Two Articles about the Master

Two Articles about the Master

Scanned and proofed by John Taylor, 2006 August 14

Interview between a Rabbi and Abdu’l-Baha

In Praise of the "Greatest Branch" by Abu’l-Fazl

Interview between a Prominent Rabbi and Abdu’l-Baha

from Star of the West, Book II, Vol. III, No. 6, p. 6; June 24, 1912

ENTERING the room the Rabbi saluted, which was answered by Abdu'l Baha
in like manner.

Abdu'l-Baha: "You are most welcome Rabbi."

Rabbi: "I have long desired to meet you."

Abdu'l-Baha: "Very good; very good."

Rabbi: "Your address yesterday was excellent. I have had the pleasure of
hearing you upon two other occasions, but your address of yesterday had
an extraordinary universality. You have very clearly established the
teachings of brotherhood but I am afraid that although your principles
are very lofty they will not be accepted by all the religionists and the
workers for peace."

Abdu’l-Baha: "Reality will always be victorious. No one can stand before
the onward march of reality. The phenomenal is always conquered by the
eternal. All the contingent beings are defeated by the will of heaven.
One small Arabian boy can lead two thousand camels in the Sahara. One
intelligent Hindu boy can conquer an elephant."

Rabbi: "It is true. In the Bible we have the statement that ‘A little
child shall lead them.’”

Abdu’l-Baha: "Truth will always be victorious; therefore it does not
know defeat but the people of reality must exert great effort, and if
the people of reality neglect to display this effort that is another
matter. The people of reality must demonstrate their willingness in this
direction. They must realize that the greatest reality of this age is
the oneness of the human world. They must forget traditions and
imitations of the past. For instance, if we look upon the Catholic
religion we see that they believe that an important part is the
transubstantiation; that is, the change of the bread and wine into the
body of Christ. If we ponder a little we realize that this is a
nonessential. It is imitation and the reverse of reality.

"Again, if we look at the Hindus we see that they have made images and
worship them as deities, and they have eight million such deities in
their temples. It is evident that these are superstitions and
imaginations. They worship the cow, the stone, the water and the forces
of nature -- all these are imitations of the past and they have no
foundation whatever."

Rabbi: "Do you then regard the transubstantiation as being on the same
ground as the worshipping of idols?”

'Abdu'l-Baha: “All these are imitations. They have no reality. As these
are the opposite of realities, therefore they have no foundation.
Everything that keeps man away from God, is an idol. Everything which
detracts man's attention from God is an idol, no matter what it is."

Rabbi: "Then every channel between God and His creature is an idol

'Abdu'l-Baha: "Consider, let us not bind ourselves with imitations. Let
us study the condition of the Jews for a moment. When they were in Egypt
they were captives; they were poor; they were prisoners in the hand of
Pharaoh; they were ignored; they were a dependent people, they were
surrounded by all kinds of troubles and vicissitudes; the people looked
down upon them; they were considered as outcasts. Then Moses came. He
gathered them together; inspired them with the power of unity; imparted
to them new life; taught them the laws of God encouraging them in the
morals and virtues of humanity; delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh;
freed them from the bondage of captivity; educated them, trained them
and carried them away from the land of darkness into the holy of holies
of light. Their power was increased; their majesty became refulgent;
their fame was spread throughout the world, until they were enabled to
found the Solomonic sovereignty. In philosophy and art they attained
such heights that the philosophers of Greece and Rome traveled long
distances to learn from them. Now is it possible to say that to revere
and respect these souls is equivalent to the worshipping of idols? We
must respect Moses because he achieved a work which no one else could
do. It is an evident fact that His Holiness Moses was a channel between
God and man. No further proof is required for this. I do not attempt to
prove the validity of Moses by pointing to his turning the rod into a
serpent; instead I give evident proofs.

"Again you wi11 note that His Highness Christ was a Jew. Ponder well
over this matter: The Jews were captives in the hand of the Romans; they
were their slaves. From every standpoint they were scattered and
impoverished. Nebuchadnezzar carried seventy thousand of them into
captivity at Babylon. Even today the tombs of Esther and Daniel are
there. And afterwards what did Titus, the Roman Emperor, not do! He
entirely destroyed the foundation of the Jewish temple. The effect of
the destruction of Titus is manifest up to this time for we see them
scattered all over the world. His Holiness Christ appeared and
established unity among the Romans, the Greeks, the Chaldeans, the
Assyrians, the Europeans and the Americans. He established a bond of
unity between all the nations. All the great prophets, the kings and the
worthies of the Israelite nation could not make the Persians believe in
Moses. All the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah, et
al. could not make one Zoroastrian believe in Moses. But one Jew came
and many millions believe in Him. He spread His name in the East and in
the West. He caused the Bible to be translated in all the languages of
the world, and today nearly every home contains a Bible. He demonstrated
throughout the world to all the nations of the world that the Israelite
people were the chosen people, that the Israelite prophets were the
prophets of God, that their books were the looks of God, that their
words were the words of God. This is evident. These are not intellectual
or traditional evidences but they are such evidences as permit of no
discussion. Look at America. You see a Bible in almost every house that
you enter. See what Christ has accomplished. Witness what one soul who
was crucified has accomplished.

When He was living upon the earth He was alone, ridiculed and rejected
by His own people. Almost everybody cursed and ridiculed Him. His own
relatives left Him; even His disciples almost abandoned Him; they placed
upon His head a crown of thorns and paraded Him over the streets, and
finally they crucified Him. He was alone! alone! but the traces of His
work and the signs of His message have filled the world. Man must be
just. After these statements no one can deny the greatness of Christ.
Now is it evident to you that all these conditions among the nations are
on account of injustice? If they had all been just they would have been
united on this principle: that these prophets were channels for the
bounty of God, for they were the first teachers of mankind.

"The philosophers are also teachers but all they could do was to teach
themselves and a few other souls. But the prophets of God taught the
whole world. They trained all the children of men in morals and ethics.
Who can say that they failed to accomplish their work, and who would
give the names of the philosophers the first place?

Rabbi: "Indeed, indeed you are one of the greatest logicians of the
world. Up to this time I have been talking to you as a man; now I will
address you as a Rabbi. Your premises and syllogisms do not agree. It is
not correct to say that Christ has accomplished all these things for but
few of his teachings were accepted until about three hundred and fifty
years after his crucifixion—“

Abdu'l Baha here exclaimed: “I understand, I understand," and then
continued: "His Highness Moses laid the foundation but the result of His
teachings became apparent during the time of Solomon. If there had been
no Moses there would have been no Solomon. The sovereignty of Solomon
was the outcome of the principles of Moses. If there had been no Moses
the children of Israel would have been entirely lost, and up to this
time they would have been slaves in the land of Pharaoh. Their very name
would have disappeared from the page of history. Moses laid down a few
principles, but the results of those principles became apparent five
hundred years afterward. If an inquirer is just he will realize that
Moses laid with His own hand Solomonic universality. Likewise if His
Highness Christ had not laid the foundations of Christianity, the
evident signs which we see today would not have been realized.

"I scatter the seeds today, six months hence they may become apparent.
In the meantime, can anyone deny the germination of these seeds, and
when they are grown, repudiate the fact that these plants owe the origin
to the seed?”

Rabbi: "Suppose that Christ was the Promised One of the Jews; how did
the doctrine of divinity creep in among the Christians?”

Abdu’l-Baha: "Do not look upon the Christians of today. The Christians
are today submerged in the sea of imitation. It is evident that man is
the highest of God's creatures on the face of the earth. For example,
there are certain attributes which are apparent in the mineral kingdom.
The vegetable kingdom has the attributes existing in the mineral kingdom
but with another attribute, which is the power of growth. The animal has
the attributes of the mineral and the vegetable kingdoms but with
another attribute, which is the power of instinct. Therefore the animal
is a composite of the mineral and vegetable kingdoms, but man has the
virtues of the mineral kingdom, the virtues of the vegetable kingdom,
the virtues of the animal kingdom and another distinct virtue, which is
that of intellect, consequently man is the highest creation of God. He
is the peerless creature and in him are contained all the virtues of the
human world.

"Christ was the mirror; God was the Sun. The Sun appeared with all its
effulgence and splendor in the mirror; that is, the virtues, the
perfections and the characteristics of God appeared in Christ. This is
what is meant where it is written in the Bible that 'We have created man
in our own image.' The perfect man is the visage and image of God, just
as the mirror reflects the sun. We can not say that the sun has come
down from heaven and has taken a place in the mirror. The sun is
eternal, living in its own station. It had no ascent or descent entrance
or exit; but the rays and the heat of the sun have become fully
reflected in the clear mirror. That is why Christ said the future is in
the sun and the sun is in the future. The Sun of Truth reflected itself
in the mirrors of Moses and Christ."

Rabbi: "Most wonderful! We must name this divine philosophy the
philosophy of Abdu'l Baha. I am extraordinarily delighted to have had
this privilege to talk with you."

Abdu'l Baha: "I am very happy indeed to meet you.

Rabbi: "I hope I will have the pleasure of meeting you again."

'Abdu'l-Baha: "God willing. May you be under His protection.

In Praise of the "Greatest Branch"

Written by MIRZA ABUL FAZL, November 24, and read in Washington, D. C.
November 26, 1902, at the celebration of the anniversary of the Feast of
the Appointment of The Center of the Covenant.

from Star of the West, Book II, Vol. III, No. 14, November 23, 1912

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Abha!

YE beloved of God and His friends! Praise and glorification behoove the
holy court of the True One, the Exalted, who has, in this great age and
wonderful cycle, primarily caused the shining star of the Blessed Being
of the First Point (The Bab) to appear like unto the beaming orb of the
morn from the horizon of the world; has rejoiced and revived the
creatures through the glad tidings of the advent of the new Day, and the
Manifestation of the Glorious Lord. Praise be to God! Who subsequently
caused the Sun of the most holy Beauty of El Abha (Exalted is His
Supreme Name!) to dawn forth in the midst of the heaven of power and
grandeur. After the disappearance of these two Lights a third Splendor
became manifest from the Sinai of Epiphany, and the Orb of the Covenant
shone forth from the firmament of beatitude, the apex of exaltation and
glory, with the most marvelous effulgence. Through these three shining
lights, the darkness of the nations, superstitions, will be dispelled,
the dust of discord of the people will be subsided by the showers of
mercy descending from the clouds of divine providence; the banner of
peace will be hoisted; the mortal world will be clothed in the excellent
robe of ideal humanity; the bond of perfect love will be strengthened
among contradictory nations and repugnant peoples; and the world, east
and west, will become the Paradise of El Abha and as a garden bringing
forth fruits of divine grace. We, therefore, praise Him in such
glorification from which the lights of sincerity may gleam forth and
scintillate throughout ages and epochs; and we thank Him in such
sanctification from which the pure fragrances of meekness and humbleness
will be diffused and exhaled with the duration of nights and days!

O ye beloved of God and His friends! This great Day has been assigned to
the blessed name of the Lord of the world, the sign of pre-existence,
the standard of divine victory among nations, the Light of the heaven
and the earth, the point around which the Supreme Concourse revolves, in
the kingdom of Names His Holiness, Abdu’l-Baha. (May the life of the
creatures be a sacrifice to Him!) Ye are all attracted to his love,
united in his servitude, overshadowed under his banner, and are
assembled together in this excellent meeting, with rejoiced hearts and
shining faces, speaking the praise of the most holy beauty of El Abha,
and uttering the glorification of the Center of His Covenant, His
Holiness, Abdu’l-Baha (May the life of the creatures be a sacrifice to
Him!)! Ye are all attracted to His love, united in His servitude,
overshadowed under His banner, and are assembled together in this
excellent meeting, with rejoiced hearts and shining faces, speaking the
praise of the Most Holy Beauty of El-Abha, and uttering the
glorification of the Center of His Covenant, His Holiness, Abdu’l-Baha.

How can this servant duly praise and thank God, the Exalted, who hath
enabled him to make his tongue fluent in glorifying the Center of the
Covenant in this wonderful meeting, in the presence of His chosen ones
and friends? Again I praise Him for this wondrous confirmation and
glorious success. Verily, He is the Mighty, the Praiseworthy!

How can this weak one befittingly glorify and sanctify a most holy
personage with whose name all the ancient and heavenly books are adorned
and who has been announced and prophesied, by the tongue of the prophets
and chosen ones, from the beginning to the end? Every prophetic page
seems like unto a heaven, studded with the beaming stars and shining
pearls of the praises of the Orb of the Universe; or like unto a rose
garden decked and embellished by the verdant leaves and fragrant flowers
of the glorification of the Center of the Covenant. Again we praise Him
with such words whereby hearts are cheered and breasts are dilated, and
we thank Him in such hymns whereby the light of bliss and beatitude
shine forth from the horizon of the hearts!

O ye beloved of God and His friends! Consider how in the second Psalm,
David (Peace be upon him!) has announced the appearance of the Son of
God in dominion and judgment, and how he hath warned the kings and
judges of the earth to serve him! Consider in the fourth chapter of
Isaiah how that great prophet has foretold the appearance of the Exalted
Branch of the Lord in the utmost beauty and glory, and how God hath
appointed him a place of refuge for the saved ones. Consider how Isaiah
has spoken in the eleventh chapter of his book that the lofty "Branch"
of the Blessed Tree shall appear from the root of David, and shall grow
out of the Holy Land; how the spirit of supremacy and power, of counsel
and divine wisdom shall rest upon him; the lights of glory and divine
grandeur shall beam forth from his shining face; how he shall hoist the
pavilion of universal peace and divine equity, and assemble all the
various and contradictory nations, including weak and strong, high and
low, under the shadow of union and harmony.

Reflect upon the 26th verse of the 30th chapter of the book of Isaiah,
how God, the Almighty, has clearly spoken that in the day when Israel
shall be saved, and the sins and errors of the heirs of Abraham effaced,
the shining moon of the Center of the Covenant shall gleam forth in the
utmost glory and splendor, and the beaming lights scintillating from the
brilliant face of that dawning place of supremacy and Lordship shall be
like unto the Sun of Truth! Consider how, in the first few verses of the
42nd chapter of Isaiah, it is clearly shown that in the last day, God,
the Exalted, shall elect the bearer of the banner of His servitude,
confer upon him the Holy Spirit of His divinity, unfurl the standard of
the Supreme Covenant and Testament in His Name, and shall protect him,
with His strong hand, from the deceit of the violators and the devices
of the people of rancor; that Servant of the Lord shall become a banner
for the people's salvation and a light for hearts and souls; shall
restore the blind and deliver the captives; direct those who sit in
darkness unto light; place all the creatures under the standard of
universal peace, security and absolute emancipation, and make the
tongues of all in the East and West fluent in new hymns and wonderful
glorifications!

Likewise, consider the 7th chapter of Daniel. First, in the 9th and 10th
verses, God hath announced the Manifestation of the Great Lord, the
Ancient King, the Most Holy Beauty of Abha (Glorified is His Supreme
Name!) and hath spoken of the founding of the sound religion and
manifest law and of the rise of the hosts of chosen ones and holy ones.

Then He hath said in the 13th and 14th verses of the same chapter that
the Excellent Branch shall be extended from that Ancient Root, and the
Spirit of God descended from Heaven shall shine forth from His Beaming
Face, and Glory and Kingdom shall be conferred upon Him from God; His
command shall influence all nations and multitudes, and His Kingdom
shall continue forever.

Likewise, consider the 8th and 9th verses of the chapter of Zechariah,
where the great prophet has clearly prophesied that in the day of the
Most Great Manifestation, the dawning of the Sun of the Ancient Beauty,
God, the Exalted, shall bring about the removal of the nations' iniquity
and the elimination of the people's calamities by the rise of that
Excellent "Branch" extended from the Pre-existent Root; and He hath made
the restoration of the Holy Lands, the covenanted country of the
prophets and chosen ones, dependent upon the power of that Blessed being.

Likewise, in the 12th and 13th verses of the 6th chapter of the same
book, God, the Exalted, hath explicitly promised Zechariah that in the
Day of the Lord's Manifestation the Blessed BRANCH shall grow up out of
the Pure Tree of Divinity, shall bear the Glory of the Lord, shall sit
and rule upon His Throne, and shall build the Temple of the Divine
worship; the banner of universal peace and eternal beatitude shall be
hoisted among all mankind through the council of peace held between the
BRANCH and the LORD.

Consider the New Testament: in every instant in which His Holiness,
Christ (Glory be to Him!) and His eminent disciples have announced the
coming of the Kingdom of God, they have spoken of the rising of the
Excellent Branch and of the dawning of the Orb of the Covenant.
Especially His Holiness, John, has adorned all the prophecies of his
Book of Revelation with this Glorious Name, and has clearly stated the
appearance of the Covenant of God in the Day of the Lord's
Manifestation. He has explicitly said that in that Great Day, the New
Holy City shall be illuminated with Lights shining from the Face of the
Lord and His appointed Branch; the rivers of wonderful enlightenments,
which would impart life to the people of the world and save nations,
shall flow forth from the Throne of the Lord and that of the Center of
His Covenant. Nay, rather, he hath elucidated that those written in the
Book of Life of the Excellent BRANCH shall be saved, and those
overshadowed under His Ancient Standard shall inherit everlasting glory.

To resume: the tongues of all the prophets sung the praise of His
Blessed Name, and the hearts of the chosen ones rejoiced at the
announcement of His coming, until that Most Holy Being was born in the
Day (May 23, 1844) of the Manifestation of the "First Point" (Exalted is
His Supreme Name!). The birthday of the "Branch extended from the
Ancient Root;" coincided with the day of the appearance of the Lord's
precursor and the "Mystery of God" was realized by this coincidence. In
His childhood He was nurtured under the favor of the Most Holy Beauty of
El-Abha, until, at the age of nine, He escorted the Ancient Beauty
(Baha’u’llah) from Teheran to Baghdad. He shared with the Beauty of
El-Abha in every calamity and affliction during their exile from Baghdad
to Constantinople, Adrianople, and finally to Acca (the prison), and
endured unbearable sufferings. The Tongue of Grandeur was always
uttering the greatness of His station, and appointed His Holiness, the
Excellent Branch, to the position of the "Center of the Covenant." In a
Tablet revealed by the Beauty of El Abha to 'Abdu'l-Baha, while the
latter was in Beirut, He said: "We have appointed thee a protection to
all the creatures, a guardian to all in the heaven and the earth, and a
fortress to those who believe in God, the One, the Omniscient!"

O ye beloved of God! How can I duly praise the Lord of mankind, the
Center of the Covenant (May the life of all the creatures be a sacrifice
to him! and how can I explain the loftiness of his station! For he is
the one whom all the divine Manifestations have praised and extolled.

Let us now offer our humble efforts in praising and glorifying God, the
Exalted, who has honored us by serving the Center of His Covenant, hath
made us know in his name, and hath placed us under the shadow of his
glorious banner. We thank Him in such praises whereby the faces of the
steadfast ones are illuminated!

Praise be to God, the King of the Heaven and the earth!

(signed) Abul Fazl