moein

hi guys, im reading the book of certitude and i need some help. in the opening it says "according to the dispensations of the providence, hah been raised in the firmament of the bayan." i do not understand what is means. thanks

Sboyce

the Dispensation of the Providence hath been raised in the Firmament of the Bayan MAY mean that that the Bayan affirms the continuity of revealed law and the continuuity of God's prophets.

arthra

First it's always good to get the passage down:

Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayan.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 3

We see here the context and actual wording..

Second, it's important to know when the Iqan was revealed and the context for that..Ali Kuli Khan wrote:

During the time of BAHA'U'LLAH'S residence in Baghdad the "Dwelling of Peace," before He declared Himself to be the "Manifestation of God," men of learning, including Jews, Christians, and Mohammedans visited Him, seeking answer to religious and scriptural questions. Among them was Haji-Mirza-Seyd-Mohammed of Shiraz, the maternal uncle of the BAB, who in 1862-63 was making a pilgrimage to the holy sanctuaries of the Imams, located in that region. His questions concerned the signs and evidences of the Expected Manifestation from the standpoint of his own religion #151; Islam. The Book of Ighan was revealed by BAHA'U'LLAH in answer to his questions.

So the Bayan refers to the revealed Book of the Bab and symbolizes His dispensation.. It was revealed in response to questions by a materanl uncle of the Bab who did not believe Him or His station.

Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayan.

My guess is that the Iqan opens with an appeal to the people of the world to accept the Bab.

BruceDLimber

Art is correct that the Bab's uncle didn't accept or believe Him.

But what Art didn't point out is that after Baha'u'llah revealed The Book of Certitude (aka Kitab-i-Iqan) to that uncle, he did indeed become a believer!

Best! :-)

Bruce

cire perdue

There is a lesson there for us, because we must also remember that people met the Manifestations and Abdul'baha and did not immediately become believers. Reading the memoirs and accounts about the early western believers is very comforting in that accepting the Faith is shown as a process they went through that had its discouraging times and uplifting moments. Reality has not changed, nor are we failures because we lack constancy in our certitude. We must continue to fight our spiritual battles. No matter what we think, fantasize, or believe at any given moment to fight these things actively, trying to tear them out of our minds only strengthens their hold on us and is the opposite of detachment. Accepting anything we find inside is the first step towad turning to Baha'u'llah, then with acceptance of even these foul things in us, we let them go, and they pass through us sometimes quickly, sometimes taking years until we love ourselves and show ourselves the compassion of the Master, and progress further in our love and acceptance first of ourselves and then the hurting masses around us. We must love and teach, and when words that are obvious about Baha'u'llah cannot be said, then we can love those around us. Should we sucessfully show others the love of Baha'u'llah when we may not be able to say His Name, even then they will seek that love throughout their lives.

moein

thank so much!

LordOfGoblins

I dont know. Literally wouldnt it mean something like


dispensations periods of providence Gods intervention/guidance raised in the firmament Heaven of the Bayan The Babs book.
In other words, to me he is confirming that the Bayan is from God as well as the obvious contextual meaning of talking about peoples stations being mentioned in the Bayan.
this is just a very brief analysis from someone..

arthra

Works for me...too.