First Imam:
Abul-Hasan Ali ibn Abu Talib - "Ali" ( - 661).
Second Imam:
Abu Muhammad Hasan ibn Ali - "Hasan" (AH 3 - AH 49/669).
Third Imam:
Abu Abdu'llah Husayn ibn Ali - "Husayn" (AH 4/626 - AH 61/680).
Fourth Imam:
Ali, Zaynu'l-Abidin - "Zaynu'l-Abidin" (AH 38/658 - 94/712?).
Fifth Imam:
Muhammad al-Baqir - "Baqir" (AH 57/676 - AH 117/735?).
Sixth Imam:
Jafar as-Sadiq - "Sadiq" (AH 80/669? - AH 148/765).
Seventh Imam:
Musa al-Kazim - "al-Kazim" (AH 128/745 - AH 183/799).
Eighth Imam:
Ali ar-Rida - "ar-Rida" (AH 148/765 - AH 203/818).
Ninth Imam:
Muhammad at-Taqi - "at-Taqi" (AH 195/810 - AH 220/835).
Tenth Imam:
Ali al-Hadi - "al-Hadi" (AH 212/827? - AH 254/868).
Eleventh Imam:
Hasan al-Askari - "al-Askari" (AH 232/846 - AH 260/873?).
Twelth Imam:
Muhammad al-Mahdi - "al-Qaim" (the one who will arise).
-- Cited in
"Introduction to Shi'i Islam" by Moojan Momen.
Passages indicating the prophethood (dependent/lesser) of the Imams.
1. The passage
below is about the "station of pure abstraction and essential
unity" of the
Manifestations of God, including as examples, Adam, Noah,
Moses, and
Jesus, Muhammad and the Imams.
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 Manifestations 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 (in
which
Imam Ali also fortells the coming of 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)
2. 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 (dependent/lesser) -- 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
3. The Imams -- The manifestations of the power of God
4:59 O ye who
believe! Obey God, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with
authority
among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to
God and His
Apostle, if ye do believe in God and the Last Day: That is best,
and most suitable
for final determination.
-- Qur'an:
4 - AN-NISA.
And likewise
in the sacred verse: "Obey God and obey the Apostle, and those
among you invested
with authority." By "those invested with authority" is
meant primarily
and more especially the Imáms -- the blessings of God rest
upon them!
They, verily, are the manifestations of the power of God, and the
sources of
His authority, and the repositories of His knowledge, and the
daysprings
of His commandments.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 90
At this time
the breeze of God is wafted and the spirit of God hath
surrounded.
The pen is withheld from motion and the tongue hath ceased
utterance.
Briefly: In this station the declaration of divinity and the like
have appeared
from them, while in the station of messengership they have
declared prophethood.
Likewise in every station they have made a declaration
expedient thereto
and have attributed all these to themselves; (declarations)
concerning
the world of command, the world of creation, the worlds of
divinity, and
the worlds of phenomena. Therefore whatever they may say and
claim, including
divinity, deity, prophethood, messengership, successorship,
imamat or
servitude is true and without doubt. Consequently these proven
statements
should be reflected upon, that no one may be overtaken in the
sayings of
the Manifestations of the Invisible and Dawning-places of Holiness.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Baha'i scriptures, p. 48
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
The door of
the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the
face of all
beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His
saying: "His
grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed
them all" 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.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 99
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)
As for the station
of the Imams and of the near ones at the threshold of
grandeur, it
is that of spiritual honor and glory. Their right is to the
authority of
the All-Merciful, and their crown of glory is the dust of
the divine
path. Their gleaming scepter is the lights of the bounty of
God. Their
royal throne is the seat of hearts, and their exalted and
great crown
is in the kingdom of God. They are the monarchs of the world
of spirit and
heart, not that of water and clay. They are sovereigns of
the realm of
the placeless, not of the graveyards of the contingent
world. No one
can usurp or plunder this glorious station or this
pre-existent
grandeur.
--`Abdu'l-Baha's
"Treatise on Leadership" (a provisional translation)
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
5. The passage
below also indicates the prophethood of Imam Ali and his
designation
as "the branch" (dependent/lesser prophet), based on the Bible,
explained by
Abdu'l-Baha.
11:3 And I will
give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a
thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
11:4 These are
the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before
the God of the earth.
11:5 And if
any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and
devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this
manner be killed.
11:6 These have
power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their
prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite
the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
-- Bible: Revelation,
And I will give
power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a
thousand two
hundred and three-score days, clothed in sackcloth." These two
witnesses are
Muhammad the Messenger of God, and `Alí, son of Abú Tálib.
In the Qur'án
it is said that God addressed Muhammad, the Messenger of God,
saying: "We
made You a Witness, a Herald of good news, and a Warner"--that
is to say,
We have established Thee as the witness, the giver of good
tidings, and
as One bringing the wrath of God. The meaning of "a witness"
is one by whose
testimony things may be verified. The commands of these two
witnesses were
to be performed for twelve hundred and sixty days, each day
signifying
a year. Now, Muhammad was the root, and `Alí the branch, like
Moses and
Joshua. It is said they "are clothed in sackcloth," meaning that
they, apparently,
were to be clothed in old raiment, not in new raiment;
in other words,
in the beginning they would possess no splendor in the eyes
of the people,
nor would their Cause appear new; for Muhammad's spiritual
Law corresponds
to that of Christ in the Gospel, and most of His laws
relating to
material things correspond to those of the Pentateuch. This is
the meaning
of the old raiment.
Then it is said:
"These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before
the God of the earth." These two souls are likened to olive
trees because
at that time all lamps were lighted by olive oil. The meaning
is two persons
from whom that spirit of the wisdom of God, which is the
cause of the
illumination of the world, appears. These lights of God were
to radiate
and shine; therefore, they are likened to two candlesticks: the
candlestick
is the abode of the light, and from it the light shines forth.
In the same
way the light of guidance would shine and radiate from these
illumined souls.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions, p. 48
Universally,
the Prophets are of two kinds. One are the independent
Prophets Who
are followed; the other kind are not independent and are
themselves
followers.
The independent
Prophets are the lawgivers and the founders of a new
cycle..
They are like the sun which is luminous in itself: the light is
its essential
necessity; it does not receive light from any other star..
The other
Prophets are followers and promoters, for they are branches
and
not independent;
they receive the bounty of the independent Prophets, and
they profit
by the light of the Guidance of the universal Prophets. They
are like the
moon, which is not luminous and radiant in itself, but
receives its
light from the sun.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions, p.165
6. The prophethood
(dependent/lesser) of Imam Ali is indicated further below
in Revelation
11:10, one of "the two prophets" (Muhammad and Imam Ali) who
"tormented
them that dwelt on the earth."
11:9 And
they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see
their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their
dead bodies to be put in graves.
11:10 And they
that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make
merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets
tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
-- Bible: Revelation
"And they of
the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their
dead bodies
three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to
be put in graves."
As it was before
explained, in the terminology of the Holy Books three days
and a half
signify three years and a half, and three years and a half are
forty and two
months, and forty and two months twelve hundred and sixty
days; and as
each day by the text of the Holy Book signifies one year, the
meaning is
that for twelve hundred and sixty years, which is the cycle of
the Qur'án,
the nations, tribes and peoples would look at their bodies--that
is to say,
that they would make a spectacle of the Religion of God: though
they would
not act in accordance with it, still, they would not suffer their
bodies--meaning
the Religion of God--to be put in the grave. That is to say,
that in appearance
they would cling to the Religion of God and not allow it
to completely
disappear from their midst, nor the body of it to be entirely
destroyed and
annihilated. Nay, in reality they would leave it, while
outwardly preserving
its name and remembrance.
Those "kindreds,
people and nations" signify those who are gathered under
the shadow
of the Qur'án, not permitting the Cause and Law of God to be, in
outward appearance,
entirely destroyed and annihilated--for there are prayer
and fasting
among them -- but the fundamental principles of the Religion of
God, which
are morals and conduct, with the knowledge of divine mysteries,
have disappeared;
the light of the virtues of the world of humanity, which
is the result
of the love and knowledge of God, is extinguished; and the
darkness of
tyranny, oppression, satanic passions and desires has become
victorious.
The body of the Law of God, like a corpse, has been exposed to
public view
for twelve hundred and sixty days, each day being counted as a
year, and this
period is the cycle of Muhammad.
The people forfeited
all that these two persons had established, which was
the foundation
of the Law of God, and destroyed the virtues of the world of
humanity, which
are the divine gifts and the spirit of this religion, to
such a degree
that truthfulness, justice, love, union, purity, sanctity,
detachment
and all the divine qualities departed from among them. In the
religion only
prayers and fasting persisted; this condition lasted for
twelve hundred
and sixty years, which is the duration of the cycle of the
Qurán.
It was as if these two persons were dead, and their bodies were
remaining without
spirit.
"And they that
dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry,
and shall send
gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented
them that dwelt
on the earth." "Those who dwelt upon the earth" means the
other nations
and races, such as the peoples of Europe and distant Asia,
who, when they
saw that the character of Islám was entirely changed, the
Law of God
forsaken-- that virtues, zeal and honor had departed from among
them, and that
their qualities were changed--became happy, and rejoiced that
corruption
of morals had infected the people of Islám, and that they would
in consequence
be overcome by other nations. So this thing has come to pass.
Witness this
people which had attained the summit of power, how degraded and
downtrodden
it is now.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions, p. 52-54
7. Explanation of the "Return" of the prophets.
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
Baha'u'llah
is the Return of Imam Husayn also indicating Imam Husayn
was a prophet
based on the explanation above on the concept of "Return"
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
8. "Trumpet"
symbolises the call or revelation of the prophet. Below
Muhammad fortells
the coming of the Bab (first Trumpet) and Baha'u'llah
(second Trumpet).
Further below Baha'u'llah refers to the trumpet-call of
Imam Ali also
consistent with Imam Ali being a prophet (dependent/lesser).
39:67 No just
estimate have they made of God, such as is due to Him: On the
Day of Judgment
the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the
heavens will
be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above
the Partners
they attribute to Him!
39:68 The Trumpet
will (just) be sounded, when all that are in the heavens
and on earth
will swoon, except such as it will please God (to exempt).
Then will a
second one be sounded, when, behold, they will be standing and
looking on!
39:69 And the
Earth will shine with the Glory of its Lord: the Record (of
Deeds) will
be placed (open); the prophets and the witnesses will be
brought forward
and a just decision pronounced between them; and they will
not be wronged
(in the least).
39:70 And to
every soul will be paid in full (the fruit) of its Deeds; and
(God) knoweth
best all that they do.
-- Qur'an:
39 - AZ-ZUMAR
Upon Our arrival
in Iraq We found the Cause of God sunk in deep apathy and
the breeze
of divine revelation stilled. Most of the believers were faint
and dispirited,
nay utterly lost and dead. Hence there was a
second blast
on the Trumpet,
whereupon the Tongue of Grandeur uttered these blessed
words: `We
have sounded the Trumpet for the second time.' Thus the whole
world was quickened
through the vitalizing breaths of divine revelation and
inspiration.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 131
O Haydar-`Alí!
I swear by the righteousness of God! The Blast
hath been
blown on the
Trumpet of the Bayán as decreed by
the Lord, the Merciful, and
all that are
in the heavens and on the earth have swooned away except such
as have detached
themselves from the world, cleaving fast unto the Cord of
God, the Lord
of mankind.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 244
They refuse
to recognize the trumpet-blast which so explicitly
in this text
was sounded
through the revelation of Muhammad. They deprive
themselves of
the regenerating
Spirit of God that breathed into it, and foolishly expect
to hear the
trumpet-sound of the Seraph of God who is but one of His
servants! Hath
not the Seraph himself, the angel of the Judgment Day, and
his like been
ordained by Muhammad's own utterance?
--Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 116
Below Baha'u'llah
refers to the trumpet-call of Imam Ali also consistent
with him being
a prophet.
In like manner,
two of the people of Kufih went to Ali, the Commander of
the Faithful...
Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the
trumpet-call
of Ali, had they risen from the grave of error
by the power of
his love, the
judgment of death would certainly not have been pronounced
against them.
--Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 119
Prophecies of the Imams about the coming of the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
References
to the Imams in the Quran.