Introduction
This is a translation of the Sermon of
Glorification [Khutbat'ul-Iftikhár]
uttered by the Imám 'Alí.[1]
The Imám 'Alí uttered these three Sermons: Tutunjiyyih,
Nurániyyat [Recognition through Luminousness[2]], and Iftikhár in the
language of the World of Command ['Alam-i-Amr], all attributing the
workings of the Will of God [His Primal Will] in the World of Creation. The
Author of the Bahá'í Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh, says
that this world is sanctified above plurality:Similar
statements have been made by 'Alí. Sayings such as this, which indicate
the essential unity of those Exponents of Oneness, have also emanated from the
Channels of God's immortal utterance, and the Treasuries of the gems of divine
knowledge, and have been recorded in the scriptures. These Countenances are the
recipients of the Divine Command, and the day-springs of His Revelation. This
Revelation is exalted above the veils of plurality and the exigencies of
number. Thus He saith: "Our Cause is but one." Inasmuch as the Cause is one and
the same, the Exponents thereof also must needs be one and the same. Likewise,
the Imáms of the Muhammadan Faith, those lamps of certitude, have said:
"Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all."
(Bahá'u'lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, Page:
153)
This illustrious sermon is another luminous example of this mighty theme
and as it has never been rendered in English before. I present it as
promised. Please God, may it see the light of day!
Original text in Masháriq Anwár al-Yaqeen, compiled by
Háfiz Rajab al-Bursí, pages 164-166. Dar al-Andalus, Beirut, 1978.
The Sermon of Ifti
khár by the Imám 'Alí, as
narrated by Asbagh, the son of Nubáta.
The Imám 'Alí said:
I am the brother of the Messenger of God and the Heir to His knowledge, the
treasury of His wisdom, and the Companion of His secret. There is not a letter
revealed by God in any of His Books whose intention does not point towards me.
He hath vouchsafed unto me the knowledge of what was from eternity and what
will happen unto the Day of Resurrection. To me hath been vouchsafed the
knowledge of past and future generations and their genealogies. And to Me hath
been given a thousand keys to a thousand doors. The knowledge of the destinies
of all things hath been granted unto me. All these Gifts shall continue to flow
through my Appointed Successors (
wasi's) as long as day is followed by
night and night followed by day and until all things return to God. For verily,
He is the True Inheritor of all things.
Unto me, too, hath been vouchsafed the Path, the Balance, the Banner, and the
Kaw
thar. I am the one who shall face the children of Adam on the Day of
Judgement and shall bring them to account and shall direct them to their
habitations. And verily, I am the punishment of fire meted unto the damned.
These are the bounties of God unto me. And should anyone deny that I shall
return after the Return
[3], or deny that I shall
come back after the
Raj'at[4], or should
anyone reject the truth that I shall appear again, even as I have done from the
beginning that hath no beginning or even unto the end that hath no end, he,
verily, hath denied the truth of all of Us. And verily I say unto you, he who
denies any one of Us, hath denied God. I am the one who hath summoned you; I
am the companion of your prayers and invocations. I am the Lord of retribution,
and I am the Master of the signs and the Lord of the wondrous symbols of
guidance. I am cognisant of the mysteries of creation; I am the One who brought
the iron unto Men
[5]. I am forever new and
forever pre-existent, the One who brought the Angels from out of their
habitations, the One who pledged an everlasting covenant with your spirits on
the dawn of creation and Who, on that day, asked, through the will of God, the
Self-subsisting, these words: "Am I not your Lord?" I am the Word of God
[
Kalimat'u'lláh] which hath been uttered in the world of
creation, the Object of the covenant that hath been promised in the prayers and
salutations which lie in the reality of all created things. I am the name that
hath been invoked by orphans and by widows, the door to the city of knowledge
and the refuge of patience and forbearance. I am the upraised flag of God, the
companion of the banner of divine praise, the Lord of infinite bounty and of
infinite grace. But should I tell you all that I am, you would doubtless
disbelieve Me. For I am also the slayer of oppressors, the treasury of divine
favours in this world and of the next. I am the master of the believers, the
guide of those who seek the way. The truth is Mine and certitude is at My side.
Leadership is Mine and the righteous shall follow Me. I am the first to
acknowledge faith, the Cord of God that shall not be broken, the One who will
raise the world to justice even as it hath been brought low by oppression. I am
the companion of Gabriel and the archangel Michael is beside Me. I am the tree
of guidance, and the essence of righteousness. I shall gather together the
world of creation through the Word of God that gathers together all things. I
give life unto humanity and I am the treasury of all divine commands. To Me
hath been given the Luminous Pen and the Crimson Camel
[6].
I am the gate-keeper of certitude, the Commander of the Faithful, the friend
of
Khidir. I am the One who shall conquer Syria and destroy the
arrogant. I have existed throughout the past, and, verily, I have never uttered
a falsehood. Through a word from Me, truth hath been separated from error, for
I speak through divine inspiration and know of the stars and constellations.
God hath commanded me to ordain their orbit and vouchsafed unto me their
knowledge. With Me are the saffron and crimson coloured flags and I shall
remain concealed until the time shall come for My manifestation in a great
Cause. Then, shall I grant and withhold as I wish. None can describe Me except
Myself, for I shall protect the faith of my Lord. I am the One Whom my Cousin
chose, Who was present when His sacred remains were shrouded. I am the Guardian
appointed by God, the Most Merciful God, the companion of
Khidir
[7] and Aaron, and the friend of Moses and Joshua,
the son of Nun. I am the Lord of Paradise, He Who hath caused the rain to fall
and the earth to quake and the sun and moon to be eclipsed. I am the Object of
the creation of multitudes and it is I who shall slay those who do not believe.
Verily, I am the leader of the righteous, the Sacred Fane frequented by all,
the upraised firmament, the fathomless ocean. I am the Holy of Holies, the
pillar that supports humanity. I am the Possessor of the Greatest Cause. Is
there anyone who can speak beside Me? I am fire itself. At a single Word of
God, at one utterance of the Prophet, I would put within you My sword's length
and send you hurrying unto your next abode. I am the meaning of Ramadán
and the night of Qadr
[8] mentioned in the Mother
Book. My utterance is decisive, for I am the Súrah of Praise
[9]. I am the purpose of prayer itself, whether at
home or when travelling. I am the purpose of fasting, and the sacred
anniversaries in the months of the year. I am the Lord of Resurrection and
Judgement, the One who can remove the yoke that lies heavy on the people of
Muhammad. I am the Gate through which all shall pass who worship God; I am His
worshipper, and one created by Him. I am both the witness and the One witnessed
to, the possessor of the green canopy, He Whose name is mentioned in the
heavens and the earth, Who is the travelling companion of the Messenger of God
throughout the heavens, for with Me is the Book and the sacred Arc. I am the
One who befriended Seth, the son of Adam
[10],
the companion of Moses and Irám, and all metaphors and analogies pertain
unto Me. Who indeed is there to compare with Me? For I am the heaven-sent rain
that causeth each blade of green to grow, the Lord of this nether realm Who
brings forth the rains when all have lost their hope in its downpour. I am He
Who summoneth the mighty lightning and causeth the ocean to rise and swell, the
One who speaketh to the sun and causeth the stunning trumpet to blast forth. I
am the refuge of all that have obeyed God, and verily, God is my Lord and there
is no other God but He. For falsehood offers illusions, but truth giveth thee
everlasting sovereignty.
I shall soon depart from amongst you, but be watchful and aware; be on your
guard against the tests and tribulations caused by the 'Ummayyds and their
worldly powers. And after they shall pass away, the kingdom will revert to the
'Abbasids
[11] who will bring both sorrow and
happiness to mankind. And they shall build a city called Ba
ghdád,
which shall be between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Woe betide men in those
latter days, for amongst them will rise the oppressors among My people, who
shall build palaces for themselves and courts and tabernacles. For they shall
seek supremacy through intrigue and impiety. Two score and two kings shall rule
among the children of the 'Abbasids, after whose reign shall come to pass the
Most Great Tribulation on the surface of the earth. Then shall the True
Qá'im rise up once more. Then shall I show My Face amongst men, and it
shall be as luminous as the face of the moon amid the other stars. But note
well the ten signs associated with my coming. The first sign shall be the
inversion of banners on the highways of Kúfa
[12]; the second, the abeyance of true worship and the
prescribed prayers; the third, the end of true pilgrimage. The fourth sign
shall be an eclipse in the lands of
Khorasán
[13], the gathering of constellations and the appearance of
comets in the sky. There shall be chaos and confusion, massacre, pillage and
robbery in the world. Many other signs shall there be too, surpassing all
these signs, among which is the sign of wonderment. But when all these signs
have passed away, then, verily, shall the Qá'im Himself arise in truth.
O people, sanctify the Lord your God from all similitudes, for every reference
to Him fails, and whosoever tries to limit the Creator by description or
comparison hath verily disbelieved in His Book, which is the Book of God's Own
Utterance.
Then He
[14] said: How great the blessedness
of those who love Me and who sacrifice their life in My path and who get exiled
because of Me! They truly are the repositories of God's knowledge, nor shall
they be put to fear on the Day of the Great Terror.
I am the Light of God, Who can never be extinguished; I am the Mystery of God
that can not be concealed.
Notes
[1] Editing, formatting, and notes
provided by Mehdi Wolf.
[2] This was originally rendered "Recognition
with Luminouness", but has been changed to the above at the wonderful
suggestion by Stephan Lambden. [- M.W.]
[3] This is a reference to the name
'Alí-Muhammad (i.e. the name of the Exalted Báb). [- K.F.]
[4] This is a reference to the Sacred Name,
Husayn-'Alí, the name of Bahá'u'lláh, particularly as
Raj'at refers to the Return of Husayn. [- K.F.]
[5] Reference to the Súrah of Iron in the
Holy Qur'án. [- K.F.]
[6] Oblique reference to the Thamud, their
Prophet Salíh and the She-Camel so often referred to in the Holy
Qur'án (See e.g. 11:61-65). [- K.F.]
[7] In Islamic tradition, Khadír
was a servant of God who had been taught special knowledge and was sent to be a
companion and teacher to Moses (see Qur'án 18:65-82;
Bukharí, Vol. 1, Bk 3, #74, 78, 124 and also Vol. 9, Bk. 93,
#570). Khadír may not be a reference to a person, but, rather, to
the inspirational Source. In this sermon, the Imám 'Alí is, in a
sense, the Muse to all those inspired before, similar to Gabriel in the
Qur'án (see, e.g. 2:97). [MF's note, based partially on information
contained in a personal e-mail received from the translator, dated Wednesday,
February 28th, 2001.]
[8] See Qur'án 97:1-3.
[9] The first Súrah in the Holy
Qur'án and endowed with amazing powers. [- K.F.]
[10] Seth is named in Genesis as the son of
Adam, and he lived for 912 years. (See Gen. 4:25-5:8.) Here, however, the
reference is to the notion that Companion (Sahib), in a sense, means
that the Eternal "I" was with Seth (in Arabic, Shayth, the
son of Adam). In Luke, Seth is an ancestor to Christ. [MW's note, based
partially on information contained in a personal E-mail from the translator,
dated Wednesday February 21st, 2001].
[11] The family of Abbas, the uncle of
Muhammad.
[12] A city near the Euphrates River, 177km
south of Baghdád. Formerly a Mesopotamian city, Kúfa was
re-founded by the Arabs in 638, and was the capital of the Islamic Empire
during the caliphate of the Imám 'Alí. For a time, it also
served as the centre for the 'Abbasid caliphate. This and the following
references are to catastrophes and spiritual reverses in the fortunes of truth.
[MF's note, based on information from the on-line Columbia Encyclopaedia and
from a personal e-mail received from the translator, dated Thursday, March 1,
2001.]
[13] A mountainous and arid province in
northeastern Irán. The territory served as the capital of the eastern
provinces of Islám during the time of the early 'Abbasid Caliphs.
Khorásan was first invaded by the Oghuz Turks in 1153 and
again in 1157. The Mongols devastated the region between 1220 and 1222. Timur
invaded in 1383. [MF's note, based on information from the on-line Columbia
Encyclopaedia and from a personal e-mail received from the translator, dated
Thursday, March 1, 2001.]
[14] The Imám 'Alí.
