GLEANINGS
FROM THE WRITINGS OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
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I. Lauded and glorified art
Thou, O Lord, my God! How can I make mention of Thee, assured as I am that no tongue,
however deep its wisdom, can befittingly magnify Thy name, nor can the bird of
the human heart, however great its longing, ever hope to ascend into the heaven
of Thy majesty and knowledge.
If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find myself
compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of perception have
been created by virtue of Thy behest. And if I extol Thee as Him Who is the
All-Wise, I, likewise, am forced to recognize that the Well Springs of wisdom
have themselves been generated through the operation of Thy Will. And if I
proclaim Thee as the Incomparable One, I soon discover that they Who are the
inmost essence of oneness have been sent down by Thee and are but the evidences
of Thine handiwork. And if I acclaim Thee as the Knower of all things, I must
confess that they Who are the Quintessence of knowledge are but the creation
and instruments of Thy Purpose.
Exalted, immeasurably exalted, art Thou above the strivings of mortal man to
unravel Thy mystery, to
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describe Thy glory, or even to hint at the nature of Thine Essence. For
whatever such strivings may accomplish, they never can hope to transcend the
limitations imposed upon Thy creatures, inasmuch as these efforts are actuated by
Thy decree, and are begotten of Thine invention. The loftiest sentiments which
the holiest of saints can express in praise of Thee, and the deepest wisdom
which the most learned of men can utter in their attempts to comprehend Thy
nature, all revolve around that Center Which is wholly subjected to Thy
sovereignty, Which adoreth Thy Beauty, and is propelled through the movement of
Thy Pen.
Nay, forbid it, O my God, that I should have uttered such words as must of
necessity imply the existence of any direct relationship between the Pen of Thy
Revelation and the essence of all created things. Far, far are They Who are
related to Thee above the conception of such relationship! All comparisons and
likenesses fail to do justice to the Tree of Thy Revelation, and every way is
barred to the comprehension of the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day Spring
of Thy Beauty.
Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee, or attribute
unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee! Whatever duty Thou
hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the utmost Thy majesty and
glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that they may be enabled
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to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station
of the knowledge of their own selves.
No one else besides Thee hath, at any time, been able to fathom Thy mystery, or
befittingly to extol Thy greatness. Unsearchable and high above the praise of
men wilt Thou remain for ever. There is none other God but Thee, the
Inaccessible, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the Holy of Holies.
II. The beginning of all things
is the knowledge of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of
whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine Will that
pervadeth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth.
III. The Revelation which, from
time immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the
Prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by
virtue of the pervasive Will of the Almighty and at His irresistible bidding,
been revealed unto men. The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in
all the sacred Scriptures. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement,
mankind hath strayed from its path and shut out itself from its glory.
Say: O ye lovers of the One true God! Strive, that ye may truly recognize and
know Him, and observe befittingly His precepts. This is a Revelation, under
which, if a man shed for its sake one drop of blood, myriads of oceans will be
his recompense. Take heed, O friends, that ye forfeit not so inestimable a
benefit, or disregard its transcendent station. Consider the multitude of lives
that have been, and are still being, sacrificed in a world deluded by a mere
phantom which the vain imaginations of its peoples have conceived. Render
thanks unto God, inasmuch as ye have attained unto your heart's Desire, and
been united to Him Who is the Promise of all nations. Guard ye, with the aid of
the one true God--exalted be His glory--the integrity of the station which ye
have attained, and cleave to that which shall promote His Cause. He, verily,
enjoineth on you what is right and conducive to the exaltation of man's
station. Glorified be the All-Merciful, the Revealer of this wondrous Tablet.
IV. This is the Day in which
God's most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His
most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon
all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect
unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and
loving-kindness. It behoveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be
conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their
best interests. Happy are those whom the all-glorious Pen was moved to
remember,
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and blessed are those men whose names, by virtue of Our inscrutable decree, We
have preferred to conceal.
Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to
fulfil that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the present-day order
be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh
the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.
V. This
is the Day whereon the Ocean of God's mercy hath been manifested unto men, the
Day in which the Day Star of His loving-kindness hath shed its radiance upon
them, the Day in which the clouds of His bountiful favor have overshadowed the
whole of mankind. Now is the time to cheer and refresh the down-cast through
the invigorating breeze of love and fellowship, and the living waters of
friendliness and charity.
They who are the beloved of God, in whatever place they gather and whomsoever
they may meet, must evince, in their attitude towards God, and in the manner of
their celebration of His praise and glory, such humility and submissiveness
that every atom of the dust beneath their feet may attest the depth of their devotion.
The conversation carried by these holy souls should be informed with such power
that these same atoms of dust will be thrilled by its influence. They should
conduct themselves in such
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manner that the earth upon which they tread may never be allowed to address to
them such words as these: "I am to be preferred above you. For witness,
how patient I am in bearing the burden which the husbandman layeth upon me. I
am the instrument that continually imparteth unto all beings the blessings with
which He Who is the Source of all grace hath entrusted me. Notwithstanding the
honor conferred upon me, and the unnumbered evidences of my wealth--a wealth
that supplieth the needs of all creation--behold the measure of my humility,
witness with what absolute submissiveness I allow myself to be trodden beneath
the feet of men...."
Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should any one among
you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be striving to comprehend it,
show forth, when conversing with him, a spirit of extreme kindliness and
good-will. Help him to see and recognize the truth, without esteeming yourself
to be, in the least, superior to him, or to be possessed of greater endowments.
The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of grace
which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, consider the largeness or
smallness of the receptacle. The portion of some might lie in the palm of a
man's hand, the portion of others might fill a cup, and of others even a
gallon-measure.
Every eye, in this Day, should seek what will best
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promote the Cause of God. He, Who is the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness!
Nothing whatever can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon this Cause than
dissension and strife, contention, estrangement and apathy, among the loved
ones of God. Flee them, through the power of God and His sovereign aid, and
strive ye to knit together the hearts of men, in His Name, the Unifier, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Beseech ye the one true God to grant that ye may taste the savor of such deeds
as are performed in His path, and partake of the sweetness of such humility and
submissiveness as are shown for His sake. Forget your own selves, and turn your
eyes towards your neighbor. Bend your energies to whatever may foster the
education of men. Nothing is, or can ever be, hidden from God. If ye follow in
His way, His incalculable and imperishable blessings will be showered upon you.
This is the luminous Tablet, whose verses have streamed from the moving Pen of
Him Who is the Lord of all worlds. Ponder it in your hearts, and be ye of them
that observe its precepts.
VI. Behold, how the divers
peoples and kindreds of the earth have been waiting for the coming of the
Promised One. No sooner had He, Who is the Sun of Truth, been made manifest,
than, lo, all turned away from Him, except them whom God was pleased to guide.
We dare not, in this Day, lift the veil that concealeth the exalted station
which every true believer
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can attain, for the joy which such a revelation must provoke might well cause a
few to faint away and die.
He Who is the Heart and Center of the Bayán hath written: "The germ that
holdeth within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that is to come is
endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces of all those who follow
Me." And, again, He saith: "Of all the tributes I have paid to Him
Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no
words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in My
Book, the Bayán, do justice to His Cause."
Whoso hath searched the depths of the oceans that lie hid within these exalted words,
and fathomed their import, can be said to have discovered a glimmer of the
unspeakable glory with which this mighty, this sublime, and most holy
Revelation hath been endowed. From the excellence of so great a Revelation the
honor with which its faithful followers must needs be invested can be well
imagined. By the righteousness of the one true God! The very breath of these
souls is in itself richer than all the treasures of the earth. Happy is the man
that hath attained thereunto, and woe betide the heedless.
VII. Verily I say, this is the
Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised
One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath
been lifted up upon men. It behoveth every man to blot out the trace of every
idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased
mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens
of His glory.
Great indeed is this Day! The allusions made to it in all the sacred Scriptures
as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every Prophet of God, of
every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous Day. All the divers
kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to attain it. No sooner, however,
had the Day Star of His Revelation manifested itself in the heaven of God's
Will, than all, except those whom the Almighty was pleased to guide, were found
dumbfounded and heedless.
O thou that hast remembered Me! The most grievous veil hath shut out the
peoples of the earth from His glory, and hindered them from hearkening to His
call. God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that
the seal, "the Kingdom is God's", may be stamped upon the brow of all
its peoples.
VIII. By the righteousness of
God! These are the days in which God hath proved the hearts of the entire
company of His Messengers and Prophets, and beyond them those that stand guard
over His sacred and inviolable Sanctuary, the inmates of the celestial
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Pavilion and dwellers of the Tabernacle of Glory. How severe, therefore, the
test to which they who join partners with God must needs be subjected!
IX. O Husayn! Consider the
eagerness with which certain peoples and nations have anticipated the return of
Imám-Husayn, whose coming, after the appearance of the Qá'im, hath been
prophesied, in days past, by the chosen ones of God, exalted be His glory.
These holy ones have, moreover, announced that when He Who is the Day Spring of
the manifold grace of God manifesteth Himself, all the Prophets and Messengers,
including the Qá'im, will gather together beneath the shadow of the sacred
Standard which the Promised One will raise. That hour is now come. The world is
illumined with the effulgent glory of His countenance. And yet, behold how far
its peoples have strayed from His path! None have believed in Him except them
who, through the power of the Lord of Names, have shattered the idols of their
vain imaginings and corrupt desires and entered the city of certitude. The seal
of the choice Wine of His Revelation hath, in this Day and in His Name, the
Self-Sufficing, been broken. Its grace is being poured out upon men. Fill thy
cup, and drink in, in His Name, the Most Holy, the All-Praised.
X. The time foreordained unto
the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of
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God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion
hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof,
are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in
his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting. Meditate upon this, O ye beloved of God, and let your ears
be attentive unto His Word, so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your
fill from the crystal waters of constancy, and become as steadfast and
immovable as the mountain in His Cause.
In the Book of Isaiah it is written: "Enter into the rock, and hide thee
in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty." No
man that meditateth upon this verse can fail to recognize the greatness of this
Cause, or doubt the exalted character of this Day--the Day of God Himself. This
same verse is followed by these words: "And the Lord alone shall be
exalted in that Day." This is the Day which the Pen of the Most High hath
glorified in all the holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them that doth not
declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that doth not testify unto the
loftiness of this most exalted theme. Were We to make mention of all that hath
been revealed in these heavenly Books and holy Scriptures concerning this
Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible dimensions. It is incumbent in
this Day, upon every man to place his whole trust
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in the manifold bounties of God, and arise to disseminate, with the utmost
wisdom, the verities of His Cause. Then, and only then, will the whole earth be
enveloped with the morning light of His Revelation.
XI. All glory be to this Day,
the Day in which the fragrances of mercy have been wafted over all created
things, a Day so blest that past ages and centuries can never hope to rival it,
a Day in which the countenance of the Ancient of Days hath turned towards His
holy seat. Thereupon the voices of all created things, and beyond them those of
the Concourse on high, were heard calling aloud: "Haste thee, O Carmel,
for lo, the light of the countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names
and Fashioner of the heavens, hath been lifted upon thee."
Seized with transports of joy, and raising high her voice, she thus exclaimed:
"May my life be a sacrifice to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast fixed Thy gaze
upon me, hast bestowed upon me Thy bounty, and hast directed towards me Thy
steps. Separation from Thee, O Thou Source of everlasting life, hath well nigh
consumed me, and my remoteness from Thy presence hath burned away my soul. All
praise be to Thee for having enabled me to hearken to Thy call, for having
honored me with Thy footsteps, and for having quickened my soul through the
vitalizing fragrance of Thy Day and the shrilling voice of Thy
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Pen, a voice Thou didst ordain as Thy trumpet-call amidst Thy people. And when
the hour at which Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest did strike, Thou
didst breathe a breath of Thy spirit into Thy Pen, and lo, the entire creation
shook to its very foundations, unveiling to mankind such mysteries as lay
hidden within the treasuries of Him Who is the Possessor of all created
things."
No sooner had her voice reached that most exalted Spot than We made reply:
"Render thanks unto thy Lord, O Carmel. The fire of thy separation from Me
was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence surged before thy face,
cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling with delight all
things visible and invisible. Rejoice, for God hath in this Day established
upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of His signs and the day
spring of the evidences of His Revelation. Well is it with him that circleth
around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy glory, and recounteth that
which the bounty of the Lord thy God hath showered upon thee. Seize thou the
Chalice of Immortality in the name of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, and give
thanks unto Him, inasmuch as He, in token of His mercy unto thee, hath turned
thy sorrow into gladness, and transmuted thy grief into blissful joy. He,
verily, loveth the spot which hath been made the seat of His throne, which His
footsteps have trodden, which hath been honored by His presence, from which He
raised His call, and upon which He shed His tears.
"Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was
hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest;
His all-encompassing splendor is revealed. Beware lest thou hesitate or halt.
Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended from
heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favored
of God, the pure in heart, and the company of the most exalted angels. Oh, how
I long to announce unto every spot on the surface of the earth, and to carry to
each one of its cities, the glad-tidings of this Revelation--a Revelation to
which the heart of Sinai hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning
Bush is calling: `Unto God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and
heaven.' Verily this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this
announcement, the Day for which have been laid up those things which God,
through a bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for
revelation. Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the
people of Bahá who have been mentioned in the Book of Names."
Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all the
atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of Grandeur hath
been moved to disclose that which had been
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wrapt in His knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might. He,
verily, through the potency of His name, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Most
High, is the ruler of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.
XII. Bestir yourselves, O
people, in anticipation of the days of Divine justice, for the promised hour is
now come. Beware lest ye fail to apprehend its import and be accounted among
the erring.
XIII. Consider the past. How
many, both high and low, have, at all times, yearningly awaited the advent of
the Manifestations of God in the sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How
often have they expected His coming, how frequently have they prayed that the
breeze of Divine mercy might blow, and the promised Beauty step forth from
behind the veil of concealment, and be made manifest to all the world. And
whensoever the portals of grace did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did
rain upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen did shine above the horizon of
celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned away from His face--the face
of God Himself....
Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds? What could have
prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the All-Glorious?
Whatever in days gone by hath been the cause
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of the denial and opposition of those people hath now led to the perversity of
the people of this age. To maintain that the testimony of Providence was
incomplete, that it hath therefore been the cause of the denial of the people,
is but open blasphemy. How far from the grace of the All-Bountiful and from His
loving providence and tender mercies it is to single out a soul from amongst
all men for the guidance of His creatures, and, on one hand, to withhold from
Him the full measure of His divine testimony, and, on the other, inflict severe
retribution on His people for having turned away from His chosen One! Nay, the
manifold bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at all times, through the
Manifestations of His Divine Essence, encompassed the earth and all that dwell
therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers of
His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind. Consequently, such behavior
can be attributed to naught save the petty-mindedness of such souls as tread
the valley of arrogance and pride, are lost in the wilds of remoteness, walk in
the ways of their idle fancy, and follow the dictates of the leaders of their
faith. Their chief concern is mere opposition; their sole desire is to ignore
the truth. Unto every discerning observer it is evident and manifest that had
these people in the days of each of the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth
sanctified their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from whatever they had
seen, heard, and felt, they surely
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would not have been deprived of beholding the beauty of God, nor strayed far
from the habitations of glory. But having weighed the testimony of God by the
standard of their own knowledge, gleaned from the teachings of the leaders of
their faith, and found it at variance with their limited understanding, they
arose to perpetrate such unseemly acts....
Consider Moses! Armed with the rod of celestial dominion, adorned with the
white hand of Divine knowledge, and proceeding from the Párán of the love of God,
and wielding the serpent of power and everlasting majesty, He shone forth from
the Sinai of light upon the world. He summoned all the peoples and kindreds of
the earth to the kingdom of eternity, and invited them to partake of the fruit
of the tree of faithfulness. Surely you are aware of the fierce opposition of
Pharaoh and his people, and of the stones of idle fancy which the hands of
infidels cast upon that blessed Tree. So much so that Pharaoh and his people
finally arose and exerted their utmost endeavor to extinguish with the waters
of falsehood and denial the fire of that sacred Tree, oblivious of the truth
that no earthly water can quench the flames of Divine wisdom, nor mortal blasts
extinguish the lamp of everlasting dominion. Nay, rather, such water cannot but
intensify the burning of the flame, and such blasts cannot but ensure the
preservation of the lamp, were ye to observe with the eye of discernment, and
walk in the way of God's holy will and pleasure....
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And when the days of Moses were ended, and the light of Jesus, shining forth
from the Day Spring of the Spirit, encompassed the world, all the people of
Israel arose in protest against Him. They clamored that He Whose advent the
Bible had foretold must needs promulgate and fulfil the laws of Moses, whereas
this youthful Nazarene, who laid claim to the station of the divine Messiah,
had annulled the laws of divorce and of the sabbath day--the most weighty of
all the laws of Moses. Moreover, what of the signs of the Manifestation yet to
come? These people of Israel are even unto the present day still expecting that
Manifestation which the Bible hath foretold! How many Manifestations of
Holiness, how many Revealers of the light everlasting, have appeared since the
time of Moses, and yet Israel, wrapt in the densest veils of satanic fancy and
false imaginings, is still expectant that the idol of her own handiwork will
appear with such signs as she herself hath conceived! Thus hath God laid hold
of them for their sins, hath extinguished in them the spirit of faith, and
tormented them with the flames of the nethermost fire. And this for no other
reason except that Israel refused to apprehend the meaning of such words as
have been revealed in the Bible concerning the signs of the coming Revelation.
As she never grasped their true significance, and, to outward seeming, such
events never came to pass, she, therefore, remained deprived of recognizing the
beauty of Jesus and of beholding the Face of God. And they still await His
coming! From time immemorial even unto this day, all the kindreds and peoples
of the earth have clung to such fanciful and unseemly thoughts, and thus have
deprived themselves of the clear waters streaming from the springs of purity
and holiness....
To them that are endowed with understanding, it is clear and manifest that,
when the fire of the love of Jesus consumed the veils of Jewish limitations,
and His authority was made apparent and partially enforced, He, the Revealer of
the unseen Beauty, addressing one day His disciples, referred unto His passing,
and, kindling in their hearts the fire of bereavement, said unto them: "I
go away and come again unto you." And in another place He said: "I go
and another will come, Who will tell you all that I have not told you, and will
fulfil all that I have said." Both these sayings have but one meaning,
were ye to ponder upon the Manifestations of the Unity of God with Divine
insight.
Every discerning observer will recognize that in the Dispensation of the Qur'án
both the Book and the Cause of Jesus were confirmed. As to the matter of names,
Muhammad, Himself, declared: "I am Jesus." He recognized the truth of
the signs, prophecies, and words of Jesus, and testified that they were all of
God. In this sense, neither the person of Jesus nor His writings hath differed
from that of Muhammad and of His holy Book, inasmuch as both have
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championed the Cause of God, uttered His praise, and revealed His commandments.
Thus it is that Jesus, Himself, declared: "I go away and come again unto
you." Consider the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of
yesterday," it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence
of time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the
truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the
same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their
particular names and designations, that they differ, that again is true. For
though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate
designation, a specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly
the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various
Manifestations of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by
the Creator of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and
unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that everlasting
Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and
titles....
When the Unseen, the Eternal, the Divine Essence, caused the Day Star of
Muhammad to rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils which the
Jewish divines raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet should be
sent of God. Yea, mention hath been made in the Scriptures of a Soul Who must
needs be made manifest and Who will advance
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the Faith, and promote the interests of the people of Moses, so that the Law of
the Mosaic Dispensation may encompass the whole earth. Thus hath the King of
eternal glory referred in His Book to the words uttered by those wanderers in
the vale of remoteness and error: "`The hand of God,' say the Jews, `is
chained up.' Chained up be their own hands; And for that which they have said,
they were accursed. Nay, outstretched are both His hands!" "The hand
of God is above their hands." Although the commentators of the Qur'án have
related in divers manners the circumstances attending the revelation of this
verse, yet thou shouldst endeavor to apprehend the purpose thereof. He saith:
How false is that which the Jews have imagined! How can the hand of Him Who is
the King in truth, Who caused the countenance of Moses to be made manifest, and
conferred upon Him the robe of Prophethood--how can the hand of such a One be
chained and fettered? How can He be conceived as powerless to raise up yet
another Messenger after Moses? Behold the absurdity of their saying; how far it
hath strayed from the path of knowledge and understanding! Observe how in this
Day also, all these people have occupied themselves with such foolish
absurdities. For over a thousand years they have been reciting this verse, and
unwittingly pronouncing their censure against the Jews, utterly unaware that
they themselves, openly and privily, are voicing the sentiments and belief of
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Jewish people! Thou art surely aware of their idle contention, that all
Revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the
day springs of eternal holiness no Sun shall rise again, that the Ocean of
everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle of
ancient glory the Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest. Such is
the measure of the understanding of these small-minded, contemptible people.
These people have imagined that the flow of God's all-encompassing grace and
plenteous mercies, the cessation of which no mind can contemplate, has been
halted. From every side they have risen and girded up the loins of tyranny, and
exerted the utmost endeavor to quench with the bitter waters of their vain
fancy the flame of God's Burning Bush, oblivious that the globe of power shall,
within its own mighty stronghold, protect the Lamp of God....
Behold how the sovereignty of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, is today apparent
and manifest amongst the people. You are well aware of what befell His Faith in
the early days of His Dispensation. What woeful sufferings did the hand of the
infidel and erring, the divines of that age and their associates, inflict upon
that spiritual Essence, that most pure and holy Being! How abundant the thorns
and briars which they have strewn over His path! It is evident that that
wretched generation, in their wicked and satanic fancy, regarded every injury
to that immortal
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Being as a means to the attainment of an abiding felicity; inasmuch as the
recognized divines of that age, such as `Abdu'lláh-i-Ubayy, Abú'Amír, the
hermit, Ka'b-ibn-i-Ashraf, and Nadr-ibn-i-Hárith, all treated Him as an
impostor, and pronounced Him a lunatic and a calumniator. Such sore accusations
they brought against Him that in recounting them God forbiddeth the ink to
flow, Our pen to move, or the page to bear them. These malicious imputations
provoked the people to arise and torment Him. And how fierce that torment, if
the divines of the age be its chief instigators, if they denounce Him to their
followers, cast Him out from their midst, and declare Him a miscreant! Hath not
the same befallen this Servant, and been witnessed by all?
For this reason did Muhammad cry out: "No Prophet of God hath suffered
such harm as I have suffered." And in the Qur'án are recorded all the
calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as well as all the afflictions
which He suffered. Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be informed of that
which hath befallen His Revelation. So grievous was His plight, that for a time
all ceased to hold intercourse with Him and His companions. Whoever associated
with Him fell a victim to the relentless cruelty of His enemies....
Consider, how great is the change today! Behold, how many are the Sovereigns
who bow the knee before His name! How numerous the nations and kingdoms who
have sought the shelter of His shadow, who bear allegiance to His Faith, and
pride themselves therein! From the pulpit-top there ascendeth today the words of
praise which, in utter lowliness, glorify His blessed name; and from the
heights of minarets there resoundeth the call that summoneth the concourse of
His people to adore Him. Even those Kings of the earth who have refused to
embrace His Faith and to put off the garment of unbelief, none-the-less confess
and acknowledge the greatness and overpowering majesty of that Day Star of
loving-kindness. Such is His earthly sovereignty, the evidences of which thou
dost on every side behold. This sovereignty must needs be revealed and
established either in the lifetime of every Manifestation of God or after His
ascension unto His true habitation in the realms above....
It is evident that the changes brought about in every Dispensation constitute
the dark clouds that intervene between the eye of man's understanding and the
Divine Luminary which shineth forth from the day spring of the Divine Essence.
Consider how men for generations have been blindly imitating their fathers, and
have been trained according to such ways and manners as have been laid down by
the dictates of their Faith. Were these men, therefore, to discover suddenly
that a Man, Who hath been living in their midst, Who, with respect to every
human limitation
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hath been their equal, had risen to abolish every established principle imposed
by their Faith--principles by which for centuries they have been disciplined,
and every opposer and denier of which they have come to regard as infidel,
profligate and wicked,--they would of a certainty be veiled and hindered from
acknowledging His truth. Such things are as "clouds" that veil the
eyes of those whose inner being hath not tasted the Salsabíl of detachment, nor
drunk from the Kawthar of the knowledge of God. Such men, when acquainted with
those circumstances, become so veiled that, without the least question, they
pronounce the Manifestation of God as infidel, and sentence Him to death. You
must have heard of such things taking place all down the ages, and are now
observing them in these days.
It behoveth us, therefore, to make the utmost endeavor, that, by God's
invisible assistance, these dark veils, these clouds of Heaven-sent trials, may
not hinder us from beholding the beauty of His shining Countenance, and that we
may recognize Him only by His own Self.
XIV. The Divine Springtime is
come, O Most Exalted Pen, for the Festival of the All-Merciful is fast
approaching. Bestir thyself, and magnify, before the entire creation, the name
of God, and celebrate His praise, in such wise that all created things may be
regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold not thy
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peace. The day star of blissfulness shineth above the horizon of Our name, the
Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom of the name of God hath been adorned with the
ornament of the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Arise before the
nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the power of this Most Great Name,
and be not of those who tarry.
Methinks that thou hast halted and movest not upon My Tablet. Could the brightness
of the Divine Countenance have bewildered thee, or the idle talk of the froward
filled thee with grief and paralyzed thy movement? Take heed lest anything
deter thee from extolling the greatness of this Day--the Day whereon the Finger
of majesty and power hath opened the seal of the Wine of Reunion, and called
all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Preferrest thou to
tarry when the breeze announcing the Day of God hath already breathed over
thee, or art thou of them that are shut out as by a veil from Him?
No veil whatever have I allowed, O Lord of all names and Creator of the
heavens, to shut me from the recognition of the glories of Thy Day--the Day
which is the lamp of guidance unto the whole world, and the sign of the Ancient
of Days unto all them that dwell therein. My silence is by reason of the veils
that have blinded Thy creatures' eyes to Thee, and my muteness is because of
the impediments that have hindered Thy people from recognizing Thy truth.
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Thou knowest what is in me, but I know not what is in Thee. Thou art the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed. By Thy name that excelleth all other names! If
Thy overruling and all-compelling behest should ever reach me, it would empower
me to revive the souls of all men, through Thy most exalted Word, which I have
heard uttered by Thy Tongue of power in Thy Kingdom of glory. It would enable
me to announce the revelation of Thy effulgent countenance wherethrough that
which lay hidden from the eyes of men hath been manifested in Thy name, the
Perspicuous, the sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
Canst thou discover any one but Me, O Pen, in this Day? What hath become of the
creation and the manifestations thereof? What of the names and their kingdom?
Whither are gone all created things, whether seen or unseen? What of the hidden
secrets of the universe and its revelations? Lo, the entire creation hath
passed away! Nothing remaineth except My Face, the Ever-Abiding, the
Resplendent, the All-Glorious.
This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light
that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful.
Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and
all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a
token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of
Days.
This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: "Great is thy
blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and
been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne." The realm of glory
exclaimeth: "Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who
is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee,
through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things, whether
of the past or of the future." This is the Day whereon every sweet
smelling thing hath derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment--a
garment that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation. This is the Day
whereon the rushing waters of everlasting life have gushed out of the Will of
the All-Merciful. Haste ye, with your hearts and souls, and quaff your fill, O
Concourse of the realms above!
Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the Unknowable, the
Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but perceive it. He it is Who hath laid
bare before you the hidden and treasured Gem, were ye to seek it. He it is Who
is the one Beloved of all things, whether of the past or of the future. Would
that ye might set your hearts and hopes upon Him!
We have heard the voice of thy pleading, O Pen,
and excuse thy
silence. What is it that hath so sorely bewildered thee?
The inebriation of Thy presence, O Well-Beloved of all worlds, hath seized and
possessed me.
Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the
All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridván and entered it. Guide,
then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of
His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is
to signalize the resurrection of all mankind.
Say: This is the Paradise on whose foliage the wine of utterance hath imprinted
the testimony: "He that was hidden from the eyes of men is revealed,
girded with sovereignty and power!" This is the Paradise, the rustling of
whose leaves proclaims: "O ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth!
There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared. He Who, from
everlasting, had concealed His Face from the sight of creation is now
come." From the whispering breeze that wafteth amidst its branches there
cometh the cry: "He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is made manifest. The
Kingdom is God's," while from its streaming waters can be heard the
murmur: "All eyes are gladdened, for He Whom none hath beheld, Whose
secret no one hath discovered, hath lifted the veil of glory, and uncovered the
countenance of Beauty."
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Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers, the Maids
of Heaven have cried out and shouted: "Rejoice, ye dwellers of the realms
above, for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are ringing, in the
name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the midmost heart of the
heavens. The hands of bounty have borne round the cup of everlasting life.
Approach, and quaff your fill. Drink with healthy relish, O ye that are the
very incarnations of longing, ye who are the embodiments of vehement
desire!"
This is the Day whereon He Who is the Revealer of the names of God hath stepped
out of the Tabernacle of glory, and proclaimed unto all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth: "Put away the cups of Paradise and all the
life-giving waters they contain, for lo, the people of Bahá have entered the
blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed the wine of reunion, from
the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most
High."
Forget the world of creation, O Pen, and turn thou towards the face of thy
Lord, the Lord of all names. Adorn, then, the world with the ornament of the
favors of thy Lord, the King of everlasting days. For We perceive the fragrance
of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all nations hath shed upon the
kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the splendor of the light of His most
excellent names, and enveloped them with the radiance of the luminaries
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of His most gracious favors--favors which none can reckon except Him, Who is
the omnipotent Protector of the entire creation.
Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of
mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our
grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true
servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon
those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of
immortality, and they who believe in His unity, the wine of His Presence,
through their recognition of Him Who is the Highest and Last End of all, in
Whom the Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call: "The Kingdom is
Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler."
Attract the hearts of men, through the call of Him, the one alone Beloved. Say:
This is the Voice of God, if ye do but hearken. This is the Day Spring of the
Revelation of God, did ye but know it. This is the Dawning-Place of the Cause
of God, were ye to recognize it. This is the Source of the commandment of God,
did ye but judge it fairly. This is the manifest and hidden Secret; would that
ye might perceive it. O peoples of the world! Cast away, in My name that
transcendeth all other names, the things ye possess, and immerse yourselves in
this Ocean in whose depths lay hidden the pearls of wisdom and of utterance, an
ocean that surgeth in My name, the All-Merciful.
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Thus instructeth you He with Whom is the Mother Book.
The Best-Beloved is come. In His right hand is the sealed Wine of His name.
Happy is the man that turneth unto Him, and drinketh his fill, and exclaimeth:
"Praise be to Thee, O Revealer of the signs of God!" By the
righteousness of the Almighty! Every hidden thing hath been manifested through
the power of truth. All the favors of God have been sent down, as a token of
His grace. The waters of everlasting life have, in their fullness, been
proffered unto men. Every single cup hath been borne round by the hand of the
Well-Beloved. Draw near, and tarry not, though it be for one short moment.
Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment and attained the
station which, as ordained by God, overshadoweth the entire creation, whom
neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude of the hosts of
the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His Cause. Who is there among you,
O people, who will renounce the world, and draw nigh unto God, the Lord of all
names? Where is he to be found who, through the power of My name that transcendeth
all created things, will cast away the things that men possess, and cling, with
all his might, to the things which God, the Knower of the unseen and of the
seen, hath bidden him observe? Thus hath His bounty been sent down unto men,
His testimony fulfilled, and His proof shone
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forth above the Horizon of mercy. Rich is the prize that shall be won by him
who hath believed and exclaimed: "Lauded art Thou, O Beloved of all
worlds! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou the Desire of every understanding heart!"
Rejoice with exceeding gladness, O people of Bahá, as ye call to remembrance
the Day of supreme felicity, the Day whereon the Tongue of the Ancient of Days
hath spoken, as He departed from His House, proceeding to the Spot from which
He shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of His name, the All-Merciful.
God is Our witness. Were We to reveal the hidden secrets of that Day, all they
that dwell on earth and in the heavens would swoon away and die, except such as
will be preserved by God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Such is the inebriating effect of the words of God upon Him Who is the Revealer
of His undoubted proofs, that His Pen can move no longer. With these words He
concludeth His Tablet: "No God is there but Me, the Most Exalted, the Most
Powerful, the Most Excellent, the All-Knowing."
XV. The Pen of Revelation
exclaimeth: "On this Day the Kingdom is God's!" The Tongue of Power
is calling: "On this Day all sovereignty is, in very deed, with God!"
The Phoenix of the realms above crieth out from the immortal Branch: "The
glory of all greatness belongeth to God, the Incomparable, the
All-Compelling!"
The Mystic Dove proclaimeth from its blissful bower, in the everlasting
Paradise: "The source of all bounty is derived, in this Day, from God, the
One, the Forgiving!" The Bird of the Throne warbleth its melody in its
retreats of holiness: "Supreme ascendancy is to be attributed, this Day,
to none except God, Him Who hath no peer nor equal, Who is the Most Powerful, the
All-Subduing!" The inmost essence of all things voiceth in all things the
testimony: "All forgiveness floweth, in this Day, from God, Him to Whom
none can compare, with Whom no partners can be joined, the Sovereign Protector
of all men, and the Concealer of their sins!" The Quintessence of Glory
hath lifted up its voice above My head, and crieth from such heights as neither
pen nor tongue can in any degree describe: "God is my witness! He, the
Ancient of everlasting days is come, girded with majesty and power. There is
none other God but Him, the All-Glorious, the Almighty, the All-Highest, the
All-Wise, the All-Pervading, the All-Seeing, the All-Informed, the Sovereign
Protector, the Source of eternal light!"
O My servant, who hast sought the good-pleasure of God and clung to His love on
the Day when all except a few who were endued with insight have broken away
from Him! May God, through His grace, recompense thee with a generous, an
incorruptible and everlasting reward, inasmuch as thou hast sought Him on the
Day when eyes were blinded.
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Know thou that if We reveal to thee but a sprinkling of the showers which,
through God's decree, and at the hands of the envious and the malicious, have
rained upon Us, thou wouldst weep with a great weeping, and wouldst bewail day
and night Our plight. Oh, would that a discerning and fair-minded soul could be
found who would recognize the wonders of this Revelation--wonders that proclaim
the sovereignty of God and the greatness of its power. Would that such a man
might arise and, wholly for the sake of God, admonish, privately and openly,
the people, that haply they may bestir themselves and aid this wronged One Whom
the workers of iniquity have so sorely afflicted.
Methinks that I hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit calling from behind Me
saying: Vary Thou Thy theme, and alter Thy tone, lest the heart of him who hath
fixed his gaze upon Thy face be saddened. Say: I have through the grace of God
and His might besought the help of no one in the past, neither will I seek the
help of any one in the future. He it is Who aided Me, through the power of
truth, during the days of My banishment in Iraq. He it is Who overshadowed Me
with His protection at a time when the kindreds of the earth were contending with
Me. He it is Who enabled Me to depart out of the city, clothed with such
majesty as none, except the denier and the malicious, can fail to admit.
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Say: My army is My reliance on God; My people, the force of My confidence in
Him. My love is My standard, and My companion the remembrance of God, the
Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Unconditioned.
Arise, O wayfarer in the path of the Love of God, and aid thou His Cause. Say:
Barter not away this Youth, O people, for the vanities of this world or the
delights of heaven. By the righteousness of the one true God! One hair of Him
excelleth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Beware, O
men, lest ye be tempted to part with Him in exchange for the gold and silver ye
possess. Let His love be a storehouse of treasure for your souls, on the Day
when naught else but Him shall profit you, the Day when every pillar shall
tremble, when the very skins of men shall creep, when all eyes shall stare up
with terror. Say: O people! Fear ye God, and turn not away disdainfully from
His Revelation. Fall prostrate on your faces before God, and celebrate His
praise in the daytime and in the night season.
Let thy soul glow with the flame of this undying Fire that burneth in the
midmost heart of the world, in such wise that the waters of the universe shall
be powerless to cool down its ardor. Make, then, mention of thy Lord, that
haply the heedless among Our servants may be admonished through thy words, and
the hearts of the righteous be gladdened.
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XVI. Say: O men! This is a
matchless Day. Matchless must, likewise, be the tongue that celebrateth the
praise of the Desire of all nations, and matchless the deed that aspireth to be
acceptable in His sight. The whole human race hath longed for this Day, that
perchance it may fulfil that which well beseemeth its station, and is worthy of
its destiny. Blessed is the man whom the affairs of the world have failed to
deter from recognizing Him Who is the Lord of all things.
So blind hath become the human heart that neither the disruption of the city,
nor the reduction of the mountain in dust, nor even the cleaving of the earth,
can shake off its torpor. The allusions made in the Scriptures have been
unfolded, and the signs recorded therein have been revealed, and the prophetic
cry is continually being raised. And yet all, except such as God was pleased to
guide, are bewildered in the drunkenness of their heedlessness!
Witness how the world is being afflicted with a fresh calamity every day. Its
tribulation is continually deepening. From the moment the Súriy-i-Ra'ís (Tablet
to Ra'ís) was revealed until the present day, neither hath the world been
tranquillized, nor have the hearts of its peoples been at rest. At one time it
hath been agitated by contentions and disputes, at another it hath been
convulsed by wars, and fallen a victim to inveterate diseases. Its sickness is
approaching the stage of utter hopelessness, inasmuch as the
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true Physician is debarred from administering the remedy, whilst unskilled
practitioners are regarded with favor, and are accorded full freedom to act.
...The dust of sedition hath clouded the hearts of men, and blinded their eyes.
Erelong, they will perceive the consequences of what their hands have wrought
in the Day of God. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Informed, as bidden by
One Who is the Most Powerful, the Almighty.
XVII. By Him Who is the Great
Announcement! The All-Merciful is come invested with undoubted sovereignty. The
Balance hath been appointed, and all them that dwell on earth have been
gathered together. The Trumpet hath been blown, and lo, all eyes have stared up
with terror, and the hearts of all who are in the heavens and on the earth have
trembled, except them whom the breath of the verses of God hath quickened, and
who have detached themselves from all things.
This is the Day whereon the earth shall tell out her tidings. The workers of
iniquity are her burdens, could ye but perceive it. The moon of idle fancy hath
been cleft, and the heaven hath given out a palpable smoke. We see the people
laid low, awed with the dread of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. The
Crier hath cried out, and men have been torn away, so great hath been the fury
of His wrath. The people of the left hand sigh and bemoan. The people of the
right abide in noble habitations: they quaff the Wine that is life indeed, from
the hands of the All-Merciful, and are, verily, the blissful.
The earth hath been shaken, and the mountains have passed away, and the angels
have appeared, rank on rank, before Us. Most of the people are bewildered in
their drunkenness and wear on their faces the evidences of anger. Thus have We
gathered together the workers of iniquity. We see them rushing on towards their
idol. Say: None shall be secure this Day from the decree of God. This indeed is
a grievous Day. We point out to them those that led them astray. They see them,
and yet recognize them not. Their eyes are drunken; they are indeed a blind
people. Their proofs are the calumnies they uttered; condemned are their
calumines by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. The Evil One hath
stirred up mishchief in their hearts, and they are afflicted with a torment
that none can avert. They hasten to the wicked, bearing the register of the
workers of iniquity. Such are their dings.
Say: The heavens have been folded together, and the earth is held within His
grasp, and the corrupt doers have been held by their forelock, and still they
understand not. They drink of the tainted water, and know it not. Say: The
shout hath been raised, and the people have come forth from their graves, and
arising, are gazing around them. Some have made haste to attain the court of
the God of Mercy, others have fallen down on their faces in the fire of Hell,
while still others are lost in bewilderment. The verses of God have been
revealed, and yet they have turned away from them. His proof hath been
manifested, and yet they are unaware of it. And when they behold the face of
the All-Merciful, their own faces are saddened, while they are disporting
themselves. They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light. Far
from God be what they fondly imagine! Say: Whether ye rejoice or whether ye
burst for fury, the heavens are cleft asunder, and God hath come down, invested
with radiant sovereignty. All created things are heard exclaiming: "The
Kingdom is God's, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
Know thou, moreover, that We have been cast into an afflictive Prison, and are
encompassed with the hosts of tyranny, as a result of what the hands of the
infidels have wrought. Such is the gladness, however, which the Youth hath
tasted that no earthly joy can compare unto it. By God! The harm He suffereth
at the hands of the oppressor can never grieve His heart, nor can He be
saddened by the ascendancy of such as have repudiated His truth.
Say: Tribulation is a horizon unto My Revelation. The day star of grace shineth
above it, and sheddeth a light which neither the clouds of men's idle fancy nor
the vain imaginations of the aggressor can obscure.
Follow thou the footsteps of thy Lord, and remember His servnats even as He doth
remember thee, undeterred by either the clamor of the heedless ones or the
sword of the enemy...Spread abroad the sweet savors of thy Lord, and hesitate
not, though it be for less than a moment, in the service of His Cause. The day
is approaching when the victory of thy Lord, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Bountiful, will be proclaimed.
XVIII.
Say: We have caused the rivers of Divine utterance to proceed out of Our
throne, that the tender herbs of wisdom and understanding may spring forth from
the soil of your hearts. Will ye not be thankful? They who disdain to worship
their Lord shall be of those who are cast off. And oft as Our verses are
rehearsed unto them, they persist in proud disdain, and in their gross
violation of His law, and know it not. As for them who have disbelieved in Him,
they shall be in the shadow of a black smoke. "The Hour" hath come
upon them, while they are disporting themselves. They have been seized by their
forelock, and yet know it not.
The thing that must come hath come suddenly; behold how they flee from it! The
inevitable hath come to pass; witness how they have cast it behind their backs!
This is the Day whereon every man will fly from himself, how much more from his
kindered, could ye but perceive it. Say: By God! The blast hath been blown on
the trumpet, and lo, mankind hath swooned away before us! The Herald hath cried
out, and the Summoner raised His voice saying: "The Kingdom is God's, the
Most Powerful, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."
This is the Day on which all eyes shall stare up with terror, the Day in which
the hearts of them that dwell on earth shall tremble, save them whom thy Lord,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, pleaseth to deliver. All faces have turned black
except those to whom the God of Mercy hath vouchsafed a radiant heart. Drunken
are those men that have openly refused to behold the face of God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Praised.
Say: Perused ye not the Qur`an? Read it, that haply ye may find the Truth, for
this Book is verily the Straight Path. This is the Way of God unto all who are
in the heavens and all who are on the earth. If ye have been careless of the
Qur'an, the Bayan cannot be regarded to be remote from you. Behold it open
before your eyes. Read ye its versed, that perchance ye desist from committing
that which will cause the Messengers of God to mourn and lament.
Speed out of your sepulchers. How long will ye sleep? The second blast hath
been blown on the trumpet. On whom are ye gazing? This is your Lord, the God of
Mercy. Witness how ye gainsay His signs! The earth hat quaked with a great
quaking, and cast forth her burdens. Will ye not admit it? Say: Will ye not
recognize how the mountains have become like flocks of wool, how the people are
sore vexed at the awful majesty of the Cause of God? Witness how their houses
are empty ruins, and they themselves a drowned host.
This is the Day whereon the All-Merciful hath come down in the clouds of
knowledge, clothed with manifest sovereignty. He well knoweth the actions of men.
He it is Whose glory none can mistake, could ye but comprehend it. The heaven
of every religion hath been rent, and the earth of human understanding been
cleft asunder, and the angels of God are seen descending. Say: This is the Day
of mutual deceit; whither do ye flee? The mountains have passed away, and the
heavens have been folded together, and the whole earth is held within His
grasp, could ye but understand it. Who is it that can protect you? None, by Him
Who is the All-Merciful! None, except God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the
Beneficent. Every woman that hath had a burden in her womb hath cast her
burden. We see men drunken in this Day, the Day in which men and angels have
been gathered together.
Say: Is there any doubt concerning God? Behold how He hat come down from the
heaven of His grace, girded with power and invested with sovereignty. Is there
any doubt concerning His signs? Open ye your eyes, and consider His clear
evidence. Paradise is on your right hand, and hath been brought nigh unto you,
while Hell hath been made to blaze. Witness its devouring flame. Haste ye to
enter into Paradise, as a token of Our mercy unto you, and drink ye from the
hands of the All-Merciful the Wine that is life indeed.
Drink with healthy relish, O people of Bahá. Ye are indeed they with whom it
shall be well. This is what they who have near access to God have attained.
This is the flowing water ye were promised in the Qur'án, and later in the
Bayán, as a recompense from your Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed are they that
quaff it.
O My servant that hath turned thy face towards Me! Render thanks unto God for
having sent down unto thee this Tablet in this Prison, that thou mayest remind
the people of the days of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing. Thus
have We established for thee, through the waters of Our wisdom and utterance,
the foundations of thy belief. This, verily, is the water whereon the Throne of
thy Lord hath been raised. "His Throne had stood upon the waters."
Ponder this in thine heart, that thou mayest comprehend its meaning. Say:
Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.
XIX. To every discerning and
illuminated heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the Divine
Being, is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal
existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory
that human tongue should adequately recount
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His praise, or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is, and
hath ever been, veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain
in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men. "No vision
taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile, the
All-Perceiving."...
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face
of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying, "His
grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all,"
hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the
spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all
men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable
Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.
These sanctified Mirrors, these Day Springs of ancient glory, are, one and all,
the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its
Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from
Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a
reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory.
They are the Treasuries of Divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial
wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is
revealed the Light that can never fade.... These Tabernacles of Holiness,
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these Primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but
expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of
these Gems of Divine virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as
knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty,
and grace, are made manifest.
These attributes of God are not, and have never been, vouchsafed specially unto
certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all the Prophets of God, His
well-favored, His holy and chosen Messengers are, without exception, the
bearers of His names, and the embodiments of His attributes. They only differ
in the intensity of their revelation, and the comparative potency of their
light. Even as He hath revealed: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to
excel the others."
It hath, therefore, become manifest and evident that within the tabernacles of
these Prophets and chosen Ones of God the light of His infinite names and
exalted attributes hath been reflected, even though the light of some of these
attributes may or may not be outwardly revealed from these luminous Temples to
the eyes of men. That a certain attribute of God hath not been outwardly
manifested by these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they who
are the Day Springs of God's attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names
did not actually possess it. Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these
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beauteous Countenances have, each and every one of them, been endowed with all
the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and the like, even though
to outward seeming they be shorn of all earthly majesty....
XX. Know thou of a certainty
that the Unseen can in no wise incarnate His Essence and reveal it unto men. He
is, and hath ever been, immensely exalted beyond all that can either be
recounted or perceived. From His retreat of glory His voice is ever
proclaiming: "Verily, I am God; there is none other God besides Me, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise. I have manifested Myself unto men, and have sent
down Him Who is the Day Spring of the signs of My Revelation. Through Him I
have caused all creation to testify that there is none other God except Him,
the Incomparable, the All-Informed, the All-Wise." He Who is everlastingly
hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except through His
Manifestation, and His Manifestation can adduce no greater proof of the truth
of His Mission than the proof of His own Person.
XXI. O Salmán! The door of the
knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been, and will continue for ever to
be, closed in the face of men. No man's understanding shall ever gain access
unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a
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proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His
divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the
knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His
own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their
call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of
their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth
away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath
disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the Way of God that connecteth this
world with the realms above, and the Standard of His Truth unto every one in
the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst
men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory.
XXII. The Bearers of the Trust
of God are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a
new Cause and the Revealers of a new Message. Inasmuch as these Birds of the
celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and as
they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they, therefore, are
regarded as one soul and the same person. For they all drink from the one Cup
of the love of God, and all partake of the fruit of the same Tree of Oneness.
These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. One is the station of
pure abstraction and essential unity. In this respect, if thou callest them all
by one name, and dost ascribe to them the same attributes, thou hast not erred
from the truth. Even as He hath revealed: "No distinction do We make
between any of His Messengers." For they, one and all, summon the people
of the earth to acknowledge the unity of God, and herald unto them the Kawthar
of an infinite grace and bounty. They are all invested with the robe of
prophethood, and are honored with the mantle of glory. Thus hath Muhammad, the
Point of the Qur'án, revealed: "I am all the Prophets." Likewise, He
saith: "I am the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus." Similar
statements have been made by Imám `Alí. Sayings such as these, which indicate
the essential unity of those Exponents of Oneness, have also emanated from the
Channels of God's immortal utterance, and the Treasuries of the gems of Divine
knowledge, and have been recorded in the Scriptures. These Countenances are the
recipients of the Divine Command, and the Day Springs of His Revelation. This
Revelation is exalted above the veils of plurality and the exigencies of
number. Thus He saith: "Our Cause is but One." Inasmuch as the Cause
is one and the same, the Exponents thereof also must needs be one and the same.
Likewise, the Imáms of the Muhammadan Faith, those lamps of certitude, have said:
"Muhammad is our first, Muhammad is our last, Muhammad our all."
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It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the
Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt observe with
discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold Them all abiding in the same tabernacle,
soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same
speech, and proclaiming the same Faith. Such is the unity of those Essences of
Being, those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable splendor! Wherefore,
should one of these Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: "I am the
return of all the Prophets," He, verily, speaketh the truth. In like
manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is
a fact, the truth of which is firmly established....
The other station is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of
creation, and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each Manifestation
of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a
predestined revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them
is known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfils
a definite mission, and is entrusted with a particular Revelation. Even as He
saith: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others. To some
God hath spoken, some He hath raised and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We
gave manifest signs, and We strengthened Him with the Holy Spirit."
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It is because of this difference in their station and mission that the words
and utterances flowing from these Well Springs of Divine knowledge appear to
diverge and differ. Otherwise, in the eyes of them that are initiated into the
mysteries of Divine wisdom, all their utterances are, in reality, but the
expressions of one Truth. As most of the people have failed to appreciate those
stations to which We have referred, they, therefore, feel perplexed and
dismayed at the varying utterances pronounced by Manifestations that are
essentially one and the same.
It hath ever been evident that all these divergencies of utterance are
attributable to differences of station. Thus, viewed from the standpoint of
their oneness and sublime detachment, the attributes of Godhead, Divinity,
Supreme Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been, and are applicable to those
Essences of Being, inasmuch as they all abide on the throne of Divine
Revelation, and are established upon the seat of Divine Concealment. Through
their appearance the Revelation of God is made manifest, and by their
countenance the Beauty of God is revealed. Thus it is that the accents of God
Himself have been heard uttered by these Manifestations of the Divine Being.
Viewed in the light of their second station--the station of distinction,
differentiation, temporal limitations, characteristics and standards--they
manifest absolute servitude, utter destitution, and complete
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self-effacement. Even as He saith: "I am the servant of God. I am but a
man like you."...
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: "I am
God," He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For
it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes
and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made
manifest in the world. Thus, He hath revealed: "Those shafts were God's,
not Thine." And also He saith: "In truth, they who plighted fealty
unto Thee, really plighted that fealty unto God." And were any of them to
voice the utterance, "I am the Messenger of God," He, also, speaketh
the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as He saith: "Muhammad is not the
father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger of God." Viewed in
this light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable
Essence. And were they all to proclaim, "I am the Seal of the
Prophets," they, verily, utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow
of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one
revelation. They are all the manifestation of the "Beginning" and the
"End," the "First" and the "Last," the
"Seen" and the "Hidden"--all of which pertain to Him Who is
the Innermost Spirit of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences. And were they
to say, "We are the Servants of God," this also is a manifest and
indisputable fact. For they have been
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made manifest in the uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of
which no man can possibly attain. Thus in moments in which these Essences of
Being were deep immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting
holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest summits of Divine mysteries, they
claimed their utterances to be the Voice of Divinity, the Call of God Himself.
Were the eye of discernment to be opened, it would recognize that in this very
state, they have considered themselves utterly effaced and non-existent in the
face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the Incorruptible. Methinks, they have
regarded themselves as utter nothingness, and deemed their mention in that
Court an act of blasphemy. For the slightest whispering of self within such a
Court is an evidence of self-assertion and independent existence. In the eyes
of them that have attained unto that Court, such a suggestion is itself a
grievous transgression. How much more grievous would it be, were aught else to
be mentioned in that Presence, were man's heart, his tongue, his mind, or his
soul, to be busied with any one but the Well-Beloved, were his eyes to behold
any countenance other than His beauty, were his ear to be inclined to any
melody but His Voice, and were his feet to tread any way but His way....
By virtue of this station they have claimed for themselves the Voice of
Divinity and the like, whilst
by virtue of their
station of Messengership, they have declared themselves the Messengers of God.
In every instance they have voiced an utterance that would conform to the
requirements of the occasion, and have ascribed all these declarations to
Themselves, declarations ranging from the realm of Divine Revelation to the
realm of creation, and from the domain of Divinity even unto the domain of
earthly existence. Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance, whether it
pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership,
Guardianship, Apostleship, or Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a
doubt. Therefore these sayings which We have quoted in support of Our argument
must be attentively considered, that the divergent utterances of the
Manifestations of the Unseen and Day Springs of Holiness may cease to agitate
the soul and perplex the mind.
XXIII. Consider the former
generations. Witness how every time the Day Star of Divine bounty hath shed the
light of His Revelation upon the world, the people of His Day have arisen
against Him, and repudiated His truth. They who were regarded as the leaders of
men have invariably striven to hinder their followers from turning unto Him Who
is the Ocean of God's limitless bounty.
Behold how the people, as a result of the verdict pronounced by the divines of
His age, have cast
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Abraham, the Friend of God, into fire; how Moses, He Who held converse with the
Almighty, was denounced as liar and slanderer. Reflect how Jesus, the Spirit of
God, was, notwithstanding His extreme meekness and perfect tender-heartedness,
treated by His enemies. So fierce was the opposition which He, the Essence of
Being and Lord of the visible and invisible, had to face, that He had nowhere to
lay His head. He wandered continually from place to place, deprived of a
permanent abode. Ponder that which befell Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets,
may the life of all else be a sacrifice unto Him. How severe the afflictions
which the leaders of the Jewish people and of the idol-worshipers caused to
rain upon Him, Who is the sovereign Lord of all, in consequence of His
proclamation of the unity of God and of the truth of His Message! By the
righteousness of My Cause! My Pen groaneth, and all created things weep with a
great weeping, as a result of the woes He suffered at the hands of them that
have broken the Covenant of God, violated His Testament, rejected His proofs,
and disputed His signs. Thus recount We unto thee the tale of that which
happened in days past, haply thou mayest comprehend.
Thou hast known how grievously the Prophets of God, His Messengers and Chosen
Ones, have been afflicted. Meditate a while on the motive and reason which have
been responsible for such a persecution. At no time, in no Dispensation, have
the Prophets of
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God escaped the blasphemy of their enemies, the cruelty of their oppressors,
the denunciation of the learned of their age, who appeared in the guise of
uprightness and piety. Day and night they passed through such agonies as none
can ever measure, except the knowledge of the one true God, exalted be His
glory.
Consider this wronged One. Though the clearest proofs attest the truth of His
Cause; though the prophecies He, in an unmistakable language, hath made have
been fulfilled; though, in spite of His not being accounted among the learned,
His being unschooled and inexperienced in the disputations current among the
divines, He hath rained upon men the showers of His manifold and
Divinely-inspired knowledge; yet, behold how this generation hath rejected His
authority, and rebelled against Him! He hath, during the greater part of His
life, been sore-tried in the clutches of His enemies. His sufferings have now
reached their culmination in this afflictive Prison, into which His oppressors
have so unjustly thrown Him. God grant that, with a penetrating vision and
radiant heart, thou mayest observe the things that have come to pass and are
now happening, and, pondering them in thine heart, mayest recognize that which
most men have, in this Day, failed to perceive. Please God, He may enable thee
to inhale the sweet fragrance of His Day, to partake of the limitless effusions
of His grace, to quaff thy fill,
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through His gracious favor, from the most great Ocean that surgeth in this Day
in the name of the Ancient King, and to remain firm and immovable as the
mountain in His Cause.
Say: Glory be to Thee Who hast caused all the holy Ones to confess their
helplessness before the manifold revelations of Thy might, and every Prophet to
acknowledge His nothingness at the effulgence of Thine abiding glory. I beseech
Thee, by Thy name that hath unlocked the gates of Heaven and filled with
ecstasy the Concourse on high, to enable me to serve Thee, in this Day, and to
strengthen me to observe that which Thou didst prescribe in Thy Book. Thou
knowest, O my Lord, what is in me; but I know not what is in Thee. Thou art the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
XXIV. Beware, O believers in
the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make any distinction between any of the
Manifestations of His Cause, or to discriminate against the signs that have
accompanied and proclaimed their Revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of
Divine Unity, if ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye
assured, moreover, that the works and acts of each and every one of these
Manifestations of God, nay whatever pertaineth unto them, and whatsoever they
may manifest in the future, are all ordained by God, and are a reflection of
His Will and Purpose. Whoso
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maketh the slightest possible difference between their persons, their words,
their messages, their acts and manners, hath indeed disbelieved in God, hath
repudiated His signs, and betrayed the Cause of His Messengers.
XXV. It is evident that every
age in which a Manifestation of God hath lived is divinely ordained, and may,
in a sense, be characterized as God's appointed Day. This Day, however, is
unique, and is to be distinguished from those that have preceded it. The
designation "Seal of the Prophets" fully revealeth its high station.
The Prophetic Cycle hath, verily, ended. The Eternal Truth is now come. He hath
lifted up the Ensign of Power, and is now shedding upon the world the unclouded
splendor of His Revelation.
XXVI. Praise be to God, the
All-Possessing, the King of incomparable glory, a praise which is immeasurably
above the understanding of all created things, and is exalted beyond the grasp
of the minds of men. None else besides Him hath ever been able to sing
adequately His praise, nor will any man succeed at any time in describing the
full measure of His glory. Who is it that can claim to have attained the
heights of His exalted Essence, and what mind can measure the depths of His
unfathomable mystery? From each and every revelation emanating from the Source
of His glory, holy and never-ending
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evidences of unimaginable splendor have appeared, and out of every
manifestation of His invincible power oceans of eternal light have outpoured.
How immensely exalted are the wondrous testimonies of His almighty sovereignty,
a glimmer of which, if it but touched them, would utterly consume all that are
in the heavens and in the earth! How indescribably lofty are the tokens of His
consummate power, a single sign of which, however inconsiderable, must
transcend the comprehension of whatsoever hath, from the beginning that hath no
beginning, been brought into being, or will be created in the future till the
end that hath no end. All the Embodiments of His Names wander in the wilderness
of search, athirst and eager to discover His Essence, and all the
Manifestations of His Attributes implore Him, from the Sinai of Holiness, to
unravel His mystery.
A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation
with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise
hath invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling
from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of
utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in its range
and deathless in its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and
the stream of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His
creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end.
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In every age and cycle He hath, through the splendorous light shed by the
Manifestations of His wondrous Essence, recreated all things, so that
whatsoever reflecteth in the heavens and on the earth the signs of His glory
may not be deprived of the outpourings of His mercy, nor despair of the showers
of His favors. How all-encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace!
Behold how they have pervaded the whole of creation. Such is their virtue that
not a single atom in the entire universe can be found which doth not declare
the evidences of His might, which doth not glorify His holy Name, or is not
expressive of the effulgent light of His unity. So perfect and comprehensive is
His creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the
nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the mystery
of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable
Essence. The conceptions of the devoutest of mystics, the attainments of the
most accomplished amongst men, the highest praise which human tongue or pen can
render are all the product of man's finite mind and are conditioned by its
limitations. Ten thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the
Sinai of their search at His forbidding voice, "Thou shalt never behold
Me!"; whilst a myriad Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed
upon their heavenly thrones by the interdiction, "Mine Essence thou shalt
never apprehend!"
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From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His
exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable
mystery of His unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an understanding
of His inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete bewilderment, and every
effort to approach His exalted Self and envisage His Essence hath resulted in
hopelessness and failure.
How bewildering to me, insignificant as I am, is the attempt to fathom the
sacred depths of Thy knowledge! How futile my efforts to visualize the
magnitude of the power inherent in Thine handiwork --the revelation of Thy
creative power! How can mine eye, which hath no faculty to perceive itself,
claim to have discerned Thine Essence, and how can mine heart, already
powerless to apprehend the significance of its own potentialities, pretend to
have comprehended Thy nature? How can I claim to have known Thee, when the
entire creation is bewildered by Thy mystery, and how can I confess not to have
known Thee, when, lo, the whole universe proclaimeth Thy Presence and
testifieth to Thy truth? The portals of Thy grace have throughout eternity been
open, and the means of access unto Thy Presence made available, unto all
created things, and the revelations of Thy matchless Beauty have at all times
been imprinted upon the realities of all beings, visible and invisible. Yet,
notwithstanding this most gracious
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favor, this perfect and consummate bestowal, I am moved to testify that Thy
court of holiness and glory is immeasurably exalted above the knowledge of all
else besides Thee, and the mystery of Thy Presence is inscrutable to every mind
except Thine own. No one except Thyself can unravel the secret of Thy nature,
and naught else but Thy transcendental Essence can grasp the reality of Thy
unsearchable being. How vast the number of those heavenly and all-glorious
beings who, in the wilderness of their separation from Thee, have wandered all
the days of their lives, and failed in the end to find Thee! How great the multitude
of the sanctified and immortal souls who were lost and bewildered while seeking
in the desert of search to behold Thy face! Myriad are Thine ardent lovers whom
the consuming flame of remoteness from Thee hath caused to sink and perish, and
numberless are the faithful souls who have willingly laid down their lives in
the hope of gazing on the light of Thy countenance. The sighs and moans of
these longing hearts that pant after Thee can never reach Thy holy court,
neither can the lamentations of the wayfarers that thirst to appear before Thy
face attain Thy seat of glory.
XXVII. All praise to the unity
of God, and all honor to Him, the sovereign Lord, the incomparable and
all-glorious Ruler of the universe, Who, out of utter nothingness, hath created
the reality of all
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things, Who, from naught, hath brought into being the most refined and subtle
elements of His creation, and Who, rescuing His creatures from the abasement of
remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction, hath received them into His
kingdom of incorruptible glory. Nothing short of His all-encompassing grace,
His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly achieved it. How could it,
otherwise, have been possible for sheer nothingness to have acquired by itself
the worthiness and capacity to emerge from its state of non-existence into the
realm of being?
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through
the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer
upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him--a
capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary
purpose underlying the whole of creation.... Upon the inmost reality of each
and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it
a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man,
however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and
made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been
singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty.
These energies with which the Day Star of Divine bounty and Source of heavenly
guidance hath endowed the reality of man lie, however, latent within
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him, even as the
flame is hidden within the candle and the rays of light are potentially present
in the lamp. The radiance of these energies may be obscured by worldly desires
even as the light of the sun can be concealed beneath the dust and dross which
cover the mirror. Neither the candle nor the lamp can be lighted through their
own unaided efforts, nor can it ever be possible for the mirror to free itself
from its dross. It is clear and evident that until a fire is kindled the lamp
will never be ignited, and unless the dross is blotted out from the face of the
mirror it can never represent the image of the sun nor reflect its light and
glory.
And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true God
with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient
and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in
every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the
kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal
Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world
of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He
hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which
is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the
voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: "Manifold and
mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself,
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and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is."
And in like manner, the words: "Arise, O Muhammad, for lo, the Lover and
the Beloved are joined together and made one in Thee." He similarly saith:
"There is no distinction whatsoever between Thee and Them, except that
They are Thy Servants." The second station is the human station,
exemplified by the following verses: "I am but a man like you."
"Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?" These
Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God's
all-pervasive grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with
supreme sovereignty, They are commissioned to use the inspiration of Their
words, the effusions of Their infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of
Their Revelation for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit
from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then,
will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as resplendent as
the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of concealment, and
implant the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men's hearts.
From the foregoing passages and allusions it hath been made indubitably clear
that in the kingdoms of earth and heaven there must needs be manifested a
Being, an Essence Who shall act as a Manifestation and Vehicle for the
transmission of the grace of the
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Divinity Itself, the Sovereign Lord of all. Through the Teachings of this Day
Star of Truth every man will advance and develop until he attaineth the station
at which he can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true
self hath been endowed. It is for this very purpose that in every age and
dispensation the Prophets of God and His chosen Ones have appeared amongst men,
and have evinced such power as is born of God and such might as only the
Eternal can reveal.
Can one of sane mind ever seriously imagine that, in view of certain words the
meaning of which he cannot comprehend, the portal of God's infinite guidance can
ever be closed in the face of men? Can he ever conceive for these Divine
Luminaries, these resplendent Lights either a beginning or an end? What
outpouring flood can compare with the stream of His all-embracing grace, and
what blessing can excel the evidences of so great and pervasive a mercy? There
can be no doubt whatever that if for one moment the tide of His mercy and grace
were to be withheld from the world, it would completely perish. For this
reason, from the beginning that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy
have been flung open to the face of all created things, and the clouds of Truth
will continue to the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human
capacity, reality and personality their favors and bounties. Such hath
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been God's method continued from everlasting to everlasting.
XXVIII. Happy is the man who
will arise to serve My Cause, and glorify My beauteous Name. Take hold of My
Book with the power of My might, and cleave tenaciously to whatsoever
commandment thy Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise, hath prescribed therein.
Behold, O Muhammad, how the sayings and doings of the followers of Shí'ih Islám
have dulled the joy and fervor of its early days, and tarnished the pristine
brilliancy of its light. In its primitive days, whilst they still adhered to
the precepts associated with the name of their Prophet, the Lord of mankind,
their career was marked by an unbroken chain of victories and triumphs. As they
gradually strayed from the path of their Ideal Leader and Master, as they
turned away from the Light of God and corrupted the principle of His Divine
unity, and as they increasingly centered their attention upon them who were
only the revealers of the potency of His Word, their power was turned into
weakness, their glory into shame, their courage into fear. Thou dost witness to
what a pass they have come. Behold, how they have joined partners with Him Who
is the Focal-Point of Divine unity. Behold how their evil doings have hindered
them from recognizing, in the Day of Resurrection, the Word of Truth, exalted
be His glory. We cherish the hope that this people will
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henceforth shield themselves from vain hopes and idle fancies, and will attain
to a true understanding of the meaning of Divine unity.
The Person of the Manifestation hath ever been the representative and
mouthpiece of God. He, in truth, is the Day Spring of God's most excellent
Titles, and the Dawning-Place of His exalted Attributes. If any be set up by
His side as peers, if they be regarded as identical with His Person, how can
it, then, be maintained that the Divine Being is One and Incomparable, that His
Essence is indivisible and peerless? Meditate on that which We have, through
the power of truth, revealed unto thee, and be thou of them that comprehend its
meaning.
XXIX. The purpose of God in
creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and
to attain His Presence. To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all
the heavenly Books and the divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures
unequivocally bear witness. Whoso hath recognized the Day Spring of Divine
guidance and entered His holy court hath drawn nigh unto God and attained His
Presence, a Presence which is the real Paradise, and of which the loftiest
mansions of heaven are but a symbol. Such a man hath attained the knowledge of
the station of Him Who is "at the distance of two bows," Who standeth
beyond the Sadratu'l-Muntahá. Whoso hath failed to recognize
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Him will have condemned himself to the misery of remoteness, a remoteness which
is naught but utter nothingness and the essence of the nethermost fire. Such
will be his fate, though to outward seeming he may occupy the earth's loftiest
seats and be established upon its most exalted throne.
He Who is the Day Spring of Truth is, no doubt, fully capable of rescuing from
such remoteness wayward souls and of causing them to draw nigh unto His court
and attain His Presence. "If God had pleased He had surely made all men
one people." His purpose, however, is to enable the pure in spirit and the
detached in heart to ascend, by virtue of their own innate powers, unto the
shores of the Most Great Ocean, that thereby they who seek the Beauty of the
All-Glorious may be distinguished and separated from the wayward and perverse.
Thus hath it been ordained by the all-glorious and resplendent Pen....
That the Manifestations of Divine justice, the Day Springs of heavenly grace,
have when they appeared amongst men always been destitute of all earthly dominion
and shorn of the means of worldly ascendancy, should be attributed to this same
principle of separation and distinction which animateth the Divine Purpose.
Were the Eternal Essence to manifest all that is latent within Him, were He to
shine in the plentitude of His glory, none would be found to question His power
or repudiate His truth. Nay, all created things would be so dazzled and
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thunderstruck by the evidences of His light as to be reduced to utter
nothingness. How, then, can the godly be differentiated under such
circumstances from the froward?
This principle hath operated in each of the previous Dispensations and been
abundantly demonstrated.... It is for this reason that, in every age, when a
new Manifestation hath appeared and a fresh revelation of God's transcendent
power was vouchsafed unto men, they that misbelieved in Him, deluded by the
appearance of the peerless and everlasting Beauty in the garb of mortal men,
have failed to recognize Him. They have erred from His path and eschewed His
company--the company of Him Who is the Symbol of nearness to God. They have
even arisen to decimate the ranks of the faithful and to exterminate such as
believed in Him.
Behold how in this Dispensation the worthless and foolish have fondly imagined
that by such instruments as massacre, plunder and banishment they can
extinguish the Lamp which the Hand of Divine power hath lit, or eclipse the Day
Star of everlasting splendor. How utterly unaware they seem to be of the truth
that such adversity is the oil that feedeth the flame of this Lamp! Such is
God's transforming power. He changeth whatsoever He willeth; He verily hath
power over all things....
Consider at all times the sovereignty exercised by the Ideal King, and behold
the evidences of His
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power and paramount influence. Sanctify your ears from the idle talk of them
that are the symbols of denial and the exponents of violence and anger. The
hour is approaching when ye will witness the power of the one true God
triumphing over all created things and the signs of His sovereignty
encompassing all creation. On that day ye will discover how all else besides
Him will have been forgotten and come to be regarded as utter nothingness.
It should, however, be borne in mind that God and His Manifestation can, under
no circumstances, be dissociated from the loftiness and sublimity which They
inherently possess. Nay, loftiness and sublimity are themselves the creations
of His Word, if ye choose to see with My sight not with yours.
XXX. God witnesseth that there
is no God but Him, the Gracious, the Best-Beloved. All grace and bounty are
His. To whomsoever He will He giveth whatsoever is His wish. He, verily, is the
All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. We, verily,
believe in Him Who, in the person of the Báb, hath been sent down by the Will
of the one true God, the King of Kings, the All-Praised. We, moreover, swear
fealty to the One Who, in the time of Mustagháth, is destined to be made
manifest, as well as to those Who shall come after Him till the end that hath
no end. We recognize in the manifestation of each one of them, whether
outwardly
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or inwardly, the manifestation of none but God Himself, if ye be of those that
comprehend. Every one of them is a mirror of God, reflecting naught else but
His Self, His Beauty, His Might and Glory, if ye will understand. All else
besides them are to be regarded as mirrors capable of reflecting the glory of
these Manifestations Who are themselves the Primary Mirrors of the Divine
Being, if ye be not devoid of understanding. No one hath ever escaped them,
neither are they to be hindered from achieving their purpose. These Mirrors
will everlastingly succeed each other, and will continue to reflect the light
of the Ancient of Days. They that reflect their glory will, in like manner,
continue to exist for evermore, for the Grace of God can never cease from
flowing. This is a truth that none can disprove.
XXXI. Contemplate with thine
inward eye the chain of successive Revelations that hath linked the
Manifestation of Adam with that of the Báb. I testify before God that each one
of these Manifestations hath been sent down through the operation of the Divine
Will and Purpose, that each hath been the bearer of a specific Message, that
each hath been entrusted with a divinely-revealed Book and been commissioned to
unravel the mysteries of a mighty Tablet. The measure of the Revelation with
which every one of them hath been identified had been definitely fore-ordained.
This, verily, is a token of
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Our favor unto them, if ye be of those that comprehend this truth.... And when
this process of progressive Revelation culminated in the stage at which His
peerless, His most sacred, and exalted Countenance was to be unveiled to men's
eyes, He chose to hide His own Self behind a thousand veils, lest profane and
mortal eyes discover His glory. This He did at a time when the signs and tokens
of a divinely-appointed Revelation were being showered upon Him --signs and tokens
which none can reckon except the Lord, your God, the Lord of all worlds. And
when the set time of concealment was fulfilled, We sent forth, whilst still
wrapt within a myriad veils, an infinitesimal glimmer of the effulgent Glory
enveloping the Face of the Youth, and lo, the entire company of the dwellers of
the Realms above were seized with violent commotion and the favored of God fell
down in adoration before Him. He hath, verily, manifested a glory such as none
in the whole creation hath witnessed, inasmuch as He hath arisen to proclaim in
person His Cause unto all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth.
XXXII. That which thou hast
heard concerning Abraham, the Friend of the All-Merciful, is the truth, and no
doubt is there about it. The Voice of God commanded Him to offer up Ishmael as
a sacrifice, so that His steadfastness in the Faith of God and His detachment
from all else but Him may be
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demonstrated unto men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as a
ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth. This same
honor, Jesus, the Son of Mary, besought the one true God, exalted be His name
and glory, to confer upon Him. For the same reason was Husayn offered up as a
sacrifice by Muhammad, the Apostle of God.
No man can ever claim to have comprehended the nature of the hidden and
manifold grace of God; none can fathom His all-embracing mercy. Such hath been
the perversity of men and their transgressions, so grievous have been the trials
that have afflicted the Prophets of God and their chosen ones, that all mankind
deserveth to be tormented and to perish. God's hidden and most loving
providence, however, hath, through both visible and invisible agencies,
protected and will continue to protect it from the penalty of its wickedness.
Ponder this in thine heart, that the truth may be revealed unto thee, and be
thou steadfast in His path.
XXXIII. It hath been decreed by
Us that the Word of God and all the potentialities thereof shall be manifested
unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been foreordained by
Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We have, moreover, ordained that its
veil of concealment be none other except its own Self. Such indeed is Our Power
to achieve Our Purpose. Should the Word be allowed
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to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no man could sustain the
weight of so mighty a Revelation. Nay, all that is in heaven and on earth would
flee in consternation before it.
Consider that which hath been sent down unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God. The
measure of the Revelation of which He was the bearer had been clearly
foreordained by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Powerful. They that heard Him,
however, could apprehend His purpose only to the extent of their station and
spiritual capacity. He, in like manner, uncovered the Face of Wisdom in
proportion to their ability to sustain the burden of His Message. No sooner had
mankind attained the stage of maturity, than the Word revealed to men's eyes
the latent energies with which it had been endowed --energies which manifested
themselves in the plenitude of their glory when the Ancient Beauty appeared, in
the year sixty, in the person of `Alí-Muhammad, the Báb.
XXXIV. All praise and glory be
to God Who, through the power of His might, hath delivered His creation from
the nakedness of non-existence, and clothed it with the mantle of life. From
among all created things He hath singled out for His special favor the pure,
the gem-like reality of man, and invested it with a unique capacity of knowing
Him and of reflecting the greatness of His glory.
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This twofold distinction conferred upon him hath cleansed away from his heart
the rust of every vain desire, and made him worthy of the vesture with which
his Creator hath deigned to clothe him. It hath served to rescue his soul from
the wretchedness of ignorance.
This robe with which the body and soul of man hath been adorned is the very
foundation of his well-being and development. Oh, how blessed the day when,
aided by the grace and might of the one true God, man will have freed himself
from the bondage and corruption of the world and all that is therein, and will
have attained unto true and abiding rest beneath the shadow of the Tree of
Knowledge!
The songs which the bird of thine heart had uttered in its great love for its
friends have reached their ears, and moved Me to answer thy questions, and reveal
to thee such secrets as I am allowed to unfold. In thine esteemed letter thou
hadst inquired which of the Prophets of God should be regarded as superior to
others. Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one
and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is no
distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message. They all have but one
purpose; their secret is the same secret. To prefer one in honor to another, to
exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no wise to be permitted. Every true
Prophet hath regarded His Message as fundamentally the same as the
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Revelation of every other Prophet gone before Him. If any man, therefore,
should fail to comprehend this truth, and should consequently indulge in vain
and unseemly language, no one whose sight is keen and whose understanding is
enlightened would ever allow such idle talk to cause him to waver in his
belief.
The measure of the revelation of the Prophets of God in this world, however,
must differ. Each and every one of them hath been the Bearer of a distinct
Message, and hath been commissioned to reveal Himself through specific acts. It
is for this reason that they appear to vary in their greatness. Their
Revelation may be likened unto the light of the moon that sheddeth its radiance
upon the earth. Though every time it appeareth, it revealeth a fresh measure of
its brightness, yet its inherent splendor can never diminish, nor can its light
suffer extinction.
It is clear and evident, therefore, that any apparent variation in the
intensity of their light is not inherent in the light itself, but should rather
be attributed to the varying receptivity of an ever-changing world. Every
Prophet Whom the Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed to send to the
peoples of the earth hath been entrusted with a Message, and charged to act in
a manner that would best meet the requirements of the age in which He appeared.
God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate
the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light
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of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of
mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.
The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose task is to foster
the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through the spirit of
oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given the
right to question their words or disparage their conduct, for they are the only
ones who can claim to have understood the patient and to have correctly
diagnosed its ailments. No man, however acute his perception, can ever hope to
reach the heights which the wisdom and understanding of the Divine Physician
have attained. Little wonder, then, if the treatment prescribed by the
physician in this day should not be found to be identical with that which he
prescribed before. How could it be otherwise when the ills affecting the
sufferer necessitate at every stage of his sickness a special remedy? In like
manner, every time the Prophets of God have illumined the world with the
resplendent radiance of the Day Star of Divine knowledge, they have invariably
summoned its peoples to embrace the light of God through such means as best
befitted the exigencies of the age in which they appeared. They were thus able
to scatter the darkness of ignorance, and to shed upon the world the glory of
their own knowledge. It is towards the inmost essence of these Prophets,
therefore, that the
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eye of every man of discernment must be directed, inasmuch as their one and
only purpose hath always been to guide the erring, and give peace to the
afflicted.... These are not days of prosperity and triumph. The whole of mankind
is in the grip of manifold ills. Strive, therefore, to save its life through
the wholesome medicine which the almighty hand of the unerring Physician hath
prepared.
And now concerning thy question regarding the nature of religion. Know thou
that they who are truly wise have likened the world unto the human temple. As
the body of man needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must
needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the
Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its
purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth a fresh
measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revelation hath been sent down in a
manner that befitted the circumstances of the age in which it hath appeared.
As to thy question regarding the sayings of the leaders of past religions.
Every wise and praiseworthy man will no doubt eschew such vain and profitless
talk. The incomparable Creator hath created all men from one same substance, and
hath exalted their reality above the rest of His creatures. Success or failure,
gain or loss, must, therefore, depend upon man's own exertions. The more he
striveth, the
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greater will be his progress. We fain would hope that the vernal showers of the
bounty of God may cause the flowers of true understanding to spring from the
soil of men's hearts, and may wash them from all earthly defilements.
XXXV. Ponder a while. What is
it that prompted, in every Dispensation, the peoples of the earth to shun the
Manifestation of the All-Merciful? What could have impelled them to turn away
from Him and to challenge His authority? Were men to meditate on these words
which have flowed from the Pen of the Divine Ordainer, they would, one and all,
hasten to embrace the truth of this God-given, and ever-enduring Revelation,
and would testify to that which He Himself hath solemnly affirmed. It is the
veil of idle imaginations which, in the days of the Manifestations of the Unity
of God and the Day Springs of His everlasting glory, hath intervened, and will
continue to intervene, between them and the rest of mankind. For in those days,
He Who is the Eternal Truth manifesteth Himself in conformity with that which
He Himself hath purposed, and not according to the desires and expectations of
men. Even as He hath revealed: "So oft, then, as an Apostle cometh to you
with that which your souls desire not, do ye swell with pride, and treat some
as impostors, and slay others."
There can be no doubt whatever that had these
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Apostles appeared, in bygone ages and cycles, in accordance with the vain
imaginations which the hearts of men had devised, no one would have repudiated
the truth of these sanctified Beings. Though such men have been, night and day,
remembering the one true God, and have been devoutly engaged in the exercise of
their devotions, yet they failed in the end to recognize, and partake of the
grace of, the Day Springs of the signs of God and the Manifestations of His
irrefutable evidences. To this the Scriptures bear witness. Thou hast, no
doubt, heard about it.
Consider the Dispensation of Jesus Christ. Behold, how all the learned men of
that generation, though eagerly anticipating the coming of the Promised One,
have nevertheless denied Him. Both Annas, the most learned among the divines of
His day, and Caiaphas, the high priest, denounced Him and pronounced the
sentence of His death.
In like manner, when Muhammad, the Prophet of God--may all men be a sacrifice
unto Him-- appeared, the learned men of Mecca and Medina arose, in the early
days of His Revelation, against Him and rejected His Message, while they who
were destitute of all learning recognized and embraced His Faith. Ponder a
while. Consider how Balál, the Ethiopian, unlettered though he was, ascended
into the heaven of faith and certitude, whilst `Abdu'lláh Ubayy, a leader among
the learned, maliciously strove to oppose Him. Behold, how a mere shepherd was
so
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carried away by the ecstasy of the words of God that he was able to gain
admittance into the habitation of his Best-Beloved, and was united to Him Who
is the Lord of Mankind, whilst they who prided themselves on their knowledge
and wisdom strayed far from His path and remained deprived of His grace. For
this reason He hath written: "He that is exalted among you shall be
abased, and he that is abased shall be exalted." References to this theme
are to be found in most of the heavenly Books, as well as in the sayings of the
Prophets and Messengers of God.
Verily I say, such is the greatness of this Cause that the father flieth from
his son, and the son flieth from his father. Call ye to mind the story of Noah
and Canaan. God grant that, in these days of heavenly delight, ye may not
deprive yourselves of the sweet savors of the All-Glorious God, and may
partake, in this spiritual Springtime, of the outpourings of His grace. Arise
in the name of Him Who is the Object of all knowledge, and, with absolute detachment
from the learning of men, lift up your voices and proclaim His Cause. I swear
by the Day Star of Divine Revelation! The very moment ye arise, ye will witness
how a flood of Divine knowledge will gush out of your hearts, and will behold
the wonders of His heavenly wisdom manifested in all their glory before you.
Were ye to taste of the sweetness of the sayings of the All-Merciful, ye would
unhesitatingly
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forsake your selves, and would lay down your lives for the Well-Beloved.
Who can ever believe that this Servant of God hath at any time cherished in His
heart a desire for any earthly honor or benefit? The Cause associated with His
Name is far above the transitory things of this world. Behold Him, an exile, a
victim of tyranny, in this Most Great Prison. His enemies have assailed Him on
every side, and will continue to do so till the end of His life. Whatever,
therefore, He saith unto you is wholly for the sake of God, that haply the
peoples of the earth may cleanse their hearts from the stain of evil desire,
may rend its veil asunder, and attain unto the knowledge of the one true
God--the most exalted station to which any man can aspire. Their belief or
disbelief in My Cause can neither profit nor harm Me. We summon them wholly for
the sake of God. He, verily, can afford to dispense with all creatures.
XXXVI. Know thou that when the
Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great
weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all
created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth,
are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered,
the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the
ablest hands have produced, the influence
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exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening
power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit.
We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory
upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of
perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed.
Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and
the soul of the sinner sanctified.
Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth between man and the
recognition of the Lord, his God. Whoso alloweth himself to be shut out from
Him is indeed a leper, who shall not be remembered in the Kingdom of God, the
Mighty, the All-Praised. We bear witness that through the power of the Word of
God every leper was cleansed, every sickness was healed, every human infirmity
was banished. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a
face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.
XXXVII. Blessed is the man that
hath acknowledged his belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that
"He shall not be asked of His doings." Such a recognition hath been
made by God the ornament of every belief, and its very foundation. Upon it must
depend the acceptance of every goodly deed.
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Fasten your eyes upon it, that haply the whisperings of the rebellious may not
cause you to slip.
Were He to decree as lawful the thing which from time immemorial had been
forbidden, and forbid that which had, at all times, been regarded as lawful, to
none is given the right to question His authority. Whoso will hesitate, though
it be for less than a moment, should be regarded as a transgressor.
Whoso hath not recognized this sublime and fundamental verity, and hath failed
to attain this most exalted station, the winds of doubt will agitate him, and
the sayings of the infidels will distract his soul. He that hath acknowledged
this principle will be endowed with the most perfect constancy. All honor to
this all-glorious station, the remembrance of which adorneth every exalted
Tablet. Such is the teaching which God bestoweth on you, a teaching that will
deliver you from all manner of doubt and perplexity, and enable you to attain
unto salvation in both this world and in the next. He, verily, is the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.
XXXVIII. Know of a certainty
that in every Dispensation the light of Divine Revelation hath been vouchsafed
unto men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity. Consider the sun.
How feeble its rays the moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually
its warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith, enabling
meanwhile all created
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things to adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its light. How steadily
it declineth until it reacheth its setting point. Were it, all of a sudden, to
manifest the energies latent within it, it would, no doubt, cause injury to all
created things.... In like manner, if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal,
at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies
which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human
understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men's hearts would neither
sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the
radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist.
XXXIX. Praise be to Thee, O
Lord My God, for the wondrous revelations of Thy inscrutable decree and the
manifold woes and trials Thou hast destined for Myself. At one time Thou didst
deliver Me into the hands of Nimrod; at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod
to persecute Me. Thou, alone, canst estimate, through Thine all-encompassing
knowledge and the operation of Thy Will, the incalculable afflictions I have
suffered at their hands. Again Thou didst cast Me into the prison-cell of the
ungodly, for no reason except that I was moved to whisper into the ears of the
well-favored denizens of Thy Kingdom an intimation of the vision with which
Thou hadst, through Thy knowledge, inspired Me, and revealed
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to Me its meaning through the potency of Thy might. And again Thou didst decree
that I be beheaded by the sword of the infidel. Again I was crucified for
having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy glorious unity, for having
revealed to them the wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power. How
bitter the humiliations heaped upon Me, in a subsequent age, on the plain of
Kárbilá! How lonely did I feel amidst Thy people! To what a state of
helplessness I was reduced in that land! Unsatisfied with such indignities, My
persecutors decapitated Me, and, carrying aloft My head from land to land
paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving multitude, and deposited it on
the seats of the perverse and faithless. In a later age, I was suspended, and
My breast was made a target to the darts of the malicious cruelty of My foes.
My limbs were riddled with bullets, and My body was torn asunder. Finally,
behold how, in this Day, My treacherous enemies have leagued themselves against
Me, and are continually plotting to instill the venom of hate and malice into
the souls of Thy servants. With all their might they are scheming to accomplish
their purpose.... Grievous as is My plight, O God, My Well-Beloved, I render
thanks unto Thee, and My Spirit is grateful for whatsoever hath befallen me in
the path of Thy good-pleasure. I am well pleased with that which Thou didst
ordain for Me, and welcome,
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however calamitous, the pains and sorrows I am made to suffer.
XL. O My Well-Beloved! Thou
hast breathed Thy Breath into Me, and divorced Me from Mine own Self. Thou
didst, subsequently, decree that no more than a faint reflection, a mere emblem
of Thy Reality within Me be left among the perverse and envious. Behold, how,
deluded by this emblem, they have risen against Me, and heaped upon Me their
denials! Uncover Thy Self, therefore, O My Best-Beloved, and deliver Me from My
plight.
Thereupon a Voice replied: "I love, I dearly cherish this emblem. How can
I consent that Mine eyes, alone, gaze upon this emblem, and that no heart
except Mine heart recognize it? By My Beauty, which is the same as Thy Beauty!
My wish is to hide Thee from Mine own eyes: how much more from the eyes of
men!"
I was preparing to make reply, when lo, the Tablet was suddenly ended, leaving
My theme unfinished, and the pearl of Mine utterance unstrung.
XLI. God is My witness, O
people! I was asleep on My couch, when lo, the Breeze of God wafting over Me
roused Me from My slumber. His quickening Spirit revived Me, and My tongue was
unloosed to voice His Call. Accuse Me not of having transgressed against God.
Behold Me, not with your eyes
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but with Mine. Thus admonisheth you He Who is the Gracious, the All-Knowing.
Think ye, O people, that I hold within My grasp the control of God's ultimate
Will and Purpose? Far be it from Me to advance such claim. To this I testify
before God, the Almighty, the Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Had the
ultimate destiny of God's Faith been in Mine hands, I would have never
consented, even though for one moment, to manifest Myself unto you, nor would I
have allowed one word to fall from My lips. Of this God Himself is, verily, a
witness.
XLII. O Son of Justice! In the
night season the beauty of the immortal Being hath repaired from the emerald
height of fidelity unto the Sadratu'l-Muntahá, and wept with such a weeping
that the Concourse on high and the dwellers of the realms above wailed at His
lamenting. Whereupon there was asked, Why the wailing and weeping? He made
reply: As bidden I waited expectant upon the hill of faithfulness, yet inhaled
not from them that dwell on earth the fragrance of fidelity. Then summoned to
return I beheld, and lo! certain doves of holiness were sore tried within the
claws of the dogs of earth. Thereupon the Maid of Heaven hastened forth
unveiled and resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and asked of their names, and
all were told but one. And when urged, the first letter thereof was uttered,
whereupon the dwellers of the celestial chambers
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rushed forth out of their habitation of glory. And whilst the second letter was
pronounced they fell down, one and all, upon the dust. At that moment a voice
was heard from the inmost shrine: "Thus far and no farther." Verily,
We bear witness unto that which they have done, and now are doing.
XLIII. O Afnán, O thou that
hast branched from Mine ancient Stock! My glory and My loving-kindness rest
upon thee. How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause of God! It hath overshadowed
all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and will, erelong, gather together
the whole of mankind beneath its shelter. Thy day of service is now come.
Countless Tablets bear the testimony of the bounties vouchsafed unto thee.
Arise for the triumph of My Cause, and, through the power of thine utterance,
subdue the hearts of men. Thou must show forth that which will ensure the peace
and the well-being of the miserable and the down-trodden. Gird up the loins of
thine endeavor, that perchance thou mayest release the captive from his chains,
and enable him to attain unto true liberty.
Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath the
yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face of the
earth, and enveloped its peoples. Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We
have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new
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life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All
created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration. This is
the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the Pen of this wronged One
to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, O My well-beloved ones? Who is it that can
dismay you? A touch of moisture sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of
which this perverse generation is molded. The mere act of your gathering
together is enough to scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people....
Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit that the counsels which
the Pen of this wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme animating
power for the advancement of the world and the exaltation of its peoples. Arise,
O people, and, by the power of God's might, resolve to gain the victory over
your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from
its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies--gods that have inflicted such
loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their wretched worshipers.
These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in
the path of perfection. We cherish the hope that the Hand of Divine power may
lend its assistance to mankind, and deliver it from its state of grievous
abasement.
In one of the Tablets these words have been revealed: O people of God! Do not
busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed
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upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the
hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy deeds,
through a virtuous life and a goodly behavior. Valiant acts will ensure the
triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce its power. Cleave
unto righteousness, O people of Bahá! This, verily, is the commandment which
this wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained
Will for every one of you.
O friends! 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. Watch over
yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird
yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the
All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that surroundeth you. Let
your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self. The Evil
One is he that hindereth the rise and obstructeth the spiritual progress of the
children of men.
It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever will
promote the interests,
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and exalt the station, of all nations and just governments. Through each and
every one of the verses which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed, the doors
of love and unity have been unlocked and flung open to the face of men. We have
erewhile declared --and Our Word is the truth--: "Consort with the
followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship."
Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and hath caused
dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these
words, been nullified and abolished. From the heaven of God's Will, and for the
purpose of ennobling the world of being and of elevating the minds and souls of
men, hath been sent down that which is the most effective instrument for the
education of the whole human race. The highest essence and most perfect
expression of whatsoever the peoples of old have either said or written hath,
through this most potent Revelation, been sent down from the heaven of the Will
of the All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God. Of old it hath been revealed:
"Love of one's country is an element of the Faith of God." The Tongue
of Grandeur hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed: "It
is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the
world." Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a
fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and hath
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obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God's holy Book.
O people of Justice! Be as brilliant as the light, and as splendid as the fire
that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will
no doubt fuse and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth,
whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in
strife and ruin. We beseech God that He may shield His creatures from the evil
designs of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things.
All praise be to the one true God--exalted be His glory--inasmuch as He hath,
through the Pen of the Most High, unlocked the doors of men's hearts. Every
verse which this Pen hath revealed is a bright and shining portal that
discloseth the glories of a saintly and pious life, of pure and stainless
deeds. The summons and the message which We gave were never intended to reach
or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly
adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only
then will it attain unto true liberty. The whole earth is illuminated with the
resplendent glory of God's Revelation. In the year sixty He Who heralded the
light of Divine Guidance --may all creation be a sacrifice unto Him--arose to
announce a fresh revelation of the Divine Spirit, and was followed, twenty
years later, by Him through Whose coming the world was made the recipient of
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this promised glory, this wondrous favor. Behold how the generality of mankind
hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God's most exalted Word--
the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual
resurrection of all men....
Incline your hearts, O people of God, unto the counsels of your true, your
incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose roots
have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent upon you to foster
its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified and holy words,
so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches may spread out as
high as the heavens and beyond.
O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the
preeminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We have, on
the one hand, blotted out from the pages of God's holy Book whatsoever hath
been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst the children of men,
and have, on the other, laid down the essential prerequisites of concord, of
understanding, of complete and enduring unity. Well is it with them that keep
My statutes.
Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid, nay to flee from,
anything whatsoever from which the odor of mischief can be detected. The world
is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are in a state of utter
confusion. We entreat
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the Almighty that He may graciously illuminate them with the glory of His
Justice, and enable them to discover that which will be profitable unto them at
all times and under all conditions. He, verily is the All-Possessing, the Most
High.
XLIV. Lay not aside the fear of
God, O ye the learned of the world, and judge fairly the Cause of this
unlettered One to Whom all the Books of God, the Protector, the
Self-Subsisting, have testified. ...Will not the dread of Divine displeasure,
the fear of Him Who hath no peer or equal, arouse you? He Whom the world hath
wronged hath, at no time, associated with you, hath never studied your writings,
nor participated in any of your disputations. The garb He weareth, His flowing
locks, His headdress, attest the truth of His words. How long will ye persist
in your injustice? Witness the habitation in which He, Who is the incarnation
of justice, hath been forced to dwell. Open your eyes, and, beholding His
plight, meditate diligently upon that which your hands have wrought, that haply
ye may not be deprived of the light of His Divine utterance, nor remain bereft
of your share of the ocean of His knowledge.
Certain ones among both commoners and nobles have objected that this wronged
One is neither a member of the ecclesiastical order nor a descendant of the
Prophet. Say: O ye that claim to be just! Reflect
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a little while, and ye shall recognize how infinitely exalted is His present
state above the station ye claim He should possess. The Will of the Almighty
hath decreed that out of a house wholly devoid of all that the divines, the
doctors, the sages, and scholars commonly possess His Cause should proceed and
be made manifest.
The Breathings of the Divine Spirit awoke Him, and bade Him arise and proclaim
His Revelation. No sooner was He roused from His slumber than He lifted up His
voice and summoned the whole of mankind unto God, the Lord of all worlds. We
have been moved to reveal these words in consideration of the weakness and
frailty of men; otherwise, the Cause We have proclaimed is such as no pen can
ever describe, nor any mind conceive its greatness. To this beareth witness He
with Whom is the Mother Book.
XLV. The Ancient Beauty hath
consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its
bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty
Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained
to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain
unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your
Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O
believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered
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manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to
build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God
have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!
XLVI. I sorrow not for the
burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I grieve over My abasement, or the
tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine enemies. By My life! They are My
glory, a glory wherewith God hath adorned His own Self. Would that ye know it!
The shame I was made to bear hath uncovered the glory with which the whole of
creation had been invested, and through the cruelties I have endured, the Day
Star of Justice hath manifested itself, and shed its splendor upon men.
My sorrows are for those who have involved themselves in their corrupt
passions, and claim to be associated with the Faith of God, the Gracious, the
All-Praised.
It behoveth the people of Bahá to die to the world and all that is therein, to
be so detached from all earthly things that the inmates of Paradise may inhale
from their garment the sweet smelling savor of sanctity, that all the peoples
of the earth may recognize in their faces the brightness of the All-Merciful,
and that through them may be spread abroad the signs and tokens of God, the
Almighty, the All-Wise.
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They that have tarnished the fair name of the Cause of God, by following the
things of the flesh--these are in palpable error!
XLVII. O Jews! If ye be intent
on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath
once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you. Deal with Me as ye wish,
for I have vowed to lay down My life in the path of God. I will fear no one,
though the powers of earth and heaven be leagued against Me. Followers of the
Gospel! If ye cherish the desire to slay Muhammad, the Apostle of God, seize Me
and put an end to My life, for I am He, and My Self is His Self. Do unto Me as
ye like, for the deepest longing of Mine heart is to attain the presence of My
Best-Beloved in His Kingdom of Glory. Such is the Divine decree, if ye know it.
Followers of Muhammad! If it be your wish to riddle with your shafts the breast
of Him Who hath caused His Book the Bayán to be sent down unto you, lay hands
on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the revelation of His own
Self, though My name be not His name. I have come in the shadows of the clouds
of glory, and am invested by God with invincible sovereignty. He, verily, is
the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I, verily, anticipate from you the
treatment ye have accorded unto Him that came before Me. To this all things,
verily, witness, if ye be of those who hearken.
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O people of the Bayán! If ye have resolved to shed the blood of Him Whose
coming the Báb hath proclaimed, Whose advent Muhammad hath prophesied, and
Whose Revelation Jesus Christ Himself hath announced, behold Me standing, ready
and defenseless, before you. Deal with Me after your own desires.
XLVIII. God is my witness! Had
it not been in conflict with that which the Tablets of God have decreed, I
would have gladly kissed the hands of whosoever attempted to shed my blood in
the path of the Well-Beloved. I would, moreover, have bestowed upon him a share
of such worldly goods as God had allowed me to possess, even though he who
perpetrated this act would have provoked the wrath of the Almighty, incurred
His malediction, and deserved to be tormented throughout the eternity of God,
the All-Possessing, the Equitable, the All-Wise.
XLIX. Know verily that whenever
this Youth turneth His eyes towards His own self, he findeth it the most
insignificant of all creation. When He contemplates, however, the bright
effulgences He hath been empowered to manifest, lo, that self is transfigured
before Him into a sovereign Potency permeating the essence of all things
visible and invisible. Glory be to Him Who, through the power of truth, hath
sent down the Manifestation of His own Self and entrusted Him with His message
unto all mankind.
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L. Shake off, O heedless ones,
the slumber of negligence, that ye may behold the radiance which His glory hath
spread through the world. How foolish are those who murmur against the
premature birth of His light. O ye who are inly blind! Whether too soon or too
late, the evidences of His effulgent glory are now actually manifest. It
behoveth you to ascertain whether or not such a light hath appeared. It is neither
within your power nor mine to set the time at which it should be made manifest.
God's inscrutable Wisdom hath fixed its hour beforehand. Be content, O people,
with that which God hath desired for you and predestined unto you.... O my
ill-wishers! The Day Star of eternal Guidance beareth me witness: Had it been
in my power, I would have, under no circumstances, consented to distinguish
myself amongst men, for the Name I bear utterly disdaineth to associate itself
with this generation whose tongues are sullied and whose hearts are false. And
whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, lo, the voice of the Holy
Ghost, standing on my right hand, aroused me, and the Supreme Spirit appeared
before my face, and Gabriel overshadowed me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred
within my bosom, bidding me arise and break my silence. If your hearing be
purged and your ears be attentive, ye will assuredly perceive that every limb
of my body, nay all the atoms of my being, proclaim and bear witness to this
call: "God, besides Whom is none other God, and He,
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Whose beauty is now manifest, is the reflection of His glory unto all that are
in heaven and on earth."