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MAN’S RELATION TO GOD 315 |
The connection between God and the creatures is that of the
creator to the creation; it is like the connection between the sun
and the dark bodies of contingent beings, and is the connection
between the maker and the things that he has made. The sun
in its own essence is independent of the bodies which it lights; for
its light is in itself, and is free and independent of the terrestrial
globe; so the earth is under the influence of the sun and receives
its light, whereas the sun and its rays are entirely independent
of the earth. But if there were no sun, the earth and all earthly
beings could not exist.
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The dependence through the creatures upon God is a dependence
of emanation: that is to say, creatures emanate from God, they do
not manifest Him. The relation is that of emanation and not
that of manifestation. The light of the sun emanates from the
sun, it does not manifest it. The appearance through emanation
is like the appearance of the rays from the luminary of the horizons
of the world: that is to say, the holy essence of the Sun of Truth
is not divided, and does not descend to the condition of the creatures.
In the same way, the globe of the sun does not become
divided and does not descend to the earth: no, the rays of the
sun, which are its bounty, emanate from it, and illumine the dark
bodies.
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But the appearance through manifestation is the manifestation
of the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruit from the seed; for the
seed in its own essence becomes branches and fruits, and its reality
enters into the branches, the leaves, and fruits. This appearance
through manifestation would be for God the Most High, simple
imperfection, and this is quite impossible; for the implication
would be that the Absolute Pre-existent is qualified with phenomenal
attributes; but if this were so, pure independence would
become mere poverty, and true existence would become non-existence,
and this is impossible.
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Therefore all creatures emanate from God; that is to say, it is
by God that all things are realized, and by Him that all beings
have attained to existence. The first thing which emanated from
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God is that universal reality, which the ancient philosophers
termed the “First Mind,” and which the people of Bahá call the
“First Will.” This emanation, in that which concerns its action
in the world of God, is not limited by time or place; it is without
beginning or end; beginning and end in relation to God are one.
The pre-existence of God is the pre-existence of essence, and also
pre-existence of time, and the phenomenality of contingency is
essential and not temporal….
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Though the “First Mind” is without beginning, it does not
become a sharer in the pre-existence of God, for the existence of
the universal reality in relation to the existence of God is nothingness,
and it has not the power to become an associate of God and
like unto Him in pre-existence. This subject has been before
explained.
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The existence of living things signifies composition, and their
death decomposition. But universal matter and the elements do
not become absolutely annihilated and destroyed: no, their non-existence
is simply transformation. For instance, when man is
annihilated he becomes dust, but he does not become absolutely
non-existent; he still exists in the shape of dust; but transformation
has taken place, and this composition is accidentally decomposed.
The annihilation of the other beings is the same, for
existence does not become absolute non-existence, and absolute
non-existence does not become existence.
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