Selections from the Writings of the Báb
Compiled by the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice and translated by Habib Taherzadeh with the
assistance of a Committee at the Bahá’í World Centre
• • •
Table of Contents
1.
Tablets and
Addresses
2.
Excerpts from
the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’
3.
Excerpts from
the Persian Bayán
4.
Excerpts from
the Dalá’il-i-Sab‘ih
5.
Excerpts from
the Kitáb-i-Asmá’
6.
Excerpts from
Various Writings
7.
Prayers and
Meditations
Key to Passages Translated by Shoghi Effendi
Notes and References in this Publication
• • •
References to the Qur’án
In footnotes referring to the Qur’án the
súrihs have been numbered according to the original, whereas the verse numbers
are those in Rodwell’s translation which differ sometimes from those of the
Arabic.
1
Tablets and Addresses
A Tablet Addressed to
“Him Who Will Be Made Manifest”
This is an epistle from this lowly servant to the All-Glorious
Lord—He Who hath been aforetime and will be hereafter made manifest. Verily He
is the Most Manifest, the Almighty.
In the name of the Sovereign Lord, the Lord of Power.
Glorified is He before
Whom all the dwellers of earth and heaven bow down in adoration and unto Whom
all men turn in supplication. He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the mighty
kingdom of all created things and unto Him shall all return. He is the One Who
revealeth whatsoever He willeth and by His injunction “Be Thou” all things have
come into being.
This
is an epistle from the letter Thá1 unto Him Who will be made
manifest through the power of Truth—He Who is the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved—to affirm that all created things as well as myself bear witness
for all time that there is none other God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the
Self-Subsisting; that Thou art God, there is no God besides Thee and that all
men shall be raised up to life through Thee.
Lauded
and glorified be Thy name, O Lord, my God!
From
all eternity I have indeed recognized Thee and unto all eternity will ever do
so through Thine Own Self and not through anyone else besides Thee. Verily Thou
art the Source of all knowledge, the Omniscient. From everlasting I have
besought and unto everlasting will beseech forgiveness for my limited
understanding of Thee, aware as I am that there is no God but Thee, the
All-Glorious, the Almighty.
I beg
of Thee, O my Best-Beloved, to pardon me and those who earnestly seek to
promote Thy Cause; Thou art indeed the One Who forgiveth the sins of all
mankind. And in this second year of my Revelation—a Revelation which took place
at Thy behest—I bear witness that Thou art the Most Manifest, the Omnipotent,
the Ever-Abiding; that of all things that exist on earth and in the heavens
nothing whatsoever can frustrate Thy purpose and that Thou art the Knower of
all things and the Lord of might and majesty.
Verily,
we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs ere the dawn of Thy Manifestation,
and in Thee are we all well assured. Verily, we have believed in Thee and in
Thy signs after the fulfillment of Thy Manifestation, and in Thee do we all
believe. Verily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs at the hour of Thy
Manifestation and bear witness that through Thine injunction “Be Thou” all
things have been created.
Every
Manifestation is but a revelation of Thine Own Self, with each of Whom we have
truly appeared and we bow down in adoration before Thee. Thou hast been, O my
Best-Beloved, and shalt ever be my witness throughout bygone times and in the
days to come. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Ever-Faithful, the
Omnipotent.
I have
testified to Thy oneness through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the
heavens and the earth, bearing witness that, verily, Thou art the All-Glorious,
the Best-Beloved. I have attained the recognition of Thee through Thine Own
Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that
Thou art in truth the Almighty, the All-Praised. I have glorified Thy Name
through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth,
bearing witness that Thou art indeed the Lord of power, He Who is the Most
Manifest. I have exalted Thy holiness through Thine Own Self before the
dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that in truth Thou art
the Most Sanctified, the Most Holy. I have praised Thy sanctity through Thine
Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that
Thou art indeed the Indescribable, the Inaccessible, the Immeasurably
Glorified. I have extolled Thine overpowering majesty through Thine Own Self
before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that, verily,
Thou and Thou alone art the Lord of might, the Eternal One, the Ancient of
Days.
Hallowed
and glorified art Thou; there is none other God but Thee and in truth unto Thee
do we all return.
As to
those who have put the kindred of ‘Alí to death, erelong they shall realize to
what depths of perdition they have descended.
A Second Tablet Addressed to
“Him Who Will Be Made Manifest”
May the glances of Him Whom God shall make manifest illumine this
letter at the primary school.1
He is the Most Glorious.
He is God, no God is there
but Him, the Almighty, the Best-Beloved. All that are in the heavens and on the
earth and whatever lieth between them are His. Verily He is the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting.
This
is a letter from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, unto God, the
Almighty, the Best-Beloved, to affirm that the Bayán and such as bear
allegiance to it are but a present from me unto Thee and to express my
undoubting faith that there is no God but Thee, that the kingdoms of Creation
and Revelation are Thine, that no one can attain anything save by Thy power and
that He Whom Thou hast raised up is but Thy servant and Thy Testimony. I,
indeed, beg to address Him Whom God shall make manifest, by Thy leave in these
words: “Shouldst Thou dismiss the entire company of the followers of the Bayán
in the Day of the Latter Resurrection by a mere sign of Thy finger even while
still a suckling babe, Thou wouldst indeed be praised in Thy indication. And though
no doubt is there about it, do Thou grant a respite of nineteen years as a
token of Thy favor so that those who have embraced this Cause may be graciously
rewarded by Thee. Thou art verily the Lord of grace abounding. Thou dost indeed
suffice every created thing and causest it to be independent of all things,
while nothing in the heavens or on the earth or that which lieth between them
can ever suffice Thee.”
Verily
Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the All-Knowing; Thou art indeed potent over all
things.
Tablet to the First Letter of the Living
This is that which We have revealed for the First Believer in Him
Whom God shall make manifest, that it may serve as an admonition from Our
presence unto all mankind.
In the Name of the Almighty, the Best-Beloved.
Lauded and glorified is He
Who is the sovereign Lord of the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is
between them. Say, verily unto Him shall all return, and He is the One Who
guideth at His Own behest whomsoever He pleaseth. Say, all men beseech His
blessings and He is supreme over all created things. He is indeed the
All-Glorious, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.
This
is an epistle from the letter Thá unto him who is the First Believer.
Bear thou witness that verily He is I, Myself, the Sovereign, the Omnipotent.
He is the One Who ordaineth life and death and unto Him shall all return.
Indeed there is none other God but Him and all men bow down in adoration before
Him. Verily Thy Lord, God, shall presently recompense every one as He
ordaineth, even swifter than uttering the words “Be thou, and it is.”
God
hath in truth testified in His Book and so also have testified the company of
His angels, His Messengers and those endued with divine knowledge, that thou
hast believed in God and in His signs and that everyone is guided aright by
virtue of thy guidance. This is indeed a boundless grace which God, the
Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, hath graciously conferred upon thee aforetime
and will confer hereafter. And since thou didst believe in God before the
creation, He hath in truth, at His own behest, raised thee up in every
Revelation. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign Protector, the All-Glorious.
It
behooveth you to proclaim the Cause of God unto all created things as a token
of grace from His presence; no God is there but Him, the Most Generous, the
All-Compelling.
Say:
All matters must be referred to the Book of God; I am indeed the First to
believe in God and in His signs; I am the One Who divulgeth and proclaimeth the
Truth and I have been invested with every excellent title of God, the Mighty,
the Incomparable. Verily I have attained the Day of the First Manifestation and
by the bidding of the Lord and as a token of His grace, I shall attain the Day
of the Latter Manifestation. There is no God but Him and at the appointed hour
everyone shall bow down unto Him in adoration.
I
render thanks and yield praise unto God for having been chosen by Him as the
Exponent of His Cause in bygone days and in the days to come; there is none
other God save Him, the Glorified, the All-Praised, the Ever-Abiding. Whatever
is in the heavens and on the earth is His and through Him are we guided aright.
O
people of the Bayán! Those who embrace the Truth must turn unto Me, as ordained
in the Book and divine guidance will be vouchsafed to whosoever attaineth My
presence.
Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Sháh
The substance wherewith
God hath created Me is not the clay out of which others have been formed. He
hath conferred upon Me that which the worldly-wise can never comprehend, nor
the faithful discover.… I am one of the sustaining pillars of the Primal Word
of God. Whosoever hath recognized Me hath known all that is true and right and
hath attained all that is good and seemly, and whosoever hath failed to
recognize Me hath turned away from all that is true and right and hath
succumbed to everything evil and unseemly.
I
swear by the righteousness of Thy Lord, the Lord of all created things, the
Lord of all the worlds! Were a man to rear in this world as many edifices as
possible and worship God through every virtuous deed which God’s knowledge
embraceth, and attain the presence of the Lord, and were he, even to a measure
less than that which is accountable before God, to bear in his heart a trace of
malice towards Me, all his deeds would be reduced to naught and he would be
deprived of the glances of God’s favor, become the object of His wrath and
assuredly perish. For God hath ordained that all the good things which lie in
the treasury of His knowledge shall be attained through obedience unto Me, and
every fire recorded in His Book, through disobedience unto Me. Methinks in this
day and from this station I behold all those who cherish My love and follow My
behest abiding within the mansions of Paradise, and the entire company of Mine
adversaries consigned to the lowest depths of hellfire.
By My
life! But for the obligation to acknowledge the Cause of Him Who is the
Testimony of God … I would not have announced this unto thee.… All the keys of
heaven God hath chosen to place on My right hand, and all the keys of hell on
My left.…
I am
the Primal Point from which have been generated all created things. I am the
Countenance of God Whose splendor can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose
radiance can never fade. Whoso recognizeth Me, assurance and all good are in
store for him, and whoso faileth to recognize Me, infernal fire and all evil
await him.…
I
swear by God, the Peerless, the Incomparable, the True One: for no other reason
hath He—the supreme Testimony of God—invested Me with clear signs and tokens
than that all men may be enabled to submit to His Cause.
By the
righteousness of Him Who is the Absolute Truth, were the veil to be lifted,
thou wouldst witness on this earthly plane all men sorely afflicted with the fire
of the wrath of God, a fire fiercer and greater than the fire of hell, with the
exception of those who have sought shelter beneath the shade of the tree of My
love. For they in very truth are the blissful.…
God
beareth Me witness, I was not a man of learning, for I was trained as a
merchant. In the year sixty1 God graciously infused my
soul with the conclusive evidences and weighty knowledge which characterize Him
Who is the Testimony of God—may peace be upon Him—until finally in that year I
proclaimed God’s hidden Cause and unveiled its well-guarded Pillar, in such
wise that no one could refute it. “That he who should perish might perish with
a clear proof before him and he who should live might live by clear proof.”2
In
that same year [year 60] I dispatched a messenger and a book unto thee, that
thou mightest act towards the Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of God as
befitteth the station of thy sovereignty. But inasmuch as dark, dreadful and
dire calamity had been irrevocably ordained by the Will of God, the book was
not submitted to thy presence, through the intervention of such as regard
themselves the well-wishers of the government. Up to the present, when nearly
four years have passed, they have not duly presented it to Your Majesty.
However, now that the fateful hour is drawing nigh, and because it is a matter
of faith, not a worldly concern, therefore I have given thee a glimpse of what
hath transpired.
I
swear by God! Shouldst thou know the things which in the space of these four
years have befallen Me at the hands of thy people and thine army, thou wouldst
hold thy breath from fear of God, unless thou wouldst rise to obey the Cause of
Him Who is the Testimony of God and make amends for thy shortcomings and
failure.
While
I was in Shíráz the indignities which befell Me at the hands of its
wicked and depraved Governor waxed so grievous that if thou wert acquainted
with but a tithe thereof, thou wouldst deal him retributive justice. For as a
result of his unmitigated oppression, thy royal court hath become, until the
Day of Resurrection, the object of the wrath of God. Moreover, his indulgence
in alcohol had grown so excessive that he was never sober enough to make a
sound judgment. Therefore, disquieted, I was obliged to set out from Shíráz
with the aim of attaining the enlightened and exalted court of Your Majesty.
The Mu‘tamidu’d-Dawlih then became aware of the truth of the Cause and
manifested exemplary servitude and devotion to His chosen ones. When some of
the ignorant people in his city arose to stir up sedition, he defended the
divine Truth by affording Me protection for a while in the privacy of the
Governor’s residence. At length, having attained the good-pleasure of God, he
repaired to his habitation in the all-highest Paradise. May God reward him
graciously.…
Following
his ascension to the eternal Kingdom, the vicious Gurgín, resorting to all
manner of treachery, false oaths and coercion, sent Me away from Isfahán with
an escort of five guards on a journey which lasted seven days, without
providing the barest necessities for My travel (Alas! Alas! for the things
which have touched Me!), until eventually Your Majesty’s order came,
instructing Me to proceed to Máh-Kú.…
I
swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told in what place I dwell, the
first person to have mercy on Me would be thyself. In the heart of a mountain
is a fortress [Máh-Kú] … the inmates of which are confined to two guards and
four dogs. Picture, then, My plight.… I swear by the truth of God! Were he who
hath been willing to treat Me in such a manner to know Who it is Whom he hath
so treated, he, verily, would never in his life be happy. Nay—I, verily,
acquaint thee with the truth of the matter—it is as if he hath imprisoned all
the Prophets, and all the men of truth and all the chosen ones.…
When
this decree was made known unto Me, I wrote to him who administereth the
affairs of the kingdom, saying: “Put Me to death, I adjure thee by God, and
send My head wherever thou pleasest. For surely an innocent person such as I
cannot reconcile himself to being consigned to a place reserved for criminals
and let his life continue.” My plea remained unanswered. Evidently His
Excellency the Hájí, is not fully aware of the truth of our Cause. It would be
far more heinous a deed to sadden the hearts of the faithful, whether men or
women, than to lay waste the sacred House of God.
Verily,
the One True God beareth Me witness that in this Day I am the true mystic Fane
of God, and the Essence of all good. He who doeth good unto Me, it is as if he
doeth good unto God, His angels and the entire company of His loved ones. He
who doeth evil unto Me, it is as if he doeth evil unto God and His chosen ones.
Nay, too exalted is the station of God and of His loved ones for any person’s
good or evil deed to reach their holy threshold. Whatever reacheth Me is
ordained to reach Me; and that which hath come unto Me, to him who giveth will
it revert. By the One in Whose hand is My soul, he hath cast no one but himself
into prison. For assuredly whatsoever God hath decreed for Me shall come to
pass and naught else save that which God hath ordained for us shall ever touch
us. Woe betide him from whose hands floweth evil, and blessed the man from
whose hands floweth good. Unto no one do I take My plaint save to God; for He
is the best of judges. Every state of adversity or bliss is from Him alone, and
He is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
In
brief, I hold within My grasp whatsoever any man might wish of the good of this
world and of the next. Were I to remove the veil, all would recognize Me as
their Best-Beloved, and no one would deny Me. Let not this assertion astound
Your Majesty; inasmuch as a true believer in the unity of God who keepeth his
eyes directed towards Him alone will regard aught else but Him as utter
nothingness. I swear by God! I seek no earthly goods from thee, be it as much
as a mustard seed. Indeed, to possess anything of this world or of the next
would, in My estimation, be tantamount to open blasphemy. For it ill beseemeth
the believer in the unity of God to turn his gaze to aught else, much less to
hold it in his possession. I know of a certainty that since I have God, the
Ever-Living, the Adored One, I am the possessor of all things, visible and
invisible.…
In
this mountain I have remained alone, and have come to such a pass that none of
those gone before Me have suffered what I have suffered, nor any transgressor
endured what I have endured! I render praise unto God and yet again praise Him.
I find Myself free from sorrow, inasmuch as I abide within the good-pleasure of
My Lord and Master. Methinks I am in the all-highest Paradise, rejoicing at My
communion with God, the Most Great. Verily this is a bounty which God hath
conferred upon Me; and He is the Lord of unbounded blessings.
I
swear by the truth of God! Wert thou to know that which I know, thou wouldst
forgo the sovereignty of this world and of the next, that thou mightest attain
My good-pleasure, through thine obedience unto the True One.… Wert thou to
refuse, the Lord of the world would raise up one who would exalt His Cause, and
the Command of God would, verily, be carried into effect.
Through
the grace of God nothing can frustrate My purpose, and I am fully conscious of
that which God hath bestowed upon Me as a token of His favor. If it were My
will, I would disclose to Your Majesty all things; but I have not done this,
nor will I do it, that the Truth may be distinguished from aught else beside
it, and this prophecy uttered by the Imám Báqir—may peace rest upon Him—be
fully realized: “What must needs befall us in Ádhirbáyján is inevitable
and without parallel. When this happeneth, rest ye in your homes and remain
patient as we have remained patient. As soon as the Mover moveth make ye haste
to attain unto Him, even though ye have to crawl over the snow.”
I
implore pardon of God for Myself and for all things related to Me and affirm,
“Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.”
Extracts from Another
Epistle to Muhammad Sháh
Glory be unto Him Who
knoweth all that is in the heavens and in the earth. Verily there is no God but
Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty, the Great.
He is
the One Who on the Day of Severing shall pass judgment through the power of
Truth; indeed no God is there besides Him, the Peerless, the All-Compelling,
the Exalted. He is the One Who holdeth within His grasp the kingdom of all
created things; there is none other God but Him, the Single, the Incomparable,
the Ever-Abiding, the Inaccessible, the Most Great.
At
this moment I testify unto God, even as He testified unto Himself before the
creation of all things: Verily there is no God save Him, the All-Glorious, the
All-Wise. And I bear witness unto whatsoever He hath fashioned or will fashion,
even as He Himself, in the majesty of His glory, hath borne witness: No God is
there but Him, the Peerless, the Self-Subsisting, the Most Wondrous.
In
God, Who is the Lord of all created things, have I placed My whole trust. There
is no God but Him, the Peerless, the Most Exalted. Unto Him have I resigned
Myself and into His hands have I committed all My affairs. No God is there
besides Him, the supreme Ruler, the resplendent Truth. Indeed all-sufficient is
He for Me; independently of all things doth He suffice, while nothing in the
heavens or in the earth but Him sufficeth. He, in very truth, is the
Self-Subsisting, the Most Severe.
Praise
be unto Him Who at this very moment perceiveth in this remote prison the goal
of My desire. He is the One Who beareth witness unto Me at all times and
beholdeth Me ere the inception of “after Hín.”1
Why
didst thou pronounce judgment without remembering God, the All-Wise? How canst
thou endure in the fire? Indeed, mighty and most severe is thy God.
Thou
pridest thyself in the things thou dost possess, yet no believer in God and in
His signs, nor any righteous man would ever deign to regard them. This mortal
life is like unto the carcass of a dog, around which none would gather, nor
would any partake thereof, except those who gainsay the life hereafter. Verily
it is incumbent upon thee to become a true believer in God, the All-Possessing,
the Almighty, and to turn away from the one who guideth thee into the torment
of hellfire.
I have
been waiting awhile that perchance thou wouldst take heed and be rightly
guided. How canst thou answer God on the day which is near at hand—the day
whereon witnesses will stand forth to testify in the presence of thy Lord, the
Lord of all the worlds?
By the
righteousness of Him Who hath called thee into being and unto Whom erelong thou
shalt return, if thou remainest, at the moment of death, a disbeliever in the
signs of thy Lord thou shalt surely enter the gates of hell, and none of the
deeds thy hands have wrought will profit thee, nor shalt thou find a patron nor
anyone to plead for thee. Fear thou God and pride not thyself on thine earthly
possessions, inasmuch as what God doth possess is better for them that tread
the path of righteousness.
Verily
in this Day all that dwell on earth are the servants of God. As to those who
truly believe in God and are well assured in the signs revealed by Him,
perchance He will graciously forgive them the things their hands have
committed, and will grant them admission into the precincts of His mercy. He,
in truth, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Compassionate. But the verdict of divine
chastisement is pronounced against those who have turned away disdainfully from
Me and have repudiated the conclusive proofs and the unerring Book with which
God hath invested Me, and on the Day of Severing they shall find no protector
or helper.
I
swear by Him Who createth all beings and unto Whom all shall return, if anyone
at the hour of death beareth hatred towards Me or disputeth the clear tokens
wherewith I have been invested, then naught but afflictive torment shall be his
lot. On that day no ransom will be accepted, nor will any intercession be
permitted, unless God so please. Verily He is the All-Compelling, the
All-Glorious; and no God is there other than Him, the sovereign Ruler, the
Almighty, the Most Severe.
If
thou rejoicest in My imprisonment, woe then unto thee for the grievous torment
which will soon overtake thee. Indeed God hath permitted no one to pass unfair
judgment, and if thou wouldst fain do so, then soon shalt thou learn.
From
the first day that I cautioned thee not to wax proud before God until the
present time, four years have elapsed, and during this space naught have I
witnessed, either from thee or from thy soldiers, except dire oppression and
disdainful arrogance. Methinks thou dost imagine that I wish to gain some
paltry substance from this earthly life. Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord!
In the estimation of them that have fixed their eyes upon the merciful Lord,
the riches of the world and its trappings are worth as much as the eye of a dead
body, nay even less. Far from His glory be what they associate with Him!… I
seek patience only in God. Verily He is the best protector and the best helper.
No refuge do I seek save God. Verily He is the guardian and the best
supporter.…
I
swear by the glory of God, My Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, He
assuredly, as is divinely ordained, will make His Cause shine resplendent,
while there will be no helper for the unjust. If thou hast any scheme, produce
thy scheme. Indeed every revelation of authority proceedeth from God. In Him do
I trust and unto Him do I turn.
Hast
thou heard anyone of old passing a judgment similar to the one thou didst
contrive or like unto that whereto thou didst give thine assent? Woe then unto
the oppressors! Both thine intentions and the manner in which thou dealest with
the people clearly demonstrate thine infidelity towards God, hence He hath
ordained a severe chastisement for thee. Verily I seek patience only in God,
and Him do I regard as the goal of My desire. This signifieth that I have the
undoubted Truth on My side.
If
thou art not apprehensive that the truth might be revealed and the works of the
ungodly be brought to naught, why summonest thou not the divines of the land,
and then summon Me, so that I may confound them forthwith, even as those
disbelievers whom I have previously confounded? This is My sure testimony unto
thee and unto them, if they speak the truth. Summon thou all of them. Should
they then be able to utter words like unto this, thou wouldst know that their
cause is worthy of attention. Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! They are
bereft of power, nor are they endued with perception. They professed faith in
the past without understanding its significance, then later they repudiated the
Truth; for they are devoid of discernment.
If
thou hast decided to shed My blood, wherefore dost thou delay? Thou art now
endowed with power and authority. For Me it will prove an infinite bounty
conferred by God, while for thee and for them that would commit such an act it
will amount to a chastisement meted out by Him.
How
great the blessedness that would await Me, wert thou to pass a verdict such as
this; and what immense joy would be Mine, shouldst thou agree to do this! This
is a bounty which God hath reserved for them that enjoy near access to His
court. Give then thy leave and wait no longer. In truth, mighty is thy Lord,
the Avenger.
Art
thou not ashamed in the presence of God for consenting to the consignment to a
fortress of Him Who is the Testimony of God, and His being made captive in the
hands of the faithless? Woe betide thee and them who rejoice at this moment in
inflicting so dire a humiliation upon Me.…
I
swear by Him Who hath called Me into being, I can discover no trace of
sinfulness in Myself, nor have I followed aught but the Truth; and unto Me God
is sufficient witness. Fie upon the world and its people and upon those who
take delight in earthly riches, while oblivious of the life to come.
Were
the veil to be removed from thine eye thou wouldst crawl unto Me on thy breast,
even through the snow, from fear of the chastisement of God which is swift and
near at hand. By the righteousness of Him Who hath created thee, wert thou to
be acquainted with that which hath transpired during thy reign, thou wouldst
wish not to have issued from thy father’s loins, but rather to have passed into
oblivion. However, that which God, thy Lord, had ordained hath presently come
to pass, and woe betide the oppressors in this day.
Methinks
thou hast not perused the unerring Book. If thou art satisfied with thine own
way and dost not wish to follow the Truth, then to Me be My way and to thee
thine. If thou aidest Me not, why dost thou seek to abase Me? Verily, God is
the hearer of the suppliant, and in Him all things find their highest
consummation, both in this world and in the world to come.
Far
from the glory of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the Lord of creation, be
that which is affirmed of Him by the peoples of the world, except by such as
faithfully observe His precepts. May the peace of God rest upon the sincere
among His servants.
All
praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.
Extracts from a Further
Epistle to Muhammad Sháh
This is an Epistle from
Him Who is the true, the undoubted Leader. Herein is revealed the law of all
things for those who fain would heed His Call or wish to be reckoned among them
that are guided aright. Herein is enshrined the law of all things for such as
would bear witness to the Revelation of thy Lord in accordance with this clear
balance. Verily the ordinances of God concerning all things were formerly set
forth in eloquent Arabic. Indeed those whose souls have been created through
the splendor of the light of thy Lord recognize the Truth and are numbered with
such as faithfully obey the One True God and are well assured.…
O
Muhammad! The Decree of thy Lord was fulfilled four years ago; and ever since
the inception of the Cause of thy Lord I have warned thee to fear God and not
to be of the ignorant. I dispatched a messenger unto thee with a truly
resplendent Tablet, but the followers of the devil turned him away disdainfully
and interposed themselves between him and thee. They expelled him from the land
whereof thou art the undisputed sovereign. Thus hath the good of this world and
of the next escaped thee, unless thou submit to the commandment ordained by God
and be of them that are rightly guided.
On My
return from the sacred House of God1 I sent thee a Message
similar to, nay even greater than the one I had previously sent unto thee.
Indeed God is the best protector and witness. I dispatched a messenger unto
thee with epistles revealed by Me, that thou mightest obey the command of God
and not be of them that have repudiated the Truth. The oppressor, however,
committed a thing the like of which no one would commit, not even any of the
wicked, nor anyone among the vile wrong-doers.…
The
tribulations which I have suffered in this land, no one of old hath suffered.
Verily unto God shall revert the whole affair, and He in truth is the best
protector and is cognizant of all. The things which have, from the first day
till now, befallen Me at the hand of thy people are but the work of Satan.2 Ever since the Cause of
thy Lord hath appeared none of thy deeds hath been acceptable, and thou hast
been lost in palpable error while all thou couldst see appeared to thee as
deeds performed for the sake of thy Lord. In truth thy day is nigh at hand and
thou shalt be questioned concerning all this, and assuredly God is not heedless
of the deeds of the wicked.
Had it
not been for thee, thy supporters would not have disdainfully rejected Me,
though they have gone more widely astray than the foolish.
Dost
thou imagine him whom thou hast appointed Chancellor in thy kingdom to be the
best leader and the best supporter? Nay, I swear by thy Lord. He will bring
thee into grievous trouble by reason of that which Satan instilleth in his
heart, and verily, he himself is Satan. He comprehendeth not a single letter
from the Book of God and is seized with fear by reason of that which his hands
have wrought. Fain would he extinguish the light which thy Lord hath kindled,
so that the old impiety which is concealed in his inner being may not be
revealed. Hadst thou not appointed him as thy Chancellor no one would have paid
him the slightest attention. Indeed in the estimation of the people he is
naught but manifest darkness.…
Fear
thou God and suffer not thy soul to be chastised beyond that with which it hath
already been tormented; for erelong thou shalt pass away and shalt declare
thyself clear of the devil whom thou hast appointed as thy Chancellor, saying:
“O would that I had not taken the devil as my Chancellor, nor appointed an impostor
as my guide and adviser.”
Why
dost thou burden thy soul with that which is far more abject than the deeds of
Pharaoh, and still callest thyself one of the faithful? How dost thou peruse
the verses of the Qur’án, while thou art of the unjust? Never would the Jews,
nor the Christians nor any such people as have rejected the truth consent to
inflict wrongs upon the son of their Prophet’s daughter. Woe betide thee, for
the day of chastisement is approaching. Dost thou not dread the wrath of thy
Lord, the Almighty, the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of all worlds? Indeed
these manifest verses are conclusive testimony for those who seek true
guidance.
I have
no desire to seize thy property, even to the extent of a grain of mustard, nor
do I wish to occupy thy position. If thou followest Me not, then unto thee be
the things thou dost possess, and unto Me the land of unfailing security. If
thou obeyest Me not, wherefore dost thou look disdainfully upon Me and seek to
treat Me with sore injustice? Verily, behold My habitation—a lofty mountain
wherein no one dwelleth. Woe betide them that wrongfully do injustice to
people, and unjustly and deceitfully usurp the property of the believers in
violation of His lucid Book; whereas I, Who, in very truth, am the rightful
Sovereign of all men, designated by the true, the undeniable Leader, would
never infringe on the integrity of the substance of the people, were it to the
extent of a grain of mustard, nor would I treat them unjustly. Rather would I
consort with them even as one of themselves, and I would be their witness.
That
which devolveth upon Me is but to mention the Book of thy Lord and to deliver
this clear Message. If thou wishest to enter the gates of Paradise, lo, they
are open before thy face and no harm can reach Me from anyone. Every missive
which up till now I have directed unto thee and unto the custodian of thy
affairs hath been but a token of My bounty to you both, that perchance ye may
grow anxious about the day which is nigh at hand. Nevertheless from the moment
ye waxed disdainful, divine judgment was passed upon you in the Book of God,
for in truth ye both have denied your Lord and are numbered with them that will
perish.… This is indeed My last reminder unto you, and I shall make no mention
of you hereafter, nor shall I make any remark other than affirming you as
infidels.
Unto
God do I commit Mine affair and yours, and He verily is the best Judge. Were ye
to return, however, ye would be granted whatever ye desire of earthly
possessions and of the ineffable delights of the life to come, and ye would
inherit such glorious might and majesty as your minds can scarce conceive in
this mortal life. But if ye fail to return then upon ye shall be your
transgressions.
Ye
cannot alter the things which the Almighty hath prescribed unto Me. Naught
shall touch Me besides that which God, My Lord, hath preordained for Me. In Him
have I placed My whole trust and upon Him do the faithful place their complete
reliance.
Bear
Thou witness unto Me, O Lord. By sending forth this resplendent Epistle I shall
have proclaimed Thy Verses unto both of them and shall have fulfilled Thy
Testimony for them. I am well pleased to lay down My life in Thy path and
erelong to return to Thy presence. Unto Thee be praise in the heavens and on
the earth. Deal with them according to Thy decree. In truth Thou art the best
protector and helper.
Set
right, O Lord, such disorders as people stir up, and cause Thy Word to shine
resplendent throughout the earth, so that no trace of the ungodly may remain.
I beg
forgiveness of Thee, O My Lord, for that which I have uttered in Thy Epistle,
and I repent unto Thee. I am but one of Thy servants who give praise to Thee.
Glorified art Thou; no God is there but Thee. In Thee have I placed My whole
trust and of Thee do I beg pardon for being a suppliant at Thy door.
Sanctified
is God thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, from that which the people
wrongfully and without the guidance of His lucid Book, affirm of Him. Peace be
upon them that beseech forgiveness from God thy Lord, saying: “Verily, praise
be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.”
Extracts from a Tablet Containing Words
Addressed to the Sherif of Mecca
O sherif!… All thy
life thou hast accorded worship unto Us, but when We manifested Ourself unto
thee, thou didst desist from bearing witness unto Our Remembrance, and from
affirming that He is indeed the Most Exalted, the Sovereign Truth, the
All-Glorious. Thus hath Thy Lord put thee to proof in the Day of Resurrection.
Verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
For
hadst thou uttered “Here am I” at the time We sent thee the Book, We would have
admitted thee to the company of such of Our servants as truly believe, and
would have graciously praised thee in Our Book, until the Day when all men
shall appear before Us for judgment. This is in truth far more advantageous
unto thee than all the acts of worship thou hast performed for thy Lord during
all thy life, nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning. Assuredly this is
what would have served and will ever serve thy best interests. Verily We are
cognizant of all things. Yet notwithstanding that We had called thee into being
for the purpose of attaining Our presence in the Day of Resurrection, thou
didst shut thyself out from Us without any reason or explicit Writ; whereas
hadst thou been among such as are endowed with the knowledge of the Bayán, thou
wouldst have, at the sight of the Book, testified forthwith that there is no
God but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and wouldst have affirmed
that He Who hath revealed the Qur’án, hath likewise revealed this Book, that
every word of it is from God, and unto it we all bear allegiance.
However,
that which was preordained hath come to pass. Shouldst thou return unto Us
while revelation still continueth through Us, We shall transform thy fire into
light. Truly We are powerful over all things. But if thou failest in this task,
thou shalt find no way open to thee other than to embrace the Cause of God and
to implore that the matter of thine allegiance be brought to the attention of
Him Whom God shall make manifest, that He may graciously enable thee to prosper
and cause thy fire to be transformed into light. This is that which hath been
sent down unto Us. Should this not come to pass, whatever We have set down
shall remain binding and irrevocably decreed by God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting, and We shall therefore banish thee from Our presence as a
token of justice on Our part. Verily we are equitable in Our judgment.
Address to a Muslim Divine
O ‘Abdu’s-Sáhib!
Verily God and every created thing testify that there is none other God but Me,
the Almighty, the Best-Beloved.…
Thy
vision is obscured by the belief that divine revelation ended with the coming
of Muhammad, and unto this We have borne witness in Our first epistle. Indeed,
He Who hath revealed verses unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, hath likewise
revealed verses unto ‘Alí-Muhammad. For who else but God can reveal to a man
such clear and manifest verses as overpower all the learned? Since thou hast
acknowledged the revelation of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, then there is no
other way open before thee but to testify that whatever is revealed by the
Primal Point hath also proceeded from God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. Is it not true that the Qur’án hath been sent down from God
and that all men are powerless before its revelation? Likewise these words have
also been revealed by God, if thou dost but perceive. What is there in the
Bayán which keepeth thee back from recognizing these verses as being sent forth
by God, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious?
The
essence of these words is this: Were We to bring thee to a reckoning, thou
wouldst prove thyself empty-handed; We in truth know all things. Hadst thou
uttered “yea” on hearing the Words of God, thou wouldst have been seen to have
been worshipping God from the beginning that hath no beginning until the
present day, never to have disobeyed Him, not even for the twinkling of an eye.
Yet, neither the upright deeds thou hast wrought during all thy life, nor the
exertions thou didst make to banish every thought from thy heart save that of
the good-pleasure of God, none of these did in truth profit thee, not even to
the extent of a grain of mustard seed, inasmuch as thou didst veil thyself from
God and tarried behind at the time of His manifestation.
Verily
all the divines in the land of Káf [Kúfih] shall, even as thyself, be asked by
God: “Is it not strange that a Messenger should have come to you with a Book,
and ye, while confessing your powerlessness, refused to follow the Faith of God
which He had brought, and ye persisted in your disbelief?” Therefore unto thee
shall be assigned the fire which was meant for those who turned away from God
in that land, inasmuch as thou art their leader; would that thou might be of
them who heed.
Hadst
thou faithfully obeyed the Decree of God, all the inhabitants of thy land would
have followed thee, and would have themselves entered into the celestial
Paradise, content with the good-pleasure of God forevermore. However, on that
day thou shalt wish that God had not created thee.
Thou
hast set thyself up as one of the learned in the Faith of Islám, that thou
mightest save the believers, yet thou didst cause thy followers to descend into
the fire, for when the verses of God were sent forth thou didst deprive thyself
therefrom and yet reckoned thyself to be of the righteous.… Nay, by the life of
Him Whom God shall make manifest! Neither thou nor anyone among His servants
can produce the slightest proof, while God shineth resplendent above His
creatures and through the power of His behest standeth supreme over all that
dwell in the kingdoms of heaven and earth and in whatever lieth between them.
Verily He is potent over all created things.
Thou
hath named thyself ‘Abdu’s-Sáhib [servant of the Lord]. Yet, while God hath, in
very truth, made thy Lord manifest, and thou didst set thine eyes upon Him,
thou didst not recognize Him, even though thou hadst been called into being by
God for the purpose of attaining His presence, didst thou but truly believe in
the third verse of the chapter entitled “Thunder.”1
Thou
contendest, “How can we recognize Him when we have heard naught but words which
fall short of irrefutable proofs?” Yet since thou hast acknowledged and
recognized Muhammad, the Apostle of God, through the Qur’án, how canst thou
withhold recognition from Him Who sent thee the Book, despite thy calling
thyself “His servant”? Verily He doth exercise undisputed authority over His
revelations unto all mankind.
Wert
thou to come unto Us while divine revelation is descending upon Us, haply God
will change thy fire into light. Verily He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Generous. Otherwise that which hath been revealed is decisive and final and
will be faithfully upheld by all until the Day of Resurrection.… If divine
revelation ceaseth, thou shouldst write a petition to Him Whom God shall make
manifest, imploring that it be delivered into His presence. Therein thou must
beg pardon of thy Lord, turn unto Him in repentance and be of them that are
wholly devoted to Him. Perchance God will transform thy fire into light at the
next Resurrection. He, of a truth, is the Protector, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving.
Unto Him bow down in worship all that are in the heavens and on the earth and
whatever lieth between them; and unto Him shall all return.
We
enjoin thee to save thyself and all the inhabitants of that land from the fire,
then to enter the peerless and exalted Paradise of His good-pleasure. Otherwise
the day is approaching when thou shalt perish and enter the fire, when thou
shalt have neither patron nor helper from God. We have taken compassion on
thee, as a sign of Our grace, inasmuch as thou hast related thyself unto Us.
Verily We are aware of all things. We are cognizant of thy righteous deeds,
though they shall avail thee nothing; for the whole object of such
righteousness is but recognition of God, thy Lord, and undoubted faith in the Words
revealed by Him.
Address to Sulaymán, One of the Muslim
Divines in the Land of Masqat
This is an epistle from
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, unto Sulaymán in the land of
Masqat, to the right of the Sea. In truth there is none other God but Him, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.… Indeed, were all the inhabitants of heaven
and earth and whatever existeth between them to assemble together, they would
utterly fail and be powerless to produce such a book, even though We made them
masters of eloquence and learning on earth. Since thou dost adduce proofs from
the Qur’án, God shall, with proofs from that self-same Book, vindicate Himself
in the Bayán. This is none other than a decree of God; He is truly the
All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.
If
thou art of them that truly believe, thou hast no other alternative than to
bear allegiance unto it. This is the Way of God for all the inhabitants of
earth and heaven and all that lieth betwixt them. No God is there but Me, the
Almighty, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted.
From
this land We then proceeded to the sacred House, and on Our return journey We
landed once again at this spot, when We perceived that thou hadst heeded not
that which We sent thee, nor art thou of them that truly believe. Although We
had created thee to behold Our countenance, and We did actually alight in thy
locality, yet thou didst fail to attain the object of thy creation, and this
despite thy worshipping God all thy life. Wherefore vain shall be the deeds
thou hast wrought, by reason of thy being shut out as by a veil from Our
presence and from Our Writings. This is an irrevocable decree ordained by Us.
Verily We are equitable in Our judgment.
Hadst
thou observed the contents of the Epistle We sent unto thee, it would have been
far more profitable to thee than worshipping thy Lord from the beginning that
hath no beginning until this day, and indeed more meritorious than proving
thyself wholly devoted in thine acts of worship. And hadst thou attained the
presence of thy Lord in this land, and been of them that truly believe that the
Face of God is beheld in the person of the Primal Point, it would have been far
more advantageous than prostrating thyself in adoration from the beginning that
hath no beginning until the present time.…
In
truth We tested thee and found that thou wert not of them that are endowed with
understanding, wherefore We passed upon thee the sentence of negation, as a
token of justice from Our presence; and verily We are equitable.
However,
shouldst thou return unto Us, We would convert thy negation into affirmation.
Verily We are the One Who is of immense bounteousness. But should the Primal
Point cease to be with you, then the judgment given in the Words of God shall
be final and unalterable and every one will assuredly uphold it.
Wert
thou to address a letter to Him Whom God shall make manifest, begging that it
be delivered unto His presence, perchance He would graciously forgive thee and,
at His behest, turn thy negation into affirmation. He is in truth the All-Bountiful,
the Most Generous, He Whose grace is infinite. Otherwise, no way shalt thou
find open unto thee and no benefit shalt thou gain from the deeds thou hast
wrought, by reason of thy failure to respond “yea, here am I.” Verily We have
reduced thee and thy works to naught, as though thou hadst never come into
existence nor ever been of them that do good works, that this may serve as a
lesson for those unto whom the Bayán is given, that they may take good heed
when the sacred Writings of Him Whom God shall make manifest will reach them
and perchance, by pondering upon them, may be enabled to save their own souls.
Our
grace assuredly pervadeth all that dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven
and in whatever lieth between them, and beyond them all mankind. However, souls
that have shut themselves out as by a veil can never partake of the outpourings
of the grace of God.
• • •
2
Excerpts from the
Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’
All
praise be to God Who hath, through the power of Truth, sent down this Book unto
His servant, that it may serve as a shining light for all mankind.… Verily this
is none other than the sovereign Truth; it is the Path which God hath laid out
for all that are in heaven and on earth. Let him then who will, take for
himself the right path unto his Lord. Verily this is the true Faith of God, and
sufficient witness are God and such as are endowed with the knowledge of the
Book. This is indeed the eternal Truth which God, the Ancient of Days, hath
revealed unto His omnipotent Word—He Who hath been raised up from the midst of
the Burning Bush. This is the Mystery which hath been hidden from all that are
in heaven and on earth, and in this wondrous Revelation it hath, in very truth,
been set forth in the Mother Book by the hand of God, the Exalted.…
O
concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay aside, one and all, your
dominion which belongeth unto God.…
Let
not thy sovereignty deceive thee, O Sháh, for “every soul shall taste of
death,”1 and this, in very truth,
hath been written down as a decree of God. Chapter
I.
O King of Islám! Aid thou,
with the truth, after having aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great
Remembrance, for God hath, in very truth, destined for thee, and for such as
circle round thee, on the Day of Judgment, a responsible position in His Path.
I swear by God, O Sháh! If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His
Remembrance, God will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn thee, before the
kings, unto hellfire, and thou shalt not, in very truth, find on that Day any
helper except God, the Exalted. Purge thou, O Sháh, the Sacred Land
[Tihrán] from such as have repudiated the Book, ere the day whereon the
Remembrance of God cometh, terribly and of a sudden, with His potent Cause, by
the leave of God, the Most High. God, verily, hath prescribed to thee to submit
unto Him Who is His Remembrance, and unto His Cause, and to subdue, with the
truth and by His leave, the countries, for in this world thou hast been
mercifully invested with sovereignty, and wilt, in the next, dwell, nigh unto
the Seat of Holiness, with the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure.…
By
God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well; and if ye deny God and
His signs, We, in very truth, having God, can well dispense with all creatures
and all earthly dominion. Chapter I.
Be thou content with the
commandment of God, the True One, inasmuch as sovereignty, as recorded in the
Mother Book by the hand of God, is surely invested in Him Who is His
Remembrance.…
O
Minister of the Sháh! Fear thou God, besides Whom there is none other
God but Him, the Sovereign Truth, the Just, and lay aside thy dominion, for We,
by the leave of God, the All-Wise, inherit the earth and all who are upon it,1 and He shall rightfully be
a witness unto thee and unto the Sháh. Were ye to obey the Remembrance
of God with absolute sincerity, We guarantee, by the leave of God, that on the
Day of Resurrection, a vast dominion shall be yours in His eternal Paradise.
Vain
indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside earthly possessions for such as
have denied Him; for unto Him Who is your Lord shall be the most excellent
abode, He Who is, in truth, the Ancient of Days.…
O
concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the verses sent down by
Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India, and beyond them, with power and with
truth, to lands in both the East and the West.… And know that if ye aid God, He
will, on the Day of Resurrection, graciously aid you, upon the Bridge, through
Him Who is His Most Great Remembrance.…
O
people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance of God and His Book hath in
truth obeyed God and His chosen ones and he will, in the life to come, be
reckoned in the presence of God among the inmates of the Paradise of His
good-pleasure. Chapter I.
Verily We made the
revelation of verses to be a testimony for Our message unto you. Can ye produce
a single letter to match these verses? Bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be
of those who can discern the one true God. I solemnly affirm before God, should
all men and spirits combine to compose the like of one chapter of this Book,
they would surely fail, even though they were to assist one another.1
O
concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards in the views ye advance,
for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst, and Who cometh from Us, is, in
very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that which ye lay hold of,
and which the Book of God, the True One, hath not sanctioned, for on the Day of
Resurrection ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in very truth, held answerable for
the position ye occupied.… And unto you We have sent down this Book which truly
none can mistake.…
O
concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye God and pride not yourselves in
your learning. Follow ye the Book which His Remembrance hath revealed in praise
of God, the True One. He Who is the Eternal Truth beareth me witness, whoso
followeth this Book hath indeed followed all the past Scriptures which have
been sent down from heaven by God, the Sovereign Truth. Verily, He is well informed
of what ye do.… Such as are the true followers of Islám would say: “O Lord our
God! We have hearkened to the call of Thy Remembrance and obeyed Him. Forgive
us our sins. Thou art, verily, the Eternal Truth, and unto Thee, our infallible
Retreat, must we all return.”2 Chapter II.
As to those who deny Him
Who is the Sublime Gate of God, for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by
God, a sore torment. And He, God, is the Mighty, the Wise.
We
have, of a truth, sent down this divinely inspired Book unto Our Servant.… Ask
ye then Him Who is Our Remembrance of its interpretation, inasmuch as He, as
divinely ordained and through the grace of God, is invested with the knowledge
of its verses.…
O
children of men! If ye believe in the one True God, follow Me, this Most Great
Remembrance of God sent forth by your Lord, that He may graciously forgive you
your sins. Verily He is forgiving and compassionate toward the concourse of the
faithful. We, of a truth, choose the Messengers through the potency of Our
Word, and We exalt Their offspring, some over others, through the Great
Remembrance of God as decreed in the Book and concealed therein.…
Some
of the people of the city have declared: “We are the helpers of God,” but when
this Remembrance came suddenly upon them, they turned aside from helping Us.
Verily God is My Lord and your true Lord, therefore worship Him, while this
Path from ‘Alí [the Báb] is none but the straight Path1 in the estimation of your
Lord. Chapter III.
Unto every people We have
sent down the Book in their own language.1 This Book We have, verily,
revealed in the language of Our Remembrance and it is in truth a wondrous
language. He is, verily, the eternal Truth come from God, and according to the
divine judgment given in the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished among
the writers of Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He is in truth the
Supreme Talisman and is endowed with supernatural powers, as set forth in the
Mother Book.…
O
people of the city! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If ye are truly faithful to
Muhammad, the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and if ye follow His
Book, the Qur’án, which is free from error, then here is the like of it—this
Book, which We have, in truth and by the leave of God, sent down unto Our
Servant. If ye fail to believe in Him, then your faith in Muhammad and His Book
which was revealed in the past will indeed be treated as false in the
estimation of God. If ye deny Him, the fact of your having denied Muhammad and
His Book will, in very truth and with absolute certainty, become evident unto
yourselves. Chapter IV.
Fear ye God and breathe
not a word concerning His Most Great Remembrance other than what hath been
ordained by God, inasmuch as We have established a separate covenant regarding
Him with every Prophet and His followers. Indeed, We have not sent any
Messenger without this binding covenant and We do not, of a truth, pass
judgment upon anything except after the covenant of Him Who is the Supreme Gate
hath been established. Erelong the veil shall be lifted from your eyes at the
appointed time. Ye shall then behold the sublime Remembrance of God, unclouded
and vivid. Chapter V.
Do men imagine that We are
far distant from the people of the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be
assailed by the pangs of death1 they shall, upon the plain
of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy and His Remembrance were near.
Thereupon they shall exclaim: “Would that we had followed the path of the Báb!
Would that we had sought refuge only with Him, and not with men of perversity
and error! For verily the Remembrance of God appeared before us,2 behind us, and on all
sides, yet we were, in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.” Chapter VII.
Do not say, “How can He
speak of God while in truth His age is no more than twenty-five?” Give ye ear
unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: I am verily a
servant of God. I have been made the Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the
presence of Him Who is the long-expected Remnant of God. Here is My Book before
your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the presence of God in the Mother Book. God
hath indeed made Me blessed, wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to
observe prayer and fortitude so long as I shall live on earth amongst you. Chapter IX.
Glorified is He besides
Whom there is none other God. In His grasp He holdeth the source of authority,
and verily God is powerful over all things. We have decreed that every long
life shall in truth suffer decline1 and that every hardship
shall be followed by ease,2 that perchance men may
recognize the Gate of God as He Who is the eternal Truth, and verily God shall
stand as witness unto those that have believed. Chapter XIII.
O ye servants of God!
Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye asked of Him remaineth unanswered,
inasmuch as He hath been commanded by God to observe silence, a silence which
is in truth praiseworthy. We have indeed enabled Thee to truly see in Thy dream
a measure of Our Cause, but wert Thou to acquaint them with the hidden Mystery,
they would dispute its truth among themselves. Verily Thy Lord, the God of
truth, knoweth the very secrets of hearts.1…
O
peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in the way of the One True
God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God, the Preserver, intact at God’s Holy
Gate. O peoples of the earth! Bear ye allegiance unto this resplendent light
wherewith God hath graciously invested Me through the power of infallible
Truth, and walk not in the footsteps of the Evil One,2 inasmuch as he prompteth
you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and verily God will not forgive disbelief
in Himself, though He will forgive other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth.3 Indeed His knowledge
embraceth all things.… Chapter XVII.
O peoples of the East
and the West! Be ye fearful of God concerning the Cause of the true Joseph and
barter Him not for a paltry price1 established by
yourselves, or for a trifle of your earthly possessions, that ye may, in very
truth, be praised by Him as those who are reckoned among the pious who stand
nigh unto this Gate. Verily God hath deprived of His grace him who martyred
Husayn, Our forefather, lonely and forsaken as He was upon the land of Taff
[Karbilá]. Yazíd, the son of Mu‘ávíyih, out of corrupt desire, bartered away
the head of the true Joseph to the fiendish people for a trifling price and a
petty sum from his property. Verily they repudiated God by committing a
grievous error. Erelong will God wreak His vengeance upon them, at the time of
Our Return, and He hath, in very truth, prepared for them, in the world to
come, a severe torment. Chapter XXI.
O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn!1 We have, verily, dilated
Thine heart in this Revelation, which stands truly unique from all created
things, and have exalted Thy name through the manifestation of the Báb, so that
men may become aware of Our transcendent power, and recognize that God is immeasurably
sanctified above the praise of all men. He is verily independent of the whole
of creation. Chapter XXIII.
The angels and the
spirits, arrayed rank upon rank, descend, by the leave of God, upon this Gate1 and circle round this
Focal Point in a far-stretching line. Greet them with salutations, O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for the dawn hath indeed broken; then proclaim unto the
concourse of the faithful: “Is not the rising of the Morn, foreshadowed in the
Mother Book, to be near at hand?2…”
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Turn Thou eagerly unto God in Thy Cause, for the peoples of the
world have risen in iniquity, and but for the outpouring of the grace of God
and Thy mercy unto them, no one could purge even a single soul forevermore.3 O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! The
life to come is indeed far more advantageous unto Thee and unto such as follow
Thy Cause than this earthly life and its pleasures. This is what hath been
foreordained according to the dispensations of Providence.…
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Verily I am the “Gate of God” and I give you to drink, by
the leave of God, the sovereign Truth, of the crystal-pure waters of His
Revelation which are gushing out from the incorruptible Fountain situate upon
the Holy Mount. And those who earnestly strive after the One True God, let them
then strive to attain this Gate.4 Verily God is potent over
all things.…
O peoples
of the earth! Give ear unto God’s holy Voice proclaimed by this Arabian Youth
Whom the Almighty hath graciously chosen for His Own Self. He is indeed none
other than the True One, Whom God hath entrusted with this Mission from the
midst of the Burning Bush. O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Unravel what Thou pleasest from
the secrets of the All-Glorious, for the ocean is surging high5 at the behest of the
incomparable Lord. Chapter XXIV.
Are ye wickedly
scheming, according to your selfish fancies, an evil plot against Him Who is
the Most Great Remembrance of God? By the righteousness of God, all who are in
the heaven and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them are regarded in My
sight even as a spider’s web,1 and verily God beareth
witness unto all things. Indeed they will not lay plots but against themselves.
God hath caused this Remembrance to be, in very truth, independent of all the
dwellers of earth and heaven. Chapter XXV.
O ye peoples of the
earth! During the time of My absence I sent down the Gates unto you. However
the believers, except for a handful, obeyed them not. Formerly I sent forth
unto you Ahmad and more recently Kázim, but apart from the pure in heart
amongst you no one followed them. What hath befallen you, O people of the Book?
Will ye not fear the One true God, He Who is your Lord, the Ancient of Days?… O
ye who profess belief in God! I adjure you by Him Who is the Eternal Truth,
have ye discerned among the precepts of these Gates anything inconsistent with
the commandments of God as set forth in this Book? Hath your learning deluded
you by reason of your impiety? Take ye heed then, for verily your God, the Lord
of Eternal Truth, is with you and in very truth is watchful over you.… Chapter XXVII.
O ye kinsmen of the Most
Great Remembrance! This Tree of Holiness, dyed crimson with the oil of
servitude, hath verily sprung forth out of your own soil in the midst of the
Burning Bush, yet ye comprehend nothing whatever thereof, neither of His true,
heavenly attributes, nor of the actual circumstances of His earthly life, nor
of the evidences of His powerful and unblemished behavior. Actuated by your own
fancies, you consider Him to be alien to the sovereign Truth, while in the
estimation of God He is none other than the Promised One Himself, invested with
the power of the sovereign Truth, and verily He is, as decreed in the Mother
Book, held answerable in the midst of the Burning Bush.…
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Deliver the summons of the most exalted Word unto the handmaids
among Thy kindred, caution them against the Most Great Fire and announce unto
them the joyful tidings that following this mighty covenant there shall be
everlasting reunion with God in the Paradise of His good-pleasure, nigh unto
the Seat of Holiness. Verily God, the Lord of creation, is potent over all
things.
O
Thou Mother of the Remembrance! May the peace and salutation of God rest upon
thee. Indeed thou hast endured patiently in Him Who is the sublime Self of God.
Recognize then the station of thy Son Who is none other than the mighty Word of
God. He hath verily pledged Himself to be answerable for thee both in thy grave
and on the Judgment Day, while thou hast, in the Preserved Tablet of God, been
immortalized as the “Mother of the Faithful” by the Pen of His Remembrance. Chapter XXVIII.
O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn!
Stretch not Thy hands wide open in the Cause, inasmuch as the people would find
themselves in a state of stupor by reason of the Mystery, and I swear by the
true, Almighty God that there is yet for Thee another turn after this
Dispensation.
And
when the appointed hour hath struck, do Thou, by the leave of God, the
All-Wise, reveal from the heights of the Most Lofty and Mystic Mount a faint,
an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy impenetrable Mystery, that they who have
recognized the radiance of the Sinaic Splendor may faint away and die as they
catch a lightning glimpse of the fierce and crimson Light that envelops Thy
Revelation. And God is, in very truth, Thine unfailing Protector. Chapter XXVIII.
O people of Persia! Are
ye not satisfied with this glorious honor which the supreme Remembrance of God
hath conferred upon you? Verily ye have been especially favored by God through
this mighty Word. Then do not withdraw from the sanctuary of His presence, for,
by the righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than the sovereign
Truth from God; He is the most exalted One and the Source of all wisdom, as
decreed in the Mother Book.…
O
peoples of the earth! Cleave ye tenaciously to the Cord of the All-Highest God,
which is but this Arabian Youth, Our Remembrance—He Who standeth concealed at
the point of ice amidst the ocean of fire. Chapter
XXIX.
O people of the earth!
By the righteousness of the One true God, I am the Maid of Heaven begotten by
the Spirit of Bahá, abiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby,
tender and vibrant; and in this mighty Paradise naught have I ever witnessed
save that which proclaimeth the Remembrance of God by extolling the virtues of
this Arabian Youth. Verily there is none other God but your Lord, the
All-Merciful. Magnify ye, then, His station, for behold, He is poised in the
midmost heart of the All-Highest Paradise as the embodiment of the praise of
God in the Tabernacle wherein His glorification is intoned.
At
one time I hear His Voice as He acclaimeth Him Who is the Ever-Living, the
Ancient of Days, and at another time as He speaketh of the mystery of His most
august Name. And when He intoneth the anthems of the greatness of God all
Paradise waileth in its longing to gaze on His Beauty, and when He chanteth
words of praise and glorification of God all Paradise becomes motionless like
unto ice locked in the heart of a frost-bound mountain. Methinks I visioned Him
moving along a straight middle path wherein every paradise was His Own
paradise, every heaven His Own heaven, while the whole earth and all that is
therein appeared but as a ring upon the finger of His servants. Glorified be
God, His Creator, the Lord of everlasting sovereignty. Verily He is none other
but the servant of God, the Gate of the Remnant of God your Lord, the Sovereign
Truth. Chapter XXIX.
O Thou the Supreme Word
of God! Fear not, nor be Thou grieved, for indeed unto such as have responded
to Thy Call, whether men or women, We have assured forgiveness of sins, as
known in the presence of the Best-Beloved and in conformity with what Thou
desirest. Verily His knowledge embraceth all things. I adjure Thee by My life,
set Thy face towards Me and be not apprehensive. Verily Thou art the Exalted
One among the Celestial Concourse, and Thy hidden Mystery hath, of a truth,
been recorded upon the Tablet of creation in the midst of the Burning Bush.
Erelong God will bestow upon Thee rulership over all men, inasmuch as His rule
transcendeth the whole of creation. Chapter
XXXI.
O concourse of Shí‘ihs!
Fear ye God and Our Cause which concerneth Him Who is the Most Great
Remembrance of God. For great is its fire, as decreed in the Mother Book. Chapter XL.
Recite ye as much as
convenient from this Qur’án both at morn and at eventide, and chant the verses
of this Book, by the leave of the eternal God, in the sweet accents of this
Bird which warbleth its melody in the vault of heaven. Chapter XLI.
Issue forth from your
cities, O peoples of the West and aid God ere the Day when the Lord of mercy
shall come down unto you in the shadow of the clouds with the angels circling
around Him,1 exalting His praise and
seeking forgiveness for such as have truly believed in Our signs. Verily His
decree hath been issued, and the command of God, as given in the Mother Book,
hath indeed been revealed.…
Become
as true brethren in the one and indivisible religion of God, free from
distinction, for verily God desireth that your hearts should become mirrors
unto your brethren in the Faith, so that ye find yourselves reflected in them,
and they in you. This is the true Path of God, the Almighty, and He is indeed
watchful over your actions. Chapter XLVI.
O ye peoples of the
earth! Hearken unto My call, ringing forth from the precincts of this sacred
Tree—a Tree set ablaze by the pre-existent Fire: There is no God but Him; He is
the Exalted, the All-Wise. O ye the servants of the Merciful One! Enter ye, one
and all, through this Gate and follow not the steps of the Evil One, for he
prompteth you to walk in the ways of impiety and wickedness; he is, in truth,
your declared enemy.1 Chapter LI.
Be Thou patient, O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for God hath indeed pledged to establish Thy sovereignty
throughout all countries and over the people that dwell therein. He is God and
verily He is powerful over all things. Chapter
LIII.
By My glory! I will make
the infidels to taste, with the hands of My power, retributions unknown of
anyone except Me, and will waft over the faithful those musk-scented breaths
which I have nursed in the midmost heart of My throne; and verily the knowledge
of God embraceth all things.
O
concourse of light! By the righteousness of God, We speak not according to
selfish desire, nor hath a single letter of this Book been revealed save by the
leave of God, the Sovereign Truth. Fear ye God and entertain no doubts
regarding His Cause, for verily, the Mystery of this Gate is shrouded in the
mystic utterances of His Writ and hath been written beyond the impenetrable
veil of concealment by the hand of God, the Lord of the visible and the
invisible.
Indeed
God hath created everywhere around this Gate oceans of divine elixir, tinged
crimson with the essence of existence and vitalized through the animating power
of the desired fruit; and for them God hath provided Arks of ruby, tender,
crimson-colored, wherein none shall sail but the people of Bahá, by the leave
of God, the Most Exalted; and verily He is the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. Chapter LVII.
The Lord hath, in truth,
inspired Me: Verily, verily, I am God, He besides Whom there is none other God,
and I am indeed the Ancient of Days.…
O people
of the Kingdom! By the righteousness of the true God, if ye remain steadfast
upon this line which standeth upright between the two lines, ye shall, in very
truth, quaff the living waters from the Fountain of this wondrous Revelation as
proffered by the hand of His Remembrance.…
I
swear by your true Lord, by Him Who is the Lord of the heavens and of the
earth, that the divine Promise concerning His Remembrance is naught but the
sovereign truth and, as decreed in the Mother Book, it shall come to pass.…
Say,
O peoples of the earth! Were ye to assemble together in order to produce the
like of a single letter of my works, ye would never be able to do so,1 and verily God is
cognizant of all things.…
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Behold! Verily the Moon hath faded; verily the night hath
retreated; verily the dawn hath brightened;2 verily the command of
God, your true Lord, hath been accomplished.…
Out
of utter nothingness, O great and omnipotent Master, Thou hast, through the
celestial potency of Thy might, brought me forth and raised me up to proclaim
this Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my trust; I have clung to no
will but Thy Will. Thou art, in truth, the All-Sufficing and behind Thee
standeth the true God, He Who overshadoweth all things. Indeed sufficient unto
Me is God, the Exalted, the Powerful, the Sustainer. Chapter LVIII.
O Thou Remnant of God! I
have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake,
and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient
witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days.
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! The words Thou hast uttered in this momentous Call have grieved
me bitterly. However, the irrevocable decision resteth with none but God and
the decree proceedeth from none save Him alone. By my life, Thou art the
Well-Beloved in the sight of God and His creation. Verily, there is no power
except in God, and sufficient witness unto me is your Lord, Who is, in very
truth, the Omnipotent Avenger. Chapter
LVIII.
O peoples of the earth!
By the righteousness of God, this Book hath, through the potency of the
sovereign Truth, pervaded the earth and the heaven with the mighty Word of God
concerning Him Who is the supreme Testimony, the Expected Qá’im, and verily God
hath knowledge of all things. This divinely inspired Book hath firmly
established His Proof for all those who are in the East and in the West, hence
beware lest ye utter aught but the truth regarding God, for I swear by your
Lord that this supreme Proof of Mine beareth witness unto all things.…
O
servants of God! Be ye patient, for, God grant, He Who is the sovereign Truth
will suddenly appear amongst you, invested with the power of the mighty Word,
and ye shall then be confounded by the Truth itself, and ye shall have no power
to ward it off;1 and verily I am a witness
over all mankind. Chapter LIX.
Verily such as ridicule
the wondrous, divine Verses revealed through His Remembrance, are but making
themselves the objects of ridicule, and We, in truth, aid them to wax in their
iniquity.1 Indeed God’s knowledge
transcendeth all created things.…
The
infidels, of a truth, seek to separate God from His Remembrance,2 but God hath determined
to perfect His Light3 through His Remembrance,
and indeed He is potent over all things.…
Verily,
Christ is Our Word which We communicated unto Mary;4 and let no one say what
the Christians term as “the third of three,”5 inasmuch as it would
amount to slandering the Remembrance Who, as decreed in the Mother Book, is
invested with supreme authority. Indeed God is but one God, and far be it from
His glory that there should be aught else besides Him. All those who shall
attain unto Him on the Day of Resurrection are but His servants, and God is, of
a truth, a sufficient Protector. Verily I am none other but the servant of God
and His Word, and none but the first one to bow down in supplication before
God, the Most Exalted; and indeed God witnesseth all things. Chapter LXI.
O people of the Qur’án!
Ye are as nothing unless ye submit unto the Remembrance of God and unto this
Book. If ye follow the Cause of God, We will forgive you your sins, and if ye
turn aside from Our command, We will, in truth, condemn your souls in Our Book,
unto the Most Great Fire. We, verily, do not deal unjustly with men, even to the
extent of a speck on a date-stone. Chapter
LXII.
O peoples of the earth!
Verily the resplendent Light of God hath appeared in your midst, invested with
this unerring Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of peace and, by
the leave of God, step out of the darkness into the light and onto this
far-extended Path of Truth.1…
God
hath, out of sheer nothingness and through the potency of His command, created
the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them. He is single and
peerless in His eternal unity with none to join partner with His holy Essence,
nor is there any soul, except His Own Self, who can befittingly comprehend
Him.…
O
peoples of the earth! Verily His Remembrance is come to you from God after an
interval during which there were no Messengers,2 that He may purge and
purify you from uncleanliness in anticipation of the Day of the One true God;
therefore seek ye wholeheartedly divine blessings from Him, inasmuch as We
have, in truth, chosen Him to be the Witness and the Source of wisdom unto all
that dwell on earth.…
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Proclaim that which hath been sent down unto Thee as a token of
the grace of the merciful Lord, for if Thou do it not, Our secret will never be
made known to the people,3 while the purpose of God
in creating man is but for him to know Him. Indeed God hath knowledge of all
things and is self-sufficient above the need of all mankind. Chapter LXII.
Whenever the faithful
hear the verses of this Book being recited, their eyes will overflow with tears
and their hearts will be deeply touched by Him Who is the Most Great
Remembrance for the love they cherish for God, the All-Praised. He is God, the
All-Knowing, the Eternal. They are indeed the inmates of the all-highest
Paradise wherein they will abide forever. Verily they will see naught therein
save that which hath proceeded from God, nothing that will lie beyond the
compass of their understanding. There they will meet the believers in Paradise,
who will address them with the words “Peace, Peace” lingering on their lips.…
O
concourse of the faithful! Incline your ears to My Voice, proclaimed by this
Remembrance of God. Verily God hath revealed unto Me that the Path of the
Remembrance which is set forth by Me is, in very truth, the straight Path of
God, and that whoever professeth any religion other than this upright Faith,
will, when called to account on the Day of Judgment, discover that as recorded
in the Book no benefit hath he reaped out of God’s Religion.…
Fear
ye God, O concourse of kings, lest ye remain afar from Him Who is His
Remembrance [the Báb], after the Truth hath come unto you with a Book and signs
from God, as spoken through the wondrous tongue of Him Who is His Remembrance.
Seek ye grace from God, for God hath ordained for you, after ye have believed
in Him, a Garden the vastness of which is as the vastness of the whole of
Paradise. Therein ye shall find naught save the gifts and favors which the
Almighty hath graciously bestowed by virtue of this momentous Cause, as decreed
in the Mother Book. Chapter LXIII.
O Spirit of God! Call
Thou to mind the bounty which I bestowed upon Thee when I conversed with Thee
in the midmost heart of My Sanctuary and aided Thee through the potency of the
Holy Spirit that Thou mightest, as the peerless Mouthpiece of God, proclaim
unto men the commandments of God which lie enshrined within the divine Spirit.
Verily
God hath inspired Thee with divine verses and wisdom while still a child and
hath graciously deigned to bestow His favor upon the peoples of the world
through the influence of Thy Most Great Name, for indeed men have not the least
knowledge of the Book. Chapter LXIII.
O people of the earth!
To attain the ultimate retreat in God, the True One, are we to seek a Gate
other than this exalted Being?…
When
God created the Remembrance He presented Him to the assemblage of all created
beings upon the altar of His Will. Thereupon the concourse of the angels bowed
low in adoration to God, the Peerless, the Incomparable; while Satan waxed
proud, refusing to submit to His Remembrance; hence he is identified in the
Book of God as the arrogant one and the accursed.1 Chapter LXVII.
God, besides Whom there
is none other true God, saith: Indeed, whoso visiteth the Remembrance of God
after His passing, it is as though he hath attained the presence of the Lord,
seated upon His mighty Throne. Verily this is the Way of God, the Most Exalted,
which hath been irrevocably decreed in the Mother Book.…
Say,
O peoples of the world! Do ye dispute with Me about God by virtue of the names
which ye and your fathers have adopted for Him at the promptings of the Evil
One?1 God hath indeed sent down
this Book unto Me with truth that ye may be enabled to recognize the true names
of God, inasmuch as ye have strayed in error far from the Truth. Verily We have
taken a covenant from every created thing upon its coming into being concerning
the Remembrance of God, and there shall be none to avert the binding command of
God for the purification of mankind, as ordained in the Book which is written
by the hand of the Báb. Chapter LXVIII.
The people, during the
absence of the Báb, re-enacted the episode of the Calf by setting up a blaring
figure which embodied animal features in human form.1…
Whenever
the people ask Thee of the appointed Hour say: Verily the knowledge of it is
only with My Lord,2 Who is the Knower of the
unseen. There is none other God but Him—He Who hath created you from a single
soul,3 and I have no control
over what profiteth Me or harmeth Me, but as My Lord pleaseth.4 Indeed God is Self-Sufficient
and He, My Lord, standeth supreme over all things. Chapter LXIX.
Doth it seem strange to
the people that We should have revealed the Book to a man from among themselves
in order to purge them and give them the good tidings that they shall be rewarded
with a sure stance in the presence of their Lord? He indeed beareth witness
unto all things.…
When
the verses of this Book are recited to the infidels they say: “Give us a book
like the Qur’án and make changes in the verses.” Say: “God hath not given Me
that I should change them at My pleasure.” I follow only what is revealed unto
Me. Verily, I shall fear My Lord on the Day of Separation, whose advent He
hath, in very truth, irrevocably ordained.1 Chapter LXXI.
O peoples of the earth!
Verily the true God calleth saying: He Who is the Remembrance is indeed the
sovereign Truth from God, and naught remaineth beyond truth but error,1 and naught is there
beyond error save fire, irrevocably ordained.…
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Point to Thy truthful breast through the power of truth and
exclaim: I swear by the One true God, herein lieth the vicegerency of God; I am
indeed the One Who is regarded as the Best Reward2 and I am indeed He Who is
the Most Excellent Abode. Chapter LXXII.
O ye concourse of the
believers! Utter not words of denial against Me once the Truth is made
manifest, for indeed the mandate of the Báb hath befittingly been proclaimed
unto you in the Qur’án aforetime. I swear by your Lord, this Book is verily the
same Qur’án which was sent down in the past. Chapter LXXXI.
O Thou cherished Fruit
of the heart! Give ear to the melodies of this mystic Bird warbling in the
loftiest heights of heaven. The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me to proclaim:
Verily, verily, I am God, He besides Whom there is none other God. He is the
Almighty, the All-Wise.
O My
servants! Seek ye earnestly this highest reward, as I have indeed created for
the Remembrance of God gardens which remain inscrutable to anyone save Myself,
and naught therein hath been made lawful unto anyone except those whose lives have
been sacrificed in His Path. Hence beseech ye God, the Most Exalted, that He
may grant you this meritorious reward, and He is in truth the Most High, the
Most Great. Had it been Our wish, We would have brought all men into one fold
round Our Remembrance, yet they will not cease to differ,1 unless God accomplish
what He willeth through the power of truth. In the estimation of the
Remembrance this commandment hath, in very truth, been irrevocably ordained.…
God
hath indeed chosen Thee to warn the people, to guide the believers aright and
to elucidate the secrets of the Book. Chapter
LXXXV.
Should it be Our wish,
it is in Our power to compel, through the agency of but one letter of Our
Revelation, the world and all that is therein to recognize, in less than the
twinkling of an eye, the truth of Our Cause.…
Truly
other apostles have been laughed to scorn before Thee,1 and Thou art none other
but the Servant of God, sustained by the power of Truth. Erelong We shall
prolong the days of such as have rejected the Truth by reason of that which
their hands have wrought,2 and verily God will not
deal unjustly with anyone, even to the extent of a speck on a date-stone. Chapter LXXXVII.
O ye peoples of the
earth! By the righteousness of God, the True One, the testimony shown forth by
His Remembrance is like unto a sun which the hand of the merciful Lord hath
raised high in the midmost heart of the heaven, wherefrom it shineth in the
plenitude of its meridian splendor.…
With
each and every Prophet Whom We have sent down in the past, We have established
a separate Covenant concerning the Remembrance of God and His Day. Manifest, in
the realm of glory and through the power of truth, are the Remembrance of God
and His Day before the eyes of the angels that circle His mercy-seat. Chapter XCI.
O hour of the Dawn! Ere
the resplendent glory of the divine Luminary sheddeth its radiance from the
Dayspring of this Gate, call thou to mind that the appointed Day of God will
indeed be at hand in less than the twinkling of an eye. Thus hath the decree of
God been issued in the Mother Book. Chapter
XCIV.
O concourse of the
faithful! Verily the object of each and every sign revealed by God in the
Scriptures or in the world at large or in the hearts of men is but to make them
fully realize that this Remembrance is indeed the True One from God. Verily God
is cognizant of all things through the power of eternal Truth.…
O ye
that circle the throne of glory! Hearken unto My Call which is raised from the
midst of the Burning Bush, “Verily I am God and there is none other God but Me.
Hence worship Me, and for the sake of Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance,
offer ye prayers, purged from the insinuations of the people, for verily your
Lord, the One true God, is none other than the Sovereign Truth. Indeed such as
invoke others besides Him are deservedly numbered among the inmates of the
fire, while He Who is the Remembrance of God verily abideth, firm and
undeviating, on the Path of Truth amidst the Burning Bush.…”
O
peoples of the earth! Inflict not upon the Most Great Remembrance what the
Umayyads cruelly inflicted upon Husayn in the Holy Land. By the righteousness
of God, the True One, He is indeed the Eternal Truth, and unto Him God, verily,
is a witness. Chapter XVII.
God had, in truth,
proposed Our Mission unto the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they
refused to bear it and were afraid thereof. However, Man, this ‘Alí, Who is
none other but the Great Remembrance of God, undertook to bear it. Hence God,
the All-Encompassing, hath referred to Him in His Preserved Book as the
“Wronged One,” and by reason of His being undistinguished before the eyes of
men, He hath, according to the judgment of the Book, been entitled “the
Unknown.”…1
Erelong
We will, in very truth, torment such as waged war against Husayn [Imám Husayn],
in the Land of the Euphrates, with the most afflictive torment, and the most
dire and exemplary punishment.…
God
knoweth well the heart of Husayn, the heat of His burning thirst and His
long-suffering for the sake of God, the Incomparable, the Ancient of Days; and
unto Him God is verily a witness. Chapter
XII.
Hearken unto the Voice
of Thy Lord calling from Mount Sinai, “Verily there is no God but Him, and I am
the Most Exalted One Who hath been veiled in the Mother Book according to the
dispensations of Providence.” Chapter
XIX.
This Book which We have
sent down is indeed abounding in blessings1 and beareth witness to
the Truth, so that the people may realize that the conclusive Proof of God in
favor of His Remembrance is similar to the one wherewith Muhammad, the Seal of
the Prophets, was invested, and verily great is the Cause as ordained in the
Mother Book. Chapter LXVI.
This Remembrance is
indeed the glorious Remnant of the Light of God, and He will be best for you,1 if ye in very truth
remain faithful to God, the Most Exalted.…
We
have in truth sent Thee forth unto all men, by the leave of God, invested with
Our signs and reinforced by Our unsurpassed sovereignty. He is indeed the
appointed Bearer of the Trust of God.…
O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Persevere steadfastly as Thou art bidden and let not the faithless
amongst men nor their utterances grieve Thee, since Thy Lord shall, by the
righteousness of God, the Most Great, pass judgment upon them on the Day of
Resurrection, and surely God witnesseth all things. Chapter LXXXIV.
This Religion is indeed,
in the sight of God, the essence of the Faith of Muhammad; haste ye then to
attain the celestial Paradise and the all-highest Garden of His good-pleasure
in the presence of the One True God, could ye but be patient and thankful
before the evidences of the signs of God. Chapter
XLVIII.
O My servants! This is
God’s appointed Day which the merciful Lord hath promised you in His Book;
wherefore, in very truth, glorify ye abundantly the name of God while treading
the Path of the Most Great Remembrance.…
Verily
God hath granted leave to His Remembrance to say whatsoever He willeth in
whatever manner He pleaseth. Indeed whatsoever He chooseth is none other than
what is chosen by Us. The Lord, in truth, witnesseth all things. Chapter LXXXVII.
Indeed We conversed with
Moses by the leave of God from the midst of the Burning Bush in the Sinai and
revealed an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy Light upon the Mystic Mount and its
dwellers, whereupon the Mount shook to its foundations and was crushed into
dust.…
O
peoples of the earth! I swear by your Lord! Ye shall act as former generations
have acted. Warn ye, then, yourselves of the terrible, the most grievous
vengeance of God. For God is, verily, potent over all things. Chapter LIII.
O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! I
recognize in Thee none other except the “Great Announcement”—the Announcement
voiced by the Concourse on high. By this name, I bear witness, they that circle
the Throne of Glory have ever known Thee.
O
concourse of the believers! Do ye harbor any doubt as to that whereunto the
Remembrance of God doth summon you? By the righteousness of the One true God,
He is none other than the sovereign Truth Who hath been made manifest through
the power of Truth. Are ye in doubt concerning the Báb? Verily He is the One
Who holdeth, by Our leave, the kingdoms of earth and heaven in His grasp, and
the Lord is in truth fully aware of what ye are doing.…
Indeed
I am but a man like unto you. However, God bestoweth upon Me whatever favors He
willeth as He pleaseth, and that which your Lord hath decreed in the Mother
Book is unbounded. Chapter LXXXVIII.
God, of a truth,
revealed unto Me in the sacred house of the Ka‘bah, “Verily, I am God, no God
is there but Me. I have singled Thee out for Myself and have chosen Thee as the
Remembrance. Indeed, whosoever beareth allegiance unto Thee by walking in the
way of the Báb, for him the recompense of the next world hath surely been
prescribed.…” It is ordained in the Book that upon the realization of the Cause
of the Remembrance, the Most Great Event will have come to pass according to
the dispensation of Providence, and God, truly, is potent over all things. Chapter LXXIX.
O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say:
Verily I am the One Who is hailed in the Mother Book as the “Great
Announcement.” Say: The people have grievously differed over Me, whereas in
truth there is no difference between Me and the Báb; and God, the Eternal
Truth, is sufficient witness. Chapter
LXXVII.
I am the Mystic Fane
which the Hand of Omnipotence hath reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of
God hath lit within its niche and caused to shine with deathless splendor. I am
the Flame of that supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot,
and lay concealed in the midst of the Burning Bush. Chapter XCIV.
As a token of pure
justice, We have indeed sent tidings unto every Prophet concerning the Cause of
Our Remembrance, and verily God is supreme over all the peoples of the world. Chapter LXXXIII.
• • •
3
Excerpts from the Persian Bayán
It
is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long
as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the
one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God’s tender mercy, whereas
possession of earthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to
guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and coercion. This hath
been God’s method in the past, and shall continue to be in the future! He
causeth him whom He pleaseth to enter the shadow of His Mercy. Verily, He is
the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous.
There
is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s
Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His
presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the
heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of
the paradise of His divine Oneness. II,
16.1
Worship thou God in such
wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine
adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be
paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one
True God. Shouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in
the sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act by
thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise,
and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make
God’s creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is
desired by men.
Fire
and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God. That which is
worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or
hope of paradise.
Although
when true worship is offered, the worshipper is delivered from the fire, and
entereth the paradise of God’s good-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive
of his act. However, God’s favor and grace ever flow in accordance with the
exigencies of His inscrutable wisdom.
The
most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and
radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more
detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of
God. VII, 19.
The Day of Resurrection is
a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath
the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred
did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed, and
thus they were not told!
When
the Apostle of God [Muhammad] appeared, He did not announce unto the
unbelievers that the Resurrection had come, for they could not bear the news.
That Day is indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree proclaimeth
from eternity unto eternity, “Verily, I am God. No God is there but Me.” Yet
those who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they refuse
even to call Him a believer, although such a title in the realm of His heavenly
Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the most insignificant follower of His
previous Dispensation. Thus, had the people in the days of the Apostle of God
regarded Him at least as a believer of their time how would they have debarred
Him, for seven years while He was in the mountain, from access to His Holy
House [Ka‘bah]? Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the Bayán, if the
people had not refused to concede the name believer unto Him, how could they
have incarcerated Him on this mountain, without realizing that the quintessence
of belief oweth its existence to a word from Him? Their hearts are deprived of
the power of true insight, and thus they cannot see, while those endowed with
the eyes of the spirit circle like moths round the Light of Truth until they are
consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of Resurrection is said to be the
greatest of all days, yet it is like unto any other day. VIII, 9.
There is no paradise, in
the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey
God’s commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known
God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another
soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection God
will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for His grace. V, 19.
God loveth those who are
pure. Naught in the Bayán and in the sight of God is more loved than purity and
immaculate cleanliness.…
God
desireth not to see, in the Dispensation of the Bayán, any soul deprived of joy
and radiance. He indeed desireth that under all conditions, all may be adorned
with such purity, both inwardly and outwardly, that no repugnance may be caused
even to themselves, how much less unto others. V, 14.
Likewise consider the
manifestation of the Point of the Bayán. There are people who every night until
morning busy themselves with the worship of God, and even at present when the
Daystar of Truth is nearing its zenith in the heaven of its Revelation, they
have not yet left their prayer rugs. If anyone of them ever heard the wondrous
verses of God recited unto him, he would exclaim: “Why dost thou keep me back
from offering my prayers?” O thou who art wrapt in veils! If thou makest
mention of God, wherefore sufferest thou thyself to be shut out from Him Who
hath kindled the light of worship in thy heart? If He had not previously
revealed the injunction: “Verily, make ye mention of God,”1 what would have prompted
thee to offer devotion unto God, and whereunto wouldst thou turn in prayer?
Know
thou of a certainty that whenever thou makest mention of Him Whom God shall
make manifest, only then art thou making mention of God. In like manner
shouldst thou hearken unto the verses of the Bayán and acknowledge its truth,
only then would the revealed verses of God profit thee. Otherwise what benefit
canst thou derive therefrom? For wert thou to prostrate thyself in adoration
from the beginning of life till the end and to spend thy days for the sake of
God’s remembrance, but disbelieve in the Exponent of His Revelation for the
age, dost thou imagine that thy deeds would confer any benefit upon thee? On
the other hand, if thou believest in Him and dost recognize Him with true
understanding, and He saith: “I have accepted thine entire life spent in My
adoration,” then assuredly hast thou been worshiping Him most ardently. Thy
purpose in performing thy deeds is that God may graciously accept them; and
divine acceptance can in no wise be achieved except through the acceptance of
Him Who is the Exponent of His Revelation. For instance, if the Apostle of
God—may divine blessings rest upon Him—accepted a certain deed, in truth God
accepted it; otherwise it hath remained within the selfish desires of the
person who wrought it, and did not reach the presence of God. Likewise, any act
which is accepted by the Point of the Bayán is accepted by God, inasmuch as the
contingent world hath no other access unto the presence of the Ancient of Days.
Whatever is sent down cometh through the Exponent of His Revelation, and
whatever ascendeth, ascendeth unto the Exponent of His Revelation. VIII, 19.
There is no doubt that the
Almighty hath sent down these verses unto Him [the Báb], even as He sent down
unto the Apostle of God. Indeed no less than a hundred thousand verses similar
to these have already been disseminated among the people, not to mention His
epistles, His prayers or His learned and philosophical treatises. He revealeth
no less than a thousand verses within the space of five hours. He reciteth
verses at a speed consonant with the capacity of His amanuensis to set them
down. Thus, it may well be considered that if from the inception of this
Revelation until now He had been left unhindered, how vast then would have been
the volume of writings disseminated from His pen.
If ye
contend that these verses cannot, of themselves, be regarded as a proof, scan
the pages of the Qur’án. If God hath established therein any evidence other
than the revealed verses to demonstrate the validity of the prophethood of His
Apostle—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—ye may then have your scruples
about Him.…
Concerning
the sufficiency of the Book as a proof, God hath revealed: “Is it not enough
for them that We have sent down unto Thee the Book to be recited to them? In
this verily is a mercy and a warning to those who believe.”1 When God hath testified
that the Book is a sufficient testimony, as is affirmed in the text, how can one
dispute this truth by saying that the Book in itself is not a conclusive
proof?… II, 1.
Since that Day is a great
Day it would be sorely trying for thee to identify thyself with the believers.
For the believers of that Day are the inmates of Paradise, while the
unbelievers are the inmates of the fire. And know thou of a certainty that by
Paradise is meant recognition of and submission unto Him Whom God shall make
manifest, and by the fire the company of such souls as would fail to submit
unto Him or to be resigned to His good-pleasure. On that Day thou wouldst
regard thyself as the inmate of Paradise and as a true believer in Him, whereas
in reality thou wouldst suffer thyself to be wrapt in veils and thy habitation
would be the nethermost fire, though thou thyself wouldst not be cognizant
thereof.
Compare
His manifestation with that of the Point of the Qur’án. How vast the number of
the Letters of the Gospel who eagerly expected Him, yet from the time of His
declaration up to five years no one became an inmate of Paradise, except the
Commander of the Faithful [Imám ‘Alí], and those who secretly believed in Him.
All the rest were accounted as inmates of the fire, though they considered
themselves as dwellers in Paradise.
Likewise
behold this Revelation. The essences of the people have, through divinely
conceived designs, been set in motion and until the present day three hundred
and thirteen disciples have been chosen. In the land of Sád [Isfahán], which to
outward seeming is a great city, in every corner of whose seminaries are vast
numbers of people regarded as divines and doctors, yet when the time came for
inmost essences to be drawn forth, only its sifter of wheat donned the robe of
discipleship. This is the mystery of what was uttered by the kindred of the
Prophet Muhammad—upon them be the peace of God—concerning this Revelation,
saying that the abased shall be exalted and the exalted shall be abased.
Likewise
is the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Among those to whom it
will never occur that they might merit the displeasure of God, and whose pious
deeds will be exemplary unto everyone, there will be many who will become the
personification of the nethermost fire itself, when they fail to embrace His
Cause; while among the lowly servants whom no one would imagine to be of any
merit, how great the number who will be honored with true faith and on whom the
Fountainhead of generosity will bestow the robe of authority. For whatever is
created in the Faith of God is created through the potency of His Word. VIII, 14.
In the manifestation of
the Apostle of God all were eagerly awaiting Him, yet thou hast heard how He
was treated at the time of His appearance, in spite of the fact that if ever
they beheld Him in their dreams they would take pride in them.
Likewise
in the manifestation of the Point of the Bayán, the people stood up at the
mention of His Name and fervently implored His advent night and day, and if
they dreamt of Him they gloried in their dreams; yet now that He hath revealed
Himself, invested with the mightiest testimony, whereby their own religion is
vindicated, and despite the incalculable number of people who yearningly
anticipate His coming, they are resting comfortably in their homes, after
having hearkened to His verses; while He at this moment is confined in the
mountain of Máh-Kú, lonely and forsaken.
Take
good heed of yourselves, O people of the Bayán, lest ye perform such deeds as
to weep sore for His sake night and day, to stand up at the mention of His Name,
yet on this Day of fruition—a Day whereon ye should not only arise at His Name,
but seek a path unto Him Who personifies that Name—ye shut yourselves out from
Him as by as veil. VI, 15.
At the time of the
manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest everyone should be well
trained in the teachings of the Bayán, so that none of the followers may
outwardly cling to the Bayán and thus forfeit their allegiance unto Him. If
anyone does so, the verdict of “disbeliever in God” shall be passed upon him.
I swear
by the holy Essence of God, were all in the Bayán to unite in helping Him Whom
God shall make manifest in the days of His Revelation, not a single soul, nay,
not a created thing would remain on earth that would not gain admittance into
Paradise. Take good heed of yourselves, for the sum total of the religion of
God is but to help Him, rather than to observe, in the time of His appearance,
such deeds as are prescribed in the Bayán. Should anyone, however, ere He
manifesteth Himself, transgress the ordinances, were it to the extent of a
grain of barley, he would have trangressed His command.
Seek
ye refuge in God from whatsoever might lead you astray from the Source of His
Revelation and hold fast unto His Cord, for whoso holdeth fast unto His
allegiance, he hath attained and will attain salvation in all the worlds.
“Such
is the bounty of God; to whom He will, He giveth it, and God is the Lord of
grace abounding.”1 V, 5.
Ye perform your works
for God from the beginning of your lives till the end thereof, yet not a single
act is for the sake of Him Who is the Manifestation of God, to Whom every good
deed reverteth. Had ye acted in such manner, ye would not have suffered so
grievously on the Day of Resurrection.
Behold
how great is the Cause, and yet how the people are wrapt in veils. I swear by
the sanctified Essence of God that every true praise and deed offered unto God
is naught but praise and deed offered unto Him Whom God shall make manifest.
Deceive
not your own selves that you are being virtuous for the sake of God when you
are not. For should ye truly do your works for God, ye would be performing them
for Him Whom God shall make manifest and would be magnifying His Name. The
dwellers of this mountain who are bereft of true understanding unceasingly
utter the words, “No God is there but God”; but what benefit doth it yield
them? Ponder awhile that ye may not be shut out as by a veil from Him Who is
the Dayspring of Revelation. VIII, 19.
God hath, at all times
and under all conditions, been wholly independent of His creatures. He hath
cherished and will ever cherish the desire that all men may attain His gardens
of Paradise with utmost love, that no one should sadden another, not even for a
moment, and that all should dwell within His cradle of protection and security
until the Day of Resurrection which marketh the dayspring of the Revelation of
Him Whom God will make manifest.
The
Lord of the universe hath never raised up a prophet nor hath He sent down a Book
unless He hath established His covenant with all men, calling for their
acceptance of the next Revelation and of the next Book; inasmuch as the
outpourings of His bounty are ceaseless and without limit. VI, 16.
How veiled are ye, O My
creatures,1… who, without any right,
have consigned Him unto a mountain [Máh-Kú], not one of whose inhabitants is
worthy of mention.… With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him who
is one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In His presence, which is My
Presence, there is not at night even a lighted lamp! And yet, in places [of
worship] which in varying degrees reach out unto Him, unnumbered lamps are
shining! All that is on earth hath been created for Him, and all partake with
delight of His benefits, and yet they are so veiled from Him as to refuse Him
even a lamp!
In
this Day therefore I bear witness unto My creatures, for the witness of no one
other than Myself hath been or shall ever be worthy of mention in My presence.
I affirm that no Paradise is more sublime for My creatures than to stand before
My face and to believe in My holy Words, while no fire hath been or will be
fiercer for them than to be veiled from the Manifestation of My exalted Self
and to disbelieve in My Words.
Ye
may contend: “How doth He speak on our behalf?” Have ye not perused the
unseemly words ye uttered in the past, as reflected in the text of My Book, and
still ye feel not ashamed? Ye have now seen the truth of My Book conclusively
established and today every one of you doth profess belief in Me through that
Book. The day is not far distant when ye shall readily realize that your glory
lieth in your belief in these holy verses. Today, however, when only belief in
this Faith truly profiteth you, ye have debarred yourselves therefrom by reason
of the things which are disadvantageous unto you and will inflict harm upon
you, whereas He Who is the Manifestation of My Self hath been and shall ever
remain immune from any harm whatever, and any loss that hath appeared or will
appear shall eventually revert unto yourselves. II, 1.
How vast the number of
people who are well versed in every science, yet it is their adherence to the
holy Word of God which will determine their faith, inasmuch as the fruit of
every science is none other than the knowledge of divine precepts and
submission unto His good-pleasure. II, 1.
No created thing shall
ever attain its paradise unless it appeareth in its highest prescribed degree
of perfection. For instance, this crystal representeth the paradise of the
stone whereof its substance is composed. Likewise there are various stages in
the paradise for the crystal itself.… So long as it was stone it was worthless,
but if it attaineth the excellence of ruby—a potentiality which is latent in
it—how much a carat will it be worth? Consider likewise every created thing.
Man’s
highest station, however, is attained through faith in God in every
Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him, and not
through learning; inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who are
versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is
similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are
those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things.
True
knowledge, therefore, is the knowledge of God, and this is none other than the
recognition of His Manifestation in each Dispensation. Nor is there any wealth
save in poverty in all save God and sanctity from aught else but Him—a state
that can be realized only when demonstrated towards Him Who is the Dayspring of
His Revelation. This doth not mean, however, that one ought not to yield praise
unto former Revelations. On no account is this acceptable, inasmuch as it
behooveth man, upon reaching the age of nineteen, to render thanksgiving for
the day of his conception as an embryo. For had the embryo not existed, how
could he have reached his present state? Likewise had the religion taught by
Adam not existed, this Faith would not have attained its present stage. Thus
consider thou the development of God’s Faith until the end that hath no end. V, 4.
Twelve hundred and
seventy years have elapsed since the declaration of Muhammad, and each year
unnumbered people have circumambulated the House of God [Mecca]. In the
concluding year of this period He Who is Himself the Founder of the House went
on pilgrimage. Great God! There was a vast concourse of pilgrims from every
sect. Yet not one recognized Him, though He recognized every one of them—souls
tightly held in the grasp of His former commandment. The only person who
recognized Him and performed pilgrimage with Him is the one round whom revolve
eight Váhids,1 in whom God hath gloried
before the Concourse on high by virtue of his absolute detachment and for his
being wholly devoted to the Will of God. This doth not mean that he was made
the object of a special favor, nay, this is a favor which God hath vouchsafed
unto all men, yet they have suffered themselves to be veiled from it. The
Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph had, in the first year of this Revelation, been
widely distributed. Nevertheless, when the people realized that fellow
supporters were not forthcoming they hesitated to accept it; while it never
occurred to them that the very Qur’án whereunto unnumbered souls bear fealty
today, was revealed in the midmost heart of the Arab world, yet to outward
seeming for no less than seven years no one acknowledged its truth except the
Commander of the Faithful [Imám ‘Alí]—may the peace of God rest upon him—who,
in response to the conclusive proofs advanced by God’s supreme Testimony,
recognized the Truth and did not fix his eyes on others. Thus on the Day of
Resurrection God will ask everyone of his understanding and not of his
following in the footsteps of others. How often a person, having inclined his
ears to the holy verses, would bow down in humility and would embrace the
Truth, while his leader would not do so. Thus every individual must bear his
own responsibility, rather than someone else bearing it for him. At the time of
the appearance of Him Whom God will make manifest the most distinguished among
the learned and the lowliest of men shall both be judged alike. How often the
most insignificant of men have acknowledged the truth, while the most learned
have remained wrapt in veils. Thus in every Dispensation a number of souls
enter the fire by reason of their following in the footsteps of others. IV, 18.
Better is it for a
person to write down but one of His verses than to transcribe the whole of the
Bayán and all the books which have been written in the Dispensation of the
Bayán. For everything shall be set aside except His Writings, which will endure
until the following Revelation. And should anyone inscribe with true faith but
one letter of that Revelation, his recompense would be greater than for inscribing
all the heavenly Writings of the past and all that has been written during
previous Dispensations. Likewise continue thou to ascend through one Revelation
after another, knowing that thy progress in the Knowledge of God shall never
come to an end, even as it can have no beginning. VII, 13.
O people of the Bayán!
Be on your guard; for on the Day of Resurrection no one shall find a place to
flee to. He will shine forth suddenly, and will pronounce judgment as He
pleaseth. If it be His wish He will cause the abased to be exalted, and the
exalted to be abased, even as He did in the Bayán, couldst thou but understand.
And no one but Him is equal unto this. Whatever He ordaineth will be fulfilled,
and nothing will remain unfulfilled. VII,
9.
Since all men have
issued forth from the shadow of the signs of His Divinity and Lordship, they
always tend to take a path, lofty and high. And because they are bereft of a
discerning eye to recognize their Beloved, they fall short of their duty to
manifest meekness and humility towards Him. Nevertheless, from the beginning of
their lives till the end thereof, in conformity with the laws established in
the previous religion, they worship God, piously adore Him, bow themselves
before His divine Reality and show submissiveness toward His exalted Essence.
At the hour of His manifestation, however, they all turn their gaze toward
their own selves and are thus shut out from Him, inasmuch as they fancifully
regard Him as one like unto themselves. Far from the glory of God is such a
comparison. Indeed that august Being resembleth the physical sun, His verses
are like its rays, and all believers, should they truly believe in Him, are as
mirrors wherein the sun is reflected. Their light is thus a mere reflection. VII, 15.
O people of the Bayán!
If ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, to your own behoof do ye
believe. He hath been and ever will remain independent of all men. For
instance, were ye to place unnumbered mirrors before the sun, they would all
reflect the sun and produce impressions thereof, whereas the sun is in itself
wholly independent of the existence of the mirrors and of the suns which they
reproduce. Such are the bounds of the contingent beings in their relation to
the manifestation of the Eternal Being.…
In
this day no less than seventy thousand people make pilgrimage every year to the
holy House of God in compliance with the bidding of the Apostle of God; while
He Himself Who ordained this ordinance took refuge for seven years in the
mountains of Mecca. And this notwithstanding that the One Who enjoined this
commandment is far greater than the commandment itself. Hence all this people
who at this time go on pilgrimage do not do so with true understanding,
otherwise in this Day of His Return which is mightier than His former
Dispensation, they would have followed His commandment. But now behold what
hath happened. People who profess belief in His former religion, who in the
daytime and in the night season bow down in worship in His Name, have assigned Him
to a dwelling place in a mountain, while each one of them would regard
attaining recognition of Him as an honor. VII,
15.
The reason why privacy
hath been enjoined in moments of devotion is this, that thou mayest give thy
best attention to the remembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times be
animated with His Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil from thy
Best-Beloved. Let not thy tongue pay lip service in praise of God while thy
heart be not attuned to the exalted Summit of Glory, and the Focal Point of
communion. Thus if haply thou dost live in the Day of Resurrection, the mirror
of thy heart will be set towards Him Who is the Daystar of Truth; and no sooner
will His light shine forth than the splendor thereof shall forthwith be
reflected in thy heart. For He is the Source of all goodness, and unto Him
revert all things. But if He appeareth while thou hast turned unto thyself in
meditation, this shall not profit thee, unless thou shalt mention His Name by
words He hath revealed. For in the forthcoming Revelation it is He Who is the
Remembrance of God, whereas the devotions which thou art offering at present
have been prescribed by the Point of the Bayán, while He Who will shine
resplendent in the Day of Resurrection is the Revelation of the inner reality
enshrined in the Point of the Bayán—a Revelation more potent, immeasurably more
potent, than the one which hath preceded it. IX, 4.
It is seemly that the
servant should, after each prayer, supplicate God to bestow mercy and
forgiveness upon his parents. Thereupon God’s call will be raised: “Thousand
upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall be thy recompense!”
Blessed is he who remembereth his parents when communing with God. There is,
verily, no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. VIII, 16.
As this physical frame
is the throne of the inner temple, whatever occurs to the former is felt by the
latter. In reality that which takes delight in joy or is saddened by pain is
the inner temple of the body, not the body itself. Since this physical body is
the throne whereon the inner temple is established, God hath ordained that the
body be preserved to the extent possible, so that nothing that causeth
repugnance may be experienced. The inner temple beholdeth its physical frame,
which is its throne. Thus, if the latter is accorded respect, it is as if the
former is the recipient. The converse is likewise true.
Therefore,
it hath been ordained that the dead body should be treated with the utmost
honor and respect. V, 12.
At the time of the
appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, wert thou to perform thy deeds
for the sake of the Point of the Bayán, they would be regarded as performed for
one other than God, inasmuch as on that Day the Point of the Bayán is none
other than Him Whom God shall make manifest.…
It
is for this reason that at the beginning of every Dispensation a vast
multitude, who fondly imagine that their deeds are for God, become drowned and
ungodly, and perceive this not, except such as He guideth at His behest.
It
is better for a man to guide a soul than to possess all that lies between East
and West. Likewise better is guidance for him who is guided than all the things
that exist on earth, for by reason of this guidance he will, after his death,
gain admittance into Paradise, whereas by reason of the things of the world
below, he will, after his death, receive his deserts. Hence God desireth that
all men should be guided aright through the potency of the Words of Him Whom
God shall make manifest. However, such as are conceited will not suffer
themselves to be guided. They will be debarred from the Truth, some by reason
of their learning, others on account of their glory and power, and still others
due to reasons of their own, none of which shall be of any avail at the hour of
death.
Take
thou good heed that ye may all, under the leadership of Him Who is the Source
of Divine Guidance, be enabled to direct thy steps aright upon the Bridge,
which is sharper than the sword and finer than a hair, so that perchance the
things which from the beginning of thy life till the end thou hast performed
for the love of God, may not, all at once and unrealized by thyself, be turned
to acts not acceptable in the sight of God. Verily God guideth whom He will
into the path of absolute certitude. VII,
2.
Everyone is eagerly
awaiting His appearance, yet since their inner eyes are not directed towards
Him sorrow must needs befall Him. In the case of the Apostle of God—may the
blessings of God rest upon Him—before the revelation of the Qur’án everyone
bore witness to His piety and noble virtues. Behold Him then after the
revelation of the Qur’án. What outrageous insults were leveled against Him, as
indeed the pen is ashamed to recount. Likewise behold the Point of the Bayán.
His behavior prior to the declaration of His mission is clearly evident unto
those who knew Him. Now, following His manifestation, although He hath, up to
the present, revealed no less than five hundred thousand verses on different
subjects, behold what calumnies are uttered, so unseemly that the pen is
stricken with shame at the mention of them. But if all men were to observe the
ordinances of God no sadness would befall that heavenly Tree. VI, 11.
The acts of Him Whom God
shall make manifest are like unto the sun, while the works of men, provided
they conform to the good-pleasure of God, resemble the stars or the moon.…
Thus, should the followers of the Bayán observe the precepts of Him Whom God
shall make manifest at the time of His appearance, and regard themselves and
their own works as stars exposed to the light of the sun, then they will have
gathered the fruits of their existence; otherwise the title of “starship” will
not apply to them. Rather it will apply to such as truly believe in Him, to
those who pale into insignificance in the daytime and gleam forth with light in
the night season.
Such
indeed is the fruit of this precept, should anyone observe it on the Day of
Resurrection. This is the essence of all learning and of all righteous deeds,
should anyone but attain unto it. Had the peoples of the world fixed their gaze
upon this principle, no Exponent of divine Revelation would ever have, at the
inception of any Dispensation, regarded them as things of naught. However, the
fact is that during the night season everyone perceiveth the light which he
himself, according to his own capacity, giveth out, oblivious that at the break
of day this light shall fade away and be reduced to utter nothingness before
the dazzling splendor of the sun.
The
light of the people of the world is their knowledge and utterance; while the
splendors shed from the glorious acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are
His Words, through whose potency He rolleth up the whole world of existence,
sets it under His Own authority by relating it unto Himself, then as the
Mouthpiece of God, the Source of His divine light—exalted and glorified be
He—proclaimeth: “Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there but Me; in truth all
others except Me are My creatures. Say, O My creatures! Me alone, therefore,
should ye fear.” VIII, 1.
Know thou that in the
Bayán purification is regarded as the most acceptable means for attaining
nearness unto God and as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou
thine ear that thou mayest hear no mention besides God, and purge thine eye
that it behold naught except God, and thy conscience that it perceive naught
other than God, and thy tongue that it proclaim nothing but God, and thy hand
to write naught but the words of God, and thy knowledge that it comprehend
naught except God, and thy heart that it entertain no wish save God, and in
like manner purge all thine acts and thy pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured
in the paradise of pure love, and perchance mayest attain the presence of Him
Whom God shall make manifest, adorned with a purity which He highly cherisheth,
and be sanctified from whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth not support
Him. Thus shalt thou manifest a purity that shall profit thee.
Know
thou that every ear which hearkeneth unto His Words with true faith shall be
immune from the fire. Thus the believer, through his recognition of Him will
appreciate the transcendent character of His heavenly Words, will
wholeheartedly choose Him over others, and will refuse to incline his
affections towards those who disbelieve in Him. Whatever one gaineth in the
life to come is but the fruit of this faith. Indeed any man whose eye gazeth
upon His Words with true faith well deserveth Paradise; and one whose
conscience beareth witness unto His Words with true faith shall abide in Paradise
and attain the presence of God; and one whose tongue giveth utterance to His
Words with true faith shall have his abode in Paradise, wherein he will be
seized with ecstasy in praise and glorification of God, the Ever-Abiding, Whose
revelations of glory never end and the reviving breaths of Whose holiness never
fail. Every hand which setteth down His Words with true faith shall be filled
by God, both in this world and in the next, with things that are highly prized;
and every breast which committeth His Words to memory, God shall cause, if it
were that of a believer, to be filled with His love; and every heart which
cherisheth the love of His Words and manifesteth in itself the signs of true
faith when His Name is mentioned, and exemplifieth the words, “their hearts are
thrilled with awe at the mention of God,”1 that heart will become
the object of the glances of divine favor and on the Day of Resurrection will
be highly praised by God. IX, 10.
If at the time of the
appearance of Him Whom God will make manifest all the dwellers of the earth
were to bear witness unto a thing whereunto He beareth witness differently, His
testimony would be like unto the sun, while theirs would be even as a false
image produced in a mirror which is not facing the sun. For had it been
otherwise their testimony would have proved a faithful reflection of His
testimony.
I
swear by the most sacred Essence of God that but one line of the Words uttered
by Him is more sublime than the words uttered by all that dwell on earth. Nay,
I beg forgiveness for making this comparison. How could the reflections of the
sun in the mirror compare with the wondrous rays of the sun in the visible
heaven? The station of one is that of nothingness, while the station of the
other, by the righteousness of God—hallowed and magnified be His Name—is that
of the Reality of things.…
If
in the Day of His manifestation a king were to make mention of his own
sovereignty, this would be like unto a mirror challenging the sun, saying: “The
light is in me.” It would be likewise, if a man of learning in His Day were to
claim to be an exponent of knowledge, or if he who is possessed of riches were
to display his affluence, or if a man wielding power were to assert his own
authority, or if one invested with grandeur were to show forth his glory. Nay,
such men would become the object of the derision of their peers, and how would
they be judged by Him Who is the Sun of Truth! III, 12.
It is not permissible to
ask questions from Him Whom God will make manifest, except that which well
beseemeth Him. For His station is that of the Essence of divine Revelation.…
Whatever evidence of bounty is witnessed in the world, is but an image of His bounty;
and every thing owes its existence to His Being.… The Bayán is, from beginning
to end, the repository of all of His attributes, and the treasury of both His
fire and His light. Should anyone desire to ask questions, he is allowed to do
so only in writing, that he may derive ample understanding from His written
reply and that it may serve as a sign from his Beloved. However, let no one ask
aught that may prove unworthy of His lofty station. For instance, were a person
to inquire the price of straw from a merchant of rubies, how ignorant would he
be and how unacceptable. Similarly unacceptable would be the questions of the
highest-ranking people of the world in His presence, except such words as He
Himself would utter about Himself in the Day of His manifestation.
Methinks
I visualize those who would, prompted by their own deluded conceptions, write
to Him and ask Him questions about that which hath been revealed in the Bayán,
and He would answer them with words not of His Own, but divinely inspired,
saying: “Verily, verily, I am God; no God is there but Me. I have called into
being all the created things, I have raised up divine Messengers in the past
and have sent down Books unto Them. Take heed not to worship anyone but God, He
Who is My Lord and your Lord. This indeed is the undoubted truth. However,
alike shall it be to Me; if ye believe in Me, ye will provide good for your own
souls, and if ye believe not in Me, nor in that which God hath revealed unto
Me, ye will suffer yourselves to be shut out as by a veil. For verily I have
been independent of you heretofore, and shall remain independent hereafter.
Therefore it behooveth you, O creatures of God, to help your own selves and to
believe in the Verses revealed by Me.…” III,
13.
The Bayán shall constitute
God’s unerring balance till the Day of Resurrection which is the Day of Him
Whom God will make manifest. Whoso acteth in conformity with that which is
revealed therein will abide in Paradise, under the shadow of His affirmation
and reckoned among the most sublime Letters in the presence of God; while whoso
deviateth, were it even so much as the tip of a grain of barley, will be
consigned to the fire and will be assembled neath the shadow of negation. This
truth hath likewise been laid bare in the Qur’án where in numerous instances
God hath set down that whoever should pass judgment contrary to the bounds
fixed by Him, would be deemed an infidel.…
In
these days how few are those who abide by the standard laid down in the Qur’án.
Nay, nowhere are they to be found, except such as God hath willed. Should there
be, however, such a person, his righteous deeds would prove of no avail unto
him, if he hath failed to follow the standard revealed in the Bayán; even as
the pious deeds of the Christian monks profited them not, inasmuch as at the
time of the manifestation of the Apostle of God—may the blessings of God rest
upon Him—they contented themselves with the standard set forth in the Gospel.
Had
the divine standard laid down in the Qur’án been truly observed, adverse
judgments would not have been pronounced against Him Who is the Tree of divine
Truth. As it hath been revealed: “Almost might the heavens be rent and the
earth be cleft asunder and the mountains fall down in fragments.”1 And yet how much harder
than these mountains their hearts must be to have remained unmoved! Indeed no
paradise is more glorious in the sight of God than attainment unto His
good-pleasure. II, 6.
The One true God may be
compared unto the sun and the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror
placed before the sun than it reflects its light. The unbeliever may be likened
unto a stone. No matter how long it is exposed to the sunshine, it cannot
reflect the sun. Thus the former layeth down his life as a sacrifice, while the
latter doeth against God what he committeth. Indeed, if God willeth, He is
potent to turn the stone into a mirror, but the person himself remaineth
reconciled to his state. Had he wished to become a crystal, God would have made
him to assume crystal form. For on that Day whatever cause prompteth the
believer to believe in Him, the same will also be available to the unbeliever.
But when the latter suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, the same cause
shutteth him out as by a veil. Thus, as is clearly evident today, those who
have set their faces toward God, the True One, have believed in Him because of
the Bayán, while such as are veiled have been deprived because of it. VI, 4.
I swear by the most holy
Essence of God—exalted and glorified be He—that in the Day of the appearance of
Him Whom God shall make manifest a thousand perusals of the Bayán cannot equal
the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by Him Whom God shall make
manifest.
Ponder
awhile and observe that everything in Islám hath its ultimate and eventual
beginning in the Book of God. Consider likewise the Day of the Revelation of
Him Whom God shall make manifest, He in Whose grasp lieth the source of proofs,
and let not erroneous considerations shut thee out from Him, for He is
immeasurably exalted above them, inasmuch as every proof proceedeth from the
Book of God which is itself the supreme testimony, as all men are powerless to
produce its like. Should myriads of men of learning, versed in logic, in the
science of grammar, in law, in jurisprudence and the like, turn away from the
Book of God, they would still be pronounced unbelievers. Thus the fruit is
within the supreme testimony itself, not in the things derived therefrom. And
know thou of a certainty that every letter revealed in the Bayán is solely
intended to evoke submission unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, for it is
He Who hath revealed the Bayán prior to His Own manifestation. V, 8.
In this Revelation the
Lord of the universe hath deigned to bestow His mighty utterances and
resplendent signs upon the Point of the Bayán, and hath ordained them as His
matchless testimony for all created things. Were all the people that dwell on
earth to assemble together, they would be unable to produce a single verse like
unto the ones which God hath caused to stream forth from the tongue of the
Point of the Bayán. Indeed, if any living creature were to pause to meditate he
would undoubtedly realize that these verses are not the work of man, but are
solely to be ascribed unto God, the One, the Peerless, Who causeth them to flow
forth from the tongue of whomsoever He willeth, and hath not revealed nor will
He reveal them save through the Focal Point of God’s Primal Will. He it is,
through Whose dispensations divine Messengers are raised up and heavenly Books
are sent down. Had human beings been able to accomplish this deed surely
someone would have brought forth at least one verse during the period of twelve
hundred and seventy years which hath elapsed since the revelation of the Qur’án
until that of the Bayán. However, all men have proved themselves impotent and
have utterly failed to do so, although they endeavored, with their vehement
might, to quench the flame of the Word of God. II, 1.
Thou beholdest how vast
is the number of people who go to Mecca each year on pilgrimage and engage in
circumambulation, while He, through the potency of Whose Word the Ka‘bah [the
sanctuary in Mecca] hath become the object of adoration, is forsaken in this
mountain. He is none other but the Apostle of God Himself, inasmuch as the
Revelation of God may be likened to the sun. No matter how innumerable its
risings, there is but one sun, and upon it depends the life of all things. It
is clear and evident that the object of all preceding Dispensations hath been
to pave the way for the advent of Muhammad, the Apostle of God. These,
including the Muhammadan Dispensation, have had, in their turn, as their
objective the Revelation proclaimed by the Qá’im. The purpose underlying this
Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to
announce the advent of the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest. And this
Faith—the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest—in its turn, together with
all the Revelations gone before it, have as their object the Manifestation
destined to succeed it. And the latter, no less than all the Revelations
preceding it, prepare the way for the Revelation which is yet to follow. The
process of the rise and setting of the Sun of Truth will thus indefinitely
continue—a process that hath had no beginning and will have no end.
Well
is it with him who in every Dispensation recognizeth the Purpose of God for
that Dispensation, and is not deprived therefrom by turning his gaze towards
the things of the past. IV, 12.
The substance of this
chapter is this, that what is intended by the Day of Resurrection is the Day of
the appearance of the Tree of divine Reality, but it is not seen that anyone of
the followers of Shí‘ih Islám hath understood the meaning of the Day of
Resurrection; rather have they fancifully imagined a thing which with God hath
no reality. In the estimation of God and according to the usage of such as are
initiated into divine mysteries, what is meant by the Day of Resurrection is
this, that from the time of the appearance of Him Who is the Tree of divine
Reality, at whatever period and under whatever name, until the moment of His
disappearance, is the Day of Resurrection.
For
example, from the inception of the mission of Jesus—may peace be upon Him—till
the day of His ascension was the Resurrection of Moses. For during that period
the Revelation of God shone forth through the appearance of that divine
Reality, Who rewarded by His Word everyone who believed in Moses, and punished
by His Word everyone who did not believe; inasmuch as God’s Testimony for that
Day was that which He had solemnly affirmed in the Gospel. And from the
inception of the Revelation of the Apostle of God—may the blessings of God be
upon Him—till the day of His ascension was the Resurrection of Jesus—peace be
upon Him—wherein the Tree of divine Reality appeared in the person of Muhammad,
rewarding by His Word everyone who was a believer in Jesus, and punishing by
His Word everyone who was not a believer in Him. And from the moment when the
Tree of the Bayán appeared until it disappeareth is the Resurrection of the
Apostle of God, as is divinely foretold in the Qur’án; the beginning of which
was when two hours and eleven minutes had passed on the eve of the fifth of
Jamádíyu’l-Avval, 1260 A.H.,1 which is the year 1270 of
the Declaration of the Mission of Muhammad. This was the beginning of the Day
of Resurrection of the Qur’án, and until the disappearance of the Tree of divine
Reality is the Resurrection of the Qur’án. The stage of perfection of
everything is reached when its resurrection occurreth. The perfection of the
religion of Islám was consummated at the beginning of this Revelation; and from
the rise of this Revelation until its setting, the fruits of the Tree of Islám,
whatever they are, will become apparent. The Resurrection of the Bayán will
occur at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest. For
today the Bayán is in the stage of seed; at the beginning of the manifestation
of Him Whom God shall make manifest its ultimate perfection will become
apparent. He is made manifest in order to gather the fruits of the trees He
hath planted; even as the Revelation of the Qá’im [He Who ariseth], a descendant
of Muhammad—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—is exactly like unto the
Revelation of the Apostle of God Himself [Muhammad]. He appeareth not, save for
the purpose of gathering the fruits of Islám from the Qur’ánic verses which He
[Muhammad] hath sown in the hearts of men. The fruits of Islám cannot be
gathered except through allegiance unto Him [the Qá’im] and by believing in
Him. At the present time, however, only adverse effects have resulted; for
although He hath appeared in the midmost heart of Islám, and all people profess
it by reason of their relationship to Him [the Qá’im], yet unjustly have they
consigned Him to the Mountain of Máh-Kú, and this notwithstanding that in the
Qur’án the advent of the Day of Resurrection hath been promised unto all by
God. For on that Day all men will be brought before God and will attain His
Presence; which meaneth appearance before Him Who is the Tree of divine Reality
and attainment unto His presence; inasmuch as it is not possible to appear
before the Most Holy Essence of God, nor is it conceivable to seek reunion with
Him. That which is feasible in the matter of appearance before Him and of
meeting Him is attainment unto the Primal Tree. II, 7.
The evidence set forth
by God can never be compared with the evidences produced by anyone of the
peoples and kindreds of the earth; and beyond a shadow of doubt no evidence is
set forth by God save through the One Who is appointed as His supreme
Testimony. Moreover, the proof of revealed verses doth, alone and of itself,
conclusively demonstrate the utter impotence of all created things on earth,
for this is a proof which hath proceeded from God and shall endure until the
Day of Resurrection.
And
if anyone should reflect on the appearance of this Tree, he will undoubtedly
testify to the loftiness of the Cause of God. For if one from whose life only
twenty-four years have passed, and who is devoid of those sciences wherein all
are learned, now reciteth verses after such fashion without thought or
hesitation, writes a thousand verses of prayer in the course of five hours
without pause of the pen, and produceth commentaries and learned treatises on
such lofty themes as the true understanding of God and of the oneness of His
Being, in a manner which doctors and philosophers confess surpasseth their
power of understanding, then there is no doubt that all that hath been
manifested is divinely inspired. Notwithstanding their life-long diligent
study, what pains do these divines take when writing a single line in Arabic!
Yet after such efforts the result is but words which are unworthy of mention.
All these things are for a proof unto the people; otherwise the religion of God
is too mighty and glorious for anyone to comprehend through aught but itself;
rather by it all else is understood. II,
1.
Praise be to God that He
hath enabled us to become cognizant of Him Whom God shall make manifest in the
Day of Resurrection, so that we may derive benefit from the fruit of our existence
and be not deprived of attaining the presence of God. For indeed this is the
object of our creation and the sole purpose underlying every virtuous deed we
may perform. Such is the bounty which God hath conferred upon us; verily He is
the All-Bountiful, the Gracious. Know thou, that thou wilt succeed in doing so
if thou believest with undoubting faith. However, since thou canst not attain
the state of undoubting faith, due to the intervening veils of thy selfish
desires, therefore thou wilt tarry in the fire, though realizing it not. On the
Day of His manifestation, unless thou truly believest in Him, naught can save
thee from the fire, even if thou dost perform every righteous deed. If thou
embracest the Truth, everything good and seemly shall be set down for thee in
the Book of God, and by virtue of this thou wilt rejoice in the all-highest
Paradise until the following Resurrection.
Consider
with due attention, for the path is very strait, even while it is more spacious
than the heavens and the earth and what is between them. For instance, if all
those who were expecting the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus had been
assured of the manifestation of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, not one would
have turned aside from the sayings of Jesus. So likewise in the Revelation of
the Point of the Bayán, if all should be assured that this is that same
Promised Mihdí [One Who is guided] whom the Apostle of God foretold, not one of
the believers in the Qur’án would turn aside from the sayings of the Apostle of
God. So likewise in the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, behold
the same thing; for should all be assured that He is that same “He Whom God
shall make manifest” whom the Point of the Bayán hath foretold, not one would
turn aside. IX, 3.
In the Name of God, the
Most Exalted, the Most Holy. All praise and glory befitteth the sacred and
glorious court of the sovereign Lord, Who from everlasting hath dwelt, and unto
everlasting will continue to dwell within the mystery of His Own divine
Essence, Who from time immemorial hath abided and will forever continue to
abide within His transcendent eternity, exalted above the reach and ken of all
created beings. The sign of His matchless Revelation as created by Him and
imprinted upon the realities of all beings, is none other but their
powerlessness to know Him. The light He hath shed upon all things is none but
the splendor of His Own Self. He Himself hath at all times been immeasurably
exalted above any association with His creatures. He hath fashioned the entire
creation in such wise that all beings may, by virtue of their innate powers,
bear witness before God on the Day of Resurrection that He hath no peer or
equal and is sanctified from any likeness, similitude or comparison. He hath
been and will ever be one and incomparable in the transcendent glory of His
divine being and He hath ever been indescribably mighty in the sublimity of His
sovereign Lordship. No one hath ever been able befittingly to recognize Him nor
will any man succeed at any time in comprehending Him as is truly meet and
seemly, for any reality to which the term “being” is applicable hath been
created by the sovereign Will of the Almighty, Who hath shed upon it the
radiance of His Own Self, shining forth from His most august station. He hath
moreover deposited within the realities of all created things the emblem of His
recognition, that everyone may know of a certainty that He is the Beginning and
the End, the Manifest and the Hidden, the Maker and the Sustainer, the
Omnipotent and the All-Knowing, the One Who heareth and perceiveth all things,
He Who is invincible in His power and standeth supreme in His Own identity, He
Who quickeneth and causeth to die, the All-Powerful, the Inaccessible, the Most
Exalted, the Most High. Every revelation of His divine Essence betokens the
sublimity of His glory, the loftiness of His sanctity, the inaccessible height
of His oneness and the exaltation of His majesty and power. His beginning hath
had no beginning other than His Own firstness and His end knoweth no end save
His Own lastness. I, 1.
The revelation of the
Divine Reality hath everlastingly been identical with its concealment and its
concealment identical with its revelation. That which is intended by
“Revelation of God” is the Tree of divine Truth that betokeneth none but Him,
and it is this divine Tree that hath raised and will raise up Messengers, and
hath revealed and will ever reveal Scriptures. From eternity unto eternity this
Tree of divine Truth hath served and will ever serve as the throne of the
revelation and concealment of God among His creatures, and in every age is made
manifest through whomsoever He pleaseth. At the time of the revelation of the
Qur’án He asserted His transcendent power through the advent of Muhammad, and
on the occasion of the revelation of the Bayán He demonstrated His sovereign
might through the appearance of the Point of the Bayán, and when He Whom God
shall make manifest will shine forth, it will be through Him that He will
vindicate the truth of His Faith, as He pleaseth, with whatsoever He pleaseth
and for whatsoever He pleaseth. He is with all things, yet nothing is with Him.
He is not within a thing nor above it nor beside it. Any reference to His being
established upon the throne implieth that the Exponent of His Revelation is
established upon the seat of transcendent authority.…
He
hath everlastingly existed and will everlastingly continue to exist. He hath
been and will ever remain inscrutable unto all men, inasmuch as all else
besides Him have been and shall ever be created through the potency of His
command. He is exalted above every mention or praise and is sanctified beyond
every word of commendation or every comparison. No created thing comprehendeth
Him, while He in truth comprehendeth all things. Even when it is said “no
created thing comprehendeth Him,” this refers to the Mirror of His Revelation,
that is Him Whom God shall make manifest. Indeed too high and exalted is He for
anyone to allude unto Him. II, 8.
• • •
4
Excerpts from the Dalá’il-i-Sab‘ih
(The Seven Proofs)
Thou
hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know
thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge of God. This
attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity, which in
turn reacheth its fulfillment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted
Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all
attributes. And know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of God can
never be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of
divine Reality.
Gracious God! Within the
domains of Islám there are at present seven powerful sovereigns ruling the
world. None of them hath been informed of His [the Báb’s] Manifestation, and if
informed, none hath believed in Him. Who knoweth, they may leave this world
below full of desire, and without having realized that the thing for which they
were waiting had come to pass. This is what happened to the monarchs that held
fast unto the Gospel. They awaited the coming of the Prophet of God [Muhammad],
and when He did appear, they failed to recognize Him. Behold how great are the
sums which these sovereigns expend without even the slightest thought of
appointing an official charged with the task of acquainting them in their own
realms with the Manifestation of God! They would thereby have fulfilled the
purpose for which they have been created. All their desires have been and are
still fixed upon leaving behind them traces of their names.
Ponder likewise the
Dispensation of the Apostle of God which lasted twelve hundred and seventy
years1 till the dawn of the
manifestation of the Bayán. He directed everyone to await the advent of the
Promised Qá’im. All deeds which in the Islamic Dispensation began with Muhammad
should find their consummation through the appearance of the Qá’im. God hath
made Him manifest invested with the proof wherewith the Apostle of God was
invested, so that none of the believers in the Qur’án might entertain doubts
about the validity of His Cause, for it is set down in the Qur’án that none but
God is capable of revealing verses. During the period of 1270 years no one
among the followers of the Qur’án ever witnessed a person appearing with
conclusive proofs. Now the Ever-Living Lord hath made manifest and invested
with supreme testimony this long-awaited Promised One from a place no one could
imagine and from a person whose knowledge was deemed of no account. His age is
no more than twenty-five years, yet His glory is such as none of the learned
among the people of Islám can rival; inasmuch as man’s glory lieth in his
knowledge. Behold the learned who are honored by virtue of their ability to
understand the Holy Writings, and God hath exalted them to such a degree that
in referring to them He saith: “None knoweth the meaning thereof except God and
them that are well-grounded in knowledge.”2 How strange then that this
twenty-five-year-old untutored one should be singled out to reveal His verses
in so astounding a manner. If the Muslim divines have cause for pride in
understanding the meaning of the Holy Writings, His glory is in revealing the
Writings, that none of them may hesitate to believe in His Words. So great is
the celestial might and power which God hath revealed in Him that if it were
His will and no break should intervene He could, within the space of five days
and nights, reveal the equivalent of the Qur’án which was sent down in twenty-three
years. Ponder thou and reflect. Hath anyone like unto Him ever appeared in
former times, or is this characteristic strictly confined unto Him?
Consider the manifold
favors vouchsafed by the Promised One, and the effusions of His bounty which
have pervaded the concourse of the followers of Islám to enable them to attain
unto salvation. Indeed observe how He Who representeth the origin of creation,
He Who is the Exponent of the verse, “I, in very truth, am God,” identified
Himself as the Gate [Báb] for the advent of the promised Qá’im, a descendant of
Muhammad, and in His first Book enjoined the observance of the laws of the
Qur’án, so that the people might not be seized with perturbation by reason of a
new Book and a new Revelation and might regard His Faith as similar to their
own, perchance they would not turn away from the Truth and ignore the thing for
which they had been called into being.
Let Me set forth some
rational arguments for thee. If someone desireth to embrace the Faith of Islám
today, would the testimony of God prove conclusive for him? If thou dost
contend that it would not, then how is it that God will chastise him after
death, and that, while he lives, the verdict of “nonbeliever” is passed upon
him? If thou affirmest that the testimony is conclusive, how wouldst thou prove
this? If thy assertion is based on hearsay, then mere words are unacceptable as
a binding testimony; but if thou deemest the Qur’án as the testimony, this
would be a weighty and evident proof.
Now
consider the Revelation of the Bayán. If the followers of the Qur’án had
applied to themselves proofs similar to those which they advance for the
nonbelievers in Islám, not a single soul would have remained deprived of the
Truth, and on the Day of Resurrection everyone would have attained salvation.
Should
a Christian contend, “How can I deem the Qur’án a testimony while I am unable
to understand it?” such a contention would not be acceptable. Likewise the
people of the Qur’án disdainfully observe, “We are unable to comprehend the
eloquence of the verses in the Bayán, how can we regard it as a testimony?”
Whoever uttereth such words, say unto him, “O thou untutored one! By what proof
hast thou embraced the Religion of Islám? Is it the Prophet on whom thou hast
never set eyes? Is it the miracles which thou hast never witnessed? If thou
hast accepted Islám unwittingly, wherefore hast thou done so? But if thou hast
embraced the Faith by recognizing the Qur’án as the testimony, because thou
hast heard the learned and the faithful express their powerlessness before it,
or if thou hast, upon hearing the divine verses and by virtue of thy
spontaneous love for the True Word of God, responded in a spirit of utter
humility and lowliness—a spirit which is one of the mightiest signs of true
love and understanding—then such proofs have been and will ever be regarded as
sound.”
The recognition of Him Who
is the Bearer of divine Truth is none other than the recognition of God, and
loving Him is none other than loving God. However, I swear by the sublime
Essence of God—exalted and glorified be He—that I did not wish My identity to
be known by men, and gave instructions that My name should be concealed,
because I was fully aware of the incapacity of this people, who are none other
than those who have, in reference to no less a person than the Apostle of
God—incomparable as He hath ever been—remarked, “He is certainly a lunatic.”1 If they now claim to be
other than those people, their deeds bear witness to the falsity of their
assertions. That which God testifieth is none other than what His supreme
Testimony testifieth. Were all the peoples of the world to testify unto a thing
and were He to testify unto another, His testimony will be regarded as God’s
testimony, while aught else but Him hath been and will ever be as naught; for
it is through His might that a thing assumeth existence.
Consider
the extent of the adherence of these people to matters of faith. When dealing
with their own affairs they are well content with the testimony of two just
witnesses, and yet despite the testimony of so many righteous men they hesitate
to believe in Him Who is the Bearer of the divine Truth.
The evidences which the
people demanded from the Apostle of God through their idle fancy have mostly
been rejected in the Qur’án, even as in the Súrih of the Children of Israel
[Súrih 17] it hath been revealed: “And they say, by no means will we believe on
thee till thou cause a fountain to gush forth for us from the earth; or till
thou have a garden of palm trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to spring
forth from the midst thereof in abundance; or thou cause the heaven to fall
down upon us, as thou hast given out, in pieces; or thou bring God and the
angels to vouch for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend to
heaven nor will we believe in thine ascension, till thou send down to us a book
which we may read. Say, Praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an
apostle?”
Now be
fair! The Arabs uttered such words, and now, prompted by thy desire, thou dost
demand yet other things? What is the difference between thee and them? If thou
dost ponder awhile, it will be evident that it is incumbent upon a lowly servant
to acquiesce to whatever proof God hath appointed, and not to follow his own
idle fancy. If the wishes of the people were to be gratified not a single
disbeliever would remain on earth. For once the Apostle of God had fulfilled
the wishes of the people they would unhesitatingly have embraced His Faith. May
God save thee, shouldst thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish desire;
rather it behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing proof which God hath
appointed. The object of thy belief in God is but to secure His good-pleasure.
How then dost thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been and is
contrary to His good-pleasure?
Rid thou thyself of all
attachments to aught except God, enrich thyself in God by dispensing with all
else besides Him, and recite this prayer:
Say: God sufficeth all
things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in
whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is in
Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.
Regard
not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle fancy. It is that genuine faith
which thou cherishest for the Manifestation of God in every Dispensation. It is
such faith which sufficeth above all the things that exist on the earth,
whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would suffice thee. If thou art
not a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would condemn thee to extinction. If
thou art a believer, thy faith shall be sufficient for thee above all things
that exist on earth, even though thou possess nothing.
It is recorded in a
tradition that of the entire concourse of the Christians no more than seventy
people embraced the Faith of the Apostle of God. The blame falleth upon their
doctors, for if these had believed, they would have been followed by the mass
of their countrymen. Behold, then, that which hath come to pass! The learned
men of Christendom are held to be learned by virtue of their safeguarding the
teaching of Christ, and yet consider how they themselves have been the cause of
men’s failure to accept the Faith and attain unto salvation! Is it still thy
wish to follow in their footsteps? The followers of Jesus submitted to their
clerics to be saved on the Day of Resurrection, and as a result of this
obedience they eventually entered into the fire, and on the Day when the
Apostle of God appeared they shut themselves out from the recognition of His
exalted Person. Dost thou desire to follow such divines?
Nay,
by God, be thou neither a divine without discernment nor a follower without
discernment, for both of these shall perish on the Day of Resurrection. Rather
it behooveth thee to be a discerning divine, or to walk with insight in the way
of God by obeying a true leader of religion.
In
every nation thou beholdest unnumbered spiritual leaders who are bereft of true
discernment, and among every people thou dost encounter myriads of adherents
who are devoid of the same characteristic. Ponder for a while in thy heart,
have pity on thyself and turn not aside thine attention from proofs and
evidences. However, seek not proofs and evidences after thine idle fancy; but
rather base thy proofs upon what God hath appointed. Moreover, know thou that
neither being a man of learning nor being a follower is in itself a source of
glory. If thou art a man of learning, thy knowledge becometh an honor, and if
thou art a follower, thine adherence unto leadership becometh an honor, only
when these conform to the good-pleasure of God. And beware lest thou regard as
an idle fancy the good-pleasure of God; it is the same as the good-pleasure of
His Messenger. Consider the followers of Jesus. They were eagerly seeking the
good-pleasure of God, yet none of them attained the good-pleasure of His
Apostle which is identical with God’s good-pleasure, except such as embraced
His Faith.
Thy letter hath been
perused. Were the truth of this Revelation to be fully demonstrated with
elaborate proofs, all the scrolls that exist in the heaven and on the earth
would be insufficient to contain them.
However,
the substance and essence of the subject is this, that there can be no doubt
that from everlasting God hath been invested with the independent sovereignty
of His exalted Being, and unto everlasting He will remain inaccessible in the
transcendent majesty of His holy Essence. No creature hath ever recognized Him
as befitteth His recognition, nor hath any created being ever praised Him as is
worthy of His praise. He is exalted above every name, and is sanctified from
every comparison. Through Him all things are made known, while too lofty is His
reality to be known through anyone but Him. The process of His creation hath
had no beginning and can have no end, otherwise it would necessitate the
cessation of His celestial grace. God hath raised up Prophets and revealed
Books as numerous as the creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to
everlasting.
If
thou art sailing upon the sea of God’s Names, which are reflected in all
things, know thou that He is exalted and sanctified from being known through
His creatures, or being described by His servants. Everything thou beholdest
hath been called into being through the operation of His Will. How can such a
created thing, therefore, be indicative of His essential oneness? God’s
existence in itself testifieth to His Own oneness, while every created thing,
by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath been fashioned by God. Such
is the proof of consummate wisdom in the estimation of those who sail the ocean
of divine Truth.
If,
however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation, know thou that the First
Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of God, may be likened unto the sun. God
hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He hath, from the
beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be manifested in every
Dispensation through the compelling power of His behest, and God will, to the
end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the
good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.
And
know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the sun to
continue till the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will
be more than one sun; and were its settings to endure forevermore, still there
hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun. It is this Primal Will which
appeareth resplendent in every Prophet and speaketh forth in every revealed
Book. It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch as the First deriveth its firstness
from It; and knoweth no end, for the Last oweth its lastness unto It.
In
the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the
day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in
the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muhammad, the Apostle of God;
the day of the “Point of the Bayán”; the day of Him Whom God shall make
manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall make
manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of God,
“I am all the Prophets,” inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of
Them hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun.
• • •
5
Excerpts from the
Kitáb-i-Asmá’
(The Book of Names)
O ye
that are invested with the Bayán! Denounce ye not one another, ere the Daystar
of ancient eternity shineth forth above the horizon of His sublimity. We have
created you from one tree and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of
the same tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one another.
Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own selves, that no feeling of
aversion may prevail amongst you so as to shut you out from Him Whom God shall
make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. It behooveth you all to be one
indivisible people; thus should ye return unto Him Whom God shall make
manifest.
Those
who have deprived themselves of this Resurrection by reason of their mutual
hatreds or by regarding themselves to be in the right and others in the wrong,
were chastised on the Day of Resurrection by reason of such hatreds evinced
during their night.1 Thus they deprived
themselves of beholding the countenance of God, and this for no other reason
than mutual denunciations.
O ye
that are invested with the Bayán! Ye should perform such deeds as would please
God, your Lord, earning thereby the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make
manifest. Turn not your religion into a means of material gain, spending your
life on vanities, and inheriting thereby on the Day of Resurrection that which
would displease Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye deem that what ye do
is right. If, however, ye observe piety in your Faith, God will surely nourish
you from the treasuries of His heavenly grace.
Be ye
sincere in your allegiance to Him Whom God shall make manifest, for the sake of
God, your Lord, that perchance ye may, through devotion to His Faith, be
redeemed on the Day of Resurrection. Beware lest ye suffer one another to be
wrapt in veils by reason of the disputes which may, during your night, arise
among you as a result of the problems ye encounter or in consideration of such
matters as your loftiness or lowliness, your nearness or remoteness.
Thus
have We firmly exhorted you—a befitting exhortation indeed—that haply ye may
cleave tenaciously unto it and attain thereby salvation on the Day of
Resurrection. The time is approaching when ye will be at peace with yourselves
in your homes, and lo, Him Whom God shall make manifest will have appeared, and
God wisheth you to return unto Him, even as God called you into being through
the Primal Point. However, all of you will seek guidance while pursuing the
promptings of your own desires. Some of you are filled with pride by reason of
your religion, others because of your learning. Ye will, one and all, cling
unto some part of the Bayán as a means of self-glorification. XVI, 19.2
God is sanctified from His
servants and no direct relationship ever existeth between Him and any created
thing, while ye have all arisen at His bidding. Verily He is your Lord and your
God, your Master and your King. He ordaineth your movements at His behest
throughout the daytime and in the night season.
Say,
He Whom God shall make manifest is indeed the Primal Veil of God. Above this
Veil ye can find nothing other than God, while beneath it ye can discern all
things emanating from God. He is the Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Most
Exalted, the Best-Beloved.
If ye
seek God, it behooveth you to seek Him Whom God shall make manifest, and if ye
cherish the desire to dwell in the Ark of Names, ye will be distinguished as
the guides to Him Whom God shall make manifest, did ye but believe in Him.
Verily then make your hearts the daysprings of His exalted Names as recorded in
the Book, and ye shall, even as mirrors placed before the sun, be able to
receive enlightenment. XVI, 17.
Should a person lay claim
to a cause and produce his proofs, then those who seek to repudiate him are
required to produce proofs like unto his. If they succeed in doing so, his
words will prove vain and they will prevail; otherwise neither his words will
cease nor the proofs he hath set forth will become void. I admonish you, O ye
who are invested with the Bayán, if ye would fain assert your ascendancy,
confront not any soul unless ye give proofs similar to that which he hath
adduced; for Truth shall be firmly established, while aught else besides it is
sure to perish.
How
numerous the people who engaged in contests with Muhammad, the Apostle of God,
and were eventually reduced to naught, inasmuch as they were powerless to bring
forth proofs similar to that which God had sent down unto Him. Had they been
abashed and modest, and had they realized the nature of the proofs wherewith He
was invested, they would never have challenged Him. But they regarded
themselves as champions of their own religion. Therefore God laid hold on them
according to their deserts and vindicated the Truth through the power of Truth.
This is what ye clearly perceive today in the Muhammadan Revelation.
Who is
the man amongst you who can challenge the exalted Thrones of Reality in every
Dispensation, while all existence is wholly dependent upon Them? Indeed, God
hath wiped out all those who have opposed Them from the beginning that hath no
beginning until the present day and hath conclusively demonstrated the Truth
through the power of Truth. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the
All-Powerful. XVII, 11.
O ye who are invested with
the Bayán! Be ye watchful on the Day of Resurrection, for on that Day ye will
firmly believe in the Váhid of the Bayán, though this, even as your past
religion which proved of no avail, can in no wise benefit you, unless ye
embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest and believe in that which
He ordaineth. Therefore take ye good heed lest ye shut yourselves out from Him
Who is the Fountainhead of all Messengers and Scriptures, while ye hold fast to
parts of the teachings which have emanated from these sources. XVII, 15.
Consider how at the time
of the appearance of every Revelation, those who open their hearts to the
Author of that Revelation recognize the Truth, while the hearts of those who
fail to apprehend the Truth are straitened by reason of their shutting
themselves out from Him. However, openness of heart is bestowed by God upon
both parties alike. God desireth not to straiten the heart of anyone, be it
even an ant, how much less the heart of a superior creature, except when he
suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, for God is the Creator of all things.
Wert
thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping him to embrace the Cause of
Him Whom God shall make manifest, thine inmost being would be filled with the
inspirations of that august Name. It devolveth upon you, therefore, to perform
this task in the Days of Resurrection, inasmuch as most people are helpless,
and wert thou to open their hearts and dispel their doubts, they would gain
admittance into the Faith of God. Therefore, manifest thou this attribute to
the utmost of thine ability in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest.
For indeed if thou dost open the heart of a person for His sake, better will it
be for thee than every virtuous deed; since deeds are secondary to faith in Him
and certitude in His Reality. XVII, 15.
Take heed to carefully
consider the words of every soul, then hold fast to the proofs which attest the
truth. If ye fail to discover truth in a person’s words, make them not the
object of contention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden in the Bayán to enter
into idle disputation and controversy, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection
ye may not engage in argumentation, and dispute with Him Whom God shall make
manifest. XVII, 16.
On the Day of Resurrection
when He Whom God will make manifest cometh unto you, invested with conclusive
proofs, ye shall hold His Cause as being devoid of truth, whereas God hath
apprised you in the Bayán that no similarity existeth between the Cause of Him
Whom God will make manifest and the cause of others. How can anyone besides God
reveal a verse such as to overwhelm all mankind? Say, great is God! Who else
but Him Whom God will make manifest can spontaneously recite verses which
proceed from His Lord—a feat that no mortal man can ever hope to accomplish?
Truth
can in no wise be confounded with aught else except itself; would that ye might
ponder His proof. Nor can error be confused with Truth, if ye do but reflect
upon the testimony of God, the True One.
How
great hath been the number of those who have falsely laid claim to a cause
within Islám, and ye followed in their footsteps without having witnessed a
single proof. What evidence can ye then produce in the presence of your Lord,
if ye do but meditate awhile?
Take
ye good heed in your night1 lest ye be a cause of
sadness to any soul, whether ye be able to discover proofs in him or not, that
haply on the Day of Resurrection ye may not grieve Him within Whose grasp lieth
every proof. And when ye do not discern God’s testimony in a person, he will
verily fail in manifesting the power of Truth; and God is sufficient to deal
with him. Indeed on no account should ye sadden any person; surely God will put
him to the proof and bring him to account. It behooveth you to cling to the
testimony of your own Faith and to observe the ordinances laid down in the
Bayán.
You
are like unto the man who layeth out an orchard and planteth all kinds of fruit
trees therein. When the time is at hand for him, the lord, to come, ye will
have taken possession of the orchard in his name, and when he doth come in
person, ye will shut him out from it.
Verily
We planted the Tree of the Qur’án and provided its Orchard with all kinds of
fruit, whereof ye all have been partaking. Then when We came to take over that
which We had planted, ye pretended not to know Him Who is the Lord thereof.
Be ye
not a cause of grief unto Us, nor withhold Us from this Orchard which belongeth
unto Us, though independent are We of all that ye possess. Moreover, unto none
of you shall We make this property lawful, were it even to the extent of a
mustard seed. Verily, the Reckoner are We.
We
have planted the Garden of the Bayán in the name of Him Whom God will make
manifest, and have granted you permission to live therein until the time of His
manifestation; then from the moment the Cause of Him Whom God will make
manifest is inaugurated, We forbid you all the things ye hold as your own,
unless ye may, by the leave of your Lord, be able to regain possession thereof.
XVIII, 3.
O ye unto whom the Bayán
is given! Be ye vigilant lest in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest,
while ye consider yourselves as seeking God’s pleasure, in reality ye persist
in that which would only displease Him, even as did those who lived in the days
of the Primal Point, to whom it never occurred that they were seeking things
which ran counter to that which God had purposed. They shut themselves out as
by a veil from God and failed to observe that which He had desired for them to
perform as true believers. They pondered not upon such people as lived in the
days of Muhammad, who believed likewise that they were seeking the
good-pleasure of God, while they had actually cut themselves off therefrom,
once they had failed to secure the good-pleasure of Muhammad. Nevertheless they
comprehended not.
O ye
who are invested with the Bayán! Regard not yourselves as being like unto the
people to whom the Qur’án or the Gospel or other Scriptures of old were given,
since at the time of His manifestation ye shall stray farther from God than did
they. If ye happen to shut yourselves out it would never cross your minds that
ye were shut out from Him. It behooveth you to consider how the people unto
whom the Qur’án was given were debarred from the Truth, for indeed ye will act
in a like manner, thinking that ye are doers of good. If ye perceive the degree
of your deprivation of God, ye will wish to have perished from the face of the
earth and to have sunk into oblivion. The day will come when ye will earnestly
desire to know that which would meet with the good-pleasure of God but, alas,
ye shall find no path unto Him. Ye, even as camels that wander aimlessly, will
not find a pasture wherein ye may gather and unite upon a Cause in which ye can
assuredly believe. At that time God shall cause the Sun of Truth to shine forth
and the oceans of His bounty and grace to surge, while ye will have chosen
droplets of water as the object of your desire, and will have deprived
yourselves of the plenteous waters in His oceans.
If ye
entertain any doubts in this matter consider the people unto whom the Gospel
was given. Having no access to the apostles of Jesus, they sought the pleasure
of the Lord in their churches, hoping to learn that which would be acceptable
unto God, but they found therein no path unto Him. Then when God manifested
Muhammad as His Messenger and as the Repository of His good-pleasure, they
neglected to quicken their souls from the Fountain of living waters which
streamed forth from the presence of their Lord and continued to rove distraught
upon the earth seeking a mere droplet of water and believing that they were
doing righteous deeds. They behaved as the people unto whom the Qur’án was
given are now behaving.
O ye
who are invested with the Bayán! Ye can act similarly. Take ye heed, therefore,
lest ye deprive yourselves of attaining the presence of Him Who is the
Manifestation of God, notwithstanding that ye have been day and night praying
to behold His countenance; and be ye careful lest ye be deterred from attaining
unto the ocean of His good-pleasure, when perplexed and to no avail ye roam the
earth in search of a drop of water.
Say,
the testimony of God hath been fulfilled in the Bayán, and through its
revelation the grace of God hath attained its highest consummation for all
mankind. Let no one among you say that God hath withheld the outpouring of His
bounty unto you, for assuredly God’s mercy unto those to whom the Bayán is
given hath been fulfilled and completed until the Day of Resurrection. Would
that ye might believe in the signs of God. XVI,
13.
Verily God hath caused the
people of the Bayán to be called into being through the power of Him unto Whom
the Bayán was revealed, in preparation for the Day when they will return to
their Lord.
Indeed
those who will bear allegiance unto Him Whom God shall make manifest are the
ones who have grasped the meaning of that which hath been revealed in the
Bayán; they are indeed the sincere ones, while those who turn away from Him at
the time of His appearance will have utterly failed to comprehend a single
letter of the Bayán, even though they profess belief and assurance in whatever
is revealed in it or observe its precepts.
Say,
every favorable and praiseworthy designation in the Bayán is but an allusion to
those who recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest, and who believe with
certainty in God and in His holy Writings, while every unfavorable designation
therein is meant to refer to such as repudiate Him Whom God shall make
manifest, though they may act uprightly within the bounds laid down in the
Bayán. Say, if ye embrace the truth on the Day of Resurrection, God will
assuredly pardon you for your night1 and will grant you
forgiveness.
As to
those who have faithfully observed the ordinances in the Bayán from the
inception of its revelation until the Day when Him Whom God shall make manifest
will appear, these are indeed the companions of the paradise of His
good-pleasure who will be glorified in the presence of God and will dwell in
the pavilions of His celestial Garden. Yet, within less than a tiny fraction of
an instant from the moment God will have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation
of His Own Self, the entire company of the followers of the Bayán shall be put
to proof. XVII, 1.
Since thou hast
faithfully obeyed the true religion of God in the past, it behooveth thee to
follow His true religion hereafter, inasmuch as every religion proceedeth from
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
He
Who hath revealed the Qur’án unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, ordaining in
the Faith of Islám that which was pleasing unto Him, hath likewise revealed the
Bayán, in the manner ye have been promised, unto Him Who is your Qá’im,1 your Guide, your Mihdí,2 your Lord, Him Whom ye
acclaim as the manifestation of God’s most excellent titles. Verily the
equivalent of that which God revealed unto Muhammad during twenty-three years,
hath been revealed unto Me within the space of two days and two nights.
However, as ordained by God, no distinction is to be drawn between the two. He,
in truth, hath power over all things.
I
swear by the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! My Revelation is indeed
far more bewildering than that of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, if thou dost
but pause to reflect upon the days of God. Behold, how strange that a person
brought up amongst the people of Persia should be empowered by God to proclaim
such irrefutable utterances as to silence every man of learning, and be enabled
to spontaneously reveal verses far more rapidly than anyone could possibly set
down in writing. Verily, no God is there but Him, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. XVI, 18.
As to those who have
debarred themselves from the Revelation of God, they have indeed failed to
understand the significance of a single letter of the Qur’án, nor have they
obtained the slightest notion of the Faith of Islám, otherwise they would not
have turned away from God, Who hath brought them into being, Who hath nurtured
them, hath caused them to die and hath proffered life unto them, by clinging to
parts of their religion, thinking that they are doing righteous work for the
sake of God.
How
numerous the verses which have been revealed concerning the grievous tests ye
shall experience on the Day of Judgment, yet it appeareth that ye have never
perused them; and how vast the number of revealed traditions regarding the
trials which will overtake you on the Day of Our Return, and yet ye seem never
to have set your eyes upon them.
Ye
spend all your days contriving forms and rules for the principles of your
Faith, while that which profiteth you in all this is to comprehend the
good-pleasure of your Lord and unitedly to become well-acquainted with His
supreme Purpose.
God
hath made His Own Self known unto you, but ye have failed to recognize Him; and
the thing which will, on the Day of Judgment, turn you aside from God is the
specious character of your deeds. Throughout your lives ye follow your religion
in order to attract the good-pleasure of God, yet on the Last Day ye shut
yourselves out from God and turn away from Him Who is your Promised One. XVII, 2.
O ye who are invested
with the Bayán! Ye shall be put to proof, even as those unto whom the Qur’án
was given. Have pity on yourselves, for ye shall witness the Day when God will
have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation of His Own Self, invested with clear
and irrefutable proofs, while ye will cling tenaciously to the words the
Witnesses of the Bayán have uttered. On that Day ye will continue to rove distraught,
even as camels, seeking a drop of the water of life. God will cause oceans of
living water to stream forth from the presence of Him Whom God shall make
manifest, while ye will refuse to quench your thirst therefrom, notwithstanding
that ye regard yourselves as the God-fearing witnesses of your Faith. Nay, and
yet again, nay! Ye will go astray far beyond the peoples unto whom the Gospel,
or the Qur’án or any other Scripture was given. Take good heed to yourselves,
inasmuch as the Cause of God will come upon you at a time when you will all be
entreating and tearfully imploring God for the advent of the Day of His
Manifestation; yet when He cometh ye will tarry and will fail to be of those
who are well-assured in His Faith.
Beware
lest ye grieve Him Who is the Supreme Manifestation of your Lord; verily, He
can well afford to dispense with your allegiance unto Him. Be ye careful and
bring not despondency upon any soul, for surely ye shall be put to proof. XVII, 2.
Say, He Whom God shall
make manifest will surely redeem the rights of those who truly believe in God
and in His signs, for they are the ones who merit reward from His presence.
Say, it is far from the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest that anyone
should in this wise make mention of His name, if ye ponder the Cause of God in
your hearts. Say, He shall vindicate the Cause through the potency of His
command and shall bring to naught all perversion of truth by virtue of His
behest. Verily God is potent over all things.
If
ye wish to distinguish truth from error, consider those who believe in Him Whom
God shall make manifest and those who disbelieve Him at the time of His
appearance. The former represent the essence of truth, as attested in the Book
of God, while the latter the essence of error, as attested in that same Book.
Fear ye God that ye may not identify yourselves with aught but the truth,
inasmuch as ye have been exalted in the Bayán for being recognized as the
bearers of the name of Him Who is the eternal Truth.
Say,
were He Whom God shall make manifest to pronounce a pious and truthful follower
of the Bayán as false, it is incumbent upon you to submit to His decree, as
this hath been affirmed by God in the Bayán; verily God is able to convert
light into fire whenever He pleaseth; surely He is potent over all things. And
were He to declare a person whom ye regard alien to the truth as being akin
thereto, err not by questioning His decision in your fancies, for He Who is the
Sovereign Truth createth things through the power of His behest. Verily God
transmuteth fire into light as He willeth, and indeed potent is He over all
things. Consider ye how the truth shone forth as truth in the First Day and how
error became manifest as error; so likewise shall ye distinguish them from each
other on the Day of Resurrection. XVII, 4.
Ponder upon the people
unto whom the Gospel was given. Their religious leaders were considered as the
true Guides of the Gospel, yet when they shut themselves out from Muhammad, the
Apostle of God, they turned into guides of error, notwithstanding that all
their lives they had faithfully observed the precepts of their religion in
order to attain unto Paradise; then when God made Paradise known unto them,
they would not enter therein. Those unto whom the Qur’án is given have wrought
likewise. They performed their acts of devotion for the sake of God, hoping
that He might enable them to join the righteous in Paradise. However, when the
gates of Paradise were flung open to their faces, they declined to enter. They
suffered themselves to enter into the fire, though they had been seeking refuge
therefrom in God.
Say,
verily, the criterion by which truth is distinguished from error shall not
appear until the Day of Resurrection. This ye will know, if ye be of them that
love the Truth. And ere the advent of the Day of Resurrection ye shall
distinguish truth from aught else besides it according to that which hath been
revealed in the Bayán.
How
vast the number of people who will, on the Day of Resurrection, regard
themselves to be in the right, while they shall be accounted as false through
the dispensation of Providence, inasmuch as they will shut themselves out as by
a veil from Him Whom God shall make manifest and refuse to bow down in
adoration before Him Who, as divinely ordained in the Book, is the Object of
their creation. XVII, 4.
Say, ye will be unable
to recognize the One True God or to discern clearly the words of divine
guidance, inasmuch as ye seek and tread a path other than His. Whenever ye
learn that a new Cause hath appeared, ye must seek the presence of its author
and must delve into his writings that haply ye may not be debarred from
attaining unto Him Whom God shall make manifest at the hour of His
manifestation. Wert thou to walk in the way of truth as handed down by them
that are endowed with the knowledge of the inmost reality, God, thy Lord, will
surely redeem thee on the Day of Resurrection. Verily He is potent over all
things.
In
the Bayán God hath forbidden everyone to pronounce judgment against any soul, lest
he may pass sentence upon God, his Lord, while regarding himself to be of the
righteous, inasmuch as no one knoweth how the Cause of God will begin or end.
O ye
who are invested with the Bayán! Should ye be apprised of a person laying claim
to a Cause and revealing verses which to outward seeming are unlikely to have
been revealed by anyone else save God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting,
do not pass sentence against him, lest ye may inadvertently pass sentence
against Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say, He Whom God shall make manifest
is but one of you; He will make Himself known unto you on the Day of
Resurrection. Ye shall know God when the Manifestation of His Own Self is made
known unto you, that perchance ye may not stray far from His Path.
Verily
God will raise up Him Whom God shall make manifest, and after Him Whomsoever He
willeth, even as He hath raised up prophets before the Point of the Bayán. He
in truth hath power over all things. XVII,
4.
Verily, on the First Day
We flung open the gates of Paradise unto all the peoples of the world, and
exclaimed: “O all ye created things! Strive to gain admittance into Paradise,
since ye have, during all your lives, held fast unto virtuous deeds in order to
attain unto it.” Surely all men yearn to enter therein, but alas, they are
unable to do so by reason of that which their hands have wrought. Shouldst
thou, however, gain a true understanding of God in thine heart of hearts, ere
He hath manifested Himself, thou wouldst be able to recognize Him, visible and
resplendent, when He unveileth Himself before the eyes of all men. XVII, 11.
Say, by reason of your
remembering Him Whom God shall make manifest and by extolling His name, God
will cause your hearts to be dilated with joy, and do ye not wish your hearts
to be in such a blissful state? Indeed the hearts of them that truly believe in
Him Whom God shall make manifest are vaster than the expanse of heaven and
earth and whatever is between them. God hath left no hindrance in their hearts,
were it but the size of a mustard seed. He will cheer their hearts, their
spirits, their souls and their bodies and their days of prosperity or
adversity, through the exaltation of the name of Him Who is the supreme
Testimony of God and the promotion of the Word of Him Who is the Dayspring of
the glory of their Creator.
Verily,
these are souls who take delight in the remembrance of God, Who dilates their
hearts through the effulgence of the light of knowledge and wisdom. They seek
naught but God and are oft engaged in giving praise unto Him. They desire
naught except whatever He desireth and stand ready to do His bidding. Their
hearts are mirrors reflecting whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest
willeth. Thus God will cheer the hearts of those who truly believe in Him and
in His signs and who are well assured of the life to come. Say, the life to
come is none other than the days associated with the coming of Him Whom God
will make manifest.
Reduce
not the ordinances of God to fanciful imaginations of your own; rather observe
all the things which God hath created at His behest with the eye of the spirit,
even as ye see things with the eyes of your bodies. XVII, 15.
The divine Revelation
associated with the advent of Him Who is your promised Mihdí hath proved far
more wondrous than the Revelation wherewith Muhammad, the Apostle of God, was
invested. Would that ye might ponder. Verily, God raised up Muhammad, the
Apostle of God, from among the people of Arabia after he had reached forty
years of age—a fact which every one of you affirmeth and upholdeth—while your
Redeemer was raised up by God at the age of twenty-four amidst people none of
whom can speak or understand a single word of Arabic. Thus God layeth bare the
glory of His Cause and demonstrateth the Truth through the potency of His
revealed Word. He is indeed the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Help in Peril,
the Best-Beloved. XVII, 4.
Say, verily God hath
caused all created things to enter beneath the shade of the tree of
affirmation, except those who are endowed with the faculty of understanding.
Theirs is the choice either to believe in God their Lord, and put their whole
trust in Him, or to shut themselves out from Him and refuse to believe with
certitude in His signs. These two groups sail upon two seas: the sea of
affirmation and the sea of negation.
They
that truly believe in God and in His signs, and who in every Dispensation
faithfully obey that which hath been revealed in the Book—such are indeed the
ones whom God hath created from the fruits of the Paradise of His
good-pleasure, and who are of the blissful. But they who turn away from God and
His signs in each Dispensation, those are the ones who sail upon the sea of
negation.
God
hath, through the potency of His behest, ordained for Himself the task of
ensuring the ascendancy of the sea of affirmation and of bringing to naught the
sea of negation through the power of His might. He is in truth potent over all
things.
Verily
it is incumbent upon you to recognize your Lord at the time of His manifestation,
that haply ye may not enter into negation, and that, ere a prophet is raised by
God, ye may find yourselves securely established upon the sea of affirmation.
For if a prophet cometh to you from God and ye fail to walk in His Way, God
will, thereupon, transform your light into fire. Take heed then that perchance
ye may, through the grace of God and His signs, be enabled to redeem your
souls. XVIII, 13.
Say, God shall of a
truth cause your hearts to be given to perversity if ye fail to recognize Him
Whom God shall make manifest; but if ye do recognize Him God shall banish
perversity from your hearts.…
That
day whereon ye were, by God’s Will, initiated into the Bayán, did any of you
know who were the Letters of the Living, or the Witnesses, or the Testimonies,
or what were the names of the believers? Likewise doth God wish you to
recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. Beware
lest ye shut yourselves out as by a veil from Him Who hath created you, by
reason of your regard for those who were called into being at the bidding of
the Point of the Bayán for the exaltation of His Word. Did ye possess, ere the
Point of the Bayán had called you into existence, any trace of identity, how
much less a writ or authority? Disregard then your beginnings, perchance ye may
be saved on the day of your return. Indeed had it not been for the exaltation
of the name of the Primal Point, God would not have ordained for you the
Letters of the Living, nor those who are the Testimonies of His Truth, nor the
Witnesses of His Justice; could ye but heed a little. All this is to glorify
the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest at the time of His manifestation;
would that ye might ponder awhile.
Therefore
it behooveth you to return unto God even as ye were brought forth into
existence, and to utter not such words as why or nay, if ye wish your creation
to yield fruit at the time of your return. For none of you who have been born
in the Bayán shall gain the fruit of your beginning unless ye return unto Him
Whom God shall make manifest. He it is Who caused your beginning to proceed
from God, and your return to be unto Him, did ye but know. XVI, 15.
How great the number of
people who deck themselves with robes of silk all their lives, while clad in
the garb of fire, inasmuch as they have divested themselves of the raiment of
divine guidance and righteousness; and how numerous are those who wear clothes
made of cotton or coarse wool throughout their lives, and yet by reason of
their being endowed with the vesture of divine guidance and righteousness, are
truly attired with the raiment of Paradise and take delight in the
good-pleasure of God. Indeed it would be better in the sight of God were ye to
combine the two, adorning yourselves with the raiment of divine guidance and
righteousness and wearing exquisite silk, if ye can afford to do so. If not, at
least act ye not unrighteously, but rather observe piety and virtue.…
But
for the sole reason of His being present amongst this people, We would have
neither prescribed any law nor laid down any prohibition. It is only for the
glorification of His Name and the exaltation of His Cause that We have
enunciated certain laws at Our behest, or forbidden the acts to which We are
averse, so that at the hour of His manifestation ye may attain through Him the
good-pleasure of God and abstain from the things that are abhorrent unto Him.
Say,
verily, the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest is the
good-pleasure of God, while the displeasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest
is none other than the displeasure of God. Avoid ye His displeasure, and flee
for refuge unto His good-pleasure. Say, the living guides to His good-pleasure
are such as truly believe in Him and are well assured in their faith, while the
living testimonies of His displeasure are those who, when they hear the verses
of God sent forth from His presence, or read the divine words revealed by Him,
do not instantly embrace the Faith and attain unto certitude. XVI, 14.
• • •
6
Excerpts from Various Writings
Say,
God is the Lord and all are worshippers unto Him.
Say,
God is the True One and all pay homage unto Him.
This
is God, your Lord, and unto Him shall ye return.
Is
there any doubt concerning God? He hath created you and all things. The Lord of
all worlds is He.
Say, verily any one
follower of this Faith can, by the leave of God, prevail over all who dwell in
heaven and earth and in whatever lieth between them; for indeed this is, beyond
the shadow of a doubt, the one true Faith. Therefore fear ye not, neither be ye
grieved.
Say,
God hath, according to that which is revealed in the Book, taken upon Himself
the task of ensuring the ascendancy of anyone of the followers of the Truth,
over and above one hundred other souls, and the supremacy of one hundred
believers over one thousand nonbelievers and the domination of one thousand of
the faithful over all the peoples and kindreds of the earth; inasmuch as God
calleth into being whatsoever He willeth by virtue of His behest. Verily He is
potent over all things.
Say,
the power of God is in the hearts of those who believe in the unity of God and
bear witness that no God is there but Him, while the hearts of them that
associate partners with God are impotent, devoid of life on this earth, for
assuredly they are dead.
The
Day is approaching when God will render the hosts of Truth victorious, and He
will purge the whole earth in such wise that within the compass of His
knowledge not a single soul shall remain unless he truly believeth in God,
worshippeth none other God but Him, boweth down by day and by night in His
adoration, and is reckoned among such as are well assured.
Say,
God indeed is the Sovereign Truth, Who is manifestly Supreme over His servants;
He is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
God testifieth that there
is none other God but Him. His are the kingdoms in the heavens and on the earth
and all that is between them. He is exalted above the comprehension of all
things, and is inscrutable to the mind of every created being; none shall be
able to fathom the oneness of His Being or to unravel the nature of His
Existence. No peer or likeness, no similitude or equal can ever be joined with
Him. Yield ye praise then unto Him and glorify Him and bear ye witness to the
sanctity and oneness of His Being and magnify His might and majesty with
wondrous glorification. This will enable you to gain admittance into the
all-highest Paradise. Would that ye had firm faith in the revelation of the
signs of God.
This
is the divinely inscribed Book. This is the outspread Tablet. Say, this indeed
is the Frequented Fane, the sweet-scented Leaf, the Tree of divine Revelation,
the surging Ocean, the Utterance which lay concealed, the Light above every
light.… Indeed every light is generated by God through the power of His behest.
He of a truth is the Light in the kingdom of heaven and earth and whatever is
between them. Through the radiance of His light God imparteth illumination to
your hearts and maketh firm your steps, that perchance ye may yield praise unto
Him.
Say,
this of a certainty is the Garden of Repose, the loftiest Point of adoration,
the Tree beyond which there is no passing, the blessed Lote-Tree, the Most
Mighty Sign, the most beauteous Countenance and the most comely Face.
From the beginning that
hath no beginning all men have bowed in adoration before Him Whom God shall
make manifest and will continue to do so until the end that hath no end. How
strange then that at the time of His appearance ye should pay homage by day and
night unto that which the Point of the Bayán hath enjoined upon you and yet
fail to worship Him Whom God shall make manifest.
Consecrate Thou, O my God,
the whole of this Tree unto Him, that from it may be revealed all the fruits
created by God within it for Him through Whom God hath willed to reveal all
that He pleaseth. By Thy glory! I have not wished that this Tree should ever
bear any branch, leaf, or fruit that would fail to bow down before Him, on the
day of His Revelation, or refuse to laud Thee through Him, as beseemeth the
glory of His all-glorious Revelation, and the sublimity of His most sublime
Concealment. And shouldst Thou behold, O my God, any branch, leaf, or fruit
upon Me that hath failed to bow down before Him, on the day of His Revelation,
cut it off, O My God, from that Tree, for it is not of Me, nor shall it return
unto Me.
He—glorified be His
mention—resembleth the sun. Were unnumbered mirrors to be placed before it,
each would, according to its capacity, reflect the splendor of that sun, and
were none to be placed before it, it would still continue to rise and set, and
the mirrors alone would be veiled from its light. I, verily, have not fallen
short of My duty to admonish that people, and to devise means whereby they may
turn towards God, their Lord, and believe in God, their Creator. If, on the day
of His Revelation, all that are on earth bear Him allegiance, Mine inmost being
will rejoice, inasmuch as all will have attained the summit of their existence,
and will have been brought face to face with their Beloved, and will have
recognized, to the fullest extent attainable in the world of being, the
splendor of Him Who is the Desire of their hearts. If not, My soul will indeed
be saddened. I truly have nurtured all things for this purpose. How, then, can
anyone be veiled from Him? For this have I called upon God, and will continue
to call upon Him. He, verily, is nigh, ready to answer.
The glory of Him Whom God
shall make manifest is immeasurably above every other glory, and His majesty is
far above every other majesty. His beauty excelleth every other embodiment of
beauty, and His grandeur immensely exceedeth every other manifestation of grandeur.
Every light paleth before the radiance of His light, and every other exponent
of mercy falleth short before the tokens of His mercy. Every other perfection
is as naught in face of His consummate perfection, and every other display of
might is as nothing before His absolute might. His names are superior to all
other names. His good-pleasure taketh precedence over any other expression of
good-pleasure. His preeminent exaltation is far above the reach of every other
symbol of exaltation. The splendor of His appearance far surpasseth that of any
other appearance. His divine concealment is far more profound than any other
concealment. His loftiness is immeasurably above every other loftiness. His
gracious favor is unequaled by any other evidence of favor. His power
transcendeth every power. His sovereignty is invincible in the face of every
other sovereignty. His celestial dominion is exalted far above every other
dominion. His knowledge pervadeth all created things, and His consummate power
extendeth over all beings.
All men have proceeded
from God and unto Him shall all return. All shall appear before Him for
judgment. He is the Lord of the Day of Resurrection, of Regeneration and of
Reckoning, and His revealed Word is the Balance.
True
death is realized when a person dieth to himself at the time of His Revelation
in such wise that he seeketh naught except Him.
True
resurrection from the sepulchers means to be quickened in conformity with His
Will, through the power of His utterance.
Paradise
is attainment of His good-pleasure and everlasting hellfire His judgment
through justice.
The
Day He revealeth Himself is Resurrection Day which shall last as long as He
ordaineth.
Everything
belongeth unto Him and is fashioned by Him. All besides Him are His creatures.
In the Name of God, the
Most Exalted, the Most High.
Verily I am God, no God is
there but Me, and aught except Me is but My creation. Say, worship Me then, O
ye, My creatures.
I have
called Thee into being, have nurtured Thee, protected Thee, loved Thee, raised
Thee up and have graciously chosen Thee to be the manifestation of Mine Own
Self, that Thou mayest recite My verses as ordained by Me, and may summon
whomsoever I have created unto My Religion which is none other than this
glorious and exalted Path.
I have
fashioned all created things for Thy sake, and I have, by virtue of My Will,
set Thee sovereign Ruler over all mankind. Moreover, I have decreed that whoso
embraceth My religion shall believe in My unity, and I have linked this belief
with remembrance of Thee, and after Thee the remembrance of such as Thou hast,
by My leave, caused to be the “Letters of the Living,” and of whatever hath
been revealed from My religion in the Bayán. This, indeed, is what will enable
the sincere among My servants to gain admittance into the celestial Paradise.
Verily,
the sun is but a token from My presence so that the true believers among My
servants may discern in its rising the dawning of every Dispensation.
In
truth I have created Thee through Thyself, then at My Own behest I have
fashioned all things through the creative power of Thy Word. We are
All-Powerful. I have appointed Thee to be the Beginning and the End, the Seen
and the Hidden. Verily We are the All-Knowing.
No one
hath been or will ever be invested with prophethood other than Thee, nor hath
any sacred Book been or will be revealed unto anyone except Thee. Such is the
decree ordained by Him Who is the All-Encompassing, the Best-Beloved.
The
Bayán is in truth Our conclusive proof for all created things, and all the
peoples of the world are powerless before the revelation of its verses. It
enshrineth the sum total of all the Scriptures, whether of the past or of the
future, even as Thou art the Repository of all Our proofs in this Day. We cause
whomsover We desire to be admitted into the gardens of our most holy, most
sublime Paradise. Thus is divine revelation inaugurated in each Dispensation at
Our behest. We are truly the supreme Ruler. Indeed no religion shall We ever
inaugurate unless it be renewed in the days to come. This is a promise We
solemnly have made. Verily We are supreme over all things.…
He is God, the Sovereign
Lord, the All-Glorious.
Say: Praise be to God
Who graciously enableth whomsoever He willeth to adore Him. Verily no God is
there but Him. His are the most excellent titles; it is He Who causeth His Word
to be fulfilled as He pleaseth and it is He Who leadeth those who have received
illumination and seek the way of righteousness.
Fear
thou God, thy Lord, and make mention of His Name in the daytime and at
eventide. Follow not the promptings of the faithless, lest thou be reckoned
among the exponents of idle fancies. Faithfully obey the Primal Point Who is
the Lord Himself, and be of the righteous. Let nothing cause thee to be sore
shaken, neither let the things which have been destined to take place in this
Cause disturb thee. Strive earnestly for the sake of God and walk in the path
of righteousness. Shouldst thou encounter the unbelievers, place thy whole
trust in God, thy Lord, saying, Sufficient is God unto me in the kingdoms of
both this world and the next.
The
Day is approaching when God shall bring the faithful together. In truth no God
is there other than Him.
May
the peace of God be with those who have been guided aright through the power of
divine guidance.
He is God, the Supreme
Ruler, the Sovereign Truth, He Whose help is implored by all.
Glorified is He to Whom
pertaineth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth, in Whose hand lieth
the kingdom of all created things and unto Whom shall all return. It is He Who
setteth the measure assigned to each and every thing and revealeth His goodly
gifts and blessings in His sacred Book for the benefit of those who offer
gratitude for His Cause.
Say,
this earthly life shall come to an end, and everyone shall expire and return
unto my Lord God Who will reward with the choicest gifts the deeds of those who
endure with patience. Verily thy God assigneth the measure of all created
things as He willeth, by virtue of His behest; and those who conform to the
good-pleasure of your Lord, they are indeed among the blissful.
Thy
Lord hath never raised up a prophet in the past who failed to summon the people
to His Lord, and today is truly similar to the times of old, were ye to ponder
over the verses revealed by God.
When
God sent forth His Prophet Muhammad, on that day the termination of the
prophetic cycle was foreordained in the knowledge of God. Yea, that promise
hath indeed come true and the decree of God hath been accomplished as He hath
ordained. Assuredly we are today living in the Days of God. These are the
glorious days on the like of which the sun hath never risen in the past. These
are the days which the people in bygone times eagerly expected. What hath then
befallen you that ye are fast asleep? These are the days wherein God hath
caused the Daystar of Truth to shine resplendent. What hath then caused you to
keep your silence? These are the appointed days which ye have been yearningly
awaiting in the past—the days of the advent of divine justice. Render ye thanks
unto God, O ye concourse of believers.
Let
not the deeds of those who reject the Truth shut you out as by a veil. Such
people have warrant over your bodies only, and God hath not reposed in them
power over your spirits, your souls and your hearts. Fear ye God that haply it
may be well with you. All things have been created for your sakes, and for the
sake of naught else hath your creation been ordained. Fear ye God and take heed
lest forms and apparels debar you from recognizing Him. Render ye thanksgiving
unto God that perchance He may deal mercifully with you.
This
mortal life is sure to perish; its pleasures are bound to fade away and erelong
ye shall return unto God, distressed with pangs of remorse, for presently ye
shall be roused from your slumber, and ye shall soon find yourselves in the
presence of God and will be asked of your doings.
Say,
how dare ye flagrantly deny the verses sent down from the heaven of justice,
yet ye read the Books of God revealed in the past? How do ye repudiate the
meeting with your Lord which was appointed with you aforetime, and fail in this
Day to heed His warning? Indeed, by adhering to forms and by following the
promptings of your selfish desires, ye have deprived yourselves of the
good-pleasure of your Lord, except those whom their Lord hath endowed with
knowledge and who in this Day render thanks unto Him for the bounty of being
identified with the true Faith of God. Therefore announce ye the Message unto
those who manifest virtue and teach them the ways of the One True God, that
haply they may comprehend.
Withhold
thy tongue from uttering that which might grieve thee and beseech God for
mercy. Verily He is fully cognizant of the righteous, for He is with such of
His servants as truly believe in Him, and He is not unaware of the actions of
the mischief-makers, inasmuch as nothing whatever in the heavens or on the
earth can escape His knowledge.
These
verses, clear and conclusive, are a token of the mercy of thy Lord and a source
of guidance for all mankind. They are a light unto those who believe in them
and a fire of afflictive torment for those who turn away and reject them.
O thou who art the
chosen one among women!
He
is God; glorified is the splendor of His light. The verses in this Tablet are
revealed for the one who hath believed in the signs of her Lord and is reckoned
among such as are wholly devoted unto Him. Bear thou witness that verily no God
is there but Him, Who is both my Lord and thine, and that no other God besides
Him existeth. He is the Bountiful, the Almighty.
Yield
thee thanks unto God, for He hath graciously aided thee in this Day, revealed
for thee the clear verses of this Tablet, and hath numbered thee among such
women as have believed in the signs of God, have taken Him as their guardian
and are of the grateful. Verily God shall soon reward thee and those who have
believed in His signs with an excellent reward from His presence. Assuredly no
God is there other than Him, the All-Possessing, the Most Generous. The
revelations of His bounty pervade all created things; He is the Merciful, the
Compassionate.
God testifieth that
there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the Best-Beloved.
Fix
your gaze upon Him Whom God shall make manifest in the Day of Resurrection,
then firmly believe in that which is sent down by Him.
Say,
God hath undisputed triumph over every victorious one. There is no one in
heaven or earth or in whatever lieth between them who can frustrate the
transcendent supremacy of His triumph. He calleth into being whatsoever He
willeth through the potency of His behest. Verily God is the mightiest
Sustainer, the Helper and the Defender.
When the Daystar of Bahá
will shine resplendent above the horizon of eternity it is incumbent upon you to
present yourselves before His Throne. Beware lest ye be seated in His presence
or ask questions without His leave. Fear ye God, O concourse of the Mirrors.
Beg
ye of Him the wondrous tokens of His favor that He may graciously reveal for
you whatever He willeth and desireth, inasmuch as on that Day all the
revelations of divine bounty shall circle around the Seat of His glory and
emanate from His presence, could ye but understand it.
It
behooveth you to remain silent before His Throne, for indeed of all the things
which have been created between heaven and earth nothing on that Day will be
deemed more fitting than the observance of silence. Moreover, take ye good heed
not to be reckoned among those of the past who were invested with knowledge,
yet by reason of their learning waxed proud before God, the Transcendent, the
Self-Subsisting, inasmuch as on that Day it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the
Omniscient, the Source of all knowledge, far above such as are endued with
learning; and it is He Who is the Potent, the All-Compelling, the Lord of
power, in the face of those who wield power; and it is He Who is the Mighty,
the Most August, the Most Glorious before such as display glory; and on that
Day it is He Who is the Lofty, the All-Highest, the Source of exaltation, far
above those who are elevated in rank; and it is He Who is the Almighty, the
Source of glory and grandeur, far above the pomp of the mighty; and it is He
Who is the Omnipotent, the Supreme Ruler, the Lord of judgment, transcending
all such as are invested with authority; and it is He Who is the Generous, the
Most Benevolent, the Essence of bounty, Who standeth supreme in the face of
such as show benevolence; and it is He Who is the Ordainer and the Supreme
Wielder of authority and power, inconceivably high above those who hold earthly
dominion; and it is He Who is the Most Excellent, the Unsurpassed, the
Preeminent in the face of every man of accomplishment.
Ye
have, one and all, been called into being to seek His presence and to attain
that exalted and glorious station. Indeed, He will send down from the heaven of
His mercy that which will benefit you, and whatever is graciously vouchsafed by
Him shall enable you to dispense with all mankind. Verily on that Day the
learning of the learned shall prove of no avail, neither the accomplishments of
the exponents of knowledge, nor the pomp of the highly honored, nor the power
of the mighty, nor the remembrance of the devout, nor the deeds of the
righteous, nor the genuflection of the kneeling worshipper, nor his prostration
or turning towards the Qiblih, nor the honor of the honored, nor the kinship of
the highly born, nor the nobility of those of noble descent, nor the discourse
of the eloquent, nor the titles of the prominent—none of these shall be of any
avail unto them—inasmuch as all these and whatever else ye have known or
comprehended were created by His word of command “Be” and it is. Indeed if it
be His Will He can assuredly bring about the resurrection of all created things
through a word from Himself. He is, in truth, over and above all this, the
All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Omnipotent.
Beware,
O concourse of Mirrors, lest on that Day titles make you vainglorious. Know ye
of a certainty that ye, together with all those who stand above you or below
you, have been created for that Day. Fear ye God and commit not that which
would grieve His heart, nor be of them that have gone astray. Perchance He will
appear invested with the power of Truth while ye are fast asleep on your
couches, or His messengers will bring glorious and resplendent Tablets from Him
while ye turn away disdainfully from Him, pronounce sentence against Him—such
sentence as ye would never pass on yourselves—and say, “This is not from God,
the All-Subduing, the Self-Existent.”
Glory
be unto Thee, O my God, Thou art well aware that I have proclaimed Thy Word and
have not failed in the mission Thou didst enjoin upon me. I entreat Thee to
guard the people of the Bayán on that Day in order that they may not pronounce
censure against Thee nor contend with Thy signs. Protect them then, O my God,
through the power of Thy might which pervadeth all mankind.
He is the Almighty.
Glory be unto Him Who is
the Lord of all that are in the heavens and on the earth; He is the All-Wise,
the All-Informed. It is He Who calleth into being whatsoever He willeth at His
behest; He is indeed the Clement, the Fashioner. Say, verily He is equal to His
purpose; whomsoever He willeth, He maketh victorious through the power of His
hosts; there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Wise. His is the
kingdom of earth and heaven and He is the Lord of power and glory. Such as have
believed in God and in His signs are indeed the followers of truth and shall
abide in the gardens of delight, while those who have disbelieved in God and
have rejected that which He hath revealed, these shall be the inmates of the
fire wherein they shall remain forever. Say, most people have openly repudiated
God and have followed the rebellious wicked doers. Such people resemble those who
have gone before them, upholding every hostile oppressor. Verily no God is
there but God; His is the kingdom of heaven and earth and He is the Clement,
the All-Knowing. God testifieth that there is no God but Him, and He Who
speaketh at the bidding of His Lord is but the First to worship Him. He is the
peerless Creator Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever
lieth between them, and all do His bidding. He is the One Whose grace hath
encompassed all that are in the heavens, on earth or elsewhere, and everyone
abideth by His behest.
It behooveth you to
await the Day of the appearance of Him Whom God shall manifest. Indeed My aim
in planting the Tree of the Bayán hath been none other than to enable you to
recognize Me. In truth I Myself am the first to bow down before God and to
believe in Him. Therefore let not your recognition become fruitless, inasmuch
as the Bayán, notwithstanding the sublimity of its station, beareth fealty to
Him Whom God shall make manifest, and it is He Who beseemeth most to be
acclaimed as the Seat of divine Reality, though indeed He is I and I am He.
However, when the Tree of the Bayán attaineth its highest development, We shall
bend it low as a token of adoration towards its Lord Who will appear in the
person of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Perchance ye may be privileged to
glorify God as it befitteth His august Self.
Indeed
ye have been called into being through the power of the Point of the Bayán
while the Point Himself is resigned to the Will of Him Whom God shall make
manifest, is exalted through His transcendent sublimity, is sustained by the
evidences of His might, is glorified by the majesty of His oneness, is adorned
by the beauty of His singleness, is empowered by His eternal dominion and is invested
with authority through His everlasting sovereignty. How then could they, who
are but the creation of the Point, be justified in saying “why or wherefore”?
O
congregation of the Bayán, and all who are therein! Recognize ye the limits
imposed upon you, for such a One as the Point of the Bayán Himself hath
believed in Him Whom God shall make manifest, before all things were created.
Therein, verily, do I glory before all who are in the kingdom of heaven and
earth. Suffer not yourselves to be shut out as by a veil from God after He hath
revealed Himself. For all that hath been exalted in the Bayán is but as a ring
upon My hand, and I Myself am, verily, but a ring upon the hand of Him Whom God
shall make manifest—glorified be His mention! He turneth it as He pleaseth, for
whatsoever He pleaseth, and through whatsoever He pleaseth. He, verily, is the
Help in Peril, the Most High.
• • •
7
Prayers and Meditations
In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty,
the All-Compelling.
Hallowed be the Lord in
Whose hand is the source of dominion. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His
Word of command “Be,” and it is. His hath been the power of authority
heretofore and it shall remain His hereafter. He maketh victorious whomsoever
He pleaseth, through the potency of His behest. He is in truth the Powerful,
the Almighty. Unto Him pertaineth all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of
Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth between them. Verily He is the
Potent, the All-Glorious. From everlasting He hath been the Source of
indomitable strength and shall remain so unto everlasting. He is indeed the
Lord of might and power. All the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is
between them are God’s, and His power is supreme over all things. All the
treasures of earth and heaven and everything between them are His, and His
protection extendeth over all things. He is the Creator of the heavens and the
earth and whatever lieth between them and He truly is a witness over all
things. He is the Lord of Reckoning for all that dwell in the heavens and on
earth and whatever lieth between them, and truly God is swift to reckon. He
setteth the measure assigned to all who are in the heavens and the earth and
whatever is between them. Verily He is the Supreme Protector. He holdeth in His
grasp the keys of heaven and earth and of everything between them. At His Own
pleasure doth He bestow gifts, through the power of His command. Indeed His
grace encompasseth all and He is the All-Knowing.
Say:
God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of
all things. Through the power of His hosts of heaven and earth and whatever
lieth between them, He protecteth whomsoever among His servants He willeth.
God, in truth, keepeth watch over all things.
Immeasurably
exalted art Thou, O Lord! Protect us from what lieth in front of us and behind
us, above our heads, on our right, on our left, below our feet and every other
side to which we are exposed. Verily Thy protection over all things is
unfailing.1
Send down Thy blessings, O
my God, upon the Tree of the Bayán, upon its root and its branch, its boughs,
its leaves, its fruits and upon whatsoever it beareth or sheltereth. Cause this
Tree then to be made into a magnificent Scroll to be offered to the presence of
Him Whom Thou wilt make manifest on the Day of Judgment, that He may graciously
allow the entire company of the followers of the Bayán to be restored to life
and that He may, through His bounty, inaugurate a new creation.
Indeed
all are but paupers in the face of Thy tender mercy, and lowly servants before
the tokens of Thy loving-kindness. I beg of Thee, by Thy bounty, O my God, and
by the outpourings of Thy mercy and bestowals, O my Lord, and by the evidences
of Thy heavenly favors and grace, O my Best-Beloved, to watch over Him Whom God
shall make manifest that no trace of despondency may ever touch Him.
Immeasurably glorified and
exalted art Thou. How can I make mention of Thee, O Thou the Beloved of the
entire creation; and how can I acknowledge Thy claim, O Thou, before Whom every
created thing standeth in awe. The loftiest station to which human perception
can soar and the utmost height which the minds and souls of men can scale are
but signs created through the potency of Thy command and tokens manifested
through the power of Thy Revelation. Far be it from Thy glory that anyone other
than Thee should make mention of Thee or should attempt to voice Thy praise.
The very essence of every reality beareth witness to its debarment from the
precincts of the court of Thy nearness, and the quintessence of every being
testifieth to its failure to attain Thy holy Presence. Immeasurably glorified
and exalted art Thou! That which alone beseemeth Thee is the befitting mention
made by Thine Own Self, and that only which is worthy of Thee is the anthem of
praise voiced by Thine Own Essence.…
Through
the revelation of Thy grace, O Lord, Thou didst call Me into being on a night
such as this,1 and lo, I am now lonely
and forsaken in a mountain. Praise and thanksgiving be unto Thee for whatever
conformeth to Thy pleasure within the empire of heaven and earth. And all
sovereignty is Thine, extending beyond the uttermost range of the kingdoms of
Revelation and Creation.
Thou
didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious favor and didst protect Me
through Thy bounty in the darkness of the womb and didst nourish Me, through
Thy loving-kindness, with life-giving blood. After having fashioned Me in a
most comely form, through Thy tender providence, and having perfected My
creation through Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My body
through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy transcendent unity,
Thou didst cause Me to issue forth from the world of concealment into the
visible world, naked, ignorant of all things, and powerless to achieve aught.
Thou didst then nourish Me with refreshing milk and didst rear Me in the arms
of My parents with manifest compassion, until Thou didst graciously acquaint Me
with the realities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me of the straight path of
Thy Faith as set forth in Thy Book. And when I attained full maturity Thou
didst cause Me to bear allegiance unto Thine inaccessible Remembrance, and
enabled Me to advance towards the designated station, where Thou didst educate
Me through the subtle operations of Thy handiwork and didst nurture Me in that
land with Thy most gracious gifts. When that which had been preordained in Thy
Book came to pass Thou didst cause Me, through Thy kindness, to reach Thy holy
precincts and didst suffer Me, through Thy tender mercy, to dwell within the
court of fellowship, until I discerned therein that which I witnessed of the
clear tokens of Thy mercifulness, the compelling evidences of Thy oneness, the
effulgent splendors of Thy majesty, the source of Thy supreme singleness, the
heights of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the signs of Thy peerlessness, the
manifestations of Thine exalted glory, the retreats of Thy sanctity, and
whatsoever is inscrutable to all but Thee.
Verily I am Thy servant, O
my God, and Thy poor one and Thy suppliant and Thy wretched creature. I have
arrived at Thy gate, seeking Thy shelter. I have found no contentment save in Thy
love, no exultation except in Thy remembrance, no eagerness but in obedience to
Thee, no joy save in Thy nearness, and no tranquillity except in reunion with
Thee, notwithstanding that I am conscious that all created things are debarred
from Thy sublime Essence and the entire creation is denied access to Thine
inmost Being. Whenever I attempt to approach Thee, I perceive nothing in myself
but the tokens of Thy grace and behold naught in my being but the revelations
of Thy loving-kindness. How can one who is but Thy creature seek reunion with
Thee and attain unto Thy presence, whereas no created thing can ever be
associated with Thee, nor can aught comprehend Thee? How is it possible for a
lowly servant to recognize Thee and to extol Thy praise, notwithstanding that
Thou hast destined for him the revelations of Thy dominion and the wondrous
testimonies of Thy sovereignty? Thus every created thing beareth witness that
it is debarred from the sanctuary of Thy presence by reason of the limitations
imposed upon its inner reality. It is undisputed, however, that the influence
of Thine attraction hath everlastingly been inherent in the realities of Thy
handiwork, although that which beseemeth the hallowed court of Thy providence
is exalted beyond the attainment of the entire creation. This indicateth, O my
God, my utter powerlessness to praise Thee and revealeth my utmost impotence in
yielding thanks unto Thee; and how much more to attain the recognition of Thy
divine unity or to succeed in reaching the clear tokens of Thy praise, Thy
sanctity and Thy glory. Nay, by Thy might, I yearn for naught but Thine Own
Self and seek no one other than Thee.
Magnified be Thy Name, O
God. Thine in truth are the Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation, and verily in
our Lord have we placed our whole trust. All praise be unto Thee, O God; Thou
art the Maker of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them, and
Thou in truth art the supreme Ruler, the Fashioner, the All-Wise. Glorified art
Thou, O Lord! Thou wilt surely gather mankind for the Day of whose coming there
is no doubt—the Day whereon everyone shall appear before Thee and find life in
Thee. This is the Day of the One true God—the Day Thou shalt bring about as
Thou pleasest through the power of Thy behest.
Thou
art the Sovereign, the wondrous Creator, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.
Lauded be Thy Name, O God.
Thou art in truth our Lord; Thou art aware of whatsoever is in the heavens and
on the earth. Send down then upon us a token of Thy mercy. Verily Thou art
unsurpassed among them that show mercy. All praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Ordain
for us from Thy presence that which will comfort the hearts of the sincere
among Thy servants. Glorified art Thou, O God, Thou art the Creator of the
heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them. Thou art the sovereign
Lord, the Most Holy, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Magnified be Thy Name, O God,
send down upon them who have believed in God and in His signs a mighty succor
from Thy presence such as to enable them to prevail over the generality of
mankind.
Glory be unto Thee, O God.
How can I make mention of Thee while Thou art sanctified from the praise of all
mankind. Magnified be Thy Name, O God, Thou art the King, the Eternal Truth;
Thou knowest what is in the heavens and on the earth, and unto Thee must all
return. Thou hast sent down Thy divinely ordained Revelation according to a
clear measure. Praised art Thou, O Lord! At Thy behest Thou dost render
victorious whomsoever Thou willest, through the hosts of heaven and earth and
whatsoever existeth between them. Thou art the Sovereign, the Eternal Truth,
the Lord of invincible might.
Glorified
art Thou, O Lord, Thou forgivest at all times the sins of such among Thy
servants as implore Thy pardon. Wash away my sins and the sins of those who
seek Thy forgiveness at dawn, who pray to Thee in the daytime and in the night
season, who yearn after naught save God, who offer up whatsoever God hath
graciously bestowed upon them, who celebrate Thy praise at morn and eventide,
and who are not remiss in their duties.
Praise be unto Thee, O
Lord. Forgive us our sins, have mercy upon us and enable us to return unto
Thee. Suffer us not to rely on aught else besides Thee, and vouchsafe unto us,
through Thy bounty, that which Thou lovest and desirest and well beseemeth
Thee. Exalt the station of them that have truly believed and forgive them with
Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.
O God our Lord! Protect us
through Thy grace from whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee and vouchsafe unto
us that which well beseemeth Thee. Give us more out of Thy bounty and bless us.
Pardon us for the things we have done and wash away our sins and forgive us
with Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Most Exalted, the
Self-Subsisting.
Thy
loving providence hath encompassed all created things in the heavens and on the
earth, and Thy forgiveness hath surpassed the whole creation. Thine is
sovereignty; in Thy hand are the Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation; in Thy
right hand Thou holdest all created things and within Thy grasp are the
assigned measures of forgiveness. Thou forgivest whomsoever among Thy servants
Thou pleasest. Verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Loving. Nothing
whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, and naught is there which is hidden from
Thee.
O God
our Lord! Protect us through the potency of Thy might, enable us to enter Thy
wondrous surging ocean, and grant us that which well befitteth Thee.
Thou
art the Sovereign Ruler, the Mighty Doer, the Exalted, the All-Loving.
Glory be unto Thee, O
Lord my God! Nothing whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, nor is there anything
that could slip from Thy grasp, or anything that could thwart Thy Purpose,
whether in the heavens or on the earth, of the past or of the future.
Thou
seest Paradise and the inmates thereof; Thou beholdest the realm below and the
dwellers thereof. All are but Thy servants and are held within Thy grasp.
O
Lord! Render victorious Thy forbearing servants in Thy days by granting them a
befitting victory, inasmuch as they have sought martyrdom in Thy path. Send
down upon them that which will bring comfort to their minds, will rejoice their
inner beings, will impart assurance to their hearts and tranquillity to their
bodies and will enable their souls to ascend to the presence of God, the Most
Exalted, and to attain the supreme Paradise and such retreats of glory as Thou
hast destined for men of true knowledge and virtue. Verily Thou knowest all
things, while we are but Thy servants, Thy thralls, Thy bondsmen and Thy poor
ones. No Lord but Thee do we invoke, O God our Lord, nor do we implore
blessings or grace from anyone but Thee, O Thou Who art the God of mercy unto
this world and the next. We are but the embodiments of poverty, of nothingness,
of helplessness and of perdition, while Thy whole Being betokeneth wealth,
independence, glory, majesty and boundless grace.
Turn
our recompense, O Lord, into that which well beseemeth Thee of the good of this
world and of the next, and of the manifold bounties which extend from on high
down to the earth below.
Verily
Thou art our Lord and the Lord of all things. Into Thy hands do we surrender
ourselves, yearning for the things that pertain unto Thee.
Glorified be Thy Name, O
Lord! In whom shall I take refuge while Thou art in truth my God and my
Beloved; unto whom shall I turn for shelter while Thou art my Lord and my
Possessor; and towards whom shall I flee while Thou art in truth my Master and
my Sanctuary; and whom shall I implore while Thou art in truth my Treasure and
the Goal of my desire; and through whom shall I plead before Thee, while Thou
art in truth my highest aspiration and supreme desire? Every hope hath been
frustrated save the yearning for Thy heavenly grace, and every door is barred
except the portal leading to the wellspring of Thy blessings.
I
beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy most effulgent splendor, before whose
brightness every soul humbly boweth down and prostrateth itself in adoration
for Thy sake—a splendor before whose radiance fire is turned into light, the
dead are brought to life and every difficulty is changed into ease. I entreat
Thee by this great, this wondrous splendor and by the glory of Thine exalted
sovereignty, O Thou Who art the Lord of indomitable power, to transform us
through Thy bounty into that which Thou Thyself dost possess and enable us to
become fountains of Thy light, and graciously vouchsafe unto us that which
beseemeth the majesty of Thy transcendent dominion. For unto Thee have I raised
my hands, O Lord, and in Thee have I found sheltering support, O Lord, and unto
Thee have I resigned myself, O Lord, and upon Thee have I placed my whole
reliance, O Lord, and by Thee am I strengthened, O Lord.
Verily
there is no power nor strength except in Thee.
Thou art aware, O My
God, that since the day Thou didst call Me into being out of the water of Thy
love till I reached fifteen years of age I lived in the land which witnessed My
birth [Shíráz]. Then Thou didst enable Me to go to the seaport [Búshihr]
where for five years I was engaged in trading with the goodly gifts of Thy
realm and was occupied in that with which Thou hast favored Me through the
wondrous essence of Thy loving-kindness. I proceeded therefrom to the Holy Land
[Karbilá] where I sojourned for one year. Then I returned to the place of My
birth. There I experienced the revelation of Thy sublime bestowals and the
evidences of Thy boundless grace. I yield Thee praise for all Thy goodly gifts
and I render Thee thanksgiving for all Thy bounties. Then at the age of
twenty-five I proceeded to thy sacred House [Mecca], and by the time I returned
to the place where I was born, a year had elapsed. There I tarried patiently in
the path of Thy love and beheld the evidences of Thy manifold bounties and of
Thy loving-kindness until Thou didst ordain for Me to set out in Thy direction
and to migrate to Thy presence. Thus I departed therefrom by Thy leave,
spending six months in the land of Sád [Isfahán] and seven months in the First
Mountain [Máh-Kú], where Thou didst rain down upon Me that which beseemeth the
glory of Thy heavenly blessings and befitteth the sublimity of Thy gracious
gifts and favors. Now, in My thirtieth year, Thou beholdest Me, O My God, in
this Grievous Mountain [Chihríq] where I have dwelt for one whole year.
Praise
be unto Thee, O My Lord, for all times, heretofore and hereafter; and thanks be
unto Thee, O My God, under all conditions, whether of the past or the future.
The gifts Thou hast bestowed upon Me have reached their fullest measure and the
blessings Thou hast vouchsafed unto Me have attained their consummation. Naught
do I now witness but the manifold evidences of Thy grace and loving-kindness,
Thy bounty and gracious favors, Thy generosity and loftiness, Thy sovereignty
and might, Thy splendor and Thy glory, and that which befitteth the holy court
of Thy transcendent dominion and majesty and beseemeth the glorious precincts
of Thine eternity and exaltation.
I am aware, O Lord, that
my trespasses have covered my face with shame in Thy presence, and have
burdened my back before Thee, have intervened between me and Thy beauteous
countenance, have compassed me from every direction and have hindered me on all
sides from gaining access unto the revelations of Thy celestial power.
O
Lord! If Thou forgivest me not, who is there then to grant pardon, and if Thou
hast no mercy upon me who is capable of showing compassion? Glory be unto Thee,
Thou didst create me when I was nonexistent and Thou didst nourish me while I
was devoid of any understanding. Praise be unto Thee, every evidence of bounty
proceedeth from Thee and every token of grace emanateth from the treasuries of
Thy decree.
I beg Thee to forgive
me, O my Lord, for every mention but the mention of Thee, and for every praise
but the praise of Thee, and for every delight but delight in Thy nearness, and
for every pleasure but the pleasure of communion with Thee, and for every joy
but the joy of Thy love and of Thy good-pleasure, and for all things pertaining
unto me which bear no relationship unto Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of lords,
He Who provideth the means and unlocketh the doors.
How can I praise Thee, O
Lord, for the evidences of Thy mighty splendor and for Thy wondrous sweet
savors which Thou hast imparted to Me in this fortress, in such measure that
nothing in the heavens or on the earth can compare with them? Thou hast watched
over Me in the heart of this mountain where I am compassed by mountains on all
sides. One hangeth above Me, others stand on My right and My left and yet
another riseth in front of Me. Glory be unto Thee, no God is there but Thee.
How often have I seen rocks from the mountain hurtling down upon Me, and Thou
didst protect Me therefrom and preserved Me within the stronghold of Thy divine
Unity.
Glorified
and exalted art Thou, and praise be unto Thee for whatsoever Thou lovest and
desirest, and thanks be unto Thee for that which Thou hast decreed and
preordained. From time immemorial Thy tender mercy hath been sent down and the
process of Thy creation hath been and ever is ceaseless. Thy handiwork is
unlike the work of anyone besides Thee, and Thy goodly gifts are unparalleled
by the gifts of anyone other than Thyself.
Praise
be unto Thee, O My Beloved, and magnified be Thy Name. Ever since the hour I
set foot upon this fortress till the moment I shall have departed therefrom, I
behold Thee established upon Thy seat of glory and majesty, sending down upon
Me the manifold tokens of Thy bountiful favor and grace. Thou beholdest that My
dwelling place is but the heart of the mountains, and Thou discernest naught in
My Person except the evidences of abasement and loneliness.
Lauded
be Thy Name; I render Thee thanks for every instance of Thine inscrutable
Decree and offer My praise for every token of Thy tribulations. Having suffered
Me to be cast into the prison, Thou didst turn it into a garden of Paradise for
Me and caused it to become a chamber of the court of everlasting fellowship.
How
numerous the verses Thou didst send down unto Me, and the prayers Thou didst
hear Me offer unto Thee. How diverse the revelations which Thou didst call into
being through Me and the experiences Thou didst witness in Me.
Magnified
be Thy Name. Manifold trials have been powerless to deter Me from yielding
thanks unto Thee and My shortcomings have failed to keep Me back from extolling
Thy virtues. The infidels had purposed to turn My abode into one of disgrace
and humiliation. But Thou hast glorified Me through My remembrance of Thee,
hast exalted Me through My praise of Thee, hast graciously aided Me through the
revelations of Thy oneness, and hast conferred upon Me a great honor through
the effulgent splendors of Thine ancient eternity. To the fire Thou dost
command, “Be thou a soothing balm unto My Servant,” and to the prison, “Be thou
a seat of tender compassion to My Servant, as a token from My presence.” Yea, I
swear by Thy glory; to Me the prison hath proved to be naught but the most
delightful garden of Paradise and hath served as the noblest spot in the realm
above.
Praised
and glorified art Thou. How often did adversities descend upon Me and Thou
didst temper them and avert them through Thy gracious favor; and how many times
were commotions stirred up against Me at the hand of the people, while Thou
didst cause them to subside through Thy tender mercy. How numerous the
occasions when the Nimrods kindled fires wherewith to burn Me, but Thou didst
make them balm for Me; and how manifold the instances when the infidels decreed
My humiliation and Thou didst turn them into marks of honor for Me.…
Verily
Thou art the highest aspiration of every earnest seeker and the Goal of the
desire of them that yearn after Thee. Thou art He Who is ready to answer the
call of such as recognize Thy divine unity, and He before Whom the fainthearted
stand in awe. Thou art the Helper of the needy, the Deliverer of the captives,
the Abaser of the oppressors, the Destroyer of the wrong-doers, the God of all
men, the Lord of all created things. Thine are the kingdoms of Creation and
Revelation, O Thou Who art the Lord of all the worlds.
O
All-Sufficient One! Thou dost suffice Me in every hardship that may descend
upon Me and in every affliction that may wax great before Me. Thou art My sole
Companion in My loneliness, the Delight of My heart in My solitude and My
Best-Beloved in My prison and in My Abode. No God is there but Thee!
Whomsoever
Thou dost suffice shall not be put to grief; whomsoever Thou dost protect shall
never perish; whomsoever Thou dost help shall never be abased; and he unto whom
Thou turnest Thy gaze shall never be far removed from Thee.
Write
down for us then whatsoever is of Thee, and forgive us for what we are. Verily
Thou art the Lord of power and glory, the Lord of all the worlds. “Far be the
glory of Thy Lord, the Lord of all greatness, from what they impute to Him, and
peace be upon His Apostles, and praise be unto God, the Lord of all the
worlds.”1
Glory be to Thee, O God!
Thou art the God Who hath existed before all things, Who will exist after all
things and will last beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth all
things, and is supreme over all things. Thou art the God Who dealeth mercifully
with all things, Who judgeth between all things and Whose vision embraceth all
things. Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of my position, Thou dost witness
my inner and outer being.
Grant
Thy forgiveness unto me and unto the believers who responded to Thy Call. Be
Thou my sufficing helper against the mischief of whosoever may desire to
inflict sorrow upon me or wish me ill. Verily Thou art the Lord of all created
things. Thou dost suffice everyone, while no one can be self-sufficient without
Thee.
I implore Thee by the
splendor of the light of Thy glorious face, the majesty of Thine ancient
grandeur and the power of Thy transcendent sovereignty to ordain for us at this
moment every measure of that which is good and seemly and to destine for us
every portion of the outpourings of Thy grace. For granting of gifts doth not
cause Thee loss, nor doth the bestowing of favors diminish Thy wealth.
Glorified
art Thou, O Lord! Verily I am poor while in truth Thou art rich; verily I am
lowly while in truth Thou art mighty; verily I am impotent while in truth Thou
art powerful; verily I am abased while in truth Thou art the most exalted;
verily I am distressed while in truth Thou art the Lord of might.
Do Thou ordain for me, O
Lord, every good thing Thou hast created or wilt create, and shield me from
whatever evil Thou abhorrest from among the things Thou hast caused or wilt
cause to exist. In truth Thy knowledge embraceth all things. Praised be Thou,
verily no God is there but Thee, and nothing whatsoever in the heavens or on
the earth and all that is between them can ever thwart Thy Purpose. Indeed
potent art Thou over all things.
Far
be it from the sublimity of Thy Being, O my God, that anyone seek Thy
loving-kindness or favor. Far be it from Thy transcendent glory that anyone
entreat Thee for the evidences of Thy bestowals and tender mercy. Too high art
Thou for any soul to beseech the revelation of Thy gracious providence and
loving care, and too sanctified is Thy glory for anyone to beg of Thee the
outpourings of Thy blessings and of Thy heavenly bounty and grace. Throughout
Thy kingdom of heaven and earth, which is endowed with manifold bounties, Thou
art immeasurably glorified above aught whereunto any identity could be
ascribed.
All
that I beg of Thee, O my God, is to enable me, ere my soul departeth from my
body, to attain Thy good-pleasure, even were it granted to me for a moment
tinier than the infinitesimal fraction of a mustard seed. For if it departeth
while Thou art pleased with me, then I shall be free from every concern or
anxiety; but if it abandoneth me while Thou art displeased with me, then, even
had I wrought every good deed, none would be of any avail, and had I earned
every honor and glory, none would serve to exalt me.
I
earnestly beseech Thee then, O my God, to graciously bestow Thy good-pleasure
upon me when Thou dost cause me to ascend unto Thee and make me appear before
Thy holy presence, inasmuch as Thou hast, from everlasting, been the God of
immense bounty unto the people of Thy realm, and the Lord of most excellent
gifts to all that dwell in the exalted heaven of Thine omnipotence.
How numerous the souls
raised to life who were exposed to dire humiliation in Thy Path for exalting
Thy Word and for glorifying Thy divine Unity! How profuse the blood that hath
been shed for the sake of Thy Faith to vindicate the authenticity of Thy divine
Mission and to celebrate Thy praise! How vast the possessions that were
wrongfully seized in the Path of Thy love in order to affirm the loftiness of
Thy sanctity and to extol Thy glorious Name! How many the feet that have
trodden upon the dust in order to magnify Thy holy Word and to extol Thy glory!
How innumerable the voices that were raised in lamentation, the hearts that
were struck with terror, the grievous woes that none other than Thee can
reckon, and the adversities and afflictions that remain inscrutable to anyone
except Thyself; all this to establish, O my God, the loftiness of Thy sanctity
and to demonstrate the transcendent character of Thy glory.
These
decrees were ordained by Thee so that all created things might bear witness
that they have been brought into being for the sake of naught else but Thee.
Thou hast withheld from them the things that bring tranquillity to their
hearts, that they might know of a certainty that whatever is associated with
Thy holy Being is far superior to and exalted above aught else that would
satisfy them; inasmuch as Thine indomitable power pervadeth all things, and
nothing can ever frustrate it.
Indeed
Thou hast caused these momentous happenings to come to pass that those who are
endued with perception may readily recognize that they were ordained by Thee to
demonstrate the loftiness of Thy divine Unity and to affirm the exaltation of
Thy sanctity.
Glory be unto Thee, O Lord!
Although Thou mayest cause a person to be destitute of all earthly possessions,
and from the beginning of his life until his ascension unto Thee he may be
reduced to poverty through the operation of Thy decree, yet wert Thou to have
brought him forth from the Tree of Thy love, such a bounty would indeed be far
better for him than all the things Thou hast created in heaven and earth and
whatsoever lieth between them; inasmuch as he will inherit the heavenly home,
through the revelation of Thy favors, and will partake of the goodly gifts Thou
hast provided therein; for the things which are with Thee are inexhaustible.
This indeed is Thy blessing which according to the good-pleasure of Thy Will
Thou dost bestow on those who tread the path of Thy love.
How
numerous the souls who in former times were put to death for Thy sake, and in
whose names all men now pride themselves; and how vast the number of those whom
Thou didst enable to acquire earthly fortunes, and who amassed them while they
were deprived of Thy Truth, and who in this day have passed into oblivion.
Theirs is a grievous chastisement and a dire punishment.
O
Lord! Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree of Thy divine Unity; water it
then, O Lord, with the flowing waters of Thy good-pleasure, and cause it,
before the revelations of Thy divine assurance, to yield such fruits as Thou
desirest for Thy glorification and exaltation, Thy praise and thanksgiving, and
to magnify Thy Name, to laud the oneness of Thine Essence and to offer
adoration unto Thee, inasmuch as all this lieth within Thy grasp and in that of
none other.
Great
is the blessedness of those whose blood Thou hast chosen wherewith to water the
Tree of Thine affirmation, and thus to exalt Thy holy and immutable Word.
Ordain
for me, O my Lord, and for those who believe in Thee that which is deemed best
for us in Thine estimation, as set forth in the Mother Book, for within the
grasp of Thy hand Thou holdest the determined measures of all things.
Thy
goodly gifts are unceasingly showered upon such as cherish Thy love and the
wondrous tokens of Thy heavenly bounties are amply bestowed on those who
recognize Thy divine Unity. We commit unto Thy care whatsoever Thou hast
destined for us, and implore Thee to grant us all the good that Thy knowledge
embraceth.
Protect
me, O my Lord, from every evil that Thine omniscience perceiveth, inasmuch as
there is no power nor strength but in Thee, no triumph is forthcoming save from
Thy presence, and it is Thine alone to command. Whatever God hath willed hath
been, and that which He hath not willed shall not be.
There
is no power nor strength except in God, the Most Exalted, the Most Mighty.
O Lord! Enable all the
peoples of the earth to gain admittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so that
no created being may remain beyond the bounds of Thy good-pleasure.
From
time immemorial Thou hast been potent to do what pleaseth Thee and transcendent
above whatsoever Thou desirest.
Vouchsafe unto me, O my
God, the full measure of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure, and through the
attractions of Thy resplendent light enrapture our hearts, O Thou Who art the
Supreme Evidence and the All-Glorified. Send down upon me, as a token of Thy
grace, Thy vitalizing breezes, throughout the daytime and in the night season,
O Lord of bounty.
No
deed have I done, O my God, to merit beholding Thy face, and I know of a
certainty that were I to live as long as the world lasts I would fail to
accomplish any deed such as to deserve this favor, inasmuch as the station of a
servant shall ever fall short of access to Thy holy precincts, unless Thy
bounty should reach me and Thy tender mercy pervade me and Thy loving-kindness
encompass me.
All
praise be unto Thee, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God. Graciously
enable me to ascend unto Thee, to be granted the honor of dwelling in Thy
nearness and to have communion with Thee alone. No God is there but Thee.
Indeed
shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a servant Thou wouldst blot out
from the realm of his heart every mention or disposition except Thine Own
mention; and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a servant by reason of that which
his hands have unjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test him with the
benefits of this world and of the next that he might become preoccupied
therewith and forget Thy remembrance.
Glory be unto Thee, O
Lord, Thou Who hast brought into being all created things, through the power of
Thy behest.
O
Lord! Assist those who have renounced all else but Thee, and grant them a
mighty victory. Send down upon them, O Lord, the concourse of the angels in
heaven and earth and all that is between, to aid Thy servants, to succor and
strengthen them, to enable them to achieve success, to sustain them, to invest
them with glory, to confer upon them honor and exaltation, to enrich them and
to make them triumphant with a wondrous triumph.
Thou
art their Lord, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of all the
worlds. Strengthen this Faith, O Lord, through the power of these servants and
cause them to prevail over all the peoples of the world; for they, of a truth,
are Thy servants who have detached themselves from aught else but Thee, and
Thou verily art the protector of true believers.
Grant
Thou, O Lord, that their hearts may, through allegiance to this, Thine
inviolable Faith, grow stronger than anything else in the heavens and on earth
and in whatsoever is between them; and strengthen, O Lord, their hands with the
tokens of Thy wondrous power that they may manifest Thy power before the gaze
of all mankind.
O Lord! Unto Thee I
repair for refuge and toward all Thy signs I set my heart.
O
Lord! Whether traveling or at home, and in my occupation or in my work, I place
my whole trust in Thee.
Grant
me then Thy sufficing help so as to make me independent of all things, O Thou
Who art unsurpassed in Thy mercy!
Bestow
upon me my portion, O Lord, as Thou pleasest, and cause me to be satisfied with
whatsoever Thou hast ordained for me.
Thine
is the absolute authority to command.
O Lord! Thou art the Remover
of every anguish and the Dispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who
banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of every
soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy and reckon me among such
servants of Thine as have gained salvation.
Throughout eternity Thou
hast been, O my Lord, and wilt ever remain the One true God, while all else
save Thee are needy and poor. Having clung tenaciously to Thy Cord, O my God, I
have detached myself from all mankind, and having set my face towards the
habitation of Thy tender mercy, I have turned away from all created things.
Graciously inspire me, O my God, through Thy grace and bounty, Thy glory and
majesty, and Thy dominion and grandeur, for no one mighty and all-knowing can I
find beside Thee. Protect me, O my God, through the potency of Thy transcendent
and all-sufficing glory and by the hosts of the heavens and the earth, inasmuch
as in no one can I wholly place my trust but in Thee and no refuge is there but
Thee.
Thou
art God, my Lord, Thou knowest my needs, Thou seest my state and art well aware
of what hath befallen me by reason of Thy decree, and of the earthly sufferings
I have endured by Thy leave and as a token of Thy bounty and favor.
The glory of glories and
the most resplendent light rest upon Thee, O my God. Thy majesty is so
transcendent that no human imagination can reach it and Thy consummate power is
so sublime that the birds of men’s hearts and minds can never attain its
heights. All beings acknowledge their powerlessness to praise Thee as beseemeth
Thy station. Immeasurably exalted art Thou. No one can glorify Thy Being, or
fathom the evidences of Thy bounty as it exists in Thine inmost Essence, since
Thou alone knowest Thyself as Thou art in Thyself.
I
yield praise unto Thee, O Lord our God, for the bounty of having called into
being the realm of creation and invention—a praise which shineth resplendent
through the potency of Thine inspiration which none other but Thee can
befittingly appraise. I glorify Thee moreover and render Thee thanks as
beseemeth Thine awe-inspiring presence and the glory of Thine overpowering
majesty, for this sublime blessing, this wondrous sign which is manifest in Thy
kingdoms of Revelation and Creation.
All
glory be unto Thee. Immeasurably exalted is that which beseemeth Thee. Verily
no one hath ever adequately grasped the loftiness of Thy station, nor hath
anyone except Thee recognized Thee as beseemeth Thee. Thou art manifest through
the outpourings of Thy bounty, while no one besides Thee can fathom the sublimity
of Thy Revelation.
Magnified
be Thy name. Hath aught else save Thee any independent existence so as to be
capable of hinting at Thy nature, and doth anyone but Thee possess any trace of
identity wherewith I could recognize Thee? All that is known owes its renown to
the splendor of Thy Name, the Most Manifest, and every object is deeply stirred
by the vibrating influence emanating from Thine invincible Will. Thou art
nearer unto all things than all things.
Lauded
and glorified art Thou. Too exalted is Thy loftiness for the hands of such as
are endued with understanding to reach unto Thee, and too profound is Thy
fathomless depth for the rivers of men’s minds and perceptions to flow out
therefrom.
In the Name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful.
All praise be unto God
Who was Ever-Existent ere created things were called into being, when there was
no one else besides Him. He is the One Who hath been Ever-Abiding while no
element of His creation did yet exist. Indeed the souls of them that are endued
with understanding fail to comprehend the least manifestation of His
attributes, and the minds of those who have acknowledged His unity are unable
to perceive the most insignificant token of His omnipotence.
Sanctified
art Thou, O Lord my God. The tongues of men fall short in extolling Thy
glorious handiwork, how much more then would they falter in lauding the majesty
of Thy transcendent power; and since human understanding is sore perplexed to
fathom the mystery of a single object of Thy creation, how can anyone ever
attain the recognition of Thine Own Being?
I
have known Thee by Thy making known unto me that Thou art unknowable to anyone
save Thyself. I have become apprised by the creation Thou hast fashioned out of
sheer nonexistence that the way to attain the comprehension of Thine Essence is
barred to everyone. Thou art God, besides Whom there is none other God. No one
except Thine Own Self can comprehend Thy nature. Thou art without peer or
partner. From everlasting Thou hast been alone with no one else besides Thee
and unto everlasting Thou wilt continue to be the same, while no created thing
shall ever approach Thine exalted position.
All
men, O my God, confess their powerlessness to know Thee as Thou knowest Thine
Own Being; the generative impulse Thou hast released is manifest throughout the
entire creation, and all created things which Thou hast fashioned are but
expressions of Thy wondrous signs. Magnified be Thy name; Thou art immeasurably
exalted above the strivings of anyone among Thy creatures to attain Thy
recognition as is befitting and worthy of Thee.
Praise
be unto Thee! The way in which Thou hast called into being Thy creation out of
nonexistence preventeth all created things from recognizing Thee, and the
manner in which Thou hast fashioned the creatures, with the limitations imposed
upon them, proclaimeth their utter nothingness before the revelations of Thine
attributes.
Exalted
art Thou, O my God! All mankind are powerless to celebrate Thy glory and the
minds of men fall short of yielding praise unto Thee. I bear witness in Thy
presence, O my God, that Thou art made known by Thy wondrous tokens and art
recognized through the revelations of Thy signs. The fact that Thou hast
brought us forth into existence prompteth me to acknowledge before Thee that
Thou art immeasurably exalted above our praise, and by virtue of the qualities
wherewith Thou hast endowed our beings I testify unto Thee that Thou art
transcendent beyond our comprehension.
Grant
that I may soar to the noblest heights in approaching Thee, and enable me to
draw nigh unto Thee through the fragrance of Thy holiness. Thus may all
impediments be dissolved by the light of ecstasy, and all remoteness from Thee
be dissipated by my attainment unto the seats of reunion, and the subtle veils
which have hindered me from entering Thy mansion of glory become so rarified
that I may gain admittance into Thy presence, take up my abode near Thee, and
voice the expressions of praise wherewith Thou hast described Thine Own Self
unto me, bearing witness that Thou art God, that there is no God but Thee, the
One, the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding, that Thou dost not beget, neither art
Thou begotten, that Thou hast no offspring, no partner, nor is there any
protector against humiliation but Thee, and Thou art the Lord of all worlds. I
bear witness also that all besides Thee are but Thy creatures, and are held
within Thy grasp. No one is favored with means or liveth in want except by Thy
Will. Thou art the King of everlasting days and the supreme Ruler. Thy might is
potent over all things and all created things exist by Thy Will. All mankind
recognize their lowly servitude and confess their shortcomings and naught is
there which doth not celebrate Thy praise.
I
beseech Thee, O my God, by the glory of Thy merciful Countenance and by the
majesty of Thine ancient Name not to deprive me of the vitalizing fragrance of
the evidences of Thy Days—such Days as Thou Thyself hast inaugurated and
brought forth.
Thou art God, no God is
there but Thee.
Lauded and glorified art
Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art supreme over the realm of being and Thy power
pervadeth all created things. Thou holdest the kingdom of creation within Thy
grasp and dost call into being in conformity with Thy pleasure.
All
praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by such souls as are eagerly
waiting at Thy gate and by those holy beings who have attained the court of Thy
presence, to cast upon us the glances of Thy tender compassion and to regard us
with the eye of Thy loving providence. Cause our souls to be enkindled with the
fire of Thy tender affection and give us to drink of the living waters of Thy
bounty. Keep us steadfast in the path of Thine ardent love and enable us to
abide within the precincts of Thy holiness. Verily Thou art the Giver, the Most
Generous, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
Glorified
art Thou, O my God! I invoke Thee by Thy Most Great Name through which the
hidden secrets of God, the Most Exalted, were divulged and the kindreds of all
nations converged toward the focal center of faith and certitude, through which
Thy luminous Words streamed forth for the quickening of mankind and the essence
of all knowledge was revealed from that Embodiment of bounty. May my life, my
inmost being, my soul and my body be offered up as a sacrifice for the dust
ennobled by His footsteps.
I
earnestly beg Thee, O Lord my God, by Thy most glorious Name whereby Thy
sovereignty hath been established and the tokens of Thy might have been
manifested, and whereby the oceans of life and of holy ecstasy have surged for
the reviving of the moldering bones of all Thy creatures and for the stirring
of the limbs of such as have embraced Thy Cause—I earnestly beg Thee to
graciously ordain for us the good of this world and of the next, to enable us
to gain admission into the court of Thy mercy and loving-kindness and to kindle
in our hearts the fire of joy and ecstasy in such wise that the hearts of all
men may thereby be attracted.
Verily
Thou art the All-Powerful, the Protector, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting.
Glory be unto Thee, O
Lord my God! I beg Thee to forgive me and those who support Thy Faith. Verily
Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Forgiver, the Most Generous. O my God! Enable
such servants of Thine as are deprived of knowledge to be admitted into Thy
Cause; for once they learn of Thee, they bear witness to the truth of the Day
of Judgment and do not dispute the revelations of Thy bounty. Send down upon
them the tokens of Thy grace and grant them, wherever they reside, a liberal share
of that which Thou hast ordained for the pious among Thy servants. Thou art in
truth the Supreme Ruler, the All-Bounteous, the Most Benevolent.
O my
God! Let the outpourings of Thy bounty and blessings descend upon homes whose
inmates have embraced Thy Faith, as a token of Thy grace and as a mark of
loving-kindness from Thy presence. Verily unsurpassed art Thou in granting
forgiveness. Should Thy bounty be withheld from anyone, how could he be
reckoned among the followers of the Faith in Thy Day?
Bless
me, O my God, and those who will believe in Thy signs on the appointed Day, and
such as cherish my love in their hearts—a love which Thou dost instill into
them. Verily Thou art the Lord of righteousness, the Most Exalted.
Immeasurably exalted art
Thou, O my God, above the endeavors of all beings and created things to praise
Thee and recognize Thee. No creature can ever comprehend Thee as beseemeth the
reality of Thy holy Being and no servant can ever worship Thee as is worthy of
Thine unknowable Essence. Praise be unto Thee; too high is Thine exalted Self
for any allusions proceeding from Thy creatures ever to gain access unto Thy
presence.
Whenever,
O my God, I soared into Thy holy atmosphere and attained the inmost spirit of
prayerfulness unto Thee, I was led to recognize that Thou art inaccessible and
that no mention of Thee can ever reach Thy transcendent court. Therefore I turn
towards Thy Loved Ones—They upon Whom Thou hast graciously conferred Thine Own
station that They might manifest Thy love and Thy true knowledge. Bless Them
then, O my God, with every distinction and goodly gift which Thy knowledge may
reckon within the domain of Thy power.
O my
God, my Lord and my Master! I swear by Thy might and glory that Thou alone and
no one else besides Thee art the ultimate Desire of all men, and that Thou
alone and none other save Thee art the Object of adoration. O my God! The paths
of Thine inaccessible glory have prompted me to voice these words and the ways
of Thine unattainable heights have guided me to make these allusions. Exalted
art Thou, O my God! The evidences of Thy revelation are too manifest for me to
need to refer to aught else save Thyself, and the love I cherish for Thee is
far sweeter to my taste than the knowledge of all things and freeth me from the
need to seek anyone’s knowledge other than Thine.
All
praise be unto Thee, O my Lord. I verily believe in Thee, as Thou art in
Thyself; and of Thee, as Thou art in Thyself, I beg forgiveness for myself and
on behalf of all mankind.
O my
God! Wholly have I fled unto Thy face and have cast myself before Thee and no
power have I over aught in Thy holy presence. Shouldst Thou chastise me with
Thy might, Thou wouldst assuredly be just in Thy decree; and wert Thou to
bestow every goodly gift on me, Thou wouldst indeed be most generous and
bountiful. Verily Thou art independent of all the peoples of the world.
I
have sought reunion with Thee, O my Master, yet have I failed to attain thereto
save through the knowledge of detachment from aught save Thee. I have yearned
for Thy love, but failed to find it except in renouncing everything other than
Thyself. I have been eager to worship Thee, yet have I failed to achieve Thy
adoration, except by loving those who cherish Thy love. No one do I recognize,
O my God, except Thee. Thou art incomparable and hast no partner. Thou alone
knowest our shortcomings and none other hath this knowledge. I beg Thy
forgiveness for whatever doth displease Thee.
I
call upon Thee at all times with the tongue of Thine inspiration, saying: “Thou
art in truth the All-Possessing, the Peerless. No God is there but Thee.
Immeasurably far and exalted art Thou above the descriptions of those who
arrogantly assign peers unto Thee.”
All majesty and glory, O
my God, and all dominion and light and grandeur and splendor be unto Thee. Thou
bestowest sovereignty on whom Thou willest and dost withhold it from whom Thou
desirest. No God is there but Thee, the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted. Thou
art He Who createth from naught the universe and all that dwell therein. There
is nothing worthy of Thee except Thyself, while all else but Thee are as
outcasts in Thy holy presence and are as nothing when compared to the glory of
Thine Own Being.
Far
be it from me to extol Thy virtues save by what Thou hast extolled Thyself in
Thy weighty Book where Thou sayest, “No vision taketh in Him but He taketh in
all vision. He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving.”1 Glory be unto Thee, O my
God, indeed no mind or vision, however keen or discriminating, can ever grasp
the nature of the most insignificant of Thy signs. Verily Thou art God, no God
is there besides Thee. I bear witness that Thou Thyself alone art the sole
expression of Thine attributes, that the praise of no one besides Thee can ever
attain to Thy holy court nor can Thine attributes ever be fathomed by anyone
other than Thyself.
Glory
be unto Thee, Thou art exalted above the description of anyone save Thyself,
since it is beyond human conception to befittingly magnify Thy virtues or to
comprehend the inmost reality of Thine Essence. Far be it from Thy glory that
Thy creatures should describe Thee or that anyone besides Thyself should ever
know Thee. I have known Thee, O my God, by reason of Thy making Thyself known
unto me, for hadst Thou not revealed Thyself unto me, I would not have known
Thee. I worship Thee by virtue of Thy summoning me unto Thee, for had it not
been for Thy summons I would not have worshipped Thee. Lauded art Thou, O my
God, my trespasses have waxed mighty and my sins have assumed grievous
proportions. How disgraceful my plight will prove to be in Thy holy presence. I
have failed to know Thee to the extent Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me; I
have failed to worship Thee with a devotion worthy of Thy summons; I have
failed to obey Thee through not treading the path of Thy love in the manner
Thou didst inspire me.
Thy
might beareth me witness, O my God, what befitteth Thee is far greater and more
exalted than any being could attempt to accomplish. Indeed nothing can ever
comprehend Thee as is worthy of Thee nor can any servile creature worship Thee
as beseemeth Thine adoration. So perfect and comprehensive is Thy proof, O my
God, that its inner essence transcendeth the description of any soul and so
abundant are the outpourings of Thy gifts that no faculty can appraise their
infinite range.
O my
God! O my Master! I beseech Thee by Thy manifold bounties and by the pillars
which sustain Thy throne of glory, to have pity on these lowly people who are
powerless to bear the unpleasant things of this fleeting life, how much less
then can they bear Thy chastisement in the life to come—a chastisement which is
ordained by Thy justice, called forth by Thy wrath and will continue to exist
forever.
I
beg Thee by Thyself, O my God, my Lord and my Master, to intercede in my
behalf. I have fled from Thy justice unto Thy mercy. For my refuge I am seeking
Thee and such as turn not away from Thy path, even for a twinkling of an
eye—they for whose sake Thou didst create the creation as a token of Thy grace
and bounty.
O my God! There is no
one but Thee to allay the anguish of my soul, and Thou art my highest
aspiration, O my God. My heart is wedded to none save Thee and such as Thou
dost love. I solemnly declare that my life and death are both for Thee. Verily
Thou art incomparable and hast no partner.
O my
Lord! I beg Thee to forgive me for shutting myself out from Thee. By Thy glory
and majesty, I have failed to befittingly recognize Thee and to worship Thee, while
Thou dost make Thyself known unto me and callest me to remembrance as beseemeth
Thy station. Grievous woe would betide me, O my Lord, wert Thou to take hold of
me by reason of my misdeeds and trespasses. No helper do I know of other than
Thee. No refuge do I have to flee to save Thee. None among Thy creatures can
dare to intercede with Thyself without Thy leave. I hold fast to Thy love
before Thy court, and, according to Thy bidding, I earnestly pray unto Thee as
befitteth Thy glory. I beg Thee to heed my call as Thou hast promised me.
Verily Thou art God; no God is there but Thee. Alone and unaided, Thou art
independent of all created things. Neither can the devotion of Thy lovers
profit Thee, nor the evil doings of the faithless harm Thee. Verily Thou art my
God, He Who will never fail in His promise.
O my
God! I beseech Thee by the evidences of Thy favor, to let me draw nigh to the
sublime heights of Thy holy presence, and protect me from inclining myself
toward the subtle allusions of aught else but Thee. Guide my steps, O my God,
unto that which is acceptable and pleasing to Thee. Shield me, through Thy
might, from the fury of Thy wrath and chastisement, and hold me back from
entering habitations not desired by Thee.
O my God! I have failed
to know Thee as is worthy of Thy glory, and I have failed to fear Thee as
befitteth my station. How can I make mention of Thee when I am in this
condition, and how can I set my face towards Thee when I have fallen short of
my duty in worshipping Thee?
Thou
didst not call me into being to demonstrate the potency of Thy might which is
unmistakably manifest and evident; for Thou art God Who everlastingly existed
when there was naught. Rather Thou didst create us through Thy transcendent
power that a bare mention may be graciously made of us before the resplendent
manifestation of Thy Remembrance.
I
have no knowledge of Thee, O my God, but that which Thou hast taught me whereby
I might recognize Thy Self—a knowledge which reflecteth only my failure and
sinfulness. Here am I then, O my God, wholly consecrated unto Thee, willing to
do what Thou desirest. Humbly I cast myself before the revelations of Thy
mercy, confessing that Thou art God, no God is there but Thee, and that Thou
art incomparable, hast no partner and naught is there like Thee. Unto this Thou
Thyself bearest witness, as well becometh Thy glory.
He is God, the Sovereign
Ruler, the Ever-Living,
He Whose help all men implore.
Lauded and glorified art
Thou, O Lord! Both the world of existence and the souls of men bear witness
that Thou art transcendent above the revelations of Thy handiwork, and the
bearers of Thy names and attributes proclaim that Thou art immeasurably exalted
above such praise as the dwellers of the dominions of creation and invention may
render unto Thee. All appearances and realities indicate the oneness of Thine
Essence, and all evidences and signs reflect the truth that Thou art God and
there is no peer or partner for Thee throughout the kingdoms of heaven and
earth.
Immensely
high and sanctified art Thou, O Lord! Thy divine Being testifieth that Thou art
inscrutable to all that dwell in Thy realm of existence, and Thine inmost
Essence proclaimeth that Thou art far above the description of those who reveal
Thy glory.
The
signs which the sanctified essences reveal and the words which the exalted
realities express and the allusions manifested by the ethereal entities all
proclaim that Thou art immeasurably exalted above the reach of the embodiments
of the realm of being, and all solemnly affirm that Thou art immensely high
above the description of such as are wrapt in the veils of fancy.
Praise
be unto Thee, O Lord! Thy divine Being is a sure testimony of the oneness of
Thine inmost Essence and Thy supreme divinity beareth witness to the unity of
Thy Self, and the realities of all created things testify that no tie of
intercourse bindeth Thee to anything in the kingdom of creation which Thou hast
fashioned.
Every
man of perception who hath scaled the noble heights of detachment, and every
man of eloquence who hath attained the most sublime station, beareth witness
that Thou art God, the Incomparable, and that Thou hast assigned no associate
unto Thyself in the kingdom of creation, nor is there anyone to compare with
Thee in the realm of invention. Men of wisdom, who had but a notion of the
revelation of Thy glory, conceived a likeness of Thee according to their own
understanding, and men of erudition, who had gained but a glimpse of the
manifold evidences of Thy loving-kindness and glory, have contrived peers for
Thee in conformity with their own imaginations.
Glorified,
immeasurably glorified art Thou, O Lord! Every man of insight is far astray in
his attempt to recognize Thee, and every man of consummate learning is sore
perplexed in his search after Thee. Every evidence falleth short of Thine
unknowable Essence and every light retreateth and sinketh below the horizon
when confronted with but a glimmer of the dazzling splendor of Thy might.
Bestow
on me, O my Lord, Thy gracious bounty and benevolent gifts and grant me that
which beseemeth the sublimity of Thy glory. Aid me, O my Lord, to achieve a
singular victory. Open Thou the door of unfailing success before me and grant
that the things Thou hast promised may be close at hand. Thou art in truth
potent over all things. Refresh my heart, O my God, with the living waters of
Thy love and give me a draught, O my Master, from the chalice of Thy tender
mercy. Let me abide, O my Lord, within the habitation of Thy glory, and suffer
me, O my God, to emerge from the darkness in which Thy divine obscurity is
shrouded. Enable me to partake of every good Thou hast vouchsafed unto Him Who
is the Point and unto such as are the exponents of His Cause, and ordain for me
that which beseemeth Thee and well becometh Thy station. Do Thou graciously
forgive me for the things that I have wrought in Thy holy presence, and look
not upon me with the glance of justice, but rather deliver me through Thy
grace, treat me with Thy mercy and deal with me according to Thy bountiful
favors, as is worthy of Thy glory.
Thou
art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Glorious, the Bestower of favors and gifts, the
Lord of grace abounding. Verily no God is there but Thee. Thou art the
All-Possessing, the Most High.
Sanctified
art Thou, O Lord, Thou unto Whom all render thanksgiving. Whatever I may affirm
of Thee would be but a wanton crime before Thee, and whatever mention I may
choose to make of Thee would be the essence of transgression, and whatever the
praise whereby I may glorify Thee, it would amount to sheer blasphemy. No one
else besides Thee hath been or will ever be able to fathom Thy mystery, neither
hath anyone succeeded nor will anyone succeed at any time in discovering Thine
Essence.
Magnified
art Thou! No God is there but Thee. Thou art in truth the Supreme Ruler, the
Help in Peril, the Most High, the Incomparable, the Omnipotent, the
All-Powerful. Verily Thou art mighty in Thy prowess, the Lord of transcendent
glory and majesty.
Protect
Thou, O God, whosoever learneth this prayer by heart and reciteth it in the
daytime and in the night season. Verily Thou art God, the Lord of creation, the
All-Sufficing. Thou art faithful to Thy promise and doest whatsoever Thou
pleasest. Thou art the One Who holdeth in His hands the dominions of earth and
heaven. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the Help in Peril, the
All-Compelling.
O my God, my Lord and my
Master! I have detached myself from my kindred and have sought through Thee to
become independent of all that dwell on earth and ever ready to receive that
which is praiseworthy in Thy sight. Bestow on me such good as will make me independent
of aught else but Thee, and grant me an ampler share of Thy boundless favors.
Verily Thou art the Lord of grace abounding.
I adjure Thee by Thy
might, O my God! Let no harm beset me in times of tests, and in moments of
heedlessness guide my steps aright through Thine inspiration. Thou art God,
potent art Thou to do what Thou desirest. No one can withstand Thy Will or
thwart Thy Purpose.
I beg Thy forgiveness, O
my God, and implore pardon after the manner Thou wishest Thy servants to direct
themselves to Thee. I beg of Thee to wash away our sins as befitteth Thy
Lordship, and to forgive me, my parents, and those who in Thy estimation have
entered the abode of Thy love in a manner which is worthy of Thy transcendent
sovereignty and well beseemeth the glory of Thy celestial power.
O my
God! Thou hast inspired my soul to offer its supplication to Thee, and but for
Thee, I would not call upon Thee. Lauded and glorified art Thou; I yield Thee
praise inasmuch as Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, and I beg Thee to forgive
me, since I have fallen short in my duty to know Thee and have failed to walk
in the path of Thy love.
Lauded be Thy Name, O
Lord our God! Thou art in truth the Knower of things unseen. Ordain for us such
good as Thine all-embracing knowledge can measure. Thou art the sovereign Lord,
the Almighty, the Best-Beloved.
All
praise be unto Thee, O Lord! We shall seek Thy grace on the appointed Day and
shall put our whole reliance in Thee, Who art our Lord. Glorified art Thou, O
God! Grant us that which is good and seemly that we may be able to dispense
with everything but Thee. Verily Thou art the Lord of all worlds.
O
God! Recompense those who endure patiently in Thy days and strengthen their
hearts to walk undeviatingly in the path of Truth. Grant then, O Lord, such
goodly gifts as would enable them to gain admittance into Thy blissful
Paradise. Exalted art Thou, O Lord God. Let Thy heavenly blessings descend upon
homes whose inmates have believed in Thee. Verily, unsurpassed art Thou in sending
down divine blessings. Send forth, O God, such hosts as would render Thy
faithful servants victorious. Thou dost fashion the created things through the
power of Thy decree as Thou pleasest. Thou art in truth the Sovereign, the
Creator, the All-Wise.
Say:
God is indeed the Maker of all things. He giveth sustenance in plenty to
whomsoever He willeth. He is the Creator, the Source of all beings, the
Fashioner, the Almighty, the Maker, the All-Wise. He is the Bearer of the most
excellent titles throughout the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth
between them. All do His bidding, and all the dwellers of earth and heaven
celebrate His praise, and unto Him shall all return.
Through Thy revelation,
O my God, Thou hast enabled me to know Thee, and through the radiance of Thine
effulgent splendor Thou hast inspired me with Thy remembrance. Thou art the One
nearest to me with naught else between Thee and me, and Thou art the One Whose
power nothing whatsoever can frustrate. Far be it then from Thine Essence that
the mightiest birds of the souls of men or of human imaginings should ever
scale its heights, and too exalted is Thy holy Being for the loftiest
sentiments of men of understanding to attain unto Thee. From everlasting no one
hath comprehended Thine Own Self, and unto everlasting Thou shalt remain what
Thou hast been since time immemorial with no one else besides Thee.
Magnified
be Thy Name, Thou art the Best-Beloved Who hast enabled me to know Thee and
Thou art that All-Renowned One Who hast graciously favored me with Thy love.
Thou art the Ancient of Days Whom none can ever describe through the evidences
of Thy glory and majesty, and Thou art the mighty One Whom none can ever
comprehend through the revelations of Thy greatness and beauty, inasmuch as the
expressions of majesty and grandeur and the attributes of dominion and beauty
are but the tokens of Thy divine Will and the effulgent reflections of Thy
sovereignty which, by reason of their very essence and nature, proclaim that
the way is barred and bear witness that the pathway is inaccessibly beyond the
reach of men.
In the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the Sovereign, the
All-Sufficing, the Most Exalted, He Whose help is implored by all men.
Say: O my God! O Thou
Who art the Maker of the heavens and of the earth, O Lord of the Kingdom! Thou
well knowest the secrets of my heart, while Thy Being is inscrutable to all
save Thyself. Thou seest whatsoever is of me, while no one else can do this
save Thee. Vouchsafe unto me, through Thy grace, what will enable me to
dispense with all except Thee, and destine for me that which will make me
independent of everyone else besides Thee. Grant that I may reap the benefit of
my life in this world and in the next. Open to my face the portals of Thy grace
and graciously confer upon me Thy tender mercy and bestowals.
O
Thou Who art the Lord of grace abounding! Let Thy celestial aid surround those
who love Thee and bestow upon us the gifts and the bounties Thou dost possess.
Be Thou sufficient unto us of all things, forgive our sins and have mercy upon
us. Thou art Our Lord and the Lord of all created things. No one else do we
invoke but Thee and naught do we beseech but Thy favors. Thou art the Lord of
bounty and grace, invincible in Thy power and the most skillful in Thy designs.
No God is there but Thee, the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted.
Confer
Thy blessings, O my Lord, upon the Messengers, the holy ones and the righteous.
Verily Thou art God, the Peerless, the All-Compelling.
Glorified art Thou, O
Lord my God! Thou art in truth the King of kings. Thou dost confer sovereignty
upon whomsoever Thou willest and dost seize it from whomsoever Thou willest.
Thou dost exalt whomsoever Thou willest and dost abase whomsoever Thou willest.
Thou dost render victorious whomsoever Thou willest and dost bring humiliation
upon whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost bestow wealth upon whomsoever Thou
willest and dost reduce to poverty whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost cause
whomsoever Thou willest to prevail over whomsoever Thou willest. Within Thy
grasp Thou dost hold the empire of all created things and through the potency
of Thy sovereign behest Thou dost call into being whomsoever Thou willest.
Verily Thou art the Omniscient, the Omnipotent, the Lord of power.
Praised and glorified
art Thou, O God! Grant that the day of attaining Thy holy presence may be fast
approaching. Cheer our hearts through the potency of Thy love and good-pleasure
and bestow upon us steadfastness that we may willingly submit to Thy Will and
Thy Decree. Verily Thy knowledge embraceth all the things Thou hast created or
wilt create and Thy celestial might transcendeth whatsoever Thou hast called or
wilt call into being. There is none to be worshipped but Thee, there is none to
be desired except Thee, there is none to be adored besides Thee and there is
naught to be loved save Thy good-pleasure.
Verily
Thou art the supreme Ruler, the Sovereign Truth, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.
Thou knowest full well,
O my God, that tribulations have showered upon me from all directions and that
no one can dispel or transmute them except Thee. I know of a certainty, by
virtue of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt never cause tribulations to befall
any soul unless Thou desirest to exalt his station in Thy celestial Paradise
and to buttress his heart in this earthly life with the bulwark of Thine
all-compelling power, that it may not become inclined toward the vanities of
this world. Indeed Thou art well aware that under all conditions I would
cherish the remembrance of Thee far more than the ownership of all that is in
the heavens and on the earth.
Strengthen
my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and in Thy love and grant that I may be
clear of the entire company of Thine adversaries. Verily I swear by Thy glory
that I yearn for naught besides Thyself, nor do I desire anything except Thy
mercy, nor am I apprehensive of aught save Thy justice. I beg Thee to forgive
me as well as those whom Thou lovest, howsoever Thou pleasest. Verily Thou art
the Almighty, the Bountiful.
Immensely
exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens and earth, above the praise of all men,
and may peace be upon Thy faithful servants and glory be unto God, the Lord of
all the worlds.
Praise be to Thee, O
Lord, my Best-Beloved! Make me steadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be
reckoned among those who have not violated Thy covenant nor followed the gods
of their own idle fancy. Enable me, then, to obtain a seat of truth in Thy
presence, bestow upon me a token of Thy mercy and let me join with such of Thy
servants as shall have no fear nor shall they be put to grief. Abandon me not
to myself, O my Lord, nor deprive me of recognizing Him Who is the
Manifestation of Thine Own Self, nor account me with such as have turned away
from Thy holy presence. Number me, O my God, with those who are privileged to
fix their gaze upon Thy Beauty and who take such delight therein that they
would not exchange a single moment thereof with the sovereignty of the kingdom
of heavens and earth or with the entire realm of creation. Have mercy on me, O
Lord, in these days when the peoples of Thine earth have erred grievously;
supply me then, O my God, with that which is good and seemly in Thine
estimation. Thou art verily the All-Powerful, the Gracious, the Bountiful, the
Ever-Forgiving.
Grant,
O my God, that I may not be reckoned among those whose ears are deaf, whose
eyes are blind, whose tongues are speechless and whose hearts have failed to
comprehend. Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of ignorance and of selfish
desire, suffer me to be admitted into the precincts of Thy transcendent mercy
and send down upon me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. Potent
art Thou to do what Thou willest. Verily Thou art the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
O my God, O my Lord, O
my Master! I beg Thee to forgive me for seeking any pleasure save Thy love, or
any comfort except Thy nearness, or any delight besides Thy good-pleasure, or
any existence other than communion with Thee.
Thou seest, O my Lord,
my dwelling-place in the heart of this mountain and Thou dost witness my
forbearance. Verily I have desired naught else but Thy love and the love of
those who love Thee. How can I extol the effulgent beauty of Thy Lordship,
conscious as I am of my nothingness before the habitation of Thy glory? Yet the
sorrow of solitude and loneliness prompteth me to invoke Thee through this
prayer, perchance Thy trusted servants may become aware of my lamentations, may
supplicate unto Thee on my behalf, and Thou wouldst graciously answer their
prayers as a token of Thy grace and Thy favor. I bear witness that there is no
God but Thee, inasmuch as Thou art invested with sovereignty, grandeur, glory
and power which no one among Thy servants can visualize or comprehend. Indeed
Thou shalt, by virtue of that which is inherent in Thine Essence, ever remain
inscrutable unto all except Thyself.
Is there any Remover of
difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants and
all abide by His bidding!
• • •
Key to Passages Translated
by Shoghi Effendi
Passages
Translated by Shoghi Effendi
A
considerable number of passages from the Writings of the Báb were translated by
Shoghi Effendi and quoted in his various works. Those included in this compilation
are listed below.
|
“The
substance wherewith God …” to “… nor the faithful discover.”
|
|
“I
am one of the sustaining pillars…” to “… all that is good and seemly;”
|
|
“By
My life! But for…” to “…the keys of hell on My left…”
|
|
“I
am the Primal Point…” to “…Whose radiance can never fade.”
|
|
“In
that same year…” to “…the station of thy sovereignty.”
|
|
“I
swear by God!…” to “…hold thy breath from fear of God;”
|
|
“Alas!
Alas! for the things which have touched Me!”
|
|
“I
swear by the Most Great Lord!…” to “…all the chosen ones.…”
|
|
“Woe
betide him…” to “… hands floweth good.”
|
|
“I
swear by God! I seek…” to “…as much as a mustard seed.”
|
|
“In
this mountain…” to “…what I have endured!”
|
|
“I
swear by the truth of God!…” to “…carried into effect.”
|
|
“O
concourse of kings and of…” to “…as a decree of God.”
|
|
“O
King of Islám!…” to “…Paradise of His good-pleasure.”
|
|
“By
God! If ye do well…” to “…all earthly dominion.”
|
|
“Vain
indeed is your dominion…” to “…as have denied Him;”
|
|
“O
concourse of kings! Deliver…” to “…the East and the West.”
|
|
“O
concourse of divines! Fear God…” to “…the position ye occupied.”
|
|
“As
to those who deny Him…” to “…the Mighty, the Wise.”
|
|
“Ere
long will God wreak…” to “…a severe torment.”
|
|
“And
when the appointed hour…” to “…that envelops Thy Revelation.”
|
|
“O
concourse of Shí‘ihs!…” to “…decreed in the Mother Book.”
|
|
“Issue
forth from your cities, O peoples of the West and aid God.…”
|
|
“Become
as true brethren…” and “…one and indivisible religion.…”
|
|
“By
My glory! I will make…” to “…heart of My throne;”
|
|
“Out
of utter nothingness…” to “…no will but Thy Will.”
|
|
“O
Thou Remnant of God!…” to “…the Protector, the Ancient of Days.”
|
|
“O
people of the Qur’án!…” to “…a speck on a date-stone.”
|
|
“Fear
ye God, O concourse of kings, …” to “… the whole of Paradise.”
|
|
“Should
it be Our wish…” to “…the truth of Our Cause.”
|
|
“With
each and every Prophet…” to “…that circle His mercy-seat.”
|
|
“Erelong
We will,…” to “…dire and exemplary punishment.”
|
|
“O
peoples of the earth!…” to “…potent over all things.”
|
|
“O
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! I recognize…” to “…have ever known Thee.”
|
|
“I
am the Mystic Fane…” to “…the midst of the Burning Bush.”
|
|
“How
veiled are ye, O My creatures,…” to “…refuse Him even a lamp!”
|
|
“The
Bayán is from beginning…” to “…both His fire and His light.”
|
|
“a
thousand perusals of the Bayán…” to “…God shall make manifest.”
|
|
“It
is clear and evident…” to “…had no beginning and will have no end.”
|
|
“today
the Bayán is…” to “…perfection will become apparent.”
|
|
“Gracious
God!”
|
|
“seven
powerful sovereigns…” to “…traces of their names.”
|
|
“The
blame falleth upon their doctors…” to “…and attain unto salvation!”
|
|
“Consecrate
Thou, O my God,…” to “…nor shall it return unto Me.”
|
|
“He—glorified
be His mention…” to “…is nigh, ready to answer.”
|
|
“O
congregation of the Bayán…” to “…is the Help in Peril, the Most High.”
|
|
“Is
there any Remover of difficulties…” to “…abide by His bidding!”
|
Translations
from the Writings of the Báb made by Shoghi Effendi, but not included in this compilation,
may be found:
In God Passes By, Chapter II, Paragraphs
beginning
“It
should be noted, in this connection…”
“'The
Bayán,' the Báb in that Book, referring to the Promised One…”
“And
finally is this, His moving invocation to God…”
In The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh
“The
Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”, paragraphs beginning “In a communication
addressed to the American believers…“ and “In the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá—…”.
“The
Báb”, paragraph beginning “Dearly-beloved friends! So resounding a praise…”
“The
Administrative Order,” paragraph beginning “The Báb himself…”.
In Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
paragraphs beginning
“O Shaykh!
Thou hast heard the sweet melodies…”
“O Shaykh!
I swear by God!…”
“In
like manner behold what the Primal Point saith…” to “…Our Pen is ashamed to
recount.”
“Apprehend
now the cry of Him who is the Point…”
“In
another connection He likewise saith: 'Were He to appear at this very moment…'”
to “In like manner, Siyyid Ibráhím…”
• • •
Notes and
References in this Publication
Footnotes
1. Tablets and Addresses
A Tablet Addressed to “Him Who Will Be Made Manifest”
1.
This is the first letter of Thamarih
which means “fruit.” Shoghi Effendi, in his writings, refers to the Báb as the Thamarih
(fruit) of the Tree of God’s successive Revelations. (See Shoghi Effendi’s
letter to the Bahá’ís of the East dated Naw-Rúz 110, page 5.)
↩
A Second Tablet Addressed to “Him Who Will Be Made Manifest”
1.
In one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
explains that some were misled by this statement and thought that the school
referred to was a physical school for the training of unlettered children,
whereas it referred to a spiritual school sanctified from the limits of the
contingent world. Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas also refers to this Epistle
of the Báb in the following words:
O Thou Supreme Pen! Move over the Tablet
by the leave of Thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Call Thou then to mind
the day when the Fountainhead of divine unity sought to attend the school which
is sanctified of all save God, that perchance the righteous might become
acquainted, to the extent of a needle’s eye, with that which is concealed
behind the veil of the inner mysteries of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Knowing.
Say, We, in truth, entered the school of
inner meaning and exposition at a time when the minds of all that dwell on
earth were wrapt in heedlessness. We beheld what the Merciful Lord had
revealed, accepted the gift He [the Báb] had offered Me of the verses of God,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and hearkened to that to which He had
attested in the Tablet. We, verily, are the Witness. We responded to His call
at Our Own behest, and We are, in truth, the Ordainer.
O people of the Bayán! We entered the
School of God when ye were slumbering on your couches, and perused the Tablet
when ye were fast asleep. By the righteousness of God, the True One, We had
read it before it was revealed, and ye were utterly unaware. Indeed Our
knowledge had encompassed the Book when ye were yet unborn.
These utterances are revealed according
to your measure, not to God’s, and unto this beareth witness that which is
enshrined in the knowledge of God, did ye but know. Unto this testifieth He Who
is the Mouthpiece of God, could ye but understand. By the righteousness of God!
Were We to lift the veil ye would swoon away. Take heed lest ye dispute with
Him and His Cause. He hath indeed appeared in such wise as to encompass all
things, whether of the past or of the future. Were We to speak forth at this
time in the language of the dwellers of the Kingdom, We would say that God
raised up this School ere the earth and the heavens were brought into being,
and We entered it before the letters “B” and “E” were joined and knit together.
↩
Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Sháh
1.
1260 A.H. (1844 A.D.).
↩
2.
Qur’án 8:44.
↩
Extracts from Another Epistle to Muhammad Sháh
1.
The numerical value of the
letters of the word Hín is 68. The year 1268 A.H. (1851–1852 A.D.) is the year
preceding the birth of the Bahá’í Revelation.
↩
Extracts from a Further Epistle to Muhammad Sháh
1.
The Ka‘bih in Mecca.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 4:119.
↩
Address to a Muslim Divine
1.
Qur’án 13.
↩
2. Excerpts from the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’
“All praise be to God Who hath, through the …”
1.
Qur’án 3:182.
↩
“Be thou content with the commandment of God, the …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 19:41.
↩
“Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 17:90.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 2:285.
↩
“As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 3:50.
↩
“Unto every people We have sent down the Book in …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 14:4.
↩
“Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 68:42.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 7:63, 69.
↩
“Glorified is He besides Whom there is none other God. …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 36:68.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 65:7; 94:5.
↩
“O ye servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 8:45.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 2:204.
↩
3.
cf. Qur’án 4:51.
↩
“O peoples of the East and the West! Be ye fearful of God …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 12:20.
↩
“O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! We have, verily, dilated Thine …”
1.
In these passages of the
Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’ the name Qurratu’l-‘Ayn (Solace of the Eyes) refers to the Báb
Himself. ↩
“The angels and the spirits, arrayed rank upon rank, …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 78:38.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 11:83.
↩
3.
cf. Qur’án 24:21.
↩
4.
cf. Qur’án 83:25–26.
↩
5.
Qur’án 52:6.
↩
“Are ye wickedly scheming, according to your selfish …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 29:40.
↩
“Issue forth from your cities, O peoples of the West and …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 2:206.
↩
“O ye peoples of the earth! Hearken unto My call, ringing …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 2:163–164.
↩
“The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me: Verily, verily, I am …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 17:88.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 74:35–37.
↩
“O peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, this …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 21:40.
↩
“Verily such as ridicule the wondrous, divine Verses …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 2:14.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 4:149.
↩
3.
cf. Qur’án 9:32.
↩
4.
cf. Qur’án 4:169.
↩
5.
Qur’án 5:77.
↩
“O peoples of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 5:15–18.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 5:22.
↩
3.
cf. Qur’án 5:71.
↩
“O people of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 2:32; 38:74–78.
↩
“God, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith: …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 7:69; 12:40.
↩
“The people, during the absence of the Báb, re-enacted …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 7:146; 20:90.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 7:186.
↩
3.
cf. Qur’án 4:1.
↩
4.
cf. Qur’án 10:50.
↩
“Doth it seem strange to the people that We should have …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 10:16.
↩
“O peoples of the earth! Verily the true God calleth …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 10:33.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 18:42.
↩
“O Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 11:120.
↩
“Should it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel, …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 6:10.
↩
2.
cf. Qur’án 3:172.
↩
“God had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 33:72.
↩
“This Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 6:93.
↩
“This Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of …”
1.
cf. Qur’án 11:87.
↩
3. Excerpts from the Persian Bayán
“It is better to guide one soul than to possess all …”
1.
The Bayán is divided into
váhids and chapters, to which these numbers refer.
↩
“Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the …”
1.
Qur’án 8:47; 33:41; 62:10.
↩
“There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down …”
1.
Qur’án 29:50.
↩
“At the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God …”
1.
Qur’án 57:21.
↩
“How veiled are ye, O My creatures, … who, without …”
1.
In The Promised Day Is Come in the paragraph beginning “How veiled are
ye, O My creatures…” Shoghi Effendi affirms that this passage was revealed by
the Báb speaking with the voice of God.
↩
“Twelve hundred and seventy years have elapsed since …”
1.
This is a reference to Quddús,
“whom the Persian Bayán extolled as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to
the number of eight Váhids revolve.” (God
Passes By, Chapter IV, paragraph beginning “The pillars of His infant Faith
had…”). ↩
“Know thou that in the Bayán purification is regarded as …”
1.
Qur’án 8:2.
↩
“The Bayán shall constitute God’s unerring balance till the …”
1.
Qur’án 19:92.
↩
“The substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended …”
1.
22 May 1844.
↩
4. Excerpts from the Dalá’il-i-Sab‘ih (The Seven Proofs)
“Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God …”
1.
From the Declaration of
Muhammad; this occurred ten years before the Hijrah which marks the starting
point of the Muslim calendar. ↩
2.
Qur’án 3:5.
↩
“The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine …”
1.
Qur’án 68:51.
↩
5. Excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Asmá’ (The Book of Names)
“O ye that are invested with the Bayán! Denounce …”
1.
By “night” is meant the period
between two divine Revelations when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men.
In the Persian Bayán, II, 7, the Báb
says, “O people of the Bayán! Act not as the people of the Qur’án have acted,
for if you do so the fruits of your night will come to naught.” ↩
2.
The Kitáb-i-Asmá’ is divided
into váhids and chapters, to which these numbers refer.
↩
“On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will …”
1.
By “night” is meant the period
between two divine Revelations when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men.
In the Persian Bayán, II, 7, the Báb
says, “O people of the Bayán! Act not as the people of the Qur’án have acted,
for if you do so the fruits of your night will come to naught.” ↩
“Verily God hath caused the people of the Bayán to be …”
1.
By “night” is meant the period
between two divine Revelations when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men.
In the Persian Bayán, II, 7, the Báb
says, “O people of the Bayán! Act not as the people of the Qur’án have acted,
for if you do so the fruits of your night will come to naught.” ↩
“Since thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of God …”
1.
He Who ariseth (God Passes By, Chapter IV, paragraph
beginning “The Báb, acclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh as the ‘Essence of Essences’…”.
↩
2.
One Who is guided (God Passes By, Chapter IV, paragraph
beginning “The Báb, acclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh as the ‘Essence of Essences’…”).
↩
7. Prayers and Meditations
“Hallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the …”
1.
The original of this prayer for
protection is written in the Báb’s own hand, in the form of a pentacle.
↩
“Immeasurably glorified and exalted art Thou. How …”
1.
Refers to the Báb’s birthday on
the first day of the month of Muharram, 1235 A.H. (October 20, 1819).
↩
“How can I praise Thee, O Lord, for the evidences of Thy …”
1.
Qur’án 37:180–82.
↩
“All majesty and glory, O my God, and all dominion and …”
1.
Qur’án 6:103.
↩
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