diff --git "a/baha.txt" "b/baha.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/baha.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,7194 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the +Kitab-i-Aqdas by Bahá’u’lláh + + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no +restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under +the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or +online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license + +This is a _copyrighted_ Project Gutenberg eBook, details below. Please +follow the copyright guidelines in this file. + + + +Title: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas + +Author: Bahá’u’lláh + +Release Date: October 28, 2005 [Ebook #17310] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TABLETS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH REVEALED AFTER THE KITAB-I-AQDAS*** + + + + + +Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas + + +by Bahá’u’lláh + + + + +Edition 1, (October 28, 2005) + + + + + + BAHA’I TERMS OF USE + + +You have permission to freely make and use copies of the text and any +other information ("Content") available on this Site including printing, +emailing, posting, distributing, copying, downloading, uploading, +transmitting, displaying the Content in whole or in part subject to the +following: + +1. Our copyright notice and the source reference must be attached to the +Content; + +2. The Content may not be modified or altered in any way except to change +the font or appearance; + +3. The Content must be used solely for a non-commercial purpose. + +Although this blanket permission to reproduce the Content is given freely +such that no special permission is required, the Bahá’í International +Community retains full copyright protection for all Content included at +this Site under all applicable national and international laws. + +For permission to publish, transmit, display or otherwise use the Content +for any commercial purpose, please contact us +(http://reference.bahai.org/en/contact.html). + + + + + + CONTENTS + + +Baha’i Terms of Use +References to the Qur’án +LAWḤ-I-KARMIL (Tablet of Carmel) +LAWḤ-I-AQDAS (The Most Holy Tablet) +BISHÁRÁT (Glad-Tidings) +TARAZÁT (Ornaments) +TAJALLÍYÁT (Effulgences) +KALÍMÁT-I-FIRDAWSÍYYIH (Words of Paradise) +LAWḤ-I-DUNYÁ (Tablet of the World) +ISHRÁQÁT (Splendours) +LAWḤ-I-HIKMAT (Tablet of Wisdom) +ASL-I-KULLU’L-KHAYR (Words of Wisdom) +LAWḤ-I-MAQSÚD (Tablet of Maqsúd) +SÚRIY-I-VAFÁ (Tablet to Vafá) +LAWḤ-I-SÍYYID-I-MIHDÍY-I-DAHÁJÍ (Tablet to Siyyid Mihdíy-i-Dahájí) +LAWḤ-I-BURHÁN (Tablet of the Proof) +KITÁB-I-‘AHD (Book of the Covenant) +LAWḤ-I-ARD-I-BÁ (Tablet of the Land of Bá) +EXCERPTS FROM OTHER TABLETS + “GOD testifieth that there is none other God but...” + “ALL praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou...” + “O ḤUSAYN! God grant thou shalt ever be bright and...” + “THIS is a Tablet which the Lord of all being hath sent...” + “O FRIEND! In the Bayán We directed everyone in this...” + “O JAVÁD! Such is the greatness of this Day that the Hour...” + “WE make mention of him who hath been attracted by Our...” + “O THOU who bearest My Name, Júd [Bounty]! Upon...” + “O ḤAYDAR! This Wronged One hath heard thy voice...” + “BY the righteousness of God! The Mother Book is made...” + “O MUḤAMMAD ḤUSAYN! Be thou prepared to receive the...” + “O MY handmaiden and My leaf! Rejoice with great joy...” + “AT one time this sublime Word was heard from the...” + “THIS is a Tablet sent down by the All-Merciful from the...” + “O MY handmaiden, O My leaf! Render thou thanks unto...” + “O HANDMAID of God! Hearken unto the Voice of the...” + “FIX your gaze upon wisdom in all things, for it is an...” + “THIS Wronged One doth mention him who hath set his...” + “HE Who leadeth to true victory is come. By the righteousness...” + “THIS is a Tablet sent down by the Lord of mercy that the...” + “WE desire to mention him who hath set his face towards...” + “GIVE ear unto that which the Spirit imparteth unto thee from...” + “THIS Wronged One hath perused thy letter in the Most...” + + + + + + 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. + + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-KARMIL (TABLET OF CARMEL) + + +ALL glory be to this Day, the Day in which the fragrances of mercy have +been wafted over all created things, a Day so blest that past ages and +centuries can never hope to rival it, a Day in which the countenance of +the Ancient of Days hath turned towards His holy seat. Thereupon the +voices of all created things, and beyond them those of the Concourse on +High, were heard calling aloud: ‘Haste thee, O Carmel, for lo, the light +of the countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner +of the heavens, hath been lifted upon thee.’ + +Seized with transports of joy, and raising high her voice, she thus +exclaimed: ‘May my life be a sacrifice to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast +fixed Thy gaze upon me, hast bestowed upon me Thy bounty, and hast +directed towards me Thy steps. Separation from Thee, O Thou Source of +everlasting life, hath well nigh consumed me, and my remoteness from Thy +presence hath burned away my soul. All praise be to Thee for having +enabled me to hearken to Thy call, for having honoured me with Thy +footsteps, and for having quickened my soul through the vitalizing +fragrance of Thy Day and the shrilling voice of Thy Pen, a voice Thou +didst ordain as Thy trumpet-call amidst Thy people. And when the hour at +which Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest did strike, Thou didst +breathe a breath of Thy spirit into Thy Pen, and lo, the entire creation +shook to its very foundations, unveiling to mankind such mysteries as lay +hidden within the treasuries of Him Who is the Possessor of all created +things.’ + +No sooner had her voice reached that most exalted Spot than We made reply: +‘Render thanks unto thy Lord, O Carmel. The fire of thy separation from Me +was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence surged before thy +face, cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling with +delight all things visible and invisible. Rejoice, for God hath in this +Day established upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of +His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation. Well is it +with him that circleth around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy +glory, and recounteth that which the bounty of the Lord thy God hath +showered upon thee. Seize thou the Chalice of Immortality in the name of +thy Lord, the All-Glorious, and give thanks unto Him, inasmuch as He, in +token of His mercy unto thee, hath turned thy sorrow into gladness, and +transmuted thy grief into blissful joy. He, verily, loveth the spot which +hath been made the seat of His throne, which His footsteps have trodden, +which hath been honoured by His presence, from which He raised His call, +and upon which He shed His tears. + +‘Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was +hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is +manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed. Beware lest thou +hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that +hath descended from heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled +in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of +the most exalted angels. Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the +surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the +glad-tidings of this Revelation—a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai +hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling: “Unto +God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven.” Verily +this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, +the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a +bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for +revelation. Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest +the people of Bahá who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.’ + +Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all +the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of +Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His +knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might. He, verily, +through the potency of His name, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Most +High, is the ruler of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-AQDAS (THE MOST HOLY TABLET)(1) + + +This is the Most Holy Tablet sent down from the holy kingdom unto the one +who hath set his face towards the Object of the adoration of the world, He +Who hath come from the heaven of eternity, invested with transcendent +glory + +In the name of the Lord, the Lord of great glory. + +THIS is an Epistle from Our presence unto him whom the veils of names have +failed to keep back from God, the Creator of earth and heaven, that his +eyes may be cheered in the days of his Lord, the Help in Peril, the +Self-Subsisting. + +Say, O followers of the Son!(2) Have ye shut out yourselves from Me by +reason of My Name? Wherefore ponder ye not in your hearts? Day and night +ye have been calling upon your Lord, the Omnipotent, but when He came from +the heaven of eternity in His great glory, ye turned aside from Him and +remained sunk in heedlessness. + +Consider those who rejected the Spirit(3) when He came unto them with +manifest dominion. How numerous the Pharisees who had secluded themselves +in synagogues in His name, lamenting over their separation from Him, and +yet when the portals of reunion were flung open and the divine Luminary +shone resplendent from the Dayspring of Beauty, they disbelieved in God, +the Exalted, the Mighty. They failed to attain His presence, +notwithstanding that His advent had been promised them in the Book of +Isaiah as well as in the Books of the Prophets and the Messengers. No one +from among them turned his face towards the Dayspring of divine bounty +except such as were destitute of any power amongst men. And yet, today, +every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself +on His Name. Moreover, call thou to mind the one who sentenced Jesus to +death. He was the most learned of his age in his own country, whilst he +who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take good heed and be of them +that observe the warning. + +Consider likewise, how numerous at this time are the monks who have +secluded themselves in their churches, calling upon the Spirit, but when +He appeared through the power of Truth, they failed to draw nigh unto Him +and are numbered with those that have gone far astray. Happy are they that +have abandoned them and set their faces towards Him Who is the Desire of +all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth. + +They read the Evangel and yet refuse to acknowledge the All-Glorious Lord, +notwithstanding that He hath come through the potency of His exalted, His +mighty and gracious dominion. We, verily, have come for your sakes, and +have borne the misfortunes of the world for your salvation. Flee ye the +One Who hath sacrificed His life that ye may be quickened? Fear God, O +followers of the Spirit, and walk not in the footsteps of every divine +that hath gone far astray. Do ye imagine that He seeketh His own +interests, when He hath, at all times, been threatened by the swords of +the enemies; or that He seeketh the vanities of the world, after He hath +been imprisoned in the most desolate of cities? Be fair in your judgement +and follow not the footsteps of the unjust. + +Open the doors of your hearts. He Who is the Spirit verily standeth before +them. Wherefore keep ye afar from Him Who hath purposed to draw you nigh +unto a Resplendent Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened unto you the gates +of the Kingdom. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face? This +indeed is naught but a grievous error. He, verily, hath again come down +from heaven, even as He came down from it the first time. Beware lest ye +dispute that which He proclaimeth, even as the people before you disputed +His utterances. Thus instructeth you the True One, could ye but perceive +it. + +The river Jordan is joined to the Most Great Ocean, and the Son, in the +holy vale, crieth out: ‘Here am I, here am I O Lord, my God!’, whilst +Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: ‘He +Who is the Desired One is come in His transcendent majesty.’ Say, Lo! The +Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is +fulfilled! This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around +Him He said: ‘Ye cannot bear it now.’ And when the appointed time was +fulfilled and the Hour had struck, the Word shone forth above the horizon +of the Will of God. Beware, O followers of the Son, that ye cast it not +behind your backs. Take ye fast hold of it. Better is this for you than +all that ye possess. Verily He is nigh unto them that do good. The Hour +which We had concealed from the knowledge of the peoples of the earth and +of the favoured angels hath come to pass. Say, verily, He hath testified +of Me, and I do testify of Him. Indeed, He hath purposed no one other than +Me. Unto this beareth witness every fair-minded and understanding soul. + +Though beset with countless afflictions, We summon the people unto God, +the Lord of names. Say, strive ye to attain that which ye have been +promised in the Books of God, and walk not in the way of the ignorant. My +body hath endured imprisonment that ye may be released from the bondage of +self. Set your faces then towards His countenance and follow not the +footsteps of every hostile oppressor. Verily, He hath consented to be +sorely abased that ye may attain unto glory, and yet, ye are disporting +yourselves in the vale of heedlessness. He, in truth, liveth in the most +desolate of abodes for your sakes, whilst ye dwell in your palaces. + +Say, did ye not hearken to the Voice of the Crier, calling aloud in the +wilderness of the Bayán, bearing unto you the glad-tidings of the coming +of your Lord, the All-Merciful? Lo! He is come in the sheltering shadow of +Testimony, invested with conclusive proof and evidence, and those who +truly believe in Him regard His presence as the embodiment of the Kingdom +of God. Blessed is the man who turneth towards Him, and woe betide such as +deny or doubt Him. + +Announce thou unto the priests: Lo! He Who is the Ruler is come. Step out +from behind the veil in the name of thy Lord, He Who layeth low the necks +of all men. Proclaim then unto all mankind the glad-tidings of this +mighty, this glorious Revelation. Verily, He Who is the Spirit of Truth is +come to guide you unto all truth. He speaketh not as prompted by His own +self, but as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +Say, this is the One Who hath glorified the Son and hath exalted His +Cause. Cast away, O peoples of the earth, that which ye have and take fast +hold of that which ye are bidden by the All-Powerful, He Who is the Bearer +of the Trust of God. Purge ye your ears and set your hearts towards Him +that ye may hearken to the most wondrous Call which hath been raised from +Sinai, the habitation of your Lord, the Most Glorious. It will, in truth, +draw you nigh unto the Spot wherein ye will perceive the splendour of the +light of His countenance which shineth above this luminous Horizon. + +O concourse of priests! Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your +churches. It behoveth you, in this day, to proclaim aloud the Most Great +Name among the nations. Prefer ye to be silent, whilst every stone and +every tree shouteth aloud: ‘The Lord is come in His great glory!’? Well is +it with the man who hasteneth unto Him. Verily, he is numbered among them +whose names will be eternally recorded and who will be mentioned by the +Concourse on High. Thus hath it been decreed by the Spirit in this +wondrous Tablet. He that summoneth men in My name is, verily, of Me, and +he will show forth that which is beyond the power of all that are on +earth. Follow ye the Way of the Lord and walk not in the footsteps of them +that are sunk in heedlessness. Well is it with the slumberer who is +stirred by the Breeze of God and ariseth from amongst the dead, directing +his steps towards the Way of the Lord. Verily, such a man is regarded, in +the sight of God, the True One, as a jewel amongst men and is reckoned +with the blissful. + +Say: In the East the light of His Revelation hath broken; in the West have +appeared the signs of His dominion. Ponder this in your hearts, O people, +and be not of those who have turned a deaf ear to the admonitions of Him +Who is the Almighty, the All-Praised. Let the Breeze of God awaken you. +Verily, it hath wafted over the world. Well is it with him that hath +discovered the fragrance thereof and been accounted among the +well-assured. + +O concourse of bishops! Ye are the stars of the heaven of My knowledge. My +mercy desireth not that ye should fall upon the earth. My justice, +however, declareth: ‘This is that which the Son hath decreed.’ And +whatsoever hath proceeded out of His blameless, His truth-speaking, +trustworthy mouth, can never be altered. The bells, verily, peal out My +Name, and lament over Me, but My spirit rejoiceth with evident gladness. +The body of the Loved One yearneth for the cross, and His head is eager +for the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful. The ascendancy of the +oppressor can in no wise deter Him from His purpose. We have summoned all +created things to attain the presence of thy Lord, the King of all names. +Blessed is the man that hath set his face towards God, the Lord of the Day +of Reckoning. + +O concourse of monks! If ye choose to follow Me, I will make you heirs of +My Kingdom; and if ye transgress against Me, I will, in My long-suffering, +endure it patiently, and I, verily, am the Ever-Forgiving, the +All-Merciful. + +O land of Syria! What hath become of thy righteousness? Thou art, in +truth, ennobled by the footsteps of thy Lord. Hast thou perceived the +fragrance of heavenly reunion, or art thou to be accounted of the +heedless? + +Bethlehem is astir with the Breeze of God. We hear her voice saying: ‘O +most generous Lord! Where is Thy great glory established? The sweet +savours of Thy presence have quickened me, after I had melted in my +separation from Thee. Praised be Thou in that Thou hast raised the veils, +and come with power in evident glory.’ We called unto her from behind the +Tabernacle of Majesty and Grandeur: ‘O Bethlehem! This Light hath risen in +the orient, and travelled towards the occident, until it reached thee in +the evening of its life. Tell Me then: Do the sons recognize the Father, +and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as the people aforetime +denied Him (Jesus)?’ Whereupon she cried out saying: ‘Thou art, in truth, +the All-Knowing, the Best-Informed.’ Verily, We behold all created things +moved to bear witness unto Us. Some know Us and bear witness, while the +majority bear witness, yet know Us not. + +Mount Sinai is astir with the joy of beholding Our countenance. She hath +lifted her enthralling voice in glorification of her Lord, saying: ‘O +Lord! I sense the fragrance of Thy garment. Methinks Thou art near, +invested with the signs of God. Thou hast ennobled these regions with Thy +footsteps. Great is the blessedness of Thy people, could they but know +Thee and inhale Thy sweet savours; and woe betide them that are fast +asleep.’ + +Happy art thou who hast turned thy face towards My countenance, inasmuch +as thou hast rent the veils asunder, hast shattered the idols and +recognized thine eternal Lord. The people of the Qur’án have risen up +against Us without any clear proof or evidence, tormenting Us at every +moment with a fresh torment. They idly imagine that tribulations can +frustrate Our Purpose. Vain indeed is that which they have imagined. +Verily, thy Lord is the One Who ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth. + +I never passed a tree but Mine heart addressed it saying: ‘O would that +thou wert cut down in My name, and My body crucified upon thee.’ We +revealed this passage in the Epistle to the Sháh that it might serve as a +warning to the followers of religions. Verily, thy Lord is the +All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +Let not the things they have perpetrated grieve thee. Truly they are even +as dead, and not living. Leave them unto the dead, then turn thy face +towards Him Who is the Life-Giver of the world. Beware lest the sayings of +the heedless sadden thee. Be thou steadfast in the Cause, and teach the +people with consummate wisdom. Thus enjoineth thee the Ruler of earth and +heaven. He is in truth the Almighty, the Most Generous. Ere long will God +exalt thy remembrance and will inscribe with the Pen of Glory that which +thou didst utter for the sake of His love. He is in truth the Protector of +the doers of good. + +Give My remembrance to the one named Murád and say: ‘Blessed art thou, O +Murád, inasmuch as thou didst cast away the promptings of thine own desire +and hast followed Him Who is the Desire of all mankind.’ + +Say: Blessed the slumberer who is awakened by My Breeze. Blessed the +lifeless one who is quickened through My reviving breaths. Blessed the eye +that is solaced by gazing at My beauty. Blessed the wayfarer who directeth +his steps towards the Tabernacle of My glory and majesty. Blessed the +distressed one who seeketh refuge beneath the shadow of My canopy. Blessed +the sore athirst who hasteneth to the soft-flowing waters of My +loving-kindness. Blessed the insatiate soul who casteth away his selfish +desires for love of Me and taketh his place at the banquet table which I +have sent down from the heaven of divine bounty for My chosen ones. +Blessed the abased one who layeth fast hold on the cord of My glory; and +the needy one who entereth beneath the shadow of the Tabernacle of My +wealth. Blessed the ignorant one who seeketh the fountain of My knowledge; +and the heedless one who cleaveth to the cord of My remembrance. Blessed +the soul that hath been raised to life through My quickening breath and +hath gained admittance into My heavenly Kingdom. Blessed the man whom the +sweet savours of reunion with Me have stirred and caused to draw nigh unto +the Dayspring of My Revelation. Blessed the ear that hath heard and the +tongue that hath borne witness and the eye that hath seen and recognized +the Lord Himself, in His great glory and majesty, invested with grandeur +and dominion. Blessed are they that have attained His presence. Blessed +the man who hath sought enlightenment from the Day-Star of My Word. +Blessed he who hath attired his head with the diadem of My love. Blessed +is he who hath heard of My grief and hath arisen to aid Me among My +people. Blessed is he who hath laid down his life in My path and hath +borne manifold hardships for the sake of My Name. Blessed the man who, +assured of My Word, hath arisen from among the dead to celebrate My +praise. Blessed is he that hath been enraptured by My wondrous melodies +and hath rent the veils asunder through the potency of My might. Blessed +is he who hath remained faithful to My Covenant, and whom the things of +the world have not kept back from attaining My Court of holiness. Blessed +is the man who hath detached himself from all else but Me, hath soared in +the atmosphere of My love, hath gained admittance into My Kingdom, gazed +upon My realms of glory, quaffed the living waters of My bounty, hath +drunk his fill from the heavenly river of My loving providence, acquainted +himself with My Cause, apprehended that which I concealed within the +treasury of My Words, and hath shone forth from the horizon of divine +knowledge engaged in My praise and glorification. Verily, he is of Me. +Upon him rest My mercy, My loving-kindness, My bounty and My glory. + + + + + + BISHÁRÁT (GLAD-TIDINGS) + + +This is the Call of the All-Glorious which is proclaimed from the Supreme +Horizon in the Prison of Akká + +He is the Expounder, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. + +GOD, the True One, testifieth and the Revealers of His names and +attributes bear witness that Our sole purpose in raising the Call and in +proclaiming His sublime Word is that the ear of the entire creation may, +through the living waters of divine utterance, be purged from lying tales +and become attuned to the holy, the glorious and exalted Word which hath +issued forth from the repository of the knowledge of the Maker of the +Heavens and the Creator of Names. Happy are they that judge with fairness. + +O people of the earth! + +The first Glad-Tidings which the Mother Book hath, in this Most Great +Revelation, imparted unto all the peoples of the world is that the law of +holy war hath been blotted out from the Book. Glorified be the +All-Merciful, the Lord of grace abounding, through Whom the door of +heavenly bounty hath been flung open in the face of all that are in heaven +and on earth. + +The second Glad-Tidings + +It is permitted that the peoples and kindreds of the world associate with +one another with joy and radiance. O people! Consort with the followers of +all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. Thus hath the +day-star of His sanction and authority shone forth above the horizon of +the decree of God, the Lord of the worlds. + +The third Glad-Tidings concerneth the study of divers languages. This +decree hath formerly streamed forth from the Pen of the Most High: It +behoveth the sovereigns of the world—may God assist them—or the ministers +of the earth to take counsel together and to adopt one of the existing +languages or a new one to be taught to children in schools throughout the +world, and likewise one script. Thus the whole earth will come to be +regarded as one country. Well is it with him who hearkeneth unto His Call +and observeth that whereunto he is bidden by God, the Lord of the Mighty +Throne. + +The fourth Glad-Tidings + +Should any of the kings—may God aid them—arise to protect and help this +oppressed people, all must vie with one another in loving and in serving +him. This matter is incumbent upon everyone. Well is it with them that act +accordingly. + +The fifth Glad-Tidings + +In every country where any of this people reside, they must behave towards +the government of that country with loyalty, honesty and truthfulness. +This is that which hath been revealed at the behest of Him Who is the +Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. + +It is binding and incumbent upon the peoples of the world, one and all, to +extend aid unto this momentous Cause which is come from the heaven of the +Will of the ever-abiding God, that perchance the fire of animosity which +blazeth in the hearts of some of the peoples of the earth may, through the +living waters of divine wisdom and by virtue of heavenly counsels and +exhortations, be quenched, and the light of unity and concord may shine +forth and shed its radiance upon the world. + +We cherish the hope that through the earnest endeavours of such as are the +exponents of the power of God—exalted be His glory—the weapons of war +throughout the world may be converted into instruments of reconstruction +and that strife and conflict may be removed from the midst of men. + +The sixth Glad-Tidings is the establishment of the Lesser Peace, details +of which have formerly been revealed from Our Most Exalted Pen. Great is +the blessedness of him who upholdeth it and observeth whatsoever hath been +ordained by God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +The seventh Glad-Tidings + +The choice of clothing and the cut of the beard and its dressing are left +to the discretion of men. But beware, O people, lest ye make yourselves +the playthings of the ignorant. + +The eighth Glad-Tidings + +The pious deeds of the monks and priests among the followers of the +Spirit(4)—upon Him be the peace of God—are remembered in His presence. In +this Day, however, let them give up the life of seclusion and direct their +steps towards the open world and busy themselves with that which will +profit themselves and others. We have granted them leave to enter into +wedlock that they may bring forth one who will make mention of God, the +Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of the Exalted Throne. + +The ninth Glad-Tidings + +When the sinner findeth himself wholly detached and freed from all save +God, he should beg forgiveness and pardon from Him. Confession of sins and +transgressions before human beings is not permissible, as it hath never +been nor will ever be conducive to divine forgiveness. Moreover such +confession before people results in one’s humiliation and abasement, and +God—exalted be His glory—wisheth not the humiliation of His servants. +Verily He is the Compassionate, the Merciful. The sinner should, between +himself and God, implore mercy from the Ocean of mercy, beg forgiveness +from the Heaven of generosity and say: + +O God, my God! I implore Thee by the blood of Thy true lovers who were so +enraptured by Thy sweet utterance that they hastened unto the Pinnacle of +Glory, the site of the most glorious martyrdom, and I beseech Thee by the +mysteries which lie enshrined in Thy knowledge and by the pearls that are +treasured in the ocean of Thy bounty to grant forgiveness unto me and unto +my father and my mother. Of those who show forth mercy, Thou art in truth +the Most Merciful. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the +All-Bountiful. + +O Lord! Thou seest this essence of sinfulness turning unto the ocean of +Thy favour and this feeble one seeking the kingdom of Thy divine power and +this poor creature inclining himself towards the day-star of Thy wealth. +By Thy mercy and Thy grace, disappoint him not, O Lord, nor debar him from +the revelations of Thy bounty in Thy days, nor cast him away from Thy door +which Thou hast opened wide to all that dwell in Thy heaven and on Thine +earth. + +Alas! Alas! My sins have prevented me from approaching the Court of Thy +holiness and my trespasses have caused me to stray far from the Tabernacle +of Thy majesty. I have committed that which Thou didst forbid me to do and +have put away what Thou didst order me to observe. + +I pray Thee by Him Who is the sovereign Lord of Names to write down for me +with the Pen of Thy bounty that which will enable me to draw nigh unto +Thee and will purge me from my trespasses which have intervened between me +and Thy forgiveness and Thy pardon. + +Verily, Thou art the Potent, the Bountiful. No God is there but Thee, the +Mighty, the Gracious. + +The tenth Glad-Tidings + +As a token of grace from God, the Revealer of this Most Great +Announcement, We have removed from the Holy Scriptures and Tablets the law +prescribing the destruction of books. + +The eleventh Glad-Tidings + +It is permissible to study sciences and arts, but such sciences as are +useful and would redound to the progress and advancement of the people. +Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Wise. + +The twelfth Glad-Tidings + +It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of occupation, +such as crafts, trades and the like. We have graciously exalted your +engagement in such work to the rank of worship unto God, the True One. +Ponder ye in your hearts the grace and the blessings of God and render +thanks unto Him at eventide and at dawn. Waste not your time in idleness +and sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves and +others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon the +day-star of wisdom and utterance shineth resplendent. + +The most despised of men in the sight of God are those who sit idly and +beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of material means, placing your whole +trust in God, the Provider of all means. When anyone occupieth himself in +a craft or trade, such occupation itself is regarded in the estimation of +God as an act of worship; and this is naught but a token of His infinite +and all-pervasive bounty. + +The thirteenth Glad-Tidings + +The men of God’s House of Justice have been charged with the affairs of +the people. They, in truth, are the Trustees of God among His servants and +the daysprings of authority in His countries. + +O people of God! That which traineth the world is Justice, for it is +upheld by two pillars, reward and punishment. These two pillars are the +sources of life to the world. Inasmuch as for each day there is a new +problem and for every problem an expedient solution, such affairs should +be referred to the Ministers of the House of Justice that they may act +according to the needs and requirements of the time. They that, for the +sake of God, arise to serve His Cause, are the recipients of divine +inspiration from the unseen Kingdom. It is incumbent upon all to be +obedient unto them. All matters of State should be referred to the House +of Justice, but acts of worship must be observed according to that which +God hath revealed in His Book. + +O people of Bahá! Ye are the dawning-places of the love of God and the +daysprings of His loving-kindness. Defile not your tongues with the +cursing and reviling of any soul, and guard your eyes against that which +is not seemly. Set forth that which ye possess. If it be favourably +received, your end is attained; if not, to protest is vain. Leave that +soul to himself and turn unto the Lord, the Protector, the +Self-Subsisting. Be not the cause of grief, much less of discord and +strife. The hope is cherished that ye may obtain true education in the +shelter of the tree of His tender mercies and act in accordance with that +which God desireth. Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the drops of one +ocean. + +The fourteenth Glad-Tidings + +It is not necessary to undertake special journeys to visit the +resting-places of the dead. If people of substance and affluence offer the +cost of such journeys to the House of Justice, it will be pleasing and +acceptable in the presence of God. Happy are they that observe His +precepts. + +The fifteenth Glad-Tidings + +Although a republican form of government profiteth all the peoples of the +world, yet the majesty of kingship is one of the signs of God. We do not +wish that the countries of the world should remain deprived thereof. If +the sagacious combine the two forms into one, great will be their reward +in the presence of God. + +In former religions such ordinances as holy war, destruction of books, the +ban on association and companionship with other peoples or on reading +certain books had been laid down and affirmed according to the exigencies +of the time; however, in this mighty Revelation, in this momentous +Announcement, the manifold bestowals and favours of God have overshadowed +all men, and from the horizon of the Will of the Ever-Abiding Lord, His +infallible decree hath prescribed that which We have set forth above. + +We yield praise unto God—hallowed and glorified be He—for whatsoever He +hath graciously revealed in this blessed, this glorious and incomparable +Day. Indeed if everyone on earth were endowed with a myriad tongues and +were to continually praise God and magnify His Name to the end that +knoweth no end, their thanksgiving would not prove adequate for even one +of the gracious favours We have mentioned in this Tablet. Unto this +beareth witness every man of wisdom and discernment, of understanding and +knowledge. + +We earnestly beseech God—exalted be His glory—to aid the rulers and +sovereigns, who are the exponents of power and the daysprings of glory, to +enforce His laws and ordinances. He is in truth the Omnipotent, the +All-Powerful, He Who is wont to answer the call of men. + + + + + + TARAZÁT (ORNAMENTS) + + +In My Name, which standeth supreme above all names + +PRAISE and glory beseem the Lord of Names and the Creator of the heavens, +He, the waves of Whose ocean of Revelation surge before the eyes of the +peoples of the world. The Day-Star of His Cause shineth through every veil +and His Word of affirmation standeth beyond the reach of negation. Neither +the ascendancy of the oppressor nor the tyranny of the wicked hath been +able to thwart His Purpose. How glorified is His sovereignty, how exalted +His dominion! + +Great God! Although His signs have encompassed the world and His proofs +and testimonies are shining forth and manifest as the light, yet the +ignorant appear heedless, nay rather, rebellious. Would that they had been +content with opposition. But at all times they are plotting to cut down +the sacred Lote-Tree. Since the dawn of this Revelation the embodiments of +selfishness have, by resorting to cruelty and oppression, striven to +extinguish the Light of divine manifestation. But God, having stayed their +hands, revealed this Light through His sovereign authority and protected +it through the power of His might until earth and heaven were illumined by +its radiance and brightness. Praise be unto Him under all conditions. + +Glory be unto Thee, O Lord of the world and Desire of the nations, O Thou +Who hast become manifest in the Greatest Name whereby the pearls of wisdom +and utterance have appeared from the shells of the great sea of Thy +knowledge, and the heavens of divine revelation have been adorned with the +light of the appearance of the Sun of Thy countenance. + +I beg of Thee, by that Word through which Thy proof was perfected among +Thy creatures and Thy testimony was fulfilled among Thy servants to +strengthen Thy people in that whereby the face of the Cause will radiate +in Thy dominion, the standards of Thy power will be planted among Thy +servants, and the banners of Thy guidance will be raised throughout Thy +dominions. + +O my Lord! Thou beholdest them clinging to the rope of Thy grace and +holding fast unto the hem of the mantle of Thy beneficence. Ordain for +them that which may draw them nearer unto Thee, and withhold them from all +else save Thee. I beg of Thee, O Thou King of existence and Protector of +the seen and the unseen, to make whosoever ariseth to serve Thy Cause as a +sea moving by Thy desire, as one ablaze with the fire of Thy Sacred Tree, +shining from the horizon of the heaven of Thy Will. Verily Thou art the +mighty One Whom neither the power of all the world nor the strength of +nations can weaken. There is no God but Thee, the One, the Incomparable, +the Protector, the Self-Subsistent. + +O thou who hast quaffed the wine of Mine utterance from the chalice of My +knowledge! These sublime words were heard today from the rustling of the +divine Lote-Tree which the Lord of Names hath, with the hand of celestial +power, planted in the All-Highest Paradise: + +The first Taráz and the first effulgence which hath dawned from the +horizon of the Mother Book is that man should know his own self and +recognize that which leadeth unto loftiness or lowliness, glory or +abasement, wealth or poverty. Having attained the stage of fulfilment and +reached his maturity, man standeth in need of wealth, and such wealth as +he acquireth through crafts or professions is commendable and praiseworthy +in the estimation of men of wisdom, and especially in the eyes of servants +who dedicate themselves to the education of the world and to the +edification of its peoples. They are, in truth, cup-bearers of the +life-giving water of knowledge and guides unto the ideal way. They direct +the peoples of the world to the straight path and acquaint them with that +which is conducive to human upliftment and exaltation. The straight path +is the one which guideth man to the dayspring of perception and to the +dawning-place of true understanding and leadeth him to that which will +redound to glory, honour and greatness. + +We cherish the hope that through the loving-kindness of the All-Wise, the +All-Knowing, obscuring dust may be dispelled and the power of perception +enhanced, that the people may discover the purpose for which they have +been called into being. In this Day whatsoever serveth to reduce blindness +and to increase vision is worthy of consideration. This vision acteth as +the agent and guide for true knowledge. Indeed in the estimation of men of +wisdom keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision. The people +of Bahá must under all circumstances observe that which is meet and seemly +and exhort the people accordingly. + +The second Taráz is to consort with the followers of all religions in a +spirit of friendliness and fellowship, to proclaim that which the Speaker +on Sinai hath set forth and to observe fairness in all matters. + +They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with +all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance, inasmuch +as consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote unity +and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in +the world and to the regeneration of nations. Blessed are such as hold +fast to the cord of kindliness and tender mercy and are free from +animosity and hatred. + +This Wronged One exhorteth the peoples of the world to observe tolerance +and righteousness, which are two lights amidst the darkness of the world +and two educators for the edification of mankind. Happy are they who have +attained thereto and woe betide the heedless. + +The third Taráz concerneth good character. A good character is, verily, +the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of His +loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the light +of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted +as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the world must needs +depend upon it. A goodly character is a means whereby men are guided to +the Straight Path and are led to the Great Announcement. Well is it with +him who is adorned with the saintly attributes and character of the +Concourse on High. + +It beseemeth you to fix your gaze under all conditions upon justice and +fairness. In The Hidden Words this exalted utterance hath been revealed +from Our Most August Pen: + +‘O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; +turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may +confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not +through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not +through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart; how it +behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My +loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.’ + +They that are just and fair-minded in their judgement occupy a sublime +station and hold an exalted rank. The light of piety and uprightness +shineth resplendent from these souls. We earnestly hope that the peoples +and countries of the world may not be deprived of the splendours of these +two luminaries. + +The fourth Taráz concerneth trustworthiness. Verily it is the door of +security for all that dwell on earth and a token of glory on the part of +the All-Merciful. He who partaketh thereof hath indeed partaken of the +treasures of wealth and prosperity. Trustworthiness is the greatest portal +leading unto the tranquillity and security of the people. In truth the +stability of every affair hath depended and doth depend upon it. All the +domains of power, of grandeur and of wealth are illumined by its light. + +Not long ago these sublime words were revealed from the Pen of the Most +High: + +‘We will now mention unto thee Trustworthiness and the station thereof in +the estimation of God, thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. One day of +days We repaired unto Our Green Island. Upon Our arrival, We beheld its +streams flowing, and its trees luxuriant, and the sunlight playing in +their midst. Turning Our face to the right, We beheld what the pen is +powerless to describe; nor can it set forth that which the eye of the Lord +of Mankind witnessed in that most sanctified, that most sublime, that +blest, and most exalted Spot. Turning, then, to the left We gazed on one +of the Beauties of the Most Sublime Paradise, standing on a pillar of +light, and calling aloud saying: “O inmates of earth and heaven! Behold ye +My beauty, and My radiance, and My revelation, and My effulgence. By God, +the True One! I am Trustworthiness and the revelation thereof, and the +beauty thereof. I will recompense whosoever will cleave unto Me, and +recognize My rank and station, and hold fast unto My hem. I am the most +great ornament of the people of Bahá, and the vesture of glory unto all +who are in the kingdom of creation. I am the supreme instrument for the +prosperity of the world, and the horizon of assurance unto all beings.” +Thus have We sent down for thee that which will draw men nigh unto the +Lord of creation.’ + +O people of Bahá! Trustworthiness is in truth the best of vestures for +your temples and the most glorious crown for your heads. Take ye fast hold +of it at the behest of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Informed. + +The fifth Taráz concerneth the protection and preservation of the stations +of God’s servants. One should not ignore the truth of any matter, rather +should one give expression to that which is right and true. The people of +Bahá should not deny any soul the reward due to him, should treat +craftsmen with deference, and, unlike the people aforetime, should not +defile their tongues with abuse. + +In this Day the sun of craftsmanship shineth above the horizon of the +occident and the river of arts is flowing out of the sea of that region. +One must speak with fairness and appreciate such bounty. By the life of +God! The word ‘Equity’ shineth bright and resplendent even as the sun. We +pray God to graciously shed its radiance upon everyone. He is in truth +powerful over all things, He Who is wont to answer the prayers of all men. + +In these days truthfulness and sincerity are sorely afflicted in the +clutches of falsehood, and justice is tormented by the scourge of +injustice. The smoke of corruption hath enveloped the whole world in such +wise that naught can be seen in any direction save regiments of soldiers +and nothing is heard from any land but the clashing of swords. We beseech +God, the True One, to strengthen the wielders of His power in that which +will rehabilitate the world and bring tranquillity to the nations. + +The sixth Taráz + +Knowledge is one of the wondrous gifts of God. It is incumbent upon +everyone to acquire it. Such arts and material means as are now manifest +have been achieved by virtue of His knowledge and wisdom which have been +revealed in Epistles and Tablets through His Most Exalted Pen—a Pen out of +whose treasury pearls of wisdom and utterance and the arts and crafts of +the world are brought to light. + +In this Day the secrets of the earth are laid bare before the eyes of men. +The pages of swiftly-appearing newspapers are indeed the mirror of the +world. They reflect the deeds and the pursuits of divers peoples and +kindreds. They both reflect them and make them known. They are a mirror +endowed with hearing, sight and speech. This is an amazing and potent +phenomenon. However, it behoveth the writers thereof to be purged from the +promptings of evil passions and desires and to be attired with the raiment +of justice and equity. They should enquire into situations as much as +possible and ascertain the facts, then set them down in writing. + +Concerning this Wronged One, most of the things reported in the newspapers +are devoid of truth. Fair speech and truthfulness, by reason of their +lofty rank and position, are regarded as a sun shining above the horizon +of knowledge. The waves rising from this Ocean are apparent before the +eyes of the peoples of the world and the effusions of the Pen of wisdom +and utterance are manifest everywhere. + +It is reported in the press that this Servant hath fled from the land of +Tá (Ṭihrán) and gone to ‘Iráq. Gracious God! Not even for a single moment +hath this Wronged One ever concealed Himself. Rather hath He at all times +remained steadfast and conspicuous before the eyes of all men. Never have +We retreated, nor shall We ever seek flight. In truth it is the foolish +people who flee from Our presence. We left Our home country accompanied by +two mounted escorts, representing the two honoured governments of Persia +and Russia until We arrived in ‘Iráq in the plenitude of glory and power. +Praise be to God! The Cause whereof this Wronged One is the Bearer +standeth as high as heaven and shineth resplendent as the sun. Concealment +hath no access unto this station, nor is there any occasion for fear or +silence. + +The mysteries of Resurrection and the events of the Last Hour are openly +manifest, but the people are sunk in heedlessness and have suffered +themselves to be wrapt in veils. ‘And when the seas shall boil... And when +the Scriptures shall be unrolled.’(5) By the righteousness of God! The +Dawn hath truly brightened and the light hath shone forth and the night +hath receded. Happy are they that comprehend. Happy are they that have +attained thereunto. + +Glorified be God! The Pen is perplexed what to write and the Tongue +wondereth what to utter. Despite unprecedented hardships and after +enduring years of imprisonment, captivity and woeful trials, We now +perceive that veils thicker than the ones We have already torn asunder +have intervened, obstructing the vision and causing the light of +understanding to be obscured. Moreover We observe that the fresh calumnies +which are now rife are far more malicious than those of former days. + +O people of the Bayán! Fear ye the merciful Lord. Consider the people of +former times. What were their deeds and what fruit did they gather? Every +thing they uttered was but imposture and whatever they wrought hath proved +worthless, except for those whom God hath graciously protected through His +power. + +I swear by the life of Him Who is the Desire of the world! Were a man to +ponder in his heart he would, free of all attachment to the world, hasten +unto the Most Great Light and would purge and purify himself from the dust +of vain imaginings and the smoke of idle fancy. What could have prompted +the people of the past to err and by whom were they misled? They still +reject the truth and have turned towards their own selfish desires. This +Wronged One calleth aloud for the sake of God. Whosoever wisheth, let him +turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth, let him turn away. Verily God can well +afford to dispense with all things, whether of the past or of the future. + +O people of the Bayán! It is men like unto Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí(6) who, with +turban and staff,(7) have been the source of opposition and hindrance and +have so grievously burdened the people with superstitions that even at the +present time they still expect the appearance of a fictitious person from +a fictitious place. Be ye warned, O men of understanding. + +O Hádí! Give ear unto the Voice of this trustworthy Counsellor: direct thy +steps from the left unto the right, that is turn away from idle fancy unto +certitude. Lead not the people into error. The divine Luminary shineth, +His Cause is manifest and His signs are all-embracing. Set thy face +towards God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Renounce thy +leadership for the sake of God and leave the people unto themselves. Thou +art ignorant of the essential truth, thou art not acquainted therewith. + +O Hádí! Be thou of one face in the path of God. When in company with the +infidels, thou art an infidel and with the pious, thou art pious. Reflect +thou upon such souls as offered up their lives and their substance in that +land, that haply thou mayest be admonished and roused from slumber. +Consider: who is to be preferred, he who preserveth his body, his life and +his possessions or the one who surrendereth his all in the path of God? +Judge thou fairly and be not of the unjust. Take fast hold of justice and +adhere unto equity that perchance thou mayest not, for selfish motives, +use religion as a snare, nor disregard the truth for the sake of gold. +Indeed thine iniquity and the iniquity of such people as thyself have +waxed so grievous that the Pen of Glory was moved to make such +observations. Fear thou God. He Who heralded this Revelation hath +declared: ‘He shall proclaim under all conditions: “Verily, verily, I am +God, no God is there but Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.”’ + +O people of the Bayán! Ye have been forbidden to contact the loved ones of +God. Why hath this ban been imposed and for what purpose? Be ye fair, I +adjure you by God, and be not of the heedless. Unto such as are endued +with insight, and before the Most Great Beauty, the object of this ban is +known and evident; it is so that no one may become aware of his (Hádí’s) +secrets and deeds. + +O Hádí! Thou hast not been in Our company, thou art therefore ignorant of +the Cause. Act not according to thine idle imaginings. Aside from these +things, scrutinize the Writings with thine own eyes and ponder upon that +which hath come to pass. Have pity upon thyself and upon the servants of +God and be not the cause of waywardness like unto the people aforetime. +The path is unmistakable and the proof is evident. Change injustice into +justice and inequity into equity. We cherish the hope that the breaths of +divine inspiration may strengthen thee and that thine inner ear may be +enabled to hear the blessed words: ‘Say, it is God, then leave them to +entertain themselves with their cavillings.’(8) Thou has been there +(Cyprus) and hast seen him (Mírzá Yaḥyá). Now speak forth with fairness. +Do not misrepresent the matter, neither to thyself nor to the people. Thou +art both ignorant and uninformed. Give ear unto the Voice of this Wronged +One and hasten towards the ocean of divine knowledge that perchance thou +mayest be adorned with the ornament of comprehension and mayest renounce +all else but God. Hearken unto the Voice of this benevolent Counsellor, +calling aloud, unveiled and manifest, before the faces of kings and their +subjects, and summon the people of the world, one and all, unto Him Who is +the Lord of Eternity. This is the Word from Whose horizon the day-star of +unfailing grace shineth resplendent. + +O Hádí! This Wronged One, rid of all attachment to the world, hath striven +with utmost endeavour to quench the fire of animosity and hatred which +burneth fiercely in the hearts of the peoples of the earth. It behoveth +every just and fair-minded person to render thanks unto God—exalted be His +glory—and to arise to promote this pre-eminent Cause, that fire may turn +into light, and hatred may give way to fellowship and love. I swear by the +righteousness of God! This is the sole purpose of this Wronged One. Indeed +in proclaiming this momentous Cause and in demonstrating its Truth We have +endured manifold sufferings, hardships and tribulations. Thou thyself +wouldst bear witness unto that which We have mentioned, couldst thou but +speak with fairness. Verily God speaketh the truth and leadeth the Way. He +is the Powerful, the Mighty, the Gracious. + +May Our Glory rest upon the people of Bahá whom neither the tyranny of the +oppressor nor the ascendancy of the aggressor have been able to withhold +from God, the Lord of the worlds. + + + + + + TAJALLÍYÁT (EFFULGENCES) + + +This is the Epistle of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting + +He is the One Who heareth from His Realm of Glory. + +GOD testifieth that there is none other God but Him and that He Who hath +appeared is the Hidden Mystery, the Treasured Symbol, the Most Great Book +for all peoples, and the Heaven of bounty for the whole world. He is the +Most Mighty Sign amongst men and the Dayspring of the most august +attributes in the realm of creation. Through Him hath appeared that which +had been hidden from time immemorial and been veiled from the eyes of men. +He is the One Whose Manifestation was announced by the heavenly +Scriptures, in former times and more recently. Whoso acknowledgeth belief +in Him and in His signs and testimonies hath in truth acknowledged that +which the Tongue of Grandeur uttered ere the creation of earth and heaven +and the revelation of the Kingdom of Names. Through Him the ocean of +knowledge hath surged amidst mankind and the river of divine wisdom hath +gushed out at the behest of God, the Lord of Days. + +Well is it with the man of discernment who hath recognized and perceived +the Truth, and the one possessed of a hearing ear who hath hearkened unto +His sweet Voice, and the hand that hath received His Book with such +resolve as is born of God, the Lord of this world and of the next, and the +earnest wayfarer who hath hastened unto His glorious Horizon, and the one +endued with strength whom neither the overpowering might of the rulers, +nor the tumult raised by the leaders of religion hath been able to shake. +And woe betide him who hath rejected the grace of God and His bounty, and +hath denied His tender mercy and authority; such a man is indeed reckoned +with those who have throughout eternity repudiated the testimony of God +and His proof. + +Great is the blessedness of him who hath in this Day cast away the things +current amongst men and hath clung unto that which is ordained by God, the +Lord of Names and the Fashioner of all created things, He Who is come from +the heaven of eternity through the power of the Most Great Name, invested +with so invincible an authority that all the powers of the earth are +unable to withstand Him. Unto this beareth witness the Mother Book, +calling from the Most Sublime Station. + +O ‘Alí-Akbar!(9) We have repeatedly heard thy voice and have responded to +thee with that which the praise of all mankind can never rival; from which +the sincere ones inhale the sweet savours of the sayings of the +All-Merciful, and His true lovers perceive the fragrance of heavenly +reunion, and the sore athirst discover the murmuring of the water that is +life indeed. Blessed the man who hath attained thereto and hath recognized +that which is at this moment being diffused from the Pen of God, the Help +in Peril, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. + +We testify that thou hast set thy face towards God and travelled far until +thou didst attain His presence and gavest ear unto the Voice of this +Wronged One, Who hath been cast into prison through the misdeeds of those +who have disbelieved in the signs and testimonies of God and have denied +this heavenly grace through which the whole world hath been made to shine. +Blessed thy face, for it hath turned unto Him, and thine ear, for it hath +heard His Voice, and thy tongue, for it hath celebrated the praise of God, +the Lord of lords. We pray God to graciously aid thee to become a standard +for the promotion of His Cause and to enable thee to draw nigh unto Him at +all times and under all conditions. + +The chosen ones of God and His loved ones in that land are remembered by +Us, and We give them the joyful tidings of that which hath been sent down +in their honour from the Kingdom of the utterance of their Lord, the +sovereign Ruler of the Day of Reckoning. Make mention of Me to them and +illumine them with the resplendent glory of Mine utterance. Verily thy +Lord is the Gracious, the Bountiful. + +O thou who dost magnify My praise! Give ear unto that which the people of +tyranny ascribe unto Me in My days. Some of them say: ‘He hath laid claim +to divinity’; others say: ‘He hath devised a lie against God’; still +others say: ‘He is come to foment sedition’. Base and wretched are they. +Lo! They are, in truth, enslaved to idle imaginings. + +We shall now cease using the eloquent language.(10) Truly thy Lord is the +Potent, the Unconstrained. We would fain speak in the Persian tongue that +perchance the people of Persia, one and all, may become aware of the +utterances of the merciful Lord, and come forth to discover the Truth. + +The first Tajallí which hath dawned from the Day-Star of Truth is the +knowledge of God—exalted be His glory. And the knowledge of the King of +everlasting days can in no wise be attained save by recognizing Him Who is +the Bearer of the Most Great Name. He is, in truth, the Speaker on Sinai +Who is now seated upon the throne of Revelation. He is the Hidden Mystery +and the Treasured Symbol. All the former and latter Books of God are +adorned with His praise and extol His glory. Through Him the standard of +knowledge hath been planted in the world and the ensign of the oneness of +God hath been unfurled amidst all peoples. Attainment unto the Divine +Presence can be realized solely by attaining His presence. Through His +potency everything that hath, from time immemorial, been veiled and +hidden, is now revealed. He is made manifest through the power of Truth +and hath uttered a Word whereby all that are in the heavens and on the +earth have been dumbfounded, except those whom the Almighty was pleased to +exempt. True belief in God and recognition of Him cannot be complete save +by acceptance of that which He hath revealed and by observance of +whatsoever hath been decreed by Him and set down in the Book by the Pen of +Glory. + +They that immerse themselves in the ocean of His utterances should at all +times have the utmost regard for the divinely-revealed ordinances and +prohibitions. Indeed His ordinances constitute the mightiest stronghold +for the protection of the world and the safeguarding of its peoples—a +light upon those who acknowledge and recognize the truth, and a fire unto +such as turn away and deny. + +The second Tajallí is to remain steadfast in the Cause of God—exalted be +His glory—and to be unswerving in His love. And this can in no wise be +attained except through full recognition of Him; and full recognition +cannot be obtained save by faith in the blessed words: ‘He doeth +whatsoever He willeth.’ Whoso tenaciously cleaveth unto this sublime word +and drinketh deep from the living waters of utterance which are inherent +therein, will be imbued with such a constancy that all the books of the +world will be powerless to deter him from the Mother Book. O how glorious +is this sublime station, this exalted rank, this ultimate purpose! + +O ‘Alí-Akbar! Consider how abject is the state of the disbelievers. They +all give utterance to the words: ‘Verily He is to be praised in His deeds +and is to be obeyed in His behest.’ Nevertheless if We reveal aught which, +even to the extent of a needle’s eye, runneth counter to their selfish +ways and desires, they will disdainfully reject it. Say, none can ever +fathom the manifold exigencies of God’s consummate wisdom. In truth, were +He to pronounce the earth to be heaven, no one hath the right to question +His authority. This is that whereunto the Point of the Bayán hath +testified in all that was sent down unto Him with truth at the behest of +God, He Who hath caused the Dawn to break. + +The third Tajallí is concerning arts, crafts and sciences. Knowledge is as +wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is +incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should +be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which +begin with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of +scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. Unto this beareth +witness the Mother Book on the day of His return. Happy are those +possessed of a hearing ear. In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure +for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer +and gladness unto him. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in this +Most Great Prison. + +The fourth Tajallí is concerning Divinity, Godhead and the like. Were a +man of insight to direct his gaze towards the blessed, the manifest +Lote-Tree and its fruits, he would be so enriched thereby as to be +independent of aught else and to acknowledge his belief in that which the +Speaker on Sinai hath uttered from the throne of Revelation. + +O ‘Alí-Akbar! Acquaint the people with the holy verses of thy Lord and +make known unto them His straight Path, His mighty Announcement. + +Say: O people, if ye judge fairly and equitably, ye will testify to the +truth of whatsoever hath streamed forth from the Most Exalted Pen. If ye +be of the people of the Bayán, the Persian Bayán will guide you aright and +will prove a sufficient testimony unto you; and if ye be of the people of +the Qur’án, ponder ye upon the Revelation on Sinai and the Voice from the +Bush which came unto the Son of ‘Imrán [Moses]. + +Gracious God! It was intended that at the time of the manifestation of the +One true God the faculty of recognizing Him would have been developed and +matured and would have reached its culmination. However, it is now clearly +demonstrated that in the disbelievers this faculty hath remained +undeveloped and hath, indeed, degenerated. + +O ‘Alí! That which they accepted from the Bush they now refuse to accept +from Him Who is the Tree of the world of existence. Say, O people of the +Bayán, speak not according to the dictates of passion and selfish desire. +Most of the peoples of the earth attest the truth of the blessed Word +which hath come forth from the Bush. + +By the righteousness of God! But for the anthem of praise voiced by Him +Who heralded the divine Revelation, this Wronged One would never have +breathed a word which might have struck terror into the hearts of the +ignorant and caused them to perish. Dwelling on the glorification of Him +Whom God shall make manifest—exalted be His Manifestation—the Báb in the +beginning of the Bayán saith: ‘He is the One Who shall proclaim under all +conditions, “Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there but Me, the Lord of +all created things. In truth all others except Me are My creatures. O, My +creatures! Me alone do ye worship.”’ Likewise in another instance He, +magnifying the Name of Him Who shall be made manifest, saith: ‘I would be +the first to adore Him.’ Now it behoveth one to reflect upon the +significance of the ‘Adorer’ and the ‘Adored One’, that perchance the +people of the earth may partake of a dewdrop from the ocean of divine +knowledge and may be enabled to perceive the greatness of this Revelation. +Verily, He hath appeared and hath unloosed His tongue to proclaim the +Truth. Well is it with him who doth acknowledge and recognize the truth, +and woe betide the froward and the wayward. + +O kindreds of the earth! Incline your ears unto the Voice from the divine +Lote-Tree which overshadoweth the world and be not of the people of +tyranny on earth—men who have repudiated the Manifestation of God and His +invincible authority and have renounced His favours—they in truth are +reckoned with the contemptible in the Book of God, the Lord of all +mankind. + +The Glory which hath dawned above the horizon of My tender mercy rest upon +thee and upon whosoever is with thee and giveth ear to thy words +concerning the Cause of God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. + + + + + + KALÍMÁT-I-FIRDAWSÍYYIH (WORDS OF PARADISE) + + +He is the One Who speaketh through the power of Truth in the Kingdom of +Utterance + +O YE the embodiments of justice and equity and the manifestations of +uprightness and of heavenly bounties! In tears and lamenting, this Wronged +One calleth aloud and saith: O God, my God! Adorn the heads of Thy loved +ones with the crown of detachment and attire their temples with the +raiment of righteousness. + +It behoveth the people of Bahá to render the Lord victorious through the +power of their utterance and to admonish the people by their goodly deeds +and character, inasmuch as deeds exert greater influence than words. + +O Ḥaydar-‘Alí!(11) Upon thee be the praise of God and His glory. Say: +Honesty, virtue, wisdom and a saintly character redound to the exaltation +of man, while dishonesty, imposture, ignorance and hypocrisy lead to his +abasement. By My life! Man’s distinction lieth not in ornaments or wealth, +but rather in virtuous behaviour and true understanding. Most of the +people in Persia are steeped in deception and idle fancy. How great the +difference between the condition of these people and the station of such +valiant souls as have passed beyond the sea of names and pitched their +tents upon the shores of the ocean of detachment. Indeed none but a few of +the existing generation hath yet earned the merit of hearkening unto the +warblings of the doves of the all-highest Paradise. ‘Few of My servants +are truly thankful.’(12) People for the most part delight in +superstitions. They regard a single drop of the sea of delusion as +preferable to an ocean of certitude. By holding fast unto names they +deprive themselves of the inner reality and by clinging to vain imaginings +they are kept back from the Dayspring of heavenly signs. God grant you may +be graciously aided under all conditions to shatter the idols of +superstition and to tear away the veils of the imaginations of men. +Authority lieth in the grasp of God, the Fountainhead of revelation and +inspiration and the Lord of the Day of Resurrection. + +We heard that which the person in question hath mentioned regarding +certain teachers of the Faith. Indeed he hath spoken truly. Some heedless +souls roam the lands in the name of God, actively engaged in ruining His +Cause, and call it promoting and teaching the Word of God; and this +notwithstanding that the qualifications of the teachers of the Faith, like +unto stars, shine resplendent throughout the heavens of the divine +Tablets. Every fair-minded person testifieth and every man of insight is +well aware that the One true God—exalted be His glory—hath unceasingly set +forth and expounded that which will elevate the station and will exalt the +rank of the children of men. + +The people of Bahá burn brightly amidst the gatherings even as a candle +and hold fast unto that which God hath purposed. This station standeth +supreme above all stations. Well is it with him who hath cast away the +things that the people of the world possess, yearning for that which +pertaineth unto God, the Sovereign Lord of eternity. + +Say: O God, my God! Thou beholdest me circling round Thy Will with mine +eyes turned towards the horizon of Thy bounty, eagerly awaiting the +revelation of the effulgent splendours of the sun of Thy favours. I beg of +Thee, O Beloved of every understanding heart and the Desire of such as +have near access unto Thee, to grant that Thy loved ones may become wholly +detached from their own inclinations, holding fast unto that which +pleaseth Thee. Attire them, O Lord, with the robe of righteousness and +illumine them with the splendours of the light of detachment. Summon then +to their assistance the hosts of wisdom and utterance that they may exalt +Thy Word amongst Thy creatures and proclaim Thy Cause amidst Thy servants. +Verily, potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and within Thy grasp lie +the reins of all affairs. No God is there but Thee, the Mighty, the +Ever-Forgiving. + +O thou who hast turned thy gaze towards My face! In these days there +occurred that which hath plunged Me into dire sadness. Certain wrong-doers +who profess allegiance to the Cause of God committed such deeds as have +caused the limbs of sincerity, of honesty, of justice, of equity to quake. +One known individual to whom the utmost kindness and favour had been +extended perpetrated such acts as have brought tears to the eye of God. +Formerly We uttered words of warning and premonition, then for a number of +years We kept the matter secret that haply he might take heed and repent. +But all to no purpose. In the end he bent his energies upon vilifying the +Cause of God before the eyes of all men. He tore the veil of fairness +asunder and felt sympathy neither for himself nor for the Cause of God. +Now, however, the deeds of certain individuals have brought sorrows far +more grievous than those which the deeds of the former had caused. Beseech +thou God, the True One, that He may graciously enable the heedless to +retract and repent. Verily He is the Forgiving, the Bountiful, the Most +Generous. + +In these days it is incumbent upon everyone to adhere tenaciously unto +unity and concord and to labour diligently in promoting the Cause of God, +that perchance the wayward souls may attain that which will lead unto +abiding prosperity. + +In brief, dissensions among various sects have opened the way to weakness. +Each sect hath picked out a way for itself and is clinging to a certain +cord. Despite manifest blindness and ignorance they pride themselves on +their insight and knowledge. Among them are mystics who bear allegiance to +the Faith of Islám, some of whom indulge in that which leadeth to idleness +and seclusion. I swear by God! It lowereth man’s station and maketh him +swell with pride. Man must bring forth fruit. One who yieldeth no fruit +is, in the words of the Spirit,(13) like unto a fruitless tree, and a +fruitless tree is fit but for the fire. + +That which the aforesaid persons have mentioned concerning the stations of +Divine Unity will conduce in no small measure to idleness and vain +imaginings. These mortal men have evidently set aside the differences of +station and have come to regard themselves as God, while God is +immeasurably exalted above all things. Every created being however +revealeth His signs which are but emanations from Him and not His Own +Self. All these signs are reflected and can be seen in the book of +existence, and the scrolls that depict the shape and pattern of the +universe are indeed a most great book. Therein every man of insight can +perceive that which would lead to the Straight Path and would enable him +to attain the Great Announcement. Consider the rays of the sun whose light +hath encompassed the world. The rays emanate from the sun and reveal its +nature, but are not the sun itself. Whatsoever can be discerned on earth +amply demonstrateth the power of God, His knowledge and the outpourings of +His bounty, while He Himself is immeasurably exalted above all creatures. + +Christ saith: ‘Thou hast granted to children that whereof the learned and +the wise are deprived.’ The sage of Sabzívar(14) hath said: ‘Alas! +Attentive ears are lacking, otherwise the whisperings of the Sinaic Bush +could be heard from every tree.’ In a Tablet to a man of wisdom who had +made enquiry as to the meaning of Elementary Reality, We addressed this +famous sage in these words: ‘If this saying is truly thine, how is it that +thou hast failed to hearken unto the Call which the Tree of Man hath +raised from the loftiest heights of the world? If thou didst hear the Call +yet fear and the desire to preserve thy life prompted thee to remain +heedless to it, thou art such a person as hath never been nor is worthy of +mention; if thou hast not heard it, then thou art bereft of the sense of +hearing.’ In brief, such men are they whose words are the pride of the +world, and whose deeds are the shame of the nations. + +Verily We have sounded the Trumpet which is none other than My Pen of +Glory, and lo, mankind hath swooned away before it, save them whom God +pleaseth to deliver as a token of His grace. He is the Lord of bounty, the +Ancient of Days. + +Say: O concourse of divines! Pronounce ye censure against this Pen unto +which, as soon as it raised its shrill voice, the kingdom of utterance +prepared itself to hearken, and before whose mighty and glorious theme +every other theme hath paled into insignificance? Fear ye God and follow +not your idle fancies and corrupt imaginings, but rather follow Him Who is +come unto you invested with undeniable knowledge and unshakeable +certitude. + +Glorified be God! Man’s treasure is his utterance, yet this Wronged One +hath withheld His Tongue, for the disbelievers are lying in ambush; +however, protection is afforded by God, the Lord of all worlds. Verily, in +Him have We placed Our trust and unto Him have We committed all affairs. +All-Sufficient is He for Us and for all created things. He is the One by +Whose leave, and through the potency of Whose command, the Day-Star of +sovereign might hath shone resplendent above the horizon of the world. +Well is it with him who perceiveth and recognizeth the Truth and woe +betide the froward and the faithless. + +This Wronged One hath invariably treated the wise with affection. By the +wise is meant men whose knowledge is not confined to mere words and whose +lives have been fruitful and have produced enduring results. It is +incumbent upon everyone to honour these blessed souls. Happy are they that +observe God’s precepts; happy are they that have recognized the Truth; +happy are they that judge with fairness in all matters and hold fast to +the Cord of My inviolable Justice. + +The people of Persia have turned away from Him Who is the Protector and +the Helper. They are clinging to and have enmeshed themselves in the vain +imaginings of the foolish. So firmly do they adhere to superstitions that +naught can sever them therefrom save the potent arm of God—exalted is His +glory. Beseech thou the Almighty that He may remove with the fingers of +divine power the veils which have shut out the divers peoples and +kindreds, that they may attain the things that are conducive to security, +progress and advancement and may hasten forth towards the incomparable +Friend. + +The word of God which the Abhá Pen hath revealed and inscribed on the + + _first leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: Verily I say: The fear of God hath +ever been a sure defence and a safe stronghold for all the peoples of the +world. It is the chief cause of the protection of mankind, and the supreme +instrument for its preservation. Indeed, there existeth in man a faculty +which deterreth him from, and guardeth him against, whatever is unworthy +and unseemly, and which is known as his sense of shame. This, however, is +confined to but a few; all have not possessed and do not possess it. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _second leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is the following: The Pen of the Most High +exhorteth, at this moment, the manifestations of authority and the sources +of power, namely the kings, the sovereigns, the presidents, the rulers, +the divines and the wise, and enjoineth them to uphold the cause of +religion, and to cleave unto it. Religion is verily the chief instrument +for the establishment of order in the world and of tranquillity amongst +its peoples. The weakening of the pillars of religion hath strengthened +the foolish and emboldened them and made them more arrogant. Verily I say: +The greater the decline of religion, the more grievous the waywardness of +the ungodly. This cannot but lead in the end to chaos and confusion. Hear +Me, O men of insight, and be warned, ye who are endued with discernment! + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _third leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: O son of man! If thine eyes be +turned towards mercy, forsake the things that profit thee and cleave unto +that which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards +justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for +thyself. Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power, whilst +pride abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and degradation. + +O people of God! Great is the Day and mighty the Call! In one of Our +Tablets We have revealed these exalted words: ‘Were the world of the +spirit to be wholly converted into the sense of hearing, it could then +claim to be worthy to hearken unto the Voice that calleth from the Supreme +Horizon; for otherwise, these ears that are defiled with lying tales have +never been, nor are they now, fit to hear it.’ Well is it with them that +hearken; and woe betide the wayward. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _fourth leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is the following: O people of God! Beseech ye +the True One—glorified be His Name—that He may graciously shield the +manifestations of dominion and power from the suggestions of self and +desire and shed the radiance of justice and guidance upon them. + +His Majesty Muḥammad Sháh, despite the excellence of his rank, committed +two heinous deeds. One was the order to banish the Lord of the Realms of +Grace and Bounty, the Primal Point; and the other, the murder of the +Prince of the City of Statesmanship and Literary Accomplishment.(15) + +The faults of kings, like their favours, can be great. A king who is not +deterred by the vainglory of power and authority from observing justice, +nor is deprived of the splendours of the day-star of equity by luxury, +riches, glory or the marshalling of hosts and legions shall occupy a high +rank and a sublime station amongst the Concourse on high. It is incumbent +upon everyone to extend aid and to manifest kindness to so noble a soul. +Well is it with the king who keepeth a tight hold on the reins of his +passion, restraineth his anger and preferreth justice and fairness to +injustice and tyranny. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _fifth leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: Above all else, the greatest gift +and the most wondrous blessing hath ever been and will continue to be +Wisdom. It is man’s unfailing Protector. It aideth him and strengtheneth +him. Wisdom is God’s Emissary and the Revealer of His Name the Omniscient. +Through it the loftiness of man’s station is made manifest and evident. It +is all-knowing and the foremost Teacher in the school of existence. It is +the Guide and is invested with high distinction. Thanks to its educating +influence earthly beings have become imbued with a gem-like spirit which +outshineth the heavens. In the city of justice it is the unrivalled +Speaker Who, in the year nine, illumined the world with the joyful tidings +of this Revelation. And it was this peerless Source of wisdom that at the +beginning of the foundation of the world ascended the stair of inner +meaning and when enthroned upon the pulpit of utterance, through the +operation of the divine Will, proclaimed two words. The first heralded the +promise of reward, while the second voiced the ominous warning of +punishment. The promise gave rise to hope and the warning begat fear. Thus +the basis of world order hath been firmly established upon these twin +principles. Exalted is the Lord of Wisdom, the Possessor of Great Bounty. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _sixth leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is the following: The light of men is +Justice. Quench it not with the contrary winds of oppression and tyranny. +The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men. The ocean of +divine wisdom surgeth within this exalted word, while the books of the +world cannot contain its inner significance. Were mankind to be adorned +with this raiment, they would behold the day-star of the utterance, ‘On +that day God will satisfy everyone out of His abundance,’(16) shining +resplendent above the horizon of the world. Appreciate ye the value of +this utterance; it is a noble fruit that the Tree of the Pen of Glory hath +yielded. Happy is the man that giveth ear unto it and observeth its +precepts. Verily I say, whatever is sent down from the heaven of the Will +of God is the means for the establishment of order in the world and the +instrument for promoting unity and fellowship among its peoples. Thus hath +the Tongue of this Wronged One spoken from His Most Great Prison. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _seventh leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: O ye men of wisdom among nations! +Shut your eyes to estrangement, then fix your gaze upon unity. Cleave +tenaciously unto that which will lead to the well-being and tranquillity +of all mankind. This span of earth is but one homeland and one habitation. +It behoveth you to abandon vainglory which causeth alienation and to set +your hearts on whatever will ensure harmony. In the estimation of the +people of Bahá man’s glory lieth in his knowledge, his upright conduct, +his praiseworthy character, his wisdom, and not in his nationality or +rank. O people of the earth! Appreciate the value of this heavenly word. +Indeed it may be likened unto a ship for the ocean of knowledge and a +shining luminary for the realm of perception. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _eighth leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is the following: Schools must first train +the children in the principles of religion, so that the Promise and the +Threat recorded in the Books of God may prevent them from the things +forbidden and adorn them with the mantle of the commandments; but this in +such a measure that it may not injure the children by resulting in +ignorant fanaticism and bigotry. + +It is incumbent upon the Trustees of the House of Justice to take counsel +together regarding those things which have not outwardly been revealed in +the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them. God will verily +inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He, verily, is the Provider, +the Omniscient. + +We have formerly ordained that people should converse in two languages, +yet efforts must be made to reduce them to one, likewise the scripts of +the world, that men’s lives may not be dissipated and wasted in learning +divers languages. Thus the whole earth would come to be regarded as one +city and one land. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _ninth leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: In all matters moderation is +desirable. If a thing is carried to excess, it will prove a source of +evil. Consider the civilization of the West, how it hath agitated and +alarmed the peoples of the world. An infernal engine hath been devised, +and hath proved so cruel a weapon of destruction that its like none hath +ever witnessed or heard. The purging of such deeply-rooted and +overwhelming corruptions cannot be effected unless the peoples of the +world unite in pursuit of one common aim and embrace one universal faith. +Incline your ears unto the Call of this Wronged One and adhere firmly to +the Lesser Peace. + +Strange and astonishing things exist in the earth but they are hidden from +the minds and the understanding of men. These things are capable of +changing the whole atmosphere of the earth and their contamination would +prove lethal. Great God! We have observed an amazing thing. Lightning or a +force similar to it is controlled by an operator and moveth at his +command. Immeasurably exalted is the Lord of Power Who hath laid bare that +which He purposed through the potency of His weighty and invincible +command. + +O people of Bahá! Each one of the ordinances We have revealed is a mighty +stronghold for the preservation of the world of being. Verily, this +Wronged One desireth naught but your security and elevation. + +We exhort the men of the House of Justice and command them to ensure the +protection and safeguarding of men, women and children. It is incumbent +upon them to have the utmost regard for the interests of the people at all +times and under all conditions. Blessed is the ruler who succoureth the +captive, and the rich one who careth for the poor, and the just one who +secureth from the wrong doer the rights of the downtrodden, and happy the +trustee who observeth that which the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days hath +prescribed unto him. + +O Ḥaydar-‘Alí! Upon thee be My glory and My praise. My counsels and +admonitions have compassed the world. Yet, instead of imparting joy and +gladness they have caused grief, because some of those who claim to love +Me have waxed haughty and have inflicted upon Me such tribulations as +neither the followers of former religions nor the divines of Persia did +ever inflict. + +We have said: ‘My imprisonment doeth Me no harm, nor do the things that +have befallen Me at the hands of My enemies. That which harmeth Me is the +conduct of my loved ones who, though they bear My name, yet commit that +which maketh My heart and My pen to lament.’ Such utterances as these have +again and again been revealed, yet the heedless have failed to profit +thereby, since they are captive to their own evil passions and corrupt +desires. Beseech thou the One true God that He may enable everyone to +repent and return unto Him. So long as one’s nature yieldeth unto evil +passions, crime and transgression will prevail. We cherish the hope that +the hand of divine power and the outpouring of heavenly blessings may +sustain all men, may attire them with the vesture of forgiveness and +bounty and guard them against that which would harm His Cause among His +servants. He is, in truth, the Potent, the All-Powerful, and He is the +Ever-Forgiving, the Merciful. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _tenth leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is the following: O people of the earth! +Living in seclusion or practising asceticism is not acceptable in the +presence of God. It behoveth them that are endued with insight and +understanding to observe that which will cause joy and radiance. Such +practices as are sprung from the loins of idle fancy or are begotten of +the womb of superstition ill beseem men of knowledge. In former times and +more recently some people have been taking up their abodes in the caves of +the mountains while others have repaired to graveyards at night. Say, give +ear unto the counsels of this Wronged One. Abandon the things current +amongst you and adopt that which the faithful Counsellor biddeth you. +Deprive not yourselves of the bounties which have been created for your +sake. + +Charity is pleasing and praiseworthy in the sight of God and is regarded +as a prince among goodly deeds. Consider ye and call to mind that which +the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’án: ‘They prefer them before +themselves, though poverty be their own lot. And with such as are +preserved from their own covetousness shall it be well.’(17) Viewed in +this light, the blessed utterance above is, in truth, the day-star of +utterances. Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself. +Verily, such a man is reckoned, by virtue of the Will of God, the +All-Knowing, the All-Wise, with the people of Bahá who dwell in the +Crimson Ark. + +The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the + + _eleventh leaf_ + +of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: We enjoin upon them that are the +emblems of His names and attributes to firmly adhere henceforth unto that +which hath been set forth in this Most Great Revelation, not to allow +themselves to become the cause of strife, and, until the end that knoweth +no end, to keep their eyes directed towards the dayspring of these +resplendent words which have been recorded in this Tablet. Strife leads to +bloodshed and provokes commotion amongst people. Hearken ye unto the Voice +of this Wronged One and deviate not therefrom. + +Were anyone to ponder in his heart that which hath, in this Revelation, +streamed forth from the Pen of Glory, he would be assured that whatever +this Wronged One hath affirmed He hath had no intention of establishing +any position or distinction for Himself. The purpose hath rather been to +attract the souls, through the sublimity of His words, unto the summit of +transcendent glory and to endow them with the capacity of perceiving that +which will purge and purify the peoples of the world from the strife and +dissension which religious differences provoke. Unto this bear witness My +heart, My Pen, My inner and My outer Being. God grant that all men may +turn unto the treasuries latent within their own beings. + +O people of Bahá! The source of crafts, sciences and arts is the power of +reflection. Make ye every effort that out of this ideal mine there may +gleam forth such pearls of wisdom and utterance as will promote the +well-being and harmony of all the kindreds of the earth. + +Under all conditions, whether in adversity or at ease, whether honoured or +afflicted, this Wronged One hath directed all men to show forth love, +affection, compassion and harmony. And yet whenever there was any slight +evidence of progress and advancement, those concealed behind the veils +would sally forth and utter calumnies more wounding than the sword. They +cling unto misleading and reprehensible words and suffer themselves to be +deprived of the ocean of verses revealed by God. + +If these obstructing veils had not intervened Persia would, in some two +years, have been subdued through the power of utterance, the position of +both the government and the people would have been raised and the Supreme +Goal, unveiled and unconcealed, would have appeared in the plenitude of +glory. In short, sometimes in explicit language, at other times by +allusion, We said whatever had to be said. Thus, once Persia had been +rehabilitated, the sweet savours of the Word of God would have wafted over +all countries, inasmuch as that which hath streamed forth from the Most +Exalted Pen is conducive to the glory, the advancement and education of +all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Indeed it is the sovereign +remedy for every disease, could they but comprehend and perceive it. + +Recently the Afnáns and Amín—upon them be My glory and +loving-kindness—attained Our presence and beheld Our countenance; likewise +Nabíl, the son of Nabíl and the son of Samandar—upon them rest the glory +of God and His loving-kindness—are present and have drunk the cup of +reunion. We entreat God that He may graciously ordain for them the good of +this world and of the next and that the outpouring of His blessings and +grace may descend upon them from the heaven of His generosity and the +clouds of His tender compassion. Verily of those who show mercy He is the +Most Merciful, and He is the Gracious, the Beneficent. + +O Ḥaydar-‘Alí! Thine other letter which thou hadst forwarded through him +who beareth the title of Júd(18) (Bounty) hath reached Our holy court. +Praised be God! It was adorned with the light of divine unity and of +detachment and was ablaze with the fire of love and affection. Pray thou +unto God that He may grant keenness to the eyes and illumine them with a +new light, perchance they may perceive that which hath no parallel nor +peer. + +In this day the verses of the Mother Book are resplendent and unmistakable +even as the sun. They can in no wise be mistaken for any of the past or +more recent utterances. Truly this Wronged One desireth not to demonstrate +His Own Cause with proofs produced by others. He is the One Who embraceth +all things, while all else besides Him is circumscribed. Say, O people, +peruse that which is current amongst you and We will peruse what +pertaineth unto Us. I swear by God! Neither the praise of the peoples of +the world, nor the things that the kindreds of the earth possess are +worthy of mention before the remembrance of His Name. Unto this beareth +witness He Who under all conditions proclaimeth, ‘Verily He is God, the +sovereign Ruler of the Day of Reckoning and the Lord of the mighty +Throne.’ + +Glorified be God! One wondereth by what proof or reason the disbelievers +among the people of the Bayán have turned away from the Lord of being. In +truth the station of this Revelation transcendeth the station of whatever +hath been manifested in the past or will be made manifest in the future. + +Were the Point of the Bayán present in this day and should He, God forbid, +hesitate to acknowledge this Cause, then the very blessed words which have +streamed forth from the wellspring of His Own Bayán would apply to Him. He +saith, and His word is the truth, ‘Lawful is it for Him Whom God will make +manifest to reject him who is the greatest on earth.’ Say, O ye that are +bereft of understanding! Today that Most Exalted Being is proclaiming: +‘Verily, verily, I am the first to adore Him.’ How shallow is the fund of +men’s knowledge and how feeble their power of perception. Our Pen of Glory +beareth witness to their abject poverty and to the wealth of God, the Lord +of all worlds. + +Lauded and glorified is He Who hath called the creation into being. He is +the sovereign Truth, the Knower of things unseen. The Mother Book is +revealed and the Lord of Bounty is established upon the most blessed seat +of glory. The Dawn hath broken, yet the people understand not. The signs +have been ushered in, while He Who hath revealed them is overwhelmed with +manifest sorrow. Indeed I have endured that which hath caused the world of +existence to lament. + +Say: O Yaḥyá (Azal), produce a single verse, if thou dost possess +divinely-inspired knowledge. These words were formerly spoken by My Herald +Who at this hour proclaimeth: ‘Verily, verily, I am the first to adore +Him.’ Be fair, O My brother. Art thou able to express thyself when brought +face to face with the billowing ocean of Mine utterance? Canst thou +unloose thy tongue when confronted with the shrill voice of My Pen? Hast +thou any power before the revelations of Mine omnipotence? Judge thou +fairly, I adjure thee by God, and call to mind when thou didst stand in +the presence of this Wronged One and We dictated to thee the verses of +God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Beware lest the source of +falsehood withhold thee from the manifest Truth. + +O thou who hast fixed thy gaze upon My countenance! Say: O ye heedless +ones! By reason of a droplet ye have deprived yourselves of the ocean of +heavenly verses and for the sake of an insignificant atom ye have shut +yourselves out from the splendours of the Day-Star of Truth. Who else but +Bahá hath the power to speak forth before the face of mankind? Judge ye +fairly and be not of the unjust. Through Him the oceans have surged, the +mysteries have been divulged and the trees have lifted up their voices +exclaiming: The kingdoms of earth and heaven are God’s, the Revealer of +signs, the Fountainhead of clear tokens. Peruse ye the Persian Bayán +revealed by Him Who heralded this Revelation and look at it with the eye +of fairness. Verily He will guide you aright to His Path. At this moment +He proclaimeth that which His tongue had formerly uttered when He was +seated upon the throne of His most exalted Name. + +Thou hast made mention of the loved ones in those regions. Praised be God, +each one of them attained the honour of being remembered by the True +One—exalted is His glory—and the names of them, one and all, flowed from +the Tongue of Grandeur in the kingdom of utterance. Great indeed is their +blessedness and happiness, inasmuch as they have drunk the choice wine of +revelation and inspiration from the hand of their Lord, the Compassionate, +the Merciful. We beseech God to strengthen them to manifest inflexible +constancy and to summon to their aid the hosts of wisdom and utterance. He +is in truth the Mighty, the Omnipotent. Convey my greetings to them and +give them the joyful tidings that the Day-Star of remembrance hath dawned +and shed its radiance from above the horizon of the bountiful favours of +their Lord, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful. + +Thou hast mentioned Ḥusayn. We have attired his temple with the robe of +forgiveness and adorned his head with the crown of pardon. It beseemeth +him to pride himself among all men upon this resplendent, this radiant and +manifest bounty. Say: Be not despondent. After the revelation of this +blessed verse it is as though thou hast been born anew from thy mother’s +womb. Say: Thou art free from sin and error. Truly God hath purged thee +with the living waters of His utterance in His Most Great Prison. We +entreat Him—blessed and exalted is He—to graciously confirm thee in +extolling Him and in magnifying His glory and to strengthen thee through +the power of His invisible hosts. Verily, He is the Almighty, the +Omnipotent. + +Thou hast made mention of the people of Tár.(19) We have set Our face +toward the servants of God therein and advise them first to consider that +which the Point of the Bayán hath revealed concerning this Revelation +whereby all names and titles have been shaken, the idols of vain +imaginings have crumbled and the Tongue of Grandeur hath, from the realm +of glory, proclaimed: By the righteousness of God! The Hidden Treasure, +the Impenetrable Mystery, hath been uncovered to men’s eyes, causing all +things, whether of the past or of the future, to rejoice. He hath said, +and His word is the truth: ‘Of all the tributes I have paid to Him Who is +to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no +words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in +My Book, the Bayán, do justice to His Cause.’ + +Moreover We counsel them to observe justice, equity, honesty, piety and +that whereby both the Word of God and their own station will be exalted +amongst men. Verily I am the One Who exhorteth with justice. Unto this +beareth witness He from Whose Pen rivers of mercy have flowed and from +Whose utterance fountains of living waters have streamed forth unto all +created things. Immeasurably exalted is this boundless grace; immensely +blessed is this resplendent favour. + +O people of Tár! Give ear unto the Call of Him Who doeth whatsoever He +willeth. In truth He remindeth you of that which will draw you nigh unto +God, the Lord of the worlds. He hath turned His face towards you from the +Prison of Akká and hath revealed for your sakes what will immortalize your +memory and your names in the Book which cannot be effaced and remaineth +unaffected by the doubts of the froward. Cast away the things current +amongst men and take fast hold on that whereunto ye are bidden by virtue +of the Will of the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. This is the Day wherein +the divine Lote-Tree calleth aloud, saying: O people! Behold ye My fruits +and My leaves, incline then your ears unto My rustling. Beware lest the +doubts of men debar you from the light of certitude. The Ocean of +utterance exclaimeth and saith: ‘O ye dwellers on the earth! Behold My +billowing waters and the pearls of wisdom and utterance which I have +poured forth. Fear ye God and be not of the heedless.’ + +In this Day a great festival is taking place in the Realm above; for +whatsoever was promised in the sacred Scriptures hath been fulfilled. This +is the Day of great rejoicing. It behoveth everyone to hasten towards the +court of His nearness with exceeding joy, gladness, exultation and delight +and to deliver himself from the fire of remoteness. + +O people of Tár! Through the strengthening power of My Name seize ye the +chalice of knowledge, drink then your fill in defiance of the people of +the world who have broken the Covenant of God and His Testament, rejected +His proofs and clear tokens, and cavilled at His signs which have pervaded +all that are in heaven and on earth. + +The disbelievers among the people of the Bayán are like the followers of +the Shí’ih sect and walk in their footsteps. Leave them to their idle +fancies and vain imaginings. They are in truth accounted with the lost in +the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The Shí’ih divines, one +and all, are now engaged in reviling and denouncing the True One from +their pulpits. Gracious God! Dawlat-Ábádí(20) too hath followed suit. He +ascended the pulpit and gave voice to that which hath caused the Tablet to +cry out in anguish and the Pen to wail. Meditate upon his conduct and the +conduct of Ashraf(21)—upon him be My glory and My tender mercy—and +likewise consider those loved ones who hastened to the place of martyrdom +in My Name, and offered up their lives in the path of Him Who is the +Desire of the world. + +The Cause is manifest, it shineth resplendent as the sun, but the people +have become veils unto themselves. We entreat God that He may graciously +assist them to return unto Him. He is, in truth, the Forgiving, the +Merciful. + +O people of Tár! We send you greetings from this Spot and beseech +God—blessed and exalted is He—to give you to drink the choice wine of +constancy from the hand of His favour. Verily, He is the Lord of Bounty, +the Gracious, the All-Praised. Leave ye unto themselves the immature ones +of the world—they that are moved by selfish desire and cling to the +exponents of idle fancy. Verily He is your Helper and Succourer. He is, in +truth, potent to do whatsoever He willeth. No God is there but Him, the +One, the Peerless, the Mighty, the Most Great. + +May glory from Our presence rest upon those who have set their faces +toward the Dayspring of His Revelation and have acknowledged and +recognized that which the Tongue of utterance hath spoken in the kingdom +of knowledge in this blessed, this glorious and incomparable Day. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-DUNYÁ (TABLET OF THE WORLD) + + +In My Name, calling aloud in the Kingdom of Utterance + +PRAISE and thanksgiving beseem the Lord of manifest dominion Who hath +adorned the mighty prison with the presence of their honours ‘Alí-Akbar +and Amín, and hath illumined it with the light of certitude, constancy and +assurance.(22) The glory of God and the glory of all that are in the +heavens and on the earth be upon them. + +Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, +through whom the light of fortitude hath shone forth and the truth hath +been established that the authority to choose rests with God, the +Powerful, the Mighty, the Unconstrained, through whom the ocean of bounty +hath surged and the fragrance of the gracious favours of God, the Lord of +mankind, hath been diffused. We beseech Him—exalted is He—to shield them +through the power of His hosts, to protect them through the potency of His +dominion and to aid them through His indomitable strength which prevaileth +over all created things. Sovereignty is God’s, the Creator of the heavens +and the Lord of the Kingdom of Names. + +The Great Announcement proclaimeth: O people of Persia! In former times ye +have been the symbols of mercy and the embodiments of affection and +kindliness. The regions of the world were illumined and embellished by the +brightness of the light of your knowledge and by the blaze of your +erudition. How is it that you have arisen to destroy yourselves and your +friends with your own hands? + +O Afnán, O thou that has branched from Mine ancient Stock! My glory and My +loving-kindness rest upon thee. How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause of +God! It hath overshadowed all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and +will, ere long, gather together the whole of mankind beneath its shelter. +Thy day of service is now come. Countless Tablets bear the testimony of +the bounties vouchsafed unto thee. Arise for the triumph of My Cause, and, +through the power of thine utterance, subdue the hearts of men. Thou must +show forth that which will ensure the peace and the well-being of the +miserable and the downtrodden. Gird up the loins of thine endeavour, that +perchance thou mayest release the captive from his chains, and enable him +to attain unto true liberty. + +Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath +the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face +of the earth, and enveloped its peoples. Through the movement of Our Pen +of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a +new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh +potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide +regeneration. This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by +the Pen of this Wronged One to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, O My +well-beloved ones? Who is it that can dismay you? A touch of moisture +sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of which this perverse +generation is moulded. The mere act of your gathering together is enough +to scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people. + +Strife and conflict befit the beasts of the wild. It was through the grace +of God and with the aid of seemly words and praiseworthy deeds that the +unsheathed swords of the Bábí community were returned to their scabbards. +Indeed through the power of good words, the righteous have always +succeeded in winning command over the meads of the hearts of men. Say, O +ye loved ones! Do not forsake prudence. Incline your hearts to the +counsels given by the Most Exalted Pen and beware lest your hands or +tongues cause harm unto anyone among mankind. + +Referring to the land of Tá (Ṭihrán) We have revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas +that which will admonish mankind. They that perpetrate tyranny in the +world have usurped the rights of the peoples and kindreds of the earth and +are sedulously pursuing their selfish inclinations. The tyrant(23) of the +land of Yá (Yazd), committed that which hath caused the Concourse on High +to shed tears of blood. + +O thou who hast quaffed from the wine of Mine utterance and hast fixed thy +gaze upon the horizon of My Revelation! How strange that the people of +Persia, who were unrivalled in sciences and arts, should have sunk to the +lowest level of degradation among the kindreds of the earth. O people! In +this blessed, this glorious Day, deprive not yourselves of the liberal +effusions of bounty which the Lord of abounding grace hath vouchsafed unto +you. In this Day showers of wisdom and utterance are pouring down from the +clouds of divine mercy. Well is it with them who judge His Cause with +fairness, and woe betide the unjust. + +Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit that the counsels +which the Pen of this Wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme +animating power for the advancement of the world and the exaltation of its +peoples. Arise, O people, and, by the power of God’s might, resolve to +gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be +freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle +fancies—gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for +the misery of their wretched worshippers. These idols form the obstacle +that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We +cherish the hope that the Hand of divine power may lend its assistance to +mankind and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement. + +In one of the Tablets these words have been revealed: O people of God! Do +not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon +that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the +hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy +deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly behaviour. Valiant acts will +ensure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce +its power. Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Bahá! This, verily, is +the commandment which this Wronged One hath given unto you, and the first +choice of His unrestrained Will for every one of you. + +O friends! It behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the +gracious favours which in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime are +being showered upon you. The Day-Star of His great glory hath shed its +radiance upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have overshadowed +you. How high the reward of him that hath not deprived himself of so great +a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, +His new attire. Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, +ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led +by the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the +darkness that surroundeth you. Let your vision be world-embracing, rather +than confined to your own self. The Evil One is he that hindereth the rise +and obstructeth the spiritual progress of the children of men. + +It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever +will promote the interests, and exalt the station, of all nations and just +governments. Through each and every one of the verses which the Pen of the +Most High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been unlocked +and flung open to the face of men. We have erewhile declared—and Our Word +is the truth—: ‘Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of +friendliness and fellowship.’ Whatsoever hath led the children of men to +shun one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, +hath, through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished. +From the heaven of God’s Will, and for the purpose of ennobling the world +of being and of elevating the minds and souls of men, hath been sent down +that which is the most effective instrument for the education of the whole +human race. The highest essence and most perfect expression of whatsoever +the peoples of old have either said or written hath, through this most +potent Revelation, been sent down from the heaven of the Will of the +All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God. Of old it hath been revealed: ‘Love +of one’s country is an element of the Faith of God.’ The Tongue of +Grandeur hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed: ‘It is +not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the +world.’ Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a +fresh impulse and set a new direction to the birds of men’s hearts, and +hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God’s holy +Book. + +This Wronged One hath forbidden the people of God to engage in contention +or conflict and hath exhorted them to righteous deeds and praiseworthy +character. In this day the hosts that can ensure the victory of the Cause +are those of goodly conduct and saintly character. Blessed are they who +firmly adhere unto them and woe betide such as turn away therefrom. + +O people of God! I admonish you to observe courtesy, for above all else it +is the prince of virtues. Well is it with him who is illumined with the +light of courtesy and is attired with the vesture of uprightness. Whoso is +endued with courtesy hath indeed attained a sublime station. It is hoped +that this Wronged One and everyone else may be enabled to acquire it, hold +fast unto it, observe it, and fix our gaze upon it. This is a binding +command which hath streamed forth from the Pen of the Most Great Name. + +This is the day when the gems of constancy that lie hid in the mine of +men’s inner selves should be made manifest. O people of Justice! Be as +brilliant as the light and as splendid as the fire that blazed in the +Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse +and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the +fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in strife +and ruin. We beseech God that He may shield His creatures from the evil +designs of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things. + +All praise be to the one true God—exalted be His glory—inasmuch as He +hath, through the Pen of the Most High, unlocked the doors of men’s +hearts. Every verse which this Pen hath revealed is a bright and shining +portal that discloseth the glories of a saintly and pious life, of pure +and stainless deeds. The summons and the message which We gave were never +intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in +its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and +vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty. +The whole earth is illuminated with the resplendent glory of God’s +Revelation. In the year sixty He Who heralded the light of Divine +Guidance—may all creation be a sacrifice unto Him—arose to announce a +fresh revelation of the Divine Spirit, and was followed, twenty years +later, by Him through Whose coming the world was made the recipient of +this promised glory, this wondrous favour. Behold how the generality of +mankind hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God’s most +exalted Word—the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and +spiritual resurrection of all men. + +Whilst in the Prison of Akká, We revealed in the Crimson Book that which +is conducive to the advancement of mankind and to the reconstruction of +the world. The utterances set forth therein by the Pen of the Lord of +creation include the following which constitute the fundamental principles +for the administration of the affairs of men: + +First: It is incumbent upon the ministers of the House of Justice to +promote the Lesser Peace so that the people of the earth may be relieved +from the burden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter is imperative and +absolutely essential, inasmuch as hostilities and conflict lie at the root +of affliction and calamity. + +Second: Languages must be reduced to one common language to be taught in +all the schools of the world. + +Third: It behoveth man to adhere tenaciously unto that which will promote +fellowship, kindliness and unity. + +Fourth: Everyone, whether man or woman, should hand over to a trusted +person a portion of what he or she earneth through trade, agriculture or +other occupation, for the training and education of children, to be spent +for this purpose with the knowledge of the Trustees of the House of +Justice. + +Fifth: Special regard must be paid to agriculture. Although it hath been +mentioned in the fifth place, unquestionably it precedeth the others. +Agriculture is highly developed in foreign lands, however in Persia it +hath so far been grievously neglected. It is hoped that His Majesty the +Sháh—may God assist him by His grace—will turn his attention to this vital +and important matter. + +Were men to strictly observe that which the Pen of the Most High hath +revealed in the Crimson Book, they could then well afford to dispense with +the regulations which prevail in the world. Certain exhortations have +repeatedly streamed forth from the Pen of the Most High that perchance the +manifestations of power and the dawning-places of might may, sometime, be +enabled to enforce them. Indeed, were sincere seekers to be found, every +emanation of God’s pervasive and irresistible Will would, for the sake of +His love, be revealed. But where are to be found earnest seekers and +inquiring minds? Whither are gone the equitable and the fair-minded? At +present no day passeth without the fire of a fresh tyranny blazing +fiercely, or the sword of a new aggression being unsheathed. Gracious God! +The great and the noble in Persia glory in acts of such savagery that one +is lost in amazement at the tales thereof. + +Day and night this Wronged One yieldeth thanks and praise unto the Lord of +men, for it is witnessed that the words of counsel and exhortation We +uttered have proved effective and that this people hath evinced such +character and conduct as are acceptable in Our sight. This is affirmed by +virtue of the event which hath truly cheered the eye of the world, and is +none other than the intercession of the friends with the high authorities +in favour of their enemies. Indeed one’s righteous deeds testify to the +truth of one’s words. We cherish the hope that men of piety may illumine +the world through the radiant light of their conduct, and We entreat the +Almighty—glorified and exalted is He—to grant that everyone may in this +Day remain steadfast in His love and stand firm in His Cause. He is, in +truth, the Protector of those who are wholly devoted to Him and observe +His precepts. + +O people of God! Countless are the realms which Our Pen of Glory hath +revealed and manifold the eyes to which it hath imparted true +enlightenment. Yet most of the people in Persia continue to be deprived of +the benefits of profitable counsels and remain sorely lacking in useful +sciences and arts. Formerly these sublime words were especially revealed +by the Pen of Glory in honour of one of the faithful, that perchance those +that have gone astray may embrace the Truth and become acquainted with the +subtleties of the Law of God. + +The unbelievers and the faithless have set their minds on four things: +first, the shedding of blood; second, the burning of books; third, the +shunning of the followers of other religions; fourth, the extermination of +other communities and groups. Now however, through the strengthening grace +and potency of the Word of God these four barriers have been demolished, +these clear injunctions have been obliterated from the Tablet and brutal +dispositions have been transmuted into spiritual attributes. Exalted is +His purpose; glorified is His power; magnified is His dominion! Now let us +beseech God—praised be His glory—to graciously guide aright the followers +of the Shí’ih sect and to purge them of unseemly conduct. From the lips of +the members of this sect foul imprecations fall unceasingly, while they +invoke the word ‘Mal’ún’ (accursed)—uttered with a guttural sound of the +letter ‘ayn—as their daily relish. + +O God my God! Thou hearest the sighing of Him Who is Thy Light (Bahá), +hearkenest unto His lamentations in the daytime and in the night season +and knowest that He desireth naught for Himself but rather seeketh to +sanctify the souls of Thy servants and to deliver them from the fire with +which they are beset at all times. O Lord! The hands of Thy well-favoured +servants are raised towards the heaven of Thy bounty and those of Thy +sincere lovers are lifted up to the sublime heights of Thy generosity. +Disappoint them not, I entreat Thee, in that which they seek from the +ocean of Thy favour and from the heaven of Thy grace and the day-star of +Thy bounty. Aid them, O Lord, to acquire such virtues as will exalt their +stations among the peoples of the world. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the +Mighty, the Most Generous. + +O people of God! Give ear unto that which, if heeded, will ensure the +freedom, well-being, tranquillity, exaltation and advancement of all men. +Certain laws and principles are necessary and indispensable for Persia. +However, it is fitting that these measures should be adopted in conformity +with the considered views of His Majesty—may God aid him through His +grace—and of the learned divines and of the high-ranking rulers. Subject +to their approval a place should be fixed where they would meet. There +they should hold fast to the cord of consultation and adopt and enforce +that which is conducive to the security, prosperity, wealth and +tranquillity of the people. For were any measure other than this to be +adopted, it could not but result in chaos and commotion. + +According to the fundamental laws which We have formerly revealed in the +Kitáb-i-Aqdas and other Tablets, all affairs are committed to the care of +just kings and presidents and of the Trustees of the House of Justice. +Having pondered on that which We have enunciated, every man of equity and +discernment will readily perceive, with his inner and outer eyes, the +splendours of the day-star of justice which radiate therefrom. + +The system of government which the British people have adopted in London +appeareth to be good, for it is adorned with the light of both kingship +and of the consultation of the people. + +In formulating the principles and laws a part hath been devoted to +penalties which form an effective instrument for the security and +protection of men. However, dread of the penalties maketh people desist +only outwardly from committing vile and contemptible deeds, while that +which guardeth and restraineth man both outwardly and inwardly hath been +and still is the fear of God. It is man’s true protector and his spiritual +guardian. It behoveth him to cleave tenaciously unto that which will lead +to the appearance of this supreme bounty. Well is it with him who giveth +ear unto whatsoever My Pen of Glory hath proclaimed and observeth that +whereunto he is bidden by the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. + +Incline your hearts, O people of God, unto the counsels of your true, your +incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose +roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent upon you +to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified +and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches +may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond. + +O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the +pre-eminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We +have, on the one hand, blotted out from the pages of God’s holy Book +whatsoever hath been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst +the children of men, and have, on the other, laid down the essential +prerequisites of concord, of understanding, of complete and enduring +unity. Well is it with them that keep My statutes. + +Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid, nay to flee +from, anything whatsoever from which the odour of mischief can be +detected. The world is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are +in a state of utter confusion. We entreat the Almighty that He may +graciously illuminate them with the glory of His Justice, and enable them +to discover that which will be profitable unto them at all times and under +all conditions. He, verily is the All-Possessing, the Most High. + +We have ere this uttered these sublime words: Let them that bear +allegiance to this Wronged One be even as a raining cloud in moments of +charity and benevolence and as a blazing fire in restraining their base +and appetitive natures. + +Gracious God! A thing hath recently happened which caused great +astonishment. It is reported that a certain person(24) went to the seat of +the imperial throne in Persia and succeeded in winning the good graces of +some of the nobility by his ingratiating behaviour. How pitiful indeed, +how deplorable! One wondereth why those who have been the symbols of +highest glory should now stoop to boundless shame. What is become of their +high resolve? Whither is gone the sense of dignity and honour? The sun of +glory and wisdom hath unceasingly been shining above the horizon of +Persia, but nowadays it hath sunk to such a low level that certain +dignitaries have allowed themselves to be treated as playthings in the +hands of the foolish. The aforesaid person hath written such things +concerning this people in the Egyptian press and in the Beirut +Encyclopedia that the well-informed and the learned were astonished. He +proceeded then to Paris where he published a newspaper entitled +Urvatu’l-Vuthqá [The Sure Handle] and sent copies thereof to all parts of +the world. He also sent a copy to the Prison of Akká, and by so doing he +meant to show affection and to make amends for his past actions. In short, +this Wronged One hath observed silence in regard to him. We entreat God, +the True One, to protect him and to shed upon him the light of justice and +fairness. It behoveth him to say: + +O God my God! Thou seest me standing before the door of Thy forgiveness +and benevolence, turning my gaze toward the horizon of Thy bountiful +favours and manifold blessings. I beg of Thee by Thy sweet accents and by +the shrill voice of Thy Pen, O Lord of all mankind, to graciously aid Thy +servants as it befitteth Thy days and beseemeth the glory of Thy +manifestation and Thy majesty. Verily potent art Thou to do whatsoever +Thou willest. All they that dwell in the heavens and on the earth bear +witness to Thy power and Thy might, to Thy glory and Thy bounteousness. +Praise be to Thee, O Lord of the worlds and the Well-Beloved of the heart +of every man of understanding! + +Thou beholdest, O my God, the essence of poverty seeking the ocean of Thy +wealth and the substance of iniquity yearning for the waters of Thy +forgiveness and Thy tender mercy. Grant Thou, O my God, that which +beseemeth Thy great glory and befitteth the loftiness of Thy boundless +grace. Thou art in truth the All-Bountiful, the Lord of grace abounding, +the Ordainer, the All-Wise. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, +the All-Compelling, the Omnipotent. + +O people of God! In this day everyone should fix his eyes upon the horizon +of these blessed words: ‘Alone and unaided He doeth whatsoever He +pleaseth.’ Whoso attaineth this station hath verily attained the light of +the essential unity of God and is enlightened thereby, while all others +are reckoned in the Book of God among the followers of idle fancy and vain +imagination. Incline your ears to the Voice of this Wronged One and +safeguard the integrity of your stations. It is highly necessary and +imperative that everyone should observe this matter. + +Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed +before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as +the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of +well-being, of prosperity and wealth. Neither have the wrongs inflicted by +the oppressors succeeded in silencing the shrill voice of the Most Exalted +Pen, nor have the doubts of the perverse or of the seditious been able to +hinder Him from revealing the Most Sublime Word. I earnestly beseech God +that He may protect and purge the people of Bahá from the idle fancies and +corrupt imaginings of the followers of the former Faith. + +O people of God! Righteous men of learning who dedicate themselves to the +guidance of others and are freed and well guarded from the promptings of a +base and covetous nature are, in the sight of Him Who is the Desire of the +world, stars of the heaven of true knowledge. It is essential to treat +them with deference. They are indeed fountains of soft-flowing water, +stars that shine resplendent, fruits of the blessed Tree, exponents of +celestial power, and oceans of heavenly wisdom. Happy is he that followeth +them. Verily such a soul is numbered in the Book of God, the Lord of the +mighty Throne, among those with whom it shall be well. + +The glory which proceedeth from God, the Lord of the Throne on High and of +the earth below, rest upon you, O people of Bahá, O ye the companions of +the Crimson Ark, and upon such as have inclined their ears to your sweet +voices and have observed that whereunto they are bidden in this mighty and +wondrous Tablet. + + + + + + ISHRÁQÁT (SPLENDOURS) + + +This is the Epistle of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting + +He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of wisdom and utterance. + +PRAISE be unto God, incomparable in majesty, power and beauty, peerless in +glory, might and grandeur; too high is He for human imaginations to +comprehend Him or for any peer or equal to be ascribed unto Him. He hath +clearly set forth His straight Path in words and utterances of highest +eloquence. Verily He is the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted. When He +purposed to call the new creation into being, He sent forth the Manifest +and Luminous Point from the horizon of His Will; it passed through every +sign and manifested itself in every form until it reached the zenith, as +bidden by God, the Lord of all men. + +This Point is the focal centre of the circle of Names and marketh the +culmination of the manifestations of Letters in the world of creation. +Through it have appeared indications of the impenetrable Mystery, the +adorned Symbol, He Who standeth revealed in the Most Great Name—a Name +which is recorded in the luminous Tablet and is inscribed in the holy, the +blessed, the snow-white Scroll. And when the Point was joined to the +second Letter(25) which appeareth in the beginning of the Mathání,(26) it +traversed the heavens of exposition and utterance. Then the eternal Light +of God shed its radiance, flared up in the midmost heart of the firmament +of testimony and produced two Luminaries. Glorified be the Merciful One, +unto Whom no allusion can be made, Whom no expression can define, nor any +assertion reveal, nor any evidence describe. He is in truth the Ordainer, +the All-Bountiful, both in the beginning and in the end. And He provided +for them protectors and defenders from among the hosts of power and might. +Verily, He is the Help in Peril, the Mighty, the Unconstrained. + +The preamble of this Epistle is being revealed twice, even as was the +Mathání(27) + +Praise be unto God Who hath manifested the Point, hath unfolded therefrom +the knowledge of all things, whether of the past or of the future—a Point +He hath chosen to be the Herald of His Name and the Harbinger of His Great +Revelation which hath caused the limbs of all mankind to quake and the +splendour of His light to shine forth above the horizon of the world. +Verily, this is the Point which God hath ordained to be an ocean of light +for the sincere among His servants and a flame of fire to the froward +amidst His creatures and the impious among His people—they who bartered +away the gift of God for unbelief, and the celestial food for hypocrisy, +and led their associates to a wretched abode. These are the people who +have manifested sedition throughout the world and have violated His +Covenant on the Day when the immortal Being mounted His throne and the +Crier raised His Voice from the haven of security and peace in the holy +Vale. + +O followers of the Bayán! Fear ye the All-Merciful. This is the One Who +hath been glorified by Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, and before Him by the +Spirit(28) and yet before Him by the One Who discoursed with God.(29) This +is the Point of the Bayán calling aloud before the Throne, saying: ‘By the +righteousness of God, ye have been created to glorify this Most Great +Announcement, this Perfect Way which lay hid within the souls of the +Prophets, which was treasured in the hearts of the chosen ones of God and +was written down by the glorious Pen of your Lord, the Possessor of +Names.’ + +Say: Die in your wrath, O malicious ones! Verily He Whose knowledge +nothing escapeth hath appeared. He Who hath caused the countenance of +divine knowledge to be wreathed in smiles is come. Through Him the kingdom +of utterance is embellished, every receptive soul hath set his face +towards the Lord of Revelations, everyone resting on his knees hath stood +up, and every indolent one hath rushed forth to attain the Sinai of +assurance. This is the Day that God hath ordained to be a blessing unto +the righteous, a retribution for the wicked, a bounty for the faithful and +a fury of His wrath for the faithless and the froward. Verily He hath been +made manifest, invested by God with invincible sovereignty. He hath +revealed that wherewith naught on the earth or in the heavens can compare. + +Fear ye the All-Merciful, O people of the Bayán, and commit not that which +the followers of the Qur’án have committed—they who in the daytime and in +the night season professed belief in the Faith of God, yet when the Lord +of all men did appear, turned aside from Him and pronounced so cruel a +sentence against Him that, on the Day of Return, the Mother Book sorely +bewailed His plight. Call ye to mind and ponder upon their deeds and +words, their stations and merits and the things they brought to pass when +He Who conversed on Sinai unloosed His tongue, when there was a blast on +the Trumpet, whereupon all that are in heaven and on earth swooned away +except such as are reckoned among the letters of affirmation. + +O people of the Bayán! Abandon your idle fancies and vain imaginings, then +with the eye of fairness look at the Dayspring of His Revelation and +consider the things He hath manifested, the words He hath divinely +revealed and the sufferings that have befallen Him at the hands of His +enemies. He is the One Who hath willingly accepted every manner of +tribulation for the proclamation of His Cause and the exaltation of His +Word. At one time He suffered imprisonment in the land of Tá (Ṭihrán), at +another in the land of Mím (Mázindarán), then once again in the former +land, for the sake of the Cause of God, the Maker of the heavens. In His +love for the Cause of God, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful, He was +subjected there to chains and fetters. + +O people of the Bayán! Have ye forgotten My exhortations, which My Pen +hath revealed and My tongue hath uttered? Have ye bartered away My +certitude in exchange for your idle fancies and My Way for your selfish +desires? Have ye cast away the precepts of God and His remembrance and +have ye forsaken His laws and ordinances? Fear ye God and abandon vain +imaginings to the begetters thereof and leave superstitions to the +devisers thereof and misgivings to the breeders thereof. Advance ye then +with radiant faces and stainless hearts towards the horizon above which +the Day-Star of certitude shineth resplendent at the bidding of God, the +Lord of Revelations. + +Praise be unto God Who hath made the Most Great Infallibility the shield +for the temple of His Cause in the realm of creation, and hath assigned +unto no one a share of this lofty and sublime station—a station which is a +vesture which the fingers of transcendent power have woven for His august +Self. It befitteth no one except Him Who is seated upon the mighty throne +of ‘He doeth what He pleaseth’. Whoso accepteth and recognizeth that which +is written down at this moment by the Pen of Glory is indeed reckoned in +the Book of God, the Lord of the beginning and the end, among the +exponents of divine unity, they that uphold the concept of the oneness of +God. + +When the stream of words reached this stage, the sweet savours of true +knowledge were shed abroad and the day-star of divine unity shone forth +above the horizon of His holy utterance. Blessed is he whom His Call hath +attracted to the summit of glory, who hath drawn nigh to the ultimate +Purpose, and who hath recognized through the shrill voice of My Pen of +Glory that which the Lord of this world and of the next hath willed. Whoso +faileth to quaff the choice wine which We have unsealed through the +potency of Our Name, the All-Compelling, shall be unable to discern the +splendours of the light of divine unity or to grasp the essential purpose +underlying the Scriptures of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the +sovereign Ruler of this world and of the world to come. Such a man shall +be accounted among the faithless in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the +All-Informed. + +O thou honoured enquirer!(30) We bear witness that thou didst firmly +adhere unto seemly patience during the days when the Pen was held back +from movement and the Tongue hesitated to set forth an explanation +regarding the wondrous sign, the Most Great Infallibility. Thou hast asked +this Wronged One to remove for thee its veils and coverings, to elucidate +its mystery and character, its state and position, its excellence, +sublimity and exaltation. By the life of God! Were We to unveil the pearls +of testimony which lie hid within the shells of the ocean of knowledge and +assurance or to let the beauties of divine mystery which are hidden within +the chambers of utterance in the Paradise of true understanding, step out +of their habitation, then from every direction violent commotion would +arise among the leaders of religion and thou wouldst witness the people of +God held fast in the teeth of such wolves as have denied God both in the +beginning and in the end. Therefore We restrained the Pen for a +considerable lapse of time in accordance with divine wisdom and for the +sake of protecting the faithful from those who have bartered away heavenly +blessings for disbelief and have chosen for their people the abode of +perdition.(31) + +O thou seeker who art gifted with keen insight. I swear by Him Who +attracted the Concourse on High through the potency of His most sublime +Word! Verily, the birds abiding within the domains of My Kingdom and the +doves dwelling in the rose-garden of My wisdom utter such melodies and +warblings as are inscrutable to all but God, the Lord of the kingdoms of +earth and heaven; and were these melodies to be revealed even to an extent +smaller than a needle’s eye, the people of tyranny would utter such +calumnies as none among former generations hath ever uttered, and would +commit such deeds as no one in past ages and centuries hath ever +committed. They have rejected the bounty of God and His proofs and have +repudiated the testimony of God and His signs. They have gone astray and +have caused the people to go astray, yet perceive it not. They worship +vain imaginings but know it not. They have taken idle fancies for their +lords and have neglected God, yet understand not. They have abandoned the +most great Ocean and are hastening towards the pool, but comprehend not. +They follow their own idle fancies while turning aside from God, the Help +in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. + +Say, by the righteousness of God! The All-Merciful is come invested with +power and sovereignty. Through His power the foundations of religions have +quaked and the Nightingale of Utterance hath warbled its melody upon the +highest branch of true understanding. Verily, He Who was hidden in the +knowledge of God and is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures hath appeared. +Say, this is the Day when the Speaker on Sinai hath mounted the throne of +Revelation and the people have stood before the Lord of the worlds. This +is the Day wherein the earth hath told out her tidings and hath laid bare +her treasures; when the oceans have brought forth their pearls and the +divine Lote-Tree its fruit; when the Sun hath shed its radiance and the +Moons have diffused their lights, and the Heavens have revealed their +stars, and the Hour its signs, and the Resurrection its dreadful majesty; +when the pens have unloosed their outpourings and the spirits have laid +bare their mysteries. Blessed is the man who recognizeth Him and attaineth +His presence, and woe betide such as deny Him and turn aside from Him. I +beseech God to aid His servants to return unto Him. Verily He is the +Pardoner, the Forgiving, the Merciful. + +O thou who hast set thy face towards the Realm on High and hast quaffed My +sealed wine from the hand of bounteousness! Know thou that the term +‘Infallibility’ hath numerous meanings and divers stations. In one sense +it is applicable to the One Whom God hath made immune from error. +Similarly it is applied to every soul whom God hath guarded against sin, +transgression, rebellion, impiety, disbelief and the like. However, the +Most Great Infallibility is confined to the One Whose station is +immeasurably exalted beyond ordinances or prohibitions and is sanctified +from errors and omissions. Indeed He is a Light which is not followed by +darkness and a Truth not overtaken by error. Were He to pronounce water to +be wine or heaven to be earth or light to be fire, He speaketh the truth +and no doubt would there be about it; and unto no one is given the right +to question His authority or to say why or wherefore. Whosoever raiseth +objections will be numbered with the froward in the Book of God, the Lord +of the worlds. ‘Verily He shall not be asked of His doings but all others +shall be asked of their doings.’(32) He is come from the invisible heaven, +bearing the banner ‘He doeth whatsoever He willeth’ and is accompanied by +hosts of power and authority while it is the duty of all besides Him to +strictly observe whatever laws and ordinances have been enjoined upon +them, and should anyone deviate therefrom, even to the extent of a hair’s +breadth, his work would be brought to naught. + +Consider thou and call to mind the time when Muḥammad appeared. He said, +and His word is the truth: ‘Pilgrimage to the House(33) is a service due +to God.’(34) And likewise are the daily prayer, fasting, and the laws +which shone forth above the horizon of the Book of God, the Lord of the +World and the true Educator of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. It +is incumbent upon everyone to obey Him in whatsoever God hath ordained; +and whosoever denieth Him hath disbelieved in God, in His verses, in His +Messengers and in His Books. Were He to pronounce right to be wrong or +denial to be belief, He speaketh the truth as bidden by God. This is a +station wherein sins or trespasses neither exist nor are mentioned. +Consider thou the blessed, the divinely-revealed verse in which pilgrimage +to the House is enjoined upon everyone. It devolved upon those invested +with authority after Him(35) to observe whatever had been prescribed unto +them in the Book. Unto no one is given the right to deviate from the laws +and ordinances of God. Whoso deviateth therefrom is reckoned with the +trespassers in the Book of God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. + +O thou who hast fixed thy gaze upon the Dawning-Place of the Cause of God! +Know thou for a certainty that the Will of God is not limited by the +standards of the people, and God doth not tread in their ways. Rather is +it incumbent upon everyone to firmly adhere to God’s straight Path. Were +He to pronounce the right to be the left or the south to be the north, He +speaketh the truth and there is no doubt of it. Verily He is to be praised +in His acts and to be obeyed in His behests. He hath no associate in His +judgement nor any helper in His sovereignty. He doeth whatsoever He +willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth. Know thou moreover that all +else besides Him have been created through the potency of a word from His +presence, while of themselves they have no motion nor stillness, except at +His bidding and by His leave. + +O thou who soarest in the atmosphere of love and fellowship and hast fixed +thy gaze upon the light of the countenance of thy Lord, the King of +creation! Render thanks unto God, inasmuch as He hath unravelled for thee +that which was hidden and enshrined in His knowledge so that everyone may +become aware that within His realm of supreme infallibility He hath not +taken a partner nor a counsellor unto Himself. He is in truth the +Dayspring of divine precepts and commandments and the Fountainhead of +knowledge and wisdom, while all else besides Him are but His subjects and +under His rule, and He is the supreme Ruler, the Ordainer, the +All-Knowing, the All-Informed. + +As to thyself, whenever thou art enraptured by the vitalizing breaths of +the revealed verses and art carried away by the pure, life-giving water +proffered by the hand of the bounty of thy Lord, the sovereign Ruler of +the Day of Resurrection, lift up thy voice and say: + +O my God! O my God! I yield Thee thanks that Thou hast directed me towards +Thyself, hast guided me unto Thy horizon, hast clearly set forth for me +Thy Path, hast revealed to me Thy testimony and enabled me to set my face +towards Thee, while most of the doctors and divines among Thy servants +together with such as follow them have, without the least proof or +evidence from Thee, turned away from Thee. Blessing be unto Thee, O Lord +of Names, and glory be unto Thee, O Creator of the heavens, inasmuch as +Thou hast, through the power of Thy Name, the Self-Subsisting, given me to +drink of Thy sealed wine, hast caused me to draw nigh unto Thee and hast +enabled me to recognize the Dayspring of Thine utterance, the +Manifestation of Thy signs, the Fountainhead of Thy laws and commandments +and the Source of Thy wisdom and bestowals. Blessed is the land that hath +been ennobled by Thy footsteps, wherein the throne of Thy sovereignty is +established and the fragrance of Thy raiment is diffused. By Thy glory and +majesty, by Thy might and power, I desire not my sight save to behold Thy +beauty, nor my hearing save to hearken to Thy call and Thy verses. + +O my God! O my God! Debar not the eyes from that for which Thou hast +created them, nor the faces from turning to Thy horizon, or from paying +homage at the portals of Thy majesty, or from appearing in the presence of +Thy throne, or from bowing down before the splendours of the Day-Star of +Thy bounty. + +I am the one, O Lord, whose heart and soul, whose limbs, whose inner and +outer tongue testify to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and bear witness that +Thou art God and that there is no God but Thee. Thou didst bring mankind +into being to know Thee and to serve Thy Cause, that their station might +thereby be elevated upon Thine earth and their souls be uplifted by virtue +of the things Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures, Thy Books and Thy +Tablets. Yet no sooner didst Thou manifest Thyself and reveal Thy signs +than they turned away from Thee and repudiated Thee and rejected that +which Thou didst unveil before their eyes through the potency of Thy might +and Thy power. They rose up to inflict harm upon Thee, to extinguish Thy +light and to put out the flame that blazeth in Thy Burning Bush. Their +iniquity waxed so grievous that they conspired to shed Thy blood and to +violate Thy honour. And likewise acted he(36) whom Thou hadst nurtured +with the hand of Thy loving-kindness, hadst protected from the mischief of +the rebellious among Thy creatures and the froward amidst Thy servants, +and whom Thou hadst set the task of writing Thy holy verses before Thy +throne. + +Alas! Alas! for the things he perpetrated in Thy days to such an extent +that he violated Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, rejected Thy holy Writ, +rose up in rebellion and committed that which caused the denizens of Thy +Kingdom to lament. Then no sooner had he found his hopes shattered and had +perceived the odour of utter failure than he raised his voice and gave +tongue to that which caused Thy chosen ones, who are nigh unto Thee, and +the inmates of the pavilion of glory, to be lost in bewilderment. + +Thou seest me, O my God, writhing in anguish upon the dust, like unto a +fish. Deliver me, have mercy upon me, O Thou Whose aid is invoked by all +men, O Thou within Whose grasp lie the reins of power over all men and +women. Whenever I ponder my grievous shortcomings and my great trespasses, +despair assaileth me from every direction, and whenever I pause to +meditate upon the ocean of Thy bounteousness and the heaven of Thy grace +and the day-star of Thy tender compassion, I inhale the fragrance of hope +diffused from right and left, from north and south, as if every created +thing imparteth unto me the joyous tidings that the clouds of the heaven +of Thy mercy will pour down their rain upon me. By Thy might, O Thou Who +art the Mainstay of the sincere ones and the Desire of them that enjoy +near access unto Thee! Thy manifold favours and blessings and the +revelations of Thy grace and loving-kindness have truly emboldened me. +How, otherwise, can utter nothingness magnify the Name of Him Who hath, by +a word, brought creation into being, and how can an evanescent creature +extol Him Who hath demonstrated that no description can ever express Him +and no word of praise magnify His glory? He hath from everlasting been +immeasurably exalted above the understanding of His creatures and +sanctified from the conceptions of His servants. + +O Lord! Thou beholdest this lifeless one before Thy face; suffer him, +through Thy generosity and bountiful favour, not to be deprived of the +chalice of immortal life. And Thou seest this afflicted one standing +before Thy throne; turn him not away from the ocean of Thy healing. I +entreat Thee to enable me at all times and under all conditions to +remember Thee, to magnify Thy Name and to serve Thy Cause, though I am +well aware that whatever proceedeth from a servant cannot transcend the +limitations of his soul, nor beseem Thy Lordship, nor be worthy of the +court of Thy glory and Thy majesty. + +Thy might beareth me witness! Were it not to celebrate Thy praise, my +tongue would be of no use to me, and were it not for the sake of rendering +service to Thee, my existence would avail me not. But for the pleasure of +beholding the splendours of Thy realm of glory, why should I cherish +sight? And but for the joy of giving ear to Thy most sweet voice, of what +use is hearing? + +Alas! Alas! I know not, O my God, my Mainstay, my heart’s Desire, whether +Thou hast ordained for me that which shall bring solace to mine eyes, +gladden my bosom and rejoice my heart, or whether Thine irrevocable +decree, O King of eternity and the sovereign Lord of all nations, will +debar me from presenting myself before Thy throne. I swear by Thy glory +and majesty and by Thy dominion and power, the darkness of my remoteness +from Thee hath destroyed me. What hath become of the light of Thy +nearness, O Desire of every understanding heart? The tormenting agony of +separation from Thee hath consumed me. Where is the effulgent light of Thy +reunion, O Well-Beloved of such as are wholly devoted to Thee? + +Thou seest, O my God, what hath befallen me in Thy Path at the hand of +those who have denied Thy Truth, have violated Thy Covenant, cavilled at +Thy signs, rejected the blessings Thou didst vouchsafe, disbelieved the +verses Thou didst send down and have refused to acknowledge the testimony +Thou didst fulfil. + +O Lord! The tongue of my tongue and the heart of my heart and the spirit +of my spirit and my outward and inmost beings bear witness to Thy unity +and Thy oneness, Thy power and Thine omnipotence, Thy grandeur and Thy +sovereignty, and attest Thy glory, loftiness and authority. I testify that +Thou art God and that there is none other God besides Thee. From +everlasting Thou hast been a treasure hidden from the sight and minds of +men and shalt continue to remain the same for ever and ever. The powers of +earth can never frustrate Thee, nor can the might of the nations alarm +Thee. Thou art the One Who hath unlocked the door of knowledge before the +faces of Thy servants that they may recognize Him Who is the Day-Star of +Thy Revelation, the Dawning-Place of Thy signs, the Heaven of Thy +manifestation and the Sun of Thy divine beauty. In Thy holy Books, in Thy +Scriptures and Thy Scrolls Thou hast promised all the peoples of the world +that Thou Thyself shalt appear and shalt remove the veils of glory from +Thy face, even as Thou didst announce in Thy words unto Thy Friend(37) +through Whom the Day-Star of Revelation shone brightly above the horizon +of Ḥijáz, and the dawning light of divine Truth shed its radiance among +all men, proclaiming: ‘The Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of +the worlds.’(38) And before Muḥammad Thou didst impart this glad-tiding +unto Him Who conversed with Thee,(39) saying: ‘Bring forth thy people from +the darkness into the light and remind them of the days of God.’(40) +Moreover Thou didst proclaim this truth unto the Spirit(41) and unto Thy +Prophets and Thy Messengers, whether of the remote or more recent past. If +all that which Thou hast sent down in glorification of this Most Great +Remembrance, this Great Announcement, were to stream forth from the +wellspring of Thy most august Pen, the inmates of the cities of knowledge +and understanding would be dumbfounded, except such as Thou wouldst +deliver through the potency of Thy might and wouldst protect as a token of +Thy bountiful favour and Thy grace. I bear witness that Thou hast in truth +fulfilled Thy pledge and hast made manifest the One Whose advent was +foretold by Thy Prophets, Thy chosen ones and by them that serve Thee. He +hath come from the heaven of glory and power, bearing the banners of Thy +signs and the standards of Thy testimonies. Through the potency of Thine +indomitable power and strength, He stood up before the faces of all men +and summoned all mankind to the summit of transcendent glory and unto the +all-highest Horizon, in such wise that neither the oppression of the +ecclesiastics nor the onslaught of the rulers was able to deter Him. He +arose with inflexible resolve and, unloosing His tongue, proclaimed in +ringing tones: ‘He Who is the All-Bountiful is come, riding aloft on the +clouds. Advance, O people of the earth, with shining faces and radiant +hearts!’ + +Great indeed is the blessedness of him who attaineth Thy presence, +drinketh the wine of reunion proffered by the hand of Thy bounteousness, +inhaleth the fragrance of Thy signs, unlooseth his tongue in celebrating +Thy praise, soareth high in Thy heavens, is carried away by the sweetness +of Thy Voice, gaineth admittance into the most exalted Paradise and +attaineth the station of revelation and vision before the throne of Thy +majesty. + +I beg of Thee by the Most Great Infallibility which Thou hast chosen to be +the dayspring of Thy Revelation, and by Thy most sublime Word through +whose potency Thou didst call the creation into being and didst reveal Thy +Cause, and by this Name which hath caused all other names to groan aloud +and the limbs of the sages to quake, I beg of Thee to make me detached +from all else save Thee, in such wise that I may move not but in +conformity with the good-pleasure of Thy Will, and speak not except at the +bidding of Thy Purpose, and hear naught save the words of Thy praise and +Thy glorification. + +I magnify Thy Name, O my God, and offer thanksgiving unto Thee, O my +Desire, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled me to clearly perceive Thy straight +Path, hast unveiled Thy Great Announcement before mine eyes and hast aided +me to set my face towards the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and the +Fountainhead of Thy Cause, whilst Thy servants and Thy people turned away +from Thee. I entreat Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of eternity, by the +shrill voice of the Pen of Glory, and by the Burning Fire which calleth +aloud from the verdant Tree, and by the Ark which Thou hast specially +chosen for the people of Bahá, to grant that I may remain steadfast in my +love for Thee, be well pleased with whatsoever Thou hast prescribed for me +in Thy Book and may stand firm in Thy service and in the service of Thy +loved ones. Graciously assist then Thy servants, O my God, to do that +which will serve to exalt Thy Cause and will enable them to observe +whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Book. + +Verily Thou art the Lord of Strength, Thou art potent to ordain whatsoever +Thou willest and within Thy grasp Thou holdest the reins of all created +things. No God is there but Thee, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the +All-Wise. + +O Jalíl! We have unveiled to thine eyes the sea and the waves thereof, the +sun and the radiance thereof, the heavens and the stars thereof, the +shells and the pearls thereof. Render thou thanks unto God for so great a +bounty, so gracious a favour that hath pervaded the whole world. + +O thou who hast set thy face towards the splendours of My Countenance! +Vague fancies have encompassed the dwellers of the earth and debarred them +from turning towards the Horizon of Certitude, and its brightness, and its +manifestations and its lights. Vain imaginings have withheld them from Him +Who is the Self-Subsisting. They speak as prompted by their own caprices, +and understand not. Among them are those who have said: ‘Have the verses +been sent down?’ Say ‘Yea, by Him Who is the Lord of the heavens!’ ‘Hath +the Hour come?’ ‘Nay, more; it hath passed, by Him Who is the Revealer of +clear tokens! Verily, the Inevitable is come, and He, the True One, hath +appeared with proof and testimony. The Plain is disclosed, and mankind is +sore vexed and fearful. Earthquakes have broken loose, and the tribes have +lamented, for fear of God, the Lord of Strength, the All-Compelling.’ Say: +‘The stunning trumpet-blast hath been loudly raised, and the Day is God’s, +the One, the Unconstrained.’ And they say: ‘Hath the Catastrophe come to +pass?’ Say: ‘Yea, by the Lord of Lords!’ ‘Is the Resurrection come?’ ‘Nay, +more; He Who is the Self-Subsisting hath appeared with the Kingdom of His +signs.’ ‘Seest thou men laid low?’ ‘Yea, by my Lord, the Most High, the +Most Glorious!’ ‘Have the tree-stumps been uprooted?’ ‘Yea, more; the +mountains have been scattered in dust; by Him the Lord of attributes!’ +They say: ‘Where is Paradise, and where is Hell?’ Say: ‘The one is reunion +with Me; the other thine own self, O thou who dost associate a partner +with God and doubtest.’ They say: ‘We see not the Balance.’ Say: ‘Surely, +by my Lord, the God of Mercy! None can see it except such as are endued +with insight.’ They say: ‘Have the stars fallen?’ Say: ‘Yea, when He Who +is the Self-Subsisting dwelt in the Land of Mystery.(42) Take heed, ye who +are endued with discernment!’ All the signs appeared when We drew forth +the Hand of Power from the bosom of majesty and might. Verily, the Crier +hath cried out, when the promised time came, and they that have recognized +the splendours of Sinai have swooned away in the wilderness of hesitation, +before the awful majesty of thy Lord, the Lord of creation. The trumpet +asketh: ‘Hath the Bugle been sounded?’ Say: ‘Yea, by the King of +Revelation! when He mounted the throne of His Name, the All-Merciful.’ +Darkness hath been chased away by the dawning light of the mercy of thy +Lord, the Source of all light. The breeze of the All-Merciful hath wafted, +and the souls have been quickened in the tombs of their bodies. Thus hath +the decree been fulfilled by God, the Mighty, the Beneficent. They who +reject the truth have said: ‘When were the heavens cleft asunder?’ Say: +‘While ye lay in the graves of waywardness and error.’ Among the faithless +is he who rubbeth his eyes, and looketh to the right and to the left. Say: +‘Blinded art thou. No refuge hast thou to flee to.’ And among them is he +who saith: ‘Have men been gathered together?’ Say: ‘Yea, by My Lord! +whilst thou didst lie in the cradle of idle fancies.’ And among them is he +who saith: ‘Hath the Book been sent down through the power of the true +Faith?’ Say: ‘The true Faith itself is astounded. Fear ye, O ye men of +understanding heart!’ And among them is he who saith: ‘Have I been +assembled with others, blind?’ Say: ‘Yea, by Him that rideth upon the +clouds!’ Paradise is decked with mystic roses, and hell hath been made to +blaze with the fire of the impious. Say: ‘The light hath shone forth from +the horizon of Revelation, and the whole earth hath been illumined at the +coming of Him Who is the Lord of the Day of the Covenant!’ The doubters +have perished, whilst he that turned, guided by the light of assurance, +unto the Dayspring of Certitude hath prospered. Blessed art thou, who hast +fixed thy gaze upon Me, for this Tablet which hath been sent down for +thee—a Tablet which causeth the souls of men to soar. Commit it to memory, +and recite it. By My life! It is a door to the mercy of thy Lord. Well is +it with him that reciteth it at eventide and at dawn. We, verily, heard +thy praise of this Cause, through which the mountain of knowledge was +crushed, and men’s feet have slipped. My glory be upon thee and upon +whomsoever hath turned unto the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. The Tablet is +ended, but the theme is unexhausted. Be patient, for thy Lord is patient. + +These are verses We sent down previously, and We have sent them unto thee, +that thou mayest be acquainted with what their lying tongues have spoken, +when God came unto them with might and sovereignty. The foundations of +idle fancies have trembled, and the heaven of vain imaginings hath been +cleft asunder, and yet the people are in doubt and in contention with Him. +They have denied the testimony of God and His proof, after He came from +the heaven of power with the kingdom of His signs. They have cast away +what had been prescribed, and perpetrated what had been forbidden them in +the Book. They have abandoned their God, and clung unto their desires. +They truly have strayed and are in error. They read the verses and deny +them. They behold the clear tokens and turn aside. They truly are lost in +strange doubt. + +We have admonished Our loved ones to fear God, a fear which is the +fountainhead of all goodly deeds and virtues. It is the commander of the +hosts of justice in the city of Bahá. Happy the man that hath entered the +shadow of its luminous standard, and laid fast hold thereon. He, verily, +is of the Companions of the Crimson Ark, which hath been mentioned in the +Qayyúm-i-Asmá. + +Say: O people of God! Adorn your temples with the adornment of +trustworthiness and piety. Help, then, your Lord with the hosts of goodly +deeds and a praiseworthy character. We have forbidden you dissension and +conflict in My Books, and My Scriptures, and My Scrolls, and My Tablets, +and have wished thereby naught else save your exaltation and advancement. +Unto this testify the heavens and the stars thereof, and the sun and the +radiance thereof, and the trees and the leaves thereof, and the seas and +the waves thereof, and the earth and the treasures thereof. We pray God to +assist His loved ones, and aid them in that which beseemeth them in this +blest, this mighty, and wondrous station. Moreover We beseech Him to +graciously enable those who surround Me to observe that which My Pen of +Glory hath enjoined upon them. + +O Jalíl! Upon thee be My glory and My loving providence. Verily We have +enjoined the people to do what is meet and seemly and yet they have +committed such things as have caused My heart and My Pen to lament. +Incline thine ear to that which is sent down from the heaven of My Will +and the realm of My good-pleasure. I sorrow not for My captivity, nor for +the things that have befallen Me at the hand of Mine enemies. Nay, My +sorrows are occasioned by those who claim to be related to Me and yet +commit that which causeth the voice of My lamentations to be lifted up and +My tears to flow. We have exhorted them at length in various Tablets and +beseech God to graciously assist them, to enable them to draw nigh unto +Him and to confirm them in that which would bring peace to the hearts and +tranquillity to the souls and would stay their hands from whatsoever +ill-beseemeth His days. + +Say, O My loved ones in My lands! Give ye ear unto the counsels of Him Who +admonisheth you for the sake of God. He hath in truth created you, hath +revealed before your eyes that which exalteth you and promoteth your +interests. He hath made known unto you His straight Path and hath +acquainted you with His Great Announcement. + +O Jalíl! Admonish men to fear God. By God! This fear is the chief +commander of the army of thy Lord. Its hosts are a praiseworthy character +and goodly deeds. Through it have the cities of men’s hearts been opened +throughout the ages and centuries, and the standards of ascendancy and +triumph raised above all other standards. + +We will now mention unto thee Trustworthiness and the station thereof in +the estimation of God, thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. One day of +days We repaired unto Our Green Island. Upon Our arrival, We beheld its +streams flowing, and its trees luxuriant, and the sunlight playing in +their midst. Turning Our face to the right, We beheld what the pen is +powerless to describe; nor can it set forth that which the eye of the Lord +of Mankind witnessed in that most sanctified, that most sublime, that +blest, and most exalted Spot. Turning, then, to the left We gazed on one +of the Beauties of the Most Sublime Paradise, standing on a pillar of +light, and calling aloud saying: ‘O inmates of earth and heaven! Behold ye +My beauty, and My radiance, and My revelation, and My effulgence. By God, +the True One! I am Trustworthiness and the revelation thereof, and the +beauty thereof. I will recompense whosoever will cleave unto Me, and +recognize My rank and station, and hold fast unto My hem. I am the most +great ornament of the people of Bahá, and the vesture of glory unto all +who are in the kingdom of creation. I am the supreme instrument for the +prosperity of the world, and the horizon of assurance unto all beings.’ +Thus have We sent down for thee that which will draw men nigh unto the +Lord of creation. + +The Pen of the Most High turneth from the eloquent language(43) to the +luminous one(44) that thou, O Jalíl, mayest appreciate the tender mercy of +thy Lord, the Incomparable One and mayest be of them that are truly +grateful. + +O thou who hast fixed thy gaze upon the all-glorious Horizon! The Call is +raised but hearing ears are numbered, nay non-existent. This Wronged One +findeth himself in the maw of the serpent, yet He faileth not to make +mention of the loved ones of God. So grievous have been Our sufferings in +these days that the Concourse on High are moved to tears and to +lamentation. Neither the adversities of the world nor the harm inflicted +by its nations could deter Him Who is the King of Eternity from voicing +His summons or frustrate His purpose. When those who had for years been +hiding behind the veils perceived that the horizon of the Cause was +resplendent and that the Word of God was all-pervasive, they rushed forth +and with swords of malice inflicted such harm as no pen can portray nor +any tongue describe. + +They that judge with fairness testify that since the early days of the +Cause this Wronged One hath arisen, unveiled and resplendent, before the +faces of kings and commoners, before the rulers and the divines, and hath, +in ringing tones, summoned all men unto the straight Path. He hath had no +helper save His Pen, nor any succourer other than Himself. + +Those who are ignorant or heedless of the motivating purpose of the Cause +of God have rebelled against Him. Such men are the foreboders of evil, +whom God hath mentioned in His Book and Tablets and against whose +influence, clamour and deception He hath warned His people. Well is it +with those who, in the face of the remembrance of the Lord of Eternity, +regard the peoples of the world as utter nothingness, as a thing +forgotten, and hold fast to the firm handle of God in such wise that +neither doubts nor insinuations, nor swords, nor cannon could hold them +back or deprive them of His presence. Blessed are the steadfast; blessed +are they that stand firm in His Faith. + +In response to thy request the Pen of Glory hath graciously described the +stations and grades of the Most Great Infallibility. The purpose is that +all should know of a certainty that the Seal of the Prophets(45)—may the +souls of all else but Him be offered up for His sake—is without likeness, +peer or partner in His Own station. The Holy Ones(46)—may the blessings of +God be upon them—were created through the potency of His Word, and after +Him they were the most learned and the most distinguished among the people +and abide in the utmost station of servitude. The divine Essence, +sanctified from every comparison and likeness, is established in the +Prophet, and God’s inmost Reality, exalted above any peer or partner, is +manifest in Him. This is the station of true unity and of veritable +singleness. The followers of the previous Dispensation grievously failed +to acquire an adequate understanding of this station. The Primal +Point(47)—may the life of all else but Him be offered up for His +sake—saith: ‘If the Seal of the Prophets had not uttered the word +“Successorship”, such a station would not have been created.’ + +The people aforetime joined partners with God, though they professed +belief in His unity; and although they were the most ignorant amongst men, +they considered themselves the most accomplished. But, as a token of +divine retribution upon those heedless ones, their erroneous beliefs and +pursuits have, in this Day of Judgement, been made clear and evident to +every man of discernment and understanding. + +Beseech thou God, the True One, that He may graciously shield the +followers of this Revelation from the idle fancies and corrupt imaginings +of such as belong to the former Faith, and may not deprive them of the +effulgent splendours of the day-star of true unity. + +O Jalíl! He Whom the world hath wronged now proclaimeth: The light of +Justice is dimmed, and the sun of Equity veiled from sight. The robber +occupieth the seat of the protector and guard, and the position of the +faithful is seized by the traitor. A year ago an oppressor ruled over this +city, and at every instant caused fresh harm. By the righteousness of the +Lord! He wrought that which cast terror into the hearts of men. But to the +Pen of Glory the tyranny of the world hath never been nor will it ever be +a hindrance. In the abundance of Our grace and loving-kindness We have +revealed specially for the rulers and ministers of the world that which is +conducive to safety and protection, tranquillity and peace; haply the +children of men may rest secure from the evils of oppression. He, verily, +is the Protector, the Helper, the Giver of victory. It is incumbent upon +the men of God’s House of Justice to fix their gaze by day and by night +upon that which hath shone forth from the Pen of Glory for the training of +peoples, the upbuilding of nations, the protection of man and the +safeguarding of his honour. + +The first Ishráq + +When the Day-Star of Wisdom rose above the horizon of God’s Holy +Dispensation it voiced this all-glorious utterance: They that are +possessed of wealth and invested with authority and power must show the +profoundest regard for religion. In truth, religion is a radiant light and +an impregnable stronghold for the protection and welfare of the peoples of +the world, for the fear of God impelleth man to hold fast to that which is +good, and shun all evil. Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos +and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness and justice, of +tranquillity and peace cease to shine. Unto this will bear witness every +man of true understanding. + +The second Ishráq + +We have enjoined upon all mankind to establish the Most Great Peace—the +surest of all means for the protection of humanity. The sovereigns of the +world should, with one accord, hold fast thereunto, for this is the +supreme instrument that can ensure the security and welfare of all peoples +and nations. They, verily, are the manifestations of the power of God and +the daysprings of His authority. We beseech the Almighty that He may +graciously assist them in that which is conducive to the well-being of +their subjects. A full explanation regarding this matter hath been +previously set forth by the Pen of Glory; well is it with them that act +accordingly. + +The third Ishráq + +It is incumbent upon everyone to observe God’s holy commandments, inasmuch +as they are the wellspring of life unto the world. The heaven of divine +wisdom is illumined with the two luminaries of consultation and compassion +and the canopy of world order is upraised upon the two pillars of reward +and punishment. + +The fourth Ishráq + +In this Revelation the hosts that can render it victorious are the hosts +of praiseworthy deeds and upright character. The leader and commander of +these hosts hath ever been the fear of God, a fear that encompasseth all +things and reigneth over all things. + +The fifth Ishráq + +Governments should fully acquaint themselves with the conditions of those +they govern, and confer upon them positions according to desert and merit. +It is enjoined upon every ruler and sovereign to consider this matter with +the utmost care that the traitor may not usurp the position of the +faithful, nor the despoiler rule in the place of the trustworthy. Among +the officials who in the past have governed in this Most Great Prison +some, praise be to God, were adorned with justice, but as to others, We +take refuge with God. We beseech the One true God to guide them one and +all, that haply they may not be deprived of the fruit of faith and +trustworthiness, nor be withheld from the light of equity and justice. + +The sixth Ishráq is union and concord amongst the children of men. From +the beginning of time the light of unity hath shed its divine radiance +upon the world, and the greatest means for the promotion of that unity is +for the peoples of the world to understand one another’s writing and +speech. In former Epistles We have enjoined upon the Trustees of the House +of Justice either to choose one language from among those now existing or +to adopt a new one, and in like manner to select a common script, both of +which should be taught in all the schools of the world. Thus will the +earth be regarded as one country and one home. The most glorious fruit of +the tree of knowledge is this exalted word: Of one tree are all ye the +fruit, and of one bough the leaves. Let not man glory in this that he +loveth his country, let him rather glory in this that he loveth his kind. +Concerning this We have previously revealed that which is the means of the +reconstruction of the world and the unity of nations. Blessed are they +that attain thereunto. Blessed are they that act accordingly. + +The seventh Ishráq + +The Pen of Glory counselleth everyone regarding the instruction and +education of children. Behold that which the Will of God hath revealed +upon Our arrival in the Prison City and recorded in the Most Holy +Book.(48) Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son +and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been +laid down in the Holy Tablet. He that putteth away that which is commanded +unto him, the Trustees are then to take from him that which is required +for their instruction, if he be wealthy, and if not the matter devolveth +upon the House of Justice. Verily, have We made it a shelter for the poor +and needy. He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as +though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My Glory, My +Loving-Kindness, My Mercy, that have compassed the world. + +The eighth Ishráq + +This passage, now written by the Pen of Glory, is accounted as part of the +Most Holy Book: The men of God’s House of Justice have been charged with +the affairs of the people. They, in truth, are the Trustees of God among +His servants and the daysprings of authority in His countries. + +O people of God! That which traineth the world is Justice, for it is +upheld by two pillars, reward and punishment. These two pillars are the +sources of life to the world. Inasmuch as for each day there is a new +problem and for every problem an expedient solution, such affairs should +be referred to the House of Justice that the members thereof may act +according to the needs and requirements of the time. They that, for the +sake of God, arise to serve His Cause, are the recipients of divine +inspiration from the unseen Kingdom. It is incumbent upon all to be +obedient unto them. All matters of State should be referred to the House +of Justice, but acts of worship must be observed according to that which +God hath revealed in His Book. + +O people of Bahá! Ye are the dawning-places of the love of God and the +daysprings of His loving-kindness. Defile not your tongues with the +cursing and reviling of any soul, and guard your eyes against that which +is not seemly. Set forth that which ye possess. If it be favourably +received, your end is attained; if not, to protest is vain. Leave that +soul to himself and turn unto the Lord, the Protector, the +Self-Subsisting. Be not the cause of grief, much less of discord and +strife. The hope is cherished that ye may obtain true education in the +shelter of the tree of His tender mercies and act in accordance with that +which God desireth. Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the drops of one +ocean. + +The ninth Ishráq + +The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God’s holy Will is +to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world; make it +not the cause of dissension and strife. The religion of God and His divine +law are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means for the +dawning of the light of unity amongst men. The progress of the world, the +development of nations, the tranquillity of peoples, and the peace of all +who dwell on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God. +Religion bestoweth upon man the most precious of all gifts, offereth the +cup of prosperity, imparteth eternal life, and showereth imperishable +benefits upon mankind. It behoveth the chiefs and rulers of the world, and +in particular the Trustees of God’s House of Justice, to endeavour to the +utmost of their power to safeguard its position, promote its interests and +exalt its station in the eyes of the world. In like manner it is incumbent +upon them to enquire into the conditions of their subjects and to acquaint +themselves with the affairs and activities of the divers communities in +their dominions. We call upon the manifestations of the power of God—the +sovereigns and rulers on earth—to bestir themselves and do all in their +power that haply they may banish discord from this world and illumine it +with the light of concord. + +It is incumbent upon everyone to firmly adhere to and observe that which +hath streamed forth from Our Most Exalted Pen. God, the True One, beareth +Me witness, and every atom in existence is moved to testify that such +means as lead to the elevation, the advancement, the education, the +protection and the regeneration of the peoples of the earth have been +clearly set forth by Us and are revealed in the Holy Books and Tablets by +the Pen of Glory. + +We entreat God to graciously aid His servants. What this Wronged One doth +expect from everyone is justice and fairness. Let no one be content with +mere hearing; rather doth it behove everyone to ponder that which this +Wronged One hath revealed. I swear by the Day-Star of utterance, shining +above the horizon of the Kingdom of the All-Merciful, had there been any +expounder or speaker discernible, We would not have made Ourself the +object of the censure, ridicule and slander of the people. + +Upon Our arrival in ‘Iráq We found the Cause of God sunk in deep apathy +and the breeze of divine revelation stilled. Most of the believers were +faint and dispirited, nay utterly lost and dead. Hence there was a second +blast on the Trumpet, whereupon the Tongue of Grandeur uttered these +blessed words: ‘We have sounded the Trumpet for the second time.’ Thus the +whole world was quickened through the vitalizing breaths of divine +revelation and inspiration. + +Certain souls have now sallied forth from behind the veils, intent on +inflicting harm upon this Wronged One. They have hindered and denied the +outpouring of this priceless bounty. + +O ye that judge with fairness! If this Cause is to be denied then what +other cause in this world can be vindicated or deemed worthy of +acceptance? + +Such as have turned away from the Cause of God are diligently seeking to +collect the Holy Writings of this Revelation; and they have already, +through gestures of friendship, managed to secure certain of these +Writings from those who held them in their possession. Moreover, when they +meet the followers of any religion, they hold themselves out as believers +therein. Say, die ye in your wrath! Verily He hath appeared with so great +an authority that no man of vision, of hearing, of insight, of justice or +of equity can ever deny Him. Unto this beareth witness in this resplendent +Hour the Pen of Him Who is the Ancient of Days. + +O Jalíl! Upon thee be My glory. We exhort the loved ones of God to perform +good deeds that perchance they may be graciously assisted and may hold +fast to that which hath been sent down from the heaven of His Revelation. +The benefits arising from this divine utterance shall fall upon such as +observe His precepts. We beseech God to enable them to do that which is +pleasing and acceptable unto Him, to grant that they may deal equitably +and may observe justice in this all-compelling Cause, to acquaint them +with His Holy Writings and to direct their steps towards His straight +Path. + +Our Exalted Herald—may the life of all else besides Him be offered up for +His sake—hath revealed certain laws. However, in the realm of His +Revelation these laws were made subject to Our sanction, hence this +Wronged One hath put some of them into effect by embodying them in the +Kitáb-i-Aqdas in different words. Others We set aside. He holdeth in His +hand the authority. He doeth what He willeth and He ordaineth whatsoever +He pleaseth. He is the Almighty, the All-Praised. There are also +ordinances newly revealed. Blessed are they that attain. Blessed are they +that observe His precepts. + +The people of God should make the utmost endeavour that perchance the fire +of hatred and malice which smouldereth in the breasts of kindreds and +peoples may, through the living waters of utterance and the exhortations +of Him Who is the Desire of the world, be quenched and the trees of human +existence may be adorned with wondrous and excellent fruit. He is, in +truth, the Admonisher, the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful. + +May the brightness of His glory shining above the horizon of bounty rest +upon you, O people of Bahá, upon every one who standeth firm and steadfast +and upon those that are well grounded in the Faith and are endued with +true understanding. + +As to thy question concerning interest and profit on gold and silver: Some +years ago the following passage was revealed from the heaven of the +All-Merciful in honour of the one who beareth the name of God, entitled +Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín(49)—upon him be the glory of the Most Glorious. +He—exalted be His Word—saith: Many people stand in need of this. Because +if there were no prospect for gaining interest, the affairs of men would +suffer collapse or dislocation. One can seldom find a person who would +manifest such consideration towards his fellow-man, his countryman or +towards his own brother and would show such tender solicitude for him as +to be well-disposed to grant him a loan on benevolent terms.(50) Therefore +as a token of favour towards men We have prescribed that interest on money +should be treated like other business transactions that are current +amongst men. Thus, now that this lucid commandment hath descended from the +heaven of the Will of God, it is lawful and proper to charge interest on +money, that the people of the world may, in a spirit of amity and +fellowship and with joy and gladness, devotedly engage themselves in +magnifying the Name of Him Who is the Well-Beloved of all mankind. Verily +He ordaineth according to His Own choosing. He hath now made interest on +money lawful, even as He had made it unlawful in the past. Within His +grasp He holdeth the kingdom of authority. He doeth and ordaineth. He is +in truth the Ordainer, the All-Knowing. + +Render thou thanks unto thy Lord, O Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín, for this manifest +bounty. + +Many ecclesiastics in Persia have, through innumerable designs and +devices, been feeding on illicit gains obtained by usury. They have +contrived ways to give its outward form a fair semblance of lawfulness. +They make a plaything of the laws and ordinances of God, but they +understand not. + +However, this is a matter that should be practised with moderation and +fairness. Our Pen of Glory hath, as a token of wisdom and for the +convenience of the people, desisted from laying down its limit. +Nevertheless We exhort the loved ones of God to observe justice and +fairness, and to do that which would prompt the friends of God to evince +tender mercy and compassion towards each other. He is in truth the +Counsellor, the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful. God grant that all men +may be graciously aided to observe that which the Tongue of the One true +God hath uttered. And if they put into practice what We have set forth, +God—exalted be His glory—will assuredly double their portion through the +heaven of His bounty. Verily He is the Generous, the Forgiving, the +Compassionate. Praise be unto God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great. + +Nevertheless the conduct of these affairs hath been entrusted to the men +of the House of Justice that they may enforce them according to the +exigencies of the time and the dictates of wisdom. + +Once again We exhort all believers to observe justice and fairness and to +show forth love and contentment. They are indeed the people of Bahá, the +companions of the Crimson Ark. Upon them be the peace of God, the Lord of +all Names, the Creator of the heavens. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-HIKMAT (TABLET OF WISDOM) + + + _This Tablet was addressed to Áqá Muḥammad, a distinguished + believer from the town of Qá’in, who was surnamed Nabíl-i-Akbar + (see Memorials of the Faithful pages 1–5). Another distinguished + believer of Qá’in, Mullá Muḥammad-‘Alí, was known as + Nabíl-i-Qá’iní (see Memorials of the Faithful pages 49–54). In the + abjad notation the name ‘Muḥammad’ has the same numerical value as + ‘Nabíl’._ + + +THIS is an Epistle which the All-Merciful hath sent down from the Kingdom +of Utterance. It is truly a breath of life unto those who dwell in the +realm of creation. Glorified be the Lord of all worlds! In this Epistle +mention is made of him who magnifieth the Name of God, his Lord, and who +is named Nabíl in a weighty Tablet. + +O Muḥammad! Hearken unto the Voice proceeding out of the Realm of Glory, +calling aloud from the celestial Tree which hath risen above the land of +Za’farán(51): Verily, no God is there but Me, the Omniscient, the Wise. Be +thou as the breezes of the All-Merciful for the trees of the realm of +existence and foster their growth through the potency of the Name of thy +Lord, the Just, the All-Informed. We desire to acquaint thee with that +which will serve as a reminder unto the people, that they may put away the +things current amongst them and set their faces towards God, the Lord of +the sincere. + +We exhort mankind in these days when the countenance of Justice is soiled +with dust, when the flames of unbelief are burning high and the robe of +wisdom rent asunder, when tranquillity and faithfulness have ebbed away +and trials and tribulations have waxed severe, when covenants are broken +and ties are severed, when no man knoweth how to discern light and +darkness or to distinguish guidance from error. + +O peoples of the world! Forsake all evil, hold fast that which is good. +Strive to be shining examples unto all mankind, and true reminders of the +virtues of God amidst men. He that riseth to serve My Cause should +manifest My wisdom, and bend every effort to banish ignorance from the +earth. Be united in counsel, be one in thought. Let each morn be better +than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday. Man’s merit lieth +in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches. Take +heed that your words be purged from idle fancies and worldly desires and +your deeds be cleansed from craftiness and suspicion. Dissipate not the +wealth of your precious lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt +affection, nor let your endeavours be spent in promoting your personal +interest. Be generous in your days of plenty, and be patient in the hour +of loss. Adversity is followed by success and rejoicings follow woe. Guard +against idleness and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth mankind, +whether young or old, whether high or low. Beware lest ye sow tares of +dissension among men or plant thorns of doubt in pure and radiant hearts. + +O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream +of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the +righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and +not perversity and rancour. Take pride not in love for yourselves but in +love for your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love for your country, but in +love for all mankind. Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your +tongue truthful and your heart enlightened. Abase not the station of the +learned in Bahá and belittle not the rank of such rulers as administer +justice amidst you. Set your reliance on the army of justice, put on the +armour of wisdom, let your adorning be forgiveness and mercy and that +which cheereth the hearts of the well-favoured of God. + +By My life! Thy grievances have plunged Me into sorrow. Regard not the +children of the world and all their doings but fix thy gaze upon God and +His never-ending dominion. Verily, He calleth to thy remembrance that +which is the source of delight for all mankind. Drink thou the life-giving +water of blissful joy from the chalice of utterance proffered by the +Fountainhead of divine Revelation—He Who hath made mention of thee in this +mighty stronghold. Endeavour to the utmost of thy powers to establish the +word of truth with eloquence and wisdom and to dispel falsehood from the +face of the earth. Thus directeth thee the Dayspring of divine knowledge +from this luminous horizon. + +O thou who speakest in My Name! Consider the people and the things they +have wrought in My days. We revealed unto one of the rulers that which +overpowereth all the dwellers of the earth, and requested him to bring Us +face to face with the learned men of this age, that We might set forth for +him the testimony of God, His proofs, His glory and His majesty; and +naught did We intend thereby but the highest good. However, he committed +that which hath caused the inmates of the cities of justice and equity to +lament. Thus hath judgement been given between Me and him. Verily thy Lord +is the Ordainer, the All-Informed. In such circumstances as thou seest, +how can the Celestial Bird soar into the atmosphere of divine mysteries +when its wings have been battered with the stones of idle fancy and bitter +hatred, and it is cast into a prison built of unyielding stone? By the +righteousness of God! The people have perpetrated a grievous injustice. + +As regards thine assertions about the beginning of creation, this is a +matter on which conceptions vary by reason of the divergences in men’s +thoughts and opinions. Wert thou to assert that it hath ever existed and +shall continue to exist, it would be true; or wert thou to affirm the same +concept as is mentioned in the sacred Scriptures, no doubt would there be +about it, for it hath been revealed by God, the Lord of the worlds. Indeed +He was a hidden treasure. This is a station that can never be described +nor even alluded to. And in the station of ‘I did wish to make Myself +known’, God was, and His creation had ever existed beneath His shelter +from the beginning that hath no beginning, apart from its being preceded +by a Firstness which cannot be regarded as firstness and originated by a +Cause inscrutable even unto all men of learning. + +That which hath been in existence had existed before, but not in the form +thou seest today. The world of existence came into being through the heat +generated from the interaction between the active force and that which is +its recipient. These two are the same, yet they are different. Thus doth +the Great Announcement inform thee about this glorious structure. Such as +communicate the generating influence and such as receive its impact are +indeed created through the irresistible Word of God which is the Cause of +the entire creation, while all else besides His Word are but the creatures +and the effects thereof. Verily thy Lord is the Expounder, the All-Wise. + +Know thou, moreover, that the Word of God—exalted be His glory—is higher +and far superior to that which the senses can perceive, for it is +sanctified from any property or substance. It transcendeth the limitations +of known elements and is exalted above all the essential and recognized +substances. It became manifest without any syllable or sound and is none +but the Command of God which pervadeth all created things. It hath never +been withheld from the world of being. It is God’s all-pervasive grace, +from which all grace doth emanate. It is an entity far removed above all +that hath been and shall be. + +We are loath to enlarge on this subject, inasmuch as the unbelievers have +inclined their ears towards Us in order to hear that which might enable +them to cavil against God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. And +since they are unable to attain to mysteries of knowledge and wisdom from +what hath been unravelled by the Source of divine splendour, they rise in +protest and burst into clamour. But it is true to say that they object to +that which they comprehend, not to the expositions given by the Expounder, +nor the truths imparted by the One true God, the Knower of things unseen. +Their objections, one and all, turn upon themselves, and I swear by thy +life that they are devoid of understanding. + +Every thing must needs have an origin and every building a builder. +Verily, the Word of God is the Cause which hath preceded the contingent +world—a world which is adorned with the splendours of the Ancient of Days, +yet is being renewed and regenerated at all times. Immeasurably exalted is +the God of Wisdom Who hath raised this sublime structure. + +Look at the world and ponder a while upon it. It unveileth the book of its +own self before thine eyes and revealeth that which the Pen of thy Lord, +the Fashioner, the All-Informed, hath inscribed therein. It will acquaint +thee with that which is within it and upon it and will give thee such +clear explanations as to make thee independent of every eloquent +expounder. + +Say: Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the +Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this +diversity there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God’s Will and +is its expression in and through the contingent world. It is a +dispensation of Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise. Were +anyone to affirm that it is the Will of God as manifested in the world of +being, no one should question this assertion. It is endowed with a power +whose reality men of learning fail to grasp. Indeed a man of insight can +perceive naught therein save the effulgent splendour of Our Name, the +Creator. Say: This is an existence which knoweth no decay, and Nature +itself is lost in bewilderment before its revelations, its compelling +evidences and its effulgent glory which have encompassed the universe. + +It ill beseemeth thee to turn thy gaze unto former or more recent times. +Make thou mention of this Day and magnify that which hath appeared +therein. It will in truth suffice all mankind. Indeed expositions and +discourses in explanation of such things cause the spirits to be chilled. +It behoveth thee to speak forth in such wise as to set the hearts of true +believers ablaze and cause their bodies to soar. + +Whoso firmly believeth today in the rebirth of man and is fully conscious +that God, the Most Exalted, wieldeth supreme ascendancy and absolute +authority over this new creation, verily such a man is reckoned with them +that are endued with insight in this most great Revelation. Unto this +beareth witness every discerning believer. + +Walk thou high above the world of being through the power of the Most +Great Name, that thou mayest become aware of the immemorial mysteries and +be acquainted with that wherewith no one is acquainted. Verily, thy Lord +is the Helper, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Be thou as a throbbing +artery, pulsating in the body of the entire creation, that through the +heat generated by this motion there may appear that which will quicken the +hearts of those who hesitate. + +At the time when We were hidden behind countless veils of light thou didst +commune with Me and didst witness the luminaries of the heaven of My +wisdom and the billows of the ocean of Mine utterance. Verily thy Lord is +the Truthful, the Faithful. Great indeed is the blessedness of him who +hath attained the liberal effusions of this ocean in the days of his Lord, +the Most Bountiful, the All-Wise. + +During Our sojourn in ‘Iráq when We were at the house of one named Majíd, +We set forth clearly for thee the mysteries of creation and the origin, +the culmination and the cause thereof. However since Our departure We have +limited Ourself to this affirmation: ‘Verily, no God is there but Me, the +Ever-Forgiving, the Bountiful.’ + +Teach thou the Cause of God with an utterance which will cause the bushes +to be enkindled, and the call ‘Verily, there is no God but Me, the +Almighty, the Unconstrained’ to be raised therefrom. Say: Human utterance +is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth +moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement which +in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its +moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in +the Holy Scriptures and Tablets. Meditate upon that which hath streamed +forth from the heaven of the Will of thy Lord, He Who is the Source of all +grace, that thou mayest grasp the intended meaning which is enshrined in +the sacred depths of the Holy Writings. + +Those who have rejected God and firmly cling to Nature as it is in itself +are, verily, bereft of knowledge and wisdom. They are truly of them that +are far astray. They have failed to attain the lofty summit and have +fallen short of the ultimate purpose; therefore their eyes were shut and +their thoughts differed, while the leaders among them have believed in God +and in His invincible sovereignty. Unto this beareth witness thy Lord, the +Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. + +When the eyes of the people of the East were captivated by the arts and +wonders of the West, they roved distraught in the wilderness of material +causes, oblivious of the One Who is the Causer of Causes, and the +Sustainer thereof, while such men as were the source and the wellspring of +Wisdom never denied the moving Impulse behind these causes, nor the +Creator or the Origin thereof. Thy Lord knoweth, yet most of the people +know not. + +Now We have, for the sake of God, the Lord of Names, set Ourself the task +of mentioning in this Tablet some accounts of the sages,(52) that the eyes +of the people may be opened thereby and that they may become fully assured +that He is in truth the Maker, the Omnipotent, the Creator, the +Originator, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +Although it is recognized that the contemporary men of learning are highly +qualified in philosophy, arts and crafts, yet were anyone to observe with +a discriminating eye he would readily comprehend that most of this +knowledge hath been acquired from the sages of the past, for it is they +who have laid the foundation of philosophy, reared its structure and +reinforced its pillars. Thus doth thy Lord, the Ancient of Days, inform +thee. The sages aforetime acquired their knowledge from the Prophets, +inasmuch as the latter were the Exponents of divine philosophy and the +Revealers of heavenly mysteries. Men quaffed the crystal, living waters of +Their utterance, while others satisfied themselves with the dregs. +Everyone receiveth a portion according to his measure. Verily He is the +Equitable, the Wise. + +Empedocles, who distinguished himself in philosophy, was a contemporary of +David, while Pythagoras lived in the days of Solomon, son of David, and +acquired Wisdom from the treasury of prophethood. It is he who claimed to +have heard the whispering sound of the heavens and to have attained the +station of the angels. In truth thy Lord will clearly set forth all +things, if He pleaseth. Verily, He is the Wise, the All-Pervading. + +The essence and the fundamentals of philosophy have emanated from the +Prophets. That the people differ concerning the inner meanings and +mysteries thereof is to be attributed to the divergence of their views and +minds. We would fain recount to thee the following: One of the Prophets +once was communicating to his people that with which the Omnipotent Lord +had inspired Him. Truly, thy Lord is the Inspirer, the Gracious, the +Exalted. When the fountain of wisdom and eloquence gushed forth from the +wellspring of His utterance and the wine of divine knowledge inebriated +those who had sought His threshold, He exclaimed: ‘Lo! All are filled with +the Spirit.’ From among the people there was he who held fast unto this +statement and, actuated by his own fancies, conceived the idea that the +spirit literally penetrateth or entereth into the body, and through +lengthy expositions he advanced proofs to vindicate this concept; and +groups of people followed in his footsteps. To mention their names at this +point, or to give thee a detailed account thereof, would lead to +prolixity, and would depart from the main theme. Verily, thy Lord is the +All-Wise, the All-Knowing. There was also he who partook of the choice +wine whose seal had been removed by the Key of the Tongue of Him Who is +the Revealer of the Verses of thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Generous. + +Verily, the philosophers have not denied the Ancient of Days. Most of them +passed away deploring their failure to fathom His mystery, even as some of +them have testified. Verily, thy Lord is the Adviser, the All-Informed. + +Consider Hippocrates, the physician. He was one of the eminent +philosophers who believed in God and acknowledged His sovereignty. After +him came Socrates who was indeed wise, accomplished and righteous. He +practised self-denial, repressed his appetites for selfish desires and +turned away from material pleasures. He withdrew to the mountains where he +dwelt in a cave. He dissuaded men from worshipping idols and taught them +the way of God, the Lord of Mercy, until the ignorant rose up against him. +They arrested him and put him to death in prison. Thus relateth to thee +this swift-moving Pen. What a penetrating vision into philosophy this +eminent man had! He is the most distinguished of all philosophers and was +highly versed in wisdom. We testify that he is one of the heroes in this +field and an outstanding champion dedicated unto it. He had a profound +knowledge of such sciences as were current amongst men as well as of those +which were veiled from their minds. Methinks he drank one draught when the +Most Great Ocean overflowed with gleaming and life-giving waters. He it is +who perceived a unique, a tempered, and a pervasive nature in things, +bearing the closest likeness to the human spirit, and he discovered this +nature to be distinct from the substance of things in their refined form. +He hath a special pronouncement on this weighty theme. Wert thou to ask +from the worldly wise of this generation about this exposition, thou +wouldst witness their incapacity to grasp it. Verily, thy Lord speaketh +the truth but most people comprehend not. + +After Socrates came the divine Plato who was a pupil of the former and +occupied the chair of philosophy as his successor. He acknowledged his +belief in God and in His signs which pervade all that hath been and shall +be. Then came Aristotle, the well-known man of knowledge. He it is who +discovered the power of gaseous matter. These men who stand out as leaders +of the people and are pre-eminent among them, one and all acknowledged +their belief in the immortal Being Who holdeth in His grasp the reins of +all sciences. + +I will also mention for thee the invocation voiced by Bálinus who was +familiar with the theories put forward by the Father of Philosophy +regarding the mysteries of creation as given in his chrysolite tablets, +that everyone may be fully assured of the things We have elucidated for +thee in this manifest Tablet, which, if pressed with the hand of fairness +and knowledge, will yield the spirit of life for the quickening of all +created things. Great is the blessedness of him who swimmeth in this ocean +and celebrateth the praise of his Lord, the Gracious, the Best-Beloved. +Indeed the breezes of divine revelation are diffused from the verses of +thy Lord in such wise that no one can dispute its truth, except those who +are bereft of hearing, of vision, of understanding and of every human +faculty. Verily thy Lord beareth witness unto this, yet the people +understand not. + +This man hath said: ‘I am Bálinus, the wise one, the performer of wonders, +the producer of talismans.’ He surpassed everyone else in the diffusion of +arts and sciences and soared unto the loftiest heights of humility and +supplication. Give ear unto that which he hath said, entreating the +All-Possessing, the Most Exalted: ‘I stand in the presence of my Lord, +extolling His gifts and bounties and praising Him with that wherewith He +praiseth His Own Self, that I may become a source of blessing and guidance +unto such men as acknowledge my words.’ And further he saith: ‘O Lord! +Thou art God and no God is there but Thee. Thou art the Creator and no +creator is there except Thee. Assist me by Thy grace and strengthen me. My +heart is seized with alarm, my limbs tremble, I have lost my reason and my +mind hath failed me. Bestow upon me strength and enable my tongue to speak +forth with wisdom.’ And still further he saith: ‘Thou art in truth the +Knowing, the Wise, the Powerful, the Compassionate.’ It was this man of +wisdom who became informed of the mysteries of creation and discerned the +subtleties which lie enshrined in the Hermetic writings.(53) + +We have no wish to mention anything further but We shall utter that which +the Spirit hath instilled into My heart. In truth there is no God but Him, +the Knowing, the Mighty, the Help in Peril, the Most Excellent, the +All-Praised. By My life! In this Day the celestial Tree is loath to +proclaim aught else to the world but this affirmation: ‘Verily, there is +none other God but Me, the Peerless, the All-Informed.’ + +Had it not been for the love I cherish for thee, I would not have uttered +a single word of what hath been mentioned. Appreciate the value of this +station and preserve it as thou wouldst thine eye and be of them that are +truly thankful. + +Thou knowest full well that We perused not the books which men possess and +We acquired not the learning current amongst them, and yet whenever We +desire to quote the sayings of the learned and of the wise,(54) presently +there will appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a tablet all +that which hath appeared in the world and is revealed in the Holy Books +and Scriptures. Thus do We set down in writing that which the eye +perceiveth. Verily His knowledge encompasseth the earth and the heavens. + +This is a Tablet wherein the Pen of the Unseen hath inscribed the +knowledge of all that hath been and shall be—a knowledge that none other +but My wondrous Tongue can interpret. Indeed My heart as it is in itself +hath been purged by God from the concepts of the learned and is sanctified +from the utterances of the wise. In truth naught doth it mirror forth but +the revelations of God. Unto this beareth witness the Tongue of Grandeur +in this perspicuous Book. + +Say, O people of the earth! Beware lest any reference to wisdom debar you +from its Source or withhold you from the Dawning-Place thereof. Fix your +hearts upon your Lord, the Educator, the All-Wise. + +For every land We have prescribed a portion, for every occasion an +allotted share, for every pronouncement an appointed time and for every +situation an apt remark. Consider Greece. We made it a Seat of Wisdom for +a prolonged period. However, when the appointed hour struck, its throne +was subverted, its tongue ceased to speak, its light grew dim and its +banner was hauled down. Thus do We bestow and withdraw. Verily thy Lord is +He Who giveth and divesteth, the Mighty, the Powerful. + +In every land We have set up a luminary of knowledge, and when the time +foreordained is at hand, it will shine resplendent above its horizon, as +decreed by God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. If it be Our Will We are +fully capable of describing for thee whatever existeth in every land or +hath come to pass therein. Indeed the knowledge of thy Lord pervadeth the +heavens and the earth. + +Know thou, moreover, that the people aforetime have produced things which +the contemporary men of knowledge have been unable to produce. We recall +unto thee Murtús who was one of the learned. He invented an apparatus +which transmitted sound over a distance of sixty miles. Others besides him +have also discovered things which no one in this age hath beheld. Verily +thy Lord revealeth in every epoch whatsoever He pleaseth as a token of +wisdom on His part. He is in truth the supreme Ordainer, the All-Wise. + +A true philosopher would never deny God nor His evidences, rather would he +acknowledge His glory and overpowering majesty which overshadow all +created things. Verily We love those men of knowledge who have brought to +light such things as promote the best interests of humanity, and We aided +them through the potency of Our behest, for well are We able to achieve +Our purpose. + +Beware, O My loved ones, lest ye despise the merits of My learned servants +whom God hath graciously chosen to be the exponents of His Name ‘the +Fashioner’ amidst mankind. Exert your utmost endeavour that ye may develop +such crafts and undertakings that everyone, whether young or old, may +benefit therefrom. We are quit of those ignorant ones who fondly imagine +that Wisdom is to give vent to one’s idle imaginings and to repudiate God, +the Lord of all men; even as We hear some of the heedless voicing such +assertions today. + +Say: The beginning of Wisdom and the origin thereof is to acknowledge +whatsoever God hath clearly set forth, for through its potency the +foundation of statesmanship, which is a shield for the preservation of the +body of mankind, hath been firmly established. Ponder a while that ye may +perceive what My most exalted Pen hath proclaimed in this wondrous Tablet. +Say, every matter related to state affairs which ye raise for discussion +falls under the shadow of one of the words sent down from the heaven of +His glorious and exalted utterance. Thus have We recounted unto thee that +which will exhilarate thy heart, will bring solace to thine eyes and will +enable thee to arise for the promotion of His Cause amidst all peoples. + +O My Nabíl! Let nothing grieve thee, rather rejoice with exceeding +gladness inasmuch as I have mentioned thy name, have turned My heart and +My face towards thee and have conversed with thee through this irrefutable +and weighty exposition. Ponder in thy heart upon the tribulations I have +sustained, the imprisonment and the captivity I have endured, the +sufferings that have befallen Me and the accusations that the people have +levelled against Me. Behold, they are truly wrapped in a grievous veil. + +When the discourse reached this stage, the dawn of divine mysteries +appeared and the light of utterance was quenched. May His glory rest upon +the people of wisdom as bidden by One Who is the Almighty, the +All-Praised. + +Say: Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Name +through which the splendour of the light of wisdom shone resplendent when +the heavens of divine utterance were set in motion amidst mankind, to +graciously aid me by Thy heavenly confirmations and enable me to extol Thy +Name amongst Thy servants. + +O Lord! Unto Thee have I turned my face, detached from all save Thee and +holding fast to the hem of the robe of Thy manifold blessings. Unloose my +tongue therefore to proclaim that which will captivate the minds of men +and will rejoice their souls and spirits. Strengthen me then in Thy Cause +in such wise that I may not be hindered by the ascendancy of the +oppressors among Thy creatures nor withheld by the onslaught of the +disbelievers amidst those who dwell in Thy realm. Make me as a lamp +shining throughout Thy lands that those in whose hearts the light of Thy +knowledge gloweth and the yearning for Thy love lingereth may be guided by +its radiance. + +Verily, potent art Thou to do whatsoever Thou willest, and in Thy grasp +Thou holdest the kingdom of creation. There is none other God but Thee, +the Almighty, the All-Wise. + + + + + + ASL-I-KULLU’L-KHAYR (WORDS OF WISDOM) + + +In the Name of God, the Exalted, the Most High + +THE source of all good is trust in God, submission unto His command, and +contentment with His holy will and pleasure. + +The essence of wisdom is the fear of God, the dread of His scourge and +punishment, and the apprehension of His justice and decree. + +The essence of religion is to testify unto that which the Lord hath +revealed, and follow that which He hath ordained in His mighty Book. + +The source of all glory is acceptance of whatsoever the Lord hath +bestowed, and contentment with that which God hath ordained. + +The essence of love is for man to turn his heart to the Beloved One, and +sever himself from all else but Him, and desire naught save that which is +the desire of his Lord. + +True remembrance is to make mention of the Lord, the All-Praised, and +forget aught else beside Him. + +True reliance is for the servant to pursue his profession and calling in +this world, to hold fast unto the Lord, to seek naught but His grace, +inasmuch as in His Hands is the destiny of all His servants. + +The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face towards the courts +of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance, and stand as +witness before Him. + +The essence of understanding is to testify to one’s poverty, and submit to +the Will of the Lord, the Sovereign, the Gracious, the All-Powerful. + +The source of courage and power is the promotion of the Word of God, and +steadfastness in His Love. + +The essence of charity is for the servant to recount the blessings of his +Lord, and to render thanks unto Him at all times and under all conditions. + +The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds; he whose +words exceed his deeds, know verily his death is better than his life. + +The essence of true safety is to observe silence, to look at the end of +things and to renounce the world. + +The beginning of magnanimity is when man expendeth his wealth on himself, +on his family and on the poor among his brethren in his Faith. + +The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor of +all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the poor and needy. +This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed. + +The source of all evil is for man to turn away from his Lord and set his +heart on things ungodly. + +The most burning fire is to question the signs of God, to dispute idly +that which He hath revealed, to deny Him and carry one’s self proudly +before Him. + +The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His Glory, +and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine +Manifestation. + +The essence of abasement is to pass out from under the shadow of the +Merciful and seek the shelter of the Evil One. + +The source of error is to disbelieve in the One true God, rely upon aught +else but Him, and flee from His Decree. + +True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his +self. + +The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man +to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of +oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching +eye. + +Thus have We instructed thee, manifested unto thee Words of Wisdom, that +thou mayest be thankful unto the Lord, thy God, and glory therein amidst +all peoples. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-MAQSÚD (TABLET OF MAQSÚD) + + + _Out of respect, the Bahá’ís, rather than addressing Bahá’u’lláh + directly, would write to His amanuensis, Mírzá Áqá Ján, surnamed + ‘Servant of God’ and ‘Servant-in-Attendance’. The reply would be + in the form of a letter from Mírzá Áqá Ján quoting words of + Bahá’u’lláh, but would, in fact, be dictated in its entirety by + Bahá’u’lláh. Thus all parts of the Tablet, even those which + ostensibly are the words of Mírzá Áqá Ján himself, are Sacred + Scripture revealed by Bahá’u’lláh. The Tablet of Maqsúd is in this + form. It was addressed to Mírzá Maqsúd, one of the early believers + living at that time in Damascus and Jerusalem._ + + +He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of Majesty and Power + +A PRAISE which is exalted above every mention or description beseemeth the +Adored One, the Possessor of all things visible and invisible, Who hath +enabled the Primal Point to reveal countless Books and Epistles and Who, +through the potency of His sublime Word, hath called into being the entire +creation, whether of the former or more recent generations. Moreover He +hath in every age and cycle, in conformity with His transcendent wisdom, +sent forth a divine Messenger to revive the dispirited and despondent +souls with the living waters of His utterance, One Who is indeed the +Expounder, the true Interpreter, inasmuch as man is unable to comprehend +that which hath streamed forth from the Pen of Glory and is recorded in +His heavenly Books. Men at all times and under all conditions stand in +need of one to exhort them, guide them and to instruct and teach them. +Therefore He hath sent forth His Messengers, His Prophets and chosen ones +that they might acquaint the people with the divine purpose underlying the +revelation of Books and the raising up of Messengers, and that everyone +may become aware of the trust of God which is latent in the reality of +every soul. + +Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, +deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. Through a word +proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word +more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet +another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being +saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education +can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to +benefit therefrom. If any man were to meditate on that which the +Scriptures, sent down from the heaven of God’s holy Will, have revealed, +he would readily recognize that their purpose is that all men shall be +regarded as one soul, so that the seal bearing the words ‘The Kingdom +shall be God’s’ may be stamped on every heart, and the light of Divine +bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop all mankind. The One true God, +exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing for Himself. The allegiance of +mankind profiteth Him not, neither doth its perversity harm Him. The Bird +of the Realm of Utterance voiceth continually this call: ‘All things have +I willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own sake.’ If the learned and +worldly-wise men of this age were to allow mankind to inhale the fragrance +of fellowship and love, every understanding heart would apprehend the +meaning of true liberty, and discover the secret of undisturbed peace and +absolute composure. Were the earth to attain this station and be illumined +with its light it could then be truly said of it: ‘Thou shall see in it no +hollows or rising hills.’(55) + +Blessing and peace be upon Him(56) through Whose advent Bathá(57) is +wreathed in smiles, and the sweet savours of Whose raiment have shed +fragrance upon all mankind—He Who came to protect men from that which +would harm them in the world below. Exalted, immensely exalted is His +station above the glorification of all beings and sanctified from the +praise of the entire creation. Through His advent the tabernacle of +stability and order was raised throughout the world and the ensign of +knowledge hoisted among the nations. May blessings rest also upon His +kindred and His companions through whom the standard of the unity of God +and of His singleness was uplifted and the banners of celestial triumph +were unfurled. Through them the religion of God was firmly established +among His creatures and His Name magnified amidst His servants. I entreat +Him—exalted is He—to shield His Faith from the mischief of His enemies who +tore away the veils, rent them asunder and finally caused the banner of +Islám to be reversed amongst all peoples. + +Thy letter from which the fragrance of reunion was inhaled hath been +received. Praised be God that following the firm decree of separation, the +breeze of nearness and communion hath been stirred and the soil of the +heart is refreshed with the waters of joy and gladness. We offer +thanksgiving unto God in all circumstances and cherish the hope that +He—exalted be His glory—may through His gracious providence guide all who +dwell on earth towards that which is acceptable and pleasing unto Him. + +Behold the disturbances which, for many a long year, have afflicted the +earth, and the perturbation that hath seized its peoples. It hath either +been ravaged by war, or tormented by sudden and unforeseen calamities. +Though the world is encompassed with misery and distress, yet no man hath +paused to reflect what the cause or source of that may be. Whenever the +True Counsellor uttered a word in admonishment, lo, they all denounced Him +as a mover of mischief and rejected His claim. How bewildering, how +confusing is such behaviour! No two men can be found who may be said to be +outwardly and inwardly united. The evidences of discord and malice are +apparent everywhere, though all were made for harmony and union. The Great +Being saith: O well-beloved ones! The tabernacle of unity hath been +raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one +tree, and the leaves of one branch. We cherish the hope that the light of +justice may shine upon the world and sanctify it from tyranny. If the +rulers and kings of the earth, the symbols of the power of God, exalted be +His glory, arise and resolve to dedicate themselves to whatever will +promote the highest interests of the whole of humanity, the reign of +justice will assuredly be established amongst the children of men, and the +effulgence of its light will envelop the whole earth. The Great Being +saith: The structure of world stability and order hath been reared upon, +and will continue to be sustained by, the twin pillars of reward and +punishment. And in another connection He hath uttered the following in the +eloquent tongue:(58) Justice hath a mighty force at its command. It is +none other than reward and punishment for the deeds of men. By the power +of this force the tabernacle of order is established throughout the world, +causing the wicked to restrain their natures for fear of punishment. + +In another passage He hath written: Take heed, O concourse of the rulers +of the world! There is no force on earth that can equal in its conquering +power the force of justice and wisdom. I, verily, affirm that there is +not, and hath never been, a host more mighty than that of justice and +wisdom. Blessed is the king who marcheth with the ensign of wisdom +unfurled before him, and the battalions of justice massed in his rear. He +verily is the ornament that adorneth the brow of peace and the countenance +of security. There can be no doubt whatever that if the day-star of +justice, which the clouds of tyranny have obscured, were to shed its light +upon men, the face of the earth would be completely transformed. + +The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and +tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath +written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding +of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally +realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, +participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as +will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a +peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the +tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among +themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should +unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world +will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving +the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within +their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every +people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and +rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, +may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of +tyranny. + +Likewise He saith: Among the things which are conducive to unity and +concord and will cause the whole earth to be regarded as one country is +that the divers languages be reduced to one language and in like manner +the scripts used in the world be confined to a single script. It is +incumbent upon all nations to appoint some men of understanding and +erudition to convene a gathering and through joint consultation choose one +language from among the varied existing languages, or create a new one, to +be taught to the children in all the schools of the world. + +The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted +one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to +whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his +own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It is +incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to +translate that which hath been written into reality and action. + +In these days the tabernacle of justice hath fallen into the clutches of +tyranny and oppression. Beseech ye the One true God—exalted be His +glory—not to deprive mankind of the ocean of true understanding, for were +men but to take heed they would readily appreciate that whatever hath +streamed from and is set down by the Pen of Glory is even as the sun for +the whole world and that therein lie the welfare, security and true +interests of all men; otherwise the earth will be tormented by a fresh +calamity every day and unprecedented commotions will break out. God grant +that the people of the world may be graciously aided to preserve the light +of His loving counsels within the globe of wisdom. We cherish the hope +that everyone may be adorned with the vesture of true wisdom, the basis of +the government of the world. + +The Great Being saith: The heaven of statesmanship is made luminous and +resplendent by the brightness of the light of these blessed words which +hath dawned from the dayspring of the Will of God: It behoveth every ruler +to weigh his own being every day in the balance of equity and justice and +then to judge between men and counsel them to do that which would direct +their steps unto the path of wisdom and understanding. This is the +cornerstone of statesmanship and the essence thereof. From these words +every enlightened man of wisdom will readily perceive that which will +foster such aims as the welfare, security and protection of mankind and +the safety of human lives. Were men of insight to quaff their fill from +the ocean of inner meanings which lie enshrined in these words and become +acquainted therewith, they would bear witness to the sublimity and the +excellence of this utterance. If this lowly one were to set forth that +which he perceiveth, all would testify unto God’s consummate wisdom. The +secrets of statesmanship and that of which the people are in need lie +enfolded within these words. This lowly servant earnestly entreateth the +One true God—exalted be His glory—to illumine the eyes of the people of +the world with the splendour of the light of wisdom that they, one and +all, may recognize that which is indispensable in this day. + +That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of +the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that +ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the +earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride +himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the +whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens. + +Such exhortations to union and concord as are inscribed in the Books of +the Prophets by the Pen of the Most High bear reference unto specific +matters; not a union that would lead to disunity or a concord which would +create discord. This is the station where measures are set unto +everything, a station where every deserving soul shall be given his due. +Well is it with them that appreciate the meaning and grasp the intent of +these words, and woe betide the heedless. Unto this all the evidences of +nature, in their very essences, bear ample testimony. Every discerning man +of wisdom is well acquainted with that which We have mentioned, but not +those who have strayed far from the living fountain of fairmindedness and +are roving distraught in the wilderness of ignorance and blind fanaticism. + +The Great Being saith: O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose +animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests +and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love +and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension +and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and +immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes +and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the +revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure. Our hope is +that the world’s religious leaders and the rulers thereof will unitedly +arise for the reformation of this age and the rehabilitation of its +fortunes. Let them, after meditating on its needs, take counsel together +and, through anxious and full deliberation, administer to a diseased and +sorely-afflicted world the remedy it requireth. + +The Great Being saith: The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with the +two luminaries of consultation and compassion. Take ye counsel together in +all matters, inasmuch as consultation is the lamp of guidance which +leadeth the way, and is the bestower of understanding. + +At the outset of every endeavour, it is incumbent to look to the end of +it. Of all the arts and sciences, set the children to studying those which +will result in advantage to man, will ensure his progress and elevate his +rank. Thus the noisome odours of lawlessness will be dispelled, and thus +through the high endeavours of the nation’s leaders, all will live +cradled, secure and in peace. + +The Great Being saith: The learned of the day must direct the people to +acquire those branches of knowledge which are of use, that both the +learned themselves and the generality of mankind may derive benefits +therefrom. Such academic pursuits as begin and end in words alone have +never been and will never be of any worth. The majority of Persia’s +learned doctors devote all their lives to the study of a philosophy the +ultimate yield of which is nothing but words. + +It is incumbent upon them who are in authority to exercise moderation in +all things. Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease +to exert a beneficial influence. Consider for instance such things as +liberty, civilization and the like. However much men of understanding may +favourably regard them, they will, if carried to excess, exercise a +pernicious influence upon men. + +If this point were to be expounded an elaborate explanation would be +required which, it is feared, might become tedious. It is the ardent hope +of this lowly one that God—exalted be His glory—may grant all men that +which is good. For he who is endowed therewith is the possessor of all +things. The Great Being saith: The Tongue of Wisdom proclaimeth: He that +hath Me not is bereft of all things. Turn ye away from all that is on +earth and seek none else but Me. I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of +Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive the dead. I am the guiding Light +that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. +I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird and start it on its +flight. + +And likewise He saith: The heaven of true understanding shineth +resplendent with the light of two luminaries: tolerance and righteousness. + +O my friend! Vast oceans lie enshrined within this brief saying. Blessed +are they who appreciate its value, drink deep therefrom and grasp its +meaning, and woe betide the heedless. This lowly one entreateth the people +of the world to observe fairness, that their tender, their delicate and +precious hearing which hath been created to hearken unto the words of +wisdom may be freed from impediments and from such allusions, idle fancies +or vain imaginings as ‘cannot fatten nor appease the hunger’, so that the +true Counsellor may be graciously inclined to set forth that which is the +source of blessing for mankind and of the highest good for all nations. + +At present the light of reconciliation is dimmed in most countries and its +radiance extinguished while the fire of strife and disorder hath been +kindled and is blazing fiercely. Two great powers who regard themselves as +the founders and leaders of civilization and the framers of constitutions +have risen up against the followers of the Faith associated with Him Who +conversed with God.(59) Be ye warned, O men of understanding. It ill +beseemeth the station of man to commit tyranny; rather it behoveth him to +observe equity and be attired with the raiment of justice under all +conditions. Beseech ye the One true God that He may, through the power of +the hand of loving-kindness and spiritual education, purge and purify +certain souls from the defilement of evil passions and corrupt desires, +that they may arise and unloose their tongues for the sake of God, that +perchance the evidences of injustice may be blotted out and the splendour +of the light of justice may shed its radiance upon the whole world. The +people are ignorant, and they stand in need of those who will expound the +truth. + +The Great Being saith: The man of consummate learning and the sage endowed +with penetrating wisdom are the two eyes to the body of mankind. God +willing, the earth shall never be deprived of these two greatest gifts. +That which hath been set forth and will be revealed in the future is but a +token of this Servant’s ardent desire to dedicate Himself to the service +of all the kindreds of the earth. + +O my friend! In all circumstances one should seize upon every means which +will promote security and tranquillity among the peoples of the world. The +Great Being saith: In this glorious Day whatever will purge you from +corruption and will lead you towards peace and composure, is indeed the +Straight Path. + +Please God, the peoples of the world may be led, as the result of the high +endeavours exerted by their rulers and the wise and learned amongst men, +to recognize their best interests. How long will humanity persist in its +waywardness? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and +confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of +society? + +This humble servant is filled with wonder, inasmuch as all men are endowed +with the capacity to see and hear, yet we find them deprived of the +privilege of using these faculties. This servant hath been prompted to pen +these lines by virtue of the tender love he cherisheth for thee. The winds +of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that +divideth and afflicteth the human race is daily increasing. The signs of +impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the +prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective. I beseech God, +exalted be His glory, that He may graciously awaken the peoples of the +earth, may grant that the end of their conduct may be profitable unto +them, and aid them to accomplish that which beseemeth their station. + +Were man to appreciate the greatness of his station and the loftiness of +his destiny he would manifest naught save goodly character, pure deeds, +and a seemly and praiseworthy conduct. If the learned and wise men of +goodwill were to impart guidance unto the people, the whole earth would be +regarded as one country. Verily this is the undoubted truth. This servant +appealeth to every diligent and enterprising soul to exert his utmost +endeavour and arise to rehabilitate the conditions in all regions and to +quicken the dead with the living waters of wisdom and utterance, by virtue +of the love he cherisheth for God, the One, the Peerless, the Almighty, +the Beneficent. + +No man of wisdom can demonstrate his knowledge save by means of words. +This showeth the significance of the Word as is affirmed in all the +Scriptures, whether of former times or more recently. For it is through +its potency and animating spirit that the people of the world have +attained so eminent a position. Moreover words and utterances should be +both impressive and penetrating. However, no word will be infused with +these two qualities unless it be uttered wholly for the sake of God and +with due regard unto the exigencies of the occasion and the people. + +The Great Being saith: Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to +exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is +conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which +are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with +tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets. + +Every word is endowed with a spirit, therefore the speaker or expounder +should carefully deliver his words at the appropriate time and place, for +the impression which each word maketh is clearly evident and perceptible. +The Great Being saith: One word may be likened unto fire, another unto +light, and the influence which both exert is manifest in the world. +Therefore an enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak with words +as mild as milk, that the children of men may be nurtured and edified +thereby and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence which is the +station of true understanding and nobility. And likewise He saith: One +word is like unto springtime causing the tender saplings of the +rose-garden of knowledge to become verdant and flourishing, while another +word is even as a deadly poison. It behoveth a prudent man of wisdom to +speak with utmost leniency and forbearance so that the sweetness of his +words may induce everyone to attain that which befitteth man’s station. + +O friend of mine! The Word of God is the king of words and its pervasive +influence is incalculable. It hath ever dominated and will continue to +dominate the realm of being. The Great Being saith: The Word is the master +key for the whole world, inasmuch as through its potency the doors of the +hearts of men, which in reality are the doors of heaven, are unlocked. No +sooner had but a glimmer of its effulgent splendour shone forth upon the +mirror of love than the blessed word ‘I am the Best-Beloved’ was reflected +therein. It is an ocean inexhaustible in riches, comprehending all things. +Every thing which can be perceived is but an emanation therefrom. High, +immeasurably high is this sublime station, in whose shadow moveth the +essence of loftiness and splendour, wrapt in praise and adoration. + +Methinks people’s sense of taste hath, alas, been sorely affected by the +fever of negligence and folly, for they are found to be wholly unconscious +and deprived of the sweetness of His utterance. How regrettable indeed +that man should debar himself from the fruits of the tree of wisdom while +his days and hours pass swiftly away. Please God, the hand of divine power +may safeguard all mankind and direct their steps towards the horizon of +true understanding. + +Verily our Lord of Mercy is the Helper, the Knowing, the Wise. + +I would like to add that thy second letter which had been sent from +Jerusalem hath been received and that which thou hadst written and set +forth therein was perused and read in His presence. He bade me write as +follows: + +O Maqsúd! We have heard thy voice and perceived the sighing and +lamentation thou didst raise in thy longing and eagerness. Praised be God! +The sweet savours of love could be inhaled from every word thereof. Please +God, this bounty may last for ever. The Servant-in-Attendance recited the +verses thou hast composed. Thy name is often mentioned in the presence of +this Wronged One and the glances of Our loving-kindness and compassion are +directed towards thee. + +Great is the station of man. Great must also be his endeavours for the +rehabilitation of the world and the well-being of nations. I beseech the +One true God to graciously confirm thee in that which beseemeth man’s +station. + +Be thou guided by wisdom under all conditions, inasmuch as persons who +harbour evil motives have been and are still diligently engaged in +intriguing. Gracious God! Unto that immeasurably exalted Being Who seeketh +naught but to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men, and to +revive the world and ennoble its life, they have imputed such charges as +the tongue and the pen are ashamed to recount. + +We have remembered thee and make mention of thee now. We entreat +Him—exalted is His glory—to protect thee with the hands of might and power +and enable thee to recognize that which will serve thy best interests both +in this world and in the next. He is the Lord of Mankind, the Possessor of +the Throne on High and of the world below. No God is there besides Him, +the Omnipotent, the Powerful. God grant that this Wronged One may observe +fidelity. He hath not forgotten nor will He ever forget thee. + +Thou hast mentioned thine intention to stay in Damascus until spring, then +to proceed to Mosul, should the means be forthcoming. This lowly servant +entreateth God—exalted is His glory—to provide such means as is deemed +expedient, and to aid thee. He is Potent and Powerful. + +Although all the inhabitants of this region have been treated with the +utmost kindness, yet no evidence of fellowship can be discerned from them. +Thou shouldst observe much tact and wisdom, for they seek at all times to +cavil at and deny the Cause. May the One true God grant them equity. + +Concerning thine own affairs, if thou wouldst content thyself with +whatever might come to pass it would be praiseworthy. To engage in some +profession is highly commendable, for when occupied with work one is less +likely to dwell on the unpleasant aspects of life. God willing thou mayest +experience joy and radiance, gladness and exultation in any city or land +where thou mayest happen to sojourn. This lowly servant will never forget +that distinguished and kind friend. He hath remembered and will continue +to remember thee. The decree lieth with God, the Lord of all worlds. I +fain would hope He may vouchsafe divine assistance and grant confirmation +in that which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him. + +Every word of thy poetry is indeed like unto a mirror in which the +evidences of the devotion and love thou cherishest for God and His chosen +ones are reflected. Well is it with thee who hast quaffed the choice wine +of utterance and partaken of the soft flowing stream of true knowledge. +Happy is he who hath drunk his fill and attained unto Him and woe betide +the heedless. Its perusal hath truly proved highly impressive, for it was +indicative of both the light of reunion and the fire of separation. + +Far be it from us to despair at any time of the incalculable favours of +God, for if it were His wish He could cause a mere atom to be transformed +into a sun and a single drop into an ocean. He unlocketh thousands of +doors, while man is incapable of conceiving even a single one. + +So heedless is this servant that with words such as these he seeketh to +vindicate the supreme power of God—exalted be His glory. I implore pardon +of God, the Most Great, for these assertions and affirm that this servant +at all times recognizeth his grievous trespasses and misdeeds. He +entreateth remission of his sins from the ocean of the forgiveness of his +Lord, the Most Exalted, and beggeth for that which will make him wholly +devoted to God and enable him to utter His praise, turn himself toward Him +and to put his whole trust in Him. Verily He is the Potent, the Forgiving, +the Merciful. Praised be God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. + +This lowly one hath read the descriptions of the dialogue with the +traveller which thou hast recounted in thy letter to my Lord, may my life +be offered up for His sake. The explanations which were set forth awaken +the people from the slumber of heedlessness. Indeed the actions of man +himself breed a profusion of satanic power. For were men to abide by and +observe the divine teachings, every trace of evil would be banished from +the face of the earth. However, the widespread differences that exist +among mankind and the prevalence of sedition, contention, conflict and the +like are the primary factors which provoke the appearance of the satanic +spirit. Yet the Holy Spirit hath ever shunned such matters. A world in +which naught can be perceived save strife, quarrels and corruption is +bound to become the seat of the throne, the very metropolis, of Satan. + +How vast the number of the loved and chosen ones of God who have lamented +and moaned by day and by night that haply a sweet and fragrant breeze +might blow from the court of His good-pleasure and dispel altogether the +loathsome and foul-smelling odours from the world. However, this ultimate +goal could not be attained, and men were deprived thereof by virtue of +their evil deeds, which brought upon them the retribution of God, in +accordance with the basic principles of His divine rule. Ours is the duty +to remain patient in these circumstances until relief be forthcoming from +God, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. + +Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord of all beings and Desire of all created +things! I beseech Thee, by the Word which hath caused the Burning Bush to +lift up its Voice and the Rock to cry out, whereby the well-favoured have +hastened to attain the court of Thy presence and the pure in heart the +dayspring of the light of Thy countenance, and by the sighing of Thy true +lovers in their separation from Thy chosen ones and by the lamentation of +them that long to behold Thy face before the dawning splendour of the +light of Thy Revelation, to graciously enable Thy servants to recognize +what Thou hast ordained for them by Thy bounty and Thy grace. Prescribe +for them then through Thy Pen of Glory that which will direct their steps +to the ocean of Thy generosity and will lead them unto the living waters +of Thy heavenly reunion. + +O Lord! Look not at the things they have wrought, rather look unto the +loftiness of Thy celestial bounty which hath preceded all created things, +visible and invisible. O Lord! Illumine their hearts with the effulgent +light of Thy knowledge and brighten their eyes with the shining splendour +of the day-star of Thy favours. + +I entreat Thee, O Lord of Names and Creator of the heavens, by the blood +spilt in Thy Path, and by the heads carried aloft on spears for the sake +of Thy love, and by the souls that have melted in their separation from +Thy loved ones, and by the hearts broken for the exaltation of Thy Word, +to grant that the dwellers of Thy realm may unite together in their +allegiance to Thine incomparable Word so that they may all acknowledge Thy +unity and Thy oneness. There is no God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the Most +Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise. + +I fain would hope that He Who is the All-Sufficing, the Inaccessible, may +heed the solicitation of this lowly servant, may attire the people of the +world with the raiment of goodly deeds and purge them from evil +inclinations. He is the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise, the +All-Perceiving. He heareth and seeth; He is the All-Hearing, the +All-Seeing. + + + + + + SÚRIY-I-VAFÁ(60) (TABLET TO VAFÁ) + + +He is the All-Knowing + +O VAFÁ! Render thanks unto thy Lord for having aided thee to embrace His +Cause, enabled thee to recognize the Manifestation of His Own Self and +raised thee up to magnify Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance in this +glorious Announcement. + +Blessed art thou O Vafá, inasmuch as thou hast been faithful to the +Covenant of God and His Testament at a time when all men have violated it +and have repudiated the One in Whom they had believed, and this +notwithstanding that He hath appeared invested with every testimony, and +hath dawned from the horizon of Revelation clothed with undoubted +sovereignty. + +It behoveth thee, however, to exert thine utmost to attain the very +essence of fidelity. This implieth to be well assured in thy heart and to +testify with thy tongue to that whereunto God hath testified for His Own +exalted Self, proclaiming: ‘Verily, self-subsisting am I within the Realm +of Glory.’ Whoso is enabled in these days to solemnly affirm this truth, +hath attained unto all good, and the heavenly Spirit shall descend upon +him in the daytime and in the night season, shall graciously assist him to +glorify the Name of his Lord and suffer him to unloose his tongue and +uphold with his words the Cause of his Lord, the Merciful, the +Compassionate. And none can ever achieve this except he who hath purged +his heart from whatsoever is created between heaven and earth, and hath +entirely detached himself from all but God, the sovereign Lord, the +Almighty, the Gracious. + +Arise thou to serve the Cause and say: I swear by the righteousness of +God! Verily this is the Primal Point, arrayed in His new attire and +manifested in His glorious Name. He at present beholdeth everything from +this Horizon. Indeed He is supreme over all things. Amongst the Concourse +on High He is known as the Most Great Announcement and in the Realms of +Eternity as the Ancient Beauty, and before the Throne by this Name(61) +which hath caused the footsteps of them that are endued with understanding +to slip. + +Say, I swear by God! In this Revelation even before a single verse was +sent down from the realm of holiness and sublimity, the supreme testimony +of God had been fulfilled for all the inmates of heaven and the dwellers +on earth; moreover, We have revealed the equivalent of whatsoever was sent +down in the Dispensation of the Bayán. Fear ye God and suffer not your +deeds to be rendered vain and be not of them that are sunk in +heedlessness. Open your eyes that ye may behold the Ancient Beauty from +this shining and luminous station. + +Say, God is my witness! The Promised One Himself hath come down from +heaven, seated upon the crimson cloud with the hosts of revelation on His +right, and the angels of inspiration on His left, and the Decree hath been +fulfilled at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the Almighty. Thereupon +the footsteps of everyone have slipped except such as God hath protected +through His tender mercy and numbered with those who have recognized Him +through His Own Self and detached themselves from all that pertaineth to +the world. + +Hearken thou unto the Words of thy Lord and purify thy heart from every +illusion so that the effulgent light of the remembrance of thy Lord may +shed its radiance upon it, and it may attain the station of certitude. + +Know thou moreover that thy letter reached Our presence and We perceived +and perused its contents. We noted the questions thou hast asked and will +readily answer thee. It behoveth everyone in this Day to ask God that +which he desireth, and thy Lord will heed his petition with wondrous and +undeniable verses. + +Thou hast asked regarding the subject of the return. Know thou that the +end is like unto the beginning. Even as thou dost consider the beginning, +similarly shouldst thou consider the end, and be of them that truly +perceive. Nay, rather consider the beginning as the end itself, and so +conversely, that thou mayest acquire a clear perception. Know thou +moreover that every created thing is continually brought forth and +returned at the bidding of thy Lord, the God of power and might. + +As to the Return, as God hath purposed in His sacred and exalted Tablets +wherein He hath made this theme known unto His servants; by this is meant +the return of all created things in the Day of Resurrection, and this is +indeed the essence of the Return as thou hast witnessed in God’s own days +and thou art of them that testify to this truth. + +Verily God is fully capable of causing all names to appear in one name, +and all souls in one soul. Surely powerful and mighty is He. And this +Return is realized at His behest in whatever form He willeth. Indeed He is +the One Who doeth and ordaineth all things. Moreover, thou shouldst not +perceive the fulfilment of the Return and the Resurrection save in the +Word of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. For instance, were He to +take a handful of earth and declare it to be the One Whom ye have been +following in the past, it would undoubtedly be just and true, even as His +real Person, and to none is given the right to question His authority. He +doeth what He willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth. Moreover, in +this station take thou heed not to turn thy gaze unto limitations and +allusions, but rather unto that whereby the Revelation itself hath been +fulfilled and be of them that are discerning. Thus do We explain for thee +in a lucid and explicit language that thou mayest comprehend that which +thou didst seek from thine ancient Lord. + +Consider thou the Day of Resurrection. Were God to pronounce the lowliest +of creatures among the faithful to be the First One to believe in the +Bayán, thou shouldst have no misgivings about it and must be of them that +truly believe. In this station look not upon human limitations and names +but rather upon that whereby the rank of the First One to believe is +vindicated, which is faith in God, and recognition of His Being and +assurance in the fulfilment of His irresistible and binding command. + +Consider thou the Revelation of the Point of the Bayán—exalted is His +glory. He pronounced the First One(62) to believe in Him to be Muḥammad, +the Messenger of God. Doth it beseem a man to dispute with Him by saying +that this man is from Persia, the Other from Arabia, or this one was +called Ḥusayn while the Other bore the name of Muḥammad? Nay, I swear by +God’s holy Being, the Exalted, the Most Great. Surely no man of +intelligence and insight would ever pay attention unto limitations or +names, but rather unto that with which Muḥammad was invested, which was +none other than the Cause of God. Such a man of insight would likewise +consider Ḥusayn and the position he occupied in the Cause of God, the +Omnipotent, the Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise. And since the First One to +believe in God in the Dispensation of the Bayán was invested with command +similar to that with which Muḥammad, the Messenger of God, was invested, +therefore the Báb pronounced him to be the latter, namely His return and +resurrection. This station is sanctified from every limitation or name, +and naught can be seen therein but God, the One, the Peerless, the +All-Knowing. + +Know thou moreover that in the Day of Revelation were He to pronounce one +of the leaves to be the manifestation of all His excellent titles, unto no +one is given the right to utter why or wherefore, and should one do so he +would be regarded as a disbeliever in God and be numbered with such as +have repudiated His Truth. + +Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of the Bayán. For +indeed they erred grievously, misguided the people, ignored the Covenant +of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him, the One, the +Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize the Point +of the Bayán, for had they recognized Him they would not have rejected His +manifestation in this luminous and resplendent Being. And since they fixed +their eyes on names, therefore when He replaced His Name ‘the Most +Exalted’ by ‘the Most Glorious’ their eyes were dimmed. They have failed +to recognize Him in these days and are reckoned with those that perish. +Indeed, had they known Him through His own Self or by virtue of that which +He hath revealed, they would not have repudiated Him when He appeared in +this glorious and incomparable Name, which God hath ordained to be the +Sword of His Revelation between heaven and earth, and through which truth +is separated from error, even from now until the Day when mankind shall +stand before the Lord of the worlds. + +Know thou moreover that in the Day of His Manifestation all things besides +God shall be brought forth and placed equally, irrespective of their rank +being high or low. The Day of Return is inscrutable unto all men until +after the divine Revelation hath been fulfilled. He is in truth the One +Who ordaineth whatsoever He willeth. When the Word of God is revealed unto +all created things whoso then giveth ear and heedeth the Call is, indeed, +reckoned among the most distinguished souls, though he be a carrier of +ashes. And he who turneth away is accounted as the lowliest of His +servants, though he be a ruler amongst men and the possessor of all the +books that are in the heavens and on earth. + +It behoveth thee to look with divine insight upon the things We have +revealed and sent unto thee and not towards the people and that which is +current amongst them. They are in this day like unto a blind man who, +while moving in the sunshine, demandeth: Where is the sun? Is it shining? +He would deny and dispute the truth, and would not be of them that +perceive. Never shall he be able to discern the sun or to understand that +which hath intervened between him and it. He would object within himself, +voice protests, and would be among the rebellious. Such is the state of +this people. Leave them unto themselves, saying: Unto you be that which ye +desire and unto us that which we desire. Wretched indeed is the plight of +the ungodly. + +Know thou moreover that the former Manifestation affirmed that the return +and rising of the spirits would occur on the Day of Resurrection, while in +truth there is a return and resurrection for every created thing. However +We do not wish to mention aught that is not set forth in the Bayán, lest +perchance the people of malice raise a great outcry. O would that that +which interveneth between the children of men and their Creator were +dispelled that they might be enabled to behold God’s invincible +sovereignty and dominion, quaff from the wellspring of His heavenly +streams, be sprinkled with the outpourings of the ocean of true +understanding and be purged from the defilements of the ungodly and the +suspicious. + +As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that +the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their +range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the +All-Wise. Consider thy state when asleep. Verily, I say, this phenomenon +is the most mysterious of the signs of God amongst men, were they to +ponder it in their hearts. Behold how the thing which thou hast seen in +thy dream is, after a considerable lapse of time, fully realized. Had the +world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream been identical with +the world in which thou livest, it would have been necessary for the event +occurring in that dream to have transpired in this world at the very +moment of its occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have borne +witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must necessarily +follow that the world in which thou livest is different and apart from +that which thou hast experienced in thy dream. This latter world hath +neither beginning nor end. It would be true if thou wert to contend that +this same world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God, +within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee. It would equally be +true to maintain that thy spirit, having transcended the limitations of +sleep and having stripped itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the +act of God, been made to traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the +innermost reality of this world. Verily I say, the creation of God +embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures apart from these +creatures. In each of these worlds He hath ordained things which none can +search except Himself, the All-Searching, the All-Wise. Do thou meditate +on that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou mayest discover the +purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds. In these words the +mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been treasured. We have refrained from +dwelling upon this theme owing to the sorrow that hath encompassed Us from +the actions of them that have been created through Our words, if ye be of +them that will hearken unto Our Voice. + +Where is the one who can help Me and shield Me from the swords of these +faithless souls? Where is the man of insight who will behold the Words of +God with his own eyes and rid himself of the opinions and notions of the +peoples of the earth? + +O servant! Warn thou the servants of God not to reject that which they do +not comprehend. Say, implore God to open to your hearts the portals of +true understanding that ye may be apprised of that of which no one is +apprised. Verily, He is the Giver, the Forgiving, the Compassionate. + +Thou hast moreover asked Me concerning the ordinances of God. Know thou of +a truth that whatsoever hath been prescribed in the Book is indeed the +truth, no doubt is there about it, and it is incumbent upon everyone to +observe that which hath been sent down by Him Who is the Revealer, the +All-Knowing. Were a man to put them away despite his being aware thereof, +God would truly be clear of such a one and We too would be clear of him, +inasmuch as His ordinances constitute the fruits of the divine Tree and +none other than the heedless and the wayward will deviate therefrom. + +As to Paradise: It is a reality and there can be no doubt about it, and +now in this world it is realized through love of Me and My good-pleasure. +Whosoever attaineth unto it God will aid him in this world below, and +after death He will enable him to gain admittance into Paradise whose +vastness is as that of heaven and earth. Therein the Maids of glory and +holiness will wait upon him in the daytime and in the night season, while +the day-star of the unfading beauty of his Lord will at all times shed its +radiance upon him and he will shine so brightly that no one shall bear to +gaze at him. Such is the dispensation of Providence, yet the people are +shut out by a grievous veil. Likewise apprehend thou the nature of +hell-fire and be of them that truly believe. For every act performed there +shall be a recompense according to the estimate of God, and unto this the +very ordinances and prohibitions prescribed by the Almighty amply bear +witness. For surely if deeds were not rewarded and yielded no fruit, then +the Cause of God—exalted is He—would prove futile. Immeasurably high is He +exalted above such blasphemies! However, unto them that are rid of all +attachments a deed is, verily, its own reward. Were We to enlarge upon +this theme numerous Tablets would need to be written. + +I swear by the righteousness of the One true God! The Pen is unable to +move by reason of that which hath befallen its Lord, and it weepeth sore, +and so do I weep, and likewise weepeth the eye of Him Who is the Essence +of Grandeur behind the Tabernacle of Names while seated on the Throne of +His glorious Name. + +Purge thou thy heart that We may cause fountains of wisdom and utterance +to gush out therefrom, thus enabling thee to raise thy voice among all +mankind. Unloose thy tongue and proclaim the truth for the sake of the +remembrance of thy merciful Lord. Be not afraid of anyone, place thy whole +trust in God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Say, O people, fulfil +whatever ye understand of the Persian Bayán and whatever ye understand not +ask this unerring Remembrance that He may set forth clearly that which God +hath intended in His Book, for in truth He knoweth that which is enshrined +in the Bayán by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Omnipotent, the +Powerful. + +Thou hast enquired about the warning We gave to the people at the time of +Our departure from ‘Iráq to the effect that when the Sun disappeareth from +sight, birds of darkness will be in motion and the standards of Samírí(63) +will be reared high. I swear by God! Those birds have stirred in these +days and Samírí hath raised his clamour. Well is it with him who +recognizeth and is numbered with men of understanding. We have also warned +them against the appearance of the calf. God is My witness! All Our +warnings have come to pass, as indeed, they are bound to, inasmuch as they +have issued from the fingers of glory and might. Beseech thou God to +protect thee from the mischief of these men and to purify thee from the +insinuations of the froward. Strengthen thy loins then for the promotion +of the Cause and pay no attention unto the words uttered by the people of +the Bayán, for they are truly incapable of understanding and have failed +to comprehend the essence of the Cause as is revealed in this august, this +Most Great Announcement. Thus have We inspired thee, and infused into thy +heart that which will make thee independent of the allusions of mankind. + +The glory of God be upon thee and upon them that give ear unto the words +thou dost utter for the love of God, thy Lord, and remain steadfast in His +Cause. All praise be unto God, the Lord of the worlds. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-SÍYYID-I-MIHDÍY-I-DAHÁJÍ (TABLET TO SIYYID MIHDÍY-I-DAHÁJÍ) + + +He is the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most High + +O MY Name!(64) Yield thou praise unto God for having graciously chosen +thee to be a shower of bounty for that which We have sown in the pure and +blessed soil and enabled thee to serve as a springtime of tender mercy for +the wondrous and sublime trees We have planted. Indeed so great is this +favour that of all created things in the world of existence, none can ever +hope to rival it. We have moreover given thee to drink the choice wine of +utterance from the chalice of the heavenly bestowals of thy merciful Lord, +which is none other than this Tongue of holiness—a Tongue that, as soon as +it was unloosed, quickened the entire creation, set in motion all beings +and caused the Nightingale to pour forth its melodies. This is the +Fountain of living water for all that dwell in the realm of being. + +Oftentimes have We wafted upon thee the sweet savours of the All-Merciful +from this Branch which moveth over the Tablet of thy Lord, the Mighty, the +Unconstrained. By the righteousness of the One true God! Were all created +things, visible and invisible, to direct themselves towards Him, thou +wouldst find them winging their flight unto the Supreme Goal, the Spot +wherein the divine Lote-Tree exclaimeth: Verily, no God is there but Me, +the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. + +Great is thy blessedness, inasmuch as thou hast been journeying throughout +the lands of God, and been the embodiment of joy and assurance for the +people of Bahá who have renounced all else but Him, and set their hearts +towards this Court which hath shed its radiance upon all realms, and +sprinkled them with the surging waters of this Ocean wherewith thou +thyself hast been sprinkled—an Ocean which hath encompassed all created +things. + +Indeed thou didst grasp the significance of rendering assistance unto God +and didst arise to achieve this through the power of wisdom and utterance. +Say: To assist Me is to teach My Cause. This is a theme with which whole +Tablets are laden. This is the changeless commandment of God, eternal in +the past, eternal in the future. Comprehend this, O ye men of insight. +They that have passed beyond the bounds of wisdom fail to understand the +meaning of assisting God as set forth in the Book. Say: Fear ye God and +sow not the seeds of dissension amongst men. Observe ye that which hath +been enjoined upon you by your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. He +knoweth the reality of victory and hath taught it to you with an utterance +that the vain imaginings of them that rove distraught in the wilderness of +doubt can never corrupt. + +O My Name! Suffer all created things to quaff once again from this chalice +which hath caused the seas to rise. Kindle then in the hearts the blazing +fire which this crimson Tree hath ignited, that they may arise to extol +and magnify His Name amidst the adherents of all Faiths. + +Numerous letters from thee have been presented before Our Throne. We have +perused them as a token of grace on Our part, and for each name thou didst +mention therein We have revealed that which will stir the minds of men and +will cause the spirits to soar. Moreover We have repeatedly enabled thee +to hearken unto the warblings of the birds of heaven and to incline thine +ear to the songs of the nightingales pouring forth their melodies upon the +branches. Thus was the Pen of God set in motion in thy remembrance that +thou mightest admonish men through the power of this utterance which is +divinely ordained to be the revealer of the signs of His glory. + +Blessed is the spot wherein the anthem of His praise is raised, and +blessed the ear that hearkeneth unto that which hath been sent down from +the heaven of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the All-Merciful. + +Exhort thou the servants of God unto that whereunto We have exhorted thee +that they may abstain from whatsoever is forbidden them in the Mother +Book. Those who perpetrate deeds that would create turmoil among the +people have indeed strayed far from helping God and His Cause and are +numbered with the mischief-makers in the Tablet which God hath designated +to be the dawning-place of all Tablets. + +Say: If it be Our pleasure We shall render the Cause victorious through +the power of a single word from Our presence. He is in truth the +Omnipotent, the All-Compelling. Should it be God’s intention, there would +appear out of the forests of celestial might the lion of indomitable +strength whose roaring is like unto the peals of thunder reverberating in +the mountains. However, since Our loving providence surpasseth all things, +We have ordained that complete victory should be achieved through speech +and utterance, that Our servants throughout the earth may thereby become +the recipients of divine good. This is but a token of God’s bounty +vouchsafed unto them. Verily thy Lord is the All-Sufficing, the Most +Exalted. + +Say: Fear ye God and commit not such deeds as would cause My loved ones on +earth to lament. Thus biddeth you this Pen which hath set the Pen of Glory +in motion within the arena of wisdom and true understanding. + +Convey My greetings unto those whose faces mirror forth the radiance of +Bahá, then mention to them this utterance which cheereth the eyes of the +righteous. The glory of God rest upon thee and upon such as have firmly +clung to the Cord of God, the Revealer of verses.... + +Restrain thou the inhabitants of those regions from provocative acts, from +strife, dissension or aught else that would create trouble. That which is +praiseworthy in these days is the promotion of the Cause. For instance if +those people who pursue certain aims were to dedicate themselves to the +teaching of the Cause, all the dwellers of those regions would, ere long, +be invested with the mantle of faith. + +Should anyone perceive the sweetness of the following passage in the +Tablet revealed in honour of Nabíl of Qá’in,(65) he would readily +comprehend the significance of assistance: Human utterance is an essence +which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its +influence, this is conditional upon refinement, which in turn is dependent +upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath +to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures +and Tablets. + +O My Name! Utterance must needs possess penetrating power. For if bereft +of this quality it would fail to exert influence. And this penetrating +influence dependeth on the spirit being pure and the heart stainless. +Likewise it needeth moderation, without which the hearer would be unable +to bear it, rather he would manifest opposition from the very outset. And +moderation will be obtained by blending utterance with the tokens of +divine wisdom which are recorded in the sacred Books and Tablets. Thus +when the essence of one’s utterance is endowed with these two requisites +it will prove highly effective and will be the prime factor in +transforming the souls of men. This is the station of supreme victory and +celestial dominion. Whoso attaineth thereto is invested with the power to +teach the Cause of God and to prevail over the hearts and minds of men. + +O My Name! The Day-Star of utterance, shining resplendent from the +dayspring of divine Revelation, hath so illumined the Scrolls and Tablets +that the kingdom of utterance and the exalted dominion of understanding +vibrate with joy and ecstasy and shine forth with the splendour of His +light, yet the generality of mankind comprehend not. + +The reason why the subject of aid and assistance hath time and again +streamed and will continue to stream from the Pen of Providence is to warn +the friends of God lest they engage in activities that would give rise to +strife and turmoil. It is incumbent upon them, one and all, to diligently +seek ways to help the Cause of God in such manner as We have explained. +This is but a token of His grace especially conferred upon His loved ones +that every one of them may attain the station characterized by the words: +‘Whoso quickeneth a soul hath verily quickened all mankind.’ + +Temporal ascendancy hath been and will continue to be under the shadow of +this station. Its appointed hour is pre-ordained in the Book of God. He is +truly cognizant thereof and it will be manifested through the potency of +His might. Verily He is the Powerful, the All-Subduing, the Omnipotent, +the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +The sanctified souls should ponder and meditate in their hearts regarding +the methods of teaching. From the texts of the wondrous, heavenly +Scriptures they should memorize phrases and passages bearing on various +instances, so that in the course of their speech they may recite divine +verses whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses +are the most potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman. So potent +is their influence that the hearer will have no cause for vacillation. I +swear by My life! This Revelation is endowed with such a power that it +will act as the lodestone for all nations and kindreds of the earth. +Should one pause to meditate attentively he would recognize that no place +is there, nor can there be, for anyone to flee to. + +In such manner hath the Kitáb-i-Aqdas been revealed that it attracteth and +embraceth all the divinely appointed Dispensations. Blessed those who +peruse it. Blessed those who apprehend it. Blessed those who meditate upon +it. Blessed those who ponder its meaning. So vast is its range that it +hath encompassed all men ere their recognition of it. Ere long will its +sovereign power, its pervasive influence and the greatness of its might be +manifested on earth. Verily, thy God is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. + +O My Name! Hearken thou unto My Voice coming from the direction of My +Throne. He wisheth to make mention of thy name at all times inasmuch as +thou hast proved thyself steadfast in extolling His virtues amongst men. +Indeed thy Lord loveth fidelity as found in the realm of creation, and He +hath given it precedence over most of the praiseworthy qualities. Verily, +He is Potent and Powerful. + +Know thou moreover that We have heard the praise thou hast uttered in thy +communion with God, thy Lord, the Exalted, the Gracious. Great indeed is +the blessedness awaiting thee, inasmuch as thou hast curtailed thine own +affairs in favour of this inviolable, this mighty and enlightened Cause. +We entreat God to make thy call a magnet which will attract the +embodiments of names in the world of existence that all beings may +spontaneously hasten to heed it. No God is there besides Him, the Exalted, +the Pre-Eminent, the Ever-Blessed, the Sublime, the Most August, the Most +Glorious, the Most Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-BURHÁN (TABLET OF THE PROOF) + + + _This Tablet was revealed after the martyrdom of the King of + Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs (see God Passes By pages + 200–201) and was addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad Báqir, denounced by + Bahá’u’lláh as the ‘Wolf’. In this Tablet Bahá’u’lláh refers to + Mír Muḥammad Ḥusayn, the Imám Jum’ih of Iṣfáhán, surnamed the + ‘She-Serpent’, who was Shaykh Muḥammad Báqir’s accomplice in the + persecution of the Bahá’ís. (See God Passes By, pages 198, 200–201 + and 219). The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf was addressed to + Shaykh Muḥammad Taqíy-i-Najafí, the son of Shaykh Muḥammad Báqir._ + + +HE is the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! The winds of hatred +have encompassed the Ark of Bathá,(66) by reason of that which the hands +of the oppressors have wrought. O Báqir! Thou hast pronounced sentence +against them for whom the books of the world have wept, and in whose +favour the scriptures of all religions have testified. Thou, who art gone +far astray, art indeed wrapt in a thick veil. By God Himself! Thou hast +pronounced judgement against them through whom the horizon of faith hath +been illumined. Unto this bear witness They Who are the Dawning-Places of +Revelation and the Manifestations of the Cause of thy Lord, the Most +Merciful, Who have sacrificed Their souls and all that They possessed in +His straight Path. The Faith of God hath cried everywhere, by reason of +thy tyranny, and yet thou disportest thyself and art of them that exult. +There is no hatred in Mine heart for thee nor for anyone. Every man of +learning beholdeth thee, and such as are like thee, engulfed in evident +folly. Hadst thou realized that which thou hast done, thou wouldst have +cast thyself into the fire, or abandoned thine home and fled into the +mountains, or wouldst have groaned until thou hadst returned unto the +place destined for thee by Him Who is the Lord of strength and of might. O +thou who art even as nothing! Rend thou asunder the veils of idle fancies +and vain imaginings, that thou mayest behold the Day-Star of knowledge +shining from this resplendent Horizon. Thou hast torn in pieces a remnant +of the Prophet Himself, and imagined that thou hadst helped the Faith of +God. Thus hath thy soul prompted thee, and thou art truly one of the +heedless. Thine act hath consumed the hearts of the Concourse on high, and +those of such as have circled round the Cause of God, the Lord of the +worlds. The soul of the Chaste One(67) melted, by reason of thy cruelty, +and the inmates of Paradise wept sore in that blessed Spot. + +Judge thou fairly, I adjure thee by God. What proof did the Jewish doctors +adduce wherewith to condemn Him Who was the Spirit of God,(68) when He +came unto them with truth? What could have been the evidence produced by +the Pharisees and the idolatrous priests to justify their denial of +Muḥammad, the Apostle of God when He came unto them with a Book that +judged between truth and falsehood with a justice which turned into light +the darkness of the earth, and enraptured the hearts of such as had known +Him? Indeed thou hast produced, in this day, the same proofs which the +foolish divines advanced in that age. Unto this testifieth He Who is the +King of the realm of grace in this great Prison. Thou hast, truly, walked +in their ways, nay, hast surpassed them in their cruelty, and hast deemed +thyself to be helping the Faith and defending the Law of God, the +All-Knowing, the All-Wise. By Him Who is the Truth! Thine iniquity hath +made Gabriel to groan, and hath drawn tears from the Law of God, through +which the breezes of justice have been wafted over all who are in heaven +and on earth. Hast thou fondly imagined that the judgement thou didst +pronounce hath profited thee? Nay, by Him Who is the King of all Names! +Unto thy loss testifieth He with Whom is the knowledge of all things as +recorded in the preserved Tablet. When thou didst pen thy judgement, thou +wast accused by thy very pen. Unto this doth bear witness the Pen of God, +the Most High, in His inaccessible station. + +O thou who hast gone astray! Thou hast neither seen Me, nor associated +with Me, nor been My companion for the fraction of a moment. How is it, +then, that thou hast bidden men to curse Me? Didst thou, in this, follow +the promptings of thine own desires, or didst thou obey thy Lord? Produce +thou a sign, if thou art one of the truthful. We testify that thou hast +cast behind thy back the Law of God, and laid hold on the dictates of thy +passions. Nothing, in truth, escapeth His knowledge; He, verily, is the +Incomparable, the All-Informed. O heedless one! Hearken unto that which +the Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’án: ‘Say not to every one who +meeteth you with a greeting, “Thou art not a believer.”’(69) Thus hath He +decreed in Whose grasp are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if +thou be of them that hearken. Thou hast set aside the commandment of God, +and clung unto the promptings of thine own desire. Woe, then, unto thee, O +careless one that doubtest! If thou deniest Me, by what proof canst thou +vindicate the truth of that which thou dost possess? Produce it, then, O +thou who hast joined partners with God, and turned aside from His +sovereignty that hath encompassed the worlds! + +O foolish one! Know thou that he is truly learned who hath acknowledged My +Revelation, and drunk from the Ocean of My knowledge, and soared in the +atmosphere of My love, and cast away all else besides Me, and taken firm +hold on that which hath been sent down from the Kingdom of My wondrous +utterance. He, verily, is even as an eye unto mankind, and as the spirit +of life unto the body of all creation. Glorified be the All-Merciful Who +hath enlightened him, and caused him to arise and serve His great and +mighty Cause. Verily, such a man is blessed by the Concourse on high, and +by them who dwell within the Tabernacle of Grandeur, who have quaffed My +sealed Wine in My Name, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. O Báqir! If thou +be of them that occupy such a sublime station, produce then a sign from +God, the Creator of the heavens. And shouldst thou recognize thy +powerlessness, do thou rein in thy passions, and return unto thy Lord, +that perchance He may forgive thee thy sins which have caused the leaves +of the Divine Lote-Tree to be burnt up, and the Rock to cry out, and the +eyes of men of understanding to weep. Because of thee the Veil of Divinity +was rent asunder, and the Ark foundered, and the She-Camel was hamstrung, +and the Spirit(70) groaned in His sublime retreat. Disputest thou with Him +Who hath come unto thee with the testimonies of God and His signs which +thou possessest and which are in the possession of them that dwell on +earth? Open thine eyes that thou mayest behold this Wronged One shining +forth above the horizon of the will of God, the Sovereign, the Truth, the +Resplendent. Unstop, then, the ear of thine heart that thou mayest hearken +unto the speech of the Divine Lote-Tree that hath been raised up in truth +by God, the Almighty, the Beneficent. Verily, this Tree, notwithstanding +the things that befell it by reason of thy cruelty and of the +transgressions of such as are like thee, calleth aloud and summoneth all +men unto the Sadratu’l-Muntahá(71) and the Supreme Horizon. Blessed is the +soul that hath gazed on the Most Mighty Sign, and the ear that hath heard +His most sweet Voice, and woe to whosoever hath turned aside and done +wickedly. + +O thou who hast turned away from God! Wert thou to look with the eye of +fairness upon the Divine Lote-Tree, thou wouldst perceive the marks of thy +sword on its boughs, and its branches, and its leaves, notwithstanding +that God created thee for the purpose of recognizing and of serving it. +Reflect, that haply thou mayest recognize thine iniquity and be numbered +with such as have repented. Thinkest thou that We fear thy cruelty? Know +thou and be well assured that from the first day whereon the voice of the +Most Sublime Pen was raised betwixt earth and heaven We offered up Our +souls, and Our bodies, and Our sons, and Our possessions in the path of +God, the Exalted, the Great, and We glory therein amongst all created +things and the Concourse on high. Unto this testify the things which have +befallen Us in this straight Path. By God! Our hearts were consumed, and +Our bodies were crucified, and Our blood was spilt, while Our eyes were +fixed on the horizon of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the Witness, +the All-Seeing. The more grievous their woes, the greater waxed the love +of the people of Bahá. Unto their sincerity hath borne witness what the +All-Merciful hath sent down in the Qur’án. He saith: ‘Wish ye, then, for +death, if ye are sincere.’(72) Who is to be preferred, he that hath +sheltered himself behind curtains, or he that hath offered himself in the +path of God? Judge thou fairly, and be not of them that rove distraught in +the wilderness of falsehood. So carried away have they been by the living +waters of the love of the Most Merciful, that neither the arms of the +world nor the swords of the nations have deterred them from setting their +faces towards the ocean of the bounty of their Lord, the Giver, the +Generous. + +By God! Troubles have failed to unnerve Me, and the repudiation of the +divines hath been powerless to weaken Me. I have spoken, and still speak +forth before the face of men: ‘The door of grace hath been unlocked and He +Who is the Dayspring of Justice is come with perspicuous signs and evident +testimonies, from God, the Lord of strength and of might!’ Present thyself +before Me that thou mayest hear the mysteries which were heard by the Son +of ‘Imrán(73) upon the Sinai of Wisdom. Thus commandeth thee He Who is the +Dawning-Place of the Revelation of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, from His +great Prison. + +Hath leadership made thee proud? Peruse thou what God hath revealed to the +Sovereign ruler, the Sulṭán of Turkey, who hath incarcerated Me in this +fortified stronghold, so that thou mayest be informed of the condition of +this Wronged One, as decreed by God, the One, the Single, the +All-Informed. Art thou happy to see the abject and worthless as thy +followers? They support thee as did a people before them, they that +followed Annas, who, without clear proof and testimony, pronounced +judgement against the Spirit.(74) + +Peruse thou the Kitáb-i-Íqán and that which the All-Merciful hath sent +down unto the King of Paris(75) and to such as are like him, that thou +mayest be made aware of the things that have happened in the past, and be +persuaded that We have not sought to spread disorder in the land after it +had been well-ordered. We exhort, wholly for the sake of God, His +servants. Let him who wisheth turn unto Him, and him who wisheth turn +aside. Our Lord, the Merciful, is verily the All-Sufficing, the +All-Praised. O concourse of divines! This is the day whereon nothing +amongst all things, nor any name amongst all names, can profit you save +through this Name which God hath made the Manifestation of His Cause and +the Dayspring of His Most Excellent Titles unto all who are in the kingdom +of creation. Blessed is that man that hath recognized the fragrance of the +All-Merciful and been numbered with the steadfast. Your sciences shall not +profit you in this day, nor your arts, nor your treasures, nor your glory. +Cast them all behind your backs, and set your faces towards the Most +Sublime Word through which the Scriptures and the Books and this lucid +Tablet have been distinctly set forth. Cast away, O concourse of divines, +the things ye have composed with the pens of your idle fancies and vain +imaginings. By God! The Day-Star of Knowledge hath shone forth above the +horizon of certitude. + +O Báqir! Read and call thou to mind that which was said of old by a +believer of thy stock: ‘Will ye slay a man because he saith my Lord is +God, when He hath already come to you with signs from your Lord? If he be +a liar, on him will be his lie, but if he be a man of truth, part of what +he threateneth will fall upon you. In truth God guideth not him who is a +transgressor, a liar.’(76) + +O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any doubt concerning Our conduct, +know thou that We bear witness unto that whereunto God hath Himself borne +witness ere the creation of the heavens and of the earth, that there is +none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We testify that +He is One in His Essence, One in His attributes. He hath none to equal Him +in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent forth +His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His +creatures the Straight Path. + +Hath the Sháh been informed, and chosen to close his eyes to thine acts? +Or hath he been seized with fear at the howling of a pack of wolves who +have cast the Path of God behind their backs and followed in thy way +without any clear proof or Book? We have heard that the provinces of +Persia have been adorned with the adornment of justice. When We observed +closely, however, We found them to be the dawning-places of tyranny and +the daysprings of injustice. We behold justice in the clutches of tyranny. +We beseech God to set it free through the power of His might and His +sovereignty. He, verily, overshadoweth all that is in the heavens and on +earth. To none is given the right to protest against anyone concerning +that which hath befallen the Cause of God. It behoveth whosoever hath set +his face towards the Most Sublime Horizon to cleave tenaciously unto the +cord of patience, and to put his reliance in God, the Help in Peril, the +Unconstrained. O ye loved ones of God! Drink your fill from the +well-spring of wisdom, and walk ye in the garden of wisdom, and soar ye in +the atmosphere of wisdom, and speak forth with wisdom and eloquence. Thus +biddeth you your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. + +O Báqir! Rely not on thy glory, and thy power. Thou art even as the last +trace of sunlight upon the mountain-top. Soon will it fade away, as +decreed by God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. Thy glory and the glory +of such as are like thee have been taken away, and this verily is what +hath been ordained by the One with Whom is the Mother Tablet. Where is he +to be found who contended with God, and whither is gone he that gainsaid +His signs, and turned aside from His sovereignty? Where are they who have +slain His chosen ones and spilt the blood of His holy ones? Reflect, that +haply thou mayest perceive the breaths of thine acts, O foolish doubter! +Because of you the Apostle(77) lamented, and the Chaste One(78) cried out, +and the countries were laid waste, and darkness fell upon all regions. O +concourse of divines! Because of you the people were abased, and the +banner of Islám was hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted. Every +time a man of discernment hath sought to hold fast unto that which would +exalt Islám, ye raised a clamour, and thereby was he deterred from +achieving his purpose, while the land remained fallen in clear ruin. + +Consider the Sulṭán of Turkey! He did not want war, but those like you +desired it. When its fires were enkindled and its flames rose high, the +government and the people were thereby weakened. Unto this beareth witness +every man of equity and perception. Its calamities waxed so great that the +smoke thereof surrounded the Land of Mystery(79) and its environs, and +what had been revealed in the Tablet of the Sulṭán was made manifest. Thus +hath it been decreed in the Book, at the behest of God, the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + +O My Supreme Pen! Leave Thou the mention of the Wolf, and call Thou to +remembrance the She-Serpent(80) whose cruelty hath caused all created +things to groan, and the limbs of the holy ones to quake. Thus biddeth +Thee the Lord of all names, in this glorious station. The Chaste One(81) +hath cried out by reason of thine iniquity, and yet thou dost imagine +thyself to be of the family of the Apostle of God! Thus hath thy soul +prompted thee, O thou who hast withdrawn thyself from God, the Lord of all +that hath been and shall be. Judge thou equitably, O She-Serpent! For what +crime didst thou sting the children(82) of the Apostle of God, and pillage +their possessions? Hast thou denied Him Who created thee by His command +‘be, and it was’? Thou hast dealt with the children of the Apostle of God +as neither ‘Ád hath dealt with Húd, nor Thámúd with Ṣáliḥ, nor the Jews +with the Spirit of God,(83) the Lord of all being. Gainsayest thou the +signs of thy Lord which no sooner were sent down from the heaven of His +Cause than all the books of the world bowed down before them? Meditate, +that thou mayest be made aware of thine act, O heedless outcast! Ere long +will the breaths of chastisement seize thee, as they seized others before +thee. Wait, O thou who hast joined partners with God, the Lord of the +visible and the invisible. This is the day which God hath announced +through the tongue of His Apostle. Reflect, that thou mayest apprehend +what the All-Merciful hath sent down in the Qur’án and in this inscribed +Tablet. This is the day whereon He Who is the Dayspring of Revelation hath +come with clear tokens which none can number. This is the day whereon +every man endued with perception hath discovered the fragrance of the +breeze of the All-Merciful in the world of creation, and every man of +insight hath hastened unto the living waters of the mercy of His Lord, the +King of Kings. O heedless one! The tale of the Sacrifice(84) hath been +retold, and he who was to be offered up hath directed his steps towards +the place of sacrifice, and returned not, by reason of that which thy hand +hath wrought, O perverse hater! Didst thou imagine that martyrdom could +abase this Cause? Nay, by Him Whom God hath made to be the Repository of +His Revelation, if thou be of them that comprehend. Woe betide thee, O +thou who hast joined partners with God, and woe betide them that have +taken thee as their leader, without a clear token or a perspicuous Book. +How numerous the oppressors before thee who have arisen to quench the +light of God, and how many the impious who murdered and pillaged until the +hearts and souls of men groaned by reason of their cruelty! The sun of +justice hath been obscured, inasmuch as the embodiment of tyranny hath +been stablished upon the throne of hatred, and yet the people understand +not. The children of the Apostle have been slain and their possessions +pillaged. Say: Was it, in thine estimation, their possessions or +themselves that denied God? Judge fairly, O ignorant one that hath been +shut out as by a veil from God. Thou hast clung to tyranny and cast away +justice; whereupon all created things have lamented, and still thou art +among the wayward. Thou hast put to death the aged, and plundered the +young. Thinkest thou that thou wilt consume that which thine iniquity hath +amassed? Nay, by Myself! Thus informeth thee He Who is cognizant of all. +By God! The things thou possessest shall profit thee not, nor what thou +hast laid up through thy cruelty. Unto this beareth witness Thy Lord, the +All-Knowing. Thou hast arisen to put out the light of this Cause; ere long +will thine own fire be quenched, at His behest. He, verily, is the Lord of +strength and of might. The changes and chances of the world, and the +powers of the nations, cannot frustrate Him. He doeth what He pleaseth, +and ordaineth what He willeth through the power of His sovereignty. +Consider the she-camel. Though but a beast, yet hath the All-Merciful +exalted her to so high a station that the tongues of the earth made +mention of her and celebrated her praise. He, verily, overshadoweth all +that is in the heavens and on earth. No God is there but Him, the +Almighty, the Great. Thus have We adorned the heaven of Our Tablet with +the suns of Our words. Blessed the man that hath attained thereunto and +been illumined with their light, and woe betide such as have turned aside, +and denied Him, and strayed far from Him. Praised be God, the Lord of the +worlds! + + + + + + KITÁB-I-‘AHD (BOOK OF THE COVENANT) + + +ALTHOUGH the Realm of Glory hath none of the vanities of the world, yet +within the treasury of trust and resignation We have bequeathed to Our +heirs an excellent and priceless heritage. Earthly treasures We have not +bequeathed, nor have We added such cares as they entail. By God! In +earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed. Consider ye and call +to mind that which the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’án: ‘Woe +betide every slanderer and defamer, him that layeth up riches and counteth +them.’(85) Fleeting are the riches of the world; all that perisheth and +changeth is not, and hath never been, worthy of attention, except to a +recognized measure. + +The aim of this Wronged One in sustaining woes and tribulations, in +revealing the Holy Verses and in demonstrating proofs hath been naught but +to quench the flame of hate and enmity, that the horizon of the hearts of +men may be illumined with the light of concord and attain real peace and +tranquillity. From the dawning-place of the divine Tablet the day-star of +this utterance shineth resplendent, and it behoveth everyone to fix his +gaze upon it: We exhort you, O peoples of the world, to observe that which +will elevate your station. Hold fast to the fear of God and firmly adhere +to what is right. Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good, +defile it not with unseemly talk. God hath forgiven what is past. +Henceforward everyone should utter that which is meet and seemly, and +should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men. +Lofty is the station of man! Not long ago this exalted Word streamed forth +from the treasury of Our Pen of Glory: Great and blessed is this Day—the +Day in which all that lay latent in man hath been and will be made +manifest. Lofty is the station of man, were he to hold fast to +righteousness and truth and to remain firm and steadfast in the Cause. In +the eyes of the All-Merciful a true man appeareth even as a firmament; its +sun and moon are his sight and hearing, and his shining and resplendent +character its stars. His is the loftiest station, and his influence +educateth the world of being. + +Every receptive soul who hath in this Day inhaled the fragrance of His +garment and hath, with a pure heart, set his face towards the all-glorious +Horizon is reckoned among the people of Bahá in the Crimson Book. Grasp +ye, in My Name, the chalice of My loving-kindness, drink then your fill in +My glorious and wondrous remembrance. + +O ye that dwell on earth! The religion of God is for love and unity; make +it not the cause of enmity or dissension. In the eyes of men of insight +and the beholders of the Most Sublime Vision, whatsoever are the effective +means for safeguarding and promoting the happiness and welfare of the +children of men have already been revealed by the Pen of Glory. But the +foolish ones of the earth, being nurtured in evil passions and desires, +have remained heedless of the consummate wisdom of Him Who is, in truth, +the All-Wise, while their words and deeds are prompted by idle fancies and +vain imaginings. + +O ye the loved ones and the trustees of God! Kings are the manifestations +of the power, and the daysprings of the might and riches, of God. Pray ye +on their behalf. He hath invested them with the rulership of the earth and +hath singled out the hearts of men as His Own domain. + +Conflict and contention are categorically forbidden in His Book. This is a +decree of God in this Most Great Revelation. It is divinely preserved from +annulment and is invested by Him with the splendour of His confirmation. +Verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +It is incumbent upon everyone to aid those daysprings of authority and +sources of command who are adorned with the ornament of equity and +justice. Blessed are the rulers and the learned among the people of Bahá. +They are My trustees among My servants and the manifestations of My +commandments amidst My people. Upon them rest My glory, My blessings and +My grace which have pervaded the world of being. In this connection the +utterances revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are such that from the horizon of +their words the light of divine grace shineth luminous and resplendent. + +O ye My Branches! A mighty force, a consummate power lieth concealed in +the world of being. Fix your gaze upon it and upon its unifying influence, +and not upon the differences which appear from it. + +The Will of the divine Testator is this: It is incumbent upon the Aghsán, +the Afnán and My Kindred to turn, one and all, their faces towards the +Most Mighty Branch. Consider that which We have revealed in Our Most Holy +Book: ‘When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My +Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, +Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.’ The object of this sacred verse +is none other except the Most Mighty Branch [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]. Thus have We +graciously revealed unto you Our potent Will, and I am verily the +Gracious, the All-Powerful. Verily God hath ordained the station of the +Greater Branch [Muḥammad ‘Alí] to be beneath that of the Most Great Branch +[‘Abdu’l-Bahá]. He is in truth the Ordainer, the All-Wise. We have chosen +‘the Greater’ after ‘the Most Great’, as decreed by Him Who is the +All-Knowing, the All-Informed. + +It is enjoined upon everyone to manifest love towards the Aghsán, but God +hath not granted them any right to the property of others. + +O ye My Aghsán, My Afnán and My Kindred! We exhort you to fear God, to +perform praiseworthy deeds and to do that which is meet and seemly and +serveth to exalt your station. Verily I say, fear of God is the greatest +commander that can render the Cause of God victorious, and the hosts which +best befit this commander have ever been and are an upright character and +pure and goodly deeds. + +Say: O servants! Let not the means of order be made the cause of confusion +and the instrument of union an occasion for discord. We fain would hope +that the people of Bahá may be guided by the blessed words: ‘Say: all +things are of God.’ This exalted utterance is like unto water for +quenching the fire of hate and enmity which smouldereth within the hearts +and breasts of men. By this single utterance contending peoples and +kindreds will attain the light of true unity. Verily He speaketh the truth +and leadeth the way. He is the All-Powerful, the Exalted, the Gracious. + +It is incumbent upon everyone to show courtesy to, and have regard for the +Aghsán, that thereby the Cause of God may be glorified and His Word +exalted. This injunction hath time and again been mentioned and recorded +in the Holy Writ. Well is it with him who is enabled to achieve that which +the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days hath prescribed for him. Ye are bidden +moreover to respect the members of the Holy Household, the Afnán and the +kindred. We further admonish you to serve all nations and to strive for +the betterment of the world. + +That which is conducive to the regeneration of the world and the salvation +of the peoples and kindreds of the earth hath been sent down from the +heaven of the utterance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. Give ye a +hearing ear to the counsels of the Pen of Glory. Better is this for you +than all that is on the earth. Unto this beareth witness My glorious and +wondrous Book. + + + + + + LAWḤ-I-ARD-I-BÁ (TABLET OF THE LAND OF BÁ) + + +PRAISE be to Him Who hath honoured the Land of Bá(86) through the presence +of Him round Whom all names revolve. All the atoms of the earth have +announced unto all created things that from behind the gate of the +Prison-city there hath appeared and above its horizon there hath shone +forth the Orb of the beauty of the great, the Most Mighty Branch of +God—His ancient and immutable Mystery—proceeding on its way to another +land. Sorrow, thereby, hath enveloped this Prison-city, whilst another +land rejoiceth. Exalted, immeasurably exalted is our Lord, the Fashioner +of the heavens and the Creator of all things, He through Whose sovereignty +the doors of the prison were opened, thereby causing what was promised +aforetime in the Tablets to be fulfilled. He is verily potent over what He +willeth, and in His grasp is the dominion of the entire creation. He is +the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +Blessed, doubly blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have trodden, +the eye that hath been cheered by the beauty of His countenance, the ear +that hath been honoured by hearkening to His call, the heart that hath +tasted the sweetness of His love, the breast that hath dilated through His +remembrance, the pen that hath voiced His praise, the scroll that hath +borne the testimony of His writings. We beseech God—blessed and exalted be +He—that He may honour us with meeting Him soon. He is, in truth, the +All-Hearing, the All-Powerful, He Who is ready to answer. + + + + + + EXCERPTS FROM OTHER TABLETS + + + + + “GOD testifieth that there is none other God but...” + + +GOD testifieth that there is none other God but Him and that He Who hath +come from the heaven of divine revelation is the Hidden Secret, the +Impenetrable Mystery, Whose advent hath been foretold in the Book of God +and hath been heralded by His Prophets and Messengers. Through Him the +mysteries have been unravelled, the veils rent asunder and the signs and +evidences disclosed. Lo! He hath now been made manifest. He bringeth to +light whatsoever He willeth, and treadeth upon the high places of the +earth, invested with transcendent majesty and power. + +Blessed is that strong one who will shatter the gods of vain imaginings +through the potency of the Name of his Lord, He Who ruleth over all men. + +O My Afnán! We would fain mention thy name as a token of grace on Our +part, that the sweet savours of My remembrance may attract thee unto My +Kingdom and draw thee nigh unto the Tabernacle of My majesty which hath +been hoisted through the power of this Name—a Name which hath caused every +foundation to tremble. + +Say: O peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God! Whatever ye have +been promised in the Books of your Lord, the Ruler of the Day of Return, +hath appeared and been made manifest. Beware lest the changes and chances +of the world hold you back from Him Who is the Sovereign Truth. Ere long +will everything visible perish and only that which hath been revealed by +God, the Lord of lords, shall endure. + +Say: This is the Day of meritorious deeds, did ye but know it. This is the +Day of the glorification of God and of the exposition of His Word, could +ye but perceive it. Abandon the things current amongst men and hold fast +unto that which God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, hath enjoined +upon you. The day is fast approaching when all the treasures of the earth +shall be of no profit to you. Unto this beareth witness the Lord of Names, +He Who proclaimeth: Verily, no God is there besides Him, the Sovereign +Truth, the Knower of things unseen. + +Well is it with thee, O My Afnán, inasmuch as thou wert honoured to +receive My Holy Verses, hast inhaled the sweet savours of My Revelation +and responded to My Call at a time when My servants and My creatures, +casting the Mother Book behind their backs and, clinging to the dictates +of the exponents of idle fancy and vain imaginings, have denounced Me. +Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in the kingdom of utterance at the +bidding of God, the Lord of Creation. + +Persevere thou conscientiously in the service of the Cause and, through +the power of the Name of thy Lord, the Possessor of all things visible and +invisible, preserve the station conferred upon thee. I swear by the +righteousness of God! Were anyone apprised of that which is veiled from +the eyes of men, he would become so enraptured as to wing his flight unto +God, the Lord of all that hath been and shall be. + +May His glory rest upon thee and upon such as have drawn nigh unto Him and +apprehended the meaning of that which the exalted Pen of God, the +Almighty, the All-Loving, hath recorded in this Tablet. + + + + + “ALL praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou...” + + +ALL praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast adorned the world +with the splendour of the dawn following the night wherein was born the +One Who heralded the Manifestation of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the +Dayspring of Thy divine Essence and the Revelation of Thy supreme +Lordship. I beseech Thee, O Creator of the heavens and Fashioner of names, +to graciously aid those who have sheltered beneath the shadow of Thine +abounding mercy and have raised their voices amidst the peoples of the +world for the glorification of Thy Name. + +O my God! Thou beholdest the Lord of all mankind confined in His Most +Great Prison, calling aloud Thy Name, gazing upon Thy face, proclaiming +that which hath enraptured the denizens of Thy kingdoms of revelation and +of creation. O my God! I behold Mine own Self captive in the hands of Thy +servants, yet the light of Thy sovereignty and the revelations of Thine +invincible power shine resplendent from His face, enabling all to know of +a certainty that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but Thee. +Neither can the power of the powerful frustrate Thee, nor the ascendancy +of the rulers prevail against Thee. Thou doest whatsoever Thou willest by +virtue of Thy sovereignty which encompasseth all created things, and +ordainest that which Thou pleasest through the potency of Thy behest which +pervadeth the entire creation. + +I implore Thee by the glory of Thy Manifestation and by the power of Thy +might, Thy sovereignty and Thine exaltation to render victorious those who +have arisen to serve Thee, who have aided Thy Cause and humbled themselves +before the splendour of the light of Thy face. Make them then, O my God, +triumphant over Thine enemies and cause them to be steadfast in Thy +service, that through them the evidences of Thy dominion may be +established throughout Thy realms and the tokens of Thine indomitable +power be manifested in Thy lands. Verily Thou art potent to do what Thou +willest; no God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. + +This glorious Tablet hath been revealed on the Anniversary of the Birth +[of the Báb] that thou mayest recite it in a spirit of humility and +supplication and give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the +All-Informed. Make thou every effort to render service unto God, that from +thee may appear that which will immortalize thy memory in His glorious and +exalted heaven. + +Say: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I implore Thee by the Dawning-Place of +Thy signs and by the Revealer of Thy clear tokens to grant that I may, +under all conditions, hold fast the cord of Thy loving providence and +cling tenaciously to the hem of Thy generosity. Reckon me then with those +whom the changes and chances of the world have failed to deter from +serving Thee and from bearing allegiance unto Thee, whom the onslaught of +the people hath been powerless to hinder from magnifying Thy Name and +celebrating Thy praise. Graciously assist me, O my Lord, to do whatever +Thou lovest and desirest. Enable me then to fulfil that which will exalt +Thy Name and will set ablaze the fire of Thy love. + +Thou art, in truth, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. + + + + + “O ḤUSAYN! God grant thou shalt ever be bright and...” + + +O ḤUSAYN! God grant thou shalt ever be bright and radiant, beaming with +the light of the Sun of Truth, and mayest unloose thy tongue in magnifying +the Name of God, which is the most laudable of all acts. + +Consider the multitude of souls who seemed to be intensely eager and +athirst, yet when the Ocean of living waters did surge forth in the world +of being, they remained deprived thereof, inasmuch as they failed to +relinquish idle fancy and to become consciously aware of Him Who is the +Object of all knowledge. This failure is in recompense for the deeds their +hands had formerly wrought. + +Render thou thanks unto the Beloved of the world for having graciously +aided thee to attain confirmation in this glorious Cause. Entreat Him +moreover to make His loved ones steadfast therein, for the inflammatory +writings of the mischief-makers are widespread and the clamour of the +foreboders of evil is raised high. Happy are they that have cast behind +their backs all else save God and have held fast unto that which the Lord +of strength and power hath enjoined upon them. + +His Glory be upon thee and upon such as have been enabled to recognize and +embrace this mighty Cause. + + + + + “THIS is a Tablet which the Lord of all being hath sent...” + + +THIS is a Tablet which the Lord of all being hath sent down from His +glorious station in honour of him who hath believed in God, the Almighty, +the All-Loving. + +Blessed is the wayfarer who hath recognized the Desired One, and the +seeker who hath heeded the Call of Him Who is the intended Aim of all +mankind, and the learned one who hath believed in God, the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + +How vast the number of the learned who have turned aside from the way of +God and how numerous the men devoid of learning who have apprehended the +truth and hastened unto Him, saying, ‘Praised be Thou, O Lord of all +things, visible and invisible.’ + +By the righteousness of God! The world’s horizon is resplendent with the +light of the Most Great Luminary, yet the generality of mankind perceive +it not. Verily He Who is the Sovereign Truth moveth before the eyes of all +men. Unto this beareth witness the One Who is proclaiming in the midmost +heart of the world, ‘In truth no God is there but Me, Omnipotent over all +things, whether of the past or of the future.’ + +Great is the blessedness of the believer who hath directed himself towards +Him and hath gained admittance into His presence, and woe betide every +disbeliever who hath turned away from God and followed the wayward and the +outcast. + + + + + “O FRIEND! In the Bayán We directed everyone in this...” + + +O FRIEND! In the Bayán We directed everyone in this Most Great Revelation +to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears. However when the +horizon of the world was illumined with the resplendent light of this +Revelation, many people forgot this divine commandment, lost sight of this +heavenly exhortation and immersed themselves in the vain imaginings which +their minds had devised. Indeed the face of the sun of justice and +fairness is hidden behind the clouds of idle fancy which the foolish ones +have conceived. Therefore it is not to be wondered at that the movements +of the birds of darkness attract attention. Through the potency of the +Name of the Best-Beloved, invite thou the receptive souls unto God’s holy +court, that perchance they may not remain deprived of the heavenly +Fountain of living water. He is in truth the Gracious, the Forgiving. + +The gaze of the loving-kindness of God—exalted and glorified is He—hath +everlastingly been directed towards His beloved friends; verily He is the +One Who knoweth and remembereth. + + + + + “O JAVÁD! Such is the greatness of this Day that the Hour...” + + +O JAVÁD! Such is the greatness of this Day that the Hour itself is seized +with perturbation, and all heavenly Scriptures bear evidence to its +overpowering majesty. In this Day the Book solemnly testifieth to His +glory and the Balance is moved to lift up its voice. This is the Day +wherein the Ṣiraṭ calleth aloud: ‘I am the straight Path’, and Mount Sinai +exclaimeth: ‘Verily the Lord of Revelation is come.’ + +Being overcome by the drunkenness of corrupt inclinations, the people of +the earth find themselves in a state of stupor. They are, therefore, +debarred from the wondrous signs of God, are prevented from attaining the +ultimate goal and are deprived of the liberal effusions of divine grace. + +It behoveth the people of God to be forbearing. They should impart the +Word of God according to the hearer’s particular measure of understanding +and capacity, that perchance the children of men may be roused from +heedlessness and set their faces towards this Horizon which is +immeasurably exalted above every horizon. + +O Javád! The manifold bounties of God have ever been and will continue to +be vouchsafed unto thee. Praised be God! Thou hast been shielded from the +most great terror and hast succeeded in drawing nigh unto the Most Great +Bounty at a time when all men were prevented from recognizing the eternal +King by the interposition of the veils of outward glory, namely the +divines of this day. Cherish thou as dearly as thine own life this +testimony pronounced by the All-Glorious Pen and strive with all thy might +to preserve it by the potency of the Name of Him Who is the Beloved One of +the entire creation, that this sublime honour may be proof against the +eyes and the hands of robbers. Verily thy Lord is the Expounder, the +All-Knowing. + +Convey the greetings of this Wronged One unto all the beloved friends in +that region and call to their minds Our wondrous and exalted remembrances, +that haply they may forsake the things current amongst them, may set their +hearts on that which pertaineth unto God and remain purged from unseemly +deeds and pursuits. + +May the glory of the Almighty, the All-Wise, be upon thee and upon such as +are related unto thee. + + + + + “WE make mention of him who hath been attracted by Our...” + + +WE make mention of him who hath been attracted by Our Call when it was +raised from the summit of transcendent glory and hath set his face towards +God, the Lord of creation. He is numbered with such as have heard and +responded to the summons of their Lord at a time when the peoples of the +world are wrapt in palpable veils. He testifieth unto that whereunto God +hath testified, and acknowledgeth his belief in that which the Tongue of +Grandeur hath uttered. Unto this beareth witness the Lord of Names in this +wondrous Tablet. + +O My exalted Pen! Bring him, on My behalf, the joyful tidings concerning +the things that God, the Powerful, the Omnipotent, hath reserved for him. +Indeed he hath, for most of the time, been hemmed in by manifold sorrows, +and verily his merciful Lord is the One Who seeth and knoweth all things. +Rejoice thou with exceeding gladness inasmuch as this Wronged One hath +turned His face towards thee, hath mentioned thy name aforetime and doth +mention it at this very moment. + +Unto My loved friends give thou remembrances in My Name and convey to them +the tidings of the gracious bounties of their Lord, the Giver, the +All-Generous. From this exalted station We send Our greetings unto such +believers as have taken fast hold on the Sure Handle and quaffed the +choice wine of constancy from the hand of favour of their Lord, the +Almighty, the All-Praised. + +In this Day the faculty of hearing exclaimeth, ‘This is my Day, wherein I +hearken unto the wondrous Voice coming from the precincts of the Prison of +my Lord, the Perspicuous, the Hearing.’ And the faculty of sight calleth +aloud, ‘Verily this is my Day, for I behold the Dayspring of glory shining +resplendent at the bidding of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Powerful.’ +Blessed the ear that hath heard the call, ‘Behold, and thou shalt see +Me.’(87) and happy the eye that hath gazed upon the most wondrous Sign, +dawning from this luminous horizon. + +Say: O concourse of the rulers and of the learned and the wise! The +Promised Day is come and the Lord of Hosts hath appeared. Rejoice ye with +great joy by reason of this supreme felicity. Aid Him then through the +power of wisdom and utterance. Thus biddeth you the One Who hath ever +proclaimed, ‘Verily, no God is there but Me, the All-Knowing, the +All-Wise.’ + +May His glory rest upon thee and upon those who are with thee and such +ones as cherish thee and give ear to the words thou utterest in +glorification of this mighty, this transcendent Revelation. + + + + + “O THOU who bearest My Name, Júd [Bounty]! Upon...” + + +O THOU who bearest My Name, Júd(88) [Bounty]! Upon thee be My Glory. Give +ear unto that which thou didst hear aforetime when the Day-Star of +testimony was shining resplendent above the horizon of ‘Iráq, when Baghdád +served as the Seat of the Throne of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Mighty. + +I bear witness that thou hast hearkened unto the melody of God and His +sweet accents, inclined thine ear to the cooing of the Dove of divine +Revelation and hast heard the Nightingale of fidelity pouring forth its +notes upon the Branch of Glory: Verily there is none other God but Me, the +Incomparable, the All-Informed. + +O thou who bearest My Name! The glances of the loving-kindness of God have +been and continue to be directed towards thee. While in His presence, thou +hast heard the Voice of the One true God—exalted be His glory—and hast +beheld the unveiled splendour of the Light of divine knowledge. Ponder a +while! How sublime is the Utterance of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth and +how abject are the idle contentions of the people! The accumulations of +vain fancy have obstructed men’s ears and stopped them from hearing the +Voice of God, and the veils of human learning and false imaginings have +prevented their eyes from beholding the splendour of the light of His +countenance. With the arm of might and power We have rescued a number of +souls from the slough of impending extinction and enabled them to attain +the Dayspring of glory. Moreover We have laid bare the divine mysteries +and in most explicit language foretold future events, that neither the +doubts of the faithless, nor the denials of the froward, nor the +whisperings of the heedless may keep back the seekers of truth from the +Source of the light of the One true God. Nevertheless some people seem to +have been seized with epilepsy, others are torn up even as hollow +tree-stumps. They abandon God, the Most Exalted—He before Whose revelation +of a single verse, all the Scriptures of the past and of more recent times +pale into lowliness and insignificance—and set their hearts on lying tales +and follow empty words. + +Thou hast surely quaffed from the ocean of Mine utterance and hast +witnessed the effulgent splendour of the orb of My wisdom. Thou hast also +heard the sayings of the infidels who neither are acquainted with the +fundamentals of the Faith, nor have tasted this choice Wine whose seal +hath been broken through the power of My Name, the Help in Peril, the +Self-Subsisting. Beseech thou God that the believers who are endued with +true understanding may be graciously enabled to do that which is pleasing +unto Him. + +How strange that despite this ringing Call, despite the appearance of this +most wondrous Revelation, We notice that men, for the most part, have +fixed their hearts on the vanities of the world and are sorely dismayed +and troubled by reason of prevailing doubts and evil suggestions. Say: +This is the Day of God Himself; fear ye God and be not of them that have +disbelieved in Him. Cast the idle tales behind your backs and behold My +Revelation through Mine eyes. Unto this have ye been exhorted in heavenly +Books and Scriptures, in the Scrolls and Tablets. + +Arise thou to serve the Cause of thy Lord; then give the people the joyful +tidings concerning this resplendent Light whose revelation hath been +announced by God through His Prophets and Messengers. Admonish everyone +moreover to observe prudence as ordained by Him, and in the Name of God +advise them, saying: It behoveth every one in this Day of God to dedicate +himself to the teaching of the Cause with utmost prudence and +steadfastness. Should he discover a pure soil, let him sow the seed of the +Word of God, otherwise it would be preferable to observe silence. + +Not long ago this most sublime Word was revealed in the Crimson Book by +the All-Glorious Pen: ‘The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with two +luminaries: consultation and compassion’. Please God, everyone may be +enabled to observe this weighty and blessed word. + +Certain people seem to be entirely bereft of understanding. By clinging to +the cord of idle fancy they have debarred themselves from the Sure Handle. +I swear by My life! Were they to reflect a while with fairness on that +which the All-Merciful hath sent down, they would, one and all, +spontaneously give utterance to these words, ‘Verily Thou art the Truth, +the manifest Truth.’ + +It behoveth thee to turn thy gaze in all circumstances unto the One true +God, and seek diligently to serve His Cause. Call thou to mind when thou +wert in My company, within the Tabernacle of Glory, and didst hear from Me +that which He Who conversed with God [Moses] heard upon the Sinai of +divine knowledge. Thus did We graciously aid thee, enabled thee to +recognize the truth and cautioned thee, that thou mightest render thanks +unto thy bountiful Lord. Thou shouldst safeguard this sublime station +through the potency of My Name, the Omnipotent, the Faithful. + +Convey greetings on My behalf to My loved ones and suffer them to hearken +unto My sweet Voice. Thus biddeth thee the One Who hath bidden thee in the +past; I am in truth the Ordainer, the All-Informed. Glory be upon thee and +upon those who give ear to thy words concerning this momentous Cause and +who love thee for the sake of God, the Lord of the worlds. + + + + + “O ḤAYDAR! This Wronged One hath heard thy voice...” + + +O ḤAYDAR!(89) This Wronged One hath heard thy voice raised in the service +of the Cause of God and is well aware of the feeling of joy which His love +hath roused in thy heart and of thy pangs of anguish at that which hath +befallen His loved ones. I swear by the Lord of mercy! The whole world is +overwhelmed with sorrow whilst mankind is perplexed with doubts and +dissensions. The people of God, the Lord of Names, are so grievously beset +by enemies that the supreme Paradise hath lamented and the inmates of +highest Heaven and those who, day and night, circle round the Throne have +groaned aloud. + +O ‘Alí! Woes and sorrows are powerless to restrain thy Lord, the +All-Merciful. Indeed He hath risen to champion the Cause of God in such +wise that neither the overpowering might of the world nor the tyranny of +the nations can ever alarm Him. He calleth aloud betwixt earth and heaven, +saying: The Promised Day is come. The Lord of creation proclaimeth: +Verily, there is no God besides Me, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. + +O ‘Alí! The immature wish to put out the light of God with their mouths +and to extinguish by their acts the flame in the Burning Bush. Say, +wretched indeed is your plight, O ye embodiments of delusion. Fear ye God +and reject not the heavenly grace which hath shed radiance upon all +regions. Say, He Who is the Exponent of the hidden Name hath appeared, did +ye but know it. He Whose advent hath been foretold in the heavenly +Scriptures is come, could ye but understand it. The world’s horizon is +illumined by the splendours of this Most Great Revelation. Haste ye with +radiant hearts and be not of them that are bereft of understanding. The +appointed Hour hath struck and mankind is laid low. Unto this bear witness +the honoured servants of God. + +O Ḥaydar-‘Alí! I swear by the righteousness of God! The Blast hath been +blown on the Trumpet of the Bayán as decreed by the Lord, the Merciful, +and all that are in the heavens and on the earth have swooned away except +such as have detached themselves from the world, cleaving fast unto the +Cord of God, the Lord of mankind. This is the Day in which the earth +shineth with the effulgent light of thy Lord, but the people are lost in +error and have been shut out as by a veil. We desire to regenerate the +world, yet they have resolved to put an end to My life. Thus have their +hearts prompted them in this Day—a Day which hath been made bright by the +radiant light of the countenance of its Lord, the Omnipotent, the +Almighty, the Unconstrained. The Mother Book hath lifted up its Voice, but +the people are bereft of hearing. The Preserved Tablet hath been revealed +with truth, yet the generality of mankind peruse it not. They have denied +the gracious favour of God after it hath been sent down unto them and have +turned away from God, the Knower of things unseen. They firmly cling to +the hem of idle fancies, turning their backs on the hidden Name of the +Almighty. + +Say, O concourse of divines! Be fair in your judgement, I adjure you by +God. Produce then whatever proofs and testimonies ye possess, if ye are to +be reckoned among the inmates of this glorious habitation. Set your hearts +towards the Dayspring of divine Revelation that We may disclose before +your eyes the equivalent of all such verses, proofs, testimonies, +affirmations and evidences as ye and other kindreds of the earth possess. +Fear ye God and be not of them that well deserve the chastisement of God, +the Lord of creation. + +This is the Day in which the Ocean of knowledge hath lifted up its Voice +and hath brought forth its pearls. Would that ye knew it! The heaven of +the Bayán hath been raised up in truth at the behest of God, the Help in +Peril, the Self-Subsisting. I swear by God! The Essence of knowledge +exclaimeth and saith: Lo! He Who is the Object of all knowledge is come +and through His advent the sacred Books of God, the Gracious, the Loving, +have been embellished. Every revelation of grace, every evidence of goodly +gifts emanateth from Him and unto Him doth it return. + +Fear ye God, O concourse of the foolish, and do not inflict tribulations +upon those who have willed naught but that which God hath willed. +Moreover, if ye heed my call, follow not your selfish desires. The day is +approaching when everything now discernible will have faded away and ye +shall weep for having failed in your duty towards God. Unto this +testifieth this inscribed Tablet. + +Rejoice thou with great joy that We have remembered thee both now and in +the past. Indeed the sweet savours of this remembrance shall endure and +shall not change throughout the eternity of the Names of God, the Lord of +mankind. We have graciously accepted thy devotions, thy praise, thy +teaching work and the services thou hast rendered for the sake of this +mighty Announcement. We have also hearkened unto that which thy tongue +hath uttered at the meetings and gatherings. Verily thy Lord heareth and +observeth all things. We have attired thee with the vesture of My +good-pleasure in My heavenly Kingdom, and from the Divine Lote-Tree which +is raised on the borders of the vale of security and peace, situate in the +luminous Spot beyond the glorious City, We call aloud unto thee saying: In +truth there is no God but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We have +brought thee into being to serve Me, to glorify My Word and to proclaim My +Cause. Centre thine energies upon that wherefor thou hast been created by +virtue of the Will of the supreme Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. + +At this moment We call to remembrance Our loved ones and bring them the +joyous tidings of God’s unfailing grace and of the things that have been +provided for them in My lucid Book. Ye have tolerated the censure of the +enemies for the sake of My love and have steadfastly endured in My Path +the grievous cruelties which the ungodly have inflicted upon you. Unto +this I Myself bear witness, and I am the All-Knowing. How vast the number +of places that have been ennobled with your blood for the sake of God. How +numerous the cities wherein the voice of your lamentation hath been raised +and the wailing of your anguish uplifted. How many the prisons into which +ye have been cast by the hosts of tyranny. Know ye of a certainty that He +will render you victorious, will exalt you among the peoples of the world +and will demonstrate your high rank before the gaze of all nations. Surely +He will not suffer the reward of His favoured ones to be lost. + +Take heed lest the deeds wrought by the embodiments of idle fancy sadden +you or the acts committed by every wayward oppressor grieve you. Seize ye +the chalice of constancy through the power of His Name, quaff then +therefrom by virtue of the sovereignty of God, the Powerful, the +Omnipotent. Thus hath the Day-Star of My tender compassion and +loving-kindness shone forth above the horizon of this Tablet that ye may +render thanks unto your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. + +The glory that hath dawned resplendent from the heaven of Mine utterance +rest upon thee and upon them that have directed themselves towards thee +and inclined their ears to the words which thy mouth hath uttered +concerning this glorious, this august Revelation. + + + + + “BY the righteousness of God! The Mother Book is made...” + + +BY the righteousness of God! The Mother Book is made manifest, summoning +mankind unto God, the Lord of the worlds, while the seas proclaim: The +Most Great Ocean hath appeared, from whose waves one can hear the +thundering cry: ‘Verily, no God is there but Me, the Peerless, the +All-Knowing.’ And the trees raising their clamour exclaim: O people of the +world! The voice of the Divine Lote-Tree is clearly sounding and the +shrill cry of the Pen of Glory is ringing loud: Give ye ear and be not of +the heedless. The sun is calling out: O concourse of the divines! The +heaven of religions is split and the moon cleft asunder and the peoples of +the earth are brought together in a new resurrection. Fear ye God and +follow not the promptings of your passions, rather follow Him unto Whom +have testified the Scriptures of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + +The episode of Sinai hath been re-enacted in this Revelation and He Who +conversed upon the Mount is calling aloud: Verily, the Desired One is +come, seated upon the throne of certitude, could ye but perceive it. He +hath admonished all men to observe that which is conducive to the +exaltation of the Cause of God and will guide mankind unto His Straight +Path. + +How vast the number of the down-trodden who have been enraptured by the +Call of God! How numerous the potentates who have risen up to commit acts +of aggression that have caused the inmates of the all-highest Paradise to +lament and the dwellers of this glorious habitation to wail with grief! +How great the multitude of the poor who have quaffed the choice wine of +divine revelation and how many the rich who have turned away, repudiated +the truth and voiced their disbelief in God, the Lord of this blessed and +wondrous Day! + +Say: Fear ye God, then observe equity in your judgement of this Great +Announcement before which, as soon as it shone forth, every momentous +announcement bowed low in adoration. Say: O concourse of the foolish! If +ye reject Him, by what evidence can ye prove your allegiance to the former +Messengers of God or vindicate your belief in that which He hath sent down +from His mighty and exalted Kingdom? What benefit do your possessions +bestow upon you? What protection can your treasures afford you? None, I +swear by the Spirit of God that pervadeth all that are in the heavens and +on the earth. Cast away that which ye have put together with the hands of +idle fancy and vain imaginings and take fast hold of the Book of God which +hath been sent down by virtue of His all-compelling and inviolable +authority. + +Thy letter was presented before this Wronged One and in thine honour have +We revealed this Tablet from which the fragrance of the gracious favour of +thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Bountiful, is diffused. We beseech God to +make thee as a banner upraised in the city of His remembrance, and to +exalt thy station in this Cause—a Cause beneath whose shadow the sincere +ones of God shall behold the peoples and kindreds of the earth seeking +shelter. Verily, thy Lord knoweth and informeth. Moreover We entreat Him +to nourish thee with the best of what hath been treasured in His Book. He +is in truth the One Who doth hear and answer the call. + +Persevere thou in helping His Cause through the strengthening power of the +hosts of wisdom and utterance. Thus hath it been decreed by God, the +Gracious, the All-Praised. Blessed is the believer who hath in this Day +embraced the Truth and the man of fixed resolve whom the hosts of tyranny +have been powerless to affright. + +The glory which hath shone forth above the horizon of utterance be upon +thee and upon such believers as have seized the chalice of His sealed wine +through the power of His Name, the Self-Subsisting, and drunk deep despite +those that have rejected the One in Whom they had formerly professed +belief—they that have disputed the truth of this Great Announcement +whereunto God hath testified in His precious and ancient Book. + + + + + “O MUḤAMMAD ḤUSAYN! Be thou prepared to receive the...” + + +O MUḤAMMAD ḤUSAYN! Be thou prepared to receive the outpourings of the +loving-kindness of God, the Lord of the worlds. The All-Merciful hath +deigned to bestow upon thee pearls of knowledge from the Ocean of the +grace of God, the Almighty, the Most Exalted. + +Where is the man of insight who will recognize and perceive the truth? +Where is to be found the man of hearing who will hearken unto My wondrous +Voice calling from the realm of glory? Where is the soul who will set his +face towards the Divine Lote-Tree in such wise that neither the +overpowering might of the kings, nor the violent commotions of their +subjects may frustrate him, lifting up his voice amidst the entire +creation through the power of wisdom and utterance and testifying unto +that whereunto hath testified God, that verily no God is there besides +Him, the Powerful, the Invincible, the Omnipotent, the Knowing, the Wise. + +O Ḥusayn! Thy name hath been mentioned in the Most Great Prison before +this Wronged One and We have revealed for thee that with which none of the +books of the world can compare. Unto this beareth witness the King of +eternity; yet the generality of mankind are numbered among the heedless. +From the dawning-place of testimony We have raised the Call unto all that +dwell in the realm of creation. Amongst men there are those who have been +carried away by the fragrance of the utterance of their Lord in such +manner that they have forsaken everything which pertaineth unto men in +their eagerness to attain the court of the presence of God, the Lord of +the mighty throne. There are also those who are sore perplexed and +wavering. Others have made haste, winged their way to answer the Call of +their Lord, the Ancient of Days. Still others have turned aside, rejected +the truth and eventually disbelieved in God, the Almighty, the +All-Praised. And there are yet others who have pronounced judgement +against Him with such cruelty that every wise and discerning soul hath +been moved to lament. We have graciously summoned them unto the river that +is life indeed, while they have, with manifest injustice, decreed the +shedding of My blood. Thus hath the Day-Star of wisdom shone forth from +above the horizon of the utterance of thy Lord, the All-Merciful. Shouldst +thou attain unto its light, it behoveth thee to magnify the praise of thy +Lord and say, I yield Thee thanks, O God of the worlds. + +Blessed art thou and are they whom the world and its vanities have failed +to deter from this luminous Horizon. + +Convey greetings on My behalf unto My loved ones. We exhort them to +observe wisdom as decreed in My wondrous Book. + + + + + “O MY handmaiden and My leaf! Rejoice with great joy...” + + +O MY handmaiden and My leaf! Rejoice with great joy inasmuch as thy call +hath ascended unto the Divine Lote-Tree and is answered from the +all-glorious Horizon. Verily, no God is there but Me, the Wronged One, the +Exile. + +We have revealed Ourself unto men, have unveiled the Cause, guided all +mankind towards God’s Straight Path, promulgated the laws and have +enjoined upon everyone that which shall truly profit them both in this +world and in the next; yet they have pronounced judgement to shed My +blood, whereat the Maid of Heaven hath wept sore, Sinai hath lamented and +the Faithful Spirit was made to sigh with grief. + +In these days the people have debarred themselves from the effusions of +divine grace by following in the footsteps of every ignorant one that hath +gone astray. They have cast the Ocean of divine knowledge behind their +backs and fixed their eyes upon such foolish men as claim to be well +versed in learning without being supported by any evidence from God, the +Lord of mankind. + +Well is it with thee inasmuch as thou hast forsaken idle imaginings and +taken fast hold of the Cord of God that no man can sever. Consider the +gracious favour of God—exalted be His glory. How numerous are the kings +and queens on earth who, despite much yearning, anticipation and waiting, +have been debarred from Him Who is the Desire of the world, whilst thou +didst attain. God willing, thou mayest accomplish a deed whose fragrance +shall endure as long as the Names of God—exalted be His glory—will endure. +By the righteousness of God! The title ‘O My handmaiden’ far excelleth +aught else that can be seen in the world. Ere long the eyes of mankind +shall be illumined and cheered by recognizing that which Our Pen of Glory +hath revealed. + +Blessed art thou and blessed is the mother that hath nursed thee. +Appreciate the value of this station and arise to serve His Cause in such +wise that the idle fancies and insinuations of the doubters withhold thee +not from this high resolve. The Day-Star of certitude is shining +resplendent but the people of the world are holding fast unto vain +imaginings. The Ocean of divine knowledge hath risen high whilst the +children of men are clinging to the hem of the foolish. But for the +unfailing grace of God—exalted be His glory—no antidote could ever cure +these inveterate diseases. + +Convey My greetings unto the handmaidens of God in that region and give +them the joyful tidings that His tender mercy and grace are vouchsafed +unto them. High indeed is the station We have destined for thee. It +behoveth thee to yield praise and thanksgiving unto thy Lord, the +Bountiful, the Most Generous. Glorified be God, the Exalted, the Great. + + + + + “AT one time this sublime Word was heard from the...” + + +AT one time this sublime Word was heard from the Tongue of Him Who is the +Possessor of all being and the Lord of the throne on high and of earth +below—exalted is the glory of His utterance—: Piety and detachment are +even as two most great luminaries of the heaven of teaching. Blessed the +one who hath attained unto this supreme station, this habitation of +transcendent holiness and sublimity. + + + + + “THIS is a Tablet sent down by the All-Merciful from the...” + + +THIS is a Tablet sent down by the All-Merciful from the Kingdom of +utterance unto all that dwell on earth. Happy is the man who hearkeneth +and heedeth and woe betide him who hath erred and doubted. This is the Day +that hath been illumined by the effulgent light of the Countenance of +God—the Day when the Tongue of Grandeur is calling aloud: The Kingdom is +God’s, the Lord of the Day of Resurrection. + +Thy name hath been mentioned in Our Presence and We have deigned to reveal +for thee that which the tongue of no one among the peoples of the world +can recount. Rejoice with exceeding joy inasmuch as thou hast been +remembered in the Most Great Prison and the Countenance of the Ancient of +Days hath turned towards thee from this exalted habitation. + +We have truly revealed the signs, demonstrated the irrefutable testimonies +and have summoned all men unto the straight Path. Among the people there +are those who have turned away and repudiated the truth, others have +pronounced judgement against Us without any proof or evidence. The first +to turn away from Us have been the world’s spiritual leaders in this +age—they that call upon Us in the daytime and in the night season and +mention My Name while resting on their lofty thrones. However, when I +revealed Myself unto men they rose against Me in such wise that even the +stones groaned and lamented bitterly. + +Great is thy blessedness inasmuch as thou hast hearkened unto His Voice, +set thy face towards Him and heeded the Call of thy Lord when He came +invested with invincible power and sovereignty. + + + + + “O MY handmaiden, O My leaf! Render thou thanks unto...” + + +O MY handmaiden, O My leaf! Render thou thanks unto the Best-Beloved of +the world for having attained this boundless grace at a time when the +world’s learned and most distinguished men have remained deprived thereof. +We have designated thee ‘a leaf’ that thou mayest, like unto leaves, be +stirred by the gentle wind of the Will of God—exalted be His glory—even as +the leaves of the trees are stirred by onrushing winds. Yield thou thanks +unto thy Lord by virtue of this brilliant utterance. Wert thou to perceive +the sweetness of the title ‘O My handmaiden’ thou wouldst find thyself +detached from all mankind, devoutly engaged day and night in communion +with Him Who is the sole Desire of the world. + +In words of incomparable beauty We have made fitting mention of such +leaves and handmaidens as have quaffed from the living waters of heavenly +grace and have kept their eyes directed towards God. Happy and blessed are +they indeed. Ere long shall God reveal their station whose loftiness no +word can befittingly express nor any description adequately describe. + +We admonish thee to do that which will serve to promote the interests of +the Cause of God amongst men and women. He doth hear the call of the +friends and beholdeth their actions. Verily, He is the Hearing and the +Seeing. + +Upon thee and upon them be the glory of God, the Powerful, the +All-Knowing, the All-Wise. + + + + + “O HANDMAID of God! Hearken unto the Voice of the...” + + +O HANDMAID of God! Hearken unto the Voice of the Lord of Names, Who from +His Prison hath directed His gaze towards thee and is making mention of +thee. + +He hath extended assistance to every wayfarer, hath graciously responded +to every petitioner and granted admittance to every seeker after truth. In +this Day the Straight Path is made manifest, the Balance of divine justice +is set and the light of the sun of His bounty is resplendent, yet the +oppressive darkness of the people of tyranny hath, even as clouds, +intervened and caused a grievous obstruction between the Day-Star of +heavenly grace and the people of the world. Blessed is he who hath rent +the intervening veils asunder and is illumined by the radiant light of +divine Revelation. Consider how numerous were those who accounted +themselves among the wise and the learned, yet in the Day of God were +deprived of the outpourings of heavenly bounties. + +O My leaf, O My handmaid! Appreciate the value of this blessing and of +this tender mercy which hath encompassed thee and guided thy steps unto +the Dayspring of glory. + +Convey greetings on behalf of this Wronged One to such handmaidens as +worship God and cheer their hearts with the assurance of His loving +providence. + + + + + “FIX your gaze upon wisdom in all things, for it is an...” + + +FIX your gaze upon wisdom in all things, for it is an unfailing antidote. +How often hath it turned a disbeliever into a believer or a foe into a +friend? Its observance is highly essential, inasmuch as this theme hath +been set forth in numerous Tablets revealed from the empyrean of the Will +of Him Who is the Manifestation of the light of divine unity. Well is it +with them that act accordingly. + +Centre your attention unceasingly upon that which will cause the Word of +God to be exalted. In this Most Great Revelation goodly deeds and a +praiseworthy character are regarded as the hosts of God, likewise is His +blessed and holy Word. These hosts are the lodestone of the hearts of men +and the effective means for unlocking doors. Of all the weapons in the +world this is the keenest. + +Beseech thou God to graciously assist all men to observe that which His +all-glorious Pen hath recorded in the sacred Books and Tablets. + + + + + “THIS Wronged One doth mention him who hath set his...” + + +THIS Wronged One doth mention him who hath set his face toward the +Incomparable One, the All-Knowing, him who beareth witness unto His unity +even as the All-Glorious Pen hath borne witness as it moveth swiftly +within the arena of utterance. Blessed is the soul that hath recognized +its Lord and woe betide him who hath grievously erred and doubted. + +Man is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been and +will ever be worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless tree +is but fit for fire. The fruits of the human tree are exquisite, highly +desired and dearly cherished. Among them are upright character, virtuous +deeds and a goodly utterance. The springtime for earthly trees occurreth +once every year, while the one for human trees appeareth in the Days of +God—exalted be His glory. Were the trees of men’s lives to be adorned in +this divine Springtime with the fruits that have been mentioned, the +effulgence of the light of Justice would, of a certainty, illumine all the +dwellers of the earth and everyone would abide in tranquillity and +contentment beneath the sheltering shadow of Him Who is the Object of all +mankind. The Water for these trees is the living water of the sacred Words +uttered by the Beloved of the world. In one instant are such trees planted +and in the next their branches shall, through the outpourings of the +showers of divine mercy, have reached the skies. A dried-up tree, however, +hath never been nor will be worthy of any mention. + +Happy is the faithful one who is attired with the vesture of high +endeavour and hath arisen to serve this Cause. Such a soul hath truly +attained the desired Goal and hath apprehended the Object for which it +hath been created. But a myriad times alas for the wayward who are like +unto dried-up leaves fallen upon the dust. Ere long mortal blasts shall +carry them away to the place ordained for them. Ignorant did they arrive, +ignorant did they linger and ignorant did they retire to their abodes. + +The world is continually proclaiming these words: Beware, I am evanescent, +and so are all my outward appearances and colours. Take ye heed of the +changes and chances contrived within me and be ye roused from your +slumber. Nevertheless there is no discerning eye to see, nor is there a +hearing ear to hearken. + +In this Day the inner ear exclaimeth and saith: Indeed well is it with me, +today is my day, inasmuch as the Voice of God is calling aloud. And the +essence of vision crieth out: Blessed am I, this is my day, for the +Ancient Beauty is shining resplendent from the most exalted Horizon. + +It behoveth the people of Bahá to invoke and entreat the Lord of Names +that perchance the people of the world may not be deprived of the +effusions of grace in His days. + +In the past the divines were perplexed over this question, a question +which He Who is the Sovereign Truth hath, during the early years of His +life, Himself heard them ask repeatedly: ‘What is that Word which the +Qá’im will pronounce whereby the leaders of religion are put to flight?’ +Say, that Word is now made manifest and ye have fled ere ye heard it +uttered, although ye perceive it not. And that blessed, that hidden, that +concealed and treasured Word is this: ‘”HE” hath now appeared in the +raiment of “I”. He Who was hidden from mortal eyes exclaimeth: Lo! I am +the All-Manifest.’ This is the Word which hath caused the limbs of +disbelievers to quake. Glorified be God! All the heavenly Scriptures of +the past attest to the greatness of this Day, the greatness of this +Manifestation, the greatness of His signs, the greatness of His Word, the +greatness of His constancy, the greatness of His pre-eminent station. Yet +despite all this the people have remained heedless and are shut out as by +a veil. Indeed all the Prophets have yearned to attain this Day. David +saith: ‘Who will bring me into the Strong City?’(90) By Strong City is +meant Akká. Its fortifications are very strong and this Wronged One is +imprisoned within its walls. Likewise it is revealed in the Qur’án: ‘Bring +forth thy people from the darkness into the light and announce to them the +days of God.’(91) + +The glory with which this Day is invested hath been explicitly mentioned +and clearly set forth in most heavenly Books and Scriptures. However, the +divines of the age have debarred men from this transcendent station, and +have kept them back from this Pinnacle of Glory, this Supreme Goal. + +Blessed art thou inasmuch as the darkness of vain imaginings hath been +powerless to hinder thee from the light of certitude, and the onslaught of +the people hath failed to deter thee from the Lord of mankind. Appreciate +thou the value of this high station and beseech God—exalted is His +glory—to graciously enable thee to safeguard it. Imperishable dominion +hath exclusively pertained unto the One true God and His loved ones and +will continue to pertain unto them everlastingly. + +The glory that hath shone forth from the horizon of eternity rest upon +thee and upon such as have taken fast hold of the Cord of God that no man +can sever. + + + + + “HE Who leadeth to true victory is come. By the righteousness...” + + +HE Who leadeth to true victory is come. By the righteousness of God! He is +fully capable of revolutionizing the world through the power of a single +Word. Having enjoined upon all men to observe wisdom, He Himself hath +adhered to the cord of patience and resignation. + +The clay clods of the world have set forth to visit the embellished, the +luminous, the crimson City of God, and certain emissaries from Persia are +secretly stirring up mischief, though to outward seeming they pretend to +be gentle and meek. Gracious God! When will this world-afflicting +craftiness be transformed into sincerity? The exhortations of God, the +True One, have compassed the world, but until now their influence hath not +been disclosed. Men’s unseemly deeds have kept them back from attaining +unto Him. We entreat God—exalted and glorified is He—to pour down, out of +the clouds of divine grace, the overflowing rain of His bounty upon all +His servants. Verily potent is He over all things. + +O ‘Alí Ḥaydar! O thou who hast risen to serve My Cause and art engaged in +magnifying the praise of God, the Lord of the mighty throne! Unto the +emblems of justice and the exponents of equity it is indubitably clear and +evident that this Wronged One, strengthened by the transcendent power of +the Kingdom, is seeking to efface from among the peoples and kindreds of +the earth every evidence of disorder, discord, dissension, differences or +divisions; and it is for no other reason but this great, this momentous +object that He hath again and again been cast into prison and many a day +and a night hath been subjected to chains and fetters. Blessed are they +that judge this impregnable Cause, this glorious Announcement, with +fairness and equity. + + + + + “THIS is a Tablet sent down by the Lord of mercy that the...” + + +THIS is a Tablet sent down by the Lord of mercy that the people of the +world may be enabled to draw nigh unto this Ocean which hath surged +through the potency of His august Name. Amongst men there are those who +have turned away from Him and gainsaid His testimony, while others have +quaffed the wine of assurance in the glory of His Name which pervadeth all +created things. A grievous loss hath indeed been suffered by those that +have inclined their ears to the croaking of the raven, and refused to +hearken unto the sweet warblings of the Bird of Heaven singing upon the +twigs of the Tree of eternity: Verily there is none other God but Me, the +All-Knowing, the All-Wise. This is the Day that hath been illumined by the +splendours of the light of Our countenance—the Day around which all days +and nights circle in adoration. Blessed is the man of insight who hath +perceived, and the sore athirst who hath quaffed from this luminous +Fountain. Blessed the man who acknowledgeth the truth, earnestly striving +to serve the Cause of his Lord, the Powerful, the Almighty. + +O servant who hast fixed his gaze upon My face! Hearken unto the Voice of +thy Lord, the All-Glorious, calling aloud from the dayspring of grandeur +and majesty. Verily His Call will draw thee nigh unto the realm of glory +and will cause thee to extol His praise in such wise that every created +thing will be enraptured, and to magnify His glory in such manner as to +influence the entire creation. Truly thy Lord is the Protector, the +Gracious, the All-Informed. + +Gather thou together the friends of God in that land and acquaint them +with My incomparable remembrance. We have revealed for them a Tablet from +which the fragrance of the All-Merciful hath been wafted upon the realm of +existence, that they may rejoice with exceeding gladness and remain +steadfast in this wondrous Cause. + +While in prison We have revealed a Book which We have entitled ‘The Most +Holy Book’. We have enacted laws therein and adorned it with the +commandments of thy Lord, Who exerciseth authority over all that are in +the heavens and on the earth. Say: Take hold of it, O people, and observe +that which hath been sent down in it of the wondrous precepts of your +Lord, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. It will truly prosper you both in this +world and in the next and will purge you of whatsoever ill beseemeth you. +He is indeed the Ordainer, the Expounder, the Giver, the Generous, the +Gracious, the All-Praised. + +Great is thy blessedness inasmuch as thou hast been faithful to the +Covenant of God and His Testament and for thy being honoured with this +Tablet through which thy name is recorded in My Preserved Tablet. Dedicate +thyself to the service of the Cause of thy Lord, cherish His remembrance +in thy heart and celebrate His praise in such wise that every wayward and +heedless soul may thereby be roused from slumber. + +Thus have We deigned to bestow upon thee a token of favour from Our +presence; and I verily am the Forgiving, the All-Merciful. + + + + + “WE desire to mention him who hath set his face towards...” + + +WE desire to mention him who hath set his face towards Us and to let him +once again drink deep from the life-giving waters of Our gracious +providence that he may be enabled to draw nigh unto My Horizon, be adorned +with Mine attributes, soar in Mine atmosphere, be confirmed in that which +will cause the sanctity of My Cause to be manifested amongst My people and +to celebrate My praise in a manner that will cause every hesitating soul +to hasten, every motionless creature to wing its flight, every mortal +frame to be consumed, every chilled heart to be stirred with life and +every dejected spirit to surge with delight. Thus doth it behove him who +hath turned his face to Mine, hath entered beneath the shadow of My +loving-kindness and received My verses which have pervaded the whole +world. + +O ‘Alí! He Who is the Dayspring of divine Revelation is calling unto thee +through this most wondrous utterance. By the righteousness of God! If thou +wert present before My Throne and didst hearken unto the Tongue of might +and grandeur, thou wouldst sacrifice thy body, thy soul, thine entire +being as a token of thy love for God, the Sovereign, the Protector, the +All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and wouldst so thrill to the fascination of His +Voice that every pen would be powerless to recount thy station and every +eloquent speaker would be confounded in his attempt to describe it. Ponder +a while concerning this Revelation and its invincible sovereignty; aid it +then as it beseemeth thy Lord, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful. Direct +thou the people unto the Dayspring of glory. Verily it is He Himself Who +is established upon His mighty Throne. Through Him hath the horizon of +this Prison been made to shine and by Him have all that are in the heavens +and on the earth been illumined. + +We have deigned to mention thy name in the past as well as in this +gracious Tablet that thou mayest once again inhale the sweet fragrance of +the All-Merciful. This is but a token of My favour unto thee. Render thou +thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Bountiful, the All-Seeing. + +Grieve thou not at men’s failure to apprehend the Truth. Ere long thou +shalt find them turning towards God, the Lord of all mankind. We have +indeed, through the potency of the Most Sublime Word, encompassed the +whole world, and the time is approaching when God will have subdued the +hearts of all that dwell on earth. He is in truth the Omnipotent, the +All-Powerful. + +We also remember thy brother from this land that he may rejoice at My +mention of him and be of them that reflect. + +O friend! The Best-Beloved is calling thee from His Most Great Prison and +exhorteth thee to observe that which Mine exalted Pen hath revealed in My +Most Holy Book that thou mayest hold fast unto it with such resolve and +power as is born of Me; and I verily am the Ordainer, the All-Wise. + +Great is indeed your blessedness inasmuch as His unfailing grace hath been +vouchsafed unto you and ye have been aided to recognize this Cause—a Cause +through whose potency the heavens have been folded together and every +lofty and towering mountain hath been scattered in dust. + +Moreover through Our boundless grace We make mention of your mother who +hath been privileged to recognize God. We send her Our greetings from this +glorious station. We remember every one of you, men and women, and from +this Spot—the Scene of incomparable glory—regard you all as one soul and +send you the joyous tidings of divine blessings which have preceded all +created things, and of My remembrance that pervadeth everyone, whether +young or old. The glory of God rest upon you, O people of Bahá. Rejoice +with exceeding gladness through My remembrance, for He is indeed with you +at all times. + + + + + “GIVE ear unto that which the Spirit imparteth unto thee from...” + + +GIVE ear unto that which the Spirit imparteth unto thee from the verses of +God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, that His Call may attract +thee to the Summit of transcendent glory and draw thee nigh unto the +Station where thou shalt behold thine entire being set ablaze with the +fire of the love of God in such wise that neither the ascendancy of the +rulers nor the whisperings of their vassals can quench it, and thou wilt +arise amidst the peoples of the world to celebrate the praise of thy Lord, +the Possessor of Names. This is that which well beseemeth thee in this +Day. + +We will recount for thee the thing that hath happened in the past that +thou mayest perceive the sweetness of this utterance and become aware of +such events as have transpired in former times. Verily thy Lord is the +Admonisher, the Gracious, the Best-Beloved. + +Call thou to mind the days when He Who conversed with God tended, in the +wilderness, the sheep of Jethro, His father-in-law. He hearkened unto the +Voice of the Lord of mankind coming from the Burning Bush which had been +raised above the Holy Land, exclaiming, ‘O Moses! Verily I am God, thy +Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ He was so +carried away by the captivating accent of the Voice that He detached +Himself from the world and set out in the direction of Pharaoh and his +people, invested with the power of thy Lord Who exerciseth sovereignty +over all that hath been and shall be. The people of the world are now +hearing that which Moses did hear, but they understand not. + +Say, I swear by the righteousness of God! Ere long the pomp of the +ministers of state and the ascendancy of the rulers shall pass away, the +palaces of the potentates shall be laid waste and the imposing buildings +of the emperors reduced to dust, but what shall endure is that which We +have ordained for you in the Kingdom. It behoveth you, O people, to make +the utmost endeavour that your names may be mentioned before the Throne +and ye may bring forth that which will immortalize your memories +throughout the eternity of God, the Lord of all being. + +Remember thou on My behalf the loved ones in that land, convey My +greetings to them and gladden their hearts with the tidings of that which +hath been revealed for them from this glorious station. + +Say, take heed lest the overpowering might of the oppressors alarm you. +The day is approaching when every emblem of vainglory will have been +reduced to nothingness; then shall ye behold the invincible sovereignty of +your Lord ruling over all things visible and invisible. + +Beware lest the veils deter you from the outpourings of His bounty in this +Day. Cast away the things that keep you back from God and persevere on +this far-stretching Way. We desire naught for you but that which profiteth +you as hath been recorded in His Preserved Tablet. We often remember Our +loved ones; however, We have found them wanting in that which becometh +them at the Court of the favour of their Lord, the Gracious, the +Forgiving, save those whom God desireth to exempt. Verily, potent is He to +do what He willeth. He giveth and withholdeth. He is indeed the Eternal +Truth, the Knower of things unseen. + +Seize ye, O loved ones of the All-Merciful, the chalice of eternal life +proffered by the hand of the bountiful favours of your Lord, the Possessor +of the entire creation, then drink ye deep therefrom. I swear by God, it +will so enrapture you that ye shall arise to magnify His Name and proclaim +His utterances amidst the peoples of the earth and shall conquer the +cities of the hearts of men in the name of your Lord, the Almighty, the +All-Praised. + +Moreover, We announce unto everyone the joyful tidings concerning that +which We have revealed in Our Most Holy Book—a Book from above whose +horizon the day-star of My commandments shineth upon every observer and +every observed one. Hold ye fast unto it and fulfil that which is revealed +therein. Indeed better is this for you than whatsoever hath been created +in the world, did ye but know it. Beware lest the transitory things of +human life withhold you from turning unto God, the True One. Ponder ye in +your hearts the world and its conflicts and changes, so that ye may +discern its merit and the station of those who have set their hearts upon +it and have turned away from that which hath been sent down in Our +Preserved Tablet. + +Thus have We revealed these holy verses and sent them unto thee that thou +mayest arise to glorify the Name of God, the Help in Peril, the +Self-Subsisting. The glory of God be upon thee and upon such as have +partaken of this choice, sealed Wine. + + + + + “THIS Wronged One hath perused thy letter in the Most...” + + +THIS Wronged One hath perused thy letter in the Most Great Prison and is +apprised of thine enquiry concerning the commandments of God on the +subjects of resurrection and the means of livelihood. Thou hast done well +to ask these questions, for the benefit thereof will be gained by thyself +as well as other servants of God, both outwardly and inwardly. Verily thy +Lord knoweth all things and readily answereth the call. + +The supreme cause for creating the world and all that is therein is for +man to know God. In this Day whosoever is guided by the fragrance of the +raiment of His mercy to gain admittance into the pristine Abode, which is +the station of recognizing the Source of divine commandments and the +Dayspring of His Revelation, hath everlastingly attained unto all good. +Having reached this lofty station a twofold obligation resteth upon every +soul. One is to be steadfast in the Cause with such steadfastness that +were all the peoples of the world to attempt to prevent him from turning +to the Source of Revelation, they would be powerless to do so. The other +is observance of the divine ordinances which have streamed forth from the +wellspring of His heavenly-propelled Pen. For man’s knowledge of God +cannot develop fully and adequately save by observing whatsoever hath been +ordained by Him and is set forth in His heavenly Book. + +A year ago the Most Holy Book was sent down from the heaven of the bounty +of the Lord of Names. God willing, thou mayest be graciously enabled to +fulfil that which hath been revealed therein. + +Concerning the means of livelihood, thou shouldst, while placing thy whole +trust in God, engage in some occupation. He will assuredly send down upon +thee from the heaven of His favour that which is destined for thee. He is +in truth the God of might and power. + +Yield thou thanks unto God that thy letter hath reached the presence of +this Prisoner and from the Seat of divine authority the answer hath been +revealed and is being sent to thee. This is an incalculable blessing +vouchsafed by God. Although it is not evident at present, it soon shall +be. It behoveth thee to say: + +Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord my God! I am the one who hath turned his +face towards Thee and hath placed his whole reliance in Thee. I implore +Thee by Thy Name whereby the ocean of Thine utterance hath surged and the +breezes of Thy knowledge have stirred, to grant that I may be graciously +aided to serve Thy Cause and be inspired to remember Thee and praise Thee. +Send down then upon me from the heaven of Thy generosity that which will +preserve me from anyone but Thee and will profit me in all Thy worlds. + +Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Inaccessible, the Supreme, the Knowing, +the Wise. + + + + + + +FOOTNOTES + + + 1 Sometimes referred to as Tablet to the Christians. + + 2 Jesus. + + 3 Jesus. + + 4 Jesus. + + 5 Qur’án 81:6, 10. + + 6 Mírzá Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí, one of the divines of Iṣfáhán, who became a + follower of the Báb, later supported Mírzá Yaḥyá, and was appointed + his representative in Írán and his successor. During the + persecutions against the Bábís he recanted his faith. + + 7 The insignia of a mullá. + + 8 Qur’án 6:91. + + 9 Ustád ‘Alí-Akbar, one of the staunch believers in Yazd. He designed + the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Ishqábád and his design was approved by + ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Ustád ‘Alí-Akbar offered up his life as a martyr in + Yazd in 1903. + + 10 Arabic. + + 11 Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí, outstanding Persian Bahá’í teacher and + author. He spent nine years in prison and exile in Khártúm, + travelled extensively in Írán, and passed away in 1920 in the Holy + Land. Western pilgrims knew him as the Angel of Mount Carmel. + + 12 Qur’án 34:12. + + 13 Jesus. + + 14 Ḥájí Mullá Hádí Sabzívarí, a renowned philosopher and poet of Írán + contemporary with Bahá’u’lláh. He passed away in 1873. + + 15 Mírzá Abu’l-Qásim Faráhání, the Qá’im Maqám, a distinguished poet + and scholar during the reign of Fatḥ ‘Alí Sháh. He was a friend of + Mírzá Buzurg, father of Bahá’u’lláh. Qá’im Maqám became Prime + Minister of Persia in 1821, but in 1835 he was put to death by order + of Muḥammad Sháh, at the instigation of Ḥájí Mírzá Aqásí. + + 16 cf. Qur’án 4:129. + + 17 Qur’án 59:9. + + 18 Muḥammad Javád-i-Qazvíní, upon whom Bahá’u’lláh bestowed the title + Ismu’lláhi’l-Júd (The Name of God, Bounty). He transcribed numerous + Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh during His Ministry, but subsequently broke + the Covenant. (See God Passes By pages 247 and 319.) + + 19 A village near Iṣfáhán. + + 20 Mírzá Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí, one of the divines of Iṣfáhán, who became a + follower of the Báb, later supported Mírzá Yaḥyá, and was appointed + his representative in Írán and his successor. During the + persecutions against the Bábís he recanted his faith. + + 21 Mírzá Ashraf, who was martyred in the city of Iṣfáhán. (See God + Passes By p. 201.) + + 22 The two Hands of the Cause of God, Ḥájí Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar Sháhmírzádí + and Ḥájí Abu’l-Ḥasan Ardakání, Amín-i-Iláhí (Trustee of + Ḥuqúqu’lláh), were originally arrested in Ṭihrán, imprisoned in + Qazvín in the year 1891, and then transferred to prison in Ṭihrán. + + 23 Prince Maḥmúd Mírzá, the Jalálu’d’Dawlih, Governor of Yazd, Persia. + + 24 Jamálu’d-Dín-i-Afghání. (See God Passes By pp. 296, 317.) + + 25 i.e., the letter ‘B’, the second letter of the alphabet. + + 26 The opening chapter of the Qur’án, which begins with the letter ‘B’: + Bismi’lláhi’r-Rahmáni’r-Raḥím (In the Name of God, the + Compassionate, the Merciful). This chapter of the Qur’án was + revealed twice, once in Mecca and once in Medina. + + 27 The opening chapter of the Qur’án, which begins with the letter ‘B’: + Bismi’lláhi’r-Rahmáni’r-Raḥím (In the Name of God, the + Compassionate, the Merciful). This chapter of the Qur’án was + revealed twice, once in Mecca and once in Medina. + + 28 Jesus. + + 29 Moses. + + 30 This Tablet was addressed to Jalíl-i-Khú’í, one of the early + believers in Ádhirbayján, Persia. After the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh + he broke the Covenant. + + 31 cf. Qur’án 14:33. + + 32 cf. Qur’án 21:23. + + 33 Mecca. + + 34 Qur’án 3:91. + + 35 Muḥammad. + + 36 Mírzá Yaḥyá. + + 37 Muḥammad. + + 38 Qur’án 83:6. + + 39 Moses. + + 40 Qur’án 14:5. + + 41 Jesus. + + 42 Adrianople. + + 43 Arabic. + + 44 Persian. + + 45 Muḥammad. + + 46 The Imáms. + + 47 The Báb. + + 48 Kitáb-i-Aqdas. + + 49 One of the early believers who is best known to the friends for his + reliable transcriptions of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh. (See + Memorials of the Faithful pp. 150–153.) + + 50 Such loans as bear no interest and are repayable whenever the + borrower pleases. + + 51 In a Tablet Bahá’u’lláh states, ‘The Holy Tree [Sadrat] is, in a + sense, the Manifestation of the One True God, exalted be He. The + Blessed Tree in the land of Za’farán referreth to the land which is + flourishing, blessed, holy and all-perfumed, where that Tree hath + been planted.’ + + 52 In many of the passages that follow concerning the Greek + philosophers, Bahá’u’lláh quotes verbatim from the works of such + Muslim historians as Abu’l-Fatḥ-i-Sháhristání (1076–1153 A.D.) and + Imádu’d-Dín Abu’l-Fidá (1273–1331 A.D.). + + 53 In one of His Tablets Bahá’u’lláh wrote: ‘The first person who + devoted himself to philosophy was Ídrís. Thus was he named. Some + called him also Hermes. In every tongue he hath a special name. He + it is who hath set forth in every branch of philosophy thorough and + convincing statements. After him Bálinus derived his knowledge and + sciences from the Hermetic Tablets and most of the philosophers who + followed him made their philosophical and scientific discoveries + from his words and statements...’. In the Qur’án, Súrá 19, verses 57 + and 58, is written: ‘And commemorate Ídrís in the Book; for he was a + man of truth, a Prophet; And we uplifted him to a place on high.’ + + 54 In many of the passages that follow concerning the Greek + philosophers, Bahá’u’lláh quotes verbatim from the works of such + Muslim historians as Abu’l-Fatḥ-i-Sháhristání (1076–1153 A.D.) and + Imádu’d-Dín Abu’l-Fidá (1273–1331 A.D.). + + 55 Qur’án 20:106. + + 56 Muḥammad. + + 57 Mecca. + + 58 Arabic. + + 59 Moses. + + 60 Muḥammad Ḥusayn, one of the early believers of Shíráz, surnamed + ‘Vafá (Fidelity) by Bahá’u’lláh. + + 61 The Most Great Name. + + 62 Mullá Ḥusayn. + + 63 The maker of the Golden Calf. See Qur’án 20:87–98. + + 64 Siyyid Mihdíy-i-Dahájí, to whom this Tablet was addressed, had been + given by Bahá’u’lláh the title Ismu’lláhi’l-Mihdí, ‘The Name of God, + Mihdí. He later broke the Covenant. (See God Passes By, page 319.) + + 65 Nabíl-i-Akbar. See p. 135. + + 66 Mecca. + + 67 Fátimih, daughter of Muḥammad. + + 68 Jesus. + + 69 Qur’án 4:96. + + 70 Jesus. + + 71 The Sacred Lote-Tree, the Tree beyond which there is no passing (See + Qur’án 53:8–18). A symbol of the Manifestation of God. (See God + Passes By p. 94.) + + 72 Qur’án 2:88. + + 73 Moses. + + 74 Jesus. + + 75 Napoleon III. + + 76 Qur’án 40:29. + + 77 Muḥammad. + + 78 Fátimih, daughter of Muḥammad. + + 79 Adrianople. + + 80 The Imám-Jum’ih of Iṣfáhán, see page 203. + + 81 Fátimih. + + 82 The King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs. + + 83 Jesus. + + 84 Ishmael. + + 85 Qur’án 104:1–2. + + 86 Beirut. This Tablet is ‘a letter dictated by Bahá’u’lláh and + addressed by Mírzá Áqá Ján, His amanuensis, to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá while + the latter was on a visit to Beirut.’ (The World Order of + Bahá’u’lláh, p. 136.) + + 87 Qur’án 7:139. + + 88 Muḥammad Javád-i-Qazvíní, upon whom Bahá’u’lláh bestowed the title + Ismu’lláhi’l-Júd (The Name of God, Bounty). He transcribed numerous + Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh during His Ministry, but subsequently broke + the Covenant. (See God Passes By pages 247 and 319.) + + 89 Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí, outstanding Persian Bahá’í teacher and + author. He spent nine years in prison and exile in Khártúm, + travelled extensively in Írán, and passed away in 1920 in the Holy + Land. Western pilgrims knew him as the Angel of Mount Carmel. + + 90 Psalms 59:9; 108:10. + + 91 Qur’án 14:5. + + + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TABLETS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH REVEALED AFTER THE KITAB-I-AQDAS*** + + + +CREDITS + + +October 2005 + + Converted from Microsoft Word document format to TEI master + format. + Joshua Hutchinson + +June 2006 + + Added PGHeader/PGFooter. + Joshua Hutchinson + + + +A WORD FROM PROJECT GUTENBERG + + +This file should be named 17310-0.txt or 17310-0.zip. + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + + + http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/3/1/17310/ + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one — the old editions will be +renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one +owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and +you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission +and without paying copyright royalties. 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