The Usage of Simile of Ocean and Sea by Bahá'u'lláh and Some Comparative Notes

By Moshe Sharon

First presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #97
Centre for Bahá'í Studies: Acuto, Italy
July 3–6, 2010
(see list of papers from #97)

There is hardly a major work by Bahá'u'lláh in which there is no reference to a large body of water. Whereas clouds where applied whenever some mystical idea of concealment was intended, the sea and the ocean are used for many purposes, and diversity of ideas. The divine knowledge, the Manifestation's laws, the huge store of the divine wisdom as represented by the prophet, life itself, all these and many others are described by the ocean and the sea.

I shall deal with this idea in comparison with the usage of this simile in Judaism and Islam and try to find out whether the Islamic usage influenced Bahá'u'lláh or whether the extensive usage of ocean is typical to him only.

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