A friend and I were talking the other day, and this is the sort of friend that teaches me a lot. Almost every time we speak we talk about the Writings, and he is so knowledgeable about them, has such a different perspective than I do. It's wonderful.
That day, though, I was reminded of a very important truth: What seems obvious to you is a wonder to someone else.
"I like the simple way the Iqan explains progressive revelation", he said to me, "but I really prefer the Seven Valleys."
There was something about the conversation that really made me want to go deeper, but I realized that we first needed to establish that the Writings are actually, and fundamentally, one body of work. And with the Kitab-i-Iqan, I am always surprised at how people think of it as being about "progressive revelation". To me, it is so much more. It is essentially how we can recognize a Messenger of God.
But back to my response.
First, I agreed. I agreed with him that it was, in a sense, a simple argument. But simple just means "few steps", and the arguments Baha'u'llah uses in the Kitab-i-Iqan are not all that numerous. So, yeah, it's simple, but profound.
Then I mentioned how I loved the statement from the Guardian about the Iqan, where he said that if we wanted to become effective teachers of the Cause, and please note that I am not quoting here but referring to my own memory of the quote, we needed to understand the methods and arguments Baha'u'llah uses in the Iqan. "So the arguments we essentially understand," I pointed out, "but what about His methods? What methods does He use to help the uncle of the Bab draw closer to becoming a sincere believer? That, to me, is the genius of this great Text."
He seemed intrigued by this, so I continued.
"I also find it interesting that the Seven Valleys does the same thing as the Iqan. It's essentially the same message, but for a different audience. The Iqan, to me, addresses the head more, while the Seven Valleys is speaking more to the heart. Of course, Gems of Divine Mysteries does the same thing, too, but sort of in the middle."
From his reaction, I guess he hadn't thought to include Gems in there.
"Yeah, and then there's the Four Valleys", he began.
"Oh, the Four Valleys, I love that one."
"I don't really get it, so I just stick to the Seven Valleys."
"The Four Valleys is a different beast altogether. It essentially tells us that there are four ways to approach truth, and how to recognize which approach is best for a particular individual."
He was definitely intrigued by this.
"And interestingly enough, the Iqan hits one type, the Seven Valleys another, and Gems the third." Yeah, I know there's a fourth, but it doesn't really apply here.
As soon as I said that I could see that he saw exactly what I meant. And I could just watch as some of the pieces of this beautiful puzzle started to fall into place.
"Ok," he acceded, "but how is the Iqan like the Seven Valleys?"
"Great question. And one of my favorite questions to ask the friends is why they think the Iqan is in two parts."
I could just see the mental whiplash hit.
"Because it was written over two days?"
"Maybe. I mean I don't really know, but it seems to me that Part One helps firm up the uncle's belief in Muhammad, so that he would have recognized Him in His own lifetime. From there, He quickly turns this proof to the Bab, and at the end of Part One the uncle is essentially a Babi. Now, if I were to attempt to write such a book, which I could never do, I would have stopped there, but Baha'u'llah adds one last paragraph. He basically says 'Now you're a Babi. So what? What are you going to do about it?' And that leads us to Part Two, which is what to do about it."
"Ok." He still wasn't convinced that it was the same message in a different format.
"So Part One begins with Search, leads us into Love, and then gives us concrete Knowledge. By the end of Part One we have learned to apply Unity to all the Messengers of God. Part Two continues with the other valleys from there."
It's kind of fun watching a little mental bomb go off in someone's mind. It seemed to clear away some of the dust and allowed him to get a far broader view of these texts and, more importantly, their interconnectedness. All of a sudden, I could see from his changing expression, he saw how these books offered the same beautiful message in different ways.
But if there is anything I learned from Baha'u'llah's methodology in the Iqan, it's to take that one extra little step beyond. But just the one. Allow time for these ideas to develop. Allow the time for processing. So there was one more little bit to add.
"What really gets me, though, is the Kitab-i-Aqdas."
"How does that fit in here?"
"The first paragraph. Recognition and Obedience. Parts One and Two of the Iqan. Part One is recognition. Part Two is obedience."
That was when I saw his breath leave him in a gasp.
There was nothing all that new that I offered here. It was just timely. He had never considered the Writings in that particular way before. He knew so much on so many levels about the Writings, but somehow had gotten complacent with the Iqan. All I did was help him fit it back into his overall study of the Faith. I truly cannot wait to talk with him again and see what treasures he has found, for I know him, and he really is quite knowledgeable about the Faith. This one little piece will surely help him uncover far more treasures in the ocean of the Writings. And I am certain that he will point out things to me that I never would have considered before.
It really is important to remember that what may seem obvious to us is a wonder to someone else.
