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Heralds of His Name (the Independent Prophets and the Dependent/Lesser Prophets).
1)
Herald - the Independent Prophet.
Praise be unto God Who hath manifested the Point, hath unfolded
therefrom the knowledge of all things, whether of the past or of the
future -- a Point He hath chosen to be the Herald of His Name and the
Harbinger of His Great Revelation which hath caused the limbs of all
mankind to quake and the splendour of His light to shine forth above
the horizon of the world. Verily, this is the Point which God hath
ordained to be an ocean of light for the sincere among His servants and
a flame of fire to the froward amidst His creatures and the impious
among His people -- they who bartered away the gift of God for
unbelief, and the celestial food for hypocrisy, and led their
associates to a wretched abode. These are the people who have manifested sedition throughout the world and have
violated His Covenant on the Day when the immortal Being mounted His
throne and the Crier raised His Voice from the haven of security and
peace in the holy Vale.
O followers of the Bayan! Fear ye the All-Merciful. This is the One Who
hath been glorified by Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and before Him by
the Spirit [1] and yet before Him by the One Who discoursed with
God.[2] This is the Point of the Bayan calling aloud before the Throne,
saying: 'By the righteousness of God, ye have been created to glorify
this Most Great Announcement, this Perfect Way which lay hid within the
souls of the Prophets, which was treasured in the hearts of the chosen
ones of God and was written down by the glorious Pen of your Lord, the
Possessor of Names.'
[1 Jesus.]
[2 Moses.]
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 102
2)
Heralds - the Dependent/Lesser Prophets of Baha'u'llah.
204. O phoenix of that immortal flame kindled in the sacred Tree!
Bahá'u'lláh -- may my life, my soul, my spirit be offered up as a
sacrifice unto His lowly servants -- hath, during His last days on
earth, given the most emphatic promise that, through the outpourings of
the grace of God and the aid and assistance vouchsafed from His Kingdom
on high, souls will arise and holy beings appear who, as stars, would adorn the firmament of divine guidance; illumine the dayspring of loving-kindness and bounty; manifest the signs
of the unity of God; shine with the light of sanctity and purity;
receive their full measure of divine inspiration; raise high the sacred
torch of faith; stand firm as the rock and immoveable as the mountain;
and grow to become luminaries in the heavens of His Revelation, mighty channels of His grace, means for the bestowal of God's bountiful care, heralds calling forth the name of the One true God, and establishers of the world's supreme foundation.
These shall labour ceaselessly, by day and by night, shall heed neither
trials nor woe, shall suffer no respite in their efforts, shall seek no
repose, shall disregard all ease and comfort, and, detached and
unsullied, shall consecrate every fleeting moment of their lives to the
diffusion of the divine fragrance and the exaltation of God's holy
Word. Their faces will radiate heavenly gladness, and their hearts be
filled with joy. Their souls will be inspired, and their foundation
stand secure. They shall scatter in the world, and travel throughout
all regions. They shall raise their voices in every assembly, and adorn
and revive every gathering. They shall speak in every tongue, and
interpret every hidden meaning. They shall reveal the mysteries of the
Kingdom, and manifest unto everyone the signs of God.
They shall burn brightly even as a candle in the heart of every
assembly, and beam forth as a star upon every horizon. The gentle
breezes wafted from the garden of their hearts shall perfume and revive
the souls of men, and the revelations of their minds, even as showers, will reinvigorate the peoples and nations of the world.
I am waiting, eagerly waiting for these holy ones to appear; and yet,
how long will they delay their coming? My prayer and ardent
supplication, at eventide and at dawn, is that these shining stars may soon shed their radiance upon the world, that their sacred countenances may be unveiled to mortal eyes,
that the hosts of divine assistance may achieve their victory, and the
billows of grace, rising from His oceans above, may flow upon all
mankind. Pray ye also and supplicate unto Him that through the
bountiful aid of the Ancient Beauty these souls may be unveiled to the eyes of the world.
The glory of God rest upon thee, and upon him whose face is illumined
with that everlasting light that shineth from His Kingdom of Glory.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 250
HERALDS OF HIS NAME
O phoenix of that immortal flame kindled in the sacred Tree!
Bahá'u'lláh (may my life, my soul, my spirit, be offered up as a
sacrifice unto His lowly servants) hath, during His last days on earth,
given the most emphatic promise that, through the outpourings of the
grace of God and the aid and assistance vouchsafed from His Kingdom on
high, souls will arise and holy beings appear who, as stars, would
adorn the firmament of divine Guidance; illumine the dayspring of
loving kindness and bounty; manifest the signs of the unity of God;
shine with the light of sanctity and purity; receive their full measure
of divine inspiration; raise high the sacred torch of faith; stand firm
as the rock and immovable as the mountain; and grow to become
luminaries in the heavens of His Revelation, mighty channels of His
grace, means for the bestowals of God's bountiful care, heralds calling forth the name of the one true God, and establishers of the world's supreme foundation.
These shall labor ceaselessly by day and by night, shall heed neither
trial nor woe, shall suffer no respite in their efforts, shall seek no
repose, shall disregard all ease and comfort and, detached and
unsullied, shall consecrate every fleeting moment of their life to the
diffusion of the divine fragrance and the exaltation of God's holy
Word. Their face will radiate heavenly gladness, and their hearts be
filled with joy. Their souls will be inspired, and their foundation
stand secure. They shall scatter in the world, and travel throughout
all regions. They shall raise their voice in every assembly, and adorn
and revive every gathering. They shall speak in every tongue, and
interpret every hidden meaning. They shall reveal the mysteries of the
Kingdom, and manifest unto every one the signs of God. They shall burn
brightly even as a candle in the heart of every assembly, and beam
forth as a star upon every horizon. The gentle breeze wafted from the
garden of their hearts shall perfume and revive the souls of men, and
the revelations of their minds, even as showers, reinvigorate the
peoples and nations of the world.
I am waiting, eagerly waiting for these holy ones to appear; and yet,
how long will they delay their coming? My prayer and ardent
supplication, at eventide and at dawn, is that these shining stars may
soon shed their radiance upon the world, that their sacred countenance
may be unveiled to mortal eyes, and the billows of grace, rising from
His oceans above, may flow upon all mankind. Pray ye also and
supplicate unto Him that through the bountiful aid of the Ancient
Beauty these souls may be unveiled to the eyes of the world.
The glory of God rest upon thee, and upon him whose face is illumined
with that everlasting light that shineth from His Kingdom of Glory.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 354
3)
C. The voice of the Divine Herald, proceeding out of the throne of God,
declareth: O ye My loved ones! Suffer not the hem of My sacred vesture
to be smirched and mired with the things of this world, and follow not
the promptings of your evil and corrupt desires. The Day Star of Divine
Revelation, that shineth in the plenitude of its glory in the heaven of
this Prison, beareth Me witness. They whose hearts are turned towards
Him Who is the Object of the adoration of the entire creation must
needs, in this Day, pass beyond and be sanctified from
all created things, visible and invisible. If they arise to teach My
Cause, they must let the breath of Him Who is the Unconstrained, stir
them and must spread it abroad on the earth with high resolve, with
minds that are wholly centered in Him, and with hearts that are
completely detached from and independent of all things, and with souls
that are sanctified from the world and its vanities. It behoveth them
to choose as the best provision for their journey reliance upon God,
and to clothe themselves with the love of their Lord, the Most Exalted,
the All-Glorious. If they do so, their words shall influence their
hearers.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 200
O manifestations of justice, when the gales of might blow, summon the
people of the Bayan and remind them of this Great, this Most Great
Announcement. Then ask them, "O people, by what proof have ye believed
in 'Al' (the Bab) and yet have rejected the One of Whom He gave glad
tidings in all the Tablets. Examine matters critically, O ignorant
ones. Fear God, O concourse of the heedless! Do ye assert your faith in
My Herald while disbelieving in My own Self, the Mighty, the Wise? Your
likeness is as those who believed in John, the Prophet, who proclaimed
to the people the kingdom of God. But when the Word (Jesus) became
manifest, they rejected and slandered Him. The malediction of God be
upon the wrong-doers! John had called the servants each and every day
in His loudest voice, and concluded with them the Covenant of the Word
of God, prophesying to them that they would attain His presence. In the
end, John sacrificed His own life out of love for that glorious and
wondrous Soul. But when the veil was rent and the Most Great Word
appeared, they opposed Him, and said, "He has transgressed against the
commandments of John." Thus have their base selves deceived them,
insofar as they were deprived of meeting their Lord, the Mighty, the
Powerful.
-- Baha'u'llah, Garden of Justice - provisional translation by Juan Cole.
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