Whatever Is In The Heavens And Whatever Is On

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

Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct

evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God,

inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent

testimony to the revelation of that Most Great Light. Methinks, but for

the potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How resplendent

the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans br />
of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of

man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of

such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction.

For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to

a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed. All these

names and attributes are applicable to him. Even as He hath said: "Man is

My mystery, and I am his mystery." Manifold are the verses that have been

repeatedly revealed in all the Heavenly Books and the Holy Scriptures,

expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme. Even as He hath revealed:

"We will surely show them Our signs in the world and within themselves."

Again He saith: "And also in your own selves: will ye not, then, behold

the signs of God?" And yet again He revealeth: "And be ye not like those

who forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own

selves." In this connection, He Who is the eternal King--may the souls of

all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him--hath

spoken: "He hath known God who hath known himself."



...From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in

their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and

attributes of God within them. Each according to its capacity, indicateth,

and is expressive of, the knowledge of God. So potent and universal is

this revelation, that it hath encompassed all things visible and

invisible. Thus hath He revealed: "Hath aught else save Thee a power of

revelation which is not possessed by Thee, that it could have manifested

Thee? Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee." Likewise hath the

eternal King spoken: "No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived

God within it, God before it, or God after it." Also in the tradition of

Kumayl it is written: "Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the morn of

eternity, and lo, its waves have penetrated the inmost reality of all

men." Man, the noblest and most perfect of all created things, excelleth

them all in the intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller expression

of its glory. And of all men, the most accomplished, the most

distinguished, and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of

Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation

of Their Will, and move and have their being through the outpourings of

Their grace.