THE
SUMMONS
OF THE
LORD OF
HOSTS
TABLETS
OF
BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
Súriy-i-Haykal / Súrih of the
Pope
Pius IX
Napoleon
III
Czar
Alexander II
Queen
Náṣiri’d-Dín
Sháh / Lawḥ-i-Sulṭán
Súriy-i-Ra’ís
LawḤ-i-Ra’ís
LawḤ-i-Fu’ád
Súriy-i-Mulúk / Súrih
to the Kings
Endnotes
Note on the
translation
Key to
passages translated by Shoghi Effendi
Index
The years following Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in
The
present volume brings together the first full, authorized English translation
of these major writings. Among them
is the complete Súriy-i-Haykal, the Súrih of the
It
was this composite work which, shortly after its completion, Bahá’u’lláh
instructed be written in the form of a pentacle, symbolizing the human
temple. To it He added, as a
conclusion, what Shoghi Effendi has described as “words which reveal the
importance He attached to those Messages, and indicate their direct association
with the prophecies of the Old Testament”:
Thus have We built the
During the last years of His ministry Bahá’u’lláh Himself arranged for the
publication for the first time of definitive versions of some of His principal
works, and the Súriy-i-Haykal was awarded a prominent position among them.
Of
the various writings that make up the Súriy-i-Haykal, one requires particular
mention. The Lawḥ-i-Sulṭán, the
Tablet to Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, Bahá’u’lláh’s lengthiest epistle to any
single sovereign, was revealed in the weeks immediately preceding His final
banishment to ‘Akká. It was
eventually delivered to the monarch by Badí‘, a youth of seventeen, who had
entreated Bahá’u’lláh for the honour of rendering some service. His efforts won him the crown of
martyrdom and immortalized his name.
The Tablet contains the celebrated passage describing the circumstances
in which the divine call was communicated to Bahá’u’lláh and the effect it
produced. Here, too, we find His
unequivocal offer to meet with the Muslim clergy, in the presence of the Sháh,
and to provide whatever proofs of the new Revelation they might consider to be
definitive, a test of spiritual integrity significantly failed by those who
claimed to be the authoritative trustees of the message of the Qur’án.
Included in this collection, as well, is
the first full translation of the Súriy-i-Mulúk or Súrih of the Kings, which
Shoghi Effendi described as “the most momentous Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh
in which He, for the first time, directs His words collectively to the entire
company of the monarchs of East and West”.
It sets forth both the character of His mission and the standard of justice
that must govern the exercise of their rule in this Day of God:
Lay not aside the fear of God, O
kings of the earth, and beware that ye transgress not the bounds which the
Almighty hath fixed. Observe the
injunctions laid upon you in His Book, and take good heed not to overstep their
limits. Be vigilant, that ye may
not do injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard
seed. Tread ye the path of justice,
for this, verily, is the straight path.
The
Tablet introduces some of the great themes that were to figure prominently in
the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh over the next two and a half decades: the obligation of those into whose hands
God has entrusted civil authority to institute the reign of justice, the
necessity for the reduction of armaments and the resolution of conflicts among
nations, and an end to the excessive expenditures that were impoverishing these
rulers’ subjects.
Surveying
the principal contents of Bahá’u’lláh’s majestic call to the kings and rulers
of the world, Shoghi Effendi has written:
The magnitude and diversity of the
theme, the cogency of the argument, the sublimity and audacity of the language,
arrest our attention and astound our minds. Emperors, kings and princes, chancellors
and ministers, the Pope himself, priests, monks and philosophers, the exponents
of learning, parliamentarians and deputies, the rich ones of the earth, the
followers of all religions, and the people of Bahá—all are brought within the
purview of the Author of these Messages, and receive, each according to their
merits, the counsels and admonitions they deserve. No less amazing is the diversity of the
subjects touched upon in these Tablets.
The transcendent majesty and unity of an unknowable and unapproachable
God is extolled, and the oneness of His Messengers proclaimed and
emphasized. The uniqueness, the
universality and potentialities of the Bahá’í Faith are stressed, and the
purpose and character of the Bábí Revelation unfolded.
The summary draws attention to Bahá’u’lláh’s uncompromising indictment of
the conditions of human society for which its leadership is held primarily
responsible:
Episodes, at once moving and
marvellous, at various stages of His ministry, are recounted, and the
transitoriness of worldly pomp, fame, riches, and sovereignty, repeatedly and
categorically asserted. Appeals for
the application of the highest principles in human and international relations
are forcibly and insistently made, and the abandonment of discreditable
practices and conventions, detrimental to the happiness, the growth, the
prosperity and the unity of the human race, enjoined. Kings are censured, ecclesiastical
dignitaries arraigned, ministers and plenipotentiaries condemned, and the
identification of His advent with the coming of the Father Himself
unequivocally admitted and repeatedly announced. The violent downfall of a few of these
kings and emperors is prophesied, two of them are definitely challenged, most
are warned, all are appealed to and exhorted.
In
a Tablet, the original of which has been lost, Bahá’u’lláh had already
condemned, in the severest terms, the misrule of the Ottoman Sulṭán
‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz. The present volume
includes, however, three other Tablets which address two ministers of the Sulṭán,
whose selfish and unprincipled influence played an important role in
Bahá’u’lláh’s successive banishments.
The Súriy-i-Ra’ís, which addresses ‘Álí Páshá, the Ottoman Prime
Minister, was revealed in August 1868 as the exiles were being moved from
Adrianople to Gallipoli, and exposes unsparingly the abuse of civil power the
minister had perpetrated. The Lawḥ-i-Ra’ís,
which also contains passages directed to ‘Álí Páshá, was revealed
shortly after Bahá’u’lláh’s incarceration in the citadel of ‘Akká and includes
a chilling denunciation of the character of the Minister. The third Tablet, the Lawḥ-i-Fu’ád,
revealed in 1869 shortly after the death of Fu’ád Páshá, the Ottoman
Minister to whose machinations it refers, describes the spiritual consequences
of the abuse of power, and foretells the imminent downfall of his colleague,
‘Álí Páshá, and the overthrow of the Sulṭán himself—prophecies that were
widely circulated and whose dramatic fulfilment added greatly to the prestige
of their Author.
It
seems especially appropriate, as Bahá’u’lláh’s influence penetrates ever more
deeply the life of the larger society throughout the world, that the full texts
of these great Tablets should now be available for a broad readership. We express to the committees who were
commissioned to undertake and review these translations the deep gratitude we
feel for the care and sensitivity they have brought to the task. Bahá’ís will recognize key passages from
several of the Tablets that were introduced to the West by Shoghi Effendi. His translations into English of the
Bahá’í Holy Texts provide an enduring standard for the efforts of those who
rise to the challenge of preparing appropriate renderings into English of these
treasures of the Faith.
The Universal House of Justice
This is
the Súrih of the
the
Mirror of His Names between the heavens and the earth, and
the Sign
of His Remembrance amidst the peoples of the world.
1 Glorified
is He Who hath revealed His verses to those who understand. Glorified is He Who sendeth down His
verses to those who perceive.
Glorified is He Who guideth whomsoever He pleaseth unto His path. Say: I, verily, am the Path of God unto all
who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth; well is it with them that
hasten thereunto!
2 Glorified
is He Who sendeth down His verses to those who comprehend. Glorified is He Who speaketh forth from
the
3 Blessed
is He Who doeth as He willeth by a word of His command. He, verily, is the True One, the Knower
of things unseen. Blessed is He Who
inspireth whomsoever He willeth with whatsoever He desireth, through His
irresistible and inscrutable command.
Blessed is He Who aideth whomsoever He desireth with the hosts of the
unseen. His might is, in truth,
equal to His purpose, and He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the
Self-Subsisting. Blessed is He Who
exalteth whomsoever He willeth by the power of His sovereign might, and
confirmeth whomsoever He chooseth in accordance with His good pleasure; well is
it with them that understand!
4 Blessed
is He Who, in a well-guarded Tablet, hath prescribed a fixed measure unto all
things. Blessed is He Who hath revealed
unto His Servant that which shall illumine the hearts and minds of men. Blessed is He Who hath sent down upon
His Servant such tribulations as have melted the hearts of them that dwell within
the Tabernacle of eternity and the souls of those who have drawn nigh unto
their Lord. Blessed is He Who hath
showered upon His Servant, from the clouds of His decree, the darts of
affliction, and Who beholdeth Me enduring them with patience and fortitude. Blessed is He Who hath ordained for His
Servant that which He hath destined for no other soul. He, verily, is the One, the
Incomparable, the Self-Subsisting.
5 Blessed
is He Who hath caused to rain down upon His Servant from the clouds of enmity,
and at the hands of the people of denial, the shafts of tribulation and trial;
and yet seeth Our heart filled with gratitude. Blessed is He Who hath laid upon the
shoulders of His Servant the burden of the heavens and of the earth—a burden
for which We yield Him every praise, though none may grasp this save them that
are endued with understanding.
Glorified is He Who hath surrendered the embodiment of His Beauty to the
clutches of the envious and the wicked—a fate unto which We are fully resigned,
though none may perceive this save those who are endued with insight. Glorified is He Who hath left Ḥusayn to
make His dwelling amidst the hosts of His enemies, and exposed His body with
every breath to the spears of hatred and anger; yet do We yield Him thanks for
all that He hath destined to befall His Servant Who repaireth unto Him in His
affliction and grief.
6 While
engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling
above My head. Turning My face, I
beheld a Maiden—the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord—suspended
in the air before Me. So rejoiced
was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the
good pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the
All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and
heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of
men. She was imparting to both My
inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and the souls of God’s
honoured servants.
7 Pointing
with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who
are on earth, saying: By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds,
and yet ye comprehend not. This is
the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you,
could ye but understand. This is
the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all
who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that
perceive. This is He Whose Presence
is the ardent desire of the denizens of the Realm of eternity, and of them that
dwell within the Tabernacle of glory, and yet from His Beauty do ye turn aside.
8 O
people of the Bayán! If ye aid Him
not, God will assuredly assist Him with the powers of earth and heaven, and
sustain Him with the hosts of the unseen through His command “Be”, and it is! The day is approaching when God will
have, by an act of His Will, raised up a race of men the nature of which is
inscrutable to all save God, the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting. He shall purify them from the defilement
of idle fancies and corrupt desires, shall lift them up to the heights of
holiness, and shall cause them to manifest the signs of His sovereignty and
might upon earth. Thus hath it been
ordained by God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving.
9 O
people of the Bayán! Would ye deny
Him Whose presence is the very object of your creation, while ye rejoice idly
upon your couches? Would ye laugh
to scorn and contend with Him, a single hair of Whose head excelleth, in the
sight of God, all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth? O people of the Bayán! Produce, then, that which ye possess,
that I may know by what proof ye believed aforetime in the Manifestations of
His Cause, and by what reason ye now wax so disdainful!
10
I swear by Him Who hath fashioned Me from the light of His own Beauty! None have I ever seen that surpasseth
you in heedlessness or exceedeth you in ignorance. Ye seek to prove your faith in God
through such holy Tablets as ye possess, yet when the verses of God were
revealed and His Lamp was lighted, ye disbelieved in Him Whose very Pen hath
fixed the destinies of all things in the Preserved Tablet. Ye recite the sacred verses and yet
repudiate Him Who is their Source and Revealer. Thus hath God blinded your eyes in
requital for your deeds, would ye but understand. Day and night ye transcribe the verses
of God, and yet ye remain shut out, as by a veil, from Him Who hath revealed
them.
11 In
this Day the Concourse on high beholdeth you in your evil doings and shunneth
your company, and yet ye perceive it not.
They ask of one another:
“What words do these fools utter, and in what valley are they wont to
graze? Do they deny that whereunto
their very souls testify, and shut their eyes to that which they plainly
behold?” I swear by God, O
people! They that inhabit the
Cities of the Names of God are bewildered at your actions, while ye roam,
aimless and unconscious, in a parched and barren land.
12 O Pen
of the Most High! Hearken unto the
Call of Thy Lord, raised from the Divine Lote-Tree in the holy and luminous
Spot, that the sweet accents of Thy Lord, the All-Merciful, may fill Thy soul
with joy and fervour, and that the breezes that waft from My name, the
Ever-Forgiving, may dispel Thy cares and sorrows. Raise up, then, from this
13 We,
verily, have ordained this
14 These
are servants who abide beneath the shelter of the tender mercy of their Lord,
and who remain undeterred by those who seek to obstruct their path. Upon their faces may be seen the
brightness of the light of the All-Merciful, and from their hearts may be heard
the remembrance of Mine all-glorious and inaccessible Name. Were they to unloose their tongues to
extol their Lord, the denizens of earth and heaven would
join in their
anthems of praise—yet how few are they who
hear! And were they to glorify
their Lord, all created things would join in their hymns of glory. Thus hath God exalted them above the rest of His creation, and yet the people remain unaware!
15 These
are they who circle round the Cause of God even as the shadow doth revolve
around the sun. Open, then, your
eyes, O people of the Bayán, that haply ye may behold them! It is by virtue of their movement that
all things are set in motion, and by reason of their stillness all things are
brought to rest, would that ye might be assured thereof! Through them the believers in the Divine
Unity have turned towards Him Who is the Object of the adoration of the entire
creation, and by them the hearts of the righteous have found rest and composure,
could ye but know it! Through them
the earth hath been established, the clouds have rained down their bounty, and
the bread of knowledge hath descended from the heaven of grace, could ye but
perceive it!
16 These
souls are the protectors of the Cause of God on earth, who shall preserve its
beauty from the obscuring dust of idle fancies and vain imaginings. In the path of their Lord they shall not
fear for their lives; rather will they sacrifice their all in their eagerness
to behold the face of their Well-Beloved when once He hath appeared in this
Name, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Most Holy.
17 O
18 O
19 O
Eyes of this
20 O
Ears of this
21 O
Tongue of this
22 O
Maid of inner meanings! Step out of
the chamber of utterance by the leave of God, the Lord of the heavens and the
earth. Reveal, then, thyself
adorned with the raiment of the celestial Realm, and proffer with thy ruby
fingers the wine of the heavenly Dominion, that haply the denizens of this
world may perceive the light that shone forth from the
23 Grieve
not if none be found to accept the crimson wine proffered by Thy snow-white
hand and to seize it in the name of Thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most
High—He Who hath appeared again in His name, the Most Glorious. Leave this people unto themselves, and
repair unto the Tabernacle of majesty and glory, wherein Thou shalt encounter a
people whose faces shine as brightly as the sun in its noontide splendour, and
who praise and extol their Lord in this Name that hath arisen, in the plenitude
of might and power, to assume the throne of independent sovereignty. From their lips Thou shalt hear naught
but the strains of My glorification and praise; unto this Thy Lord beareth Me
witness. The existence of these
people, however, hath remained concealed from the eyes of all who, from
everlasting, have been created through the Word of God. Thus have We made plain Our meaning and
set forth Our verses, that perchance men may reflect upon the signs and tokens
of their Lord.
24 These
are they who, in truth, were not enjoined to prostrate themselves before Adam.[1] They have never turned away from the
countenance of Thy Lord, and partake at every moment of the gifts and delights
of holiness. Thus hath the Pen of
the All-Merciful set forth the secrets of all things, be they of the past or of
the future. Would that the world
might understand! Erelong shall God
make manifest this people upon the earth, and through them shall exalt His
name, diffuse His signs, uphold His words, and proclaim His verses, in spite of
those that have repudiated His truth, gainsaid His sovereignty, and cavilled at
His signs.
25 O
Beauty of the All-Glorious!
Shouldst Thou chance upon this people and enter their presence, recount
unto them that which this Youth hath related unto Thee concerning Himself and
the things that have befallen Him, that they may come to know what hath been
inscribed upon the Preserved Tablet.
Acquaint them with the tidings of this Youth, and with the trials and
tribulations He hath suffered, that they may become mindful of Mine
afflictions, and be of them that understand. Recount, then, unto them how We singled
out for Our favour one of Our brothers,[*]
how We imparted unto him a dewdrop from the fathomless ocean of knowledge,
clothed him with the garment of one of Our Names, and exalted him to such a
station that all were moved to extol him, and how We so protected him from the
harm of the malevolent as to disarm even the mightiest amongst them.
26 We
arose before the peoples of earth and heaven at a time when all had determined
to slay us. While dwelling in their
midst, We continually made mention of the Lord, celebrated His praise, and
stood firm in His Cause, until at last the Word of God was vindicated amongst
His creatures, His signs were spread abroad, His power exalted, and His
sovereignty revealed in its full splendour. To this bear witness all His honoured
servants. Yet when My brother
beheld the rising fame of the Cause, he became filled with arrogance and
pride. Thereupon he emerged from
behind the veil of concealment, rose up against Me, disputed My verses, denied
My testimony, and repudiated My signs.
Nor would his hunger be appeased unless he were to devour My flesh and
drink My blood. To this testify
such of God’s servants as have accompanied Him in His exile, and they that
enjoy near access unto Him.
27 To
this end he conferred with one of My servants[2]
and sought to win him over to his own designs; whereupon the Lord despatched
unto Mine assistance the hosts of the seen and the unseen, protected Me by the
power of truth, and sent down upon Me that which thwarted his purpose. Thus were foiled the plots of those who
disbelieve in the verses of the All-Merciful. They, truly, are a rejected people. When news spread of that which the
promptings of self had impelled My brother to attempt, and Our companions in
exile learned of his nefarious design, the voice of their indignation and grief
was lifted up and threatened to spread throughout the city. We forbade, however, such
recriminations, and enjoined upon them patience, that they might be of those
that endure steadfastly.
28 By
God, besides Whom is none other God!
We withstood all these trials with forbearance, and enjoined upon God’s
servants to show forth patience and fortitude. Removing Ourself from their midst, We
took up residence in another house, that perchance the flame of envy might be
quenched in Our brother’s breast, and that he might be guided aright. We neither opposed him, nor saw him
again thereafter, but remained in Our home, placing Our hopes in the bounty of
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. When, however, he realized that his deed
had been exposed, he seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of
God, attributing what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged
Beauty. His purpose was none other
than to inspire mischief amongst God’s servants, and to instil hatred into the
hearts of those who had believed in God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving.
29 By
the One in Whose hand is My soul!
We were dismayed by his deceitfulness—nay, bewildered were all things
visible and invisible. Nor did he
find respite from what he harboured in his bosom until he had committed that
which no pen dare describe, and by which he disgraced the dignity of My station
and profaned the sanctity of God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the
All-Praised. Were God to turn all
the oceans of the earth into ink and all created things into pens, they would
not suffice Me to exhaust the record of his wrongdoings. Thus do We recount that which befell Us,
that haply ye may be of them that understand.
30 O Pen
of Eternity! Grieve not at the
things that have befallen Thee, for erelong shall God raise up a people who
will see with their own eyes and will recall Thy tribulations. Withhold Thy pen from the mention of
Thine enemies, and bestir it in the praise of the Eternal King. Renounce all created things, and quaff
the sealed wine of My remembrance.
Beware lest Thou become occupied with the mention of those from whom
naught save the noisome savours of enmity can be perceived, those who are so
enslaved by their lust for leadership that they would not hesitate to destroy
themselves in their desire to emblazon their fame and perpetuate their
names. God hath recorded such souls
in the Preserved Tablet as mere worshippers of names. Recount then that which Thou hast
purposed for this
31 O
32 Say: O people! Can ye ever hope to escape the sovereign
power of your Lord? By the
righteousness of God! No refuge
will ye find in this day, and no one to protect you, save those upon whom God
hath bestowed the favour of His mercy.
He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. Say: O people! Forsake all that ye possess, and enter
beneath the shadow of your Lord, the All-Merciful. Better is this for you than all your
works of the past and of the future.
Fear ye God, and deprive not yourselves of the sweet savours of the days
of the Lord of all names and attributes.
Take heed lest ye alter or pervert the text of the Word of God. Walk ye in the fear of God, and be
numbered with the righteous.
33 Say: O people! This is the Hand of God, which hath ever
been above your own hands, could ye but understand. Within its grasp We have ordained all
the good of the heavens and the earth, such that no good shall be made manifest
but that it proceedeth therefrom.
Thus have We made it the source and treasury of all good both aforetime
and hereafter. Say: The rivers of divine wisdom and
utterance which flowed through the Tablets of God are joined to this Most Great
Ocean, could ye but perceive it, and whatever hath been set forth in His Books
hath attained its final consummation in this most exalted Word—a Word shining
above the horizon of the Will of the All-Glorious in this Revelation which hath
filled with delight all things seen and unseen.
34 Erelong
shall God draw forth, out of the bosom of power, the hands of ascendancy and
might, and shall raise up a people who will arise to win victory for this Youth
and who will purge mankind from the defilement of the outcast and the
ungodly. These hands will gird up
their loins to champion the Faith of God, and will, in My name the
Self-Subsistent, the Mighty, subdue the peoples and kindreds of the earth. They will enter the cities and will inspire
with fear the hearts of all their inhabitants. Such are the evidences of the might of
God; how fearful, how vehement is His might, and how justly doth He wield
it! He, verily, ruleth and
transcendeth all who are in the heavens and on the earth, and revealeth what He
desireth according to a prescribed measure.
35 Should
any one of them be called upon to confront all the hosts of creation, he would
assuredly prevail through the ascendancy of My Will. This, verily, is a proof of My power,
though My creatures comprehend it not.
This, verily, is a sign of My sovereignty, though My subjects understand
it not. This, verily, is a token of
My command, though My servants perceive it not. This, verily, is an evidence of Mine
ascendancy, though none amongst the people is truly thankful for it, save those
whose eyes God hath illumined with the light of His knowledge, whose hearts He
hath made the repository of His Revelation, and upon whose shoulders He hath
placed the weight of His Cause.
These shall inhale the fragrances of the All-Merciful from the garment
of His Name, and shall rejoice at all times in the signs and verses of their
Lord. As for those who disbelieve
in God, and join partners with Him, they shall indeed incur His wrath, shall be
cast into the Fire, and shall be made to dwell, fearful and dismayed, in its
depths. Thus do We expound Our
verses, and make plain the truth with clear proofs, that perchance the people
may reflect upon the signs of their Lord.
36 O
37 O
First Letter of this
38 O
Second Letter of this
39 O
Third Letter of this
40 O
Pen! Send down out of the clouds of
Thy generosity that which shall enrich all created things, and withhold not Thy
favours from the world of being.
Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful in the heaven of Thine eternity, and
the Lord of infinite grace unto all who inhabit the kingdom of names. Look not upon the people and the things
they possess; look rather upon the wonders of Thy gifts and favours. Gather then Thy servants beneath Thy
shade that shadoweth all mankind.
Stretch forth the hand of bounty over all creation, and the fingers of
bestowal over all existence. This,
verily, is that which beseemeth Thee, though the people understand it not. Whosoever turneth his face towards Thee
doeth so by Thy grace, and as to him who turneth away, Thy Lord, in truth, is
independent of all created things.
Unto this bear witness His true and devoted servants.
41 Erelong
shall God raise up, through Thee, those with hands of indomitable strength and
arms of invincible might, who will come forth from behind the veils, will
render the All-Merciful victorious amongst the peoples of the world, and will
raise so mighty a cry as to cause all hearts to tremble with fear. Thus hath it been decreed in a Written
Tablet. Such shall be the
ascendancy which these souls will evince that consternation and dismay will
seize all the dwellers of the earth.
42 Beware
lest ye shed the blood of anyone.
Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for
therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men’s hearts. We have abolished the law to wage holy
war against each other. God’s
mercy, hath, verily, encompassed all created things, if ye do but
understand. Aid ye your Lord, the
God of Mercy, with the sword of understanding. Keener indeed is it, and more finely
tempered, than the sword of utterance, were ye but to reflect upon the words of
your Lord. Thus have the hosts of
Divine Revelation been sent down by God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting, and thus have the armies of divine inspiration been made
manifest from the Source of command, as bidden by God, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved.
43 Say: The measure of all created things hath
been appointed in this concealed and manifest
44 Say: Naught is seen in My temple but the
Temple of God, and in My beauty but His Beauty, and in My being but His Being,
and in My self but His Self, and in My movement but His Movement, and in My
acquiescence but His Acquiescence, and in My pen but His Pen, the Mighty, the
All-Praised. There hath not been in
My soul but the Truth, and in Myself naught could be seen but God.
45 Beware
lest ye speak of duality in regard to My Self, for all the atoms of the earth
proclaim that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the Mighty,
the Loving. From the beginning that
hath no beginning I have proclaimed, from the realm of eternity, that I am God,
none other God is there save Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting; and
unto the end that hath no end I shall proclaim, amidst the kingdom of names,
that I am God, none other God is there beside Me, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved. Say: Lordship is My Name, whereof I have created
manifestations in the world of being, while We Ourself remain sanctified above
them, would ye but ponder this truth.
And Godhead is My Name, whereof We have created exponents whose power
shall encompass the people of the earth and make them true worshippers of God,
could ye but recognize it. Thus
should ye regard all Our Names, if ye be endued with insight.
46 O
Fourth Letter of this
47 Say: In this day, the fertilizing winds of
the grace of God have passed over all things. Every creature hath been endowed with
all the potentialities it can carry.
And yet the peoples of the world have denied this grace! Every tree hath been endowed with the
choicest fruits, every ocean enriched with the most luminous gems. Man, himself, hath been invested with
the gifts of understanding and knowledge.
The whole creation hath been made the recipient of the revelation of the
All-Merciful, and the earth the repository of things inscrutable to all except
God, the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. The time is approaching when every
created thing will have cast its burden.
Glorified be God Who hath vouchsafed this grace that encompasseth all
things, whether seen or unseen!
Thus have We created the whole earth anew in this day, yet most of the
people have failed to perceive it.
Say: The grace of God can
never be adequately understood; how much less can His own Self, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting, be comprehended!
48 O
49 O
50 Say: The Holy Spirit Itself hath been
generated through the agency of a single letter revealed by this Most Great
Spirit, if ye be of them that comprehend.
And that innate and untaught nature in its essence is called into being
by the verses of God, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved. Say: This nature prideth itself in its
relation to Our transcendent Truth, whilst We, for Our part, glory neither in
it nor in aught else, for all beside Myself hath been created through the
potency of My word, could ye but understand.
51 Say: We have revealed Our verses in nine
different modes. Each one of them
bespeaketh the sovereignty of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. A single one of them sufficeth for a
proof unto all who are in the heavens and on the earth; yet the people, for the
most part, persist in their heedlessness.
Should it be Our wish, We would reveal them in countless other modes.
52 Say: O people! Fear ye God, and allow not your tongues
to utter, in their deceitfulness, that which displeaseth Him. Stand abashed before the One Who, as ye
well know, hath created you out of a drop of water.[4] Say: We have created all that are in heaven
and on earth in the nature made by God.
Whosoever turneth unto this blessed Countenance shall manifest the
potentialities of that inborn nature, and whosoever remaineth veiled therefrom
shall be deprived of this invisible and all-encompassing grace. Verily, there is naught from which Our
favour hath been withheld, inasmuch as We have dealt equitably in the
fashioning of each and all, and by a word of Our mouth presented unto them the
trust of Our love. They that have
accepted it are indeed safe and secure, and are numbered among those who are
immune from the terrors of this Day.
Those, however, who have rejected it have, in truth, disbelieved in God,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Thus do We distinguish between the people and pronounce judgement upon
them. We, of a certainty, have the
power to discern.
53 Say: The Word of God can never be confounded
with the words of His creatures. It
is, in truth, the King of words, even as He is Himself the sovereign Lord of
all, and His Cause transcendeth all that was and all that shall be. Enter, O people, the City of
54 Among
the infidels are those who have repudiated His Self and risen up against His
Cause, and who claim that these divine verses are contrived. Such also were the objections of the
deniers of old, who now implore deliverance from the Fire. Say: Woe betide you for the idle words that
proceed from your mouths! If these
verses be indeed contrived, then by what proof have ye believed in God? Produce it, if ye be men of understanding! Whensoever We revealed Our clear verses
unto such men, they rejected them, and whensoever they beheld that which the
combined forces of the earth are powerless to produce, they pronounced it
sorcery.
55 What
aileth this people that they speak of that which they understand not? They raise the same objections as did
the followers of the Qur’án when their Lord came unto them with His Cause. They, verily, are a rejected
people. They hindered others from
appearing before Him Who is the Ancient Beauty, and from sharing the bread of
His loved ones. “Approach them
not,” one was even heard to say, “for they cast a spell upon the people and
lead them astray from the path of God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.” By the
righteousness of the one true God!
He who is incapable of speaking in Our presence hath uttered such words
as none among the former generations hath ever spoken, and hath committed such
acts as none of the unbelievers of bygone ages hath ever committed.
56 The
very words and deeds of these men bear eloquent testimony to the truth of My
words, if ye be of them that judge with fairness. Whosoever attributeth the verses of God
to sorcery hath not believed in any of His Messengers, hath lived and laboured
in vain, and is accounted of those who speak that of which they have no
knowledge. Say: O servant! Fear God, thy Creator and thy Fashioner,
and transgress not against Him, but judge with fairness and act with
justice. Those whom the Lord hath
endued with knowledge shall find, in the very objections raised by the
unbelievers, conclusive proofs to invalidate their claims and vindicate the
truth of this manifest Light.
Say: Would ye repeat that
which the unbelievers uttered when a Message came unto them from their Lord? Woe betide you, O assemblage of foolish
ones, and blighted be your works!
57 O
Ancient Beauty! Turn aside from the
unbelievers and that which they possess, and waft over all created things the
sweet savours of the remembrance of Thy Beloved, the Exalted, the Great. This remembrance quickeneth the world of
being and reneweth the temples of all created things. Say: He, verily, hath established Himself
upon the Throne of might and glory.
Whosoever desireth to gaze upon His countenance, lo, behold Him standing
before thee! Blessed be the Lord
Who hath revealed Himself in this shining and luminous Beauty. Whosoever desireth to hearken unto His
melodies, lo, hear them rising from His resplendent and wondrous lips! And unto whosoever desireth to be
illumined by the splendours of His light, say: Seek the court of His presence, for God
hath verily granted you leave to approach it, as a token of His grace unto all
mankind.
58 Say: O people! We shall put to you a question in all
truthfulness, taking God for a witness between you and Us. He, verily, is the Defender of the
righteous. Appear, then, before His
Throne of glory and make reply with justice and fair-mindedness. Is it God Who is potent to achieve His
purpose, or is it ye who enjoy such authority? Is it He Who is truly unconstrained, as
ye imply when ye say that He doeth what He pleaseth and shall not be asked of
His doings, or is it ye who wield such power, and who merely make such
assertions out of blind imitation, as did your forebears at the appearance of
every other Messenger of God?
59 If He
be truly unconstrained, behold then how He hath sent down the Manifestation of
His Cause with verses which naught in the heavens or on the earth can
withstand! Such hath been the
manner of their revelation that they have neither peer nor likeness in the world
of being, as ye yourselves beheld and heard when once the Daystar of the world
shone forth above the horizon of ‘Iráq with manifest dominion. All things attain their consummation in
the divine verses, and these indeed are the verses of God, the Sovereign Lord,
the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Almighty. Beyond this, He hath been made manifest
as the Bearer of a Cause whose sovereign might is acknowledged by all created
things, and this none can deny save the sinners and the ungodly.
60 Say: O people! Is it your wish to conceal the beauty of
the Sun behind the veils of your own selfish desires, or to prevent the Spirit
from raising its melodies within this sanctified and luminous breast? Fear ye God, and contend not with Him
Who representeth the Godhead.
Dispute not with the One at Whose bidding the letter “B” was created and
joined with its mighty foundation.[5] Believe in the Messengers of God and His
sovereign might, and in the Self of God and His majesty. Follow not those who have repudiated
what they had once believed, and who have sought for themselves a station after
their own fancy; these, truly, are of the ungodly. Bear ye witness unto that whereunto God
Himself hath borne witness, that the company of His favoured ones may be
illumined by the words that issue from your lips. Say: We, verily, believe in that which was
revealed unto the Apostles of old, in that which hath been revealed, by the
power of truth, unto ‘Alí,[†]
and in that which is now being revealed from His Throne of glory. Thus doth your Lord instruct you, as a
sign of His favour and as a token of His grace that encompasseth all the
worlds.
61 O
Feet of this
62 O
63 O
64 O
Breast of this
65 O
66 Within
the treasury of Our Wisdom there lieth unrevealed a knowledge, one word of
which, if we chose to divulge it to mankind, would cause every human being to
recognize the Manifestation of God and to acknowledge His omniscience, would
enable every one to discover the secrets of all the sciences, and to attain so
high a station as to find himself wholly independent of all past and future
learning. Other knowledges We do as
well possess, not a single letter of which We can disclose, nor do We find
humanity able to hear even the barest reference to their meaning. Thus have We informed you of the
knowledge of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Were We to find worthy vessels, We would
deposit within them the treasures of hidden meanings and impart unto them a
knowledge, one letter of which would encompass all created things.
67 O
Inmost Heart of this
68 Say: Should We choose, at one time, to shed
the radiance of Our loving providence upon the mirrors of all things, and, at
another, to withhold from them the splendours of Our light, this verily lieth
within Our power, and none hath the right to ask “why” or “wherefore”. For We are potent indeed to achieve Our
purpose, and render no account for that which We bring to pass; and none can
dispute this save those who join partners with God and doubt His Truth. Say: Nothing can withstand the power of Our
might or interrupt the course of Our command. We exalt whomsoever We please unto the
Realm of supernal might and glory, and, should We so desire, cause the same to
sink into the lowest abyss of degradation.
69 O
dwellers of the earth! Would ye
contend that if We raise up a soul unto the Sadratu’l-Muntahá,[6]
it shall then cease to be subject to the power of Our sovereignty and
dominion? Nay, by Mine own
Self! Should it be Our wish, We
would return it to the dust in less than the twinkling of an eye. Consider a tree: Behold how We plant it in a garden, and
nourish it with the waters of Our loving care; and how, when it hath grown tall
and mature, and brought forth verdant leaves and goodly fruits, We send forth
the tempestuous gales of Our decree, tear it up by its roots, and lay it
prostrate upon the face of the earth.
So hath it been Our way with all things, and so shall it be in this
day. Such, in truth, are the
matchless wonders of Our immutable method—a method which hath ever governed,
and shall continue to govern, all things, if ye be of them that perceive. None, however, knoweth the wisdom thereof
save God, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
70 Would
ye gainsay, O people, the very thing that your eyes behold? Woe unto you, O assemblage of
deniers! That which alone is exempt
from change is His own Self, the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate, were ye
to gaze with the eye of insight, while all else beside Him can be altered by an
act of His Will. He, verily, is the
All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
71 O
people! Dispute not concerning My
Cause, for ye shall never fathom the manifold wisdom of your Lord, nor shall ye
ever gauge the knowledge of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the
All-Pervading. Whosoever layeth
claim to have known His Essence is without doubt among the most ignorant of all
people. Every atom in the universe
would charge such a man with imposture, and to this beareth witness My tongue
which speaketh naught but the truth.
Magnify My Cause and promulgate My teachings and commandments, for none
other course beside this shall beseem you, and no other path shall ever lead
unto Him. Would that ye might heed
Our counsel!
72 O
73 Say: We have made each one of Our Names a
wellspring from which We have caused the streams of divine wisdom and
understanding to gush forth and flow in the garden of Our Cause—streams whose
number none can reckon save Thy Lord, the Most Holy, the Omnipotent, the
Omniscient, the All-Wise. Say: We have generated all Letters from the
Point and have caused them to return unto It, and We have sent It down again in
the form of a human temple. All glory
be unto the Author of this incomparable and wondrous handiwork! Erelong shall We unfold and expound It
again, in Our name, the All-Glorious.
This is indeed a token of Our grace, and I, truly, am the Most
Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
74 We
have brought forth all Lights from the Orb of Our name, the True One, have
caused them to return unto It, and have again made them manifest in the form of
a human temple. All glory be unto
the Lord of strength, might, and power!
None can withstand the operation of My will or the exercise of My
might. I am He Who hath raised up
all creatures through a word of My mouth, and My power is, in truth, equal to
My purpose.
75 Say: It is in Our power, should We wish it,
to cause all created things to expire in an instant, and, with the next, to
endue them again with life. The
knowledge thereof, however, is with God alone, the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed. It is in Our power,
should We wish it, to enable a speck of floating dust to generate, in less than
the twinkling of an eye, suns of infinite, of unimaginable splendour, to cause
a dewdrop to develop into vast and numberless oceans, to infuse into every
letter such a force as to empower it to unfold all the knowledge of past and
future ages. This, in truth, is a matter
simple of accomplishment. Such have
been the evidences of My power from the beginning that hath no beginning until
the end that hath no end. My
creatures, however, have been oblivious of My power, have repudiated My
sovereignty, and contended with Mine own Self, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
76 Say: Of all that lieth between heaven and
earth, naught can stir except by My leave, and unto My Kingdom none can ascend
save at My behest. My creatures,
however, have remained veiled from My might and My sovereignty, and are
numbered with the heedless. Say: Naught is seen in My revelation but the
Revelation of God, and in My might but His Might, could ye but know it. Say: My creatures are even as the leaves of a
tree. They proceed from the tree,
and depend upon it for their existence, yet remain oblivious of their root and
origin. We draw such similitudes
for the sake of Our discerning servants that perchance they may transcend a
mere plant-like level of existence and attain unto true maturity in this
resistless and immovable Cause.
Say: My creatures are even
as the fish of the deep.
Their life dependeth upon the water, and yet they remain unaware of that
which, by the grace of an omniscient and omnipotent Lord, sustaineth their very
existence. Indeed, their
heedlessness is such that were they asked concerning the water and its
properties, they would prove entirely ignorant. Thus do We set forth comparisons and
similitudes, that perchance the people may turn unto Him Who is the Object of
the adoration of the entire creation.
77 O
people! Fear God, and disbelieve
not in Him Whose grace hath surrounded all things, Whose mercy hath pervaded
the contingent world, and the sovereign potency of Whose Cause hath encompassed
both your inner and your outer beings, both your beginning and your end. Stand ye in awe of the Lord, and be of
them that act uprightly. Beware
lest ye be accounted among those who allow the verses of their Lord to pass
them by unheard and unrecognized; these, truly, are of the wayward.
78 Say: Would ye worship him who neither heareth
nor seeth, and who is of a truth the most abject and wretched of all God’s
servants? Wherefore have ye failed
to follow the One Who hath come unto you from the Source of Divine Command
bearing the tidings of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great? O people! Be not like unto those who presented
themselves before Our throne, and yet failed to perceive or comprehend; these
are indeed a contemptible people.
We recited unto them verses that would enrapture the dwellers of the
heavenly Dominion and the inmates of the Kingdom on high, and yet they departed
veiled therefrom, and hearkened rather unto the voice of him who is but a
servant of God and a mere creation of His Will. Thus do We impart unto you that which
shall guide you towards the path of God’s favoured ones.
79 How
many those who entered within the Abode of Paradise, the Seat wherein the
throne of God had been established, and stood before their Lord, the Most
Exalted, the Most Great, only to inquire about the four Gates or of some Imám
of the Islamic Faith![7] Such was the state of these souls, if ye
be of them that comprehend. It is
even as ye witness in the present day:
those who have disbelieved in God and joined partners with Him cling to
a single one of Our Names, and are debarred from recognizing Him Who is the
Creator of all Names. We testify
that such men are of a truth amongst the people of the Fire. They ask the sun to expound the words of
the shadow, and the True One to explain the utterances of His creatures, could
ye but perceive it! Say: O people! The sun offereth naught save the
effulgence of its own light and that which appeareth therefrom, whilst all else
seek illumination from its rays.
Fear God, and be not of the ignorant! Among them also were those who inquired
of the darkness about the light.
Say: Open thine eyes, that
thou mayest behold the brightness which hath visibly enveloped the earth! This, verily, is a light which hath
risen and shone forth above the horizon of the Dayspring of divine knowledge
with manifest radiance. Would ye
ask the Jews whether Jesus was the True One from God, or the idols if Muḥammad
was an Apostle of His Lord, or inquire from the people of the Qur’án as to Him
Who was the Remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great?
80 Say: O people! Cast away, before the splendours of this
Revelation, the things that ye possess, and cleave to that which God hath
bidden you observe. Such is His
command unto you, and He, verily, is best able to command. By My Beauty! My purpose in revealing these words is
to cause all men to draw nigh unto God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Beware lest ye deal with Me as ye dealt
with My Herald. Do not object, when
the verses of God are sent down unto you from the Court of My favour, saying,
“these do not proceed from an innate and untaught nature”, for that nature
itself hath been created by My word and circleth round Me, if ye be of them
that apprehend this truth. Inhale
from the utterances of your Lord, the All-Merciful, the sweet smell of the
garment of inner meanings, which hath been diffused throughout the entire
creation and hath shed its fragrance over all created things. Happy are those who perceive it and
hasten unto God with radiant hearts.
81 O
Living Temple! We, verily, have
made Thee a mirror unto the kingdom of names, that Thou mayest be, amidst all
mankind, a sign of My sovereignty, a herald unto My presence, a summoner unto
My beauty, and a guide unto My straight and perspicuous Path. We have exalted Thy Name among Our
servants as a bounty from Our presence.
I, verily, am the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. We have, moreover, adorned Thee with the
ornament of Our own Self, and have imparted unto Thee Our Word, that Thou
mayest ordain in this contingent world whatsoever Thou willest and accomplish
whatsoever Thou pleasest. We have
destined for Thee all the good of the heavens and of the earth, and decreed
that none may attain unto a portion thereof unless he entereth beneath Thy
shadow, as bidden by Thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. We have conferred upon Thee the Staff of
authority and the Writ of judgement, that Thou mayest test the wisdom of every
command. We have caused the oceans
of inner meaning and explanation to surge from Thy heart in remembrance of Thy
Lord, the God of mercy, that Thou mayest render thanks and praise unto Him and
be of those who are truly thankful.
We have singled Thee out from amongst all Our creatures, and have
appointed Thee as the Manifestation of Our own Self unto all who are in the
heavens and on the earth.
82 Bring
then into being, by Our leave, resplendent mirrors and exalted letters that
shall testify to Thy sovereignty and dominion, bear witness to Thy might and
glory, and be the manifestations of Thy Names amidst mankind. We have caused Thee again to be the
Origin and the Creator of all mirrors, even as We brought them forth from Thee
aforetime. And We shall cause Thee
to return unto Mine own Self, even as We called Thee forth in the
beginning. Thy Lord, verily, is the
Unconstrained, the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling. Warn, then, these mirrors, once they
have been made manifest, lest they swell with pride before their Creator and
Fashioner when He appeareth amongst them, or let the trappings of leadership
delude and debar them from bowing in submission before God, the Almighty, the
All-Beauteous.
83 Say: O concourse of mirrors! Ye are but a creation of My will and
have come to exist by virtue of My command. Beware lest ye deny the verses of My
Lord, and be of them who have wrought injustice and are numbered with the
lost. Beware lest ye cling unto
that which ye possess, or take pride in your fame and renown. That which behoveth you is to wholly
detach yourselves from all that is in the heavens and on the earth. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is
the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
84 O
Temple of My Cause! Say: Should I wish to transform, in a single
moment, all things into mirrors of My Names, this undoubtedly is in My power,
how much more in the power of My Lord, Who hath called Me into being through
His all-compelling and inscrutable command. And should I choose to revolutionize the
entire creation in the twinkling of an eye, this assuredly is possible unto Me,
how much more unto that sovereign Purpose enshrined in the Will of God, My Lord
and the Lord of all the worlds.
85 Say: O ye manifestations of My Names! Should ye offer up all that ye possess,
nay your very lives, in the path of God, and invoke Him to the number of the
grains of sand, the drops of rain, and the waves of the sea, and yet oppose the
Manifestation of His Cause at the time of His appearance, your works shall in
no wise be mentioned before God.
Should ye, however, neglect all righteous works and yet choose to
believe in Him in these days, God perchance will put away your sins. He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the
Most Bountiful. Thus doth the Lord
inform you of His purpose, that haply ye may not wax proud before the One
through Whom whatsoever hath been revealed from all eternity hath been
confirmed. Happy is he who
approacheth this Most Sublime Vision, and woe to them that turn aside!
86 How numerous those who
expend all their wealth in the path of God, and whom We find, at the hour of
His Revelation, to be of the rebellious and the froward! How many those who keep the fast in the
daytime, only to protest against the One by Whose very command the ordinance of
the fast was first established!
Such men are, in truth, of the ignorant. And how many those who subsist on the
coarsest bread, who take for their only seat the grass of the field, and who
undergo every manner of hardship, merely to maintain their superiority in the
eyes of men! Thus do We expose
their deeds, that this may serve as a warning unto others. These are the ones who subject
themselves to all manner of austerities before the gaze of others in the hope
of perpetuating their names, whilst in reality no mention shall remain of them save
in the curses and imprecations of the dwellers of earth and heaven.
87 Say: Would it profit you in the least if, as
ye fondly imagine, your names were to endure? Nay, by the Lord of all worlds! Was the idol ‘Uzzá[8]
made any greater by this, that its name lived on amidst the worshippers of names? Nay, by Him Who is the Self of God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Compelling!
Should your names fade from every mortal mind, and yet God be well
pleased with you, ye will indeed be numbered among the treasures of His name,
the Most Hidden. Thus have We sent
down Our verses that they may attract you unto the Source of all Lights, and
acquaint you with the purpose of your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Abstain, then, from all that hath been
forbidden unto you in the Book, and eat of the lawful things which God hath
provided for your sustenance.
Deprive not yourselves of His goodly bestowals, for He, verily, is the
Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding. Subject not yourselves to excessive
hardships, but follow the way We have made plain unto you through Our luminous
verses and perspicuous proofs, and be not of the negligent.
88 O
concourse of divines! It is not
yours to boast if ye abstain from drinking wine and from similar transgressions
which have been forbidden you in the Book, for should ye commit such deeds, the
dignity of your station would then be tainted in the eyes of the people, your
affairs would be disrupted, and your name disgraced and dishonoured. Nay, your true and abiding glory resideth
in submission to the Word of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and in your inward
and outward detachment from aught else besides God, the All-Compelling, the
Almighty. Great is the blessedness
of that divine that hath not allowed knowledge to become a veil between him and
the One Who is the Object of all knowledge, and who, when the Self-Subsisting
appeared, hath turned with a beaming face towards Him. He, in truth, is numbered with the
learned. The inmates of Paradise
seek the blessing of his breath, and his lamp sheddeth its radiance over all who
are in heaven and on earth. He,
verily, is numbered with the inheritors of the Prophets. He that beholdeth him hath, verily,
beheld the True One, and he that turneth towards him hath, verily, turned
towards God, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
89 O ye
the dawning-places of knowledge!
Beware that ye suffer not yourselves to become changed, for as ye
change, most men will, likewise, change.
This, verily, is an injustice unto yourselves and unto others. Unto this beareth witness every man of
discernment and insight. Ye are
even as a spring. If it be changed,
so will the streams that branch out from it be changed. Fear God, and be numbered with the
godly. In like manner, if the heart
of man be corrupted, his limbs will also be corrupted. And similarly, if the root of a tree be
corrupted, its branches, and its offshoots, and its leaves, and its fruits,
will be corrupted. Thus have We set
forth similitudes for your instruction, that perchance ye may not be debarred
by the things ye possess from attaining unto that which hath been destined for
you by Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.
90 It is
indeed in Our power to take up a handful of dust and to adorn it with the
vesture of Our Names. This,
however, would be but a sign of our favour, and not an indication of any merit
it may have inherently possessed.
Thus hath it been revealed in truth by Him Who is the Sovereign
Revealer, the All-Knowing. Consider
the Black Stone,[9] which
God hath made a point whereunto all men turn in adoration. Hath this bounty been conferred upon it
by virtue of its innate excellence?
Nay, by Mine own Self! Or
doth such distinction stem from its intrinsic worth? Nay, by Mine own Being, Whose Essence
even the wisest and most discerning of men have failed to grasp!
91 Again,
consider the Mosque of Aqṣá and the other places which We have made sanctuaries
unto the people in every land and region.
The honour and distinction they enjoy is in no wise due to their own
merit, but stemmeth from their relation to Our Manifestations, Whom We have
appointed as the Daysprings of Our Revelation amidst mankind, if ye be of them
that understand. In this there
lieth a wisdom inscrutable to all save God. Inquire, that He may graciously make
plain unto you His purpose. His
knowledge, verily, embraceth all things.
Detach yourselves, O people, from the world and all its vanities, and
heed not the call of such as have disbelieved in God and joined partners with
Him. Arise above the horizon of
utterance to extol and praise your Lord, the All-Merciful. This is that which God hath purposed for
you; well is it with them who perceive it.
92 Say: O people! We have commanded you in Our Tablets to
strive, at the time of the promised Revelation, to sanctify your souls from all
names, and to purify them from all that hath been created in the heavens or on
the earth, that therein may appear the splendours of the Sun of Truth which
shineth forth above the horizon of the Will of your Lord, the Almighty, the
Most Great. We have, moreover, commanded
you to cleanse your hearts from every trace of the love or hate of the peoples
of the world, lest aught should divert you from one course or impel you towards
another. This, verily, is among the
weightiest counsels I have vouchsafed unto you in the perspicuous Book, for
whoso attacheth himself to either of these shall be prevented from attaining a
proper understanding of Our Cause.
To this beareth witness every just and discerning soul.
93 Ye,
however, have broken the Covenant of God, forgotten His Testament, and at last
turned away from Him Whose appearance hath solaced the eyes of every true
believer in the Divine Unity. Lift
up the veils and coverings that obscure your vision, and consider the testimonies
of the Prophets and Messengers, that haply ye may recognize the Cause of God in
these days when the Promised One hath come invested with a mighty
sovereignty. Fear God, and debar
yourselves not from Him Who is the Dayspring of His signs. This shall, in truth, but profit your
own selves; as to your Lord, He, verily, can afford to dispense with all
creatures. From everlasting was He
alone; there was none else besides Him.
He it is in Whose name the standard of Divine Unity hath been planted
upon the Sinai of the visible and invisible worlds, proclaiming that there is
none other God but Me, the Peerless, the Glorious, the Incomparable.
94 Behold,
however, how those who are but a creation of His Will and Command have turned
aside from Him and have taken unto themselves a lord and master beside God;
these, truly, are of the wayward.
The mention of the All-Merciful hath at all times been upon their lips,
and yet when He was manifested unto them through the power of truth they warred
against Him. Wretched indeed shall
be the plight of such as have broken the Covenant of their Lord when the
Luminary of the world shone forth above the horizon of the Will of God, the
Most Holy, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!
It was against God that they unsheathed the swords of malice and hatred,
and yet they perceive it not.
Methinks they remain dead and buried in the tombs of their selfish
desires, though the breeze of God hath blown over all regions. They, truly, are wrapt in a dense and
grievous veil. And oft as the
verses of God are rehearsed unto them, they persist in proud disdain; it is as
though they were devoid of all understanding, or had never heard the Call of
God, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.
95 Say: Alas for you! How can ye profess yourselves believers,
when ye deny the verses of God, the Almighty, the All-Wise? Say: O people! Turn your faces unto your Lord, the
All-Merciful. Beware lest ye be
veiled by aught that hath been revealed in the Bayán: It was, in truth, revealed for no other
purpose than to make mention of Me, the All-Powerful, the Most High, and had no
other object than My Beauty. The
whole world hath been filled with My testimony, if ye be of them that judge
with fairness.
96 Had
the Primal Point been someone else beside Me as ye claim, and had attained My
presence, verily He would have never allowed Himself to be separated from Me,
but rather We would have had mutual delights with each other in My Days. He, in truth, wept sore in His
remoteness from Me. He preceded Me
that He might summon the people unto My Kingdom, as it hath been set forth in
the Tablets, could ye but perceive it!
O would that men of hearing might be found who could hear the voice of
His lamentation in the Bayán bewailing that which hath befallen Me at the hands
of these heedless souls, bemoaning His separation from Me and giving utterance
to His longing to be united with Me, the Mighty, the Peerless. He, verily, beholdeth at this very
moment His Best-Beloved amidst those who were created to attain His Day and to
prostrate themselves before Him, and yet who have inflicted in their tyranny
such abasement upon Him as the pen confesseth its inability to describe.
97 Say: O people! We, verily, summoned you, in Our former
Revelation, unto this Scene of transcendent glory, this Seat of stainless
sanctity, and announced unto you the advent of the Days of God. Yet, when the most great veil was rent
asunder, and the Ancient Beauty came unto you in the clouds of God’s decree, ye
repudiated Him in Whom ye had believed aforetime. Woe betide you, O company of infidels! Fear ye God, and nullify not the truth
with the things ye possess. When
the luminary of divine verses dawneth upon you from the horizon of the Pen of
the King of all names and attributes, fall ye prostrate upon your faces before
God, the Lord of the Worlds. For to
bow down in adoration at the threshold of His door is indeed better for you
than the worship of both worlds, and to submit to His Revelation is more
profitable unto you than whatsoever hath been created in the heavens and on the
earth.
98 Say: O people! I admonish you wholly for the sake of
God, and seek no reward from you.
For My recompense shall be with God, He Who hath brought Me into being,
raised Me up by the power of truth, and made Me the Source of His remembrance
amidst His creatures. Hasten to
behold this divine and glorious Vision, the Spot wherein God hath established
His Seat. Follow not that which the
Evil One whispereth in your hearts, for he, verily, doth prompt you to walk
after your lusts and covetous desires, and hindereth you from treading the
straight Path which this all-embracing and all-compelling Cause hath opened.
99 Say: The Evil One hath appeared in such wise
as the eye of creation hath never beheld.
He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful hath likewise been made
manifest with an adorning the like of which hath never been witnessed in the
past. The Call of the All-Merciful
hath been raised, and behind it the call of Satan. Well is it with them who hearken unto
the Voice of God, and turn their faces towards His throne to behold a most holy
and blessed Vision. For whoso
cherisheth in his heart the love of anyone beside Me, be it to the extent of a
grain of mustard seed, shall be unable to gain admittance into My Kingdom. To this beareth witness that which
adorneth the preamble of the Book of Existence, could ye but perceive it. Say: This is the Day whereon God’s most great
favour hath been made manifest. The
voice of all who are in the heavens above and on the earth below proclaimeth My
Name, and singeth forth My praises, could ye but hear it!
100 O Temple of Divine Revelation! Sound the trumpet in My Name! O Temple of Divine mysteries! Raise the clarion call of Thy Lord, the Unconditioned, the Unconstrained! O Maid of Heaven! Step forth from the chambers of paradise and announce unto the people of the world: By the righteousness of God! He Who is the Best-Beloved of the worlds—He Who hath ever been the Desire of every perceiving heart, the Object of the adoration of all that are in heaven and on earth, and the Cynosure of the former and the latter generations—is now come!
101 Take heed lest ye
hesitate in recognizing this resplendent Beauty when once He hath appeared in
the plenitude of His sovereign might and majesty. He, verily, is the True One, and all
else besides Him is as naught before a single one of His servants, and paleth
into nothingness when brought face to face with the revelation of His
splendours. Hasten, then, to attain
the living waters of His grace, and be not of the negligent. As to him who hesitateth, though it be
for less than a moment, God shall verily bring his works to naught and return
him to the seat of wrath; wretched indeed is the abode of them that tarry!
Pope
Pius IX
102 O
Pope! Rend the veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come
overshadowed with clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the
Almighty, the Unrestrained. Dispel
the mists through the power of thy Lord, and ascend unto the Kingdom of His
names and attributes. Thus hath the
Pen of the Most High commanded thee at the behest of thy Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Compelling. He, verily,
hath again come down from Heaven even as He came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him
even as the Pharisees disputed with Him without a clear token or proof. On His right hand flow the living waters
of grace, and on His left the choice Wine of justice, whilst before Him march
the angels of Paradise, bearing the banners of His signs. Beware lest any name debar thee from God,
the Creator of earth and heaven.
Leave thou the world behind thee, and turn towards thy Lord, through
Whom the whole earth hath been illumined.
103 We have adorned
the Kingdom with the ornament of Our name, the All-Glorious. Thus hath it been decreed by God, the
Fashioner of all things. Take heed
lest thy vain imaginings withhold thee, when once the Sun of Certitude hath
shone forth above the horizon of the Utterance of thy Lord, the Mighty, the
Beneficent. Dwellest thou in
palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of
abodes? Leave them unto such as
desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom.
104 Say: O peoples of the earth! Destroy the abodes of negligence with
the hands of power and assurance, and raise up the mansions of true knowledge
within your hearts, that the All-Merciful may shed the radiance of His light
upon them. Better is this for you
than all whereon the sun shineth, and unto this beareth witness He Who holdeth
within His grasp the ultimate decree.
The Breeze of God hath been wafted over the world at the advent of the
Desired One in His great glory, whereupon every stone and clod of earth hath
cried out: “The Promised One is
come! The Kingdom is God’s, the
Mighty, the Gracious, the Forgiving.”
105 Beware lest human
learning debar thee from Him Who is the Supreme Object of all knowledge, or
lest the world deter thee from the One Who created it and set it upon its
course. Arise in the name of thy
Lord, the God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the earth, and seize thou the Cup
of Life with the hands of confidence.
First drink thou therefrom, and proffer it then to such as turn towards
it amongst the peoples of all faiths.
Thus hath the Moon of Utterance risen above the horizon of wisdom and
understanding.
106 Tear asunder the
veils of human learning lest they hinder thee from Him Who is My name, the
Self-Subsisting. Call thou to
remembrance Him Who was the Spirit, Who, when He came, the most learned of His
age pronounced judgement against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only
a fisherman believed in Him. Take
heed, then, ye men of understanding heart!
Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names. Guard thyself, lest darkness spread its
veils over thee, and fold thee away from His light. Ponder, then, that which hath been sent
down in the Book by thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
107 Say: Still your pens, O concourse of divines,
for lo, the shrill voice of the Pen of Glory hath been lifted up between earth
and heaven. Cast away all that ye
possess and take fast hold of that which We have revealed unto you with power
and authority. The Hour that was
concealed within the knowledge of God hath struck, whereupon all the atoms of
the earth have proclaimed: “The
Ancient of Days is come in His great glory! Hasten unto Him, O peoples of the earth,
with humble and contrite hearts.”
Say: We, in truth, have
given Ourself as a ransom for your own lives. Alas, when We came once again, We beheld
you fleeing from Us, whereat the eye of My loving-kindness wept sore over My
people. Fear God, O ye that
perceive.
108 Consider those
who opposed the Son, when He came unto them with sovereignty and power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting
to behold Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of His
coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned aside
from Him and disputed with Him.
Thus do We impart unto thee that which hath been recorded in the Books
and Scriptures. None save a very
few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet today every man endowed with
power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself on His Name! In like manner, consider how numerous,
in these days, are the monks who, in My Name, have secluded themselves in their
churches, and who, when the appointed time was fulfilled, and We unveiled Our
beauty, knew Us not, though they call upon Me at eventide and at dawn. We behold them clinging to My name, yet
veiled from My Self. This, verily,
is a strange thing.
109 Say: Take heed lest your devotions withhold
you from Him Who is the object of all devotion, or your worship debar you from
Him Who is the object of all worship.
Rend asunder the veils of your idle fancies! This is your Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Knowing, Who hath come to quicken the world and unite all who dwell on earth. Turn unto the Dayspring of Revelation, O
people, and tarry not, be it for less than the twinkling of an eye. Read ye the Evangel and yet refuse to
acknowledge the All-Glorious Lord?
This indeed beseemeth you not, O concourse of learned men!
110 Say: If ye deny this Revelation, by what
proof have ye believed in God?
Produce it then. Thus hath
the summons of God been sent down by the Pen of the Most High at the bidding of
your Lord, the Most Glorious, in this Tablet from whose horizon the splendour
of His Light hath shone forth. How
many are My servants whose deeds have become veils between them and their own
selves, and who have been kept back thereby from drawing nigh unto God, He Who
causeth the winds to blow.
111 O concourse of
monks! The fragrances of the
All-Merciful have wafted over all creation. Happy the man that hath forsaken his
desires, and taken fast hold of guidance.
He, indeed, is of those who have attained unto the presence of God in
this Day, a Day whereon commotions have seized the dwellers of the earth and
filled with dismay all save those who have been exempted by God, He Who layeth
low the necks of men.
112 Adorn ye your
bodies whilst the raiment of God is stained with the blood of hatred at the
hands of the people of denial?
Issue forth from your habitations and bid the people enter the Kingdom
of God, the Lord of the Day of Judgement.
The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of
the human temple in this day.
Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in
His most great majesty. Turn your
faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous!
113 O followers of
all religions! We behold you
wandering distraught in the wilderness of error. Ye are the fish of this Ocean; wherefore
do ye withhold yourselves from that which sustaineth you? Lo, it surgeth before your faces. Hasten unto it from every clime. This is the day whereon the Rock[‡] crieth out
and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the
Most High, saying: “Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye
were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!” This is the Word which was preserved
behind the veils of grandeur, and which, when the Promise came to pass, shed
its radiance from the horizon of the Divine Will with clear tokens.
114 My body hath
borne imprisonment that your souls may be released from bondage, and We have
consented to be abased that ye may be exalted. Follow the Lord of glory and dominion,
and not every ungodly oppressor. My
body longeth for the cross, and Mine head awaiteth the thrust of the spear, in
the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its
transgressions. Thus hath the
Daystar of divine authority shone forth from the horizon of the Revelation of
Him Who is the Possessor of all names and attributes.
115 The people of the
Qur’án have risen against Us, and tormented Us with such a torment that the
Holy Spirit lamented, and the thunder roared out, and the clouds wept over
Us. Among the faithless is he who
hath imagined that calamities can deter Bahá from fulfilling that which God,
the Creator of all things, hath purposed.
Say: Nay, by Him Who causeth
the rain to fall! Nothing whatsoever
can withhold Him from the remembrance of His Lord.
116 By the
righteousness of God! Should they
cast Him into a fire kindled on the continent, He will assuredly rear His head
in the midmost heart of the ocean and proclaim: “He is the Lord of all that are
in heaven and all that are on earth!” And if they cast Him into a darksome pit,
they will find Him seated on earth’s loftiest heights calling aloud to all
mankind: “Lo, the Desire of the World is come in His majesty, His sovereignty,
His transcendent dominion!” And if He be buried beneath the depths of the
earth, His Spirit soaring to the apex of heaven shall peal the summons: “Behold
ye the coming of the Glory; witness ye the Kingdom of God, the Most Holy, the
Gracious, the All-Powerful!” And if they shed His blood, every drop thereof
shall cry out and invoke God in this Name through which the fragrance of His
raiment hath been diffused in all directions.
117 Though threatened
by the swords of Our enemies, We summon all mankind unto God, the Fashioner of
earth and heaven, and We render Him such aid as can be hindered by neither the
hosts of tyranny nor the ascendancy of the people of iniquity. Say: O peoples of the earth! Scatter the idols of your vain
imaginings in the name of your Lord, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing, and
turn ye unto Him in this Day which God hath made the King of days.
118 O Supreme
Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto
that which the Fashioner of mouldering bones counselleth thee, as voiced by Him
Who is His Most Great Name. Sell
all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend them in the path of
God, Who causeth the night to return upon the day, and the day to return upon
the night. Abandon thy kingdom unto
the kings, and emerge from thy habitation, with thy face set towards the
Kingdom, and, detached from the world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord
betwixt earth and heaven. Thus hath
bidden thee He Who is the Possessor of Names, on the part of thy Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Knowing. Exhort
thou the kings and say: “Deal equitably with men. Beware lest ye transgress the bounds
fixed in the Book.” This indeed
becometh thee. Beware lest thou
appropriate unto thyself the things of the world and the riches thereof. Leave them unto such as desire them, and
cleave unto that which hath been enjoined upon thee by Him Who is the Lord of
creation. Should anyone offer thee
all the treasures of the earth, refuse to even glance upon them. Be as thy Lord hath been. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation
spoken that which God hath made the ornament of the book of creation.
119 Consider a pearl
which shineth by virtue of its inherent nature. If it be covered with silk, its lustre
and beauty will be concealed.
Likewise, man’s distinction lieth in the excellence of his conduct and
in the pursuit of that which beseemeth his station, not in childish play and
pastimes. Know that thy true
adornment consisteth in the love of God and in thy detachment from all save
Him, and not in the luxuries thou dost possess. Abandon them unto those who seek after
them and turn unto God, He Who causeth the rivers to flow.
120 Whatever
proceeded from the tongue of the Son was revealed in parables, whilst He Who
proclaimeth the Truth in this Day speaketh without them. Take heed lest thou cling to the cord of
idle fancy and withhold thyself from that which hath been ordained in the
Kingdom of God, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. Should the inebriation of the wine of My
verses seize thee, and thou determinest to present thyself before the throne of
thy Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, make My love thy vesture, and thy
shield remembrance of Me, and thy provision reliance upon God, the Revealer of
all power.
121 O followers of
the Son! We have once again sent
John unto you, and He, verily, hath cried out in the wilderness of the
Bayán: O peoples of the world! Cleanse your eyes! The Day whereon ye can behold the
Promised One and attain unto Him hath drawn nigh! O followers of the Gospel! Prepare the way! The Day of the advent of the Glorious
Lord is at hand! Make ready to
enter the Kingdom. Thus hath it
been ordained by God, He Who causeth the dawn to break.
122 Give ear unto
that which the Dove of Eternity warbleth upon the twigs of the Divine
Lote-Tree: O peoples of the
earth! We sent forth him who was
named John to baptize you with water, that your bodies might be cleansed for
the appearance of the Messiah. He,
in turn, purified you with the fire of love and the water of the spirit in
anticipation of these Days whereon the All-Merciful hath purposed to cleanse
you with the water of life at the hands of His loving providence. This is the Father foretold by Isaiah,
and the Comforter concerning Whom the Spirit had covenanted with you. Open your eyes, O concourse of bishops,
that ye may behold your Lord seated upon the Throne of might and glory.
123 Say: O peoples of all faiths! Walk not in the ways of them that
followed the Pharisees and thus veiled themselves from the Spirit. They truly have strayed and are in
error. The Ancient Beauty is come
in His Most Great Name, and He wisheth to admit all mankind into His most holy
Kingdom. The pure in heart behold
the Kingdom of God manifest before His Face. Make haste thereunto and follow not the
infidel and the ungodly. Should
your eye be opposed thereto, pluck it out.[10] Thus hath it been decreed by the Pen of
the Ancient of Days, as bidden by Him Who is the Lord of the entire
creation. He, verily, hath come
again that ye might be redeemed, O peoples of the earth. Will ye slay Him Who desireth to grant
you eternal life? Fear God, O ye
who are endued with insight.
124 O people! Hearken unto that which hath been
revealed by your All-Glorious Lord, and turn your faces unto God, the Lord of
this world and of the world to come.
Thus doth He Who is the Dawning-Place of the Daystar of divine
inspiration command you as bidden by the Fashioner of all mankind. We, verily, have created you for the
light, and desire not to abandon you unto the fire. Come forth, O people, from darkness by
the grace of this Sun which hath shone forth above the horizon of divine
providence, and turn thereunto with sanctified hearts and assured souls, with
seeing eyes and beaming faces. Thus
counselleth you the Supreme Ordainer from the scene of His transcendent glory,
that perchance His summons may draw you nigh unto the Kingdom of His names.
125 Blessed the one
who hath remained faithful to the Covenant of God, and woe betide him who hath
broken it and disbelieved in Him, the Knower of secrets. Say: This is the Day of Bounty! Bestir yourselves that I may make you
monarchs in the realms of My Kingdom.
If ye follow Me, ye shall behold that which ye were promised, and I will
make you My companions in the dominion of My majesty and the intimates of My
beauty in the heaven of My power forevermore. If ye rebel against Me, I will in My
clemency endure it patiently, that haply ye may awaken and rise up from the
couch of heedlessness. Thus hath My
mercy encompassed you. Fear ye God
and follow not in the ways of those who have turned away from His face, though
they invoke His name in the daytime and in the night season.
126 Verily, the day
of ingathering is come, and all things have been separated from each
other. He hath stored away that
which He chose in the vessels of justice, and cast into fire that which
befitteth it. Thus hath it been
decreed by your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, in this promised Day. He, verily, ordaineth what He
pleaseth. There is none other God
save He, the Almighty, the All-Compelling.
The desire of the Divine Sifter hath been to store up every good thing
for Mine own Self. Naught hath He
spoken save to acquaint you with My Cause and to guide you to the path of Him
whose mention hath adorned all the sacred Books.
127 Say: O concourse of Christians! We have, on a previous occasion,
revealed Ourself unto you, and ye recognized Me not. This is yet another occasion vouchsafed
unto you. This is the Day of God;
turn ye unto Him. He, verily, hath
come down from heaven even as He came down the first time, and He desireth to
shelter you beneath the shade of His mercy. He, verily, is the Exalted, the Mighty,
the Supreme Helper. The Beloved One
loveth not that ye be consumed with the fire of your desires. Were ye to be shut out as by a veil from
Him, this would be for no other reason than your own waywardness and
ignorance. Ye make mention of Me,
and know Me not. Ye call upon Me,
and are heedless of My Revelation, notwithstanding that I came unto you from
the heaven of pre-existence with surpassing glory. Rend the veils asunder in My name and
through the power of My sovereignty that ye may discover a path unto your Lord.
128 The King of Glory
proclaimeth from the tabernacle of majesty and grandeur His call, saying: O people of the Gospel! They who were not in the Kingdom have
now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day, tarrying at the gate. Rend the veils asunder by the power of
your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, and enter, then, in My name My
Kingdom. Thus biddeth you He Who
desireth for you everlasting life.
He, verily, is potent over all things. Blessed are those who have recognized
the Light and hastened unto it.
They, verily, dwell in the Kingdom, and partake of the food and drink of
God’s chosen ones.
129 We behold you, O
children of the Kingdom, in darkness.
This, verily, beseemeth you not.
Are ye, in the face of the Light, fearful because of your deeds? Direct yourselves towards Him. Your All-Glorious Lord hath blessed His
lands with His footsteps. Thus do
We make plain unto you the path of Him Whom the Spirit prophesied. I, verily, bear witness unto Him, even
as He hath borne witness unto Me.
Verily, He said: “Come ye
after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” In this day, however, We say: “Come ye after Me, that We may make you
to become quickeners of mankind.”
Thus hath the decree been inscribed in this Tablet by the Pen of
Revelation.
130 O Pen of the Most
High! Bestir Thyself in remembrance
of other kings in this blessed and luminous Book, that perchance they may rise
from the couch of heedlessness and give ear unto that which the Nightingale
singeth upon the branches of the Divine Lote-Tree, and hasten towards God in
this most wondrous and sublime Revelation.
Napoleon III
131 O King of Paris![11] Tell the priests to ring the bells no
longer. By God, the True One! The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared in
the form of Him Who is the Most Great Name, and the fingers of the Will of Thy
Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in the heaven of Immortality
in His name, the All-Glorious. Thus
have the mighty verses of Thy Lord been again sent down unto thee, that thou
mayest arise to remember God, the Creator of earth and heaven, in these days
when all the tribes of the earth have mourned, and the foundations of the
cities have trembled, and the dust of irreligion hath enwrapped all men, except
such as God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased to spare. Say: He Who is the Unconstrained is come, in
the clouds of light, that He may quicken the world with the breezes of His
name, the Most Merciful, and unify its peoples, and gather all men around this
Table which hath been sent down from heaven. Beware that ye deny not the favour of
God after it hath been sent down unto you.
Better is this for you than that which ye possess; for that which is
yours perisheth, whilst that which is with God endureth. He, in truth, ordaineth what He
pleaseth. Verily, the breezes of
forgiveness have been wafted from the direction of your Lord, the God of Mercy;
whoso turneth thereunto shall be cleansed of his sins, and of all pain and
sickness. Happy the man that hath
turned towards them, and woe betide him that hath turned aside.
132 Wert thou to
incline thine inner ear unto all created things, thou wouldst hear: “The
Ancient of Days is come in His great glory!” Everything celebrateth the praise of its
Lord. Some have known God and
remember Him; others remember Him, yet know Him not. Thus have We set down Our decree in a
perspicuous Tablet.
133 Give ear, O King, unto the Voice that calleth
from the Fire which burneth in this verdant Tree, on this Sinai which hath been
raised above the hallowed and snow-white Spot, beyond the Everlasting City;
“Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Merciful!” We, in truth, have sent
Him Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit that He may announce unto you this Light
that hath shone forth from the horizon of the Will of your Lord, the Most
Exalted, the All-Glorious, and Whose signs have been revealed in the West. Set your faces towards Him on this Day
which God hath exalted above all other days, and whereon the All-Merciful hath
shed the splendour of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven and all
who are on earth. Arise thou to
serve God and help His Cause. He,
verily, will assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set
thee king over all that whereon the sun riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, is the All-Powerful,
the Almighty.
134 The breezes of the Most Merciful have passed
over all created things; happy the man that hath discovered their fragrance,
and set himself towards them with a sound heart. Attire thy temple with the ornament of
My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and thine heart with love for
Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We
have desired for thee naught except that which is better for thee than what
thou dost possess and all the treasures of the earth. Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed
of all. Arise, in My Name, amongst My servants, and say: “O ye peoples of the earth! Turn yourselves towards Him Who hath
turned towards you. He, verily, is
the Face of God amongst you, and His Testimony and His Guide unto you. He hath come to you with signs which
none can produce.” The voice of the
Burning Bush is raised in the midmost heart of the world, and the Holy Spirit
calleth aloud among the nations:
“Lo, the Desired One is come with manifest dominion!”
135 O King! The stars of the heaven of knowledge
have fallen, they who seek to establish the truth of My Cause through the
things they possess, and who make mention of God in My Name. And yet, when I came unto them in My
glory, they turned aside. They,
indeed, are of the fallen. This is,
truly, that which the Spirit of God hath announced, when He came with truth
unto you, He with Whom the Jewish doctors disputed, till at last they perpetrated
what hath made the Holy Spirit to lament, and the tears of them that have near
access to God to flow. Consider how
a Pharisee who had worshipped God for seventy years repudiated the Son when He
appeared, whereas one who had committed adultery gained admittance into the
Kingdom. Thus doth the Pen admonish
thee as bidden by the Eternal King, that thou mayest be apprised of what came
to pass aforetime and be reckoned in this day among them that truly believe.
136 Say: O concourse of monks! Seclude not yourselves in your churches
and cloisters. Come ye out of them
by My leave, and busy, then, yourselves with what will profit you and
others. Thus commandeth you He Who
is the Lord of the Day of Reckoning.
Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of My love. This, truly, is the seclusion that
befitteth you, could ye but know it.
He that secludeth himself in his house is indeed as one dead. It behoveth man to show forth that which
will benefit mankind. He that bringeth forth no fruit is fit for the fire. Thus admonisheth you your Lord; He,
verily, is the Mighty, the Bountiful.
Enter ye into wedlock, that after you another may arise in your stead. We, verily, have forbidden you lechery,
and not that which is conducive to fidelity. Have ye clung unto the promptings of
your nature, and cast behind your backs the statutes of God? Fear ye God, and be not of the
foolish. But for man, who, on My
earth, would remember Me, and how could My attributes and My names be
revealed? Reflect, and be not of
them that have shut themselves out as by a veil from Him, and were of those
that are fast asleep. He that
married not could find no place wherein to abide, nor where to lay His head, by
reason of what the hands of the treacherous had wrought. His holiness consisted not in the things
ye have believed and imagined, but rather in the things which belong unto
Us. Ask, that ye may be made aware
of His station which hath been exalted above the vain imaginings of all the peoples
of the earth. Blessed are they that
understand.
137 O King! We heard
the words thou didst utter in answer to the Czar of Russia, concerning the
decision made regarding the war.[12] Thy Lord, verily, knoweth, is informed
of all. Thou didst say: “I lay asleep upon my couch, when the
cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the Black Sea, wakened me.” This is what We heard thee say, and,
verily, thy Lord is witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee
was not their cry but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested thee,
and found thee wanting. Comprehend
the meaning of My words, and be thou of the discerning. It is not Our wish to address thee words
of condemnation, out of regard for the dignity We conferred upon thee in this
mortal life. We, verily, have chosen
courtesy, and made it the true mark of such as are nigh unto Him. Courtesy is, in truth, a raiment which
fitteth all men, whether young or old.
Well is it with him that adorneth his temple therewith, and woe unto him
who is deprived of this great bounty.
Hadst thou been sincere in thy words, thou wouldst have not cast behind
thy back the Book of God, when it was sent unto thee by Him Who is the
Almighty, the All-Wise. We have
proved thee through it, and found thee other than that which thou didst profess. Arise, and make amends for that which
escaped thee. Erelong the world and
all that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom will remain unto God, thy
Lord and the Lord of thy fathers of old.
It behoveth thee not to conduct thine affairs according to the dictates
of thy desires. Fear the sighs of
this Wronged One, and shield Him from the darts of such as act unjustly.
138 For what thou
hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall
pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought.[13]
Then wilt thou know how thou hast plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the people in
that land, unless thou arisest to help this Cause, and followest Him Who is the
Spirit of God in this, the Straight Path.
Hath thy pomp made thee proud?
By My Life! It shall not
endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast to this firm
Cord. We see abasement hastening
after thee, whilst thou art of the heedless. It behoveth thee when thou hearest His Voice
calling from the seat of glory to cast away all that thou possessest, and cry
out: “Here am I, O Lord of all that is in heaven and all that is on earth!”
139 O King! We were in ‘Iráq, when the hour of
parting arrived. At the bidding of
the King of Islám[§] We set Our
steps in his direction. Upon Our
arrival, there befell Us at the hands of the malicious that which the books of
the world can never adequately recount.
Thereupon the inmates of Paradise, and they that dwell within the
retreats of holiness, lamented; and yet the people are wrapped in a thick
veil! Say: Do ye cavil at Him Who hath come unto
you bearing the clear evidence of God and His proof, the testimony of God and
His signs? These things are not
from Himself; nay, rather they proceed from the One Who hath raised Him up,
sent Him forth through the power of truth, and made Him to be a lamp unto all
mankind.
140 More grievous
became Our plight from day to day, nay, from hour to hour, until they took Us
forth from Our prison and made Us, with glaring injustice, enter the Most Great
Prison. And if anyone ask
them: “For what crime were they
imprisoned?”, they would answer and say:
“They, verily, sought to supplant the Faith with a new religion!” If
that which is ancient be what ye prefer, wherefore, then, have ye discarded
that which hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel? Clear it up, O men! By My life! There is no place for you to flee to in
this day. If this be My crime, then
Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, committed it before Me, and before Him He Who was
the Spirit of God, and yet earlier He Who conversed with God. And if My sin be this, that I have
exalted the Word of God and revealed His Cause, then indeed am I the greatest of
sinners! Such a sin I will not
barter for the kingdoms of earth and heaven.
141 Upon Our arrival
at this Prison, We purposed to transmit to the kings the messages of their
Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised.
Though We have transmitted to them, in several Tablets, that which We
were commanded, yet We do it once again as a token of God’s grace. Perchance they may recognize the Lord,
Who hath come down in the clouds with manifest sovereignty.
142 As My tribulations multiplied, so did My love
for God and for His Cause increase, in such wise that all that befell Me from
the hosts of the wayward was powerless to deter Me from My purpose. Should they hide Me away in the depths
of the earth, yet would they find Me riding aloft on the clouds, and calling out
unto God, the Lord of strength and of might. I have offered Myself up in the way of
God, and I yearn after tribulations in My love for Him, and for the sake of His
good pleasure. Unto this bear
witness the woes which now afflict Me, the like of which no other man hath
suffered. Every single hair of Mine
head calleth out that which the Burning Bush uttered on Sinai, and each vein of
My body invoketh God and saith: “O
would I had been severed in Thy path, so that the world might be quickened, and
all its peoples be united!” Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
143 Know of a truth that your subjects are God’s
trust amongst you. Watch ye,
therefore, over them as ye watch over your own selves. Beware that ye allow not wolves to become
the shepherds of the fold, or pride and conceit to deter you from turning unto
the poor and the desolate. Wert
thou to quaff the mystic Wine of everlasting life from the chalice of the words
of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, thou wouldst be enabled to forsake all that thou
dost possess and to proclaim My Name before all mankind. Cleanse then thy soul with the waters of
detachment. Verily, this is the
Remembrance that hath shone forth above the horizon of creation, which shall
purge thy soul from the dross of the world. Abandon thy palaces to the people of the
graves, and thine empire to whosoever desireth it, and turn, then, unto the
Kingdom. This, verily, is what God
hath chosen for thee, wert thou of them that turn unto Him. They that have failed to turn unto the
Countenance of God in this Revelation are indeed bereft of life. They move as bidden by their own selfish
desires, and are in truth accounted among the dead. Shouldst thou desire to bear the weight
of thy dominion, bear it then to aid the Cause of thy Lord. Glorified be this station which whoever
attaineth thereunto hath attained unto all good that proceedeth from Him Who is
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
144 Arise thou, in My
name, above the horizon of renunciation, and set, then, thy face towards the
Kingdom, at the bidding of thy Lord, the Lord of strength and of might. Through the power of My sovereignty
stand before the inhabitants of the world and say: “O people! The Day is come, and the fragrances of
God have been wafted over the whole of creation. They that have turned away from His Face
are the helpless victims of their corrupt inclinations. They are indeed of them that have gone
astray.”
145 Adorn the body of
Thy kingdom with the raiment of My name, and arise, then, to teach My
Cause. Better is this for thee than
that which thou possessest. God
will, thereby, exalt thy name among all the kings. Potent is He over all things. Walk thou amongst men in the name of
God, and by the power of His might, that thou mayest show forth His signs
amidst the peoples of the earth.
Burn thou brightly with the flame of this undying Fire which the
All-Merciful hath ignited in the midmost heart of creation, that through thee
the heat of His love may be kindled within the hearts of His favoured
ones. Follow in My way and
enrapture the hearts of men through remembrance of Me, the Almighty, the Most
Exalted.
146 Say: He from whom, in this day, the sweet
savours of the remembrance of His Lord, the All-Merciful, have not been
diffused, is indeed unworthy of the station of man. He, verily, is of them that have
followed their own desires, and shall erelong find himself in grievous
loss. Doth it behove you to relate
yourselves to Him Who is the God of mercy, and yet commit the things which the
Evil One hath committed? Nay, by
the Beauty of Him Who is the All-Glorified! could ye but know it. Purge your hearts from love of the
world, and your tongues from calumny, and your limbs from whatsoever may
withhold you from drawing nigh unto God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Say: By the world is meant that which turneth
you aside from Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Revelation, and inclineth you
unto that which is unprofitable unto you.
Verily, the thing that deterreth you, in this day, from God is
worldliness in its essence. Eschew
it, and approach the Most Sublime Vision, this shining and resplendent
Seat. Blessed is he who alloweth
nothing whatsoever to intervene between him and his Lord. No harm, assuredly, can befall him if he
partaketh with justice of the benefits of this world, inasmuch as We have
created all things for such of Our servants as truly believe in God.
147 Should your
words, O people, be at variance with your deeds, what then shall distinguish
you from those who profess their faith in the Lord, their God, and yet, when He
came down to them overshadowed with clouds, rejected Him and waxed proud before
God, the Incomparable, the Omniscient?
Shed not the blood of anyone, O people, neither judge ye anyone unjustly. Thus have ye been commanded by Him Who
knoweth, Who is informed of all.
They that commit disorders in the land after it hath been well ordered,
these indeed have outstepped the bounds that have been set in the Book. Wretched shall be the abode of the
transgressors!
148 God hath
prescribed unto everyone the duty of teaching His Cause. Whoever ariseth to discharge this duty,
must needs, ere he proclaimeth His Message, adorn himself with the ornament of
an upright and praiseworthy character, so that his words may attract the hearts
of such as are receptive to his call.
Without it, he can never hope to influence his hearers. Thus doth God instruct you. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the
Most Compassionate.
149 They who exhort
others unto justice, while themselves committing iniquity, stand accused of
falsehood by the inmates of the Kingdom and by those who circle round the
throne of their Lord, the Almighty, the Beneficent, for that which their
tongues have uttered. Commit not, O
people, that which dishonoureth your name and the fair name of the Cause of God
amongst men. Beware lest ye
approach that which your minds abhor.
Fear God and follow not in the footsteps of them that are gone astray. Deal not treacherously with the
substance of your neighbour. Be ye
trustworthy on earth, and withhold not from the poor the things given unto you
by God through His grace. He,
verily, will bestow upon you the double of what ye possess. He, in truth, is the All-Bounteous, the
Most Generous.
150 Say: We have ordained that our Cause be
taught through the power of utterance.
Beware lest ye dispute idly with anyone. Whoso ariseth wholly for the sake of his
Lord to teach His Cause, the Holy Spirit shall strengthen him and inspire him
with that which will illumine the heart of the world, how much more the hearts
of those who seek Him. O people of
Bahá! Subdue the citadels of men’s
hearts with the swords of wisdom and of utterance. They that dispute, as prompted by their
desires, are indeed wrapped in a palpable veil. Say: The sword of wisdom is hotter than
summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do but understand. Draw it forth in My name and through the
power of My might, and conquer then with it the cities of the hearts of them
that have secluded themselves in the stronghold of their corrupt desires. Thus biddeth you the Pen of the
All-Glorious, whilst seated beneath the swords of the wayward.
151 If ye become
aware of a sin committed by another, conceal it, that God may conceal your own
sin. He, verily, is the Concealer,
the Lord of grace abounding. O ye
rich ones on earth! If ye encounter
one who is poor, treat him not disdainfully. Reflect upon that whereof ye were
created. Every one of you was
created of a sorry germ.[14] It behoveth you to observe truthfulness,
whereby your temples shall be adorned, your names uplifted, your stations
exalted amidst men, and a mighty recompense assured for you before God.
152 Give ear, O
peoples of the earth, unto that which the Pen of the Lord of all nations
commandeth you. Know ye of a certainty
that the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final
consummation in the Law that hath branched out from this Most Great Ocean. Haste ye thereunto at Our behest. We, verily, ordain as We please. Regard ye the world as a man’s body,
which is afflicted with divers ailments, and the recovery of which dependeth
upon the harmonizing of all of its component elements. Gather ye around that which We have
prescribed unto you, and walk not in the ways of such as create dissension.
153 All feasts have
attained their consummation in the two Most Great Festivals, and in two other
Festivals that fall on the twin days—the first of the Most Great Festivals
being those days whereon God shed the effulgent glory of His most excellent
Names upon all who are in heaven and on earth, and the second being that day on
which We raised up the One Who announced unto the people the glad tidings of
this Great Announcement.[15] Thus hath it been set down in the Book
by Him Who is the Mighty, the Powerful.
On other than these four consummate days, engage ye in your daily
occupations, and withhold yourselves not from the pursuit of your trades and
crafts. Thus hath the command been
issued and the law gone forth from Him Who is your Lord, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.
154 Say: O concourse of priests and monks! Eat ye of that which God hath made
lawful unto you and do not shun meat.
God hath, as a token of His grace, granted you leave to partake thereof
save during a brief period. He,
verily, is the Mighty, the Beneficent.
Forsake all that ye possess and hold fast unto that which God hath
purposed. This is that which
profiteth you, if ye be of them that comprehend. We have ordained a fast of nineteen days
in the most temperate of the seasons, and have in this resplendent and luminous
Dispensation relieved you from more than this. Thus have We set forth and made clear
unto you that which ye are bidden to observe, that ye may follow the
commandments of God and be united in that which the Almighty, the All-Wise,
hath appointed unto you. He Who is
your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding
the entire human race as one soul and one body. Haste ye to win your share of God’s good
grace and mercy in this Day that eclipseth all other created Days. How great the felicity that awaiteth the
man that forsaketh all he hath in a desire to obtain the things of God! Such a man, We testify, is among God’s
blessed ones.
155 O King! Bear thou witness unto that which God
hath Himself and for Himself borne witness ere the creation of earth and
heaven, that there is none other God but Me, the One, the Single, the Most
Exalted, the Incomparable, the Inaccessible. Arise with the utmost steadfastness in
the Cause of thy Lord, the All-Glorious.
Thus hast thou been instructed in this wondrous Tablet. We, verily, have desired naught for thee
save that which is better for thee than all that is on earth. Unto this testify all created things and
beyond them this perspicuous Book.
156 Meditate on the
world and the state of its people.
He, for Whose sake the world was called into being, hath been imprisoned
in the most desolate of cities,[**] by reason of
that which the hands of the wayward have wrought. From the horizon of His prison-city He
summoneth mankind unto the Dayspring of God, the Exalted, the Great. Exultest thou over the treasures thou
dost possess, knowing they shall perish?
Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole
world, in the estimation of the people of Bahá, is worth as much as the black
in the eye of a dead ant? Abandon
it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and turn thou unto Him Who
is the Desire of the world. Whither
are gone the proud and their palaces?
Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this example,
inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to seize
thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the Kingdom, and wouldst
expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this sublime
Vision.
157 We behold the
generality of mankind worshipping names and exposing themselves, as thou dost
witness, to dire perils in the mere hope of perpetuating their names, whilst
every perceiving soul testifieth that after death one’s name shall avail him
nothing except insofar as it beareth a relationship unto God, the Almighty, the
All-Praised. Thus have their vain
imaginings taken hold of them in requital for that which their hands have
wrought. Consider the pettiness of
men’s minds. They seek with utmost
exertion that which profiteth them not, and yet wert thou to ask of them: “Is there any advantage in that which ye
desire?”, thou wouldst find them sorely perplexed. Were a fair-minded soul to be found, he
would reply: “Nay, by the Lord of
the worlds!” Such is the condition
of the people and of that which they possess. Leave them in their folly and turn thy
sight unto God. This is in truth
that which beseemeth thee. Hearken
then unto the counsel of thy Lord, and say: Lauded art Thou, O God of all who are in
heaven and on earth!
Czar Alexander II
158 O Czar of
Russia! Incline thine ear unto the
voice of God, the King, the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein
abideth He Who, among the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent titles,
and Who, in the kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the
Effulgent, the All-Glorious. Beware
lest thy desire deter thee from turning towards the face of thy Lord, the
Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
We, verily, have heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy
Lord, whilst secretly communing with Him.
Wherefore, the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted forth, and the sea of
My mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise. Whilst I lay chained
and fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a
station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this
sublime station. Thy Lord, verily,
doeth what He willeth. What He
pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm, and with Him is the knowledge of all
things in a Guarded Tablet.
159 Beware lest thy
sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who is the Supreme Sovereign. He, verily, is come with His Kingdom,
and all the atoms cry aloud: “Lo!
The Lord is come in His great majesty!” He Who is the Father is come, and the
Son, in the holy vale, crieth out: “Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God!”,
whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: “The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon
the clouds! Blessed is he that
draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far away.”
160 Arise thou
amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and summon, then, the
nations unto God, the Exalted, the Great.
Be thou not of them who called upon God by one of His names, but who,
when He Who is the Object of all names appeared, denied Him and turned aside
from Him, and, in the end, pronounced sentence against Him with manifest
injustice. Consider and call thou
to mind the days whereon the Spirit of God appeared, and Herod gave judgement
against Him. God, however, aided
Him with the hosts of the unseen, and protected Him with truth, and sent Him
down unto another land, according to His promise. He, verily, ordaineth what He
pleaseth. Thy Lord truly preserveth
whom He willeth, be he in the midst of the seas, or in the maw of the serpent,
or beneath the sword of the oppressor.
161 Blessed be the
king whom the veils of glory have not deterred from turning unto the Dayspring
of beauty and who hath forsaken his all in his desire to obtain the things of
God. He, indeed, is accounted in
the sight of God as the most excellent of men, and is extolled by the inmates
of paradise and them that circle morn and eve round the Throne on high.
162 Again I say: Hearken unto My voice that calleth from
My prison, that it may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My
Beauty, at the hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that
thou mayest perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding My might,
and how immense My forbearance, notwithstanding My power. By My life! Couldst thou but know the things sent
down by My Pen, and discover the treasures of My Cause, and the pearls of My
mysteries which lie hid in the seas of My names and in the goblets of My words,
thou wouldst, in thy love for My name, and in thy longing for My glorious and
sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in My path. Know thou that though My body be beneath
the swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable afflictions, yet
My spirit is filled with a gladness with which all the joys of the earth can
never compare.
163 Set thine heart
towards Him Who is the Point of adoration for the world, and say: “O peoples of
the earth! Have ye denied the One
in Whose path He Who came with the truth, bearing the announcement of your
Lord, the Exalted, the Great, suffered martyrdom?” Say: This is an Announcement whereat the
hearts of the Prophets and Messengers have rejoiced. This is the One Whom the heart of the
world remembereth, and is promised in the Books of God, the Mighty, the
All-Wise. The hands of the
Messengers were, in their desire to meet Me, upraised towards God, the Mighty,
the Glorified. Unto this testifieth
that which hath been sent down in the sacred Scriptures by Him Who is the Lord
of might and power.
164 Some lamented in
their separation from Me, others endured hardships in My path, and still others
laid down their lives for the sake of My Beauty, could ye but know it. Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine
own Self, but rather God Himself, were ye to judge fairly. Naught can be seen in Me except God and
His Cause, could ye but perceive it.
I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose
name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned. Thus hath it been decreed in the
Scriptures of thy Lord, the Most Merciful.
He, verily, hath borne witness unto Me, as I bear witness unto Him. And God testifieth to the truth of My
words.
165 Say: The Books have been sent down for naught
but My remembrance. Whosoever is
receptive to their call shall perceive therefrom the sweet fragrances of My
name and My praise; and he who hath unstopped the ear of his inmost heart shall
hear from every word thereof: “The
True One is come! He indeed is the
beloved of the worlds!”
166 It is for the
sake of God alone that My tongue counselleth you and that My pen moveth to make
mention of you, for neither can the malice and denial of all who dwell on earth
harm Me, nor the allegiance of the entire creation profit Me. We, verily, exhort you unto that which
We were commanded, and desire naught from you except that ye draw nigh unto what
shall profit you in both this world and the world to come. Say: Will ye slay Him Who summoneth you unto
life everlasting? Fear ye God, and
follow not every contumacious oppressor.
167 O proud ones of
the earth! Do ye believe yourselves
to be abiding in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation resideth in
the most desolate of abodes? Nay,
by My life! In tombs do ye dwell,
could ye but perceive it. Verily,
he who faileth, in these days, to be stirred by the breeze of God is accounted
among the dead in the sight of Him Who is the Lord of all names and
attributes. Arise, then, from the
tombs of self and desire and turn unto the Kingdom of God, the Possessor of the
Throne on high and of earth below, that ye may behold that which ye were promised
aforetime by your Lord, the All-Knowing.
168 Think ye that the
things ye possess shall profit you?
Soon others will possess them and ye will return unto the dust with none
to help or succour you. What
advantage is there in a life that can be overtaken by death, or in an existence
that is doomed to extinction, or in a prosperity that is subject to
change? Cast away the things that
ye possess and set your faces toward the favours of God which have been sent
down in this wondrous Name.
169 Thus doth the Pen
of the Most High warble unto thee its melodies by the leave of thy Lord, the
All-Glorious. When thou hast heard
and recited them, say: “Praise be
unto Thee, O Lord of all the worlds, inasmuch as Thou hast made mention of me
through the tongue of Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self at a time when
He was confined in the Most Great Prison, that the whole world might attain
unto true liberty.”
170 Blessed be the
king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who hath
turned unto God with his heart. He,
verily, is accounted of those that have attained unto that which God, the
Mighty, the All-Wise, hath willed.
Erelong will such a one find himself numbered with the monarchs of the
realms of the Kingdom. Thy Lord is,
in truth, potent over all things.
He giveth what He willeth to whomsoever He willeth, and withholdeth what
He pleaseth from whomsoever He willeth.
He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
Queen Victoria
171 O Queen in
London! Incline thine ear unto the
voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind, calling from the Divine
Lote-Tree: Verily, no God is there
but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise!
Cast away all that is on earth, and attire the head of thy kingdom with
the crown of the remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. He, in truth, hath come unto the world
in His most great glory, and all that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath
been fulfilled. The land of Syria
hath been honoured by the footsteps of its Lord, the Lord of all men, and north
and south are both inebriated with the wine of His presence. Blessed is the man that hath inhaled the
fragrance of the Most Merciful, and turned unto the Dawning-Place of His
Beauty, in this resplendent Dawn.
The Mosque of Aqṣá vibrateth through the breezes of its Lord, the
All-Glorious, whilst Baṭḥá[††] trembleth at
the voice of God, the Exalted, the Most High. Whereupon every single stone of them
celebrateth the praise of the Lord, through this Great Name.
172 Lay aside thy
desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of
God, and desire that thy name may be exalted through thy remembrance of God,
the Creator of earth and heaven.
He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have been informed that thou hast
forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined
in this wondrous Revelation. God
hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He, verily, will pay the doer of good
his due recompense, wert thou to follow what hath been sent unto thee by Him
Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after the clear
tokens have come unto him from the Revealer of signs, his work shall God bring to
naught. He, in truth, hath power
over all things. Man’s actions are
acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation). He that turneth aside from the True One
is indeed the most veiled amongst His creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is
the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
173 We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of
counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for
thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened,
and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be
tranquillized. It behoveth them,
however, to be trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the
representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counselleth them, in this
Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All-Wise.
And if any one of them directeth himself towards the Assembly, let him
turn his eyes unto the Supreme Horizon, and say: “O my God! I ask Thee, by Thy most glorious Name,
to aid me in that which will cause the affairs of Thy servants to prosper, and
Thy cities to flourish. Thou,
indeed, hast power over all things!”
Blessed is he that entereth the Assembly for the sake of God, and
judgeth between men with pure justice.
He, indeed, is of the blissful.
174 O ye the elected
representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your
concern be only for that which profiteth mankind and bettereth the condition
thereof, if ye be of them that scan heedfully. Regard the world as the human body
which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through
various causes, with grave disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay
its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant
physicians, who gave full rein to their personal desires and have erred
grievously. And if, at one time,
through the care of an able physician, a member of that body was healed, the
rest remained afflicted as before.
Thus informeth you the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
175 We behold it, in
this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride that they cannot discern
clearly their own best advantage, much less recognize a Revelation so
bewildering and challenging as this.
And whenever any one of them hath striven to improve its condition, his
motive hath been his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the
unworthiness of this motive hath limited his power to heal or cure.
176 That which the
Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the
world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common
Faith. This can in no wise be
achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired
Physician. This, verily, is the
truth, and all else naught but error.
Each time that Most Mighty Instrument hath come, and that Light shone
forth from the Ancient Dayspring, He was withheld by ignorant physicians who,
even as clouds, interposed themselves between Him and the world. It failed, therefore, to recover, and
its sickness hath persisted until this day. They indeed were powerless to protect
it, or to effect a cure, whilst He Who hath been the Manifestation of Power
amongst men was withheld from achieving His purpose, by reason of what the
hands of the ignorant physicians have wrought.
177 Consider these
days in which He Who is the Ancient Beauty hath come in the Most Great Name,
that He may quicken the world and unite its peoples. They, however, rose up against Him with
sharpened swords, and committed that which caused the Faithful Spirit to
lament, until in the end they imprisoned Him in the most desolate of cities,
and broke the grasp of the faithful upon the hem of His robe. Were anyone to tell them: “The World
Reformer is come”, they would answer and say: “Indeed it is proven that He is a
fomenter of discord!”, and this notwithstanding that they have never associated
with Him, and have perceived that He did not seek, for one moment, to protect Himself. At all times He was at the mercy of the
wicked doers. At one time they cast
Him into prison, at another they banished Him, and at yet another hurried Him
from land to land. Thus have they
pronounced judgement against Us, and God, truly, is aware of what I say. Such men are reckoned by God among the
most ignorant of His creatures.
They cut off their own limbs and perceive it not; they deprive
themselves of that which is best for them, and know it not. They are even as a young child who can
distinguish neither the mischief-maker from the reformer nor the wicked from
the righteous. We behold them in
this Day wrapt in a palpable veil.
178 O ye rulers of
the earth! Wherefore have ye
clouded the radiance of the Sun, and caused it to cease from shining? Hearken unto the counsel given you by
the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor may attain unto
tranquillity and peace. We beseech
God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth.
179 O kings of the
earth! We see you increasing every
year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is wholly and grossly
unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of
this Wronged One, and lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob them to rear palaces for
yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for
yourselves. Thus We unfold to your
eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive. Your people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the
commandments of God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber. By them ye rule, by their means ye
subsist, by their aid ye conquer.
Yet, how disdainfully ye look upon them! How strange, how very strange!
180 Now that ye have
refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this, the Lesser Peace, that
haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your
dependents.
181 O rulers of the
earth! Be reconciled among
yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard
your territories and dominions.
Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.
182 Be united, O
kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst
you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms
against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest
justice. Thus did We exhort you in
the Tablet sent down aforetime,[‡‡] and We
admonish you once again to follow that which hath been revealed by Him Who is
the Almighty, the All-Wise. Should
anyone seek refuge with you, extend unto him your protection and betray him
not. Thus doth the Pen of the Most
High counsel you, as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
183 Beware lest ye
act as did the King of Islám[§§] when We came
unto him at his bidding. His
ministers pronounced judgement against Us with such injustice that all creation
lamented and the hearts of those who are nigh unto God were consumed. The winds of self and passion move them
as they will, and We found them all bereft of constancy. They are, indeed, of those that are far
astray.
184 Rein in Thy pen,
O Pen of the Ancient of Days, and leave them to themselves, for they are immersed
in their idle fancies. Make Thou
mention of the Queen, that she may turn with a pure heart unto the scene of
transcendent glory, may withhold not her eyes from gazing toward her Lord, the
Supreme Ordainer, and may become acquainted with that which hath been revealed
in the Books and Tablets by the Creator of all mankind, He through Whom the sun
hath been darkened and the moon eclipsed, and through Whom the Call hath been
raised betwixt earth and heaven.
185 Turn thou unto
God and say: O my Sovereign
Lord! I am but a vassal of Thine,
and Thou art, in truth, the King of kings.
I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy
bounties. Send down, then, upon me
from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of all save Thee, and
draw me nigh unto Thyself. I
beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name, which Thou hast made the king of names
and the manifestation of Thyself to all who are in heaven and on earth, to rend
asunder the veils that have intervened between me and my recognition of the
Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the
All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous.
Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of Thy mercy in
Thy days, and write down for me that which Thou hast written down for Thy
handmaidens who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and have recognized
Thee, and set their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause. Thou art truly the Lord of the worlds
and of those who show mercy the Most Merciful. Assist me, then, O my God, to remember
Thee amongst Thy handmaidens, and to aid Thy Cause in Thy lands. Accept, then, that which hath escaped me
when the light of Thy countenance shone forth. Thou, indeed, hast power over all
things. Glory be to Thee, O Thou in
Whose hand is the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth.
186 O
King of the Earth! Hearken unto the
call of this Vassal: Verily, I am a
Servant Who hath believed in God and in His signs, and have sacrificed Myself
in His path. Unto this bear witness
the woes which now beset Me, woes the like of which no man hath ever before
sustained. My Lord, the
All-Knowing, testifieth to the truth of My words. I have summoned the people unto none
save God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds, and have endured for love of Him
such afflictions as the eye of creation hath never beheld. To this testify those whom the veils of
human fancy have not deterred from turning unto the Most Sublime Vision, and,
beyond them, He with Whom is the knowledge of all things in the preserved
Tablet.
187 Whensoever
the clouds of tribulation have rained down the darts of affliction in the path
of God, the Lord of all names, I have hastened to meet them, as every
fair-minded and discerning soul shall attest. How many the nights which found the
beasts of the field resting in their lairs, and the birds of the air lying in
their nests, while this Youth languished in chains and fetters with none to aid
or succour Him!
188 Call
Thou to mind God’s mercy unto Thee; how, when Thou wert imprisoned with a number
of other souls, He delivered Thee and aided Thee with the hosts of the seen and
the unseen, until the King sent Thee to ‘Iráq after We had disclosed unto him
that Thou wert not of the sowers of sedition. Those who follow their corrupt desires
and lay aside the fear of God are indeed in grievous error. They that spread disorder in the land,
shed the blood of men, and wrongfully consume the substance of others—We,
verily, are clear of them, and We beseech God not to associate Us with them,
whether in this world or in the world to come, unless they should repent unto
Him. He, verily, is of those who
show mercy the most merciful.
189 Whoso turneth
towards God must distinguish himself from others by his every deed, and follow
that which hath been enjoined upon him in the Book. Thus hath it been decreed in a lucid
Tablet. Those, however, who cast
behind their backs the commandments of God, and follow the prompting of their
own desires, are, verily, in grievous error.
190 O King! I adjure thee by thy Lord, the
All-Merciful, to look upon thy servants with the glances of the eye of thy
favour, and to treat them with justice, that God may treat thee with
mercy. Potent is thy Lord to do as
He pleaseth. The world, with all
its abasement and glory, shall pass away, and the kingdom will remain unto God,
the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.
191 Say: He hath kindled the lamp of utterance,
and feedeth it with the oil of wisdom and understanding. Too high is thy Lord, the All-Merciful,
for aught in the universe to resist His Faith. He revealeth what He pleaseth through
the power of His sovereign might, and protecteth it with a host of His
well-favoured angels. He is supreme
over His servants and exerciseth undisputed dominion over His creation. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.
192 O
King! I was but a man like others,
asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over
Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One
Who is Almighty and All-Knowing.
And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this
there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to
flow. The learning current amongst
men I studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that
thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. This is but a leaf which the winds of
the will of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous
winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who
is the Lord of all Names and Attributes!
They move it as they list.
The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath reached
Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead when His behest
was uttered. The hand of the will
of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me. Can anyone speak forth of his own accord
that for which all men, both high and low, will protest against him? Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the
eternal mysteries, save him whom the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful,
hath strengthened.
193 The
Pen of the Most High addresseth Me, saying: Fear not. Relate unto His Majesty the Sháh
that which befell thee. His heart,
verily, is between the fingers of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, that haply the
sun of justice and bounty may shine forth above the horizon of his heart. Thus hath the decree been irrevocably
fixed by Him Who is the All-Wise.
194 Look upon this
Youth, O King, with the eyes of justice; judge thou, then, with truth
concerning what hath befallen Him.
Of a verity, God hath made thee His shadow amongst men, and the sign of
His power unto all that dwell on earth.
Judge thou between Us and them that have wronged Us without proof and
without an enlightening Book. They
that surround thee love thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth
thee for thine own sake, and hath had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto
the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward the right hand of justice. Thy Lord beareth witness unto that which
I declare.
195 O
King! Wert thou to incline thine
ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove of Eternity
which, on the branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing,
uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator of earth and
heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold in
the world of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst
regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning
it to whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow
with the light of His countenance.
Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save
for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless
thee. O how excellent is this most
sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto through the power of a
sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God!
196 Amongst the
people are those who allege that this Youth hath had no purpose but to
perpetuate His name, whilst others claim that He hath sought for Himself the
vanities of the world—this, notwithstanding that never, throughout all My days,
have I found a place of safety, be it to the extent of a single foothold. At all times have I been immersed in an
ocean of tribulations, whose full measure none can fathom but God. He, truly, is aware of what I say. How many the days in which My loved ones
have been sorely shaken by reason of My afflictions, and how many the nights
during which My kindred, fearing for My life, have bitterly wept and
lamented! And this none can deny
save them that are bereft of truthfulness.
Is it conceivable that He Who expecteth to lose His life at any moment
should seek after worldly vanities?
How very strange the imaginings of those who speak as prompted by their
own caprices, and who wander distractedly in the wilderness of self and
passion! Erelong shall they be
called upon to account for their words, and on that day they shall find none to
befriend or help them.
197 And amongst the
people are those who claim that He hath disbelieved in God—yet every member of
My body testifieth that there is none other God but Him; that those Whom He
hath raised up in truth and sent forth with His guidance are the Manifestations
of His most excellent names, the Revealers of His most exalted attributes, and
the Repositories of His Revelation in the kingdom of creation; that through
them the Proof of God hath been perfected unto all else but Him, the standard
of Divine Unity hath been raised, and the sign of sanctity hath been made
manifest; and that through them every soul hath found a path unto the Lord of
the Throne on high. We testify that
there is none other God but Him, that from everlasting He was alone with none
else besides Him, and that He shall be unto everlasting what He hath ever been. Too high is the All-Merciful for the
hearts of those who have recognized Him to apprehend His true nature, or for
the minds of men to hope to fathom His essence. He verily is exalted above the
understanding of anyone besides Himself, and sanctified beyond the
comprehension of all else save Him.
From all eternity He hath been independent of the entire creation.
198 Remember the days
in which the Sun of Baṭḥá[***]
shone forth above the horizon of the Will of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most
High, and recall how the divines of that age turned away from Him, and the
learned contended with Him, that haply thou mayest apprehend that which, in
this day, remaineth concealed behind the veils of glory. So grievous became His plight on every
side that He instructed His companions to disperse. Thus was the decree made manifest from
the heaven of divine glory.
Remember, furthermore, how, when one of these same companions came
before the King of Ethiopia and recited unto him a Súrih of the Qur’án, he
declared to his attendants: “This,
truly, hath been revealed by One Who is All-Knowing and All-Wise. Whoso acknowledgeth the truth, and
believeth in the teachings of Jesus, can in no wise deny what hath been
recited. We, verily, bear witness
to its truth, even as we bear witness to the truth of that which we possess of
the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.”
199 I swear by God, O
King! Wert thou to incline thine
ear to the melodies of that Nightingale which warbleth in manifold accents upon
the mystic bough as bidden by thy Lord, the All-Merciful, thou wouldst cast
away thy sovereignty and set thy face towards this Scene of transcendent glory,
above whose horizon shineth the Book of the Dawntide,[16]
and wouldst expend all that thou possessest in thine eagerness to obtain the
things of God. Then wouldst thou
find thyself raised up to the summit of exaltation and glory, and elevated to
the pinnacle of majesty and independence.
Thus hath the decree been recorded in the Mother Book by the Pen of the
All-Merciful. Of what avail are the
things which are yours today and which tomorrow others shall possess? Choose for thyself that which God hath
chosen for His elect, and God shall grant thee a mighty sovereignty in His
Kingdom. We beseech God to aid thy
Majesty to hearken unto that Word whose radiance hath enveloped the whole
world, and to protect thee from such as have strayed far from the court of His
presence.
200 Glory be to Thee,
O Lord My God! How many the heads
which were raised aloft on spears in Thy path, and how many the breasts which
were made the target of arrows for the sake of Thy good pleasure! How many the hearts that have been
lacerated for the exaltation of Thy Word and the promotion of Thy Cause, and
how many the eyes that have wept sore for love of Thee! I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the King
of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, by Thy Most Great Name which Thou
hast made the Dawning-Place of Thy most excellent names and the Dayspring of
Thy most exalted attributes, to remove the veils that have come in between Thee
and Thy creatures and debarred them from turning unto the horizon of Thy
Revelation. Cause them, then, O My
God, by Thy most exalted Word, to turn from the left hand of oblivion and
delusion unto the right hand of knowledge and certitude, that they may know
what Thou hast purposed for them through Thy bounty and grace, and may set
their faces towards Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Cause and the Revealer
of Thy signs.
201 O My God! Thou art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace
is infinite. Withhold not Thy
servants from the most mighty Ocean, which Thou hast made the repository of the
pearls of Thy knowledge and Thy wisdom, and turn them not away from Thy gate,
which Thou hast opened wide before all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on
Thy earth. O Lord! Leave them not to themselves, for they
understand not and flee from that which is better for them than all that Thou
hast created upon Thine earth. Cast
upon them, O My God, the glances of the eye of Thy favour and bounty, and
deliver them from self and passion, that they may draw nigh unto Thy most
exalted Horizon, taste the sweetness of Thy remembrance, and delight in that
bread which Thou hast sent down from the heaven of Thy Will and the firmament
of Thy grace. From everlasting Thy
bounty hath embraced the entire creation and Thy mercy hath surpassed all
things. No God is there but Thee,
the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
202 Glorified art
Thou, O Lord My God! Thou well
knowest that Mine heart hath melted in Thy Cause, and that My blood so boileth
in My veins with the fire of Thy love that every drop of it proclaimeth with its
inner tongue: “Grant that I may be
spilt upon the ground for Thy sake, O my Lord, the Most High, that from it
there may spring forth that which Thou hast purposed in Thy Tablets and hast
hidden from the eyes of all, except such servants as have tasted of the crystal
stream of knowledge from the hands of Thy grace and quaffed the soft-flowing
waters of understanding from the cup of Thy bestowal.”
203 Thou knowest, O
My God, that in all Mine affairs I have sought only to obey Thy bidding, that
in Mine every utterance I have wished only to extol Thy praise, and that in
whatsoever hath proceeded from My Pen I have purposed only to win Thy good
pleasure and to reveal that which Thou hast enjoined upon Me through Thy
sovereignty.
204 Thou beholdest
Me, O My God, as one bewildered in Thy land. Whensoever I make mention of that which
Thou hast enjoined upon Me, Thy creatures cavil at Me; yet were I to neglect
that which Thou hast bidden Me observe, I would deserve the scourge of Thine
anger and would be far removed from the meadows of Thy nearness. Nay, by Thy glory! I have set My face towards Thy good
pleasure, and turned away from the things whereon Thy servants have set their
affections. I have embraced all that
is with Thee, and forsaken all that might lead Me away from the retreats of Thy
nearness and the heights of Thy glory.
I swear by Thy might! With
Thy love in My heart nothing can ever alarm Me, and in the path of Thy good
pleasure all the world’s afflictions can in no wise dismay Me. All this, however, proceedeth from Thy
power and Thy might, from Thy bounty and Thy grace, and is not of Mine own
deserving.
205 This is an
Epistle, O My God, which I have purposed to send unto the King. Thou knowest that I have wished of him
naught but that he should show forth justice to Thy servants and extend his
favours unto the people of Thy kingdom.
For Myself I have desired only what Thou didst desire, and through Thy
succour I wish for naught save that which Thou wishest. Perish the soul that seeketh from Thee
aught save Thyself! I swear by Thy
glory! Thy good pleasure is my dearest
wish, and Thy purpose My highest hope.
Have mercy, O My God, upon this poor creature Who hath clung unto the
hem of Thy riches, and this suppliant soul Who calleth upon Thee, saying, “Thou
art, verily, the Lord of might and glory!”
Assist Thou, O My God, His Majesty the Sháh to keep Thy statutes
amidst Thy servants and to manifest Thy justice amongst Thy creatures, that he
may treat this people as he treateth others. Thou art, in truth, the God of power, of
glory and wisdom.
206 By the leave and
permission of the King of the Age, this Servant journeyed from the Seat of
Sovereignty[†††]
to ‘Iráq, and dwelt for twelve years in that land. Throughout the entire course of this
period no account of Our condition was submitted to the court of thy presence,
and no representation ever made to foreign powers. Placing Our whole trust in God, We
resided in that land until there came to ‘Iráq a certain official[17]
who, upon his arrival, undertook to harass this poor company of exiles. Day after day, at the instigation of
some of the outwardly learned and of other individuals, he would stir up
trouble for these servants, although they had at no time committed any act
detrimental to the state and its people or contrary to the rules and customs of
the citizens of the realm.
207 Fearing lest the
actions of these transgressors should produce some outcome at variance with thy
world-adorning judgement, this Servant despatched a brief account of the matter
to Mírzá Sa‘íd Khán[18]
at the Foreign Ministry, so that he might submit it to the royal presence and
that whatever thou shouldst please to decree in this respect might be
obeyed. A long while elapsed, and
no decree was issued. Finally
matters came to such a pass that there loomed the threat of imminent strife and
bloodshed. Of necessity, therefore,
and for the protection of the servants of God, a few of them appealed to the
Governor of ‘Iráq.[19]
208 Wert thou to
observe these events with the eye of fairness, it would become clear and
evident in the luminous mirror of thine heart that what occurred was called for
by the circumstances, and that no other alternative could be seen. His Majesty himself is witness that in
whatever city a number of this people have resided, the hostility of certain
functionaries hath enkindled the flame of conflict and contention. This evanescent Soul, however, hath,
since His arrival in ‘Iráq, forbidden all to engage in dissension and
strife. The witness of this Servant
is His very deeds, for all are well aware and will testify that, although a
greater number of this people resided in ‘Iráq than in any other land, no one
overstepped his limits or transgressed against his neighbour. Fixing their gaze upon God, and reposing
their trust in Him, all have now been abiding in peace for well-nigh fifteen
years, and, in whatever hath befallen them, they have shown forth patience and
resigned themselves to God.
209 After the arrival
of this Servant in this, the city of Adrianople, some of the people of ‘Iráq
and elsewhere inquired about the meaning of the term “rendering assistance unto
God” which hath been mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Several answers were sent out in reply,
one of which is set forth in these pages, that it may be clearly demonstrated
in the court of thy presence that this Servant hath had no end in view but to
promote the betterment and well-being of the world. And if certain of the divine favours
which, undeserving as I may be, God hath pleased to bestow upon Me be not plain
and manifest, this much at least will be clear and apparent, that He, in His
surpassing mercy and infinite grace, hath not deprived Mine heart of the
ornament of reason. The passage
that was referred to concerning the meaning of “rendering assistance unto God”
is as follows:
He
is God, exalted be His glory!
210 It is clear and evident that the one
true God—glorified be His mention!—is sanctified above the world and all that
is therein. By “rendering
assistance unto God”, then, it is not meant that any soul should fight or
contend with another. That
Sovereign Lord Who doeth whatsoever He pleaseth hath entrusted the kingdom of
creation, its lands and its seas, into the hands of the kings, for they are,
each according to his degree, the manifestations of His divine power. Should they enter beneath the shadow of
the True One, they will be accounted of God, and if not, thy Lord, verily,
knoweth and observeth all things.
211 That
which God—glorified be His Name!—hath desired for Himself is the hearts of His
servants, which are the treasuries of His love and remembrance and the
repositories of His knowledge and wisdom.
It hath ever been the wish of the Eternal King to cleanse the hearts of
His servants from the things of the world and all that pertaineth thereunto,
that they may be made worthy recipients of the effulgent splendours of Him Who
is the King of all names and attributes.
Wherefore must no stranger be allowed in the city of the heart, that the
incomparable Friend may enter His abode.
By this is meant the effulgence of His names and attributes, and not His
exalted Essence, inasmuch as that peerless King hath ever been, and shall eternally
remain, sanctified above ascent and descent.
212 It
followeth, therefore, that rendering assistance unto God, in this day, doth not
and shall never consist in contending or disputing with any soul; nay rather,
what is preferable in the sight of God is that the cities of men’s hearts,
which are ruled by the hosts of self and passion, should be subdued by the
sword of utterance, of wisdom and of understanding. Thus, whoso seeketh to assist God must,
before all else, conquer, with the sword of inner meaning and explanation, the
city of his own heart and guard it from the remembrance of all save God, and
only then set out to subdue the cities of the hearts of others.
213 Such
is the true meaning of rendering assistance unto God. Sedition hath never been pleasing unto
God, nor were the acts committed in the past by certain foolish ones acceptable
in His sight. Know ye that to be
killed in the path of His good pleasure is better for you than to kill. The beloved of the Lord must, in this day, behave in such wise amidst His
servants that they may by their very deeds and actions guide all men unto the
paradise of the All-Glorious.
214 By
Him Who shineth above the Dayspring of Sanctity! The friends of God have not, nor will
they ever, set their hopes upon the world and its ephemeral possessions. The one true God hath ever regarded the
hearts of men as His own, His exclusive possession—and this too but as an
expression of His all-surpassing mercy, that haply mortal souls may be purged
and sanctified from all that pertaineth to the world of dust and gain
admittance into the realms of eternity.
For otherwise that ideal King is, in Himself and by Himself, sufficient
unto Himself and independent of all things. Neither doth the love of His creatures
profit Him, nor can their malice harm Him.
All have issued forth from abodes of dust, and unto dust shall they
return, while the one true God, alone and single, is established upon His
Throne, a Throne which is beyond the reaches of time and space, is sanctified
above all utterance or expression, intimation, description and definition, and
is exalted beyond all notion of abasement and glory. And none knoweth this save Him and those
with whom is the knowledge of the Book.
No God is there but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
215 It behoveth the
benevolence of the Sovereign, however, to examine all matters with the eye of
justice and mercy, and not to content himself with the baseless claims of
certain individuals. We beseech God
to graciously assist the King to fulfil that which He pleaseth, and, verily,
that which He desireth should be the desire of all the worlds.
216 Later this
Servant was summoned to Constantinople, whither We arrived accompanied by a
poor band of exiles. At no time
thereafter did We seek to meet with anyone, as We had no request to make and no
aim in view but to demonstrate unto all that this Servant had no mischief in
mind and had never associated with the sowers of sedition. By Him Who hath caused the tongues of
all beings to speak forth His praise!
While certain considerations rendered it difficult to make application
to any quarter, such steps were perforce taken to protect certain souls. My Lord, verily, knoweth what is in Me,
and He beareth witness unto the truth of what I say.
217 A just king is
the shadow of God on earth. All
should seek shelter under the shadow of his justice, and rest in the shade of
his favour. This is not a matter
which is either specific or limited in its scope, that it might be restricted
to one or another person, inasmuch as the shadow telleth of the One Who casteth
it. God, glorified be His
remembrance, hath called Himself the Lord of the worlds, for He hath nurtured
and still nurtureth everyone.
Glorified be, then, His grace that hath preceded all created things, and
His mercy that hath surpassed the worlds.
218 It is clear and
evident that, whether this Cause be seen as right or wrong by the people, those
who are associated with its name have accepted and embraced it as true, and
have forsaken their all in their eagerness to partake of the things of
God. That they should evince such
renunciation in the path of the love of the All-Merciful is in itself a
faithful witness and an eloquent testimony to the truth of their convictions. Hath it ever been witnessed that a man
of sound judgement should sacrifice his life without cause or reason? And if it be suggested that this people
have taken leave of their senses, this too is highly improbable, inasmuch as
such behaviour hath not been confined to merely a soul or two—nay, a vast
multitude of every class have drunk their fill of the living waters of divine
knowledge, and, intoxicated, have hastened with heart and soul to the field of
sacrifice in the way of the Beloved.
219 If these souls,
who have renounced all else but God for His sake and offered up their life and
substance in His path, are to be accounted as false, then by what proof and
testimony can the truth of what others assert be established in thy
presence? The late Ḥájí Siyyid Muḥammad[20]—may
God exalt his station and immerse him in the ocean of His forgiveness and
mercy!—was one of the most learned divines of his age, and one of the most
devout and pious men of his time.
So highly was he regarded that his praise was on every tongue, and his righteousness
and piety were universally acknowledged.
Yet, when hostilities broke out with Russia,[21]
he who himself had pronounced the decree of holy war, and who with blazoned
standard had left his native land to rally to the support of his faith,
abandoned, after the inconvenience of a brief encounter, all the good that he
had purposed, and returned whence he had come. Would that the veil might be lifted, and
that which hath ere now remained hidden from the eyes of men be made manifest!
220 For more than
twenty years this people have, day and night, been subjected to the fury of the
Sovereign’s wrath, and have been scattered by the tempestuous gales of his
displeasure, each to a different land.
How many the children who
have been left fatherless, and how many the fathers who have lost their sons! How many the mothers who have dared not,
out of fear and dread, to mourn their slaughtered offspring! How numerous those who, at eventide,
were possessed of utmost wealth and affluence, and who, when morning came, had
fallen into utter abasement and destitution! No land is there whose soil hath not
been tinged with their blood, nor reach of heaven unto which their sighs have
not ascended. Throughout the years
the darts of affliction have unceasingly rained down from the clouds of God’s
decree, yet despite all these calamities and tribulations, the flame of divine
love hath so blazed in their hearts that even should their bodies be torn
asunder they would not forsake their love of Him Who is the Best-Beloved of the
worlds, but would welcome with heart and soul whatever might befall them in the
path of God.
221 O
King! The breezes of the grace of
the All-Merciful have transformed these servants and attracted them unto His
Holy Court. “The witness of a true
lover is upon his sleeve.”
Nevertheless, some of the outwardly learned have troubled the luminous
heart of the King of the Age concerning these souls who revolve round the
Tabernacle of the All-Merciful and who seek to attain the Sanctuary of true
knowledge. Would that the
world-adorning wish of His Majesty might decree that this Servant be brought
face to face with the divines of the age, and produce proofs and testimonies in
the presence of His Majesty the Sháh! This Servant is ready, and taketh hope
in God, that such a gathering may be convened in order that the truth of the
matter may be made clear and manifest before His Majesty the Sháh. It is then for thee to command, and I
stand ready before the throne of thy sovereignty. Decide, then, for Me or against Me.
222 The All-Merciful
saith in the Qur’án, His abiding testimony unto all the peoples of the
world: “Wish ye then for death, if
ye be men of truth.”[22] Behold how He hath declared the yearning
for death to be the touchstone of sincerity! And, in the luminous mirror of thy
judgement, it is doubtless clear and evident which people have chosen, in this
day, to lay down their lives in the path of the Beloved of the worlds. Indeed, were the books supporting the
beliefs of this people to be written with the blood spilled in the path of
God—exalted be His glory!—then countless volumes would have already appeared
amongst men for all to see.
223 How, We fain
would ask, is it possible to impugn this people whose deeds are in conformity
with their words, and to give credence instead to those who have refused to
relinquish one jot of their worldly authority in the path of Him Who is the
Unconstrained? Some of the divines
who have declared this Servant an infidel have at no time met with Me. Never having seen Me, or become
acquainted with My purpose, they have nevertheless spoken as they pleased and
acted as they desired. Yet every
claim requireth a proof, not mere words and displays of outward piety.
224 In this
connection the text of several passages from the Hidden Book of Fáṭimih—the
blessings of God be upon her!—which are relevant to the present theme will be
cited in the Persian tongue, that certain matters which have ere now been
hidden may be revealed before thy presence. The people addressed in the aforementioned
Book, which is today known as the Hidden Words, are those who, though outwardly
known for learning and piety, are inwardly the slaves of self and passion.
225 He saith: O ye that are foolish, yet have a name
to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear
the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My
flock? Ye are even as the star,
which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and luminous,
leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray into the paths of perdition.
226 And likewise He
saith: O ye seeming fair yet
inwardly foul! Ye are like clear
but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when
tested by the Divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sunbeam falls alike upon the dust
and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth the star from the
earth: nay, immeasurable is the
difference!
227 And also He
saith: O essence of desire! At many a dawn have I turned from the
realms of the Placeless unto thine abode, and found thee on the bed of ease
busied with others than Myself.
Thereupon, even as the flash of the spirit, I returned to the realms of
celestial glory, and breathed it not in My retreats above unto the hosts of
holiness.
228 And again He
saith: O bondslave of the
world! Many a dawn hath the breeze
of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed of
heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing
then thy plight it returned whence it came. [23]
229 Therefore, in the
exercise of the royal justice, it is not sufficient to give ear to the claimant
alone. God saith in the Qur’án, the
unerring Balance that distinguisheth truth from falsehood: “O ye who believe! If a wicked man come to you with news,
clear it up at once, lest through ignorance ye harm others, and afterward
repent of what ye have done.”[24] The holy Traditions, moreover, contain
the admonition: “Believe not the
tale-bearer.” Certain of the divines, who have never seen Us, have misconceived
the nature of Our Cause. Those,
however, who have met Us will testify that this Servant hath not spoken save in
accordance with that which God hath commanded in the Book, and that He hath
called attention to the following blessed verse—exalted be His Word: “Do ye not disavow us merely because we
believe in God, and in what He hath sent down unto us, and in what He had sent
down aforetime?”[25]
230 O
King of the age! The eyes of these
refugees are turned towards and fixed upon the mercy of the Most Merciful. No doubt is there whatever that these
tribulations will be followed by the outpourings of a supreme mercy, and these
dire adversities will be succeeded by an overflowing prosperity. We fain would hope, however, that His
Majesty the Sháh will himself examine these matters and bring hope to
the hearts. That which We have
submitted to thy Majesty is indeed for thine highest good. And God, verily, is a sufficient witness
unto Me.
231 Glorified art
Thou, O Lord My God! I bear witness
that the heart of the King is in truth between the fingers of Thy might. If it be Thy wish, do Thou incline it, O
My God, in the direction of charity and mercy. Thou, verily, art the Almighty, the Most
Exalted, the Most Bountiful. No God
is there besides Thee, the All-Glorious, the One Whose help is sought by all.
232 Concerning the
prerequisites of the learned, He saith:
“Whoso among the learned guardeth his self, defendeth his faith,
opposeth his desires, and obeyeth his Lord’s command, it is incumbent upon the
generality of the people to pattern themselves after him....”[26] Should the King of the Age reflect upon
this utterance which hath streamed from the tongue of Him Who is the Dayspring
of the Revelation of the All-Merciful, he would perceive that those who have
been adorned with the attributes enumerated in this holy Tradition are scarcer
than the philosopher’s stone; wherefore not every man that layeth claim to
knowledge deserveth to be believed.
233 Again
concerning the divines of the Latter Days, He saith: “The religious doctors of that age shall
be the most wicked of the divines beneath the shadow of heaven. Out of them hath mischief proceeded, and
unto them it shall return.” And
again He saith: “When the Standard
of Truth is made manifest, the people of both the East and the West curse it.”[27] Should anyone dispute these Traditions,
this Servant will undertake to establish their validity, since the details of
their transmission have been omitted here for the sake of brevity.
234 Those doctors who
have indeed drunk of the cup of renunciation have never interfered with this
Servant. Thus, for example, Shaykh
Murtaḍá[28]—may
God exalt his station and cause him to repose beneath the canopy of His
grace!—showed forth kindness during Our sojourn in ‘Iráq, and never spoke of
this Cause otherwise than as God hath given leave. We beseech God to graciously assist all
to do His will and pleasure.
235 Now, however, all
have lost sight of every other consideration, and are bent upon the persecution
of this people. Thus, if it be
inquired of certain persons who, by the grace of their Lord, repose beneath the
shadow of thy royal mercy and enjoy countless favours, “What service have ye
rendered in return for these royal favours? Have ye through wise policy annexed a
further territory to the realm?
Have ye applied yourselves to aught that would secure the welfare of the
people, the prosperity of the kingdom, and the lasting glory of the state?”,
they will have no other reply than to designate, justly or falsely, a group of
people before thy royal presence as Bábís, and forthwith to engage in massacre
and pillage. In Tabríz, for instance,
and in the Egyptian town of Manṣúríyyih, a number of this people were ransomed
and large sums were seized, yet no account of these matters was ever made in
the court of thy presence.
236 The reason for
which all these things have come to pass is that their persecutors, finding
these unfortunate ones without protection, have forgone more weighty matters
and occupied themselves instead with harassing this afflicted people. Numerous confessions and divers creeds
abide peacefully beneath the shadow of thy sovereignty. Let this people be also numbered with
them. Nay, those who serve the King
should be animated by such lofty aims and sublime intentions as to continually
strive to bring all religions beneath the shelter of his shadow, and to rule
over them with perfect justice.
237 To enforce the
laws of God is naught but justice, and is the source of universal content. Nay more, the divine statutes have
always been, and will ever remain, the cause and instrument of the preservation
of mankind, as witnessed by His exalted words: “In punishment will ye find life, O men
of insight!”[29] It would, however, ill beseem the
justice of thy Majesty that for the trespass of a single soul a whole group of
people should be subjected to the scourge of thy wrath. The one true God—glorified be His
Name!—hath said: “None shall bear
the burden of another.”[30] It is clear and evident that in every
community there have been, and will ever be, the learned and the ignorant, the
wise and the heedless, the profligate and the pious. That a wise and reflecting soul should
commit a heinous deed is most improbable, inasmuch as such a person either
seeketh after this world or hath forsaken it: if he be of the latter, he would
assuredly have no regard for aught else besides God, and moreover the fear of
God would deter him from unlawful and reprehensible actions; and if he be of
the former, he would just as assuredly avoid such deeds as would alienate and
alarm the people, and act in such a manner as to earn their confidence and trust. It is therefore evident that
reprehensible actions have always emanated, and will ever emanate, from
ignorant and foolish souls. We
implore God to guard His servants from turning to anyone save Him, and to draw
them nigh unto His presence. His
might, in truth, is equal to all things.
238 Praise be unto
Thee, O Lord My God! Thou hearest
the voice of My lamentation, and beholdest My condition, My distress and
affliction! Thou knowest all that
is in Me. If the call I have raised
be wholly for Thy sake, then draw thereby the hearts of Thy creatures towards
the heaven of Thy knowledge, and the heart of the Sovereign towards the right
hand of the throne of Thy name, the All-Merciful. Supply him then, O My God, with a
portion of that goodly sustenance which hath descended from the heaven of Thy
generosity and the clouds of Thy mercy, that he may forsake his all and turn
unto the court of Thy favour. Aid
him, O My God, to assist Thy Cause and to exalt Thy Word amidst Thy
creatures. Strengthen him, then,
with the hosts of the seen and the unseen, that he may subdue every city in Thy
Name, and hold sway, through Thy sovereignty and might, over all that dwell on
earth, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of creation! Thou, verily, art the Supreme Ordainer
in both the beginning and the end.
No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the
All-Wise.
239 So grossly hath
Our Cause been misrepresented before thy royal presence that, if some unseemly
act be committed by but one of this people, it is portrayed as being prompted
by their beliefs. By Him besides
Whom there is none other God! This
Servant hath refused even to sanction the commission of reproved actions, how
much less those which have been explicitly prohibited in the Book of God.
240 God hath
forbidden unto men the drinking of wine, and this prohibition hath been
revealed and recorded in His Book.
In spite of this, and of the fact that the learned doctors of the
age—may God increase their numbers!—have all prohibited the people from such a
wretched act, there still remain some who commit it. The punishment which this act entaileth,
however, applieth only to its heedless perpetrators, whilst those noble
manifestations of supreme sanctity remain exalted above and exempt from all blame. Yea, the whole creation, both seen and
unseen, beareth witness unto their holiness.
241 Yea, these
servants regard the one true God as He Who “doeth as He willeth”[31]
and “ordaineth as He pleaseth”.[32] Thus they view not as impossible the
continued appearance in the contingent world of the Manifestations of His
Unity. Should anyone hold
otherwise, how would he be different from those who believe the hand of God to
be “chained up”?[33] And if the one true God—glorified be His
mention!—be indeed regarded as unconstrained, then whatever Cause that Ancient
King may please to manifest from the wellspring of His Command must be embraced
by all. No refuge is there for
anyone and no haven to hasten unto save God; no protection is there for any
soul and no shelter to seek except in Him.
242 The essential
requirement for whoso advanceth a claim is to support his assertions with clear
proofs and testimonies. Beyond
this, the rejection of the people, whether learned or ignorant, hath never
been, nor shall it ever be, of any consequence. The Prophets of God, those Pearls of the
ocean of Divine Unity and the Repositories of Divine Revelation, have ever been
the object of men’s repudiation and denial. Even as He saith: “Each nation hath plotted darkly against
their Messenger to lay violent hold on Him, and disputed with vain words to
invalidate the truth.”[34] And again: “No Messenger cometh unto them but they
laugh Him to scorn.”[35]
243 Consider the
dispensation of Him Who is the Seal of the Prophets and the King of the Chosen
Ones—may the souls of all mankind be offered up for His sake! After the Daystar of Truth dawned above
the horizon of Ḥijáz, how great were the cruelties which the exponents of error
inflicted upon that incomparable Manifestation of the All-Glorious! Such was their heedlessness that they
regarded every injury inflicted upon that sacred Being as ranking among the
greatest of all acts, and constituting a means of attainment unto God, the Most
High. For in the early years of His
mission the divines of that age, both Christian and Jewish, turned away from
that Daystar of the heaven of glory, whereupon all people, high and low alike,
bestirred themselves to extinguish the light of that Luminary of the horizon of
inner meanings. The names of all these
divines have been mentioned in the books of old; among them are Wahb
Ibn-i-Ráhib, Ka‘b Ibn-i-Ashraf, ‘Abdu’lláh-i-Ubayy, and others of their
like.
244 Finally, matters
came to such a pass that these men took counsel together and conspired to shed
His pure blood, even as God—glorified be His mention!—saith: “And remember when the disbelievers
schemed against Thee, that they might lay hold upon Thee, or slay Thee, or cast
Thee out; and so they schemed, and God schemed, and God, verily, is the best of
schemers.”[36] Again He saith: “But if their opposition be grievous to
Thee—if Thou canst, seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven
and bring to them a sign; yet if God wished, He could gather them unto true
guidance; be Thou not, then, of the ignorant.”[37] By God! The hearts of His favoured ones are
consumed at the purport of these two blessed verses. Such established and undisputed facts
have been forgotten, and no one hath paused to reflect, in days past or in this
day, upon the things that have prompted men to turn away from the Revealers of
the light of God at the time of their manifestation.
245 Likewise, before
the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets, consider Jesus, the Son of
Mary. When that Manifestation of
the All-Merciful revealed Himself, all the divines charged that Quintessence of
faith with impiety and rebellion.
Eventually, with the sanction of Annas, the most learned of the divines
of His day, and Caiaphas, the high priest, His blessed person was made to
suffer that which the pen is ashamed to mention and powerless to describe. The wide world in all its vastness could
no longer contain Him, until at last God raised Him up unto heaven.
246 Were a detailed
account of all the Prophets to be given here, We fear that it might lead to
weariness. The doctors of the Torah
in particular assert that no independent Prophet will come after Moses with a
new Law. They maintain that a Scion
of the House of David shall be made manifest Who will promulgate the Law of the
Torah, and help establish and enforce its commandments throughout the East and
the West.
247 The followers of
the Gospel, likewise, hold as impossible that the Bearer of a new Revelation
should again shine forth from the dayspring of the Will of God after Jesus, Son
of Mary—peace be upon Him! In
support of this contention, they adduce the following verse from the
Gospel: “Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but the words of the Son of Man shall never pass away.”[38] They maintain that neither the teachings
nor the commandments of Jesus—peace be upon Him!—may ever be altered.
248 At one point in
the Gospel, He saith: “I go away,
and come again.”[39] Again in the Gospel of John, He hath
foretold the advent of a Comforter who shall come after Him.[40] In the Gospel of Luke, moreover, a
number of signs and portents have been mentioned. Certain divines of that Faith, however,
have interpreted these utterances after their own fancy, and have thus failed
to grasp their true significance.
249 O
would that thou wouldst permit Me, O Sháh, to send unto thee that which
would cheer the eyes, and tranquillize the souls, and persuade every
fair-minded person that with Him is the knowledge of the Book. Certain persons, incapable of answering
the objections raised by their opponents, claim that the Torah and the Gospel
have been corrupted, whereas in reality the references to such corruption
pertain only to specific cases.[41] But for the repudiation of the foolish
and the connivance of the divines, I would have uttered a discourse that would
have thrilled and carried away the hearts unto a realm from the murmur of whose
winds can be heard: “No God is
there but He!” For the present,
however, since the season is not ripe, the tongue of My utterance hath been
stilled and the wine of exposition sealed up until such time as God, through
the power of His might, shall please to unseal it. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most
Powerful.
250 Praise
be unto Thee, O Lord My God! I ask
Thee by Thy Name, through which Thou hast subdued all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth, to protect the lamp of Thy Cause within the globe
of Thine omnipotence and Thy bountiful favour, lest it be exposed to the blasts
of denial from those who remain heedless of the mysteries of Thy name, the
Unconstrained. Increase, then, by
the oil of Thy wisdom, the radiance of its light. Thou, verily, hast power over all the
dwellers of Thine earth and of Thy heaven.
251 I implore Thee, O
My Lord, by that most exalted Word which hath struck terror into the hearts of
all who are in the heavens and on the earth, save only those who have taken
fast hold of Thy Sure Handle, not to abandon Me amidst Thy creatures. Lift Me up, then, unto Thyself, cause Me
to enter beneath the shadow of Thy mercy, and give Me to drink of the pure wine
of Thy providence, that I may dwell within the tabernacle of Thy majesty and
beneath the canopy of Thy favour.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou, verily, art the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.
252 O King! The lamps of equity have been
extinguished, and the fire of tyranny hath so blazed on every side that My
people have been led as captives from Zawrá’[‡‡‡]
to Mosul, known as Ḥadbá’. This is
not the first outrage that hath been suffered in the path of God. It behoveth every soul to consider and
call to mind that which befell the kindred of the Prophet when the people took
them captive and brought them unto Damascus, known as Fayḥá’. Amongst them was the prince of them that
worship God, the mainstay of such as have drawn nigh unto Him, and the
sanctuary of those who long for His presence—may the life of all else be a
sacrifice unto him![42]
253 They were
asked: “Are ye of the party of the
Seceders?”[43] He replied: “Nay, by the Lord Almighty. We are but servants who have believed in
God and in His verses. Through us
the countenance of faith hath beamed with joy. Through us the sign of the All-Merciful
hath shone forth. At the mention of
our names the desert of Baṭḥá[§§§]
hath overflowed with water and the darkness separating earth and heaven hath been
dispelled.”
254 “Have ye
forbidden”, they were asked, “that which God hath made lawful, or allowed that
which He hath forbidden?” “We were the
first to follow the divine commandments”, he answered. “We are the root and origin of His
Cause, the beginning of all good and its end. We are the sign of the Ancient of Days
and the source of His remembrance amongst the nations.”
255 They were asked: “Have ye forsaken the Qur’án?” “In our House”, he replied, “did the
All-Merciful reveal it. We are the
breezes of the All-Glorious amidst His creation. We are the streams that have branched
out from the Most Great Ocean, through which God hath revived the earth, and
through which He shall revive it again after it hath died. Through us His signs have been diffused,
His proofs revealed, and His tokens disclosed. With us is the knowledge of His hidden
meanings and His untold mysteries.”
256 “For what crime
have ye been punished?” they were asked.
“For our love of God”, he made reply, “and for our detachment from aught
else save Him.”
257 We have not
related his exact words—peace be upon him!—but rather have We imparted a
sprinkling from that ocean of life eternal that lieth enshrined within them,
that those who hearken thereunto may be quickened and made aware of what hath
befallen the trusted ones of God at the hands of a lost and wayward
generation. We see the people in
this day censuring the oppressors of bygone ages, whilst they themselves commit
yet greater wrongs and know it not!
258 God beareth Me
witness that My purpose hath not been to foment sedition, but to purify His
servants from whatsoever hath prevented them from drawing nigh unto Him, the
Lord of the Day of Reckoning. I was
asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of My Lord, the All-Merciful, passed
over Me, awoke Me from My slumber, and bade Me lift up My voice betwixt earth
and heaven. This thing is not from
Me, but from God. Unto this testify
the dwellers of His Dominion and of His Kingdom, and the inhabitants of the
cities of His unfading glory. By
Him Who is the Truth! I fear no
tribulation in His path, nor any affliction in My love for Him and in the way
of His good pleasure. Verily God
hath made adversity as a morning dew upon His green pasture, and a wick for His
lamp which lighteth earth and heaven.
259 Shall a man’s
wealth endure forever, or protect him from the One Who shall, erelong, seize
him by his forelock? Gazing upon
those who sleep beneath the gravestones, embosomed in the dust, could one ever
distinguish the sovereign’s crumbling skull from the subject’s mouldering
bones? Nay, by Him Who is the King
of kings! Could one discern the
lord from the vassal, or those that enjoyed wealth and riches from those who
possessed neither shoes nor mat? By
God! Every distinction hath been
erased, save only for those who upheld the right and who ruled with justice.
260 Whither are gone
the learned men, the divines and potentates of old? What hath become of their discriminating
views, their shrewd perceptions, their subtle insights and sage
pronouncements? Where are their
hidden coffers, their flaunted ornaments, their gilded couches, their rugs and
cushions strewn about? Gone forever
is their generation! All have
perished, and, by God’s decree, naught remaineth of them but scattered
dust. Exhausted is the wealth they
gathered, dispersed the stores they hoarded, dissipated the treasures they
concealed. Naught can now be seen
but their deserted haunts, their roofless dwellings, their uprooted
tree-trunks, and their faded splendour.
No man of insight will let wealth distract his gaze from his ultimate
objective, and no man of understanding will allow riches to withhold him from
turning unto Him Who is the All-Possessing, the Most High.
261 Where is he who
held dominion over all whereon the sun shineth, who lived extravagantly on
earth, seeking out the luxuries of the world and of all that hath been created
upon it? Where is the commander of
the swarthy legion and the upraiser of the golden standard? Where is the ruler of Zawrá’, and where
the tyrant of Fayḥá’?[44] Where are those before whose munificence
the treasure-houses of the earth shrank in shame, and at whose largesse and
swelling spirit the very ocean was abashed? Where is he who stretched forth his arm
in rebellion, and who turned his hand against the All-Merciful?
262 Where are they
who went in quest of earthly pleasures and the fruits of carnal desires? Whither are fled their fair and comely
women? Where are their swaying
branches, their spreading boughs, their lofty mansions, their trellised
gardens? And what of the delights
of these gardens—their exquisite grounds and gentle breezes, their purling
streams, their soughing winds, their cooing doves and rustling leaves? Where now are their resplendent morns
and their brightsome countenances wreathed in smiles? Alas for them! All have perished and are gone to rest
beneath a canopy of dust. Of them
one heareth neither name nor mention; none knoweth of their affairs, and naught
remaineth of their signs.
263 What! Will the people dispute then that
whereof they themselves stand witness?
Will they deny that which they know to be true? I know not in what wilderness they
roam! Do they not see that they are
embarked upon a journey from which there is no return? How long will they wander from mountain
to valley, from hollow to hill?
“Hath not the time come for those who believe to humble their hearts at
the mention of God?”[45] Blessed is he who hath said, or now
shall say, “Yea, by my Lord! The
time is come and the hour hath struck!”, and who, thereafter, shall detach
himself from all that hath been, and deliver himself up entirely unto Him Who
is the Possessor of the universe and the Lord of all creation.
264 And yet, what
hope! For naught is reaped save
that which hath been sown, and naught is taken up save that which hath been
laid down,[46] unless
it be through the grace and bestowal of the Lord. Hath the womb of the world yet conceived
one whom the veils of glory shall not hinder from ascending unto the Kingdom of
his Lord, the All-Glorious, the Most High?
Is it yet within us to perform such deeds as will dispel our afflictions
and draw us nigh unto Him Who is the Causer of causes? We beseech God to deal with us according
to His bounty, and not His justice, and to grant that we may be of those who
have turned their faces unto their Lord and severed themselves from all else.
265 I
have seen, O Sháh, in the path of God what eye hath not seen nor ear
heard. Mine acquaintances have
repudiated Me, and My pathways have been straitened. The fount of well-being hath run dry,
and the bower of ease hath withered.
How numerous the tribulations which have rained, and will soon rain,
upon Me! I advance with My face set
towards Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, whilst behind Me glideth
the serpent. Mine eyes have rained
down tears until My bed is drenched.
266 I
sorrow not for Myself, however. By
God! Mine head yearneth for the
spear out of love for its Lord. I
never passed a tree, but Mine heart addressed it saying: “O would that thou wert cut down in My
name, and My body crucified upon thee, in the path of My Lord!”, for I see the
people wandering distraught and unconscious in their drunken stupor. They have raised on high their passions
and set down their God. Methinks
they have taken His Cause for a mockery and regard it as a play and pastime,
believing all the while that they do well, and that they dwell securely in the
citadel of safety. Howbeit the
matter is not as they fondly imagine:
tomorrow shall they behold that which today they are wont to deny!
267 Erelong shall the
exponents of wealth and power banish Us from the land of Adrianople to the city
of ‘Akká. According to what they
say, it is the most desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of
them in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in
water. It is as though it were the
metropolis of the owl, within whose precincts naught can be heard save the echo
of its cry. Therein have they
resolved to imprison this Youth, to shut against our faces the doors of ease
and comfort, and to deprive us of every worldly benefit throughout the
remainder of our days.
268 By God! Though weariness lay Me low, and hunger
consume Me, and the bare rock be My bed, and My fellows the beasts of the
field, I will not complain, but will endure patiently as those endued with
constancy and firmness have endured patiently, through the power of God, the
Eternal King and Creator of the nations, and will render thanks unto God under
all conditions. We pray that, out
of His bounty—exalted be He—He may release, through this imprisonment, the
necks of men from chains and fetters, and cause them to turn, with sincere
faces, towards His face, Who is the Mighty, the Bounteous. Ready is He to answer whosoever calleth
upon Him, and nigh is He unto such as commune with Him. We further beseech Him to make of this
darksome tribulation a shield for the Temple of His Cause, and to protect it
from the assault of sharpened swords and pointed daggers. Adversity hath ever given rise to the
exaltation of His Cause and the glorification of His Name. Such hath been God’s method carried into
effect in centuries and ages past.
That which the people now fail to apprehend they shall erelong discover,
on that day when their steeds shall stumble and their finery be folded up,
their blades blunted and their feet made to falter.
269 I know not how
long they shall spur on the charger of self and passion and rove in the
wilderness of error and negligence!
Shall either the pomp of the mighty or the wretchedness of the abased
endure? Shall he who reposeth upon
the loftiest seat of honour, who hath attained the pinnacle of might and glory,
abide forever? Nay, by My Lord, the
All-Merciful! All on earth shall
pass away, and there remaineth alone the face of My Lord, the All-Glorious, the
Most-Bountiful.[47]
270 What armour hath
not been pierced by the arrow of destruction, and what regal brow not divested
by the hand of Fate? What fortress
hath withstood the approach of the Messenger of Death? What throne hath not been shattered to
pieces, what palace not reduced to rubble?
Could the people but taste that choice Wine of the mercy of their Lord,
the Almighty, the All-Knowing, which lieth in store for them in the world
beyond, they would assuredly cease their censure, and seek only to win the good
pleasure of this Youth. For now,
however, they have hidden Me behind a veil of darkness, whose fabric they have
woven with the hands of idle fancy and vain imagination. Erelong shall the snow-white hand of God
rend an opening through the darkness of this night and unlock a mighty portal
unto His City. On that Day shall
the people enter therein by troops, uttering what the blamers aforetime
exclaimed,[48] that
there shall be made manifest in the end that which appeared in the beginning.
271 Is it their wish
to tarry here when already they have one foot in the stirrup? Look they to return, once they are
gone? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord
of Lords! save on the Day of
Judgement, the Day whereon the people shall arise from their graves and be
asked of their legacy. Well is it
with him who shall not be weighted down with his burdens on that Day, the Day
whereon the mountains shall pass away and all shall gather to be questioned in
the presence of God, the Most Exalted.
Stern, indeed, is He in punishing!
272 We beseech God to
purge the hearts of certain divines from rancour and enmity, that they may look
upon matters with an eye unbeclouded by contempt. May He raise them up unto so lofty a
station that neither the attractions of the world, nor the allurements of
authority, may deflect them from gazing upon the Supreme Horizon, and that
neither worldly benefits nor carnal desires shall prevent them from attaining
that Day whereon the mountains shall be reduced to dust. Though they now rejoice in the adversity
that hath befallen Us, soon shall come a day whereon they shall lament and
weep. By My Lord! Were I given the choice between, on the
one hand, the wealth and opulence, the ease and comfort, the honour and glory
which they enjoy, and, on the other, the adversities and trials which are Mine,
I would unhesitatingly choose My present condition and would refuse to barter a
single atom of these hardships for all that hath been created in the world of
being.
273 But for the
tribulations that have touched Me in the path of God, life would have held no
sweetness for Me, and Mine existence would have profited Me nothing. For them who are endued with discernment,
and whose eyes are fixed upon the Sublime Vision, it is no secret that I have
been, most of the days of My life, even as a slave, sitting under a sword
hanging on a thread, knowing not whether it would fall soon or late upon him. And yet, notwithstanding all this We
render thanks unto God, the Lord of the worlds, and yield Him praise at all
times and under all conditions. He,
verily, standeth witness over all things.
274 We beseech God to
extend wide His shadow, that the true believers may hasten thereunto and that
His sincere lovers may seek shelter therein. May He bestow upon men blossoms from the
bowers of His grace and stars from the horizon of His providence. We pray God, moreover, to graciously aid
the King to do His will and pleasure, and to confirm him in that which shall
draw him nigh unto the Dayspring of God’s most excellent names, so that he may
not give countenance to the injustice he witnesseth, may look upon his subjects
with the eye of loving-kindness, and shield them from oppression. We further beseech God, exalted be He, to
gather all mankind around the Gulf of the Most Great Ocean, an ocean every drop
of which proclaimeth that He is the Harbinger of joy unto the world and the
Quickener of all its peoples.
Praise be to God, the Lord of the Day of Reckoning!
275 And finally We
beseech God, exalted be His glory, to enable thee to aid His Faith and turn
towards His justice, that thou mayest judge between the people even as thou
wouldst judge between thine own kindred, and mayest choose for them that which
thou choosest for thine own self.
He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting.
276 Thus have We built the Temple with the
hands of power and might, could ye but know it. This is the Temple promised unto you in
the Book. Draw ye nigh unto
it. This is that which profiteth
you, could ye but comprehend it. Be
fair, O peoples of the earth! Which
is preferable, this, or a temple which is built of clay? Set your faces towards it. Thus have ye been commanded by God, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Follow ye His bidding, and praise ye God, your Lord, for that which He
hath bestowed upon you. He, verily,
is the Truth. No God is there but
He. He revealeth what He pleaseth,
through His words “Be and it is”.
In His name, the All-Glorious!
1 Hearken,
O Chief,[49] to the
voice of God, the Sovereign, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. He, verily, calleth aloud between heaven
and earth, summoning all mankind unto the scene of transcendent glory. Neither thy grunting,
nor the barking of those around thee, nor the opposition of the hosts of the
world can withhold the Almighty from achieving His purpose. The whole world hath been set ablaze by
the Word of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, a Word softer than the morning
breeze. It hath been manifested in
the form of the human temple, and through it God hath quickened the souls of
the sincere among His servants. In
its inner essence, this Word is the living water by which God hath purified the
hearts of such as have turned unto Him and forgotten every other mention, and
through which He draweth them nigh unto the seat of His mighty Name. We have sprinkled it upon the people of
the graves, and lo, they have risen up, with their gaze fixed upon the shining
and resplendent Beauty of their Lord.
2 Thou
hast, O Chief, committed that which hath caused Muḥammad, the Apostle of God,
to lament in the most sublime Paradise.
The world hath made thee proud, so much so that thou hast turned away
from the Face through whose brightness the Concourse on high hath been
illumined. Soon thou shalt find
thyself in manifest loss! Thou
didst conspire with the Persian Ambassador to harm Me, though I had come unto
you from the source of majesty and grandeur with a Revelation that hath solaced
the eyes of the favoured ones of God.
3 By
God! This is the Day wherein the
undying Fire crieth out from within all created things: “The Best-Beloved of the worlds is
come!” And before all things there
standeth a Moses, hearkening to the Word of thy Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Knowing. Were We to divest
Ourself of the mortal raiment which We have worn in consideration of your
weakness, all that are in heaven and on earth would offer up their souls for My
sake. To this thy Lord Himself doth
testify. None, however, can
perceive it save those who have detached themselves from all things for love of
their Lord, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
4 Hast
thou imagined thyself capable of extinguishing the fire which God hath kindled
in the heart of creation? Nay, by
Him Who is the Eternal Truth, couldst thou but know it. Rather, on account of what thy hands
have wrought, it blazed higher and burned more fiercely. Erelong will it encompass the earth and
all that dwell therein. Thus hath
it been decreed by God, and the powers of earth and heaven are unable to thwart
His purpose.
5 The
day is approaching when the Land of Mystery[****]
and what is beside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the hands of the
King, and commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall be
raised, and the evidences of mischief shall be revealed on all sides, and
confusion shall spread by reason of that which hath befallen these captives at
the hands of the hosts of oppression.
The course of things shall be altered, and conditions shall wax so
grievous, that the very sands on the desolate hills will moan, and the trees on
the mountain will weep, and blood will flow out of all things. Then wilt thou behold the people in sore
distress.[50]
6 O
Chief! We revealed Ourself unto
thee at one time upon Mount Tíná, and at another time upon Mount Zaytá,[51] and yet
again in this hallowed Spot.
Following, however, thy corrupt inclinations, thou didst fail to respond
and wert accounted with the heedless.
Consider, then, and call thou to mind the time when Muḥammad came with
clear tokens from Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. The people were wont to pelt Him with
stones from hidden places and in the markets, and they rejected the signs of
God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers. The learned also denied Him, as did
their followers, and likewise the kings of the earth, as thou hast heard from
the tales of old. Among those kings
was Chosroes,[52]
to whom Muḥammad sent a blessed epistle summoning him unto God and forbidding
him from misbelief. Verily, thy
Lord knoweth all things. Following
the promptings of his evil and corrupt desires, however, Chosroes waxed
arrogant before God and tore up the Tablet. He, verily, is accounted among the
inmates of the nethermost fire.
7 Was
it in Pharaoh’s power to stay the hand of God from exercising His sovereignty
when he acted wantonly in the land and was of the transgressors? From within his own house and in spite
of his will We brought forth Him Who conversed with God. Well able are We to achieve Our
purpose. Recall, moreover, how
Nimrod kindled the fire of impiety that its flames might consume Abraham, the
Friend of God; We delivered Him, however, through the power of truth and seized
Nimrod with the fury of Our wrath.
Say: The Oppressor[††††]
put to death the Beloved of the worlds to quench the light of God amongst the
people and to debar them from the wellspring of life eternal in the days of thy
Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful.
8 We,
too, have revealed the Cause of God in His cities and raised aloft His
remembrance amidst them that truly believe in Him. Say: This Youth hath come to quicken the
world and unite all its peoples.
The day is approaching when that which God hath purposed will have
prevailed and thou shalt behold the earth transformed into the all-glorious
paradise. Thus hath it been
inscribed by the Pen of Revelation upon this weighty Tablet.
9 Forsake
Thy mention of the Chief, O Pen, and call to remembrance Anís, that intimate of
the love of God who severed himself from the wayward and the infidel. He tore the veils asunder in such wise
that the inmates of Paradise could hear them being rent. Glorified be God, the Sovereign, the
Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
10 O
nightingale! Incline thine ear unto
the voice of the All-Glorious on this night when armed troops have surrounded
Us while We remain in a state of utmost joy. O would that our blood might be shed
upon the earth and our bodies cast upon the dust in the path of God! This, indeed, is My desire and the
desire of whosoever hath sought Me and attained unto My most wondrous, Mine
incomparable Kingdom.
11 Know
thou, O servant, that one day, upon awakening, We found the beloved of God at
the mercy of Our adversaries.
Sentinels were posted at every gate and no one was permitted to enter or
leave. Indeed, they perpetrated a
sore injustice, for the loved ones of God and His kindred were left on the
first night without food. Such was
the fate of those for whose sake the world and all that is therein have been
created. Woe betide the
perpetrators and those who led them into such evil! Erelong will God consume their souls in
the fire. He, verily, is the
fiercest of avengers.
12 The
people surrounded the house, and Muslims and Christians wept over Us, and the
voice of lamentation was upraised between earth and heaven by reason of what
the hands of the oppressors had wrought.
We perceived that the weeping of the people of the Son exceeded the weeping
of others—a sign for such as ponder.
13 One
of My companions offered up his life, cutting his throat with his own hands for
the love of God, an act unheard of in bygone centuries and which God hath set
apart for this Revelation as an evidence of the power of His might.[53] He, verily, is the Unconstrained, the
All-Subduing. As for the one who
thus slew himself in ‘Iráq,[54] he
truly is the King and Beloved of Martyrs, and that which he evinced was a
testimony from God unto the peoples of the earth. Such souls have been influenced by the
Word of God, have tasted the sweetness of His remembrance, and are so
transported by the breezes of reunion that they have detached themselves from
all that dwell on earth and turned unto the Divine Countenance with faces beaming
with light. And though they have
committed an act which God hath forbidden, He hath nevertheless forgiven them
as a token of His mercy. He,
verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. So enraptured were these souls by Him
Who is the All-Compelling that the reins of volition slipped from their grasp,
until at last they ascended to the dwelling of the Unseen and entered the
presence of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
14 Say: This Youth hath departed out of this
country and deposited beneath every tree and every stone a trust, which God
will erelong bring forth through the power of truth. Thus hath the True One come and the
command of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Wise, been fulfilled. The hosts of earth and heaven are
powerless to resist His Cause, nor can all the kings and rulers of the world
ever frustrate His purpose.
Say: Adversity is the oil
which feedeth the flame of this Lamp and by which its light is increased, did
ye but know. Indeed, the
repudiation of the froward serveth but to proclaim this Faith and to spread the
Cause of God and His Revelation throughout the world.
15 Great
is your blessedness, inasmuch as ye have forsaken your homes and wandered the
land for the love of your Lord, the Almighty, the Ancient of Days, until ye
entered the Land of Mystery at a time when the fire of oppression was ablaze
and the croaking of the raven of discord had been raised. Ye are My partners in My tribulations,
for ye were present with Us during the darksome night in which the hearts of
those who testify to the unity of God were agitated. Ye entered this land for the sake of Our
love, and departed therefrom through Our command. By the righteousness of God! Because of you the earth itself glorieth
over heaven. How excellent is this
most sublime, this glorious and exalted bounty! Ye have been deprived of your nest, O
birds of eternity, for the sake of your Lord, the Unconstrained, but your true
abode is beneath the wings of the grace of the All-Merciful. Blessed are they that understand.
16 O My Dhabíḥ! May the breaths of the spirit waft upon
thee and upon such as have sought communion with thee, inhaled from thee the
sweet fragrance of My presence, and hearkened unto that whereby the hearts of
the true seekers are sanctified.
Render thanks unto God inasmuch as thou hast attained unto the shores of
this Most Great Ocean, and give ear to the very atoms of the earth
proclaiming: “This is the
Best-Beloved of the worlds!” The
dwellers of the earth have wronged Him and failed to recognize the One Whose
name they ceaselessly invoke. Lost
are such as have remained heedless and have opposed Him for Whose loved ones it
would have behoved them to offer up their lives, how much more for His own
luminous and resplendent Beauty!
17 Be
thou patient, though thy heart be consumed in its separation from God, for He
hath granted thee an exalted station in His presence. Nay, thou art even now standing before
His face, and We are imparting unto thee, through the tongue of might and
power, such words as even the ears of the sincere ones have been deprived of
hearing. Say: Were He to utter but one word, that word
alone would exceed in sweetness all the sayings of men.
18 Had
Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, attained this Day, He would have exclaimed: “I have truly recognized Thee, O Thou
the Desire of the Divine Messengers!”
Had Abraham attained it, He too, falling prostrate upon the ground, and
in the utmost lowliness before the Lord thy God, would have cried: “Mine heart is filled with peace, O Thou
Lord of all that is in heaven and on earth! I testify that Thou hast unveiled before
mine eyes all the glory of Thy power and the full majesty of Thy law! I bear witness, moreover, that through
Thy Revelation the hearts of the faithful are well assured and contented.” Had Moses Himself attained it, He,
likewise, would have raised His voice saying: “All praise be to Thee for having lifted
upon me the light of Thy countenance and enrolled me among them that have been
privileged to behold Thy face!”
19 Consider
the people and their condition.
Reflect upon the things that their mouths have uttered and that their
hands have wrought in this blessed, this most holy and peerless Day. They that have tarnished the good name
of the Cause of God and turned unto the Evil One are accursed of all created
things and are numbered among the inmates of the fire. Verily, whosoever hath hearkened to My
call shall remain unperturbed by the clamour of all that are on earth; and
whosoever is influenced by the words of anyone beside Me hath never heard My
call. By God! Such a man is deprived of entering My
Kingdom, is debarred from My realms of majesty and power, and is of them that
are in utter loss.
20 Sorrow
not for that which hath befallen thee.
Thou hast borne for My love that which most people have never
endured. Thy Lord knoweth and is
informed of all. He was with thee
in the assemblages and gatherings, and heard that which flowed from the
wellspring of thy heart in remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Merciful. This, indeed, is a token of His
bountiful favour.
21 Erelong
will God raise up from among the kings one who will aid His loved ones. He, verily, encompasseth all
things. He will instill in the
hearts the love of His loved ones.
This, indeed, is irrevocably decreed by One Who is the Almighty, the
Beneficent.
22 We
beseech God to gladden the hearts of His servants through thy call, to make
thee an ensign of guidance in His lands, and to assist through thee those who
have been brought low. Heed not the
one who raised a loud clamour and he who raiseth it even now. Let thy Lord, the Ever-Forgiving, the
Most Generous, be all-sufficient unto thee. Relate unto My loved ones that which
thou hast seen and learned of the tale of this Youth, and convey unto them that
which We have imparted unto thee.
Verily, thy Lord assisteth and watcheth over thee at all times and under
all conditions. The blessings of
the Concourse on high surround thee, and the kindred and the leaves of the holy
family who circle round the celestial Tree extol thee with a wondrous praise.
23 O Pen
of Revelation! Call Thou to
remembrance him[‡‡‡‡]
whose letter reached Us during this darksome night. He it is who wandered from region to
region until he entered the City,[§§§§]
seeking the shelter of the mercy of his Lord, the Almighty, the Most High. Eagerly awaiting the favours of his
Lord, he dwelt therein for a night, but departed therefrom the following
morning as bidden by God, filling with sorrow the heart of this Youth. To this the Almighty is Himself a
witness.
24 Great
is thy blessedness, for thou hast received the wine of utterance from the hand
of the All-Merciful, and became so enraptured by the sweet fragrance of the
Best-Beloved as to renounce thy comfort and to be numbered with them that have
hastened unto His Paradise, the Dawning-Place of the signs of thy Lord, the
Gracious, the Peerless. Happy the
one who hath quaffed the wine of inner mysteries from the countenance of his
Lord and been intoxicated by this pure and crystal draught. By God! It causeth every true believer to soar
in the heaven of majesty and grandeur, and transmuteth every doubt into
certainty.
25 Grieve
not at what hath befallen thee, but put thy whole trust in God, the Almighty,
the All-Knowing, the Wise. Raise
thy house upon the solid foundation of divine utterances, and give praise to
thy Lord. He, verily, shall suffice
thee above all the peoples of the earth.
26 God
hath, in truth, inscribed your names upon a Tablet wherein are enshrined the
hidden secrets of all that hath been.
Erelong shall the faithful call to remembrance your exile and all your
journeys in His path. He, verily,
loveth those who love Him, and is the helper of the sincere. By the righteousness of God! The eyes of the Concourse on high are
fixed upon you and their fingers point towards you. Thus doth the bounty of your Lord
encompass you. Would that the
people might recognize that which hath escaped them in the days of God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Praised.
27 Render
thanks unto God for having aided thee to know Him and to enter within the
precincts of His court at a time when the ungodly surrounded the family of thy
Lord and His loved ones, and expelled them from their homes with manifest
cruelty, intending to separate us at the shore of the sea. Verily, thy Lord is aware of that which
lieth concealed within the breasts of the unbelievers. Say: Even should ye tear our bodies asunder,
ye could not banish from our hearts the love of God. We were of a truth created for
sacrifice, and in this do we take pride before all creation.
28 O
thou who art set aglow with the fire of the love of God! Know thou that thy letter hath reached
Us and that We have been apprised of its contents. We beseech God to confirm thee in His
love and in His good pleasure, to assist thee in the promotion of His Cause,
and to number thee with such as have arisen for the triumph of His Faith.
29 As to
thy question regarding the soul:
Know thou that among the people there are numerous treatises and
manifold views as to its stations.
Among these are the soul of the kingdom, the soul of the dominion, the
celestial soul, the divine soul, the sanctified soul, as well as the benevolent
soul, the contented soul, the soul pleasing unto God, the inspired soul, the
irascible soul, and the concupiscent soul.
Every group hath its own pronouncements concerning the soul and We are
disinclined to dwell upon the sayings of the past. Verily, with thy Lord is the knowledge
of the former and latter generations.
30 Would
that thou wert present before Our throne to hear from the Tongue of Grandeur
itself that which thou desirest and scale the loftiest heights of knowledge by
the grace of Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! The ungodly, however, have intervened
between us. Take heed lest thou be
grieved thereby. Be content with
that which hath been ordained by an irrevocable decree, and be of them that
endure with patience.
31 Know
that the soul which is common to all men cometh forth following the commingling
of things and after their maturation, as thou dost observe in the germ: once it hath developed to its
predestined stage, God manifesteth the soul that was latent within it. Thy Lord, verily, doeth what He willeth
and ordaineth what He pleaseth.
32 As to
the soul which is intended, in truth it hath been called forth by the Word of
God and is such that, if it be kindled with the fire of the love of its Lord,
neither the waters of opposition nor the oceans of the world can quench its
flame. That soul is indeed a fire
ablaze in the tree of man which proclaimeth: “No God is there but Him!” Whosoever hearkeneth unto its call is
verily of those who have attained unto Him. And when it casteth off its earthly
frame, God shall raise it up again in the most excellent of forms and cause it
to enter a sublime paradise. Thy
Lord, of a certainty, hath power over all things.
33 Know,
furthermore, that the life of man proceedeth from the spirit, and the spirit
turneth to wheresoever the soul directeth it. Ponder upon that which We have revealed
unto thee that thou mayest recognize the Soul of God which hath appeared above
the Dayspring of bounty invested with manifest sovereignty.
34 Know
also that the soul is endowed with two wings: should it soar in the atmosphere of love
and contentment, then it will be related to the All-Merciful. And should it fly in the atmosphere of
self and desire, then it will pertain to the Evil One; may God shield and
protect us and protect you therefrom, O ye who perceive! Should the soul become ignited with the
fire of the love of God, it is called benevolent and pleasing unto God, but
should it be consumed with the fire of passion, it is known as the concupiscent
soul. Thus have We expounded this
subject for thee that thou mayest obtain a clear understanding.
35 O Pen
of the Most High! Recount unto him
who hath turned unto Thy Lord, the All-Glorious, that which shall enable him to
dispense with the sayings of men.
Say: Spirit, mind, soul, and
the powers of sight and hearing are but one single reality which hath manifold
expressions owing to the diversity of its instruments. As thou dost observe, man’s power to
comprehend, move, speak, hear, and see all derive from this sign of his Lord
within him. It is single in its
essence, yet manifold through the diversity of its instruments. This, verily, is a certain truth. For example, if it directeth its
attention to the means of hearing, then hearing and its attributes become
manifest. Likewise, if it directeth
itself to the means of vision, a different effect and attribute appear. Reflect upon this subject that thou
mayest comprehend the true meaning of what hath been intended, find thyself
independent of the sayings of the people, and be of them that are well
assured. In like manner, when this
sign of God turneth towards the brain, the head, and such means, the powers of
the mind and the soul are manifested.
Thy Lord, verily, is potent to do whatsoever He pleaseth.
36 All
that We have mentioned here hath been elucidated in the Tablets We have
revealed in response to questions regarding the disconnected letters of the
Qur’án. Ponder them that thou
mayest comprehend that which hath been sent down from the Kingdom of Him Who is
the Almighty, the All-Praised. Thus
have We chosen to be concise in this Tablet. We beseech God to acquaint thee through
this brief exposition with that which words can never hope to exhaust, and to
give thee to drink of the limitless oceans from this cup. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Bountiful
and unassailable in His power.
37 O Pen
of the Ancient of Days! Call Thou
to remembrance ‘Alí,[*****]
he who sojourned with Thee in ‘Iráq until the Daystar of the world departed
therefrom. He forsook his home to
attain the court of Thy presence at a time when We were captive in the hands of
such as have been deprived of the sweet savours of the All-Merciful. Grieve not at what hath befallen Us and
thee in the path of God. Rest
assured and persevere. He, verily,
rendereth victorious those who love Him, and His might is equal to all
things. Whoso turneth unto Him
brighteneth thereby the faces of the Concourse on high, and unto this God
Himself is My witness.
38 Say: O people, do ye imagine that, after
rejecting the One through Whom the religions of the world have been made
manifest, ye still bear allegiance to the Faith of God? By the righteousness of God! Ye are accounted among the inmates of
the Fire. Thus hath the decree been
recorded in the Tablets by the Pen of God.
Say: Never will the barking
of dogs deter the Nightingale from warbling its melodies. Ponder awhile that perchance ye may
discover a path leading to the Eternal Truth.
39 Say: Magnified art Thou, O Lord my God! I entreat Thee by the tears Thy lovers
have shed in their longing after Thee, and by the yearning of those who cry out
in their separation from Thee, and by Thy Best-Beloved Who hath fallen into the
hands of Thine adversaries, to graciously assist those who have sought refuge
beneath the sheltering wings of Thy favour and loving-kindness, and who have
yearned for no other Lord except Thee.
40 We
have forsaken our homes, O Lord, in our eagerness to meet Thee and in our
longing to be united with Thee. We
have traversed land and sea to attain the court of Thy presence and to give ear
to Thy verses. When we arrived at
the shores of the sea, however, we were held back from Thee, as the ungodly
intervened between us and the light of Thy countenance.
41 O
Lord! Dire thirst hath seized us,
and with Thee are the soft-flowing waters of eternal life. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth
Thee. Deny us not the object of our
quest. Write down then for us the
recompense decreed for such of Thy servants as enjoy near access to Thee and
are wholly devoted to Thy will.
Make us so steadfast in Thy love that naught shall keep us back from
Thee or deter us from Thine adoration.
Powerful art Thou to do Thy pleasure. Thou, verily, art the Almighty, the Most
Generous.
He is in His own Right
the Supreme Ruler!
1 The
Pen of the Most High proclaimeth: O
thou who hast imagined thyself to be the most exalted of men[55] and who
hast regarded as the lowliest of all creatures this divine Youth, through Whom
the eyes of the Concourse on high have been illumined and made radiant! This Youth hath sought nothing from thee
or from such as are like unto thee, inasmuch as from time immemorial, whenever
the Manifestations of the All-Merciful and the Exponents of His unfading glory
have stepped out of the Realm of eternity into this mortal world and revealed
themselves to revive the dead, men such as thee have considered these
sanctified Souls and Temples of Divine Oneness, upon Whom must needs depend the
rehabilitation of the peoples of the earth, to be stirrers of mischief and
worthy of blame. These men, verily,
have all returned unto dust. Thou,
too, shalt erelong take abode therein and find thyself in grievous loss.
2 Even
if this Lifegiver and World Reformer be in thine estimation guilty of sedition
and strife, what crime could have been committed by a group of women, children,
and suckling mothers that they should be thus afflicted with the scourge of
thine anger and wrath? No faith or
religion hath ever held children responsible. The Pen of divine Command hath exempted
them, yet the fire of thy tyranny and oppression encompasseth all. If thou bearest allegiance to any faith
or religion, then thou shouldst know that, according to all the heavenly Books
and all the divinely inspired and weighty Scriptures, children are not to be
held accountable. Aside from this,
not even those who disbelieve in God have perpetrated such unseemly acts. Since from every thing an effect
becometh manifest, a fact that none can deny save those who are bereft of
reason and understanding, it is certain that the sighs of these children and
the cries of these wronged ones will have their due consequence.
3 Ye
have plundered and unjustly despoiled a group of people who have never rebelled
in your domains, nor disobeyed your government, but rather kept to themselves
and engaged day and night in the remembrance of God. Later, when the order was issued to
banish this Youth, all were filled with dismay. The officials in charge of My expulsion declared,
however: “These others have not
been charged with any offence and have not been expelled by the
government. Should they desire to
accompany you, no one will oppose them.”
These hapless souls therefore paid their own expenses, forsook all their
possessions, and, contenting themselves with Our presence and placing their
whole trust in God, journeyed once again with Him until the fortress of ‘Akká
became the prison of Bahá.
4 Upon
our arrival, we were surrounded by guards and confined together, men and women,
young and old alike, in the army barracks.
The first night all were deprived of either food or drink, for the
sentries were guarding the gate of the barracks and permitted no one to leave. No one gave a thought to the plight of
these wronged ones. They even
begged for water, and were refused.
5 Time
hath passed, and we all remain confined in these barracks, notwithstanding that
during the five years we dwelt in Adrianople, all its inhabitants, whether
learned or ignorant, rich or poor, bore witness to the purity and sanctity of
these servants. At the time this
Youth was departing from Adrianople, one of the loved ones of God attempted to
take his own life, so unbearable to him was the sight of this Wronged One in
the hands of His oppressors. During
the journey we were thrice compelled to change ships, and it is evident how
much the children suffered as a result.
Upon disembarking, four of the believers were separated and prevented
from accompanying Us. As this Youth
was leaving, one of the four, named ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár, cast himself into
the sea, and no one knoweth what befell him thereafter.[56]
6 All
this is but a drop in the ocean of the wrongs that have been inflicted upon Us,
and still ye are not satisfied! The
officials enforce every day a new decree, and no end is in sight to their
tyranny. Night and day they
conceive new schemes. They have
assigned each prisoner, from the government storehouse, a daily allowance of
three loaves of bread that no one can eat.
From the foundation of the world until the present day a cruelty such as
this hath neither been seen nor heard of.
7 By
the righteousness of Him Who hath caused Bahá to speak forth before all that
are in heaven and all that are on earth!
Ye have neither rank nor mention among them that have offered up their
souls, their bodies and their substance for the love of God, the All-Powerful,
the All-Compelling, the Almighty. A
handful of clay is greater in the sight of God than all your dominion and your
sovereignty, and all your might and your fortune. Should it be His wish, He would scatter
you in dust. Soon will He seize you
in His wrathful anger, sedition will be stirred up in your midst, and your
dominions will be disrupted. Then
will ye wail and lament, and will find none to help or succour you.
8 In
making mention of these matters, it is not Our purpose to rouse you from your
slumber, since the fury of God’s wrath hath so encompassed you that ye shall
never take heed. Nor is it Our
intention to recount the iniquities visited upon these pure and blessed souls,
for they have been so intoxicated with the wine of the All-Merciful and are so
carried away with the inebriating effect of the living waters of His loving
providence that even were they to suffer all the cruelties of the world for His
sake, they would remain content and yield thanks unto Him. These souls have never held, nor shall
they ever hold any grievance. Nay,
their blood continually imploreth and beseecheth the Lord of the worlds that it
might be spilt upon the dust in His path, and their heads yearn to be borne
aloft on spears for the sake of the Beloved of hearts and souls.
9 Several
times calamities have overtaken you, and yet ye failed utterly to take
heed. One of them was the
conflagration which devoured most of the City[57] with
the flames of justice, and concerning which many poems were written, stating
that no such fire had ever been witnessed.
And yet, ye waxed more heedless.
Plague, likewise, broke out, and ye still failed to give heed! Be expectant, however, for the wrath of
God is ready to overtake you.
Erelong will ye behold that which hath been sent down from the Pen of My
command.
10 Have
ye fondly imagined your glory to be imperishable and your dominion to be
everlasting? Nay, by Him Who is the
All-Merciful! Neither will your
glory last, nor will Mine abasement endure. Such abasement, in the estimation of a
true man, is the pride of every glory.
11 When
I was still a child and had not yet attained the age of maturity, My father
made arrangements in Ṭihrán for the marriage of one of My older brothers, and
as is customary in that city, the festivities lasted for seven days and seven
nights. On the last day it was
announced that the play “Sháh Sulṭán Salím” would be presented. A large number of princes, dignitaries,
and notables of the capital gathered for the occasion. I was sitting in one of the upper rooms
of the building and observing the scene.
Presently a tent was pitched in the courtyard, and before long some
small human-like figures, each appearing to be no more than about a hand’s span
in height, were seen to emerge from it and raise the call: “His Majesty is coming! Arrange the seats at once!” Other figures then came forth, some of
whom were seen to be engaged in sweeping, others in sprinkling water, and
thereafter another, who was announced as the chief town crier, raised his call
and bade the people assemble for an audience with the king. Next, several groups of figures made
their appearance and took their places, the first attired in hats and sashes
after the Persian fashion, the second wielding battleaxes, and the third
comprising a number of footmen and executioners carrying bastinados. Finally there appeared, arrayed in regal
majesty and crowned with a royal diadem, a kingly figure, bearing himself with
the utmost haughtiness and grandeur, at turns advancing and pausing in his
progress, who proceeded with great solemnity, poise and dignity to seat himself
upon his throne.
12 At
that moment a volley of shots was fired, a fanfare of trumpets was sounded, and
king and tent were enveloped in a pall of smoke. When it had cleared, the king, ensconced
upon his throne, was seen surrounded by a suite of ministers, princes, and
dignitaries of state who, having taken their places, were standing at attention
in his presence. A captured thief
was then brought before the king, who gave the order that the offender should
be beheaded. Without a moment’s
delay the chief executioner cut off the thief’s head, whence a blood-like
liquid came forth. After this the
king held audience with his court, during which intelligence was received that
a rebellion had broken out on a certain frontier. Thereupon the king reviewed his troops
and despatched several regiments supported by artillery to quell the
uprising. A few moments later
cannons were heard booming from behind the tent, and it was announced that a
battle had been engaged.
13 This
Youth regarded the scene with great amazement. When the royal audience was ended, the
curtain was drawn, and, after some twenty minutes, a man emerged from behind
the tent carrying a box under his arm.
14 “What
is this box,” I asked him, “and what was the nature of this display?”
15 “All
this lavish display and these elaborate devices,” he replied, “the king, the
princes, and the ministers, their pomp and glory, their might and power,
everything you saw, are now contained within this box.”
16 I
swear by My Lord Who, through a single word of His Mouth, hath brought into
being all created things! Ever since
that day, all the trappings of the world have seemed in the eyes of this Youth
akin to that same spectacle. They
have never been, nor will they ever be, of any weight and consequence, be it to
the extent of a grain of mustard seed.
How greatly I marvelled that men should pride themselves upon such
vanities, whilst those possessed of insight, ere they witness any evidence of
human glory, perceive with certainty the inevitability of its waning. “Never have I looked upon any thing save
that I have seen extinction before it; and God, verily, is a sufficient
witness!”
17 It
behoveth everyone to traverse this brief span of life with sincerity and
fairness. Should one fail to attain
unto the recognition of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, let him at least conduct
himself with reason and justice.
Erelong these outward trappings, these visible treasures, these earthly
vanities, these arrayed armies, these adorned vestures, these proud and
overweening souls, all shall pass into the confines of the grave, as though
into that box. In the eyes of those
possessed of insight, all this conflict, contention and vainglory hath ever
been, and will ever be, like unto the play and pastimes of children. Take heed, and be not of them that see
and yet deny.
18 Our
call concerneth not this Youth and the loved ones of God, for they are already
sore-tried and imprisoned and expect nothing from men such as thee. Our purpose is that thou mayest lift up
thy head from the couch of heedlessness, shake off the slumber of negligence,
and cease to oppose unjustly the servants of God. So long as thy power and ascendancy
endure, strive to alleviate the suffering of the oppressed. Shouldst thou judge with fairness and
observe with the eye of discernment the conflicts and pursuits of this
transient world, thou wouldst readily acknowledge that they are even as the
play which We have described.
19 Hearken
unto the words of the one true God and pride thyself not in the things of this
world. What hath become of those
like unto thee who falsely claimed lordship on earth, who sought to quench the
light of God in His land and to destroy the foundation of His mighty edifice in
His cities? Where are they to be
seen now? Be fair in thy judgement
and return unto God, that perchance He might cancel the trespasses of thy vain
life. Alas, We know that thou shalt
never attain unto this, for such is thy cruelty that it hath made hell to blaze
and the Spirit to lament, and hath caused the pillars of the Throne to shake
and the hearts of the faithful to tremble.
20 O
peoples of the earth! Incline your
inner ears to the call of this Wronged One and pause to reflect upon the story
that We have recounted. Perchance
ye may not be consumed by the fire of self and passion, nor allow the vain and
worthless objects of this nether world to withhold you from Him Who is the
Eternal Truth. Glory and abasement,
riches and poverty, tranquillity and tribulation, all will pass away, and all
the peoples of the earth will erelong be laid to rest in their tombs. It behoveth therefore every man of
insight to fix his gaze upon the goal of eternity, that perchance by the grace
of Him Who is the Ancient King he may attain unto the immortal Kingdom and
abide beneath the shade of the Tree of His Revelation.
21 Though
this world be fraught with deception and deceit, yet it continually warneth all
men of their impending extinction.
The death of the father proclaimeth to the son that he, too, shall pass
away. Would that the inhabitants of
the world who have amassed riches for themselves and have strayed far from the
True One might know who will eventually lay hand on their treasures; but, by
the life of Bahá, no one knoweth this save God, exalted be His glory.
22 The
poet Saná’í, may God’s mercy rest upon him, hath said: “Take
heed, O ye whose unseemly conduct hath darkened your faces! Take heed, O ye whose beards have been
whitened by age!” Alas, most
of the people are fast asleep. They
are even as the man who, in his drunkenness, became attracted to a dog, took it
in his embrace, and made it his plaything, and who, when the morn of
discernment dawned and the light of the sun enveloped the horizon, realized
that the object of his affection was but a dog. Then, filled with shame and remorse, he
repaired to his abode.
23 Think
not that thou hast abased this Youth or prevailed over Him. The least of creatures ruleth over thee,
and yet thou perceivest not. The
lowliest and most abject of all things holdeth sway over thee, and that is none
other than self and passion, which have ever been reprehensible. Were it not for God’s consummate wisdom,
thou wouldst have been able to plainly behold thine own helplessness and that
of all who dwell on earth. Our
abasement is indeed the glory of His Cause, could ye but understand.
24 This
Youth hath ever been disinclined to breathe a word contrary to courtesy, for
courtesy is Our raiment, wherewith We have adorned the temples of Our
well-favoured servants. Otherwise,
some of the deeds that ye believe to be concealed would have been divulged in
this Tablet.
25 O
exponent of might and power! These
young children and these poor ones in God did not need to be accompanied by
officers and soldiers. Upon our
arrival in Gallipoli, a major by the name of ‘Umar came into Our presence. God is well aware of what he said. After some exchanges in which his own
innocence and thy guilt were mentioned, We declared: “From the outset, a gathering should
have been convened at which the learned men of this age could have met with
this Youth in order to determine what offence these servants have
committed. But now the matter hath
gone beyond such considerations, and, according to thine own assertion, thou
art charged with incarcerating Us in the most desolate of cities. There is a matter, which, if thou
findest it possible, I request thee to submit to His Majesty the Sulṭán, that
for ten minutes this Youth be enabled to meet him, so that he may demand
whatsoever he deemeth as a sufficient testimony and regardeth as proof of the
veracity of Him Who is the Truth.
Should God enable Him to produce it, let him, then, release these
wronged ones, and leave them to themselves.”
26 He
promised to transmit this message, and to give Us his reply. We received, however, no news from
him. Although it becometh not Him
Who is the Truth to present Himself before any person, inasmuch as all have
been created to obey Him, yet in view of the condition of these little children
and the large number of women so far removed from their friends and countries,
We have acquiesced in this matter.
In spite of this nothing hath resulted. ‘Umar himself is alive and
accessible. Inquire from him, that
the truth may be made known unto you.
27 Most
of Our companions now lie sick in this prison, and none knoweth what befell Us,
except God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
In the days following Our arrival, two of these servants hastened to the
realms above. For an entire day the
guards insisted that, until they were paid for the shrouds and burial, those
blessed bodies could not be removed, although no one had requested any help
from them. At that time we were
devoid of earthly means, and pleaded that they leave the matter unto us and
allow those present to carry the bodies, but they refused. Finally, a carpet was taken to the bazaar
to be sold, and the sum obtained was delivered to the guards. Later, it was learned that they had
merely dug a shallow grave into which they had placed both blessed bodies,
although they had taken twice the amount required for shrouds and burial.
28 The
pen is powerless to depict and the tongue faileth to describe the trials which
We have suffered. Yet sweeter than
honey to Me is the bitterness of such tribulations. Would that at every instant all the
afflictions of the world could, in the path of God and for the sake of His
love, be visited upon this evanescent Soul Who is immersed in the ocean of
divine knowledge!
29 We
implore God for patience and forbearance, inasmuch as thou art but a feeble
creature and bereft of comprehension.
Wert thou to awaken and inhale the fragrance of the breezes that waft
from the retreats of eternity, thou wouldst readily abandon all that thou dost
possess and in which thou dost rejoice, and choose to abide in one of the
dilapidated rooms of this Most Great Prison. Beseech God to grant thee such mature
understanding as to enable thee to distinguish praiseworthy actions from those
which merit blame. Peace be upon
him who followeth the way of guidance!
Lawḥ-i-Fu’ád
He is the Most Holy, the Most Glorious!
1 Káf. Ẓá’.[58] We call unto thee from beyond the sea of
grandeur, upon the crimson land, above the horizon of tribulation. Verily, no God is there save Him, the
Almighty, the Most Generous. Walk
thou steadfastly in My Cause and follow not the ways of those who, upon
attaining unto the object of their desire, denied God, the Lord of Lords. Erelong shall He lay hold upon them in
His wrath, and He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the All-Subduing.
2 Know
thou that, through the power of His sovereign might, God hath seized him who
was the foremost amongst them that passed judgement against Us. When he saw his torment approaching, he
fled to Paris to seek recourse to physicians.
3 “Is
there none to help me?” he asked.
4 He
was smitten upon the mouth and told: “There is no escape!”[59]
5 And
when he turned towards the angel of wrath, he well-nigh expired from fear. “I have a house full of riches,” he
pleaded. “I have a palace on the
Bosphorus, beneath which the rivers flow.”
6 The
angel replied: “No ransom shall be
accepted from thee on this day, even shouldst thou offer up all things visible
and invisible. Hearest thou not the
sighs of the kindred of God, whom thou didst cast into prison without proof or
testimony? Thy deed hath provoked
the lamentation of the inmates of Paradise, and of those who circle morn and
eve round the Throne on high. The
wrath of thy Lord hath descended upon thee, and stern is He in His
chastisement!”[60]
7 He
made reply: “I held command over
the people, and here is the mandate of my authority.”
8 “Hold
thy peace, O denier of the Day of Judgement!”[61]
9 He
implored: “Is no respite possible
so that I may send for my family?”
10 “Far
from it, O disbeliever in the verses of God!”
11 Thereupon
the keepers of the fathomless abyss called unto him: “The gates of Hell have
opened wide to receive thee, O thou who hast turned away from thy Lord, the
Unconstrained! Repair unto its
fire, for it yearneth after thee.
Hast thou forgotten, O rejected one, when thou wert the Nimrod of the
age, how thy tyranny eclipsed the very cruelties of Pharaoh, the Lord of the
Stakes?[62] By God! Thine iniquity hath rent asunder the
veil of sanctity and caused the pillars of heaven to tremble. Where canst thou find refuge now? Who shall protect thee from the dreadful
scourge of thy Lord, the All-Compelling?
There is no haven for thee in this Day, O ungodly doubter!” Whereupon the agony of death seized him
and he saw no more. Thus did We lay
hold on him in Our wrathful anger, and severe is thy Lord in His punishment.
12 Then
an angel from the right hand of the Throne summoned him: “Behold the angel of
affliction. Is there any place to
flee to save hell, wherein the heart[63]
boileth?” And the angel of
chastisement received his spirit, and a voice proclaimed: “Enter the bottomless
pit which hath been promised in the Book, and whose existence thou didst day
and night deny!”
13 Soon
will We dismiss the one who was like unto him,[†††††]
and will lay hold on their Chief who ruleth the land,[‡‡‡‡‡]
and I, verily, am the Almighty, the All-Compelling. Be thou steadfast in the Cause of God
and extol thy Lord morn and eve.
Suffer not the light of thy soul to be quenched by the calumnies of the
one who was so blinded by Our bestowals as to turn away from God, the Lord of
all names. He inspireth his devoted
followers even as the Evil One prompteth his own. Erelong shalt thou behold him in evident
loss both in this world and in the world to come. He, indeed, is among those whom an
afflictive torment doth await. He
dispatched an epistle to someone in that land, a writ of the workers of
iniquity, in which he mocked God and recorded that which filled all created
things with dismay. Say: Canst thou find anyone to protect thee
when the wrath of God, the All-Powerful, the Unconstrained, is visited upon
thee?
14 Thus
have We informed thee of that which lieth concealed within the hearts of
men. Verily, thy Lord is the
Almighty, the All-Knowing. Arise
for the triumph of this Cause, and gather together My loved ones. Help them to see the truth in this Day
when the feet of men have slipped.
Say: It behoveth every true
believer to assist his Lord. He,
verily, is your helper, while the people have no one to turn to in this Day.
15 Then
We seized Mihdí,[64]
to whom We had promised divine chastisement in Our Books and Scriptures. When Our awful majesty encompassed him,
he entreated: “May I not retrace my steps?”
16 A
voice exclaimed: “Woe betide thee,
O disbeliever in the Day of Resurrection!
This is the nethermost fire, and its flames have been made to blaze for
thee. Thou didst forsake all
righteous deeds in thy vain and futile life, and now thou hast none to shield
thee from God. Thou art indeed he
who caused all hearts to be consumed and the Holy Spirit to lament.”
17 He
pleaded: “Is there yet no refuge
for me?”
18 “Nay,
by my Lord, even shouldst thou seek recourse to every possible means!”
19 Thereupon
he cried out in such distress as to cause the people of the graves to tremble,
and was seized by the Hand of invincible power. A voice then proclaimed: “Return unto
the seat of wrath in the fire of hell; wretched and evil be thine abode!”
20 Thus
did We lay hold on him as We laid hold on those who preceded him. Behold their houses which We have left
to the spiders, and take heed, O ye who are endued with understanding! He it is who opposed God, and for whom
the verses of wrath were revealed in the Book. Blessed is he who readeth it and
pondereth its contents, for a goodly end doth in truth await him.
21 Thus
have We recounted unto thee the tale of the evil-doers, that thine eyes may be
solaced. As for thee, there lieth
in store naught but a blissful end.
He is the Almighty!
1 This
is a Tablet from this Servant, who is called Ḥusayn in the kingdom of names, to
the concourse of the kings of the earth.
Haply they may approach it in a spirit of open-mindedness, discover from
its message the mysteries of divine providence, and be of those that comprehend
its meaning, and perchance they may forsake all they possess, turn towards the
retreats of holiness, and draw nigh unto God, the All-Glorious, the
Incomparable.
2 O
kings of the earth! Give ear unto
the Voice of God, calling from this sublime, this fruit-laden Tree, that hath
sprung out of the Crimson Hill, upon the holy Plain, intoning the words: “There is none other God but He, the
Mighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.” This is a Spot which hath been
sanctified by God for those who approach it, a Spot wherein His Voice may be
heard from the celestial Tree of Holiness.
Fear God, O concourse of kings, and suffer not yourselves to be deprived
of this most sublime grace. Fling
away, then, the things ye possess, and take fast hold on the Handle of God, the
Exalted, the Great. Set your hearts
towards the Face of God, and abandon that which your desires have bidden you to
follow, and be not of those who perish.
3 Relate
unto them, O Servant, the story of ‘Alí,[§§§§§]
when He came unto them with truth, bearing His glorious and weighty Book, and
holding in His hands a testimony and proof from God, and holy and blessed
tokens from Him. Ye, however, O
kings, have failed to heed the Remembrance of God in His days and to be guided
by the lights which arose and shone forth above the horizon of a resplendent
Heaven. Ye examined not His Cause
when so to do would have been better for you than all that the sun shineth
upon, could ye but perceive it. Ye
remained careless until the divines of Persia—those cruel ones—pronounced
judgement against Him, and unjustly slew Him. His spirit ascended unto God, and the
eyes of the inmates of Paradise and the angels that are nigh unto Him wept sore
by reason of this cruelty. Beware
that ye be not careless henceforth as ye have been careless aforetime. Return, then, unto God, your Maker, and
be not of the heedless.
4 Say: The Sun of vicegerency hath dawned, the
Point of knowledge and wisdom hath been made plain, and the Testimony of God,
the Almighty, the All-Wise, hath been made manifest. Say: The Moon of eternity hath risen in the
midmost heaven, and its light hath illumined the dwellers of the realms above. My face hath come forth from the veils,
and shed its radiance upon all that is in heaven and on earth; and yet, ye
turned not towards Him, notwithstanding that ye were created for Him, O
concourse of kings! Follow,
therefore, that which I speak unto you, and hearken unto it with your hearts,
and be not of such as have turned aside.
For your glory consisteth not in your sovereignty, but rather in your
nearness unto God and your observance of His command as sent down in His holy
and preserved Tablets. Should any
one of you rule over the whole earth, and over all that lieth within it and
upon it, its seas, its lands, its mountains, and its plains, and yet be not
remembered by God, all these would profit him not, could ye but know it.
5 Know
ye that a servant’s glory resideth in his nearness unto God, and that, unless
he draweth nigh unto Him, naught else can ever profit him, even should he hold
sway over the entire creation.
Say: The breeze of God hath
wafted over you from the retreats of Paradise, but ye have neglected it and chosen
to persist in your waywardness.
Guidance hath been given unto you from God, but ye have failed to follow
it and preferred to reject its truth.
The Lamp of God hath been lit within the niche of His Cause, but ye have
neglected to seek the radiance of its glory and to draw nigh unto its light. And still ye slumber upon the couch of
heedlessness!
6 Arise,
then, and make steadfast your feet, and make ye amends for that which hath
escaped you, and set then yourselves towards His holy Court, on the shore of
His mighty Ocean, so that the pearls of knowledge and wisdom, which God hath
stored up within the shell of His radiant heart, may be revealed unto you. Such is the counsel that shall profit
you most; make of it your provision, that ye may be of those who are guided
aright. Beware lest ye hinder the
breeze of God from blowing over your hearts, the breeze through which the
hearts of such as have turned unto Him can be quickened. Hearken unto the clear admonitions that
We have revealed for you in this Tablet, that God, in turn, may hearken unto
you, and may open before your faces the portals of His mercy. He, verily, is the Compassionate, the
Merciful.
7 Lay
not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and beware that ye transgress
not the bounds which the Almighty hath fixed. Observe the injunctions laid upon you in
His Book, and take good heed not to overstep their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may not do
injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this,
verily, is the straight path.
8 Compose
your differences and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your
expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and hearts may be
tranquillized. Heal the dissensions
that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what
the protection of your cities and territories demandeth. Fear ye God, and take heed not to
outstrip the bounds of moderation and be numbered among the extravagant.
9 We
have learned that ye are increasing your outlay every year, and are laying the
burden thereof on your subjects. This,
verily, is more than they can bear, and is a grievous injustice. Decide ye justly between men, O kings,
and be ye the emblems of justice amongst them. This, if ye judge fairly, is the thing
that behoveth you, and beseemeth your station.
10 Beware
not to deal unjustly with anyone that appealeth to you and entereth beneath
your shadow. Walk ye in the fear of
God, and be ye of them that lead a godly life. Rest not on your power, your armies, and
treasures. Put your whole trust and
confidence in God, Who hath created you, and seek ye His help in all your
affairs. Succour cometh from Him
alone. He succoureth whom He
willeth with the hosts of the heavens and of the earth.
11 Know
ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that ye betray not His trust, that
ye deal not unjustly with them and that ye walk not in the ways of the
treacherous. Ye will most certainly
be called upon to answer for His trust on the day when the Balance of Justice
shall be set, the day when unto everyone shall be rendered his due, when the
doings of all men, be they rich or poor, shall be weighed.
12 If ye pay
no heed unto the counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have
revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every
direction, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against
you. On that day ye shall have no
power to resist Him, and shall recognize your own impotence. Have mercy on yourselves and on those
beneath you, and judge ye between them according to the precepts prescribed by
God in His most holy and exalted Tablet, a Tablet wherein He hath assigned to
each and every thing its settled measure, in which He hath given, with
distinctness, an explanation of all things, and which is in itself a monition
unto them that believe in Him.
13 Examine
Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly
between Us and Our enemies, and be ye of them that act equitably towards their
neighbour. If ye stay not the hand
of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, what
right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men? What is it of which ye can rightly
boast? Is it on your food and your
drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasuries, on
the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves? If true glory were to consist in the
possession of such perishable things, then the earth on which ye walk must
needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth upon you,
these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according
to what God hath ordained, all that ye possess. From it, as a sign of His mercy, ye
derive your riches. Behold then
your state, the thing in which ye glory!
Would that ye could perceive it!
14 Nay,
by Him Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of the entire creation! Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory
reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your
wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not
remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course.
15 O
kings of Christendom! Heard ye not
the saying of Jesus, the Spirit of God, “I go away, and come again unto you”?[65] Wherefore, then, did ye fail, when He
did come again unto you in the clouds of heaven, to draw nigh unto Him, that ye
might behold His face, and be of them that attained His Presence? In another passage He saith: “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come,
He will guide you into all truth.”[66] And yet behold how, when He did bring
the truth, ye refused to turn your faces towards Him, and persisted in
disporting yourselves with your pastimes and fancies. Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek
His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and
partake of the manifold wisdom of the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the
All-Wise. Ye have, by reason of
your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have
withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance. Ye continue roving with delight in the
valley of your corrupt desires. By
God! Ye, and all ye possess, shall
pass away. Ye shall, most
certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the
presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation.
16 Again,
heard ye not that which hath been recorded in the Gospel concerning those
“which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of God”[67]—that
is, those who have been made manifest through the power of God? Wherefore it becometh evident that one
may well be manifested in the world of creation who is truly of God, the
Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
How is it then that when word reached you of Our Cause, ye failed to
inquire from Our own lips, that ye might distinguish truth from falsehood,
discover Our aim and purpose, and learn of the afflictions which We have
suffered at the hands of an evil and wayward generation?
17 O
Minister of the King of Paris![68] Hast thou forgotten the pronouncement
recorded in the Gospel according to John concerning the Word and those who are
its Manifestations? And hast thou
ignored the counsels of the Spirit[******]
concerning the Manifestations of the Word, and been numbered with the
heedless? If not, wherefore then
didst thou conspire with the Minister of Persia[69]
to inflict upon Us that which hath caused the hearts of men of insight and
understanding to melt, the tears of the denizens of the Realm of eternity to
flow, and the souls of them who are nigh unto God to mourn? And all this thou didst commit without
seeking to examine Our Cause or to discern its truth. For is it not thy clear duty to
investigate this Cause, to inform thyself of the things that have befallen Us,
to judge with equity, and to cleave unto justice?
18 Thy
days shall pass away, thy ministry shall come to an end, and thy possessions
shall vanish and be no more. Then,
in the presence of the almighty King, thou shalt be called to answer for that
which thy hands have wrought. How
many the ministers who came before thee into this world, men who exceeded thee
in power, excelled thee in station, and surpassed thee in wealth, and yet
returned to dust, leaving upon the face of the earth neither name nor trace,
and are now plunged in grievous remorse.
Amongst them were those who failed in their duty towards God, followed
their own desires, and trod the path of lust and wickedness. And amongst them were those who observed
that which hath been prescribed in the verses of God, judged with fairness by
the divine guidance that overshadowed them, and entered beneath the shelter of
the mercy of their Lord.
19 I
admonish thee, and those who are like thee, to deal not with anyone as ye have
dealt with Us. Beware lest ye follow
in the footsteps of the Evil One and walk in the ways of the unjust. Take from this world only to the measure
of your needs, and forgo that which exceedeth them. Observe equity in all your judgements,
and transgress not the bounds of justice, nor be of them that stray from its
path.
20 Twenty
years have passed, O kings, during which We have, each day, tasted the agony of
a fresh tribulation. No one of them
that were before Us hath endured the things We have endured. Would that ye could perceive it! They that rose up against Us have put us
to death, have shed our blood, have plundered our property, and violated our
honour. Though aware of most of our
afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the
aggressor. For is it not your clear
duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your
subjects, that your high sense of justice may be fully demonstrated to all
mankind?
21 God
hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that
ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the downtrodden,
and punish the wrongdoers. If ye
neglect the duty prescribed unto you by God in His Book, your names shall be
numbered with those of the unjust in His sight. Grievous, indeed, will be your
error. Cleave ye to that which your
imaginations have devised, and cast behind your backs the commandments of God,
the Most Exalted, the Inaccessible, the All-Compelling, the Almighty? Cast away the things ye possess, and
cling to that which God hath bidden you observe. Seek ye His grace, for he that seeketh
it treadeth His straight Path.
22 Consider
the state in which We are, and behold ye the ills and troubles that have tried
Us. Neglect Us not, though it be
for a moment, and judge ye between Us and Our enemies with equity. This will, surely, be a manifest
advantage unto you. Thus do We
relate to you Our tale, and recount the things that have befallen Us, that ye
might take off Our ills and ease Our burden. Let him who will, relieve Us from Our
trouble; and as to him that willeth not, My Lord is assuredly the best of
helpers.
23 Warn
and acquaint the people, O Servant, with the things We have sent down unto
Thee, and let the fear of no one dismay Thee, and be Thou not of them that waver. The day is approaching when God will
have exalted His Cause and magnified His testimony in the eyes of all who are
in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Place, in all circumstances, Thy whole
trust in Thy Lord, and fix Thy gaze upon Him, and turn away from all them that
repudiate His truth. Let God, Thy
Lord, be Thy sufficing succourer and helper. We have pledged Ourself to secure Thy
triumph upon earth and to exalt Our Cause above all men, though no king be
found who would turn his face towards Thee.
24 Call
Thou to remembrance Thine arrival in the City, how the Ministers of the Sulṭán
thought Thee to be unacquainted with their laws and regulations, and believed
Thee to be one of the ignorant.
Say: Yea, by My Lord! I am ignorant of all things except what
God hath, through His bountiful favour, been pleased to teach Me. To this We assuredly testify, and
unhesitatingly confess it.
25 Say: If the laws and regulations to which ye
cleave be of your own making, We will, in no wise, follow them. Thus have I been instructed by Him Who
is the All-Wise, the All-Informed.
Such hath been My way in the past, and such will it remain in the
future, through the power of God and His might. This, indeed, is the true and right
way. If they be ordained by God, bring
forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of them that speak the truth. Say: We have written down in a Book which
leaveth not unrecorded the work of any man, however insignificant, all that
they have imputed to Thee, and all that they have done unto Thee.
26 Say: It behoveth you, O Ministers of State,
to keep the precepts of God, and to forsake your own laws and regulations, and
to be of them who are guided aright.
Better is this for you than all ye possess, did ye but know it. If ye transgress the commandment of God,
not one jot or one tittle of all your works shall be acceptable in His
sight. Ye shall, erelong, discover
the consequences of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall
be repaid for them. This, verily,
is the truth, the undoubted truth.
27 How
great the number of those who, in bygone ages, have committed the things ye
have committed, and who, though superior to you in rank, have, in the end,
returned unto dust, and been consigned to their inevitable doom! Would that ye might ponder the Cause of
God in your hearts! Ye shall follow
in their wake, and shall be made to enter a habitation wherein none shall be
found to befriend or help you. Ye
shall, of a truth, be asked of your doings, shall be called to account for your
failure in duty with regard to the Cause of God, and for having disdainfully
rejected His loved ones who, with manifest sincerity, have come unto you.
28 It is
ye who have taken counsel together regarding them, ye that have preferred to
follow the promptings of your own desires, and forsaken the commandment of God,
the Help in Peril, the Almighty.
29 Say: What! Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast
behind your backs the precepts of God?
Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and others. Would that ye could perceive it! Say: If your rules and principles be founded
on justice, why is it, then, that ye follow those which accord with your
corrupt inclinations and reject such as conflict with your desires? By what right claim ye, then, to judge
fairly between men? Are your rules
and principles such as to justify your persecution of Him Who, at your bidding,
hath presented Himself before you, your rejection of Him, and your infliction
on Him every day of grievous injury?
Hath He ever, though it be for one short moment, disobeyed you? All the inhabitants of ‘Iráq, and beyond
them every discerning observer, will bear witness to the truth of My words.
30 Be
fair in your judgement, O ye Ministers of State! What is it that We have committed that
could justify Our banishment? What
is the offence that hath warranted Our expulsion? It is We Who have sought you, and yet,
behold how ye refused to receive Us!
By God! This is a sore
injustice that ye have perpetrated—an injustice with which no earthly injustice
can measure. To this the Almighty
is Himself a witness.
31 Have
I at any time transgressed your laws, or disobeyed any of your ministers in
‘Iráq? Inquire of them, that ye may
act with discernment towards Us and be numbered with those who are
well-informed. Hath anyone ever
brought before them a plaint against Us?
Hath anyone amongst them ever heard from Us a word contrary to that
which God hath revealed in His Book?
Bring forth, then, your evidence, that We may approve your actions and
acknowledge your claims!
32 Had
ye wished to deal with Us in accordance with your principles and standards, it
would have behoved you to respect and honour Us for complying with your
commands and following that which ye have pleased to ordain. Likewise, it would have beseemed you to
repay the debts which We incurred in ‘Iráq in the execution of your
wishes. Ye should have given ear
then unto Us, heard the account of Our woes, and judged with equity, as ye
would judge your own selves. Ye
should not have wished for Us that which ye have not wished for yourselves, but
rather chosen to act with generosity.
By God! Ye dealt with Us
neither in accordance with your own principles and standards, nor with those of
any man living, but in accordance with the promptings of your evil and wayward
passions, O ye concourse of the froward and the arrogant!
33 O
Bird of Holiness! Soar in the
heaven of communion with Me, and acquaint the people with that which We
disclosed unto Thee in the billowing oceans of immortality beyond the mount of
glory. Let the fear of no one
dismay Thee, and put Thy trust in God, the Almighty, the Beneficent. We, verily, shall protect Thee from
those who, without a clear token from God or an enlightening Book, have
grievously wronged Thee.
34 Say: God is My witness, O concourse of the
negligent! We came not unto you to
spread disorder in your lands or to sow dissension amongst your peoples. Nay rather, We came in obedience to the
command of the sovereign, and in order to exalt your authority, to instruct you
in the ways of Our wisdom, and to remind you of that which ye had
forgotten—even as He saith in truth:
“Warn them, for, in truth, Thy warning will profit the believers.”[70] But ye hearkened not unto the sweet
melodies of the Spirit, and gave ear unwittingly unto Our enemies, they who
follow the promptings of their corrupt inclinations, whose deeds the Evil One
hath made fair-seeming in their own eyes, and whose tongues utter calumnies
against Us. Heard ye not that which
hath been revealed in His all-glorious and unerring Book: “If a wicked man come to you with news,
clear it up at once”?[71] Wherefore have ye then cast the command
of God behind your backs, and followed in the footsteps of them that are bent
on mischief?
35 We
have heard that one of these calumniators hath alleged that this Servant
practised usury whilst residing in ‘Iráq, and was engaged in amassing riches
for Himself. Say: How can ye judge a matter whereof ye
have no knowledge? How can ye hurl
calumnies against the servants of God, and entertain such evil suspicions? And how could this accusation be true,
when God hath forbidden this practice unto His servants in that most holy and
well-guarded Book revealed unto Muḥammad, the Apostle of God and the Seal of
the Prophets, a Book which He hath ordained to be His abiding testimony, and
His guidance and monition unto all mankind? This is but one of the matters in which
We have opposed the divines of Persia, inasmuch as We have, according to the
text of the Book, forbidden unto all men the practice of usury. God Himself beareth witness to the truth
of My words. “Yet I hold not myself
clear, for the soul is prone to evil.”[72]
We intend only to impart unto you the truth, that ye might be informed thereof
and be of them that lead a godly life.
Beware lest ye give ear to the words of those from whom the foul smell
of malice and envy can be discerned; pay no heed to them, and stand ye for
righteousness.
36 Know
ye that the world and its vanities and its embellishments shall pass away. Nothing will endure except God’s Kingdom
which pertaineth to none but Him, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Help in Peril,
the All-Glorious, the Almighty. The
days of your life shall roll away, and all the things with which ye are
occupied and of which ye boast yourselves shall perish, and ye shall, most
certainly, be summoned by a company of His angels to appear at the spot where
the limbs of the entire creation shall be made to tremble, and the flesh of
every oppressor to creep. Ye shall
be asked of the things your hands have wrought in this, your vain life, and
shall be repaid for your doings.
This is the day that shall inevitably come upon you, the hour that none
can put back. To this the Tongue of
Him that speaketh the truth and is the Knower of all things hath testified.
37 Fear
God, ye inhabitants of the City, and sow not the seeds of dissension amongst
men. Walk not in the paths of the
Evil One. Walk ye, during the few
remaining days of your life, in the ways of the one true God. Your days shall pass away as have the
days of them who were before you.
To dust shall ye return, even as your fathers of old did return.
38 Know
ye that I am afraid of none except God.
In none but Him have I placed My trust; to none will I cleave but Him,
and wish for naught except the thing He hath wished for Me. This, indeed, is My heart’s desire, did
ye but know it. I have offered up
My soul and My body as a sacrifice for God, the Lord of all worlds. Whoso hath known God shall know none but
Him, and he that feareth God shall be afraid of no one except Him, though the
powers of the whole earth rise up and be arrayed against him. I speak naught except at His bidding,
and follow naught, through the power of God and His might, except His
truth. He, verily, shall recompense
the truthful.
39 Narrate,
O Servant, the things Thou didst behold at the time of Thine arrival in the
City, that Thy testimony may endure amongst men, and serve as a warning unto
them that believe. We found, upon
Our arrival in the City, its governors and elders as children gathered about
and disporting themselves with clay.
We perceived no one sufficiently mature to acquire from Us the truths
which God hath taught Us, nor ripe for Our wondrous words of wisdom. Our inner eye wept sore over them, and
over their transgressions and their total disregard of the thing for which they
were created. This is what We
observed in that city, and which We have chosen to note down in Our Book, that
it may serve as a warning unto them, and unto the rest of mankind.
40 Say: If ye be seekers after this life and the
vanities thereof, ye should have sought them while ye were still enclosed in
your mothers’ wombs, for at that time ye were continually approaching them,
could ye but perceive it. Ye have,
on the other hand, ever since ye were born and attained maturity, been all the
while receding from the world and drawing closer to dust. Why, then, exhibit such greed in
amassing the treasures of the earth, when your days are numbered and your
chance is well-nigh lost? Will ye
not, then, O heedless ones, shake off your slumber?
41 Incline
your ears to the counsels which this Servant giveth you for the sake of
God. He, verily, asketh no
recompense from you and is resigned to what God hath ordained for Him, and is
entirely submissive to God’s Will.
42 The
days of your life are far spent, O people, and your end is fast
approaching. Put away, therefore,
the things ye have devised and to which ye cleave, and take firm hold on the
precepts of God, that haply ye may attain that which He hath purposed for you,
and be of them that pursue a right course.
Delight not yourselves in the things of the world and its vain
ornaments, neither set your hopes on them.
Let your reliance be on the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the
Most Great. He will, erelong, bring
to naught all the things ye possess.
Let Him be your fear, and forget not His covenant with you, and be not
of them that are shut out as by a veil from Him.
43 Beware
that ye swell not with pride before God, and disdainfully reject His loved
ones. Defer ye humbly to the
faithful, they that have believed in God and in His signs, whose hearts witness
to His unity, whose tongues proclaim His oneness, and who speak not except by
His leave. Thus do We exhort you
with justice, and warn you with truth, that perchance ye may be awakened.
44 Lay
not on any soul a load which ye would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire
not for anyone the things ye would not desire for yourselves. This is My best counsel unto you, did ye
but observe it.
45 Respect
ye the divines and learned amongst you, they whose conduct accords with their
professions, who transgress not the bounds which God hath fixed, whose
judgements are in conformity with His behests as revealed in His Book. Know ye that they are the lamps of
guidance unto them that are in the heavens and on the earth. They who disregard and neglect the
divines and learned that live amongst them—these have truly changed the favour
with which God hath favoured them.
46 Say: Wait ye till God will have changed His
favour unto you. Nothing whatsoever
escapeth Him. He knoweth the
secrets both of the heavens and of the earth. His knowledge embraceth all things. Rejoice not in what ye have done, or
will do in the future, nor delight in the tribulation with which ye have
afflicted Us, for ye are unable by such means as these to exalt your stations,
were ye to examine your works with acute discernment. Neither will ye be capable of detracting
from the loftiness of Our state.
Nay, God will add unto the recompense with which He shall reward Us, for
having sustained with persevering patience the tribulations We have
suffered. He, verily, shall
increase the reward of them that endure with patience.
47 Know
ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial, been the lot of the
chosen Ones of God and His beloved, and such of His servants as are detached
from all else but Him, they whom neither merchandise nor traffic beguile from
the remembrance of the Almighty, they that speak not till He hath spoken, and
act according to His commandment.
Such is God’s method carried into effect of old, and such will it remain
in the future. Blessed are the
steadfastly enduring, they that are patient under ills and hardships, who lament
not over anything that befalleth them, and who tread the path of
resignation.
48 That
which hath befallen Us hath been witnessed before. Ours is not the first goblet dashed to
the ground in the lands of Islám, nor is this the first time that such schemers
have intrigued against the beloved of the Lord. The tribulations We have sustained are
like unto the trials endured aforetime by Imám Ḥusayn. For he was approached by messengers from
malicious and evil-hearted plotters, inviting him to come forth from the city;
yet when he came unto them, accompanied by his kindred, they rose up against
him with all their might, until at last they slew him, slaughtered his sons and
his brothers, and took captive the remainder of his family. So did it come to pass in an earlier
age, and God, verily, is a witness unto My words. Of his lineage there survived none,
whether young or old, save his son ‘Alí al-Awsat, known as Zaynu’l-‘Ábidín.
49 Behold
then, O heedless ones, how brightly the fire of the love of God blazed
aforetime in the heart of Ḥusayn, if ye be of them that ponder! So intense grew its flame that fervour
and longing at last seized the reins of patience from his grasp, and the love
of Him Who is the All-Compelling so enraptured his heart that he surrendered
his soul, his spirit, his substance, and his all in the path of God, the Lord
of the worlds. By God! Sweeter was this in his sight than the
empire of earth and heaven. For the
true lover desireth naught save reunion with his beloved and the seeker hath no
goal but to attain unto the object of his quest. Their hearts long for reunion even as
the body yearneth for the spirit, nay greater indeed is their longing, could ye
but perceive it!
50 Say: That same fire now blazeth in Mine own
breast, and My wish is that this Ḥusayn may lay down His life in like manner,
in the hope of attaining unto so august and sublime a station, that station
wherein the servant dieth to himself and liveth in God, the Almighty, the
Exalted, the Great. Were I to disclose
unto you the mysteries which God hath enshrined therein, ye would, of a truth,
offer up your lives in His path, renounce your riches, and forsake all that ye
possess, that ye might attain this transcendent and all-glorious station. God, however, hath veiled your hearts
and obscured your eyes, lest ye should apprehend His mysteries and be made
aware of their meaning.
51 Say: The sincere soul longeth for nearness to
God even as the suckling babe yearneth for its mother’s breast, nay more ardent
is his longing, could ye but know it!
Again, his longing is even as the panting of one sore athirst after the
living waters of grace, or the yearning of the sinner for forgiveness and
mercy. Thus do We expound unto you
the mysteries of the Cause, and impart unto you what shall render you
independent of all that hath so far occupied you, that perchance ye may enter
the Court of Holiness within this exalted Paradise. I swear by God! Whoso entereth therein shall never
abandon its precincts, and whoso gazeth thereon shall never turn away
therefrom, even should the swords of infidels and deniers rain blows upon
him. Thus have We related unto you
that which befell Ḥusayn, and We beseech God that He may destine for Us that
which He had decreed for him. He,
verily, is the Most Generous, the All-Bountiful.
52 By
the righteousness of God! Through
his deed the fragrances of holiness were wafted over all things, the proof of
God was perfected, and His testimony made manifest to all men. And after him God raised up a people who
avenged his death, who slew his enemies, and who wept over him at dawn and at
eventide. Say: God hath pledged in His Book to lay hold
upon every oppressor for his tyranny, and to uproot the stirrers of
mischief. Know ye that such holy
deeds exert, in themselves, a great influence upon the world of being—an
influence which is, however, inscrutable to all save those whose eyes have been
opened by God, whose hearts He hath freed from obscuring veils, and whose souls
He hath guided aright.
53 The
day is approaching when God will have raised up a people who will call to
remembrance Our days, who will tell the tale of Our trials, who will demand the
restitution of Our rights from them that, without a tittle of evidence, have
treated Us with manifest injustice.
God, assuredly, dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us, and is
well aware of their doings. He
will, most certainly, lay hold on them for their sins. He, verily, is the fiercest of avengers.
54 Thus
have We recounted unto you the tales of the one true God, and sent down unto
you the things He had preordained, that haply ye may ask forgiveness of Him,
may return unto Him, may truly repent, may realize your misdeeds, may shake off
your slumber, may be roused from your heedlessness, may atone for the things
that have escaped you, and be of them that do good. Let him who will, acknowledge the truth
of My words; and as to him that willeth not, let him turn aside. My sole duty is to remind you of your
failure in duty towards the Cause of God, if perchance ye may be of them that
heed My warning. Wherefore, hearken
ye unto My speech, and return ye to God and repent, that He, through His grace,
may have mercy upon you, may wash away your sins, and forgive your
trespasses. The greatness of His mercy
surpasseth the fury of His wrath, and His grace encompasseth all who have been
called into being and been clothed with the robe of life, be they of the past
or of the future.
55 O
concourse of Ministers of State! Do
ye believe in your hearts that We have come to divest you of your earthly
possessions and vanities? Nay, by
the One in Whose hand is My soul!
Our intention hath been to make clear that We oppose not the commands of
the sovereign, nor are We to be numbered with the rebellious. Know ye of a certainty that all the
treasures of the earth, all the gold, the silver, and the rare and precious
gems they contain, are, in the sight of God, of His chosen ones and His loved
ones, as worthless as a handful of clay.
For erelong all that is on earth shall perish, and the kingdom will
remain unto God, the All-Powerful, the Incomparable. That which perisheth can never profit
Us, nor can it profit you, were ye but to reflect.
56 By
the righteousness of God! I speak
not falsely, and utter naught save that which God hath bidden Me. To this bear witness the very words of
this Tablet, if ye but reflect upon its contents. Follow not the promptings of your own
desires, nor the whisperings of the Evil One in your souls. Follow rather the Cause of God, both in
your outward and your inner lives, and be not of the heedless. Better is this for you than all that ye
have laid up in your houses, and all that ye have sought by day and night.
57 The
world will pass away, and so will all the things whereat your hearts rejoice,
or wherein ye pride yourselves before men.
Cleanse the mirrors of your hearts from the dross of the world and all
that is therein, that they may reflect the resplendent light of God. This, indeed, shall enable you to
dispense with all save God, and to attain unto the good pleasure of your Lord,
the Most Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We, verily, have unfolded before your
eyes that which shall profit you both in this world and in the realm of faith,
and which will lead you to the path of salvation. Would that ye might turn thereunto!
58 Hearken,
O King,[††††††]
to the speech of Him that speaketh the truth, Him that doth not ask thee to
recompense Him with the things God hath chosen to bestow upon thee, Him Who
unerringly treadeth the straight Path.
He it is Who summoneth thee unto God, thy Lord, Who showeth thee the
right course, the way that leadeth to true felicity, that haply thou mayest be
of them with whom it shall be well.
59 Beware,
O King, that thou gather not around thee such ministers as follow the desires
of a corrupt inclination, as have cast behind their backs that which hath been
committed into their hands and manifestly betrayed their trust. Be bounteous to others as God hath been
bounteous to thee, and abandon not the interests of thy people to the mercy of
such ministers as these. Lay not
aside the fear of God, and be thou of them that act uprightly. Gather around thee those ministers from
whom thou canst perceive the fragrance of faith and of justice, and take thou
counsel with them, and choose whatever is best in thy sight, and be of them
that act generously.
60 Know
thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth in God is neither trustworthy nor
truthful. This, indeed, is the
truth, the undoubted truth. He that
acteth treacherously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his
king. Nothing whatever can deter
such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying his neighbour,
nothing can induce him to walk uprightly.
61 Take
heed that thou resign not the reins of the affairs of thy state into the hands
of others, and repose not thy confidence in ministers unworthy of thy trust,
and be not of them that live in heedlessness. Shun them whose hearts are turned away
from thee, and place not thy confidence in them, and entrust them not with
thine affairs and the affairs of such as profess thy faith. Beware that thou allow not the wolf to
become the shepherd of God’s flock, and surrender not the fate of His loved
ones to the mercy of the malicious.
Expect not that they who violate the ordinances of God will be
trustworthy or sincere in the faith they profess. Avoid them, and preserve strict guard
over thyself, lest their devices and mischief hurt thee. Turn away from them, and fix thy gaze
upon God, thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful. He that giveth up himself wholly to God,
God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete trust in
God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him, and shield
him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.
62 Wert
thou to incline thine ear unto My speech and observe My counsel, God would
exalt thee to so eminent a position that the designs of no man on the whole
earth can ever touch or hurt thee.
Observe, O King, with thine inmost heart and with thy whole being, the
precepts of God, and walk not in the paths of the oppressor. Seize thou, and hold firmly within the
grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and examine in
person whatever pertaineth unto them.
Let nothing escape thee, for therein lieth the highest good.
63 Render
thanks unto God for having chosen thee out of the whole world, and made thee
king over them that profess thy faith.
It well beseemeth thee to appreciate the wondrous favours with which God
hath favoured thee, and to magnify continually His name. Thou canst best praise Him if thou
lovest His loved ones, and dost safeguard and protect His servants from the
mischief of the treacherous, that none may any longer oppress them. Thou shouldst, moreover, arise to
enforce the law of God amongst them, that thou mayest be of those who are
firmly established in His law.
64 Shouldst
thou cause rivers of justice to spread their waters amongst thy subjects, God
would surely aid thee with the hosts of the unseen and of the seen, and would
strengthen thee in thine affairs.
No God is there but Him. All
creation and its empire are His.
Unto Him return the works of the faithful.
65 Place
not thy reliance on thy treasures.
Put thy whole confidence in the grace of God, thy Lord. Let Him be thy trust in whatever thou
doest, and be of them that have submitted themselves to His Will. Let Him be thy helper and enrich thyself
with His treasures, for with Him are the treasuries of the heavens and of the
earth. He bestoweth them upon whom
He will, and from whom He will He withholdeth them. There is none other God but Him, the
All-Possessing, the All-Praised.
All are but paupers at the door of His mercy; all are helpless before
the revelation of His sovereignty, and beseech His favours.
66 Overstep
not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that serve thee. Bestow upon them according to their
needs, and not to the extent that will enable them to lay up riches for
themselves, to deck their persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the
things that are of no benefit unto them, and to be numbered with the
extravagant. Deal with them with
undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer want, or be
pampered with luxuries. This is but
manifest justice.
67 Allow
not the abject to rule over and dominate them who are noble and worthy of
honour, and suffer not the high-minded to be at the mercy of the contemptible
and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival in the City, and
to it We bear witness. We found
among its inhabitants some who were possessed of an affluent fortune and lived
in the midst of excessive riches, while others were in dire want and abject
poverty. This ill beseemeth thy
sovereignty, and is unworthy of thy rank.
68 Let
My counsel be acceptable to thee, and strive thou to rule with equity among
men, that God may exalt thy name and spread abroad the fame of thy justice in
all the world. Beware lest thou
aggrandize thy ministers at the expense of thy subjects. Fear the sighs of the poor and of the
upright in heart who, at every break of day, bewail their plight, and be unto
them a benignant sovereign. They,
verily, are thy treasures on earth.
It behoveth thee, therefore, to safeguard thy treasures from the
assaults of them who wish to rob thee.
Inquire into their affairs, and ascertain, every year, nay every month,
their condition, and be not of them that are careless of their duty.
69 Set
before thine eyes God’s unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence,
weigh in that Balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art
summoned to a reckoning, on the Day when no man shall have strength to stand
for fear of God, the Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be made to
tremble.
70 It
behoveth every king to be as bountiful as the sun, which fostereth the growth
of all beings, and giveth to each its due, whose benefits are not inherent in
itself, but are ordained by Him Who is the Most Powerful, the Almighty. The King should be as generous, as
liberal in his mercy as the clouds, the outpourings of whose bounty are
showered upon every land, by the behest of Him Who is the Supreme Ordainer, the
All-Knowing.
71 Have
a care not to entrust thine affairs of state entirely into another’s
hands. None can discharge thy
functions better than thine own self.
Thus do We make clear unto thee Our words of wisdom, and send down upon
thee that which can enable thee to pass over from the left hand of oppression
to the right hand of justice, and approach the resplendent ocean of His
favours. Such is the path which the
kings that were before thee have trodden, they that acted equitably towards
their subjects, and walked in the ways of undeviating justice.
72 Thou
art God’s shadow on earth. Strive,
therefore, to act in such a manner as befitteth so eminent, so august a
station. If thou dost depart from
following the things We have caused to descend upon thee and taught thee, thou
wilt, assuredly, be derogating from that great and priceless honour. Return, then, and cleave wholly unto
God, and cleanse thine heart from the world and all its vanities, and suffer
not the love of any stranger to enter and dwell therein. Not until thou dost purify thine heart
from every trace of such love can the brightness of the light of God shed its
radiance upon it, for to none hath God given more than one heart. This, verily, hath been decreed and
written down in His ancient Book.
And as the human heart, as fashioned by God, is one and undivided, it
behoveth thee to take heed that its affections be, also, one and
undivided. Cleave thou, therefore,
with the whole affection of thine heart, unto His love, and withdraw it from
the love of anyone besides Him, that He may aid thee to immerse thyself in the
ocean of His unity, and enable thee to become a true upholder of His
oneness. God is My witness. My sole purpose in revealing to thee
these words is to sanctify thee from the transitory things of the earth, and
aid thee to enter the realm of everlasting glory, that thou mayest, by the
leave of God, be of them that abide and rule therein.
73 Hast
thou heard, O King, what We have suffered at the hands of thy ministers and how
We have been treated by them, or art thou of the negligent? If indeed thou hast heard and known,
wherefore didst thou not forbid thy ministers to commit such deeds? How didst thou desire for Him Who hath
complied with thy command, and been obedient to thy behest, that which no king
would desire for any of his subjects?
And if thou knowest not, this indeed is a more grievous error, wert thou
of the God-fearing. Wherefore shall
I recount to thee that which We have suffered at the hands of these oppressors.
74 Know,
then, that We came unto thy city at thine own behest, and entered therein with
conspicuous honour. They expelled
Us, however, from thy city with an abasement with which no abasement on earth
can compare, if thou be of them that are well-informed. They made Us journey until We reached the
place[‡‡‡‡‡‡]
which none entereth except such as have rebelled against the authority of the
sovereign, and as are numbered with the transgressors. All this, notwithstanding that We had
never disobeyed thee, though it be for a single moment, for when We heard thy
bidding We observed it and submitted to thy will. In dealing with Us, however, thy
ministers neither honoured the standards of God and His commandments, nor
heeded that which hath been revealed to the Prophets and Messengers. They showed Us no mercy and committed
against Us that which no one among the faithful hath ever wrought against his
fellow, nor any believer inflicted upon an infidel. God knoweth and is a witness unto the
truth of Our words.
75 When
they expelled Us from thy city, they placed Us in such conveyances as the
people use to carry baggage and the like.
Such was the treatment We received at their hands, shouldst thou wish to
know the truth. Thus were We sent
away, and thus were We brought to the city which they regard as the abode of
rebels. Upon our arrival, We could
find no house in which to dwell, and perforce resided in a place where none
would enter save the most indigent stranger. There We lodged for a time, after which,
suffering increasingly from the confined space, We sought and rented houses
which by reason of the extreme cold had been vacated by their occupants. Thus in the depth of winter we were
constrained to make our abode in houses wherein none dwell except in the heat
of summer. Neither My family, nor
those who accompanied Me, had the necessary raiment to protect them from the
cold in that freezing weather.
76 Would
that thy ministers had dealt with Us according to the principles they uphold
amongst themselves! For, by God,
they dealt with Us neither in accordance with the commandments of God, nor with
the practices they uphold, nor with the standards current amongst men, nor even
with the manner in which the destitute of the earth receive a wayfarer. Such is the account of what We suffered
at their hands, and which We have related unto thee in a language of
truthfulness and sincerity.
77 All
this befell Me, though I had come unto them at their own behest and did not
oppose their authority, which deriveth from thine own. Thus did We accept and observe their
bidding. They, however, appear to
have forgotten that which God hath commanded. He saith, and His Word is the
truth: “Act with humility towards
the believers.”[73] Methinks that their only concern was
their own comfort and repose, and that their ears were deaf to the sighs of the
poor and the cries of the oppressed.
They seem to imagine that they have been created from pure light, while
others have been fashioned out of dust.
How wretched are their imaginings!
We have all been created from a sorry germ.[74]
78 I
swear by God, O King! It is not My
wish to make My plaint to thee against them that persecute Me. I only plead My grief and My sorrow to
God, Who hath created Me and them, Who well knoweth our state and Who watcheth
over all things. My wish is to warn
them of the consequences of their actions, if perchance they might desist from
treating others as they have treated Me, and be of them that heed My warning.
79 The
tribulations that have touched Us, the destitution from which We suffer, the
various troubles with which We are encompassed, shall all pass away, as shall
pass away the pleasures in which they delight and the affluence they
enjoy. This is the truth which no
man on earth can reject. The days
in which We have been compelled to dwell in the dust will soon be ended, as
will the days in which they occupied the seats of honour. God shall, assuredly, judge with truth
between Us and them, and He, verily, is the best of judges.
80 We
render thanks unto God for whatsoever hath befallen Us, and We patiently endure
the things He hath ordained in the past or will ordain in the future. In Him have I placed My trust; and into
His hands have I committed My Cause.
He will, certainly, repay all them that endure with patience and put
their confidence in Him. His is the
creation and its empire. He
exalteth whom He will, and whom He will He doth abase. He shall not be asked of His
doings. He, verily, is the
All-Glorious, the Almighty.
81 Let
thine ear be attentive, O King, to the words We have addressed to thee. Let the oppressor desist from his
tyranny, and cut off the perpetrators of injustice from among them that profess
thy faith. By the righteousness of
God! The tribulations We have
sustained are such that any pen that recounteth them cannot but be overwhelmed
with anguish. No one of them that
truly believe and uphold the unity of God can bear the burden of their
recital. So great have been Our
sufferings that even the eyes of Our enemies have wept over Us, and beyond them
those of every discerning person.
And to all these trials have We been subjected, in spite of Our action
in approaching thee, and in bidding the people to enter beneath thy shadow,
that thou mightest be a stronghold unto them that believe in and uphold the
unity of God.
82 Have
I, O King, ever disobeyed thee?
Have I, at any time, transgressed any of thy laws? Can any of thy ministers that
represented thee in ‘Iráq produce any proof that can establish My disloyalty to
thee? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord
of all worlds! Not for one short
moment did We rebel against thee, or against any of thy ministers. Never, God willing, shall We revolt
against thee, though We be exposed to trials more severe than any We suffered
in the past.
83 In
the daytime and in the night season, at even and at morn, We pray to God on thy
behalf, that He may graciously aid thee to be obedient unto Him and to observe
His commandment, that He may shield thee from the hosts of the evil ones. Do, therefore, as it pleaseth thee, and
treat Us as befitteth thy station and beseemeth thy sovereignty. Be not forgetful of the law of God in
whatever thou desirest to achieve, now or in the days to come. Say: Praise be to God, the Lord of all
worlds!
84 Dost
thou imagine, O Minister of the Sháh in the City, that I hold within My
grasp the ultimate destiny of the Cause of God? Thinkest thou that My imprisonment, or
the shame I have been made to suffer, or even My death and utter annihilation,
can deflect its course? Wretched is
what thou hast imagined in thine heart!
Thou art indeed of them that walk after the vain imaginings which their
hearts devise. No God is there but
Him. Powerful is He to manifest His
Cause, and to exalt His testimony, and to establish whatsoever is His Will, and
to elevate it to so eminent a position that neither thine own hands, nor the
hands of them that have turned away from Him, can ever touch or harm it.
85 Dost
thou believe thou hast the power to frustrate His Will, to hinder Him from
executing His judgement, or to deter Him from exercising His sovereignty? Pretendest thou that aught in the
heavens or in the earth can resist His Faith? Nay, by Him Who is the Eternal Truth! Nothing whatsoever in the whole of
creation can thwart His Purpose.
Cast away, therefore, the mere conceit thou dost follow, for mere
conceit can never take the place of truth.
Be thou of them that have truly repented and returned to God, the God
Who hath created thee, Who hath nourished thee, and made thee a minister among
them that profess thy faith.
86 Know
thou, moreover, that He it is Who hath, by His own behest, created all that is
in the heavens and all that is on the earth. How can, then, the thing that hath been
created at His bidding prevail against Him? High is God exalted above what ye
imagine about Him, ye people of malice!
If this Cause be of God, no man can prevail against it; and if it be not
of God, the divines amongst you, and they that follow their corrupt desires and
such as have rebelled against Him will surely suffice to overpower it.
87 Hast
thou not heard what a man of the family of Pharaoh, a believer, hath said of
old, and which God recounted unto His Apostle, Whom He hath chosen above all
human beings, and entrusted with His Message, and made the source of His mercy
unto all them that dwell on earth?
He said, and He, verily, speaketh the truth: “Will ye slay a man because he saith my
Lord is God, when he hath already come to you with proofs of his mission? And if he be a liar, on him will be his
lie, but if he be a man of truth, part at least of what he threateneth will
fall upon you.”[75] This is what God hath revealed unto His
Well-Beloved One, in His unerring Book.
88 And
yet, ye have failed to incline your ears unto His bidding, have disregarded His
law, have rejected His counsel as recorded in His Book, and have been of them
that have strayed far from Him. How
many those who, every year, and every month, have because of you been put to
death! How manifold the injustices
ye have perpetrated—injustices the like of which the eye of creation hath not
seen, which no chronicler hath ever recorded! How numerous the babes and sucklings who
were made orphans, and the fathers who lost their sons, because of your
cruelty, O ye unjust doers! How oft
hath a sister pined away and mourned over her brother, and how oft hath a wife
lamented after her husband and sole sustainer!
89 Your
iniquity waxed greater and greater until ye slew Him Who had never taken His
eyes away from the face of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.[§§§§§§] Would that ye had put Him to death after
the manner men are wont to put one another to death! Ye slew Him, however, in such
circumstances as no man hath ever witnessed. The heavens wept sore over Him, and the
souls of them who are nigh unto God cried out for His affliction. Was He not a Scion of your Prophet’s
ancient House? Had not His fame as
a direct descendant of the Apostle been spread abroad amongst you? Why, then, did ye inflict upon Him what
no man, however far ye may look back, hath inflicted upon another? By God! The eye of creation hath never beheld
your like. Ye slay Him Who is a
Scion of your Prophet’s House, and rejoice and make merry while seated on your
seats of honour! Ye utter your
imprecations against them who were before you, and who have perpetrated what ye
have perpetrated, and remain yourselves all the time unaware of your
enormities!
90 Be
fair in your judgement. Did they
whom ye curse, upon whom ye invoke evil, act differently from yourselves? Have they not slain the descendant of
their Prophet[*******]
as ye have slain the descendant of your own? Is not your conduct similar to their
conduct? Wherefore, then, claim ye
to be different from them, O ye sowers of dissension amongst men?
91 And
when ye took away His life, one of His followers arose to avenge His
death. He was unknown of men, and
the design he had conceived was unnoticed by anyone. Eventually he committed what had been
preordained. It behoveth you,
therefore, to attach blame to no one except to yourselves, for the things ye
have committed, if ye but judge fairly.
Who is there on the whole earth who hath done what ye have done? None, by Him Who is the Lord of all
worlds!
92 All
the rulers and kings of the earth honour and revere the descendants of their
Prophets and holy men, could ye but perceive it. Ye, on the other hand, are responsible
for such acts as no man hath, at any time, performed. Your misdeeds have caused every
understanding heart to be consumed with grief. And yet, ye have remained sunk in your
heedlessness, and failed to realize the wickedness of your actions.
93 Ye
have persisted in your waywardness until ye rose up against Us, though We had
committed nothing to justify your enmity.
Fear ye not God Who hath created you, and fashioned you, and caused you
to attain your strength, and joined you with them that have resigned themselves
to Him?[†††††††] How long will ye persist in your
waywardness? How long will ye
refuse to reflect? How long ere ye
shake off your slumber and are roused from your heedlessness? How long will ye remain unaware of the
truth?
94 Ponder
in thine heart. Did ye,
notwithstanding your behaviour and the things your hands have wrought, succeed
in quenching the fire of God or in putting out the light of His Revelation—a
light that hath enveloped with its brightness them that are immersed in the
billowing oceans of immortality, and hath attracted the souls of such as truly
believe in and uphold His unity?
Know ye not that the Hand of God is over your hands, that His Decree
transcendeth all your devices, that He is supreme over His servants, that He is
equal to His Purpose, that He doth what He wisheth, that He shall not be asked
of whatever He willeth, that He ordaineth what He pleaseth, that He is the Most
Powerful, the Almighty? If ye
believe this to be the truth, wherefore, then, will ye not cease from troubling
and be at peace with yourselves?
95 Ye
perpetrate every day a fresh injustice, and treat Me as ye treated Me in times
past, though I never attempted to meddle with your affairs. At no time have I opposed you, neither
have I rebelled against your laws.
Behold how ye have, at the last, made Me a prisoner in this far-off
land! Know for a certainty,
however, that whatever your hands or the hands of the infidels have wrought
will never, as they never did of old, change the Cause of God or alter His
ways.
96 Give
heed to My warning, ye people of Persia!
If I be slain at your hands, God will assuredly raise up one who will
fill the seat made vacant through My death, for such is God’s method carried
into effect of old, and no change can ye find in God’s method of dealing. Seek ye to put out God’s light that
shineth upon His earth? Averse is
God from what ye desire. He shall
perfect His light, albeit ye abhor it in the secret of your hearts.
97 Pause
for but a little while and reflect, O Minister, and be fair in thy
judgement. What is it that We have
committed that could justify thee in having slandered Us unto the King’s
Ministers, in following thy desires, in perverting the truth, and in uttering
thy calumnies against Us? We have
never met each other except when We met thee in thy father’s house, in the days
when the martyrdom of Imám Ḥusayn was being commemorated. On those occasions no one could have had
the chance of making known to others his views and beliefs in conversation or
in discourse. Thou wilt bear
witness to the truth of My words, if thou be of the truthful. I have frequented no other gatherings in
which thou couldst have learned My mind or in which any other could have done
so. How, then, didst thou pronounce
thy verdict against Me, when thou hadst not heard My testimony from Mine own
lips? Hast thou not heard what God,
exalted be His glory, hath said:
“Say not to everyone who meeteth you with a greeting, ‘Thou art not a
believer’.”[76] “Thrust not away those who cry to their
Lord at morn and even, craving to behold His face.”[77] Thou hast indeed forsaken what the Book
of God hath prescribed, and yet thou deemest thyself to be a believer!
98 Despite
what thou hast done I entertain—and to this God is My witness—no ill will
against thee, nor against anyone, though from thee and others We receive such
hurt as no believer in the unity of God can sustain. My cause is in the hand of none except
God, and My trust is in no one else but Him. Erelong shall your days pass away, as
shall pass away the days of those who now, with flagrant pride, vaunt
themselves over their neighbour.
Soon shall ye be gathered together in the presence of God, and shall be
asked of your doings, and shall be repaid for what your hands have wrought, and
wretched is the abode of the wicked doers!
99 By
God! Wert thou to realize what thou
hast done, thou wouldst surely weep sore over thyself, and wouldst flee for
refuge to God, and wouldst pine away and mourn all the days of thy life, till
God will have forgiven thee, for He, verily, is the Most Generous, the
All-Bountiful. Thou wilt, however,
persist, till the hour of thy death, in thy heedlessness, inasmuch as thou
hast, with all thine heart, thy soul and inmost being, busied thyself with the
vanities of the world. Thou shalt,
after thy departure, discover what We have revealed unto thee, and shalt find
all thy doings recorded in the Book wherein the works of all them that dwell on
earth, be they greater or less than the weight of an atom, are noted down. Heed, therefore, My counsel, and hearken
thou, with the hearing of thine heart, unto My speech, and be not careless of
My words, nor be of them that reject My truth. Glory not in the things that have been
given thee. Set before thine eyes
what hath been revealed in the Book of God, the Help in Peril, the
All-Glorious: “And when they had
forgotten their warnings, We set open to them the gates of all things,” even as
We did set open to thee and to thy like the gates of this earth and the
ornaments thereof. Wait thou,
therefore, for what hath been promised in the latter part of this holy verse,[78]
for this is a promise from Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise—a promise that
will not prove untrue.
100 I know not the
path ye have chosen and which ye tread, O congregation of My ill-wishers! We summon you to God, We remind you of
His Day, We announce unto you tidings of your reunion with Him, We draw you
nigh unto His court, and send down upon you tokens of His wondrous wisdom, and
yet lo, behold how ye reject Us, how ye condemn Us, through the things which
your lying mouths have uttered, as an infidel, how ye devise your devices
against Us! And when We manifest
unto you what God hath, through His bountiful favour, bestowed upon Us, ye say,
“It is but plain magic.” The same words were spoken by the generations that
were before you and were what ye are, did ye but perceive it. Ye have thereby deprived yourselves of
the bounty of God and of His grace, and shall never obtain them till the day
when God will have judged between Us and you, and He, verily, is the best of
judges.
101 Certain ones
among you have said: “He it is Who
hath laid claim to be God.” By
God! This is a gross calumny. I am but a servant of God Who hath
believed in Him and in His signs, and in His Prophets and in His angels. My tongue, and My heart, and My inner
and My outer being testify that there is no God but Him, that all others have
been created by His behest, and been fashioned through the operation of His
Will. There is none other God but
Him, the Creator, the Raiser from the dead, the Quickener, the Slayer. I am He that telleth abroad the favours
with which God hath, through His bounty, favoured Me. If this be My transgression, then I am
truly the first of the transgressors.
I and My kindred are at your mercy.
Do ye as ye please, and be not of them that hesitate, that I might return
to God My Lord, and reach the place where I can no longer behold your
faces. This, indeed, is My dearest
wish, My most ardent desire. Of My
state God is, verily, sufficiently informed, observant.
102 Imagine thyself
to be under the eye of God, O Minister!
If thou seest Him not, He, in truth, clearly seeth thee. Observe, and judge fairly Our
Cause. What is it that We have
committed that could have induced thee to rise up against Us, and to slander Us
to the people, if thou be of them who are just? We departed out of Ṭihrán, at the
bidding of the King,[‡‡‡‡‡‡‡]
and, by his leave, transferred Our residence to ‘Iráq. If I had transgressed against him, why,
then, did he release Me? And if I
were innocent of guilt, wherefore did ye afflict Us with such tribulation as
none among them that profess your faith hath suffered? Hath any of Mine acts, after Mine
arrival in ‘Iráq, been such as to subvert the authority of the government? Who is it that can be said to have
detected anything reprehensible in Our behaviour? Enquire for thyself of its people, that
thou mayest be of them who have discerned the truth.
103 For eleven years
We dwelt in that land, until the Minister representing thy government arrived,[79]
whose name Our pen is loth to mention, who was given to wine, who followed his
lusts, and committed wickedness, and was corrupt and corrupted ‘Iráq. To this will bear witness most of the
inhabitants of Baghdád, wert thou to inquire of them, and be of such as
seek the truth. He it was who
wrongfully seized the substance of his fellow-men, who forsook all the
commandments of God, and perpetrated whatever God had forbidden. Eventually, he, following his desires,
rose up against Us, and walked in the ways of the unjust. He accused Us, in his letter to thee, and
thou didst believe him and followed in his way, without seeking any proof or
trustworthy evidence from him. Thou
didst ask for no explanation, nor didst thou attempt either to investigate or
ascertain the matter, that the truth might be distinguished from falsehood in
thy sight, and that thou mightest be clear in thy discernment. Find out for thyself the sort of man he
was by asking those Ministers who were, at that time, in ‘Iráq, as well as the
Governor of the City[§§§§§§§]
and its high Counsellor, that the truth may be revealed to thee, and that thou
mayest be of the well-informed.
104 God is Our
witness! We have, under no
circumstances, opposed either him, or others. We observed, under all conditions, the
precepts of God, and were never one of those that wrought disorders. To this he himself doth testify. His intention was to lay hold on Us, and
send Us back to Persia, that he might thereby exalt his fame and
reputation. Thou hast committed the
same crime, and for the self-same purpose.
Ye both are of equal grade in the sight of God, the sovereign Lord of
all, the All-Knowing.
105 It is not Our
purpose in addressing to thee these words to lighten the burden of Our woe, or
to induce thee to intercede for Us with anyone. Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all
worlds! We have set forth the whole
matter before thee, that perchance thou might realize what thou hast done,
might desist from inflicting on others the hurt thou hast inflicted on Us, and
might be of them that have truly repented to God, Who created thee and created
all things, and might act with discernment in the future. Better is this for thee than all thou
dost possess, than thy ministry whose days are numbered.
106 Beware
lest thou be led to connive at injustice.
Set thy heart firmly upon justice, and alter not the Cause of God, and
be of them whose eyes are directed towards the things that have been revealed
in His Book. Follow not, under any
condition, the promptings of thine evil desires. Keep thou the law of God, thy Lord, the
Beneficent, the Ancient of Days.
Thou shalt most certainly return to dust, and shalt perish like all the
things in which thou takest delight.
This is what the Tongue of truth and glory hath spoken.
107 Rememberest thou
not God’s warning uttered in times past, that thou mayest be of them that heed
His warning? He said, and He,
verily, speaketh the truth: “From
it (earth) have We created you, and unto it will We return you, and out of it
will We bring you forth a second time.”[80] This is what God ordained unto all them
that dwell on earth, be they high or low.
It behoveth not, therefore, him who was created from dust, who will
return unto it, and will again be brought forth out of it, to swell with pride
before God, and before His loved ones, to proudly scorn them, and be filled
with disdainful arrogance. Nay,
rather it behoveth thee and those like thee to submit yourselves to them Who
are the Manifestations of the unity of God, and to defer humbly to the
faithful, who have forsaken their all for the sake of God, and have detached
themselves from the things which engross men’s attention, and lead them astray
from the path of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Thus do We send down upon you that which
shall profit you and profit them that have placed their whole trust and
confidence in their Lord.
108 O ye divines of the
City! We came to you with the
truth, whilst ye were heedless of it.
Methinks ye are as dead, wrapt in the coverings of your own selves. Ye sought not Our presence, when so to
do would have been better for you than all your doings. Know ye that the Sun of vicegerency hath
dawned in all truth, and yet ye have turned away therefrom. The Moon of guidance hath risen high in
the midmost heaven, and yet ye remain veiled therefrom. The Star of divine bounty hath shone
forth above the horizon of eternal holiness, and yet ye have strayed far
therefrom.
109 Know ye, that had
your leaders, to whom ye owe allegiance, and on whom ye pride yourselves, and
whom ye mention by day and by night, and from whose traces ye seek guidance—had
they lived in these days, they would have circled around Me, and would not have
separated themselves from Me, whether at eventide or at morn. Ye, however, did not turn your faces
towards My face, for even less than a moment, and waxed proud, and were
careless of this Wronged One, Who hath been so afflicted by men that they dealt
with Him as they pleased. Ye failed
to inquire about My condition, nor did ye inform yourselves of the things which
befell Me. Thereby have ye withheld
from yourselves the winds of holiness, and the breezes of bounty, that blow from
this luminous and perspicuous Spot.
110 Methinks ye have
clung to outward things, and forgotten the inner things, and say that which ye
do not. Ye are lovers of names, and
appear to have given yourselves up to them. For this reason make ye mention of the
names of your leaders. And should
anyone like them, or superior unto them, come unto you, ye would flee him. Through their names ye have exalted
yourselves, and have secured your positions, and live and prosper. And were your leaders to reappear, ye
would not renounce your leadership, nor would ye turn in their direction, nor
set your faces towards them.
111 We found
you, as We found most men, worshipping names which they mention during the days
of their life, and with which they occupy themselves. No sooner do the Bearers of these names
appear, however, than they repudiate them, and turn upon their heels. Thus have We found you, and thus have We
reckoned up your actions and borne witness to all your doings in this day. Know ye that God will not, in this day,
accept your thoughts, nor your remembrance of Him, nor your turning towards
Him, nor your devotions, nor your vigilance, unless ye be made new in the
estimation of this Servant, could ye but perceive it.
112 By God! The Tree of vicegerency hath been
planted, the Point of knowledge hath been made plain, and the sovereignty of
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, hath been established. Fear ye the Lord. Follow not the promptings of your evil
desires, but keep the law of God all your days. Renew the rules of the ways ye follow,
that ye may be led by the light of guidance and may hasten in the path of the
True One.
113 O ye wise men of
the City and philosophers of the world!
Beware lest human learning and wisdom cause you to wax proud before God,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Know ye that true wisdom is to fear God, to know Him, and to recognize
His Manifestations. This wisdom,
however, can be attained only by those who detach themselves from the world,
and who walk in the ways of the good pleasure of their Lord. Are ye possessed of greater wisdom than
the one who contrived a moon which would rise from one well and set in another,
and whose light was visible at a distance of three leagues?[81] God, verily, blotted out every trace of
his works and returned him unto dust, as ye have already heard or are now
informed.
114 How
many the sages and philosophers who equalled or surpassed him in learning and
wisdom! And how vast the number of
those who equalled or surpassed yourselves! Some of them believed in God, while
others disbelieved and joined partners with Him. The latter were at last cast into the
Fire, there to take up their abode, while the former returned unto the mercy of
their Lord, therein to abide. For
God doth not ask you of your sciences, but of your faith and of your
conduct. Are ye greater in wisdom
than the One Who brought you into being, Who fashioned the heavens and all that
they contain, the earth and all that dwell upon it? Gracious God! True wisdom is His. All creation and its empire are
His. He bestoweth His wisdom upon
whomsoever He chooseth amongst men, and withholdeth it from whomsoever He
desireth. He, in truth, is the
Bestower and the Withholder, and He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the All-Wise.
115 O ye learned of
the world! Ye failed to seek Our
presence, that ye might hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Spirit and
perceive that which God in His bounty hath pleased to bestow upon Me. Verily, this grace hath now escaped you,
did ye but know. Had ye sought Our
presence, We would have imparted unto you a knowledge that would have rendered
you independent of all else. But
this ye failed to do, and thus hath the decree of God been fulfilled. Now have I been forbidden to disclose
it, since We stand accused of sorcery, if ye perceive Our meaning. The same words were uttered by the
deniers of old, men whom death hath long since overtaken and who now dwell in
the fire bewailing their plight.
The deniers of this day shall likewise meet their doom. Such is the irrevocable decree of Him
Who is the All-Powerful, the Self-Sufficient.
116 I counsel you, in
the end, not to overstep the bounds of God, nor to heed the ways and habits of
men, for these can neither “fatten nor appease your hunger”. Fix, rather, your gaze upon the precepts
of God. Whosoever desireth, let him
accept this counsel as a path leading unto his Lord, and whosoever desireth,
let him return to his own idle imaginings.
My Lord, verily, is independent above all who are in the heavens and on
the earth, and above all that they say and do.
117 I close with
these words uttered by God, exalted be His glory: “Say not to everyone who
meeteth you with a greeting, ‘Thou art not a believer’.”[82]
118 Peace be upon
you, O concourse of the faithful, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.
Endnotes
NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION
Wherever possible, translations made by Shoghi Effendi
have been incorporated in the present volume. These passages account for approximately
one third of the text. The
committees and individuals appointed to prepare the translations faced the
challenge of rendering the balance of the Text in a manner at once faithful to
the meaning of the original and consistent with the exalted English style
established by the Guardian for the translation of Bahá’u’lláh’s matchless
utterance.
In the translation of the Lawḥ-i-Sulṭán the translators benefited from
consulting the earlier, pioneering translation of the English orientalist E. G.
Browne as it appeared in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s A Traveller’s Narrative, first
published by Cambridge University Press in 1891.
KEY TO PASSAGES TRANSLATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI
ESW Bahá’u’lláh. Epistle
to the Son of the Wolf.
Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1988.
GPB Shoghi
Effendi. God Passes By.
Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1974.
GWB Bahá’u’lláh. Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1976.
KI Bahá’u’lláh. The
Kitáb-i-Íqán. Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1994.
HW Bahá’u’lláh. The Hidden Words.
Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1994. (PHW are from the
Persian Hidden Words.)
PDC Shoghi
Effendi. The Promised Day Is Come.
Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, rev. ed., 1996.
WOB Shoghi
Effendi. The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh:
Selected Letters.
Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1991.
PARAGRAPH PASSAGE SOURCE
Súriy-i-Haykal
6–7 “While
engulfed in tribulations … of them that perceive.” GPB
101–102
8 “The
day is approaching when God … the Self-Subsisting.” WOB
109–110
34 “Erelong
shall God draw forth … how vehement is His might” WOB
110
42 “Beware
lest ye shed the blood … if ye do but understand.” ESW
25
44 “Naught
is seen in My temple … could be seen but God.” WOB
109
47 “the
fertilizing winds … whether seen or unseen!” WOB
169, PDC ¶112
50 “The
Holy Spirit Itself … of them that comprehend” WOB
109
66 “Within
the treasury of Our Wisdom … the All-Wise.” WOB
109
75 “It
is in Our power, should We wish it, to enable … future ages.” WOB
107
88 “Great
is the blessedness … the Almighty,
the All-Wise.” PDC
¶271
89 “O
ye the dawning-places … and unto others.”
PDC
¶208
89 “Ye
are even as a spring … it fruits, will be corrupted.” PDC
¶208
96 “Had
the Primal Point … with each other in My Days.” WOB
138
Pope Pius IX (Lawḥ-i-Páp)
102
“O Pope!… the Almighty, the Unrestrained.” PDC
¶71
102 “He, verily, hath again come … hath been illumined.” PDC
¶71
203 “Dwellest thou in palaces … towards the Kingdom.” PDC
¶71
105 “Arise in the name of thy Lord …peoples of all faiths.” PDC
¶71
106 “Call thou to remembrance … away from His light.” PDC
¶72
108 “Consider those who opposed … disputed with Him.” PDC
¶72
108 “None
save a very few … eventide and at dawn.” PDC
¶72
109 “Read
ye the Evangel … concourse of learned men!” PDC
¶256
111 “The
fragrances of the … fast hold of guidance.” PDC
¶256
112 “The
Word which the Son … of the righteous!” PDC
¶73
113 “This
is the day … Kingdom is fulfilled!” PDC
¶73
114 “My
body longeth … from its transgressions.” PDC
¶73
115 “The
people of the Qur’án … clouds wept over Us.” PDC
¶247
116 “And
if they cast … the Gracious, the All-Powerful!” WOB
108
118 “O
Supreme Pontiff … the book of creation.” PDC
¶74
120 “Should
the inebriation … Revealer of all power.” PDC
¶74
126 “Verily,
the day of ingathering … the All-Compelling.” PDC
¶74
127 “Say: O concourse of Christians … turn ye unto
Him.” PDC
¶261
127 “The
Beloved One … heedless of My Revelation” PDC
¶261
128 “O
people of the Gospel! … everlasting life.” PDC
¶261
129 “We
behold you … Direct yourselves towards Him.” PDC
¶261
129 “Verily,
He said … quickeners of mankind.” PDC
¶261
Napoleon III (Lawḥ-i-Napulyún II)
131–5 “O King of Paris! … near access to God to flow.” ESW
46–49
136–9 “Say: O concourse of monks ... wrapped in a
thick veil!” ESW
49–52
140 “More
grievous ... kingdoms of earth and heaven.” ESW
52
141 “Upon
Our arrival ... token of God’s grace.”
GPB
206
142–43 “As My
tribulations multiplied ... poor and the desolate.” ESW
52–53
143 “Abandon
thy palaces ... them that turn unto Him.” PDC
¶70
143 “Shouldst
thou desire … All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” PDC
¶70
144 “Arise
thou ... Lord of strength and of might.” ESW
53
145 “Adorn
the body ... peoples of the earth.” ESW
53–54
146 “Doth
it behove you ... shining and resplendent Seat.” ESW
54
147 “Shed
not the blood ... abode of the transgressors!” ESW
54
148 “God
hath prescribed ... influence his hearers.” GWB
CLVIII
149 “Deal
not treacherously … the Most Generous.” ESW
54–55
150–51 “O people
of Bahá … created of a sorry germ.” ESW
55
152 “Regard
ye the world … such as create dissension.” ESW
55–56
154 “He
Who is your Lord … among God’s blessed ones.” GWB
CVII
156 “Meditate
on the world … this sublime Vision.” ESW
56
Czar Alexander II (Lawḥ-i-Malik-i-Rús)
158
“O Czar of Russia … barter away this sublime station.” PDC
¶75
159-60 “Beware
lest thy sovereignty … sword of the oppressor.” PDC
¶75–76
162–3 “Again
I say … the Mighty, the Glorified.” PDC
¶77–78
164 “Some
lamented … Evangel were adorned.” PDC
¶78
170 “Blessed
be the king … the All-Powerful, the Almighty.” PDC
¶78
Queen Victoria (Lawh-i-Malikih)
171–3
“O Queen in London … the Ruler, the All-Wise.” PDC
¶79–81
173 “And if any one of them … of the blissful.” ESW
61–62
174–6 “O
ye the elected … all else naught but error.” GWB
CXX
176–7 “Each
time that Most Mighty … what I say.” ESW
63–64
178–82 “O ye
rulers … naught but manifest justice.” GWB
CXIX
185 “Turn
thou unto God … heavens and of the earth.” PDC
¶82
Násiri’d-Dín Sháh (Lawḥ-i-Sulṭán)
192–95 “O King! I was but a man …
derived from the Name of God!” PDC ¶97–99
217 “A just king is the shadow … that hath surpassed the worlds.” PDC ¶182
221 “Would
that the world-adorning wish ... for Me or against Me.” PDC
¶110
225 “O
ye that are foolish ... the paths of perdition.” PHW
#24
226 “O
ye seeming fair ... immeasurable is the difference!” PHW
#25
227 “O
essence of desire! ... unto the hosts of holiness.” PHW
#28
228 “O
bondslave of the world! ... returned whence it came.” PHW
#30
230 “O
King of the age! ... a sufficient witness unto Me.” PDC
¶100
231 “The
religious doctors ... and unto them shall it return.” KI
247–48
231 “When
the Standard of Truth ... shall curse it.” KI
238
232 “Those
doctors who have indeed drunk of the cup of renunciation” GPB
143
242 “Each
nation hath plotted darkly ... invalidate the truth.” KI
5
242 “No
Messenger cometh unto them but they laugh Him to scorn.” KI
5
244 “But
if their opposition be grievous ... a ladder into heaven” KI
109–10
249 “O
would that thou wouldst ... knowledge of the Book.” PDC
¶101
249 “But
for the repudiation ... no God is there but He!” PDC
¶101
258 “By
Him Who is the Truth! ... lighteth earth and heaven.” ESW
17
265 “I
have seen, O Sháh ... nor ear heard.” PDC
¶102
265-6 “How
numerous the tribulations ... in the path of My Lord!” PDC ¶102
267 “According
to what they say ... metropolis of the owl” GPB
186
268 “By
God! Though weariness ... such as
commune with Him.” PDC ¶102
273 “But
for the tribulations ... the Lord of the worlds.” ESW
94
276 “Thus
have We built the Temple ... Be and it is.” PDC
¶113
Súriy-i-Ra’ís
1 “Hearken, O chief
… the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.” WOB
178
2 “Thou
hast, O Chief, committed that ... evident loss!” WOB
178
5 “The
day is approaching … in sore distress.” PDC
¶152
11 “the
loved ones of God ... on the first night without food.” GPB
179
12 “The
people surrounded the house ... wept over Us” GPB
179
12 “We
perceived that the weeping ... such as ponder.” GPB
179–180
13 “unheard
of in bygone centuries ... the power of His might” GPB
180
13 “King
and Beloved of Martyrs” GPB
136–137
14 “Say: This Youth hath departed ... the power
of truth” GPB
181
18 “Had
Muḥammad ... privileged to behold Thy face!” WOB
105–106
21 “Ere
long will God ... the Almighty, the Beneficent” PDC
¶185
Lawḥ-i-Ra’ís
6 “From
the foundation of the world ... nor heard of.” GPB
187
7 “Soon
will He seize you ... none to help or succour you.” PDC
¶153
9 “Several
times calamities ... the Pen of My command.” PDC
¶153
25–26 “There
is a matter ... may be made known unto you.” PDC
¶111
Lawḥ-i-Fu’ád
13 “Soon will We dismiss ... the All-Compelling.” PDC ¶156
Súriy-i-Mulúk
2
“O kings of the earth! … the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.” PDC
¶41
2–3 “Fear
God, O concourse … and be not of the heedless.” PDC
¶41
4 “My
face hath come forth … could ye but know it.” PDC
¶41
6 “Arise,
then, … may be revealed unto you.” PDC
¶41
[*] Mírzá Yaḥyá.
[†] The Báb.
[‡] Peter.
[§] The Sulṭán of Turkey.
[**] ‘Akká.
[††] Mecca.
[‡‡] The Súriy-i-Mulúk.
[§§] The Sulṭán of Turkey.
[***] Muḥammad.
[†††] Ṭihrán.
[‡‡‡] Baghdád.
[§§§] Mecca.
[****] Adrianople.
[††††] Muḥammad Sháh.
[‡‡‡‡] Anís.
[§§§§] Adrianople.
[*****] Mírzá ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Naráqí.
[†††††] ‘Álí Páshá.
[‡‡‡‡‡] Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz.
[§§§§§] The Báb.
[******] Jesus.
[††††††] Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz.
[‡‡‡‡‡‡] Adrianople.
[§§§§§§] The Báb.
[*******] Imám Ḥusayn.
[†††††††] The Muslims.
[‡‡‡‡‡‡‡] Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh.
[§§§§§§§] Baghdád.
[1] cf. Qur’án 2:30–34; 38:71–75.
[2] Ustád Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Salmání. See God Passes By, pp. 166–168, for an account of the
events referred to by Bahá’u’lláh in this and following paragraphs.
[3] The word Haykal (Temple) is composed in Arabic
of the four letters Há’, Yá’, Káf and Lám (HYKL). Its first letter is taken to symbolize
the word Huvíyyah (Essence of Divinity); its second letter the word Qadír
(Almighty), of which Yá’ is the third letter; its third letter the
word Karím (All-Bountiful); and its fourth letter the word Faḍl (Grace),
of which Lám is the third letter.
[4] cf. Qur’án 21:30; 24:45; 25:54.
[5] That is, the letter “E”. In all such instances in the Writings where the
letters “B” and “E” are mentioned, the Arabic letters are Káf and Nún, the
two consonants of the Arabic word Kun, which is the
imperative meaning “Be”.
[6] “The tree beyond which there is no
passing”, a reference to the station of the Manifestation of God.
[7] These are examples of the types of questions put to
the Báb. According to the teachings of Shí‘ite Islám, leadership
of the Islamic community belonged of right, after the passing of the Prophet Muḥammad,
to a line of twelve successors, descendants of His daughter Fáṭimih,
known as “Imáms”. This line being eventually severed through the
“occultation” of the last Imám,
communication with the latter was for a time maintained through a succession of
four intermediaries known as “Gates”.
[8] One of a trio of Arabian goddesses whose worship
was abolished by the Prophet Muḥammad.
[9] A small rock situated low in the eastern corner
of the Kaaba.
[10] cf. Matthew 5:29; Mark 9:47.
[11] This is Bahá’u’lláh’s second Tablet
addressed to the French Emperor. An
earlier Tablet was revealed in Adrianople.
[12] The Crimean War (1853–1856).
[13] Within the year Napoleon III was
defeated at the Battle of Sedan (1870) and sent into exile.
[14] cf. Qur’án 77:20; 32:8.
[15] The two Most Great Festivals are the
Festival of Riḍván, during which Bahá’u’lláh first proclaimed His Mission, and
the Declaration of the Báb. The
“twin days” refer to the Birthdays of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. cf. Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶110.
[16] cf. Qur’án 17:78.
[17] Mírzá Buzurg Khán,
the Persian Consul-General in Baghdád.
[18] The Mu’taminu’l-Mulk,
Mírzá Sa‘íd Khán-i-Anṣárí, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
[19] Bahá’u’lláh here
refers to His and His companions’ application for Ottoman citizenship.
[20] Áqá Siyyid Muḥammad-i-Ṭabáṭabá’íy-i-Isfáhání,
known as “Mujáhid”.
[21] The second
Russo–Persian War of 1825-28.
[22] Qur’án 2:94; 62:6.
[23] cf. Persian Hidden
Words, nos. 24, 25, 28 and 30.
[24] Qur’án 49:6.
[25] Qur’án 5:59.
[26] A Tradition ascribed to the eleventh
Imám, Abú Muḥammad al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarí.
[27] Traditions ascribed to the sixth Imám,
Abú ‘Abdu’lláh Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣádiq.
[28] Shaykh
Murtaḍáy-i-Anṣárí, a prominent mujtahid.
[29] Qur’án 2:179.
[30] Qur’án 6:164; 17:15;
35:18; 39:7; 53:38.
[31] cf. Qur’án 3:40;
14:27; 22:18.
[32] cf. Qur’án 5:1.
[33] cf. Qur’án 5:64.
[34] Qur’án 40:5.
[35] Qur’án 36:30.
[36] Qur’án 8:30.
[37] Qur’án 6:35.
[38] cf. Matthew 24:35;
Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33.
[39] John 14:28.
[40] cf. John 14:16; 14:26;
15:26; 16:7.
[41] See, for example,
Qur’án 4:46; 5:13; 5:41; and 2:75, and the discussion in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, p.
84 ff.
[42] ‘Alí Ibn Ḥusayn, known
as “Zaynu’l-‘Ábidín”, the second of the Imám Ḥusayn’s sons, who became the
fourth Imám.
[43] The Kharijites, a
faction opposed to both the Imáms and the Umayyad state.
[44] Allusions to the
‘Abbásid and Umayyad dynasties, respectively.
[45] Qur’án 57:16.
[46] cf. Luke 19:21.
[47] cf. Qur’án 55:26.
[48] cf. Qur’án 12:31.
[49] This Tablet was revealed in Arabic in
honour of Ḥájí Muḥammad Ismá‘íl-i-Káshání, entitled Dhabíḥ
(Sacrifice) and Anís (Companion) by Bahá’u’lláh, and addresses ‘Álí Páshá,
the Ottoman Prime Minister, referred to here as Ra’ís (Chief or Ruler).
[50] Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz lost both his
throne and his life in 1876. During
the subsequent war with Russia (1877–1878), Adrianople was occupied by the
enemy and the Turks experienced a violent bloodbath.
[51] Literally, “the Mount of Figs” and “the
Mount of Olives”, cf. Qur’án 95:1.
[52] Chosroes II, the Sasanian monarch who
reigned in Persia during the lifetime of Muḥammad.
[53] Ḥájí Ja‘far-i-Tabrízí; he was prevented
in time from ending his life.
[54] Siyyid Ismá‘íl of Zavárih.
[55] This second Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh
addressing ‘Álí Páshá was revealed in Persian shortly after
Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival and confinement in ‘Akká.
[56] For an account of this incident see God
Passes By, p. 182.
[57] A probable reference to the fire of
Hocapaşa, which destroyed a large part of the city of Constantinople in 1865.
[58] The Lawḥ-i-Fu’ád was addressed to Shaykh Káẓim-i-Samandar
of Qazvín, one of the apostles of Bahá’u’lláh. Its subject, the former Ottoman
statesman Fu’ád Páshá, died in France in 1869. The letter names Káf and Ẓá
refer to the K and Ẓ of Káẓim.
[59] cf. Qur’án 38:3.
[60] cf. Qur’án 13:13.
[61] cf. Qur’án 40:32.
[62] cf. Qur’án 38:12, 89:10.
[63] “heart” translates fu’ád, the given name of the Ottoman minister.
[64] Mírzá Mihdíy-i-Rashtí, a judge
in Constantinople and supporter of Mírzá Yaḥyá.
[65] John 14:28.
[66] John 16:13.
[67] John 1:13.
[68] The French Ambassador in
Constantinople.
[69] The Persian Ambassador in
Constantinople.
[70] Qur’án 51:55.
[71] Qur’án 49:6.
[72] Qur’án 12:53.
[73] Qur’án 15:88.
[74] cf. Qur’án 77:20; 32:8.
[75] Qur’án 40:28.
[76] Qur’án 4:94.
[77] Qur’án 6:52.
[78] Qur’án 6:44.
[79] The Persian Consul-General in Baghdád.
[80] Qur’án 20:55.
[81] Al-Muqanna‘ of Khurásán (eighth
century A.D.).