In every heaven, I see a pupil of an eye;
In every pupil, I behold a heaven.
O cross-eyed one, if you see one as two,
Unlike you, I see the two as one.
In the Bahá’í Faith and in the works of Rumi, monotheism (tawḥīd) is the most fundamental principle of faith and the source of all divine teachings. Monotheism is understood as the oneness of the Divine Essence, the unity of God’s attributes and actions, and also the unity of purpose and wisdom in creation. In both perspectives, God is absolute, infinite, and beyond human comprehension, and has no form or partner.
Nevertheless, for the guidance of humanity, God sends prophets or Manifestations of God in every age, who are mirrors of the divine attributes and the intermediaries between humanity and the Absolute Reality. Bahá’u’lláh teaches that all divine prophets speak from one single truth and are unified manifestations of the one Lord; this unity of the Manifestations is another expression of the principle of monotheism in the human realm.
Monotheism thus encompasses the oneness of God, the unity of God and humanity, the unity of religions and divine prophets, and the oneness of humankind. Each of these will be explained separately here.
The Oneness of God
Rumi does not consider it appropriate to engage in argument about the Divine Essence and believes that between humanity and God there are hundreds of thousands of veils.
For this reason Mustafa [the Prophet] gave us this counsel:
Seek little debate concerning the Essence of God.
That which one imagines as reflection upon His Essence
Is in truth not a vision of the Essence at all.
What appears is only one’s own conception, for on the path
To the Divine there lie hundreds of thousands of veils.
Instead of seeking to know God directly, one should know His prophets and His heavenly scriptures.
Since God does not appear openly to human sight,
These prophets are the deputies of the Truth.
O Salmán! The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been, and will continue forever to be, closed in the face of men. No man’s understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Daystars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself.(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)www.bahai.org/r/802723168
Rumi says that whatever we think we know about God is nothing; it is all the result of our distorted vision and our own creations, not the Creator Himself—and such misunderstanding leads us toward the fire of hell:
In the court of Unity, think not of before or after;
Do not call yourself empty, nor full by your own measure.
Your sight is flawed—whatever enters your gaze
Is nothing but illusion, no more than a flame.
Monotheism is one of the fundamental principles of all divine religions. Understanding it is, on one level, simple, and on another, extremely complex. For this reason, Bahá’u’lláh places the Valley of Unity as the fourth valley in The Seven Valleys, after the valleys of Search, Love, and Knowledge. Until the believer passes through these three difficult valleys, true understanding of monotheism cannot be attained.
Rumi goes even further and considers true monotheism to be realized in the seventh valley, which is absolute annihilation (fanāʾ)—when we pass beyond “I” and “we” and are annihilated in the Divine Essence.
What is monotheism? To learn of God—
To burn the self before the One.
If you wish to blaze like the day,
Burn your night-like existence.
Let your being melt in that being-bestowing Existence,
Like copper dissolving in alchemy.
You have tightly clenched two fists of “I” and “we”;
All this ruin comes from dual existence.
When we reach the station of annihilation, we behold the Divine Majesty:
What play can love make upon the image of annihilation?
He who has seen the Divine Majesty.
To attain absolute monotheism, one must reach the seventh valley, which is annihilation in God (fanāʾ fi’Llāh):
Until the servant is utterly annihilated from self,
Monotheism is not realized for him.
Monotheism is not incarnation—it is your non-existence;
Otherwise, falsehood would never become truth without reason.
After scaling the high summits of wonderment, the wayfarer cometh to the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness. This station is that of dying to the self and living in God, of being poor in self and rich in the Desired One. Poverty, as here referred to, signifieth being poor in that which pertaineth to the world of creation and rich in what belongeth to the realms of God. For when the true lover and devoted friend reacheth the presence of the Beloved, the radiant beauty of the Loved One and the fire of the lover’s heart will kindle a blaze and burn away all veils and wrappings.(The Call of the Divine Beloved)www.bahai.org/r/686347469
In explaining the meaning of the sacred verse “There is no god but God” (لا إلهَ إلاّ الله), Rumi points to the same truth: to reach Allah, one must first pass through lā—the negation.
In other words, the path to affirmation begins with denial. All false gods—ego, selfhood, illusion, and imagined knowledge—must be negated before the Reality of the One can be known.
If you seek the sovereignty of illā, become a servant of lā;
Take the broom of negation and sweep away all things.
Rumi’s meaning in this verse is that since the word lā—signifying non-being and annihilation—comes before Allāh, one must first be annihilated in the self in order to reach God.
No one finds a path to the court of Majesty
Until they themselves have vanished.
What is the ascension beyond the heavens? This nothingness.
For lovers, the creed and the faith is nothingness.
——————
We are from the heights, and toward the heights we go;
We are from the sea, and to the sea we return.
We are neither from here nor from there;
We are from the placeless, and to the placeless we go.
The Unity of God and Humanity
At times I say, “You are I,” and at times, “I am You”;
Whatever I utter is as clear as the shining sun.
Shaykh Rumi believes that the human heart is like a mirror in which the Divine Essence is reflected. The purer this mirror becomes, the stronger the manifestation of Truth within it—yet the human being is not God.
I am not of the same kind as the King—far be that from me;
Yet from Him I carry a share of the light of His manifestation.
Likeness is not in form or essence:
Water becomes akin to earth within the plant.
Air takes on the nature of fire in its vitality;
Temperament, in the end, assumes the nature of what it joins.
Since our kind is not the kind of our King,
Our “we” must be annihilated for the sake of His “He.”
When our “we” is gone, He alone remains—One;
I become dust beneath the hooves of His steed.
Dust becomes soul through the signs of Him;
Upon that dust lies the imprint of His foot.
Become the dust of His path for this sign,
That you may be the crown upon the heads of the proud.
Rumi’s striving is to remove the rust from this mirror of the heart, so that the Divine may be reflected without distortion:
I wail so long, I pour out so many hues,
Until I strip the mirror of every rust, every denial.
This is the unity Rumi teaches: not identity with God, but nearness through purification; not incarnation, but reflection through annihilation of the self.
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.… Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty.(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)www.bahai.org/r/441185340
Concerning the unity of humanity and God through annihilation in the Divine Essence, Rumi says in the first book of the Mathnawī:
One came and knocked at the door of his Beloved.
The Friend called out, “Who is it, O trusted one?”
He said, “It is I.” The Friend replied, “Go—this is not the hour;
At such a table, there is no place for the unripe.”
The unripe—how should he be cooked
Except by the fire of separation and longing?
How else be freed from hypocrisy?
That poor soul departed and journeyed for a year;
In the pain of separation from the Friend, he burned with sparks.
He became ripe—this one once burned—then returned,
Returning again to the house of return.
He knocked at the door with a hundred fears and courtesies,
Lest a single word of discourtesy leap from his lips.
His Friend called out, “Who is at the door?”
He answered, “At the door is You, O Beloved.”
The Friend said, “Now that you are Me, come in—
For there is no room for two ‘I’s’ in this house.
A needle cannot hold two threads at once;
Since you have become one, enter through this needle.”
And Bahá’u’lláh, in The Hidden Words, likewise declares:
O Son of Earth!
Wouldst thou have Me, seek none other than Me; and wouldst thou gaze upon My beauty, close thine eyes to the world and all that is therein; for My will and the will of another than Me, even as fire and water, cannot dwell together in one heart.(The Hidden Words)www.bahai.org/r/809848791
Shaykh Rumi (Mawlānā) sees God as so near to the human being that he no longer knows whether he is seeking God or God is seeking him. Union with God is realized only when the claim of “I am I” is set aside—when one reaches the seventh valley, the station of annihilation (fanāʾ).
O Lord, am I the seeker of You,
Or are You Yourself the seeker of me?
Shame upon me so long as I remain “I”;
While I am “I,” I am other—and You are other.
Here Rumi makes clear that separation persists only as long as ego endures. When the self dissolves, duality vanishes, and seeker and Sought are revealed as one reality.
Likewise, Bahá’u’lláh, in the Tablet of “The Lover and the Beloved,” declares:
Behold how the manifold grace of God, which is being showered from the clouds of Divine glory, hath, in this day, encompassed the world. For whereas in days past every lover besought and searched after his Beloved, it is the Beloved Himself Who now is calling His lovers and is inviting them to attain His presence. Take heed lest ye forfeit so precious a favor; beware lest ye belittle so remarkable a token of His grace. Abandon not the incorruptible benefits, and be not content with that which perisheth. Lift up the veil that obscureth your vision, and dispel the darkness with which it is enveloped, that ye may gaze on the naked beauty of the Beloved’s face, may behold that which no eye hath beheld, and hear that which no ear hath heard.(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)www.bahai.org/r/224604401
The Unity of Religions and the Divine Messengers
All sacred scriptures are, in truth, one single Book.
Though there be a hundred books, there is but one chapter;
Though a hundred directions appear, the aim is one prayer-niche.
All these paths return to a single dwelling;
These thousands of ears of wheat grow from one seed.
A hundred thousand kinds of food may appear,
Yet in essence, they are all one.
Rumi likens the divine messengers to lamps, appearing in different lamp-holders (that is, different places and times). What matters is not the lamp-holder, but the light itself, for the lamp is only the means.
From Tabriz, from Shams of the Faith,
The new moon reaches me.
Turn your eyes toward the light,
Not toward the lamp-holder.
There is no difference between them Just as wine remains the same whether drawn from a jar or poured from a gourd.
So too, there is no difference between the light of Adam and the light of Muhammad.
The vessel is insignificant compared to the purpose; What matters is receiving the Divine Light.
That light may be received in different ways, and the way itself is of little importance.
Whether you take the light from Adam or from Him,
Whether you draw the wine from a jar or from a gourd.
Even if a hundred lamps are passed along,
In the end, the vision is of the One Source.
Take that light from the latest radiance if you wish—
There is no difference, even if it comes from the candle of the soul.
Whether you see the light from the final lamp,
Or behold it from the earliest candle.
Yet every religious lamp, in time, grows dim:
Before this precious lamp dies,
Tend its wick—quickly add oil.
In the same way, if we consider the individual, it is a different one, but if we consider the attributes and perfections, the same have returned. Thus when Christ said, “This is Elias”, He meant: This person is a manifestation of the grace, the perfections, the qualities, the attributes, and the virtues of Elias. And when John the Baptist said, “I am not Elias”, he meant, “I am not the same person as Elias.” Christ considered their attributes, perfections, qualities, and virtues, and John referred to his own substance and individuality. It is like this lamp: It was here last night, tonight it is lit again, and tomorrow night it will shine as well. When we say that tonight’s lamp is the same as last night’s and that it has returned, we mean the light and not the oil, the wick, or the holder.
These considerations have been explained at length in the Kitáb-i-Íqán.
(Some Answered Questions)www.bahai.org/r/307387465
Another shared truth among all the divine Messengers is this:
they are like lamps that show the right path from the first lamp to the last, all are filled with light.
At times I say, “You are I,” and at times, “I am you”;
Whatever I speak shines like the radiant sun.
Wherever I shine for a moment from the niche,
The troubles of an entire world are resolved.
Since humanity is unable to recognize the Truth directly, God must be known through His messengers.
When the sun revealed itself and scorched our sight,
There was no choice but to approach its station through a lamp.
When the vision of the Beloved passed beyond our eyes,
A deputy was needed to keep His memory alive among us.
When the flower faded and the garden lay in ruin,
From where shall we seek its fragrance, if not from rosewater?
Since God does not appear openly to human sight,
These messengers are the deputies of the Truth.
I did not err in saying that deputy and Principal are one—
If you imagine them as two, it is neither fitting nor right.
They are not two, unless you are a worshipper of forms;
Before Him, all becomes one—once freed from form.
All the peoples of the world are awaiting two Manifestations, Who must be contemporaneous. This is what they all have been promised. In the Torah, the Jews are promised the Lord of Hosts and the Messiah. In the Gospel, the return of Christ and Elijah is foretold. In the religion of Muḥammad, there is the promise of the Mahdi and the Messiah. The same holds true of the Zoroastrians and others, but to belabour this matter would prolong our discourse. Our meaning is that all have been promised the advent of two successive Manifestations. It has been prophesied that, through these twin Manifestations, the earth will become another earth; all existence will be renewed; the contingent world will be clothed with the robe of a new life; justice and righteousness will encompass the globe; hatred and enmity will disappear; whatever is the cause of division among peoples, races, and nations will be obliterated; and that which ensures unity, harmony, and concord will be promoted. The heedless will arise from their slumber; the blind will see; the deaf will hear; the dumb will speak; the sick will be healed; the dead will be quickened; and war will give way to peace. Enmity will be transmuted into love; the root causes of contention and strife will be eliminated; mankind will attain true felicity; this world will mirror forth the heavenly Kingdom; and the earth below will become the throne of the realm above. All nations will become one nation; all religions will become one religion; all mankind will become one family and one kindred; all the regions of the earth will become as one; racial, national, personal, linguistic, and political prejudices will be effaced and extinguished; and all will attain everlasting life under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts.(Some Answered Questions)www.bahai.org/r/456297678
Wherever the fragrance of God is sensed,
A multitude rushes in, beside themselves, without head or foot.
For all souls are thirsty for Him;
To the thirsty, the cry of the water-bearer is heard.
Like a nursing infant, restless and alert,
Watching to see from where the mother will appear.
They are in separation, all waiting—
From where will union and encounter arrive?
From Muslim, Jew, and Christian alike,
Each dawn the call of prayer rises.
Blessed is that awareness whose heart-ear
Hears the call of invitation descending from heaven.
Cleanse your ear of cruelty and wrong,
For a call is coming from the celestial realm.
An impure ear cannot drink in that call;
To each, recompense comes according to their state.
Do not soil your eye with mere form and feature,
For the King of Everlasting Life is approaching.
And if the eye becomes stained, wash it with tears—
For in those tears, healing is found.
The caravan of sugar has arrived from Egypt;
Hear the sound of footsteps and the ringing of bells.
Hush now—set aside all else for Him,
For our King, the true Speaker, is drawing near.
The unity of religions is among Rumi’s core beliefs:
Wherever a rose branch may grow, it is still a rose;
Wherever wine may boil, it is still wine.
Even if the sun were to rise from the west,
It would be the same sun—nothing else.
Likewise, in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, all the Manifestations of God possess one transcendent reality and a single spiritual station. An absolute unity prevails among them; none holds superiority or distinction over another.
These sanctified Mirrors, these Daysprings of ancient glory, are, one and all, the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of Divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the Light that can never fade.… These Tabernacles of Holiness, these Primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty, and grace, are made manifest.(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)www.bahai.org/r/119264844
Rumi sees all divine prophets as one Reality, appearing at different times in different forms and garments for the guidance of humanity.
In his vision, the change is only in outward appearance and historical setting;
the light, purpose, and truth remain the same.
That crimson-clad one who last year rose like the moon—
This year has appeared again, clothed in a patched and weathered robe.
That Turk whom you saw last year raiding hearts,
Is the same one who this year has come forth in Arab guise.
The Beloved is the same, though the garment has changed;
He cast off one robe and appeared once more in another.
The wine is the same, though the bottle has changed—
See how beautifully it settles upon the head of the intoxicated.
O people who imagined those torches had died!
That very flame has risen again through this window of mysteries.
This is not transmigration—this is the language of pure unity,
Born of the surging of that boundless, overflowing sea.
A drop has parted from the ocean—yet it is not apart;
For Adam arose from a single clod of sounding clay.
Rumi lay hidden when he saw the age turn dark;
Today he has emerged within this mighty, advancing host.
If the sun sets, it has not perished;
From another tower that moon of lights has risen again.
Release your words—behold the mirror itself,
For doubt and confusion arise from speech alone.
Say not, “Shams of Tabriz has arrived”;
For from the heavens of purity, that moon of secrets has appeared.
And the purpose of all of them is this:
To awaken humanity to its true station and original source.
At every moment a messenger arrives, seizing the soul by the collar,
Rushing upon the heart with a vision, crying: Return to your origin!
The heart, weary of the world of color and scent,
Flees in every direction, shouting: Where is the Source?
Tearing its garments in loyalty and longing.
Unity of Mankind
Believers may be few in number, yet faith is one;
Their bodies are many, but the soul is one.
Humankind is fashioned from a single essence.
We were once expansive, all a single jewel—
Without head or foot, we were that very Head.
We were one essence, like the radiant sun,
Knotless and pure, clear as water.
But the material world casts division among humanity:
When that pure light took on form,
It became number—like the shadows of battlements.
To reach unity, these battlements must be torn down:
Hurl the battlements down with a catapult,
So that difference may vanish from among this faction.
God created humanity in diverse races and tongues, yet all are equal in His sight:
To each I have given an inner nature,
To each I have granted a language of expression.
I did not command in order to gain a benefit for Myself,
But to bestow generosity upon My servants.
To the Hindus, the idiom of India is praise;
To the Sindhis, the idiom of Sindh is praise.
I am not purified by their glorifications—
They themselves are purified and made radiant by them.
We do not look at language or words;
We look to the spirit and the state of being.
The light of the sun enters houses in many forms; yet when the walls are removed, it shines as one light:
Like that single sunlight of the sky,
Which appears as many in the courtyards of houses—
Yet all those lights are one,
When you remove the walls between them.
When houses no longer remain as structures,
Believers become like a single soul.
Differences and objections arise from this discussion
Only because no example can perfectly match this truth.