On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 22:15:56 -0900, Sandra Chamberlain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear Gilberto, > Responding to your comment: > > <> So already the Quranic dispensation has examples of > resistance and non-resistance. Already there are forms of > guidance which help deal with vastly changing circumstances. > Understand? <>
Sandra: > You've no doubt heard already Abdu'l-Baha's analogy of > "education" so I won't include that. Essentially, with each > successive Divine Revelation humankind is further educated. > Advances in understanding and implementation of their > exhortations are made in the course of each Dispensation > preparing us for the "next" revelation. Baha'u'llah > encourages His followers to read and become familiar with all > the Scriptures. I appreciate that you've shared the Quran > passage concerning Cain and Abel. This illustrates clearly > how the Revelations evolve as does human understanding. I don't see the revelations particularly evolving. The point I was making with the Cain and Abel story is that Muslims didn'thave to wait for the Bahahi faith to come allow dazxfsad bndxb h b I'll > share with you Baha'u'llah's commentary on this Old Testament > and Quranic story: > > "O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore the heavens > of the Revelation of the Qur'án, were it to contemplate the > realm of divine knowledge unfolded therein, thou wouldst > assuredly find unnumbered doors of knowledge set open before > thee. Thou wouldst certainly recognize that all these things > which have in this day hindered this people from attaining the > shores of the ocean of eternal grace, the same things in the > Muhammadan Dispensation prevented the people of that age from > recognizing that divine Luminary, and from testifying to His > truth. Thou wilt also apprehend the mysteries of "return" and > "revelation," and wilt securely abide within the loftiest > chambers of certitude and assurance. > > And it came to pass that on a certain day a number of the > opponents of that peerless Beauty, those that had strayed far > from God's imperishable Sanctuary, scornfully spoke these > words unto Muhammad: "Verily, God hath entered into a covenant > with us that we are not to credit an apostle until he present > us a sacrifice which fire out of heaven shall devour." [1] The > purport of this verse is that God hath covenanted with them > that they should not believe in any messenger unless he work > the miracle of Abel and Cain, that is, offer a sacrifice, and > the fire from heaven consume it; even as they had heard it > recounted in the story of Abel, which story is recorded in the > scriptures. To this, Muhammad, answering, said: "Already have > Apostles before me come to you with sure testimonies, and with > that of which ye speak. Wherefore slew ye them? Tell me, if ye > are men of truth." [2] And now, be fair; How could those > people living in the days of Muhammad have existed, thousands > of years before, in the age of Adam or other Prophets? Why > should Muhammad, that Essence of truthfulness, have charged > the people of His day with the murder of Abel or other > Prophets? Thou hast none other alternative except to regard > Muhammad as an impostor or a fool -- which God forbid! -- or > to maintain that those people of wickedness were the self-same > people who in every age opposed and caviled at the Prophets > and Messengers of God, till they finally caused them all to > suffer martyrdom. [1 Qur'án 3:183.] [2 Qur'án 3:182.] > > Ponder this in thine heart, that the sweet gales of divine > knowledge, blowing from the meads of mercy, may waft upon thee > the fragrance of the Beloved's utterance, and cause thy soul > to attain the Ridvan of understanding. As the wayward of every > age have failed to fathom the deeper import of these weighty > and pregnant utterances, and imagined the answer of the > Prophets of God to be irrelevant to the questions they asked > them, they therefore have attributed ignorance and folly to > those Essences of knowledge and understanding." (Baha'u'llah, > The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 147) > > So, essentially, the position of Baha'u'llah's followers is > the same as Abel's: "If thou dost stretch thy hand against me, > to slay me, it is not for me to stretch my hand against thee > to slay thee: for I do fear Allah, the cherisher of the > worlds." We practice non-resistance in the face of religious > persecution because we "fear Allah"... > > lovingly, Sandra > > __________________________________________________ > You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Baha'i Studies is available through the following: > Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu > Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st > News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st > Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist > Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net > New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu > -- "My people are hydroponic" __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
