Frustrated in their designs, but unrelenting in their hostility, the
assembled divines delegated the learned and devout Ḥájí Mullá
Ḥasan-i-‘Ammú, recognized for his integrity and wisdom, to submit various
questions to Bahá’u’lláh for elucidation. When these were submitted, and
answers completely satisfactory to the messenger were given, Ḥájí Mullá
Ḥasan, affirming the recognition by the ‘ulamás of the vastness of the
knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh, asked, as an evidence of the truth of His
mission, for a miracle that would satisfy completely all concerned.
“Although you have no right to ask this,” Bahá’u’lláh replied, “for God
should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and
accept this request.... The ‘ulamás must assemble, and, with one accord,
choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle
they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will
acknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper,
and bring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is
performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be
convicted of imposture.” This clear, challenging and courageous reply,
unexampled in the annals of any religion, and addressed to the most
illustrious _Sh_í’ah divines, assembled in their time-honored stronghold,
was so satisfactory to their envoy that he instantly arose, kissed the
knee of Bahá’u’lláh, and departed to deliver His message. Three days later
he sent word that that august assemblage had failed to arrive at a
decision, and had chosen to drop the matter, a decision to which he
himself later gave wide publicity, in the course of his visit to Persia,
and even communicated it in person to the then Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Mírzá Sa’íd _Kh_án. “We have,” Bahá’u’lláh is reported to have
commented, when informed of their reaction to this challenge, “through
this all-satisfying, all-embracing message which We sent, revealed and
vindicated the miracles of all the Prophets, inasmuch as We left the
choice to the ‘ulamás themselves, undertaking to reveal whatever they
would decide upon.” “If we carefully examine the text of the Bible,”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written concerning a similar challenge made later by
Bahá’u’lláh in the “Lawḥ-i-Sulṭán,” “we see that the Divine Manifestation
never said to those who denied Him, ‘whatever miracle you desire, I am
ready to perform, and I will submit to whatever test you propose.’ But in
the Epistle to the _Sh_áh Bahá’u’lláh said clearly, ‘Gather the ‘ulamás
and summon Me, that the evidences and proofs may be established.’”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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