ESSENCE AND ATTRIBUTES

Peter Terry, 2003

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

DEFINITIONS

100. Essence, reality, identity, self and individuality are in one class; virtues,
qualities, attributes, perfections, signs, characteristics are in another
class:

Shoghi Effendi

101. The Bahá’ís believe in the return of the attributes and qualities, but maintain that
the essence or the reality of things cannot be made to return. Every being
keeps its own individuality, but some of his qualities can be transmitted.
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated 27 March 1938, Dawn of a New
Day, p. 201)

102. Regarding the questions you asked: Self has really two meanings, or is used in two
senses, in the Bahá’í writings; one is self, the identity of the individual created by
God. This is the self mentioned in such passages as ‘he hath known God who hath
known himself etc.’. The other self is the ego, the dark, animalistic heritage each one of
us has, the lower nature that can develop into a monster of selfishness, brutality, lust
and so on. It is this self we must struggle against, or this side of our natures, in order to
strengthen and free the spirit within us and help it to attain perfection.
Self-sacrifice means to subordinate this lower nature and its desires to the more
godly and noble side of ourselves. Ultimately, in its highest sense, self-sacrifice means
to give our will and our all to God to do with as He pleases. 114 Then He purifies and
glorifies our true self until it becomes a shining and wonderful reality.
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December
10, 1947; in Lights of Guidance, p. 113)

103. When studying at present, in English, the available Bahá’í writings on the subject of
body, soul and spirit, one is handicapped by a certain lack of clarity because not all were
translated by the same person, and also there are, as you know, still many Bahá’í
writings untranslated. But there is no doubt that spirit and soul seem to have been
interchanged in meaning sometimes; soul and mind have, likewise, been interchanged
in meaning, no doubt due to difficulties arising from different translations. What the
Bahá’ís do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak,
a body, a mind and an immortal identity—soul or spirit. We believe the mind forms
a link between the soul and the body, and the two interact on each other.

1
(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946; in Arohanui - Letters
to New Zealand, p. 89)

104. According to Bahá’u’lláh the soul retains its individuality and consciousness
after death, and is able to commune with other souls.
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of
India, March 10, 1936; in Dawn of a New Day, p. 58; in Lights of Guidance, p. 207; in
Messages to the Indian Subcontinent, p. 139)

105. The Passage on p. 156 of ‘Gleanings’ regarding the evolution of soul after death
clearly proves that the soul after its separation from the body keeps its individuality
and its consciousness both in relation to other souls and to the human beings in the
world.
(From a letter from the Guardian to an individual believer, November 26, 1939, from
Spiritualism, Reincarnation and Related Subjects. p.5; in Lights of Guidance, p. 482)

106. The Bahá’ís believe in the attributes and qualities, but maintain that the essence
or the reality of things cannot be made to return. Every being keeps its own
individuality, but some of his qualities can be transmitted. The doctrine of
metempsychosis upheld by the Hindus is fallacious.’
(To an individual believer, March 27, 1938; in Dawn of a New Day, p. 201; in Lights of
Guidance, p. 536)

107. Man’s identity or rather his individuality is never lost. His reality as a person
remains intact throughout the various states of his development. He does not pre-exist
in any form before coming into this world.
(To an individual believer, November 26, 1939; Lights of Guidance, p. 536)

'Abdu'l-Baha

108. In the same way that the essence of man is the soul, the soul of this world is
the subtle growth of spirituality, heavenly morals, divine favors and sacred powers.
Were the physical world not accompanied by this spirit, it could not exist. A beautiful
creature without a soul signifies nothing. A most sumptuous habitation set in darkness is
non-existent. The most wonderfully wrought lamp, if it give no light, is useless. Europe,
the most adorned of the continents, has progressed to the apex of refined material
civilization. It is a beautifully formed body, - alas, that is has no soul! It is one of the
most polished mirrors, - alas, that the sun of truth is not reflected in it! It is an orchard
without fruit, - alas, it has no spiritual fragrance.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 128)

109. When, however, thou dost contemplate the innermost essence of all things,
and the individuality of each, thou wilt behold the signs of thy Lord’s mercy in
every created thing, and see the spreading rays of His Names and Attributes

2
throughout all the realm of being, with evidences which none will deny save the froward
and the unaware.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 41)

110. Some one has asked a question on personality. From what source does it come?
What are its attributes? What are its characteristic features or aspects?
Personality is of two kinds. One is the natural or God-given personality which the
western thinkers call individuality, the inner aspect of man which is not subject to
change; and the other personality is the result of acquired arts, sciences and virtues
with which man is decorated. When the God-given virtues are thus adorned, we have
character. When the infinite effulgences of 131 God are revealed in the
individuality of man, then divine attributes, invisible in the rest of creation, become
manifest through him and one man becomes the manifestor of knowledge, that is,
divine knowledge is revealed to him; another is the dawning place of power; a third is
trustworthy; again, one is faithful, and another is merciful. All these attributes are the
characteristics of the unchangeable individuality and are divine in origin. These
qualifications are loved by all, for they are emanations of the father [Father]. They are
the significance of his [His] name and attributes, the direct ray of which illuminate the
very essence of these qualifications.
As regards the personality which is the result of acquired virtues, let us take this
mirror as an example: In the beginning it was a piece of black stone; now, through the
process of purification, it has become a mirror and has reflecting power and displays its
innate perfections so that they are clearly visible to all. The rock was endowed with a
distinct individuality which acquired a personality through the process of education.
The individuality of each created thing is based upon divine wisdom, for in the
creation of God there is no defect. However, personality has no element of permanence.
It is a slightly changeable quality in man which can be turned in either direction. For if
he acquire praiseworthy virtues, these strengthen the individuality of man and call forth
his hidden forces; but if he acquire defects, the beauty and simplicity of the
individuality 132 will be lost to him and its God-given qualities will be stifled in the
foul atmosphere of self.
It is evident that every human being is primarily pure, for God-created qualities
are deposited in him. If man extend his individuality by acquiring sciences, he will
become a wise man; if he be engaged in praiseworthy deeds and strive for real
knowledge, he will become godlike. If, on the other hand, when God has created him to
be just and he practices injustice, he denies his God-given attribute. Man was created to
be merciful, he becomes a tyrant; he was created to be kind to all the children of men
and given the capacity to confer life, but he becomes the destroyer of life.
Personality is obtained through the conscious effort of man by training and
education. A fruitless tree under the influence of a wise gardener becomes fruitful; a
slab of marble under the hand of a sculptor becomes a beautiful statue. The ruined
places are built up by captains of industry; the ignorant children learn the secrets of
phenomena under the tutelage of a wise teacher. The crooked branch becomes straight
through cultivation.

3
 It is evident that we have two modes for the expression of life, - individuality
and personality, - the former becomes as the son of God and the latter the son of man.
As we have shown, the personality of some is illumined, that of others is dark; the
personality of some is seen in the manifestation of divine justice, while that of 133
others is the embodiment of tyranny. The personality of some is divine guidance made
visible, while that of others is choked in the veils of self and desire. That which was
hidden in the capability of these souls has been made manifest; just as, for instance,
when you sow a seed, that which is hidden in the reality of that seed becomes revealed
and unfolded - the trunk, the branches, the leaves, the blossoms and the fruits, which
are in the seeds as potentialities. A teacher brings out the potentialities of the pupils.
The clouds pour down rain, the sun shines, and that which was hidden in the bosom of
the earth springs forth.
The personality of man is developed through education, while his individuality
which is divine and heavenly should be his guide.
Poison is harmful to man. It is the nature of man to find enjoyment in that which
is gratifying to his senses; if he pursue this path he subverts his individuality to such a
degree that the poison of darkness which was the means of death becomes the means
of his existence and his nature becomes so degraded and his individuality so deflected
that his one purpose in life will be to obtain the death-dealing drug.
What causes the change in the individuality? It comes through the acquirement
of evil habits. God originally endowed man with an individuality which enjoyed that
which was beneficial and shunned the drug; but man through his evil habits changes
this creation and transforms the divine illumination into satanic darkness. 134
As long as man is a captive of habit, pursuing the dictates of self and desire, he is
vanquished and defeated. This passionate personal ego takes the reins from his hands,
crowds out the qualities of the divine ego and changes him into an animal, a creature
unable to judge good from evil, or to distinguish light from darkness. He becomes blind
to divine attributes, for this acquired individuality, the result of an evil routine of thought
becomes the dominant note of his life.
May all of you be freed from these dangers and delivered from the world of
desires that you may enter into the realm of light and become divine, radiant, merciful,
Godlike.
All that has been created is for man who is at the apex of creation and who must
be thankful for the divine bestowals, so that through his gratitude he may learn to
understand life as a divine benefit. If we hold enmity with life, we are ingrates, for our
material and spiritual existence is the outward evidences of the divine mercy. Therefore
we must be happy and pass our time in praises, appreciating all things. But there is
something else: detachment. We can appreciate without attaching ourselves to the
things of this world. It sometimes happens that if a man loses his fortune he is so
disheartened that he dies or becomes insane. While enjoying the things of this world
135 we must remember that one day we shall have to do without them.
Attach not thyself to anything unless in it thou seest the reality of God - this is
the first step into the court of eternity. The earth life lasts but a short time, even its

4
benefits are transitory; that which is temporary does not deserve our heart’s
attachment.
Material favors sometimes deprive us of spiritual favors and material rest of
spiritual rest. A rich man said to Christ, “I would fain be thy disciple.” “Go and put into
practice the ten commandments,” replied the Christ. “But I know them by heart and
have always practiced them.” “Then sell what thou hast and take up thy cross and
follow me.” The man returned to his home. But the rich who are attracted through their
hearts have the spark and are like unto brilliant torches. BAHA’O’LLAH has spoken of the
importance of their station. Certain rich ones have sacrificed their possessions and even
their lives for this cause. Riches did not prove an obstacle for them and they are like
unto stars in the heaven of both worlds - flames of reality.
Detachment does not consist in setting fire to one’s house, or becoming bankrupt
or throwing one’s fortune out of the window, or even giving away all of one’s
possessions. Detachment consists in refraining from letting our possessions possess us.
A prosperous merchant who is not absorbed in his business knows severance. A banker
whose 136 occupation does not prevent him from serving humanity is severed. A poor
man can be attached to a small thing.
A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. One day the poor man said
to the rich man, “I want to go to the Holy Land.” The rich man replied, “Very good, I
will go also,” and they started from the town and began their pilgrimage. But night fell
and the poor man said, “Let us return to our houses to pass the night.” The rich man
replied, “We have started for the Holy Land and must not now return.” The poor man
said, “The Holy Land is a long distance to travel on foot. I have a donkey, I will go and
fetch it.” “What?” replied the rich man, “are you not ashamed? I leave all my
possessions to go on this pilgrimage and you wish to return to get your donkey! I have
abandoned with joy my whole fortune. Your whole wealth consists of a donkey and you
cannot leave it!” You see that fortune is not necessarily an impediment. The rich man
who is thus detached is near to reality. There are many rich people who are severed
and many poor who are not.
May our spirit be at rest!
God has given man a heart and the heart must have some attachment. We have
proved that nothing is completely worthy of our heart’s devotion save reality, for all else
is destined to perish. Therefore the heart is never at rest and never 137 finds real joy
and happiness until it attaches itself to the eternal. How foolish the bird that builds its
nest in a tree that may perish when it could build its nest in an ever-verdant garden of
paradise.
Man must attach himself to an infinite reality, so that his glory, his joy, and his
progress may be infinite. Only the spirit is real; everything else is as shadow. All bodies
are disintegrated in the end; only reality subsists. All physical perfections come to an
end; but the divine virtues are infinite. How many kings have flourished in luxury and in
a brief moment all has disappeared! Their glory and their honor are forgotten. Where
are all these sovereigns now? But those who have been servants of the divine beauty
are never forgotten. The result of their works is everywhere visible. What king is there
of two thousand years ago whose kingdom has lived in the hearts? But those disciples

5
who were devoted to God - poor people who had neither fortune nor position - are to-
day trees bearing fruit. Their banner is raised higher every day.
When they imprisoned Peter, in the time of Nero, the Roman empire was very
powerful, extending from Europe to Asia. Few empires can be compared to what Rome
was. Peter and another disciple arrived in Rome a chain around their necks and reduced
to the last extremity. But they have triumphed over Nero. His banner is now in the dust
whereas theirs is on the summit. 138
These two beings were severed from all else save God, and Nero was attached to
temporal power. Nothing has remained of him save the mention of his iniquities, but the
works of the disciples eternally prevail!
Therefore let us yearn for the kingdom of God, so that our works may bear
eternal fruit. Otherwise the flower will be lost. Attach your hearts to BAHA’O’LLAH. He is
the eternal glory. Then from day to day you will become more enlightened; day by day
your efforts will increase; day by day your work will become universal, and day by day
your horizons will broaden until the end they will embrace the universe.
Glory be upon the people of glory.
My fatigue does not matter - as long as I find loving souls like yourselves, my
heart is happy. My hope is that this city may become illumined and pulsate with the
health of the Holy Spirit.
The sea of materialism is at flood time and all the nations of the world are
immersed in it. It is my hope that the fish will rise to the surface, so that they may
behold other wondrous aspects of creation; for the people are like unto the fish
swimming in the deep - ignorant of the rest of the universe. May they be transformed
into birds of the air and soar in the nether atmosphere! May they break all bonds of
limitation, so that they can observe from the height the lordly 139 processions of
infinite creatures; they will see the blue heavens studded with luminous stars, rivers
flowing with salubrious water, gardens bedecked with fragrant flowers, trees adorned
with blossoms and fruits, birds singing songs of light, humanity ever striving forward,
every atom of existence breathing life and force - the universe of God a wonderful
theatre upon the stage of which every created thing plays its part.
If you strive unceasingly, if you make a great effort, if you put forward
extraordinary exertion, then these people will be awakened, their eyes will be opened
and their ears unstopped, so that they can hear the melodious music which streams
down from the supreme concourse, the notes and strains of which have been played
from all eternity ever enrapturing with the thousand harmonious accompaniments the
pure in the heart.
It is my hope that you may be the means of changing this wild jungle of
materialism into a fruitful orchard, this thorny thicket into a rose garden. May Europe
become the divine university wherein heavenly sciences and divine arts are taught and
learned!
By heavenly sciences I mean divine philosophy and spiritual teachings; by the
songs and fragrances of the rose garden I mean the mysteries of the kingdom of
kingdoms, the secrets of the degrees of existence and the knowledge of the results of
human life. 140

6
 This universe is not created through the fortuitous concurrences of atoms; it is
created by a great law which decrees that the tree bring forth certain definite fruit.
Verily, this universe contains many worlds of which we know nothing.
Is the materialistic philosophy of this Europe, so much praised by contemporary
agnostics and atheists, a philosophy to be admired? Are these people wooers of the
spirit? Nay, they have drowned that capacity and are out of touch with the kingdom of
reality. Is this an enviable goal to which humanity may aspire? Is this a system of
philosophy through which people may become glorified? No, by God, the philosophy of
glory needs no scholastic curriculum.
Strive so that these people may be released from their nature worship and
become like sons of wisdom from the city of light. 141 We speak one word and by it
we intend one and seventy meanings. - (BAHA’O’LLAH IN THE IGHAN)
(Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, pp. 130-141)

[Peter: In this talk, 'Abdu'l-Baha seems to be using the term "individuality" to denote
what the Guardian called the first kind of "self", the higher divine "self"; and 'Abdu'l-
Baha seems to use the term "personality" here to indicate what the Guardian called the
second kind of "self", the lower animal "self".]

111. Furthermore, the forms and organisms of phenomenal being and existence in each
of the kingdoms of the universe are myriad and numberless. The vegetable plane or
kingdom for instance has its infinite variety of types and material structures of plant life,
each distinct and different within itself, no two exactly alike in composition and detail,
for there are no repetitions in nature, and the virtue augmentative cannot be confined
to any given image or shape.
Each leaf has its own particular identity, so to speak, its own individuality as
a leaf. Therefore each atom of the innumerable elemental atoms, during its
ceaseless motion through the kingdoms of existence as a constituent of organic
composition, not only becomes imbued with the powers and virtues of the kingdoms
it traverses but also reflects the attributes and qualities of the forms and organisms
of those kingdoms. As each of these forms has its individual and particular
virtue, therefore each elemental atom 58 of the universe has the
opportunity of expressing an infinite variety of those individual virtues. No
atom is bereft or deprived of this opportunity or right of expression. Nor can it
be said of any given atom that it is denied equal opportunities with other atoms; nay, all
are privileged to possess the virtues existent in these kingdoms and to reflect the
attributes of their organisms.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 285; Foundations of World Unity,
p. 57)

112. Thus, it is apparent that the soul, even as the body, has its own individuality.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 65)

7
113. A large body of scholars is of the opinion that variations among minds and differing
degrees of perception are due to differences in education, training and culture. That is,
they believe that minds are equal to begin with, but that training and education will
result in mental variations and differing levels of intelligence, and that such variations
are not an inherent component of the individuality but are the result of education:
that no one hath any inborn superiority over another....
The Manifestations of God are likewise in agreement with the view that education
exerteth the strongest possible influence on humankind. They affirm, however, that
differences in the level of intelligence are innate; and this fact is obvious, and not worth
debating. For we see that children of the same age, the same country, the same race,
indeed of the same family, and trained by the same individual, still are different as to
the degree of their comprehension and intelligence. One will make rapid progress, one
will receive instruction only gradually, one will remain at the lowest stage of all. For no
matter how much you may polish a shell, it will not turn into a gleaming pearl, nor can
you change a dull pebble into a gem whose pure rays will light 132 the world. Never,
through training and cultivation, will the colocynth and the bitter tree [1] change into
the Tree of Blessedness.[2] That is to say, education cannot alter the inner essence of a
man, but it doth exert tremendous influence, and with this power it can bring forth from
the individual whatever perfections and capacities are deposited within him. A grain of
wheat, when cultivated by the farmer, will yield a whole harvest, and a seed, through
the gardener’s care, will grow into a great tree. Thanks to a teacher’s loving efforts, the
children of the primary school may reach the highest levels of achievement; indeed, his
benefactions may lift some child of small account to an exalted throne. Thus is it clearly
demonstrated that by their essential nature, minds vary as to their capacity, while
education also playeth a great role and exerteth a powerful effect on their development.
[1.cf. Qur’án 37:60 (The Tree of Zaqqum)]
[2 cf. Qur’án 24:35]
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 131)

114. In the Gospel of John, in speaking of the Promised One Who was to come after
Christ, it is said in chapter 16, verses 12, 13: “I have yet many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will
guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear,
that shall He speak.”
Now consider carefully that from these words, “for He shall not speak of Himself;
but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak,” it is clear that the Spirit of truth is
embodied in a Man Who has individuality, Who has ears to hear and a tongue to
speak. In the same way the name “Spirit of God” is used in relation to Christ, as you
speak of a light, meaning both the light and the lamp. 110
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 109)

115. Therefore, John the Baptist was the promised Elias. In this case not the essence
[dhAt], but the qualities [s.afAt], are regarded. For example, there was a flower last
year, and this year there is also a flower; I say the flower of last year has returned.

8
Now, I do not mean that same flower in its exact individuality has come back; but as
this flower has the same qualities as that of last year—as it has the same perfume,
delicacy, color and form—I say the flower of last year has returned, and this flower is
the former flower.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 133; lines 19-20 in Persian)

116. Therefore, when Christ said, “This is Elias,” He meant: this person is a
manifestation of the bounty, the perfections, the character, the qualities and
the virtues of Elias. John the Baptist said, “I am not Elias.” Christ considered the
qualities, the perfections, the character and the virtues of both, and John
regarded his substance and individuality.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 134)

117. Briefly, in the Holy Manifestations the Preexistent Bounty is like the light, the
individuality is represented by the glass globe, and the human body is like the niche:
if the niche is destroyed, the lamp continues to burn. The Divine Manifestations are so
many different mirrors because They have a special individuality, but that which is
reflected in the mirrors is one sun. It is clear that the reality of Christ is different from
that of Moses.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 155)

119. Though the fact of “Return” is mentioned in the Divine Books, by this is intended
the return of the qualities, characters, perfections, truths and lights, which re-
appear in every age, and not of certain persons and souls. For example: If we say
this lamp is the return of that of last night, or that the last year’s flower hath returned
in the garden, in this sense the return of the individual, or identity, or personality is
not meant; nay, rather, it is intended that the same qualities and states existing in
that lamp or flower, which are now seen in this lamp or flower, have returned. That is,
the same perfections and virtues and properties which existed in the past springtime
have returned during this present springtime. For instance: When one says, these fruits
are the same as those of last year; in this sense, he hath reference to the freshness and
delicacy of the fruit, which hath returned, although there is no doubt that the identical
fruit of last year hath not returned.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 392)

120. It may be said, for instance, that this lamplight is last night’s come back again, or
that last year’s rose hath returned to the garden this year. Here the reference is not
to the individual reality, the fixed identity, the specialized being of that other
rose, rather doth it mean that the qualities, the distinctive characteristics of that
other light, that other flower, are present now, in these. Those perfections, that is,
those graces and gifts of a former springtime are back again this year. We say, for
example, that this fruit is the same as last year’s; but we are thinking only of the
delicacy, bloom and freshness, and the sweet taste of it; for it is obvious that that
impregnable centre of reality, that specific identity, can never return.

9
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 183)

121. Look at the sun and its rays and the heat which results from its rays; the rays and
the heat are but two effects of the sun, but inseparable from it; yet the sun is one in its
essence, unique in its real identity, single in its attributes, neither is it possible that
anything should 118 resemble it. Such is the essence of the Truth concerning the
Unity, the real doctrine of Singularity, the undiluted reality as to the (Divine) Sanctity.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 117)

122. My name is Abdul-Baha, my identity is Abdul-Baha, my qualification is Abdul-

Baha, my reality is Abdul-Baha, my praise is Abdul-Baha, Thraldom to the Blessed
Perfection is my glorious refulgent diadem; and servitude to all the human race is my
perpetual religion.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 429)

123. The subject of reincarnation has two aspects. One is that which the Hindustani
people believe, and even that is subdivided into two: reincarnation and
metempsychosis. According to one belief the soul goes and then returns in certain
reincarnations; therefore, they say that a sick person is sick because of actions in a
previous incarnation and that this is retribution. The other school of Hinduism believes
that man sometimes appears as an animal—a donkey, for instance—and that this is
retribution for past acts. I am referring to the beliefs in that country, the beliefs of the
schools. There is a reincarnation of the prophetic mission. Jesus Christ, speaking of John
the Baptist, declared he was Elias. When John the 168 Baptist was questioned, “Art
thou Elias?” he said, “I am not.” These two statements are apparently contradictory, but
in reality they do not contradict. The light is one light. The light which illumined this
lamp last night is illuminating it tonight. This does not mean that the identical rays
of light have reappeared but the virtues of illumination. The light which revealed
itself through the glass reveals itself again so that we can say the light of this evening is
the light of last evening relighted. This is as regards its virtues and not as regards its
former identity. This is our view of reincarnation. We believe in that which Jesus Christ
and all the Prophets have believed. For example, the Báb states, “I am the return of all
the Prophets.” This is significant of the oneness of the prophetic virtues, the oneness of
power, the oneness of bestowal, the oneness of radiation, the oneness of expression,
the oneness of revelation.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 167)

Baha'u'llah

124. The other station is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of
creation, and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each Manifestation of God hath
a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a predestined revelation, and
specially designated limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is

10
characterized by a special attribute, fulfils a definite mission, and is entrusted with a
particular Revelation.
(Baha'u'llah, Kitab-I-Iqan, p. 176; Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 52;
BWF, p. 23)

125. Thou hast asked Me whether man, as apart from the Prophets of God and His
chosen ones, will retain, after his physical death, the self-same individuality,
personality, consciousness, and understanding that characterize his life in this
world. If this should be the case, how is it, thou hast observed, that whereas such slight
injuries to his mental faculties as fainting and severe illness deprive him of his
understanding and consciousness, his death, which must involve the decomposition of
his body and the dissolution of its elements, is powerless to destroy that understanding
and extinguish that consciousness? How can any one imagine that man’s consciousness
and personality will be maintained, when the very instruments necessary to their
existence and function will have completely disintegrated?
Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, 154 and is independent of all
infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the
hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul and his body, for the soul itself
remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an
external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with
undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an
impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power.
When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such
influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul
will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 153-154; BWF, p. 120)

127. O Pen of the Most High! Recount unto him who hath turned unto Thy Lord, the All-
Glorious, that which shall enable him to dispense with the sayings of men. Say: Spirit,
mind, soul, and the powers of sight and hearing are but one single reality which
hath manifold expressions owing to the diversity of its instruments. As thou dost
observe, man's power to comprehend, move, speak, hear, and see all derive from this
sign of his Lord within him. It is single in its essence, yet manifold through the
diversity of its instruments.
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 154)

128. Consider the rational faculty with which God hath endowed the essence of man.
Examine thine own self, and behold how thy motion and stillness, thy will and purpose,
thy sight and hearing, thy sense of smell and power of speech, and whatever else is
related to, or transcendeth, thy physical senses or spiritual perceptions, all proceed
from, and owe their existence to, this same faculty. So closely are they related unto it,
that if in less than the twinkling of an eye its relationship to the human body be
severed, each and every one of these senses will cease immediately to exercise its
function, and will be deprived of the power to manifest the evidences of its activity. It is

11
indubitably clear and evident that each of these afore-mentioned instruments has
depended, and will ever continue to depend, for its proper functioning on this rational
faculty, which should be regarded as a sign of the revelation of Him Who is the
sovereign Lord of all. Through its manifestation all these names and attributes have
been revealed, and by the suspension of its action they are all destroyed and perish.
It would be wholly untrue to maintain that this faculty is the same as the power
of vision, inasmuch as the power of vision is derived from it and acteth in dependence
upon it. It would, likewise, be idle to contend that this faculty can be identified with the
sense of hearing, as the sense of hearing receiveth 165 from the rational faculty the
requisite energy for performing its functions.
This same relationship bindeth this faculty with whatsoever hath been the
recipient of these names and attributes within the human temple. These diverse names
and revealed attributes have been generated through the agency of this sign of God.
Immeasurably exalted is this sign, in its essence and reality, above all such names and
attributes. Nay, all else besides it will, when compared with its glory, fade into utter
nothingness and become a thing forgotten.
Wert thou to ponder in thine heart, from now until the end that hath no end, and
with all the concentrated intelligence and understanding which the greatest minds have
attained in the past or will attain in the future, this divinely ordained and subtle Reality,
this sign of the revelation of the All-Abiding, All-Glorious God, thou wilt fail to
comprehend its mystery or to appraise its virtue. Having recognized thy powerlessness
to attain to an adequate understanding of that Reality which abideth within thee, thou
wilt readily admit the futility of such efforts as may be attempted by thee, or by any of
the created things, to fathom the mystery of the Living God, the Day Star of unfading
glory, the Ancient of everlasting days. This confession of helplessness which mature
contemplation must eventually impel every mind to make is in itself the acme 166 of
human understanding, and marketh the culmination of man’s development.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, LXXXIII, p. 163)

DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN ESSENCES AND ATTRIBUTES

200. Names and Attributes of God may come into heart of man; the Essence
of God cannot:

'Abdu'l-Baha

201. Therefore must no stranger find his way into the city of the heart, so that the
Incomparable Friend may come unto His own place - that is, the effulgence of His

12
Names and Attributes, not His Essence (exalted is He), for that Peerless King hath
been and will be holy for everlasting above ascent or descent.
(Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, pp. 63-64)

300. Names and attributes can return; essences cannot return:

Shoghi Effendi

301. The Bahá’ís believe in the return of the attributes and qualities, but maintain
that the essence or the reality of things cannot be made to return. Every being
keeps its own individuality, but some of his qualities can be transmitted.
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated 27 March 1938, Dawn of a New
Day, p. 201)

'Abdu'l-Baha

302. Question: What is your belief about reincarnation?

Answer: The subject of reincarnation has two aspects. One is that which the Hindustani
people believe, and even that is subdivided into two: reincarnation and
metempsychosis. According to one belief the soul goes and then returns in certain
reincarnations; therefore, they say that a sick person is sick because of actions in a
previous incarnation and that this is retribution. The other school of Hinduism believes
that man sometimes appears as an animal—a donkey, for instance—and that this is
retribution for past acts. I am referring to the beliefs in that country, the beliefs of the
schools. There is a reincarnation of the prophetic mission. Jesus Christ, speaking of John
the Baptist, declared he was Elias. When John the 168 Baptist was questioned, “Art
thou Elias?” he said, “I am not.” These two statements are apparently contradictory, but
in reality they do not contradict. The light is one light. The light which illumined this
lamp last night is illuminating it tonight. This does not mean that the identical rays
of light have reappeared but the virtues of illumination. The light which revealed
itself through the glass reveals itself again so that we can say the light of this evening is
the light of last evening relighted. This is as regards its virtues and not as regards its
former identity. This is our view of reincarnation. We believe in that which Jesus Christ
and all the Prophets have believed. For example, the Báb states, “I am the return of all
the Prophets.” This is significant of the oneness of the prophetic virtues, the oneness of
power, the oneness of bestowal, the oneness of radiation, the oneness of expression,
the oneness of revelation.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 167)

303. Question.—Will you explain the subject of Return?

Answer.—Bahá’u’lláh has explained this question fully and clearly in the Íqán.[1] Read it,
and the truth of this subject will become apparent. But since you have asked about it, I
will explain it briefly. We will begin to elucidate it from the Gospel, for there it is plainly

13
said that when John, the son of Zacharias, appeared and gave to men the glad tidings
of the Kingdom of God, they asked him, “Who art thou? Art thou the promised
Messiah?” He replied, “I am not the Messiah.” Then they asked him, “Art thou Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”[2] These words prove and show that John, the son of Zacharias,
was not the promised Elias. But on the day of the transfiguration on Mount Tabor Christ
said plainly that John, the son of Zacharias, was the promised Elias. [1 Cf. p. 110, n. 2.]
[2 Cf. John 1:19-21.]
In chapter 9, verses 11-13, of the Gospel of Mark, it is said: “And they asked
Him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And He answered and told
them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son
of man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you,
That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is
written of him.”
In chapter 17, verse 13, of Matthew, it is said: “Then 133 the disciples
understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist.”
They asked John the Baptist, “Are you Elias?” He answered, “No, I am not,”
although it is said in the Gospel that John was the promised Elias, and Christ also said
so clearly.[1] Then if John was Elias, why did he say, “I am not”? And if he was not
Elias, why did Christ say that he was? [1 Cf. John 1:21.]
The explanation is this: not the personality, but the reality of the perfections,
is meant—that is to say, the same perfections that were in Elias existed in John the
Baptist and were exactly realized in him. Therefore, John the Baptist was the promised
Elias. In this case not the essence (dhAt), but the qualities [s.afAt], are regarded.
For example, there was a flower last year, and this year there is also a flower; I say the
flower of last year has returned. Now, I do not mean that same flower in its exact
individuality has come back; but as this flower has the same qualities as that of last
year—as it has the same perfume, delicacy, color and form—I say the flower of last year
has returned, and this flower is the former flower. When spring comes, we say last
year’s spring has come back because all that was found in last year’s spring exists in this
spring. That is why Christ said, “You will see all that happened in the days of the former
Prophets.” [1 I.e., the individuality.]
We will give another illustration. The seed of last year is sown, branches and
leaves grow forth, blossoms and fruits appear, and all has again returned to seed. When
this second seed is planted, a tree will grow from it, and once more those branches,
leaves, blossoms and fruits will return, and that tree will appear in perfection. As the
beginning was a seed and the end is a seed, we say that the seed has returned. When
we look at the substance of the tree, it 134 is another substance, but when we look at
the blossoms, leaves and fruits, the same fragrance, delicacy and taste are produced.
Therefore, the perfection of the tree has returned a second time.
In the same way, if we regard the return of the individual, it is another
individual; but if we regard the qualities and perfections, the same have returned.
Therefore, when Christ said, “This is Elias,” He meant: this person is a manifestation of
the bounty, the perfections, the character, the qualities and the virtues of
Elias. John the Baptist said, “I am not Elias.” Christ considered the qualities, the

14
perfections, the character and the virtues of both, and John regarded his
substance and individuality. It is like this lamp: it was here last night, and tonight it
is also lighted, and tomorrow night it will also shine. We say that the lamp of this night
is the same light as that of last night, and that it has returned. It refers to the light, and
not to the oil, the wick or the holder.
This subject is fully and clearly explained in the Kitáb-i-Íqán.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 33, pp. 132-134)

304. But let us return to our subject. In the Divine Scriptures and Holy Books “return” is
spoken of, but the ignorant have not understood the meaning, and those who believed
in reincarnation have made conjectures on the subject. For what the divine Prophets
meant by “return” is not the return of the essence[ dhAt], but that of the qualities
[s.afAt]; it is not the return of the Manifestation, but that of the perfections. In the
Gospel it says that John, the son of Zacharias, is Elias. These words do not mean the
return of the rational soul and personality of Elias in the body of John, but rather
that the perfections and qualities of Elias were manifested and appeared in John.
A lamp shone in this room last night, and when tonight another lamp shines, we
say the light of last night is again shining. Water flows from a fountain; then it ceases;
and when it begins to flow a second time, we say this water is the same water flowing
again; or we say this light is identical with the former light. It is the same with the
spring of last year, when blossoms, flowers and sweet-scented herbs bloomed, and
delicious fruits were brought forth; next year we say that those delicious fruits have
come back, and those blossoms, flowers and blooms have returned and come again.
This does not mean that exactly the same particles composing the flowers of last year
have, after decomposition, been again combined and have then come back and
returned. On the contrary, the meaning is that the delicacy, freshness, delicious
perfume and wonderful 289 color of the flowers of last year are visible and apparent in
exactly the same manner in the flowers of this year. Briefly, this expression refers only
to the resemblance and likeness which exist between the former and latter flowers. The
“return” which is mentioned in the Divine Scriptures is this: it is fully explained by the
Supreme Pen [1] in the Kitáb-i-Íqán. Refer to it, so that you may be informed of the
truth of the divine mysteries.
[1 Bahá’u’lláh.]
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 81, pp. 288-289; words in Persian
from paragraph 10)

305. Though the fact of “Return” is mentioned in the Divine Books, by this is intended
the return of the qualities, characters, perfections, truths and lights, which re-
appear in every age, and not of certain persons and souls. For example: If we say
this lamp is the return of that of last night, or that the last year’s flower hath returned in
the garden, in this sense the return of the individual, or identity, or personality is
not meant; nay, rather, it is intended that the same qualities and states existing in
that lamp or flower, which are now seen in this lamp or flower, have returned. That is,
the same perfections and virtues and properties which existed in the past

15
springtime have returned during this present springtime. For instance: When one says,
these fruits are the same as those of last year; in this sense, he hath reference to the
freshness and delicacy of the fruit, which hath returned, although there is no doubt that
the identical fruit of last year hath not returned.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 392)

306. It may be said, for instance, that this lamplight is last night’s come back again, or
that last year’s rose hath returned to the garden this year. Here the reference is not to
the individual reality, the fixed identity, the specialized being of that other rose,
rather doth it mean that the qualities, the distinctive characteristics of that other
light, that other flower, are present now, in these. Those perfections, that is, those
graces and gifts of a former springtime are back again this year. We say, for example,
that this fruit is the same as last year’s; but we are thinking only of the delicacy, bloom
and freshness, and the sweet taste of it; for it is obvious that that impregnable centre of
reality, that specific identity, can never return.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 183)

400. The Manifestations reflect the light (names and attributes) of God, but
are not the Essence of God:

'Abdu'l-Baha

401. Is the Divine Manifestation, God?

Yes, and yet not in Essence. A Divine Manifestation is as a mirror reflecting the light of
the Sun. The light is the same and yet the mirror is not the Sun.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 66)

402. The knowledge of the Reality of the Divinity is impossible and unattainable, but
the knowledge of the Manifestations of God is the knowledge of God, for the
bounties, splendors and divine attributes are apparent in Them.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 221)

403. Thou hast written concerning the Impersonality of the Divinity. Personality is
in the Manifestation of the Divinity, not in the Essence of the Divinity. The reality
of the divine world is purified and sanctified from limits and restriction. But the pure
Mirror, which is the Manifestor of the Sun of Truth and in which the Sun of Truth is
manifest in full appearance—that mirror is restricted, not the lights. The soul pervadeth
throughout the whole body, and its commands are effective in all the parts and limbs of
man. Notwithstanding its utmost sanctification (or abstraction) this soul is manifest and
evident in all its grades, in this material form. By seeing God is meant beholding the
Manifestation of Himself; for witnessing the sun in its entire splendor, in a clear glassy
surface, is identical with witnessing the essence of the sun itself.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 203)

16
404. The perfect soul of man—that is to say, the perfect individual—is like a mirror
wherein the Sun of Reality is reflected. The perfections, the image and light of that Sun
have been revealed in the mirror; its heat and illumination are manifest therein, for that
pure soul is a perfect expression of the Sun.
These mirrors are the Messengers of God Who tell the story of Divinity, just as
the material mirror reflects the light and disc of the outer sun in the skies. In this way
the image and effulgence of the Sun of Reality appear in the mirrors of the
Manifestations of God. This is what Jesus Christ meant when He declared, “the father is
in the son,” the purpose being that the reality of that eternal Sun had become reflected
in its glory in Christ Himself. It does not signify that the Sun of Reality had descended
from its place in heaven or that its essential being had effected an entrance into the
mirror, for there is neither entrance nor exit for the reality of Divinity; there is no ingress
or egress; it is sanctified above all things and ever occupies 174 its own holy station.
Changes and transformations are not applicable to that eternal reality. Transformation
from condition to condition is the attribute of contingent realities.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 173)

500. There is no way for any human being to God except through His
Manifestation:

'Abdu'l-Baha

501. No one hath any way to the Reality of Deity except through the instrumentality of
the Manifestation. To suppose so is a theory and not a fact.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 214)

502. No; all the praises, the descriptions and exaltations refer to the Holy
Manifestations—that is to say, all the descriptions, the qualities, the names and
the attributes which we mention return to the Divine Manifestations; but as no one
has attained to the reality of the Essence of Divinity, so no one is able to describe,
explain, praise or glorify it. Therefore, all that the human reality knows, discovers and
understands of the names, the attributes and the perfections of God refer to these
Holy Manifestations. There is no access to anything else: “the way is closed, and
seeking is forbidden.”
('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 148)

503. Accordingly all these attributes, names, praises and eulogies apply to the
Places of Manifestation; and all that we imagine and suppose beside them is mere
imagination, for we have no means of comprehending that which is invisible and
inaccessible. This is why it is said: “All that you have distinguished through the illusion
of your imagination in your subtle mental images is but a creation like unto yourself,
and returns to you.”[1] It is clear that if we wish to imagine the Reality of Divinity,

17
this imagination is the surrounded, and we are the surrounding one; and it is sure that
the one who surrounds is greater than the surrounded. From this it is certain and
evident that if we imagine a Divine Reality outside of the Holy Manifestations, it is pure
imagination, for there is no way to approach the Reality of Divinity which is not cut
off to us, and all that we imagine is mere supposition. [1 From a Hadith.]
('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 149)

Baha'u'llah

504. The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the
Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable
Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever pertaineth to the former,
all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in
all their aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical
with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the
unity of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station, and
is of them that are steadfast in their belief.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 166)

505. The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His Glory, and this
cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestation.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 156)

506. For whatever wondrous references and powerful descriptions have appeared from
the tongue and pen refer to the sublime Word [of God], the most exalted Pen, the
primal Summit, the true Homeland, and the Dawning-place of the manifestation of
mercy. This is [109] the source of Divine Unity (tawhíd) and the Manifestation of
singleness and abstraction. In this station, all of the most beautiful Names [of God] and
the most lofty [Divine] Attributes refer to Him (i.e. the manifestation of God), and do
not refer to anything beyond Him, for, as has been stated, the Unseen Reality is
sanctified from all reference.
(Baha'u'llah, Lawh-I-Basitu'l-Haqiqah, provisional translation by Moojan Momen,
corresponding to pp. 108-109 of the published Persian in Iqtidarat, and circa pp. 140-
147 in Ma'idiy-I-Asmani, volume VII)

507. Know thou that God - exalted and glorified be He - doth in no wise manifest His
inmost Essence and Reality. From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the
eternity of His Essence and concealed in the infinitude of His own Being. And when He
purposed to manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory in
the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the invisible plane to the
visible, that His name “the Manifest” might be distinguished from “the Hidden” and His
name “the Last” might be discerned from “the First”, and that there may be fulfilled the
words: “He is the First and the Last; the Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth all

18
things!” Thus hath He revealed these most excellent names and most exalted words
in the Manifestations of His Self and the Mirrors of His Being.
It is therefore established that all names and attributes return unto these
sublime and sanctified Luminaries. Indeed, all names are to be found in their
names, and all attributes can be seen in their attributes. Viewed in this light, if thou
wert to call them by all the names of God, this would be true, as all these names are
one and the same as their own Being.
(Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, pp. 34-35)

508. By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue [the Manifestations] 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. (Gleanings,
XIX, 48.)

509. However, let none construe these utterances to be anthropomorphism, nor see in
them the descent of the worlds of God into the grades of the creatures; nor should they
lead thine Eminence to such assumptions. For God is, in 23 His Essence, holy above
ascent and descent, entrance and exit; He hath through all eternity been free of the
attributes of human creatures, and ever will remain so. No man hath ever known Him;
no soul hath ever found the pathway to His Being. Every mystic knower hath wandered
far astray in the valley of the knowledge of Him; every saint hath lost his way in seeking
to comprehend His Essence. Sanctified is He above the understanding of the wise;
exalted is He above the knowledge of the knowing! The way is barred and to seek it is
impiety; His proof is His signs; His being is His evidence. [Sermon by Ali.]
Wherefore, the lovers of the face of the Beloved have said: “O Thou, the One
Whose Essence alone showeth the way to His Essence, and Who is sanctified above any
likeness to His creatures.”[1] How can utter nothingness gallop its steed in the field of
preexistence, or a fleeting shadow reach to the everlasting sun? The Friend [2] hath
said, “But for Thee, we had not known Thee,” and the Beloved [2] hath said, “nor
attained Thy presence.”
[1 Hadith, i.e. action or utterance traditionally attributed to the Prophet Muhammad or
to one of the holy Imams.] [2 The Prophet Muhammad.]
Yea, these mentionings that have been made of the grades of knowledge relate
to the knowledge of the Manifestations of that Sun of Reality, which casteth Its light
upon the Mirrors.
(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, pp. 22-24)

510. In all the Divine Books the promise of the Divine Presence hath been explicitly
recorded. By this Presence is meant the Presence of Him Who is the Dayspring
of the signs, and the Dawning-Place of the clear tokens, and the
Manifestation of the Excellent Names, and the Source of the attributes, of the
true God, exalted be His glory. God in His Essence and in His own Self hath ever
been unseen, inaccessible, and unknowable. By Presence, therefore, is meant the
Presence of the One Who is His Vicegerent amongst men.”

19
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 118)

HUMAN KNOWLEDGE OF ESSENCE

600. Man cannot comprehend the essence of anything:

'Abdu'l-Baha

601. Know that there are two kinds of knowledge [bedAnkeh 'irfAn bar do chasm ast]:
the knowledge of the essence of a thing [ma'rifat dhAt shay'], and the
knowledge of its qualities [va ma'rifat s.afAt shay']. The essence of a thing is
known through its qualities [dhAt shay' be-s.afAt ma'rUf miishavad], otherwise it is
unknown and hidden [va ilA dhAt majhUlast va ghayr ma'lUm].
As our knowledge of things, even of created and limited things, is
knowledge of their qualities [s.afAt] and not of their essence [dhAt], how is it
possible to comprehend in its essence [dhAt] the Divine Reality [haqiqat al-wahiyyat],
which is unlimited? For the substance [kunh] of the essence [dhAt] of anything is not
comprehended [ma'rUf nist], but only its qualities. For example, the substance [kunh] of
the sun [AftAb] is unknown, but is understood by its qualities [s.afAt], which are heat
and light. The substance [kunh] of the essence [dhAt] of man [insAnii] is
unknown and not evident, but by its qualities [s.afAt] it is characterized and
known. Thus everything is known by its qualities [s.afAt] and not by its
essence [dhAt]. Although the mind encompasses all things, and the outward beings
are comprehended by it, nevertheless these beings with regard to their essence [dhAt]
are unknown; they are only known with regard to their qualities [s.afAt].
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 220; Baha'i World
Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, pp. 321-322; [kunh] means "substance; sum, extreme,
height, depth (of anything); quantity, species, mode; time; face, aspect" Steingass, p.
1056)

602. That is to say, as things can only be known by their qualities [s.afAt] and not by
their essence [dhAt], it is certain that the Divine Reality [haqiqat rabubiyyat] is
unknown with regard to its essence [dhAt] and is known with regard to its attributes
[s.afAt].
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 220-221)

603. Knowing God, therefore, means the comprehension and the knowledge of His
attributes, and not of His Reality.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 221)

604. The mystery of Divinity is sanctified and purified from the comprehension of the
beings, for all that comes to the imagination is that which man understands, and the
power of the understanding of man does not embrace the Reality of the Divine Essence.

20
All that man is able to understand are the attributes of Divinity, the radiance of
which appears and is visible in the world and within men’s souls.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 221)

605. When we consider the world of existence, we find that the essential reality
underlying any given phenomenon is unknown. Phenomenal, or created, things are
known to us only by their attributes. Man discerns only manifestations, or
attributes, of objects, while the identity, or reality, of them remains hidden. For
example, we call this object a flower. What do we understand by this name and title?
We understand that the qualities appertaining to this organism are perceptible
to us, but the intrinsic elemental reality, or identity, of it remains unknown. Its
external appearance and manifest attributes are knowable; but the inner
being, the underlying reality or intrinsic identity, is still beyond the ken and
perception of our human powers. Inasmuch as the realities of material
phenomena are impenetrable and unknowable and are only apprehended
through their properties or qualities, how much more 422 this is true concerning
the reality of Divinity, that holy essential reality which transcends the plane and grasp of
mind and man?
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 421-422)

606. But the question may be asked: How shall we know God? We know Him by His
attributes. We know Him by His signs. We know Him by His names. We know
not what the reality of the sun is, but we know the sun by the ray, by the heat, by
its efficacy and penetration. We recognize the sun by its bounty and
effulgence, but as to what constitutes the reality of the solar energy, that is
unknowable to us. The attributes characterizing the sun, however, are
knowable. If we wish to come in touch with the reality of Divinity, we do so by
recognizing its phenomena, its attributes and traces, which are widespread in
the universe. All things in the world of phenomena are expressive of that one reality. Its
lights are shining, its heat is manifest, its power is expressive, and its education, or
training, resplendent everywhere. What proof could there be greater than that of its
functioning or its attributes which are manifest?
('Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 422)

Baha'u'llah

607. Consider the rational faculty [nafs nAt.iqih] with which God [rabAniyih] hath
endowed the essence of man [anfus AnAnniyih nemA'iyad]. Examine thine own
self, and behold how thy motion and stillness, thy will and purpose, thy sight and
hearing, thy sense of smell and power of speech, and whatever else is related to, or
transcendeth, thy physical senses or spiritual perceptions, all proceed from, and owe
their existence to, this same faculty. So closely are they related unto it, that if in less

21
than the twinkling of an eye its relationship to the human body be severed, each and
every one of these senses will cease immediately to exercise its function, and will be
deprived of the power to manifest the evidences of its activity. It is indubitably clear and
evident that each of these afore-mentioned instruments has depended, and will ever
continue to depend, for its proper functioning on this rational faculty [nafs nAt.iqih],
which should be regarded as a sign [Ayih] of the revelation [tajalli] of Him Who is the
sovereign Lord of all [sult.An ah.adiyyih ast]. Through its manifestation [z.uhUr] all
these names [asmA'] and attributes [s.afAt] have been revealed [z.Ahir], and by the
suspension of its action they are all destroyed and perish.
It would be wholly untrue to maintain that this faculty is the same as the power of
vision, inasmuch as the power of vision is derived from it and acteth in dependence
upon it. It would, likewise, be idle to contend that this faculty can be identified with the
sense of hearing, as the sense of hearing receiveth 165 from the rational faculty the
requisite energy for performing its functions.
This same relationship bindeth this faculty with whatsoever hath been the recipient of
these names and attributes [al-asmA' wa'l-s.afAt] within the human temple [haykal
insAni]. These diverse names [asmA'] and revealed attributes [s.afAt] have been
generated through the agency of this sign of God [az iin Ayih ah.adiyyih].
Immeasurably exalted is this sign, in its essence and reality, above all such
names and attributes [asmA' wa s.afAt]. Nay, all else besides it will, when
compared with its glory, fade into utter nothingness and become a thing forgotten.
Wert thou to ponder in thine heart, from now until the end that hath no end,
and with all the concentrated intelligence and understanding which the
greatest minds have attained in the past or will attain in the future, this
divinely ordained and subtle Reality, this sign [the rational faculty with which
God hath endowed the essence of man] of the revelation of the All-Abiding,
All-Glorious God, thou wilt fail to comprehend its mystery or to appraise its
virtue. Having recognized thy powerlessness to attain to an adequate
understanding of that Reality which abideth within thee, thou wilt readily
admit the futility of such efforts as may be attempted by thee, or by any of
the created things, to fathom the mystery of the Living God [az 'irfAn dhat
ah.addiyih], the Day Star of unfading glory [shams 'izz qad miyyih], the
Ancient of everlasting days. This confession of helplessness which mature
contemplation must eventually impel every mind to make is in itself the acme
166 of human understanding, and marketh the culmination of man’s
development.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, LXXXIII, pp. 164-166)

608. Praise be to God, the All-Possessing, the King of incomparable glory, a praise which
is immeasurably above the understanding of all created things, and is exalted beyond
the grasp of the minds of men. None else besides Him hath ever been able to sing
adequately His praise, nor will any man succeed at any time in describing the full
measure of His glory. Who is it that can claim to have attained the heights of His
exalted Essence, and what mind can measure the depths of His unfathomable

22
mystery? From each and every revelation emanating from the Source of His
glory, holy and never-ending 61 evidences of unimaginable splendor have
appeared, and out of every manifestation of His invincible power oceans of
eternal light have outpoured. How immensely exalted are the wondrous
testimonies of His almighty sovereignty, a glimmer of which, if it but touched
them, would utterly consume all that are in the heavens and in the earth!
How indescribably lofty are the tokens of His consummate power, a single
sign of which, however inconsiderable, must transcend the comprehension of
whatsoever hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, been brought
into being, or will be created in the future till the end that hath no end. All
the Embodiments of His Names wander in the wilderness of search, athirst
and eager to discover His Essence, and all the Manifestations of His Attributes
implore Him, from the Sinai of Holiness, to unravel His mystery.
A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with
the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath
invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the
unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness,
called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration.
The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can
never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no
end. 62
In every age and cycle He hath, through the splendorous light shed by the
Manifestations of His wondrous Essence, recreated all things, so that whatsoever
reflecteth in the heavens and on the earth the signs of His glory may not be deprived of
the outpourings of His mercy, nor despair of the showers of His favors. How all-
encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace! Behold how they have pervaded
the whole of creation. Such is their virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe
can be found which doth not declare the evidences of His might, which doth not glorify
His holy Name, or is not expressive of the effulgent light of His unity. So perfect and
comprehensive is His creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure,
can ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much
less fathom the mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the
invisible and unknowable Essence. The conceptions of the devoutest of mystics,
the attainments of the most accomplished amongst men, the highest praise which
human tongue or pen can render are all the product of man’s finite mind and are
conditioned by its limitations. Ten thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck
upon the Sinai of their search at His forbidding voice, “Thou shalt never behold Me!”;
whilst a myriad Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon their
heavenly thrones by the interdiction, “Mine Essence thou shalt never apprehend!” 63
From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted Self,
and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable mystery of His
unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an understanding of His inaccessible
Reality hath ended in complete bewilderment, and every effort to approach His exalted
Self and envisage His Essence hath resulted in hopelessness and failure.

23
 How bewildering to me, insignificant as I am, is the attempt to fathom the sacred
depths of Thy knowledge! How futile my efforts to visualize the magnitude of the power
inherent in Thine handiwork—the revelation of Thy creative power! How can mine
eye, which hath no faculty to perceive itself, claim to have discerned Thine
Essence, and how can mine heart, already powerless to apprehend the
significance of its own potentialities, pretend to have comprehended Thy
nature? How can I claim to have known Thee, when the entire creation is
bewildered by Thy mystery, and how can I confess not to have known Thee,
when, lo, the whole universe proclaimeth Thy Presence and testifieth to Thy
truth? The portals of Thy grace have throughout eternity been open, and the
means of access unto Thy Presence made available, unto all created things,
and the revelations of Thy matchless Beauty have at all times been imprinted
upon the realities of all beings, visible and invisible. Yet, notwithstanding this
most gracious 64 favor, this perfect and consummate bestowal, I am moved to testify
that Thy court of holiness and glory is immeasurably exalted above the knowledge of all
else besides Thee, and the mystery of Thy Presence is inscrutable to every mind except
Thine own. No one except Thyself can unravel the secret of Thy nature, and naught else
but Thy transcendental Essence can grasp the reality of Thy unsearchable being. How
vast the number of those heavenly and all-glorious beings who, in the wilderness of
their separation from Thee, have wandered all the days of their lives, and failed in the
end to find Thee! How great the multitude of the sanctified and immortal souls who
were lost and bewildered while seeking in the desert of search to behold Thy face!
Myriad are Thine ardent lovers whom the consuming flame of remoteness from Thee
hath caused to sink and perish, and numberless are the faithful souls who have willingly
laid down their lives in the hope of gazing on the light of Thy countenance. The sighs
and moans of these longing hearts that pant after Thee can never reach Thy holy court,
neither can the lamentations of the wayfarers that thirst to appear before Thy face
attain Thy seat of glory.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, XXVI, pp. 60-64)

700. Man cannot comprehend the Essence of God:

'Abdu'l-Baha

701. To man, the Essence of God is incomprehensible, so also are the worlds
beyond this, and their condition. It is given to man to obtain knowledge, to attain to
great spiritual perfection, to discover hidden truths and to manifest even the attributes
of God; but still man cannot comprehend the Essence of God. Where the ever-

24
widening circle of man’s knowledge meets the spiritual world a Manifestation of God is
sent to mirror forth His splendour. (Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 66)

702. Therefore, how can man, the created, understand the reality of the pure
Essence of the Creator? This plane is unapproachable by the understanding; no
explanation is sufficient for its comprehension, and there is no power to indicate it.
What has an atom of dust to do with the pure world, and what relation is there between
the limited mind and the infinite world? Minds are powerless to comprehend God, and
the souls become bewildered in explaining Him. “The eyes see Him not, but He seeth
the eyes. He is the Omniscient, the Knower.”[1] [1 Cf. Qur’án 6:104.]
('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 147)

703. As our knowledge of things, even of created and limited things, is knowledge of
their qualities and not of their essence, how is it possible to comprehend in its
essence the Divine Reality, which is unlimited?
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 220)

704. Then how can the eternal everlasting Lord, Who is held sanctified from
comprehension and conception, be known by His essence? That is to say, as things
can only be known by their qualities and not by their essence, it is certain that
the Divine Reality is unknown with regard to 221 its essence and is known
with regard to its attributes.
Besides, how can the phenomenal reality embrace the Preexistent Reality? For
comprehension is the result of encompassing—embracing must be, so that
comprehension may be—and the Essence of Unity surrounds all and is not surrounded.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 220-221)

705. There is also the divine unity or entity which is sanctified above all concept of
humanity. It cannot be comprehended nor conceived because it is infinite reality and
cannot become finite. Human minds are incapable of surrounding that reality because all
thoughts and conceptions of it are finite, intellectual creations and not the reality of
divine being which alone knows itself.
('Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 192; Foundations of World Unity,
p. 67; Baha'I World Faith, p. 259)

706. Knowing God, therefore, means the comprehension and the knowledge of His
attributes, and not of His Reality.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 221)

707. The Reality of Divinity may be compared to the sun, which from the height of its
magnificence shines upon all the horizons; and each horizon, and each soul, receives a
share of its radiance. If this light and these rays did not exist, beings would not exist; all
beings express something and partake of some ray and portion of this light. The
splendors of the perfections, bounties and attributes of God shine forth and

25
radiate from the reality of the Perfect Man—that is to say, the Unique One,
the supreme Manifestation of God. Other beings receive only one ray, but the
supreme Manifestation is the mirror for this Sun, which appears and becomes manifest
in it, with all its perfections, attributes, signs and wonders.
The knowledge of the Reality of the Divinity is impossible and
unattainable, but the knowledge of the Manifestations of God is the
knowledge of God, for the bounties, splendors and divine attributes are
apparent in Them.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 221-222; Baha'i World Faith, pp. 322-323)

708. Neither its Essence nor its true [essential] attributes hath any one
comprehended. (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr. Forel, p. 24; in Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-
Baha Section, p. 346)

709. Know thou that the Divine Essence, which is called the Invisible of the Invisibles,
never to be described, beyond the reach of mind—is sanctified above any mention, any
definition or hint or allusion, any acclamation or praise. In the sense that It is that It is,
the intellect can never grasp It, and the soul seeking knowledge of It is but a wanderer
in the desert, and far astray. ‘No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision: He is
the Subtile, the All-Informed.’[1]
[1 Qur’án 6:103]
('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 41)

710. But that Essence of Essences, that Invisible of Invisibles, is sanctified above all
human speculation, and never to be overtaken by the mind of man. Never shall that
immemorial Reality lodge within the compass of a contingent being. His is another
realm, and of that realm no understanding can be won. No access can be gained
thereto; all entry is forbidden there. The utmost one can say is that Its existence can be
proved, but the conditions of Its existence are unknown.
That such an Essence doth exist, the philosophers and learned doctors one and all
have understood; but whenever they tried to learn something of Its being, they were
left bewildered and dismayed, and at the end, despairing, their hopes in ruins, they
went their way, out of this life. For to comprehend the state and the inner mystery of
that Essence of Essences, that Most Secret of Secrets, one needs must have another
power and other faculties; and such a power, such faculties would be more than
humankind can bear, wherefore no word of Him can come to them.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 53)

710. In like manner for man to comprehend the Divine Essence and the nature of the
great Hereafter is in no wise possible. The merciful outpourings of that Divine Essence,
however, are vouchsafed unto all beings and it is incumbent upon man to ponder in his
heart upon the effusions of the Divine Grace, the soul being counted as one, rather
than upon the Divine Essence itself. This is the utmost limit for human understanding.
As it hath previously been mentioned, these attributes and perfections that we recount

26
of the Divine Essence, these we have derived from the existence and observation of
beings, and it is not that we have comprehended the essence and perfection of God.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr. Forel, pp. 24-25; in Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section,
p. 346)

711. How, then, can the reality of man, which is accidental, ever comprehend the
Reality of God, which is eternal? It is self-evidently an impossibility. Hence we can
observe the traces and attributes of God, which are resplendent in all phenomena
and shining as the sun at midday, and know surely that these emanate from an infinite
source. We know that they come from a source which is infinite indeed.
('Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 423)

Baha'u'llah

712. In one aspect, all that has been said or will be said refers back to the first
assertion, that the glorified and exalted Absolute Reality is unknowable,
unattainable, and invisible, and this station has been and will continued to be
sanctified from all references and names, and freed from whatever the people
of creation may understand of It. The path is barred and the quest denied.
(Baha'u'llah, Lawh-I-Basitu'l-Haqiqah, provisional translation by Moojan Momen,
corresponding to pp. 107-108 of the published Persian in Iqtidarat, and circa pp. 140-
147 in Ma'idiy-I-Asmani, volume VII)

713. In all the Divine Books the promise of the Divine Presence hath been explicitly
recorded. By this Presence is meant the Presence of Him Who is the Dayspring of the
signs, and the Dawning-Place of the clear tokens, and the Manifestation of
the Excellent Names, and the Source of the attributes, of the true God, exalted
be His glory. God in His Essence and in His own Self hath ever been unseen,
inaccessible, and unknowable. By Presence, therefore, is meant the Presence of the
One Who is His Vicegerent amongst men.”
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 118)

714. The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is
the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the
unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever pertaineth
to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be
considered, in all their aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any
reservation, as identical with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which
a true believer in the unity of God can ever hope to attain. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, p.
167)

715. Praise be to God, the All-Possessing, the King of incomparable glory, a praise
which is immeasurably above the understanding of all created things, and is exalted
beyond the grasp of the minds of men. None else besides Him hath ever been able to
sing adequately His praise, nor will any man succeed at any time in describing the full

27
measure of His glory. Who is it that can claim to have attained the heights of His
exalted Essence, and what mind can measure the depths of His unfathomable
mystery? From each and every revelation emanating from the Source of His
glory, holy and never-ending 61 evidences of unimaginable splendor have
appeared, and out of every manifestation of His invincible power oceans of
eternal light have outpoured. How immensely exalted are the wondrous
testimonies of His almighty sovereignty, a glimmer of which, if it but touched
them, would utterly consume all that are in the heavens and in the earth!
How indescribably lofty are the tokens of His consummate power, a single
sign of which, however inconsiderable, must transcend the comprehension of
whatsoever hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, been brought
into being, or will be created in the future till the end that hath no end. All
the Embodiments of His Names wander in the wilderness of search, athirst
and eager to discover His Essence, and all the Manifestations of His Attributes
implore Him, from the Sinai of Holiness, to unravel His mystery.
A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with
the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath
invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the
unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness,
called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration.
The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can
never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no
end. 62
In every age and cycle He hath, through the splendorous light shed by the
Manifestations of His wondrous Essence, recreated all things, so that whatsoever
reflecteth in the heavens and on the earth the signs of His glory may not be deprived of
the outpourings of His mercy, nor despair of the showers of His favors. How all-
encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace! Behold how they have pervaded
the whole of creation. Such is their virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe
can be found which doth not declare the evidences of His might, which doth not glorify
His holy Name, or is not expressive of the effulgent light of His unity. So perfect and
comprehensive is His creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever
grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the
mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable
Essence. The conceptions of the devoutest of mystics, the attainments of the most
accomplished amongst men, the highest praise which human tongue or pen can render
are all the product of man’s finite mind and are conditioned by its limitations. Ten
thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of their
search at His forbidding voice, “Thou shalt never behold Me!”; whilst a myriad
Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon their heavenly
thrones by the interdiction, “Mine Essence thou shalt never apprehend!” 63
From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His
exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable
mystery of His unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an

28
understanding of His inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete
bewilderment, and every effort to approach His exalted Self and envisage His
Essence hath resulted in hopelessness and failure.
How bewildering to me, insignificant as I am, is the attempt to fathom the sacred
depths of Thy knowledge! How futile my efforts to visualize the magnitude of the power
inherent in Thine handiwork—the revelation of Thy creative power! How can mine
eye, which hath no faculty to perceive itself, claim to have discerned Thine
Essence, and how can mine heart, already powerless to apprehend the
significance of its own potentialities, pretend to have comprehended Thy
nature? How can I claim to have known Thee, when the entire creation is
bewildered by Thy mystery, and how can I confess not to have known Thee,
when, lo, the whole universe proclaimeth Thy Presence and testifieth to Thy
truth? The portals of Thy grace have throughout eternity been open, and the
means of access unto Thy Presence made available, unto all created things,
and the revelations of Thy matchless Beauty have at all times been imprinted
upon the realities of all beings, visible and invisible. Yet, notwithstanding this
most gracious 64 favor, this perfect and consummate bestowal, I am moved to testify
that Thy court of holiness and glory is immeasurably exalted above the knowledge of all
else besides Thee, and the mystery of Thy Presence is inscrutable to every mind except
Thine own. No one except Thyself can unravel the secret of Thy nature, and naught else
but Thy transcendental Essence can grasp the reality of Thy unsearchable being. How
vast the number of those heavenly and all-glorious beings who, in the wilderness of
their separation from Thee, have wandered all the days of their lives, and failed in the
end to find Thee! How great the multitude of the sanctified and immortal souls who
were lost and bewildered while seeking in the desert of search to behold Thy face!
Myriad are Thine ardent lovers whom the consuming flame of remoteness from Thee
hath caused to sink and perish, and numberless are the faithful souls who have willingly
laid down their lives in the hope of gazing on the light of Thy countenance. The sighs
and moans of these longing hearts that pant after Thee can never reach Thy holy court,
neither can the lamentations of the wayfarers that thirst to appear before Thy face
attain Thy seat of glory.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, XXVI, pp. 60-64)

HUMAN KNOWLEDGE OF ATTRIBUTES

800. Human knowledge of attributes is proportionate to our capacity:

'Abdu'l-Baha

801. This knowledge of the attributes is also proportioned to the capacity and power
of man; it is not absolute. Philosophy consists in comprehending the reality of things as

29
they exist, according to the capacity and the power of man. For the phenomenal reality
can comprehend the Preexistent attributes only to the extent of the human
capacity.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 221)

802. This being so, how can the human reality, which is limited, comprehend the
eternal, unmanifest Creator? How can man comprehend the omniscient, omnipresent
Lord? Undoubtedly, he cannot, for whatever comes within the grasp of human
mind is man’s limited conception, whereas the divine Kingdom is unlimited, infinite.
But although the reality of Divinity is sanctified beyond the comprehension of its
creatures, it has bestowed its bounties upon all kingdoms of the phenomenal world, and
evidences of spiritual manifestation are witnessed throughout the realms of contingent
existence. The lights of God illumine the world of man, even as the effulgences of the
sun shine gloriously upon the material creation. The Sun of Reality is one; its bestowal is
one; its heat is one; its rays are one; it shines upon all the phenomenal world, but the
capacity for comprehending it differs according to the kingdoms, each
kingdom receiving the light and bounty of the eternal Sun according to its
capacity. The black stone receives the light of the material sun; the trees and animals
likewise are recipients of it. All exist and are developed by that one bounty.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 173)

900. The essential attributes of God are unknowable:

901. As to the attributes and perfections such as will, knowledge, power and
other ancient attributes that we ascribe to that Divine Reality, these are the
signs that reflect the existence of beings in the visible plane and not the
absolute perfections of the Divine Essence that cannot be comprehended. For
instance, as we consider created things we observe infinite perfections, and the created
things being in the utmost regularity and perfection we infer that the Ancient Power on
whom dependeth the existence of these beings, cannot be ignorant; thus we say He is
All-Knowing. It is certain that it is not impotent, it must be then All-Powerful; 343 it is
not poor, it must be All-Possessing; it is not non-existent, it must be Ever-Living. The
purpose is to show that these attributes and perfections that we recount for that
Universal Reality are only in order to deny imperfections, rather than to assert the
perfections that the human mind can conceive. Thus we say His attributes are
unknowable.
In fine, that Universal Reality with all its qualities and attributes that we
recount is holy and exalted above all minds and understandings.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr. Forel, p. 17; in Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p.
342)

30
902. Neither its Essence nor its true attributes hath any one comprehended.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr. Forel, p. 24; in Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p.
346)

903. In like manner for man to comprehend the Divine Essence and the nature
of the great Hereafter is in no wise possible. The merciful outpourings of that
Divine Essence, however, are vouchsafed unto all beings and it is incumbent upon man
to ponder in his heart upon the effusions of the Divine Grace, the soul being counted as
one, rather than upon the Divine Essence itself. This is the utmost limit for human
understanding. As it hath previously been mentioned, these attributes and
perfections that we recount of the Divine Essence, these we have derived
from the existence and observation of beings, and it is not that we have
comprehended the essence and perfection of God. (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr.
Forel, pp. 24-25; in Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 346)

904. It is not that we can comprehend His knowledge, His sight, His power
and life, for it is beyond our comprehension; for the essential names and
attributes of God are identical with His Essence, and His Essence is above all
comprehension. If the attributes are not identical with the Essence, there must also
be a multiplicity of preexistences, and differences between the attributes and the
Essence must also exist; and as Preexistence is necessary, 149 therefore, the
sequence of preexistences would become infinite. This is an evident error.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 148-149)

MANIFESTATIONS' KNOWLEDGE OF ESSENCES

1000. The Manifestations cannot know the Essence of God:

1001. Praise be to God, the All-Possessing, the King of incomparable glory, a praise
which is immeasurably above the understanding of all created things, and is exalted
beyond the grasp of the minds of men. None else besides Him hath ever been able to
sing adequately His praise, nor will any man succeed at any time in describing the full
measure of His glory. Who is it that can claim to have attained the heights of His
exalted Essence, and what mind can measure the depths of His unfathomable mystery?
From each and every revelation emanating from the Source of His glory, holy and
never-ending 61 evidences of unimaginable splendor have appeared, and out of every
manifestation of His invincible power oceans of eternal light have outpoured. How
immensely exalted are the wondrous testimonies of His almighty sovereignty, a glimmer
of which, if it but touched them, would utterly consume all that are in the heavens and
in the earth! How indescribably lofty are the tokens of His consummate power, a single
sign of which, however inconsiderable, must transcend the comprehension of
whatsoever hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, been brought into being,
or will be created in the future till the end that hath no end. All the Embodiments of

31
His Names wander in the wilderness of search, athirst and eager to discover
His Essence, and all the Manifestations of His Attributes implore Him, from
the Sinai of Holiness, to unravel His mystery.
A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with
the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath
invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the
unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness,
called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration.
The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can
never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no
end. 62
In every age and cycle He hath, through the splendorous light shed by the
Manifestations of His wondrous Essence, recreated all things, so that whatsoever
reflecteth in the heavens and on the earth the signs of His glory may not be deprived of
the outpourings of His mercy, nor despair of the showers of His favors. How all-
encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace! Behold how they have pervaded
the whole of creation. Such is their virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe
can be found which doth not declare the evidences of His might, which doth not glorify
His holy Name, or is not expressive of the effulgent light of His unity. So perfect and
comprehensive is His creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever
grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the
mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable
Essence. The conceptions of the devoutest of mystics, the attainments of the most
accomplished amongst men, the highest praise which human tongue or pen can render
are all the product of man’s finite mind and are conditioned by its limitations. Ten
thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of their
search at His forbidding voice, “Thou shalt never behold Me!”; whilst a myriad
Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon their heavenly
thrones by the interdiction, “Mine Essence thou shalt never apprehend!” 63
From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His
exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable
mystery of His unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an
understanding of His inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete
bewilderment, and every effort to approach His exalted Self and envisage His
Essence hath resulted in hopelessness and failure.
How bewildering to me, insignificant as I am, is the attempt to fathom
the sacred depths of Thy knowledge! How futile my efforts to visualize the
magnitude of the power inherent in Thine handiwork—the revelation of Thy
creative power! How can mine eye, which hath no faculty to perceive itself,
claim to have discerned Thine Essence, and how can mine heart, already
powerless to apprehend the significance of its own potentialities, pretend to
have comprehended Thy nature? How can I claim to have known Thee, when
the entire creation is bewildered by Thy mystery, and how can I confess not
to have known Thee, when, lo, the whole universe proclaimeth Thy Presence

32
and testifieth to Thy truth? The portals of Thy grace have throughout eternity
been open, and the means of access unto Thy Presence made available, unto
all created things, and the revelations of Thy matchless Beauty have at all
times been imprinted upon the realities of all beings, visible and invisible.
Yet, notwithstanding this most gracious 64 favor, this perfect and
consummate bestowal, I am moved to testify that Thy court of holiness and
glory is immeasurably exalted above the knowledge of all else besides Thee,
and the mystery of Thy Presence is inscrutable to every mind except Thine
own. No one except Thyself can unravel the secret of Thy nature, and naught
else but Thy transcendental Essence can grasp the reality of Thy
unsearchable being. How vast the number of those heavenly and all-glorious
beings who, in the wilderness of their separation from Thee, have wandered
all the days of their lives, and failed in the end to find Thee! How great the
multitude of the sanctified and immortal souls who were lost and bewildered
while seeking in the desert of search to behold Thy face! Myriad are Thine
ardent lovers whom the consuming flame of remoteness from Thee hath
caused to sink and perish, and numberless are the faithful souls who have
willingly laid down their lives in the hope of gazing on the light of Thy
countenance. The sighs and moans of these longing hearts that pant after
Thee can never reach Thy holy court, neither can the lamentations of the
wayfarers that thirst to appear before Thy face attain Thy seat of glory.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, XXVI, pp. 60-64)

1002. To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the unknowable
Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as
corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory
that human tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart
comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient
eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight
of men. “No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile, the All-
Perceiving.”[Qur’án 6:103] No tie of direct intercourse can possibly bind Him to His
creatures. He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation and union, all proximity
and remoteness. No sign can indicate His presence or His absence; inasmuch as by a
word of His command all that are in heaven and on earth have come to exist, and by
His wish, which is the Primal Will itself, all have stepped out of utter nothingness into
the realm of being, the world of the visible.
Gracious God! How could there be conceived any existing relationship or possible
connection between His Word and they that are created of it? The verse: “God would
have you beware of Himself”[Qur’án 3:28] unmistakably beareth witness to the reality
of Our argument, and the words: “God was alone; there was none else besides Him” are
a sure testimony of its truth. All the Prophets of God and their chosen Ones, all
the divines, the sages, and the wise of every generation, unanimously
recognize their inability to attain unto the comprehension of that

33
Quintessence of all truth, and confess their incapacity to grasp Him, Who is
the inmost Reality of all things.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 97-99)

HUMAN KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

1100. What we imagine to be God is unreal

Shoghi Effendi

1101. As “‘Abdu’l-Bahá says man can never know God or even imagine Him. If he
does that object is not God but an imaginary idol.”
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 29,
1929; No. 1724, Lights of Guidance, p. 510)

'Abdu'l-Baha

1102. This people, all of them, have pictured a god in the realm of the mind, and
worship that image which they have made for themselves. And yet that image is
comprehended, the human mind being the comprehender thereof, and certainly the
comprehender is greater than that which lieth within its grasp; for imagination is but the
branch, while mind is the root; and certainly the root is greater than the branch.
Consider then, how all the peoples of the world are bowing the knee to a fancy
of their own contriving, how they have created a creator within their own
minds, and they call it the Fashioner of all that is—whereas in truth it is but
an illusion. Thus are the people worshipping only an error of perception.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, pp. 53-54; in earlier
translation, TAB, III, p. 562)

1103. Question.—What connection has the Reality of Divinity with the Lordly Rising-
places and the Divine Dawning-points?
Answer.—Know that the Reality of Divinity or the substance of the Essence of Oneness
is pure sanctity and absolute holiness—that is to say, it is sanctified and exempt from all
praise. The whole of the supreme attributes of the degrees of existence, in
reference to this plane, are only imaginations. It is invisible, incomprehensible,
inaccessible, a pure essence which cannot be described, for the Divine Essence
surrounds all things. Verily, that which surrounds is greater than the surrounded, and
the surrounded cannot contain that by which it is surrounded, nor comprehend its
reality. However far mind may progress, though it may reach to the final
degree of comprehension, the limit of understanding, it beholds the divine
signs and attributes in the world of creation and not in the world of God. For
the essence and the attributes of the Lord of Unity are in the heights of

34
sanctity, and for the minds and understandings there is no way to approach
that position. “The way is closed, and seeking is forbidden.”
It is evident that the human understanding is a quality of the existence of man,
and that man is a sign of God: how can the quality of the sign surround the creator of
the sign?—that is to say, how can the understanding, which is 147 a quality of the
existence of man, comprehend God? Therefore, the Reality of the Divinity is hidden
from all comprehension, and concealed from the minds of all men. It is absolutely
impossible to ascend to that plane. We see that everything which is lower is powerless
to comprehend the reality of that which is higher. So the stone, the earth, the tree,
however much they may evolve, cannot comprehend the reality of man and cannot
imagine the powers of sight, of hearing, and of the other senses, although they are all
alike created. Therefore, how can man, the created, understand the reality of the pure
Essence of the Creator? This plane is unapproachable by the understanding; no
explanation is sufficient for its comprehension, and there is no power to indicate it.
What has an atom of dust to do with the pure world, and what relation is there between
the limited mind and the infinite world? Minds are powerless to comprehend God, and
the souls become bewildered in explaining Him. “The eyes see Him not, but He seeth
the eyes. He is the Omniscient, the Knower.”[Cf. Qur’án 6:104.]
Consequently, with reference to this plane of existence, every statement and
elucidation is defective, all praise and all description are unworthy, every conception is
vain, and every meditation is futile. But for this Essence of the essences, this Truth of
truths, this Mystery of mysteries, there are reflections, auroras, appearances and
resplendencies in the world of existence. The dawning-place of these splendors, the
place of these reflections, and the appearance of these manifestations are the Holy
Dawning-places, the Universal Realities and the Divine Beings, Who are the true mirrors
of the sanctified Essence of God. All the perfections, the bounties, the splendors
which come from God are visible and evident in the Reality of the Holy
Manifestations, like the sun which is resplendent in a clear polished mirror with all its
perfections and bounties. If it be said that the mirrors are the manifestations of the sun
and the dawning-places of the rising star, this does not mean that the sun has
descended from the height of its sanctity and become incorporated in the mirror, nor
that the Unlimited Reality is limited to this place of appearance. God forbid! This is the
belief of the adherents of anthropomorphism. No; all the praises, the descriptions
and exaltations refer to the Holy Manifestations—that is to say, all the
descriptions, the qualities, the names and the attributes which we mention
return to the Divine Manifestations; but as no one has attained to the reality
of the Essence of Divinity, so no one is able to describe, explain, praise or
glorify it. Therefore, all that the human reality knows, discovers and
understands of the names, the attributes and the perfections of God refer to
these Holy Manifestations. There is no access to anything else: “the way is closed,
and seeking is forbidden.”
Nevertheless, we speak of the names and attributes of the Divine Reality, and we
praise Him by attributing to Him sight, hearing, power, life and knowledge. We affirm
these names and attributes, not to prove the perfections of God, but to deny

35
that He is capable of imperfections. When we look at the existing world, we see
that ignorance is imperfection and knowledge is perfection; therefore, we say that the
sanctified Essence of God is wisdom. Weakness is imperfection, and power is perfection;
consequently, we say that the sanctified Essence of God is the acme of power. It is not
that we can comprehend His knowledge, His sight, His power and life, for it is beyond
our comprehension; for the essential names and attributes of God are identical with His
Essence, and His Essence is above all comprehension. If the attributes are not identical
with the Essence, there must also be a multiplicity of preexistences, and differences
between the attributes and the Essence must also exist; and as Preexistence is
necessary, therefore, the sequence of preexistences would become infinite. This is an
evident error.
Accordingly all these attributes, names, praises and eulogies apply to
the Places of Manifestation; and all that we imagine and suppose beside them
is mere imagination, for we have no means of comprehending that which is
invisible and inaccessible. This is why it is said: “All that you have
distinguished through the illusion of your imagination in your subtle mental
images is but a creation like unto yourself, and returns to you.” [From a Hadith]
It is clear that if we wish to imagine the Reality of Divinity, this imagination is the
surrounded, and we are the surrounding one; and it is sure that the one who surrounds
is greater than the surrounded. From this it is certain and evident that if we
imagine a Divine Reality outside of the Holy Manifestations, it is pure
imagination, for there is no way to approach the Reality of Divinity which is
not cut off to us, and all that we imagine is mere supposition.
Therefore, reflect that different peoples of the world are revolving
around imaginations and are worshipers of the idols of thoughts and
conjectures. They are not aware of this; they consider their imaginations to
be the Reality which is withdrawn from all comprehension and purified from
all descriptions. They regard themselves as the people of Unity, and the
others as worshipers of idols; but idols at least have a mineral existence,
while the idols of thoughts and the imaginations of man are but fancies; they
have not even mineral existence. “Take heed ye who are endued with
discernment.”
[Qur’án 59:2.]
Know that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of the divine bounties, and
the lights of inspiration are visible and evident in all the Holy Manifestations; but the
glorious Word of God, Christ, and the Greatest Name, Bahá’u’lláh, are manifestations
and evidences which are beyond imagination, for They possess all the perfections of the
former Manifestations; and more than that, They possess some perfections which make
the other Manifestations dependent upon Them. So all the Prophets of Israel were
centers of inspiration; Christ also was a receiver of inspiration, but what a difference
between the inspiration of the Word of God and the revelations of Isaiah, Jeremiah and
Elijah!
Reflect that light is the expression of the vibrations of the etheric matter: the
nerves of the eye are affected by these vibrations, and sight is produced. The light of

36
the lamp exists through the vibration of the etheric matter; so also does that of the sun,
but what a difference between the light of the sun and that of the stars or the lamp!
The spirit of man appears and is manifest in the embryonic condition, and also in
that of childhood and of maturity, and it is resplendent and evident in the condition of
perfection. The spirit is one, but in the embryonic condition the power of sight and of
hearing is lacking. In the state of maturity and perfection it appears in the utmost
splendor and brilliance. In the same way the seed in the beginning becomes leaves and
is the place where the vegetable spirit appears; in the condition of fruit it manifests the
same spirit—that is to say, the power of growth appears in the utmost perfection; but
what a difference between the condition of the leaves and that of the fruit! For from the
fruit a hundred thousand leaves appear, though they all grow and develop through the
same vegetable spirit. Notice the difference between the virtues and perfections of
Christ, the splendors and brilliance of Bahá’u’lláh, and the virtues of the Prophets of
Israel, such as Ezekiel or Samuel. All were the manifestations of inspiration, but
between them there is an infinite difference. Salutations!
('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 146-150)

1104. If we could imagine a time when no beings existed, this imagination would be
the denial of the Divinity of God.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 296)

1105. All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the inferior; how therefore could it
be possible that the creature, man, should understand the almighty Creator of all?
That which we imagine, is not the Reality of God; He, the Unknowable, the
Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception of man.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, pp. 24-25)

1106. If we wish to pray, we must have some object on which to concentrate. If we

turn to God, we must direct our hearts to a certain center. If man worships God
otherwise than through His Manifestation, he must first form a conception
of God, and that conception is created by his own mind. As the finite cannot
comprehend the Infinite, so God is not to be comprehended in this fashion. That
which man conceives with his own mind he comprehends. That which he can
comprehend is not God. That conception of God which a man forms for himself
is but a phantasm, an image, an imagination, an illusion. There
is no connection between such a conception and the Supreme Being.
If a man wishes to know God, he must find Him in the perfect mirror, Christ or
Bahá’u’lláh. In either of these mirrors he will see reflected the Sun of Divinity.
As we know the physical sun by its splendor, by its light and heat, so we know God, the
Spiritual Sun, when He shines forth from the temple of Manifestation, by His attributes
of perfection, by the beauty of His qualities and by the splendor of His light. (from a talk
to Mr. Percy
Woodcock, at ‘Akká, 1909).

37
Baha'u'llah

1107. Far from God be what they fondly imagine!

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 42)

1108. Some, deluded by their idle fancies, have conceived all created things as
associates and partners of God, and imagined themselves to be the
exponents of His unity. By Him Who is the one true God! Such men have been,
and will continue to remain, the victims of blind imitation, and are to be
numbered with them that have restricted and limited the conception of God.
He is a true believer in Divine unity who, far from confusing duality with oneness,
refuseth to allow any notion of multiplicity to becloud his conception of the singleness of
God, who will regard the Divine Being as One Who, by His very nature, transcendeth the
limitations of numbers.
The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the
Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable
Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever pertaineth to the former,
all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in
all their aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical
with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the
unity of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station, and
is of them that are steadfast in their belief.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 166-167)

1109. Let no one imagine that by Our assertion that all created things are the signs of
the revelation of God is meant that—God forbid—all men, be they good or evil, pious or
infidel, are equal in the sight of God. Nor doth it imply that the Divine Being—magnified
be His name and exalted be His glory—is, under any circumstances, comparable unto
men, or can, in any way, be associated with His creatures. Such an error hath been
committed by certain foolish ones who, after having ascended into the
heavens of their idle fancies, have interpreted Divine Unity to mean that all
created things are the signs of God, and that, consequently, there is no
distinction whatsoever between them. Some have even outstripped them by
maintaining that these signs are peers and partners of God Himself. Gracious
God! He, verily, is one and indivisible; one in His essence, one in His attributes.
Everything besides Him is as nothing when brought face to face with the resplendent
revelation of but one of His names, with no more than the faintest intimation of His
glory—how much less when confronted with His own Self!
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 186)

1110. High is God exalted above what ye imagine about Him, ye people of
malice! If this Cause be of God, no man can prevail against it; and if it be not of God,
the divines amongst you, and they that follow their corrupt desires and such as have
rebelled against Him will surely suffice to overpower it.

38
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 220; The Summons, p. 220)

1111. We are quit of those ignorant ones who fondly imagine that Wisdom is
to give vent to one’s idle imaginings and to repudiate God, the Lord of all men;
even as We hear some of the heedless voicing such assertions today.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 150)

39