Know that a lord without vassals cannot be imagined; a
sovereign without subjects cannot exist; a teacher without pupils cannot be
designated; a creator without a creation is impossible; a provider without
those provided for is inconceivable—since all the divine names and attributes
call for the existence of created things. If we were to imagine a time when
created things did not exist, it would be tantamount to denying the divinity of
God.
Apart from this, absolute non-existence lacks the capacity
to attain existence. If the universe were pure nothingness, existence could not
have been realized. Thus, as that Essence of Oneness, or divine Being, is
eternal and everlasting—that is, as it has neither beginning nor end—it follows
that the world of existence, this endless universe, likewise has no beginning.
To be sure, it is possible for some part of creation—one of the celestial
globes—to be newly formed or to disintegrate, but the other countless globes
would continue to exist and the world of existence itself would not be
disrupted or destroyed. On the contrary, its existence is perpetual and
unchanging. Now, as each globe has a beginning, it must inevitably have an end
as well, since every composition, whether universal or particular, must of
necessity be decomposed. At most, some disintegrate quickly and others slowly,
but it is impossible for something that is composed not to ultimately
decompose.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha, (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha;
‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World
Centre)
