Divine Manifestation Bahá í Devotional Readings 1
The purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, hath been to bring forth the Mystic Gems out of the mine of man--they Who are the Dawning-Places of His Cause and the Repositories of the pearls of His knowledge; for, God Himself, glorified be He, is the Unseen, the One concealed and hidden from the eyes of men.... Bahá í: Bahá u lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 13 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. Christianity: 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 We sent Noah, and Abraham, and We appointed the Prophecy and the Book to be among their seed...then We sent, following in their footsteps, Our Messengers... Jesus son of Mary, and gave unto Him the Gospel. And We set in the hearts of those who followed Him tenderness and mercy. Islam: The Qur an, 57: 26-27 From the days of Adam until today, the religions of God have been made manifest, one following the other, and each one of them fulfilled its due function, revived mankind, and provided education and enlightenment... Bahá í: Selections from the Writings of Abdu l-bahá, p. 51 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God... Christianity: The New Testament: John 3:34 2 7
And if all the trees on earth were pens and the Ocean were ink, with seven Oceans behind it to add to it. yet would not the Words of God be exhausted in the writing... Islam: The Qur an Surah 31 As a token of His mercy... and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognized them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the Way of God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the Standard of His Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory. Bahá í: Gleaning, pp. 49-50 No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers...Our Cause is but One. Islam: The Qur an, 2:285; 54:50 From the beginning it was I who taught... The Lord of all things living... I come, and go, and come. When Righteousness Declines,... when Wickedness Is strong, I rise, from age to age, and take visible shape, and move a man with men, succouring the good, thrusting the evil back, and setting virtue on her seat again. Who knows the truth touching my births on earth and my divine work, when he quits the flesh, puts on its load no more, falls no more down... to Me he comes, dear Prince! Hindu: Bhagavad Gita 3 3
The reality of divinity... has ever been hidden and secluded in its own holiness and sanctity above our comprehending. Although it transcends our realization, its lights, bestowals, traces and virtues have become manifest in the realities of the prophets, even as the sun becomes resplendent in various mirrors. These holy realities are as reflectors, and the reality of divinity is as the sun which although it is reflected from the mirrors, and its virtues and perfections become resplendent therein, does not stoop from its own station of majesty and glory and seek abode in the mirrors; it remains in its heaven of sanctity. At most it is this, that its lights become manifest and evident in its mirrors or manifestations. Therefore its bounty proceeding from them is one bounty but the recipients of that bounty are many. This is the unity of God...divine unity--the prophets are its mirrors; its lights are revealed through them; its virtues become resplendent in them, but the Sun of Reality never descends from its own highest point and station. Bahá í: Foundations of World Unity, p. 68 Contemplate with thine inward eye the chain of successive Revelations that hath linked the Manifestation(s)... I testify before God that each one of these Manifestations hath been sent down through the operation of the Divine Will and Purpose, that each hath been the bearer of a specific Message, that each hath been entrusted with a divinely-revealed Book and been commissioned to unravel the mysteries of a mighty Tablet. Bahá í: Gleanings, pages 74-75 Muhammad, the Point of the Qur an, revealed: I am all the Prophets. Likewise, He saith: I am the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus. Similar statements have been made by Ali [the Báb]... Bahá í: The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 153 4 5
It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold Them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith. Such is the unity of those Essences of Being, those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable splendor! Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: I am the return of all the Prophets, He, verily, speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established.... Bahá í: Gleanings, p. 52 Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed their Revelation. This is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye assured, moreover, that the works and acts of each and every one of these Manifestations of God, nay whatever pertaineth unto them, and whatsoever they may manifest in the future, are all ordained by God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose.... Bahá í: Gleanings, pp. 59-60 That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion. 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. Bahá í: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 13 5
This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Bahá í: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 85 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....the religion of God is one, and it is the educator of humankind; but still, it needs must be made new. When thou dost plant a tree, its height increaseth day by day. It putteth forth blossoms and leaves and luscious fruits. But after a long time, it doth grow old, yielding no fruitage any more. Then doth the Husbandman of Truth take up the seed from that same tree, and plant it in a pure soil; and lo, there standeth the first tree, even as it was before. Bahá í: Selections from the Writings of Abdu l-bahá, pp. 51-52 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. Minds are developed, hopes brighten, aspirations become spiritual, the virtues of the human world appear with freshened power of growth, and the image and likeness of God become visible in man. It is the springtime of the inner world... Bahá í: Bahá í World Faith, p. 255 6
He is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise! Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming to the sincere ones the glad tidings of the nearness of God, calling the believers in the Divine Unity to the court of the Presence of the Generous One, informing the severed ones of the message which hath been revealed by God, the King, the Glorious, the Peerless, guiding the lovers to the seat of sanctity and to this resplendent Beauty. Verily this is that Most Great Beauty, foretold in the Books of the Messengers, through Whom truth shall be distinguished from error and the wisdom of every command shall be tested. Verily He is the Tree of Life that bringeth forth the fruits of God, the Exalted, the Powerful, the Great. Bahá í: Bahá í Prayers, p. 208 O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord. Bahá í: Bahá í Prayers, p. 203 7