I will not mention the miracles of Bahá’u’lláh, for the
hearer might say that these are merely traditions which may or may not be true.
Such, too, is the case with the Gospel, where the accounts of the miracles of
Christ come down to us from the Apostles and not from other observers, and are
denied by the Jews. Were I nonetheless to mention the supernatural feats of
Bahá’u’lláh, they are numerous and unequivocally acknowledged in the East, even
by some of the non-believers. But these accounts cannot be a decisive proof and
testimony for all, since the hearer might say that they are not factually true,
as the followers of other denominations also recount miracles from their
leaders. For instance, Hindus recount certain miracles of Brahma. How can we
know that those are false and that these are true? If these are reported
accounts, so too are those; if these are widely attested, then the same holds
true of those. Thus such accounts do not constitute a sufficient proof. Of
course, a miracle may be a proof for the eyewitness, but even then he might not
be sure whether what he beheld was a true miracle or mere sorcery. Indeed,
extraordinary feats have also been attributed to certain magicians.
In brief, our meaning is that many marvellous things
appeared from Bahá’u’lláh, but we do not recount them, for not only do they not
constitute a proof and testimony for all mankind, but they are not even a
decisive proof for those who witnessed them and who may ascribe them to magic.
Moreover, most of the miracles attributed to the Prophets
have an inner meaning. For instance, it is recorded in the Gospel that upon the
martyrdom of Christ darkness fell, the earth shook, the veil of the Temple was
rent in twain, and the dead arose from their graves. If this had outwardly come
to pass, it would have been a stupendous thing. Such an event would have
undoubtedly been recorded in the chronicles of the time and would have seized
with dismay the hearts of men. At the very least the soldiers would have
removed Christ from the cross or would have fled. But as these events have not
been recorded in any history, it is evident that they are not to be understood
literally but according to their inner meaning. Our purpose is not to deny, but
merely to say that these accounts do not constitute a decisive proof, and that
they have an inner meaning—nothing more.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table talks in Akka,
authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation
by the Baha’i World Centre)
