Thou Hast Asked Me Concerning The

Sources: Gleanings From The Writings Of Baha'u'llah

Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that

the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned

of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can

ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare

the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave

to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be f ithful

to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him.

If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a

victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.



Whoso hath, in this Day, refused to allow the doubts and fancies of men to

turn him away from Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and hath not suffered the

tumult provoked by the ecclesiastical and secular authorities to deter him

from recognizing His Message, such a man will be regarded by God, the Lord

of all men, as one of His mighty signs, and will be numbered among them

whose names have been inscribed by the Pen of the Most High in His Book.

Blessed is he that hath recognized the true stature of such a soul, that

hath acknowledged its station, and discovered its virtues.



Much hath been written in the books of old concerning the various stages

in the development of the soul, such as concupiscence, irascibility,

inspiration, benevolence, contentment, Divine good-pleasure, and the like;

the Pen of the Most High, however, is disinclined to dwell upon them.

Every soul that walketh humbly with its God, in this Day, and cleaveth

unto Him, shall find itself invested with the honor and glory of all

goodly names and stations.



When man is asleep, his soul can, in no wise, be said to have been

inherently affected by any external object. It is not susceptible of any

change in its original state or character. Any variation in its functions

is to be ascribed to external causes. It is to these external influences

that any variations in its environment, its understanding, and perception

should be attributed.



Consider the human eye. Though it hath the faculty of perceiving all

created things, yet the slightest impediment may so obstruct its vision as

to deprive it of the power of discerning any object whatsoever. Magnified

be the name of Him Who hath created, and is the Cause of, these causes,

Who hath ordained that every change and variation in the world of being be

made dependent upon them. Every created thing in the whole universe is but

a door leading into His knowledge, a sign of His sovereignty, a revelation

of His names, a symbol of His majesty, a token of His power, a means of

admittance into His straight Path....



Verily I say, the human soul is, in its essence, one of the signs of God,

a mystery among His mysteries. It is one of the mighty signs of the

Almighty, the harbinger that proclaimeth the reality of all the worlds of

God. Within it lieth concealed that which the world is now utterly

incapable of apprehending. Ponder in thine heart the revelation of the

Soul of God that pervadeth all His Laws, and contrast it with that base

and appetitive nature that hath rebelled against Him, that forbiddeth men

to turn unto the Lord of Names, and impelleth them to walk after their

lusts and wickedness. Such a soul hath, in truth, wandered far in the path

of error...



Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the state of the soul after its

separation from the body. Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man

hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered

to the glory of the Beloved. By the righteousness of God! It shall attain

a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue describe. The soul that

hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in

His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all

the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a

soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the

pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power

through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest.

Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened with. Those souls that are

the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world. Meditate on this,

and be of the thankful.



In several of Our Tablets We have referred to this theme, and have set

forth the various stages in the development of the soul. Verily I say, the

human soul is exalted above all egress and regress. It is still, and yet

it soareth; it moveth, and yet it is still. It is, in itself, a testimony

that beareth witness to the existence of a world that is contingent, as

well as to the reality of a world that hath neither beginning nor end.

Behold how the dream thou hast dreamed is, after the lapse of many years,

re-enacted before thine eyes. Consider how strange is the mystery of the

world that appeareth to thee in thy dream. Ponder in thine heart upon the

unsearchable wisdom of God, and meditate on its manifold revelations....



Witness the wondrous evidences of God's handiwork, and reflect upon its

range and character. He Who is the Seal of the Prophets hath said:

"Increase my wonder and amazement at Thee, O God!"



As to thy question whether the physical world is subject to any

limitations, know thou that the comprehension of this matter dependeth

upon the observer himself. In one sense, it is limited; in another, it is

exalted beyond all limitations. The one true God hath everlastingly

existed, and will everlastingly continue to exist. His creation, likewise,

hath had no beginning, and will have no end. All that is created, however,

is preceded by a cause. This fact, in itself, establisheth, beyond the

shadow of a doubt, the unity of the Creator.



Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial

spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into

the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to

the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of

their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they

exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a

theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom

its import. The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand years the

life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their

observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other

planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted

from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star

hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no

man can compute.



O thou that hast fixed thine eyes upon My countenance! The Day Spring of

Glory hath, in this Day, manifested its radiance, and the Voice of the

Most High is calling. We have formerly uttered these words: "This is not

the day for any man to question his Lord. It behoveth whosoever hath

hearkened to the Call of God, as voiced by Him Who is the Day Spring of

Glory, to arise and cry out: 'Here am I, here am I, O Lord of all Names;

here am I, here am I, O Maker of the heavens! I testify that, through Thy

Revelation, the things hidden in the Books of God have been revealed, and

that whatsoever hath been recorded by Thy Messengers in the sacred

Scriptures hath been fulfilled.'"