a little cottage in the garden. Occasionally He went further afield. He made several visits to ‘Akká and Haifa, and on more than one occasion pitched His tent on Mount Carmel, as He had predicted when imprisoned in the barracks at ‘Akká.”2°

It was to Bahjí that Edward Granville Browne, the distinguished orientalist and Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, then at the outset of his brilliant academic career, came in April, 1890. Returned home, he committed to paper the impressions he had received: “So here at Behje’ was I installed as a guest, in the very midst of all that Babism accounts most noble and most holy; and here did I spend five most memorable days, during which I enjoyed unparalleled and unhoped-for opportunities of

[Page 606]WORLD

51

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[Page 607]ARTICLES AND REVIEWS 607

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hold ing intercourse with those who are the very fountain-heads of that mighty and wondrous spirit which works with invisible but everincreasing force for the transformation and quickening of a people who slumber in a sleep like unto death. It was in truth a strange and moving experience, but one whereof I despair of conveying any save the feeblest impression. I might, indeed, strive to describe in greater detail the faces and forms which surrounded me, the conversations to which I was privileged to listen, the solemn melodious reading of the sacred books, the general sense of harmony and content which pervaded the place, and the fragrant shady gardens whither in the afternoon we sometimes repaired; but all this was nought in comparison with the spiritual atmosphere with which I was encompassed. . . The spirit which pervades the Bábis is such that it can hardly fail to affect most powerfully all subjected to its influence. It may appal or attract: it cannot be ignored or disregarded. Let those who have not seen disbelieve me if they will; but, should that spirit once reveal itself to them, they will experience an emotion which they are not likely to forget.”21

Edward Browne has left us a pen-portrait of Bahá’u’lláh. It is the only one of its kind in existence, and therefore of tremendous value to the student of the Bahá’í Faith. Today a visitor to Bahjí can read this document, before venturing into Bahá’u’lláh’s chamber. Thus can one try to recreate in one’s mind the interview granted to the English orientalist:

“. . my conductor paused for a moment while I removed my shoes. Then with a quick movement of the hand, he withdrew, and, as I passed, replaced the curtain; and I found myself in a large apartment, along the upper end of which ran a low divan, while on the side opposite to the door were placed two or three chairs. Though I dimly suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold (for no distinct intimation had been given to me), a second or two elapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and awe, I became definitely conscious that the room was not untenanted. In the corner, where the divan met the wall, sat a wondrous and venerable figure, crowned with a felt head—dress of the kind called taj by dervishes (but of unusual height and make), round the base of which was wound a small white turban. The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget,

THE Bahá’í WORLD

though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one’s very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow; while the deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which the jet-black hair and beard flowing down in indistinguishable luxuriance almost to the waist seemed to belie. No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!

“A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: “Praise be to God that thou hast attained ./ . . .Thou hast come to see a prisoner and an exile. . . We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer-up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment. . . That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and diflerences of race be annulled—what harm is there in this ? . . . Yet so it shall be; thesefruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the “Most Great Peace” shall come. . . Do not you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold? . . . Yet do we see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind. . . T hese strifes and this bloodshed and discard must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family. . . Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this; that he loves his kind. . .’

“Such, so far as I can recall them, were the words which, besides many others, I heard from Beha. Let those who read them consider well with themselves whether such doctrines merit death and bonds, and whether the world is more likely to gain or lose by their diffusion.”22

In that year, 1890, Bahá’u’lláh visited Haifa, and pitched His tent on Mount Carmel. To the Mountain of God came the Lord of Hosts, and the prophecies of old as well as His own emphatic promise were fulfilled. He visited Haifa four times and once He raised His tent in the neighbourhood of the Carmelite monastery within which is the Cave of Elijah. There He revealed a Tablet which we know as the T ablet

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of Carmel, majestic and momentous, ringing with joy and with triumph.

alt * *

One day, Bahá’u’lláh, standing by the side of some lone cypress trees, nearly haIf-way up the slopes of Mount Carmel, pointed to an expanse of rock immediately below Him and told His Son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that on that spot should be built the mausoleum to enshrine the remains of the Báb, the Martyr-Prophet—remains that had been kept in hiding since the second night after July 9th, 1850, the day on which the Bath was shot in the public square of Tabríz. More than a decade had to elapse before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could carry through the mandate laid upon Him by His Father. Today, on the very spot indicated by Bahá’u’lláh, stands a mausoleum of glorious beauty, surmounted by a golden dome reflecting many hues of the sea and sky, and surrounded by gardens that ravish the eyes and enchant the soul. Within that mausoleum the mangled remains of the MartyrProphet are laid to rest.

The last years of Bahá’u’lláh’s life were devoted to writing and revealing innumerable Tablets, Epistles and Treatises on many and varied subjects of spiritual and educative purport. He was relieved of such cares as His supreme station entailed by the able administration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who shielded Him from the interference of the outside world and met and conversed with the officials of the Govemment, inquirers and the learned, admitting into the Presence of Bahá’u’lláh only those who had genuine problems to resolve.

It was during the years of confinement within the city walls of ‘Akká. that He had revealed, besides many other Tablets, “The Mother Book of His Dispensation”, thus styled by the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. That was the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book). Therein He specified the laws and the institutions of His World Order; addressed, admonished and warned the leaders and rulers of men, individually and collectively; exhorted His followers, indeed the generality of mankind, to walk in the paths of righteousness, to be just, to be tolerant, to be truthful, to be loyal, to shun division and conflict, to live in peace.*

• In the Kirdb-i—Aqdas there are laws that concern the individual, and laws that guard the well-being of society; laws that

find immediate application, and laws that await the world of the future.

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The last book which flowed from His creative Pen was Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, a book addressed to a clergyman of Iṣfahán, an inveterate and notorious enemy of the Faith, whose greed and schemings resulted in murder and cruel persecution. Here Bahá’u’lláh reiterates His challenge to His detractors. His Call is from God, His trust is in God, and no earthly power can deter Him in His purpose. Herein is also a representative selection from the vast volume of His Writings, culled and presented by Himself.

The Writings of Bahá’u’lláh in their range, their scope and their depth, remain unequalled amongst the Scriptures of mankind. We should pause to examine in brief their nature and their purport. That erudite Bahá’í scholar and teacher, Mirzá Abu’l-FadP‘ of Gulpaygann‘ classifies them into four categories, namely, laws and ordinances; meditations, communes and prayers; interpretations of the sacred scriptures of the past; and finally discourses and exordiums. Of the first category he writes: “Some of them contain laws and regulations whereby the rights and interests of all the nations of the world can be perpetuated, for these statutes are so enacted that they meet the necessities of every land and country, and are acceptable to every man of intelligence. In this universality they resemble the laws of Nature, which secure the progress and development of all peoples; and they will bring about universal union and harmony.”23 Some of the principal Works of the Author of the Bahá’í Faith have been mentioned in previous pages, and it is impossible to tabulate the rest in this limited account of His life. Bahá’u’lláh states that the volume of His revealed Word totals the Scriptures of the Manifestations preceding Him. We ought to remember the incalculable advantage which the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh possess in relation to the Holy Books of former times. Their originals are extant and well preserved, and future generations will be spared the crushing responsibility of deciding the authenticity of the Works ascribed to the Prophet. Oral tradition finds no place in the Scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh left Hishuman temple on the 29th of May, 1892. A telegram bore the news to the Sultan of Turkey: “The Sun of Baha has set.”

• 1844—1914. 1‘ A town in Írán.

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Yet It shines dazzlingly in the full meridian. Its energizing and life-bestowing rays continue to revivify the hearts and minds of men, to penetrate the dark clouds of superstition, bigotry and prejudice, to disperse the heavy and oppressive fogs of despair and disillusionment, to shed light upon the baffling problems which bewilder a wayward, fatigued and stormtossed humanity. Man has essayed to dim Its brilliance, to deny Its potency, to abjure Its gifts, to disparage Its claims—futile and bootless attempts, for the signal proof of the sun remains the sun itself.

Seventy years separate us from the days when Bahá’u’lláh lived amongst men. The Faith which He proclaimed has encircled the globe and marches from triumph to triumph, and the resplendent edifice which He raised stands to offer certitude and peace to a disordered world.

In His Will and Testament, Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest Son, Whom we know as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (the Servant of Glory), the Centre of His Covenant with all men, and the sole Expounder of His revealed Word. His name was ‘Abbés. His Father referred to Him as the “Greatest Branch”, and spoke of Him as the “Mystery of God”. Bahá’u’lláh referred to Him also as the “Master”, and so did the Bahá’ís. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the designation which He chose for Himself, after His Father’s ascension.

The Will and Testament of Bahá’u’lláh is indeed a unique document. Never before had a Manifestation of God so explicitly established a Covenant to be the shield and the buttress of His Faith, or so clearly and indubitably named Him Who was to be His authorized successor with power to ward off the machinations of self-seekers, to keep pure and unsullied His Word, to preserve and watch over the unity of His followers, to bar sectarianism and banish corruption. Indeed the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh is, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “the Sure Handle mentioned from the foundation of the World in the Books, the Tablets and the Scriptures of old.” “The pivot of the oneness ofmankind,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’. has also said, “is nothing else but the power of the Covenant.”

It is on this rock—the rock of the Covenantthat the edifice of the World Order is built. It is this ark, the ark of the Covenant, that has brought the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh safely

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through storms and hurricanes of unsurpassed intensity. Many a Judas has tried to pierce this shield, the shield of the Covenant, only to find himself in grievous loss.

Bahá’u’lláh wrote in His Will and Testament:

“Although the Most High Horizon is devoid of trivial possessions of the earth, We have nevertheless bequeathed unto Our heirs a noble and peerless heritage within the treasurehouse of trust and resignation. We have left no treasure nor have We added to man’s pains. . . In bearing hardships and tribulations and in revealing verses and expounding proofs, it has been the purpose of this oppressed One to extinguish the fire of hate and animosity, that haply the horizons of the hearts of mankind may be illumined with the light of concord and attain real tranquillity. . . Truly I say, the tongue is for mentioning that which is good; do not defile it by evil speech. . . Man’s station is great. . . This is a Day great and blessed. Whatsoever was hidden in man is today being revealed. The station of man is great, were he to cling to truth and righteousness and be firm and steadfast in the Cause. . . O people of the world! The religion of God is to create love and unity; do not make it the cause of enmity and discord. All that is regarded by men of insight and the people of most lofty outlook as the means for safeguarding and effectng the peace and tranquillity of man, has flowed from the Supreme Pen. . . Do not make the cause of order a cause for disorder, nor the means of unity a means for disunity. It is hoped that the people of Bahá will observe the sacred verse: ‘Say, all are created by God’. This lofty utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and hostility which is hidden and stored in men’s hearts and minds. This single utterance will cause the various sects and creeds to attain the light of true unity. Verily, He speaketh truth and guideth to the right path; and He is the Mighty, the Glorious, the Omnipotent. . .”

Bahá’u’lláh had left the mortal phase. Many they were who came to mourn Him. They did not bear allegiance to Him, they could not see in Him the Redeemer of Mankind, yet they knew that a great Being had gone from their midst. They were from diverse backgrounds and sects and Faiths—officials and leading figmres and priests, learned men and poets, rich and poor, Druzes, Sunni and Shi‘ih Muslims, Christians and Jews. From other cities such as

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Damascus and Aleppo and Cairo, they sent their eulogies and poems and tributes. And Bahá’u’lláh, at the time of His ascension, was still a prisoner of the Turkish government. No imperial edict of the Sultan had set Him free.

How different was this day of His ascension, when the plain stretching between the city of ‘Akká and the Mansion of Bahjí teemed with crowds who came to pay Him homage and lament their loss, from that far-off day nearly twenty-four summers before when crowds had awaited His arrival at the seashore of ‘Akká, to deride and insult Him. Total, unmitigated defeat seemed to be His fate then, and now all triumph was His.

Indeed, how strange and awe-inspiring had been the contrasts of His sojourn among men, particularly in the Holy Land.

Brutally insulted in His native province, shorn of all earthly possessions, which He had in abundance, twice consigned to a prison of thieves and desperadoes, four times set on the road to exile, basely betrayed by His own brother whom He had endeavoured to protect, forced to seek the solitude of bare mountains, venomously and ferociously assailed and denounced and opposed by hordes of the mighty and the powerful and the insignificant alike, He had stood His ground with a certitude and a constancy which no adversity could shake and no cataclysm could thwart. And upon a swelling number of faithful adherents He conferred that supreme gift which Jesus had spoken of to Nicodemus when the Jewish nobleman sought Him in the dead of night—the gift of second birth. He touched the hearts of men, and He won their allegiance by His Divine

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power. His followers were not alone in feeling its sweep and its command. Many who had denied Him and reviled Him and openly contended with Him, were eventually subdued by the charm, the majesty, the kindliness, the radiance of His Being. Indeed there were many amongst these erstwhile adversaries who, without enrolling in the ranks of His followers, bore testimony to His supremacy, and lent their support in His defence.

And where was ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz of Turkey, the Sultan who decreed His exile and incarceration? Where was Napoleon, the Emperor of the French who disdained His summons and waxed proud before Him? Beaten, deposed, sunk in ignominy. Nasiri’d—Din of Persia, who had cast Him out of His native land, and who had made Him take the road to exile twice, fell only five years after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, before the bullets of an avenger, on the very eve of his golden jubilee. The records of history amply show that great was the fall of anyone, mighty or low alike, who dated to challenge Bahá’u’llz’th, and gainsay His sovereignty. No one has opposed Bahá’u’lláh and raised his hand to injure His Cause and His followers, and has escaped shame, doom and degradation.

This is an attempt to catch the ocean in a diminutive cup, to gaze at the orb through plain glass. Far, very far from man’s effort must be an adequate portrayal of a Manifestation of the Qualities and Attributes of Almighty God. And here we deal with the life of One Whose advent implies the “coming of age of the entire human race”, and under Whose dominion the earth will become one fatherland.

References

..

. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 20—-21. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1953.

. ibid., p. 77.

. The Dawn-breakers, Nabfl’s Narrative, pp. 461—62.

Bahá’í Publishing Trust, London, 1953.

ibid., pp. 452—53.

. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 22.

. The Dawn-breakers, p. 475.

. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 21.

. Kita'b-i-Iqa'n, Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 249—51. Publishing Trust, London, 1961.

. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XIV. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, London, 1949.

10. God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi, pp. 179—80. Bahá’í

Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1957. ll. ibid., p. 180.

mqau? mu

Bahá’í

\O

12. Ezekiel 43: l~2, 4.

13. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, 13. 179.

14. Some Answered Questions, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chap. Ix. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, London.

15. Psalms 24: 9—10.

16. Isaiah 35: 1—2.

17. Amos 1: 2.

18. Micah 7:12.

19. God Passes By, p. 190.

20. Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Esslemont, pp. 42—43. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, London, 1952.

21. A T raveller’s Narrative, Browne, E. G., pp. xxxviii—xxxix. Cambridge University Press, 1891.

22. ibid., pp. xxxix—xli.

23. Bahá’í Proofs, Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, p. 71. Bahá’í Publishing Committee, New York, 1929.

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2. ONE GOD, ONE TRUTH, ONE PEOPLE Some Thoughts on the Peace Encyclical ofPope John X XIII

UGO R. GIACHERY

(Reprinted by permission. Copyright 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.)

IF we consider the past history of mankind, we readily see that all religious institutions, from time immemorial, have been concerned with the problem of individual salvation. But the needs of people in their everyday lives and in their relation to society—their freedom and general welfare—were too frequently matters of concern only when the safety and continued existence of the religious institutions were challenged and endangered. The clergy occupied themselves with the beatitudes and the mystic aspects of life after death on the one hand and ritual and administration on the other. They remained insensible to the longings of the masses, particularly in the fields of learning and knowledge.

The records of all extant revealed religions show clearly that in the beginning of each great Faith social progress was the concern of re] igion just as was spiritual salvation. These were linked together as two aspects of the same truth. Every Founder of a great religion announced His purpose in revealing the Divine law to be “to bring happiness in the after life and civilization and refinement of character in this.” As long as the fundamentals of the Founder’s law were honoured and practised, as long as morality and both spiritual and material learning were the basis of culture, the conditions of a given society advanced, and individuals attained the saving qualities of faith in God and a good character. True religion has been the very basis and root principle of culture and civilization, the well—spring of “social progress, well-being and peace.”

When the inner spirit of religion died away and when the clergy separated themselves from attention to the general welfare, progress ceased and decline began. History speaks clearly of the rise and fall, of the disintegration and abasement, the division, ignorance and

oppression that follow in the wake of spiritual backsliding.

THE WEAKENING OF CHRISTIANITY

Let us consider Christianity. After the first three or four hundred years of constant progress in transforming human life in a vast area of the world, a change in the church and in society began, A time came when the tenets of Christianity lived only within the shell of theological theories and ritual Observances, while man wandered aimlessly from despair to hope, from joy to misery. Bloody wars took place between armies of the same faith; scientific facts were denied or ignored; the Inquisition, and persecution of the Jews and of the followers of Luther and of Calvin, dealt bodily blows to faith and hope. In the Christian world during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the human family clamoured for some form of “political rights”, as in the French Revolution and the struggle between the American colonies and the British Crown. Not alone did Christianity abandon the path of spiritual regeneration, but Islam did likewise. After pouring a new spiritual impulse into Europe that lifted its people out of the “dark ages”, Islam itself succumbed to its own militant attitude of conquest and subjugation. The result of this spiritual decay in both cultures was a struggle for domination and influence reaching into our century, which could have been avoided had all the religious institutions of the world prepared man for an inner belief and conviction based solely on the spiritual approach.

Human society after the time of Christ was widely regulated by a different order based on the now outworn system of master and serf, aristocrat and plebeian, caste, unilateral economic practice and the like. Scientific investiga [Page 613]ARTICLES AND REVIEWS

tion through several centuries was discouraged by the Christian church; indeed at times it was forbidden and its protagonists persecuted. Leaders, particularly those of Christian institutions, were caught slumbering when the first rays of light appearing on the horizon of scientific discoveries began to revolutionize the world and bring about a complete new order. Although the Renaissance of the fifteenth century heralded, after one thousand years of total darkness, the explosion to come and gave warning of the vast upheaval in the making, nevertheless, the leaders of Buddhism, of Islém and of Christianity, missed the opportunity presented. Deeply involved in the expansion and administration of their widespread domains and in the exercise of their temporal powers, they failed to see what lay ahead. They missed the opportunity to avert the catastrophic reactions which have successively beset the world for well over four hundred years.

CIVILIZATION WITHOUT GOD

During the past centuries, as has already been stated, men did here and there struggle for freedom, but they found little sympathetic response or encouragement from religious institutions that held power. History teaches us that any attempt to achieve rights based on justice, freedom, truth and common interests were either opposed or denied, or drowned in blood.

We may say that the fundamental reason for this long and arduous struggle lay in an erroneous conception which insidiously grew up that religion is necessary only for the salvation of the soul and that anything pertaining to human problems, such as race, politics, freedom, social and economic needs, education, and the like, did not come within the realm of spiritual consideration. The solution of these human problems, therefore, was believed to lie outside the interests of the organized religious institutions. On the other hand, governments which were revolving around the principle of absolute monarchy, in which the life, possessions and happiness of the subject peoples were in the hands of despotic rulers, never understood the spiritual aspect of a well-regulated, law-abiding, peaceful and harmonious society.

When, in the eighteenth century, a spirit of new freedom brought to birth new states and

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new movements, it was, however, a continuation of the Renaissance inspiration, with church and state separated by wide chasms. Even today, with a new spiritual leaven working, it is still a “city of man,” rather than a City of God, that men will be trying to build until they recognize the Source of their salvation.

THE DIVINE PLAN

One hundred years ago Bahá’u’lláh presented to the whole world a set of basic principles and laws which today constitute the still unfulfilled though longed-for basis on which man can in this day found his happiness. Exiled from His native land of Persia and kept a prisoner of the Turkish Sultan, Bahá’u’lláh was awakened by the breezes of the Holy Spirit in ample time both to foresee the revolutionary technological changes coming in the nineteenth century and to reveal a complete plan for the world-wide regeneration of mankind and the harmonious evolution of human society.

In His letter addressed (c. 1868) from His prison to Nésiri’d-Din, the Sháh of Persia, Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed:

“0 king! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the AllGlorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. . . I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me.”

Bahá’u’lláh, out of His great universal love for every living thing, formulated the broad, unassailable foundation for the establishment of a durable peace and of a veritable “Kingdom of God” on earth. The irresistible impact of His Revelation has produced unparalleled events and changes in the world since the middle of the last century. Though men may remain unaware of the Source, it is lending a “fresh impulse” and setting a “new direction” to men’s hearts. World unity is the goal toward which His Revelation is moving all humanity.

As an element of this vast process taking place in the world, there is once again evolving

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an integration of divine law and human civilization, this time on a grand and global scale. There is also a growing realization of the function of religion as a collective influence on the mass of humanity, an influence not recognized in previous ages. Bahá’u’lláh’s words were spoken, God’s Spirit revealed, not alone for individuals for their spiritual regeneration, but to mankind as a whole—as “component parts of one indivisible entity.” It is from this collective spiritual awakening that will arise a new order.

The world as a whole, however, except for a handful of Bahá’u’lláh’s followers, has thus far ignored not only the application but even the acknowledgment of such a mighty Revelation, trying, selectively, to adopt some of His basic principles through roundabout and thorny measures and ignoring others. The first open recognition (not, however, officially admitted) came with the universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on December 10, 1948. (The writer, as an Observer to the United Nations from the Bahá’í World Community, was present at that historic meeting. He also collaborated with other representatives of many Non—Governmental Organizations in the drafting of that document, at the NGO Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in May of that same year.)

In recent years the head of the most powerful church in Christendom, after some lesser attempts by one or two of his predecessors, has had to admit openly the need to transfer the whole matter of “human rights” from the political-economic-social area of human activities to the more effective, noblerand loftier field of a spiritual crusade. He thus has not only acknowledged but has come to support, almost word for word, what Bahá’u’lláh had formulated and proclaimed a century before—a proclamation for which Bahá’u’lláh underwent untold suffering, persecution and imprisonment for nearly forty years.

“PACEM IN TERRIS”

It was on April 11, 1963—while the Bahá’ís of the world were preparing for first the election of their supreme international bodythe Universal House of Justice in Haifa at the Bahá’í World Centre—that Pope John XXIII issued to the world his last Pastoral letter, the

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Encyclical “Pacem in Terris” (Peace on Earth). For this letter he received world—wide acclaim. (It is noteworthy that this Encyclical was addressed, for the first time in history, to “All Men of Good Will,” as well as to the officials and the faithful of the church.)

In the light of the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, it will be of interest to quote from the official translation of this document. The headings are those of the writer, but they parallel the world unity principles of Bahá’u’lláh:

1. A world community. “. . . men are taught [by laws] how . . . the community of all peoples should act towards each other . . . the establishment of such a world community of peoples being urgently demanded today by the requirements of universal common good. . .

“Today the universal common good poses problems of worldwide dimensions which cannot be adequately tackled or solved except by the efforts of public authorities . . . in a position to operate in an effective manner on a worldwide basis. The moral order itself, therefore, demands that such a form of public authority be established . . . its purpose is to create, on a world basis, an environment in which the public authorities of each political community, its citizens . . . can carry out their tasks, fulfill their duties and exercise their rights with greater security.”

2. Search after truth. “Every human being has the right to freedom in searching for truth . . . has the right to be informed truthfully . . . to investigate the truth freely, with the duty of seeking it and possessing it ever more completely and profoundly.”

3. Universal education. “The natural law also gives man the right to share in the benefits of culture, and therefore the right to a basic education. . .”

4. Equality between men and women. “. . . equal rights and duties for man and woman. . . Women have the right to working conditions in accordance with their requirements and their duties as wives and mothers. . . Since women are becoming ever more conscious of their human dignity, they will not tolerate being treated as mere material instruments. . .”

5. Oneness of mankind. “Human society . . . ought to be regarded above all as a spiritual reality. . . The order which prevails in society . . .

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should be inspired and perfected by mutual love . . . racial discrimination can in no way be justified, at least doctrinally or in theory.”

6. Oneness of God. “Men . . . are brought to a better knowledge of the true God who is personal and transcendent, and thus they make the ties that bind them to God the solid foundations and supreme criterions of their lives. . . The progress of science and the inventions of technology show above all the infinite greatness of God, who created the universe and man himself.”

7. Science and religion. “It is not enough to be illumined with the gift of faith. . . And since our present age is one of outstanding scientific and technical progress and excellence, one will not be able to enter these organizations [for the public good] and work effectively from within unless he is scientifically competent, technically capable and skilled. . . In other words, it is necessary that human beings . . . should so live and act in their temporal lives as to create a synthesis between scientific, technical and professional elements on the one hand, and spiritual values on the other.”

8. Disarmament. “It is with deep sorrow that we note the enormous stock of armaments that have been and still are being made in the more economically developed countries with a vast outlay of intellectual and economic resources. . . Justice, right reason and humanity, therefore, urgently demand that . . . a general agreement should eventually be reached about progressive disarmament and an effective method of control.”

9. Atomic energy—a warning. “One must bear in mind that, even though the monstrous power of modern weapons acts as a deterrent, it is to be feared that the mere continuance of nuclear tests . . . will have fatal consequences for life on the earth.”

10. Spiritualsolution Of the economicproblem. “Human beings have the natural right to free initiative in the economic field and the right to work . . . and that each worker receives a wage in keeping with the laws ofjustice and equity . . . peoples should set up relationships of mutual collaboration, facilitating the circulation from one to the other of capital, goods and manpower. . .

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“At the present time no political community is able to pursue its own interests and develop itself in isolation, because the degree of its prosperity and development is a reflection and a component part of the degree of prosperity and development of all the other political communities.”

11. Obedience to rulers. “When, in fact, men obey their rulers, it is not at all as men that they obey them. Through their obedience it is God, the provident Creator of all things, whom they reverence. . .”

12. The common good. “Men, however, composed as they are of bodies and immortal souls, can never in this mortal life succeed in satisfying all their needs or in attaining perfect happiness. Therefore all efforts made to promote the common good, far from endangering the eternal salvation of men, ought rather to serve to promote it.”

These sentiments echo the pronouncements revealed by Bahá’u’lláh one hundred years ago, for which He was long subjected to exile and imprisonment. The full significance of His Revelation becomes clearer by a comparison of His own statements with the papal pronouncements.

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The following selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lla’h, Prophet~Founder Of the Bahá’í Faith, revealed in the latter half of the nineteenth century, are only a token selection from His voluminous Writings that deal with the social problems involved in a universal struggle for world unity, and the individual’s spiritual orientation to a world in transition.

TEACHINGS OF Bahá’u’lláh

l. A world community. “My object is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquillity of its peoples. The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded.” (GI. 286)

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth

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to the truth of these words. . . This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations.” (GI. 288)

“Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds Of the earth. . . It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” (GI. 250)

“All nations and kindreds will be gathered together under the shadow of this Divine Banner . . . and will become a single nation. Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and differences among nations, will be eliminated. All men will adhere to one religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one race and become a single people. All will dwell in one common fatherland, which is the planet itself. . . Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this holy Cycle shall gradually appear, and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth, and the dayspring of the revelation of its signs.” (WOB 204—205)

2. Search after truth. “. . . O my brother, when a true seeker determines to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the embodiments of the divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error.” (iqa'n 192—193)

“Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze

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of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being.” (iqén 195—196. These references also in GI. 264—267.)

3. Universal education. “It is decreed that every father must educate his sons and daughters in learning and writing and also in that which hath been ordained in the Tablet. He who neglects that which hath been commanded, if he is rich, it is incumbent on the trustees to recover from him the amount required for the education of the children; otherwise this matter shall devolve on the House of Justice. Verily We have made it an asylum for the poor and needy.” (B WF 200)

“Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitant of one City. . .” (GI. 333—334)

“Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.” (GI. 259—260)

4. Equality between men and women. “Bahá’u’lláh emphasized and established the equality of man and woman. Sex is not particularized to humanity; it exists throughout the animate kingdoms but without distinction or preference. . . . Is it becoming to man that he, the noblest of creatures, should observe and insist upon such distinction ? Woman’s lack of progress and proficiency has been due to her need of equal education and opportunity. Had she been allowed this equality there is no doubt she would be the counterpart of man in ability and capacity. The happiness of mankind will be realized when women and men coordinate and advance equally, for each is the complement and helpmeet of the other.” (B WF 241)

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5. Oneness of mankind. “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony. . .” (GI. 288)

“Adam, the parent of mankind [symbolically], may be likened to the tree of nativity upon which you are the leaves and blossoms. Inasmuch as your origin was one, you must now be united and agreed; you must consort with each other in joy and fragrance . . . man must recognize the oneness of humanity, for all in origin belong to the same household and all are servants to the same God.” (B WF 233)

“We have erewhile declared—and Our Word is the truth—: ‘Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.’ Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and bath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished. . . The summons and the message which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty. . . Behold how the generality of mankind hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God’s most exalted Word—the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men. . .” (GI. 95—97)

“Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men.” (WOB 42)

“O ye children of men, the fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race. . . This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure.” (GI. 215)

6. Oneness of God. “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,

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eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and seIf-subsisting. . . 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 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.” (GI. 192—193)

“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 princip1e.”(Gl. 166)

7. Science and religion. “Knowledge is like unto wings for the being, and is as a ladder for ascending. To acquire knowledge is incumbent on all, but of those sciences which may profit the people of the earth, and not such sciences as begin in mere words, and end in mere words.” (BWF 189)

“To study sciences and arts of all descriptions is allowable; but such sciences as are profitable, which lead and conduce to the elevation of mankind.” (B WF 195)

“The fourth teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is the agreement of religion and science. God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science. . .” (B WF 240)

8. Disarmament. “O kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects.

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This, verily, is wholly and grossly unjust. . . “O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions.” (GI. 253—254) “Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and hearts may be tranquilized. Heal the dissensions that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities and territories demandeth. Fear ye God, and take heed not to outstrip the bounds of moderation, and be numbered among the extravagant. . .” (GI. 250—251) “The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an allembracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation. . .” (GI. 249)

9. Atomic energy—a warning. “A strange and wonderful instrument exists in the earth; but it is concealed from minds and souls. It is an instrument which has the power to change the atmosphere of the whole earth, and its infection causes destruction.” (B WF 183)

10. Spiritual solution of the economic problem. “They who are possessed of riches . . . must have the utmost regard for the poor, for great is the honour destined by God for those poor who are steadfast in patience. . . Please God, the poor may exert themselves and strive to earn the means of livelihood. This is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed.” (B WF 1 30131)

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“It is made incumbent on every one of you to engage in some one occupation, such as arts, trades, and the like. We have made this—-your occupation—identical with the worship of God, the True One. . . Waste not your time in idleness and indolence, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit yourselves and others beside yourself. Thus hath the matter been decreed in this Tablet from the horizon of which the sun of wisdom and divine utterance is gleaming! The most despised of men before God is he who sits and begs. . .” (B WF 195)

11. Obedience to rulers. “A king whom the pride of authority and independence does not withhold from being just, and whom benefits, opulence, glory, hosts and legions do not deprive of the splendours of the orb of equity—such a king shall possess a lofty station and an exalted rank in the Supreme Concourse: it is incumbent on all to assist and love such a blessed being. . .” (BWF 181)

“In every country or government where any of this community reside, they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness and truthfulness.” (B WF 192)

12. The common good. “O people of God! Do not busy yourselves with your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. . . It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt the station, of all nations and just governments. . .” (GI. 93‘95)

“All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. . . To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man.” (GI. 215)

“Address yourselves to the promotion of the well-being and tranquility of the children of men. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City. . . Ye dwell in one world and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love.” (GI. 333—334)

“The well-being of mankind, its peace and

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security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” (01. 286)

‘ ‘O ye the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the condition thereof. . . Regard ye the world as the human body which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies. . . That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy

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and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.” (GI. 254255)

(Abbreviations used to document passages from Bahá’í Scripture:

GL, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh; fqén, The Kitdb-i-iqa’n (The Book of Certitude); BWF, Bahá’í World Faith;

WOB, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.)

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3. THE WRITINGS OF Bahá’u’lláh

Part of a commentary by the renowned scholar ‘Abdu’l-Hamid—i-Iflraq K_hévari

Translated and adapted by Habib Téhirzadih

THE mightiest proof of the greatness of Bahá’u’lláh and of the transcendental character of His divine mission lies in His Writings which streamed from His Pen like a torrential rain during a period of no less than forty years of uninterrupted revelation.

History clearly shows that Bahá’u’lláh never attended a school and that the tuition He received at home after the fashion of the nobility at that time was but rudimentary. In His Epistle to the Shéh of Persia, Bahá’u’lláh writes these challenging words:

“The learning current amongst men I studied not: their schools I entered not. Ask Of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speakfalsely.”

When we look at the surging ocean of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings against a background of a life of suffering, imprisonment, privation and manifold calamities, we are amazed at the vastness, the range and the rare quality of this priceless heritage which He has bequeathed to posterity. Indeed no human mind can chart the extent or fathom the depths of this immense ocean or appreciate the true value and significance of those myriads of priceless gems which are enshrined in it. One striking feature of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings is its prodigious flow. We know for instance that the whole book of iqa’n was revealed within the short space of two days during the last year of His stay in Baghdád. Commenting on the copious outpouring of His Writings Shoghi Effendi affirms in GodPasses By:

“A certain Muhammad Karim, a native of Shíráz, who had been a witness to the rapidity and the manner in which the Báb had penned the verses with which He was inspired, has left the following testimony to posterity, after attaining, during those days, the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, and beholding with his own eyes what he himself had considered to be the only

proof of the mission of the Promised One: ‘I bear witness that the verses revealed by Bahá’u’lláh were superior, in the rapidity with which they were penned, in the ease with which they flowed, in their Iucidity, their profundity and sweetness to those which I, myself, saw pour from the pen of the Bath when in His presence. Had Bahá’u’lláh no other claim to greatness, this were sufficient, in the eyes of the world and its people, that He produced such verses as have streamed this day from His pen.”’

And further on he writes:

“ ‘Day and night,’ an eye—witness has written, ‘the Divine verses were raining down in such number that it was impossible to record them. Mirza Aqa Jan wrote them as they were dictated, while the Most Great Branch was continually occupied in transcribing them. There was not a moment to spare.’ ‘A number of secretaries,’ Nabil has testified, ‘were busy day and night and yet they were unable to cope with the task. Among them was Mirza Béqir-iShírázi. . . He alone transcribed no less than two thousand verses every day. He laboured during six or seven months. Every month the equivalent of several volumes would be transcribed by him and sent to Persia. About twenty volumes, in his fine penmanship, he left behind as a remembrance for Mirzá Aqé J én.’ Bahá’u’lláh, Himself, referring to the verses revealed by Him, has written: ‘Such are the outpourings . . . from the clouds of Divine Bounty that within the space of an hour the equivalent of a thousand verses hath been revealed.’ ‘So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a single day and night, were an amanuensis capable of accomplishing it to be found, the equivalent of the Persian Baya’n would be sent down from the heaven of Divine holiness.’ ‘Iswear by God! ’ He, in another connection has affirmed, ‘In those days the equivalent of all that hath been sent do wn afaretime unto the Prophets hath been revealed.’ ‘T hat which hath already been revealed in this

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land (Adrianople),’ He, furthermore, referring to the copiousness of His writings, has declared, ‘secretaries are incapable of transcribing. It has, therefore, remained for the most part untranscribed.’ ”

In The Bahá’í World volumes there is a list of some one hundred and fifty of the best-known works of Bahá’u’lláh which were revealed in the form of books, epistles and Tablets. But this list is by no means exhaustive; it barely covers a portion of His Writings. In order to get a fair idea of their scope and vastness we ought also to take into account:

1. Thousands of Tablets of varying length, ranging from a few lines to numerous pages which were addressed to individual believers in Persia and other neighbouring countries.

2.The vast amount of His original Writings which have been lost to posterity either through ill-preservation, or because they fell into wrong hands, or were destroyed by enemies, or obliterated by Bahá’u’lláh’s own instruction. Concerning the fate of the last portion, Shoghi Effendi quotes Nabfl’s testimony as follows:

“No less an authority than Mirza’. Aqa Jan, Bahá’u’lláh’s amanuensis, affirms, as reported by Nabil, that by the express order of Bahá’u’lláh, hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His own hand, were obliterated and cast into the river. ‘Finding me reluctant to execute His orders,’ Mirzá Aqé Jan has related to Nabil, ‘Bahá’u’lláh would reassure me saying: “None is to be found at this time worthy to hear these melodies. . . .” Not once, or twice, but innumerable times, was I commanded to repeat this act.’ ”

3. Bahá’u’lláh’s unrecorded utterances which rained down so profusely that the secretaries could not cope with their recording. Again the Guardian invokes Nabil:

“So prolific was this period, that during the first two years after His return from His retirement, according to the testimony of Nabil, who was at that timeliving in Baghdad the unrecorded verses that streamed from His lips averaged, in a single day and night, the equivalent of the Qur’án!”

As to the immensity of the field of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings we would do well to refer to

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Shoghi Effendi’s comments in God Passes By:

“With this book (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf) revealed about one year prior to His ascension, the prodigious achievement as author of a hundred volumes, repositories of the priceless pearls of His Revelation, may be said to have practically terminated—volumes replete with unnumbered exhortations, revolutionizing principles, world-shaping laws and ordinances, dire warnings and portentous prophecies, with soul-uplifting prayers and meditations, illuminating commentaries and interpretations, impassioned discourses and homilies, ’all interspersed with either addresses or references to kings, to emperors and to ministers, of both the East and the West, to ecclesiastics of divers denominations, and to leaders in the intellectual, political, literary, mystical, commercial and humanitarian spheres of human activity.”

Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings are profound, and peerless in eloquence. They are lavishly sprinkled with symbolic expressions and vibrate with a spiritual potency that no purehearted seeker can fail to discern. They are revealed in Persian and Arabic in a style and language which are unique and unrivalled in every sense. Unbiased scholars of the Persian and Arabic tongues readily recognize Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings as a novel creation, quite distinct in wording and expression from the conventional literary styles used until then by any known writer. Indeed a casual study of these Writings would suffice to convince the unprejudiced reader that the Author must have been divinely inspired and that His knowledge and wisdom were innate and not scholastic. Needless to say, many seekers after truth who had a literary bent of mind readily embraced the Cause soon after perusing some passages from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.

In the following pages an attempt is made to give a brief description of some of the wellknown Works of Bahá’u’lláh which were revealed before His declaration in 1863 and up to the time of His arrival in ‘Akká in 1868. These Writings are dealt with in chronological order following the path of His journeyṬihrán, Baghdad, Sulayméniyyih, Baghdad, Constantinople and Adrianople. A few of these works have been translated into English by the beloved Guardian; others he has referred to in his writings, chiefly GodPasses By.

[Page 622]622 RAS_HI:H—‘AMA

This wondrous poem was revealed by Bahá’í’u’llah in Ṭihrán before He was exiled to ‘Iráq, and is regarded as the first intimation of the stirring of the Spirit of God within His Soul.

The language used in this poem is full of ecstasy and exultation and contains many veiled and figurative terms such as : “the hidden ocean”, “the musk-laden breeze”, “the Maid of heaven”, “the Day of God”, “the dawn of the revelation of I am He”, “the warbling of the Dove”, “the living waters of God”, “the wondrous Beauty”, which are but the effusions of that billowing ocean of divine Revelation which surged and swelled within His inner Being, though it was still hidden from the eyes of men.

TABLET OF KULLU’T—TA‘AM

This is one of the outstanding Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh revealed in the year 1854, soon after His banishment to ‘Iráq. It is rather long and written in exquisite Arabic. In a passage in God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes the circumstances which led to the revelation of this eloquent and illuminating commentary. The passage runs as follows:

“The circumstances leading to the revelation of the Tablet of Kullu’f-Ta‘a'm, written during that period, at the request of Haji Mirza Kamélu’d—Din-i-Naréqi, a Babi of honorable rank and high culture, could not but aggravate a situation that had already become serious and menacing. Impelled by a desire to receive illumination from Mirza Yaḥyá concerning the meaning of the Qur’ánic verse ‘All food was allowed to the children of Israel,’ Haji Mirzá Kamalu’d-Din had requested him to write a commentary upon it—a request which was granted, but with reluctance and in a manner which showed such incompetence and superficiality as to disillusion Haji Mirza Kamalu’dDin, and to destroy his confidence in its author. Turning to Bahá’u’lláh and repeating his request, he was honored by a Tablet, in which Israel and his children were identified with the Bab and His followers respectively—a Tablet which by reason of the allusions it contained, the beauty of its language and the cogency of its argument, so enraptured the soul of its recipient that he would have, but for the restraining hand of Bahá’u’lláh, proclaimed

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forthwith his discovery of God’s hidden Secret in the person of the One Who had revealed it.”

Apart from the numerous interpretations of the terms “Israel” and “children of Israe ”, Bahá’u’lláh defines in this Tablet the qualities and attributes with which every seeker after truth must be endowed, dwells on the wrongs and afflictions He endured both at the hand of His foes and through the vile conduct of His friends, and alludes, in no ambiguous terms, to the imminent fulfilment of the Will of God amongst men. Another significant feature of this Tablet is that in it Bahá’u’lláh confers the exalted title of “The Last Point” upon Quddi’is.

On receiving this inspiring Tablet Haji Mirza Kamélu’d—Din became an ardent admirer of Bahá’u’lláh and later, when He declared His mission, he distinguished himself as a devoted follower of the Faith. His name is immortalized by a number of Tablets Bahá’u’lláh revealed in his honour.

It is interesting to note that at the time of Bahá’u’lláh’s departure from Baghdad, when He was actually leaving His house for the last time amidst the wailing and weeping of the Babis, it was this same Kamal who, overwhelmed by grief and despondency, was moved to offer his infant son as a ransom, by placing him at the feet of Bahá’u’lláh. The little child shriekingly grasped the hem of His garment with his tiny hands and made a piognant gesture which clearly meant he was begging Him not to leave. Bahá’u’lláh Himself confirms this incident in a Tablet which was revealed soon after His declaration: “He (Bahá’u’lláh) observed at His feet a suckling, withdrawn from the breast of his mother, grasp the sacred Hem with beseechin g fingers and call to Him in a weak voice.”

It should be noted, moreover, that Haji Mirza Kamal’s great-grandfather was the wellknown Mulla Mihdi, one of the leading Muslim clergy during the reign of Fath ‘Ali Shah (17981834). He is the author of the book entitled Mashriqu’l—Quliib, which contains a stirring account of the episode of Karbila and the martyrdom Of Imam Husayn. This is the same book parts of which were read aloud to the Báb every morning by His amanuensis during his period of incarceration, and in Nabil’s words: . . its recital would provoke intense emotion in the heart of the Báb and his tears would keep flowing as Helistened to that tale.” Haji Mirza

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Kamal passed away in his home town Naraq in Persia, in the year 1881.

SAQI’ AZ @AYB—I-BAQA

Another outpouring of divine grace which streamed from the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh during His retirement to the mountains of Sulaymaniyyih is this soul—entrancing ode in Persian which exhibits a rare beauty. The whole poem is full of veiled and symbolic terms which unmistakably hint at His forthcoming Revelation. Shoghi Effendi alludes to this point in these words: “These initial and impassioned outpourings of a Soul struggling to unburden itself, in the solitude of a self-imposed exile (many of them, alas lost to posterity) are, with the Tablet of Kullu’t-Ta‘ém and the poem entitled Ragh-i-‘Amd, revealed in Ṭihrán, the first fruits of His divine Pen.”

The opening couplet of the above ode runs as follows:

Rend asunder Thy veil, 0 Cupbearer Of the invisible eternity! So that from the Face of the All-Glorious, I mayquafir the wine of immortality. All the wine in thy store can scarce allay the ardour of my love: pour out for me an ocean of thy mystic wine!

And further on occurs this verse which is familiar to many of the friends:

If thine aim be to cherish thy life, approach not our Court: but if sacrifice be thy heart’s desire, come and let others come with thee. For such is the way of Faith, if in thy heart thou seekest reunion with Bahd: shouldst thou refuse to tread this path, why trouble Us, begone!

QAsiDIY-I-VARQA’iYYIH

This wonderful ode is endowed with much beauty and power. It comprises a series of thought-provoking verses in Arabic and was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh during the period of His retirement to the mountains of Kurdistan in the year 1854—5.

In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes how Bahá’u’lláh was prompted to reveal this poem at the request of a delegation of eminent doctors and distinguished scholars of Kurdistén:

“Amazed by the profundity of His insight and the compass of His understanding, they

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were impelled to seek from Him what they considered to be a conclusive and final evidence of the unique power and knowledge which He now appeared in their eyes to possess. ‘No one among the mystics, the wise, and the learned,’ they claimed, while requesting this further favor from Him, ‘has hitherto proved himself capable of writing a. poem in a rhyme and meter identical with that of the longer of the two odes, entitled Qasz’dy-i-Td’z'yyih composed by Ibn-iFa’rid. We beg you to write for us a poem in that same meter and rhyme.’ This request was complied with, and no less than two thousand verses, in exactly the manner they had specified, were dictated by Him, out of which He selected one hundred and twenty-seven, which He permitted them to keep, deeming the subject matter of the rest premature and unsuitable to the needs of the times. It is these same one hundred and twenty-seven verses that constitute the Qasz’dz‘y-i— Varqd’z’yyih, so familiar to, and widely circulated amongst His Arabic speaking followers.”

The theme of this inspiring poem, portrayed in symbolic terms, is the advent of the Promised Day and the release of the quickening power of the Spirit of God in this age. Referring to the same poem, Shoghi Effendi affirms that it was revealed “in praise of the Maiden personifying the Spirit of God recently descended upon Him.” In a passage of this verse Bahá’u’lláh also gives vent to the “agonies of His sorrowladen heart” in these words:

Noah’s flood is but the measure of the tears I have shed, and Abraham’s fire an ebullition of My soul. Jacob’s grief is but a reflection of My sorrows, and Job’s afi‘lictions a fraction of My calamity.

THE HIDDEN WORDS

The Hidden Words is another well-known work of Bahá’u’lláh which was revealed in Baghdad before His Declaration in 1863. It is unique in style and captivating in eloquence and power of appeal.

In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi extols the exalted character of this work in these words:

“Next to this unique repository of inestimable treasures (the fqdn) must rank that marvellous collection of gem-like utterances, The Hidden Words with which Bahá’u’lláh was inspired, as He paced, wrapped in His medita [Page 624]624

tions, the banks of the Tigris. Revealed in the year 1274 A.H., partly in Persian, partly in Arabic, it was originally designated The Hidden Book of Fátimih and was identified by its Author with the Book of that same name, believed by Shi‘ah Islam to be in the possession of the promised Qá’im, and to consist of words of consolation addressed by the angel Gabriel, at God’s command, to Fátimih, and dictated to the Imam ‘Ali, for the sole purpose of comforting her in her hour of bitter anguish after the death of her illustrious Father. The significance of this dynamic spiritual leaven cast into the life of the world for the reorientation of the minds of men, the edification of their souls and the rectification of their conduct can best be judged by the description of its character given in the opening passage by its Author: “This is that which hath descended from the Realm of Glory, uttered by the tongue ofpower and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereofand clothed it in the garment ofbrevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may standfaithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm ofspirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.”

In the vast field of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings, The Hidden Words stands out forever as a shining beacon shedding the light of divine guidance upon the pathofawayward humanity.

KITAB-H’QAN (The Book of Certitude)

The fqdn bears ample testimony to the greatness and divine knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh and is an outstanding landmark in the vast field of His Writings. Plunging into this inexhaustible fountain of divine Truth one can find explicit answers to many questions which have, for centuries, perplexed the minds of men.

Concerning the revelation as well as the contents of this masterpiece of literary beauty and eloquence, Shoghi Effendi writes in God Passes By:

“Foremost among the priceless treasures cast forth from the billowing ocean of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation ranks the Kitdb-i—iqdn (Book of Certitude), revealed within the space of two days and two nights, in the closing years of that period (1278 A.H.—A.D. 1862). It was written in fulfillment of the prophecy of the

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Bab, Who had specifically stated that the Promised One would complete the text of the unfinished Persian Bayén, and in reply to the questions addressed to Bahá’u’lláh by the as yet unconverted maternal uncle of the Báb, Haji Mirzá Siyyid Muhammad, while on a visit, with his brother, Hájí Mirzá Hasan-‘Ah’, to Karbila. A model of Persian prose, of a style at once original, chaste and vigorous, and remarkably lucid, both cogent in argument and matchless in its irresistible eloquence, this Book setting forth in outline the Grand Redemptive Scheme of God, occupies a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá’í literature, except the Kitab-i-Aqa’as, Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book. Revealed on the eve of the declaration of His Mission, it proffered to mankind the ‘Choice Sealed Wine’, whose seal is of ‘musk’, and broke the ‘seals’ of the ‘Book’ referred to by Daniel, and disclosed the meaning of the ‘words’ destined to remain ‘closed up’ till the ‘time of the end’.

“Within a compass of two hundred pages it proclaims unequivocally the existence and oneness of a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty; asserts the relativity of religious truth and the continuity of Divine Revelation; affirms the unity of the Prophets, the universality of their Message, the identity of their fundamental teachings, the sanctity of their scriptures, and the twofold character of their stations; denounces the blindness and perversity of the divines and doctors of every age; cites and elucidates the allegorical passages of the New Testament, the abstruse verses of the Qur’án, and the cryptic Muhammadan traditions which have bred those age—long misunderstandings, doubts and animosities that have sundered and kept apart the followers of the world’s leading religious systems; enumerates the essential prerequisites for the attainment by every true seeker of the object of his quest; demonstrates the validity, the sublimity and significance of the Báb’s Revelation; acclaims the heroism and detachment of His disciples; foreshadows, and prophesies the world—wide triumph of the Revelation promised to the people of the Bayan; upholds the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary; glorifies the Imams of the Faith of Muhammad; celebrates the martyrdom, and lauds the spiritual sovereignty, of the

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Imam Husayn; unfolds the meaning of such symbolic terms as ‘Return’, ‘Resurrection’, ‘Seal of the Prophets’ and ‘Day of Judgment’; adumbrates and distinguishes between the three stages of Divine Revelation; and expatiates, in glowing terms, upon the glories and wonders of the ‘City of God ’, renewed, at fixed intervals, by the dispensation of Providence, for the guidance, the benefit and salvation of all mankind. Well may it be claimed that of all the books revealed by the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation, this Book alone, by sweeping away the age—long barriers that have so insurmountably separated the great religions of the world, has laid down a broad and unassailable foundation for the complete and permanent reconciliation of their followers.”

This “priceless treasure” to which Bahá’u’lláh subsequently gave the title of fqdn (Certitude) was originally known among the early believers as “Epistle to the Uncle (of the Bath)”, since it was his request for elucidation regarding some specific questions which prompted Bahá’u’lláh to reveal this book. The questions he had asked were closely linked With the coming of the Promised Qá’im, such as the following:

The fulfillment of specific signs

The question of Muhammad being considered as the last of the Prophets

The resurrection of the dead

The sovereignty of the Qá’im

The Day of J udgment

Doomsday

The return of the Imams

Belief in the perpetual character of the laws of Islam

Opposition of the clergy

These as well as many other interesting topics are treated in this outstanding work.

THE SEVEN VALLEYS AND THE FOUR VALLEYS

Bahá’u’liah’s Seven Valleys is a monumental work in the realm of mystical thought. Shoghi Effendi refers to it as “a treatise that may well be regarded as His greatest mystical composition . . . which He wrote in answer to the questions of Shay@ Muhyi’d-Di’n, the Qédi of fléniqayn, in which He describes the seven stages which the soul of the seeker must needs

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traverse ere it can attain the object of its existence.”

This profound essay opens up a new outlook on life and brings abiding delight to the heart of many a seeker after truth. The story is one of a lover who, despite much suffering and hardship, trudges through mystic valleys in his eager search for the One Who is the Object of his quest. The valleys referred to in the text are those of : Search, Love, Knowledge, Unity, Contentment, Wonder, True Poverty and Absolute Selflessness, each of which has been described in this treatise.

The Four Valleys is a sister essay to the former. It is revealed in the same mystical language and is full of charm and food for thought. It streamed from the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh some time after the Seven Valleys had been revealed, and is addressed to flayfl ‘Abdu’r—Rahmén-i-Karki’lti, a learned SI'Jf i of that period. In it Bahá’u’lláh traces out four paths, namely: Spirit, Reason, Love and the Realm of Conscience, by which the ardent lover may set out on his spiritual journey to the court of the Beloved.

These two essays are unique among the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and their perusal serves immensely to enhance one’s capacity for meditation and spiritual perception.

TABLET OF THE HOLY MARINER

This is one of the weightiest emanations from the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh. In it He hints at the ominous happenings which then loomed on the horizon and foreshadows the approach of a period of apprehension and grave anxiety. Expatiating on the circumstances which prevailed at the time when this Tablet was revealed Shoghi Effendi writes:

“It was on the fifth of Naw-Rúz (1863), while Bahá’u’lláh was celebrating the festival in the Mazra‘iy-i-Vashésh, in the outskirts of Baghdad and had just revealed the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, whose gloomy prognostications had aroused the grave apprehensions of His companions, that an emissary of Namiq Péfla arrived and delivered into His hands a communication requesting an interview between Him and the governor.

“Already, as Nabil has pointed out in his narrative, Bahá’u’lláh had, in the course of His discourses, during the last years of His

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sojourn in Baghdad, alluded to the period of trial and turmoil that was inexorably approaching, exhibiting a sadness and heaviness of heart which greatly perturbed those around Him.”

And further on:

“‘Oceans of sorrow,’ Nabil affirms, ‘surged in the hearts of the listeners when the T ablet Of the Holy Mariner was read aloud to them. . . It was evident to every one that the chapter of Baghdad was about to be closed, and a new one opened, in its stead. No sooner had that Tablet been chanted than Bahá’u’lláh ordered that the tents which had been pitched should be folded up, and that all His companions should return to the city. While the tents were being removed He observed: “These tents may be likened to the trappings of this world, which no sooner are they spread out than the time cometh for them to be rolled up.” From these words of His they who heard them perceived that these tents would never again be pitched on that spot. They had not yet been taken away when the messenger arrived from Baghdad to deliver the afore-mentioned communication from the governor.’ ”

LAWH-I-HURiYYIH (Tablet Of the Maiden)

This is yet another matchless outpouring from the Pen Of Bahá’u’lláh in which, as affirmed by the beloved Guardian, “events of a far remoter future are foreshadowed.”

This Tablet is wholly in Arabic and begins with these words:

“In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted! Praise be to Thee, 0 Lord, my God. I make mention of T hee at this moment when Thy divine Luminary hath risen above the horizon of the sacred Mount of Thy celestial realm of oneness.”

The main part of this Tablet is couched in figurative language, depicting a wondrous Maiden who embodies the Most Great Spirit.

SURIY-I-SABR (Stirih ofPatience)

This lengthy Epistle, also known as the Stirih of Ayyt'ib (J ob) was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh on the first day of Riḍván 1863. The whole Sfirih is written in Arabic. It is highly eloquent

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in style and vibrant with power and glory.

In it, among other things, Bahá’u’lláh refers to the woeful episode of Nayriz and praises in glowing terms the heroism and fortitude of Vahid and the company of his fellow-sufferers. The recipient of this mighty Epistle is none other than the indomitable, the long—sufl‘ering Haji Muhammad Taqi who bore heroically, over a long period, horrible tortures beyond human endurance.

Haji Muhammad Taqi was one of the wealthiest natives of Nayriz, famous for his honesty and noble character. When the Báb declared His mission in 1844, he embraced the new Faith and became one of its ardent followers. At the outbreak of the Nayriz upheaval in 1850, Haji Muhammad Taqi threw in his lot with the defenders of the Fort of Ehajih near Nayriz, and during the whole period of siege, which lasted no less than four months, he acted as the host, furnishing unstintingly from his own resources all the food and provisions needed for the subsistence of his besieged companions. This vital contribution, together with the daring deeds whereby he managed to get the supplies into the fort in the teeth of enemy vigilance and opposition, made Zaynu’l-‘Abidin K_hén, the fanatical governor of Nayriz, so furious that he vowed to wreak his vengeance upon him as soon as the Bábis had surrendered. Later when, through enemy treachery, the evacuation of the fort took place, Haji Muhammad Taqi was delivered into the hands of the ruthless governor, who imprisoned him in a dungeon and tortured him daily for nearly a year.

The nature of the torture the governor had prescribed for this victim is too shocking to contemplate. Every morning, even on cold, winter days, he was stripped of clothing, then cast into the pool in the courtyard, while a number of guards stood around the pool and thrashed him mercilessly with rods until the water was tinged red with his blood and the victim was in a state of collapse. After a short time, the sight of the havoc wrought upon his body through this daily torture was frightful. His head and shoulders were a mass of blood and swollen flesh, while his face was wholly disfigured beyond recognition. Sometimes, with his ghastly wounds exposed, he was paraded through the bazaars and along the streets at the head of a shouting and jeering crowd, while his jailers were busily engaged in

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extorting money from the awe-struck shopkeepers and passers-by.

The story of how Haji Muhammad Taqi was miraculously rescued from jail is part of Bahá’í history. It remains to be said that he eventually went to Yazd where by the grace of God his wounds gradually healed and he was later able to go on foot to Baghdad where he attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh not long before His declaration in 1863.

COMMENTARY ON THE LETTERS PREFIXED TO THE SURIHS OF THE QUR’AN

This lengthy Epistle, revealed in Arabic, is profound. It enshrines many pearls of divine reality and unfolds the meaning of a number of symbolic terms and passages, including various interpretations of the disconnected letters Alif, Lam, Mim, which occur at the commencement of the second Sfirih of the Qur’án. Moreover, the commentary on the figurative passage in the Qur’án which begins with the words “Allah is the light of the heaven and of the eart ” is highly illuminating. In this Epistle Bahá’u’lláh also expatiates on the significance and use of certain elements and makes reference to the substance known as “elixir and the philosopher ’s stone”.

This Epistle was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad in reply to questions put to Him by one of the followers of the Báb, named Mirza Aqéy-i-Rikéb—Séz who was eventually martyred in Shíráz with two other Babis. Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By refers to this episode in these words:

“In mm Mirzá Aqéy—i-Rikéb-Séz, together with Mirzá Raff-i-Lhayyat and Mashhadi Nabi, were by order of the local mujtahid simultaneously strangled in the dead of night, their graves being later desecrated by a mob who heaped refuse upon them.”

The mujtahid who condemned the above believers to death was named fiayk_h_ Husayni—Nézim, whom Bahá’u’lláh stigmatized as “the tyrant”.

LAWH-I-MADiNATU’T-TAWHiD (Tablet of the City of Unity) Within the pages of this enthralling Tablet Bahá’u’lláh proclaims the oneness of God, describes some of His transcendent attributes

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and affirms that no one can ever attain to His knowledge save by recognizing those who are the Bearers of His Message and the Repositories of His celestial wisdom and glory. The opening verse of this Tablet runs as follows:

“This is the City of Divine Unity. Enter ye therein, O concourse of the believers in divine unity, so that ye may, through heavenly tidings, be numbered among those who rejoice with exceeding gladness.”

From the latter part of this Tablet is wafted the vivifying breeze of the coming Springtime. Here Bahá’u’lláh gives, in clear and thrilling language, the tidings of the approaching hour of His Revelation. One passage reads:

“Hearken unto the Day when the Herald raiseth His Call in the midmost heart of the immortal realm, when the Dove of Hijaz warbleth from the land of ‘Irtiq summoning all unto concord, and when the gate ofheaven is flung open before the face of the entire creation. This is the Day that shall not be overtaken by the gloom of night, as the sun receiveth its light therefrom, inasmuch as this Day is illumined by the splendour of H is radiantface. By the righteousness of God! At that moment a holy and new earth is spread out at the behest afGod, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.”

The recipient of this beautiful Tablet was the devoted flaylgh Salman of Hindiyan in southern Persia, Bahá’u’lláh’s trusted and high-spirited courier during the whole period of His ministry. He also continued his services during the days of the Master until he passed away in fliréz after a life-long period of unexcelled devotion and sacrifice.

When Bahá’u’lláh was exiled to Baghdad in 1852, Salmén was the first follower of the Báb to enter His presence. Once he asked Him for some explanations about the oneness of God and how one could reach Him and know Him. In reply, Bahá’u’lláh revealed this soul-uplifting Tablet in his honour.

$AHiFIY—I-S_HATTI’YYI'H In this inspiring, lengthy Tablet Bahá’u’lláh demonstrates the invincible power of the Cause of God. He asserts that no matter how formidable the reverses it might suffer in the future it is nevertheless endowed with a power such as to surmount every crisis and tear down every

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obstacle that stands in its way. It is simply undefeatable. It forges ahead Victoriously from strength to strength until its glorious mission is wholly consummated. Dwelling on this subject, Bahá’u’lláh likens the irresistible march of the Faith to a great river (hence the title Saht’fiy—i@attiyyih meaning river-Iike) which when in flood carries everything before it. He portrays this point in these words:

“Behold the flow of this river which we see before Us. When torrential and swollen it rolleth on and surgeth forward. Whatever course it taketh, it is irresistible in its might. It taketh no notice of the hue and cry the populace raise, shouting: ‘T he great dyke hath burst’, or ‘the embankment is flooded’, or ‘the house is ruined’, or ‘the palace is devastated’. Unconcemed it rusheth on pursuing its path with vehement fury and force and with overwhelming strength and majesty.”

MUSI’BAT-I-HURUFAT-I—‘ALiYAT (The Calamities Of the Letters of Loftt'ness) A stream of sadness runs through this Tablet

as Bahá’u’lláh dramatically depicts the transitory nature of this earthly life and brings home to one’s mind, in graphicmanner, the important fact that there is no refuge for man save through submission to the inscrutable Will of the Supreme Ordainer.

In the dedicatory note at the beginning of this Tablet Bahá’u’lláh affirms that this Epistle was written about the calamities of the Letters of Loftiness and that in those days He dedicated it to a particular person. Later certain individuals begged Bahá’u’lláh to write a commentary on it in the Persian tongue. It was done and this Tablet became manifest and resplendent in gem-Iike words. He explains also that since word-for-word translation, in conformity with the original style, lacks refinement, that which streamed forth from His Pen was recorded.

The person alluded to in the text is Bahá’u’lláh’s cousin, Mirza Muhammad Vazir, who was much loved and favoured by Him. He passed away in Mazindaran, Persia, at the time when Bahá’u’lláh was in Baghdad. His death came as a tragic blow both to Bahá’u’lláh and the rest of the Holy Family, particularly to the wife and sister of the deceased named Havvé (Eve) and Maryam (Mary) respectively. Therefore as a token of heartfelt sympathy for the

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loss His two loved kinswomen had sustained, Bahá’u’lláh honoured them With this Tablet which immortalized their memory and brought solace and consolation to their grief-laden hearts. In the closing paragraph of this Tablet Bahá’u’lláh recalls to mind, in touching language, the burdens of care and anguish these two souls were destined to hear. The epilogue opens with these words:

“However, Thou hast ordained that afi7ictions shall, in these times, be the lot of these two beauteous countenances. The first is named after the One whom Thou hast singled out to be the Mother of all mankind, and the other is the one who beareth the name of Her whom Thou hast raised above all the women in the war] .”

Maryam, the sister of the deceased Mirzá Muhammad Vazir, was Bahá’u’lláh’s cousin who had married His half-brother, Mirzá Ridé Quli. She was greatly devoted to Bahá’u’lláh, enjoyed His unqualified confidence and was highly admired by Him for her noble qualities and spiritual attainments. Notable among Maryam’s writings is a poem she wrote in praise of Bahá’u’lláh in which she gives vent to the gnawing grief she bore for her separation from Him.

Among the Tablets Bahá’u’lláh revealed in her name is the well-known Tablet of Maryam from which Shoghi Effendi quotes a few passages in God Passes By. One passage is as follows:

“The wrongs I sufler have blotted out the wrongs suffered by My First Name (the Báb) from the T ablet ofcreation.” “0 Maryam!” He continues, “From the Land of Tat (Tihrcin), after countless afi‘lictions, We reached ‘Irdq, at the bidding of the Tyrant of Persia, where after the fetters of Our foes, We were afi‘lictea’ with the perfidy of Ourfriends. God knoweth what befell Me thereafter.”

And another passage:

“1 roamed the wilderness of resignation, travelling in such wise that in My exile every eye wept sore over Me, and all created things shed tears of blood because of My anguish. The birds of the air were My companions and the beasts of the field My associates.”

Maryam passed away in Tihran and is buried in the precincts of Nésiri’d-Din flah’s sepulchre in the outskirts of the capital.

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The other “beauteous countenance” mentioned in the Tablet is Havvé. She was the wife of the deceased Mirza Muhammad and a niece of Bahá’u’lláh whom He always regarded with much favour and affection and used to call by the pet name “mm Baji”. She died in Tékur, Mézindaran where she was laid to rest close to the tombs of her parents.

JAVAHIRU’L—ASRAR (The Essence of M ysteries)

Javdhiru’l—Asrdr is a monumental work. It is one of the choicest fruits that the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh has yielded. J udged by the nature of its contents, this illuminating book, which is written in eloquent Arabic, may be regarded as a sister to the iqa’n, since most of the subjects treated in that celebrated work are also briefly mentioned in this epistle. It was written by Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad sometime before the revelation of the iqan, in answer to a number of questions put to Him by Hájí Siyyid Muhammad-i-Iṣfahání, one of the most accomplished Persian students of Iṣfahán who at that time resided in ‘Iráq.

In this mighty epistle, within the space of about one hundred pages, Bahá’u’lláh refers to the grievous tribulation and adversities that He suffered at the hand of the infidels; deplores the perversity of the followers of past religions; elucidates the meaning of the signs and prophecies concerning the advent of the new Manifestation, including the meaning of the passage in the Bible where it says: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away”; affirms the continuity of divine revelation; unfolds the significance of such symbolic terms as “the Day of Judgment”, “the Balance”, “the Way”, “the resurrection of the dea ”, and “the identity of the Promised Qá’im and the place from which He is expected to appear”; asserts the inevitability of heaven-sent trials, and describes the inner meaning of such terms as “life and death", “attainment to the presence of God”, “the valley of bewilderment”, “the station of self-surrender” and “the character and qualities of those who have attained His Court”.

Haji Siyyid Muhammad was one of the distinguished disciples of the learned and wellknown flayfl Murtida Ansari who was the recognized head of the fii‘ah hierarchy and

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occupied a pre-eminent position among the leaders of Islam. (This is the same Anséri to whom Bahá’u’lláh refers in His Epistle to the flab of Persia).

On completing his studies at the Muslim centre of learning at Sémarra’ in ‘Iráq, Siyyid Muhammad was elevated to the rank of Mujtahid, a title which confers upon the holder the authority to expound and apply the laws and doctrines of Islam. Having thus attained the pinnacle of the learning of his time, he decided to return to his home town of Iṣfahán to practise law and act as the leading cleric of that city. He therefore left for Baghdad where he stayed for a time at the home of two Persian merchant brothers from his home town of Iṣfahán.

During his sojourn there he learned that the Babi movement had made great headway in that city under the leadership of one who bore the title of Bahá’u’lláh. Siyyid Muhammad, boastful of his high learning and priding himself on his new title and position, felt inclined to seek a confrontation with the leader of this new movement, with the view to confound him by his power of argument and superior knowledge, and to assert his ascendancy over him. Such a victory, he thought, would enhance his position in the eyes of the leading mullas and redound to his glory and reputation throughout Persia and ‘Iráq.

Therefore, one evening he sought a meeting with Bahá’u’lláh at His home and Was admitted into His presence. This meeting must have been dramatic and stirring beyond words. It lasted several hours at the end of which time Siyyid Muhammad, far from having gained ascendancy over his adversary found, to his amazement, that he had virtually been reduced to a speck of dust in the face of the overwhelming power and knowledge of his Host. Presently his sense of pride and vanity evaporated and gave way to humility and submissiveness. There at this meeting he became convinced of the divine character of the new Revelation and was so impressed by the transcendent personality of Bahá’u’lláh that he sat in His presence for a long time, spellbound with wonder and awe. Eventually when the time for leave-taking came, it was well past midnight.

On reaching his lodging that night he boldly told his landlords where he had been and what had transpired at the meeting. Being extremely

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fanatical in religious matters, the two Isfahéni brothers rebuked him severely, denied him food and drink, and in a rush of anger expelled him from their house in the dead of night. Undismayed by this ungracious treatment, Siyyid Muhammad trudged his way on foot to Sémarré’, a distance of about one hundred kilometers, where he sought the presence of his former master and spiritual leader, the farfamed fiaykh Murtida Ansari at the same school which he himself had attended as a pupil. When he entered his presence, he found him giving a discourse to a vast company of his disciples. He sat there among the audience and, immediately after the talk was over, sprang to his feet and in a courageous and impressive manner expounded the teachings of the Báb and vindicated the truth of His mission. Thereupon a wave of indignation swept over the whole company who denounced him as a heretic and rushed upon him in fury, and had it not been for the tactful and timely intervention of their master they would have inflicted severe injuries upon him.

The words of Siyyid Muhammad, however, made a deep impression upon his learned master, who deplored the unseemly conduct of his students. Meanwhile he thought the moment was not propitious to comment on this subject, but promised to examine the teachings of this new creed and make a statement about it later.

As to Siyyid Muhammad, he remained firm and steadfast in the new Faith he had embraced, despite the bitter hatred and opposition of the Muslim clergy, and soon after this incident took up his residence in Najaf, renounced title and position and devoted much of his time to studying and spreading the teachings of this Revelation. Then sometime later he was prompted to write to Bahá’u’lláh and ask for elucidation of certain questions which baffled his mind. In reply, Bahá’u’lláh revealed this sparkling gem, the Javdhiru’l—Asra’r, for his enlightenment and that of men of understanding in this age.

LAWH—l—EIKKAR S_HIKAN This Tablet was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh sometime towards the end of His sojourn in Baghdad in reply to a seemingly mild communication addressed to Him by Mirzá

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Sa‘id Khan, the then Persian Foreign Minister.

In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes the evil machinations of this crafty man who stigmatized the Faith as a “misguided and detestable sect” and assiduously endeavoured, through the dissemination of false reports and alarming accusations, to have Bahá’u’lláh banished to a place far removed from the Persian border. In his letter the minister feigned concern about Bahá’u’lláh’s safety, saying that he had reasons to believe that His enemies were conspiring against Him, and that it would be advisable for him to transfer His place of residence to another town away from Baghdad. Bahá’u’lláh’s reply, embodied in this Tablet, is imbued with the spirit of detachment and fortitude and strikingly reflects His imperturbable calm and serenity. One passage runs as follows :

“One should kiss the hand of the executioner and, rapt in holy ecstasy, set one’sface towards the abode of the Beloved.”

And further He says:

“Holding up Our neck, We eagerly yearn for the pitilesssword Of theLoved One, and, exposing Our breast, We crave, with heart and soul, after the darts of His Decree. We disdain fame and keep aloof from aught else but Him. We neither flee from Our enemies nor disperse them. We earnestly pray for adversity in order to soar in the holy realms of the spirit, abide ’neath the shade of the tree ofreuniorz and attain the lofn‘est station oflove. Afllictions cannot annihilate this people. This wayfaring cannot be accomplished by human feet, nor can any veil obscure this Countenance.

And further He continues:

“ We are established upon the seat of tranquillity and occupy the couch of resignation. Why should the mystic fish fear shipwreck, or the sanctifiedspirit allow itselfto be distressed at the destruction of the physical body ?”

LAWH-I-QULAMU’L QULD (Tablet Of the Youth of Paradise)

This wonderful Tablet was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad during the Riḍván Festival. The first part is in Arabic, the latter in Persian. It begins with these words:

“This is in commemoration of what hath been manifested in the year sixty, in the Days of God,

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the Omnipotent, the Help in Peril, the Almighty, the A ll-Knowing.”

Every word of this Tablet rings with ecstasy and heavenly delight and reverberates with the glorification of the dawning light of the Day of God which broke on the horizon of fliréz through the appearance of the Báb.

Here Bahá’u’lláh extols this momentous event by means of symbolic expressions which are interspersed with many a soul-stirring refrain such as this one:

“Glad-tidings! This is the Youth of Paradise. Verily He is come with the crystal water.”

In the latter part of this Tablet Bahá’u’lláh refers to the coming of Him Who is the Desired One, and proclaims:

“O friends! The Wine of eternal life is streamingforth. O ye that yearn after Him! The Beauty of the Beloved is unveiled and manifest. 0 beloved ones! The Flame on the Sinai of love is shining resplendent.”

LAWH—I-HAWDAJ (Tablet of the Howdah)

This Tablet which is also known as the Tablet of Sa’msu’n is yet another wondrous outpouring of the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh. It was revealed in August 1863 when He, together with the company of the exiles, had reached the outskirts of Sémsfin on the Black Sea, on their way to Constantinople.

In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi refers to this Tablet in these words:

“Sighting from His howdah the Black Sea, as He approached the port of Sémsfin, Bahá’u’lláh, at the request of Mirza Aqé Jan, revealed a. Tablet, designated Lawh-i—Hawdaj (Tablet of the Howdah), which by such allusions as the ‘Divine Touchstone’, ‘the grievous and tormenting mischief’, reaffirmed and supplemented the dire predictions recorded in the recently revealed T ablet of the Holy Mariner.”

The opening passage of the Tablet runs as follows:

“T hese verses were revealed behind the Veil of Immortality, in the Howdah of Holiness, when the Most Great Name arrived from the court of the All-Glorious in the land of Sdmsdn, on the shore of the great sea. T hereupon the hosts of divine revelation descended, arrayed in such beauty that all that are in heaven and on earth

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were dumbfounded. The Day Star of Beauty shoneforth before them in His holy and ethereal T emple and addressed to the Ark what had previously been revealed in a Tablet by the Pen of the Most High, in which the Holy Mariner is invoked in a tone of grief.”

The theme which runs through the text of this historic Tablet is the affirmation of the invincible power of the Cause of God, stressing that whatever the reverses and setbacks the Cause may yet suffer, there can be no shadow of doubt that its future glory and triumph are unimaginably great.

TABLET TO SULTAN ‘ABDU’L—‘AZTZ AND HIS MINISTERS

Unfortunately the text of this momentous Tablet is not available. However, in GodPasses By Shoghi Effendi describes the historical background as well as the dire circumstances which led to the revelation of this mighty Tablet. The following extracts are highly illuminating:

“The initial phase of that Proclamation may be said to have opened in Constantinople with the communication (the text of which we, alas, do not possess) addressed by Bahá’u’lláh to Sultan ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz himself, the self-styled vicar of the Prophet of Islam and the absolute ruler of a mighty empire. . . The occasion for this communication was provided by the infamous edict the Sultan had promulgated, less than four months after the arrival of the exiles in his capital, banishing them, suddenly and without any justification whatsoever, in the depth of winter, and in the most humiliating circumstances, to Adrianople, situated on the extremities of his empire. . . Noless a personage than the highly-respected brother-in-law of the Sadr-i-A‘zam was commissioned to apprize the Captive of the edict pronounced against Him. . .

“That same day a Tablet, severely condemnatory in tone, was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, was entrusted by Him, in a sealed envelope, on the following morning, to flamsi Big, who was instructed to deliver it into the hands of ‘Ali Péfla, and to say that it was sent down from God. “I know not what that letter contained,” flamsi Big subsequently informed Aqay-iKalim, “for no sooner had the Grand Vizir perused it than he turned the color of a corpse, and remarked: ‘It is as if the King of Kings

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were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king and regulating his conduct.’ So grievous was his condition that I backed out of his presence.” “Whatever action,” Bahá’u’lláh, commenting on the effect that Tablet had produced, is reported to have stated, “the ministers of the Sultdn took against Us, after having become acquainted with its contents, cannot be regarded as unjustifiable. The acts they canzmitted before its perusal, however, can have no justification.”

“That Tablet, according to Nabil, was of considerable length, opened with words directed to the sovereign himself, severely censured his ministers, exposed their immaturity and incompetence, and included passages in which the ministers themselves were addressed, in which they were boldly challenged, and sternly admonished not to pride themselves on their worldly possessions, nor foolishly seek the riches of which time would inexorably rob them.”

LAWH-I—NAQUS (The Tablet Of the Bell)

“0 Monk of the Incomparable One! Ring out the Bell, inasmuch as the Day of the Lord hath shone forth and the Beauty of the All-Glorious is established upon His holy and resplendent Throne.”

This Tablet, the opening verse of which is given above, reflects in every word the grandeur and sublimity of this divine Revelation. Whether this is due to its rare eloquence, or the captivating charm of its refrains, or the depth and wealth of its symbolic terms, or the beauty of its rhymed words and phrases, or the sense of heavenly joy its glad-tidings evoke, or is due to any combination of these features, it is hard to say. Bahá’u’lláh revealed these verses of praise in celebration of that auspicious night which witnessed the inception of the Faith of God on earth through the declaration of the Bab.

Shoghi Effendi in a letter to Mr. Agah of Shíráz affirms that this Tablet was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and written in His own hand in Constantinople on the eve of the fifth of Jamédiyu’l-Avval, 1280 A.H. (October 19, 1863) which marks the twenty-first lunar anniversary of the Báb’s declaration, at the request of one of His devoted companions

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named Muhammad ‘Ali Isféhéni. (An outline of his biography appears in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Memorials Of the Faithful.)

Shoghi Effendi considers that it would be appropriate to read this Tablet at the meetings held for the celebration of this anniversaly.

MAENAVT

This is a collection of veritable mystic gems which the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh has strung together into a masterpiece of poetry. The work comprises more than three hundred lines of enchanting verse in Persian, and is yet another striking evidence of Bahá’u’lláh’s matchless utterance.

In these verses Bahá’u’lláh communes with His own inner Being in the language of a. lover whose heart leaps with joy and adoration, or like a nightingale which pours forth songs of praise in its ardent longing for the beauty of the mystic Rose. He invokes the Source of His Soul, beseeching It to reveal a glimpse of Its eternal beauty and to bestow upon the world a dewdrop from the infinite ocean of divine mercy, so that wayward humanity may be redeemed and attain to a new life.

The verses abound in allegorical terms, and their reading evokes a subtle and deep thought in one’s mind. It opens up a new approach to the knowledge of God and unfolds a vast horizon for contemplation of the greatness of Bahá’u’lláh’s manifestation.

The work was revealed in Constantinople in 1863, as Bahá’u’lláh Himself affirms in His monumentalapologia, the Kitáb-i—Badz",wherein He voices His yearning for tribulation in the path of His Beloved. There He quotes the closing lines of this work which refer to the same theme and give vent also to His anguish at the fate His Most Holy Habitation in Baghdad was destined to suffer. These few lines run somewhat like this:

“From the Court of the Beloved, 0 gentle breeze!

Wingfor once thy way over the land ofBaghddd.

Say unto her: 0 City of God!

How canst thou remain tranquil since thy Beloved is gone away ?

Thy Beloved is consigned to prison and sorely wronged,

Like unto Husayn on the plain of Karbila’.

One lonely Husayn amid thousands of Yazids,

One single Friend among a host of fierce foes.”

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4. THE TONGUE OF POWER

BY EUNICE BRAUN

OF all the works of man, words are the most enduring. The temple of Solomon has crumbled to dust, the melodies that David played to accompany the psalms have drifted away on an ancient wind, but the words live: “Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge.” The Ten Commandments of Moses and the parables of Jesus still guide men’s lives though no material tokens remain to mark the passing of Their days on earth. For words are carried forward not only on clay and stone, on papyrus and parchment, but in the mind and heart and on the tongue; and the words of the Prophet of God are like no other words for they are inscribed upon the inner recesses of the soul.

“Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the ink of light upon the tablet of thy spirit,“ Bahá’u’lláh commands.

This is the ink that survives millenniums of time and comes forth renewed in each dispensation when the Divine Author appears again. In this King of Days, the dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, He gives us the Hidden Words, a volume slim and sparing of words as a small book of poetry, but so potent that it reveals to us the essence of all that has been “uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets ofold.”a

History does not trace the exact pathway that began with man’s first uttered words as symbols of communication until the day that language became letters to be engraved on tablets of stone, so that man could record the laws of his Lord for the generations that followed. The pictographs and hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt are the earliest known written symbols; and it seems highly significant to the unfolding drama of Revelation through the ages that the phonetic alphabet is attributed to a Semitic people and had its origin in the Sinaitic peninsula.

Undoubtedly it was a Manifestation of God who brought the impetus that made man’s tongue an instrument of power and inspiration. “T he God of Mercy hath taught the Qur’dn, hath created man, and taught him articulate speech.”3 The pathway of civilization is marked by words

——from first, simple sounds spoken to convey man’s needs and desires, to areligious literature revealed for planetary man in an age of universal peace.

Literature is defined as the “writings of a period or country kept alive by beauty of style or thought”, but the revealed Word of God cannot be contained within this definition. Although it has its origin in the land of the Prophet and is revealed in the tongue that He speaks, it has a power which transcends limitations of language, culture and physical boundaries. Men may reach forth to quench it but it is carried like an underground stream beyond the borders of its beginning. It belongs to no one people or culture but to all the souls who desire it. Drop by drop, through hidden springs, or thundering over cataracts, it brings its soulrefreshing water of life.

Thus the parables of Jesus, spoken in an almost forgotten Aramaic tongue in ancient Palestine, were retold throughout the Greek and Latin world and were later to become Holy Scripture to all Europe, the New World and beyond. The holy books of the Jews were included, making words recorded on clay tablets on Mount Sinai a code of ethics for the western world.

The scholar who selects, compares and evaluates, must use a different measuring rod when confronted with the Revealed Word of God. He must look through the same glass as the artist, craftsman, lawyer or labourer—the glass of a pure heart, whereby all who know truth are aided to see with their “own eyes and not through the eyes of others.“

The greatest of all divine gifts to man, apart from the gift of life and consciousness itself, is the Creative Word of God. Through it, God manifests His mercy and His justice. The Word spoken by His chosen Manifestation changes individual lives and redirects the currents of civilization. This is the Word, which the Bible declares is not “returned void”. It accomplishes its mission, for it is creative. The fabric of personal faith is knitted to that Word when the golden thread of man’s inner faculty,

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his spiritual insight, responds to the Word of the Prophet of God and reaches out to be woven with the greater pattern of the Divine Will.

“Be” declares the Prophet of God, and it is. It may not be visible to our eyes today, but tomorrow or next year or next century all is fulfilled.

Stories of the coming of Revelation from God are filled with mystery and awe for us. To Moses the Voice spoke from a burning bush that flames would not consume. A Voice from the heavens spoke to Jesus when He came out of the River Jordan; and Muhammad’s first awareness of His role as God’s Revelator came to Him on Mount Hira, near Mecca, when the Voice spoke: “Cry in the Name of Thy Lord!” In this new Dispensation, when the whole world of humanity shall look to one Author, we have been brought nearer to this divine phenomenon, for we live in the Day of Days when the Word itself has been signed and sealed and sometimes even penned by the Prophet’s own hand.

What were the circumstances surrounding Bahá’u’lláh when the first intimation of Revelation came to Him Who was to be the Creator of a new world order, the Lord of Hosts, the Spirit of Truth ? Shoghi Effendi, great grandson of Bahá’u’lláh, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, has shed light upon this auspicious event in his historical work, GodPasses By.

To Bahá’u’lláh, descendant of Abraham, Zoroaster and Jesse, and scion of a noble Persian family, Revelation did not come at first on a mountain top nor on the banks of a river. It came in a subterranean dungeon in the prison of Siyah-Qal in Ṭihrán, where He had been placed as an expounder of the Cause of the Báb, the youthful Prophet who had been martyred three years earlier. In chains Bahá’u’lláh first heard the Voice that said: “Verily, We shall render T hee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen?”5

The short, meteoric mission of the Báb, Herald and Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh, was evolving “in the year nine”° (as He had proclaimed in His book, the Persian Baya’n), into the Mission of “Him Whom God would make manifest”! The Bayán was the seed, the Bath wrote from the prison fortress of Mah-Kt'l, that held within it the potentialities of the “Revelation that was to come.” It was revealed “ or no

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other purpose except to establish the truth of His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] Cause.”

Although the Persian Bayán contained laws and ordinances that were to abrogate the Quranic laws and inaugurate a new, universal cycle, Shoghi Effendi states that these were not designed to be a permanent guide for the future, but rather a eulogy of the Promised One. In referring to these ordinances, Bahá’u’lláh later wrote: “. . . the world of Command hath been made dependent upon Our acceptance.” He had, therefore, “enforced some of them and revealed them in a diflerent text, in the Book of Aqdas, while We have not adopted others.” 3

Much of the Báb’s voluminous Writings were despoiled and interpolated by His enemies. Of all His works, Bahá’u’lláh states in the Kitáb—i—iqdn, “the first, the greatest and mightiest of al ” was the Qayyzimu’l—Asma”, the commentary on the Sfirih of Joseph. The first chapter had been revealed to Mulla’, Husayn in the upper room of the Báb’s home on that memorable eve of May 23, 1844. A portion was later presented to Bahá’u’lláh, winning His immediate allegiance to the Báb’s Cause. Its main purpose was to prepare the people for the coming of the “true Joseph” (Bahá’u’lláh) and to foretell the tribulations that He would sufi‘er at the hand of His own brother. Revealed in Arabic, this entire work was translated into Persian by the renowned poetess, Táhirih, the only woman among the Báb’s early disciples. Portions of this work and others of the Báb are quoted in many passages in the major Bahá’í works.

The Voice that spoke to Bahá’u’lláh in the fetid dungeon of the Síyáh-Chál marked the beginning of Revelation. It continued with His banishment to Baghdad where He revealed the Tablet Of Kullu’t-Ta‘a'm, proving His ascendancy over the superficiality of His half-brother Mirzá Yaḥyá, who was already fulfilling the divisive role foretold by the Báb. The Voice accompanied Bahá’u’lláh to the mountains of Kurdistan, in Sulayméniyyih, where He retreated for a time in the attire of a dervish. Here He astounded scholars, learned doctors and people of all degree when they discovered His presence. The beauty and power of an Arabic ode, the Qasz'diy-i- Varqd’iyyih, so moved them that they declared it surpassed the work of their most illustrious poet, Ibn-i-Férid, though they were unaware of Bahá’u’lláh’s true station.

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These days of self-exile were to be His last days of comparative tranquillity. Soon He would return to Baghdad, knowing full well the role He must play.

A soul—stirring picture comes to mind when we think of Him now, pacing the banks of the River Tigris, revealing the Hidden Words, a portion each in Persian and Arabic. It was the year 1858. He was forty-one years of age, approaching the springtide of His spiritual magnitude. The Kitáb-i-fqdn was revealed during this second Baghdad period and Shoghi Effendi declares these two works to be “two outstanding contributions to the world’s religious literature.” The Kitdb-i—fqén, he further states, is “foremost among the priceless treasures“ of His Revelation, occupying an unequalled station in Bahá’í literature (except for the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Book of Laws).

The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys were written during this period, together with a flood of epistles, odes, tablets, commentaries and prayers. These were portents of what was to come, as He gathered together the reins of His Prophethood in the seven-year period that marked His return from Sulaymaniyyih, until the declaration of His Mission in the garden of Riḍván, in April, 1863.

In the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, written on the fifth day of Naw-Rúz, 1863, before His banishment to Constantinople, He foretold the grim trials that lay ahead, a theme shortly reaffirmed in the Lawh-i—Hawdaj revealed as the band of exiles neared the port of Sémsun where Bahá’u’lláh caught a first sunset glimpse of the Black Sea and a Turkish steamer that awaited Him.

Now began a new phase of Bahá’u’lláh’s ministry, to be reflected in His Writings. During the four months in Constantinople, the Proclamations to the kings and ecclesiastical leaders began. First came a Tablet to the proud, arrogant Sultan of Turkey, ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz; then a Tablet to ‘Ali Pam, Grand Vizier, who stated that it was as if “the King of Kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal. . .”10

Through the subsequent five years in Adrianople, the calamities foreshadowed in the earlier Tablets developed relentlessly. Here Bahá’u’lláh suffered some of the most anguished moments of His entire life. Here He proclaimed His Mission, powerfully and inexorably to the world’s leaders. The prayers of

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fasting were revealed. The Tablets to Napoleon III, the flab of Persia, the rulers of Christendom were written and the Tablet to the Kings (the Su’riy-i-Mulu’k). These were the letters of a divine Prisoner to those who seemingly held His life in their hands, who had the power not only to assuage His suffering but to summon the people and nations of the world to a just and lasting peace.

Shoghi Effendi’s condensed but weighty work, The Promised Day is Come, addressed to Bahá’ís of the West, summarizes many of these illustrious Tablets and analyses the impact they were destined to have upon their recipients and upon the whole world. Hardly had they been written, when religious and political dynasties began to reveal their internal weaknesses. The “sword of wisdom . . . hotter than summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel ”11 had struck.

Shortly before leaving for His last exile to ‘Akká in Palestine in 1868, Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Tablet to Ra’is. From this moment, He declared, the equilibrium of the world and its people had been upset, a process that would continue until the Teachings of the true Physician would be applied.

In The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, a series of letters written by Shoghi Effendi immediately preceding World War II, we are apprised of this retributive and purifying process that involves the disintegration of the old order along with the emergence of a new, divinely inspired civilization. Herein are outlined the steps that Will take humanity from the nucleus of that new order as it exists today, to its fruition in a universal, golden age when the whole earth “will have yielded its noblest fruits.”

The product of Bahá’u’lláh’s pen reached its zenith during His incarceration in ‘Akká from August 31, 1868, until His passing on May 29, 1892. Additional Tablets were written to the kings, to Pope Pius IX, and to Queen Victoria, whom He commends for having “entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people.”

The Kitáb-i—Aqdas, His Book of Laws, revealed while residing in the House of ‘Abbud, was the “most signal act” of His ministry, Shoghi Effendi states. The resounding theme of all these Tablets and of the Aqdas itself is justice for all mankind. Although not yet adequately translated into English or available in its entirety, large portions of this Most Holy

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Book are found in the major Bahá’í works such as Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf and are quoted by Shoghi Effendi in his works, Gad Passes By, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, The Promised Day is Come and The Advent of Divine Justice.* Its spirit is also to be found in the gradual training of the believers by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a whole new arena of spiritual understanding and social responsibility. The Aqdas was supplemented by Bahá’u’lláh with additional ordinances in such Tablets as Ifim’th, Tajalliydt, Tardzdt, Bisha'ra’t, T able! Of the World, and others, contained complete or in part, in chapter four of Bahá’í World Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh’s last major work was the Epistle to the Son of the Wolfi It was written to a bitter enemy, a person filled with hatred for Bahá’u’lláh and for the Light whichHe brought. Its soul—lifting theme is the overflowing mercy of God, a divine gift to which even a darkened soul can reach out and grasp, if it will. In this work Bahá’u’lláh alludes to His Book of the Covenant, the Kita'b-i—Ahd, as the “Crimson Book”, His “Most Great Tablet”. This was written entirely in His own hand and given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for safekeeping shortly before His passing. In this document, the link that was to maintain the unity and authority of the Faith was forged when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His eldest Son, was appointed the Centre of His Faith, the “delineator of its future institutions.”

These are highlights only of the voluminous Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the outpouring of thirty-nine years of continuous Revelation. “ Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Bahá’u’lláh . . .”, the Báb had declared in the Bayán. Now Bahá’u’lláh could say as His earthly life neared its close: “We . . . have not fallen short of Our duty to exhort men and to deliver that whereunto I was bidden by God. . .”

One of the first Tablets revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, during the first year of His ministry, was to re-echo the call of the Báb to the Western nations and peoples, singling out especially the American continent which was to “lead all nations spiritually”, a call which culminated later in the revelation of The Tablets Of the Divine Plan revealed during World War I. Sent to America shortly after the war, these letters brought to that community its first understand

• “A Synopsis and Codification of the Laws and Ordinances of

the K itdb-i-Aqdas” was published by the Universal House of Justice in 1973.

THE Bahá’í WORLD

ing of the leading role it was to play in bringing the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to the entire world. Shoghi Effendi called it the Divine Charter of Teaching. Upon it were based two Seven-Year Plans for the American Bahá’ís, the great Ten-Year World Crusade undertaken by the entire world Bahá’í community and launched by the Guardian in 1953, the current Nine Year Plan of the Universal House of Justice and upon it will be based other teaching plans in the future.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings form a unique part of the literature of the Bahá’í Faith. Although not the Creative Word of the Manifestation of God, they nonetheless possess authority, both because He was the appointed Interpreter and Exemplar of the Teachings and because of the inherent spiritual stature of this Vehicle to Whom the authority had been given.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings had reached the West as early as 1891 when A Traveller’s Narrative, translated by Professor E. G. Browne, the famous orientalist, was published by the Cambridge University Press, its authorship unknown at the time. In the East, The Secret of Divine Civilization had also been anonymously published in India in 1875, followed by an English translation published in 1910 in London, under the title The Mysterious Forces of Civilization.

Noteworthy during this period were the talks given as answers to the questions of a pilgrim to the Holy Land in the years 19041906, the most troublous period of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry. These answers were given to Laura Clifford Barney in Persian, translated into English and published with His approval as Some Answered Questions in 1908. During this time, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was known to write with His own hand as many as ninety Tablets '3. day, often working through the nighttime hours to carry on His manifold responsibilities.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s lectures and informal talks during His western journeys to proclaim the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh (191 l—1913) were recorded in many compilations as Paris Talks (published in the United States as The Wisdom of‘Abdu’l-Bahá’) and the comprehensive American collection. The Promulgation of Universal Peace (a selection of which is now available in Foundations of World Unity). These lectures were given in churches, mosques, synagogues, universities, the public platforms of philosophical

[Page 637]ARTICLES AND REVIEWS

and peace societies, in missions and in private homes. They covered a broad range of subject matter—from the progressive character of religious revelation, the essential harmony of science and religion, the need for eliminating all forms of prejudice—to the steps necessary for establishing lasting peace and world order. Underlying all was the emphasis on the common origin and destiny of man and the organic unity that must be achieved in this century and which would evolve into a universal civilization, characterized by higher moral and ethical standards than mankind has ever known. This, He said, would manifest itself through the power of the new Word released by Bahá’u’lláh.

As the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh had shared a unique spiritual communion that blended the Revelation of the Primal Point into that of the Promised One of all ages—so, in a lesser but equally eflicacious way, The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, according to Shoghi Effendi, was the result of the “mystic intercourse” between the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation and His appointed Interpreter. Through this Charter, the continuing unity and integrity of the Faith were assured through the institutions of the Guardianship, the Hands of the Cause of God and the Universal House of Justice ordained by Bahá’u’lláh. This document, unique in religious annals, appointed Shoghi Effendi Guardian of the Faith. Under his patient but firm leadership, the institutions were further defined and reinforced and the administrative framework was outlined and caused to emerge throughout the world. His instructive letters guiding this development are found in Bahá’í Administration and in Messages to the Bahá’í World, 1950—1957 that marked the beginning of his communications to the Bahá’í world community as a whole, rather than to National Assemblies and communities only.

These works and those mentioned previously (The World Order ofBahd’u’lIcih, The Promised Day is Come and The Advent of Divine Justice) are all analyses and commentaries on the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. They pertain either to the direct application of its administrative principles and the delineation of its goals, or they penetrate deeply into the significance of His Revelation to modern society, to the political, social and religious crisis of our time as well as to the future structure of world order. His monu 637

mental, historical work, GodPasses By, records the birth and rise of the Faith during its first century.

A commentary on Shoghi Effendi’s contribution to Bahá’í literature is not complete without mention of The Bahá’í World volumes which received his deep interest and careful direction. These volumes, initiated by Horace Holley, which began in 1925, were, he stated, “unexcelled and unapproached by any publication of its kind” in the varied literature of the Faith. They are an international record of the aims and purposes of the Faith and a documentation of its worldwide activities.

Bahá’í literature will be further enriched in the future. There are Tablets not yet adequately translated into English. There are letters from the Master and from Shoghi Effendi not yet available in published form. One thing is certain however—Shoghi Effendi did not cease in his labours until the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh was abundantly and authentically rendered into the English language, from which it has since been translated into hundreds of languages and tribal tongues. In the midst of the overwhelming task of guiding a world community, and in addition to his own writings, he translated the Kitdb-i—iqdn, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, H idden Words, Prayers and Meditations, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, many prayers and Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Nabil-i—A‘zam’s Narrative of the early days of the Faith, to which he gave the English title The Dawn-Breakers (a work he advocates as an “unchallengeable textboo ” for summer schools and an “inspiration in all literary and artistic pursuits”).

The writings of Shoghi Effendi complete the literary symphony of the Faith. As an inspired conductor, he has taken the divine composition of the Composer, blended it with the coda of the Master, and interpreted and applied it with

"clarity and precision for the guidance of those

who comprise its multifarious audience.

The Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, increasingly understood and practiced by its adherents, will in the future bring about a new, golden age of literature as in all the arts of man. In this current Formative Age, when the “new humanity” has not yet come into being, this flowering cannot spring forth. This is the day of planting, rooting and nurturing the Creative Word of God in the hearts of men. Man’s most creative act in this

[Page 638]638 THE Bahá’í WORLD

day is the revivifying of souls so that the whole References world can one day bring forth its finest fruit, the 1, Hidden Wordx, p. 21, Kingdom of God, a divinely—inspired civiliza- 2- ibid" p~ 3tion 3. Qur‘dn, 55: 1—4. ' 4. Hidden Wards, p. 4. “I'J'nlaose.your tongues and proclaim un- g: 55313;;th 31;?” WOIf’ 1" 21‘ ceasmgly Hts Cause. This shall be better for 7. ibid., p. 30. on than all the treasure o the as and o the 3- BUM” W‘" 1" Fai'h’ P‘ 203y ,, S f p t f 9. GodPasses By, p. 138. future. . . 10. ibid., p. 160.

Bahá’u’lláh 11. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 55.