on
the Seven Stages of Creation
(provisional
translations by Keven Brown)
From
the Báb
1.Since
the Ancient of Days created mankind for the purpose of apprehending the
power shining within themselves, and made reward and punishment the instrument
for fulfilling this purpose, He created the Will from nothing through the
causality of the Will itself, without qualification or explanation. After
that He created all things through its causality, and the creation of anything
upon which the letter of the Will hath fallen is only possible through
seven stages of contingency. Without these stages nothing is possible in
the contingent world. These seven stages are Will (mashiyyat),
Purpose (irádih), predestination (qadar), fate (qa?á’),
permission (idhn), fixed time (ajal), and the book
(kitáb).[1]
The first stage of anything for which the “thingness” of existence is not
a condition is the Will. The moment thingness is attached to it, it becometh
Purpose, and this moment is accompanied by predestination. The manifestation
of these three stages is fate. In this regard,[2]
it is incumbent upon all creatures to acknowledge the spontaneity (badá’
) of God,[3]
lauded and exalted be He, for His will cannot be altered after the stage
of fate; it is fixed.[4]
The decrees of permission, fixed time, and the book are subsequent to execution
(im?á’). Indeed, the reality of creation and the secret of
the origination of existence are contained in these seven stages in both
the hidden and manifest worlds.
(?a?ífiy-i-U?úl
va Furú‘, Amr va Khalq, vol. 1, pp. 99-100)
2.I
recognize, O my God, that whenever something is related to Thee, the decree
of the Will is applicable to it, and whenever it is related to itself,
the decree of Purpose is established in it. When this duality is realized
the decree of predestination is manifested. After these three have descended,
all seven will be generated, inasmuch as it is impossible for anything
to be realized save through these seven stages. Six of them belong to the
letter Wáw in connection to the limitations of things, and one of
them belongeth to their manifestations in the station of the Sign of God.[5]
Nothing is created in the heavens or on the earth except through them.
Moreover, it is impossible for something to become clothed in the garment
of existence without a fire belonging to its first remembrance, then a
water, and then an earth for the preservation of its existence. Thus, hath
God, in fairness, made plain His signs in both souls and in the world.
(Amr
va Khalq, vol. 1, p. 100)
3.God,
verily, created the Will from nothing through itself, then He created through
it all that to which the name “thing” can be applied. The cause of its
existence, in truth, is its own self and naught else. Those who believe
that the Essence is the cause of creation have made themselves partners
with Him, as He cannot be known. He, verily, abideth in a state accessible
only to Himself. Nothing is connected to Him, and in Him not a trace of
the existence belonging to created things can be found. It is established
in philosophy that cause and effect are alike. Therefore, the Imám
hath declared: “The cause of things is His fashioning, but He is not its
cause.”
The
feet of some of the learned have slipped in their explanation of this station,
inasmuch as they have believed in something that God hath not purposed
in His Book. Haply God may forgive them through His grace. He, verily,
is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Those who claim that there is
a direct tie between God and creation have followed after their own desires,
as others have followed them aforetime. This is an error in the estimation
of the people of sanctity, for if we attribute such a connection to the
Essence, then nothing in the religion of the Family of God is true. Nay,
this is joining partners with Him, as I recited to thee previously. And
if the connection resideth in creation, then there is no need for the people
of the Bayán to prove it. This is why the Imám (upon him
be peace) hath stated: “No third thing existeth between God and creation,
and no third thing existeth apart from these two.” This is well known by
he whom God hath called to witness the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and then the creation of himself. God is a sufficient witness unto
what I say.
Those
who say the fixed archetypes reside in the Essence of God in order to establish
His knowledge, as all believe save those whom God hath pleased to preserve,
have completely forsaken the religion of the Family of God, for any reference
to otherness in their being testifieth to their separation and indicateth
their complete rupture from God. God is the eternal Being, Who from time
immemorial hath not changed, and it is not possible for divine unity to
belong to anyone save Himself. All things are the images of substances
whose existence hath no trace in God….Verily, God is the eternal Being,
Who begetteth not and was not begotten. He hath no likeness in the realm
of creation and no sign in the world of contingency, for a sign is a sign
of one who is not indicated by himself for himself and an attribution is
a description of one who is not described by himself for himself. Far exalted
is God above that which they who make comparisons to Him invent concerning
the oneness of existence. There is no statement in the estimation of God
more absurd than this saying of theirs, for they mean by it that creation
is the branch of the one Being. Verily, the Essence hath ever been void
of His creation and He was apart from it when it came into being. No aspect
of it is in Him.
The
philosophers were compelled to propose the doctrine of the fixed archetypes
and the uncompounded reality by their desire to establish the former in
the knowledge of God. But gracious God! To establish God’s knowledge of
His creatures can only lead to falsehood, since from time immemorial God’s
knowledge hath been the same as Himself without another object of knowledge
within Him. No one can understand the state of His Being except Himself.
And whosoever aspireth to encompass the knowledge of his Lord at the same
moment disbelieveth in Him, for how is anyone able to encompass the knowledge
of his Lord whose very reality existeth through His act of creation[6]
and was brought into being from nothing? He hath ever been the All-Knowing,
even though nothing was with Him; and He is now the All-Knowing, despite
the fact that nothing is with Him in His exalted station. The attributes
of power and knowledge, and all the other names and attributes, are signs
belonging to His creation and the musings of the imaginations of His servants
that they may not doubt their Creator in anything.
(?a?ífiy-i-Tafsír-i-Há,
Amr va Khalq, vol. 1, pp. 100-102)
3.The
supporters of the “oneness of existence”[7]
have joined partners with God through their testimony of existence, because
the oneness which they seek to establish is a consequence of the existence
of two, and except through the negation of two, how is it possible to have
oneness? In like manner, those individuals who assert that the cause of
contingent existence is the Essence of God and say there is a connection
between them are unbelievers, because a cause is a consequence of conjunction
with an effect, and having a connection is a consequence of the existence
of duality. Both of these suggestions are sheer error. Nay, rather the
true God is the real Essence, while creation is contingent, and anything
outside of this contingent creation is impossible to grasp….From time immemorial
the creation hath been the creation, and conjunction with the Essence is
not possible.
(?a?ífiy-i-U?úl
va Furú‘, Amr va Khalq, vol. 1, pp. 103-104)
4. Were
anyone to consider the substance, he would realize that the origin of all
the worlds is in the station of Purpose, which becometh existent through
the Will….
(Persian
Bayán II:16)
5. There
are seven general stages. The first is the stage of the inorganic being.
From the mineral kingdom, it ascendeth to the stage of the plant…, and
from the plant kingdom, it ascendeth to the stage of the animal….When it
reacheth the stage of soul, spirit, and mind, then in accordance with that
stage, it hath a death which will certainly destroy all privative aspects.
Finally, the command will reach the stage of the inmost heart, which is
the gulf of immortality and pure life, in the presence of the Lord of creation.
There, for evermore, the servant will gaze towards God.
(Asráru’l-Áthár,
vol. 4, p. 121)
6.That
which I set forth in explanation of the letter Há was to extol the
Tree of Bahá, for the supporters of fate (qa?á’) recognize
the decree of spontaneity (badá’) in the Crimson Pillar.
It, in truth, is the secret of creation, for the element of fire in the
realm of origination (ibdá‘) can only exist through the element
of earth. This is because with the exception of God, nothing can subsist
through itself. All things are composite. Once the decree of duality is
established, the decree ofconnection
(rab?) is also established, for a thing cannot be a thing except
through its existence, which is the aspect of manifestation (tajallí)
in it, through its essence, which is the aspect of receiving (qubúl),
and through connection, which is realized after the union [of the first
two]. These three stages correspond to the stages of the trinity in the
first name which God chose for Himself. For this reason Christians adopted
the shape of the cross and incarnated the divinity in mortal form. Immensely
exalted is God above that which moral minds are able to apprehend from
the sweet melodies uttered by the Birds of Heaven upon the boughs of the
Tree of Divinity!…The names of these three at the beginning of the creative
act are Will, Purpose, and predestination (qadar), which the people
of eloquence (ahlu’l-bayán)[8]
express as calling-into-being (inshá’), origination
(ibdá‘), invention (ikhtirá‘), creation
(i?dáth), and being made (inji‘ál). It is not
possible for anything to exist without the elements described, even were
God’s command offered to a willing soul, for the contingent world cannot
come into existence save through two complementary principles. Once the
remembrance of duality is established, the remembrance of states (shu’ún)
continueth without end, for these states have no end. The element of earth,
which was mentioned in reference to the stage of the Will, belongeth to
the genera of that world, which is the same as receiving the fire of giving-existence,
followed by the air of becoming-existent and the water of extension. In
accord with this similitude, hath God created all things and ordained the
origin of every world.
Reflect
upon the stage of Purpose, which is the Eve of the Primal Adam and the
Throne whereon the Will is seated in the station of the All-Merciful, and
consider how God hath created it with four pillars. One pillar is the stage
of fate (qa?á’), which is the element of fire and the manifestation
of the efficient cause; its color is white due to its pure simplicity in
relation to the conditions of multiplicity, dimension, and distinction.
Through it the pure water of the fountains of Paradise in the heaven of
divine transcendence is turned white and the word of glorification (tasbí?)
appeareth in the world of dominion. In accord with it, all whiteness ascendeth
from and descendeth unto whatsoever is in the dominion, the kingdom, and
the mortal world. The knowledge of no one hath encompassed the wonders
of this pillar. Among them is the sacred House of God, the holy month of
God,[9]
the anthems of praise upraised in the land of pilgrimage, and the injunction
to recite the words of the pillar of unity “No God is there but God,” for
whosoever declareth not “Yea, verily” at the primordial spot of witnessing
will not be called into existence. Thou, who art discerning, apprehendest
the wonders of this pillar, inasmuch as God guideth unto its knowledge
whom He pleaseth. No God is there but Him, the Lord of Grandeur.
Another
pillar is the stage of permission (idhn), which is the element
of air and the manifestation of the material cause; its color is yellow
in relation to that which is determined. Through it the yellow of each
thing is obtained, and by its light God provideth the sustenance of all
things, for the first pillar, which is the active cause, is the cause of
life. As God saith, exalted be His praise: “It is God Who created you,
and then provided sustenance for you. Next, He will cause you to die, and
then He will give you life.”[10]The
bearer of this pillar is ‘Alí, peace be upon him. Thus the color
yellow appeared in his face at the time of his death, which is a sign for
the day of his beginning, since the end is the same as the beginning in
the view of the people of eloquence. He who curseth the Sun and the Moon
shall suffer a severe chastisement. This is the station of praise (ta?míd)
and the pillar facing the pillar of prophecy. It hath various states in
restricted images, existent patterns, limited determinations, and evanescent
objects of knowledge. He who turneth towards the Countenance of Glory will
attain certain knowledge of the attributes of this pillar, as God desireth.
He, verily, is the Ancient of Days.
Another
pillar is the stage of fixed time (ajal), which is the element of
water and the manifestation of the formal cause, the eternal first Pen,
and the third leaf of the divine Tree, whose essence is from the East and
not the West. Its color is green, and through it the green of each thing
is obtained. God causeth all things to die by virtue of this pillar in
the third place of witnessing. It is the lowest and the highest pillar
of the Throne, the manifestation of His remembrance in the stage of creation,
and the word of testimony (tahlíl).[11]
Thus are multiplicities made manifest in this stage, for the letters are
multiplied in the declaration of “No God is there but God.” This pillar
hath infinite states, for there is no end to them, and he who turneth his
gaze towards God testifieth to whatsoever the All-Merciful hath willed
concerning this pillar. Should one who possesseth intuitive knowledge desire
to unravel the truth of what the Imáms have appointed in the letters
of “No God is there but God,” he is able to do so. This is something within
Our power, should God desire it and grant His permission, though I am nothing
but a repentant servant.
Another
pillar is the stage of the Book (kitáb), which is the element
of earth and the manifestation of the final cause in the world of names
and attributes. Its color is red, and through it the red in each thing
is obtained, the scheme of each thing produced, and the measure of each
thing determined. Through it the earth is quickened after its demise, and
the land illumined with the light of its Lord. On that day, the people
will relate their traditions which thy Lord hath revealed unto them. Though
it God will revive in the assembly of the fourth preexistence changed and
afflicted hearts, dead souls, and decrepit bodies, and will make them all
alive like unto those with steadfast hearts, blessed souls, and sanctified
bodies. In this day, God hath desired this Cause for the people, for the
Final Pillar, which is the fruit of origination, the secret of invention,
and the manifestation of the three causes in creation, hath appeared, even
as some of the states of the three pillars, with great scientific proofs
and exalted holy attributes….
(INBA
14:268 ff; 67:38 ff; 86:137 ff.)
7. Praise
be to God, the God of all who are in heaven and on earth, Who hath decreed
that no one should be veiled from the effulgence of the light of His countenance
which He hath deposited in the stations of the Command and the degrees
of creation. Each thing beholdeth Him manifest and present, for there is
no God except Him, the Almighty, the Most Exalted.
Praise
be to God, Who created the Will before all other beings through itself
and by virtue of itself for the sake of the appearance of the signs of
His oneness in the stations of divine unity that all might know in their
inmost essences and realities that which God hath revealed unto them through
these signs, for He is the Single, the One, the Self-Subsisting, Who hath
ever existed without requiring the existence of anything in the world of
contingency and Who always will exist as He hath been without any aspect
of Himself in the archetypes of things. For His Essence is absolutely pure.
All names and attributes are cut off from even drawing near the court His
exalted being and all intimations are denied access to the station of the
knowledge of His hallowed self-subsistence. All who know Him through the
knowledge of something besides Himself have associated Him with that thing
and taken as God other than God. But He, in truth, is as He is in His own
essence and the transcendence of His oneness. He hath no attributes apart
from His being and no qualities separate from His essence. There is no
likeness of Him among things and no aspect of Him in the realm of creation.
All that is known about His origination of things (ibdá‘)
is limited by virtue of itself, and whatever describeth His invention (ikhtirá‘)
is the consequence of a manifestation whose station God hath decreed. Glorified
be God and exalted be He! None knoweth the state of His being nor how He
calleth into existence that which He desireth save Him. Glorified be God
and exalted be He above that which His creatures affirm of Him.
Now,
as his honor the governor hath asked, God will enable him to attain the
goal of his desire, from the command of his origin until the Day of Return,
with respect to the meaning of the tradition ascribed to ‘Alí, peace
be upon him, where he said: “My brother, the Apostle of God, taught me
the knowledge of what hath been, and I taught Him the knowledge of what
is to be.” I have not seen this tradition in the well-known books, but
since its meaning is in accord with reality, there is no doubt that it
is the truth from God. As I promised to respond, without delay I beseech
God’s help to explain that which He desireth….
God
in truth created the Will before all other things and made it the cause
of their existence. It is the First Remembrance, whereof the Imám
asked while addressing Jonah: “Dost thou know what the Will is?” He replied:
“No.” Then he explained: “It is the First Remembrance.” Through the gift
of His wisdom and the excellence of His craftsmanship, God placed within
it a sign of the manifestation of His self-subsistence, that it might indicate
His oneness under all conditions. This Will hath seven modes without which
it is impossible for anything to be clothed in the vesture of existence.
The stage of the Will is designated in the verse, according to its attestation,
as the First Remembrance, which testifieth that He hath no equal and indicateth
naught except its Maker, Who revealed Himself through it and by virtue
of it and made it a sign for the manifestation of His self-subsistence,
a mirror for the reflection of His everlasting countenance, and a means
for the appearance of His sovereignty. It is the sign which God hath made
the source of the manifestation of His eternal grace. It hath no end save
through itself. In every stage of the invisible and the visible worlds,
it never ceaseth to draw support from God through and by virtue of itself,
and it is never depleted. It is the sign which indicateth the unity of
the Essence. Verily, God hath made its outer the same as its inner, its
first the same as its last, and its concealment the same as its manifestation.
There is nothing like unto it, for all else cometh into existence from
nothing by the manifestation of its creative action through the appearance
of the power of its Agent.
Glorified
and exalted be God!How great is
His power and how wondrous His providence! None knoweth His word concerning
the First Remembrance except Himself. All the Names are tokens that belong
to the theophany of this stage, and in truth nothing else is mentioned
therein save them, for were something else to be mentioned before them
or in their stage, it wouldn’t belong to the nature of that mode.[12]
Whatever men say in description of that mode is only possible through the
appearance of the Names in the rank of that thing. This is evident unto
anyone who recognizeth the Repositories of the Command, who is aware of
the intentions of the end, and who beholdeth the secret of eternity in
the stage of the servant. There is no stage higher than this in the realm
of contingency and no thing precedeth it. God alone knoweth its nature.
Glorified and exalted be He above that which is affirmed of Him.
As
the highest mode of the Will is established, let us turn towards the mode
of its being that is called Purpose (iráda). This is the
station of the Second Remembrance wherein the condition of the remembrance
of creation is made manifest through the limitation of the creative outpouring.
In this mode the soul of the first stage giveth praise. This is the station
of ‘Alí in the world of manifestation, as alluded to in the verse
of Mubáhala (mutual cursing): “our souls and your souls,” which
was decided by agreement between the two groups.[13]
The intent of the “soul” here is ‘Alí and no other. Through this
station the mode of relationships (rab?) known as predestination
(qadar) appeareth, which is the beginning of multiplicity and infinitude.
Whatever is going to exist in the contingent world cometh into existence
through the existence of Purpose. God alluded to this through His supreme
grace in His statement about the teachings of the Apostle of God, may the
blessings of God be upon Him: “The knowledge of what hath been is known
through the revealation of the Will, which hath always existed. Nothing
cometh to be but through it.” In this case, wisdom dictateth that ‘Alí
is the knower insofar as the Will imparted to him the knowledge of what
will be, for that which he stated aforetime cannot come to pass unless
he knew it [through the Will].
Once
the remembrance of Purpose is established, the remembrance of the contingency
of all existents can be realized. Wherefore, the Apostle of God encompasseth
the knowledge of what will be through ‘Alí in the stage of things,
in accordance with the stages which God hath ordained for each thing in
His hidden knowledge, for knowledge in truth, according to the doctrine
of God, is the same as the object of knowledge, as attested by ?ádiq
in the tradition of Mufa??il: “Knowledge is the whole of the object of
knowledge, and power and might are the whole of action. As long as the
universals of philosophy are not perfect both outwardly and inwardly, philosophy
will be imperfect in the hands of the philosopher, even if he is capable….This
is the secret at the basis of existence and the center of being which no
one is able to explain.”...
After
the mode of Purpose, God hath ordained five additional modes. Among them
is the stage of predestination, whose object is the design (handasa)
of substances, matters, existences, natures, essences, accidents,[14]
and forms after the first causes at the root of the creative act. Multiplicities
and the distinction of images from realities[15]
and essences from attributes emerge in this stage. The miserable are miserable
in this stage by the acceptance of their choice, and the happy are happy
in this stage by the choice with which God hath favored them. This is the
womb of the contingent world[16]
and the most great depth whereof the Imám alluded: “The miserable
are miserable in their mother’s womb, while the happy are happy therein.”
The cause of this manifestation is in the stage of predestination. This
stage existeth for the purpose of the appearance of choice, for nothing
can exist in any world except by its own choice. Although the first stage
also existeth voluntarily, none can reckon this save the Subtile, the All-informed.
The same applieth to the second stage. The condition of choosing good or
evil ariseth in the third stage, which is made manifest after the conjunction
of the two Commands. This is by virtue of the essence of things. The secret
of the possible is only revealed in the station of predestination and the
triangular figure. Thus Christians say “the third of three,” and use the
shape of the cross in the ritual of the trinity. The divinity, which is
the world of the manifestation of the Will, descended into the mortal realm,
which is the station of multiplicity. Far exalted is God above that which
the transgressors assert regarding the attributes of the Manifestations
of His transcendent power!
That
which I have set forth in the darkness of these allusions is an exposition
on the reality of the secret of the possible in the kingdom of names and
attributes. Outwardly this tradition hath universal meanings. Any servant
that comprehendeth these meanings will be able to remove the veils that
surround him and attain the summit of knowledge and grace. For honor, in
the sight of God, is not in the knowledge of customs and formalities nor
in a mere code of laws. Nay, that which is the honor of man is the secret
of lordship and the radiance of the light everlasting, which encompasseth
all aspects of the servant and through which he will attain the summit
of justice. As stated by ‘Alí in a sermon: “The learned contend
with each other over the knowledge of things which are neither open nor
secret.” But the knowledge of what was and will be is an attribute of this
station. Upon him who hath tasted the delight of nearness to the hallowed
court of the Essence and attained the universal evidences of the signs
of the Attributes resteth the duty of dispelling the clouds and veils from
the glory which indicateth the divine Essence. After comprehending these
stations men will realize that Mu?ammad and His family possess a knowledge
of the contingent world that none among the learned have encompassed, save
he whom God hath desired. He, verily, is the Benefactor in both the beginning
and the end.
Whatever
God, exalted be He, hath created in the past or will create in the future
is present before the Apostle of God by reason of His presence before God,
for God knoweth each thing, at all times, as itself, although there is
no object of knowledge with Him in the stage of His eternity. Rather, He
knoweth each thing, whether universal or particular, before its existence
in the same way that He knoweth it after its existence, and no one knoweth
how this is possible except God. The doctrine of the distinction between
the concepts of life and knowledge is invalid in the station of the Essence,
for just as He is alive by virtue of His existence and requireth not the
existence of another through which to receive life, in the same way He
knoweth each thing and every atom without needing an object of knowledge
in the stage of His Essence. All the multiplicities are present in His
kingdom, and the knowledge of Mu?ammad hath encompassed them all, inasmuch
as God hath taught Him through His grace. He, verily, is the Ancient of
Days, the Most Exalted.
God
hath indeed made Mu?ammad and His successors, may the blessings of God
rest upon them, the wellsprings of His knowledge, and hath related them
unto Himself. The greatness of their station and the excellence of their
rank is like that of the Kaaba in the Holy Mosque in Mecca. Nothing God
hath willed in the kingdom of names and attributes escapeth their knowledge.
That which He revealed in the Book: “Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I would
have acquired much good,”[17]
and that which was sent down in the traditions concerning the various stages
of the perception of mysteries, is nothing but a manifestation of their
servitude and their powerlessness before all created things, or it is due
to asserting the loftiness of their majesty through negation in the station
of union. But in truth, knowledge of multiplicities is not esteemed in
the station of the Essence, nay, it is blasphemy in the sight of the people
of praise, for in the station of the knowledge of the Essence all mention
of anything else is obliterated. Indeed, it leadeth towards polytheism
and imperfection. Honor, among the men of utterance, and glory, in the
station of beings and archetypes, is pure simplicity in the station of
the effulgence of the Essence. Assuredly, attachment to multiplicities
and knowing them is an imperfection to one who hath perceived the manifestations
of the Essence in the kingdom of names and attributes. Therefore, should
the Imám deny knowing something, although he is perceptive, he knoweth
their reality and understandeth its purpose, and he giveth thanks to God,
his Lord, for having inspired him in the path of His good pleasure. And
if he doth not apprehend, then he hath not exceeded beyond his knowledge
of that state in their reality, notwithstanding that excess is never possible
in their reality, for God hath created them in a station which no one else
can attain. It may be that they desire in certain circumstances to deny
knowledge for the purpose of demonstrating their grace to the sinful so
that they will not feel ashamed when they enter their presence. He who
apprehendeth their reality will know the meaning of their utterances and
their allusions under all conditions.
In
sum, We have made known unto thee through Our reply the divine and incorruptible
principles for opening the gate to understanding their knowledge and attaining
unto them. Verily, if I desired to expound a single letter of that tradition
by using all the seas of heaven and earth as ink, the seas would run dry
before a single letter of its meanings could be unfolded. But I have condensed
this utterance for the sake of him who desired the knowledge of the beginning
and the end. I ask forgiveness under all conditions. He, in truth, is the
Lord of those who acknowledge His unity in the worlds of names and attributes.
His decree sufficeth His servants in both the beginning and the end. Exalted
be God, the Lord of the Throne on high, above that which they affirm of
Him. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of all
the worlds.
(Law?-i-Váliy-i-Shúshtar,
INBA 14:417 ff., 40:137 ff., 53:34 ff., 67:195 ff.)
8. The
"E" (nún) in the stage of utterance is the same as the "B"
(káf). It is the totality of the possible (imkán),
and the possible itself in the world of contingency is fully contained
in the word "Be!" (kun). The "B" is the stage of the Will and the
"E" is the stage of Purpose. The Will is the father of all things, and
Purpose is their mother. As He hath stated: “ ‘Alí and I are the
parents of this people.’ Through the "B" God created the matter (mádda)
of all things...and through the "E" God created the form (?úra)
of all things.
(From
the Bab’s Tafsír-i-Basmallah, INBA 60:48-49, also INBA 64:74)
From
Bahá’u’lláh
1.A
praise sanctified from the mention of all mankind befitteth the sublime
and most holy court of the Desired One, Who hath ordained that the completion
of every existence be realized through the seven stages of Will, Purpose,
predestination, fate, permission, fixed time, and the book, each of which
is a bountiful and shoreless sea whose pearls are preserved and concealed
within the shells of the inviolability of God, exalted be His glory. In
truth, should a man desire to expound upon these stages and stations, each
of which is a wellspring of divine knowledge and a dawning-place of heavenly
wisdom, he could not exhaust this theme with this pen and paper, and in
the realm of true understanding, which is the seat of those who are nigh
unto God, the pens and papers of the world would also not suffice him.
He is the All-Powerful, Who hath made whatsoever He hath created, whether
the atoms, that which is beneath them, or that which is above them, each
a sign indicating and proclaiming His grandeur and sovereignty, His power
and might, His generosity, bounty, and favor….
Concerning
what thou didst write about good luck and fortune, destiny and fate, whatever
is outwardly observed and confirmed is in accord with that which hath been
decreed. “Nothing cometh into existence in the heavens or on the earth
save through Will, Purpose, predestination, fate, permission, fixed-time,
and the book.” Every soul who entereth this world entereth with innumerable
means, which although invisible to outward
vision are true and fact. Whatever
is irrevocably decreed by fate[18]
cannot be changed, but whatever remaineth potential can be changed through
means and actions. The first inclination that is created in man, before
the appearance of means, is the stage of the Will; the first conception
of means is the stage of Purpose; predestination is the stage of scheme
and dimension, that is to say, the appearance of means in proper quantity.
Fate is the composition of that which hath been decreed.
Much
hath been written about the stage of predestination. For example: “Predestination
is a secret from God’s secret, a command from His command, and a treasury
from His treasury sealed with the seal of God.” Furthermore, it is described
as “a billowing ocean which cannot be exhausted and a pitch dark night
which cannot be traversed. Its vastness is that of heaven and earth, its
breadth containeth the East and the West, and in its depth a sun is shining.”
Man
observeth these seven stages in his own development. After the appearance
of fate, execution becometh evident, and it is the same as the stage of
permission. For every created thing its fixed-time, in other words, the
duration of its existence, is set. After the fixed-time, the book, which
is the stage of the completion of a thing, shall be laid bare and made
manifest. To God belongeth praise this day! The foundation of all stations
is manifest, and it is detachment from all things and submission to His
behest. In this case, these stations themselves are unveiled.
(partially
published inMá’idiy-i
Ásmání, vol. 8, pp. 191-192)
2.The
meaning of the Kingdom (malakút) in its primary sense and
degree is the scene of His transcendent glory.[19]
In another sense, it referreth to the world of similitudes (‘álam-i-mithál),
which existeth between the Dominion (jabarút) and this mortal
realm (násút). Whatever is in the heavens or on the
earth hath its counterpart in that world. So long as it remaineth hidden
and concealed within the potentiality of utterance it is said to be of
the Dominion, and this is the first stage of delimitation. When it becometh
manifest it is said to be of the Kingdom. It draweth power and strength
from the first stage and bestoweth it upon whatever lieth below it. These
worlds and the worlds of Will and Purpose, of predestination and fate,
of pre- and post eternity, of perpetuity and time, have repeatedly been
set down by the Pen of the Most High in various Tablets. Blessed are those
who attain!
(Má’idiy-i-Ásmání,
vol. 1, p. 18)
From
Shaykh Ahmad
1.Know
that the divine Action,[20]
with respect to its stages, together with its connection to the outcomes
of acting, comprise a number of divisions. The first is the stage of the
Will, which is the first remembrance, as the Imám Ri?á related
to Jonah. What is meant is that prior to the Will a thing hath no remembrance
(dhikr) in any degree of the contingent world. The beginning of
its remembrance is to be known with respect to its existence. For example,
if something comes to you to act upon, it is nothing before you bring it
to mind. When you bring it to mind, your very remembrance of it constitutes
the first of the degrees of its existence, or its being.
The
second is Purpose, which is the determination upon that which has been
willed. This is the second stage of its remembrance, and its being known
with respect to its archetype (‘ayn). It has no existence before
this save the first remembrance, which is its being and the emanation of
its existence prior to the concomitant of essence. It is through Purpose
that essence is entailed for it, while it is through the Will that Purpose
comes into being as a result of the latter’s being a consequence of it.
The
third is predestination, which is the stage of existentiational topography
(handasa íjádiyya). Through it the limitations of
things are set, including provisions, terms of duration, continuance and
mortality, restraint of magnitudes, temporal and atemporal modes, location,
quantity, quality, degree, orientation, position, record, permission, accidents,
magnitudes of rays, and all boundaries until the end of the degrees of
its existence. The beginning of the second creation occurs in this stage,
the start of felicity and misery. It is through Purpose that predestination
comes into being as a result of the latter’s being a consequence of it.
These aforementioned limitations also occur with the first creation, but
in a more sublime way. I have only set them forth here, because this is
the station of scheme, while that is the station of simplicity.
The
fourth is fate, which is the realization of what has been predetermined
and its composition in accordance with the natural system. Predestination
is like measuring the materials of a bed for length, breadth, and shape.
Fate corresponds to composing them into a bed.
The
fifth is execution, which is the concomitant of fate. It is the act of
making something manifest, revealing the causes, and disclosing the means
due to the combination within it of all the stages needed to make one cognizant
of the impressions of the divine active attributes. The first four stages,
therefore, are the elements of the divine Act, while the fifth is their
disclosure. It is through predestination that fate comes to be, and it
is through fate that execution comes to be.
These
four stages constitute the Morn of Eternity (?ub? al-azal), as the
light which shines forth from the Morn of Eternity consists of four lights.
They are the Throne upon which the All-Merciful is seated in His mercifulness,
which is these four stages of action. The light shining from the first
stage is the upper right pillar of the Throne; it is the white light. The
light shining from the second stage is the lower right pillar of the Throne;
it is the yellow light. The light shining from the third stage is the upper
left pillar of the Throne; it is the green light. The light shining from
the fourth stage is the lower left pillar of the Throne; it is the red
light. The white color of the Will is due to its perfect simplicity. The
yellow color of Purpose is due to an increase of heat in the whiteness.
The green color of predestination is due to the mixture of the blackness
of multiplicity, which is a consequence of predestination, with the yellowness
that is an effect of Purpose. The red color of fate is due to the combination
of the white of the Will with the yellow of Purpose in the heat of the
decree of fate through execution.
Know
that when the expression “He created” is used, all the stages of the divine
Act may be intended, since from a linguistic perspective, it is true of
all of them. Now if it is said “He created, fashioned, and formed,” then
“He created” means “He willed,” in other words, “He called existence into
being”; “He fashioned” means “He purposed,” in other words, “He called
the archetypes into being,” which means “He called the essences of things
into being by means of existence”; and “He formed” means “He predetermined,”
in other words, “He called their limitations into being.”
God
has said: “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who created all
things, then fashioned them; Who predetermined them, then guided them.”[21]
This means He created their being, in other words, their existence; then
He fashioned their archetypes, meaning He proportioned their essences by
means of their existence. This signifies that He placed in them that whereby
if they are asked, they will answer. Note that the conjunction “then” is
used instead of “and” between the verbs of creating and fashioning because
of the inseparable relationship between them, as we explained before. This
is the first creation. The verse “Who predetermined them, then guided them”
means that He assigned their limitations, as we set forth earlier. This
is the second creation. “Then guided them” signifies that He showed them
the path of guidance.
(The
Fourth Observation, Al-Fawá’id al-?ikmiyyah in The Metaphysics
and Cosmology of Process, pp. 434-436)
2.As
for the nature of God’s knowledge of universals, that is, knowing in a
general respect, or knowing the universals of things. These are universal
worlds under which are instances and individuals, or they are abstracted
universals, like naturalness, logicalness, and rationality. These are fixed
things on the left side of existence. It is this theme that has caused
most of the people to perish, and you will find that all are comparers
and deniers, save those who adhere to the sayings of Muhammad and His family
and who do not let their feet exceed their bounds.
I
have written about an epistle by Mullá Mu?sin Fay?, which he wrote
for his son, called “Guidance on the Meaning of the Sayings of the Imáms
of Guidance,” and you will not find anything in my discourse that is compatible
with what that man has written, for he has imitated the people. Relevant
to this is the saying of the Commander of the Faithful: “The journey of
one who seeks aught beside us is heading toward polluted springs which
empty into one another, while the journey of one who seeks us is going
toward crystal springs which flow by the Command of God to the individuals
that belong to them.”
The
truth of this question is contrary to what the majority of the people understand.
But the matter is easy for one who has discovered and recognized that knowledge
is the same as the object of knowledge in the Necessary and the contingent,
the visible and the invisible. Whoever doesn’t understand this will never
attain the truth of this question. An explanation of this will follow,
God willing.
According
to the people’s understanding of fate (qa?á) and predestination
(qadar), fate is an eternal decree which cannot be altered (badá),
and it is prior to predestination….But in the view of the people of the
House, predestination precedes fate, as stated by Ká?im, and the
meaning they set forth is not the same as that set forth by the people,
which is baseless according to the people of Revelation. Its meaning, in
their view, is as he has amply stated: “Is it not set forth in the traditions:
‘Fate refers to an inevitable decree that is subsequent to predestination.’”?
The
truth is that when the creative action is related to existence, it is the
Will; when it is related to the archetype (‘ayn), in other words,
the species form, it is Purpose; and when it is related to the limitations
of the created, that is to say, their topography (handasa)—which
includes length and breadth, continuance and mortality, term of duration,
and the like—it is predestination. Through the accomplishment of the act
of creation and the thing itself, it is fate; and through its manifestation,
the revealing of causes, and the disclosure of means, it is execution.
In
regard to the Pen, it is that which draws from the Inkwell and produces
the Tablet. The Pen is the Universal Mind, and the Tablet is the Universal
Soul. The transcendent Platonic Models exist through the joining of the
Mím and the Thá, and they are the forms of things. Some have
charged that Plato established the forms of things, which are their causes
and their realities, in the Essence of the Emanating Source, by which is
meant their establishment in the Essence of God, exalted and glorified
be He. The statements of the people[22]
correspond with this meaning. They established all things in His Essence
in a mode nobler than they are in themselves. Mullá Mu?sin Fay?
said in his epistle that all things have an existence in the Essence essentially
posterior to the stage of His knowledge of Himself. So the stage without
the concomitance of multiplicity in His Essence, by reason of their multiplicity,
is applicable to the order which joins multiplicity to oneness. This is
what he has stated in the Kalimát al-Maknúnah (Hidden Words)
describing the existence of the world:
Existence
was a latent state in Him free of any archetype, but the archetype is disposed
for that existence by the Command. When God commanded, the Purpose of the
Creator became attached to it, and His Command was united with the notion
of the archetype. Through it the existence latent in Him passed from potentiality
into actuality. Therefore, the locus of manifestation for its being is
the Real, and the existent itself is the receiver of that existence. Were
it not for its receptivity and disposition to receive existence, it could
not exist. Moreover, God would not have generated it unless it had a fixed
archetype in the divine Knowledge corresponding to its essential, uncreated
disposition, its receptivity for existence, its worthiness to hearken to
the word “Be!” and its fitness to receive the same. He would not have called
it into being unless it was in Him. Or we say, the essence of the inner
name is the same as the essence of the outer name. The recipient is the
same as the agent, and the uncreated archetype is the same as God, so His
action and receptivity are His two hands. He is the agent by one of the
hands and the recipient by the other. The Essence is one, and the mulitiple
are impressions [in Him]. Thus it is true that He has created nothing except
Himself, and what He has created are His manifestations.
Al-fárábí
has set forth similar arguments. In one instance, he said: “The whole is
one in relation to His Essence, so He is the whole with respect to oneness.”
Similar statements can be found in their writings.
But
those who know the intent of Plato recognize that he means by that which
contains the Platonic Forms (al-muthul) the original foundation
(al-‘un?ur al-a?lí) from which all things were created, for
he follows the meaning of his predecessors, who derived most of philosophy
from the Prophets. Sometimes they speak of “the Essence of God,” but they
intend the essence of the universal Vicegerent of God, in the sense that
it is an essence from God that He has related to Himself as a position
of honor. As He says: “I breathed into him a measure of My spirit.”[23]
‘Alí has also described the honored position of their souls: “Its
root is the Intellect. From it, it began; through it, it is heedful; to
it, it points and signifies; and unto it, it returns when it is perfect
and resembles it. From it, all existents began, and unto it they return
in perfection. It is the Essence of God, the Most High, the Blessed Tree,
the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, and the Paradise of the Water. Whosoever
recognizes it shall never be wretched, and whosoever fails to recognize
it shall fall into error and go astray.”
The
traditions differ outwardly on the meaning of this root. The learned also
differ in regard to it. Thus, it is said to be the water “from which He
made every living thing,”[24]
or it is said to be existence, or the Intellect, or the Throne, or the
Tablet. It is possible, however, to harmonize these various statements.
If it is said to be existence, what is meant is matter, as we have established.
If it is said to be water, the exponents of the outer meaning and the exponents
of the inner meaning agree that it is existence, which the latter interpret
as matter on account of its receptivity to a never ending succession of
forms. Those who say it is the Intellect intend by what it contains the
ideas of things free of temporal extension, elemental matter, and melancholic,
psychic, and imaginal form. Those who say it is the Throne mean that upon
it is a likeness of each thing, as they recount from ?ádiq about
the wonders of creation: “Each believer has a likeness upon the Throne,
such that when he performs an obligatory prayer his likeness does the same,
whereupon the angels bless him and ask for his forgiveness. And when a
servant is disobedient, God causes a curtain of night to descend around
his likeness, of which the angels are aware.” This is the explanation of
his words: “O Thou Who displayest what is beautiful and concealest what
is ugly.” In the Khu?batu’l-Bayán, he says: “The possessor
of the Throne has exalted stations, and upon that Throne are likenesses
of whatever God has created on land and sea.” This is the meaning of His
utterance: “Nothing exists whose treasury is not with Us.”[25]
Those who say it is the Tablet intend the Universal Soul, which is the
locus of the second creation and the first congelation.
The
notion of the unity of the thinker with the object of thought is based
upon what was put forward by the author of the doctrine of the oneness
of existence (wa?dat al-wujúd). He was obliged, for the sake
of the correctness of this principle, to forget what it implied in corruption
of belief and to cross over into unworthy speculations. God willing, we
will explain the falsity of everything he depends upon and the repugnance
of what he implies, such as the oneness of the agent and the patient, cause
and effect, and so on….
He
[?adrá] intends by his words “what is beyond the Intellect” the
supreme Object of worship, exalted and glorified be He….But it is evident
from the teachings of the people of the House, as their traditions make
clear without any contradiction and the Book of God affirms (and the mind
is illumined by their lights), that beyond the Intellect is the dead earth,
or the barren earth, which is the earth of potentialities, or the oil “which
is nearly luminous though no fire toucheth it.”[26]
Beyond this is the water from which God “made every living thing,”[27]
and it is the existence that flows forth through the action of God without
an intermediary. From one perspective, this is the foundation which Plato
intended contains the models of all things. But from another perspective,
the foundation which contains the models is the barren earth. The origin,
therefore, of these models is either (1) the shares of primary matter,
or active matter, which is the water and existence, or (2) the shares of
forms and differentia, which is the oil and the barren earth.
In
short, what is meant by the foundation (‘un?ur) is the Inkwell,
which is both the receiver and what is received. The Pen, which more properly
speaking is the Intellect, draws from the Inkwell and produces the Tablet
by means of spiritual elements which then act as seeds for the composition
of the body of man. So prior to it [the Pen] is the Will of God, which
is His action; eternity (sarmad), which is His time; and the possible,
which is His place and the most great chasm. These three things are what
tip the scales in favor of existence. It is allowable to say that the water
and the barren earth derive from these three, and that they belong to delimited
existence.[28]
So the things beyond the Intellect are five, and God is the encompasser
beyond them. All of them are created by God through His action.
The
meaning of the author [?adrá] is that the Intellect is uncompounded,
and that which is beyond it is uncompounded, namely, God, and since all
is an uncompounded reality (basí? al-?aqíqa), then
He is all the existents. But this view is false, for the Intellect is not
uncompounded, except in relation to what is below it in the temporal world.
They have only conceived it to be uncompounded based upon the words of
the ancient philosophers, who obtained wisdom from the Prophets. It may
be that a philosopher deduced it from their sayings, so the error is in
the deduction. They wrote their books in Syriac, and when they were translated
into Arabic some errors in interpreting and understanding the words of
the masters may have occurred. For instance, when they said this Intellect
is pure (mujarrad), they meant that it is free of elemental matter,
temporal extension, and melancholic, psychic, and imaginal form. He [?adrá]
has asserted that the Intellect is utterly uncompounded, as is applicable
to the Creator, exalted be He. But whatever is created, without a doubt,
is composed of two aspects, and aspect from its Lord, which is existence,
or matter; and an aspect from itself, which is the quiddity, or form. This
is because every contingent thing is a composite pair, and nothing other
than God has an uncompounded nature. How then can it be said to be uncompounded?
(Shar?
al-Mashá’ir, pp. 15-18)