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and: "My body hath endured imprisonment that ye may be released from the bondage of self." (tbh 12) (105:5) The Manifestations of God suffer for our sakes so as to free us from "the bondage of self" and to "bring us to God." In their willingness to suffer, we are able to perceive their divinity, because the persecution They endure for us reveals their attributes of love, forgiveness, and sovereignty. Hence, it can be argued that this is why They willingly suffer: to become a revelation of the attributes of God for humankind. (105:6) Their suffering stands as testimony to their patience, renunciation, self-sacrifice, transcendence, invincibility, and courage in the face of fierce opposition; their forgiveness, compassion, and love; and their trust in the providence of God. Their examples reveal those qualities that are divine, eternal, and fundamental to human happiness. In this way They reveal to humankind the spiritual life that we were all created to attain. (105:7) Such testimony is one of the most evident features in the accounts of the lives of the Prophets and explains why such emphasis is given in the sacred Books to this theme. The following examples examine how the suffering of the Manifestations reveals specific attributes of God.
(106:1)
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