…strive thou to comprehend the meaning of this saying of
‘Alí, [the first Imam] the Commander of the Faithful: “Piercing the veils of
glory, unaided.” Among these “veils of glory” are the divines and doctors
living in the days of the Manifestation of God, who, because of their want of
discernment and their love and eagerness for leadership, have failed to submit
to the Cause of God, nay, have even refused to incline their ears unto the
divine Melody. “They have thrust their fingers into their ears.” And the people also, utterly ignoring God and
taking them for their masters, have placed themselves unreservedly under the
authority of these pompous and hypocritical leaders, for they have no sight, no
hearing, no heart, of their own to distinguish truth from falsehood.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
