Baha'i Faith/Symbolism/Clouds

The Symbolism of a cloud is almost always negative. That's because clouds obscure the Sun as well as other sources of illumination. But, clouds do provide us with hope. In most cases, the clouds are cleared away by the word of God. Also, even thick clouds let a little bit of light through. That means that nobody could ever completely obscure the truth.

Relation to Other Symbols
Clouds almost always get in the way of the Sun. They are effected by the wind. But, most importantly, they obscure the illumination that comes from stars, the Moon and the Sun. Clearing away clouds produces rain. That rain effects pretty much all of the garden based symbols. Also, clouds are often associated with Jesus and angels. They are generally pushed aside by Jesus's descent to earth.

The Bab
In the Baha'i text, one of the earliest known mentions of clouds comes from the Bab. In the publication "Selections from the Writings of the Báb" he writes that "the Lord of mercy shall come down unto you in the shadow of the clouds with the angels circling around Him, exalting His praise and seeking forgiveness for such as have truly believed in Our signs". In this case, the clouds represent potentially harmful falsehoods. He is trying to reassure believers that God will protect them by way of truth.

Baha'u'llah
Baha'u'llah used the cloud analogy more often that The Bab. The Baha'i online library lists 148 mentions of clouds contained in Baha'u'llah's teachings. Comparatively speaking, The Bab only made 1 mention of clouds in that same online library. Baha'u'llah usually depicts clouds as a positive thing. But, in "The Summons of the Lord of Hosts" he says that "The people of the Qur’án have risen against Us, and tormented Us with such a torment that the Holy Spirit lamented, and the thunder roared out, and the clouds wept over Us". In this case clouds are associated with grief. But, the grief comes by way of truth.

Abdu'l-Baha
Abdu'l-Baha made frequent use of the symbol of clouds. He often compared clouds to imitations. In "The Promulgation of Universal Peace" Abdu'l-Baha said that "imitations may be likened to clouds which obscure the sunrise; but reality is the sun. If the clouds disperse, the Sun of Reality shines upon all, and no difference of vision will exist". He was asserting that the elimination of these imitations could be a unifying force.