Learning across the ages: exploring progressive revelation

All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.

His purpose, blessed and exalted be He, in revealing these diverse laws that flow from the ocean of His consummate wisdom is naught but the ease of His servants, their entry into the gardens of love and fellowship, and the removal of contention and strife. Yet through their failure to comprehend God's purpose, they raise the hands of tyranny and oppression in all regions and abandon that which God hath commanded concerning love and justice.

It is clear and evident, therefore, that any apparent variation in the intensity of their light is not inherent in the light itself, but should rather be attributed to the varying receptivity of an ever-changing world. Every Prophet Whom the Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed to send to the peoples of the earth hath been entrusted with a Message, and charged to act in a manner, that would best meet the requirements of the age in which He appeared.

Religion is the outer expression of the divine reality. Therefore, it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. If it be without motion and nonprogressive, it is without the divine life; it is dead. The divine institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore, the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous.

As each succeeding Faith and Law became revealed it remained for some centuries a richly fruitful tree and to it was committed the happiness of humankind. However, as the centuries rolled by, it aged, it flourished no more and put forth no fruit, wherefore was it then made young again.

… Our meaning is this: the religion of God is one, and it is the educator of humankind, but still, it needs must be made new.

We may say that this flower is exquisite; we must not say that it is the only beautiful one. Its perfections are of the divine bounty, a bounty that is universal and unlimited in its manifestations. The marvelous bounties of God are continuous. Should the outpouring of light be suspended, we would be in darkness. But how could it be withheld? If the divine graces are suspended, then divinity itself would be interrupted.

For instance, in the day of Jesus Christ the world of humanity was afflicted with various ailments. Jesus Christ was the real Physician. He appeared, recognized the symptoms and prescribed the real remedy. … Later on many new ailments and disorders appeared in the body politic. The world became sick; other severe maladies appeared, especially in the peninsula of Arabia. God manifested Muhammad there.

A physician changes his prescription according to the condition of the patient. One day he gives one medicine, the next day, another. These changes are due to changes in the condition of the patient.

There are seasons in the revelation from God as in the natural year, and just as the Christ had realized the Spirit of God in the flesh and had helped the earth in his time, now the message of Baha'u'llah was the medicine of which the world has much need.

Say: O people! These words are being uttered in due measure, that the newly born may thrive and the tender shoot flourish. Milk should be given in suitable proportion, that the children of the world may attain to the station of maturity and abide in the court of oneness.

What I have spoken is according to the capacity of the people and the exigency of the time. "The father makes gurgling sounds for the newborn infant, although his wisdom can measure the universe."

If a wise father plays with his children, who has the right to say that it is not good for them? He calls them to come to him, as the hen calls to her chicks; he knows that they are little and must be coaxed, coaxed along, because they are so young and tiny. In the time of Moses, the law was given "an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth" - it is very hard to see the wisdom of this - but the people then were in the wilderness and needed this teaching.

Q. Are the Manifestations limited?

A. They are limited only by the capacity of souls to whom They reveal the Word.

Know verily that the veil hiding Our countenance hath not been completely lifted. We have revealed Our Self to a degree corresponding to the capacity of the people of Our age.

These words are to your measure, not to God's. To this testifieth that which is enshrined within His knowledge, if ye be of them that comprehend; and to this the tongue of the Almighty doth bear witness, if ye be of those who understand. I swear by God, were We to lift the veil, ye would be dumbfounded.

It hath been decreed by Us that the Word of God and all the potentialities thereof shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. … Should the Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no man could sustain the weight of so mighty a Revelation. Nay, all that is in heaven and on earth would flee in consternation before it.

Now if the manifest evidences of this incandescent Light are not all immediately apparent in the visible and external world nevertheless all this has been realised in the inner essence of every beings and shall manifest its full potentialities in a manner that is commensurate with the human capability to bear them.

The Manifestations of God are likened unto the seeds. They contain all the perfections of the tree, but you can not see them until the tree grows up. The Blessed Lote-tree grew up from a single seed, yet all of the perfections and virtues which existed in the seed were not manifest until the seed sacrificed itself (its identity), that the tree might become apparent.

No, gradually, for a plant that grows too quickly lasts only a short time.

And consider the grace of the Expected One, how vastly He has extended His mercy toward the Muslims, that He might deliver them. He who is the First of creation and the Manifestation of "Verily I am God" - how He has revealed Himself under the name of the Gate of the Family of Muhammad, and in His first Book decreed according to the laws of the Qur'an, so that people would not be disturbed by a new Book and new Cause, and would observe its similarity to their own beliefs, that perchance they might not be veiled and remain heedless of that for which they were created.

Furthermore, it is known to you that the commentary on Ahsanu'l-Qisas was revealed according to the people's understanding. This was due to pure grace, that perchance the heedless and ignorant might ascend to the heaven of knowledge. Indeed, most of the subjects mentioned therein were matters already established among the followers of the Furqan. Had it been revealed from the beginning according to what God intended, none would have accepted it or remained steadfast. All this was of His grace unto His creation and His bounty unto His servants.

Before the dawning of the Sun of Laws no one was under obligation, but after its appearance all were and shall continue to be bound thereby, that all may attain unto His infinite divine bounties and drink from the Kawthar of His mercy.

There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose.

All religious laws have been detailed from a single point and ordained by God, and unto Him do they return, and there is no difference between them, if ye be of them that are certain. Despite their differences in every age and era, there is no difference among them, for they all appeared through God's command.

The second part of the religion of God, which pertains to the material world and which concerns such things as fasting; prayer; worship; marriage; divorce; manumission; legal rulings; transactions; and penalties and punishments for murder, assault, theft, and injury, is changed and altered in every prophetic Dispensation and may be abrogated--for policies, transactions, punishments, and other laws are bound to change according to the exigencies of the time.

Question: Is the purification of baptism useful and necessary or is it useless and unnecessary? If the former, why was it abrogated despite its necessity? And if the latter, why did John practise it despite its being unnecessary?

Answer: The changing and transformation of conditions and the succession and revolution of ages are among the essential requirements of the contingent world, and essential requirements cannot be separated from the reality of things. Thus it is impossible to separate heat from fire, or wetness from water, or the rays from the sun, for these are essential requirements. And since change and transformation are among the requirements of all contingent things, the commandments of God are also changed in accordance with the changing times. For example, in the days of Moses, that which was required by and consonant with the conditions prevailing at that time was the Mosaic Law. However, in the days of Christ, those conditions had so changed as to render the Mosaic Law unsuited and ill-adapted to the needs of mankind, and it was therefore abrogated.

… In brief, our meaning is that the change and transformation in the conditions and exigencies of the times is the cause of the abrogation of religious laws, for the time comes when those earlier commandments no longer suit the prevailing conditions.

The second aspect of the divine religions is nonessential. It concerns human needs and undergoes change in every cycle according to the exigency of the time.

Rev. Bixby: What is understood to be the relation between the manifestation in Baha'u'llah and the manifestations in Moses, Jesus and others?

A. B: It is one basis, one foundation. … The teachings of the Manifestations are of two kinds;--first, the Word of God in its outer or material aspect;--second, the Word of God in its spiritual or inner significance. The first named is changeable; the second unchangeable.

O army of life! East and West have joined to worship stars of faded splendor and have turned in prayer unto darkened horizons. Both have utterly neglected the broad foundation of God's sacred laws, and have grown unmindful of the merits and virtues of His religion. They have regarded certain customs and conventions as the immutable basis of the Divine Faith, and have firmly established themselves therein. They have imagined themselves as having attained the glorious pinnacle of achievement and prosperity when in reality they have touched the innermost depths of heedleness and deprived themselves wholly of God's bountiful gifts.

The teaching is ever the same, it is only the outward forms that change.

The character of divine sovereignty has no change or transformation, but the organization and administration change continually. This is why Jesus Christ said: "I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it." At the same time there are conditions that are changeable.

In the first days of every Prophet, He was the source of the Bounties of GOD to the people, but after a time, the true spirit of His teachings waned, and the people lapsed into ignorance and darkness; then it became necessary to send forth a new Appearance or Manifestation of the Bounties of GOD, for one of the essential characteristics of necessities of the Eternal Essence of the Divine is Un-changeableness, and one of the essential characteristics of created beings is change.

Know that the world and all that is therein is transformed every moment and altered with every breath, for change, transformation and transition are essential requirements of the contingent world, while immutability and changelessness are characteristics of the realm of divine necessity. Hence, were the condition of the phenomenal world to remain constant, its essential requirements would likewise remain unchanged. Since change and transformation are ordained and established, its necessary relationships must also undergo alteration and transition.

This has come to pass. The powers of earth cannot withstand the privileges and bestowals which God has ordained for this great and glorious century. It is a need and exigency of the time. Man can withstand anything except that which is divinely intended and indicated for the age and its requirements.

Christ said, "What has happened in the past will happen again in the future." The reason of this is that all things are under the operation of Divine Law which is the same today, yesterday, and forever.

The Revelation of Baha'u'llah contains all the great laws and principles of social government. The basis of God's perfect laws is love for humanity and help for human needs. If all people followed this Revelation, the masses would be immeasurably uplifted and the Cause of God glorified.

This age is a different age and its requirements are different requirements. The laws of the previous age do not suffice for this great century.

In Noah's time, the world lacked the capacity for Abraham's laws. For example, all sea creatures were permitted in Noah's time, while some became forbidden in Moses' time. This relates to the capacity of the time and receptivity of the age. The laws revealed in Moses' time did not exist in Abraham's time. Why not? Because that time lacked the capacity. If the time had possessed the capacity, God would not have withheld them.

In the time of Moses, there were ten crimes punishable by death. When Christ came this was changed; the old axiom 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth' was converted into 'Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you', the stern old law being changed into one of love, mercy and forbearance!

"In the time of Moses, the children of Israel were in the wilderness. There was no ease and comfort. Therefore ten offences were made punishable by death. In the time of Christ there were towns and cities and civilization. The exigencies of the time did not require these ten laws for capital punishment, so he abolished them. Why? Because the time and circumstances were different. In the former time these laws were necessary, but in Christ's time, they were no longer necessary and in this time other arrangements are required."

The teachings of Christ covered a period of three years; the dispensation of Moses lasted forty years. … After his declaration, his mission lasted but three years; there was neither time nor occasion for a complete code of laws.

Moses taught only the material things and Christ of the Spiritual. So if Adam attempted the knowledge of Jesus Christ, he was bound to fail.

Similarly, know that the foundation of Christ's religion and the Faith of Baha'u'llah is one foundation and the path is one path, but it progresses day by day.

Both of these are spiritual springtimes and seasons of the soul-refreshing awakening and the cause of the renovation of the life of mankind. The spring of this year is the same as the spring of last year. The origins and ends are the same. The sun of today is the sun of yesterday. In the coming of Christ, the divine teachings were given in accordance with the infancy of the human race. The teachings of Baha'u'llah have the same basic principles, but are according to the stage of the maturity of the world and the requirements of this illumined age.

Humanity has emerged from its former degrees of limitation and preliminary training. Man must now become imbued with new virtues and powers, new moralities, new capacities. New bounties, bestowals and perfections are awaiting and already descending upon him. The gifts and graces of the period of youth, although timely and sufficient during the adolescence of the world of mankind, are now incapable of meeting the requirements of its maturity. The playthings of childhood and infancy no longer satisfy or interest the adult mind.

Every age requires a central impetus or movement. In this age, the boundaries of terrestrial things have extended; minds have taken on a broader range of vision; realities have been unfolded and the secrets of being have been brought into the realm of visibility.

Also know that the principles of Christianity and the commandments of Baha'Ullah are identical and that the roads are the same. But every day there is progress. There was a time when this divine institution was in an embryonic condition. Then it became newly born, a child, an intelligent child. Today it has reached maturity: its capacities, its body are the same, but today, it is resplendent, with the greatest beauty and brilliancy."

Consider that a person from the beginning of life to the end in all conditions is one person. Similarly the religion of God in all ages is one religion. In the beginning man is an embryo, then a nursing infant, then an adolescent child, then reaches maturity, then becomes a youth, then reaches perfection, then becomes old.

For the station of Adam, with regard to the appearance and manifestation of the divine perfections, was that of the embryo; the station of Christ was that of coming of age and maturation; and the dawning of the Most Great Luminary was the station of the perfection of the essence and the attributes.

I say, know thou that this religion is like unto man, for just as man developeth gradually until he reacheth the station of perfection, and at each stage manifest certain ordinances and effects, so too is it with this religion. For the Law of Adam, peace be upon him, was as the seed, and the Law of Noah, peace be upon him, was as the clot, and the Law of Abraham, peace be upon him, was as the lump of flesh, and the Law of Moses, peace be upon him, was as the bones, and the Law of Jesus, peace be upon him, was as the clothing of flesh, and the Law of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, was as the breathing of the spirit.

And all that the prophets have decreed and God has sent down from heaven, the scriptures of ordinances for them exist at the level of limitation, and in relation to that Primal Tree are but a shell. Hence the laws of the Prophets were abrogated, for the stage of the embryo could not bear the laws of the blood-clot.

Thus were the laws abrogated from Prophet to Prophet until the day when the greater world reached the station of human creation.

Note well the difference: at one time the Teachings of God were as a staff, and by this means the Holy Scriptures were spread abroad, the Law of God was promulgated and His Faith established. Then followed a time when the staff of the true Shepherd was as iron. And today, in this new and splendid age, the rod is even as pure gold. How wide is the difference here!

The teachings of Jesus are in a concentrated form. Men do not agree to this day as to the meaning of many of His sayings. His teachings are as a flower in the bud. Today, the bud is unfolding into a flower! Baha'u'llah has expanded and fulfilled the teachings, and has applied them in detail to the whole world.

And if it be said that what appeared in this wondrous Revelation had no precedent and all is new, this saying too is correct and complete. For if God, glorified be His Name, should today speak a word that all people have spoken heretofore and shall speak hereafter, that word would still be new, were ye to reflect upon it. Consider the term "Divine Unity", which the Manifestations of God have uttered in every Dispensation, a goodly term which all the divers peoples and kindreds of the world have spoken. Nevertheless, in each Dispensation, it hath been made new and hath in no wise been divested of its novel character. Into every word that God doth speak a new spirit is breathed, and the breezes of life are wafted therefrom upon all things both outwardly and inwardly.

The time has now come when men are keenly receptive of spiritual things, and the symbols, metaphors, and allegories (which are merely the casings of truth) can be unveiled, and their true meaning understood.

It is to uncover and expose that which lies hidden in time and in the religions of the past, to infuse a new spirit into the peoples of the earth, that the New Dispensation has appeared in the world of men.

In every century a particular and central theme is, in accordance with the requirements of that century, confirmed by God. In this illumined age that which is confirmed is the oneness of the world of humanity.

Now, this century is a century of light. It is a century wherein such superstitions must be cast away. This century is one in which enmity and strife must cease. This is a century wherein all the peoples, all the religionists, must associate with each other with perfect spirit of love and fellowship.

Although in past dispensations and Cycles the power of Love had a penetration and the light of Love an appearance yet in this blessed Century the Sun of Reality has bestowed such an outpouring of Love that the human world has received another impetus and movement.

Although the former Manifestations have come from God, the means of unity for mankind was not prepared in their time. It was as though there was nothing, and conflicting conditions were still remaining in the world; there was no transportation and railways, no joining of Europe, Asia and Africa. People could not meet each other, the means were not ready.

Adam influence only his own immediate family; Abraham influenced a larger circle; Moses a still larger one--the Israelites; Christ influence about one-fifth the world; Mohammed about one-tenth. Then came the Manifestation, who will conquer the entire world.

The Manifestation of Moses created some effect in both realms but only in Syria, not in any other country. The Israelites who inhabited Syria, progressed both in material and spiritual knowledge. During the time of Jesus Christ some attention was given Him in different parts of the earth. The centuries which preceded and followed His Appearance received the Blessings of His coming in different degrees and both senses and minds were beautified.

During the advent of Mahomet, interest was created only in Arabia.

In former days, in the time of the Buddha and Zoroaster, civilization in Asia and in the East was very much higher than in the West and ideas and thoughts of the Eastern peoples were much in advance of, and nearer to the thoughts of God than those of the West. But since that time superstitions had crept into the religion and ideals of the East, and from many differing causes the ideals and characters of the Eastern peoples had gone down and down, lower and lower, while the Western peoples had been constantly advancing and struggling towards the Light.

When Christ appeared, the people among whom he came were in a low state of intelligence there was little or no discussion of abstruse questions among them. Buddha, though earlier, came to a part of the world where civilisation was much more advanced, which was ripe in philosophical and metaphysical speculations. Mahomet found wild tribes and hordes of uncivilised barbarians.

Furthermore, just as the solar cycle has its four seasons, the cycle of the Sun of Reality has its distinct and successive periods. Each brings its vernal season or springtime. When the Sun of Reality returns to quicken the world of mankind, a divine bounty descends from the heaven of generosity. The realm of thoughts and ideals is set in motion and blessed with new life.

The days of Moses were like spring. When the Children of Israel became captive to autumn and were in utmost humiliation and wandering in the darkness of ignorance, the white hand of Moses gave them spiritual feelings and heavenly education and bestowed the bounty of April showers. After the spiritual spring, the season changed to winter. That spring splendor vanished. They returned to their original state, became frozen, and darkness prevailed.

Christ was a spiritual spring. He pitched His tent at the pole of horizons. He manifested those spiritual feelings greater than before. The world gained a new splendor. The human world was set in motion. Then autumn came again.

Winter arrives--that is, the chill of ignorance and unawareness envelops the world, and the darkness of wayward and selfish desires prevails. Apathy and defiance ensue, with indolence and folly, baseness and animal qualities, coldness and stone-like torpor, even as in the wintertime when the terrestrial globe is deprived of the influence of the rays of the sun and becomes waste and desolate. Once the realm of minds and thoughts reaches this stage, there remains naught but perpetual death and unending non-existence.

… The spiritual cycles of the Sun of Truth, like the cycles of the physical sun, are in a state of perpetual motion and renewal.

The early days of every Manifestation is called the spring- when you see the seeds first sprouting, and everything is young and tender. Then follows the summer season, when things have reached a state of perfection, and the fruits are gathered. Then comes the autumn season, when everything begins to fall into decay, after which speedily comes the winter, when all is dead, and without any apparent life. God is almost forgotten, and the hearts are turned to the world entirely. But when this state is reached, it is a sign that a new sprint time is coming.

As in the physical world there are four seasons, so in the realm of religion there is the season of heavenly and spiritual springtime.

This is the law of God and is in accord with the world of creation and this is the cause for the reappearance of holy Manifestations Who effect renewal and change in religious laws and commandments.

But though the calendar changes and the years move forward, each springtime that comes is the return of the springtime that has gone; this spring is the renewal of the former spring. Springtime is springtime, no matter when or how often it comes. The divine Prophets are as the coming of spring, each renewing and quickening the teachings of the Prophet Who came before Him. Just as all seasons of spring are essentially one as to newness of life, vernal showers and beauty, so the essence of the mission and accomplishment of all the Prophets is one and the same.

The Sun of Reality has a rising and a setting, a manifestation and an occultation. Then after a period, It dawns again from the horizon of Divinity and scatters Its lights upon the world of creation. It is like the season of spring which is ended by the coming of summer, autumn and winter. A hard winter of materialism is always followed by a flowery spring of Spirituality. This is the unalterable plan of the Dispensations of the heavenly Graces.

God leaves not His children comfortless, but, when the darkness of winter overshadows them, then again He sends His Messengers, the Prophets, with a renewal of the blessed spring. The Sun of Truth appears again on the horizon of the world shining into the eyes of those who sleep, awaking them to behold the glory of a new dawn.

Whenever this world becomes dark, and divided in its opinions and indifferent, God will send one of His Holy Messengers.

Then many ages roll on, the world outgrows those institutes, the Fragrances of Spirituality are hushed, the Fire of the Love of God becomes extinct, the primal object is lost sight of, the winter of materialism is set in, the flowers of the love of God are withered, the Breezes of Divine Faith do not waft, the bats of ritualism and narrowness began to fly abroad in the darkness of unbelief, the sun of spontaneous social service is covered behind the clouds of superstitions and the summit of the hearts hidden under the snow of agnosticism - then a new Revelation is sent by God to blow over the dead bones the spirit of regenesis.

Just as the sun sets and rises and sets again, so Jesus Christ appeared on the horizon of this world like a sun of Truth, bringing light and joy to the whole world. But the people now are not in such close touch with his spirit: their religion and faith are not so strong. The people are searching after material things instead of looking forward to the kingdom. Again God has sent light and truth into the world. The heavenly star has appeared in Persia; a new spiritual illumination is now penetrating throughout the world (the result of Baha'u'llah's teaching).

The great splendor of the day of Christ has gradually merged into the night, so that in this age there is hardly a ray of that great spiritual luminary lighting the world; but after the drought of summer and the cold of winter comes the new life of spring. After each sunset comes a sunrise.

The spiritual light of the world has risen again from the eastern horizon.

In ancient times, there came a time when materialism prevailed and all human thoughts were confined to the material world. None remained attentive to God. The gates of divine knowledge were closed, the fire of the love of God was completely extinguished, and all humanity was submerged in the sea of matter. Then Abraham appeared. … After a time, those lights were again extinguished. Material darkness enveloped the world. People became heedless of God and paid no attention to the Kingdom. Moses appeared, raised high the banner of religion, proclaimed the Kingdom, lit the lamp of guidance, and the lights of the Kingdom shone from every direction. … After a time, that lamp was again extinguished.

In such a state, the Star of Christ arose.

Then Arabia grew dark. … In such circumstances, Muhammad appeared in Arabia.

Then again, all was overturned. … At this time, the Bab appeared in Persia. The Star of Baha'u'llah arose.

Thus, day is followed by night and the night-season overtaken by day. After a period of time, a new Dispensation of Reality dawns and divine effulgence shine forth from the horizon of truth. Spring then becomes summer and then fall and eventually winter. After winter, once more, the spiritual spring is born. And this is how divine bounties are propagated forevermore.

See, for instance, these flowers before us. They come forth from a seed. They grow to perfection, but when they have reached the state of perfection they go back again. This is the invariable law of creation. … All religions of God are subject to this same law. They are founded in order to blossom out and develop and fulfill their mission. They reach their zenith and then decline and come to an end.

Then suddenly the gardener appears on the scene, cuts a green branch from the same tree and plants it again in a prepared soil. It starts its upward growth till it fills the place of its parent stock. Now this tree is the same old tree, only renewed. But those people who have grown too old to understand the real situation hold fast to the rotten root and shut their eyes to the beauty and elegance of the new tree. Now is the time for the plantation of the new tree.

We can not say that it is extraordinary that the present springtime follows that of last year. We can not say this year that these blossoms are useless because the same ones appeared last spring. The last spring gave out its benefits, and summer, autumn, and winter followed. If a new spring did not come to the world everything would die. In every springtime there will be repeated what has happened in previous springtimes.

Springtime is the time of buds and blossoms and flowers, but the season of fruits is after the springtime. The days of the Manifestations of God are like the season of the spring.

In the time of the Manifestation Moses, the buds and flowers which appeared were turned into fruits some time after Moses' departure. Similarly in the days of his Holiness Christ, his words and utterances produced fruit afterwards. At the time of His Holiness the Prophet, (Mohammed) he planted the tree of Tooba with his own hand, but that tree also produced fruits afterward.

In a short while all the other tables will be rolled up, but this divine Table is spread forever and ever. The utmost is: It will be renewed; - so that the Wonderful Manifestation, the New Effulgence and the appearance of the Sun of Reality may become evident and clear...

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

Although mercy and grace existed in previous Dispensations as well, yet the radiance and heat of the world-illumining Sun in the sign of Leo has a different effect, a different influence, and a different manifestation.

The Master: 'If there is no change or alteration, then there is no renewal. Not until night falls will a new day dawn. If the religion of Moses had not changed, Christ would not have appeared.'

The edifice of religion has crumbled, the foundations of faiths have been blown to the winds. The carpet of belief has been rolled up, the tokens of certitude blotted out; the whole world has fallen into error; when it comes to repelling tyranny all are soft and remiss.

All the existing nations had a divine foundation of truth or reality originally, which was intended to be conducive to the unity and accord of mankind, but the light of that reality gradually became obscured.

So it is with the divine religions: With the passage of time their original precepts are altered, their underlying truth entirely vanishes, their spirit departs, doctrinal innovations spring up, and they become a body without a soul. That is why they are renewed.

… Again, consider to what an extent the original precepts of the Christian religion have been forgotten and how many doctrinal innovations have sprung up. For example, Christ forbade violence and revenge and enjoined instead that evil and injury be met with benevolence and loving-kindness. But observe how many bloody wars have taken place among the Christian nations themselves and how much oppression, cruelty, rapacity and bloodthirstiness have resulted therefrom!

The morals of humanity must undergo change. New remedies and solutions for human problems must be adopted. Human intellects themselves must change and be subject to the universal reformation. Just as the thoughts and hypotheses of past ages are fruitless today, likewise dogmas and codes of human invention are obsolete and barren of product in religion. Nay, it is true that they are the cause of enmity and conducive to strife in the world of humanity; war and bloodshed proceed from them, and the oneness of mankind finds no recognition in their observance.

The spirit has passed away from the bodies of the old religions. All the teachings of the great Manifestations are sublime, their lives stand out as brilliant stars; but time changes all things, and while the forms of their doctrines remain, the spirit has fled. These bodies are dead or dying; but the same spirit is reborn in a new body-that is, the Body of the Law contained in the utterances of Beha Ullah.

Christ gave new life and effect to the meanings of the ancient law.

"The point is that Moses planted a tree that yielded the fruit of pleasing morals, perfections and great progress - and that tree was the Cause of God and the Law of God. But when it grew old it ceased to bear fruit. Christ came and again planted a sapling from the same root that gave sweet fruits and benefits, and likewise did the other Prophets. But the foundation of divine religions has been abandoned, and now all remain fruitless with nothing but traditions remaining in the hands of nations. Therefore Baha'u'llah has again planted a tree that will yield the fruit of peace and bring forth the fruit of the unity of humankind."

Baha'u'llah has renewed the teachings of the Prophets and of the Manifestations, and has again proclaimed the Oneness of the foundation upon which the religion of God is established.

God sends Prophets for the education of the people and the progress of mankind. Each such Manifestation of God has raised humanity. They serve the whole world by the bounty of God. The sure proof that they are the Manifestations of God is in the education and progress of the people.

Consider the Manifestations of Unity who came before - did the ascension of the Spirit of God (Christ) cause the extinction of the fire of the love of God, or did it cause it to blaze more intensely? Did the departure of the Messenger (Muhammad) to other realms cause the decline of God's religion, or did it lead to the exaltation of the Word of God? And likewise with the other Manifestations of Unity.

November 20--Dinner. The history of the prophets who came before Abraham is not known, but it is known of those who came after him.

Abraham was a prophet for his own people; Moses was a prophet for the Israelites, and through his power other prophets were manifested among the Israelites. Jesus Christ, through his spiritual power, taught a few in his time, through in reality there were only twelve disciples, one of whom Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him, thus leaving eleven who remained with the Master. The greatest of these disciples was Peter, and the weakness of even his belief was such that he denied the Master three times. In the cycle of Muhammed, the prophet was a forcible power, and in the cycle of Baha'u'llah (Glory be to Him!) there existed the greatest spirituality and forbearance of oppression. The spiritual power of the Blessed Perfection in his days was such that thousands of people entered the Kingdom, and through the power of the Word of God, more than twenty thousand, upheld by the strength, steadfastness and firmness of their belief, under great oppression, went to the place of death and with perfect happiness and joy drank from the cup of martyrdom. They were cut to pieces while uttering "O thou, Baha'u'llah!"

All this occurred during his day; therefore consider how great is his Cause! Compare it with that of the ancient prophets.

The Blessed Perfection (Glory be to him!), in his holy days, declared himself universally, sent notices to queens and kings, and taught all who wished to know the truth. To the Shah of Persia he wrote with the greatest evidence, and the Persians as well as the different nations, are informed of this. In his letter to the Shah of Persia, he requested that all of the learned men be called together for the purpose of asking him about miracles or arguments until either truthfulness or falsity should become manifest.

The Promised One of all nations, Baha'u'llah, has appeared and manifested, and with new teachings has revived the world.

A.B.: Of this Movement all prophets have foretold. All the famous philosophers have foreshadowed it, all men of sagacity have anticipated the advent of such a movement, they have sensed the appearance of a New Day.

There are certain souls who are lovers of the Sun; they perceive the effulgence of the Sun from every mirror. They are not fettered or attached to the mirrors; they are attached to the Sun itself and adore it, no matter from what point it may shine. But those who adore the mirror and are attached to it become deprived of witnessing the light of the Sun when it shines forth from another mirror.

"The Sun is ever the same, but the place whence the Sun hath appeared hath changed. Then, at Christ's time, it appeared in the sign of Aquarius, but now it hath manifested itself from the sign of Cancer. These signs are just for an illustration. The sun is the same sun, no matter from what sign it may manifest itself or from what spot it may arise. Thou must look at the Sun; do not become veiled by the places from which the Sun appears."

The sun of truth rises in each season from a different point of the horizon -- to-day it is here, yesterday it was there, and to-morrow it will appear from another direction. Why do you keep your eyes eternally fixed on the same point? Why do you call yourselves Christians, Buddhists, Mohammedans, Bahais? You must learn to distinguish the sun of truth from whichever point of the horizon it is shining!

But the people of truth or reality have adored the sun. They will adore the sun if it appear from the East, and even if the sun should appear from the West, still they will adore it, because they are the lovers of the Word. They are not lovers of dawning points.

For the Sun of Reality there was a rising out of the point of Moses. But when the Sun of Reality had moved to the point of Jesus, those who were holding to the point, instead of holding to the Sun, did not turn their faces to the point of Jesus. Therefore they were veiled. As the Sun of Reality moved on to the point of Mahomet, again were men veiled; for they were worshippers of names, not of the reality; lovers of the word "Moses," not of its meaning; lovers of the word "Jesus," not of its significance.

From whatever place it may appear, they turn to it.

You have rightly understood that the Baha'is do not believe in a person; rather they believe in the truth which shines from the divine dawning points.

Know thou that God hath ever been manifest amongst His servants and visible amidst His creation, yet people recognize Him not, for in every Revelation they become veiled by limited signs and tokens which prevent them from beholding the countenance of God in another Manifestation, would ye but understand.

And even supposing what you have mentioned were true, He says, exalted be His mention, that at the time of the later Revelation the spiritually learned become as dead and nothing, the letters and guides of light remain veiled, and the tree of affirmation is reckoned as negation. Likewise He says that many a soul who in one Revelation is among the most exalted dwellers of Paradise becomes in the subsequent Revelation among the lowliest denizens of the fire.

The history of the prophets who came before Abraham and Moses is not known, but it is of those who came after them.

After years had passed and the departure of Moses took place, the Jews became devoid of knowledge, and so GOD sent Jesus Christ to instruct them; but they refused him as they did not see in Him what they expected.

In every age He hath made manifest the Sun of His mercy in supreme glory and with most resplendent light, causing it to speak and proclaim the most exalted path and way in the realm of existence.

… And in this Dispensation, as the divine requirements took effect and His decrees spread forth, some among the servants became veiled and turned away from that holy Being.

O thou who art guided by the fire of guidance!

His Holiness Moses heard from the Tree of Sinai the call "Verily, I am thy Lord, the Most High!" and immediately cried out "Yea!" But in this mighty century when the call was raised from the Blessed Tree of Anisa, the Divine Lote Tree, the Beauty of Abha, most turned away and brought forth a hundred thousand excuses and objections and closed their eyes.

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O dear Musa!

His Holiness Moses heard the call of the Merciful Lord from the kindled fire in the green tree. Praise be to God that thou hast heard the call of the Revealer of Sinai from the luminous flame in the blessed human tree. Although the Caller was one and the same, that call was raised from tree and stone and clay, while this call was raised from the Most Great and Glorious Manifestation. That wine was passed around in an earthen cup, while this pure wine came in a crystal goblet adorned with brilliant gems. Great indeed is the difference!

O nightingales! I am neither of Yathrib, nor of Batha, nor of 'Iraq, nor of Syria. Rather, I journey and wander through diverse lands - sometimes in Egypt, sometimes in Bethlehem and Galilee, sometimes in Hijaz, sometimes in 'Iraq and Persia, and now I have unveiled Myself in Adrianople.

He is the One Who at one time made Baghdad the Most Glorious Horizon and at another time made Adrianople the Dawning-place of His verses. At times He made 'Akka the Source of Names and at other times adorned Mazra'ih with the lights of His most exalted attributes.

In every Manifestation of glorious divine revelation, He sheds His effulgences upon all, but upon some in sleep and upon others in wakefulness, and this is God's way in every Manifestation, and verily your Lord is knowing of all things.

Shouldst thou search for a beauty, seek the Beauty of the Everlasting One and should thou desire perfection turn towards the acquisition of divine qualities and attributes so that from the dawning place of this contingent existence thou mayest blaze forth with honour and with infinite glory and from the dayspring of this worldly condition thou mayest dazzle with great brilliance.

In the Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished mirror, appear the qualities of the Divine in a form that man is capable of comprehending.

Thus in every Dispensation He appears with a name, and this is none other than Muhammad, the Messenger of God, Who has appeared on the Day of Resurrection through the Manifestation of God. From the beginning of the Qur'an to its end there is no mention more great than this, and His meeting is the meeting with God, for meeting the Ancient Essence is impossible. Whatever is mentioned in the Qur'an about meeting God refers to meeting that Reality, which God has attributed to meeting with Himself as an honor, just as He has called the Ka'bah His House.

And in one station We mean by the Unseen the realities of Oneness and the eternal essences who were concealed in the Manifestations of old, as ye witness and are among those who testify. In the time of Moses, the Unseen was none other than Jesus in the heaven of names, and He foretold His appearance and was hidden in His days. Likewise the Unseen in the time of the Spirit (Jesus) was Muhammad, the Messenger of God and Seal of the Prophets. Similarly the Unseen in His days was none other than 'Ali, through meeting whom the eyes of those near to God were solaced.

That which was treasured from all eternity hath been revealed, and that which was concealed in the Tablets of God, the Lord of all that was and shall be, hath appeared. The breezes of revelation have wafted and the winds of the All-Merciful have blown, yet most of the people perceive it not.

Nay, the manifold bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at all times, through the Manifestations of His divine Essence, encompassed the earth and all that dwell therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind.

… Consider the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of yesterday," it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular names and designations, that they differ, that again is true. For though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate designation, a specific attribute, a particular character.

These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.

… And if anyone ask them: 'For what crime were they imprisoned?' they would answer and say: 'They, verily, sought to supplant the Faith with a new religion!' If that which is ancient be what ye prefer, wherefore, then, have ye discarded that which hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel? Clear it up, O men!

Moses made a covenant concerning the promised Christ, and announced the good news of His advent to the world. Christ made a covenant concerning the Paraclete and gave the tidings of His coming. The Prophet Muhammad made a covenant concerning the Bab, and the Bab was the One promised by Muhammad, for Muhammad gave the tidings of His coming. The Bab made a covenant concerning the Blessed Beauty, Baha'u'llah, and gave the glad-tidings of His coming for the Blessed Beauty was the One promised by the Bab. Baha'u'llah made a covenant concerning a Promised One Who will become manifest after one thousand or thousands of years.

Furthermore, Abraham took the Covenant of Moses, and Moses was the Promised One of Abraham. He took the Covenant of Christ, and Christ was the Promised One of Moses. Christ took the Covenant of the Paraclete, and that is Muhammad. And Muhammad the Messenger of God was the Promised One of Christ. And He took the Covenant of the Bab who is My Promised One.

But these verses apply word for word to Baha'u'llah.... Moreover, in this wondrous Dispensation the earth will become another earth and the world of humanity will be arrayed with perfect composure and adornment. Strife, contention and bloodshed will give way to peace, sincerity and harmony.

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Yet all of the Torah speaks of Christ, all of the Gospel tells of the noble Prophet's advent, all of the Quran contains texts about the First Point, and all of the Bayan speaks of the appearance of the Most Glorious Beauty. But "none knows its interpretation save God and those firm in knowledge."

Say: Beware lest ye be veiled by allusions from the Lord of Names and Attributes. This is He Whose covenant the Point of the Bayan took in the world of the Bayan, and Muhammad the Apostle of God in the world of the Furqan, and the Spirit in the world of the Gospel, and the Interlocutor in the world of the Torah, and the Friend in the world of the Command, if ye be of those who know.

Heard it ye ever reported by your fathers of old, or by the generations that preceded them, even unto the first Adam, that any one coming in the clouds of revelation, being invested with manifest and transcendent sovereignty, having on his right hand the Kingdom of God and on his left all the power and glory of His everlasting dominion, any one preceded by the hosts of God, the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the Most Powerful, and uttering continually verses whose import the minds of the most learned and wisest of men are powerless to fathom, should yet be the bearer of a message that is not of God?

This is the Ocean out of which all seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God’s creatures in each of the worlds whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing Knowledge, can reckon.

Praise be to God Who manifested Himself in the blessed spot, the holy land, Mount Sinai, the Vale of Tuwa, to Moses the Interlocutor; Who shone forth in the holy wilderness, the sacred valley, Mount Seir, the white spot and the illumined shore, upon Jesus Christ; Who appeared in Paran of love, the Dawning-place of lights, the Day-spring of divine traces, in the spiritual plain, Yathrib of mysteries, with a brilliance like unto the midday sun, upon Muhammad, the Beloved; Who gleamed and shed light in the essence of glory and the reality of praise, the Lamp of the Concourse on High, the Primal Point, the horizon of divine unity; then rent asunder the veil of the unseen, dispelled the darksome night, unveiled the all-encompassing clouds from the Sun of Revelation, lifted the covering, cleft asunder the clouds, removed the veil, and there came the promised Day of Return foretold in every scroll, psalm and book revealed by the Almighty, the Bestower in bygone ages, centuries and epochs. Then did the light of Beauty in the temple of Glory shine forth, beam, flash and break forth; the All-Merciful was established upon the throne of creation; the Sun of Truth gleamed and glittered upon the horizons of contingent being; and it became the glory of the heavens and the earth in the world of the unseen and the visible.

Glory, praise, greetings and peace be upon holy realities who received from the Ancient Bounty and were illumined by lights that shone from His Most Great Name, and upon sacred souls who were attracted by the divine fragrances, hearkened to the melodies of the Dove warbling in the gardens of praise, were set ablaze by the fire kindled in the Tree of Sinai, attained the Day of Meeting, and gave thanks to God for the bounties He bestowed upon them--bounties specially designated for those noble and distinguished ones whom no blame from any blamer could turn aside from their steadfastness in God's Covenant and their adherence to the pledge written by the Supreme Pen. Verily they are God's chosen ones; verily they are the triumphant.

And further, O thou noble seeker who hast turned unto the Kingdom supreme! Know thou that divine vision on the Day of God is mentioned in all the holy scriptures, psalms, and tablets revealed from heaven unto the Prophets in bygone ages, past dispensations, and ancient cycles. Each Prophet gave glad-tidings to His people of the Day of Meeting. Refer thou to the existing texts in the Gospel, the Psalms, the Torah, and the Qur'an. God the Exalted saith in the Furqan: "Know that ye shall meet Him on the Day of Resurrection." And again: "They indeed are losers who deny their meeting with their Lord." And again: "That ye might be certain of the meeting with your Lord." And in a tradition related by twenty-one of the Companions, the Messenger of God--peace be upon Him and His family--said: "Ye shall see your Lord as ye see the full moon on the fourteenth night." And 'Ali--peace be upon Him--said: "I saw God and Paradise with mine own eyes." And again He said: "I saw Him and knew Him, then worshipped Him. I worship not a Lord whom I have not seen."

Despite these explicit statements, clear texts, and inherited traditions, the peoples have differed on this question. Some have said that vision is impossible, citing the blessed verse: "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things." Others have said that to wholly deny vision would necessitate denial of Qur'anic texts and disprove the infallibility of the Prophets, for to ask for that which is impossible is categorically impermissible for an infallible Prophet. Moses the Interlocutor--peace be upon Him--asked for vision, saying: "O my Lord! Show me Thyself that I may look upon Thee." Infallibility prevents asking for the impossible, and since this request issued from Him, it is conclusive proof and clear evidence of the possibility of vision and attainment of this aspiration.

Besides this mighty proof, thou hast another clear and manifest evidence: If we were to suppose vision truly impossible in the visible realm of existence, what then would be the divine blessing which God hath specially bestowed in the Paradise of Meeting upon His honored servants among the chosen ones? Nay, the impossibility of vision pertaineth only to this world, while in the next life it is attainable and accessible to every penitent servant. For when the noble Interlocutor--peace be upon Him--drank the wine of God's love, was moved by hearing God's Word, and was intoxicated by the effect of the crimson wine of divine address, He forgot He was in this world and Paradise was unveiled to Him. Since Paradise is the station of witnessing and meeting, He said: "O my Lord! Show me Thyself that I may look upon Thee." Then came the address from the Lord of Lords that this gift, specially bestowed upon the chosen ones--"He specially favors with His Mercy whom He pleaseth"--would be attainable only on the Day when the foundations of earth and heaven would tremble, when the Great Resurrection would arise, and when the Event would unveil the Supreme Catastrophe. This is what hath been recorded in all the commentaries and interpretations by the most learned mystics of all ages from all regions.

As to the essence of the question and the reality of the matter, the divine meeting is an assured and inevitable truth set forth in the sacred Scriptures and Tablets of the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting. This is the sealed nectar whose seal is musk, and for this let the aspirants aspire. For the Universal Reality and the Divine Essence has manifestation in all ranks, stations and conditions, as it encompasses all stations, radiating clear proof and brilliant evidence in every entity, and He encompasses all things. As He, peace be upon Him, has said: "Can there be any manifestation for other than Thee which Thou dost not possess, such that it could reveal Thee? Blind is the eye that seeth Thee not." And He said: "O Thou Who hast proven Thy Own Self by Thy Self, and Who art sanctified above any likeness to Thy creatures."

For the ranks and stations are domains and mirrors for the manifestation of the Names and Attributes. Thus the manifestation of Truth is realized in all conditions, such that attainment unto Him in all stations is among that which was and shall be. The contingent beings are filled with the mysteries of the Names and Attributes, yet comprehension is only realized through the attributes, while the Essence in itself remains concealed from sight and veiled from vision - an impenetrable mystery that cannot be comprehended, a pure Essence that cannot be described. The path is barred and the quest forbidden.

Verily the Truth, in terms of Names and Attributes, has manifestation in all ranks arranged in existence according to the natural order and innate arrangement. He has revelations before all witnesses in the Paradise of Meeting, the Supreme Paradise and the Most Glorious Kingdom. Therefore know that the vision and meeting, in terms of the hidden reality which is expressed as the unseen consciousness, cannot be perceived by vision while He perceives all vision. But in terms of manifestation, emergence, revelation, the lifting of veils, the removal of clouds, and the raising of coverings on the Day of Return, the vision is a promised matter ordained for that witnessed Day. God specially bestows this upon whomsoever He willeth among the people of prostration who have an appointed share of this praiseworthy station. The proof is clear, explicitly stated and established, attested to by sound divine and godly minds.

For the outpouring never ceases from any rank among the ranks, and no station among stations is deprived of grace and bounty. And since you are now determined to travel, no more than this effect has been made possible. God willing, after this when opportunity allows, we shall explain to you a complete and comprehensive explanation that will expand the breasts and delight the eyes on the Day of Resurrection. For now be content with this much and turn toward your homeland. Call out in the name of thy Chosen Lord and quicken the people with the water descending from the clouds of mysteries. In every region be an example to the free and a model for the righteous in arising to serve the Cause of God, the Mighty, the Compelling.

O pilgrim to the resplendent and hallowed shrine! Take thou a breath from the Garden of Abha and waft it over the nostrils of the people in all regions, that they may be perfumed with a pure and vivifying fragrance that draweth hearts unto the dawning-place of splendor. Call thou the people unto God and purify them with the water of the rain-laden clouds that pour forth from heaven in continuous streams. Illumine their faces with the light of the knowledge of God and clothe these temples in the robes of divine gifts whose lights have shone forth in God's Covenant. By God the True One! The dust of the earth vibreth at the fragrance of His raiment, and the verdant realm is illumined by an everlasting radiance. Creation shall cast off its tattered garment and appear in the most beauteous vesture of glory upon this honored and mighty temple. Then shall the heavenly table be spread, and mercy shall descend upon the great and small alike. The Garden of Abha shall be unveiled in its most luminous splendor, brilliant in all its regions, radiant in all its quarters, with flowing fountains, adorned meadows, and fresh woodlands. Tongues shall be loosed in praise of the Glory and in thanksgiving to the Most High: "Holy and Sanctified is He, the Lord of the angels and the spirit!"

O my God, my God! This is Thy servant who seeketh refuge at the gate of Thy mercy and taketh shelter in the cave of Thy loving-kindness. Ordain for him every good thing through the sovereignty of Thy oneness, and illumine his face with the lights of Thy lordship. Verily, Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Most Merciful, the Benevolent, the Compassionate, the Ancient of Days.

Each Prophet gave glad tidings of His successor, and each successor confirmed His predecessor. Moses gave tidings of Christ, Christ confirmed Moses. Christ gave tidings of Muhammad, Muhammad confirmed Christ and Moses. All were united with one another - why should we differ?

By God! Not a single letter was revealed in the Bayan except concerning My Cause, and God hath taken My covenant from you in the atoms of the Bayan, then from Muhammad in the atoms of the Furqan, then from the Spirit in the atoms of the Gospel, then from Him Who conversed with God in the atoms of the Torah, then from the Friend of God in the atoms of sacred and preserved scrolls.

Say: O people! By God, ye were created for this Day, and concerning this hath God taken a covenant from you in the particle of the Bayan, then in the particle of the Furqan, then in the particle of the Gospel, then in the particle of the Torah, then in the particle of every world of His worlds and every page of the pages of His glory.

Say: O people! If ye believed in 'Ali because of the revelation to Him of the Bayan; and before Him in Muhammad because of the revelation to Him of the Furqan; and again in the One Who conversed with God (Moses) because of the revelation to Him of the Torah, then by the righteousness of God these are their selfsame Verses, which, in this peerless form, have been sent down from the throne on high.

All these holy, divine Manifestations are one. They have served one God, promulgated the same truth, founded the same institutions and reflected the same light. Their appearances have been successive and correlated; each One has announced and extolled the One Who was to follow, and all laid the foundation of reality. They summoned and invited the people to love and made the human world a mirror of the Word of God. Therefore, the divine religions They established have one foundation; Their teachings, proofs and evidences are one; in name and form They differ, but in reality They agree and are the same.

Thus when the Sun of Reality shone from the Mosaic horizon and bestowed infinite bounty, it then set and rose from the horizon of Jesus, illumining the world with eternal outpourings, breathing the Holy Spirit into the body of contingent being, and bestowing eternal life. After Him, the Muhammadan Dawning-Place arose and illumined the world of contingent being, dispelled tyranny and oppression, and raised high the pavilion of justice and equity. After Him, the Primal Point arose and revived the world of existence with the Most Great Glad-Tidings, bestowed the lights of guidance, and revealed the mysteries of reality. Now the Most Great Luminary, the Star of the Supreme Concourse, from the horizon of the Most Great Bounty--Baha'u'llah--has shed its utmost effulgence upon all regions. A new resurrection has appeared and a wondrous revival has spread abroad. The East has been illumined and the rays of the Sun have diffused throughout the West. The divine springtime in its utmost grandeur made this transient world the manifestation of infinite bounties, and an extraordinary movement occurred in the realm of minds and souls. The banner of the unity of humankind was raised aloft, and the pavilion of fellowship and love cast its shadow upon the pole of the horizons. The wonders, signs, realities and mysteries of creation in this century surpassed a hundred centuries, manifesting such splendor that the minds of the wise were bewildered.

Now those souls who were seekers of truth worshipped the Sun and were lovers of its light. When they beheld the Sun in the Mosaic horizon they derived benefit from divine bounties, and when the Orb of Reality moved to the Christian horizon, they beheld the Sun at that point of truth and turned from the Mosaic dawning-place to the Christian dayspring. However, those who worshipped the Mosaic point and were heedless of the Sun of Truth, when that luminous Star moved from the Mosaic point to the Christian dayspring, were deprived of beholding the Sun and remained extinguished and deprived at that Mosaic point. Likewise the Christians who worshipped the Christian point, when the Sun of Truth transferred to the Muhammadan point, remained deprived. But those holy souls who were enamored of the Sun beheld the light of truth in the Muhammadan horizon, and when that brilliant Star transferred to the horizon of the Primal Point, the people of truth worshipped the Sun and were not deprived. And when the Most Great Orb shone forth from the dawning-place of Baha'u'llah with utmost heat and effulgence, casting its rays upon all regions, the ignorant souls among the people of the Bayan, who are the most extinguished of all peoples, remained at the point of the Primal Point and were deprived of the eternal bounty of Baha'u'llah.

Moses was sent and established a Law. When Christ came, He confirmed Moses and gave utmost praise to Moses and the Torah, spreading His name to all horizons. And when Muhammad came, He declared that Christ was from God and the Gospel was the Book of God. Similarly He gave utmost praise to Moses. Even in the Quran there is a chapter specifically about Mary containing the highest praise and perfect glorification of Christ and the apostles.

They do not see the Power of Baha'u'llah who proves the Truth of Christ to unbelievers after nineteen centuries, the Truth of Islam after thirteen centuries and the Truth of Abraham after four thousand years!

In the course of a short conversation this morning with 'Abdu'l-Baha, we asked if it were necessary to believe in all the Manifestations, and in reply He quoted the words of Jesus to the Pharisees:

"Had ye believed in Moses, ye would also believe in me" adding, "If a king send many different governors to rule a city, and the people obey all but the last one, it will be to the king as though they disobeyed all."

As for your third question that the Promised One must be from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah - the Promised One of the Torah was Christ, and He was from David's lineage. The Promised One of the Gospel was Muhammad, and the Promised One of the Quran was the Bab, and the Promised One of the Bayan is the Blessed Beauty.

The essence of the Torah is the Ancient Covenant, and that Ancient Covenant was a harbinger of this new Covenant, which is the Covenant of the manifestation of the Lord with all His attributes and perfection.

Teach them as the truths contained in their own religion; and after you have instructed them and gladdened their hearts, you may tell them of the Messenger, and remind them of the promise of Buddha that another teacher should come, teaching the same truths.

"Christ is an Expression of the Divine Reality, the Single Essence and Heavenly Entity, which hath no beginning or ending. It has appearance, arising, and manifestation and setting in each one of the Cycles."

As Moses and Jesus brought their Message to the people, so Baha'u'llah brings the same Message.

Each time God sends a Great One to us we are given new life, but the Truth each Manifestation brings is the same. The Truth never changes but man's vision changes.

And as in the material world, there is a necessity for a renewal of the seasons, which are the same and yet are not the same, so it is with the religion of God. There must be a renewal; it is the same religion but with conditions to suit the time of the world's people, and though the Prophet which reveals the religion is the Manifestation of God, yet He brings new rays of the same Light, or the same rays, but they strike and reach the people at a different point of view.

The Truth doth today promote the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an, and likewise promoteth all divine scriptures, psalms, and books. This is spoken in one station, and in another station: "He is the Creator of the heavens and earth. He hath come with a new Cause that hath no likeness in the past nor equal in the future. To this beareth witness His preserved Tablet."

For in every Manifestation when the dawn of guidance shone forth, its subject was a particular matter. In the days of Moses, the subject of God's law was obedience and submission to the Lord of Hosts, with ordinances of utmost severity and difficulty. … And in the day when the brilliant Sun of Christ dawned, the subject and foundation of His law was good character, fellowship and harmony, and not taking revenge on the people of discord and opposition. … And in the day of Muhammad's appearance, the subject of God's command and foundation of religion was breaking of idols, prevention of idol worship, humbling of pharaohs and abasement of tyrants.

All down the ages the prophets of God have been sent into the world to serve the cause of truth -- Moses brought the law of truth, and all the prophets of Israel after him sought to spread it.

When Jesus came He lighted the flaming torch of truth, and carried it aloft so that the whole world might be illumined thereby. After Him came His chosen apostles, and they went far and wide, carrying the light of their Master's teaching into a dark world -- and, in their turn, passed on.

Then came Muhammad, who in His time and way spread the knowledge of truth among a savage people; for this has always been the mission of God's elect.

These blessed souls - whether Moses, Christ, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, or Muhammad - were the cause of illumination in the world. How can we deny such conclusive proof? How can we deny such illumination? How can we deny this radiance of Christ? This is unfair and a denial of truth.

The Blessed Perfection said in His Tablets that once He was Abraham, once Moses, once Jesus, once Muhammad, and once the Bab. This is explained [...] clearly in the 'Book of Iqan,' that is, the meanings and perfection of qualities which were once hidden are now revealed in Baha'u'llah.

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The divine religions, by which are meant those based upon divine revelation and possessing a book, are seven in number. Consider the great world religions of to-day. They are Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Mohammedanism, Buddhism and Confucianism, each of which branches into many sects and denominations. According to the Bahai belief all the truth of these six religions is embraced within a seventh -- the revelation of Baha'u'llah -- which completes and fulfils the promises and prophecies of the prophets of the past.

You had written that Aqa Mirza Ahmad Khan Yazdani had given you an exposition of the Cause of Baha'u'llah, and you wrote exactly what he said: that the Baha'i Faith is reality, and these other religions are, compared to the Baha'i Faith, purely metaphorical and yield no mighty results. Though they appear to have foundation in the eyes of men, they are like fruitless trees. How many trees there are that outwardly appear mighty and cast a shadow, yet bear no fruit and are ultimately uprooted, as you have observed and continue to observe. But the divine foundation is a tree that casts its shadow over East and West and yields mighty results at every moment, as has been proven until now.

However, God's alteration is immeseaurably exalted above any association with the alteration of His creatures. For the creature's alteration is due to their powerlessness, whereas God's alteration is out of supreme power. Therefore, in each Revelation of the Will, His alteration is manifest.

… But this divine alteration is naught but the alteration of the Will, inasmuch as the Essence of the Eternity hath always been, and will continue forever to be, unchanged. Manifestation and concealment are the attributes of the Will, and firstness and lastness are the schemes of His Wish.

If thou art in the midst of that Manifestation, then establish the Cause of that Manifestation according to thy capacity. But watch over thyself at the time of the subsequent Manifestation, for all shall be tested then if thou art among the discerning ones. Thou mayest desire to establish the former Manifestation while veiling thyself from God thy Lord in the subsequent Manifestation, thinking thyself among those who establish the truth, when in fact by being veiled from the subsequent Manifestation thou art veiled from the former Manifestation, nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end.

The likeness of Him Whom God shall make manifest is as the sun in heaven: whether it riseth or setteth, it is but one and the same sun. Likewise, whenever the Messengers are sent or will be sent, that which is manifest in them is one Will. Thy knowledge of that Will in each Revelation is thy knowledge of thy Lord and thy certitude in thy Creator. For that creation there is neither beginning nor end; it proceedeth from infinity unto infinity.

… He hath made His example, from first to last, like unto the rising of the sun, and hath ordained every manifestation like unto a dawning, that those who are illumined by the first appearance might not be veiled from the latter appearance.

From the Source of His knowledge countless Luminaries of learning and wisdom have risen, and out of the Paradise of His Pen the breath of the All-Merciful hath continually been wafted to the hearts and souls of men.

But fear ye God on the Day when God shall come with His Cause, for on that Day God shall lift up what He hath sent down and shall reveal other verses. God ordaineth what He pleaseth and establisheth what He willeth, and unto Him shall all return.

… Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send down upon the Names which Thou hast created by Thy command "Be!" and it is, and hast made them witnesses from Thy presence in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, and furthermore throughout all worlds, that which shall draw them to the Most Exalted Horizon and cause them to enter into this mighty Faith. Thou, verily, hast power over all things through Thy command "Be!" and it is.

Consider from the first moment thou didst enter into thy religion - hast thou seen any Prophet or Proof except that thou didst witness the Qur'an from God, the Lord of all worlds, and didst derive evidence therefrom without any doubt, and wert among those who were certain? Judge fairly - when thou didst behold the Qur'an or the verses of the Bayan, didst thou see anything that would veil thee from this or cause thee to doubt this, if thou art among the discerning ones?

This Most Great Revelation hath ever been manifest in and of itself, needing no one to establish its truth. The equivalent of all previous and future books hath been sent down from the heaven of His Will, and whatsoever was to come to pass was clearly set forth beforehand by the Supreme Pen.

And if God were to chastise thee for believing in His verses in this Revelation, then by what proof would He chastise those who believed not in 'Ali before, and before him in Muhammad the Messenger of God, and before him in Jesus son of Mary, and before him in Moses, and before him in Abraham, until the Revelations end at the First Creation who was created by the will of thy Lord, the Powerful, the Purposeful.

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. … These Mirrors will everlastingly succeed each other, and will continue to reflect the light of the Ancient of Days. They that reflect their glory will, in like manner, continue to exist forevermore, for the Grace of God can never cease from flowing.

Adam in the divine cycles and sacred dispensations is the first to believe, for he is the First Original, and the children of Adam are those souls who in that cycle enter beneath the shade of that Word of the All-Merciful and are as his lineage and progeny.

O descendant and progeny of His Holiness the Glorious Abraham! That Manifest Light, His Holiness Abraham, prayed for his offspring, saying "O Kind Lord, make my progeny honored and leaders of the world." At the Divine Threshold, this prayer was accepted.

… And His Holiness the Exalted One, may my spirit be sacrificed for Him, made the world a new world and breathed the breath of life into the temple of creation until this Most Great Cycle arrived.

The morn of the All-Merciful dawned, the dawn of oneness became bright, and the Sun of Truth shone forth.

And Thou hast ordained from it in every Manifestation what Thou hast loved, whereby Thy unitarians worship Thee and they who are detached turn unto Thee.

I bear witness before Thee and before all things that, after what Thou didst manifest aforetime and the revelation of the Furqan upon him, Thou didst conceal him behind the veils of the Throne and store him within the tabernacle of glory for a Day Thou hadst ordained for the manifestation of Thy proof.

In every cycle and age Thou hast ordained a religion for the people of that time and a path for those who desire to ascend unto Thee, until all religions were abrogated and all paths led to the time of Muhammad, Thy Beloved, may God's blessings be upon him and his family.

Each renewal of religion in an epoch of time becomes the foundation of a new religion. The new religion and prophetic teaching of our period of time has for its Forerunner His Holiness the Bab, and for its Consummator the Blessed Perfection Baha'u'llah.

Thus in one Manifestation it is mentioned by the name of Jesus, then in another Manifestation by the name of Muhammad, Thy Beloved, then in another Manifestation by what Thou hast ordained from Thy presence, then in another Manifestation by what Thou hast created for that Manifestation. For verily it is the Hereafter in relation to this first life.

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. In every Manifestation I have been the Proof of God unto all the worlds.

Behold then the first day when God brought him into His presence and he prostrated himself before the throne of the Point of the Bayan, for verily the Qur'an and all that is therein was created for the Bayan and all that is therein, and verily the Bayan and all that is therein was created for Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, and what God shall reveal unto Him. Then all before exists for what comes after, and thou shalt find no limit to the love of God as thou findest no beginning for it, for through it the beginning is created and through it the return is brought forth.

For whoso was in the paradise of the letter Alif of Thy Book which Thou didst reveal before the Qur'an until what Thou revealest was in Thy paradise, and whoso was not therein was in Thy fire. But when Thou didst reveal the Qur'an, whoso believed in it entered the most exalted paradise, and whoso believed not in it entered into the most severe fire. And likewise, O my God, when Thou didst reveal the Bayan, for the paradise of the Qur'an compared to the paradise of the Bayan is as the manifestation of the first life compared to the latter, and its fire is like its paradise in that it is more severe than the first fire, for I witness with mine own eyes that whoso departeth from the Bayan, his fire is more intense than his who departed from the Qur'an.

When God sent forth His Prophet Muhammad, on that day the termination of the prophetic cycle was foreordained in the knowledge of God. Yea, that promise hath indeed come true and the decree of God hath been accomplished as He hath ordained.

Let those who follow the Gospel reflect: Creation began with Jesus, and all upon the earth who were of the people of the Gospel should have been present in His day. Then you observe that creation, as it began with Jesus, returns to Muhammad with all who are upon the earth. Likewise should you reflect upon the Manifestation of the Bayan, then upon Him Whom God shall make manifest, and then unto the end that hath no end.

Look ye unto the Sun, for though it riseth again and again without equal, it is but one Sun. Thus doth the First Mention explain the verses of God for those who desire to enter into the religion of God. And when it setteth without equal, it is that same one Sun. Similarly, all the Messengers whom God sendeth are naught but from the First Mention in the Book of God. All begin from there and all return unto God, their Lord.

Look not upon thyself seeing thy life as bounded by a numbered span, for We created thee before all that was before, until thou didst reach this time, and We have caused thee to revolve through a thousand thousand resurrections, and beyond and above that unto what cannot be counted. We speak the truth. And all the worlds have ended in this world, and all the Adams in the Primal Adam, and all in all, until it hath ended in Muhammad.

Through Our bounty was created the First, though It hath no first - verily We are the Eternal. Through Our bounty was created the Last, though It hath no last - verily We are the Eternal. Through Our bounty was created the Primal Point, God's creation among the worlds. Through Our bounty were created Seth before Noah and Abraham. Through Our bounty were created Moses and Jesus after Abraham. Through Our bounty was created Muhammad before 'Ali before Muhammad before Him Whom God shall make manifest in the kingdom of the heavens and earth and what lieth between them, then in all the worlds.

Then after the First Innovation I made Myself known in every dispensation by whatever name I manifested, and revealed unto it the Book and ordained for it ways from My presence until this time, all worship Me, until I concluded all My manifestations with Muhammad, My Messenger from before, and revealed unto him the Furqan and ordained for him ways therein, and all seek Me.

We nurtured the creation of the Furqan for one thousand two hundred and seventy years, that perchance when they hear Our verses they might believe in Us and in Our proof. Thus have We admitted into the paradise of Our love those who followed Our verses and believed in Our proof, and We have forbidden from paradise those who, when they heard Our verses, said not "We are among the believers."

Say: My guides in every Dispensation enter into the subsequent Dispensation, and they are they who know Me. My guides in the Gospel are they who recognized Muhammad, My Messenger, and believed in Him. My guides in the Furqan are they who recognized the Point of the Bayan and believed in Him. And My guides in the Bayan are they who recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest and believe in Him.

Verily, David did sow in the days of His Revelation that which was revealed unto Him in the Psalms, and caused to grow in His Revelation a tender and well-beloved growth which God nurtured through what He had ordained in that Revelation until those souls bore fruit in the Revelation of Moses – all were believers in Him.

Likewise did Moses sow what God revealed unto Him in the Torah in the essences of those unto whom He revealed Himself through His Own Manifestation, and He caused to grow from the earth in His Revelation a verdant and well-beloved growth which God nurtured through what He had ordained in that Revelation until God made manifest Jesus, whereupon they believed in Him. These were the fruits that were borne from what Moses had sown in the worlds.

Then Jesus did sow in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them through what God revealed unto Him in the Gospel, and caused to grow in His Revelation a tender and glorious growth which God nurtured over the space of two hundred years until He made manifest Muhammad, the Apostle of God, from His presence, whereupon they believed in Him.

And this cycle of Manifestation -- which extendeth from the Dispensation of Adam, peace be upon Him, until this day, a span of twelve thousand two hundred and ten solar years -- hath, in every age, appeared under a distinct Name. 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.

All the Manifestations that appeared aforetime were, in this Manifestation, made manifest; and whatsoever shall appear hereafter is likewise contained therein. In every advent after God ye await none; for, after God, what thing remaineth that ye should know? Nor, before God, was there aught that ye could have known. When, then, ye witness the Theophany of God within any appearance, ye come thereby to recognition. We indeed began the creation of this Manifestation with the Bayan, and We made Our Self known to them that are therein, that "there is no God but I, the All-Mighty, the Well-Beloved."

I testify that the likeness of the Books of God is as the likeness of the sun - though it rise countless times, it is but one sun, and though it set countless times, it is but one sun. Similarly, though Books be revealed from God times without number, they are but one Book, and though they be raised up times without number, they are raised up unto God and are but one Book.

In the Name of God, the Most Helping, the Most Helping

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner. Thine is the kingdom and the heavenly dominion, Thine the might and the divine power, Thine the strength and the celestial realm, Thine the power and sovereignty over creation, Thine the glory and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the direction and perfection, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the similitude and example, Thine the station and grandeur, Thine the power and deed, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the might and invincibility, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the dominion and victory, Thine the triumph and omnipotence.

Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining, Sovereign, Supreme, Holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in Thy creation nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things by Thy power and ordained them by measure; Thou hast glorified all things by Thy will and given them form. Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! There was no beginning to Thy creation, so how can I mention Thy firstness? And there shall be no end to what Thou hast created, so how can I speak of Thy lastness? Thou wert before all things, Thou art above all things, Thou shalt be after all things, Thou art the Creator of all things, and Thou art supreme over all things.

Thou hast ever made Thyself known through a single Sun which Thou didst make as a sign of Thy Will, and through it Thou didst create whatsoever Thou didst wish in the kingdom of Thy command and creation, until Thou didst bring creation unto the First Innovation, and from the First Innovation unto David, and revealed unto him the Psalms, and made the days of the duration of his Book to be the number of Thy Name, the Firm. Then Thou didst complete the creation of that Manifestation and didst reveal Thyself through Thy power unto Moses, son of Imran - Thy blessings be upon them both - and revealed unto him the Book, and made the days of the elevation of his Book to be the number of Thy Name, the Firm. Then Thou didst reveal Thyself through Thy power unto Jesus, son of Mary - Thy blessings be upon Him - and didst aid Him and perfect the tree of His Manifestation for the number of Thy Name, the Firm, or more than that or less than that according to what Thy knowledge encompasseth. When Thou didst raise it to its zenith, Thou didst cause it to be sheltered in the shade of Muhammad, Thy Beloved, and revealed unto him the Book which lasted for the number of Thy Name, the Implanted. And Thou didst raise the Tree of the Furqan to the utmost perfection, whereupon Thou didst cause it to be sheltered in the shade of 'Ali, Thy Proof.

I testify at that time, and so doth all Thy creation, that there is no God but Thee and that He Who is the Essence of the Seven Letters is Thy Proof, and that Thou hast no proof in the Books except the Bayan, and I bear witness that on that Day there shall be no truth except for those who follow Thee in that paradise. Thou didst desire the elevation and exaltation of that paradise only for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection through Thy power, and Thou hast loved that He should be worshipped openly on earth and that through Him Thou shouldst possess all things victoriously upon the earth.

Therefore, O my God, do Thou send down upon me, in my beginning and my end, from all Thy glory its most glorious, from all Thy majesty its most majestic, from all Thy beauty its most beautiful, from all Thy greatness its most great, from all Thy light its most luminous, from all Thy mercy its most vast, from all Thy words their most perfect, from all Thy names their most mighty, from all Thy power its most powerful; from among all Thy behests, the most conclusive; and of all Thy knowledge, the most penetrating; and of all Thy power, the most potent; and of all Thy words, the most pleasing; and of all Thy questions, the most beloved and delightful unto Thee; and of all Thy glory, the most glorious; and of all Thy sovereignty, the most enduring; and of all Thy dominion, the ultimate; and of all Thy exaltation, the most exalted; and of all Thy favors, the most ancient; and of all Thy signs, the most wondrous; and of all Thy manifestations, the most manifest; and of all Thy concealed things, the most hidden; and of all Thy riches, the most enriching; and of all Thy triumph, the most victorious; and of all Thy conquest, the most conquering; and of all Thy possession, the most possessing; and of all Thy independence, the most impregnable; and of all that beseemeth the sublimity of Thy sanctity and the exaltation of Thy bounty, that which Thou dost merit.

I testify from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end that from Thee Thy blessings have been perfected and Thy bestowals completed, and Thou hast encompassed me with every good Thou hast ordained and every bounty Thou hast sent down upon me.

Unto Thee be praise - praise that hath no equal in Thy knowledge, no likeness in Thy Book, no peer among Thy names, no companion in Thy earth, and no similitude in the kingdom of Thy Command and creation - praise wherewith Thou art well-pleased, and beyond Thy good-pleasure unto that which none save Thee can reckon, from the highest kingdom to the lowest atom.

And I shall thank Thee with thanksgiving that hath no peer before it nor equal after it, no likeness in heaven nor companion on earth, nor similitude between them in the highest kingdom to the lowest atom - thanksgiving wherewith Thou art well-pleased, and beyond Thy good-pleasure unto that which Thy knowledge hath encompassed from the highest kingdom to the lowest atom. This is what I have testified, and all Thy creation, of my satisfaction with Thee from the beginning of beginnings, and it shall never cease nor end.

But O my God, whenever I have witnessed grief from the beginning that hath no beginning until now, it hath been naught but the veil of Thy creation and the remoteness of Thy servants. And when I became certain that Thy good-pleasure appeareth not save through the good-pleasure of Thy Proof, I shall surely testify, and all Thy creation, that I was not pleased nor will I be pleased until naught remaineth that is mentioned by the name of anything except it entereth into Thy religion, prostrating before Thee, and ascendeth therein until it reacheth a station that hath no equal in its limit - all this in Thy manifestation before Thee, though it appeareth not in the depths of Thy night due to the manifestation of Thy remoteness before Thine eyes.

All that is on earth shall surely prostrate before Thee when Thou makest them know Thee in less than the twinkling of an eye, and they shall worship Thee openly and manifestly by what Thou hast revealed unto them through them at the greatest vista. And verily Thou hast shown me the like thereof in Thy worlds which none save Thee can enumerate, and Thou shalt surely show me the like thereof in Thy worlds which none save Thy knowledge can encompass, for every possessor of a thing possesseth its thing through Thy Will. If joy be witnessed, it is the joy of Thy Will, and if grief be witnessed, it is the grief of Thy Will. Therefore, O my God, all joy is mine and all grief is mine.

Therefore, deliver me, O God, from all my grief by causing all things to enter Thy religion until naught remaineth in the fire, for my satisfaction in that manifestation was naught but this concerning Thy creation and concerning Thee. I have testified before that I was well-pleased and satisfied, and I shall surely be well-pleased and satisfied, for what is with Thee hath been perfected and completed, while what is with Thy creation hath diminished through their being veiled. Therefore deliver them, O God, from the fire of their veils by causing them to enter into the light of Thy knowledge, however Thou willest, whensoever Thou willest, through whatsoever Thou willest, wheresoever Thou willest, and in whatever manner Thou willest. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

And when Thou didst purpose to make Thyself known unto men, Thou didst successively reveal the Manifestations of Thy Cause, and ordained each to be a sign of Thy Revelation among Thy people, and the Day-Spring of Thine invisible Self amidst Thy creatures, until the time when, as decreed by Thee, all Thy previous Revelations culminated in Him Whom Thou hast appointed as the Lord of all who are in the heaven of revelation and the kingdom of creation, Him Whom Thou hast established as the Sovereign Lord of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth.

He sent forth Adam and bestowed upon him a Book, and likewise unto Seth and Enoch and Abraham - upon them be the blessings and mercy of God - and unto all the other Prophets He granted whatsoever He willed. And unto the Messengers of firm resolve He sent down Books - the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Qur'an.

Say: O people! We sent forth the First Creation by Our command, and We made him a Word, and We sent him to earth and made him the father of all creation. We gave him progeny from Our presence and made them inheritors.

Then when ages and epochs passed, We sent forth Noah from Our presence to guide people unto God and give them glad tidings of these days.

Successive centuries passed until the clouds were cleft asunder and God came with His kingdom of might, and the matter was decided by the decree of the Powerful, the Praiseworthy. He made him the Herald of Him Who was to come after, as revealed in the Bayan, if ye be of them that know.

He sent forth His Messengers and bestowed His Books that all might find the path and hold fast unto Him, until the paths led to the Most Great Path and the Messengers to the Most Noble Messenger - upon him be the prayers of God and His loving-kindness, and the peace of God and His mercy - through whom the Fire spoke from the Tree and the food of knowledge and wisdom was sent down upon humanity, and upon his family and companions whom God made the treasuries of His knowledge and the mines of His names and the manifestations of His attributes.

At one time He spoke from the Divine Lote-Tree, at another in the Night Journey, and yet again from this Station, whereof every atom of its atoms beareth witness that there is none other God beside Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Thou hast created all beings and sent unto them Thy Messengers and Thy Books and Thy Scriptures and Thy Tablets to bring them the glad-tidings of what Thou hast ordained for them through Thy bounty and favors.

This is He Whom Adam heralded, until the matter reached the Interlocutor whom We commanded, through what We revealed in the Qur'an, to lead the people out of darkness into light and remind them of the days of God; and of Whom the Beloved informed concerning the Day when all shall stand before the Lord of the worlds.

Be fair, ye peoples of the world; is it meet and seemly for you to question the authority of one Whose presence ‘He Who conversed with God’ (Moses) hath longed to attain, the beauty of Whose countenance ‘God’s Well-beloved’ (Muḥammad) had yearned to behold, through the potency of Whose love the ‘Spirit of God’ (Jesus) ascended to heaven, for Whose sake the ‘Primal Point’ (the Báb) offered up His life?

He hath sent unto them in every age a Messenger to guide them to the court of sublime glory and to draw them nigh unto God and to detach them from all else save Him - a mercy from His presence, for He, verily, is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

O My handmaiden! Hearken with thy heart's ear unto the call of Ali in truth, then unto the call of Muhammad, then unto the call of the Spirit from the precincts of the Prison, that there is none other God but He, and that He Who hath appeared in truth is, verily, His sovereignty, His might and His grandeur unto all who dwell in the unseen and the visible realms.

Think ye, O My servants, that the Hand of My all-encompassing, My overshadowing, and transcendent sovereignty is chained up, that the flow of Mine ancient, My ceaseless, and all-pervasive mercy is checked, or that the clouds of My sublime and unsurpassed favors have ceased to rain their gifts upon men? Can ye imagine that the wondrous works that have proclaimed My divine and resistless power are withdrawn, or that the potency of My will and purpose hath been deterred from directing the destinies of mankind?

There can be no doubt whatever that if for one moment the tide of His mercy and grace were to be withheld from the world, it would completely perish. For this reason, from the beginning that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy have been flung open to the face of all created things, and the clouds of Truth will continue to the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human capacity, reality and personality their favors and bounties. Such hath been God's method continued from everlasting to everlasting.

It is clearly established from that which hath been mentioned that none may ever justifiably claim: "We are begotten of the Intellect, while all others stem from another origin." The truth that shineth bright and resplendent as the sun is this, that all have been created through the operation of the Divine Will and have proceeded from the same source, that all are from Him and that unto Him they shall all return.

Say: God hath raised up Messengers after Moses and Jesus, and will continue to send them until the end that hath no end, such that the outpourings of grace may never cease to rain from the heaven of divine bounty. He doeth what He willeth and is not asked of what He doeth, while all else shall be questioned concerning all things in the presence of justice.

In every land We have set up a luminary of knowledge, and when the time foreordained is at hand, it will shine resplendent above its horizon, as decreed by God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Among the bounties of God is revelation. Hence revelation is progressive and continuous. It never ceases.

… Therefore, the teachings of religion must be reformed and renewed because past teachings are not suitable for the present time. For example, the sciences of bygone centuries are not adequate for the present because sciences have undergone reform. The industrialism of the past will not ensure present efficiency because industrialism has advanced. The laws of the past are being superseded because they are not applicable to this time.

In former times the Qur'an had one station, the Gospel had one station, but in this blessed Revelation there are multiple stations - Tablets, verses, odes, sermons and prayers." Then raising His blessed hands, He said "They are abundant!"

Therefore, from the day of the martyrdom of Christ until the day of the appearance of the Beauty of Muhammad was night.

The days of the appearance of the Daysprings of Reality are days of reunion, and the days of the setting of the Divine Manifestations are days of separation.

In the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of Truth has always shone from the horizon of the East.

Abraham appeared in the East. In the East Moses arose to lead and teach the people. On the Eastern horizon arose the Lord Christ. Muhammad was sent to an Eastern nation. The Bab arose in the Eastern land of Persia. Baha'u'llah lived and taught in the East.

In each world He appeareth according to the capacity of that world. For example, in the world of spirits He shineth upon them and appeareth unto them through spiritual effects, and likewise in the worlds of bodies, the worlds of names and attributes, and worlds which none hath known save God. Each hath a portion from this Manifestation, appearing unto them in His image to guide them unto God their Lord, draw them nigh unto the seat of His command, and bring them to what hath been ordained for them.

The stages of creation and legislation are endless paths of the beloved's journey to the Beloved. The servants of the Most Merciful were taught again their path to God, and according to their different stations they were judged with differences - though God's religion and decree is one: "Had it been from other than God they would have found in it many discrepancies."

Thus there have been many holy Manifestations of God. One thousand years ago, two hundred thousand years ago, one million years ago, the bounty of God was flowing, the radiance of God was shining, the dominion of God was existing.

And concerning the question that was asked about why there is no mention of the Prophets before Adam, the father of mankind, and the kings of those ages in historical books - the absence of mention is not, and has never been, proof of non-existence. Due to the length of time and the revolutions of the earth, these records have not remained.

… Creation has always existed, and the Manifestations of the glory of the Divine Unity and Dawning-places of eternal holiness have been sent forth in the primordial centuries, calling creation to the Truth. However, due to the changes and transformations in the conditions of the world, some names and mentions have not remained.

Each of the Manifestations of God has likewise a cycle wherein His religion and His law are in full force and effect. When His cycle is ended through the advent of a new Manifestation, a new cycle begins. Thus, cycles are inaugurated, concluded, and renewed, until a universal cycle is completed in the world of existence and momentous events transpire which efface every record and trace of the past; then a new universal cycle begins in the world, for the realm of existence has no beginning.

Therefore, the sound reasoning mind concludes that the bounties of the Holy Spirit are continuous and that holy souls are ever the recipients of these divine emanations. The potency of the Holy Spirit is everlasting, not temporary; for the sanctity of the Holy Spirit is its power and efficacy manifest in the spirits it quickens.

… From time immemorial the divine teachings have been successively revealed, and the bounties of the Holy Spirit have ever been emanating.

The atoms of the elements are predisposed (programmed) to synthesis and composition according to the laws of nature; the Cosmic Spirit, the divine Primal Will operates and creates in this manner. The Primal Will operates in the element, in the primal atom, as attraction and repulsion; on the next higher level as organic life; then as animal-vegetative; and finally as spiritual life, which is destined to rise to the super-spiritual.

But the power of God is eternal and the creation of God is likewise eternal. Divinity is dependent on creation. Can you imagine a king without a people? Can you imagine our sun without light and heat? The sun to us means light and heat. The king needs his kingdom and the qualities of God are eternal. As long as God exists his creation will exist and the manifestations of God in the divine teachers have always existed as an energy of God and will always continue to exist.

From them it is understood that man hast two lives, the material and the Spiritual. As to the bodily life, man shares it with the animals; his powers and feelings are the same, and for this reason, in this state, man is called dead. Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead", and man in this state, is in darkness.

As to the spiritual state of life, it is heavenly, divine and supreme, and of this condition of man it is said in the Koran, "Let us quicken him by a pure life and spirit."

The day of Adam was as the rising of the sun; the Day of the Blessed Perfection as the full noontide. The joy, fragrance and spirituality in the time of Moses compared with that in the day of Jesus was like a river compared to the sea.

And before Jesus, for a thousand years they awaited Moses for five hundred years, then when He came to them with the truth, they believed not. Then Jesus came to them after five hundred years with guidance and clear proofs, yet they believed not. Then Muhammad, the Messenger of God, came to them with the truth and what was revealed to Him from God, yet they believed not in Him. Then the Point of the Bayan came to them, yet they continue waiting until now.

I have sent Messengers before, that they might prepare you for the Day of My Manifestation, which now you witness. I have revealed Books before, that they might teach you the knowledge of My good-pleasure, which now you know.

Glorified be He Who sendeth down the verses in truth as He sent them down before and before that, and verily He doth encompass all the worlds. And He shall manifest the Cause as He willeth through His grace, even as He manifested it before and before that, and verily He hath power over a mighty and wondrous sovereignty and a dominion of transcendent glory.

Say: He it is Who hath sent the Messengers from a beginning that hath no beginning - and this was ordained in the preserved tablets of might - and He will continue to send them unto an end that hath no end. There is none other God but Him, the Bestower, the All-Knowing.

Wherefore the dispensations of past ages are intimately connected with those that follow them: indeed, they are one and the same, but as the world groweth, so doth the light, so doth the downpour of heavenly grace, and then the Daystar shineth out in noonday splendor.

… In the dispensations gone before, the feeble body of the world could not withstand a rigorous or powerful cure. For this reason did Christ say: "I have yet many things to say unto you, matters needing to be told, but ye cannot bear to hear them now.

Say:

The Revelation of which I am the bearer is adapted to humanity’s spiritual receptiveness and capacity; otherwise, the Light that shines within me can neither wax nor wane. Whatever I manifest is nothing more or less than the measure of the Divine glory which God has bidden me reveal.

lest the hearts of the believers be disturbed.

Now, concerning the recorded tradition that in former times only two letters were revealed but in the days of the Qa'im all the remaining ones shall be made manifest, the following is meant. All the works and sciences, laws and ordinances, inventions and wonders, and the perfections of the human world that had been manifested in bygone times, were even as two letters. But in this wondrous Dispensation, and with the appearance of the glorious Treasure, the perfections and attainments of the world of humanity and its limitless sciences and arts shall advance to such a degree that they may be likened unto all the remaining letters.

Let them alone. What would they do if a former king had reigned and a new king was now seated upon the throne? They must acknowledge the new king, or they are not true subjects of the Kingdom. Last year there was a springtime. Can a man say, 'I do not need a new springtime this year-the old springtime is enough for me'? No! the new spring must come to fill the earth with beauty and brightness.

Already the Blessed Perfection Baha'u'llah has said in regard to the holy Books of the Pentateuch, the Gospel (Injil), the Qur'an, the Bayan and the Kitab-i-Aqdas: 'A Revelation is totally or partially out of date when it is no longer in accordance with all needs.' And in another place the same Prophet teaches us: 'Each succeeding Revelation is in some ways based on the previous ones and is in some respect more complete than the previous one.'

The Prophets of God are the Mediators of God. All the Prophets and Messengers have come from One Holy Spirit and bear the Message of God, fitted to the age in which they appear. The One Light is in them and they are One with each other. But the Eternal does not become phenomenal; neither can the phenomenal become Eternal.

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...in accordance with the principle of progressive revelation every Manifestation of God must needs vouchsafe to the peoples of His day a measure of divine guidance ampler than any which a preceding and less receptive age could have received or appreciated.

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It is unjust for the speaker to utter that which is beyond the capacity of his listeners to comprehend.

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Whenever sacred duty decays, and chaos prevails, then, I create myself, Arjuna. To protect men of virtue and destroy men who do evil, to set the standard of sacred duty, I appear in age after age. (Bhagavad-Gita, 4th teaching, v. 8; Miller trans.)

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I am not the first Buddha, who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One, endowed with wisdom in Conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a Master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax, and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure; such am I now proclaim.

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...the First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of God, may be likened unto the sun. God hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling power of His behest, and God will, to the end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose. And know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the sun to continue till the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun....

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It is clear and evident that the object of all preceding Dispensations hath been to pave the way for the advent of Muhammad, the Apostle of God. These, including the Muhammadan Dispensation, have had, in their turn, as their objective the Revelation proclaimed by the Qa'im. The purpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest. And this Faith--the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest--in its turn, together with all the Revelations gone before it, have as their object the Manifestation destined to succeed it. And the latter, no less than all the Revelations preceding it, prepare the way for the Revelation which is yet to follow. The process of the rise and setting of the Sun of Truth will thus indefinitely continue--a process that hath had no beginning and will have no end.

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God hath raised up Prophets and revealed Books as numerous as the creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to everlasting.

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The prophets of God have ever appeared in the ages of the past and will continue to appear throughout the ages of the future.... If we limit the number of his appearances through his prophets, it is equal to limiting God himself.

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...from 'the beginning that hath no beginning' the Prophets of the one, the unknowable God, including Baha'u'llah Himself, have all, as the channels of God's grace, as the exponents of His unity, as the mirrors of His light and the revealers of His purpose, been commissioned to unfold to mankind an ever-increasing measure of His truth, of His inscrutable will and Divine guidance, and will continue to 'the end that hath no end' to vouchsafe still fuller and mightier revelations of His limitless power and glory.

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Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language.

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In the Bayan the Bab says that every religion was meant to be universal and also deserved to become so. The only reason why they have all failed to stand up to that mark was due to the inability of the followers who where entrusted with that task.

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The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, whose supreme mission is none other but the achievement of this organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, should, if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race. It should be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man's collective life on this planet.

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The Faith standing identified with the name of Baha'u'llah disclaims any intention to belittle any of the Prophets gone before Him... to abrogate the fundamentals of their doctrines.... Baha'u'llah inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of religious truth, the continuity of Divine Revelation, the progressiveness of religious experience. His aim is to widen the basis of all revealed religions and to unravel the mysteries of their scriptures.

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The fundamental principle enunciated by Baha'u'llah... is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the non-essential aspects of their doctrines, and represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society.

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...the Revelation identified with Baha'u'llah abrogates unconditionally all the Dispensations gone before it, upholds uncompromisingly the eternal verities they enshrine...

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If long-cherished ideals and time-honored institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution?... For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity of any particular law or doctrine.

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One cannot call one world Faith superior to another, as they all come from God; they are progressive, each suited to certain needs of the times.

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...the Revelation identified with Baha'u'llah ... readily and gratefully recognizes their respective contributions to the gradual unfoldment of one Divine Revelation, unhesitatingly acknowledges itself to be but one link in the chain of continually progressive Revelations...

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...the categorical rejection by the followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah of the claim to finality which any religious system inaugurated by the Prophets of the past may advance is as clear and emphatic as their own refusal to claim that same finality for the Revelation with which they stand identified.

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...great as is the power manifested by this Revelation and however vast the range of the Dispensation its Author has inaugurated, it emphatically repudiates the claim to be regarded as the final revelation of God's will and purpose for mankind.

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...understanding the Bayan [i.e. the totality of the Bab's Writings] is dependent on understanding the totality of its revelation from beginning to end. For that which was revealed first is based upon the Qur'anic laws; only later were the true measures of the Dispensation of the Bayan manifested. Neither be ye shrouded from the later writings by the earlier writings, nor fix your eyes merely on the later writings and ignore the earlier ones.... Yet, the later the revelation of the writings, the more manifest is the divine intention therein. Verily, all the Bayan is the Word of the Point of Truth.

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Even after its revelation the Aqdas was withheld by Him for some time before it was sent to the friends in Persia. This divinely purposed delay in the revelation of the basic laws of God for this age, and the subsequent gradual implementation of their provisions, illustrate the principle of progressive revelation which applies even within the ministry of each Prophet.

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