A Study of Baha’u’llah’s
Kitab-i-Iqan, The Book of Certitude
|
Account of the Revelation
of the Book of Certitude
From Bahá'u'lláh
King of Glory, by H.M. Balyuzi (pages 163-167)
The Kitáb-i-Íqán or The Book of Certitude was written in answer
to questions presented by Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad, a maternal uncle of the
Báb, entitled Khál-i-Akbar (the Greatest Uncle). He and his brother,
Hájí Mírzá Hasan-'Alí, entitled Khál-i-Asghar (the Younger or the
Junior Uncle) were visiting the holy shrines of 'Iráq, in the year 1862. Both
of them, during the six short eventful years of the ministry of their Nephew,
had stood firm and steadfast in His support and defence, but neither of them
had given Him his allegiance. Bahá'u'lláh, Himself, relates in a Tablet that
Hájí Siyyid Javád-i-Karbilá'í spoke to Him of the presence of these two uncles
of the Báb in 'Iráq. Bahá'u'lláh then enquired from Hájí Siyyid Javád whether
he had reminded them of the Cause of the Báb. Hájí Siyyid Javád had not, and
Bahá'u'lláh related in the Tablet that He wished such close relatives of the
Primal Point not to remain deprived of the bounties conferred by the Faith of
their glorious Nephew, and He directed Hájí Siyyid Javád to bring one or both
of them to meet Him. Already in Shíráz Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad had
been prompted by a relative, Áqá Mírzá Áqá, Núri'd-Dín, to travel to 'Iráq,
outwardly on pilgrimage to the holy shrines, but in truth with the aim of
attaining the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. (As a youth, Áqá Mírzá Áqá had been
converted to the Bábí Faith by his aunt, Khádijih Bigum, the wife of the
Báb.) Now, when Hájí Siyyid Javád-i-Karbilá'í, whom he had known well for many
years, brought Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad this invitation from Bahá'u'lláh, he
gladly and readily responded. Bahá'u'lláh mentions in the same Tablet that when
He asked Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad what it was that stood in his way, the
latter replied that there were some questions which had caused him great
concern. Bahá'u'lláh advised him to write down those questions that they might
be answered. In recent years, amongst the papers left by Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
Muhammad, the questions he presented to Bahá'u'lláh have come to light. These,
which we can read today in the handwriting of Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad
himself, are related to the Shí'ih expectations of the advent of the
Qá'im of the House of Muhammad.
Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad worded his questions under four headings, namely:
1. The Day of Resurrection. Is there to be corporeal
resurrection? The world is replete with injustice. How are the just to be
requited and the unjust punished?
2. The twelfth Imám was born at a certain time and lives on. There are
traditions, all supporting the belief. How can this be explained?
3. Interpretation of holy texts. This Cause does not seem to conform with
beliefs held throughout the years. One cannot ignore the literal meaning of
holy texts and scripture. How can this be explained?
4. Certain events, according to the traditions that have come down from the
Imáms, must occur at the advent of the Qá'im. Some of these are mentioned. But
none of these has happened. How can this be explained?
This is the gist of the questions presented to Bahá'u'lláh, by the uncle of the
Báb.
Bahá'u'lláh revealed the Kitáb-i-Íqán, answering the questions posed by
this uncle of the Báb, within forty-eight hours. The original manuscript, in
the handwriting of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, with marginal additions made by Bahá'u'lláh
Himself, is now preserved in the International Bahá'í Archives on Mount Carmel.
Fátimih Khánum Afnán, a great-granddaughter of Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
Muhammad, had inherited this manuscript and she presented it to the Guardian of
the Bahá'í Faith. A copy, which must have been transcribed for Hájí Mírzá
Hasan-'Alí, the junior uncle of the Báb (who, although he did not accompany his
brother into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, before long gave Him his allegiance),
bears a date only one year after its revelation; it is now in the possession of
one of Hájí Mírzá Hasan-'Alí's great-great-grandsons. The present writer has in
his possession a fine copy in the handwriting of Áqá Mírzá Áqáy-i-Rikáb-Sáz,
the first martyr of Shíráz, bearing the date 1871.
The Book of Certitude was perhaps the earliest of the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh to appear in print. A beautifully lithographed copy, which does not
bear a date and must have been printed in Bombay, is known to have been in
circulation in the early eighties of the last century. In this book, which the
Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith has described as 'of unsurpassed pre-eminence
among the writings of the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation', Bahá'u'lláh offers
a logical, illuminating and irrefutable explanation of the symbolism and the
enigmatic texts of the Scriptures of the past, establishes the fact of
progressive revelation, and adduces proofs to substantiate the divine mission
of the Báb. Shoghi Effendi says furthermore, of The Book of Certitude, 'Well
may it be claimed that of all the books revealed by the Author of the Bahá'í
Revelation, this book alone, by sweeping away the age-long barriers that have
so insurmountably separated the great religions of the world, has laid down a
broad and unassailable foundation for the complete and permanent reconciliation
of their followers.' No single quotation can adequately present a picture of
the vast field covered by the contents of this momentous book. Speaking of the
powers and the signs of God manifest in the entire realm of creation,
Bahá'u'lláh says:
. . . whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the
earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and
names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear
eloquent testimony to the revelation of that most great Light. Methinks, but
for the potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How resplendent
the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of
wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of man, who,
among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of such gifts, and
hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction. For in him are
potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no
other created being hath excelled or surpassed. All these names and attributes
are applicable to him. Even as He hath said: 'Man is My mystery, and I am his
mystery.' . . . . .
Man, the noblest and most perfect of all created things, excelleth them all in
the intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller expression of its glory. And
of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished and the most
excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. Nay, all else besides
these Manifestations, live by the operation of their Will, and move and have
their being through the outpourings of their grace. . . . These Tabernacles of
holiness, these primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are
but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the
revelation of these gems of divine virtue all the names and attributes of God,
such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory,
bounty and grace, are made manifest.
The Manifestations of God, the Founders of the world's religions, are the
Bearers of God's will and purpose to mankind. They are the logos - the
Word of God. In them nothing can be seen but the Reality and the Light of God.
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace . . . hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men. that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence. These sanctified Mirrors, these Day-springs of ancient glory are one and all the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can never fade.
This is only one aspect of the great theme that The Book of Certitude
unfolds.