testing God
Editorial introduction
Standing on a roof, the Imam ‘Alí was dared to throw himself down and prove that the Truth would catch him. His reply turns the whole matter around: it is the Truth that tests us, never we who test the Truth. Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá return to this reversal repeatedly. The tribes who demanded a spring from the earth, a house of gold, a book lowered from heaven, wanted a God who would perform on their terms, and the only answer they received was the glorification of the Lord. Jesus, offered a similar dare from the pinnacle of the Temple, refused to put God to the test [1]. Seeking remains a sacred duty, and honest questions are welcome; what is refused is the posture of a judge who sets the conditions. That refusal leads naturally toward humility, toward the slow unmasking of the pride that hides inside clever demands, and finally toward submission to God, where the seeker discovers that being examined is itself a mercy, and that purity of heart is the sign he was looking for.
Every tester tests himself, for the seeker has no right to test. Someone found His Holiness the Commander [Ali], peace be upon him, on a roof and said "If you have complete trust in preserving the Truth, throw yourself down from above." His Holiness the Commander, peace be upon him, said "The Truth must test me, not I test It."
O you who test him who is the criterion of testing!
It is related that one day His Holiness the Prince of Believers (Ali), peace be upon him, was on the edge of a roof when a stranger submitted: "O Ali, are you confident in God's protection, preservation and safeguarding?" He replied: "How could I not be, when I am the first believer in God?" The man submitted: "Then rely on God's protection and throw yourself from the edge of the roof." He responded: "The higher must test the lower, not anyone testing anyone else anywhere. The Master has the right to test the servant, but the servant has no right to test the Master."
This is why when seven tribes from among the Arab tribes came before His Holiness the Messenger (may my spirit be sacrificed for him), and each demanded a miracle as a test - one saying "until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us," another uttering "or you bring down a book from heaven," another saying "or you have a house of gold," another uttering "or you ascend into heaven" - since their purpose was to test, the answer to all was "Say: Glory be to my Lord!
Now I beseech God to grant justice to His servants and not to deprive them of the adorning of equity. He is the Powerful, the Mighty. Since the purpose is to make the servants mindful, that perchance they may become aware and gain knowledge of the evident matters of the past and present, therefore mention is made of how Satan, in the form of man, said to Christ, may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake: "If thou art the Spirit of God, command this stone to become bread." The Spirit answered and said: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Most divine Books make mention of those who intended to test and try. The purpose was to make people aware that they might know their station and observe proper conduct. Likewise did Satan say a second time: "If thou be the Spirit of God, cast thyself down" and so forth. The purpose was that by way of objection he said if thou art the Spirit of God, cast thyself down from the roof that the angels might preserve thee. The Spirit of God said it is also written: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
O you who would test 'Abdu'l-Baha! Does it befit one like you to test a servant who is humble and submissive before God? No, by God! Rather, it is for the Center of the Covenant to test the people of the world, and not for them to make their minds the standard of truth and weigh therewith the lights of dawn.
Say: With Us is the knowledge of the heavens and earth. Beware lest ye object to the words of God, for they have been revealed according to human nature, would ye but understand. Say: If ye wish to test your Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, then ask Him concerning the sciences ye possess, that ye may be assured within yourselves that the reins of knowledge are in the grasp of His power. With Him are sciences of which no one hath learned a single letter save God alone. Fear God, O people, and transgress not.
But is it proper to test 'Abdu'l-Baha? No, by God! The sought after one should test the seeker, not the intended one test the intender. 'Abdu'l-Baha should test others so that purity may adorn their hearts.
All that hath been manifested in this Revelation is the proof of God amongst His servants and His testimony unto all who are in the heavens and on earth. None may test his Lord - rather God testeth whomsoever He willeth of His servants.
Say: O people! None may test God his Lord, the Lord of the heavens and earth; rather doth God test whomsoever He willeth of His servants. He, verily, is the Ruler over whatsoever He pleaseth. Let not your faith depend upon your own desires, but upon that which hath appeared and shone forth from this manifest horizon. Say: He, verily, knoweth what is in the breasts, and with Him is the knowledge of all things in a perspicuous Book.
Is it permissible for the seeker to test the Sought, or for the pursuer to wish to try the Pursued? By the life of God, it is not permissible!
For thought and discussion