Two of the Major Themes In The Kitab-i-Iqan: Detachment and Sovereignty

"The Kitab-i-Iqan has been referred to by Baha'u'llah as the 'Siyyid-i-Kutub' -- the Lord of Books."

--Cited by Hooper Dunbar in A Companion to the Study of the Kitab-i-Iqan, p.3                   

Dr. Nader Saiedi stated in a talk, (as I recall him saying), that in Baha'u'llah's Kitab-i-Iqan - also known as The Book of Certitude - 'Part One' is focused on "detachment," and 'Part Two' is focused on "sovereignty."'

So I went looking to substantiate and learn from Dr. Saiedi's premise as to the focus of each of the two Parts of the Kitab-i-Iqan. I found Dr. Saiedi's observation to be quite insightful. 

Regarding Part One of The Kitab-i-Iqan being focused on "detachment," we find that it begins with these words:

No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth. Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world...

We soon find that Baha'u'llah goes on to refer to the Prophets of God as "Symbols of Detachment" (p.32) and "Emblems of Detachment" (p.33) and uses a myriad  synonyms and expressions that appear to refer to detachment throughout Part One. Here are some examples: 

[The numbering below is arbitrary, merely for reference within this blog article]. 

1)  "...sanctify your souls" 
2)  "...cleanse themselves of all that is earthly"
3) "...ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard" 
4) "...with utter detachment, strive to grasp their ['the holy words'] meaning"
5) "...perchance you may cause the the bird of the human heart to wing its flight away from the abodes of heedlessness and doubt"
6)   "...cease to be perturbed"
7)   "...put off the garment of denial"
8)   "...eschew that which is forbidden"
9)   "...those who wholly detached themselves from all save God"
10) "...arise from the beds of heedlessness and hearken"
11) "Every discerning observer will recognize..." 
12) "He recognized..."
13) "We ask for neither meed nor reward."
14) "...we seek from you neither recompense nor thanks"
15) "Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth let him turn away."
16) "God, verily is independent of him." 
17) "...the divine Luminaries, by their loving care and educative influence, cause the trees of divine unity, the fruits of His oneness, the leaves of detachment, the blossoms of knowledge and certitude, and the myrtles of wisdom and utterance, to exist and be made manifest."
18) "...these divine Luminaries...have been at all times, and will continue to be, exalted above every praising name, and sanctified from every descriptive attribute."
19) "...perchance we may leave behind the darksome night of error, and embrace  the dawning light of divine guidance."
20) "Shall we not flee from the face of denial, and seek the the sheltering shadow  of certitude?"
21) "Shall we not free ourselves from the horror of satanic gloom, and hasten towards the rising light of the heavenly Beauty?"
22) "And now, with fixed gaze and steady wings enter the way of certitude and truth."
23) "Take thou the step of the spirit, so that, swift as the twinkling of an eye, thou mayest flash through the wilds of remoteness and bereavement, attain the Ridvan of everlasting reunion, and in one breath commune with the heavenly Spirits."
24) "...strive thou to comprehend..."
25) 'By "cloven asunder" is meant that the former Dispensation is superseded  and annulled.'
26) '...endeavor to comprehend the meaning of the "changing of the earth."'
27) "Would that the hearts of men could be cleansed from these manmade limitations and obscure thoughs imposed upon them!"

28) "...ponder in your hearts"..."comprehend the meaning"..."be fair in thy judgement"..."reflect"..."haply thou mayest apprehend the morning light of divine guidance, mayest quench, by the power of reliance and renunciation, the lamp of vain imagings, of hesitation, and doubt, and mayest kindle in the inmost chamber of thine heart, the newborn light of divine knowledge and certitude."
29) "Verily, God caused not this turmoil but to test and prove His servants."
30) "...that the souls of men may develop and be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire."
31) "...inasmuch as the divine Purpose hath decreed that the true should be known from the false, and the sun from the shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season, sent down upon mankind the showers of tests..."
32) "...cease to be veiled..." "...consume every intervening veil..."
33) "...liberating them from the shadows of the valley of self and desire..."
34) "And should we ask for a testimony of His truth, we should content ourselves with one, and only one..."
35)  "...the sublime renunciation, the unwavering constancy of God's holy companions..."
36)  "...if he could, would, freely and joyously offer up ten thousand lives as a sacrifice for his Beloved..."
37)  'By "angels" is meant those who, reinforced by the power of the spirit, have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations...'
38) "...these holy beings have sanctified themselves from every human  limitation..."

39) "...cleanse the eye of thine heart from the things of the world..."

40) "...content thyself with that which He, Himself, hath revealed..."

41) "...arise and speed out of the sepulchers of their vain and selfish desires."

In addition to these seeming references to detachment from Part One, the terms "detachment" and "detach" also appear in Part Two of The Kitab-i-Iqan. 

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Part Two having a focus on sovereignty can be  easily substantiated. In my 2003 paperback edition of the Kitab-i-Iqan, Part Two consists of pages 89 thru 237: some 159 pages; in the first 35 pages of Part 2 the word "sovereignty" appears 31 times! (Plus, later, in Part 2, a couple of more times .) 

Also in Part Two, there appears a number of synonyms for "sovereignty", such as "all-compelling power," "supremacy," "ascendancy," "might," "transcendent power," etc..                     
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