We died and were utterly diminished;
When the call of Truth came, we all arose.
Resurrection is commonly understood not only as a future physical event, but—especially in mystical and spiritual traditions—as an inner awakening and transformation of the soul.
In Sufi thought, resurrection is experienced here and now. It is the moment when the ego (the lower self) “dies” and the heart awakens to divine reality. This meaning is powerfully expressed in the poetry of Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi, who describes resurrection as rising from ignorance to awareness, from separation to union with God. For Rumi, love itself is the force of resurrection—reviving what appears dead and lifeless within the human being.
In the Bahá’í writings, resurrection is understood symbolically and spiritually, not as the reanimation of physical bodies. Bahá’u’lláh explains resurrection as the renewal of humanity through divine revelation—the awakening of hearts, the revival of spiritual truth, and the creation of a new moral and spiritual order following the appearance of a Manifestation of God.
Across these perspectives, resurrection points to one essential truth: true life begins when the soul awakens. It is the passage from darkness to light, from self to God, and from old limitations into a new, transformed existence.
The Messenger of God [Muḥammad] (peace be upon Him) said:
“When you behold the spring, increase your remembrance of the Resurrection.”
(Tafsīr al-Rāzī, vol. 17, p. 194)
Here, spring signifies the appearance of divine Messengers, who—like spring—renew and revitalize the world.
The Báb states regarding the Resurrection:
The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed, and thus they were not told!
When the Apostle of God [Muḥammad] appeared, He did not announce unto the unbelievers that the Resurrection had come, for they could not bear the news. That Day is indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree proclaimeth from eternity unto eternity, “Verily, I am God. No God is there but Me.” Yet those who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they refuse even to call Him a believer, although such a title in the realm of His heavenly Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the most insignificant follower of His previous Dispensation. Thus, had the people in the days of the Apostle of God regarded Him at least as a believer of their time how would they have debarred Him, for seven years while He was in the mountain, from access to His Holy House [Ka‘bah]? Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the Bayán, if the people had not refused to concede the name believer unto Him, how could they have incarcerated Him on this mountain, without realizing that the quintessence of belief oweth its existence to a word from Him? Their hearts are deprived of the power of true insight, and thus they cannot see, while those endowed with the eyes of the spirit circle like moths round the Light of Truth until they are consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of Resurrection is said to be the greatest of all days, yet it is like unto any other day. VIII, 9.
(Selections from the Writings of the Báb)www.bahai.org/r/054284637
Whoever remains unaware of this Resurrection—
until the Resurrection, woe to him, woe to him.
The manifestation of the divine Prophets, or the Resurrection, exists for the advancement of humanity.
This creation of the world is for the sake of revelation,
so that the treasure of wisdom may not remain hidden.
The following text is taken from the Facebook page “Answers to Some Questions Regarding the Bahá’í Faith”:
According to Bahá’í beliefs, Resurrection means the arising of a Manifestation of God, and with the advent of each new Prophet, the resurrection of the previous religion occurs. Accordingly, every expression used to describe the Resurrection acquires a new meaning. For example, the passing away of the mountains signifies the passing away of the religious scholars, for although they may be very powerful, by divine will and for the growth of the new religion, they gradually recede. Likewise, the falling of the sun and the moon refers to the abrogation of the laws of the religion prior to the new Revelation.
If one looks with the eye of truth, this event is greater than a literal, physical resurrection, because on that day the servants of God are subjected to a severe divine test. Many scholars and ascetics have, on such a day, turned away from the new Prophet and become unbelievers in God and His signs, while many sinful individuals have discovered the truth on that very day and attained everlasting life. This is the true Resurrection.
Thus, the resurrection of the religion of Jesus Christ occurred with the advent of Prophet Muhammad. God states in the Qur’an:
“When God said, ‘O Jesus, I shall take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve, and I shall place those who follow you above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me shall be your return, and I shall judge between you concerning that over which you differed.’”
(Qur’an 3:55)
Note that it is stated that they would be given superiority until the Day of Resurrection, whereas after the advent of Prophet Muhammad, not only did they not surpass the Muslims in knowledge, but in the Crusades they also suffered severe defeats at the hands of the Muslims.
It is also narrated in a tradition from the Messenger of God that he said: “I and the Resurrection have come together.”
God also states in the Gospel:
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, shall live; and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.’”
End of “Answers to Some Questions Regarding the Bahá’í Faith.”
Rumi regards the Prophets as the Israfil of their age—who, at the time of their ظهور (manifestation), give life to the dead through their word (their call).
Behold! The saints are the Israfil of their age—
from them the dead receive life and growth.
The soul of every dead one leaps from the grave of the body,
rising from the shroud at the sound of their call.
It says: this call is unlike all other calls—
to give life is the work of the voice of God.
We died and were utterly diminished;
the Call of Truth came—and all of us arose.
Or the appearance of Prophet Muhammad itself is the Resurrection.
Thus Muhammad was a hundred resurrections, present and manifest,
for he was dissolved in the annihilation of all bonds and ties.
Ahmad is a second birth in the world—
in his very being, a hundred resurrections were made visible.
They would ask him about the Resurrection:
“O Resurrection, how far is the road to the Resurrection?”
With the language of his state he would say much:
as though someone were asking the Resurrection itself about the Resurrection.
O my brother, to grasp the meaning of “Resurrection,” and cleanse thine ears from the idle sayings of these rejected people. Shouldst thou step into the realm of complete detachment, thou wilt readily testify that no day is mightier than this Day, and that no resurrection more awful than this Resurrection can ever be conceived. One righteous work performed in this Day, equaleth all the virtuous acts which for myriads of centuries men have practiced—nay, We ask forgiveness of God for such a comparison! For verily the reward which such a deed deserveth is immensely beyond and above the estimate of men. Inasmuch as these undiscerning and wretched souls have failed to apprehend the true meaning of “Resurrection” and of the “attainment unto the divine Presence,” they therefore have remained utterly deprived of the grace thereof. Although the sole and fundamental purpose of all learning, and the toil and labor thereof, is attainment unto, and the recognition of, this station, yet they are all immersed in the pursuit of their material studies. They deny themselves every moment of leisure, and utterly ignore Him, Who is the Essence of all learning, and the one Object of their quest! Methinks, their lips have never touched the cup of divine Knowledge, nor do they seem to have attained even a dewdrop of the showers of heavenly grace.(The Kitáb-i-Íqán)www.bahai.org/r/117827561
O master, do you not see this Day of Resurrection—
this Joseph of beauty, this graceful and noble stature?
O shaykh, do you not see this jewel of spiritual authority—
this new radiance, this majesty and splendor?
O prince, do you not see this kingdom of the soul—
this garden of prosperity, this throne of felicity?
O moon who in your course never grows thin,
the lights of your glory have torn apart all misguidance.
Since you have seen flowing water, abandon dry ablution;
since the feast of union has arrived, abandon ascetic discipline.
Be silent—for silence is sweeter than honeyed speech;
in the burning of expression, leave words and choose allusion.
O Shams of Truth of Tabriz, O sunrise of souls—
from your radiance this very sun receives its warmth.