The return of the Manifestations: recognizing a familiar light

It may be said, for instance, that this lamplight is last night's come back again, or that last year's rose hath returned to the garden this year. Here the reference is not to the individual reality, the fixed identity, the specialized being of that other rose, rather doth it mean that the qualities, the distinctive characteristics of that other light, that other flower, are present now, in these. Those perfections, that is, those graces and gifts of a former springtime are back again this year.

In the same way, if we consider the individual, it is a different one, but if we consider the attributes and perfections, the same have returned. Thus when Christ said, "This is Elias," He meant: This person is a manifestation of the grace, the perfections, the qualities, the attributes and the virtues of Elias. And when John the Baptist said, "I am not Elias," he meant, "I am not the same person as Elias." Christ considered their attributes, perfections, qualities and virtues, and John referred to his own substance and individuality.

For what the Prophets of God meant by "return" is not the return of the essence but of the attributes; it is not the return of the Manifestation Himself but of His perfections. In the Gospel it is said that John the son of Zacharias is Elijah. By these words is not meant the return of the rational soul and personality of Elijah in the body of John, but rather that the perfections and attributes of Elijah became plain and manifest in him.

Elijah came but was not recognized in John. It was not the person or entity of Elijah but his perfection and qualities which John embodied.

The flowers of last year will come again this year. We can say they have returned not the actual substance of the former flowers, but their color, perfume, and perfection have returned.

Now to come to the question of the "return" which is spoken of in Holy Scriptures. For example His Holiness, the Christ, said that John the Baptist is Elias and when they asked of John he said "No, I am not Elias". Though, outwardly these two contradicted each other, however in reality they did not, because that effulgent reality which is absolute and which appeared in all the prophets of God appeared likewise in John the Baptist. That is: the same virtues which were in the former appeared in the latter. - in other words the generic idea and not the special idea appeared in that special temple.

Jesus said of John the Baptist - "there has not arisen a greater than he", also "and if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come." It means that John the Baptist was characterized by the same spirit as Elias, not that he was Elias - the same soul or personality.

Neither the body nor the soul will return to this world, but the spirit of GOD in them may come again, and is the same in all the prophets. The difference is in degree.

As everything is possible with God, He might grant return as a special gift and grace to some people. Amongst the many prophets, only Elias was said to return and he did so.

Now in fact no one of these new seeds is the same seed which was sown; but the qualities and essence of that seed have reappeared in these seeds.

The essence of that seed has been manifested.

When the tree attains its maturity and perfection you will also find the original seed appearing upon it, and the new seed signifies the second manifestation of the first, and of the second contains all of the perfections of the first. Thus the return of the first seed is apparent, but when the second seed grows into a tree the same leaves, branches, fruits do not appear, but the seed has sacrificed all of itself the same as the first, that the second tree may appear.

Baha'u'llah said that He was the Lote Tree and the teachers and prophets the Branches and the believers, the leaves. … The Manifestation said that "When I say that I am going to plan this tree again," that it will mean that it will be the identical tree, hence if Baha'u'llah says that He will plant this Tree again, it will be the identical Tree again as its spiritual type only, and there will be a difference in the physical construction of the Tree, as there will also be a difference in the material tree, just as there was in the previous life of that tree, but no difference in the Spirit.

And just as the physical sun has multiple scattered rising-places and dawning-points, likewise the Sun of Reality has numerous daysprings and exalted dawning-places, moving between these luminous daysprings and merciful dawning-points. Thus one whose vision is keen and whose heart is attached to and attracted by the Sun follows it with his gaze as it moves between the daysprings and dawning-places.

And the difference in the manifestations of the Thrones, their tongues, their books, and their verses should not veil the observer, for that which is manifest in all is one Command, and that Command is not the Essence of the Unseen Eternity, but rather is a Will that hath been created by itself for itself, not within anything, and in every manifestation is exalted through His bounty and in every concealment is made impregnable through His grace.

In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established. Inasmuch as the return of the Prophets of God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath been conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen ones also is therefore definitely proven. This return is too manifest in itself to require any evidence or proof.

… Purge thy sight, therefore, from all earthly limitations, that thou mayest behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause, the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of one Truth, and that thou mayest apprehend the mystic "return" of the Words of God as unfolded by these utterances.

Know thou that the end is like unto the beginning. Even as thou dost consider the beginning, similarly shouldst thou consider the end, and be of them that truly perceive. Nay, rather consider the beginning as the end itself, and so conversely, that thou mayest acquire a clear perception. Know thou moreover that every created thing is continually brought forth and returned at the bidding of thy Lord, the God of power and might.

But the Spirit of Faith which is of the Kingdom (of God) consists of the all-comprehending Grace and the perfect attainment (or salvation, fruition, achievement) and the power of sanctity and the divine effulgence from the Sun of Truth on luminous light-seeking essences from the presence of the divine Unity. And by this Spirit is the life of the spirit of man, when it is fortified thereby, as Christ saith: "That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."

The substance of this gate is this, that Muhammad, blessings of God rest upon Him, and the Manifestations of His Self, have all returned to this world.

… There should also be no doubt that Their Return in the Next Revelation is far greater in the sight of God than Their First Revelation in the past. Thus, that which aforetimes hath proven the station of prophethood, today vindicateth the station of Viceregency.

And concerning what thou didst mention about the Return, verily We are the Answerers. All the numbers of the Unity have returned through the manifestation of the Point, for all return unto It. That is the gathering place of all gatherings, and ye all bear witness to the Primal Unity, then ye are convinced of Its manifestations by His command. And concerning what thou didst mention about the praised numbers returning as one number - yea, God thy Lord shall cause them to return and shall raise them up.

Say: We initiated this creation and We shall repeat it - a promise binding upon Us. Verily We are powerful to accomplish it. Say: He Who created Muhammad before will create him again on the Day of Resurrection, then those who are witnesses from His presence, then whomsoever God willeth from among the Prophets and the truthful ones.

The first to return to this world was the Messenger of God - He is the first Messenger of the Qa'im - followed by the Commander of the Faithful, who undertook the mission to Bushihr and came unto you, yet ye knew Him not. Consider the first day, when for seven years none but He believed in the Messenger of God, yet today how many claim to believe!

Say: This is indeed Ali Who hath appeared once again in this most pure, most manifest, most luminous Beauty, and Who speaketh the truth in the heaven of immortality and the kingdom on high, if ye be of them that hear.

O Ibrahim! The Friend of God and He Who conversed with God have returned and bear witness and see. And the Mount is once again perfumed by the fragrances of revelation.

Say: By God! The Tradition hath returned in the Self of Ali and the Tree hath called out upon the holy Sinai in Hurayth of this Paran, "There is none other God but I, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting."

O Muhammad-Qabli-Hasan! The Light crieth out and saith: O ye that lie buried in the graves! By God, He Who conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush hath appeared.

Praise be to God Who hath named Himself Jehovah in the Torah, the Comforter and Spirit of Truth in the Gospel, and in the Qur'an the Great Announcement, at Whose appearance all who are in the heavens and on earth were thunderstruck, and the limbs of all creation trembled, save those who clung to the hem of the protection of their Lord, the All-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you. … Followers of the Gospel! If ye cherish the desire to slay Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, seize Me and put an end to My life, for I am He, and My Self is His Self.

In each Revelation the Manifestations gone before were subjected to denial, and a judgment beneath the Truth was pronounced concerning them; and all were made believers through His own wondrous Revelation, and were rendered expectant through His subsequent appearance. He is, verily, the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. He was Muhammad, the Messenger of God, in the former age, and today He is the Qa'im of the House of Muhammad, peace be upon Him -- whose Revelation is in very truth the Revelation of the Messenger of God, in relation to those that preceded Him.

Absolute Being cries out in utter nothingness, saying: At two times is the clamor and cry of the people of contingent existence raised up - once at the beginning, that is, at the first creation, and again at the return. Observe how when the Sun of Truth dawned from the horizon of the Divine Command in the name of Muhammad (may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake), the people of the world rose up in opposition and raised their cry.

The matter of Return, which according to the words of Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i - upon him be the Glory of God - is established and proven, was the Return of Husayn. All the Messengers and the Qa'im stand and dwell beneath His blessed standard, yet eyes and ears are prevented from seeing and hearing, and hearts from contemplation and attention.

And that which you were always wondering about concerning the Return - were it not for considerations of protection it would have been mentioned. If the Siyyid deems it appropriate he will mention it.

And if they who are God's witnesses teach you their names, then shall ye mention them by their names and shall beseech God's justice upon them, that perchance the people may fear on the day when the Tree shall come, and they shall do naught unto it save what is right, and they shall follow the signs of God and shall seek forgiveness for what their hands have formerly wrought.

Consider somewhat the Bayan: The example of this Revelation and the Revelation of the Point of the Bayan is exactly like the appearance of the son of Zachariah and Jesus the son of Mary. The son of Zachariah, despite his station of prophethood and the greatness of his rank, gave the people glad tidings of the appearance of the Spirit, and both were in the same age.

As He says in the Gospel: "I go away and come again," and in another place: "I go away and the Comforter will come to complete what I have said and to say what I have not said."

Say: Verily the Primal Point, in His latter Manifestation, speaketh with the Most Glorious tongue, saying: "O people! Did We not give you glad tidings of My appearance after Me?

Joy be unto thee, O servant, in that thou hast ascended unto the Sadratu'l-Muntaha and attained the ultimate goal, which is none other than the recognition of God in the Manifestation of His Self, Who hath come yet again.

Verily, I have been before and shall be hereafter, and God hath revealed no Book except unto Me, nor hath He sent any Messenger save by My leave, and We have been witness over them.

From the Manifestation of the First Point until now, God hath manifested Me in every Dispensation by whatever name hath been manifested, and all do follow Me. I was Noah in the day of Noah, and Abraham in the day of Abraham, and Moses in the day of Moses, and Jesus in the day of Jesus, and Muhammad in the day of Muhammad, and the Primal Point in the day of the Primal Point, Him Whom God shall make manifest in His day, and Him Whom God shall make manifest after Him in His day, and Him Who shall be manifested after Him Whom God shall make manifest in His day, unto the end that hath no end, even as the beginning that had no beginning.

If the true Prophets (Nabi) represent the embodied Voice of God, They are at the same time the embodied conscience of the people. Better than the word 'embodiment' would be the concept of the 'Manifestation'. Already His Holiness the Bab said: According to the doctrine of the Return (raj'a) the Prophets are always the same Man and to this I (the Bab) can testify: 'That which spoke in the Prophets of the past, now speaks in Me and will after Me speak in "Man Yu?hiruhu'llah" (Baha'u'llah), for there is no final end of manifestation'.

Indeed, they became so detached from all things that even the mention of the Seal [of the Prophets], which was an explicit text of the Book, did not prevent them from attaining the exalted court and the praiseworthy station in the presence of the Sovereign Lord. And now they testify, both secretly and openly, that prophethood hath been from the beginning that hath no beginning and will continue unto the end that hath no end.

He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. We, verily, believe in Him Who, in the person of the Báb, hath been sent down by the Will of the one true God, the King of Kings, the All-Praised. We, moreover, swear fealty to the One Who, in the time of Mustagháth, is destined to be made manifest, as well as to those Who shall come after Him till the end that hath no end.

In these days, the Holy Ones of the Realm of Glory, dwelling in the all-highest Paradise, yearn to return unto this world, and be of some service to the Cause of Baha'u'llah and prove their servitude to the Threshold of Abha Beauty.