156
PRAYER
(Bahá'u'lláh's in Dispensation)
"The names of those cited in Bahá'u'lláh's Prayer in the Dispensation are
quite correct as you gave them, (Abraham, Moses, Joseph, John the Baptist,
Christ, Muhammad, Imám Husayn, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh.)

"The Prophets `regarded as one and the same person' include the lesser
Prophets as well, and not merely those who bring a `Book'. The station is
different, but They are Prophets and Their nature thus different from that
of ours.

"In the prayer mentioned above Bahá'u'lláh identifies Himself with
Imám Husayn. This does not make him a Prophet, but his position was very
unique, and we know Bahá'u'lláh claims to be the `return' of the Imám
Husayn. He, in other words, identifies His Spirit with these Holy Souls
gone before, that does not, of course, make Him in any way their
re-incarnation. Nor does it mean all of them were Prophets."
-- Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 58

In the passage above, it is stated that Imam Husayn was not a Prophet. This
contradicts the writings of Baha'u'llah below, where it is indicated the Imams
were Prophets (dependent or "lesser" prophets of Muhammad), who were also
foretold in the Book of Revelation as the 12 Stars of the Muhammedan revelation.
A number of prophecies about the appearance of Baha'u'llah and The Bab
came from the Holy Imams.

1) The passage below about the suffering and martyrdom of different prophets
when viewed from the "station of pure abstraction and essential unity", indicates
Imam Husayn was a prophet -- the one who was martyred in Karbila.

XXXIX. Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God, for the wondrous revelations of
Thy inscrutable decree and the manifold woes and trials Thou hast destined
for Myself. At one time Thou didst deliver Me into the hands of Nimrod
[Abraham]; at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod to persecute Me
[Moses]..... Again I was crucified for having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden
gems of Thy glorious unity [Jesus], for having revealed to them the wondrous
signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power. How bitter the humiliations heaped
upon Me, in a subsequent age, on the plain of Kárbilá! [Imam Husayn] How lonely
did I feel amidst Thy people! To what a state of helplessness I was reduced
in that land! Unsatisfied with such indignities, My persecutors decapitated Me,
and, carrying aloft My head from land to land paraded it before the gaze of
the unbelieving multitude, and deposited it on the seats of the perverse and
faithless. In a later age, I was suspended, and My breast was made a target
to the darts of the malicious cruelty of My foes. My limbs were riddled with
bullets, and My body was torn asunder [The Bab]. Finally, behold how, in this
Day, My treacherous enemies have leagued themselves against Me, and are
continually plotting to instill the venom of hate and malice into the souls of Thy
servants [Baha'u'llah]. With all their might they are scheming to accomplish
their purpose.. Grievous as is My plight, O God, My Well-Beloved, I render
thanks unto Thee, and My Spirit is grateful for whatsoever hath befallen me
in the path of Thy good-pleasure. I am well pleased with that which Thou didst
ordain for Me, and welcome, however calamitous, the pains and sorrows I am
made to suffer.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 88-90

2) The passage below is about the Unity of the Manifestations of God, including
as examples, Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus, Muhammad and the Imams -- all
of whom are "invested with the robe of prophethood" (i.e. all of whom are prophets).

These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. One is the station
of pure abstraction and essential unity. In this respect, if thou callest
them all by one name, and dost ascribe to them the same attributes, thou
hast not erred from the truth. Even as He hath revealed: "No distinction do
We make between any of His Messengers." For they, one and all, summon the
people of the earth to acknowledge the unity of God, and herald unto them
the Kawthar of an infinite grace and bounty. They are all invested with the
robe of prophethood, and are honored with the mantle of glory. Thus hath
Muhammad, the Point of the Qur'án, revealed: "I am all the Prophets."
Likewise, He saith: "I am the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus." Similar
statements have been made by Imám `Alí. Sayings such as these, which
indicate the essential unity of those Exponents of Oneness, have also
emanated from the Channels of God's immortal utterance, and the Treasuries
of the gems of Divine knowledge, and have been recorded in the Scriptures.
These Countenances are the recipients of the Divine Command, and the Day
Springs of His Revelation. This Revelation is exalted above the veils of
plurality and the exigencies of number. Thus He saith: "Our Cause is but
One." Inasmuch as the Cause is one and the same, the Exponents thereof also
must needs be one and the same. Likewise, the Imáms of the Muhammadan Faith,
those lamps of certitude, have said: "Muhammad is our first, Muhammad is our
last, Muhammad our all."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 51

-'They are all invested with the robe of prophethood'.
-'These Countenances are the recipients of the Divine Command and the
  Day Springs of His Revelation'.
-'I am all the Prophets' - i.e. Muhammad embodies the nature and qualities
  that all the prophets embody.
-'Muhammad is our first, Muhammad is our last, Muhammad our all'. -- i.e.
  Muhammad is the first of us prophets of God whom the Imams also are..

  And were they all [Manifestations of God] to proclaim, "I am the Seal of
  the Prophets," they, verily, utter but the truth, beyond the faintest
  shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit,
  one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the
  "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and
  the "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the Innermost Spirit
  of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences.
  -- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 54

-'Likewise, He saith: "I am the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus."
  Similar statements have been made by Imám `Alí' -- i.e. Imam Ali
  identifies the unity of his prophethood with that of earlier prophets
  in the same way Muhammad does and also Baha'u'llah does. Below is
  such a passage by Imam Ali in a tablet referred to by Baha'u'llah.

I am the Master (sahib) of the First Creation before the First Noah, and if
you were to know what was between Adam and Noah of wondrous events that I
wrought and of nations that I caused to perish. And the true Word of Thy
Lord was fulfilled in them and evil is that which they worked" I am the
Master of the First Flood! I am the Master of the Second Flood! I am the
Master of the Deluge of Iram! I am the Master of the Secret Mysteries! I am
the Lord of 'Ad and its gardens! I am the Lord of Thamud and its wondrous
signs! I am the One that destroyed it, I am the One that caused the
Earthquakes! I am the One that caused their Return and their Perdition!
I am the Builder of those civilisations and their Destroyer! I cause
their Expiry and I cause them to be quickened! I am the First and the Last!
I am the External and Manifest and I am the Internal and Hidden! I am with
the Cycle (kawr) before the Cycle began! I am the Companion of the
Dispensation (dawr) before the Dispensation started! I was with the Pen
before the Pen and I am with the Tablet prior to the Tablet being revealed!
I am the Lord of the First Pre-existence! I am the Lord of Jabulqa and of
Jabulsa! I am the Master of Highest Stage (rafraf) and of Bahram! I am the
One Who organised existence when there was no heaven as you have them now
nor earth as you know it now!

The Son of Suwairama said: "Are you, are you indeed that One?!"

'Ali replied: "I am, I am that One! There is no other God But God Who is My
Lord and the Lord of all created things. Unto Him belongs the Creation and
the World of Revelation
-- Imam Ali, Khutbih-i-Tutunjiyyih (The Sermon of the Twin Gulfs)
 

He whose acceptance of my guardianship is based on external reality more than
internal truth, he is that one "whose balance will be Light" [Qur'an 7:9]
Those whose scale will be light, will be their souls in perdition [Qur'an
23:103 and 101:8]. Salman! The faith of no believer will attain perfection
unless and until he recognizes me with luminousness. If he attains this then
he has truly attained faith whose heart is tested with true faith and whose
chest is dilated in true Islam whose faith is based on discernment. He who
is convicted of shortcoming in this cognition he will be a doubter immersed
in disbelief.

O Salman! And O Jandab [Abu Dharr]! In truth My recognition in luminousness
is the recognition of God [Ma'rifat Allah] and Recognition and knowledge of
God is indeed my knowledge and this is what is meant by sincere devotion/pure
religion [ad-Deen al Khaalis, Qur'an 39:3]...

Salman! We are the Mystery of God [Sirru'llah] that shall not remain hidden.
We are His light that shall never be extinguished, His Grace that is not to
be expected from any one but Him. Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last,
Muhammad our all.

Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all. He who recognises
us in this regard has consummated the Faith in truth.

O Salman and O Jandab! Muhammad and I were the Light that was voicing forth
the divine eulogy before any other reality started to praise Him. We were the
cause of illumination unto all creation. This one Light was divided by God in
two portions and vouchsafed unto creation the Chosen "Mustapha" Prophet
Muhammad and His Vicegerent in Whom He was well pleased "Murtada". God,
exalted be His Glory, said to each half "Be Muhammad" "Be 'Ali". The
Imperative is Kun the letters B and E. It is thus that the Prophet said: " I
am from 'Ali and 'Ali is from Me. None can give forth my Trust but Myself
and 'Ali".
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nuraaniyyat (Recognition with
Luminousness)

3) Explanation of the concept "return" of the Prophets followed by a
reference on Baha'u'llah being the return of Imam Husayn. This is also
consistent with Imam Husayn being a prophet, whose return is Baha'u'llah.

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
splendour. 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.
Inasmuch as the return of the Prophets of God, as attested by verses and
traditions, hath been conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen
ones also is therefore definitely proven. This return is too manifest in
itself to require any evidence or proof.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 153

IX. O Husayn! Consider the eagerness with which certain peoples and nations
have anticipated the return of Imám-Husayn, whose coming, after the
appearance of the Qá'im, hath been prophesied, in days past, by the chosen
ones of God, exalted be His glory. These holy ones have, moreover, announced
that when He Who is the Day Spring of the manifold grace of God manifesteth
Himself, all the Prophets and Messengers, including the Qá'im, will gather
together beneath the shadow of the sacred Standard which the Promised One
will raise. That hour is now come. The world is illumined with the effulgent
glory of His countenance. And yet, behold how far its peoples have strayed
from His path! None have believed in Him except them who, through the power
of the Lord of Names, have shattered the idols of their vain imaginings and
corrupt desires and entered the city of certitude. The seal of the choice
Wine of His Revelation hath, in this Day and in His Name, the Self-Sufficing,
been broken. Its grace is being poured out upon men. Fill thy cup, and drink
in, in His Name, the Most Holy, the All-Praised.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 12

4) Prophets are pre-existent.

Whomsoever He ordaineth as a Prophet, he, verily, hath been a Prophet
from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will thus remain until
the end that hath no end, inasmuch as this is an act of God. And
whosoever is made a Vicegerent by Him, shall be a Vicegerent in all
the worlds, for this is an act of God. For the will of God can in no
wise be revealed except through His will, nor His wish be manifested
save through His wish. He, verily, is the All-Conquering, the
All-Powerful, the All-Highest."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 155

References on the pre-existence of Muhammad and the Imams, also indicating
their prophethood.

The following Tradition is attributed to the Prophet: 'God created 'Ali
and me from one light before the creation of Adam... then He split
(the light) into two halves, then He created (all) things from my light
and 'Ali's light.'[5]

The First Imam, 'Ali, is reported to have said: 'God is one; He was
alone in His singleness and so He spoke one word and it became a light
and He created from that light Muhammad and He created me and my
descendants (i.e. the other Imams), then He spoke another word and it
became a Spirit and He caused it to settle upon that light and He
caused it to settle on our bodies. And so we are the Spirit of God and
His Word... and this was before He created the creation.[6]
-- quoted in, Introduction to Shi'i Islam, Moojan Momen p. 148-149

O Salman and O Jandab! Muhammad and I were the Light that was voicing
forth the divine eulogy before any other reality started to praise Him. We
were the cause of illumination unto all creation. This one Light was divided
by God in two portions and vouchsafed unto creation the Chosen "Mustapha"
Prophet Muhammad and His Vicegerent in Whom He was well pleased "Murtada".
God, exalted be His Glory, said to each half "Be Muhammad" "Be 'Ali". The
Imperative is Kun the letters B and E. It is thus that the Prophet said: " I
am from 'Ali and 'Ali is from Me. None can give forth my Trust but Myself
and 'Ali".
-- Imam Ali, Sermon of Ma'rifat bin-Nuraaniyyat (Recognition with
Luminousness)

I am the First and the Last! I am the External and Manifest and I am the
Internal and Hidden! I am with the Cycle (kawr) before the Cycle began! I
am the Companion of the Dispensation (dawr) before the Dispensation started!
I was with the Pen before the Pen and I am with the Tablet prior to the
Tablet being revealed! I am the Lord of the First Pre-existence! I am the Lord
of Jabulqa and of Jabulsa! I am the Master of Highest Stage (rafraf) and of
Bahram! I am the One Who organised existence when there was no heaven as
you have them now nor earth as you know it now!
-- Imam Ali, Khutbih-i-Tutunjiyyih (The Sermon of the Twin Gulfs)
 

Pre-existence of the Bab (Twelfth Imam -- Imam Mahdi) and Baha'u'llah.

O congregation of the Bayán, and all who are therein! Recognize ye the
limits imposed upon you, for such a One as the Point of the Bayán Himself
hath believed in Him Whom God shall make manifest, before all things were
created. Therein, verily, do I glory before all who are in the kingdom of
heaven and earth.
-- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 168

References from the Imams regarding their nature and role -- for example,
being the Face of God.

The Commander of the Faithful (Imám `Alí) hath said: "I am He Who can neither
be named, nor described." And likewise He hath said: "Outwardly I am an Imám;
inwardly I am the Unseen, the Unknowable." Abú-Ja'far-i-Túsí hath said: "I
said to Ábí `Abdi'lláh: `You are the Way mentioned in the Book of God, and
you are the Impost, and you are the Pilgrimage.' He replied: `O man! We are
the Way mentioned in the Book of God,--exalted and glorified be He--and We
are the Impost, and We are the Fast, and We are the Pilgrimage, and We are
the Sacred Month, and We are the Sacred City, and We are the Kaaba of God,
and We are the Qiblih of God, and We are the Face of God.'"  Jabír hath said
that Abú-Ja'far--peace be upon him--spoke to him as follows: "O Jabír! Give
heed unto the Bayán (Exposition) and the Má'ání (Significances)." He --peace
be upon him--added: "As to the Bayán, it consisteth in thy recognition of
God--glorified be He--as the One Who hath no equal, and in thy adoration of
Him, and in thy refusal to join partners with Him. As to the Má'ání, We are
its meaning, and its side, and its hand, and its tongue, and its cause, and
its command, and its knowledge, and its right. If We wish for something, it
is God Who wisheth it, and He desireth that which We desire." Moreover, the
Commander of the Faithful (Imám `Alí)--peace be upon him--hath said: "How can
I worship a Lord Whom I have not seen?"  And, in another connection, he
saith: "Nothing have I perceived except that I perceived God before it, God
after it, or God with it."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 112
 

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