Gems of Divine Mysteries

by Bahá'u'lláh

The Books that are in the hands of this people, which they call the Gospel and attribute to Jesus, the Son of Mary, have not been revealed by God and proceed not from the Manifestations of His Self", then this would imply a cessation in the abounding grace of Him Who is the Source of all grace. If so, God's testimony to His servants would have remained incomplete and His favour proven imperfect. His mercy would not have shone resplendent, nor would His grace have overshadowed all. For if at the ascension of Jesus His Book had likewise ascended unto heaven, then how could God reprove and chastise the people on the Day of Resurre......

Genres: Baha I, Religion, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1862

About the author

Persian religious leader Bahaullah, originally Mirza Huseyn Ali, a follower of the Bab, founded the Baha'i in 1863.

Baha'i, the word, signifies a follower of Bahaullah, which means the "splendor of God" in Persian.

Bahá'u'lláh, a member of the great patrician family, endowed with wealth and vast estates, ably traced lineage to the ruling dynasties of imperial past. Bahá'u'lláh turned his back on the position at court, which these advantages offered; people knew his generosity and kindliness, which made him deeply loved among his countrymen.

The religious revolution caused much social upheaval, and Bahá'u'lláh announced support for the message, so his privileged position survived not long. After the execution, authorities unleashed the the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábis; Bahá'u'lláh, engulfed, suffered the loss of all his worldly endowments, and imprisonment, torture, and a series of banishment subjected him. In the first banishment to Baghdad, he in 1863 announced that God promised his coming as the one divine messenger.

From Baghdad, people sent Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople, to Adrianople, and finally to Acre in the Holy Land, where he arrived as a prisoner in 1868. From Adrianople and later from Acre, Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters among the most remarkable documents in religious history to the rulers of his day. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity and the emergence of a world civilization. They called upon the monarchs, emperors, and presidents of the 19th century to reconcile their differences, to curtail their armaments, and to devote their energies to the establishment of universal peace.

Bahá'u'lláh passed away at Bahji, just north of Acre, and people buried his body. His teachings already began to spread beyond the confines of the Middle East and brought the world community, focused on the point of his shrine today.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Word of God is hard to rate.

Baha’u’llah’s spiritual treatise regarding the various stages which a soul must traverse in order to reach True Knowledge is fascinating and mystical. It’s scope is far reaching: speaking on interwoven themes such as the prophetic visions in the New Testament’s ‘Revelations’ and various Quranic Traditions.

My favourite insight comes from a section discussing the ‘Valley of Divine Unity’ through which the soul passes on its way to God:

“…In this plane the seeker casteth away all signs, allusions, veils, and words, and beholdeth all things with an eye illumined by the effulgent lights which God Himself hath shed upon him. In his journey he seeth all differences return to a single word and all allusions culminate in a single point. Unto this beareth witness he who sailed upon the ark of fire and followed the inmost path to the pinnacle of glory in the realm of immortality: "Knowledge is one point, which the foolish have multiplied…”

[Rebecca Strouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in mystical style while Baha'u'llah was in Bagdad, one of its central themes is that of transformation, that is the return of the Promised One in a different human guise. A number of other themes are treated as well: the cause of the rejection of the Prophets of the past; the danger of a literal reading of scripture; the significance of different symbols among many others. For any person interested in the mystical side of religion and questions that have plagued mankind for generations it offers profound insights into these questions.

[Neill Tumulac · Rating 5 out of 5]

handy book if you're seeking for enlightenment or more knowledge from within ones self. This book briefly describes a few of the aspects it takes to reach a level of understanding divinity itself, I would recommend to anyone who wants to know or is looking for something deeper, or for someone religious and not a hypocrite.

[Chloë]

Who am I to rate the Word of God.

[Kobina Amissah-Fynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritually and intellectually inspiring book for all people.

[Joseph Urlacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gems of Divine Mysteries is an answer to a question posed by a Muslim Shia who wanted to know how Siyyid Ali Muhammad, a merchant born in Shiraz, Iran, could have become the Promised Qaim. Baha'u'llah writes this 48 page response in 24 hours, never stopping to edit or look up quotations. Baha'u'llah's masterpiece of deep meanings and explainations take the reader through Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Holy Scriptures seamlessly, accurately and with profound connections. Baha'u'llah guides the true seeker through stages one must progress to attain a realization of the Truth of the Promised Ones Message. This is a type or pattern that has been repeated throughout the history of the human race in all of the major world Religions but here it is written out by the Pen of Divine Guidance as well as in the Hearts of believers.

[Heather Bouyear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This response by Baha'u'llah to a religious cleric answers the question, how could the promised Midhi become transformed into the new personage of Ali-Muhammad (the Bab)? The letter shares how to seek this knowledge from God using the scripture of the Bible and the Quran and is asked of an as yet undeclared current manifestation of God's Word. It goes on to describe and guide the spiritual path of the seeker. I think good parallel or post reads for this work would be The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, as well as The Kitab-i-Iqan also known as The Book of Certitude. I especially enjoyed the explanation of spiritual meanings of Matthew 24: 29-31 which if one has eyes to see and ears to hear is being given by the return of the Spirit of Christ.

[Diana Bliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little book to inspire the soul. Anyone wanting to know a bit more about the mystical path as described by Baha'u'llah will love this book.

[William Saeednia-Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, poetic, and deeply, deeply thought provoking.