The Wine of Astonishment: Kitab-i-Aqdas paragraphs 3 - 5

O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness.

This, dear Reader, is the third of 5 paragraphs that, in my own way of thinking, provides the introduction to the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The other 2 are down below. Now this may not be how others see these paragraphs, as an introduction, and that's fine. For me, though, they set the stage for how we are to approach this monumental work. In the first paragraph we are told that we need to recognize the Manifestation of God, and that this recognition will, naturally, lead to obedience to Their laws. In the second paragraph we are told that if we look at these laws we will readily recognize them as the best means for order and security in the world.

Here we see the natural result of this, namely that we will understand that these laws demonstrate God's "loving providence" and "mercy".

This, by the way, is really a radical new way of looking at laws. Most people see them as a restriction, but here He is telling us that we can look at them in a totally different way.

Every law, at least in the sense of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, has a purpose, a logic, a reason. We may not understand the reason for some of them, but if we do for only a single one then we will give up everything to show it. And each of these laws, when we understand the reason and rationale behind it, will lead us to God.

Paragraph 4 and 5 give us further insight into the nature of these laws, and the most effective way to view them.

Say: From My laws the sweet-smelling savor of My garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of Victory will be planted upon the highest peaks. The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: “Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty.” Happy is the lover that hath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-Beloved from these words, laden with the perfume of a grace which no tongue can describe. By My life! He who hath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the hands of My bountiful favor will circle around My commandments that shine above the Dayspring of My creation.

Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate upon this, O men of insight!

Here we can see that we are mindful of these various laws not because we are fearful of any sort of punishment, but because we see astonishing wisdom behind them. We see their beauty. We understand a little bit of their effect upon the world and truly yearn for that effect to take hold.

As we read these paragraphs we cannot help but be struck by their poetic beauty, and their imagery. We notice that these laws are the lamps that light the way. They are the keys that unlock the mysteries of the universe. And we see the continual references to our various senses.

Again, one cannot help but be struck by the overt references to wine-tasting, from the smelling of the cork to the careful tasting of the wine, before becoming heady with its effect. In fact, there is also the reference to Muhammad here, and the clarification of His station as the Seal of the Prophets. We are reminded in that fifth paragraph that the purpose of the seal on the wine is to allow it to age. And then, for the wine to fulfill its purpose, namely to be enjoyed, we must open that seal. But this is no mere alcoholic beverage that will leave us feeling giddy for a moment and hungover the next morning. No, this is the "choice wine of fairness". Similarly, this is not merely a simple code of laws, with a few commandments and a list of punishments for their violation. This book is far, far more.

In these opening paragraphs it seems to me that we are being guided not to merely learn to recite a few of its passages, but rather to rise to the station of understanding. As we do so, as we explore the mysteries within this text, as we strive to understand the wisdom behind each of these injunctions, unravel the meanings behind each of these allusions and allegories, we will find ourselves overwhelmed. We will come away feeling as if we are drunk as we find ourselves carried to heights far beyond what we ever dreamed. We will discover that we will not be content with merely knowing these laws in our head, but will yearn to feel them in our heart.

We will discover, as we walk this path, as we continue on this journey, that the more we love Baha'u'llah, the more we will yearn to follow His laws. And the more that we follow His laws, the more our love for Him will grow. We truly will "circle around (His) commandments".

And if we want, we can see a scientific analogy at work here. It is like a simple generator spinning between two magnets. The more it spins, the more energy is created. As we spin between the love and the obedience, we will feel our own powers increase, much as the early dawn-breakers did.

There are so many layers at work here, from the wine to the lover to the Covenant, the garment, the tongue, and on and on, that I cannot help but get tangled as I try to describe them. This is one of the joys of sacred Text, and but one of the meanings of its impenetrable depths.

Finally, one last little thing: "Meditate upon this..." As a friend and I have been studying the Kitab-i-Iqan over the past 18 years, we have noticed that every single time Baha'u'llah uses the words "meditate", "ponder", "reflect", or any other synonyms of those, He is very serious. They are a clue to us that He has just given us something new, an idea or concept contrary to what we are generally taught, and that further progress is dependent upon our understanding this new idea.

When my wife and I got to this point, we still had about 30 minutes left before we had to pick up our son. Rather than continuing on and reading the next paragraph, we decided to pause here and meditate upon what we had learned. We decided to use the intervening week to allow these new ideas to settle in our hearts before taking another step.

So, dear Reader, we may be way off base in some of what we have found, but it all feels so right. This isn't merely a book of laws, because we are not expected to treat it as such. We are now at that point of maturity where we are expected to be able to go beyond mere obedience and achieve actual understanding. And that, we are certain, will lead us all in directions we have never dreamed.