14
Sources: Gems Of Divine MysteriesShould they say: "These words are indeed from God, and have no
interpretation other than their outward meaning", then what objection can
they raise against the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when
the latter saw the aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard
the literal interpretations of their divines, they refused to recognize
God in those who are the Manifestations of His unity, the Exponents of His
singleness, and the Embodiments of His sanctity, and failed to believe in
them and submit to their authority. The reason was that they did not see
the sun darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels
visibly descend upon the earth, and hence they contended with the Prophets
and Messengers of God. Nay, inasmuch as they found them at variance with
their own faith and creed, they hurled against them such accusations of
imposture, folly, waywardness, and misbelief as I am ashamed to recount.
Refer to the Qur'an, that thou mayest find mention of all this and be of
them that understand its meaning. Even to this day do these people await
the appearance of that which they have learned from their doctors and
imbibed from their divines. Thus do they say: "When shall these signs be
made manifest, that we may believe?" But if this be the case, how could ye
refute their arguments, invalidate their proofs, and challenge them
concerning their faith and their understanding of their Books and the
sayings of their leaders?
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12 Hair Doth Not Invalidate Your Prayer
nor aught from which the spirit hath departed, such as bones and the like. Ye are free to wear the fur of the sable as ye would that of the beaver, the squirrel, and other animals 9 In some earlier religious Dispensations, the wearing of the ha... 120 O Spot That Art Situate On The Shores Of The Two Seas! #89
This is a reference to Constantinople, now called Istanbul. Located on the Bosphorus, a strait about 31 kilometres long which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, it is the largest city and seaport of Turkey. Constantinople was the capita... 121 O Banks Of The Rhine! #90
In one of His Tablets written before the First World War (1914-1918), 'Abdu'l-Baha explained that Baha'u'llah's reference to having seen the banks of the Rhine covered with gore related to the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and that the... 122 O Land Of Ta #91
Ta is the initial letter of Tihran, the capital of Iran. Baha'u'llah has often chosen to represent certain place names by reference to their initial letter. According to the abjad system of reckoning, the numerical value of Ta is nine, wh... 124 O Land Of Kha! #94
A reference to the Iranian province of Khurasan and neighbouring areas, which include the city of Ishqabad (Ashkhabad). ... 125 Should Anyone Acquire One Hundred Mithqals Of Gold Nineteen Mithqals Thereof Are God's And To Be Rendered Unto Him #97
This verse establishes Huququ'llah, the Right of God, the offering of a fixed portion of the value of the believer's possessions. This offering was made to Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God and then, following His Ascension, to 'Abdu'l-Baha ... 126 Various Petitions Have Come Before Our Throne From The Believers
concerning laws from God... We have, in consequence, revealed this Holy Tablet and arrayed it with the mantle of His Law that haply the people may keep the commandments of their Lord. 98 For a number of years, Baha'u'llah states in one of His Tabl... 127 Crimson Spot #100
This is a reference to the prison-city of Akka. In the Baha'i Writings the word crimson is used in several allegorical and symbolic senses. (See also note 115.) ... 128 The Sadratu'l-muntaha #100
Literally the furthermost Lote-Tree, translated by Shoghi Effendi as the Tree beyond which there is no passing. This is used as a symbol in Islam, for example in the accounts of Muhammad's Night Journey, to mark the point in the heavens b... 129 The Mother Book #103
The term Mother Book is generally used to designate the central Book of a religious Dispensation. In the Qur'an and Islamic Hadith, the term is used to describe the Qur'an itself. In the Babi Dispensation, the Bayan is the Mother Book, an... 12: O Man Of Two Visions! Close One Eye And Open The Other Close One To
O MAN OF TWO VISIONS! Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved. ... 12: O Son Of Being! With The Hands Of Power I Made Thee And With
O SON OF BEING! With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light. Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is bind... 13
Be fair in thy judgement and reflect upon these exalted utterances. Inquire, then, of those who lay claim to knowledge without a proof or testimony from God, and who remain heedless of these days wherein the Orb of knowledge and wisdom hath dawned ab... 13 We Have Commanded You To Pray And Fast From The Beginning Of Maturity #10
Baha'u'llah defines the age of maturity with respect to religious duties as fifteen for both men and women (Q and A 20). For details of the period of fasting, see note 25. ... 130 Whoso Interpreteth What Hath Been Sent Down From The Heaven Of
Revelation, and altereth its evident meaning 105 In several of His Tablets, Baha'u'llah affirms the distinction between allegorical verses, which are susceptible to interpretation, and those verses that relate to such subjects as the laws and ordi... 131 Approach Not The Public Pools Of Persian Baths #106
Baha'u'llah prohibits the use of the pools found in the traditional public bath-houses of Persia. In these baths it was the custom for many people to wash themselves in the same pool and for the water to be changed at infrequent intervals. Consequ... 133 It Is Forbidden You To Wed Your Fathers' Wives #107
Marriage with one's stepmother is here explicitly prohibited. This prohibition also applies to marrying one's stepfather. Where Baha'u'llah has expressed a law between a man and a woman it applies mutatis mutandis as between a woman and a man unle... 134 The Subject Of Boys #107
The word translated here as boys has, in this context, in the Arabic original, the implication of paederasty. Shoghi Effendi has interpreted this reference as a prohibition on all homosexual relations. The Baha'i teachings on sexual m... 135 To None Is It Permitted To Mutter Sacred Verses Before The Public Gaze As He Walketh In The Street Or Marketplace #108
This is an allusion to the practice of certain clerics and religious leaders of earlier Dispensations who, out of hypocrisy and affectation, and in order to win the praise of their followers, would ostentatiously mutter prayers in public places as... 136 Unto Everyone Hath Been Enjoined The Writing Of A Will #109
According to the Teachings of Baha'u'llah, the individual has a duty to write a will and testament, and is free to dispose of his estate in whatever manner he chooses (see note 38). Baha'u'llah affirms that in drawing up his will a person hath f... 137 The Most Great Name #109
As explained in note 33, the Greatest Name of God can take various forms, all based on the word Baha. The Baha'is in the East have implemented this injunction of the Aqdas by heading their wills with such phrases as O Thou Glory of the Al... 138 All Feasts Have Attained Their Consummation In The Two Most Great
Festivals and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days 110 This passage establishes four great festivals of the Baha'i year. The two designated by Baha'u'llah as the two Most Great Festivals are, first, the Festival of Ridvan, whic... 139 The First Day Of The Month Of Baha #111
In the Baha'i calendar the first month of the year and the first day of each month are given the name Baha. The day of Baha of the month of Baha is thus the Baha'i New Year, Naw-Ruz, which was ordained by the Bab as a festival and is here confirme... 13: O My Children! I Fear Lest Bereft Of The Melody Of The Dove Of
O MY CHILDREN! I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the dove of heaven, ye will sink back to the shades of utter loss, and, never having gazed upon the beauty of the rose, return to water and clay. ... 13: O Son Of Spirit! I Created Thee Rich Why Dost Thou Bring Thyself
O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out o... 14
Should they say: "These words are indeed from God, and have no interpretation other than their outward meaning", then what objection can they raise against the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when the latter saw the aforementioned passa... 14 He Hath Exempted From This Those Who Are Weak From Illness Or Age #10
The exemption of those who are weak due to illness or advanced age from offering the Obligatory Prayers and from fasting is explained in Questions and Answers. Baha'u'llah indicates that in time of ill-health it is not permissible to observe these... 140 The Most Great Festival Is Indeed The King Of Festivals #112
A reference to the Ridvan Festival (see notes 107 and 138). 141. God had formerly laid upon each one of the believers the duty of offering before Our throne priceless gifts from among his possessions. Now ... We have absolved them of this ... 142 The Hour Of Dawn #115
With reference to attending dawn prayers in the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, the Baha'i House of Worship, Baha'u'llah has explained that, although the actual time specified in the Book of God is the hour of dawn, it is acceptable at any time from t... 143 These Tablets Are Embellished With The Seal Of Him
Who causeth the dawn to appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the heavens and the earth. 117 Baha'u'llah repeatedly affirms the absolute integrity of His Writings as the Word of God. Some of His Tablets also bear the mark of one of His seal... 144 It Is Inadmissible That Man Who Hath Been Endowed With Reason Should Consume That Which Stealeth It Away #119
There are many references in the Baha'i Writings which prohibit the use of wine and other intoxicating drinks and which describe the deleterious effect of such intoxicants on the individual. In one of His Tablets, Baha'u'llah states: Bewa... 145 Turn Your Faces Toward Him Whom God Hath Purposed Who Hath Branched From This Ancient Root #121
Baha'u'llah here alludes to 'Abdu'l-Baha as His Successor and calls upon the believers to turn towards Him. In the Book of the Covenant, His Will and Testament, Baha'u'llah discloses the intention of this verse. He states: The object of this sacre... 146 In The Bayan It Had Been Forbidden You To Ask Us Questions #126
The Bab forbade His followers to ask questions of Him Whom God will make manifest (Baha'u'llah), unless their questions were submitted in writing and pertained to subjects worthy of His lofty station. See Selections from the Writings of the Bab. ... 147 The Number Of Months In A Year Appointed In The Book Of God Is Nineteen #127
The Baha'i year, in accordance with the Badi calendar, consists of nineteen months of nineteen days each, with the addition of certain intercalary days (four in an ordinary year and five in a leap year) between the eighteenth and nineteenth months... 148 The First Hath Been Adorned With This Name Which Overshadoweth The Whole Of Creation #127
In the Persian Bayan, the Bab bestowed the name Baha on the first month of the year (see note 139). ... 149 The Lord Hath Decreed That The Dead Should Be Interred In Coffins #128
In the Bayan, the Bab prescribed that the deceased should be interred in a coffin made of crystal or polished stone. Shoghi Effendi, in a letter written on his behalf, explained that the significance of this provision was to show respect for the h... 14: O Friends! Abandon Not The Everlasting Beauty For A Beauty
O FRIENDS! Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust. ... 14: O Son Of Man! Thou Art My Dominion And My Dominion Perisheth
O SON OF MAN! Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not; wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art... 15
And should they reply: "The Books that are in the hands of this people, which they call the Gospel and attribute to Jesus, the Son of Mary, have not been revealed by God and proceed not from the Manifestations of His Self", then this would imply a ce... 15 God Hath Granted You Leave To Prostrate Yourselves On Any Surface That Is Clean
for We have removed in this regard the limitation that had been laid down in the Book 10 The requirements of prayer in previous Dispensations have often included prostration. In the Arabic Bayan the Bab called upon the believers to lay their f... 150 The Point Of The Bayan #129
The Point of the Bayan is one of the titles by which the Bab referred to Himself. ... 151 The Deceased Should Be Enfolded In Five Sheets Of Silk Or Cotton #130
In the Bayan, the Bab specified that the body of the deceased should be wrapped in five sheets of silk or cotton. Baha'u'llah confirmed this provision and added the stipulation that for those whose means are limited a single sheet of either fabric... 152 It Is Forbidden You To Transport The Body Of The Deceased A Greater Distance Than One Hour's Journey From The City #130
The intention of this command is to limit the duration of the journey to one hour's time, irrespective of the means of transport that are chosen to carry the body to the burial site. Baha'u'llah affirms that the sooner the burial takes place, the ... 153 God Hath Removed The Restrictions On Travel That Had Been Imposed In
the Bayan. 131 The Bab decreed certain restrictions on travel which were to remain in force until the advent of the Promised One of the Bayan, at which time the believers were instructed to set out, even if on foot, to meet Him, since the attainm... 154 Raise Up And Exalt The Two Houses In The Twin Hallowed Spots
and the other sites wherein the throne of your Lord ... hath been established. 133 Baha'u'llah identifies the two Houses as His House in Baghdad, designated by Him as the Most Great House, and the House of the Bab in Shiraz, both of which have... 155 Take Heed Lest Ye Be Prevented By Aught That Hath Been Recorded In The Book From Hearkening Unto This The Living Book #134
The Book is the record of the revealed Word of the Manifestations of God. The Living Book is a reference to the Person of the Manifestation. These words contain an allusion to a statement of the Bab in the Persian Bayan about the Living Book, wh... 156 Tribute To This Revelation From The Pen Of Him Who Was My Herald #135
The tribute that Baha'u'llah quotes in this passage is from the Arabic Bayan. ... 157 The Qiblih Is Indeed He Whom God Will Make Manifest; Whenever He Moveth It Moveth Until He Shall Come To Rest #137
For a discussion of this verse see notes 7 and 8. 158. It is unlawful to enter into marriage save with a believer in the Bayan. Should only one party to a marriage embrace this Cause, his or her possessions will become unlawful to the o... 159 The Point Of The Bayan #140
One of the titles of the Bab. ... 15: O Son Of Spirit! The Time Cometh When The Nightingale Of Holiness
O SON OF SPIRIT! The time cometh, when the nightingale of holiness will no longer unfold the inner mysteries and ye will all be bereft of the celestial melody and of the voice from on high. ...