Borrowed Light: The Mirror Principle
In my previous post, I suggested that we look at AI in the same way that Baha’u’llah looked at newspapers. Baha’u’llah viewed newspapers, and in fact all created things, as mirrors that reflect the attributes of God. The Sun of Reality shines in the mirrors of things, and they, in response, reflect back the divine attributes, each one in accordance with its unique form. I called this concept “the mirror principle.” Take AI, for example, it appears to be able to think, which explains why some people believe it can. But based on the mirror principle, AI only reflects the attribute of thinking when it responds to a prompt. The general rule that can be extracted from the mirror principle is that, if things are mirrors that reflect divine attributes, then those attributes are only reflections and not inherent aspects of things in themselves.
This design feature is easiest to see when an attribute is taken away. If it can be removed, it was never truly possessed by the thing that reflected it. Take deciduous trees for example: in summer, when daylight hours are long, they’re thick enough with foliage that you’d think this was a permanent feature, but by autumn, as the sun’s light reduces, the leaves die off, proof that the greenery was only a temporary adornment.
Attributes cannot be intrinsic to things because all things are dependent on God for their existence as well as their attributes. If a thing possessed an attribute in itself, it would be independent of God, able to exist and act outside God’s control, which is impossible. In the case of human beings, who can choose good or evil, if evil were intrinsic to a person, that would mean God creates some people good and some bad, which would be a divine injustice. Instead, human beings are created with the potential for good, and people choose who they become.
No Rest for the Human Mirror
When it comes to the question of faith, Baha’u’llah talks about a person’s mirroring capacity in a special way. The fundamental decision God has assigned to each person in life is to choose to recognise the Creator in the person of the Manifestation of God. Baha’u’llah illustrates this concept using the metaphor of a person choosing whether to face the mirror of the soul toward the Sun of Reality. If they do, their being shines with the divine attributes, and they have realised their spiritual destiny.
“All the mirrors of created things, if they face the Sun of the heaven of pre-existence in their time, shall manifest, reveal, reflect and display within themselves all the lights of that Sun. But as soon as they turn away, all is taken from them.” Lawh-i-Sarraj, para. 32
So what happens if a person turns away? This situation can cause confusion because people develop reputations for being a certain way. A person can become known for being a believer, and this leads everyone to take for granted that belief is a part of them. But people can change as circumstances change. Just as the deciduous tree loses its leaves in autumn, a person can stop believing when faced with change. Baha’u’llah explains that God tests people because He wants to reveal what’s really going on inside them. As Providence shuffles things around, attributes commonly associated with a person can suddenly disappear or appear. Baha’u’llah gives the example of a poor person who is suddenly given wealth: “The generosity and avarice of someone who does not possess a single penny is hidden.” (Commentary on a Verse of Rumi, para. 21) Someone who seems generous with little may prove selfish with much.
The point is that no one is inherently good or spiritually exalted; each person is responsible for choosing to reflect the Divine at all times. No one can rest on their laurels and say to themselves: “I’m a good person now, God is pleased with me, I can relax and do as I please.”
Titles Are No Guarantee
Perhaps the most challenging situation of all for a person and their ego is when a Manifestation of God gives them a beautiful name or title. Can beautiful names and titles make a person inherently virtuous, or guarantee them a particular spiritual station? This is what Mirza Yahya argued when Baha’u’llah made public that he was the Promised One of the Bab. He claimed the Bab had given him many exalted titles. In fact, the Bab did bestow symbolic and lofty titles on Mirza Yahya, such as Ismu’l-Azal (The Name of Eternity), Mir’atu’l-Azaliyyih (The Everlasting Mirror), and Thamara-i-Bayan (The Fruit of the Bayan). Mirza Yahya argued that these titles proved he had the station of Divinity and, as such, was the rightful successor to the Bab.
In response, Baha’u’llah argued that even if a title is bestowed by a Manifestation of God, the mirror principle still applies. The name is true of the person only if they turn to the Sun of Reality so that the attribute can shine through them. There is no guarantee of virtue or station. Baha’u’llah underscores this rule by arguing that even if a Babi was given the title of Divinity or Lordship or similar, this would make no difference.
“In brief, today even if all mirrors were designated in the Bayan by the names of Divinity, Lordship, and beyond these, by the Self of God, the Manifestation of God, or the Essence of God, it would not suffice so long as they do not become assured of this holy divine Manifestation and this hidden celestial Mystery.” Lawh-i-Sarraj, vol. 34, pp. 93-174, para. 71
A Gift, Not a Diploma
Why then do the Manifestations of God bestow lofty titles and names on believers? You’d be forgiven for thinking that this action causes more problems than it’s worth. In the passages I have found so far, Baha’u’llah makes a couple of passing comments that appear to answer this question. He essentially says that Manifestations of God bestow titles in order to encourage and show bounty to a person.
“If anything besides God’s words is praised or described, this is only to show bounty and encourage souls, and is mentioned according to their own level and station.” Kitab-i-Badi, para. 136
“Concerning certain divine verses that have been revealed according to their outward meaning, their purpose was to encourage those souls.” Kitab-i-Badi, para. 56
Viewed in this light, a divine title is not a spiritual diploma testifying to an unchangeable state of perfection, nor does it alter the basic reality of human nature. Instead, such titles are bestowed as a bounty and a means of encouragement. They serve to inspire, calling forth a soul’s highest potential and offering a glimpse of what the mirror can reflect when turned toward the Divine.
Conclusion
The mirror principle applies to a title just as it does to a tree in leaf or an AI answering a prompt. AI appears to think, but it reflects the attribute of thinking only while it responds to a prompt. A person may seem virtuous or spiritually exalted, but they reflect those attributes only while facing the Sun of Reality. Even a title from a Manifestation of God does not change this. True spiritual life never rests on a fixed label or past recognition. It demands ongoing, moment-to-moment choices to align character and conduct with the divine light.
References
Sources for the titles given to Mirza Yahya by the Bab:
- Primary Source: The Will and Testament of the Báb (Lawḥ-i-Vaṣāyā), translated and hosted by Baha’i Library Online.
- Secondary Source: “Mírzá Yahyá” Biography from the peer-reviewed Baha’i Encyclopedia Project.
The passages quoted from Lawh-i-Sarraj and Kitab-i-Badi are found in the Phelps AI-translation collection. For details on how to access them, see my blog post How to Find Lawh-i-Sarraj (and Why It’s Not Straightforward), updated 28 Sept. 2026.
Related passages
“Today you should consider all things to be mirrors. For all creation was brought into being by a single word, and is standing in one spot in the presence of God. If all would turn their attention to this glorious and eternal sun, which has dawned forth from the holy and most glorious horizon, the effulgence of the sun would be inscribed and imprinted on their forms. In this case, all the characteristics and attributes of the sun are also true of those mirrors, for nothing is apparent in those mirrors save the sun and its light. To the insightful mystic it is self-evident that these characteristics of the mirrors are not intrinsic to them, but rather pertain to the effulgence from the dawning daystar of grace that has become manifest and radiant in these mirrors. As long as this effulgence persists, the characteristics persist. After that effulgence has been erased from the mirrors’ forms, those who continue to praise the mirrors are guilty of pure lies and falsehoods. For the names and attributes circle around an effulgence that dawned from the sun, not around the mirrors in and of themselves.” Commentary on a Verse of Rumi, para. 7
“For instance, consider the divine name, “the Self-Sufficient.” In its own kingdom, this name is unified. But after its effulgence in the mirrors of human existence, the effects of that effulgence appear in each soul according to that soul’s exigencies. For instance, in the generous it appears as generosity, whereas in the miserly it takes the form of avarice. In the ill-omened it becomes abasement, and in the blessed it appears as good fortune. For in the condition of poverty, souls and what is in them are concealed. For example, the generosity and avarice of someone who does not possess a single penny is hidden.” Commentary on a Verse of Rumi, para. 21
“[55] And if you say the decisive verses are the descriptions revealed in the Bayan concerning certain souls, firstly, you do not know to whom these descriptions refer, and secondly, by His very Self, the Truth, He has described all things to their ultimate description, such that He has attributed all names and attributes to all things. This is the station wherein thou seest no imperfection in the creation of the All-Merciful. All besides Him are His creation, and all share in these attributes, for in the greatest perspective, all exist and shall exist in one plane.
[56] Concerning certain divine verses that have been revealed according to their outward meaning, their purpose was to encourage those souls. Moreover, all return to the divine manifestation. As long as that divine manifestation exists in every thing, it is described and mentioned with all names and attributes, and after its withdrawal becomes non-existent. Reflect on this that thou mayest be among those who know.” Kitab-i-Badi, vol. 35, paras. 55-56
· — · — · — · — ·
Update on My Recent Work
I’ve published on Patreon another short essay in my series focusing on Lepain’s philosophical study of Baha’u’llah’s writings. This one explores Baha’u’llah’s “anthropic principle,” the idea that a divine creation is unthinkable without some consciousness capable of knowing its Creator: The Anthropic Principle: Why the Universe Needs a Knower.