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For Jesus, this holy transformation occurred at the time of His baptism: (157:1) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (157:2) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew: 3:16-17 (157:3) For Mirza Husayn Ali, known to history as Baha'u'llah, that moment came during the fall of 1852, as He lay suffering in the Siyah Chal (black pit) prison into which He was cast by the state in an effort to destroy Him once and for all as well as the new Faith He so fearlessly championed. His feet in stocks, a mighty chain weighing on His neck and cutting through His flesh, surrounded by the worst order of criminals, languishing in the cold and filth - under these crushing circumstances was He made the recipient of His revelation: (157:4) During the days I lay in the prison of Tihran, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 2 (157:5) While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden - the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord - suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good-pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and the souls of God's honored servants. Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: 'By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive. Baha'u'llah cited in: God Passes By, pp. 101-102 (157:6) After four months of confinement under such poignant and dangerous circumstances, Baha'u'llah was released; the evidence of His complete innocence from any wrongdoing eventually outweighing even the all-powerful pressures of fanaticism which ruled at the time. Stripped of His wealth, broken in health, He emerged a new Person. To His noble qualities was now added an aura that intimated His hallowed nature. His daughter, seven years old at the time, was later to write of His release:
(157:7)
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