Seventh Reflection

be a prophet. Obviously such meaning is incorrect. But then how such contradiction can be resolved? Baha’u’llah’s statement in the Book of Certitude resolves this contradiction. 3. All Prophets are the First and the Last We now can briefly explore the revolutionary and liberating character of the world of Baha’u’llah who defines all prophets of God as one and the same reality. All prophets of God are the ultimate reflection and manifestation of divine names and attributes in this world. That is the very essence and truth of the prophets, being the utter pure revelation and manifestation of divine names and attributes. The truth of the prophets is not their physical, human, or social characteristics. They are prophet because they are reflections of divine attributes. That is why the truth of all prophets is one and the same. That same truth manifests itself at different moments of history in different forms in accordance with the changing needs of humanity, while their truth remains one and the same. This theology of revelation—namely prophets of God are reflections of the divine—becomes the key for understanding the true meaning of the seal of prophets. As extensively discussed in the Book of Certitude, Baha’u’llah notes that all sacred books, including the Jewish Bible, Gospel and the Qur’an, have defined God as being both the first and the last. Like alpha and omega of the Bible, the Qur’an defines God as “the first and the last, the manifest and the Hidden.” (57:3) Since all prophets by their very nature are the perfect reflections and expressions of divine attributes, therefore, all prophets are equally the first and the last. Since they are all one and the same, they are all return of one another. Jesus is the last prophet, just as Muhammad is the last prophet. Likewise, as prophet Muhammad has mentioned several times, he is all the prophets of the past, including Adam. It is interesting that the Qur’an frequently defines all prophets of the past as Muslim. This does not mean that their laws were the same as the laws of the Qur’an—which obviously were not. It rather means that the truth of all religions is one and the same, and that all prophets of God are Muhammad. Consequently, all prophets of God are the first prophet and all of them are, at the same time, the last prophet. As Baha’u’llah says: Whilst established upon the seat of the “first,” they occupy the throne of the “last.” Being both the first and the last indicates both the unity of all the prophets, and the dynamic and ever-advancing nature of religion and revelation.