Paragraph 113

And now, to resume Our argument concerning the question: Why is it that the sovereignty of the Qá’im, affirmed in the text of recorded traditions, and handed down by the shining stars of the Muḥammadan Dispensation, hath not in the least been made manifest? Nay, the contrary hath come to pass. Have not His disciples and companions been afflicted of men? Are they not still the victims of the fierce opposition of their enemies? Are they not today leading the life of abased and impotent mortals? Yea, the sovereignty attributed to the Qá’im and spoken of in the scriptures, is a reality, the truth of which none can doubt. This sovereignty, however, is not the sovereignty which the minds of men have falsely imagined. Moreover, the Prophets of old, each and every one, whenever announcing to the people of their day the advent of the coming Revelation, have invariably and specifically referred to that sovereignty with which the promised Manifestation must needs be invested. This is attested by the records of the scriptures of the past. This sovereignty hath not been solely and exclusively attributed to the Qá’im. Nay rather, the attribute of sovereignty and all other names and attributes of God have been and will ever be vouchsafed unto all the Manifestations of God, before and after Him, inasmuch as these Manifestations, as it hath already been explained, are the Embodiments of the attributes of God, the Invisible, and the Revealers of the divine mysteries.

This is the beginning of a long section in the book, from this paragraph all the way until paragraph 132. In some ways, this section helps us see how Part 2 mirrors Part 1. Both parts of the book began with an introduction. Then Baha'u'llah looked at the Manifestations of the past, first in a general historical sense showing how we could already see that They were all similar, and then in a more particular sense of showing the implications of that similarity, namely how They all demonstrated all the attributes of the divine. After this look at the Messengers of the past, He goes into the heart of His argument. In Part 1 it was to show us how the prophecies of Jesus are answered by all the Manifestations, and here it is to help us see how They all have these attributes, weather or not They exhibit them during Their lifetime.

Remember, this is all in response to the questions that were asked of Baha'u'llah by the uncle of the Ba, and here the underlying question is why isn't the Bab showing sovereignty? The answer, of course, is that He doesn't have to. As Baha'u'llah just pointed out in the previous section, all the Messengers have all the attributes of God, even if They don't show them. During the lifetimes of Jesus and Muhammad, to the average person They did not appear to be sovereign. Today, however, we recognize their undisputed sovereignty.

Here, in this paragraph, though, it is worth noting that Baha'u'llah doesn't really talk about this at all. Instead He focuses on the question that has been asked by the uncle. He affirms that this is a good and important question. The launching point of his question is true. The sovereignty of the Qa'im is a reality, and we cannot doubt that. Over and over He re-affirms the validity of the question and the starting point of the uncle's reasoning.

Then He points out that this sovereignty is not what people have imagined. Moreover, it is not solely in the realm of the Qa'im; all the Messengers have this true sovereignty. Again, He shows the similarity of all the Manifestations and reminds the uncle of what He had just discussed in the previous number of paragraphs.

Now, if this is supposed to be a template about how we are to teach, we can learn a lot from this. Acknowledging the validity of a question is extremely important. He does this by re-stating the question, ensuring that the uncle knows that his question has been understood. The importance of this cannot be overstated. By reiterating the question back to the person, we let them know that they have been heard. We let them know that we are truly listening to them, and not just composing some sort of answer while they are talking. Perhaps this is one reason why the uncle had to write the questions down, but really, this is a very effective tool in any conversation. It allows the individual to correct us if, by chance, we have misunderstood the intent of the question.

Another aspect here is that Baha'u'llah doesn't immediately dismiss this question. Pointing out the common error inherent within the question does not make it a dumb question, but rather sets the stage for a more comprehensive answer. And as we can see, He will spend the next few dozen paragraphs giving that more comprehensive response.

Paragraph 112

To this testifieth that which hath been witnessed in this wondrous and exalted Dispensation. Myriads of holy verses have descended from the heaven of might and grace, yet no one hath turned thereunto, nor ceased to cling to those words of men, not one letter of which they that have spoken them comprehend. For this reason the people have doubted incontestable truths, such as these, and caused themselves to be deprived of the Riḍván of divine knowledge, and the eternal meads of celestial wisdom.

Paragraph 9 of 9, in which Baha'u'llah discusses how we can only know God through His Manifestations. To recap, He began this argument by pointing out that everything in creation shows a sign of God, but humanity shows all the signs of God. The Manifestations, however, show these signs to the highest degree. And just in case we were wondering, every Manifestation has all the attributes of God within Them, even if They haven't exhibited them to us. The kicker, though, is that humanity has strayed from Them and Their teachings, and this is the cause of so many of our troubles.

Baha'u'llah has established that all the Manifestations have all the various attributes of God, so now He will focus in on the attribute of Sovereignty. This, you may recall, was at the heart of the question asked of Him by the uncle, for whom this book was originally revealed.

Here, though, in this paragraph, Baha'u'llah starts by referring to the last quote from paragraph 111: "And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take it for their path; but if they see the path of error, for their path will they take it. This, because they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless of them." While on the one hand this refers clearly to the Bab, it can also refer to all the previous Messengers, and why the people denied Them. The uncle of the Bab would clearly understand that this was exactly what was happening around him. Verses descended, but the people denied them. Rather than following the Islamic teachings of patience and moderation, carefully listening to all that is put forth so that they can discern for themselves truth from falsehood, the people of that day suffered under prejudice and fanaticism. And it is for this reason, He says, that they have been deprived of both divine knowledge and celestial wisdom.

As we ponder on this paragraph, and this whole section, we find that we are reminded of paragraph 6, way back at the beginning of the book. It is there that we are told that the more you "acquaint yourself with the indignities heaped upon the Prophets of God, and apprehend the true causes of the objections voiced by their oppressors, you will surely appreciate the significance of their position. Moreover, the more closely you observe the denials..., the firmer will be your faith in the Cause of God." The more we study, the greater will be our understanding of this divine cycle: a Manifestation comes, we have direct knowledge through Him, learn, grow, grow estranged, and then no longer know God. This is a cycle that has been going on for millennia. He even reminded us of this way back in Part 1, where He talks about what the various Messengers all have in common. "Conceive accordingly", He says, in paragraph 20, "the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the creator of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles."

Baha'u'llah also points out that rather than focusing on the word of God, the people have focused their attention on the words of men regarding these sacred verses, "not one letter of which they that have spoken them comprehend". By doing so, they have come to a corrupted understanding of religion, resulting in strife and contention. Rather than seeing the underlying unity of all the religions, these people focus their hatred on the differences. Time and time again this has been the case.

It is also worth noting that Baha'u'llah is using quotes that the uncle would be familiar with to make His point. He is showing how those very texts that the uncle would regard as sacred clearly show what He is trying to say. This, incidentally, has always been the way of the Messengers of the past. And by showing the fundamental unity of all the Manifestations, Baha'u'llah is imparting to him one of those gems of divine knowledge that we take for granted, namely the oneness of all religions.

Now that Baha'u'llah has helped lead us to recognize the Bab, through Part 1, and shown us the underlying unity of all the Manifestations, He will continue on to show us the highest response we can give in this process. He will help us better understand our true priorities, and encourage us to live the best life that we can in relation to these wonderful teachings.