"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
Commentary
on the Hidden Words
Interpretation of `Abdu'l-Bahá cont.
Finally, the ‘wings’ and the ‘comb’ mentioned in the following verse are both interpreted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh.
O Son of Desire!
How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire? Wings
have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the
realms of mystic holiness and not the regions of satanic
fancy. The comb, too, have I given thee that thou mayest
dress My raven locks, and not lacerate My throat.
In The Hidden Words Bahá’u’lláh has mentioned certain Tablets such as ‘the fifth Tablet of Paradise’, and the ‘Ruby Tablet’, together with certain lines from
them. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has clearly indicated that none of these Tablets or lines has been revealed in this world. They are preserved in the Kingdom of God and in the realms of heaven.
There is another passage in The Hidden Words which is of great significance inasmuch as it reveals the nature and intensity of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and His exalted station. It is the following:
O Son of Justice!
In the night-season the beauty of the immortal Being hath
repaired from the emerald height of fidelity unto the Sadratu’l-Muntaha, and wept with such a weeping that the
concourse on high and the dwellers of the realms above
wailed at His lamenting. Whereupon there was asked, Why
the wailing and weeping? He made reply: As bidden I waited
expectant upon the hill of faithfulness, yet inhaled not from
them that dwell on earth the fragrance of fidelity. Then
summoned to return I beheld, and lo! certain doves of holiness
were sore tried within the claws of the dogs of earth.
Thereupon the Maid of heaven hastened forth unveiled and
resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and asked of their
names, and all were told but one. And when urged, the first
letter thereof was uttered, whereupon the dwellers of the
celestial chambers rushed forth out of their habitation of
glory. And whilst the second letter was pronounced they fell
down, one and all, upon the dust. At that moment a voice
was heard from the inmost shrine: ‘Thus far and no farther.’
Verily we bear witness to that which they have done and
now are doing.
‘Sadratu’l-Muntaha’ in this passage literally means the tree beyond which there is no passing. The Arabs used to plant trees along certain roads and the last tree indicating the end of the road was known as ‘Sadratu’l-Muntaha’. This term which has been used by Bahá’u’lláh in many of His Writings is, in one sense, the symbol of the station of the Manifestation of God, a station which is beyond the reach and understanding of men. The ‘Maid of Heaven’ in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh is a symbolic term and assumes different
meanings.
The two letters mentioned in the above passage, according to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s interpretation, are B and H of the word
‘Baha’. This means that only two letters out of three (B, H and A) have been revealed in this Dispensation, that the full significance and potency of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh which have been symbolically contained within the three letters of His name, have not been disclosed to mankind and that only a limited measure of His light and glory has been shed upon humanity in this
age.ą To this Bahá’u’lláh has testified in one of His Tablets:
Know verily that the veil hiding Our countenance hath not
been completely lifted. We have revealed Our Self to a degree
corresponding to the capacity of the people of Our age.
Should the Ancient Beauty be unveiled in the fullness of His
glory mortal eyes would be blinded by the dazzling intensity
of His revelation.
