GLEANINGS
FROM THE WRITINGS OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
LI 〜 C
LI. O people! I swear by the
one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all seas have proceeded, and with
which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have
been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the
Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath
been sent down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God's creatures
in each of the worlds whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing
Knowledge, can reckon. This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one
Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen--a Pen moved by His directing Finger--
His Finger itself sustained by the power of God's Truth.
LII. Say: O people! Withhold
not from yourselves the grace of God and His mercy. Whoso withholdeth himself
therefrom is indeed in grievous loss. What, O people! Do ye worship the dust,
and turn away from your Lord, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful? Fear ye God, and
be not of those who perish. Say: The Book of God hath been sent down in the
form of this Youth. Hallowed, therefore, be God, the most excellent of makers!
Take ye good heed, O peoples of the world, lest ye flee from His face. Nay,
make haste
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to attain His presence, and be of them that have returned unto Him. Pray to be
forgiven, O people, for having failed in your duty towards God, and for having
trespassed against His Cause, and be not of the foolish. He it is Who hath
created you; He it is Who hath nourished your souls through His Cause, and
enabled you to recognize Him Who is the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the
All-Knowing. He it is Who hath unveiled to your eyes the treasures of His
knowledge, and caused you to ascend unto the heaven of certitude--the certitude
of His resistless, His irrefutable, and most exalted Faith. Beware that ye do
not deprive yourselves of the grace of God, that ye do not bring to naught your
works, and do not repudiate the truth of this most manifest, this lofty, this
shining, and glorious Revelation. Judge ye fairly the Cause of God, your
Creator, and behold that which hath been sent down from the Throne on high, and
meditate thereon with innocent and sanctified hearts. Then will the truth of
this Cause appear unto you as manifest as the sun in its noon-tide glory. Then
will ye be of them that have believed in Him.
Say: The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self.
Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to recognize either
the one or the other He hath established the words He hath revealed as proof of
His reality and truth. This is, verily, an evidence of His tender mercy unto
men. He hath endowed every soul with
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the capacity to recognize the signs of God. How could He, otherwise, have
fulfilled His testimony unto men, if ye be of them that ponder His Cause in
their hearts. He will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will He task a
soul beyond its power. He, verily, is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful.
Say: So great is the glory of the Cause of God that even the blind can perceive
it, how much more they whose sight is sharp, whose vision is pure. The blind,
though unable to perceive the light of the sun, are, nevertheless, capable of
experiencing its continual heat. The blind in heart, however, among the people
of the Bayán--and to this God is My witness--are impotent, no matter how long
the Sun may shine upon them, either to perceive the radiance of its glory, or
to appreciate the warmth of its rays.
Say: O people of the Bayán! We have chosen you out of the world to know and
recognize Our Self. We have caused you to draw nigh unto the right side of
Paradise--the Spot out of which the undying Fire crieth in manifold accents:
"There is none other God besides Me, the All-Powerful, the Most
High!" Take heed lest ye allow yourselves to be shut out as by a veil from
this Day Star that shineth above the dayspring of the Will of your Lord, the
All-Merciful, and whose light hath encompassed both the small and the great.
Purge your sight, that ye may perceive its glory with your own eyes, and depend
not on the sight of any one except your self, for God hath
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never burdened any soul beyond its power. Thus hath it been sent down unto the
Prophets and Messengers of old, and been recorded in all the Scriptures.
Strive, O people, to gain admittance into this vast Immensity for which God
ordained neither beginning nor end, in which His voice hath been raised, and
over which have been wafted the sweet savors of holiness and glory. Divest not
yourselves of the Robe of grandeur, neither suffer your hearts to be deprived
of remembering your Lord, nor your ears of hearkening unto the sweet melodies
of His wondrous, His sublime, His all-compelling, His clear, and most eloquent
voice.
LIII. O Násir, O My servant!
God, the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness. The Celestial Youth hath, in this
Day, raised above the heads of men the glorious Chalice of Immortality, and is
standing expectant upon His seat, wondering what eye will recognize His glory,
and what arm will, unhesitatingly, be stretched forth to seize the Cup from His
snow-white Hand and drain it. Only a few have as yet quaffed from this
peerless, this soft-flowing grace of the Ancient King. These occupy the
loftiest mansions of Paradise, and are firmly established upon the seats of
authority. By the righteousness of God! Neither the mirrors of His glory, nor
the revealers of His names, nor any created thing, that hath been or will ever
be, can ever
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excel them, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth.
O Násir! The excellence of this Day is immensely exalted above the
comprehension of men, however extensive their knowledge, however profound their
understanding. How much more must it transcend the imaginations of them that
have strayed from its light, and been shut out from its glory! Shouldst thou
rend asunder the grievous veil that blindeth thy vision, thou wouldst behold
such a bounty as naught, from the beginning that hath no beginning till the end
that hath no end, can either resemble or equal. What language should He Who is
the Mouthpiece of God choose to speak, so that they who are shut out as by a
veil from Him can recognize His glory? The righteous, inmates of the Kingdom on
high, shall drink deep from the Wine of Holiness, in My name, the all-glorious.
None other besides them will share such benefits.
LIV. By the righteousness of
God, my Well-Beloved! I have never aspired after worldly leadership. My sole
purpose hath been to hand down unto men that which I was bidden to deliver by
God, the Gracious, the Incomparable, that it may detach them from all that
pertaineth to this world, and cause them to attain such heights as neither the
ungodly can conceive, nor the froward imagine.
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LV. Call thou to remembrance, O
Land of Tá (Tihrán), the former days in which thy Lord had made thee the seat
of His throne, and had enveloped thee with the effulgence of His glory. How
vast the number of those sanctified beings, those symbols of certitude, who, in
their great love for thee, have laid down their lives and sacrificed their all
for thy sake! Joy be to thee, and blissfulness to them that inhabit thee. I
testify that out of thee, as every discerning heart knoweth, proceedeth the
living breath of Him Who is the Desire of the world. In thee the Unseen hath
been revealed, and out of thee hath gone forth that which lay hid from the eyes
of men. Which one of the multitude of thy sincere lovers shall We remember,
whose blood hath been shed within thy gates, and whose dust is now concealed
beneath thy soil? The sweet savors of God have unceasingly been wafted, and
shall everlastingly continue to be wafted upon thee. Our Pen is moved to
commemorate thee, and to extol the victims of tyranny, those men and women that
sleep beneath thy dust.
Among them is Our own sister, whom We now call to mind as a token of Our
fidelity, and as proof of Our loving-kindness, unto her. How piteous was her
plight! In what a state of resignation she returned to her God! We, alone, in
Our all-encompassing knowledge, have known it.
O Land of Tá! Thou art still, through the grace of God, a center around which
His beloved ones have
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gathered. Happy are they; happy every refugee that seeketh thy shelter, in his
sufferings in the path of God, the Lord of this wondrous Day! Blessed are they
that remember the one true God, that magnify His Name, and seek diligently to
serve His Cause. It is to these men that the sacred Books of old have referred.
On them hath the Commander of the Faithful lavished his praise, saying:
"The blessedness awaiting them excelleth the blessedness we now
enjoy." He, verily, hath spoken the truth, and to this We now testify. The
glory of their station, however, is as yet undisclosed. The Hand of Divine
power will, assuredly, lift up the veil, and expose to the sight of men that
which shall cheer and lighten the eye of the world.
Render thanks unto God, the Eternal Truth, exalted be His glory, inasmuch as ye
have attained so wondrous a favor, and been adorned with the ornament of His
praise. Appreciate the value of these days, and cleave to whatsoever beseemeth
this Revelation. He, verily, is the Counsellor, the Compassionate, the
All-Knowing.
LVI. Let nothing grieve thee, O
Land of Tá (Tihrán), for God hath chosen thee to be the source of the joy of
all mankind. He shall, if it be His Will, bless thy throne with one who will
rule with justice, who will gather together the flock of God which the wolves
have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and
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gladness, turn his face towards, and extend his favors unto, the people of
Bahá. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among men. Upon him
rest forever the glory of God, and the glory of all that dwell in the kingdom
of His revelation.
Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee "the Day Spring of His
light," inasmuch as within thee was born the Manifestation of His Glory.
Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred upon thee--a name through
which the Day Star of grace hath shed its splendor, through which both earth and
heaven have been illumined.
Ere long will the state of affairs within thee be changed, and the reins of
power fall into the hands of the people. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing.
His authority embraceth all things. Rest thou assured in the gracious favor of
thy Lord. The eye of His loving-kindness shall everlastingly be directed
towards thee. The day is approaching when thy agitation will have been
transmuted into peace and quiet calm. Thus hath it been decreed in the wondrous
Book.
LVII. When thou art departed
out of the court of My presence, O Muhammad, direct thy steps towards My House
(Baghdád House), and visit it on behalf of thy Lord. When thou reachest its
door, stand thou before it and say: Whither is the Ancient Beauty gone, O most
great House of God, He through
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Whom God hath made thee the cynosure of an adoring world, and proclaimed thee
to be the sign of His remembrance unto all who are in the heavens and all who
are on the earth? Oh! for the former days when thou, O House of God, wert made
His footstool, the days when in ceaseless strains the melody of the
All-Merciful poured forth from thee! What hath become of thy jewel whose glory
hath irradiated all creation? Whither are gone the days in which He, the
Ancient King, had made thee the throne of His glory, the days in which He had
chosen thee alone to be the lamp of salvation between earth and heaven, and
caused thee to diffuse, at dawn and at eventide, the sweet fragrance of the
All-Glorious?
Where, O House of God, is the Sun of majesty and power Who had enveloped thee
with the brightness of His presence? Where is He, the Day Spring of the tender
mercies of thy Lord, the Unconstrained, Who had established His seat within thy
walls? What is it, O throne of God, that hath altered thy countenance, and made
thy pillars to tremble? What could have closed thy door to the face of them
that eagerly seek thee? What hath made thee so desolate? Couldst thou have been
told that the Beloved of the world is pursued by the swords of His enemies? The
Lord bless thee, and bless thy fidelity unto Him, inasmuch as thou hast
remained His companion through all His sorrows and His sufferings.
I testify that thou art the scene of His transcendent
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glory, His most holy habitation. Out of thee hath gone forth the Breath of the
All-Glorious, a Breath that hath breathed over all created things, and filled
with joy the breasts of the devout that dwell in the mansions of Paradise. The
Concourse on high, and they that inhabit the Cities of the Names of God, weep
over thee, and bewail the things that have befallen thee.
Thou art still the symbol of the names and attributes of the Almighty, the
Point towards which the eyes of the Lord of earth and heaven are directed.
There hath befallen thee what hath befallen the Ark in which God's pledge of
security had been made to dwell. Well is it with him that apprehendeth the
intent of these words, and recognizeth the purpose of Him Who is the Lord of
all creation.
Happy are those that inhale from thee the sweet savors of the Merciful, that
acknowledge thine exaltation, that safeguard thy sanctity, that reverence, at
all times, thy station. We implore the Almighty to grant that the eyes of those
who have turned away from thee, and failed to appreciate thy worth, may be
opened, that they may truly recognize thee, and Him Who, through the power of
truth, hath raised thee up on high. Blind, indeed, are they about thee, and
utterly unaware of thee in this day. Thy Lord is, verily, the Gracious, the Forgiving.
I bear witness that through thee God hath proved the hearts of His servants.
Blessed be the man that
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directeth his steps toward thee, and visiteth thee. Woe to him that denieth thy
right, that turneth away from thee, that dishonoreth thy name, and profaneth
thy holiness.
Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy sanctity be rent asunder by the
infidels. God hath, in the world of creation, adorned thee with the jewel of
His remembrance. Such an ornament no man can, at any time, profane. Towards
thee the eyes of thy Lord shall, under all conditions, remain directed. He,
verily, will incline His ear to the prayer of every one that visiteth thee, who
will circle around thee, and calleth upon Him in thy name. He, in truth, is the
Forgiving, the All-Merciful.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by this House that hath suffered such change in its
separation from Thee, that bewaileth its remoteness from Thy presence, and
lamenteth Thy tribulation, to forgive me, and my parents, and my kindred, and
such of my brethren as have believed in Thee. Grant that all my needs be
satisfied, through Thy bounty, O Thou Who art the King of Names. Thou art the
most Bountiful of the bountiful, the Lord of all worlds.
LVIII. Call thou to mind that which
hath been revealed unto Mihdí, Our servant, in the first year of Our banishment
to the Land of Mystery (Adrianople). Unto him have We predicted that which must
befall Our House (Baghdád House), in the days to
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come, lest he grieve over the acts of robbery and violence already perpetrated
against it. Verily, the Lord, thy God, knoweth all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth.
To him We have written: This is not the first humiliation inflicted upon My
House. In days gone by the hand of the oppressor hath heaped indignities upon
it. Verily, it shall be so abased in the days to come as to cause tears to flow
from every discerning eye. Thus have We unfolded to thee things hidden beyond
the veil, inscrutable to all save God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. In the
fullness of time, the Lord shall, by the power of truth, exalt it in the eyes
of all men. He shall cause it to become the Standard of His Kingdom, the Shrine
round which will circle the concourse of the faithful. Thus hath spoken the
Lord, thy God, ere the day of lamentation arriveth. This revelation have We
given thee in Our holy Tablet, lest thou sorrow for what hath befallen Our
House through the assaults of the enemy. All praise be to God, the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise.
LIX. Every unbiased observer
will readily admit that, ever since the dawn of His Revelation, this wronged
One hath invited all mankind to turn their faces towards the Day Spring of
Glory, and hath forbidden corruption, hatred, oppression, and wickedness. And
yet, behold what the hand of the oppressor hath wrought! No pen dare describe
his tyranny.
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Though the purpose of Him Who is the Eternal Truth hath been to confer
everlasting life upon all men, and ensure their security and peace, yet witness
how they have arisen to shed the blood of His loved ones, and have pronounced
on Him the sentence of death.
The instigators of this oppression are those very persons who, though so
foolish, are reputed the wisest of the wise. Such is their blindness that, with
unfeigned severity, they have cast into this fortified and afflictive Prison
Him, for the servants of Whose Threshold the world hath been created. The
Almighty, however, in spite of them and those that have repudiated the truth of
this "Great Announcement," hath transformed this Prison House into
the Most Exalted Paradise, the Heaven of Heavens.
We did not refuse such material benefits as could relieve Us from Our
afflictions. Every one of Our companions, however, will bear Us witness that
Our holy court is sanctified from, and far above, such material benefits. We
have nevertheless accepted, while confined in this Prison, those things of
which the infidels have striven to deprive Us. If a man be found willing to
rear, in Our name, an edifice of pure gold or silver, or a house begemmed with
stones of inestimable value, such a wish will no doubt be granted. He, verily,
doeth what He willeth, and ordaineth that which He pleaseth. Leave hath,
moreover, been given to whosoever may desire to raise,
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throughout the length and breadth of this land, noble and imposing structures,
and dedicate the rich and sacred territories adjoining the Jordan and its
vicinity to the worship and service of the one true God, magnified be His
glory, that the prophecies recorded by the Pen of the Most High in the sacred
Scriptures may be fulfilled, and that which God, the Lord of all worlds, hath
purposed in this most exalted, this most holy, this mighty, and wondrous
Revelation may be made manifest.
We have, of old, uttered these words: Spread thy skirt, O Jerusalem! Ponder
this in your hearts, O people of Bahá, and render thanks unto your Lord, the
Expounder, the Most Manifest.
Were the mysteries, that are known to none except God, to be unraveled, the
whole of mankind would witness the evidences of perfect and consummate justice.
With a certitude that none can question, all men would cleave to His
commandments, and would scrupulously observe them. We, verily, have decreed in
Our Book a goodly and bountiful reward to whosoever will turn away from
wickedness and lead a chaste and godly life. He, in truth, is the Great Giver,
the All-Bountiful.
LX. My captivity can bring on
Me no shame. Nay, by My life, it conferreth on Me glory. That which can make Me
ashamed is the conduct of such
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of My followers as profess to love Me, yet in fact follow the Evil One. They,
indeed, are of the lost.
When the time set for this Revelation was fulfilled, and He Who is the Day Star
of the world appeared in Iraq, He bade His followers observe that which would
sanctify them from all earthly defilements. Some preferred to follow the
desires of a corrupt inclination, while others walked in the way of
righteousness and truth, and were rightly guided.
Say: He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who followeth his mundane
desires, or fixeth his heart on things of the earth. He is My true follower
who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof
as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of
Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of
sanctity.... And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not
feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an
one, indeed, is the creation of spotless chastity. Thus instructeth you the Pen
of the Ancient of Days, as bidden by your Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Bountiful.
LXI. The world is in travail,
and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and
unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet
and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed
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hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of
mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled,
and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.
LXII. Recall thou to mind My
sorrows, My cares and anxieties, My woes and trials, the state of My captivity,
the tears that I have shed, the bitterness of Mine anguish, and now My
imprisonment in this far-off land. God, O Mustafá, beareth Me witness. Couldst
thou be told what hath befallen the Ancient Beauty, thou wouldst flee into the
wilderness, and weep with a great weeping. In thy grief, thou wouldst smite
thyself on the head, and cry out as one stung by the sting of the adder. Be
thou grateful to God, that We have refused to divulge unto thee the secrets of
those unsearchable decrees that have been sent down unto Us from the heaven of
the Will of thy Lord, the Most Powerful, the Almighty.
By the righteousness of God! Every morning I arose from My bed, I discovered
the hosts of countless afflictions massed behind My door; and every night when
I lay down, lo! My heart was torn with agony at what it had suffered from the
fiendish cruelty of its foes. With every piece of bread the Ancient Beauty
breaketh is coupled the assault of a fresh affliction, and with every drop He
drinketh is mixed the bitterness of the most woeful of trials. He
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is preceded in every step He taketh by an army of unforeseen calamities, while
in His rear follow legions of agonizing sorrows.
Such is My plight, wert thou to ponder it in thine heart. Let not, however, thy
soul grieve over that which God hath rained down upon Us. Merge thy will in His
pleasure, for We have, at no time, desired anything whatsoever except His Will,
and have welcomed each one of His irrevocable decrees. Let thine heart be
patient, and be thou not dismayed. Follow not in the way of them that are
sorely agitated.
LXIII. O thou whose face is
turned towards Me! As soon as thine eyes behold from afar My native city
(Tihrán), stand thou and say: I am come to thee out of the Prison, O Land of
Tá, with tidings from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. I announce
unto thee, O mother of the world and fountain of light unto all its peoples,
the tender mercies of thy Lord, and greet thee in the name of Him Who is the
Eternal Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I testify that within thee He Who
is the Hidden Name was revealed, and the Unseen Treasure uncovered. Through
thee the secret of all things, be they of the past or of the future, hath been
unfolded.
O Land of Tá! He Who is the Lord of Names remembereth thee in His glorious
station. Thou wert the Day Spring of the Cause of God, the fountain of
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His Revelation, the manifestation of His Most Great Name--a Name that hath
caused the hearts and souls of men to tremble. How vast the number of those men
and women, those victims of tyranny, that have, within thy walls, laid down
their lives in the path of God, and been buried beneath thy dust with such
cruelty as to cause every honored servant of God to bemoan their plight.
LXIV. It is Our wish to
remember the Abode of supreme blissfulness (Tihrán), the holy and shining
city--the city wherein the fragrance of the Well-Beloved hath been shed,
wherein His signs have been diffused, wherein the evidences of His glory have
been revealed, wherein His standards have been raised, wherein His tabernacle
hath been pitched, wherein each of His wise decrees hath been unfolded.
It is the city in which the sweet savors of reunion have breathed, which have
caused the sincere lovers of God to draw nigh unto Him, and to gain access to
the Habitation of holiness and beauty. Happy is the wayfarer that directeth his
steps towards this city, that gaineth admittance into it, and quaffeth the wine
of reunion, through the outpouring grace of his Lord, the Gracious, the
All-Praised.
I am come to thee, O land of the heart's desire, with tidings from God, and
announce to thee His
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gracious favor and mercy, and greet and magnify thee in His name. He, in truth,
is of immense bounteousness and goodness. Blessed be the man that turneth his
face towards thee, that perceiveth from thee the fragrance of God's Presence,
the Lord of all worlds. His glory be on thee, and the brightness of His light
envelop thee, inasmuch as God hath made thee a paradise unto His servants, and
proclaimed thee to be the blest and sacred land of which He, Himself, hath made
mention in the Books which His Prophets and Messengers have revealed.
Through thee, O land of resplendent glory, the ensign, "There is none
other God but Him," hath been unfurled, and the standard, "Verily I
am the Truth, the Knower of things unseen," been hoisted. It behoveth every
one that visiteth thee to glory in thee and in them that inhabit thee, that
have branched from My Tree, who are the leaves thereof, who are the signs of My
glory, who follow Me and are My lovers, and who, with the most mighty
determination, have turned their faces in the direction of My glorious station.
LXV. Call Thou to remembrance
Thine arrival in the City (Constantinople), how the Ministers of the Sultán
thought Thee to be unacquainted with their laws and regulations, and believed
Thee to be one of the ignorant. Say: Yes, by My Lord! I am ignorant of all
things except what God hath, through His
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bountiful favor, been pleased to teach Me. To this We assuredly testify, and
unhesitatingly confess it.
Say: If the laws and regulations to which ye cleave be of your own making, We
will, in no wise, follow them. Thus have I been instructed by Him Who is the
All-Wise, the All-Informed. Such hath been My way in the past, and such will it
remain in the future, through the power of God and His might. This, indeed, is
the true and right way. If they be ordained by God, bring forth, then, your
proofs, if ye be of them that speak the truth. Say: We have written down in a
Book which leaveth not unrecorded the work of any man, however insignificant,
all that they have imputed to Thee, and all that they have done unto Thee.
Say: It behoveth you, O Ministers of State, to keep the precepts of God, and to
forsake your own laws and regulations, and to be of them who are guided aright.
Better is this for you than all ye possess, did ye but know it. If ye
transgress the commandment of God, not one jot or one tittle of all your works
shall be acceptable in His sight. Ye shall, erelong, discover the consequences
of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall be repaid for
them. This, verily, is the truth, the undoubted truth.
How great the number of those who, in bygone ages, have committed the things ye
have committed, and who, though superior to you in rank, have, in the end,
returned unto dust, and been consigned to their
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inevitable doom! Would that ye might ponder the Cause of God in your hearts! Ye
shall follow in their wake, and shall be made to enter a habitation wherein
none shall be found to befriend or help you. Ye shall, of a truth, be asked of
your doings, shall be called to account for your failure in duty with regard to
the Cause of God, and for having disdainfully rejected His loved ones who, with
manifest sincerity, have come unto you.
It is ye who have taken counsel together regarding them, ye that have preferred
to follow the promptings of your own desires, and forsaken the commandment of
God, the Help in Peril, the Almighty.
Say: What! Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast behind your backs the
precepts of God? Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and others. Would
that ye could perceive it! Say: If your rules and principles be founded on
justice, why is it, then, that ye follow those which accord with your corrupt
inclinations and reject such as conflict with your desires? By what right claim
ye, then, to judge fairly between men? Are your rules and principles such as to
justify your persecution of Him Who, at your bidding, hath presented Himself
before you, your rejection of Him, and your infliction on Him every day of
grievous injury? Hath He ever, though it be for one short moment, disobeyed
you? All the inhabitants of Iraq, and beyond them every discerning observer,
will bear witness to the truth of My words.
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Be fair in your judgment, O ye Ministers of State! What is it that We have
committed that could justify Our banishment? What is the offense that hath
warranted Our expulsion? It is We Who have sought you, and yet, behold how ye
refused to receive Us! By God! This is a sore injustice that ye have
perpetrated --an injustice with which no earthly injustice can measure. To this
the Almighty is Himself a witness....
Know ye that the world and its vanities and its embellishments shall pass away.
Nothing will endure except God's Kingdom which pertaineth to none but Him, the
Sovereign Lord of all, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Almighty. The
days of your life shall roll away, and all the things with which ye are
occupied and of which ye boast yourselves shall perish, and ye shall, most
certainly, be summoned by a company of His angels to appear at the spot where
the limbs of the entire creation shall be made to tremble, and the flesh of
every oppressor to creep. Ye shall be asked of the things your hands have
wrought in this, your vain life, and shall be repaid for your doings. This is
the day that shall inevitably come upon you, the hour that none can put back.
To this the Tongue of Him that speaketh the truth and is the Knower of all
things hath testified.
LXVI. Fear God, ye inhabitants
of the City (Constantinople), and sow not the seeds of dissension
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amongst men. Walk not in the paths of the Evil One. Walk ye, during the few
remaining days of your life, in the ways of the one true God. Your days shall
pass away as have the days of them who were before you. To dust shall ye
return, even as your fathers of old did return.
Know ye that I am afraid of none except God. In none but Him have I placed My
trust; to none will I cleave but Him, and wish for naught except the thing He
hath wished for Me. This, indeed, is My heart's desire, did ye but know it. I
have offered up My soul and My body as a sacrifice for God, the Lord of all
worlds. Whoso hath known God shall know none but Him, and he that feareth God
shall be afraid of no one except Him, though the powers of the whole earth rise
up and be arrayed against him. I speak naught except at His bidding, and follow
not, through the power of God and His might, except His truth. He, verily,
shall recompense the truthful.
Narrate, O Servant, the things Thou didst behold at the time of Thine arrival
in the City, that Thy testimony may endure amongst men, and serve as a warning
unto them that believe. We found, upon Our arrival in the City, its governors
and elders as children gathered about and disporting themselves with clay. We
perceived no one sufficiently mature to acquire from Us the truths which God
hath taught Us, nor ripe for Our wondrous words of wisdom. Our inner eye wept
sore over them, and over their
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transgressions and their total disregard of the thing for which they were
created. This is what We observed in that City, and which We have chosen to
note down in Our Book, that it may serve as a warning unto them, and unto the
rest of mankind.
Say: If ye be seekers after this life and the vanities thereof, ye should have
sought them while ye were still enclosed in your mothers' wombs, for at that
time ye were continually approaching them, could ye but perceive it. Ye have,
on the other hand, ever since ye were born and attained maturity, been all the
while receding from the world and drawing closer to dust. Why, then, exhibit
such greed in amassing the treasures of the earth, when your days are numbered
and your chance is well-nigh lost? Will ye not, then, O heedless ones, shake
off your slumber?
Incline your ears to the counsels which this Servant giveth you for the sake of
God. He, verily, asketh no recompense from you and is resigned to what God hath
ordained for Him, and is entirely submissive to God's Will.
The days of your life are far spent, O people, and your end is fast
approaching. Put away, therefore, the things ye have devised and to which ye
cleave, and take firm hold on the precepts of God, that haply ye may attain
that which He hath purposed for you, and be of them that pursue a right course.
Delight not yourselves in the things of the world and its vain ornaments,
neither set your hopes on them. Let your
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reliance be on the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great. He
will, erelong, bring to naught all the things ye possess. Let Him be your fear,
and forget not His covenant with you, and be not of them that are shut out as
by a veil from Him.
Beware that ye swell not with pride before God, and disdainfully reject His
loved ones. Defer ye humbly to the faithful, they that have believed in God and
in His signs, whose hearts witness to His unity, whose tongues proclaim His
oneness, and who speak not except by His leave. Thus do We exhort you with
justice, and warn you with truth, that perchance ye may be awakened.
Lay not on any soul a load which ye would not wish to be laid upon you, and
desire not for any one the things ye would not desire for yourselves. This is
My best counsel unto you, did ye but observe it.
Respect ye the divines and learned amongst you, they whose conduct accords with
their professions, who transgress not the bounds which God hath fixed, whose
judgments are in conformity with His behests as revealed in His Book. Know ye
that they are the lamps of guidance unto them that are in the heavens and on
the earth. They who disregard and neglect the divines and learned that live
amongst them-- these have truly changed the favor with which God hath favored
them.
Say: Await ye till God will have changed His favor unto you. Nothing whatsoever
escapeth Him.
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He knoweth the secrets both of the heavens and of the earth. His knowledge
embraceth all things. Rejoice not in what ye have done, or will do in the
future, nor delight in the tribulation with which ye have afflicted Us, for ye
are unable by such means as these to exalt your stations, were ye to examine
your works with acute discernment. Neither will ye be capable of detracting
from the loftiness of Our state. Nay, God will add unto the recompense with
which He shall reward Us, for having sustained with persevering patience the
tribulations We have suffered. He, verily, shall increase the reward of them
that endure with patience.
Know ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial, been the lot
of the chosen Ones of God and His beloved, and such of His servants as are
detached from all else but Him, they whom neither merchandise nor traffic
beguile from the remembrance of the Almighty, they that speak not till He hath
spoken, and act according to His commandment. Such is God's method carried into
effect of old, and such will it remain in the future. Blessed are the
steadfastly enduring, they that are patient under ills and hardships, who
lament not over anything that befalleth them, and who tread the path of
resignation....
The day is approaching when God will have raised up a people who will call to
remembrance Our days,
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who will tell the tale of Our trials, who will demand the restitution of Our
rights from them that, without a tittle of evidence, have treated Us with
manifest injustice. God, assuredly, dominateth the lives of them that wronged
Us, and is well aware of their doings. He will, most certainly, lay hold on
them for their sins. He, verily, is the fiercest of avengers.
Thus have We recounted unto you the tales of the one true God, and sent down
unto you the things He had preordained, that haply ye may ask forgiveness of
Him, may return unto Him, may truly repent, may realize your misdeeds, may
shake off your slumber, may be roused from your heedlessness, may atone for the
things that have escaped you, and be of them that do good. Let him who will,
acknowledge the truth of My words; and as to him that willeth not, let him turn
aside. My sole duty is to remind you of your failure in duty towards the Cause
of God, if perchance ye may be of them that heed My warning. Wherefore, hearken
ye unto My speech, and return ye to God and repent, that He, through His grace,
may have mercy upon you, may wash away your sins, and forgive your trespasses.
The greatness of His mercy surpasseth the fury of His wrath, and His grace
encompasseth all who have been called into being and been clothed with the robe
of life, be they of the past or of the future.
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LXVII. There hath appeared in
this Revelation what hath never appeared before. As to the infidels that have
witnessed what hath been manifested, they murmur and say: "Verily, this is
a sorcerer who hath devised a lie against God." They are indeed an outcast
people.
Tell out to the nations, O Pen of the Ancient of Days, the things that have
happened in Iraq. Tell them of the messenger whom the congregation of the
divines of that land had delegated to meet Us, who, when attaining Our
presence, questioned Us concerning certain sciences, and whom We answered by
virtue of the knowledge We inherently possess. Thy Lord is, verily, the Knower
of things unseen. "We testify," said he, "that the knowledge Thou
dost possess is such as none can rival. Such a knowledge, however, is
insufficient to vindicate the exalted station which the people ascribe to Thee.
Produce, if Thou speakest the truth, what the combined forces of the peoples of
the earth are powerless to produce." Thus was it irrevocably decreed in
the court of the presence of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the Loving.
"Witness! What is it thou seest?" He was dumbfounded. And when he
came to himself, he said: "I truly believe in God, the All-Glorious, the
All-Praised." "Go thou to the people, and tell them: `Ask whatsoever
ye please. Powerful is He to do what He willeth. Nothing whatsoever, be it of
the past or of the future, can frustrate His Will.' Say: `O ye
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congregation of the divines! Choose any matter ye desire, and ask your Lord,
the God of Mercy, to reveal it unto you. If He fulfil your wish, by virtue of
His sovereignty, believe ye then in Him, and be not of those that reject His
truth.'" "The dawn of understanding hath now broken," said he,
"and the testimony of the All-Merciful is fulfilled." He arose and
returned unto them that sent him, at the bidding of God, the All-Glorious, the
Well-Beloved.
Days passed and he failed to come back to Us. Eventually, there came another
messenger who informed Us that the people had given up what they originally had
purposed. They are indeed a contemptible people. This is what happened in Iraq,
and to what I reveal I Myself am witness. This happening was noised abroad, yet
none was found to comprehend its meaning. Thus did We ordain it. Would that ye
knew this!
By My Self! Whoso hath in bygone ages asked Us to produce the signs of God,
hath, no sooner We revealed them to him, repudiated God's truth. The people,
however, have, for the most part, remained heedless. They whose eyes are
illumined with the light of understanding will perceive the sweet savors of the
All-Merciful, and will embrace His truth. These are they who are truly sincere.
LXVIII. O thou who art the
fruit of My Tree and the leaf thereof! On thee be My glory and My mercy.
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Let not thine heart grieve over what hath befallen thee. Wert thou to scan the
pages of the Book of Life, thou wouldst, most certainly, discover that which
would dissipate thy sorrows and dissolve thine anguish.
Know thou, O fruit of My Tree, that the decrees of the Sovereign Ordainer, as
related to fate and predestination, are of two kinds. Both are to be obeyed and
accepted. The one is irrevocable, the other is, as termed by men, impending. To
the former all must unreservedly submit, inasmuch as it is fixed and settled.
God, however, is able to alter or repeal it. As the harm that must result from
such a change will be greater than if the decree had remained unaltered, all,
therefore, should willingly acquiesce in what God hath willed and confidently
abide by the same.
The decree that is impending, however, is such that prayer and entreaty can
succeed in averting it.
God grant that thou who art the fruit of My Tree, and they that are associated
with thee, may be shielded from its evil consequences.
Say: O God, my God! Thou hast committed into mine hands a trust from Thee, and
hast now according to the good-pleasure of Thy Will called it back to Thyself.
It is not for me, who am a handmaid of Thine, to say, whence is this to me or
wherefore hath it happened, inasmuch as Thou art glorified in all Thine acts,
and art to be obeyed in Thy decree.
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Thine handmaid, O my Lord, hath set her hopes on Thy grace and bounty. Grant
that she may obtain that which will draw her nigh unto Thee, and will profit
her in every world of Thine. Thou art the Forgiving, the All-Bountiful. There
is none other God but Thee, the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days.
Vouchsafe Thy blessings, O Lord, my God, unto them that have quaffed the wine
of Thy love before the face of men, and, in spite of Thine enemies, have
acknowledged Thy unity, testified to Thy oneness, and confessed their belief in
that which hath made the limbs of the oppressors among Thy creatures to quake,
and the flesh of the proud ones of the earth to tremble. I bear witness that
Thy Sovereignty can never perish, nor Thy Will be altered. Ordain for them that
have set their faces towards Thee, and for Thine handmaids that have held fast
by Thy Cord, that which beseemeth the Ocean of Thy bounty and the Heaven of Thy
grace.
Thou art He, O God, Who hath proclaimed Himself as the Lord of Wealth, and
characterized all that serve Him as poor and needy. Even as Thou hast written:
"O ye that believe! Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the
All-Possessing, the All-Praised." Having acknowledged my poverty, and
recognized Thy wealth, suffer me not to be deprived of the glory of Thy riches.
Thou art, verily, the Supreme Protector, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
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LXIX. Call thou to mind the
behavior of Ashraf's mother, whose son laid down his life in the Land of Zá
(Zanján). He, most certainly, is in the seat of truth, in the presence of One Who
is the Most Powerful, the Almighty.
When the infidels, so unjustly, decided to put him to death, they sent and
fetched his mother, that perchance she might admonish him, and induce him to
recant his faith, and follow in the footsteps of them that have repudiated the
truth of God, the Lord of all worlds.
No sooner did she behold the face of her son, than she spoke to him such words
as caused the hearts of the lovers of God, and beyond them those of the
Concourse on high, to cry out and be sore pained with grief. Truly, thy Lord
knoweth what My tongue speaketh. He Himself beareth witness to My words.
And when addressing him she said: "My son, mine own son! Fail not to offer
up thyself in the path of thy Lord. Beware that thou betray not thy faith in
Him before Whose face have bowed down in adoration all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth. Go thou straight on, O my son, and persevere in
the path of the Lord, thy God. Haste thee to attain the presence of Him Who is
the Well-Beloved of all worlds."
On her be My blessings, and My mercy, and My praise, and My glory. I Myself
shall atone for the loss
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of her son--a son who
now dwelleth within the tabernacle of My majesty and glory, and whose face
beameth with a light that envelopeth with its radiance the Maids of Heaven in
their celestial chambers, and beyond them the inmates of My Paradise, and the
denizens of the Cities of Holiness. Were any eye to gaze on his face, he would
exclaim: "Lo, this is no other than a noble angel!"
LXX. The world's equilibrium
hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new
World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency
of this unique, this wondrous System--the like of which mortal eyes have never
witnessed.
Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets,
and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths. Take heed
that ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the truth of this
Cause--a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been
revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten
ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal
in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused
to seek it--verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.
Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand of God is holding, in which
all who are in the heavens
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and all who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate determined, if ye be
of them that believe and recognize this truth. Say: Through it the poor have
been enriched, the learned enlightened, and the seekers enabled to ascend unto
the presence of God. Beware, lest ye make it a cause of dissension amongst you.
Be ye as firmly settled as the immovable mountain in the Cause of your Lord,
the Mighty, the Loving.
LXXI. Be not dismayed, O
peoples of the world, when the day star of My beauty is set, and the heaven of
My tabernacle is concealed from your eyes. Arise to further My Cause, and to
exalt My Word amongst men. We are with you at all times, and shall strengthen
you through the power of truth. We are truly almighty. Whoso hath recognized Me,
will arise and serve Me with such determination that the powers of earth and
heaven shall be unable to defeat his purpose.
The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake from their slumber,
they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. They
would cast away everything they possess, be it all the treasures of the earth,
that their Lord may remember them to the extent of addressing to them but one
word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who holdeth the knowledge of
things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation hath
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not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the omnipotent
protector of all worlds. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their
evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose
voice calleth aloud from every direction: "There is none other God but Me,
the Mighty, the All-Wise."
Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are yours, tomorrow
others will possess them. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed. Say: Can ye claim that what ye own is lasting or secure? Nay! By
Myself, the All-Merciful. The days of your life flee away as a breath of wind,
and all your pomp and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of
those gone before you. Reflect, O people! What hath become of your bygone days,
your lost centuries? Happy the days that have been consecrated to the
remembrance of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of
Him Who is the All-Wise. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the
wealth of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure. All
will perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the
All-Compelling, the Almighty. What advantage is there in the earthly things
which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected.
Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to
obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their
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Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Did they but know it, they would renounce
their all, that their names may be mentioned before His throne. They, verily,
are accounted among the dead.
LXXII. Let not your hearts be
perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean
of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and
in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the
Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory,
and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts
of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favored angels.
O peoples of the earth! God, the Eternal Truth, is My witness that streams of
fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the rocks, through the sweetness
of the words uttered by your Lord, the Unconstrained; and still ye slumber.
Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond
all created things. Thus biddeth you the Lord of creation, the movement of
Whose Pen hath revolutionized the soul of mankind.
Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious is calling? Think ye that
ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth
you? Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and
would
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hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the Well-Beloved. Your spirits
would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World--how
much more this small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been
poured down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, as a token of My grace; that
ye may be of the thankful....
Beware lest the desires of the flesh and of a corrupt inclination provoke
divisions among you. Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body.
Thus counselleth you the Pen of Revelation, if ye be of them that believe.
Consider the mercy of God and His gifts. He enjoineth upon you that which shall
profit you, though He Himself can well dispense with all creatures. Your evil
doings can never harm Us, neither can your good works profit Us. We summon you
wholly for the sake of God. To this every man of understanding and insight will
testify.
LXXIII. It is clear and evident
that when the veils that conceal the realities of the manifestations of the
Names and Attributes of God, nay of all created things visible or invisible,
have been rent asunder, nothing except the Sign of God will remain--a sign
which He, Himself, hath placed within these realities. This sign will endure as
long as is the wish of the Lord thy God, the Lord of the heavens and of the
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earth. If such be the blessings conferred on all created things, how superior
must be the destiny of the true believer, whose existence and life are to be
regarded as the originating purpose of all creation. Just as the conception of
faith hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure
till the end that hath no end, in like manner will the true believer eternally
live and endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He
will last as long as God, Himself, will last. He is revealed through the
Revelation of God, and is hidden at His bidding. It is evident that the
loftiest mansions in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the
habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can
never invade that holy seat. Thus have We entrusted thee with the signs of thy
Lord, that thou mayest persevere in thy love for Him, and be of them that
comprehend this truth.
LXXIV. Every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill
new life into every human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth.
All the wondrous works ye behold in this world have been manifested through the
operation of His supreme and most exalted Will, His wondrous and inflexible
Purpose. Through the mere revelation of the word "Fashioner," issuing
forth from His lips and proclaiming His attribute to mankind, such power is
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released as can generate, through successive ages, all the manifold arts which
the hands of man can produce. This, verily, is a certain truth. No sooner is
this resplendent word uttered, than its animating energies, stirring within all
created things, give birth to the means and instruments whereby such arts can
be produced and perfected. All the wondrous achievements ye now witness are the
direct consequences of the Revelation of this Name. In the days to come, ye
will, verily, behold things of which ye have never heard before. Thus hath it
been decreed in the Tablets of God, and none can comprehend it except them
whose sight is sharp. In like manner, the moment the word expressing My
attribute "The Omniscient" issueth forth from My mouth, every created
thing will, according to its capacity and limitations, be invested with the
power to unfold the knowledge of the most marvelous sciences, and will be empowered
to manifest them in the course of time at the bidding of Him Who is the
Almighty, the All-Knowing. Know thou of a certainty that the Revelation of
every other Name is accompanied by a similar manifestation of Divine power.
Every single letter proceeding out of the mouth of God is indeed a mother
letter, and every word uttered by Him Who is the Well Spring of Divine
Revelation is a mother word, and His Tablet a Mother Tablet. Well is it with
them that apprehend this truth.
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LXXV. Tear asunder, in My Name,
the veils that have grievously blinded your vision, and, through the power born
of your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain imitation. Enter,
then, the holy paradise of the good-pleasure of the All-Merciful. Sanctify your
souls from whatsoever is not of God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest within
the pale of His vast and mighty Revelation, and beneath the shadow of His
supreme and infallible authority. Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the
dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one
of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully
revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will
continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified.
Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account
for his failure? If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be
gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be
asked: "Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from
My Self," and if such a man should reply and say: "Inasmuch as all
men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth,
I, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty
of the Eternal," such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith
of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself.
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This is one of the verities that lie enshrined in My Revelation--a verity which
I have revealed in all the heavenly Books, which I have caused the Tongue of
Grandeur to utter, and the Pen of Power to inscribe. Ponder a while thereon,
that with both your inner and outer eye, ye may perceive the subtleties of
Divine wisdom and discover the gems of heavenly knowledge which, in clear and
weighty language, I have revealed in this exalted and incorruptible Tablet, and
that ye may not stray far from the All-Highest Throne, from the Tree beyond
which there is no passing, from the Habitation of everlasting might and glory.
The signs of God shine as manifest and resplendent as the sun amidst the works
of His creatures. Whatsoever proceedeth from Him is apart, and will always
remain distinguished, from the inventions of men. From the Source of His
knowledge countless Luminaries of learning and wisdom have risen, and out of
the Paradise of His Pen the breath of the All-Merciful hath continually been
wafted to the hearts and souls of men. Happy are they that have recognized this
truth.
LXXVI. Give ear, O My servant,
unto that which is being sent down unto thee from the Throne of thy Lord, the
Inaccessible, the Most Great. There is none other God but Him. He hath called
into being His creatures, that they may know Him, Who is the
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Compassionate, the All-Merciful. Unto the cities of all nations He hath sent
His Messengers, Whom He hath commissioned to announce unto men tidings of the
Paradise of His good pleasure, and to draw them nigh unto the Haven of abiding
security, the Seat of eternal holiness and transcendent glory.
Some were guided by the Light of God, gained admittance into the court of His
presence, and quaffed, from the hand of resignation, the waters of everlasting
life, and were accounted of them that have truly recognized and believed in
Him. Others rebelled against Him, and rejected the signs of God, the Most
Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
Ages rolled away, until they attained their consummation in this, the Lord of
days, the Day whereon the Day Star of the Bayán manifested itself above the
horizon of mercy, the Day in which the Beauty of the All-Glorious shone forth
in the exalted person of `Alí-Muhammad, the Báb. No sooner did He reveal
Himself, than all the people rose up against Him. By some He was denounced as
one that hath uttered slanders against God, the Almighty, the Ancient of Days.
Others regarded Him as a man smitten with madness, an allegation which I,
Myself, have heard from the lips of one of the divines. Still others disputed
His claim to be the Mouthpiece of God, and stigmatized Him as one who had
stolen and used as his the words of the Almighty, who had perverted their
meaning, and mingled them with his
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own. The Eye of Grandeur weepeth sore for the things which their mouths have
uttered, while they continue to rejoice upon their seats.
"God," said He, "is My witness, O people! I am come to you with
a Revelation from the Lord, your God, the Lord of your fathers of old. Look
not, O people, at the things ye possess. Look rather at the things God hath
sent down unto you. This, surely, will be better for you than the whole of
creation, could ye but perceive it. Repeat the gaze, O people, and consider the
testimony of God and His proof which are in your possession, and compare them
unto the Revelation sent down unto you in this Day, that the truth, the
infallible truth, may be indubitably manifested unto you. Follow not, O people,
the steps of the Evil One; follow ye the Faith of the All-Merciful, and be ye
of them that truly believe. What would it profit man, if he were to fail to
recognize the Revelation of God? Nothing whatever. To this Mine own Self, the
Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Wise, will testify."
The more He exhorted them, the fiercer grew their enmity, till, at the last,
they put Him to death with shameful cruelty. The curse of God be upon the
oppressors!
A few believed in Him; few of Our servants are the thankful. These He
admonished, in all His Tablets--nay, in every passage of His wondrous writings--not
to give themselves up in the Day of
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the promised Revelation to anything whatever, be it in the heaven or in the
earth. "O people!" said He, "I have revealed Myself for His
Manifestation, and have caused My Book, the Bayán, to descend upon you for no
other purpose except to establish the truth of His Cause. Fear ye God, and
contend not with Him as the people of the Qur'án have contended with Me. At
whatever time ye hear of Him, hasten ye towards Him, and cleave ye to
whatsoever He may reveal unto you. Naught else besides Him can ever profit you,
no, not though ye produce from first to last the testimonies of all those who
were before you."
And when after the lapse of a few years the heaven of Divine decree was cleft
asunder, and the Beauty of the Báb appeared in the clouds of the names of God,
arrayed in a new raiment, these same people maliciously rose up against Him,
Whose light embraceth all created things. They broke His Covenant, rejected His
truth, contended with Him, caviled at His signs, treated His testimony as
falsehood, and joined the company of the infidels. Eventually, they determined
to take away His life. Such is the state of them who are in a far-gone error!
And when they realized their powerlessness to achieve their purpose, they arose
to plot against Him. Witness how every moment they devise a fresh device to
harm Him, that they may injure and dishonor the cause of God. Say: Woe be to
you! By God! Your
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schemings cover you with shame. Your Lord, the God of mercy, can well dispense
with all creatures. Nothing whatever can either increase or diminish the things
He doth possess. If ye believe, to your own behoof will ye believe; and if ye
believe not, ye yourselves will suffer. At no time can the hand of the infidel
profane the hem of His Robe.
O My servant that believest in God! By the righteousness of the Almighty! Were
I to recount to thee the tale of the things that have befallen Me, the souls
and minds of men would be incapable of sustaining its weight. God Himself
beareth Me witness. Watch over thyself, and follow not the footsteps of these
people. Meditate diligently upon the Cause of thy Lord. Strive to know Him
through His own Self and not through others. For no one else besides Him can
ever profit thee. To this all created things will testify, couldst thou but
perceive it.
Emerge from behind the veil, by the leave of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the
Most Powerful, and seize, before the eyes of those who are in the heavens and
those who are on the earth, the Chalice of Immortality, in the name of thy
Lord, the Inaccessible, the Most High, and quaff thy fill, and be not of them
that tarry. I swear by God! The moment thou touchest the Cup with thy lips, the
Concourse on high will acclaim thee saying, "Drink with healthy relish, O
man that hast truly believed in God!" and the inhabitants of the Cities of
Immortality will cry
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out, "Joy be to thee, O thou that hast drained the Cup of His love!"
and the Tongue of Grandeur will hail thee, "Great is the blessedness that
awaiteth thee, O My servant, for thou hast attained unto that which none hath
attained, except such as have detached themselves from all that is in the
heavens and all that is on the earth, and who are the emblems of true
detachment."
LXXVII. And now, concerning thy
question regarding the creation of man. Know thou that all men have been
created in the nature made by God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Unto each
one hath been prescribed a pre-ordained measure, as decreed in God's mighty and
guarded Tablets. All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be
manifested only as a result of your own volition. Your own acts testify to this
truth. Consider, for instance, that which hath been forbidden, in the Bayán,
unto men. God hath in that Book, and by His behest, decreed as lawful
whatsoever He hath pleased to decree, and hath, through the power of His
sovereign might, forbidden whatsoever He elected to forbid. To this testifieth
the text of that Book. Will ye not bear witness? Men, however, have wittingly
broken His law. Is such a behavior to be attributed to God, or to their proper
selves? Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and every evil
thing is from yourselves. Will ye not comprehend? This same
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truth hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if ye be of them that
understand. Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is that act when
already accomplished. There is none other God besides Him. His is all creation
and its empire. All stands revealed before Him; all is recorded in His holy and
hidden Tablets. This fore-knowledge of God, however, should not be regarded as
having caused the actions of men, just as your own previous knowledge that a
certain event is to occur, or your desire that it should happen, is not and can
never be the reason for its occurrence.
LXXVIII. As to thy question
concerning the origin of creation. Know assuredly that God's creation hath
existed from eternity, and will continue to exist forever. Its beginning hath
had no beginning, and its end knoweth no end. His name, the Creator,
presupposeth a creation, even as His title, the Lord of Men, must involve the
existence of a servant.
As to those sayings, attributed to the Prophets of old, such as, "In the
beginning was God; there was no creature to know Him," and "The Lord
was alone; with no one to adore Him," the meaning of these and similar
sayings is clear and evident, and should at no time be misapprehended. To this
same truth bear witness these words which He hath revealed: "God was
alone; there was none else besides Him. He will always remain what He hath ever
been." Every discerning eye will readily perceive that
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the Lord is now manifest, yet there is none to recognize His glory. By this is
meant that the habitation wherein the Divine Being dwelleth is far above the
reach and ken of any one besides Him. Whatsoever in the contingent world can
either be expressed or apprehended, can never transgress the limits which, by
its inherent nature, have been imposed upon it. God, alone, transcendeth such
limitations. He, verily, is from everlasting. No peer or partner has been, or
can ever be, joined with Him. No name can be compared with His Name. No pen can
portray His nature, neither can any tongue depict His glory. He will, for ever,
remain immeasurably exalted above any one except Himself.
Consider the hour at which the supreme Manifestation of God revealeth Himself
unto men. Ere that hour cometh, the Ancient Being, Who is still unknown of men
and hath not as yet given utterance to the Word of God, is Himself the
All-Knower in a world devoid of any man that hath known Him. He is indeed the
Creator without a creation. For at the very moment preceding His Revelation,
each and every created thing shall be made to yield up its soul to God. This is
indeed the Day of which it hath been written: "Whose shall be the Kingdom
this Day?" And none can be found ready to answer!
LXXIX. As to thy question concerning
the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that the worlds of God
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are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or
comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Consider thy state
when asleep. Verily, I say, this phenomenon is the most mysterious of the signs
of God amongst men, were they to ponder it in their hearts. Behold how the
thing which thou hast seen in thy dream is, after a considerable lapse of time,
fully realized. Had the world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream
been identical with the world in which thou livest, it would have been
necessary for the event occurring in that dream to have transpired in this
world at the very moment of its occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have
borne witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must necessarily
follow that the world in which thou livest is different and apart from that
which thou hast experienced in thy dream. This latter world hath neither
beginning nor end. It would be true if thou wert to contend that this same
world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God, within thy proper
self and is wrapped up within thee. It would equally be true to maintain that
thy spirit, having transcended the limitations of sleep and having stripped
itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the act of God, been made to
traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the innermost reality of this world.
Verily I say, the creation of God embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures
apart from these creatures. In each of these
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worlds He hath ordained things which none can search except Himself, the
All-Searching, the All-Wise. Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed
unto thee, that thou mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord
of all worlds. In these words the mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been
treasured. We have refrained from dwelling upon this theme owing to the sorrow
that hath encompassed Us from the actions of them that have been created
through Our words, if ye be of them that will hearken unto Our Voice.
LXXX. Thou hast asked Me
whether man, as apart from the Prophets of God and His chosen ones, will
retain, after his physical death, the self-same individuality, personality, consciousness,
and understanding that characterize his life in this world. If this should be
the case, how is it, thou hast observed, that whereas such slight injuries to
his mental faculties as fainting and severe illness deprive him of his
understanding and consciousness, his death, which must involve the
decomposition of his body and the dissolution of its elements, is powerless to
destroy that understanding and extinguish that consciousness? How can any one
imagine that man's consciousness and personality will be maintained, when the
very instruments necessary to their existence and function will have completely
disintegrated?
Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above,
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and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person
showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves
between his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any
bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may
interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with
undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is
an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and
power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendancy, and
reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined
and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice
with exceeding gladness.
Consider the lamp which is hidden under a bushel. Though its light be shining,
yet its radiance is concealed from men. Likewise, consider the sun which hath
been obscured by the clouds. Observe how its splendor appeareth to have
diminished, when in reality the source of that light hath remained unchanged.
The soul of man should be likened unto this sun, and all things on earth should
be regarded as his body. So long as no external impediment interveneth between
them, the body will, in its entirety, continue to reflect the light of the soul,
and to be sustained by its power. As soon as, however, a veil interposeth
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itself between them, the brightness of that light seemeth to lessen.
Consider again the sun when it is completely hidden behind the clouds. Though
the earth is still illumined with its light, yet the measure of light which it
receiveth is considerably reduced. Not until the clouds have dispersed, can the
sun shine again in the plenitude of its glory. Neither the presence of the
cloud nor its absence can, in any way, affect the inherent splendor of the sun.
The soul of man is the sun by which his body is illumined, and from which it
draweth its sustenance, and should be so regarded.
Consider, moreover, how the fruit, ere it is formed, lieth potentially within
the tree. Were the tree to be cut into pieces, no sign nor any part of the
fruit, however small, could be detected. When it appeareth, however, it
manifesteth itself, as thou hast observed, in its wondrous beauty and glorious
perfection. Certain fruits, indeed, attain their fullest development only after
being severed from the tree.
LXXXI. And now concerning thy
question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a
truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to
progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which
neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of
this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of
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God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the
signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and
bounty. The movement of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly
describe the loftiness and glory of so exalted a station. The honor with which
the Hand of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can adequately
reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe. Blessed is the soul which, at
the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain
imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in
accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all-highest Paradise.
The Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest mansions, will circle around it,
and the Prophets of God and His chosen ones will seek its companionship. With
them that soul will freely converse, and will recount unto them that which it
hath been made to endure in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. If any man
be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God, the
Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly
blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and
resplendent station.... The nature of the soul after death can never be
described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the
eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the
sole purpose of guiding mankind to the
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straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to
educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost
purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most
High. The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of
the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which
leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which
the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Through them the clouds
rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruits. All things
must needs have a cause, a motive power, an animating principle. These souls
and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to provide, the
supreme moving impulse in the world of being. The world beyond is as different
from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still
in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will
assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its
celestial habitation. Such an existence is a contingent and not an absolute
existence, inasmuch as the former is preceded by a cause, whilst the latter is
independent thereof. Absolute existence is strictly confined to God, exalted be
His glory. Well is it with them that apprehend this truth. Wert thou to ponder
in thine heart the behavior of the Prophets of God thou wouldst assuredly and
readily testify
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that there must needs be other worlds besides this world. The majority of the
truly wise and learned have, throughout the ages, as it hath been recorded by
the Pen of Glory in the Tablet of Wisdom, borne witness to the truth of that
which the holy Writ of God hath revealed. Even the materialists have testified
in their writings to the wisdom of these divinely-appointed Messengers, and
have regarded the references made by the Prophets to Paradise, to hell fire, to
future reward and punishment, to have been actuated by a desire to educate and
uplift the souls of men. Consider, therefore, how the generality of mankind,
whatever their beliefs or theories, have recognized the excellence, and
admitted the superiority, of these Prophets of God. These Gems of Detachment
are acclaimed by some as the embodiments of wisdom, while others believe them
to be the mouthpiece of God Himself. How could such Souls have consented to
surrender themselves unto their enemies if they believed all the worlds of God
to have been reduced to this earthly life? Would they have willingly suffered
such afflictions and torments as no man hath ever experienced or witnessed?
LXXXII. Thou hast asked Me
concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of
God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp,
and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to
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unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of
its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to
bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His
light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its
allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and
will, in the end, sink in their depths.
Whoso hath, in this Day, refused to allow the doubts and fancies of men to turn
him away from Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and hath not suffered the tumult
provoked by the ecclesiastical and secular authorities to deter him from
recognizing His Message, such a man will be regarded by God, the Lord of all
men, as one of His mighty signs, and will be numbered among them whose names
have been inscribed by the Pen of the Most High in His Book. Blessed is he that
hath recognized the true stature of such a soul, that hath acknowledged its
station, and discovered its virtues.
Much hath been written in the books of old concerning the various stages in the
development of the soul, such as concupiscence, irascibility, inspiration,
benevolence, contentment, Divine good-pleasure, and the like; the Pen of the
Most High, however, is disinclined to dwell upon them. Every soul that walketh
humbly with its God, in this Day, and cleaveth unto Him, shall find itself
invested with the honor and glory of all goodly names and stations.
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When man is asleep, his soul can, in no wise, be said to have been inherently
affected by any external object. It is not susceptible of any change in its
original state or character. Any variation in its functions is to be ascribed
to external causes. It is to these external influences that any variations in
its environment, its understanding, and perception should be attributed.
Consider the human eye. Though it hath the faculty of perceiving all created
things, yet the slightest impediment may so obstruct its vision as to deprive
it of the power of discerning any object whatsoever. Magnified be the name of
Him Who hath created, and is the Cause of, these causes, Who hath ordained that
every change and variation in the world of being be made dependent upon them.
Every created thing in the whole universe is but a door leading into His
knowledge, a sign of His sovereignty, a revelation of His names, a symbol of
His majesty, a token of His power, a means of admittance into His straight
Path....
Verily I say, the human soul is, in its essence, one of the signs of God, a
mystery among His mysteries. It is one of the mighty signs of the Almighty, the
harbinger that proclaimeth the reality of all the worlds of God. Within it
lieth concealed that which the world is now utterly incapable of apprehending.
Ponder in thine heart the revelation of the Soul of God that pervadeth all His
Laws, and contrast it with
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that base and appetitive nature that hath rebelled against Him, that forbiddeth
men to turn unto the Lord of Names, and impelleth them to walk after their
lusts and wickedness. Such a soul hath, in truth, wandered far in the path of
error...
Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the state of the soul after its
separation from the body. Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath
walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered to the
glory of the Beloved. By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station
such as no pen can depict, or tongue describe. The soul that hath remained
faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall,
after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the
Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the
bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth
the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders
of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened
with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the
world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful.
In several of Our Tablets We have referred to this theme, and have set forth
the various stages in the development of the soul. Verily I say, the human soul
is exalted above all egress and regress. It is still, and yet it soareth; it
moveth, and yet it is still. It is, in
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itself, a testimony that beareth witness to the existence of a world that is
contingent, as well as to the reality of a world that hath neither beginning
nor end. Behold how the dream thou hast dreamed is, after the lapse of many
years, re-enacted before thine eyes. Consider how strange is the mystery of the
world that appeareth to thee in thy dream. Ponder in thine heart upon the
unsearchable wisdom of God, and meditate on its manifold revelations....
Witness the wondrous evidences of God's handiwork, and reflect upon its range
and character. He Who is the Seal of the Prophets hath said: "Increase my
wonder and amazement at Thee, O God!"
As to thy question whether the physical world is subject to any limitations,
know thou that the comprehension of this matter dependeth upon the observer
himself. In one sense, it is limited; in another, it is exalted beyond all
limitations. The one true God hath everlastingly existed, and will
everlastingly continue to exist. His creation, likewise, hath had no beginning,
and will have no end. All that is created, however, is preceded by a cause.
This fact, in itself, establisheth, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the unity of
the Creator.
Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres.
To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning
of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial
spheres and the heavens,
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and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and
the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so
bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone,
can fathom its import. The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand
years the life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their
observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other planets.
Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the
theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own
planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute.
O thou that hast fixed thine eyes upon My countenance! The Day Spring of Glory
hath, in this Day, manifested its radiance, and the Voice of the Most High is
calling. We have formerly uttered these words: "This is not the day for
any man to question his Lord. It behoveth whosoever hath hearkened to the Call
of God, as voiced by Him Who is the Day Spring of Glory, to arise and cry out:
`Here am I, here am I, O Lord of all Names; here am I, here am I, O Maker of
the heavens! I testify that, through Thy Revelation, the things hidden in the
Books of God have been revealed, and that whatsoever hath been recorded by Thy
Messengers in the sacred Scriptures hath been fulfilled.'"
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LXXXIII. Consider the rational
faculty with which God hath endowed the essence of man. Examine thine own self,
and behold how thy motion and stillness, thy will and purpose, thy sight and
hearing, thy sense of smell and power of speech, and whatever else is related
to, or transcendeth, thy physical senses or spiritual perceptions, all proceed
from, and owe their existence to, this same faculty. So closely are they
related unto it, that if in less than the twinkling of an eye its relationship
to the human body be severed, each and every one of these senses will cease
immediately to exercise its function, and will be deprived of the power to
manifest the evidences of its activity. It is indubitably clear and evident
that each of these afore-mentioned instruments has depended, and will ever
continue to depend, for its proper functioning on this rational faculty, which
should be regarded as a sign of the revelation of Him Who is the sovereign Lord
of all. Through its manifestation all these names and attributes have been
revealed, and by the suspension of its action they are all destroyed and
perish.
It would be wholly untrue to maintain that this faculty is the same as the
power of vision, inasmuch as the power of vision is derived from it and acteth
in dependence upon it. It would, likewise, be idle to contend that this faculty
can be identified with the sense of hearing, as the sense of hearing receiveth
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from the rational faculty the requisite energy for performing its functions.
This same relationship bindeth this faculty with whatsoever hath been the
recipient of these names and attributes within the human temple. These diverse
names and revealed attributes have been generated through the agency of this
sign of God. Immeasurably exalted is this sign, in its essence and reality,
above all such names and attributes. Nay, all else besides it will, when
compared with its glory, fade into utter nothingness and become a thing
forgotten.
Wert thou to ponder in thine heart, from now until the end that hath no end,
and with all the concentrated intelligence and understanding which the greatest
minds have attained in the past or will attain in the future, this divinely
ordained and subtle Reality, this sign of the revelation of the All-Abiding,
All-Glorious God, thou wilt fail to comprehend its mystery or to appraise its
virtue. Having recognized thy powerlessness to attain to an adequate
understanding of that Reality which abideth within thee, thou wilt readily
admit the futility of such efforts as may be attempted by thee, or by any of
the created things, to fathom the mystery of the Living God, the Day Star of
unfading glory, the Ancient of everlasting days. This confession of
helplessness which mature contemplation must eventually impel every mind to
make is in itself the acme
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LXXXIV. Regard thou the one
true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all
created things. The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself
independent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of
Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth
undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in
the mirror of the entire creation. All existence is dependent upon Him, and
from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is what
is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle.
Some, deluded by their idle fancies, have conceived all created things as
associates and partners of God, and imagined themselves to be the exponents
of His unity. By Him Who is the one true God! Such men have been, and will
continue to remain, the victims of blind imitation, and are to be numbered
with them that have restricted and limited the conception of God.
He is a true believer in Divine unity who, far from confusing duality with
oneness, refuseth to allow any notion of multiplicity to becloud his conception
of the singleness of God, who will regard the Divine 167
The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the
Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the
unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever
pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or
forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their aspects, and under all
circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of God
Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the unity
of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this
station, and is of them that are steadfast in their belief.
LXXXV. O My servants! It
behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favors
which, in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime, are being showered upon
you. The Day Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon you, and the
clouds of His limitless grace have overshadowed you. How high the reward of
him that hath not deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to
recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, His new attire.
Say: O people! The Lamp of God is burning; take heed, lest the fierce winds
of your disobedience extinguish its light. Now is the time to arise and 168
Say: O ye that have strayed and lost your way! The Divine Messenger, Who
speaketh naught but the truth, hath announced unto you the coming of the
Best-Beloved. Behold, He is now come. Wherefore are ye downcast and dejected?
Why remain despondent when the Pure and Hidden One hath appeared unveiled
amongst you? He Who is both the Beginning and the End, He Who is both
Stillness and Motion, is now manifest before your eyes. Behold how, in this
Day, the Beginning is reflected in the End, how out of Stillness Motion hath
been engendered. This motion hath been generated by the potent energies which
the words of the Almighty have released throughout the entire creation. Whoso
hath been quickened by its vitalizing power, will find himself impelled to
attain the court of the Beloved; and whoso hath deprived himself therefrom,
will sink into irretrievable despondency. He is truly wise whom the world and
all that is therein have not deterred from recognizing the light of this Day,
who will not allow men's idle talk to cause him to swerve from the 169
O My servants! Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto
everlasting Life, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is even as the
dead. Say: O ye workers of iniquity! Covetousness hath hindered you from
giving a hearing ear unto the sweet voice of Him Who is the All-Sufficing.
Wash it away from your hearts, that His Divine secret may be made known unto
you. Behold Him manifest and resplendent as the sun in all its glory.
Say: O ye that are bereft of understanding! A severe trial pursueth you, and
will suddenly overtake you. Bestir yourselves, that haply it may pass and
inflict no harm upon you. Acknowledge the exalted character of the name of
the Lord, your God, Who hath come unto you in the greatness of His glory. He,
verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Possessing, the Supreme Protector.
LXXXVI. And now concerning
thy question whether human souls continue to be conscious one of another
after their separation from the body. Know thou that the souls of the people
of Bahá, who 170
The people of Bahá, who are the inmates of the Ark of God, are, one and all,
well aware of one another's state and condition, and are united in the bonds
of intimacy and fellowship. Such a state, however, must depend upon their
faith and their conduct. They that are of the same grade and station are
fully aware of one another's capacity, character, accomplishments and merits.
They that are of a lower grade, however, are incapable of comprehending adequately
the station, or of estimating the merits, of those that rank above them. Each
shall receive his share from thy Lord. Blessed is the man that hath turned
his face towards God, and walked steadfastly in His love, until his soul hath
winged its flight unto God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.
The souls of the infidels, however, shall--and to this I bear witness--when
breathing their last be made aware of the good things that have escaped them,
and shall bemoan their plight, and shall humble |
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themselves before God. They shall continue doing so after the separation of
their souls from their bodies.
It is clear and evident that all men shall, after their physical death,
estimate the worth of their deeds, and realize all that their hands have
wrought. I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the horizon of Divine
power! They that are the followers of the one true God shall, the moment they
depart out of this life, experience such joy and gladness as would be
impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such
fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can
exceed. Well is it with him that hath quaffed the choice and incorruptible wine
of faith through the gracious favor and the manifold bounties of Him Who is the
Lord of all Faiths....
This is the Day when the loved ones of God should keep their eyes directed
towards His Manifestation, and fasten them upon whatsoever that Manifestation
may be pleased to reveal. Certain traditions of bygone ages rest on no
foundations whatever, while the notions entertained by past generations, and
which they have recorded in their books, have, for the most part, been
influenced by the desires of a corrupt inclination. Thou dost witness how most
of the commentaries and interpretations of the words of God, now current
amongst men, are devoid of truth. Their falsity hath, in some cases, been
exposed when
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the intervening veils were rent asunder. They themselves have acknowledged
their failure in apprehending the meaning of any of the words of God.
Our purpose is to show that should the loved ones of God sanctify their hearts
and their ears from the vain sayings that were uttered aforetime, and turn with
their inmost souls to Him Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation, and to
whatsoever things He hath manifested, such behavior would be regarded as highly
meritorious in the sight of God....
Magnify His Name, and be thou of the thankful. Convey My greetings to My loved
ones, whom God hath singled out for His love, and caused them to achieve their
objects. All glory be to God, the Lord of all worlds.
LXXXVII. And now regarding thy
question, "How is it that no records are to be found concerning the
Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of Mankind, or of the kings that
lived in the days of those Prophets?" Know thou that the absence of any
reference to them is no proof that they did not actually exist. That no records
concerning them are now available, should be attributed to their extreme
remoteness, as well as to the vast changes which the earth hath undergone since
their time.
Moreover such forms and modes of writing as are now current amongst men were
unknown to the generations that were before Adam. There was even a
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time when men were wholly ignorant of the art of writing, and had adopted a
system entirely different from the one which they now use. For a proper exposition
of this an elaborate explanation would be required.
Consider the differences that have arisen since the days of Adam. The divers
and widely-known languages now spoken by the peoples of the earth were
originally unknown, as were the varied rules and customs now prevailing amongst
them. The people of those times spoke a language different from those now
known. Diversities of language arose in a later age, in a land known as Babel.
It was given the name Babel, because the term signifieth "the place where
the confusion of tongues arose."
Subsequently Syriac became prominent among the existing languages. The Sacred
Scriptures of former times were revealed in that tongue. Later, Abraham, the
Friend of God, appeared and shed upon the world the light of Divine Revelation.
The language He spoke while He crossed the Jordan became known as Hebrew
(Ibrání), which meaneth "the language of the crossing." The Books of
God and the Sacred Scriptures were then revealed in that tongue, and not until
after a considerable lapse of time did Arabic become the language of
Revelation....
Witness, therefore, how numerous and far-reaching have been the changes in
language, speech, and
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writing since the days of Adam. How much greater must have been the changes
before Him!
Our purpose in revealing these words is to show that the one true God hath, in
His all-highest and transcendent station, ever been, and will everlastingly
continue to be, exalted above the praise and conception of all else but Him.
His creation hath ever existed, and the Manifestations of His Divine glory and
the Day Springs of eternal holiness have been sent down from time immemorial,
and been commissioned to summon mankind to the one true God. That the names of
some of them are forgotten and the records of their lives lost is to be
attributed to the disturbances and changes that have overtaken the world.
Mention hath been made in certain books of a deluge which caused all that
existed on earth, historical records as well as other things, to be destroyed.
Moreover, many cataclysms have occurred which have effaced the traces of many
events. Furthermore, among existing historical records differences are to be
found, and each of the various peoples of the world hath its own account of the
age of the earth and of its history. Some trace their history as far back as
eight thousand years, others as far as twelve thousand years. To any one that
hath read the book of Jük it is clear and evident how much the accounts given
by the various books have differed.
Please God thou wilt turn thine eyes towards the
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Most Great Revelation, and entirely disregard these conflicting tales and
traditions.
LXXXVIII. Know verily that the
essence of justice and the source thereof are both embodied in the ordinances
prescribed by Him Who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if
ye be of them that recognize this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest,
the infallible standard of justice unto all creation. Were His law to be such
as to strike terror into the hearts of all that are in heaven and on earth,
that law is naught but manifest justice. The fears and agitation which the
revelation of this law provokes in men's hearts should indeed be likened to the
cries of the suckling babe weaned from his mother's milk, if ye be of them that
perceive. Were men to discover the motivating purpose of God's Revelation, they
would assuredly cast away their fears, and, with hearts filled with gratitude,
rejoice with exceeding gladness.
LXXXIX. Know assuredly that
just as thou firmly believest that the Word of God, exalted be His glory,
endureth for ever, thou must, likewise, believe with undoubting faith that its
meaning can never be exhausted. They who are its appointed interpreters, they
whose hearts are the repositories of its secrets, are, however, the only ones
who can comprehend its manifold wisdom. Whoso, while reading the Sacred
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Scriptures, is tempted to choose therefrom whatever may suit him with which to
challenge the authority of the Representative of God among men, is, indeed, as
one dead, though to outward seeming he may walk and converse with his
neighbors, and share with them their food and their drink.
Oh, would that the world could believe Me! Were all the things that lie
enshrined within the heart of Bahá, and which the Lord, His God, the Lord of
all names, hath taught Him, to be unveiled to mankind, every man on earth would
be dumbfounded.
How great the multitude of truths which the garment of words can never contain!
How vast the number of such verities as no expression can adequately describe,
whose significance can never be unfolded, and to which not even the remotest
allusions can be made! How manifold are the truths which must remain unuttered
until the appointed time is come! Even as it hath been said: "Not
everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can
disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as
suited to the capacity of those who hear it."
Of these truths some can be disclosed only to the extent of the capacity of the
repositories of the light of Our knowledge, and the recipients of Our hidden
grace. We beseech God to strengthen thee with His power, and enable thee to
recognize Him Who is the Source of all knowledge, that thou mayest detach
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thyself from all human learning, for, "what would it profit any man to
strive after learning when he hath already found and recognized Him Who is the
Object of all knowledge?" Cleave to the Root of Knowledge, and to Him Who
is the Fountain thereof, that thou mayest find thyself independent of all who
claim to be well versed in human learning, and whose claim no clear proof, nor
the testimony of any enlightening book, can support.
XC. Whatever is in the heavens
and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it
of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined
the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the revelation of that Most Great
Light. Methinks, but for the potency of that revelation, no being could ever
exist. How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and
how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is
this true of man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the
robe of such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such
distinction. For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names
of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed. All
these names and attributes are applicable to him. Even as He hath said:
"Man is My mystery, and I am his mystery." Manifold are the verses
that have been repeatedly revealed
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in all the Heavenly Books and the Holy Scriptures, expressive of this most
subtle and lofty theme. Even as He hath revealed: "We will surely show
them Our signs in the world and within themselves." Again He saith:
"And also in your own selves: will ye not, then, behold the signs of
God?" And yet again He revealeth: "And be ye not like those who
forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own selves."
In this connection, He Who is the eternal King--may the souls of all that dwell
within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him--hath spoken: "He
hath known God who hath known himself."
...From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in their
inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and attributes of God
within them. Each according to its capacity, indicateth, and is expressive of,
the knowledge of God. So potent and universal is this revelation, that it hath
encompassed all things visible and invisible. Thus hath He revealed: "Hath
aught else save Thee a power of revelation which is not possessed by Thee, that
it could have manifested Thee? Blind is the eye which doth not perceive
Thee." Likewise hath the eternal King spoken: "No thing have I
perceived, except that I perceived God within it, God before it, or God after
it." Also in the tradition of Kumayl it is written: "Behold, a light
hath shone forth out of the morn of eternity, and lo, its waves have penetrated
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the inmost reality of all men." Man, the noblest and most perfect of all
created things, excelleth them all in the intensity of this revelation, and is
a fuller expression of its glory. And of all men, the most accomplished, the
most distinguished, and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of
Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation of
Their Will, and move and have their being through the outpourings of Their
grace.
XCI. Amongst the proofs
demonstrating the truth of this Revelation is this, that in every age and
Dispensation, whenever the invisible Essence was revealed in the person of His
Manifestation, certain souls, obscure and detached from all worldly
entanglements, would seek illumination from the Sun of Prophethood and Moon of
Divine guidance, and would attain unto the Divine Presence. For this reason,
the divines of the age and those possessed of wealth, would scorn and scoff at
these people. Even as He hath revealed concerning them that erred: "Then
said the chiefs of His people who believed not, `We see in Thee but a man like
ourselves; and we see not any who have followed Thee except our meanest ones of
hasty judgment, nor see we any excellence in you above ourselves: nay, we deem
you liars.'" They caviled at those holy Manifestations, and protested
saying: "None hath followed you except the abject amongst us, those who
are worthy of
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no attention." Their aim was to show that no one amongst the learned, the
wealthy, and the renowned believed in them. By this and similar proofs they
sought to demonstrate the falsity of Him that speaketh naught but the truth.
In this most resplendent Dispensation, however, this most mighty Sovereignty, a
number of illumined divines, of men of consummate learning, of doctors of
mature wisdom, have attained unto His Court, drunk the cup of His divine Presence,
and been invested with the honor of His most excellent favor. They have
renounced, for the sake of the Beloved, the world and all that is therein....
All these were guided by the light of the Sun of Divine Revelation, confessed
and acknowledged His truth. Such was their faith, that most of them renounced
their substance and kindred, and cleaved to the good pleasure of the
All-Glorious. They laid down their lives for their Well-Beloved, and
surrendered their all in His path. Their breasts were made targets for the
darts of the enemy, and their heads adorned the spears of the infidel. No land
remained which did not drink the blood of these embodiments of detachment, and
no sword that did not bruise their necks. Their deeds, alone, testify to the truth
of their words. Doth not the testimony of these holy souls, who have so
gloriously risen to offer up their lives for their Beloved that the whole world
marveled at the manner of their sacrifice, suffice the people of
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this day? Is it not sufficient witness against the faithlessness of those who
for a trifle betrayed their faith, who bartered away immortality for that which
perisheth, who gave up the Kawthar of the Divine Presence for salty springs,
and whose one aim in life is to usurp the property of others? Even as thou dost
witness how all of them have busied themselves with the vanities of the world,
and have strayed far from Him Who is the Lord, the Most High.
Be fair: Is the testimony of those acceptable and worthy of attention whose
deeds agree with their words, whose outward behavior conforms with their inner
life? The mind is bewildered at their deeds, and the soul marveleth at their
fortitude and bodily endurance. Or is the testimony of these faithless souls
who breathe naught but the breath of selfish desire, and who lie imprisoned in
the cage of their idle fancies, acceptable? Like the bats of darkness, they
lift not their heads from their couch except to pursue the transient things of
the world, and find no rest by night except as they labor to advance the aims
of their sordid life. Immersed in their selfish schemes, they are oblivious of
the Divine decree. In the daytime they strive with all their soul after worldly
benefits, and in the night season their sole occupation is to gratify their
carnal desires. By what law or standard could men be justified in cleaving to
the denials of such petty-minded souls and in ignoring the faith of them that
have renounced, for the sake
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of the good pleasure of God, their life and substance, their fame and renown,
their reputation and honor?...
With what love, what devotion, what exultation and holy rapture, they
sacrificed their lives in the path of the All-Glorious! To the truth of this
all witness. And yet, how can they belittle this Revelation? Hath any age
witnessed such momentous happenings? If these companions be not the true
strivers after God, who else could be called by this name? Have these
companions been seekers after power or glory? Have they ever yearned for
riches? Have they cherished any desire except the good pleasure of God? If
these companions, with all their marvelous testimonies and wondrous works, be
false, who then is worthy to claim for himself the truth? I swear by God! Their
very deeds are a sufficient testimony, and an irrefutable proof unto all the
peoples of the earth, were men to ponder in their hearts the mysteries of
Divine Revelation. "And they who act unjustly shall soon know what lot
awaiteth them!"...
Consider these martyrs of unquestionable sincerity, to whose truthfulness
testifieth the explicit text of the Book, and all of whom, as thou hast
witnessed, have sacrificed their life, their substance, their wives, their
children, their all, and ascended unto the loftiest chambers of Paradise. Is it
fair to reject the testimony of these detached and exalted beings to the truth
of this pre-eminent and Glorious Revelation,
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and to regard as acceptable the denunciations which have been uttered against
this resplendent Light by this faithless people, who for gold have forsaken
their faith, and who for the sake of leadership have repudiated Him Who is the
First Leader of all mankind? This, although their character is now revealed
unto all people who have recognized them as those who will in no wise
relinquish one jot or one tittle of their temporal authority for the sake of
God's holy Faith, how much less their life, their substance, and the like.
XCII. The Book of God is wide
open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful,
however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the
instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine
Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and
have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that
afflict the children of men. No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he
embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.
Incline your ears, O friends of God, to the voice of Him Whom the world hath
wronged, and hold fast unto whatsoever will exalt His Cause. He, verily,
guideth whomsoever He pleaseth unto His straight
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Path. This is a Revelation that infuseth strength into the feeble, and crowneth
with wealth the destitute.
With the utmost friendliness and in a spirit of perfect fellowship take ye
counsel together, and dedicate the precious days of your lives to the
betterment of the world and the promotion of the Cause of Him Who is the
Ancient and Sovereign Lord of all. He, verily, enjoineth upon all men what is
right, and forbiddeth whatsoever degradeth their station.
XCIII. Know thou that every
created thing is a sign of the revelation of God. Each, according to its
capacity, is, and will ever remain, a token of the Almighty. Inasmuch as He,
the sovereign Lord of all, hath willed to reveal His sovereignty in the kingdom
of names and attributes, each and every created thing hath, through the act of
the Divine Will, been made a sign of His glory. So pervasive and general is
this revelation that nothing whatsoever in the whole universe can be discovered
that doth not reflect His splendor. Under such conditions every consideration
of proximity and remoteness is obliterated.... Were the Hand of Divine power to
divest of this high endowment all created things, the entire universe would
become desolate and void.
Behold, how immeasurably exalted is the Lord your God above all created things!
Witness the majesty of His sovereignty, His ascendancy, and supreme power. If
the things which have been created by
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Him--magnified be His glory--and ordained to be the manifestations of His names
and attributes, stand, by virtue of the grace with which they have been
endowed, exalted beyond all proximity and remoteness, how much loftier must be
that Divine Essence that hath called them into being?...
Meditate on what the poet hath written: "Wonder not, if my Best-Beloved be
closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this, that I, despite such nearness,
should still be so far from Him."... Considering what God hath revealed,
that "We are closer to man than his life-vein," the poet hath, in
allusion to this verse, stated that, though the revelation of my Best-Beloved
hath so permeated my being that He is closer to me than my life-vein, yet,
notwithstanding my certitude of its reality and my recognition of my station, I
am still so far removed from Him. By this he meaneth that his heart, which is the
seat of the All-Merciful and the throne wherein abideth the splendor of His
revelation, is forgetful of its Creator, hath strayed from His path, hath shut
out itself from His glory, and is stained with the defilement of earthly
desires.
It should be remembered in this connection that the one true God is in Himself
exalted beyond and above proximity and remoteness. His reality transcendeth
such limitations. His relationship to His creatures knoweth no degrees. That
some are near and
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others are far is to be ascribed to the manifestations themselves.
That the heart is the throne, in which the Revelation of God the All-Merciful
is centered, is attested by the holy utterances which We have formerly
revealed.
Among them is this saying: "Earth and heaven cannot contain Me; what can
alone contain Me is the heart of him that believeth in Me, and is faithful to
My Cause." How often hath the human heart, which is the recipient of the
light of God and the seat of the revelation of the All-Merciful, erred from Him
Who is the Source of that light and the Well Spring of that revelation. It is
the waywardness of the heart that removeth it far from God, and condemneth it
to remoteness from Him. Those hearts, however, that are aware of His Presence,
are close to Him, and are to be regarded as having drawn nigh unto His throne.
Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become forgetful of his own self,
whilst God remaineth, through His all-encompassing knowledge, aware of His
creature, and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of His glory.
It is evident, therefore, that, in such circumstances, He is closer to him than
his own self. He will, indeed, so remain for ever, for, whereas the one true
God knoweth all things, perceiveth all things, and comprehendeth all things,
mortal man is prone to err, and is ignorant of the mysteries that lie enfolded
within him....
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Let no one imagine that by Our assertion that all created things are the signs
of the revelation of God is meant that--God forbid--all men, be they good or
evil, pious or infidel, are equal in the sight of God. Nor doth it imply that
the Divine Being--magnified be His name and exalted be His glory--is, under any
circumstances, comparable unto men, or can, in any way, be associated with His
creatures. Such an error hath been committed by certain foolish ones who, after
having ascended into the heavens of their idle fancies, have interpreted Divine
Unity to mean that all created things are the signs of God, and that,
consequently, there is no distinction whatsoever between them. Some have even
outstripped them by maintaining that these signs are peers and partners of God
Himself. Gracious God! He, verily, is one and indivisible; one in His essence,
one in His attributes. Everything besides Him is as nothing when brought face
to face with the resplendent revelation of but one of His names, with no more
than the faintest intimation of His glory--how much less when confronted with
His own Self!
By the righteousness of My name, the All-Merciful! The Pen of the Most High
trembleth with a great trembling and is sore shaken at the revelation of these
words. How puny and insignificant is the evanescent drop when compared with the
waves and billows of God's limitless and everlasting Ocean, and how utterly
contemptible must every contingent and
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perishable thing appear when brought face to face with the uncreated, the
unspeakable glory of the Eternal! We implore pardon of God, the All-Powerful,
for them that entertain such beliefs, and give utterance to such words. Say: O
people! How can a fleeting fancy compare with the Self-Subsisting, and how can
the Creator be likened unto His creatures, who are but as the script of His
Pen? Nay, His script excelleth all things, and is sanctified from, and
immeasurably exalted above, all creatures.
Furthermore, consider the signs of the revelation of God in their relation one
to another. Can the sun, which is but one of these signs, be regarded as equal
in rank to darkness? The one true God beareth Me witness! No man can believe
it, unless he be of those whose hearts are straitened, and whose eyes have
become deluded. Say: Consider your own selves. Your nails and eyes are both
parts of your bodies. Do ye regard them of equal rank and value? If ye say,
yea; say, then: ye have indeed charged with imposture, the Lord, my God, the
All-Glorious, inasmuch as ye pare the one, and cherish the other as dearly as
your own life.
To transgress the limits of one's own rank and station is, in no wise,
permissible. The integrity of every rank and station must needs be preserved.
By this is meant that every created thing should be viewed in the light of the
station it hath been ordained to occupy.
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It should be borne in mind, however, that when the light of My Name, the
All-Pervading, hath shed its radiance upon the universe, each and every created
thing hath, according to a fixed decree, been endowed with the capacity to
exercise a particular influence, and been made to possess a distinct virtue.
Consider the effect of poison. Deadly though it is, it possesseth the power of
exerting, under certain conditions, a beneficial influence. The potency infused
into all created things is the direct consequence of the revelation of this
most blessed Name. Glorified be He, Who is the Creator of all names and
attributes! Cast into the fire the tree that hath rot and dried up, and abide
under the shadow of the green and goodly Tree, and partake of the fruit thereof.
The people living in the days of the Manifestations of God have, for the most
part, uttered such unseemly sayings. These have been set down circumstantially
in the revealed Books and Holy Scriptures.
He is really a believer in the Unity of God who recognizeth in each and every
created thing the sign of the revelation of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and
not he who maintaineth that the creature is indistinguishable from the Creator.
Consider, for instance, the revelation of the light of the Name of God, the
Educator. Behold, how in all things the evidences of such a revelation are
manifest, how the betterment of all beings dependeth upon it. This education is
of two kinds.
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The one is universal. Its influence pervadeth all things and sustaineth them.
It is for this reason that God hath assumed the title, "Lord of all
worlds." The other is confined to them that have come under the shadow of
this Name, and sought the shelter of this most mighty Revelation. They, however,
that have failed to seek this shelter, have deprived themselves of this
privilege, and are powerless to benefit from the spiritual sustenance that hath
been sent down through the heavenly grace of this Most Great Name. How great
the gulf fixed between the one and the other! If the veil were lifted, and the
full glory of the station of those that have turned wholly towards God, and
have, in their love for Him, renounced the world, were made manifest, the
entire creation would be dumbfounded. The true believer in the Unity of God
will, as it hath already been explained, recognize, in the believer and the
unbeliever, the evidences of the revelation of both of these Names. Were this
revelation to be withdrawn, all would perish.
Consider, in like manner, the revelation of the light of the Name of God, the
Incomparable. Behold, how this light hath enveloped the entire creation, how
each and every thing manifesteth the sign of His Unity, testifieth to the
reality of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, proclaimeth His sovereignty, His
oneness, and His power. This revelation is a token of His mercy that hath
encompassed all created things.
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They that have joined partners with Him, however, are unaware of such a
revelation, and are deprived of the Faith through which they can draw near
unto, and be united with, Him. Witness how the divers peoples and kindreds of
the earth bear witness to His unity, and recognize His oneness. But for the
sign of the Unity of God within them, they would have never acknowledged the
truth of the words, "There is none other God but God." And yet,
consider how grievously they have erred, and strayed from His path. Inasmuch as
they have failed to recognize the Sovereign Revealer, they have ceased to be
reckoned among those who may be regarded as true believers in the Unity of God.
This sign of the revelation of the Divine Being in them that have joined
partners with Him may, in a sense, be regarded as a reflection of the glory
with which the faithful are illumined. None, however, can comprehend this truth
save men endued with understanding. They that have truly recognized the Unity
of God should be regarded as the primary manifestations of this Name. It is
they who have quaffed the wine of Divine Unity from the cup which the hand of
God hath proffered unto them, and who have turned their faces towards Him. How
vast the distance that separateth these sanctified beings from those men that
are so far away from God!...
God grant that, with a penetrating vision, thou mayest perceive, in all things,
the sign of the revelation
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of Him Who is the Ancient King, and recognize how exalted and sanctified from
the whole creation is that most holy and sacred Being. This, in truth, is the
very root and essence of belief in the unity and singleness of God. "God
was alone; there was none else besides Him." He, now, is what He hath ever
been. There is none other God but Him, the One, the Incomparable, the Almighty,
the Most Exalted, the Most Great.
XCIV. And now concerning thy
reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to
join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been,
one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the
future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and
self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no
counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory.
To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates
of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names
are remembered before the Throne of Glory.
Bear thou witness in thine inmost heart unto this testimony which God hath
Himself and for Himself pronounced, that there is none other God but Him, that
all else besides Him have been created by His behest, have been fashioned by
His leave, are subject
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to His law, are as a thing forgotten when compared to the glorious evidences of
His oneness, and are as nothing when brought face to face with the mighty
revelations of His unity.
He, in truth, hath, throughout eternity, been one in His Essence, one in His
attributes, one in His works. Any and every comparison is applicable only to
His creatures, and all conceptions of association are conceptions that belong
solely to those that serve Him. Immeasurably exalted is His Essence above the
descriptions of His creatures. He, alone, occupieth the Seat of transcendent
majesty, of supreme and inaccessible glory. The birds of men's hearts, however
high they soar, can never hope to attain the heights of His unknowable Essence.
It is He Who hath called into being the whole of creation, Who hath caused
every created thing to spring forth at His behest. Shall, then, the thing that
was born by virtue of the word which His Pen hath revealed, and which the
finger of His Will hath directed, be regarded as partner with Him, or an
embodiment of His Self? Far be it from His glory that human pen or tongue
should hint at His mystery, or that human heart conceive His Essence. All else
besides Him stand poor and desolate at His door, all are powerless before the
greatness of His might, all are but slaves in His Kingdom. He is rich enough to
dispense with all creatures.
The tie of servitude established between the worshiper and the adored One,
between the creature and
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the Creator, should in itself be regarded as a token of His gracious favor unto
men, and not as an indication of any merit they may possess. To this testifieth
every true and discerning believer.
XCV. Know thou that, according
to what thy Lord, the Lord of all men, hath decreed in His Book, the favors
vouchsafed by Him unto mankind have been, and will ever remain, limitless in
their range. First and foremost among these favors, which the Almighty hath
conferred upon man, is the gift of understanding. His purpose in conferring
such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to know and recognize
the one true God--exalted be His glory. This gift giveth man the power to
discern the truth in all things, leadeth him to that which is right, and
helpeth him to discover the secrets of creation. Next in rank, is the power of
vision, the chief instrument whereby his understanding can function. The senses
of hearing, of the heart, and the like, are similarly to be reckoned among the
gifts with which the human body is endowed. Immeasurably exalted is the
Almighty Who hath created these powers, and revealed them in the body of man.
Every one of these gifts is an undoubted evidence of the majesty, the power,
the ascendancy, the all-embracing knowledge of the one true God--exalted be His
glory. Consider the sense of touch. Witness how its power hath spread itself
over the entire human
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body. Whereas the faculties of sight and of hearing are each localized in a
particular center, the sense of touch embraceth the whole human frame.
Glorified be His power, magnified be His sovereignty!
These gifts are inherent in man himself. That which is preeminent above all
other gifts, is incorruptible in nature, and pertaineth to God Himself, is the
gift of Divine Revelation. Every bounty conferred by the Creator upon man, be
it material or spiritual, is subservient unto this. It is, in its essence, and
will ever so remain, the Bread which cometh down from Heaven. It is God's
supreme testimony, the clearest evidence of His truth, the sign of His
consummate bounty, the token of His all-encompassing mercy, the proof of His
most loving providence, the symbol of His most perfect grace. He hath, indeed,
partaken of this highest gift of God who hath recognized His Manifestation in
this Day.
Render thanks unto thy Lord for having vouchsafed unto thee so great a bounty.
Lift up thy voice and say: All praise be to Thee, O Thou, the Desire of every
understanding heart!
XCVI. The Pen of the Most High
is unceasingly calling; and yet, how few are those that have inclined their ear
to its voice! The dwellers of the kingdom of names have busied themselves with
the gay livery of the world, forgetful that every man that
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hath eyes to perceive and ears to hear cannot but readily recognize how
evanescent are its colors.
A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and
yet none hath discovered its cause or perceived its motive. Consider the
peoples of the West. Witness how, in their pursuit of that which is vain and
trivial, they have sacrificed, and are still sacrificing, countless lives for
the sake of its establishment and promotion. The peoples of Persia, on the
other hand, though the repository of a perspicuous and luminous Revelation, the
glory of whose loftiness and renown hath encompassed the whole earth, are
dispirited and sunk in deep lethargy.
O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed,
neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted
through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised. Ye are the
stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of
day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men,
the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll. With the utmost unity, and in a
spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may be enabled to achieve
that which beseemeth this Day of God. Verily I say, strife and dissension, and
whatsoever the mind of man abhorreth are entirely unworthy of his station.
Center your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of
so high a calling, let him arise
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and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his
stead, proclaim this Revelation, whose power hath caused the foundations of the
mightiest structures to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and
every soul to be dumbfounded. Should the greatness of this Day be revealed in
its fullness, every man would forsake a myriad lives in his longing to partake,
though it be for one moment, of its great glory--how much more this world and
its corruptible treasures!
Be ye guided by wisdom in all your doings, and cleave ye tenaciously unto it.
Please God ye may all be strengthened to carry out that which is the Will of
God, and may be graciously assisted to appreciate the rank conferred upon such
of His loved ones as have arisen to serve Him and magnify His name. Upon them
be the glory of God, the glory of all that is in the heavens and all that is on
the earth, and the glory of the inmates of the most exalted Paradise, the
heaven of heavens.
XCVII. Consider the doubts
which they who have joined partners with God have instilled into the hearts of
the people of this land. "Is it ever possible," they ask, "for
copper to be transmuted into gold?" Say, Yes, by my Lord, it is possible.
Its secret, however, lieth hidden in Our Knowledge. We will reveal it unto whom
We will. Whoso doubteth Our power, let him ask the Lord his God, that He may
disclose
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unto him the secret, and assure him of its truth. That copper can be turned
into gold is in itself sufficient proof that gold can, in like manner, be
transmuted into copper, if they be of them that can apprehend this truth. Every
mineral can be made to acquire the density, form, and substance of each and
every other mineral. The knowledge thereof is with Us in the Hidden Book.
XCVIII. Say: O leaders of
religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are
current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring balance established
amongst men. In this most perfect balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds
of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight should be
tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it.
The eye of My loving-kindness weepeth sore over you, inasmuch as ye have failed
to recognize the One upon Whom ye have been calling in the daytime and in the
night season, at even and at morn. Advance, O people, with snow-white faces and
radiant hearts, unto the blest and crimson Spot, wherein the Sadratu'l-Muntahá
is calling: "Verily, there is none other God beside Me, the Omnipotent
Protector, the Self-Subsisting!"
O ye leaders of religion! Who is the man amongst you that can rival Me in
vision or insight? Where is he to be found that dareth to claim to be My equal
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in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the All-Merciful! All on the earth
shall pass away; and this is the face of your Lord, the Almighty, the
Well-Beloved.
We have decreed, O people, that the highest and last end of all learning be the
recognition of Him Who is the Object of all knowledge; and yet, behold how ye
have allowed your learning to shut you out, as by a veil, from Him Who is the
Day Spring of this Light, through Whom every hidden thing hath been revealed.
Could ye but discover the source whence the splendor of this utterance is
diffused, ye would cast away the peoples of the world and all that they
possess, and would draw nigh unto this most blessed Seat of glory.
Say: This, verily, is the heaven in which the Mother Book is treasured, could
ye but comprehend it. He it is Who hath caused the Rock to shout, and the
Burning Bush to lift up its voice, upon the Mount rising above the Holy Land,
and proclaim: "The Kingdom is God's, the sovereign Lord of all, the
All-Powerful, the Loving!"
We have not entered any school, nor read any of your dissertations. Incline
your ears to the words of this unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto
God, the Ever-Abiding. Better is this for you than all the treasures of the
earth, could ye but comprehend it.
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XCIX. The vitality of men's
belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome
medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the
vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can
cleanse and revive it? Is it within human power, O Hakím, to effect in the
constituent elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of matter
so complete a transformation as to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and
difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic
strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish.
The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the
Elixir itself. The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being
endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change.
C. The voice of the Divine
Herald, proceeding out of the throne of God, declareth: O ye My loved ones!
Suffer not the hem of My sacred vesture to be smirched and mired with the
things of this world, and follow not the promptings of your evil and corrupt
desires. The Day Star of Divine Revelation, that shineth in the plenitude of
its glory in the heaven of this Prison, beareth Me witness. They whose hearts
are turned towards Him Who is the Object of the adoration of the entire
creation must needs, in this
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Day, pass beyond and be sanctified from all created things, visible and
invisible. If they arise to teach My Cause, they must let the breath of Him Who
is the Unconstrained, stir them and must spread it abroad on the earth with
high resolve, with minds that are wholly centered in Him, and with hearts that
are completely detached from and independent of all things, and with souls that
are sanctified from the world and its vanities. It behoveth them to choose as
the best provision for their journey reliance upon God, and to clothe
themselves with the love of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious. If
they do so, their words shall influence their hearers.
How great, how very great, the gulf that separateth Us from them who, in this
Day, are occupied with their evil passions, and have set their hopes on the
things of the earth and its fleeting glory! Many a time hath the court of the
All-Merciful been to outward seeming so denuded of the riches of this world
that they who lived in close association with Him suffered from dire want.
Despite their sufferings, the Pen of the Most High hath, at no time, been
willing to refer, nor even to make the slightest allusion, to the things that
pertain to this world and its treasures. And if, at any time, any gift were
presented to Him, that gift was accepted as a token of His grace unto him that
offered it. Should it ever please Us to appropriate to Our own use all the
treasures of the earth, to none is given the right to question
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Our authority, or to challenge Our right. It would be impossible to conceive
any act more contemptible than soliciting, in the name of the one true God, the
riches which men possess.
It is incumbent upon thee, and upon the followers of Him Who is the Eternal
Truth, to summon all men to whatsoever shall sanctify them from all attachment
to the things of the earth and purge them from its defilements, that the sweet
smell of the raiment of the All-Glorious may be smelled from all them that love
Him.
They who are possessed of riches, however, must have the utmost regard for the
poor, for great is the honor destined by God for those poor who are steadfast
in patience. By My life! There is no honor, except what God may please to
bestow, that can compare to this honor. Great is the blessedness awaiting the
poor that endure patiently and conceal their sufferings, and well is it with
the rich who bestow their riches on the needy and prefer them before
themselves.
Please God, the poor may exert themselves and strive to earn the means of
livelihood. This is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been
prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly
deed. Whoso observeth this duty, the help of the invisible One shall most
certainly aid him. He can enrich, through His grace, whomsoever
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He pleaseth. He, verily, hath power over all things....
Tell, O `Alí, the loved ones of God that equity is the most fundamental among
human virtues. The evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it. Ponder a
while on the woes and afflictions which this Prisoner hath sustained. I have,
all the days of My life, been at the mercy of Mine enemies, and have suffered
each day, in the path of the love of God, a fresh tribulation. I have patiently
endured until the fame of the Cause of God was spread abroad on the earth. If
any one should now arise and, prompted by the vain imaginations his heart hath
devised, endeavor, openly or in secret, to sow the seeds of dissension amongst
men--can such a man be said to have acted with equity? No, by Him Whose might
extendeth over all things! By My life! Mine heart groaneth and mine eyes weep
sore for the Cause of God and for them that understand not what they say and
imagine what they cannot comprehend.
It beseemeth all men, in this Day, to take firm hold on the Most Great Name,
and to establish the unity of all mankind. There is no place to flee to, no
refuge that any one can seek, except Him. Should any man be led to utter such
words as will turn away the people from the shores of God's limitless ocean,
and cause them to fix their hearts on anything except this glorious and
manifest Being, that hath assumed a form subject to human limitations--such a
man, however
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lofty the station he may occupy, shall be denounced by the entire creation as
one that hath deprived himself of the sweet savors of the All-Merciful.
Say: Observe equity in your judgment, ye men of understanding heart! He that is
unjust in his judgment is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish
man's station. He Who is the Eternal Truth knoweth well what the breasts of men
conceal. His long forbearance hath emboldened His creatures, for not until the
appointed time is come will He rend any veil asunder. His surpassing mercy hath
restrained the fury of His wrath, and caused most people to imagine that the
one true God is unaware of the things they have privily committed. By Him Who
is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed! The mirror of His knowledge reflecteth,
with complete distinctness, precision and fidelity, the doings of all men. Say:
Praise be to Thee, O Concealer of the sins of the weak and helpless! Magnified
be Thy name, O Thou that forgivest the heedless ones that trespass against
Thee!
We have forbidden men to walk after the imaginations of their hearts, that they
may be enabled to recognize Him Who is the sovereign Source and Object of all
knowledge, and may acknowledge whatsoever He may be pleased to reveal. Witness
how they have entangled themselves with their idle fancies and vain
imaginations. By My life! They are themselves the victims of what their own
hearts have devised,
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and yet they perceive it not. Vain and profitless is the talk of their lips,
and yet they understand not.
We beseech God that He may graciously vouchsafe His grace unto all men, and
enable them to attain the knowledge of Him and of themselves. By My life! Whoso
hath known Him shall soar in the immensity of His love, and shall be detached
from the world and all that is therein. Nothing on earth shall deflect him from
his course, how much less they who, prompted by their vain imaginations, speak
those things which God hath forbidden.
Say: This is the Day when every ear must needs be attentive to His voice.
Hearken ye to the Call of this wronged One, and magnify ye the name of the one
true God, and adorn yourselves with the ornament of His remembrance, and
illumine your hearts with the light of His love. This is the key that unlocketh
the hearts of men, the burnish that shall cleanse the souls of all beings. He
that is careless of what hath poured out from the finger of the Will of God
liveth in manifest error. Amity and rectitude of conduct, rather than
dissension and mischief, are the marks of true faith.
Proclaim unto men what He, Who speaketh the truth and is the Bearer of the Trust
of God, hath bidden thee observe. My glory be with thee, O thou that callest
upon My name, whose eyes are directed towards My court, and whose tongue
uttereth the praise of thy Lord, the Beneficent.
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