By "divines" in the passage cited
above is meant those men who outwardly
attire themselves with the raiment
of knowledge, but who inwardly are
deprived therefrom. In this connection,
We quote from the Tablet addressed
to His Majesty the Shah, certain
passages from the "Hidden Words" which
were revealed by the Abha Pen under
the name of the "Book of Fatimih," the
blessings of God be upon her!
"O ye that are foolish, yet have a
name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear
the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly
ye have become wolves, intent upon
My flock? Ye are even as the star,
which riseth ere the dawn, and which,
though it seem radiant and luminous,
leadeth the wayfarers of My city
astray into the paths of perdition."
And likewise He saith: "O ye seeming
fair yet inwardly foul! Ye are like
clear but bitter water, which to
outward seeming is crystal pure but of
which, when tested by the Divine
Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the
sunbeam falls alike upon the dust
and the mirror, yet differ they in
reflection even as doth the star
from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the
difference!"
--Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son
of the Wolf, p. 15
Assayers -- references to Dependent Prophets.
I swear by Him Who is Our Beloved
and your Beloved, that if one's life be
not offered up in His path, it would
not be worth even as much as a mustard
seed, and if one's inmost being were
not laid down at His feet, it would
appear more abject and insignificant
than a pebble. However, none but the
divine Assayers are able to recognize
this gem. In truth, when bereft of
vision, what advantage would one
gain by entering into the all-highest
Paradise? If destitute of hearing,
what can one perceive by drawing close
unto the celestial Tree of Blessedness?
The Assayers of these priceless
gems are such souls unto whom the
following tribute is paid: 'They that
speak not till He hath spoken and
act according to His commandment.'
Likewise He saith: 'They whom neither
merchandise nor traffic beguile from
the remembrance of the Almighty.'
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Compilations,
Fire and Light, p. 12
Then the gales of divine tests and
the winds of lordly temptation blew
from the Sheba of the everlasting
Cause. They became distracted by the
beauty of the wine server and grew
heedless of the immortal countenance,
to the extent that they imagined
the shadow to be the sun and phantoms
to be light. They set out for the
ladders of the greatest name so that
they might scale those heavens and
arrive at that seat and place. When
they rose toward it, the divine
assayers descended upon them with the
sacred touchstone, by the irresistible
decree of the lord. When these
emissaries did not perceive the scent
of the spiritual youth, they forbade
entry to all.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Holy Mariner (from the Persian).
69. O CHILDREN OF ADAM!
Holy words and pure and goodly deeds
ascend unto the heaven of celestial
glory. Strive that your deeds may
be cleansed from the dust of self and
hypocrisy and find favor at the court
of glory; for ere long the assayers
of mankind shall, in the holy presence
of the Adored One, accept naught
but absolute virtue and deeds of
stainless purity. This is the daystar of
wisdom and of divine mystery that
hath shone above the horizon of the
divine will. Blessed are they that
turn thereunto.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p. 46
Persian no. 69
This holy verse is replete with meaning,
and as time is pressing only a
brief mention is made as follows:
naught else but upright conduct and
pure deeds shall be accepted at His
divine Threshold. ('Abdu'l-Bahá from
a Tablet to an individual believer
-- translated from the Persian)
35. O MY FRIENDS!
Quench ye the lamp of error, and
kindle within your hearts the everlasting
torch of divine guidance. For ere
long
the assayers of mankind shall, in
the holy presence of the Adored,
accept naught but purest virtue and deeds
of stainless holiness.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p. 34
Just as the
term "assayer" is applied to Baha'u'llah and the Dependent
Prophets, similarly
Baha'u'llah refers to himself as the Maid
of Heaven
in the passage
below and also refers to the Dependent Prophets as the
Maids of Heaven
in the next passage.
O ye beloved of God! O ye children
of His Kingdom! Verily, verily the
new heaven and the new earth are
come. The holy City, new Jerusalem,
hath come down from on high in the
form of a maid of heaven, veiled,
beauteous, and unique, and prepared
for reunion with her lovers on earth.
The angelic company of the celestial
Concourse have joined in a call that
hath rung throughout the universe,
all loudly and mightily acclaiming:
"Hail, O City of God! Abide Thou,
and make Thy habitation with the
pure, virtuous and holy servants
of Thine; for they are Thy people, and
Thou art their Lord."
-- Compilation, Baha'i World Faith,
p. 350
O My servants! Through the might of
God and His power, and out of the
treasury of His knowledge and wisdom,
I have brought forth and revealed
unto you the pearls that lay concealed
in the depths of His everlasting
ocean. I have summoned the Maids
of Heaven to emerge from behind the veil
of concealment, and have clothed
them with these words of Mine--words of
consummate power and wisdom. I have,
moreover, with the hand of divine
power, unsealed the choice wine of
My Revelation, and have wafted its holy,
its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance
upon all created things. Who else but
yourselves is to be blamed if ye
choose to remain unendowed with so great
an outpouring of God's transcendent
and all-encompassing grace, with so
bright a revelation of His resplendent
mercy?...
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 327