The unschooled Manifestation: knowledge and its source

We have not entered any school. I was seated when the hand of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, raised Me up, and I was silent when He caused Me to speak that which draweth you nigh unto Him.

We have not entered any school, nor read any of your dissertations. Incline your ears to the words of this unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto God, the Ever-Abiding.

One who was never known for learning, was not from among the seminary students, and in his early days earned his livelihood through ordinary worldly means - as all have testified and continue to testify to this fact - yet suddenly oceans of knowledge in the form of verses began to flow from him.

For if one from whose life only twenty-four years have passed, and who is devoid of those sciences wherein all are learned, now reciteth verses after such fashion without thought or hesitation, writes a thousand verses of prayer in the course of five hours without pause of the pen, and produceth commentaries and learned treatises on such lofty themes as the true understanding of God and of the oneness of His Being, in a manner which doctors and philosophers confess surpasseth their power of understanding, then there is no doubt that all that hath been manifested is divinely inspired.

And say not "How can one speak on God's behalf who is but twenty-five years old in truth by truth?"

Hear then, by the Lord of heaven and earth, I am indeed God's servant. He hath given me clear proofs from the presence of the Remnant of God, your Expected One.

Know, O king, that I am a non-Arab youth from among the just merchants, unlettered in such wise that none hath encompassed my knowledge. The All-Wise hath chosen me, and verily there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Powerful.

My God! Thou knowest I have not studied the science of eloquence from any creature, but Thou hast inspired me when and how Thou wished with what Thou wished concerning what Thou wished.

O thou who art endowed with insight! Purify thy vision and refine thy sight. Verily God hath manifested the Cause from a station that hath never occurred to any heart, and He was unlettered in respect to those verses, prayers, addresses and allusions, for He saw no teacher for Himself except what the All-Merciful promised in the Surah of the All-Merciful: "The All-Merciful hath taught the Qur'an, created man, taught him clear expression."

Say: I have not learned as ye learn, nor do I know what ye know, but God hath revealed Himself unto me through my own self, and hath caused me to speak by His leave that there is no God but I, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

God hath never sent any Messenger whose books published before Him would be proof in themselves. This is unique to the Point of the Bayan, that if He should write a book in the mode of verses to one of the believers in the Qur'an or to others, the proof becometh complete and perfect through the Book itself upon beholding a single verse thereof, if the observer be possessed of insight and understanding.

Ask of the just among you: Hath this Remembrance, after attaining the the age of maturity, studied with any one of your divines even a portion of what they allege? Exalted is God above what they ascribe! Act, O concourse, according to the judgment of the Remembrance from Our presence; for the Spirit, by God's leave, hath aided him in all affairs; and verily there is no God but He, the Mighty, the All-Powerful. And when this Youth attained the age of Ha-Mim, We caused him to journey to the isle that lieth in the sea for six months.

Now since He was noted amongst the people for lack of instruction and education, this circumstance appeared in the sight of men supernatural.

… Similarly they regarded the numerous writings which, in spite of His lack of education, the Bab had composed, as due to the promptings of the Holy Spirit; extracted from books contrary sayings handed down by men of mark; adduced traditions apparently agreeing with their objects; and clung to the announcements of certain notables of yore.

As for the Bab---may my soul be His sacrifice!---it was at a young age, that is, in the twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, that He arose to proclaim His Cause. Among the Shi'ihs it is universally acknowledged that He never studied in any school, nor acquired learning from any teacher. To this the people of Shiraz, each and all, bear witness.

The Blessed Beauty said that the nature of the Most Great Branch reflected the nature of God, and that with but slight attention, He could comprehend sciences and arts that others could not master. Just as the Bab, though having practiced writing for only a few pages, possessed such sweet penmanship, and though attending school for just a few days, had such divine knowledge flow from His blessed heart.

Great minds, geniuses often have an astonishing school knowledge, be it acquired by themselves (autodidactic), be it acquired through teachers and schooling, but this acquired knowledge ('ilm-i-kasbi), admirable as it is, is not to be compared with the innate knowledge ('ilm-i-ladduni) of a Prophet. Even the unlettered Prophet - see His Holiness, our Lord Muhammad, the unlettered camel-driver - has revealed in the Qur'an verses of a grammatical correctness, purity of style (fasahat) and in a language which touches the heart (balaghat), which will remain for ever the guideline, the eternally valid measure for the Arabic language.

The sun emanates from itself and does not draw its light from other sources. The divine teachers have the innate light; they have knowledge and understanding of all things in the universe; the rest of the world receives its light from them and through them the arts and sciences are revived in each age.

Abraham and Moses went to no school; Jesus had neither school nor master; Mohammed never had a lesson; the Bab and Baha'u'llah had no professors.

… How can a lamp which has to be lighted be eternal? The divine teacher does not come to acquire knowledge, for this tree of life is a fruit tree by birth and not through grafting.

They do not realize that to deem him who will be the World Teacher to be in need of education by others is like trying to create a resplendent Sun by using the oil and wick of a candle.

One who is in need of the knowledge of the Professors of a university will not become the Manifestation of God. Christ was never taught by any man yet he was the universal Educator. Baha'u'llah did not study but his knowledge was immeasurable.

A man with a stammering tongue can hardly sustain an ordinary conversation, let alone accomplish what He did! No: Were He not assisted by a divine power, He would never have been able to carry out such a mighty task. … How can a mere shepherd lay the foundation for all these branches of learning? There is no doubt that He was assisted by an extraordinary power.

His first reproach to them was this: "Why do you reject the Torah and the Gospel, and wherefore do you refuse to believe in Christ and in Moses?" This statement came indeed hard upon them, for they asked: "What then is to be said of our fathers and forefathers, who did not believe in the Torah and the Gospel?" He answered, "They had gone astray, and it is incumbent upon you to renounce those who do not believe in the Torah and the Gospel, though they be your own forefathers."

The Prophet Muhammad was basically unlettered, and most of the holy ones and great prophets wrote not a single word.

The great Prophets did not enter school to be taught of men, yet so many things did they manifest that at last we must admit that the world is not able to destroy the wisdom of the Prophets or grow without them.

This Wronged One hath frequented no school, neither hath He attended the controversies of the learned.

The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely.

The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely.

Baha'u'llah never studied Arabic, had a teacher or tutor, or entered a school. Nevertheless His eloquence and fluency in spoken Arabic, as well as in His Arabic Tablets, would astonish the most articulate and accomplished among the Arab men of letters, and all acknowledged that in this His attainments were without peer or equal.

Another proof is that all the Persian divines and prominent leaders in Tihran know, beyond any doubt, that Baha'u'llah never attended any school, nor received any formal education, and from early childhood conducted Himself differently. Nevertheless, the divines and the learned of the East have testified to His extraordinary knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and perfections. Despite their denial and bitter enmity, they still acknowledge that Baha'u'llah was a unique and peerless Figure of the age, although they do not recognize His sublime station as do the chosen ones and the sincere.

The point is that even the enemies of the late Mirza loved the Blessed Beauty, and although all knew that He had never attended any school nor been taught by any teacher, all testified that in knowledge, learning and perfection He was peerless and unequaled. For instance, in Tehran whenever a difficult question was discussed and all were perplexed, the Blessed Beauty would solve it.

His house was always full of people - crowded. They used to come and ask questions. Notwithstanding that his holiness Baha'u'llah had never been at any school nor studied any sciences. This is certain. People of learning used to come - people of sciences - people of religion, of every sect, and he would answer their questions. People were astonished that the Blessed Beauty had never studied. Where did he get his wisdom? Where his knowledge?

Should your honor reflect upon the Cause of this servant, it would suffice. For you yourself bear witness that this servant has not acquired the outward sciences nor attended any school. Yet the waters of divine knowledge and wisdom flow from his tongue and pen in such measure that all creation is powerless to comprehend or enumerate them.

Consider that in this Revelation all know that He attended no school, acquired no learning, and sprang not from a house of learning. Moreover, most of His days were spent in affliction, confined in various prisons. Yet His pen hath become the wellspring of infinite divine knowledge.

Though the clearest proofs attest the truth of His Cause; though the prophecies He, in an unmistakable language, hath made have been fulfilled; though, in spite of His not being accounted among the learned, His being unschooled and inexperienced in the disputations current among the divines, He hath rained upon men the showers of His manifold and divinely-inspired knowledge; yet, behold how this generation hath rejected His authority, and rebelled against Him!

Wronged One hath neither associated with you and your like, nor seen your books, nor entered your classes. His headdress, His locks, and His attire all bear witness to what hath been said. Where hath fairness gone? In what place doth the embodiment of justice repose? Open your eyes, look with the eye of insight, and ponder, that ye may not be deprived of the rays of the Sun of Utterance nor be barred from the surging waves of the ocean of knowledge.

… God hath manifested His Cause from a House wherein was found naught of what the divines, the jurists, the mystics and the learned possessed.

This Servant was not among the learned ones and had not traveled to distant lands, and according to outward appearance was born in the household of one of the government officials and was related to him.

Know thou moreover that the Wronged One never attended schools nor associated with divines and theologians.

O thou who dwellest in My vicinity and drinketh the choice wine of My utterance! This Wronged One hath not attended schools nor engaged in formal discourse.

O thou who gazeth upon the Countenance and inquireth about the Ocean! Reflect upon this Manifestation: though untutored, having attended no school nor engaged in scholarly discourse, suddenly the Light of wisdom and utterance dawned from the horizon of His Most Exalted Pen. The oceans of knowledge and understanding surge at His will.

I am not possessed of the art of writing. But because this Unlettered One is clinging to the Divine Lote-Tree I can read without any knowledge and without being taught writing I write.

Say: This is He Who hath not read what ye possess, nor was He among those who are taught.

Say: We have never entered any school, nor do We wish to expound in Our Tablets what the people possess and their sciences.

We have not entered schools. We have come from the dawning-place of utterance with a Cause before which the hosts of the heavens and earth cannot stand.

Say: We have not entered schools, yet We have sent down from the heaven of knowledge and wisdom that before which all the learning of the earth hath bowed down, as every discerning one doth testify.

Having never attended school nor studied books of learning, through divine power and celestial might and glory, openly and without any veil, He summoned and guided the divines and rulers of the earth to the Dayspring of Revelation and the Dawning-Place of inspiration.

Cast aside what ye possess and take hold of that which I have commanded you, from this unlettered Youth Who calleth all to God, the One, the All-Informed."

This matter is renowned throughout all regions and known to all in every direction, despite everyone knowing that throughout His life He had neither studied nor been taught.

Mahomet was an Arab and wrote in Arabic - but - here on this coast - the Bab and the Blessed Perfection were not learned men: they were never taught and did not know Arabic - (the Bab was a merchant without learning) - yet they both wrote in Arabic the most wonderful choice of language and words.

All the old Baha'is know that I have never studied Arabic. I have not taken one lesson in Arabic. No one may believe this but there are still some believers living who bear testimony to this fact. Yet my Arabic, both written and spoken is the masterpiece all over the East.

Although I had never read their books, yet I was giving them answers which satisfied and at the same time caused them great astonishment.

While I was speaking to them on theological doctrines, suddenly I saw the governor entered the circle of the listeners.

These are from a person who never entered a school, who had never seen a teacher, who had never associated with people of learning and who had from the beginning of his life been in the utmost of tribulation.

"This is also one of the most distinctive signs of the Baha'i cycle that a person who has never entered the doors of a school, who has not studied grammar and syntax sitsdown and writes such scholarly works; for example a man like Mirza Mohamad Afshar who has written such a significant book. To those who are just, there is no greater proof than this!