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
Muhammad, Himself,
as the end of His mission drew nigh, spoke these words:
"Verily, I
leave amongst you My twin weighty testimonies:
The Book of God
and
My
Family [the Imams]."
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 201
7:181 Of those
We have created are people who direct (others) with truth.
And dispense
justice therewith.
7:182 Those
who reject Our signs, We shall gradually visit with punishment,
in ways they
perceive not;
-- Qur'an:
7 - AL-A`ARAF.
3:7 He it is
Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or
fundamental
(of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book:
others are
allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the
part thereof
that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its
hidden meanings,
but no one knows its hidden meanings except God. And those
who are firmly
grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole
of it is from
our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of
understanding.
-- Qur'an:
3 - AL-I-IMRAN
3:102
O ye who believe! Fear God as He should be feared, and die not except
in a state of Islám.
3:103 And hold
fast, all together, by the rope [cord] which
God (stretches out
for you), and be not divided among yourselves;
and remember with
gratitude God's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined
your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and
ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.
Thus doth God make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.
3:104 Let there
arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is
good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They
are the ones to attain felicity.
3:105 Be not
like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into
disputations after receiving Clear Signs: For them is a dreadful
penalty,-
3:106 On the
Day when some faces will be (lit up with) white, and some
faces will be (in the gloom of) black: To those whose faces will
be black, (will be said): "Did ye reject Faith after accepting it?
Taste then the penalty for rejecting Faith."
3:107 But those
whose faces will be (lit with) white,- they will be in
(the light of) God's mercy: therein to dwell (for ever).
3:108 These
are the Signs of God: We rehearse them to thee in Truth: And
God means no injustice to any of His creatures.
-- The Qur'an:
3 - AL-I-IMRAN,
Below Imam Ali states he is the Cord of God.
The truth is
Mine and certitude is at My side. Leadership is Mine and the
righteous shall
follow Me. I am the first to acknowledge faith, the Cord
of God
that shall
not be broken, the One who will raise the world to justice even as it
hath been brought
low by oppression. I am the companion of Gabriel and the
archangel Michael
is beside Me. I am the tree of guidance, and the essence of
righteousness.
I shall gather together the world of creation through the Word of
God that gathers
together all things. I give life unto humanity and I am the
treasury of
all divine commands. To Me hath been given the Luminous Pen and
the Crimson
Camel.
-- Imam Ali,
Khutbat'ul-Iftikhár (The Sermon of Glorification)
29:49 Nay, here
are Signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with
knowledge:
and none but the unjust reject Our Signs.
29:50 Ye they
say: "Why are not Signs sent down to him from his Lord?" Say:
"The signs
are indeed with God: and I am indeed a clear Warner."
29:51 And is
it not enough for them that we have sent down to thee the Book
which is rehearsed
to them? Verily, in it is Mercy and a Reminder to those
who believe.
-- Qur'an:
29 - AL-`ANKABUT
7:9 Those whose
scale will be light, will be their souls in perdition, for
that they wrongfully
treated Our signs.
-- Qur'an:
7 - AL-A`ARAF.
10:6 Verily,
in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that
God hath created,
in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who
fear Him.
10:7 Those who
rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, but are
pleased and
satisfied with the life of the present, and those who heed not
Our Signs,-
10:8 Their abode
is the Fire, because of the (evil) they earned.
-- Qur'an:
10 - YUNUS.
10:101 Say:
"Behold all that is in the heavens and on earth"; but neither
Signs nor Warners
profit those who believe not.
-- Qur'an:
10 - YUNUS.
22:55 Those
who reject Faith will not cease to be in doubt concerning
(Revelation)
until the Hour (of Judgment) comes suddenly upon them, or
there comes
to them the Penalty of a Day of Disaster.
22:56 On that
Day of Dominion will be that of God: He will judge between
them: so those
who believe and work righteous deeds will be in Gardens of
Delight.
22:57 And for
those who reject Faith and deny our Signs, there will be a
humiliating
Punishment.
-- Qur'an:
22 - AL-HAJJ.
8:29 (Here is)
a Book which We have sent down unto thee, full of blessings,
that they may
mediate on its Signs, and that men of understanding may
receive admonition.
-- Qur'an:
38 - SUAD.
1:6 Show us
the straight way,
-- Qur'an:
1 - AL-FATIHAH.
6:153 Verily,
this is My way, leading straight: follow it: follow not
(other) paths:
they will scatter you about from His (great) path: thus doth
He command
you. that ye may be righteous.
-- Qur'an:
6 - AL-AN`AM.
15:41 (God)
said: "This (way of My sincere servants) is indeed a way that
leads straight
to Me.
-- Qur'an:
15 - AL-HIJR.
16:76 God sets
forth (another) Parable of two men: one of them dumb, with
no power of
any sort; a wearisome burden is he to his master; whichever way
be directs
him, he brings no good: is such a man equal with one who
commands Justice,
and is on a Straight Way?
-- Qur'an:
16 - AN-NAHL.
20:135 Say:
"Each one (of us) is waiting: wait ye, therefore, and soon
shall ye know
who it is that is on the straight and even way, and who it is
that has received
Guidance."
-- Qur'an:
20 - TA HA.
43:42 Or We
shall show thee that (accomplished) which We have promised
them: for verily
We shall prevail over them.
43:43 So hold
thou fast to the Revelation sent down to thee; verily thou
art on a Straight
Way.
-- Qur'an:
43 - AZ-ZUKHRUF.
25:27 The Day
that the wrong-doer will bite at his hands, he will say, "Oh!
would that
I had taken a (straight) path with the Apostle!
-- Qur'an:
25 - AL-FURQAN.
6:153 Verily,
this is My way, leading straight: follow it: follow not
(other) paths:
they will scatter you about from His (great) path: thus doth
He command
you. that ye may be righteous.
-- Qur'an:
6 - AL-AN`AM.
29:69 And those
who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to
our Paths:
For verily God is with those who do right.
-- Qur'an:
29 - AL-`ANKABUT.
These are among
the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the hall-mark
of the spiritually-minded.
They have already been mentioned in connection
with the requirements
of the wayfarers that tread the Path of Positive
Knowledge.
When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled
these essential
conditions, then and only then can he be called a true
seeker. Whensoever
he hath fulfilled the conditions implied in the verse:
"Whoso maketh
efforts for Us," he shall enjoy the blessing conferred by the
words: "In
Our ways shall We assuredly guide him."
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 195
31:15 "But if
they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of
which thou
hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this
life with justice
(and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn
to me (in love):
in the end the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell
you the truth
(and meaning) of all that ye did."
-- Qur'an:
31 - LUQMAN.
The Commander
of the Faithful (Imám `Alí) hath said: "I am He Who can
neither be
named, nor described." And likewise He hath said: "Outwardly I
am an Imám;
inwardly I am the Unseen, the Unknowable." Abú-Ja'far-i-Túsí
hath said:
"I said to Ábí `Abdi'lláh: `You are the Way mentioned
in the
Book of God,
and you are the Impost, and you are the Pilgrimage.' He
replied: `O
man! We are the Way mentioned in the Book of God,--exalted
and
glorified be
He--and We are the Impost, and We are the Fast, and We are the
Pilgrimage,
and We are the Sacred Month, and We are the Sacred City, and We
are the Kaaba
of God, and We are the Qiblih of God, and We are the Face of
God.'"
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 112
2:256 Let there
be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from
Error: whoever
rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most
trustworthy
hand- hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth
all things.
-- Qur'an:
2 - AL-BAQARAH.
64:8 Believe,
therefore, in God and His Apostle, and in the Light which
we have sent
down. And God is well acquainted with all that ye do.
64:9 The Day
that He assembles you (all) for a Day of Assembly,- that
will be a Day
of mutual loss and gain (among you), and those who believe
in God and
work righteousness,- He will remove from them their ills, and
He will admit
them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein
for ever: that
will be the Supreme Achievement.
64:10 But those
who reject Faith and treat Our Signs as falsehoods, they
will be Companions
of the Fire, to dwell therein for aye: and evil is
that Goal.
--Qur'an: 64
- AT-TAGHABUN.
4:174 O mankind!
verily there hath come to you a convincing proof from
your Lord:
For We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest.
--Qur'an: 4
- AN-NISA.
6:122 Can he
who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a light whereby he
can walk amongst
men, be like him who is in the depths of darkness, from
which he can
never come out? Thus to those without faith their own deeds
seem pleasing.
6:123 Thus have
We placed leaders in every town, its wicked men, to plot
(and burrow)
therein: but they only plot against their own souls, and
they perceive
it not.
6:124 When there
comes to them a sign (from God), They say: "We shall not
believe until
we receive one (exactly) like those received by God's
apostles."
God knoweth best where (and how) to carry out His mission.
Soon will the
wicked be overtaken by humiliation before God, and a severe
punishment,
for all their plots.
6:125 Those
whom God (in His plan) willeth to guide,- He openeth their
breast to Islám;
those whom He willeth to leave straying,- He maketh
their breast
close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the
skies: thus
doth God (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.
6:126 This is
the way of thy Lord, leading straight: We have detailed the
signs for those
who receive admonition.
-- Qur'an:
6 - AL-AN`AM.
7:157 "Those
who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they
find mentioned
in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;-
for he commands
them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he
allows them
as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from
what is bad
(and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and
from the yokes
that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him,
honour him,
help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,-
it is they
who will prosper."
--Qur'an: 7
- AL-A`ARAF.
9:32 Fain would
they extinguish God's light with their mouths, but God
will not allow
but that His light should be perfected, even though the
Unbelievers
may detest (it).
9:33 It is He
Who hath sent His Apostle with guidance and the Religion of
Truth, to proclaim
it over all religion, even though the Pagans may
detest (it).
-- Qur'an:
9 - AT-TAUBAH.
57:28 O ye that
believe! Fear God, and believe in His Apostle, and He
will bestow
on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide for you
a Light by
which ye shall walk (straight in your path), and He will
forgive you
(your past): for God is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.
-- Qur'an:
57 - AL-HADID.
66:8 O ye who
believe! Turn to God with sincere repentance: In the hope
that your Lord
will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens
beneath which
Rivers flow,- the Day that God will not permit to be
humiliated
the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their Light will
run forward
before them and by their right hands, while they say, "Our
Lord! Perfect
our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for Thou hast
power over
all things."
-- Qur'an:
66 - AT-TAHRIM.
91:1 By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;
91:2 By the Moon as she follows him;
91:3 By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory;
91:4 By the
Night as it conceals it;
-- Qur'an:
91 - ASH-SHAMS.
The Prophet
is the Sun and Imam Ali is the Moon. The Day refers to the
Imams and the
Night to the Caliphate which "covered" Imam Ali.
The term "suns"
hath many a time been applied in the writings of the
"immaculate
Souls" unto the Prophets of God, those luminous Emblems of
Detachment.
Among those writings are the following words recorded in the
"Prayer of
Nudbih": "Whither are gone the resplendent Suns? Whereunto
have departed
those shining Moons and sparkling Stars?" Thus, it hath
become evident
that the terms "sun,"
"moon," and "stars"
primarily
signify the
Prophets of God, the saints, and their companions, those
Luminaries,
the
light of Whose knowledge hath shed illumination upon the
worlds of the
visible and the invisible.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 35
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 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
55:19 He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together:
55:20 Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:
55:21 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
55:22 Out of them come Pearls and Coral:...
The Two Seas
are Imam Ali and Fatima (both equal in rank) and the
"Pearls and
Coral" are their sons Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn.
7:46 Between
them shall be a veil, and on the heights will be men who would
know every
one by his marks: they will call out to the Companions of the
Garden, "peace
on you": they will not have entered, but they will have an
assurance (thereof).
-- Qur'an:
7 - AL-A`ARAF.
7:35 O ye Children
of Adam! whenever there come to you apostles from
amongst you,
rehearsing My signs unto you,- those who are righteous and
mend (their
lives),- on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.
7:36 But those
who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, - they
are companions
of the Fire, to dwell therein (for ever).
-- The Qur’án:
7 - AL-A`ARAF
The apostles
mentioned above can be paralleled to those who came after
Moses mentioned
below.
2:87 We gave
Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of
apostles; We
gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him
with the holy
spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you an apostle
with what ye
yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride?- Some ye
called impostors,
and others ye slay!
-- The Qur’án:
2 - AL-BAQARAH