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LXXXVII: And now regarding thy question, "How
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And now regarding thy question, "How is it that no records are to be found concerning the
Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of
Mankind, or of the kings that lived in the days of
those Prophets?" Know thou that the absence of any
reference to them is no proof that they did not actually
exist. That no records concerning them are now
available, should be attributed to their extreme remoteness,
as well as to the vast changes which the
earth hath undergone since their time. |
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Moreover such forms and modes of writing as are
now current amongst men were unknown to the generations
that were before Adam. There was even a
time when men were wholly ignorant of the art of
writing, and had adopted a system entirely different
from the one which they now use. For a proper exposition
of this an elaborate explanation would be
required. |
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Consider the differences that have arisen since the
days of Adam. The divers and widely-known languages
now spoken by the peoples of the earth were
originally unknown, as were the varied rules and
customs now prevailing amongst them. The people
of those times spoke a language different from those
now known. Diversities of language arose in a later
age, in a land known as Babel. It was given the name
Babel, because the term signifieth "the place where
the confusion of tongues arose." |
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Subsequently Syriac became prominent among the
existing languages. The Sacred Scriptures of former
times were revealed in that tongue. Later, Abraham,
the Friend of God, appeared and shed upon the
world the light of Divine Revelation. The language
He spoke while He crossed the Jordan became known
as Hebrew (Ibrání), which meaneth "the language
of the crossing." The Books of God and the Sacred
Scriptures were then revealed in that tongue, and not
until after a considerable lapse of time did Arabic become
the language of Revelation.... |
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Witness, therefore, how numerous and far-reaching
have been the changes in language, speech, and
writing since the days of Adam. How much greater
must have been the changes before Him! |
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Our purpose in revealing these words is to show
that the one true God hath, in His all-highest and
transcendent station, ever been, and will everlastingly
continue to be, exalted above the praise and
conception of all else but Him. His creation hath ever
existed, and the Manifestations of His Divine glory
and the Day Springs of eternal holiness have been
sent down from time immemorial, and been commissioned
to summon mankind to the one true God.
That the names of some of them are forgotten and
the records of their lives lost is to be attributed to
the disturbances and changes that have overtaken the
world. |
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Mention hath been made in certain books of a
deluge which caused all that existed on earth, historical
records as well as other things, to be destroyed.
Moreover, many cataclysms have occurred which
have effaced the traces of many events. Furthermore,
among existing historical records differences are to
be found, and each of the various peoples of the
world hath its own account of the age of the earth
and of its history. Some trace their history as far
back as eight thousand years, others as far as twelve
thousand years. To any one that hath read the book
of Jük it is clear and evident how much the accounts
given by the various books have differed. |
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Please God thou wilt turn thine eyes towards the
Most Great Revelation, and entirely disregard these
conflicting tales and traditions. |
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