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Chapter 36
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Inner meaning -- the use of symbolic language in the Holy Writings.
1)
Blessed is the one who discovereth the fragrance of inner meanings from
the traces of this Pen through whose movement the breezes of God are
wafted over the entire creation, and through whose stillness the very
essence of tranquillity appeareth in the realm of being. Glorified be
the All-Merciful, the Revealer of so inestimable a bounty. Say: Because
He bore injustice, justice hath appeared on earth, and because He
accepted abasement, the majesty of God hath shone forth amidst mankind.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 76
2)
And further He saith: "Out of his mouth goeth a two-edged sword." Know
thou that since the sword is an instrument that divideth and cleaveth
asunder, and since there proceedeth from the mouth of the Prophets and
the Chosen Ones of God
that which separateth the believer from the infidel and the lover from
the beloved, this term hath been so employed, and apart from this
dividing and separating no other meaning is intended. Thus, when He Who
is the Primal Point and the eternal Sun desireth, by the leave of God,
to gather together all creation, to raise them up from the graves of
their own selves, and to divide them one from another, He shall
pronounce but one verse from Him, and this verse will distinguish truth
from error from this day unto the Day of Resurrection.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 56
3)
The essence and the fundamentals of philosophy have emanated from the
Prophets. That the people differ concerning the inner meanings and
mysteries thereof is to be attributed to the divergence of their views
and minds. We would fain recount to thee the following: One of the
Prophets once was communicating to his people that with which the
Omnipotent Lord had inspired Him. Truly, thy Lord is the Inspirer, the
Gracious, the Exalted. When the fountain of wisdom and eloquence gushed
forth from the wellspring of His utterance and the wine of divine
knowledge inebriated those who had sought His threshold, He exclaimed:
`Lo! All are filled with the Spirit.' From among the people there was
he who held fast unto this statement and, actuated by his own fancies,
conceived the idea that the spirit literally penetrateth or entereth
into the body, and through lengthy expositions he advanced proofs to
vindicate this concept; and groups of people followed in his footsteps.
To mention their names at this point, or to give thee a detailed account
thereof, would lead to prolixity, and would depart from the main theme.
Verily, thy Lord is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. There was also he
who partook of the choice wine whose seal had been removed by the Key
of the Tongue of Him Who is the Revealer of the Verses of thy Lord, the
Gracious, the Most Generous.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 145
4)
12. O MAN OF TWO VISIONS!
Close one eye and open the other [i.e. open the inner eye]. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
5)
And the wayfarer, after traversing the high planes of this supernal journey, entereth
THE VALLEY OF CONTENTMENT
In this Valley he feeleth the winds of divine contentment blowing from
the plane of the spirit. He burneth away the veils of want, and with
inward and outward eye, perceiveth within and without all things the
day of: "God will compensate each one out of His abundance." From
sorrow he turneth to bliss, from anguish to joy. His grief and mourning
yield to delight and rapture. Although to outward view, the wayfarers
in this Valley may dwell upon the dust, yet inwardly they are throned
in the heights of mystic meaning; they eat of the endless bounties of
inner significances, and drink of the delicate wines of the spirit.
The tongue faileth in describing these three Valleys, and speech
falleth short. The pen steppeth not into this region, the ink leaveth
only a blot. In these planes, the nightingale of the heart hath other
songs and secrets, which make the heart to stir and the soul to clamor,
but this mystery of inner meaning may be whispered only from heart to
heart, confided only from breast to breast.
Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers; No messenger
can tell it and no missive bear it. I am silent from weakness on many a
matter, For my words could not reckon them and my speech would fall
short.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 29
6)
"Húrís [Brides/Maidens] of inner
meaning -- a symbolic (inner) reference to the Dependent Prophets of
Baha'u'llah; also referred to as "countenances which are hid within the
chambers of chastity" and "manifestations of Thy Divine holiness" in
the next passage:
We have digressed from the purpose of Our argument, although whatsoever
is mentioned serveth only to confirm Our purpose. By God! however great
Our desire to be brief, yet We feel We cannot restrain Our pen.
Notwithstanding all that We have mentioned, how innumerable are the
pearls which have remained unpierced in the shell of Our heart! How
many the húrís [Brides/Maidens] of inner meaning that are as yet
concealed within the chambers of divine wisdom! None hath yet
approached them;--húrís, "whom no man nor spirit hath touched before."
Notwithstanding all that hath been said, it seemeth as if not one
letter of Our purpose hath been uttered, nor a single sign divulged
concerning Our object. When will a faithful seeker be found who will
don the garb of pilgrimage, attain the Ka'bih of the heart's desire,
and, without ear or tongue, discover the mysteries of divine utterance?
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 70
Lauded be Thy name, O Thou Who art the Goal of my desire! I swear by
Thy glory! How great is my wish to attain unto a detachment so complete
that were there to appear before me those countenances which are hid
within the chambers of chastity, and the beauty of which Thou didst
veil from the eyes of the entire creation, and whose faces Thou didst
sanctify from the sight of all beings, and were they to unveil
themselves in all the glory of the splendors of Thine incomparable
beauty, I would refuse to look upon them, and would behold them solely
for the purpose of discerning the mysteries of Thy handiwork, which
have perplexed the minds of such as have drawn nigh unto Thee, and awed
the souls of all them that have recognized Thee. I would, by Thy power
and Thy might, soar to such heights that nothing whatsoever would have
the power to keep me back from the manifold evidences of Thy
transcendent dominion, nor would any earthly scheme shut me out from
the manifestations of Thy Divine holiness.
-- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 338
7)
Brides of inner meaning -- Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah:
By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling upon the dust, can, besides
these melodies, utter a myriad songs, and is able, apart from these
utterances, to unfold innumerable mysteries. Every single note of its
unpronounced utterances is immeasurably exalted above all that hath
already been revealed, and immensely glorified beyond that which hath
streamed from this Pen. Let the future disclose the hour when the
Brides of inner meaning will, as decreed by the Will of God, hasten
forth, unveiled, out of their mystic mansions, and manifest themselves
in the ancient realm of being. Nothing whatsoever is possible without
His permission; no power can endure save through His power, and there
is none other God but He. His is the world of creation, and His the
Cause of God. All proclaim His Revelation, and all unfold the mysteries
of His Spirit.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 175
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