From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai
Subject: The Book of Certitude (part 2)
Date: 17 Jul 92 14:51:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: qiclab.1992Jul24.004114.17471
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp.

Continuation from part I:

Among the Prophets was Noah.  For nine hundred and fifty years [See
APPENDIX 1], He prayerfully exhorted His people and summoned them to
the haven of security and peace.  None, however, heeded His call.
Each day they inflicted on His blessed person such pain and suffering
that no one believed He could survive.  How frequently they denied
Him, how malevolently they hinted their suspicion against Him!  Thus
it hath been revealed: "And as often a company of His people passed by
Him, they derided Him.  To them He said: Though ye scoff at us now, we
will scoff at you hereafter even as ye scoff at us.  In the end ye
shall know." [Qur'an 11:38]  Long afterward, He several times promised
victory to His companions and fixed the hour thereof.  But, when the
hour struck, the divine promise was not fulfilled.  This caused a few
among the small number of His followers to turn away from Him, and to
this testify the records of the best-known books.  These you must
certainly have perused; if not, undoubtedly you will.  Finally, as
stated in books and traditions, there remained with Him only forty or
seventy-two of His followers.  At last from the depth of His being He
cried aloud: "Lord!  Leave not upon the land a single dweller from
among the unbelievers."  [Qur'an 71:26]

And now, consider and reflect a moment upon the waywardness of this
people.  What could have been the reason for such denial and avoidance
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
on their part?  What could have induced them to refuse to put off the
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
garment of denial, and to adorn themselves with the robe of
acceptance?  Moreover, what could have caused the nonfulfilment of the
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
divine promise which led the seekers to reject that which they had
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
accepted?  Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may
^^^^^^^^^
be revealed to unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a
spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the
truth the truth that from time immemorial even unto eternity the
Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that
light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right
from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from
thorns.  Even as He hath revealed: "Do men think they say `We believe'
they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?" [Qur'an 29:2] [Here
Baha'u'llah is addressing the answer to the 2nd question he is
proposing above by this verse of the Qur'an.]

And after Noah the light of the countenance of Hud [i.e. An ancient
Arabian Prophet according to the Qur'an.  There is no mention of Hud
in the Bible.] shown forth above the horizon of creation.  For
well-nigh seven hundred years, according to the sayings of men, He
exhorted the people to turn their faces and draw nearer unto the
Ridvan [Lit. The name of the custodian of Paradise.  Here Baha'u'llah
uses the term to denote Paradise itself.] of the divine presence
[Baha'u'llah is poetically corresponding, on one hand, "nearness to
Hud" with "nearness to God", or attainment to "divine presence" while,
on the other hand, He is associating Paradise to belief in God and
nearness to God.].  What showers of afflictions rained upon Him, until
at last His adjurations bore the fruit of increased rebelliousness,
and His assiduous endeavors resulted in the wilful blindness of His
people.  "And their unbelief shall only increase for the unbelievers
their own perdition." [Qur'an 35:39]  [NOTE: Baha'u'llah reiterates on
this theme elsewhere as follows: "The most burning fire is to question
the signs of God, to dispute idly with that which He hath revealed, to
deny Him and carry oneself proudly before Him." --Words of Wisdom, in
Tablets of Baha'u'llah]

And after Him there appeared from the Ridvan of the Eternal, the
Invisible, the holy person of Salih [i.e. Another ancient Arabian
Prophet mentioned in the Qur'an.  No mention of Salih has been made in
the Bible.], Who again summoned the people to the river of everlasting
life [The term river of everlasting life metaphorically represents the
knowledge of God, and Baha'u'llah teaches that "...this cannot be
attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestation".  So,
the knowledge of God flows, in a metaphorical sense from the
Manifestation of God.]  For over a hundred years He admonished them to
hold fast unto the commandments of God and eschew that which is
forbidden.  His admonitions, however, yielded no fruit, and His
pleading proved of no avail.  Several times He retired and lived in
seclusion.  All this, although that eternal Beauty was summoning the
people to no other than the city of God [i.e. into the stronghold of
faith and belief in God.  This term represents the Book of God].  Even
as it is revealed: "And unto the tribe of Thamu'd We sent their
brother Salih.  `O my people,' said He, `Worship God, ye have none
other God beside Him....' They made reply: `O Salih, our hopes were
fixed on thee until now; forbiddest thou us to worship that which our
fathers worshiped [i.e. idols]?  Truly we misdoubt that whereunto thou
callest us as suspicious.'" [Qur'an 11:61-62]  All this proved
fruitless, until at last there went up a great cry, and all fell into
utter perdition.

Later, the beauty of the countenance of the Friend of God [i.e. This
is the Qur'anic designation for Abraham.] appeared from behind the
veil, and another standard of divine guidance was hoisted.  He invited
the people of the earth to the light of righteousness.  The more
passionately He exhorted them, the fiercer waxed the envy and
waywardness of the people, except those who wholly detached themselves
from all save God, and ascended on the wings of certainty to the
station of which God hath exalted beyond the comprehension of men.  It
is well known what a host of enemies besieged Him, until at last the
fires of envy and rebellion were kindled against Him.  And after the
episode of the fire [Reference to the decision of the leaders of the
community to burn Abraham.] came to pass, He, the lamp of God amongst
men, was as recorded in all books and chronicles, expelled from His
city.

And when His day was ended, there came the turn of Moses.  Armed with
the rod of celestial dominion, adorned with the white hand of divine
knowledge, and proceeding from the Pa'ran [Pa'ran is a mountain range
north of Sinai and South of Seir; all are sacred as places of
revelation.  Teman lies in northwest Edam, not far from Pa'ran.] of
the love of God, and wielding the serpent of power and everlasting
majesty, He shown forth from the Sinai [See APPENDIX 2] of light upon
the world.  He summoned all the peoples and kindreds of the earth to
the kingdom of eternity, and invited them to partake of the fruit of
the tree of faithfulness.  Surely you are aware of the fierce
opposition of Pharaoh and his people, and of the stones of idle fancy
which the hands of the infidels cast upon that blessed Tree.  So much
so that Pharaoh and his people finally arose and exerted their utmost
endeavour to extinguish with the waters [i.e. A reference to the
metaphor of the sea of tribulation and waters of hardship, which Moses
parted, and through which Moses and His followers passed.] of
falsehood and denial the fire of that sacred Tree [i.e. Here the
Manifestation of God -- Moses -- is compared to a Tree.], oblivious of
the truth that no earthly water can quench the the flame of divine
wisdom, nor mortal blasts extinguish the lamp of everlasting dominion.
Nay, rather, such water cannot but intensify the burning of the flame,
and such blasts cannot but ensure the preservation of the lamp, were
ye to observe with the eye of discernment, and walk in the way of
God's holy will and pleasure.  How well hath a believer of the kindred
of Pharaoh, whose story is recounted by the All-Glorious in His Book
revealed unto His beloved One, observed: "And a man of the family of
Pharaoh who was a believer and concealed his faith said: `Will ye slay
a man because he saith my Lord is God, when He hath already come to
you with signs from your Lord?  If he be a liar, on him will be his
lie, but if he be a man of truth, part of what threateneth will fall
upon you.  In truth God guideth not him who is a transgressor, a
liar.'" [Qur'an 40:28]  Finally, so great was their inequity that this
self-same believer was put to a shameful death.  "The curse of God be
upon the people of tyranny." [Qur'an 11:21]

And now, ponder upon these things.  What could have caused such
                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
contention and conflict?  Why is it that the advent of every true
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Manifestation of God hath been accompanied by such strife and tumult,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
by such tyranny and upheaval?  This not withstanding the fact that all
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
the Prophets of God, whenever made manifest unto the peoples of the
world, have invariably foretold the coming of yet another Prophet
after them and have established such signs as would herald the advent
of the future Dispensation.  To this the records of all sacred books
bear witness. [See APPENDIX 3]  Why then is it that despite the
expectation of men in their quest of the Manifestations of Holiness,
and in spite of the signs recorded in the sacred books, such acts of
violence, of oppression and cruelty, should have been perpetrated in
every age and cycle against all the Prophets and chosen Ones of God?
Even as He hath revealed: "As oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with
that which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing some
of being impostors and slaying others." [Qur'an 2:87]

	Extracts from the Book of Certitude by Baha'u'llah (pp. 7-13)
	
					To be continued

Note: I have included certain comments and informations, however
inadequate, inside [brackets] in order to clarify further.  However, I
suggest that you rely on the original source in your personal
investigation.  Furthermore, I have used "^^^^" to highlight certain
questions asked, or conclusions made by Baha'u'llah.

APPENDIX 1

Abdu'l-Baha has in answer to a Baha'i who questioned the reason for
the long age of the ancient Prophets in comparison to the modern man
suggested that the reason for this is twofold: 1- Ancients used
different calendar systems (i.e. each lunar cycle was considered to be
a year for them, thus, their ages would be greater than ours by a
factor of 12, or 13); 2- A person was identified by the most important
member of the household, thus the ages mentioned in the Scriptures
reflect the collective ages of several generations within particular
families.

[The author informs me that these answers appear in a compilation by
AH.Eshragh Khavary of various Tablets: Maideh-i Asemani vol. 2, Baha'i
Publishing Trust (Iran).  --rdt]

APPENDIX 2

See Habbakuk 3:3.  Moses himself uses "Pa'ran" with special reference to 
Muhammad and "Seir" to Jesus Christ: "And he said, The Lord came from Sinai 
[reference to Moses], and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from 
mount Pa'ran, and he came  with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand 
went a fiery law for them [reference to the revelation of Baha'u'llah]." 
(Deut. 33:2)  Ishmael (Gen 21:21) founded the Arabian peoples in Pa'ran.

APPENDIX 3

>From Hindu Scriptures:

"Impelled by the time, a Brahman named Kalki [Vishnu Yasha, (meaning
 Glory of God)], will be born...  He will restore order and peace in
 this world over-crowded with creatures and contradictory in its laws.
 That effulgent and greatly-intelligent Brahman will destroy all
 things [i.e. all these differences, through establishing a universal
 law].  He will be the destroyer of all -- the maker of new Yuga [i.e.
 Spiritual Union]."
 
			[Shrimad Bhagavad, last chapter Skandha #12]
 
"Knoweth thou this, O Prince, that whenever the world declineth in
 virtue and righteousness; and vice and injustice mount the throne --
 then cometh I, the Lord, and revisit my world in visible form [i.e.
 of a human temple], and mingleth as a man with men, and by my
 influence and teachings do I destroy the evil and injustice, and
 re-establish virtue and righteousness."
 
			[Shrimad Bhagavad, last chapter Skandha #12] 

>From Buddhist Scriptures:

"In this auspicious eon three leaders HAVE BEEN (Referring to three
 other Buddhas which had come before Siddharata.).  Kakasandha,
 Konagamana, and the leader Kasapa too.  I AM now the perfect Buddha
 (The forth Buddha).  And there WILL BE Metteya (Maitreye Amitabha,
 the future fifth Buddha.) too before this same auspicious eon runs to
 the end of its years."
						[Anagata-Vamsa, p.34] 

"From time to time a Tathagata is born into the world -- a fully
 enlightened one -- blessed and worthy, abounding in wisdom and
 goodness, happy with the knowledge of the world, unsurpassed as a
 guide to erring mortals, a teacher of gods and men, a blessed Buddha.
 He, by himself, thoroughly understands and sees, as it were face to
 face, this universe, and he then makes his knowledge known to others.
 The truth doth he proclaim both in its letter and in its spirit,
 lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its
 consummation.  The higher life doth he make known in all its purity
 and in all its perfectness."
						Tevigga Sutta

>From Zoroasterian Scriptures:

"Sushiant will rebuild the world...  He shall resurrect the dead, and
 bestow everlasting life to the living.  The blood colored anger shall
 escape.  Truth shall overcome the darkness of lie.  Bad character
 shall break down and Good character shall conquer.  Ahreeman (i.e.
 Satan) shall be weakened and disappear."
					Avesta, Yasht #19

"At the time of the end Sushiant shall be manifested.  Through him the
 clarity and freshness of the universe will be completed.  He shall
 destroy the foundation of evil and harm caused by Ahreeman....  A new
 cycle shall begin in the world and will remain free of evil for
 everlasting....  At that time Sushiant will regenerate the world of
 existence."
					Zad-Myad-Yasht #89

"At the end of the first millennium Hooshidar will be manifested and
 associates with Ormazd.  Sun shall remain in heaven for ten days.  In
 the next millennium Hooshidar Maah will appear and for twenty days
 will the sun remain in heaven.  When His days are over at the end of
 the third millennium of the fourth epoch Sushiance will appear and
 associate with Ahura Mazda.  Thirty days will the sun remain in the
 heaven.  At that time all shall be resurrected and the peoples of the
 world shall be near Dadar Ormazd.  Every one shall accept
 religion..."
					Book of Sad-dar

It is important to point out that Zoroasterians consider the age of
the world to be 12000 years, divided into 4 epochs, each three
thousand years.

Hooshidar = Reference to Prophet Muhammad
Hooshidar Maah = Reference to The Bab
Sushiant, Sushiance, or Shaah Bahram = Reference to Baha'u'llah

>From Jewish Scriptures:

"Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
 me: and the Lord, whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple..."

                                                    Malachi 3:1

"Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
 great and dreadful day of the Lord."
						    Malachi 4:5

"And he [The Promised One] shall set up an ensign for the nations, and
 shall assemble THE outcasts of Israel and gather together the
 dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

						    Ezekiel 43:2

>From Christian Scriptures:

"Immediately after the oppression of those days shall the sun be
 darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
 fall from heaven, and the powers of the earth shall be shaken: and
 then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then
 shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son
 of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet."

						Matthew 24:29-31

"I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not even know the
 hour when I come."
						Revelation 3:3

>From Islamic Scriptures:

The following Hadith is from Said-ibn-i Jabir who reports it from
Ibn-i Abbas, who heard it from Prophet Muhammad Who said:

"My successors after Me are God's proofs for the people of the earth.
They are twelve.  First one of them my brother and last of them will
be my child.  They asked: O Apostle of God who is your brother?  He
said Ali-ibn Abu Talib.  They asked who is your child?  He said: He is
Mihdi who will fill the earth with justice, even if it is full of
injustice and wretchedness.  I swear to God Who made Me His Messenger
even if one day is left from the age of the world, God will lenghten
that day to the extent that My child Mihdi (i.e. return of Elijah)
will become manifest.  Then Issa (i.e. Jesus), the Spirit of God
descends (i.e.  return of Christ) from heaven and pray behind Him."

						Hadith