Creation and Evolution
The Origin of Creation:
As to thy question concerning the origin of creation. Know
assuredly that God's creation hath existed from eternity, and will
continue to exist forever.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 150)
As regards thine assertions about the beginning of creation, this is a
matter on which conceptions vary by reason of the divergences in men's
thoughts and opinions. Wert thou to assert that it hath ever
existed and shall continue to exist, it would be true; or wert thou to
affirm the same concept as is mentioned in the sacred Scriptures, no
doubt would there be about it, for it hath been revealed by God, the
Lord of the worlds.
(Baha'u'llah: Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 140)
A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all
creation with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His
peerless Paradise hath invested all beings with the robe of His
sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His
sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness, called
into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in
its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream
of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His
creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 61)
All praise to the unity of God, and all honor to Him, the sovereign
Lord, the incomparable and all-glorious Ruler of the universe, Who, out
of utter nothingness, hath created the reality of all things, Who, from
naught, hath brought into being the most refined and subtle elements of
His creation, and Who, rescuing His creatures from the abasement of
remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction, hath received them
into His kingdom of incorruptible glory. Nothing short of His
all-encompassing grace, His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly
achieved it. How could it, otherwise, have been possible for
sheer nothingness to have acquired by itself the worthiness and
capacity to emerge from its state of non-existence into the realm of
being?
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, pp. 64-65)
The statement in the `Gleanings', pp. 64-65, `who out of utter
nothingness...', etc., should be taken in a symbolic and not a literal
sense. It is only to demonstrate the power and greatness of God.
(Shoghi Effendi: Lights of Guidance, p. 483)
Spiritual Characteristics of Creation:
How all-encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace!
Behold how they have pervaded the whole of creation. Such is
their virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe can be found
which doth not declare the evidences of His might, which doth not
glorify His holy Name, or is not expressive of the effulgent light of
His unity. So perfect and comprehensive is His creation that no
mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the nature of the
most insignificant of His creatures;...
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 62)
Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of
God. Each, according to its capacity, is, and will ever remain, a
token of the Almighty. Inasmuch as He, the sovereign Lord of all, hath
willed to reveal His sovereignty in the kingdom of names and
attributes, each and every created thing hath, through the act of the
Divine Will, been made a sign of His glory. So pervasive and
general is this revelation that nothing whatsoever in the whole
universe can be discovered that doth not reflect His splendor.
Under such conditions every consideration of proximity and remoteness
is obliterated.... Were the Hand of Divine power to divest of this high
endowment all created things, the entire universe would become desolate
and void.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 184)
Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably
exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth
His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His
creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity. He Who
is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed
sovereignty over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in the
mirror of the entire creation. All existence is dependent upon
Him, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 166)
The Creation of Man:
The beginning of the existence of man on the terrestrial globe
resembles his formation in the womb of the mother. The embryo in
the womb of the mother gradually grows and develops until birth, after
which it continues to grow and develop until it reaches the age of
discretion and maturity. Though in infancy the signs of the mind
and spirit appear in man, they do not reach the degree of perfection;
they are imperfect. Only when man attains maturity do the mind
and the spirit appear and become evident in utmost perfection.
So also the formation of man in the matrix of
the world was in the beginning like the embryo; then gradually he made
progress in perfectness, and grew and developed until he reached the
state of maturity, when the mind and spirit became visible in the
greatest power. In the beginning of his formation the mind and
spirit also existed, but they were hidden; later they were
manifested. In the womb of the world mind and spirit also existed
in the embryo, but they were concealed; afterward they appeared.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Some Answered Questions, p.
198)
Similarly, the terrestrial globe from the beginning was created with
all its elements, substances, minerals, atoms and organisms; but these
only appeared by degrees: first the mineral, then the plant,
afterward the animal, and finally man. But from the first these
kinds and species existed, but were undeveloped in the terrestrial
globe, and then appeared only gradually. For the supreme
organization of God, and the universal natural system, surround all
beings, and all are subject to this rule. When you consider this
universal system, you see that there is not one of the beings which at
its coming into existence has reached the limit of perfection.
No, they gradually grow and develop, and then attain the degree of
perfection.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Some Answered Questions, p.
199)
Certain European philosophers agree that the species grows and
develops, and that even change and alteration are also possible.
One of the proofs that they give for this theory is that through the
attentive study and verification of the science of geology it has
become clear that the existence of the vegetable preceded that of the
animal, and that of the animal preceded that of man. They admit
that both the vegetable and the animal species have changed, for in
some of the strata of the earth they have discovered plants which
existed in the past and are now extinct; they have progressed, grown in
strength, their form and appearance have changed, and so the species
have altered. In the same way, in the strata of the earth there
are some species of animals which have changed and are
transformed. One of these animals is the serpent. There are
indications that the serpent once had feet, but through the lapse of
time those members have disappeared. In the same way, in the
vertebral column of man there is an indication which amounts to a proof
that, like other animals, he once had a tail. At one time that
member was useful, but when man developed, it was no longer of use;
and, therefore, it gradually disappeared. As the serpent took
refuge under the ground and became a creeping animal, it was no longer
in need of feet, so they disappeared; but their traces survive.
The principal argument is this: that the existence of traces of
members proves that they once existed, and as now they are no longer of
service, they have gradually disappeared. Therefore, while the perfect
and necessary members have remained, those which are unnecessary have
gradually disappeared by the modification of the species, but the
traces of them continue.
The first answer to this argument is the fact
that the animal having preceded man is not a proof of the evolution,
change and alteration of the species, nor that man was raised from the
animal world to the human world. For while the individual
appearance of these different beings is certain, it is possible that
man came into existence after the animal. So when we examine the
vegetable kingdom, we see that the fruits of the different trees do not
arrive at maturity at one time; on the contrary, some come first and
others afterward. This priority does not prove that the later
fruit of one tree was produced from the earlier fruit of another tree.
Second, these slight signs and traces of
members have perhaps a great reason of which the mind is not yet
cognizant. How many things exist of which we do not yet know the
reason! So the science of physiology - that is to say, the
knowledge of the composition of the members - records that the reason
and cause of the difference in the colors of animals, and of the hair
of men, of the redness of the lips, and of the variety of the colors of
birds, is still unknown; it is secret and hidden. But it is known
that the pupil of the eye is black so as to attract the rays of the
sun, for if it were another color - that is, uniformly white - it would
not attract the rays of the sun. Therefore, as the reason of the
things we have mentioned is unknown, it is possible that the reason and
the wisdom of these traces of members, whether they be in the animal or
man, are equally unknown. Certainly there is a reason, even
though it is not known.
Third, let us suppose that there was a time
when some animals, or even man, possessed some members which have now
disappeared; this is not a sufficient proof of the change and evolution
of the species. For man, from the beginning of the embryonic
period till he reaches the degree of maturity, goes through different
forms and appearances. His aspect, his form, his appearance and color
change; he passes from one form to another, and from one appearance to
another. Nevertheless, from the beginning of the embryonic period
he is of the species of man - that is to say, an embryo of a man and
not of an animal; but this is not at first apparent, but later it
becomes visible and evident. For example, let us suppose that man once
resembled the animal, and that now he has progressed and changed.
Supposing this to be true, it is still not a proof of the change of
species. No, as before mentioned, it is merely like the change
and alteration of the embryo of man until it reaches the degree of
reason and perfection. We will state it more clearly. Let
us suppose that there was a time when man walked on his hands and feet,
or had a tail; this change and alteration is like that of the fetus in
the womb of the mother. Although it changes in all ways, and
grows and develops until it reaches the perfect form, from the
beginning it is a special species. We also see in the vegetable
kingdom that the original species of the genus do not change and alter,
but the form, color and bulk will change and alter, or even progress.
To recapitulate: as man in the womb of
the mother passes from form to form, from shape to shape, changes and
develops, and is still the human species from the beginning of the
embryonic period - in the same way man, from the beginning of his
existence in the matrix of the world, is also a distinct species - that
is, man - and has gradually evolved from one form to another.
Therefore, this change of appearance, this evolution of members, this
development and growth, even though we admit the reality of growth and
progress,(1) does not prevent the species from being original.
Man from the beginning was in this perfect form and composition, and
possessed capacity and aptitude for acquiring material and spiritual
perfections, and was the manifestation of these words, "We will make
man in Our image and likeness."(2) He has only become more
pleasing, more beautiful and more graceful. Civilization has brought
him out of his wild state, just as the wild fruits which are cultivated
by a gardener become finer, sweeter and acquire more freshness and
delicacy.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Some Answered Questions, pp.
191-194)
Man's Place in Creation:
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He
[God], 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.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 65)
Man, then, is the perfect mirror facing the Sun of Truth and is the
center of radiation: the Sun of Truth shines in this
mirror. The reflection of the divine perfections appears in the
reality of man, so he is the representative of God, the messenger of
God. If man did not exist, the universe would be without result,
for the object of existence is the appearance of the perfections of
God.
Therefore, it cannot be said there was a time
when man was not. All that we can say is that this terrestrial
globe at one time did not exist, and at its beginning man did not
appear upon it.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Some Answered Questions, p.
196)
Life on Other Planets:
Verily I say, the creation of God embraceth worlds besides this world,
and creatures apart from these creatures.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 152)
Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet
its own creatures, whose number no man can compute.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 163)
1. i.e., if we admit, for example, that man had formerly been a
quadruped, or had had a tail.
2. Cf. Gen. 1:26.
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