Baha’u’llah was the
teacher and the founder
of the Baha’i Faith.
He and his teachings are
believed to be prophesied
in Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism,
and other religions.
Baha’u’llah was born
in 1817 in Tehran, Persia,
in present-day Iran.
The word Baha means
‘glory’ or ‘splendor.’
The Baha’i Faith rests
on three core principles:
unity of God,
unity of religion,
and unity of humankind.
Approximately
7 million people today
in many countries adhere
to the Baha’i faith.
Their scriptures
are translated
into 800 languages,
and there are houses
of worship in just about
every corner of the world.
Baha’i principles
envision an ideal society.
They are gender equality;
elimination of all forms
of prejudice whether
religious, racial, class,
or national; harmony
of religion and science;
universal opportunity
of education for all;
a universal auxiliary
language, which
all humanity can use
to cooperate quickly
with one another;
a judicious world
government;
and the elimination
of extremes of wealth
and poverty.
Many people,
like the Baha’i followers,
see a noble society as
a real goal to be pursued
in everyday life.
Today we present
the sage wisdom
of Baha’u’llah
with excerpts from
the holy book, “Gems
of Divine Mysteries.”
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mercy and grace.
Gems of Divine Mysteries
The essence
of the divine mysteries
in the journeys of ascent
set forth for those
who long to draw nigh
unto God, the Almighty,
the Ever-Forgiving—
blessed be the righteous
that quaff from
these crystal streams!
HE IS THE EXALTED,
THE MOST HIGH!
He saith:
“Out of his mouth goeth
a two-edged sword.”
Know thou that since
the sword is an instrument
that divideth and
cleaveth asunder, and
since there proceedeth
from the mouth
of the Prophets and
the Chosen Ones of God
that which separateth
the believer
from the infidel
and the lover
from the beloved,
this term hath been
so employed, and
apart from this dividing
and separating
no other meaning
is intended.
Thus, when He Who is
the Primal Point and
the eternal Sun desireth,
by the leave of God,
to gather together
all creation, to raise them up
from the graves
of their own selves,
and to divide them
one from another,
He shall pronounce
but one verse from Him,
and this verse will
distinguish truth from error
from this day unto
the Day of Resurrection.
What sword is sharper
than this heavenly sword,
what blade
more trenchant than
this incorruptible steel
that severeth every tie
and separateth thereby
the believer
from the infidel,
father from son,
brother from sister,
and lover from beloved?
For whoso believeth in
that which hath been
revealed unto him
is a true believer
and whoso turneth away
is an infidel, and such
an irrevocable separation
occurreth between them
that they will cease
to consort and associate
with each other
in this world.
And so it is
between father and son,
for should the son believe
and the father deny,
they will be severed
and forever dissociated
from each other.
Consider in the same light
all that We have explained
and related unto thee.
Wert thou
to behold all things with
the eye of discernment,
thou wouldst indeed see
that this divine sword
doth cleave
asunder generations.
Would that ye could
understand it!
All this is by virtue
of the word of separation
that is manifested
on the Day of Judgment
and Separation,
were the people
to take heed
in the days of their Lord.
Open then thine eyes,
that thou mayest behold
all that We have revealed
to thee and attain unto
that which none other
hath attained.
We verily exclaim:
“Praise be to God,
He Who is the Lord of
the Day of Reckoning!”
Yea, inasmuch as
these people
have failed to acquire
true knowledge from
its source and wellspring,
and from the ocean of fresh
and soft-flowing waters
that stream,
by the leave of God,
through hearts
that are pure and stainless,
they have been veiled
from that which God hath
intended by those words
and allusions and
have remained confined
within the prison
of their own selves.
We render thanks unto God
for that which He hath
bestowed upon us
of His grace.
He it is Who hath
caused us to be assured
of the truth of His Faith –
a Faith which
the combined forces
of Earth and Heaven
are powerless to resist.
He it is
Who hath enabled us
to acknowledge Him in
the day of His presence,
to testify unto Him
Whom God shall
make manifest
in the latter Resurrection,
and to be among them
that have believed in Him
ere His appearance,
that His favor may be
made complete unto us
and unto all mankind.
But hear, O My brother,
My plaint against them
that claim to be
associated with God and
with the Manifestations
of His knowledge,
and yet follow
their corrupt inclinations,
consume the substance
of their neighbor,
are given to wine,
commit murder, defraud
and slander each other,
hurl calumnies
against God, and
are wont to speak falsely.
The people attribute
all these deeds unto Us,
whilst their perpetrators
remain shameless
before God.
They cast aside
that which He hath
enjoined upon them
and commit that which
He hath forbidden.
Yet it behoveth
the people of truth
that the signs of humility
should shine upon
their faces,
that the light of sanctity
should radiate
from their countenances,
that they should
walk upon the Earth
as though they were
in the presence of God and
distinguish themselves
in their deeds from all
the dwellers of the Earth.
Such must be their state
that their eyes should
behold the evidences
of His might,
their tongues and hearts
make mention of His name,
their feet be set towards
the lands of His nearness,
and their hands
take fast hold
upon His precepts.
And were they
to pass through
a valley of pure gold and
mines of precious silver,
they should regard them
as wholly unworthy
of their attention.
These people, however,
have turned aside
from all this
and placed instead their
affections upon that which
accordeth with their
own corrupt inclinations.
Thus do they roam
in the wilderness
of arrogance and pride.
I bear witness
at this moment that God
is wholly quit of them,
and likewise are We.
Quaff then, O My brother,
from the living waters
that We have caused
to flow in the oceans
of these words.
Methinks the seas
of grandeur
are surging within them,
and the gems of
divine virtue are shining
within and upon them.
Divest then thyself of
that which debarreth thee
from this
fathomless crimson sea,
and to the cry of
“In the name of God
and by His grace!”
immerse thyself therein.
Let the fear
of no one dismay thee.
Trust in the Lord, thy God,
for He is sufficient unto
whosoever trusteth in Him.
He, verily, shall
protect thee, and in Him
shalt thou abide in safety.
Know thou, moreover,
that in this most hallowed
and resplendent city
thou shalt find
the wayfarer to be
lowly before all men
and humble
before all things.
For naught
doth he behold save that
he perceiveth God therein.
He beholdeth the
effulgent glories of God
in the lights
of His Revelation
that have encompassed
the Sinai of creation.
In this station the wayfarer
must not claim
the seat of honor
in any gathering or walk
before others
in the desire to
vaunt and exalt himself.
Rather must he
regard himself
as standing at all times in
the presence of his Lord.
He must not wish
for anyone that which he
doth not wish for himself,
nor speak that which
he would not bear to hear
spoken by another,
nor yet desire for any soul
that which he would not
have desired for himself.
It befitteth him, rather,
to walk upon the Earth
with undeviating steps
in the kingdom
of His new creation.
Know, however,
that the seeker,
at the outset of his journey,
witnesseth change
and transformation,
as hath already
been mentioned.
This is undoubtedly
the truth,
as hath been revealed
concerning those days:
“On the day when
the Earth shall be changed
into another Earth.”
These are indeed days
the like of which
no mortal eye
hath ever seen.
Blessed is he that
attaineth thereunto and
realizeth their full worth.
“We had sent Moses
with Our signs,
saying unto him:
‘Bring forth thy people
from darkness into light
and remind them
of the days of God.’”
And these are in truth
the days of God,
could ye but know it.
In this station, all changing
and varying realities
are manifest before thee.
Whosoever
denieth this truth
hath verily turned aside
from the Cause of God,
rebelled against His rule,
and gainsaid
His sovereignty.
For it is indeed
within the power of Him
Who changeth the Earth
into another Earth to
transform all that dwell
and move thereon.
Wherefore marvel not at
how He turneth
darkness into light,
light into darkness,
ignorance into knowledge,
error into guidance,
death into life,
and life into death.
It is in this station that
the law of transformation
taketh effect.
O My brother!
In this stage, which
marketh the beginning
of the journey, thou shalt
behold divers stations
and differing signs,
even as was mentioned
in connection
with the City of Search.
All these hold true
in their respective planes.
It behoveth thine eminence
in this station to consider
each created thing
in its own place,
neither abasing
nor exalting its true rank.
For instance, if thou wert
to reduce the unseen world
to the realm of creation,
this would be an act
of sheer blasphemy,
and the converse
would likewise be
the essence of impiety.
Wert thou, however,
to describe the unseen world
and the realm of creation
within their own stations,
this would be
the undoubted truth.
In other words,
wert thou to witness
any transformation
in the realm
of the divine unity,
no greater sin could be
conceived in all creation,
but wert thou to
consider transformation
in its own place and
understand it accordingly,
no harm could befall thee.
By My Lord!
Notwithstanding all that
We have revealed unto thee
of the mysteries
of utterance and
the degrees of exposition,
methinks I have spoken
not a single letter
of the ocean of
God’s hidden knowledge
and the essence of
His inscrutable wisdom.
God willing, this We
shall erelong accomplish
in its appointed time.
He verily,
remembereth all things
in their own place,
and we, in truth,
all yield praise unto Him.
Know thou, moreover,
that the bird that taketh
flight in the atmosphere
of the realm on high will
never be able to
soar unto the Heaven
of transcendent holiness,
nor taste of the fruits
which God hath
brought forth therein,
nor quaff from the streams
which He hath caused
to flow in its midst.
And were it to partake
but a drop thereof,
it would perish forthwith.
Even as thou dost witness
in these days
with regard to those who
profess allegiance unto Us,
and yet perform such
deeds, utter such words,
and advance such claims
as they have.
Methinks they lie as dead
within their own veils.
Comprehend,
in like manner,
every station, sign, and
allusion, that thou mayest
perceive all things
in their own place
and consider all matters
in their proper light.
For in this station,
the City of Divine Unity,
are to be found those who
have entered within
the ark of divine guidance
and journeyed through
the heights of divine unity.
Thou shalt behold
the lights of beauty
upon their faces and
the mysteries of glory
in their human temples.
Thou shalt perceive
the musk-laden fragrance
of their words
and behold the signs
of His sovereignty in
all their ways and doings.
Nor wilt thou be veiled
by the deeds of them
that have failed to quaff
from the crystal springs
or to attain unto
the cities of holiness,
and who follow
their selfish desires and
spread disorder in the land,
all the while
believing themselves
to be guided aright.
It is indeed of them
that it hath been said:
“These are the abject
and foolish, who follow
every clamorous impostor
and who bend with
every changing wind.”
The stages
of this journey, station,
and abode are clear
and manifest to thee
and require
no further explanation.
Know then that all thou
hast heard and witnessed
that Daystar of Truth,
the Primal Point,
ascribe to Himself
from the designations
of former times
is only on account
of the weakness of men
and the scheme
of the world of creation.
Otherwise,
all names and attributes
revolve round His Essence
and circle about the
threshold of His sanctuary.
For He it is
Who traineth all names,
revealeth all attributes,
conferreth life upon
all beings, proclaimeth
the divine verses, and
arrayeth the heavenly signs.
Nay, shouldst thou gaze
with thine inner eye,
thou wouldst find
that all save Him fade
into utter nothingness and
are as a thing forgotten
in His holy presence.
“God was alone; there was
none else besides Him.
He remaineth now
what He hath ever been.”
Since it hath been
established that God –
hallowed and glorified
be He! – was alone
and there was none
besides Him,
how can the law of
change and transformation
apply here?
Shouldst thou reflect
upon that which We have
disclosed unto thee,
the daystar of guidance
would shine resplendent
before thee
in this everlasting morn,
and thou wouldst
be numbered therein
with the pious.
Know, moreover, that all
that We have mentioned
concerning these journeys
is intended for none
but the elect
amongst the righteous.
And shouldst thou spur
on the charger of the spirit
and traverse the meads
of heaven,
thou wouldst complete
all these journeys and
discover every mystery
in less than
the twinkling of an eye.