In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

approach the issue from the perspective of the heart, and with the eye of unity, for it is only with this orientation that we can understand that the oppositions which apply to the phenomenal realm (as in the two mutually contradictory philosophical positions discussed) do not apply in the unseen realm of higher reality. The Báb writes: “[T]hat which is beyond these two extremes, which is the Middle Path . . . can be comprehended by naught save the heart. God hath created the heart to understand His unity and transcendence, and it is through the heart that Divine Unity can be witnessed at the level of action.”29 As the Báb mentions in the passage quoted earlier, usually the various theological schools have either affirmed human freedom at the expense of divine eternal creation, or advocated an absolute perpetual divine creation and determination at the expense of human agency. The Báb maintains that both these positions are inadequate and remote from the truth. The basic error in these traditional approaches is that they posit an absolute opposition between divine determination and phenomenal choice. Confirming the truth of a Shí‘ih Tradition attributed to Imám S . ádiq, the Báb explains that it is the simultaneous truth of both divine determination and human freedom which is the true“Middle Path.”The stages of divine creative Action are a testimony to this truth: all things come into being through the conjunction of Will and Determination, existence and essence, the divine effulgence and the thing’s receptivity, divine determination and free choice. Thus, according to the Báb, God has created not only human beings but all things in such a way that freedom is inherent in their very nature: it is embedded in their reality as a part of the process of creation. God has created human beings with freedom and has enabled them to be shaped in time in accordance with their own decisions and choices—for which they are inevitably accountable. But how is God’s omniscience compatible with human freedom? The logical error (a false analogy) has always been to assume that God’s knowledge is the same as, or comparable to, human knowledge. But in fact divine knowledge cannot be compared to human knowledge: God’s knowledge is not an event in time, and it is not bound by the phenomenal , temporal logic of human knowledge. The divine knowledge of events before and after their occurrence is one and the same thing. It is thus a logical fallacy to deny human freedom on account of God’s omniscience. 212 gate of the heart As the Báb makes clear, the relation of divine causation and knowledge to human action cannot be comprehended within the categories of human reason. Reason’s attempts to apply the logic of phenomenal causation and knowledge to the realm of divine causation and knowledge are erroneous and futile. All human actions are supremely determined by divine Action, while they are simultaneously the product of human free will. At the level of divine creative Action, the first is the same as the last, and before is exactly the same as after. The Báb frequently mentions the mystery of Destiny in the context of bearing witness to Divine Unity at the level of actions (tawh .íd-i-af ‘ál). According to Him, one must bear witness to Divine Unity at four levels: unity of essence, unity of attributes, unity of action, and unity of worship. The first act affirms the absolute transcendence of the divine Essence. The second emphasizes the unity of the divine attributes and the divine Essence, meaning that none can understand the divine attributes. The third pertains to the realm of divine Action. Here all events in the world, including human actions, are subject to absolute divine sovereignty. Finally, the fourth act implies that none can be worshipped except God. With respect to the third act, concerning the realm of divine Action, the Báb declares that“verily, the feet of all have slipped in their understanding of that Middle Path that streameth between the dual paths, the mystery of Destiny. It is through this station that the servants declare the unity of their Creator in the realm of actions.”The Báb explains that the knowledge of the secret of Destiny is concealed from the people: Thus ‘Alí, peace be upon Him, said: “Verily, Destiny is a mystery among the mysteries of God and a...

Share