absolute freedom; independence of God
Editorial introduction
Nothing we do reaches God. Our obedience, the Báb says in prayer, adds nothing to Him, and the remoteness of those who turn away takes nothing from the treasuries of His grandeur. Such independence might seem to leave worship without a point, yet Bahá’u’lláh insists that this self-sufficient God has had no purpose save the guidance of His servants, that He turns His face toward us and calls, though He never needed anything that was or shall be. The Báb’s litanies press the thought to its edge, heaping up names and negations until language confesses its limits: a nearness closer than the life-vein which, seen from His height, is still the distance between heaven and earth. Paul’s word in Athens about a God who needs nothing from human hands, yet gives all life and breath and is not far from any of us, holds the same two truths together [1]. The path continues into transcendence and unknowability, the power and sovereignty of God, and the mystery of suffering.
He hath had and hath no purpose save the guidance of the handmaidens and servants of God, inasmuch as He, of His own Self, hath ever been and shall ever be self-sufficient. Neither doth any good deed of His servants profit Him, nor any evil act of His creatures harm Him.
Thou, verily, render thanks unto God for that the Countenance of the Ancient of Days hath turned toward thee from this praised station, and calleth thee unto Him, though He was self-sufficient above whatsoever hath appeared in what was and shall be.
O servant! Bear thou witness, as God did witness before the creation of the heavens and the earth and before He created the glorifying angels, that He is the One God, Single, Self-Sufficient, Whom the support of those who turn unto Him cannot exalt nor the rejection of those who turn away from Him harm, and that Ali is His splendor and His light unto all created things.
The obedience of them that obey Thee profiteth Thee not, nor doth the remoteness of those who are far from the good-pleasure of Thy Self-Subsistence diminish aught from the treasuries of Thy grandeur.
When thou hast recognized thy Lord God through His independence of what He hath created and will create, and the dependence of what He hath created and will create upon His command, then bear thou witness that God, glorified be He, hath no beginning and no end, no outward and no inward.
There is a divine freedom, and this is peculiar unto the Essence of the Creator; for He is absolutely free. In no respect, nor in any of His modes or attributes, can any soul constrain Him. By His sovereign and unrestricted Will, in every age the sacred laws have been renewed, and the subsidiary ordinances, according to the exigencies of each time, have been changed.
Thou hast never been and will never be known as Thou deservest to be known, nor worshipped as Thou deservest to be worshipped, nor described by what Thou hast created in existence, nor characterized by what Thou hast brought into being in the realities of contingent things. For Thy Reality, as it is in itself, severs all created things from the paths of knowledge and recognition, and Thy pure Essence, as it is in itself, separates all existent things from mention of nearness and expression.
… The mention of Thy nearness being closer than the life-vein, in the eyes of them that gaze upon Thy loftiness and exaltation, is naught but as the distance between heaven and earth. Glorified art Thou! Glorified art Thou! This is according to my measure, as revealed in Thy Book, else Thou art He Whose nearness none can know but Thee, and Whose remoteness none can fathom but Thee.
Thou art He Who is not of anything, nor in anything, nor upon anything, nor before anything, nor after anything, nor above anything, nor below anything, nor to the right of anything, nor to the left of anything, nor in any direction of anything.
In the eternity of Thy essence, Thou wert sanctified from association with contingent things, and the oneness of Thy being was hallowed from the reach of the perceptions of those endowed with reason.
Thou hast ever been Thou art, Thou art, and it shall ever remain it is, it is. None knoweth how it is save Thee, and none knoweth how Thou art save Thee. The word "Thou" appeareth not except through Thee, and the word of action is not complete except through it.
Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Individual, Ever-living, Self-subsisting, Sovereign, Supreme, Holy, Everlasting, Eternal, Self-dependent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, inasmuch as Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and there hath been no partner for Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned.
… Exalted is God above all that they attribute unto Him, before and after! All that is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them glorify Him, and all that is in the kingdom of command and creation and whatsoever is beneath them bow down before Him. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.
He hath taken unto Himself neither partner, nor likeness, nor peer, nor equal, nor opposite, nor similitude. He hath been and will forever remain One in His Essence, and none shall deny this save every ignorant doubter.
Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither peer nor partner nor helper, and Thou wilt ever be as Thou hast been from all eternity. There is no God but Thee, the Self-Sufficient, the Most Exalted.
Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, enduring, sovereign, all-pervading, holy, everlasting, forever, inaccessible, possessing, ruling, manifest, powerful. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned.
Thou hast taken neither consort nor partner, nor hath anything in Thy realm been joined with Thy Being, for Thou wert living when there was no life, and Thou wilt live after all life, and Thou art living when there is no life except Thine own. Thou createst what Thou willest without generation, and bringest into being what Thou desirest without invention.
Thou hast ever existed before all things, and Thou wilt forever remain before all things. Thou createst what Thou willest through Thy creation and Thou bringest into being what Thou desirest through Thy origination. Thou hast no equal, no likeness, no similitude, no peer and no partner. Thou createst what Thou willest through Thy creation and Thou originatest what Thou desirest through Thy innovation.
Thou art the Creator Who was never created, the Provider Who was never provided for, the One Who causeth death yet never dieth, and the Ever-Living Who shall never perish. Protection is sought from Thee while none can protect against Thee. Thou decreest while none can decree against Thee. Thou judgest while none can judge against Thee. Thou ordainest while none can ordain except by Thy leave.
Thou createst whatsoever Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.
I further testify, as doth all creation, that Thou hast ever existed before all things, subsisting with all things, enduring after all things, and transcending all things. Thou hast distinguished Thyself through might and majesty, and exalted Thyself through grandeur and independence.
Glorified art Thou, O God! I and all things bear witness that Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Alone, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, the All-Wise, the Just, the Holy, the Everlasting, the Eternal, the Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in sovereignty, nor any protector in all the earth save by Thy leave. Thou didst ordain the creation of all things and fashion them according to Thy Will, and Thou didst determine the measures of all things by Thy leave and decree them by Thy ordering.
Thou art the One Who existed before all things in the Being of Thine Essence, and Thou art the One Who will exist after all things in the Reality of Thine Eternity. Thou art the Creator of all things through the exaltation of Thy glorious holiness. Thou hast ever been independent of all else besides Thee and sanctified above the praise of Thy creation. Thine is the creation and the command, O my God, despite Thy independence therefrom, and Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, despite Thy freedom from need thereof.
Thou hast ordained all things by Thy power and fashioned all creation by Thy wisdom. Thou hast ever been exalted above all loftiness and glory, and wilt ever be transcendent above all elevation and deed.
Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned.
For Thou hast ever been independent of all Thou hast created and exalted above all Thou dost create.
Exalted is God, thy Lord and the Lord of all things, above whatsoever hath been sent down and shall be sent down.
Thou hast taken neither consort nor offspring, nor hast Thou had any partner in Thy creation or any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou created all things and ordained them according to Thy decree, and by Thy will hast Thou formed the creation of all things and shaped them according to Thy wisdom.
I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hadst Thou any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any equal in what Thou hast fashioned.
Thou hast ever been one God, single, unique, eternal, self-subsisting, ever-abiding, everlasting, self-dependent. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in Thy creation, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned.
Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, ever-living, self-sustaining, sovereign, all-encompassing, holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things by Thy power and ordained them by Thine ordinance, and Thou hast formed all things by Thy will and fashioned them by Thy forming.
Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy wisdom hast Thou ordered the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth, and by Thy will hast Thou perfected the affairs of all in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.
Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, unchanging, wise, just, holy, standing, powerful, compelling, manifest, transcendent, victorious, all-knowing, ruling, first, last, outer, inner, trusted, exalted, inaccessible, elevated, sanctified, glorified, mighty, proud, sovereign, possessing, lofty, unapproachable, everlasting, eternal. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor had Thou any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned.
From everlasting Thou hast been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, unchanging, sovereign, supreme, holy, everlasting, eternal, self-dependent, transcendent, inaccessible, sanctified, exalted, unique. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son.
Thou hast ever been one God, single, unique, eternal, self-subsisting. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hast Thou manifested this through any of Thy creation, and Thou hast ordained all things by Thy power.
Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Living, the Self-Sustaining, the Sovereign, the All-Encompassing, the Holy, the All-Glorious, the Most Sublime, the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Great, the Most Luminous, the Most Exalted, the Peerless, the All-Powerful, the Supreme, the Sovereign, the All-Knowing, the Manifest, the Hidden, the Most High, the Inaccessible.
Thou hast ever been One, Self-subsistent, Peerless, Living, Eternal, Just, Holy, Abiding, Everlasting, Self-dependent, and All-Glorious. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son.
Thy self-sufficiency hath ever been and how much more from Thy creation, and Thy independence of Thine own Essence shall ever be and how much more from Thy servants.
Hath any power apart from Thee, O my God? Hath any independence save through Thee? Is there for aught beside Thee a sign or proof of self-subsistence? Nay, by Thy might! All are upheld by Thee and by Thy power; and whatever is ascribed unto Thee they know only by themselves upon the earth. But should the relation unto Thee be severed from their souls, they possess nothing; and though they be not true in their claim to Thee, never dost Thou, O my God, confirm their claim unto Thyself.
The worship of all who worship Thee profiteth Thee not, nor doth the neglect of them that worship Thee not harm Thee; for all, from the beginning of their existence unto the utmost Thou hast ordained for them, are but manifestations of the similitudes of Thy Lordship and mere shadows at the dawning of Thy power. Thou art the Most High, Whose loftiness suffereth no decline; and Thou art the Most Exalted, Whose exaltation knoweth no ... . Thou art He Who hath taken possession of Thy creation through the wondrous things of the King of Thy Lordship, as a manifestation of Thine exaltation, Thy Self-Subsisting might, Thy independence, and Thine eternity.
Thou dost shower in every state the wonderful tokens of Thy Lordship upon him who hath detached himself unto Thee in his inmost essence, and Thou wilt ever manifest the signs of Thy mighty Self-Subsistence unto him who seeth naught but Thee save as in the day of his nothingness and desireth none but Thee. For Thou hast ever been independent of all that Thou hast created or wilt create, sanctified above all that Thou hast brought into being or wilt bring into being, exalted above all that Thou hast fashioned or wilt fashion, and transcendent above all that Thou hast ordained or wilt ordain.
God does not change. He is the unchangeable, the Immutable.
So, God is, and although He expressed Himself through man, still if He had not created man, He would be just the same. God is Omnipotent.
All the founders of religion, from Zoroaster and Buddha down to the Bab and Baha'u'llah teach, however, that God has created the world, or, that He has emanated it, that is, let it flow out of Himself, from which derives that God is eternal, the world however temporal.
Their difference with the Prophets is only in this: that the Prophets say that universal reality and all-encompassing aspect is the absolutely wealthy, perceiving and choosing by will, while the philosophers consider it poor, non-perceiving and powerless.
He hath ever been pure Truth with no creation beside Him, a Sovereign of grace with no command except from Him, a King of justice with no decree save His decree, and a Monarch all-bountiful with no generosity except from His presence.
Say: God through His Own Self is independent of His Own Self, for He is the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: God through His Own Essence is independent of His Own Essence, for He is the All-Compelling, the All-Holy. Say: God through His Own Being is independent of His Own Being, for He is the Inaccessible, the Most High, the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: God through His Own Identity is independent of His Own Identity, for He is the Single, the One, the Unique, the Self-Subsisting, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting.
… And unto God belong the circles of mercy, which He showereth upon whomsoever He willeth amongst His servants. Verily, He is the preserver of all things. And unto God belongeth all command, both before and after. He createth what He willeth through His command, and God is nigh unto all things.
He doeth what He willeth by His command and decreeth what He pleaseth. … He ordaineth what He pleaseth and is not asked of what He willeth.
… He shall not be questioned as to that which He doeth, and He is the Prevailer, the Subduer, the Exalted, the Most High.
To God belongs the dominion of the kingdom of eternality, and through His might He exalts whom He wishes, and through His power He abases whom He desires, and He bestows upon whom He wishes whatsoever He wishes, and verily He wills as He has willed for whomsoever He desires, and verily He is the Doer of whatsoever He wishes, and verily He is over all things the Powerful, the Self-Subsisting.
He ordaineth what He pleaseth for whom He pleaseth and withholdeth what He pleaseth from whom He pleaseth. There is no God but Him, the Single, the One, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
Thou createst what Thou willest through Thy power and ordainest what Thou desirest through Thy will.
He createth whatsoever He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. [repeated 19 times]
God is the Most Exalted [repeated]
'Ali, peace be upon him
God is the Most Exalted [repeated]
Fatimih, peace be upon her
God is the Most Exalted [repeated]
Muhammad, peace be upon him
God is the Most Exalted [repeated]
Hasan, peace be upon him
God is the Most Exalted [repeated]
Husayn, peace be upon Him
God is the Most Exalted [repeated]
Verily Thou art the Almighty over what Thou willest and in Thy grasp are the reins of all things.
He hath ever been One from all eternity and powerful over whatsoever He willeth.
… Verily Thou art powerful over what Thou willest.
The Command is in God's hands. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth. And He is the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.
He is the One Who standeth supreme over His Cause, doing as He willeth, and none can question His doings.
Through His Name was raised the standard of "There is none other God but Him" and was hoisted the banner of "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" upon the mount of understanding, as a command from His presence.
Thou art He Whom the doubts of the heedless and the signs of the opposers cannot hinder. Thou doest what Thou willest and ordainest what Thou pleasest.
Thou art He Whom the doubts of the people have not withheld, nor their allusions, nor their might and power from Thy will and purpose. Through Thee the banner 'He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth' was raised.
They acknowledge that "He doeth what He willeth," yet they question His actions with "why" and "wherefore." They recognize that "He ordaineth what He pleaseth," yet they hesitate regarding that which hath appeared from Him.
I speak truly when I say that He, exalted be His glory, hath appeared with the banner of 'He doeth what He willeth' and hath come with the standard of 'He ordaineth what He pleaseth.' Let steadfast and content souls be attentive. O My loved ones! Whatsoever proceedeth from the Most Holy, Most Exalted Threshold is the truth about which there is no doubt. The Primal Point hath said that should He pronounce the earth to be heaven or heaven to be earth, none hath the right to question wherefore or why.
Say: Were We to decree for light the decree of darkness, none hath the right to object. Thus hath it been sent down in the Tablets, were ye of those who know. Were We to decree good as evil, no soul hath the right to say "why?"
Say: Were He to pronounce darkness to be light, or light to be darkness, none hath the right to object.
And that Word is the blessed Word "He doeth whatsoever He willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth." This Word closeth the door of objections raised by the idolatrous souls and rolleth up the realm of self and passion.
O Hand of God! The Jews said "God's hand is chained up." Say: No, by His very Self, the True One! Indeed He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.
From the beginning that hath no beginning I have been an exalted Light. Verily I am God, there is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end I shall continue to be an exalted Light from the Creative Truth.
O fragrant flower of the divine garden of love! At this time when the Sun of the heaven of sanctification is shining with utmost brilliance from the horizon of the Most Glorious Beauty - He alone with no partner in His Essence, attributes, names, deeds, effusions and manifestations, and none like Him in the loftiness of His proof, the exaltation of His sovereignty, His mighty signs and His clear evidences, for He alone is the Beloved of the mystics, the Goal of the sincere ones, the Object of worship of the believers, the Refuge of the believers, the Shelter of the steadfast and firm ones, the Adored One of those who have attained, and the Promised One in all the tablets revealed to the Prophets and Messengers - immerse yourself in the ocean of oneness, ascend to the heaven of detachment, abide eternally in the paradise of divine unity, and turn toward the Most Glorious Kingdom.
For every utterance save this spiritual reality is but delusion, and every quest save for this true Beloved is but loss and regret, and every effort and striving apart from this path and passion is endless toil and trouble.
Thus have We adorned thee with the two wings of wisdom and utterance that thou mayest soar therewith unto the Mighty, the Bestower.
Say: God sufficeth all things beyond all things, but nothing in the heavens or earth or between them can suffice in place of God, thy Lord. Verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.
O my God! Thou art sufficient against everyone but none sufficeth against Thee. Verily Thou hast power over all things but all are powerless over anything. Verily Thou knowest all things but all are ignorant of all things.
Be Thou my supporter behind all things and my shelter with all things. Direct through the sovereignty of Thy direction my affairs, and dispose through the dominion of Thy decree my condition, for besides Thee none hath power over anything, and all else besides Thee is needy and cannot accomplish anything.
Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. He shall spend as He willeth through His mercy.
For this cannot be except through Thy grace and mercy. Therefore, O God, accomplish through Thy mercy what I have asked of Thee, for Thou art the Lord of all worlds.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
Concerning thy question about the meaning of the philosopher's saying, "From the One proceedeth only One": The statement is incorrect when the Cause is meant to be the Absolute Essence... However, when the intention behind the statement is to refer to the Primal Utterance, which is created by God by Itself, for Itself, then verily it is the truth... … There is no doubt that the Eternal Essence hath ever been immeasurably exalted above any association with His creatures; how much less could it become the source out of which things proceed. Though the statement is discussed in philosophy, the truth is that it must refer to the grades of the creative Action itself.
The statement of the philosophers that the cause of the created beings is the Essence is erroneous because of the lack of association [between cause and effect], the utter impossibility of change, and the precondition of the resemblance of the cause and the effect. The truth is that the Cause of beings is God's Handiwork, created by God Himself for Himself, and ordained to be the Cause of all His creation.
...the condition of causation is the mode of association, resemblance, and utterance in relation to the effect. This, however, is both impossible and forbidden in the realm of Utter Essence...
The advocates of the doctrine of the unity of existence are joining partners with God by virtue of the testimony of the idea of existence itself. For the "unity" affirmed by them is derivative of the existence of duality; otherwise why would they deny the duality and affirm the unity? Likewise, those who advocate that the cause of the existence of the contingent beings is the Essence of God, and thus believe in some form of relation between the two, are disbelievers. For causation is dependent on the association with the effect, and relation is dependent on the existence of duality, whereas both conditions are utterly false.
Verily God hath intended by these exalted words to sanctify His Essence utterly from any attribute of causation, refuting the views of those who have considered the Essence to be the Cause of all causes. … He hath fashioned the Will from nothingness, through Itself, and ordained It to be the Cause of all that is other than It, with no descent of anything from His Essence unto the Will.
For thought and discussion