Baha'u'llah's Message To Nations

Boethiah · 07-27-2010, 08:02 PM

In the Kitab'i'Aqdas, Baha'u'llah addresses several nations and gives them each a message. Like:

Quote:

O Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring of God's Light dwelt in the prison of Akka at the time when thou didst set forth to visit the Aqsa Mosque. Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him by Whom every house is exalted and every lofty gate unlocked. We, verily, made it a place whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this remembrance, when He appeared with the Kingdom of God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds. We have been with thee at all times, and found thee clinging unto the Branch and heedless of the Root. Thy Lord, verily, is a witness unto what I say. We grieved to see thee circle round Our Name, whilst unaware of Us, though We were before thy face. Open thine eyes, that thou mayest behold this glorious Vision, and recognize Him Whom thou invokest in the daytime and in the night season, and gaze on the Light that shineth above this luminous Horizon.

and

Quote:

Hearken ye, O Rulers of America and the Presidents of the Republics therein, unto that which the Dove is warbling on the Branch of Eternity: "There is none other God but Me, the Ever-Abiding, the Forgiving, the All-Bountiful." Adorn ye the temple of dominion with the ornament of justice and of the fear of God, and its head with the crown of the remembrance of your Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Thus counselleth you He Who is the Dayspring of Names, as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The Promised One hath appeared in this glorified Station, whereat all beings, both seen and unseen, have rejoiced. Take ye advantage of the Day of God. Verily, to meet Him is better for you than all that whereon the sun shineth, could ye but know it. O concourse of rulers! Give ear unto that which hath been raised from the Dayspring of Grandeur: "Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Lord of Utterance, the All-Knowing." Bind ye the broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise.

There are others like this addressing other leaders (I am sure you are all aware of this). When I first read this, I wondered "Huh, I wonder if any of these leaders heeded these messages". To this date I still am ignorant of whether or not there was a response or any sort of acknowledgment. Can someone please clear up this situation for me?

Thanks.

arthra · 07-27-2010, 08:58 PM

Shoghi Effendi has written about this:

The French Emperor had, it was reported, flung away Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet, and directed his minister, as Bahá'u'lláh Himself asserts, to address to its Author an irreverent reply. The Grand Vizir of Abdu'l-'Aziz, it is reliably stated, blanched while reading the communication addressed to his Imperial master and his ministers, and made the following comment: "It is as if the king of kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king, and regulating his conduct!" Queen Victoria, it is said, upon reading the Tablet revealed for her remarked: "If this is of God, it will endure; if not, it can do no harm." It was reserved for Násiri'd-Dín Sháh, however, to wreak, at the instigation of the divines, his vengeance on One Whom he could no longer personally chastise by arresting His messenger, a lad of about seventeen, by freighting him with chains, by torturing him on the rack, and finally slaying him.

~ Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 65

There was more than one Tablet to Napolopeon the III and one involved the perception on what Napoleon III was thinking..according to our record Napoleon said something like if this man is God then I am three gods..

... With regard to whether Napoleon III did receive the first Tablet addressed to him, in addition to the information in The Promised Day is Come, we find in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, particularly in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988), page 45, that the first Tablet had been delivered, and that although there was no reply from the Emperor, a French minister had written a letter to Bahá'u'lláh, part of which He quotes in that work. Further, in The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1996), page 586, we see that most of the Tablets had been delivered to their recipients. There is also reference to the method by which the Tablets were delivered, specifically that Tablets to the "Monarchs of Europe" were "sent through the post."...

Source:

Overview of the Tablets to Napoleon

We know what happened to Badi when he delivered a weighty message from Sheba to Nasirid din Shah:

Badi`

Nor was the then representative of the British government, Colonel Sir Arnold Burrows Kemball, consul-general in Baghdad, insensible of the position which Bahá'u'lláh now occupied. Entering into friendly correspondence with Him, he, as testified by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, offered Him the protection of British citizenship, called on Him in person, and undertook to transmit to Queen Victoria any communication He might wish to forward to her. He even expressed his readiness to arrange for the transfer of His residence to India, or to any place agreeable to Him. This suggestion Bahá'u'lláh declined, choosing to abide in the dominions of the Sultan of Turkey.

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 130)

Boethiah · 07-27-2010, 09:06 PM

I knew only the sacrifice of Badi. The rest I was previously ignorant of. Thank you for this information!

BruceDLimber · 07-28-2010, 05:37 AM

Hi!

Please note that after Napoleon's discourteous reply to Baha'u'llah, He write a second letter to him warning of his impending fall from power!

Regards,

Bruce

07-27-2010, 08:58 PM	#2
arthra Senior Member Joined: Jun 2006 From: California Posts: 2,805	Responses... Shoghi Effendi has written about this: The French Emperor had, it was reported, flung away Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet, and directed his minister, as Bahá'u'lláh Himself asserts, to address to its Author an irreverent reply. The Grand Vizir of Abdu'l-'Aziz, it is reliably stated, blanched while reading the communication addressed to his Imperial master and his ministers, and made the following comment: "It is as if the king of kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king, and regulating his conduct!" Queen Victoria, it is said, upon reading the Tablet revealed for her remarked: "If this is of God, it will endure; if not, it can do no harm." It was reserved for Násiri'd-Dín Sháh, however, to wreak, at the instigation of the divines, his vengeance on One Whom he could no longer personally chastise by arresting His messenger, a lad of about seventeen, by freighting him with chains, by torturing him on the rack, and finally slaying him. ~ Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 65 There was more than one Tablet to Napolopeon the III and one involved the perception on what Napoleon III was thinking..according to our record Napoleon said something like if this man is God then I am three gods.. ... With regard to whether Napoleon III did receive the first Tablet addressed to him, in addition to the information in The Promised Day is Come, we find in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, particularly in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988), page 45, that the first Tablet had been delivered, and that although there was no reply from the Emperor, a French minister had written a letter to Bahá'u'lláh, part of which He quotes in that work. Further, in The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1996), page 586, we see that most of the Tablets had been delivered to their recipients. There is also reference to the method by which the Tablets were delivered, specifically that Tablets to the "Monarchs of Europe" were "sent through the post."... Source: Overview of the Tablets to Napoleon We know what happened to Badi when he delivered a weighty message from Sheba to Nasirid din Shah: Badi` Nor was the then representative of the British government, Colonel Sir Arnold Burrows Kemball, consul-general in Baghdad, insensible of the position which Bahá'u'lláh now occupied. Entering into friendly correspondence with Him, he, as testified by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, offered Him the protection of British citizenship, called on Him in person, and undertook to transmit to Queen Victoria any communication He might wish to forward to her. He even expressed his readiness to arrange for the transfer of His residence to India, or to any place agreeable to Him. This suggestion Bahá'u'lláh declined, choosing to abide in the dominions of the Sultan of Turkey. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 130)

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07-27-2010, 09:06 PM	#3
Boethiah Member Joined: Jul 2010 From: Indiana Posts: 53	I knew only the sacrifice of Badi. The rest I was previously ignorant of. Thank you for this information!

07-28-2010, 05:37 AM	#4
BruceDLimber Senior Member Joined: Mar 2010 From: Rockville, MD, USA Posts: 765	Hi! Please note that after Napoleon's discourteous reply to Baha'u'llah, He write a second letter to him warning of his impending fall from power! Regards, Bruce