However, the
Most Great Infallibility is confined to the One Whose station
is immeasurably
exalted beyond ordinances or prohibitions and is sanctified
from errors
and omissions. Indeed He is a Light which is not followed by
darkness and
a Truth not overtaken by error. Were He to pronounce water to
be wine
or heaven to be earth or light to be fire, He speaketh the truth
and no doubt
would there be about it; and unto no one is given the right to
question His
authority or to say why or wherefore. Whosoever raiseth
objections
will be numbered with the froward in the Book of God, the Lord
of the worlds.
`Verily He shall not be asked of His doings but all others
shall be asked
of their doings.' He is come from the invisible heaven,
bearing the
banner `He doeth whatsoever He willeth' and is accompanied by
hosts of power
and authority while it is the duty of all besides Him to
strictly observe
whatever laws and ordinances have been enjoined upon them,
and should
anyone deviate therefrom, even to the extent of a hair's
breadth, his
work would be brought to naught.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 108
In response
to thy request the Pen of Glory hath graciously described the
stations and
grades of the Most Great Infallibility. The purpose is that all
should know
of a certainty that the Seal of the Prophets [Muhammad]--may
the souls of
all else but Him be offered up for His sake--is without likeness,
peer or partner
in His Own station. The Holy Ones [The Imams]--may the
blessings of
God be upon them--were created through the potency of His
Word, and after
Him they were the most learned and the most distinguished
among the people
and abide in the utmost station of servitude. The divine
Essence, sanctified
from every comparison and likeness, is established in
the Prophet,
and God's inmost Reality, exalted above any peer or partner,
is manifest
in Him. This is the station of true unity and of véritable singleness.
The followers
of the previous Dispensation grievously failed to acquire an
adequate
understanding of this station.The Primal Point [The Bab] --may
the life of
all else but Him be offered up for His sake--saith: `If the
Seal of the
Prophets had not uttered the word "Successorship", such a
station would
not have been created.'
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 123
XXXVII. Blessed
is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God and in
His signs,
and recognized that "He shall not be asked of His doings." Such
a recognition
hath been made by God the ornament of every belief, and its
very foundation.
Upon it must depend the acceptance of every goodly deed.
Fasten your
eyes upon it, that haply the whisperings of the rebellious may
not cause you
to slip.
Were He to decree
as lawful the thing which from time immemorial had been
forbidden,
and forbid that which had, at all times, been regarded as
lawful, to
none is given the right to question His authority. Whoso will
hesitate, though
it be for less than a moment, should be regarded as a
transgressor.
Whoso hath not
recognized this sublime and fundamental verity, and hath
failed to attain
this most exalted station, the winds of doubt will agitate
him, and the
sayings of the infidels will distract his soul. He that hath
acknowledged
this principle will be endowed with the most perfect
constancy.
All honor to this all-glorious station, the remembrance of which
adorneth every
exalted Tablet. Such is the teaching which God bestoweth on
you, a teaching
that will deliver you from all manner of doubt and
perplexity,
and enable you to attain unto salvation in both this world and
in the next.
He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 86
O thou who soarest
in the atmosphere of love and fellowship and hast fixed
thy gaze upon
the light of the countenance of thy Lord, the King of
creation! Render
thanks unto God, inasmuch as He hath unravelled for thee
that which
was hidden and enshrined in His knowledge so that everyone may
become aware
that within His realm of supreme infallibility He hath not
taken a partner
nor a counsellor unto Himself. He is in truth the Dayspring
of divine precepts
and commandments and the Fountainhead of knowledge and
wisdom, while
all else besides Him are but His subjects and under His rule,
and He is the
supreme Ruler, the Ordainer, the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 110
He Who is the
Dawning-place of God's Cause hath no partner in the Most Great
Infallibility.
He it is Who, in the kingdom of creation, is the Manifestation of
"He doeth whatsoever
He willeth". God hath reserved this distinction unto His
own Self, and
ordained for none a share in so sublime and transcendent a station.
This is the
Decree of God, concealed ere now within the veil of impenetrable
mystery. We
have disclosed it in this Revelation, and have thereby rent asunder
the veils of
such as have failed to recognize that which the Book of God set forth
and who were
numbered with the heedless.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 36
The Most Great Infallibility, the shield for the temple of His Cause.
Praise be unto
God Who hath made the Most Great Infallibility the shield
for the temple
of His Cause in the realm of creation, and hath assigned
unto no one
a share of this lofty and sublime station--a station which is a
vesture which
the fingers of transcendent power have woven for His august
Self. It befitteth
no one except Him Who is seated upon the mighty throne
of `He doeth
what He pleaseth'. Whoso accepteth and recognizeth that which
is written
down at this moment by the Pen of Glory is indeed reckoned in
the Book of
God, the Lord of the beginning and the end, among the exponents
of divine unity,
they that uphold the concept of the oneness of God.
When the stream
of words reached this stage, the sweet savours of true
knowledge were
shed abroad and the day-star of divine unity shone forth
above the horizon
of His holy utterance. Blessed is he whom His Call hath
attracted to
the summit of glory, who hath drawn nigh to the ultimate
Purpose, and
who hath recognized through the shrill voice of My Pen of
Glory that
which the Lord of this world and of the next hath willed. Whoso
faileth to
quaff the choice wine which We have unsealed through the potency
of Our Name,
the All-Compelling, shall be unable to discern the splendours
of the light
of divine unity or to grasp the essential purpose underlying
the Scriptures
of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the sovereign Ruler of
this world
and of the world to come. Such a man shall be accounted among
the faithless
in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
O thou honoured
enquirer! We bear witness that thou didst firmly adhere
unto seemly
patience during the days when the Pen was held back from
movement and
the Tongue hesitated to set forth an explanation regarding the
wondrous sign,
the Most Great Infallibility. Thou hast asked this Wronged
One to remove
for thee its veils and coverings, to elucidate its mystery
and character,
its state and position, its excellence, sublimity and
exaltation.
By the life of God! Were We to unveil the pearls of testimony
which lie hid
within the shells of the ocean of knowledge and assurance or
to let the
beauties of divine mystery which are hidden within the chambers
of utterance
in the Paradise of true understanding, step out of their
habitation,
then from every direction violent commotion would arise among
the leaders
of religion and thou wouldst witness the people of God held
fast in the
teeth of such wolves as have denied God both in the beginning
and in the
end. Therefore We restrained the Pen for a considerable lapse of
time in accordance
with divine wisdom and for the sake of protecting the
faithful from
those who have bartered away heavenly blessings for disbelief
and have chosen
for their people the abode of perdition.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 105-106
Should differences
arise amongst you over any matter, refer it to God while
the Sun still
shineth above the horizon of this Heaven and, when it hath
set, refer
ye to whatsoever hath been sent down by Him. This, verily, is
sufficient
unto the peoples of the world.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 38
Assist ye, O
My people, My chosen servants who have arisen to make mention
of Me among
My creatures and to exalt My Word throughout My realm. These,
truly, are
the stars of the heaven of My loving providence and the lamps of
My guidance
unto all mankind. But he whose words conflict with that which
hath been sent
down in My Holy Tablets is not of Me. Beware lest ye follow
any impious
pretender. These Tablets are embellished with the seal of Him
Who causeth
the dawn to appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the
heavens and
the earth. Lay hold on this Sure Handle and on the Cord of My
mighty and
unassailable Cause.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 61-62
Essential infallibility
is peculiar to the supreme Manifestation, for it is
His essential
requirement, and an essential requirement cannot be separated
from the thing
itself... Therefore, if one imagines separation of the Most
Great Infallibility
from the supreme Manifestation, He would not be the
supreme Manifestation,
and He would lack the essential perfections..
Briefly, it
is said that the "Dayspring of Revelation" is the manifestation
of these words,
"He doeth whatsoever He willeth"; this condition is
peculiar to
that Holy Being, and others have no share of this essential
perfection.
That is to say, that as the supreme Manifestations certainly
possess essential
infallibility, therefore whatever emanates from Them is
identical with
the truth, and conformable to reality. They are not under
the shadow
of the former laws. Whatever They say is the word of God, and
whatever They
perform is an upright action. No believer has any right to
criticize;
his condition must be one of absolute submission, for the
Manifestation
arises with perfect wisdom--so that whatever the supreme
Manifestation
says and does is absolute wisdom, and is in accordance with
reality...
In short, the
meaning of "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" is that if the
Manifestation
says something, or gives a command, or performs an action,
and believers
do not understand its wisdom, they still ought not to oppose
it by a single
thought, seeking to know why He spoke so, or why He did such
a thing. The
other souls who are under the shadow of the supreme
Manifestations
are submissive to the commandments of the Law of God, and
are not to
deviate as much as a hairsbreadth from it; they must conform
their acts
and words to the Law of God. If they do deviate from it, they
will be held
responsible and reproved in the presence of God. It is certain
that they have
no share in the permission "He doeth whatsoever He willeth,"
for this condition
is peculiar to the supreme Manifestations.
So Christ--may
my spirit be sacrificed to Him!--was the manifestation of
these words,
"He doeth whatsoever He willeth," but the disciples were not
partakers of
this condition; for as they were under the shadow of Christ,
they could
not deviate from His command and will.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions, p. 171-174
Chapter 45 in
Some Answered Questions is devoted to an explanation by
`Abdu'l-Bahá
of this verse of the Aqdas. In this chapter He stresses, among
other things,
the inseparability of essential "infallibility" from the
Manifestations
of God, and asserts that "whatever emanates from Them is
identical with
the truth, and conformable to reality", that "They are not
under the shadow
of the former laws", and "Whatever They say is the word of
God, and whatever
They perform is an upright action".
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 199
The Word of God
Every single letter proceeding out
of the mouth of God is indeed a mother
letter, and every word uttered by
Him Who is the Well Spring of Divine
Revelation is a mother word, and
His Tablet a Mother Tablet. Well is it
with them that apprehend this truth.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 142
I implore Thee, O my God, by Thy Most
Great Name, to enrapture the nations
through the potency of the Word which
Thou didst ordain to be the king of
all words, the Word whereby the goodly
pearls of Thy hidden wisdom were
uncovered, and the gem-like mysteries
which were wrapped up within Thee
were unraveled. Deprive them not,
by Thy grace and bounty, of the things
Thou didst desire for them, and suffer
them not to be far removed from the
shores of the ocean of Thy presence.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers
and Meditations, p. 113
O friend of mine!
The Word of God is the king of words and its pervasive
influence is incalculable. It hath
ever dominated and will continue to
dominate the realm of being. The
Great Being saith: The Word is the master
key for the whole world, inasmuch
as through its potency the doors of the
hearts of men, which in reality are
the doors of heaven, are unlocked. No
sooner had but a glimmer of its effulgent
splendour shone forth upon the
mirror of love than the blessed word
`I am the Best-Beloved' was reflected
therein. It is an ocean inexhaustible
in riches, comprehending all things.
Every thing which can be perceived
is but an emanation therefrom. High,
immeasurably high is this sublime
station, in whose shadow moveth the
essence of loftiness and splendour,
wrapt in praise and adoration.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets
of Baha'u'llah, p. 173
165. Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. #149
Bahá'u'lláh states that
the essential "requisite" for reciting "the verses
of God" is the "eagerness and love"
of the believers to "read the Word of
God" (Q and A 68).
With regard to the definition of "verses
of God", Bahá'u'lláh states that
it refers to "all that hath been
sent down from the Heaven of Divine
Utterance". Shoghi Effendi, in a
letter written to one of the believers in
the East, has clarified that the
term "verses of God" does not include the
writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá;
he has likewise indicated that this term does not
apply to his own writings.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 236
Intone, O My servants, the verses
of God that have been received by thee,
as intoned by them who have drawn
nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy
melody may kindle thine own soul,
and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso
reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber,
the verses revealed by God, the
scattering angels of the Almighty
shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the
words uttered by his mouth, and shall
cause the heart of every righteous
man to throb. Though he may, at first,
remain unaware of its effect, yet
the virtue of the grace vouchsafed
unto him must needs sooner or later
exercise its influence upon his soul.
Thus have the mysteries of the
Revelation of God been decreed by
virtue of the Will of Him Who is the
Source of power and wisdom.
- BAHÁ'U'LLÁH,
Compilation, Baha'i Prayers, p. 2
They who recite the verses of the
All-Merciful in the most melodious of
tones will perceive in them that
with which the sovereignty of earth and
heaven can never be compared. From
them they will inhale the divine
fragrance of My worlds--worlds which
today none can discern save those who
have been endowed with vision through
this sublime, this beauteous
Revelation. Say: These verses draw
hearts that are pure unto those
spiritual worlds that can neither
be expressed in words nor intimated by
allusion. Blessed be those who hearken.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 61