The other outstanding work of this period was the
Kitáb-i-Íqán, the English subtitle of which is the “
Book of Certitude.” This book is one of the major keys to understanding the teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh. The great theme is this: in every age God reveals His will and purpose for human destiny through a chosen individual or
Manifestation. Religion thus progressively evolves. The spiritual aspects of man’s relation to God are not changed from age to age but restated and clarified. The social part of religion undergoes changes in every age because the conditions of life change. Thus
Moses made certain laws which Jesus later changed or ignored, to the horror of the priests and the orthodox. The evolutionary principle in world religion is Bahá’u’lláh’s first challenging contribution to the spiritual unity of mankind. A generous selection from the
Íqán concerning the “City of Certitude” is found on pages
264-270. Other selections from the
Íqán in this volume are on pages
17-27,
46-49,
50-56,
177, and
179.
The
Muslim priests and the Turkish and Persian governments as Islamic church-states could not tolerate the rebirth of the new faith under Bahá’u’lláh. So it was decreed that Bahá’u’lláh be exiled from
Baghdád to
Constantinople, on the theory that distance would dissipate His influence—a theory repeatedly tried and repeatedly bringing opposite results. In 1863 the exile was ordered. And in the few days while a caravan was being prepared for the long journey, Bahá’u’lláh announced to His followers that He was the One Whose coming
the Báb foretold.
After being four months in Constantinople, Bahá’u’lláh was banished to
Adrianople. He here publicly proclaimed His message, addressing collectively