…the appearance of the divine Manifestation must take place
in the most perfect form and invested with unparalleled powers and virtues.
With a divine influence and heavenly mighty He must be exalted above all else
and peerless in all His attributes, just as the sun is exalted above other
stars. Though every star and planet shines in its place and gives light in the
night, the sun has another splendor and its radiance is greater. The
Manifestation of the bounty of God must also be like the physical sun so that
the world may be convinced that He is a divine Teacher, an Educator of the
world of man, a sun of reality and the brightest Light shining from the realm
on high. His effulgence and influence must be inherent and not acquired from
other human beings, otherwise we would say that others imparted such powers to
Him. How can a man, who is educated by other human beings, become the educator
of humanity at large? The Manifestations of the bounty of God must be
self-subsistent, not under the shadow of others. He must be an educator, not
educated by others. He must be perfect, not deficient. He must be independent
of all, not dependent on training by others. He must combine in Himself all
perfections, unrestricted by human limitations, so that He may be able to
educate humanity, dispel the gloom of ignorance, through divine power change
the world, bring about universal peace, establish the oneness of humanity and
unite the diverse religions. I hope that the divine bounties and blessings may
shine brightly so that the lights of the Sun of Reality may give luster to our
eyes, illumination to our hearts and joy to our souls and may ennoble our thoughts
and grant us eternal life. Then we may attain to the apex of the world of man.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, December 4, New York, recorded by Mahmud
Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
