SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF THE BAB
(Baha'i World Centre, 1982 Lightweight ed.)
Filename: SWB.ZIP (FN)
Filedate: 02/19/94
vi
References to the &Qur'an
In footnotes referring to the &Quran the &surihs 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.
+P1
1
TABLETS AND ADDRESSES
+P2
+P3
A TABLET ADDRESSED TO
`HIM WHO WILL BE MADE MANIFEST'
This is an epistle from this lowly servant to the All-Glorious
Lord--He Who hath been aforetime and will be
hereafter made manifest. Verily He is the Most Manifest,
the Almighty.
IN the name of the Sovereign Lord, the Lord of
Power.
Glorified is He before Whom all the dwellers
of earth and heaven bow down in adoration and
unto Whom all men turn in supplication. He is the One
Who holdeth in His grasp the mighty kingdom of all
created things and unto Him shall all return. He is the One
Who revealeth whatsoever He willeth and by His injunction
`Be Thou' all things have come into being.
This is an epistle from the letter `&Tha'+F1 unto Him Who
will be made manifest through the power of Truth--He
Who is the All-Glorious, the Best Beloved--to affirm that
all created things as well as myself bear witness for all time
that there is none other God but Thee, the Omnipotent,
the Self-Subsisting; that Thou art God, there is no God
besides Thee and that all men shall be raised up to life
through Thee.
Lauded and glorified be Thy name, O Lord, my God!
+F1 This is the first letter of `&Thamarih' which means `fruit'. Shoghi
+F1 Effendi, in his writings, refers to the &Bab as the `&Thamarih' (fruit)
+F1 of the Tree of God's successive Revelations. (See Shoghi Effendi's
+F1 letter to the &Baha'is of the East dated &Naw-Ruz 110, page 5.)
+P4
From all eternity I have indeed recognized Thee and
unto all eternity will ever do so through Thine Own Self
and not through any one else besides Thee. Verily Thou
art the Source of all knowledge, the Omniscient. From
everlasting I have besought and unto everlasting will beseech
forgiveness for my limited understanding of Thee,
aware as I am that there is no God but Thee, the All-Glorious,
the Almighty.
I beg of Thee, O my Best Beloved, to pardon me and
those who earnestly seek to promote Thy Cause; Thou art
indeed the One Who forgiveth the sins of all mankind.
And in this second year of my Revelation--a Revelation
which took place at Thy behest--I bear witness that Thou
art the Most Manifest, the Omnipotent, the Ever-Abiding;
that of all things that exist on earth and in the heavens nothing
whatsoever can frustrate Thy purpose and that Thou
art the Knower of all things and the Lord of might and
majesty.
Verily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs ere
the dawn of Thy Manifestation, and in Thee are we all
well-assured. Verily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy
signs after the fulfilment of Thy Manifestation, and in Thee
do we all believe. Verily, we have believed in Thee and in
Thy signs at the hour of Thy Manifestation and bear witness
that through Thine injunction `Be Thou' all things
have been created.
Every Manifestation is but a revelation of Thine Own
Self, with each of Whom we have truly appeared and we
bow down in adoration before Thee. Thou hast been, O
my Best Beloved, and shalt ever be my witness throughout
bygone times and in the days to come. Verily, Thou art
the All-Powerful, the Ever-Faithful, the Omnipotent.
I have testified to Thy oneness through Thine Own Self
+P5
before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing
witness that, verily, Thou art the All-Glorious, the Best
Beloved. I have attained the recognition of Thee through
Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the
earth, bearing witness that Thou art in truth the Almighty,
the All-Praised. I have glorified Thy Name through Thine
Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth,
bearing witness that Thou art indeed the Lord of power, He
Who is the Most Manifest. I have exalted Thy holiness
through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the
heavens and the earth, bearing witness that in truth Thou
art the Most Sanctified, the Most Holy. I have praised Thy
sanctity through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of
the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that Thou art
indeed the Indescribable, the Inaccessible, the Immeasurably
Glorified. I have extolled Thine overpowering majesty
through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the
heavens and the earth, bearing witness that, verily, Thou
and Thou alone art the Lord of might, the Eternal One,
the Ancient of Days.
Hallowed and glorified art Thou; there is none other
God but Thee and in truth unto Thee do we all return.
As to those who have put the kindred of &Ali to death,
ere long they shall realize to what depths of perdition they
have descended.
+P6
A SECOND TABLET ADDRESSED TO
`HIM WHO WILL BE MADE MANIFEST'
May the glances of Him Whom God shall make manifest
illumine this letter at the primary school.+F1
He is the Most Glorious.
HE is God, no God is there but Him, the Almighty, the
Best Beloved. All that are in the heavens and on the earth
and whatever lieth between them are His. Verily He is the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
This is a letter from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting,
unto God, the Almighty, the Best Beloved, to
+F1 In one of His Tablets &Abdu'l-Baha explains that some were misled
+F1 by this statement and thought that the school referred to was
+F1 a physical school for the training of unlettered children, whereas
+F1 it referred to a spiritual school sanctified from the limits of the
+F1 contingent world. &Baha'u'llah in the &Kitab-i-Aqdas also refers to
+F1 this Epistle of the &Bab in the following words:
+F1 O Thou Supreme Pen! Move over the Tablet by the leave of Thy
+F1 Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Call Thou then to mind the day when
+F1 the Fountainhead of divine unity sought to attend the school which is
+F1 sanctified of all save God, that perchance the righteous might become
+F1 acquainted, to the extent of a needle's eye, with that which is concealed
+F1 behind the veil of the inner mysteries of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the
+F1 All-Knowing.
+F1 Say, We, in truth, entered the school of inner meaning and exposition
+F1 at a time when the minds of all that dwell on earth were wrapt in
+F1 heedlessness. We beheld what the Merciful Lord had revealed, accepted
+F1 the gift He [the &Bab] had offered Me of the verses of God, the Help in
+F1 Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and hearkened to that to which He had
+F1 attested in the Tablet. We, verily, are the Witness. We responded to
+F1 His call at Our Own behest, and We are, in truth, the Ordainer.
+F1 O people of the &Bayan! We entered the School of God when ye were
+F1 slumbering on your couches, and perused the Tablet when ye were fast
+F1 asleep. By the righteousness of God, the True One, We had read it
+F1 before it was revealed, and ye were utterly unaware. Indeed Our knowledge
+F1 had encompassed the Book when ye were yet unborn.
+F1 These utterances are revealed according to your measure, not to
+F1 God's, and unto this beareth witness that which is enshrined in the
+F1 knowledge of God, did ye but know. Unto this testifieth He Who is the
+F1 Mouthpiece of God, could ye but understand. By the righteousness of
+F1 God! Were We to lift the veil ye would swoon away. Take heed lest ye
+F1 dispute with Him and His Cause. He hath indeed appeared in such wise
+F1 as to encompass all things, whether of the past or of the future. Were
+F1 We to speak forth at this time in the language of the dwellers of the
+F1 Kingdom, We would say that God raised up this School ere the earth
+F1 and the heavens were brought into being, and We entered it before the
+F1 letters `B' and `E' were joined and knit together.
+P7
affirm that the &Bayan and such as bear allegiance to it are
but a present from me unto Thee and to express my undoubting
faith that there is no God but Thee, that the kingdoms
of Creation and Revelation are Thine, that no one
can attain anything save by Thy power and that He Whom
Thou hast raised up is but Thy servant and Thy Testimony.
I, indeed, beg to address Him Whom God shall make
manifest, by Thy leave in these words: `Shouldst Thou
dismiss the entire company of the followers of the
&Bayan in the Day of the Latter Resurrection by a mere
sign of Thy finger even while still a suckling babe, Thou
wouldst indeed be praised in Thy indication. And though
no doubt is there about it, do Thou grant a respite of
nineteen years as a token of Thy favour so that those who
have embraced this Cause may be graciously rewarded by
Thee. Thou art verily the Lord of grace abounding. Thou
dost indeed suffice every created thing and causest it to be
+P8
independent of all things, while nothing in the heavens or
on the earth or that which lieth between them can ever
suffice Thee.'
Verily Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the All-Knowing;
Thou art indeed potent over all things.
+P9
TABLET TO THE FIRST LETTER OF THE LIVING
This is that which We have revealed for the First Believer
in Him Whom God shall make manifest, that it may serve
as an admonition from Our presence unto all mankind.
In the Name of the Almighty, the Best Beloved.
LAUDED and glorified is He Who is the sovereign Lord
of the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between
them. Say, verily unto Him shall all return, and He
is the One Who guideth at His Own behest whomsoever
He pleaseth. Say, all men beseech His blessings and He is
supreme over all created things. He is indeed the All-Glorious,
the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.
This is an epistle from the letter `&Tha' unto him who is
the First Believer. Bear thou witness that verily He is I,
Myself, the Sovereign, the Omnipotent. He is the One
Who ordaineth life and death and unto Him shall all return.
Indeed there is none other God but Him and all men
bow down in adoration before Him. Verily Thy Lord,
God, shall presently recompense every one as He ordaineth,
even swifter than uttering the words `Be thou, and it is'.
God hath in truth testified in His Book and so also have
testified the company of His angels, His Messengers and
those endued with divine knowledge, that thou hast
believed in God and in His signs and that everyone is
guided aright by virtue of thy guidance. This is indeed a
boundless grace which God, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting,
hath graciously conferred upon thee aforetime
+P10
and will confer hereafter. And since thou didst believe in
God before the creation, He hath in truth, at His own
behest, raised thee up in every Revelation. There is no God
but Him, the Sovereign Protector, the All-Glorious.
It behooveth you to proclaim the Cause of God unto all
created things as a token of grace from His presence; no
God is there but Him, the Most Generous, the All-Compelling.
Say: All matters must be referred to the Book of God;
I am indeed the First to believe in God and in His signs;
I am the One Who divulgeth and proclaimeth the Truth
and I have been invested with every excellent title of God,
the Mighty, the Incomparable. Verily I have attained the
Day of the First Manifestation and by the bidding of the
Lord and as a token of His grace, I shall attain the Day of
the Latter Manifestation. There is no God but Him and at
the appointed hour everyone shall bow down unto Him
in adoration.
I render thanks and yield praise unto God for having
been chosen by Him as the Exponent of His Cause in bygone
days and in the days to come; there is none other God
save Him, the Glorified, the All-Praised, the Ever-Abiding.
Whatever is in the heavens and on the earth is His and
through Him are we guided aright.
O people of the &Bayan! Those who embrace the Truth
must turn unto Me, as ordained in the Book and divine
guidance will be vouchsafed to whosoever attaineth My
presence.
+P11
EXTRACTS FROM AN EPISTLE TO
&MUHAMMAD &SHAH
THE substance wherewith God hath created Me is not the
clay out of which others have been formed. He hath
conferred upon Me that which the worldly-wise can never
comprehend, nor the faithful discover ... I am one of the
sustaining pillars of the Primal Word of God. Whosoever
hath recognized Me, hath known all that is true and right,
and hath attained all that is good and seemly; and whosoever
hath failed to recognize Me, hath turned away from
all that is true and right and hath succumbed to everything
evil and unseemly.
I swear by the righteousness of Thy Lord, the Lord of all
created things, the Lord of all the worlds! Were a man to
rear in this world as many edifices as possible and worship
God through every virtuous deed which God's knowledge
embraceth, and attain the presence of the Lord, and were he,
even to a measure less than that which is accountable before
God, to bear in his heart a trace of malice towards Me, all
his deeds would be reduced to naught and he would be
deprived of the glances of God's favour, become the object
of His wrath and assuredly perish. For God hath ordained
that all the good things which lie in the treasury of His
knowledge shall be attained through obedience unto Me,
and every fire recorded in His Book, through disobedience
unto Me. Methinks in this day and from this station I
behold all those who cherish My love and follow My
behest abiding within the mansions of Paradise, and the
entire company of Mine adversaries consigned to the lowest
depths of hell-fire.
+P12
By My life! But for the obligation to acknowledge the
Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of God ... I would
not have announced this unto thee... All the keys of
heaven God hath chosen to place on My right hand, and all
the keys of hell on My left...
I am the Primal Point from which have been generated
all created things. I am the Countenance of God Whose
splendour can never be obscured, the Light of God
Whose radiance can never fade. Whoso recognizeth Me,
assurance and all good are in store for him, and whoso
faileth to recognize Me, infernal fire and all evil await
him...
I swear by God, the Peerless, the Incomparable, the
True One: for no other reason hath He--the supreme
Testimony of God--invested Me with clear signs and
tokens than that all men may be enabled to submit to His
Cause.
By the righteousness of Him Who is the Absolute Truth,
were the veil to be lifted, thou wouldst witness on this
earthly plane all men sorely afflicted with the fire of the
wrath of God, a fire fiercer and greater than the fire of hell,
with the exception of those who have sought shelter
beneath the shade of the tree of My love. For they in very
truth are the blissful...
God beareth Me witness, I was not a man of learning,
for I was trained as a merchant. In the year sixty+F1 God
graciously infused my soul with the conclusive evidences
and weighty knowledge which characterize Him Who is
the Testimony of God--may peace be upon Him--until
finally in that year I proclaimed God's hidden Cause and
unveiled its well-guarded Pillar, in such wise that no one
could refute it. `That he who should perish might perish
+F1 1260 A.H. (1844 A.D.)
+P13
with a clear proof before him and he who should live
might live by clear proof.'+F1
In that same year [year 60] I despatched a messenger and
a book unto thee, that thou mightest act towards the Cause
of Him Who is the Testimony of God as befitteth the
station of thy sovereignty. But inasmuch as dark, dreadful
and dire calamity had been irrevocably ordained by the
Will of God, the book was not submitted to thy presence,
through the intervention of such as regard themselves the
well-wishers of the government. Up to the present, when
nearly four years have passed, they have not duly presented
it to Your Majesty. However, now that the fateful
hour is drawing nigh, and because it is a matter of faith,
not a worldly concern, therefore I have given thee a
glimpse of what hath transpired.
I swear by God! Shouldst thou know the things which in
the space of these four years have befallen Me at the hands
of thy people and thine army, thou wouldst hold thy
breath from fear of God, unless thou wouldst rise to obey
the Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of God and make
amends for thy shortcomings and failure.
While I was in &Shiraz the indignities which befell Me at
the hands of its wicked and depraved Governor waxed so
grievous that if thou wert acquainted with but a tithe
thereof, thou wouldst deal him retributive justice. For as a
result of his unmitigated oppression, thy royal court hath
become, until the Day of Resurrection, the object of the
wrath of God. Moreover, his indulgence in alcohol had
grown so excessive that he was never sober enough to
make a sound judgement. Therefore, disquieted, I was
obliged to set out from &Shiraz with the aim of attaining the
enlightened and exalted court of Your Majesty. The
+F1 &Qur'an 8:44
+P14
&Mu'tamidu'd-Dawlih then became aware of the truth of
the Cause and manifested exemplary servitude and devotion
to His chosen ones. When some of the ignorant people in
his city arose to stir up sedition, he defended the divine
Truth by affording Me protection for a while in the
privacy of the Governor's residence. At length, having
attained the good-pleasure of God, he repaired to his habitation
in the all-highest Paradise. May God reward him
graciously...
Following his ascension to the eternal Kingdom, the
vicious &Gurgin, resorting to all manner of treachery, false
oaths and coercion, sent Me away from &Isfahan with an
escort of five guards on a journey which lasted seven days,
without providing the barest necessities for My travel
(Alas! Alas! for the things which have touched Me!), until
eventually Your Majesty's order came, instructing Me to
proceed to &Maku...
I swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told
in what place I dwell, the first person to have mercy on Me
would be thyself. In the heart of a mountain is a fortress
[&Maku] ... the inmates of which are confined to two guards
and four dogs. Picture, then, My plight... I swear by the
truth of God! Were he who hath been willing to treat Me
in such a manner to know Who it is Whom he hath so
treated, he, verily, would never in his life be happy. Nay--
I, verily, acquaint thee with the truth of the matter--it is as
if he hath imprisoned all the Prophets, and all the men of
truth and all the chosen ones...
When this decree was made known unto Me, I wrote to
him who administereth the affairs of the kingdom, saying:
`Put Me to death, I adjure thee by God, and send My head
wherever thou pleasest. For surely an innocent person such
as I, cannot reconcile himself to being consigned to a place
+P15
reserved for criminals and let his life continue.' My plea
remained unanswered. Evidently His Excellency the &Haji,
is not fully aware of the truth of our Cause. It would be
far more heinous a deed to sadden the hearts of the faithful,
whether men or women, than to lay waste the sacred House
of God.
Verily, the One True God beareth Me witness that in
this Day I am the true mystic Fane of God, and the Essence
of all good. He who doeth good unto Me, it is as if he doeth
good unto God, His angels and the entire company of His
loved ones. He who doeth evil unto Me, it is as if he doeth
evil unto God and His chosen ones. Nay, too exalted is the
station of God and of His loved ones for any person's good
or evil deed to reach their holy threshold. Whatever
reacheth Me is ordained to reach Me; and that which hath
come unto Me, to him who giveth will it revert. By the One
in Whose hand is My soul, he hath cast no one but himself
into prison. For assuredly whatsoever God hath decreed
for Me shall come to pass and naught else save that which
God hath ordained for us shall ever touch us. Woe betide
him from whose hands floweth evil, and blessed the man
from whose hands floweth good. Unto no one do I take
My plaint save to God; for He is the best of judges. Every
state of adversity or bliss is from Him alone, and He is the
All-Powerful, the Almighty.
In brief, I hold within My grasp whatsoever any man
might wish of the good of this world and of the next. Were
I to remove the veil, all would recognize Me as their Best
Beloved, and no one would deny Me. Let not this assertion
astound Your Majesty; inasmuch as a true believer in the
unity of God who keepeth his eyes directed towards Him
alone, will regard aught else but Him as utter nothingness.
I swear by God! I seek no earthly goods from thee, be it as
+P16
much as a mustard seed. Indeed, to possess anything of this
world or of the next would, in My estimation, be tantamount
to open blasphemy. For it ill beseemeth the believer
in the unity of God to turn his gaze to aught else, much
less to hold it in his possession. I know of a certainty that
since I have God, the Ever-Living, the Adored One, I am
the possessor of all things, visible and invisible...
In this mountain I have remained alone, and have come
to such a pass that none of those gone before Me have
suffered what I have suffered, nor any transgressor endured
what I have endured! I render praise unto God and yet
again praise Him. I find Myself free from sorrow, inasmuch
as I abide within the good-pleasure of My Lord and
Master. Methinks I am in the all-highest Paradise, rejoicing
at My communion with God, the Most Great. Verily this
is a bounty which God hath conferred upon Me; and He
is the Lord of unbounded blessings.
I swear by the truth of God! Wert thou to know that
which I know, thou wouldst forgo the sovereignty of this
world and of the next, that thou mightest attain My good-pleasure,
through thine obedience unto the True One...
Wert thou to refuse, the Lord of the world would raise up
one who would exalt His Cause, and the Command of God
would, verily, be carried into effect.
Through the grace of God nothing can frustrate My
purpose, and I am fully conscious of that which God hath
bestowed upon Me as a token of His favour. If it were My
will, I would disclose to Your Majesty all things; but I have
not done this, nor will I do it, that the Truth may be
distinguished from aught else beside it, and this prophecy
uttered by the &Imam &Baqir--may peace rest upon Him
--be fully realized: `What must needs befall us in &Adhirbayjan
is inevitable and without parallel. When this
+P17
happeneth, rest ye in your homes and remain patient as we
have remained patient. As soon as the Mover moveth make
ye haste to attain unto Him, even though ye have to crawl
over the snow.'
I implore pardon of God for Myself and for all things
related to Me and affirm, `Praise be to God, the Lord of all
the worlds'.
+P18
EXTRACTS FROM ANOTHER EPISTLE TO
&MUHAMMAD &SHAH
GLORY be unto Him Who knoweth all that is in the
heavens and in the earth. Verily there is no God but Him,
the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty, the Great.
He is the One Who on the Day of Severing shall pass
judgement through the power of Truth; indeed no God is
there besides Him, the Peerless, the All-Compelling, the
Exalted. He is the One Who holdeth within His grasp the
kingdom of all created things; there is none other God but
Him, the Single, the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding, the
Inaccessible, the Most Great.
At this moment I testify unto God, even as He testified
unto Himself before the creation of all things: Verily
there is no God save Him, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
And I bear witness unto whatsoever He hath fashioned or
will fashion, even as He Himself, in the majesty of His
glory, hath borne witness: No God is there but Him, the
Peerless, the Self-Subsisting, the Most Wondrous.
In God, Who is the Lord of all created things, have I
placed My whole trust. There is no God but Him, the
Peerless, the Most Exalted. Unto Him have I resigned
Myself and into His hands have I committed all My affairs.
No God is there besides Him, the supreme Ruler, the
resplendent Truth. Indeed all-sufficient is He for Me; independently
of all things doth He suffice, while nothing in
the heavens or in the earth but Him sufficeth. He, in very
truth, is the Self-Subsisting, the Most Severe.
Praise be unto Him Who at this very moment perceiveth
+P19
in this remote prison the goal of My desire. He is the One
Who beareth witness unto Me at all times and beholdeth
Me ere the inception of `after &Hin'.+F1
Why didst thou pronounce judgement without remembering
God, the All-Wise? How canst thou endure in
the fire? Indeed, mighty and most severe is thy God.
Thou pridest thyself in the things thou dost possess, yet
no believer in God and in His signs, nor any righteous man
would ever deign to regard them. This mortal life is like
unto the carcass of a dog, around which none would gather,
nor would any partake thereof, except those who gainsay
the life hereafter. Verily it is incumbent upon thee to
become a true believer in God, the All-Possessing, the
Almighty, and to turn away from the one who guideth
thee into the torment of hell-fire.
I have been waiting a while that perchance thou wouldst
take heed and be rightly guided. How canst thou answer
God on the day which is near at hand--the day whereon
witnesses will stand forth to testify in the presence of thy
Lord, the Lord of all the worlds?
By the righteousness of Him Who hath called thee into
being and unto Whom ere long thou shalt return, if thou
remainest, at the moment of death, a disbeliever in the
signs of thy Lord thou shalt surely enter the gates of hell,
and none of the deeds thy hands have wrought will profit
thee, nor shalt thou find a patron nor anyone to plead for
thee. Fear thou God and pride not thyself on thine earthly
possessions, inasmuch as what God doth possess is better
for them that tread the path of righteousness.
Verily in this Day all that dwell on earth are the servants
+F1 The numerical value of the letters of the word &Hin is 68. The
+F1 year 1268 A.H. (1851-1852 A.D.) is the year preceding the birth of
+F1 the &Baha'i Revelation.
+P20
of God. As to those who truly believe in God and are well
assured in the signs revealed by Him, perchance He will
graciously forgive them the things their hands have committed,
and will grant them admission into the precincts
of His mercy. He, in truth, is the Ever-Forgiving, the
Compassionate. But the verdict of divine chastisement is
pronounced against those who have turned away disdainfully
from Me and have repudiated the conclusive
proofs and the unerring Book with which God hath invested
Me, and on the Day of Severing they shall find no
protector or helper.
I swear by Him Who createth all beings and unto Whom
all shall return, if anyone at the hour of death beareth
hatred towards Me or disputeth the clear tokens wherewith
I have been invested, then naught but afflictive torment shall
be his lot. On that day no ransom will be accepted, nor will
any intercession be permitted, unless God so please. Verily
He is the All-Compelling, the All-Glorious; and no God
is there other than Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty,
the Most Severe.
If thou rejoicest in My imprisonment, woe then unto
thee for the grievous torment which will soon overtake
thee. Indeed God hath permitted no one to pass unfair
judgement, and if thou wouldst fain do so, then soon shalt
thou learn.
From the first day that I cautioned thee not to wax
proud before God until the present time, four years have
elapsed, and during this space naught have I witnessed,
either from thee or from thy soldiers, except dire oppression
and disdainful arrogance. Methinks thou dost imagine that
I wish to gain some paltry substance from this earthly life.
Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! In the estimation
of them that have fixed their eyes upon the merciful Lord,
+P21
the riches of the world and its trappings are worth as much
as the eye of a dead body, nay even less. Far from His
glory be what they associate with Him!... I seek patience
only in God. Verily He is the best protector and the best
helper. No refuge do I seek save God. Verily He is the
guardian and the best supporter...
I swear by the glory of God, My Lord, the Most Exalted,
the Most Great, He assuredly, as is divinely ordained, will
make His Cause shine resplendent, while there will be no
helper for the unjust. If thou hast any scheme, produce thy
scheme. Indeed every revelation of authority proceedeth
from God. In Him do I trust and unto Him do I turn.
Hast thou heard anyone of old passing a judgement similar
to the one thou didst contrive or like unto that whereto
thou didst give thine assent? Woe then unto the oppressors!
Both thine intentions and the manner in which thou dealest
with the people clearly demonstrate thine infidelity
towards God, hence He hath ordained a severe chastisement
for thee. Verily I seek patience only in God, and Him do I
regard as the goal of My desire. This signifieth that I have
the undoubted Truth on My side.
If thou art not apprehensive that the truth might be
revealed and the works of the ungodly be brought to
naught, why summonest thou not the divines of the land,
and then summon Me, so that I may confound them forthwith,
even as those disbelievers whom I have previously
confounded? This is My sure testimony unto thee and unto
them, if they speak the truth. Summon thou all of them.
Should they then be able to utter words like unto this, thou
wouldst know that their cause is worthy of attention. Nay,
by the righteousness of My Lord! They are bereft of power,
nor are they endued with perception. They professed faith
in the past without understanding its significance, then
+P22
later they repudiated the Truth; for they are devoid of
discernment.
If thou hast decided to shed My blood, wherefore dost
thou delay? Thou art now endowed with power and
authority. For Me it will prove an infinite bounty conferred
by God, while for thee and for them that would commit
such an act it will amount to a chastisement meted out by
Him.
How great the blessedness that would await Me, wert
thou to pass a verdict such as this; and what immense joy
would be Mine, shouldst thou agree to do this! This is a
bounty which God hath reserved for them that enjoy near
access to His court. Give then thy leave and wait no longer.
In truth, mighty is thy Lord, the Avenger.
Art thou not ashamed in the presence of God for consenting
to the consignment to a fortress of Him Who is the
Testimony of God, and His being made captive in the
hands of the faithless? Woe betide thee and them who rejoice
at this moment in inflicting so dire a humiliation upon
Me...
I swear by Him Who hath called Me into being, I can
discover no trace of sinfulness in Myself, nor have I followed
aught but the Truth; and unto Me God is sufficient
witness. Fie upon the world and its people and upon those
who take delight in earthly riches, while oblivious of the
life to come.
Were the veil to be removed from thine eye thou
wouldst crawl unto Me on thy breast, even through the
snow, from fear of the chastisement of God which is swift
and near at hand. By the righteousness of Him Who hath
created thee, wert thou to be acquainted with that which
hath transpired during thy reign, thou wouldst wish not to
have issued from thy father's loins, but rather to have passed
+P23
into oblivion. However, that which God, thy Lord, had
ordained hath presently come to pass, and woe betide the
oppressors in this day.
Methinks thou hast not perused the unerring Book. If
thou art satisfied with thine own way and dost not wish
to follow the Truth, then to Me be My way and to thee
thine. If thou aidest Me not, why dost thou seek to abase
Me? Verily, God is the hearer of the suppliant, and in Him
all things find their highest consummation, both in this
world and in the world to come.
Far from the glory of God, the Lord of heaven and earth,
the Lord of creation, be that which is affirmed of Him by
the peoples of the world, except by such as faithfully observe
His precepts. May the peace of God rest upon the
sincere among His servants.
All praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.
+P24
EXTRACTS FROM A FURTHER EPISTLE TO
&MUHAMMAD &SHAH
THIS is an Epistle from Him Who is the true, the undoubted
Leader. Herein is revealed the law of all things for
those who fain would heed His Call or wish to be reckoned
among them that are guided aright. Herein is enshrined the
law of all things for such as would bear witness to the
Revelation of thy Lord in accordance with this clear
balance. Verily the ordinances of God concerning all things
were formerly set forth in eloquent Arabic. Indeed those
whose souls have been created through the splendour of
the light of thy Lord recognize the Truth and are numbered
with such as faithfully obey the One True God and are well
assured...
O &Muhammad! The Decree of thy Lord was fulfilled
four years ago; and ever since the inception of the Cause
of thy Lord I have warned thee to fear God and not to be of
the ignorant. I despatched a messenger unto thee with a
truly resplendent Tablet, but the followers of the devil
turned him away disdainfully and interposed themselves
between him and thee. They expelled him from the land
whereof thou art the undisputed sovereign. Thus hath the
good of this world and of the next escaped thee, unless thou
submit to the commandment ordained by God and be of
them that are rightly guided.
On My return from the sacred House of God+F1 I sent thee
a Message similar to, nay even greater than the one I had
previously sent unto thee. Indeed God is the best protector
+F1 The &Ka'bah in Mecca
+P25
and witness. I despatched a messenger unto thee with
Epistles revealed by Me, that thou mightest obey the command
of God and not be of them that have repudiated the
Truth. The oppressor, however, committed a thing the like
of which no one would commit, not even any of the
wicked, nor anyone among the vile wrong-doers...
The tribulations which I have suffered in this land, no
one of old hath suffered. Verily unto God shall revert the
whole affair, and He in truth is the best protector and is
cognizant of all. The things which have, from the first day
till now, befallen Me at the hand of thy people are but the
work of Satan.+F1 Ever since the Cause of thy Lord hath
appeared none of thy deeds hath been acceptable, and thou
hast been lost in palpable error while all thou couldst see
appeared to thee as deeds performed for the sake of thy
Lord. In truth thy day is nigh at hand and thou shalt be
questioned concerning all this, and assuredly God is not
heedless of the deeds of the wicked.
Had it not been for thee, thy supporters would not have
disdainfully rejected Me, though they have gone more
widely astray than the foolish.
Dost thou imagine him whom thou hast appointed
Chancellor in thy kingdom to be the best leader and the
best supporter? Nay, I swear by thy Lord. He will bring
thee into grievous trouble by reason of that which Satan
instilleth in his heart, and verily, he himself is Satan. He
comprehendeth not a single letter from the Book of
God and is seized with fear by reason of that which his
hands have wrought. Fain would he extinguish the light
which thy Lord hath kindled, so that the old impiety which
is concealed in his inner being may not be revealed. Hadst
thou not appointed him as thy Chancellor no one would
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 4:119
+P26
have paid him the slightest attention. Indeed in the estimation
of the people he is naught but manifest darkness...
Fear thou God and suffer not thy soul to be chastised
beyond that with which it hath already been tormented;
for ere long thou shalt pass away and shalt declare thyself
clear of the devil whom thou hast appointed as thy Chancellor,
saying: `O would that I had not taken the devil as my
Chancellor, nor appointed an impostor as my guide and
adviser.'
Why dost thou burden thy soul with that which is far
more abject than the deeds of Pharaoh, and still callest thyself
one of the faithful? How dost thou peruse the verses of
the &Qur'an, while thou art of the unjust? Never would the
Jews, nor the Christians nor any such people as have
rejected the truth consent to inflict wrongs upon the son of
their Prophet's daughter. Woe betide thee, for the day of
chastisement is approaching. Dost thou not dread the
wrath of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Lord of the heavens,
the Lord of all worlds? Indeed these manifest verses are conclusive
testimony for those who seek true guidance.
I have no desire to seize thy property, even to the extent
of a grain of mustard, nor do I wish to occupy thy position.
If thou followest Me not, then unto thee be the things thou
dost possess, and unto Me the land of unfailing security. If
thou obeyest Me not, wherefore dost thou look disdainfully
upon Me and seek to treat Me with sore injustice?
Verily, behold My habitation--a lofty mountain wherein
no one dwelleth. Woe betide them that wrongfully do injustice
to people, and unjustly and deceitfully usurp the
property of the believers in violation of His lucid Book;
whereas I, Who, in very truth, am the rightful Sovereign
of all men, designated by the true, the undeniable Leader,
would never infringe on the integrity of the substance of
+P27
the people, were it to the extent of a grain of mustard, nor
would I treat them unjustly. Rather would I consort with
them even as one of themselves, and I would be their witness.
That which devolveth upon Me is but to mention the
Book of thy Lord and to deliver this clear Message. If thou
wishest to enter the gates of Paradise, lo, they are open
before thy face and no harm can reach Me from anyone.
Every missive which up till now I have directed unto thee
and unto the custodian of thy affairs hath been but a token
of My bounty to you both, that perchance ye may grow
anxious about the day which is nigh at hand. Nevertheless
from the moment ye waxed disdainful, divine judgement
was passed upon you in the Book of God, for in truth ye
both have denied your Lord and are numbered with them
that will perish... This is indeed My last reminder unto
you, and I shall make no mention of you hereafter, nor
shall I make any remark other than affirming you as
infidels.
Unto God do I commit Mine affair and yours, and He
verily is the best Judge. Were ye to return, however, ye
would be granted whatever ye desire of earthly possessions
and of the ineffable delights of the life to come, and ye
would inherit such glorious might and majesty as your
minds can scarce conceive in this mortal life. But if ye fail
to return then upon ye shall be your transgressions.
Ye cannot alter the things which the Almighty hath
prescribed unto Me. Naught shall touch Me besides that
which God, My Lord, hath pre-ordained for Me. In Him
have I placed My whole trust and upon Him do the faithful
place their complete reliance.
Bear Thou witness unto Me, O Lord. By sending forth
this resplendent Epistle I shall have proclaimed Thy Verses
+P28
unto both of them and shall have fulfilled Thy Testimony
for them. I am well pleased to lay down My life in Thy
path and ere long to return to Thy presence. Unto Thee be
praise in the heavens and on the earth. Deal with them
according to Thy decree. In truth Thou art the best protector
and helper.
Set right, O Lord, such disorders as people stir up, and
cause Thy Word to shine resplendent throughout the
earth, so that no trace of the ungodly may remain.
I beg forgiveness of Thee, O My Lord, for that which I
have uttered in Thy Epistle, and I repent unto Thee. I am
but one of Thy servants who give praise to Thee. Glorified
art Thou; no God is there but Thee. In Thee have I placed
My whole trust and of Thee do I beg pardon for being a
suppliant at Thy door.
Sanctified is God thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty
Throne, from that which the people wrongfully and without
the guidance of His lucid Book, affirm of Him. Peace
be upon them that beseech forgiveness from God thy Lord,
saying: `Verily, praise be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.'
+P29
EXTRACTS FROM A TABLET CONTAINING WORDS
ADDRESSED TO THE SHERIF OF MECCA
O SHERIF!... All thy life thou hast accorded worship
unto Us, but when We manifested Ourself unto thee, thou
didst desist from bearing witness unto Our Remembrance,
and from affirming that He is indeed the Most Exalted, the
Sovereign Truth, the All-Glorious. Thus hath Thy Lord
put thee to proof in the Day of Resurrection. Verily He is
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
For hadst thou uttered `Here am I' at the time We sent
thee the Book, We would have admitted thee to the company
of such of Our servants as truly believe, and would
have graciously praised thee in Our Book, until the Day
when all men shall appear before Us for judgement. This
is in truth far more advantageous unto thee than all the
acts of worship thou hast performed for thy Lord during
all thy life, nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning.
Assuredly this is what would have served and will ever
serve thy best interests. Verily We are cognizant of all
things. Yet notwithstanding that We had called thee into
being for the purpose of attaining Our presence in the Day
of Resurrection, thou didst shut thyself out from Us without
any reason or explicit Writ; whereas hadst thou been
among such as are endowed with the knowledge of the
&Bayan, thou wouldst have, at the sight of the Book,
testified forthwith that there is no God but Him, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and wouldst have affirmed that
He Who hath revealed the &Qur'an, hath likewise revealed
this Book, that every word of it is from God, and unto it
we all bear allegiance.
+P30
However, that which was preordained hath come to
pass. Shouldst thou return unto Us while revelation still
continueth through Us, We shall transform thy fire into
light. Truly We are powerful over all things. But if thou
failest in this task, thou shalt find no way open to thee other
than to embrace the Cause of God and to implore that the
matter of thine allegiance be brought to the attention of
Him Whom God shall make manifest, that He may
graciously enable thee to prosper and cause thy fire to be
transformed into light. This is that which hath been sent
down unto Us. Should this not come to pass, whatever We
have set down shall remain binding and irrevocably decreed
by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and
We shall therefore banish thee from Our presence as a
token of justice on Our part. Verily we are equitable in Our
judgement.
+P31
ADDRESS TO A MUSLIM DIVINE
O &ABDU'S-SAHIB! Verily God and every created thing
testify that there is none other God but Me, the Almighty,
the Best Beloved...
Thy vision is obscured by the belief that divine revelation
ended with the coming of &Muhammad, and unto this
We have borne witness in Our first epistle. Indeed, He Who
hath revealed verses unto &Muhammad, the Apostle of God,
hath likewise revealed verses unto &Ali-Muhammad. For
who else but God can reveal to a man such clear and manifest
verses as overpower all the learned? Since thou hast
acknowledged the revelation of &Muhammad, the Apostle
of God, then there is no other way open before thee but to
testify that whatever is revealed by the Primal Point hath
also proceeded from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Is it not true that the &Qur'an hath been sent
down from God and that all men are powerless before its
revelation? Likewise these words have also been revealed
by God, if thou dost but perceive. What is there in the
&Bayan which keepeth thee back from recognizing these
verses as being sent forth by God, the Inaccessible, the Most
Exalted, the All-Glorious?
The essence of these words is this: Were We to bring
thee to a reckoning, thou wouldst prove thyself empty-handed;
We in truth know all things. Hadst thou uttered
`yea' on hearing the Words of God, thou wouldst have
been seen to have been worshipping God from the beginning
that hath no beginning until the present day, never to
have disobeyed Him, not even for the twinkling of an eye.
+P32
Yet, neither the upright deeds thou hast wrought during all
thy life, nor the exertions thou didst make to banish every
thought from thy heart save that of the good-pleasure of
God, none of these did in truth profit thee, not even to the
extent of a grain of mustard seed, inasmuch as thou didst
veil thyself from God and tarried behind at the time of His
manifestation.
Verily all the divines in the land of &Kaf [&Kufih] shall,
even as thyself, be asked by God: `Is it not strange that a
Messenger should have come to you with a Book, and ye,
while confessing your powerlessness, refused to follow the
Faith of God which He had brought, and ye persisted in
your disbelief?' Therefore unto thee shall be assigned the
fire which was meant for those who turned away from God
in that land, inasmuch as thou art their leader; would that
thou might be of them who heed.
Hadst thou faithfully obeyed the Decree of God, all the
inhabitants of thy land would have followed thee, and would
have themselves entered into the celestial Paradise, content
with the good-pleasure of God for evermore. However, on
that day thou shalt wish that God had not created thee.
Thou hast set thyself up as one of the learned in the
Faith of &Islam, that thou mightest save the believers, yet
thou didst cause thy followers to descend into the fire, for
when the verses of God were sent forth thou didst deprive
thyself therefrom and yet reckoned thyself to be of the
righteous... Nay, by the life of Him Whom God shall
make manifest! Neither thou nor any one among His servants
can produce the slightest proof, while God shineth
resplendent above His creatures and through the power of
His behest standeth supreme over all that dwell in the kingdoms
of heaven and earth and in whatever lieth between
them. Verily He is potent over all created things.
+P33
Thou hath named thyself &Abdu's &Sahib [servant of the
Lord]. Yet, while God hath, in very truth, made thy Lord
manifest, and thou didst set thine eyes upon Him, thou
didst not recognize Him, even though thou hadst been
called into being by God for the purpose of attaining His
presence, didst thou but truly believe in the third verse of
the chapter entitled `Thunder'.+F1
Thou contendest, `How can we recognize Him when
we have heard naught but words which fall short of irrefutable
proofs?' Yet since thou hast acknowledged and
recognized &Muhammad, the Apostle of God, through the
&Qur'an, how canst thou withhold recognition from Him
Who sent thee the Book, despite thy calling thyself `His
servant'? Verily He doth exercise undisputed authority
over His revelations unto all mankind.
Wert thou to come unto Us while divine revelation is
descending upon Us, haply God will change thy fire into
light. Verily He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
Otherwise that which hath been revealed is decisive and
final and will be faithfully upheld by all until the Day of
Resurrection... If divine revelation ceaseth, thou shouldst
write a petition to Him Whom God shall make manifest,
imploring that it be delivered into His presence. Therein
thou must beg pardon of thy Lord, turn unto Him in
repentance and be of them that are wholly devoted to Him.
Perchance God will transform thy fire into light at the next
Resurrection. He, of a truth, is the Protector, the Most
Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving. Unto Him bow down in
worship all that are in the heavens and on the earth and
whatever lieth between them; and unto Him shall all return.
We enjoin thee to save thyself and all the inhabitants of
+F1 &Qur'an 13
+P34
that land from the fire, then to enter the peerless and exalted
Paradise of His good-pleasure. Otherwise the day is
approaching when thou shalt perish and enter the fire,
when thou shalt have neither patron nor helper from God.
We have taken compassion on thee, as a sign of Our grace,
inasmuch as thou hast related thyself unto Us. Verily We
are aware of all things. We are cognizant of thy righteous
deeds, though they shall avail thee nothing; for the whole
object of such righteousness is but recognition of God, thy
Lord, and undoubted faith in the Words revealed by Him.
+P35
ADDRESS TO &SULAYMAN, ONE OF THE MUSLIM
DIVINES IN THE LAND OF &MASQAT
THIS is an Epistle from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting,
unto &Sulayman in the land of &Masqat, to the
right of the Sea. In truth there is none other God but Him,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting... Indeed, were all
the inhabitants of heaven and earth and whatever existeth
between them to assemble together, they would utterly
fail and be powerless to produce such a book, even though
We made them masters of eloquence and learning on earth.
Since thou dost adduce proofs from the &Qur'an, God shall,
with proofs from that self-same Book, vindicate Himself in
the &Bayan. This is none other than a decree of God; He is
truly the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.
If thou art of them that truly believe, thou hast no other
alternative than to bear allegiance unto it. This is the Way
of God for all the inhabitants of earth and heaven and all
that lieth betwixt them. No God is there but Me, the Almighty,
the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted.
From this land We then proceeded to the sacred House,
and on Our return journey We landed once again at this
spot, when We perceived that thou hadst heeded not that
which We sent thee, nor art thou of them that truly believe.
Although We had created thee to behold Our countenance,
and We did actually alight in thy locality, yet thou didst
fail to attain the object of thy creation, and this despite thy
worshipping God all thy life. Wherefore vain shall be the
deeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy being shut out
as by a veil from Our presence and from Our Writings.
+P36
This is an irrevocable decree ordained by Us. Verily We are
equitable in Our judgement.
Hadst thou observed the contents of the Epistle We sent
unto thee, it would have been far more profitable to thee
than worshipping thy Lord from the beginning that hath
no beginning until this day, and indeed more meritorious
than proving thyself wholly devoted in thine acts of worship.
And hadst thou attained the presence of thy Lord in
this land, and been of them that truly believe that the Face
of God is beheld in the person of the Primal Point, it would
have been far more advantageous than prostrating thyself
in adoration from the beginning that hath no beginning
until the present time....
In truth We tested thee and found that thou wert not of
them that are endowed with understanding, wherefore
We passed upon thee the sentence of negation, as a token
of justice from Our presence; and verily We are equitable.
However, shouldst thou return unto Us, We would convert
thy negation into affirmation. Verily We are the One
Who is of immense bounteousness. But should the Primal
Point cease to be with you, then the judgement given in
the Words of God shall be final and unalterable and every
one will assuredly uphold it.
Wert thou to address a letter to Him Whom God shall
make manifest, begging that it be delivered unto His
presence, perchance He would graciously forgive thee and,
at His behest, turn thy negation into affirmation. He is in
truth the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, He Whose
grace is infinite. Otherwise, no way shalt thou find open
unto thee and no benefit shalt thou gain from the deeds
thou hast wrought, by reason of thy failure to respond `yea,
here am I'. Verily We have reduced thee and thy works to
naught, as though thou hadst never come into existence nor
+P37
ever been of them that do good works, that this may serve
as a lesson for those unto whom the &Bayan is given, that
they may take good heed when the sacred Writings of Him
Whom God shall make manifest will reach them and perchance,
by pondering upon them, may be enabled to save
their own souls.
Our grace assuredly pervadeth all that dwell in the kingdoms
of earth and heaven and in whatever lieth between
them, and beyond them all mankind. However, souls that
have shut themselves out as by a veil can never partake of
the outpourings of the grace of God.
+P38
+P39
2
EXCERPTS FROM THE
&QAYYUMU'L-ASMA'
+P40
+P41
ALL praise be to God Who hath, through the
power of Truth, sent down this Book unto His
servant, that it may serve as a shining light for
all mankind... Verily this is none other than
the sovereign Truth; it is the Path which God hath laid out
for all that are in heaven and on earth. Let him then who
will, take for himself the right path unto his Lord. Verily
this is the true Faith of God, and sufficient witness are God
and such as are endowed with the knowledge of the Book.
This is indeed the eternal Truth which God, the Ancient of
Days, hath revealed unto His omnipotent Word--He Who
hath been raised up from the midst of the Burning Bush.
This is the Mystery which hath been hidden from all that
are in heaven and on earth, and in this wondrous Revelation
it hath, in very truth, been set forth in the Mother
Book by the hand of God, the Exalted...
O concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay aside,
one and all, your dominion which belongeth unto God...
Let not thy sovereignty deceive thee, O &Shah, for `every
soul shall taste of death,'+F1 and this, in very truth, hath been
written down as a decree of God. Chapter I.
O King of &Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having
aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance,
for God hath, in very truth, destined for thee, and
for such as circle round thee, on the Day of Judgement, a
responsible position in His Path. I swear by God, O &Shah!
+F1 &Qur'an 3:182
+P42
If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His Remembrance,
God will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn
thee, before the kings, unto hell-fire, and thou shalt not, in
very truth, find on that Day any helper except God, the
Exalted. Purge thou, O &Shah, the Sacred Land [&Tihran]
from such as have repudiated the Book, ere the day whereon
the Remembrance of God cometh, terribly and of a sudden,
with His potent Cause, by the leave of God, the Most High.
God, verily, hath prescribed to thee to submit unto Him
Who is His Remembrance, and unto His Cause, and to
subdue, with the truth and by His leave, the countries, for
in this world thou hast been mercifully invested with
sovereignty, and wilt, in the next, dwell, nigh unto the Seat
of Holiness, with the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure...
By God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do
well; and if ye deny God and His signs, We, in very truth,
having God, can well dispense with all creatures and all
earthly dominion. Chapter I.
BE thou content with the commandment of God, the
True One, inasmuch as sovereignty, as recorded in the
Mother Book by the hand of God, is surely invested in Him
Who is His Remembrance...
O Minister of the &Shah! Fear thou God, besides Whom
there is none other God but Him, the Sovereign Truth, the
Just, and lay aside thy dominion, for We, by the leave of
God, the All-Wise, inherit the earth and all who are upon
it,+F1 and He shall rightfully be a witness unto thee and unto
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 19:41
+P43
the &Shah. Were ye to obey the Remembrance of God with
absolute sincerity, We guarantee, by the leave of God, that
on the Day of Resurrection, a vast dominion shall be yours
in His eternal Paradise.
Vain indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside
earthly possessions for such as have denied Him; for unto
Him Who is your Lord shall be the most excellent abode,
He Who is, in truth, the Ancient of Days....
O concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste
the verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of
India, and beyond them, with power and with truth, to
lands in both the East and the West.... And know that if ye
aid God, He will, on the Day of Resurrection, graciously
aid you, upon the Bridge, through Him Who is His Most
Great Remembrance...
O people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance
of God and His Book hath in truth obeyed God and His
chosen ones and he will, in the life to come, be reckoned in
the presence of God among the inmates of the Paradise of
His good-pleasure. Chapter I.
VERILY We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony
for Our message unto you. Can ye produce a single
letter to match these verses? Bring forth, then, your proofs,
if ye be of those who can discern the one true God. I
solemnly affirm before God, should all men and spirits
combine to compose the like of one chapter of this Book,
they would surely fail, even though they were to assist one
another.+F1
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 17:90
+P44
O concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards
in the views ye advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance
in your midst, and Who cometh from Us, is,
in very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that
which ye lay hold of, and which the Book of God, the True
One, hath not sanctioned, for on the Day of Resurrection
ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in very truth, held answerable
for the position ye occupied.... And unto you We have
sent down this Book which truly none can mistake...
O concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye God
and pride not yourselves in your learning. Follow ye the
Book which His Remembrance hath revealed in praise of
God, the True One. He Who is the Eternal Truth beareth
me witness, whoso followeth this Book hath indeed followed
all the past Scriptures which have been sent down
from heaven by God, the Sovereign Truth. Verily, He is
well informed of what ye do... Such as are the true followers
of &Islam would say: `O Lord our God! We have
hearkened to the call of Thy Remembrance and obeyed
Him. Forgive us our sins. Thou art, verily, the Eternal
Truth, and unto Thee, our infallible Retreat, must we all
return.'+F1 Chapter II.
AS to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of
God, for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by God,
a sore torment. And He, God, is the Mighty, the Wise.
We have, of a truth, sent down this divinely-inspired
Book unto Our Servant... Ask ye then Him Who is Our
Remembrance of its interpretation, inasmuch as He, as
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 2:285
+P45
divinely-ordained and through the grace of God, is invested
with the knowledge of its verses...
O children of men! If ye believe in the one True God,
follow Me, this Most Great Remembrance of God sent
forth by your Lord, that He may graciously forgive you
your sins. Verily He is forgiving and compassionate toward
the concourse of the faithful. We, of a truth, choose the
Messengers through the potency of Our Word, and We
exalt Their offspring, some over others, through the Great
Remembrance of God as decreed in the Book and concealed
therein...
Some of the people of the city have declared: `We are
the helpers of God', but when this Remembrance came
suddenly upon them, they turned aside from helping Us.
Verily God is My Lord and your true Lord, therefore
worship Him, while this Path from &Ali [the &Bab] is none
but the straight Path+F1 in the estimation of your Lord.
Chapter III.
UNTO every people We have sent down the Book in
their own language.+F2 This Book We have, verily, revealed
in the language of Our Remembrance and it is in truth a
wondrous language. He is, verily, the eternal Truth come
from God, and according to the divine judgement given in
the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished among the
writers of Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He
is in truth the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with
supernatural powers, as set forth in the Mother Book...
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 3:50
+F2 cf. ibid. 14:4
+P46
O people of the city! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If
ye are truly faithful to &Muhammad, the Apostle of God
and the Seal of the Prophets, and if ye follow His Book,
the &Qur'an, which is free from error, then here is the like
of it--this Book, which We have, in truth and by the leave
of God, sent down unto Our Servant. If ye fail to believe
in Him, then your faith in &Muhammad and His Book which
was revealed in the past will indeed be treated as false in the
estimation of God. If ye deny Him, the fact of your having
denied &Muhammad and His Book will, in very truth and
with absolute certainty, become evident unto yourselves.
Chapter IV.
FEAR ye God and breathe not a word concerning His
Most Great Remembrance other than what hath been
ordained by God, inasmuch as We have established a
separate covenant regarding Him with every Prophet and
His followers. Indeed, We have not sent any Messenger
without this binding covenant and We do not, of a truth,
pass judgement upon anything except after the covenant
of Him Who is the Supreme Gate hath been established.
Ere long the veil shall be lifted from your eyes at the
appointed time. Ye shall then behold the sublime Remembrance
of God, unclouded and vivid. Chapter V.
DO men imagine that We are far distant from the people
of the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be assailed
+P47
by the pangs of death+F1 they shall, upon the plain of Resurrection,
behold how the Lord of Mercy and His Remembrance
were near. Thereupon they shall exclaim: `Would
that we had followed the path of the &Bab! Would that we
had sought refuge only with Him, and not with men of
perversity and error! For verily the Remembrance of God
appeared before us,+F2 behind us, and on all sides, yet we
were, in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.'
Chapter VII.
DO not say, `How can He speak of God while in truth
His age is no more than twenty-five?' Give ye ear unto
Me. I swear by the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: I
am verily a servant of God. I have been made the Bearer of
irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the
long-expected Remnant of God. Here is My Book before
your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the presence of God in the
Mother Book. God hath indeed made Me blessed, wheresoever
I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe
prayer and fortitude so long as I shall live on earth amongst
you. Chapter IX.
GLORIFIED is He besides Whom there is none other God.
In His grasp He holdeth the source of authority, and
verily God is powerful over all things. We have decreed
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 68:42
+F2 cf. ibid. 7:63, 69
+P48
that every long life shall in truth suffer decline+F1 and
that every hardship shall be followed by ease,+F2 that perchance
men may recognise the Gate of God as He Who is
the eternal Truth, and verily God shall stand as witness unto
those that have believed. Chapter XIII.
O YE servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye
asked of Him remaineth unanswered, inasmuch as He hath
been commanded by God to observe silence, a silence
which is in truth praiseworthy. We have indeed enabled
Thee to truly see in Thy dream a measure of Our Cause,
but wert Thou to acquaint them with the hidden Mystery,
they would dispute its truth among themselves. Verily Thy
Lord, the God of truth, knoweth the very secrets of
hearts+F3...
O peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered
up in the way of the One True God, ye shall indeed find
preserved by God, the Preserver, intact at God's Holy
Gate. O peoples of the earth! Bear ye allegiance unto this
resplendent light wherewith God hath graciously invested
Me through the power of infallible Truth, and walk not in
the footsteps of the Evil One,+F4 inasmuch as he prompteth
you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and verily God will
not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will forgive
other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth.+F5 Indeed His knowledge
embraceth all things... Chapter XVII.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 36:68
+F2 cf. ibid. 65:7; 94:5
+F3 cf. ibid. 8:45
+F4 cf. ibid. 2:204
+F5 cf. ibid. 4:51
+P49
O PEOPLES of the East and the West! Be ye fearful of God
concerning the Cause of the true Joseph and barter Him
not for a paltry price+F1 established by yourselves, or for a
trifle of your earthly possessions, that ye may, in very truth,
be praised by Him as those who are reckoned among the
pious who stand nigh unto this Gate. Verily God hath
deprived of His grace him who martyred &Husayn, Our
forefather, lonely and forsaken as He was upon the land of
&Taff [&Karbila]. &Yazid, the son of &Mu'aviyih, out of corrupt
desire, bartered away the head of the true Joseph to the
fiendish people for a trifling price and a petty sum from his
property. Verily they repudiated God by committing a
grievous error. Erelong will God wreak His vengeance
upon them, at the time of Our Return, and He hath, in very
truth, prepared for them, in the world to come, a severe
torment. Chapter XXI.
O &QURRATU'L-'AYN!+F2 We have, verily, dilated Thine
heart in this Revelation, which stands truly unique from all
created things, and have exalted Thy name through the
manifestation of the &Bab, so that men may become aware
of Our transcendent power, and recognize that God is immeasurably
sanctified above the praise of all men. He is
verily independent of the whole of creation. Chapter XXIII.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 12:20
+F2 In these passages of the &Qayyumu'l-Asma' the name &Qurratu'l-'Ayn
+F2 (Solace of the Eyes) refers to the &Bab Himself.
+P50
THE angels and the spirits, arrayed rank upon rank,
descend, by the leave of God, upon this Gate+F1 and circle
round this Focal Point in a far-stretching line. Greet them
with salutations, O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn, for the dawn hath indeed
broken; then proclaim unto the concourse of the
faithful: `Is not the rising of the Morn, foreshadowed in the
Mother Book, to be near at hand?+F2...'
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Turn Thou eagerly unto God in
Thy Cause, for the peoples of the world have risen in
iniquity, and but for the outpouring of the grace of God
and Thy mercy unto them, no one could purge even a
single soul for evermore.+F3 O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! The life to
come is indeed far more advantageous unto Thee and unto
such as follow Thy Cause than this earthly life and its
pleasures. This is what hath been foreordained according to
the dispensations of Providence...
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Say: Verily I am the `Gate of God'
and I give you to drink, by the leave of God, the sovereign
Truth, of the crystal-pure waters of His Revelation which
are gushing out from the incorruptible Fountain situate
upon the Holy Mount. And those who earnestly strive
after the One True God, let them then strive to attain this
Gate.+F4 Verily God is potent over all things...
O peoples of the earth! Give ear unto God's holy Voice
proclaimed by this Arabian Youth Whom the Almighty
hath graciously chosen for His Own Self. He is indeed none
other than the True One, Whom God hath entrusted with
this Mission from the midst of the Burning Bush. O
&Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Unravel what Thou pleasest from the
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 78:38
+F2 cf. ibid. 11:83
+F3 cf. ibid. 24:21
+F4 cf. ibid. 83:25-26
+P51
secrets of the All-Glorious, for the ocean is surging high+F1
at the behest of the incomparable Lord. Chapter XXIV.
Are ye wickedly scheming, according to your selfish
fancies, an evil plot against Him Who is the Most Great
Remembrance of God? By the righteousness of God, all
who are in the heaven and on earth and whatsoever lieth
between them are regarded in My sight even as a spider's
web,+F2 and verily God beareth witness unto all things. Indeed
they will not lay plots but against themselves. God
hath caused this Remembrance to be, in very truth, independent
of all the dwellers of earth and heaven. Chapter
XXV.
O YE peoples of the earth! During the time of My
absence I sent down the Gates unto you. However the
believers, except for a handful, obeyed them not. Formerly
I sent forth unto you &Ahmad and more recently &Kazim,
but apart from the pure in heart amongst you no one followed
them. What hath befallen you, O people of the
Book? Will ye not fear the One true God, He Who is your
Lord, the Ancient of Days?... O ye who profess belief in
God! I adjure you by Him Who is the Eternal Truth, have
ye discerned among the precepts of these Gates anything
inconsistent with the commandments of God as set forth
+F1 &Qur'an 52:6
+F2 cf. ibid. 29:40
+P52
in this Book? Hath your learning deluded you by reason of
your impiety? Take ye heed then, for verily your God, the
Lord of Eternal Truth, is with you and in very truth is
watchful over you... Chapter XXVII.
O YE kinsmen of the Most Great Remembrance! This
Tree of Holiness, dyed crimson with the oil of servitude,
hath verily sprung forth out of your own soil in the midst
of the Burning Bush, yet ye comprehend nothing whatever
thereof, neither of His true, heavenly attributes, nor of the
actual circumstances of His earthly life, nor of the evidences
of His powerful and unblemished behaviour.
Actuated by your own fancies, you consider Him to be
alien to the sovereign Truth, while in the estimation of God
He is none other than the Promised One Himself, invested
with the power of the sovereign Truth, and verily He is, as
decreed in the Mother Book, held answerable in the midst
of the Burning Bush...
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Deliver the summons of the most
exalted Word unto the handmaids among Thy kindred,
caution them against the Most Great Fire and announce
unto them the joyful tidings that following this mighty
Covenant there shall be everlasting reunion with God in
the Paradise of His good-pleasure, nigh unto the Seat of
Holiness. Verily God, the Lord of creation, is potent over
all things.
O Thou Mother of the Remembrance! May the peace
and salutation of God rest upon thee. Indeed thou hast
endured patiently in Him Who is the sublime Self of God.
Recognize then the station of thy Son Who is none other
+P53
than the mighty Word of God. He hath verily pledged
Himself to be answerable for thee both in thy grave and
on the Judgement Day, while thou hast, in the Preserved
Tablet of God, been immortalized as the `Mother of the
Faithful' by the Pen of His Remembrance. Chapter XXVIII.
O &QURRATU'L-'AYN! Stretch not Thy hands wide open
in the Cause, inasmuch as the people would find themselves
in a state of stupor by reason of the Mystery, and I
swear by the true, Almighty God that there is yet for Thee
another turn after this Dispensation.
And when the appointed hour hath struck, do Thou, by
the leave of God, the All-Wise, reveal from the heights of
the Most Lofty and Mystic Mount a faint, an infinitesimal
glimmer of Thy impenetrable Mystery, that they who have
recognized the radiance of the Sinaic Splendour may faint
away and die as they catch a lightning glimpse of the fierce
and crimson Light that envelops Thy Revelation. And God
is, in very truth, Thine unfailing Protector. Chapter XXVIII.
O PEOPLE of Persia! Are ye not satisfied with this glorious
honour which the supreme Remembrance of God hath
conferred upon you? Verily ye have been especially
favoured by God through this mighty Word. Then do not
withdraw from the sanctuary of His presence, for, by the
righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than
the sovereign Truth from God; He is the most exalted One
+P54
and the Source of all wisdom, as decreed in the Mother
Book...
O peoples of the earth! Cleave ye tenaciously to the
Cord of the All-Highest God, which is but this Arabian
Youth, Our Remembrance--He Who standeth concealed
at the point of ice amidst the ocean of fire. Chapter XXIX.
O PEOPLE of the earth! By the righteousness of the One
true God, I am the Maid of Heaven begotten by the Spirit
of &Baha, abiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of
ruby, tender and vibrant; and in this mighty Paradise
naught have I ever witnessed save that which proclaimeth
the Remembrance of God by extolling the virtues of this
Arabian Youth. Verily there is none other God but your
Lord, the All-Merciful. Magnify ye, then, His station, for
behold, He is poised in the midmost heart of the All-Highest
Paradise as the embodiment of the praise of God
in the Tabernacle wherein His glorification is intoned.
At one time I hear His Voice as He acclaimeth Him Who
is the Ever-Living, the Ancient of Days, and at another
time as He speaketh of the mystery of His most august
Name. And when He intoneth the anthems of the greatness
of God all Paradise waileth in its longing to gaze on
His Beauty, and when He chanteth words of praise and
glorification of God all Paradise becomes motionless like
unto ice locked in the heart of a frost-bound mountain.
Methinks I visioned Him moving along a straight middle
path wherein every paradise was His Own paradise, every
heaven His Own heaven, while the whole earth and all that
is therein appeared but as a ring upon the finger of His
+P55
servants. Glorified be God, His Creator, the Lord of everlasting
sovereignty. Verily He is none other but the servant
of God, the Gate of the Remnant of God your Lord, the
Sovereign Truth. Chapter XXIX.
O THOU the Supreme Word of God! Fear not, nor be
Thou grieved, for indeed unto such as have responded to
Thy Call, whether men or women, We have assured forgiveness
of sins, as known in the presence of the Best
Beloved and in conformity with what Thou desirest. Verily
His knowledge embraceth all things. I adjure Thee by My
life, set Thy face towards Me and be not apprehensive.
Verily Thou art the Exalted One among the Celestial Concourse,
and Thy hidden Mystery hath, of a truth, been
recorded upon the Tablet of creation in the midst of the
Burning Bush. Ere long God will bestow upon Thee rulership
over all men, inasmuch as His rule transcendeth the
whole of creation. Chapter XXXI.
O CONCOURSE of &Shi'ihs! Fear ye God and Our Cause
which concerneth Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance
of God. For great is its fire, as decreed in the Mother
Book. Chapter XL.
RECITE ye as much as convenient from this &Qur'an both
+P56
at morn and at eventide, and chant the verses of this Book,
by the leave of the eternal God, in the sweet accents of this
Bird which warbleth its melody in the vault of heaven.
Chapter XLI.
ISSUE forth from your cities, O peoples of the West and
aid God ere the Day when the Lord of mercy shall come
down unto you in the shadow of the clouds with the angels
circling around Him,+F1 exalting His praise and seeking forgiveness
for such as have truly believed in Our signs.
Verily His decree hath been issued, and the command of
God, as given in the Mother Book, hath indeed been revealed...
Become as true brethren in the one and indivisible religion
of God, free from distinction, for verily God
desireth that your hearts should become mirrors unto your
brethren in the Faith, so that ye find yourselves reflected in
them, and they in you. This is the true Path of God, the
Almighty, and He is indeed watchful over your actions.
Chapter XLVI.
O YE peoples of the earth! Hearken unto My call, ringing
forth from the precincts of this sacred Tree--a Tree set
ablaze by the pre-existent Fire: There is no God but Him;
He is the Exalted, the All-Wise. O ye the servants of the
Merciful One! Enter ye, one and all, through this Gate and
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 2:206
+P57
follow not the steps of the Evil One, for he prompteth you
to walk in the ways of impiety and wickedness; he is, in
truth, your declared enemy.+F1 Chapter LI.
BE Thou patient, O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn, for God hath indeed
pledged to establish Thy sovereignty throughout all
countries and over the people that dwell therein. He is God
and verily He is powerful over all things. Chapter LIII.
BY My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the
hands of My power, retributions unknown of any one
except Me, and will waft over the faithful those musk-scented
breaths which I have nursed in the midmost heart
of My throne; and verily the knowledge of God embraceth
all things.
O concourse of light! By the righteousness of God, We
speak not according to selfish desire, nor hath a single letter
of this Book been revealed save by the leave of God, the
Sovereign Truth. Fear ye God and entertain no doubts
regarding His Cause, for verily, the Mystery of this Gate
is shrouded in the mystic utterances of His Writ and hath
been written beyond the impenetrable veil of concealment by
the hand of God, the Lord of the visible and the invisible.
Indeed God hath created everywhere around this Gate
oceans of divine elixir, tinged crimson with the essence of
existence and vitalized through the animating power of the
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 2:163-164
+P58
desired fruit; and for them God hath provided Arks of
ruby, tender, crimson-coloured, wherein none shall sail
but the people of &Baha, by the leave of God, the Most
Exalted; and verily He is the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
Chapter LVII.
THE Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me: Verily, verily, I am
God, He besides Whom there is none other God, and I am
indeed the Ancient of Days...
O people of the Kingdom! By the righteousness of the
true God, if ye remain steadfast upon this line which
standeth upright between the two lines, ye shall, in very
truth, quaff the living waters from the Fountain of this
wondrous Revelation as proffered by the hand of His
Remembrance...
I swear by your true Lord, by Him Who is the Lord of
the heavens and of the earth, that the divine Promise concerning
His Remembrance is naught but the sovereign
truth and, as decreed in the Mother Book, it shall come to
pass...
Say, O peoples of the earth! Were ye to assemble together
in order to produce the like of a single letter of My
Works, ye would never be able to do so,+F1 and verily God
is cognizant of all things...
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Say: Behold! Verily the Moon hath
faded; verily the night hath retreated; verily the dawn
hath brightened;+F2 verily the command of God, your true
Lord, hath been accomplished...
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 17:88
+F2 cf. ibid. 74:35-37
+P59
Out of utter nothingness, O great and omnipotent
Master, Thou hast, through the celestial potency of Thy
might, brought me forth and raised me up to proclaim this
Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my trust; I
have clung to no will but Thy Will. Thou art, in truth, the
All-Sufficing and behind Thee standeth the true God, He
Who overshadoweth all things. Indeed sufficient unto Me
is God, the Exalted, the Powerful, the Sustainer. Chapter
LVIII.
O THOU Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly
for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have
yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy
love. Sufficient witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the
Protector, the Ancient of Days.
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! The words Thou hast uttered in this
momentous Call have grieved Me bitterly. However, the
irrevocable decision resteth with none but God and the
decree proceedeth from none save Him alone. By My life,
Thou art the Well-Beloved in the sight of God and His
creation. Verily, there is no power except in God, and
sufficient witness unto Me is your Lord, Who is, in very
truth, the Omnipotent Avenger. Chapter LVIII.
O PEOPLES of the earth! By the righteousness of God, this
Book hath, through the potency of the sovereign Truth,
pervaded the earth and the heaven with the mighty Word
+P60
of God concerning Him Who is the supreme Testimony,
the Expected &Qa'im, and verily God hath knowledge of all
things. This divinely-inspired Book hath firmly established
His Proof for all those who are in the East and in the West,
hence beware lest ye utter aught but the truth regarding
God, for I swear by your Lord that this supreme Proof of
Mine beareth witness unto all things...
O servants of God! Be ye patient, for, God grant, He
Who is the sovereign Truth will suddenly appear amongst
you, invested with the power of the mighty Word, and ye
shall then be confounded by the Truth itself, and ye shall
have no power to ward it off;+F1 and verily I am a witness
over all mankind. Chapter LIX.
VERILY such as ridicule the wondrous, divine Verses
revealed through His Remembrance, are but making themselves
the objects of ridicule, and We, in truth, aid them to
wax in their iniquity.+F2 Indeed God's knowledge transcendeth
all created things...
The infidels, of a truth, seek to separate God from His
Remembrance,+F3 but God hath determined to perfect His
Light+F4 through His Remembrance, and indeed He is
potent over all things...
Verily, Christ is Our Word which We communicated
unto Mary;+F5 and let no one say what the Christians term
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 21:40
+F2 cf. ibid. 2:14
+F3 cf. ibid. 4:149
+F4 cf. ibid. 9:32
+F5 cf. ibid. 4:169
+P61
as `the third of three',+F1 inasmuch as it would amount to
slandering the Remembrance Who, as decreed in the
Mother Book, is invested with supreme authority. Indeed
God is but one God, and far be it from His glory that there
should be aught else besides Him. All those who shall
attain unto Him on the Day of Resurrection are but His
servants, and God is, of a truth, a sufficient Protector.
Verily I am none other but the servant of God and His
Word, and none but the first one to bow down in supplication
before God, the Most Exalted; and indeed God witnesseth
all things. Chapter LXI.
O PEOPLE of the &Qur'an! Ye are as nothing unless ye
submit unto the Remembrance of God and unto this Book.
If ye follow the Cause of God, We will forgive you your
sins, and if ye turn aside from Our command, We will, in
truth, condemn your souls in Our Book, unto the Most
Great Fire. We, verily, do not deal unjustly with men, even
to the extent of a speck on a date-stone. Chapter LXII.
O PEOPLES of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of
God hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring
Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of
peace and, by the leave of God, step out of the darkness into
the light and onto this far-extended Path of Truth+F2...
+F1 &Qur'an 5:77
+F2 cf. ibid. 5:15-18
+P62
God hath, out of sheer nothingness and through the
potency of His command, created the heavens and the
earth and whatever lieth between them. He is single and
peerless in His eternal unity with none to join partner with
His holy Essence, nor is there any soul, except His Own
Self, who can befittingly comprehend Him...
O peoples of the earth! Verily His Remembrance is
come to you from God after an interval during which
there were no Messengers,+F1 that He may purge and purify
you from uncleanliness in anticipation of the Day of the
One true God; therefore seek ye whole-heartedly divine
blessings from Him, inasmuch as We have, in truth,
chosen Him to be the Witness and the Source of wisdom
unto all that dwell on earth...
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Proclaim that which hath been sent
down unto Thee as a token of the grace of the merciful
Lord, for if Thou do it not, Our secret will never be made
known to the people,+F2 while the purpose of God in creating
man is but for him to know Him. Indeed God hath
knowledge of all things and is self-sufficient above the need
of all mankind. Chapter LXII.
WHENEVER the faithful hear the verses of this Book
being recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their
hearts will be deeply touched by Him Who is the Most
Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for God, the
All-Praised. He is God, the All-Knowing, the Eternal. They
are indeed the inmates of the all-highest Paradise wherein
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 5:22
+F2 cf. ibid. 5:71
+P63
they will abide for ever. Verily they will see naught therein
save that which hath proceeded from God, nothing that
will lie beyond the compass of their understanding. There
they will meet the believers in Paradise, who will address
them with the words `Peace, Peace' lingering on their
lips...
O concourse of the faithful! Incline your ears to My
Voice, proclaimed by this Remembrance of God. Verily
God hath revealed unto Me that the Path of the Remembrance
which is set forth by Me is, in very truth, the straight
Path of God, and that whoever professeth any religion
other than this upright Faith, will, when called to account
on the Day of Judgement, discover that as recorded in the
Book no benefit hath he reaped out of God's Religion...
Fear ye God, O concourse of kings, lest ye remain afar
from Him Who is His Remembrance [the &Bab], after the
Truth hath come unto you with a Book and signs from
God, as spoken through the wondrous tongue of Him
Who is His Remembrance. Seek ye grace from God, for
God hath ordained for you, after ye have believed in Him,
a Garden the vastness of which is as the vastness of the
whole of Paradise. Therein ye shall find naught save the
gifts and favours which the Almighty hath graciously
bestowed by virtue of this momentous Cause, as decreed
in the Mother Book. Chapter LXIII.
O SPIRIT of God! Call Thou to mind the bounty which
I bestowed upon Thee when I conversed with Thee in the
midmost heart of My Sanctuary and aided Thee through
the potency of the Holy Spirit that Thou mightest, as the
+P64
peerless Mouthpiece of God, proclaim unto men the commandments
of God which lie enshrined within the divine
Spirit.
Verily God hath inspired Thee with divine verses and
wisdom while still a child and hath graciously deigned to
bestow His favour upon the peoples of the world through
the influence of Thy Most Great Name, for indeed men
have not the least knowledge of the Book. Chapter LXIII.
O PEOPLE of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in
God, the True One, are we to seek a Gate other than this
exalted Being?...
When God created the Remembrance He presented
Him to the assemblage of all created beings upon the altar
of His Will. Thereupon the concourse of the angels bowed
low in adoration to God, the Peerless, the Incomparable;
while Satan waxed proud, refusing to submit to His
Remembrance; hence he is identified in the Book of God
as the arrogant one and the accursed.+F1 Chapter LXVII.
GOD, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith:
Indeed, whoso visiteth the Remembrance of God after
His passing, it is as though he hath attained the presence of
the Lord, seated upon His mighty Throne. Verily this is
the Way of God, the Most Exalted, which hath been irrevocably
decreed in the Mother Book...
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 2:32; 38:74-78
+P65
Say, O peoples of the world! Do ye dispute with Me
about God by virtue of the names which ye and your
fathers have adopted for Him at the promptings of the
Evil One?+F1 God hath indeed sent down this Book unto Me
with truth that ye may be enabled to recognize the true
names of God, inasmuch as ye have strayed in error far
from the Truth. Verily We have taken a covenant from
every created thing upon its coming into being concerning
the Remembrance of God, and there shall be none to avert
the binding command of God for the purification of mankind,
as ordained in the Book which is written by the hand
of the &Bab. Chapter LXVIII.
THE people, during the absence of the &Bab, re-enacted
the episode of the Calf by setting up a blaring figure which
embodied animal features in human form+F2...
Whenever the people ask Thee of the appointed Hour
say: Verily the knowledge of it is only with My Lord,+F3
Who is the Knower of the unseen. There is none other
God but Him--He Who hath created you from a single
soul,+F4 and I have no control over what profiteth Me or
harmeth Me, but as My Lord pleaseth.+F5 Indeed God is
Self-Sufficient and He, My Lord, standeth supreme over all
things. Chapter LXIX.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 7:69; 12:40
+F2 cf. ibid. 7:146; 20:90
+F3 cf. ibid. 7:186
+F4 cf. ibid. 4:1
+F5 cf. ibid. 10:50
+P66
DOTH it seem strange to the people that We should have
revealed the Book to a man from among themselves in
order to purge them and give them the good tidings that
they shall be rewarded with a sure stance in the presence of
their Lord? He indeed beareth witness unto all things...
When the verses of this Book are recited to the infidels
they say: `Give us a book like the &Qur'an and make changes
in the verses.' Say: `God hath not given Me that I should
change them at My pleasure.' I follow only what is revealed
unto Me. Verily, I shall fear My Lord on the Day of
Separation, whose advent He hath, in very truth, irrevocably
ordained.+F1 Chapter LXXI.
O PEOPLES of the earth! Verily the true God calleth
saying: He Who is the Remembrance is indeed the
sovereign Truth from God, and naught remaineth beyond
truth but error,+F2 and naught is there beyond error save fire,
irrevocably ordained...
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Point to Thy truthful breast through
the power of truth and exclaim: I swear by the One true
God, herein lieth the vicegerency of God; I am indeed the
One Who is regarded as the Best Reward+F3 and I am indeed
He Who is the Most Excellent Abode. Chapter LXXII.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 10:16
+F2 cf. ibid. 10:33
+F3 cf. ibid. 18:42
+P67
O YE concourse of the believers! Utter not words of
denial against Me once the Truth is made manifest, for
indeed the mandate of the &Bab hath befittingly been proclaimed
unto you in the &Qur'an aforetime. I swear by your
Lord, this Book is verily the same &Qur'an which was sent
down in the past. Chapter LXXXI.
O THOU cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the
melodies of this mystic Bird warbling in the loftiest heights
of heaven. The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me to proclaim:
Verily, verily, I am God, He besides Whom there is
none other God. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
O My servants! Seek ye earnestly this highest reward,
as I have indeed created for the Remembrance of God
gardens which remain inscrutable to anyone save Myself,
and naught therein hath been made lawful unto anyone
except those whose lives have been sacrificed in His Path.
Hence beseech ye God, the Most Exalted, that He may
grant you this meritorious reward, and He is in truth the
Most High, the Most Great. Had it been Our wish, We
would have brought all men into one fold round Our
Remembrance, yet they will not cease to differ,+F1 unless
God accomplish what He willeth through the power of
truth. In the estimation of the Remembrance this commandment
hath, in very truth, been irrevocably ordained...
God hath indeed chosen Thee to warn the people, to
guide the believers aright and to elucidate the secrets of the
Book. Chapter LXXXV.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 11:120
+P68
SHOULD it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel,
through the agency of but one letter of Our Revelation,
the world and all that is therein to recognize, in less than
the twinkling of an eye, the truth of Our Cause....
Truly other apostles have been laughed to scorn before
Thee,+F1 and Thou art none other but the Servant of God,
sustained by the power of Truth. Ere long We shall prolong
the days of such as have rejected the Truth by reason
of that which their hands have wrought,+F2 and verily God
will not deal unjustly with anyone, even to the extent of a
speck on a date-stone. Chapter LXXXVII.
O YE peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God,
the True One, the testimony shown forth by His Remembrance
is like unto a sun which the hand of the merciful
Lord hath raised high in the midmost heart of the heaven,
wherefrom it shineth in the plenitude of its meridian
splendour...
With each and every Prophet Whom We have sent
down in the past, We have established a separate Covenant
concerning the Remembrance of God and His Day.
Manifest, in the realm of glory and through the power of
truth, are the Remembrance of God and His Day before
the eyes of the angels that circle His mercy-seat. Chapter
XCI.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 6:10
+F2 cf. ibid. 3:172
+P69
O HOUR of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the
divine Luminary sheddeth its radiance from the Dayspring
of this Gate, call thou to mind that the appointed
Day of God will indeed be at hand in less than the twinkling
of an eye. Thus hath the decree of God been issued in the
Mother Book. Chapter XCIV.
O CONCOURSE of the faithful! Verily the object of each
and every sign revealed by God in the Scriptures or in the
world at large or in the hearts of men is but to make them
fully realize that this Remembrance is indeed the True One
from God. Verily God is cognizant of all things through the
power of eternal Truth...
O ye that circle the throne of glory! Hearken unto My
Call which is raised from the midst of the Burning Bush,
`Verily I am God and there is none other God but Me.
Hence worship Me, and for the sake of Him Who is the
Most Great Remembrance, offer ye prayers, purged from
the insinuations of the people, for verily your Lord, the
One true God, is none other than the Sovereign Truth.
Indeed such as invoke others besides Him are deservedly
numbered among the inmates of the fire, while He Who is
the Remembrance of God verily abideth, firm and undeviating,
on the Path of Truth amidst the Burning Bush.'...
O peoples of the earth! Inflict not upon the Most Great
Remembrance what the Umayyads cruelly inflicted upon
&Husayn in the Holy Land. By the righteousness of God, the
True One, He is indeed the Eternal Truth, and unto Him
God, verily, is a witness. Chapter XVII.
+P70
GOD had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the
heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused
to bear it and were afraid thereof. However, Man, this
&Ali, Who is none other but the Great Remembrance of
God, undertook to bear it. Hence God, the All-Encompassing,
hath referred to Him in His Preserved Book as the
`Wronged One', and by reason of His being undistinguished
before the eyes of men, He hath, according to the
judgement of the Book, been entitled `the Unknown'...+F1
Erelong We will, in very truth, torment such as waged
war against &Husayn [&Imam &Husayn], in the Land of the
Euphrates, with the most afflictive torment, and the most
dire and exemplary punishment....
God knoweth well the heart of &Husayn, the heat of His
burning thirst and His long-suffering for the sake of God,
the Incomparable, the Ancient of Days; and unto Him
God is verily a witness. Chapter XII.
HEARKEN unto the Voice of Thy Lord calling from
Mount Sinai, `Verily there is no God but Him, and I am
the Most Exalted One Who hath been veiled in the Mother
Book according to the dispensations of Providence.'
Chapter XIX.
THIS Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding
in blessings+F2 and beareth witness to the Truth, so that
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 33:72
+F2 cf. ibid. 6:93
+P71
the people may realize that the conclusive Proof of God in
favour of His Remembrance is similar to the one wherewith
&Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, was invested,
and verily great is the Cause as ordained in the Mother
Book. Chapter LXVI.
THIS Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of
the Light of God, and He will be best for you,+F1 if ye in very
truth remain faithful to God, the Most Exalted...
We have in truth sent Thee forth unto all men, by the
leave of God, invested with Our signs and reinforced by
Our unsurpassed sovereignty. He is indeed the appointed
Bearer of the Trust of God...
O &Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Persevere steadfastly as Thou art
bidden and let not the faithless amongst men nor their
utterances grieve Thee, since Thy Lord shall, by the
righteousness of God, the Most Great, pass judgement upon
them on the Day of Resurrection, and surely God witnesseth
all things. Chapter LXXXIV.
THIS Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the essence
of the Faith of &Muhammad; haste ye then to attain the
celestial Paradise and the all-highest Garden of His good-pleasure
in the presence of the One True God, could ye
but be patient and thankful before the evidences of the
signs of God. Chapter XLVIII.
+F1 cf. &Qur'an 11:87
+P72
O MY servants! This is God's appointed Day which the
merciful Lord hath promised you in His Book; wherefore,
in very truth, glorify ye abundantly the name of God
while treading the Path of the Most Great Remembrance...
Verily God hath granted leave to His Remembrance to
say whatsoever He willeth in whatever manner He pleaseth.
Indeed whatsoever He chooseth is none other than what is
chosen by Us. The Lord, in truth, witnesseth all things.
Chapter LXXXVII.
INDEED We conversed with Moses by the leave of God
from the midst of the Burning Bush in the Sinai and revealed
an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy Light upon the
Mystic Mount and its dwellers, whereupon the Mount
shook to its foundations and was crushed into dust...
O peoples of the earth! I swear by your Lord! Ye shall
act as former generations have acted. Warn ye, then,
yourselves of the terrible, the most grievous vengeance of
God. For God is, verily, potent over all things. Chapter LIII.
O &QURRATU'L-'AYN! I recognize in Thee none other
except the `Great Announcement'--the Announcement
voiced by the Concourse on high. By this name, I bear
witness, they that circle the Throne of Glory have ever
known Thee.
O concourse of the believers! Do ye harbour any doubt
+P73
as to that whereunto the Remembrance of God doth
summon you? By the righteousness of the One true God,
He is none other than the sovereign Truth Who hath been
made manifest through the power of Truth. Are ye in
doubt concerning the &Bab? Verily He is the One Who
holdeth, by Our leave, the kingdoms of earth and heaven
in His grasp, and the Lord is in truth fully aware of what
ye are doing...
Indeed I am but a man like unto you. However, God
bestoweth upon Me whatever favours He willeth as He
pleaseth, and that which your Lord hath decreed in the
Mother Book is unbounded. Chapter LXXXVIII.
GOD, of a truth, revealed unto Me in the sacred house of
the &Ka'bah, `Verily, I am God, no God is there but Me. I
have singled Thee out for Myself and have chosen Thee as
the Remembrance. Indeed, whosoever beareth allegiance
unto Thee by walking in the way of the &Bab, for him the
recompense of the next world hath surely been prescribed...'
It is ordained in the Book that upon the realization of
the Cause of the Remembrance, the Most Great Event will
have come to pass according to the dispensation of Providence,
and God, truly, is potent over all things. Chapter
LXXIX.
+P74
O &QURRATU'L-'AYN! Say: Verily I am the One Who is
hailed in the Mother Book as the `Great Announcement'.
Say: The people have grievously differed over Me, whereas
in truth there is no difference between Me and the &Bab; and
God, the Eternal Truth, is sufficient witness. Chapter
LXXVII.
I AM the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence
hath reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath
lit within its niche and caused to shine with deathless
splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light that
glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and lay concealed
in the midst of the Burning Bush. Chapter XCIV.
AS a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings
unto every Prophet concerning the Cause of Our Remembrance,
and verily God is supreme over all the peoples of the
world. Chapter LXXXIII.
+P75
3
EXCERPTS FROM
THE PERSIAN &BAYAN
+P76
+P77
IT is better to guide one soul than to possess all
that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is
under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity,
he and the one who hath guided him will both
be recipients of God's tender mercy, whereas possession of
earthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to
guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and
coercion. This hath been God's method in the past, and
shall continue to be in the future! He causeth him whom He
pleaseth to enter the shadow of His Mercy. Verily, He is
the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous.
There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than
to be exposed to God's Manifestation in His Day, to hear
His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence,
which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the
sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to
partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine
Oneness. II, 16.+F1
WORSHIP thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead
thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be
produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be
paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which
befitteth the one True God. Shouldst thou worship Him
because of fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified
Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act
by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy
+F1 The &Bayan is divided into &vahids and chapters, to which these
+F1 numbers refer.
+P78
gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship
Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make
God's creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the
fact that paradise is desired by men.
Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves
before God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to
worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of
paradise.
Although when true worship is offered, the worshipper is
delivered from the fire, and entereth the paradise of God's
good-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive of his
act. However, God's favour and grace ever flow in accordance
with the exigencies of His inscrutable wisdom.
The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the
utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not
been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and
the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence
of God. VII, 19.
THE Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth
and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day
of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where
it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they
would not have believed, and thus they were not told!
When the Apostle of God [&Muhammad] appeared, He
did not announce unto the unbelievers that the Resurrection
had come, for they could not bear the news. That Day is
indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree
proclaimeth from eternity unto eternity, `Verily, I am God.
No God is there but Me'. Yet those who are veiled believe
+P79
that He is one like unto them, and they refuse even to call
Him a believer, although such a title in the realm of His
heavenly Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the
most insignificant follower of His previous Dispensation.
Thus, had the people in the days of the Apostle of God
regarded Him at least as a believer of their time how would
they have debarred Him, for seven years while He was in
the mountain, from access to His Holy House [&Ka'bah]?
Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the &Bayan,
if the people had not refused to concede the name believer
unto Him, how could they have incarcerated Him on this
mountain, without realizing that the quintessence of belief
oweth its existence to a word from Him? Their hearts are
deprived of the power of true insight, and thus they cannot
see, while those endowed with the eyes of the spirit
circle like moths round the Light of Truth until they are
consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of Resurrection
is said to be the greatest of all days, yet it is like unto any
other day. VIII, 9.
THERE is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in
the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God's
commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those
who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress
His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the
extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection God
will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for
His grace. V, 19.
+P80
GOD loveth those who are pure. Naught in the &Bayan and
in the sight of God is more loved than purity and immaculate
cleanliness....
God desireth not to see, in the Dispensation of the
&Bayan, any soul deprived of joy and radiance. He indeed
desireth that under all conditions, all may be adorned with
such purity, both inwardly and outwardly, that no
repugnance may be caused even to themselves, how much
less unto others. V, 14.
LIKEWISE consider the manifestation of the Point of the
&Bayan. There are people who every night until morning
busy themselves with the worship of God, and even at
present when the Day-Star of Truth is nearing its zenith
in the heaven of its Revelation, they have not yet left their
prayer-rugs. If any one of them ever heard the wondrous
verses of God recited unto him, he would exclaim: `Why
dost thou keep me back from offering my prayers?' O thou
who are wrapt in veils! If thou makest mention of God,
wherefore sufferest thou thyself to be shut out from Him
Who hath kindled the light of worship in thy heart? If He
had not previously revealed the injunction: `Verily, make
ye mention of God'+F1, what would have prompted thee to
offer devotion unto God, and whereunto wouldst thou
turn in prayer?
Know thou of a certainty that whenever thou makest
mention of Him Whom God shall make manifest, only
then art thou making mention of God. In like manner
shouldst thou hearken unto the verses of the &Bayan and
+F1 &Qur'an 8:47; 33:41; 62:10
+P81
acknowledge its truth, only then would the revealed
verses of God profit thee. Otherwise what benefit canst
thou derive therefrom? For wert thou to prostrate thyself
in adoration from the beginning of life till the end and to
spend thy days for the sake of God's remembrance, but
disbelieve in the Exponent of His Revelation for the age,
dost thou imagine that thy deeds would confer any benefit
upon thee? On the other hand, if thou believest in Him
and dost recognize Him with true understanding, and He
saith: `I have accepted thine entire life spent in My adoration',
then assuredly hast thou been worshipping Him most
ardently. Thy purpose in performing thy deeds is that God
may graciously accept them; and divine acceptance can in
no wise be achieved except through the acceptance of Him
Who is the Exponent of His Revelation. For instance, if the
Apostle of God--may divine blessings rest upon Him--
accepted a certain deed, in truth God accepted it; otherwise
it hath remained within the selfish desires of the person who
wrought it, and did not reach the presence of God. Likewise,
any act which is accepted by the Point of the &Bayan
is accepted by God, inasmuch as the contingent world hath
no other access unto the presence of the Ancient of Days.
Whatever is sent down cometh through the Exponent of
His Revelation, and whatever ascendeth, ascendeth unto
the Exponent of His Revelation. VIII, 19.
THERE is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down
these verses unto Him [the &Bab], even as He sent down
unto the Apostle of God. Indeed no less than a hundred
thousand verses similar to these have already been disseminated
+P82
among the people, not to mention His Epistles,
His Prayers or His learned and philosophical treatises. He
revealeth no less than a thousand verses within the space of
five hours. He reciteth verses at a speed consonant with the
capacity of His amanuensis to set them down. Thus, it may
well be considered that if from the inception of this
Revelation until now He had been left unhindered, how
vast then would have been the volume of writings disseminated
from His pen.
If ye contend that these verses cannot, of themselves,
be regarded as a proof, scan the pages of the &Qur'an. If
God hath established therein any evidence other than the
revealed verses to demonstrate the validity of the prophethood
of His Apostle--may the blessings of God rest
upon Him--ye may then have your scruples about Him...
Concerning the sufficiency of the Book as a proof, God
hath revealed: `Is it not enough for them that We have sent
down unto Thee the Book to be recited to them? In this
verily is a mercy and a warning to those who believe.'+F1
When God hath testified that the Book is a sufficient
testimony, as is affirmed in the text, how can one dispute
this truth by saying that the Book in itself is not a conclusive
proof?... II, 1.
SINCE that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying
for thee to identify thyself with the believers. For the
believers of that Day are the inmates of Paradise, while the
unbelievers are the inmates of the fire. And know thou of a
certainty that by Paradise is meant recognition of and submission
+F1 &Qur'an 29:50
+P83
unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, and
by the fire the company of such souls as would fail to
submit unto Him or to be resigned to His good-pleasure.
On that Day thou wouldst regard thyself as the inmate of
Paradise and as a true believer in Him, whereas in reality
thou wouldst suffer thyself to be wrapt in veils and thy
habitation would be the nethermost fire, though thou thyself
wouldst not be cognizant thereof.
Compare His manifestation with that of the Point of
the &Qur'an. How vast the number of the Letters of the
Gospel who eagerly expected Him, yet from the time of
His declaration up to five years no one became an inmate of
Paradise, except the Commander of the Faithful [&Imam
&Ali], and those who secretly believed in Him. All the rest
were accounted as inmates of the fire, though they considered
themselves as dwellers in Paradise.
Likewise behold this Revelation. The essences of the
people have, through divinely-conceived designs, been
set in motion and until the present day three hundred and
thirteen disciples have been chosen. In the land of &Sad
[&Isfahan], which to outward seeming is a great city, in
every corner of whose seminaries are vast numbers of
people regarded as divines and doctors, yet when the time
came for inmost essences to be drawn forth, only its sifter
of wheat donned the robe of discipleship. This is the
mystery of what was uttered by the kindred of the Prophet
&Muhammad--upon them be the peace of God--
concerning this Revelation, saying that the abased shall be
exalted and the exalted shall be abased.
Likewise is the Revelation of Him Whom God shall
make manifest. Among those to whom it will never occur
that they might merit the displeasure of God, and whose
pious deeds will be exemplary unto everyone, there will
+P84
be many who will become the personification of the nethermost
fire itself, when they fail to embrace His Cause;
while among the lowly servants whom no one would
imagine to be of any merit, how great the number who
will be honoured with true faith and on whom the
Fountainhead of generosity will bestow the robe of authority.
For whatever is created in the Faith of God is created
through the potency of His Word. VIII, 14.
IN the manifestation of the Apostle of God all were eagerly
awaiting Him, yet thou hast heard how He was treated at
the time of His appearance, in spite of the fact that if ever
they beheld Him in their dreams they would take pride in
them.
Likewise in the manifestation of the Point of the &Bayan,
the people stood up at the mention of His Name and fervently
implored His advent night and day, and if they
dreamt of Him they gloried in their dreams; yet now that
He hath revealed Himself, invested with the mightiest
testimony, whereby their own religion is vindicated, and
despite the incalculable number of people who yearningly
anticipate His coming, they are resting comfortably in
their homes, after having hearkened to His verses; while
He at this moment is confined in the mountain of &Maku,
lonely and forsaken.
Take good heed of yourselves, O people of the &Bayan,
lest ye perform such deeds as to weep sore for His sake
night and day, to stand up at the mention of His Name, yet
on this Day of fruition--a Day whereon ye should not only
arise at His Name, but seek a path unto Him Who personifies
+P85
that Name--ye shut yourselves out from Him as
by as veil. VI, 15.
AT the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God
shall make manifest everyone should be well trained in the
teachings of the &Bayan, so that none of the followers may
outwardly cling to the &Bayan and thus forfeit their allegiance
unto Him. If anyone does so, the verdict of `disbeliever
in God' shall be passed upon him.
I swear by the holy Essence of God, were all in the &Bayan
to unite in helping Him Whom God shall make manifest
in the days of His Revelation, not a single soul, nay, not a
created thing would remain on earth that would not gain
admittance into Paradise. Take good heed of yourselves,
for the sum total of the religion of God is but to help Him,
rather than to observe, in the time of His appearance, such
deeds as are prescribed in the &Bayan. Should anyone,
however, ere He manifesteth Himself, transgress the
ordinances, were it to the extent of a grain of barley, he
would have trangressed His command.
Seek ye refuge in God from whatsoever might lead you
astray from the Source of His Revelation and hold fast
unto His Cord, for whoso holdeth fast unto His allegiance,
he hath attained and will attain salvation in all the worlds.
`Such is the bounty of God; to whom He will, He giveth
it, and God is the Lord of grace abounding.'+F1 V, 5.
+F1 &Qur'an 57:21
+P86
YE perform your works for God from the beginning of
your lives till the end thereof, yet not a single act is for the
sake of Him Who is the Manifestation of God, to Whom
every good deed reverteth. Had ye acted in such manner,
ye would not have suffered so grievously on the Day of
Resurrection.
Behold how great is the Cause, and yet how the people
are wrapt in veils. I swear by the sanctified Essence of God
that every true praise and deed offered unto God is naught
but praise and deed offered unto Him Whom God shall
make manifest.
Deceive not your own selves that you are being virtuous
for the sake of God when you are not. For should ye truly
do your works for God, ye would be performing them for
Him Whom God shall make manifest and would be magnifying
His Name. The dwellers of this mountain who are
bereft of true understanding unceasingly utter the words,
`No God is there but God'; but what benefit doth it yield
them? Ponder awhile that ye may not be shut out as by a veil
from Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation. VIII, 19.
GOD hath, at all times and under all conditions, been
wholly independent of His creatures. He hath cherished
and will ever cherish the desire that all men may attain
His gardens of Paradise with utmost love, that no one
should sadden another, not even for a moment, and that all
should dwell within His cradle of protection and security
until the Day of Resurrection which marketh the dayspring
of the Revelation of Him Whom God will make
manifest.
+P87
The Lord of the universe hath never raised up a prophet
nor hath He sent down a Book unless He hath established
His covenant with all men, calling for their acceptance of
the next Revelation and of the next Book; inasmuch as
the outpourings of His bounty are ceaseless and without
limit. VI, 16.
HOW veiled are ye, O My creatures,+F1 ... who, without
any right, have consigned Him unto a mountain [&Maku],
not one of whose inhabitants is worthy of mention...
With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him
who is one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In
His presence, which is My Presence, there is not at night
even a lighted lamp! And yet, in places [of worship] which
in varying degrees reach out unto Him, unnumbered lamps
are shining! All that is on earth hath been created for Him,
and all partake with delight of His benefits, and yet they
are so veiled from Him as to refuse Him even a lamp!
In this Day therefore I bear witness unto My creatures,
for the witness of no one other than Myself hath been or shall
ever be worthy of mention in My presence. I affirm that no
Paradise is more sublime for My creatures than to stand
before My face and to believe in My holy Words, while
no fire hath been or will be fiercer for them than to be
veiled from the Manifestation of My exalted Self and to disbelieve
in My Words.
Ye may contend: `How doth He speak on our behalf?'
+F1 In The Promised Day is Come on page 7 Shoghi Effendi affirms
+F1 that this passage was revealed by the &Bab speaking with the voice
+F1 of God.
+P88
Have ye not perused the unseemly words ye uttered in the
past, as reflected in the text of My Book, and still ye feel
not ashamed? Ye have now seen the truth of My Book
conclusively established and today every one of you doth
profess belief in Me through that Book. The day is not far
distant when ye shall readily realize that your glory lieth
in your belief in these holy verses. Today, however, when
only belief in this Faith truly profiteth you, ye have debarred
yourselves therefrom by reason of the things which
are disadvantageous unto you and will inflict harm upon
you, whereas He Who is the Manifestation of My Self
hath been and shall ever remain immune from any harm
whatever, and any loss that hath appeared or will appear
shall eventually revert unto yourselves. II, 1.
HOW vast the number of people who are well versed in
every science, yet it is their adherence to the holy Word of
God which will determine their faith, inasmuch as the
fruit of every science is none other than the knowledge of
divine precepts and submission unto His good-pleasure. II, 1.
NO created thing shall ever attain its paradise unless it
appeareth in its highest prescribed degree of perfection.
For instance, this crystal representeth the paradise of the
stone whereof its substance is composed. Likewise there
are various stages in the paradise for the crystal itself...
So long as it was stone it was worthless, but if it attaineth
+P89
the excellence of ruby--a potentiality which is latent in it--
how much a carat will it be worth? Consider likewise every
created thing.
Man's highest station, however, is attained through
faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of
what hath been revealed by Him, and not through learning;
inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who
are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through
wealth; for it is similarly evident that among the various
classes in every nation there are those possessed of riches.
Likewise are other transitory things.
True knowledge, therefore, is the knowledge of God,
and this is none other than the recognition of His Manifestation
in each Dispensation. Nor is there any wealth
save in poverty in all save God and sanctity from aught else
but Him--a state that can be realized only when demonstrated
towards Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation.
This doth not mean, however, that one ought not
to yield praise unto former Revelations. On no account is
this acceptable, inasmuch as it behooveth man, upon
reaching the age of nineteen, to render thanksgiving for the
day of his conception as an embryo. For had the embryo
not existed, how could he have reached his present state?
Likewise had the religion taught by Adam not existed,
this Faith would not have attained its present stage. Thus
consider thou the development of God's Faith until the
end that hath no end. V, 4.
TWELVE hundred and seventy years have elapsed since
the declaration of &Muhammad, and each year unnumbered
+P90
people have circumambulated the House of God [Mecca].
In the concluding year of this period He Who is Himself
the Founder of the House went on pilgrimage. Great God!
There was a vast concourse of pilgrims from every sect.
Yet not one recognized Him, though He recognized every
one of them--souls tightly held in the grasp of His former
commandment. The only person who recognized Him and
performed pilgrimage with Him is the one round whom
revolve eight &Vahids,+F1 in whom God hath gloried before
the Concourse on high by virtue of his absolute detachment
and for his being wholly devoted to the Will of God.
This doth not mean that he was made the object of a special
favour, nay, this is a favour which God hath vouchsafed
unto all men, yet they have suffered themselves to be veiled
from it. The Commentary on the &Surih of Joseph had, in
the first year of this Revelation, been widely distributed.
Nevertheless, when the people realized that fellow supporters
were not forthcoming they hesitated to accept it;
while it never occurred to them that the very &Qur'an
whereunto unnumbered souls bear fealty today, was
revealed in the midmost heart of the Arab world, yet to
outward seeming for no less than seven years no one acknowledged
its truth except the Commander of the Faithful
[&Imam &Ali]--may the peace of God rest upon him--who,
in response to the conclusive proofs advanced by God's
supreme Testimony, recognized the Truth and did not fix
his eyes on others. Thus on the Day of Resurrection God
will ask everyone of his understanding and not of his
following in the footsteps of others. How often a person,
having inclined his ears to the holy verses, would bow
+F1 This is a reference to &Quddus, `whom the Persian &Bayan extolled
+F1 as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to the number of
+F1 eight &Vahids revolve'. (God Passes By, p. 49).
+P91
down in humility and would embrace the Truth, while his
leader would not do so. Thus every individual must bear
his own responsibility, rather than someone else bearing
it for him. At the time of the appearance of Him Whom
God will make manifest the most distinguished among the
learned and the lowliest of men shall both be judged alike.
How often the most insignificant of men have acknowledged
the truth, while the most learned have remained
wrapt in veils. Thus in every Dispensation a number of
souls enter the fire by reason of their following in the footsteps
of others. IV, 18.
BETTER is it for a person to write down but one of His
verses than to transcribe the whole of the &Bayan and all the
books which have been written in the Dispensation of the
&Bayan. For everything shall be set aside except His
Writings, which will endure until the following Revelation.
And should anyone inscribe with true faith but one letter
of that Revelation, his recompense would be greater than
for inscribing all the heavenly Writings of the past and all
that has been written during previous Dispensations. Likewise
continue thou to ascend through one Revelation after
another, knowing that thy progress in the Knowledge of
God shall never come to an end, even as it can have no
beginning. VII, 13.
+P92
O PEOPLE of the &Bayan! Be on your guard; for on the
Day of Resurrection no one shall find a place to flee to.
He will shine forth suddenly, and will pronounce judgement
as He pleaseth. If it be His wish He will cause the
abased to be exalted, and the exalted to be abased, even as
He did in the &Bayan, couldst thou but understand. And no
one but Him is equal unto this. Whatever He ordaineth
will be fulfilled, and nothing will remain unfulfilled. VII, 9.
SINCE all men have issued forth from the shadow of the
signs of His Divinity and Lordship, they always tend to
take a path, lofty and high. And because they are bereft of a
discerning eye to recognize their Beloved, they fall short
of their duty to manifest meekness and humility towards
Him. Nevertheless, from the beginning of their lives till
the end thereof, in conformity with the laws established in
the previous religion, they worship God, piously adore
Him, bow themselves before His divine Reality and show
submissiveness toward His exalted Essence. At the hour of
His manifestation, however, they all turn their gaze toward
their own selves and are thus shut out from Him, inasmuch
as they fancifully regard Him as one like unto themselves.
Far from the glory of God is such a comparison. Indeed
that august Being resembleth the physical sun, His verses
are like its rays, and all believers, should they truly believe
in Him, are as mirrors wherein the sun is reflected. Their
light is thus a mere reflection. VII, 15.
+P93
O PEOPLE of the &Bayan! If ye believe in Him Whom God
shall make manifest, to your own behoof do ye believe. He
hath been and ever will remain independent of all men.
For instance, were ye to place unnumbered mirrors before
the sun, they would all reflect the sun and produce impressions
thereof, whereas the sun is in itself wholly independent
of the existence of the mirrors and of the suns which
they reproduce. Such are the bounds of the contingent
beings in their relation to the manifestation of the Eternal
Being...
In this day no less than seventy thousand people make
pilgrimage every year to the holy House of God in compliance
with the bidding of the Apostle of God; while He
Himself Who ordained this ordinance took refuge for
seven years in the mountains of Mecca. And this notwithstanding
that the One Who enjoined this commandment is
far greater than the commandment itself. Hence all this
people who at this time go on pilgrimage do not do so with
true understanding, otherwise in this Day of His Return
which is mightier than His former Dispensation, they
would have followed His commandment. But now behold
what hath happened. People who profess belief in His
former religion, who in the daytime and in the night
season bow down in worship in His Name, have assigned
Him to a dwelling place in a mountain, while each one of
them would regard attaining recognition of Him as an
honour. VII, 15.
THE reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments
of devotion is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention
+P94
to the remembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times
be animated with His Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil
from thy Best Beloved. Let not thy tongue pay lip service
in praise of God while thy heart be not attuned to the
exalted Summit of Glory, and the Focal Point of communion.
Thus if haply thou dost live in the Day of Resurrection,
the mirror of thy heart will be set towards Him
Who is the Day-Star of Truth; and no sooner will His
light shine forth than the splendour thereof shall forthwith
be reflected in thy heart. For He is the Source of all goodness,
and unto Him revert all things. But if He appeareth
while thou hast turned unto thyself in meditation, this shall
not profit thee, unless thou shalt mention His Name by
words He hath revealed. For in the forthcoming Revelation
it is He Who is the Remembrance of God, whereas the
devotions which thou art offering at present have been
prescribed by the Point of the &Bayan, while He Who will
shine resplendent in the Day of Resurrection is the Revelation
of the inner reality enshrined in the Point of the &Bayan
--a Revelation more potent, immeasurably more potent,
than the one which hath preceded it. IX, 4.
IT is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer,
supplicate God to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his
parents. Thereupon God's call will be raised: `Thousand
upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall
be thy recompense!' Blessed is he who remembereth his
parents when communing with God. There is, verily, no
God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. VIII, 16.
+P95
AS this physical frame is the throne of the inner temple,
whatever occurs to the former is felt by the latter. In
reality that which takes delight in joy or is saddened by
pain is the inner temple of the body, not the body itself.
Since this physical body is the throne whereon the inner
temple is established, God hath ordained that the body be
preserved to the extent possible, so that nothing that causeth
repugnance may be experienced. The inner temple beholdeth
its physical frame, which is its throne. Thus, if the
latter is accorded respect, it is as if the former is the recipient.
The converse is likewise true.
Therefore, it hath been ordained that the dead body
should be treated with the utmost honour and respect. V, 12.
AT the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall
make manifest, wert thou to perform thy deeds for the sake
of the Point of the &Bayan, they would be regarded as performed
for one other than God, inasmuch as on that Day
the Point of the &Bayan is none other than Him Whom God
shall make manifest...
It is for this reason that at the beginning of every Dispensation
a vast multitude, who fondly imagine that their
deeds are for God, become drowned and ungodly, and
perceive this not, except such as He guideth at His behest.
It is better for a man to guide a soul than to possess all
that lies between East and West. Likewise better is guidance
for him who is guided than all the things that exist on
earth, for by reason of this guidance he will, after his death,
gain admittance into Paradise, whereas by reason of the
things of the world below, he will, after his death, receive
+P96
his deserts. Hence God desireth that all men should be
guided aright through the potency of the Words of Him
Whom God shall make manifest. However, such as are
conceited will not suffer themselves to be guided. They will
be debarred from the Truth, some by reason of their learning,
others on account of their glory and power, and still
others due to reasons of their own, none of which shall be
of any avail at the hour of death.
Take thou good heed that ye may all, under the leadership
of Him Who is the Source of Divine Guidance, be enabled
to direct thy steps aright upon the Bridge, which is sharper
than the sword and finer than a hair, so that perchance the
things which from the beginning of thy life till the end
thou hast performed for the love of God, may not, all at
once and unrealized by thyself, be turned to acts not acceptable
in the sight of God. Verily God guideth whom He will
into the path of absolute certitude. VII, 2.
EVERYONE is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since
their inner eyes are not directed towards Him sorrow must
needs befall Him. In the case of the Apostle of God--may
the blessings of God rest upon Him--before the revelation
of the &Qur'an everyone bore witness to His piety and noble
virtues. Behold Him then after the revelation of the
&Qur'an. What outrageous insults were levelled against
Him, as indeed the pen is ashamed to recount. Likewise
behold the Point of the &Bayan. His behaviour prior to the
declaration of His mission is clearly evident unto those who
knew Him. Now, following His manifestation, although
He hath, up to the present, revealed no less than five
+P97
hundred thousand verses on different subjects, behold what
calumnies are uttered, so unseemly that the pen is stricken
with shame at the mention of them. But if all men were to
observe the ordinances of God no sadness would befall that
heavenly Tree. VI, 11.
THE acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are like
unto the sun, while the works of men, provided they conform
to the good-pleasure of God, resemble the stars or the
moon... Thus, should the followers of the &Bayan observe
the precepts of Him Whom God shall make manifest at
the time of His appearance, and regard themselves and
their own works as stars exposed to the light of the sun,
then they will have gathered the fruits of their existence;
otherwise the title of `starship' will not apply to them. Rather
it will apply to such as truly believe in Him, to those who
pale into insignificance in the day-time and gleam forth with
light in the night season.
Such indeed is the fruit of this precept, should anyone
observe it on the Day of Resurrection. This is the essence
of all learning and of all righteous deeds, should anyone but
attain unto it. Had the peoples of the world fixed their gaze
upon this principle, no Exponent of divine Revelation
would ever have, at the inception of any Dispensation,
regarded them as things of naught. However, the fact is
that during the night season everyone perceiveth the light
which he himself, according to his own capacity, giveth
out, oblivious that at the break of day this light shall fade
away and be reduced to utter nothingness before the
dazzling splendour of the sun.
+P98
The light of the people of the world is their knowledge
and utterance; while the splendours shed from the glorious
acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are His
Words, through whose potency He rolleth up the whole
world of existence, sets it under His Own authority by
relating it unto Himself, then as the Mouthpiece of God,
the Source of His divine light--exalted and glorified be He
--proclaimeth: `Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there
but Me; in truth all others except Me are My creatures.
Say, O My creatures! Me alone, therefore, should ye fear'.
VIII, 1.
KNOW thou that in the &Bayan purification is regarded as
the most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto God
and as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou
thine ear that thou mayest hear no mention besides God,
and purge thine eye that it behold naught except God, and
thy conscience that it perceive naught other than God, and
thy tongue that it proclaim nothing but God, and thy hand
to write naught but the words of God, and thy knowledge
that it comprehend naught except God, and thy heart that
it entertain no wish save God, and in like manner purge all
thine acts and thy pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured in
the paradise of pure love, and perchance mayest attain the
presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest, adorned
with a purity which He highly cherisheth, and be sanctified
from whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth
not support Him. Thus shalt thou manifest a purity that
shall profit thee.
Know thou that every ear which hearkeneth unto His
+P99
Words with true faith shall be immune from the fire. Thus
the believer, through his recognition of Him will appreciate
the transcendent character of His heavenly Words, will
whole-heartedly choose Him over others, and will refuse to
incline his affections towards those who disbelieve in Him.
Whatever one gaineth in the life to come is but the fruit of
this faith. Indeed any man whose eye gazeth upon His
Words with true faith well deserveth Paradise; and one
whose conscience beareth witness unto His Words with
true faith shall abide in Paradise and attain the presence of
God; and one whose tongue giveth utterance to His Words
with true faith shall have his abode in Paradise, wherein he
will be seized with ecstasy in praise and glorification of
God, the Ever-Abiding, Whose revelations of glory never
end and the reviving breaths of Whose holiness never fail.
Every hand which setteth down His Words with true faith
shall be filled by God, both in this world and in the next,
with things that are highly prized; and every breast which
committeth His Words to memory, God shall cause, if it
were that of a believer, to be filled with His love; and every
heart which cherisheth the love of His Words and manifesteth
in itself the signs of true faith when His Name is
mentioned, and exemplifieth the words, `their hearts are
thrilled with awe at the mention of God',+F1 that heart will
become the object of the glances of divine favour and on
the Day of Resurrection will be highly praised by God.
IX, 10.
+F1 &Qur'an 8:2
+P100
IF at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God will
make manifest all the dwellers of the earth were to bear
witness unto a thing whereunto He beareth witness differently,
His testimony would be like unto the sun, while
theirs would be even as a false image produced in a mirror
which is not facing the sun. For had it been otherwise their
testimony would have proved a faithful reflection of His
testimony.
I swear by the most sacred Essence of God that but one
line of the Words uttered by Him is more sublime than the
words uttered by all that dwell on earth. Nay, I beg forgiveness
for making this comparison. How could the reflections
of the sun in the mirror compare with the wondrous rays
of the sun in the visible heaven? The station of one is that of
nothingness, while the station of the other, by the righteousness
of God--hallowed and magnified be His Name--is
that of the Reality of things....
If in the Day of His manifestation a king were to make
mention of his own sovereignty, this would be like unto a
mirror challenging the sun, saying: `The light is in me'. It
would be likewise, if a man of learning in His Day were to
claim to be an exponent of knowledge, or if he who is
possessed of riches were to display his affluence, or if a
man wielding power were to assert his own authority, or
if one invested with grandeur were to show forth his glory.
Nay, such men would become the object of the derision of
their peers, and how would they be judged by Him Who
is the Sun of Truth! III, 12.
+P101
IT is not permissible to ask questions from Him Whom
God will make manifest, except that which well beseemeth
Him. For His station is that of the Essence of divine Revelation...
Whatever evidence of bounty is witnessed in the
world, is but an image of His bounty; and every thing owes
its existence to His Being... The &Bayan is, from beginning
to end, the repository of all of His attributes, and the
treasury of both His fire and His light. Should anyone desire
to ask questions, he is allowed to do so only in writing, that
he may derive ample understanding from His written reply
and that it may serve as a sign from his Beloved. However,
let no one ask aught that may prove unworthy of His lofty
station. For instance, were a person to inquire the price of
straw from a merchant of rubies, how ignorant would he
be and how unacceptable. Similarly unacceptable would
be the questions of the highest-ranking people of the world
in His presence, except such words as He Himself would
utter about Himself in the Day of His manifestation.
Methinks I visualize those who would, prompted by
their own deluded conceptions, write to Him and ask Him
questions about that which hath been revealed in the &Bayan,
and He would answer them with words not of His Own,
but divinely inspired, saying: `Verily, verily, I am God; no
God is there but Me. I have called into being all the created
things, I have raised up divine Messengers in the past and
have sent down Books unto Them. Take heed not to worship
anyone but God, He Who is My Lord and your Lord.
This indeed is the undoubted truth. However, alike shall it
be to Me; if ye believe in Me, ye will provide good for
your own souls, and if ye believe not in Me, nor in that
which God hath revealed unto Me, ye will suffer yourselves
to be shut out as by a veil. For verily I have been independent
of you heretofore, and shall remain independent hereafter.
+P102
Therefore it behooveth you, O creatures of God, to
help your own selves and to believe in the Verses revealed
by Me...' III, 13.
THE &Bayan shall constitute God's unerring balance till the
Day of Resurrection which is the Day of Him Whom God
will make manifest. Whoso acteth in conformity with that
which is revealed therein will abide in Paradise, under the
shadow of His affirmation and reckoned among the most
sublime Letters in the presence of God; while whoso
deviateth, were it even so much as the tip of a grain of
barley, will be consigned to the fire and will be assembled
neath the shadow of negation. This truth hath likewise been
laid bare in the &Qur'an where in numerous instances God
hath set down that whoever should pass judgement contrary
to the bounds fixed by Him, would be deemed an
infidel...
In these days how few are those who abide by the
standard laid down in the &Qur'an. Nay, nowhere are they
to be found, except such as God hath willed. Should
there be, however, such a person, his righteous deeds would
prove of no avail unto him, if he hath failed to follow the
standard revealed in the &Bayan; even as the pious deeds of
the Christian monks profited them not, inasmuch as at the
time of the manifestation of the Apostle of God--may the
blessings of God rest upon Him--they contented themselves
with the standard set forth in the Gospel.
Had the divine standard laid down in the &Qur'an been
truly observed, adverse judgements would not have been
pronounced against Him Who is the Tree of divine Truth.
+P103
As it hath been revealed: `Almost might the heavens be
rent and the earth be cleft asunder and the mountains fall
down in fragments.'+F1 And yet how much harder than these
mountains their hearts must be to have remained unmoved!
Indeed no paradise is more glorious in the sight of
God than attainment unto His good-pleasure. II, 6.
THE One true God may be compared unto the sun and
the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror placed
before the sun than it reflects its light. The unbeliever may
be likened unto a stone. No matter how long it is exposed
to the sunshine, it cannot reflect the sun. Thus the former
layeth down his life as a sacrifice, while the latter doeth
against God what he committeth. Indeed, if God willeth,
He is potent to turn the stone into a mirror, but the person
himself remaineth reconciled to his state. Had he wished to
become a crystal, God would have made him to assume
crystal form. For on that Day whatever cause prompteth
the believer to believe in Him, the same will also be available
to the unbeliever. But when the latter suffereth himself
to be wrapt in veils, the same cause shutteth him out as by a
veil. Thus, as is clearly evident today, those who have set
their faces toward God, the True One, have believed in Him
because of the &Bayan, while such as are veiled have
been deprived because of it. VI, 4.
+F1 &Qur'an 19:92
+P104
I SWEAR by the most holy Essence of God--exalted and
glorified be He--that in the Day of the appearance of Him
Whom God shall make manifest a thousand perusals of the
&Bayan cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be
revealed by Him Whom God shall make manifest.
Ponder a while and observe that everything in &Islam hath
its ultimate and eventual beginning in the Book of God.
Consider likewise the Day of the Revelation of Him Whom
God shall make manifest, He in Whose grasp lieth the
source of proofs, and let not erroneous considerations shut
thee out from Him, for He is immeasurably exalted above
them, inasmuch as every proof proceedeth from the Book
of God which is itself the supreme testimony, as all men are
powerless to produce its like. Should myriads of men of
learning, versed in logic, in the science of grammar, in law,
in jurisprudence and the like, turn away from the Book of
God, they would still be pronounced unbelievers. Thus the
fruit is within the supreme testimony itself, not in the things
derived therefrom. And know thou of a certainty that
every letter revealed in the &Bayan is solely intended to
evoke submission unto Him Whom God shall make manifest,
for it is He Who hath revealed the &Bayan prior to His
Own manifestation. V, 8.
IN this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned
to bestow His mighty utterances and resplendent signs
upon the Point of the &Bayan, and hath ordained them as
His matchless testimony for all created things. Were all the
people that dwell on earth to assemble together, they would
be unable to produce a single verse like unto the ones which
+P105
God hath caused to stream forth from the tongue of the
Point of the &Bayan. Indeed, if any living creature were to
pause to meditate he would undoubtedly realize that these
verses are not the work of man, but are solely to be ascribed
unto God, the One, the Peerless, Who causeth them to
flow forth from the tongue of whomsoever He willeth,
and hath not revealed nor will He reveal them save through
the Focal Point of God's Primal Will. He it is, through
Whose dispensations divine Messengers are raised up and
heavenly Books are sent down. Had human beings been
able to accomplish this deed surely someone would have
brought forth at least one verse during the period of twelve
hundred and seventy years which hath elapsed since the
revelation of the &Qur'an until that of the &Bayan. However,
all men have proved themselves impotent and have utterly
failed to do so, although they endeavoured, with their
vehement might, to quench the flame of the Word of God.
II, 1.
THOU beholdest how vast is the number of people who
go to Mecca each year on pilgrimage and engage in circumambulation,
while He, through the potency of Whose
Word the &Ka'bah [the sanctuary in Mecca] hath become
the object of adoration, is forsaken in this mountain. He is
none other but the Apostle of God Himself, inasmuch as
the Revelation of God may be likened to the sun. No matter
how innumerable its risings, there is but one sun, and upon
it depends the life of all things. It is clear and evident that
the object of all preceding Dispensations hath been to pave
the way for the advent of &Muhammad, the Apostle of God.
+P106
These, including the &Muhammadan Dispensation, have
had, in their turn, as their objective the Revelation proclaimed
by the &Qa'im. The purpose underlying this
Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like
manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of Him
Whom God will make manifest. And this Faith--the Faith
of Him Whom God will make manifest--in its turn, together
with all the Revelations gone before it, have as their
object the Manifestation destined to succeed it. And the
latter, no less than all the Revelations preceding it, prepare
the way for the Revelation which is yet to follow. The
process of the rise and setting of the Sun of Truth will thus
indefinitely continue--a process that hath had no beginning
and will have no end.
Well is it with him who in every Dispensation recognizeth
the Purpose of God for that Dispensation, and is not
deprived therefrom by turning his gaze towards the things
of the past. IV, 12.
THE substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended
by the Day of Resurrection is the Day of the appearance of
the Tree of divine Reality, but it is not seen that any one of
the followers of &Shi'ih &Islam hath understood the meaning
of the Day of Resurrection; rather have they fancifully
imagined a thing which with God hath no reality. In the
estimation of God and according to the usage of such as
are initiated into divine mysteries, what is meant by the
Day of Resurrection is this, that from the time of the
appearance of Him Who is the Tree of divine Reality, at
whatever period and under whatever name, until the
+P107
moment of His disappearance, is the Day of Resurrection.
For example, from the inception of the mission of Jesus
--may peace be upon Him--till the day of His ascension
was the Resurrection of Moses. For during that period the
Revelation of God shone forth through the appearance of
that divine Reality, Who rewarded by His Word everyone
who believed in Moses, and punished by His Word everyone
who did not believe; inasmuch as God's Testimony for
that Day was that which He had solemnly affirmed in the
Gospel. And from the inception of the Revelation of the
Apostle of God--may the blessings of God be upon Him--
till the day of His ascension was the Resurrection of Jesus--
peace be upon Him--wherein the Tree of divine Reality
appeared in the person of &Muhammad, rewarding by His
Word everyone who was a believer in Jesus, and punishing
by His Word everyone who was not a believer in Him.
And from the moment when the Tree of the &Bayan
appeared until it disappeareth is the Resurrection of the
Apostle of God, as is divinely foretold in the &Qur'an; the
beginning of which was when two hours and eleven
minutes had passed on the eve of the fifth of &Jamadiyu'l-Avval,
1260 A.H.,+F1 which is the year 1270 of the Declaration
of the Mission of &Muhammad. This was the beginning
of the Day of Resurrection of the &Qur'an, and until the
disappearance of the Tree of divine Reality is the Resurrection
of the &Qur'an. The stage of perfection of everything is
reached when its resurrection occurreth. The perfection of
the religion of &Islam was consummated at the beginning
of this Revelation; and from the rise of this Revelation until
its setting, the fruits of the Tree of &Islam, whatever they
are, will become apparent. The Resurrection of the &Bayan
will occur at the time of the appearance of Him Whom
+F1 22 May 1844
+P108
God shall make manifest. For today the &Bayan is in the
stage of seed; at the beginning of the manifestation of Him
Whom God shall make manifest its ultimate perfection
will become apparent. He is made manifest in order to
gather the fruits of the trees He hath planted; even as the
Revelation of the &Qa'im [He Who ariseth], a descendant of
&Muhammad--may the blessings of God rest upon Him--
is exactly like unto the Revelation of the Apostle of God
Himself [&Muhammad]. He appeareth not, save for the
purpose of gathering the fruits of &Islam from the &Qur'anic
verses which He [&Muhammad] hath sown in the hearts of
men. The fruits of &Islam cannot be gathered except through
allegiance unto Him [the &Qa'im] and by believing in Him.
At the present time, however, only adverse effects have
resulted; for although He hath appeared in the midmost
heart of &Islam, and all people profess it by reason of their
relationship to Him [the &Qa'im], yet unjustly have they
consigned Him to the Mountain of &Maku, and this notwithstanding
that in the &Qur'an the advent of the Day of
Resurrection hath been promised unto all by God. For on
that Day all men will be brought before God and will attain
His Presence; which meaneth appearance before Him Who
is the Tree of divine Reality and attainment unto His
presence; inasmuch as it is not possible to appear before the
Most Holy Essence of God, nor is it conceivable to seek reunion
with Him. That which is feasible in the matter of
appearance before Him and of meeting Him is attainment
unto the Primal Tree. II, 7.
+P109
THE evidence set forth by God can never be compared
with the evidences produced by any one of the peoples and
kindreds of the earth; and beyond a shadow of doubt no
evidence is set forth by God save through the One Who is
appointed as His supreme Testimony. Moreover, the proof
of revealed verses doth, alone and of itself, conclusively
demonstrate the utter impotence of all created things on
earth, for this is a proof which hath proceeded from God
and shall endure until the Day of Resurrection.
And if anyone should reflect on the appearance of this
Tree, he will undoubtedly testify to the loftiness of the
Cause of God. For if one from whose life only twenty-four
years have passed, and who is devoid of those sciences
wherein all are learned, now reciteth verses after such
fashion without thought or hesitation, writes a thousand
verses of prayer in the course of five hours without pause
of the pen, and produceth commentaries and learned
treatises on such lofty themes as the true understanding of
God and of the oneness of His Being, in a manner which
doctors and philosophers confess surpasseth their power of
understanding, then there is no doubt that all that hath
been manifested is divinely inspired. Notwithstanding their
life-long diligent study, what pains do these divines take
when writing a single line in Arabic! Yet after such efforts
the result is but words which are unworthy of mention.
All these things are for a proof unto the people; otherwise
the religion of God is too mighty and glorious for anyone
to comprehend through aught but itself; rather by it all else
is understood. II, 1.
+P110
PRAISE be to God that He hath enabled us to become
cognizant of Him Whom God shall make manifest in the
Day of Resurrection, so that we may derive benefit from
the fruit of our existence and be not deprived of attaining
the presence of God. For indeed this is the object of our
creation and the sole purpose underlying every virtuous
deed we may perform. Such is the bounty which God hath
conferred upon us; verily He is the All-Bountiful, the
Gracious. Know thou, that thou wilt succeed in doing so if
thou believest with undoubting faith. However, since thou
canst not attain the state of undoubting faith, due to the
intervening veils of thy selfish desires, therefore thou wilt
tarry in the fire, though realizing it not. On the Day of His
manifestation, unless thou truly believest in Him, naught
can save thee from the fire, even if thou dost perform every
righteous deed. If thou embracest the Truth, everything
good and seemly shall be set down for thee in the Book of
God, and by virtue of this thou wilt rejoice in the all-highest
Paradise until the following Resurrection.
Consider with due attention, for the path is very strait,
even while it is more spacious than the heavens and the
earth and what is between them. For instance, if all those
who were expecting the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus
had been assured of the manifestation of &Muhammad, the
Apostle of God, not one would have turned aside from the
sayings of Jesus. So likewise in the Revelation of the Point
of the &Bayan, if all should be assured that this is that same
Promised &Mihdi [One Who is guided] whom the Apostle
of God foretold, not one of the believers in the &Qur'an
would turn aside from the sayings of the Apostle of God. So
likewise in the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make
manifest, behold the same thing; for should all be assured
that He is that same `He Whom God shall make manifest'
+P111
whom the Point of the &Bayan hath foretold, not one would
turn aside. IX, 3.
IN the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy.
All praise and glory befitteth the sacred and glorious court
of the sovereign Lord, Who from everlasting hath dwelt,
and unto everlasting will continue to dwell within the
mystery of His Own divine Essence, Who from time immemorial
hath abided and will forever continue to abide
within His transcendent eternity, exalted above the reach
and ken of all created beings. The sign of His matchless
Revelation as created by Him and imprinted upon the realities
of all beings, is none other but their powerlessness to
know Him. The light He hath shed upon all things is none
but the splendour of His Own Self. He Himself hath at all
times been immeasurably exalted above any association
with His creatures. He hath fashioned the entire creation in
such wise that all beings may, by virtue of their innate
powers, bear witness before God on the Day of Resurrection
that He hath no peer or equal and is sanctified from
any likeness, similitude or comparison. He hath been and
will ever be one and incomparable in the transcendent
glory of His divine being and He hath ever been indescribably
mighty in the sublimity of His sovereign Lordship.
No one hath ever been able befittingly to recognize Him
nor will any man succeed at any time in comprehending
Him as is truly meet and seemly, for any reality to which
the term `being' is applicable hath been created by the
sovereign Will of the Almighty, Who hath shed upon it the
radiance of His Own Self, shining forth from His most
+P112
august station. He hath moreover deposited within the
realities of all created things the emblem of His recognition,
that everyone may know of a certainty that He is the
Beginning and the End, the Manifest and the Hidden, the
Maker and the Sustainer, the Omnipotent and the All-Knowing,
the One Who heareth and perceiveth all things,
He Who is invincible in His power and standeth supreme
in His Own identity, He Who quickeneth and causeth to
die, the All-Powerful, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted,
the Most High. Every revelation of His divine Essence betokens
the sublimity of His glory, the loftiness of His
sanctity, the inaccessible height of His oneness and the
exaltation of His majesty and power. His beginning hath
had no beginning other than His Own firstness and His end
knoweth no end save His Own lastness. I, 1.
THE revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly
been identical with its concealment and its concealment
identical with its revelation. That which is intended by
`Revelation of God' is the Tree of divine Truth that betokeneth
none but Him, and it is this divine Tree that hath
raised and will raise up Messengers, and hath revealed and
will ever reveal Scriptures. From eternity unto eternity this
Tree of divine Truth hath served and will ever serve as the
throne of the revelation and concealment of God among
His creatures, and in every age is made manifest through
whomsoever He pleaseth. At the time of the revelation of
the &Qur'an He asserted His transcendent power through
the advent of &Muhammad, and on the occasion of the
revelation of the &Bayan He demonstrated His sovereign
+P113
might through the appearance of the Point of the &Bayan,
and when He Whom God shall make manifest will shine
forth, it will be through Him that He will vindicate the
truth of His Faith, as He pleaseth, with whatsoever He
pleaseth and for whatsoever He pleaseth. He is with all
things, yet nothing is with Him. He is not within a thing
nor above it nor beside it. Any reference to His being
established upon the throne implieth that the Exponent of
His Revelation is established upon the seat of transcendent
authority...
He hath everlastingly existed and will everlastingly
continue to exist. He hath been and will ever remain
inscrutable unto all men, inasmuch as all else besides Him
have been and shall ever be created through the potency of
His command. He is exalted above every mention or praise
and is sanctified beyond every word of commendation or
every comparison. No created thing comprehendeth Him,
while He in truth comprehendeth all things. Even when it
is said `no created thing comprehendeth Him', this refers
to the Mirror of His Revelation, that is Him Whom God
shall make manifest. Indeed too high and exalted is He
for anyone to allude unto Him. II, 8.
+P114
+P115
4
EXCERPTS FROM
&DALA'IL-I-SAB'IH
(The Seven Proofs)
+P116
+P117
THOU hast asked concerning the fundamentals
of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that
first and foremost in religion is the knowledge
of God. This attaineth its consummation in the
recognition of His divine unity, which in turn reacheth its
fulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted
Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified
from all attributes. And know thou that in this world
of being the knowledge of God can never be attained save
through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of
divine Reality.
GRACIOUS God! Within the domains of &Islam there are
at present seven powerful sovereigns ruling the world.
None of them hath been informed of His [the &Bab's]
Manifestation, and if informed, none hath believed in Him.
Who knoweth, they may leave this world below full of
desire, and without having realized that the thing for which
they were waiting had come to pass. This is what happened
to the monarchs that held fast unto the Gospel. They awaited
the coming of the Prophet of God [&Muhammad], and
when He did appear, they failed to recognize Him. Behold
how great are the sums which these sovereigns expend
without even the slightest thought of appointing an official
charged with the task of acquainting them in their own
realms with the Manifestation of God! They would thereby
have fulfilled the purpose for which they have been created.
All their desires have been and are still fixed upon leaving
behind them traces of their names.
+P118
PONDER likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God
which lasted twelve hundred and seventy years+F1 till the
dawn of the manifestation of the &Bayan. He directed everyone
to await the advent of the Promised &Qa'im. All deeds
which in the Islamic Dispensation began with &Muhammad
should find their consummation through the appearance
of the &Qa'im. God hath made Him manifest invested with
the proof wherewith the Apostle of God was invested, so
that none of the believers in the &Qur'an might entertain
doubts about the validity of His Cause, for it is set down in
the &Qur'an that none but God is capable of revealing verses.
During the period of 1270 years no one among the followers
of the &Qur'an ever witnessed a person appearing with
conclusive proofs. Now the Ever-Living Lord hath made
manifest and invested with supreme testimony this long-awaited
Promised One from a place no one could imagine
and from a person whose knowledge was deemed of no
account. His age is no more than twenty-five years, yet
His glory is such as none of the learned among the people
of &Islam can rival; inasmuch as man's glory lieth in his
knowledge. Behold the learned who are honoured by
virtue of their ability to understand the Holy Writings,
and God hath exalted them to such a degree that in referring
to them He saith: `None knoweth the meaning thereof
except God and them that are well-grounded in knowledge.'+F2
How strange then that this twenty-five-year-old
untutored one should be singled out to reveal His verses
in so astounding a manner. If the Muslim divines have
cause for pride in understanding the meaning of the Holy
+F1 From the Declaration of &Muhammad; this occurred ten years
+F1 before the Hijrah which marks the starting point of the Muslim
+F1 calendar.
+F2 &Qur'an 3:5
+P119
Writings, His glory is in revealing the Writings, that none
of them may hesitate to believe in His Words. So great is the
celestial might and power which God hath revealed in Him
that if it were His will and no break should intervene He
could, within the space of five days and nights, reveal the
equivalent of the &Qur'an which was sent down in twenty-three
years. Ponder thou and reflect. Hath anyone like unto
Him ever appeared in former times, or is this characteristic
strictly confined unto Him?
CONSIDER the manifold favours vouchsafed by the
Promised One, and the effusions of His bounty which have
pervaded the concourse of the followers of &Islam to enable
them to attain unto salvation. Indeed observe how He Who
representeth the origin of creation, He Who is the Exponent
of the verse, `I, in very truth, am God', identified
Himself as the Gate [&Bab] for the advent of the promised
&Qa'im, a descendant of &Muhammad, and in His first Book
enjoined the observance of the laws of the &Qur'an, so that
the people might not be seized with perturbation by reason
of a new Book and a new Revelation and might regard
His Faith as similar to their own, perchance they would
not turn away from the Truth and ignore the thing for
which they had been called into being.
LET Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If
someone desireth to embrace the Faith of &Islam today,
would the testimony of God prove conclusive for him? If
+P120
thou dost contend that it would not, then how is it that
God will chastise him after death, and that, while he lives,
the verdict of `non-believer' is passed upon him? If thou
affirmest that the testimony is conclusive, how wouldst
thou prove this? If thy assertion is based on hearsay, then
mere words are unacceptable as a binding testimony; but
if thou deemest the &Qur'an as the testimony, this would be a
weighty and evident proof.
Now consider the Revelation of the &Bayan. If the
followers of the &Qur'an had applied to themselves proofs
similar to those which they advance for the non-believers
in &Islam, not a single soul would have remained deprived of
the Truth, and on the Day of Resurrection everyone would
have attained salvation.
Should a Christian contend, `How can I deem the &Qur'an
a testimony while I am unable to understand it?' such a
contention would not be acceptable. Likewise the people
of the &Qur'an disdainfully observe, `We are unable to comprehend
the eloquence of the verses in the &Bayan, how can
we regard it as a testimony?' Whoever uttereth such words,
say unto him, `O thou untutored one! By what proof hast
thou embraced the Religion of &Islam? Is it the Prophet on
whom thou hast never set eyes? Is it the miracles which
thou hast never witnessed? If thou hast accepted &Islam unwittingly,
wherefore hast thou done so? But if thou hast
embraced the Faith by recognizing the &Qur'an as the testimony,
because thou hast heard the learned and the faithful
express their powerlessness before it, or if thou hast, upon
hearing the divine verses and by virtue of thy spontaneous
love for the True Word of God, responded in a spirit of
utter humility and lowliness--a spirit which is one of the
mightiest signs of true love and understanding--then such
proofs have been and will ever be regarded as sound.'
+P121
THE recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine
Truth is none other than the recognition of God, and
loving Him is none other than loving God. However, I
swear by the sublime Essence of God--exalted and glorified
be He--that I did not wish my identity to be known by
men, and gave instructions that My name should be concealed,
because I was fully aware of the incapacity of this
people, who are none other than those who have, in
reference to no less a person than the Apostle of God--
incomparable as He hath ever been--remarked, `He is
certainly a lunatic'.+F1 If they now claim to be other than
those people, their deeds bear witness to the falsity of their
assertions. That which God testifieth is none other than
what His supreme Testimony testifieth. Were all the
peoples of the world to testify unto a thing and were He to
testify unto another, His testimony will be regarded as
God's testimony, while aught else but Him hath been and
will ever be as naught; for it is through His might that a
thing assumeth existence.
Consider the extent of the adherence of these people to
matters of faith. When dealing with their own affairs
they are well content with the testimony of two just
witnesses, and yet despite the testimony of so many
righteous men they hesitate to believe in Him Who is the
Bearer of the divine Truth.
THE evidences which the people demanded from the
Apostle of God through their idle fancy have mostly been
rejected in the &Qur'an, even as in the &Surih of the Children
+F1 &Qur'an 68:51
+P122
of Israel [&Surih XVII] it hath been revealed: `And they say,
by no means will we believe on thee till thou cause a fountain
to gush forth for us from the earth; or till thou have a
garden of palm trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to
spring forth from the midst thereof in abundance; or thou
cause the heaven to fall down upon us, as thou hast given
out, in pieces; or thou bring God and the angels to vouch
for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend to
heaven nor will we believe in thine ascension, till thou send
down to us a book which we may read. Say, Praise be to my
Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?'
Now be fair! The Arabs uttered such words, and now,
prompted by thy desire, thou dost demand yet other things?
What is the difference between thee and them? If thou dost
ponder a while, it will be evident that it is incumbent upon
a lowly servant to acquiesce to whatever proof God hath
appointed, and not to follow his own idle fancy. If the
wishes of the people were to be gratified not a single disbeliever
would remain on earth. For once the Apostle of
God had fulfilled the wishes of the people they would unhesitatingly
have embraced His Faith. May God save thee,
shouldst thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish
desire; rather it behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing
proof which God hath appointed. The object of thy belief
in God is but to secure His good-pleasure. How then dost
thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been
and is contrary to His good-pleasure?
+P123
RID thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God,
enrich thyself in God by dispensing with all else besides
Him, and recite this prayer:
Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and
nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in whatever
lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth.
Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer,
the Omnipotent.
Regard not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle
fancy. It is that genuine faith which thou cherishest for the
Manifestation of God in every Dispensation. It is such faith
which sufficeth above all the things that exist on the
earth, whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would
suffice thee. If thou art not a believer, the Tree of divine
Truth would condemn thee to extinction. If thou art a
believer, thy faith shall be sufficient for thee above all
things that exist on earth, even though thou possess
nothing.
IT is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of
the Christians no more than seventy people embraced the
Faith of the Apostle of God. The blame falleth upon their
doctors, for if these had believed, they would have been
followed by the mass of their countrymen. Behold, then,
that which hath come to pass! The learned men of Christendom
are held to be learned by virtue of their safeguarding
the teaching of Christ, and yet consider how
they themselves have been the cause of men's failure to
accept the Faith and attain unto salvation! Is it still thy
wish to follow in their footsteps? The followers of Jesus
+P124
submitted to their clerics to be saved on the Day of Resurrection,
and as a result of this obedience they eventually entered
into the fire, and on the Day when the Apostle of God
appeared they shut themselves out from the recognition
of His exalted Person. Dost thou desire to follow such
divines?
Nay, by God, be thou neither a divine without discernment
nor a follower without discernment, for both of
these shall perish on the Day of Resurrection. Rather it
behooveth thee to be a discerning divine, or to walk with
insight in the way of God by obeying a true leader of
religion.
In every nation thou beholdest unnumbered spiritual
leaders who are bereft of true discernment, and among
every people thou dost encounter myriads of adherents
who are devoid of the same characteristic. Ponder for a
while in thy heart, have pity on thyself and turn not aside
thine attention from proofs and evidences. However, seek
not proofs and evidences after thine idle fancy; but rather
base thy proofs upon what God hath appointed. Moreover,
know thou that neither being a man of learning nor
being a follower is in itself a source of glory. If thou art a
man of learning, thy knowledge becometh an honour, and
if thou art a follower, thine adherence unto leadership
becometh an honour, only when these conform to the
good-pleasure of God. And beware lest thou regard as an
idle fancy the good-pleasure of God; it is the same as the
good-pleasure of His Messenger. Consider the followers
of Jesus. They were eagerly seeking the good-pleasure of
God, yet none of them attained the good-pleasure of His
Apostle which is identical with God's good-pleasure, except
such as embraced His Faith.
+P125
THY letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this
Revelation to be fully demonstrated with elaborate proofs,
all the scrolls that exist in the heaven and on the earth
would be insufficient to contain them.
However, the substance and essence of the subject is this,
that there can be no doubt that from everlasting God hath
been invested with the independent sovereignty of His
exalted Being, and unto everlasting He will remain inaccessible
in the transcendent majesty of His holy Essence.
No creature hath ever recognized Him as befitteth His
recognition, nor hath any created being ever praised Him
as is worthy of His praise. He is exalted above every name,
and is sanctified from every comparison. Through Him all
things are made known, while too lofty is His reality to be
known through anyone but Him. The process of His creation
hath had no beginning and can have no end, otherwise it
would necessitate the cessation of His celestial grace. God
hath raised up Prophets and revealed Books as numerous as
the creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to
everlasting.
If thou art sailing upon the sea of God's Names, which
are reflected in all things, know thou that He is exalted and
sanctified from being known through His creatures, or
being described by His servants. Everything thou beholdest
hath been called into being through the operation of
His Will. How can such a created thing, therefore, be indicative
of His essential oneness? God's existence in itself
testifieth to His Own oneness, while every created thing,
by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath been
fashioned by God. Such is the proof of consummate wisdom
in the estimation of those who sail the ocean of divine
Truth.
If, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation,
+P126
know thou that the First Remembrance, which is the Primal
Will of God, may be likened unto the sun. God hath created
Him through the potency of His might, and He hath,
from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to
be manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling
power of His behest, and God will, to the end that
knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to
the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.
And know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun.
Were the risings of the sun to continue till the end that
hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will be more
than one sun; and were its settings to endure for evermore,
still there hath not been nor ever will be more than one
sun. It is this Primal Will which appeareth resplendent in
every Prophet and speaketh forth in every revealed Book.
It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch as the First deriveth its
firstness from It; and knoweth no end, for the Last oweth its
lastness unto It.
In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will
appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known
in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day
of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of &Muhammad, the
Apostle of God; the day of the `Point of the &Bayan'; the
day of Him Whom God shall make manifest; and the day
of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall
make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words
uttered by the Apostle of God, `I am all the Prophets',
inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them
hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun.
+P127
5
EXCERPTS FROM THE
&KITAB-I-ASMA'
(The Book of Names)
+P128
+P129
O ye that are invested with the &Bayan! Denounce
ye not one another, ere the Day-Star of ancient
eternity shineth forth above the horizon of His
sublimity. We have created you from one tree
and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of the same
tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one
another. Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own
selves, that no feeling of aversion may prevail amongst you
so as to shut you out from Him Whom God shall make
manifest on the Day of Resurrection. It behooveth you all
to be one indivisible people; thus should ye return unto
Him Whom God shall make manifest.
Those who have deprived themselves of this Resurrection
by reason of their mutual hatreds or by regarding
themselves to be in the right and others in the wrong, were
chastised on the Day of Resurrection by reason of such
hatreds evinced during their night.+F1 Thus they deprived
themselves of beholding the countenance of God, and this
for no other reason than mutual denunciations.
O ye that are invested with the &Bayan! Ye should perform
such deeds as would please God, your Lord, earning
thereby the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make
manifest. Turn not your religion into a means of material
+F1 By `night' is meant the period between two divine Revelations
+F1 when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men. In the Persian
+F1 &Bayan, II, 7, the &Bab says, `O people of the &Bayan! Act not as
+F1 the people of the &Qur'an have acted, for if you do so the fruits
+F1 of your night will come to naught'.
+P130
gain, spending your life on vanities, and inheriting thereby
on the Day of Resurrection that which would displease
Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye deem that
what ye do is right. If, however, ye observe piety in your
Faith, God will surely nourish you from the treasuries of
His heavenly grace.
Be ye sincere in your allegiance to Him Whom God
shall make manifest, for the sake of God, your Lord, that
perchance ye may, through devotion to His Faith, be
redeemed on the Day of Resurrection. Beware lest ye
suffer one another to be wrapt in veils by reason of the
disputes which may, during your night, arise among you
as a result of the problems ye encounter or in consideration
of such matters as your loftiness or lowliness, your nearness
or remoteness.
Thus have We firmly exhorted you--a befitting exhortation
indeed--that haply ye may cleave tenaciously unto it
and attain thereby salvation on the Day of Resurrection.
The time is approaching when ye will be at peace with
yourselves in your homes, and lo, Him Whom God shall
make manifest will have appeared, and God wisheth you
to return unto Him, even as God called you into being
through the Primal Point. However, all of you will seek
guidance while pursuing the promptings of your own
desires. Some of you are filled with pride by reason of your
religion, others because of your learning. Ye will, one and
all, cling unto some part of the &Bayan as a means of self-glorification.
XVI, 19.+F1
+F1 The &Kitab-i-Asma' is divided into &vahids and chapters, to which
+F1 these numbers refer.
+P131
GOD is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship
ever existeth between Him and any created thing,
while ye have all arisen at His bidding. Verily He is your
Lord and your God, your Master and your King. He
ordaineth your movements at His behest throughout the
day-time and in the night season.
Say, He Whom God shall make manifest is indeed the
Primal Veil of God. Above this Veil ye can find nothing
other than God, while beneath it ye can discern all things
emanating from God. He is the Unseen, the Inaccessible,
the Most Exalted, the Best Beloved.
If ye seek God, it behooveth you to seek Him Whom
God shall make manifest, and if ye cherish the desire to
dwell in the Ark of Names, ye will be distinguished as the
guides to Him Whom God shall make manifest, did ye but
believe in Him. Verily then make your hearts the daysprings
of His exalted Names as recorded in the Book, and
ye shall, even as mirrors placed before the sun, be able to
receive enlightenment. XVI, 17.
SHOULD a person lay claim to a cause and produce his
proofs, then those who seek to repudiate him are required
to produce proofs like unto his. If they succeed in doing so,
his words will prove vain and they will prevail; otherwise
neither his words will cease nor the proofs he hath set forth
will become void. I admonish you, O ye who are invested
with the &Bayan, if ye would fain assert your ascendancy,
confront not any soul unless ye give proofs similar to that
which he hath adduced; for Truth shall be firmly established,
while aught else besides it is sure to perish.
+P132
How numerous the people who engaged in contests
with &Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and were eventually
reduced to naught, inasmuch as they were powerless to
bring forth proofs similar to that which God had sent
down unto Him. Had they been abashed and modest, and
had they realized the nature of the proofs wherewith He
was invested, they would never have challenged Him. But
they regarded themselves as champions of their own
religion. Therefore God laid hold on them according to
their deserts and vindicated the Truth through the power
of Truth. This is what ye clearly perceive today in the
&Muhammadan Revelation.
Who is the man amongst you who can challenge the
exalted Thrones of Reality in every Dispensation, while all
existence is wholly dependent upon Them? Indeed, God
hath wiped out all those who have opposed Them from the
beginning that hath no beginning until the present day and
hath conclusively demonstrated the Truth through the
power of Truth. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Omnipotent,
the All-Powerful. XVII, 11.
O YE who are invested with the &Bayan! Be ye watchful
on the Day of Resurrection, for on that Day ye will
firmly believe in the &Vahid of the &Bayan, though this,
even as your past religion which proved of no avail, can
in no wise benefit you, unless ye embrace the Cause of
Him Whom God shall make manifest and believe in that
which He ordaineth. Therefore take ye good heed lest ye
shut yourselves out from Him Who is the Fountain-head
of all Messengers and Scriptures, while ye hold fast to parts
+P133
of the teachings which have emanated from these sources.
XVII, 15.
CONSIDER how at the time of the appearance of every
Revelation, those who open their hearts to the Author of
that Revelation recognize the Truth, while the hearts of
those who fail to apprehend the Truth are straitened by
reason of their shutting themselves out from Him. However,
openness of heart is bestowed by God upon both
parties alike. God desireth not to straiten the heart of
anyone, be it even an ant, how much less the heart of a
superior creature, except when he suffereth himself to be
wrapt in veils, for God is the Creator of all things.
Wert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping
him to embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make
manifest, thine inmost being would be filled with the inspirations
of that august Name. It devolveth upon you,
therefore, to perform this task in the Days of Resurrection,
inasmuch as most people are helpless, and wert thou to
open their hearts and dispel their doubts, they would gain
admittance into the Faith of God. Therefore, manifest thou
this attribute to the utmost of thine ability in the days of
Him Whom God shall make manifest. For indeed if thou
dost open the heart of a person for His sake, better will it
be for thee than every virtuous deed; since deeds are
secondary to faith in Him and certitude in His Reality.
XVII, 15.
+P134
TAKE heed to carefully consider the words of every soul,
then hold fast to the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail
to discover truth in a person's words, make them not the
object of contention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden in
the &Bayan to enter into idle disputation and controversy,
that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may not
engage in argumentation, and dispute with Him Whom
God shall make manifest. XVII, 16.
ON the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will
make manifest cometh unto you, invested with conclusive
proofs, ye shall hold His Cause as being devoid of truth,
whereas God hath apprised you in the &Bayan that no
similarity existeth between the Cause of Him Whom God
will make manifest and the cause of others. How can anyone
besides God reveal a verse such as to overwhelm all
mankind? Say, great is God! Who else but Him Whom
God will make manifest can spontaneously recite verses
which proceed from His Lord--a feat that no mortal man
can ever hope to accomplish?
Truth can in no wise be confounded with aught else
except itself; would that ye might ponder His proof. Nor
can error be confused with Truth, if ye do but reflect upon
the testimony of God, the True One.
How great hath been the number of those who have
falsely laid claim to a cause within &Islam, and ye followed
in their footsteps without having witnessed a single proof.
What evidence can ye then produce in the presence of
your Lord, if ye do but meditate a while?
Take ye good heed in your night+F1 lest ye be a cause of
+F1 See footnote on page 129
+P135
sadness to any soul, whether ye be able to discover proofs
in him or not, that haply on the Day of Resurrection ye
may not grieve Him within Whose grasp lieth every proof.
And when ye do not discern God's testimony in a person,
he will verily fail in manifesting the power of Truth; and
God is sufficient to deal with him. Indeed on no account
should ye sadden any person; surely God will put him to
the proof and bring him to account. It behooveth you to
cling to the testimony of your own Faith and to observe
the ordinances laid down in the &Bayan.
You are like unto the man who layeth out an orchard
and planteth all kinds of fruit trees therein. When the time
is at hand for him, the lord, to come, ye will have taken
possession of the orchard in his name, and when he doth
come in person, ye will shut him out from it.
Verily We planted the Tree of the &Qur'an and provided
its Orchard with all kinds of fruit, whereof ye all have been
partaking. Then when We came to take over that which
We had planted, ye pretended not to know Him Who is
the Lord thereof.
Be ye not a cause of grief unto Us, nor withhold Us
from this Orchard which belongeth unto Us, though independent
are We of all that ye possess. Moreover, unto
none of you shall We make this property lawful, were it
even to the extent of a mustard seed. Verily, the Reckoner
are We.
We have planted the Garden of the &Bayan in the name
of Him Whom God will make manifest, and have granted
you permission to live therein until the time of His
manifestation; then from the moment the Cause of Him
Whom God will make manifest is inaugurated, We forbid
you all the things ye hold as your own, unless ye may, by
the leave of your Lord, be able to regain possession thereof.
XVIII, 3.
+P136
O YE unto whom the &Bayan is given! Be ye vigilant lest
in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest, while
ye consider yourselves as seeking God's pleasure, in reality
ye persist in that which would only displease Him, even as
did those who lived in the days of the Primal Point, to
whom it never occurred that they were seeking things
which ran counter to that which God had purposed. They
shut themselves out as by a veil from God and failed to
observe that which He had desired for them to perform as
true believers. They pondered not upon such people as
lived in the days of &Muhammad, who believed likewise
that they were seeking the good-pleasure of God, while
they had actually cut themselves off therefrom, once they
had failed to secure the good-pleasure of &Muhammad.
Nevertheless they comprehended not.
O ye who are invested with the &Bayan! Regard not
yourselves as being like unto the people to whom the
&Qur'an or the Gospel or other Scriptures of old were given,
since at the time of His manifestation ye shall stray farther
from God than did they. If ye happen to shut yourselves
out it would never cross your minds that ye were shut out
from Him. It behooveth you to consider how the people
unto whom the &Qur'an was given were debarred from the
Truth, for indeed ye will act in a like manner, thinking
that ye are doers of good. If ye perceive the degree of your
deprivation of God, ye will wish to have perished from the
face of the earth and to have sunk into oblivion. The day
will come when ye will earnestly desire to know that which
would meet with the good-pleasure of God but, alas, ye
shall find no path unto Him. Ye, even as camels that wander
aimlessly, will not find a pasture wherein ye may gather
and unite upon a Cause in which ye can assuredly believe.
At that time God shall cause the Sun of Truth to shine
+P137
forth and the oceans of His bounty and grace to surge,
while ye will have chosen droplets of water as the object of
your desire, and will have deprived yourselves of the
plenteous waters in His oceans.
If ye entertain any doubts in this matter consider the
people unto whom the Gospel was given. Having no access
to the apostles of Jesus, they sought the pleasure of the Lord
in their churches, hoping to learn that which would be
acceptable unto God, but they found therein no path unto
Him. Then when God manifested &Muhammad as His Messenger
and as the Repository of His good-pleasure, they
neglected to quicken their souls from the Fountain of living
waters which streamed forth from the presence of their
Lord and continued to rove distraught upon the earth seeking
a mere droplet of water and believing that they were
doing righteous deeds. They behaved as the people unto
whom the &Qur'an was given are now behaving.
O ye who are invested with the &Bayan! Ye can act
similarly. Take ye heed, therefore, lest ye deprive yourselves
of attaining the presence of Him Who is the Manifestation
of God, notwithstanding that ye have been day
and night praying to behold His countenance; and be ye
careful lest ye be deterred from attaining unto the ocean
of His good-pleasure, when perplexed and to no avail ye
roam the earth in search of a drop of water.
Say, the testimony of God hath been fulfilled in the
&Bayan, and through its revelation the grace of God hath
attained its highest consummation for all mankind. Let no
one among you say that God hath withheld the outpouring
of His bounty unto you, for assuredly God's mercy unto
those to whom the &Bayan is given hath been fulfilled and
completed until the Day of Resurrection. Would that ye
might believe in the signs of God. XVI, 13.
+P138
VERILY God hath caused the people of the &Bayan to be
called into being through the power of Him unto Whom
the &Bayan was revealed, in preparation for the Day when
they will return to their Lord.
Indeed those who will bear allegiance unto Him Whom
God shall make manifest are the ones who have grasped the
meaning of that which hath been revealed in the &Bayan;
they are indeed the sincere ones, while those who turn away
from Him at the time of His appearance will have utterly
failed to comprehend a single letter of the &Bayan, even
though they profess belief and assurance in whatever is
revealed in it or observe its precepts.
Say, every favourable and praiseworthy designation in
the &Bayan is but an allusion to those who recognize Him
Whom God shall make manifest, and who believe with
certainty in God and in His holy Writings, while every
unfavourable designation therein is meant to refer to such
as repudiate Him Whom God shall make manifest, though
they may act uprightly within the bounds laid down in the
&Bayan. Say, if ye embrace the truth on the Day of
Resurrection, God will assuredly pardon you for your
night+F1 and will grant you forgiveness.
As to those who have faithfully observed the ordinances
in the &Bayan from the inception of its revelation until the
Day when Him Whom God shall make manifest will
appear, these are indeed the companions of the paradise of
His good-pleasure who will be glorified in the presence of
God and will dwell in the pavilions of His celestial Garden.
Yet, within less than a tiny fraction of an instant from the
moment God will have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation
of His Own Self, the entire company of the
followers of the &Bayan shall be put to proof. XVII, 1.
+F1 See footnote on page 129
+P139
SINCE thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of God
in the past, it behooveth thee to follow His true religion
hereafter, inasmuch as every religion proceedeth from God,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
He Who hath revealed the &Qur'an unto &Muhammad,
the Apostle of God, ordaining in the Faith of &Islam that
which was pleasing unto Him, hath likewise revealed the
&Bayan, in the manner ye have been promised, unto Him
Who is your &Qa'im,+F1 your Guide, your &Mihdi,+F2 your
Lord, Him Whom ye acclaim as the manifestation of God's
most excellent titles. Verily the equivalent of that which
God revealed unto &Muhammad during twenty-three years,
hath been revealed unto Me within the space of two days
and two nights. However, as ordained by God, no distinction
is to be drawn between the two. He, in truth, hath
power over all things.
I swear by the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest!
My Revelation is indeed far more bewildering than
that of &Muhammad, the Apostle of God, if thou dost but
pause to reflect upon the days of God. Behold, how strange
that a person brought up amongst the people of Persia
should be empowered by God to proclaim such irrefutable
utterances as to silence every man of learning, and be enabled
to spontaneously reveal verses far more rapidly than
anyone could possibly set down in writing. Verily, no God
is there but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
XVI, 18.
+F1 He Who ariseth (God Passes By, p. 57)
+F2 One Who is guided (God Passes By, p. 58)
+P140
AS to those who have debarred themselves from the
Revelation of God, they have indeed failed to understand
the significance of a single letter of the &Qur'an, nor have
they obtained the slightest notion of the Faith of &Islam,
otherwise they would not have turned away from God,
Who hath brought them into being, Who hath nurtured
them, hath caused them to die and hath proffered life unto
them, by clinging to parts of their religion, thinking that
they are doing righteous work for the sake of God.
How numerous the verses which have been revealed
concerning the grievous tests ye shall experience on the Day
of Judgement, yet it appeareth that ye have never perused
them; and how vast the number of revealed traditions
regarding the trials which will overtake you on the Day of
Our Return, and yet ye seem never to have set your eyes
upon them.
Ye spend all your days contriving forms and rules for
the principles of your Faith, while that which profiteth
you in all this is to comprehend the good-pleasure of your
Lord and unitedly to become well-acquainted with His
supreme Purpose.
God hath made His Own Self known unto you, but ye
have failed to recognize Him; and the thing which will, on
the Day of Judgement, turn you aside from God is the
specious character of your deeds. Throughout your lives
ye follow your religion in order to attract the good-pleasure
of God, yet on the Last Day ye shut yourselves out
from God and turn away from Him Who is your Promised
One. XVII, 2.
+P141
O YE who are invested with the &Bayan! Ye shall be put
to proof, even as those unto whom the &Qur'an was given.
Have pity on yourselves, for ye shall witness the Day when
God will have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation of
His Own Self, invested with clear and irrefutable proofs,
while ye will cling tenaciously to the words the Witnesses
of the &Bayan have uttered. On that Day ye will continue
to rove distraught, even as camels, seeking a drop of the
water of life. God will cause oceans of living water to
stream forth from the presence of Him Whom God shall
make manifest, while ye will refuse to quench your thirst
therefrom, notwithstanding that ye regard yourselves as
the God-fearing witnesses of your Faith. Nay, and yet
again, nay! Ye will go astray far beyond the peoples unto
whom the Gospel, or the &Qur'an or any other Scripture
was given. Take good heed to yourselves, inasmuch as the
Cause of God will come upon you at a time when you
will all be entreating and tearfully imploring God for the
advent of the Day of His Manifestation; yet when He
cometh ye will tarry and will fail to be of those who are
well-assured in His Faith.
Beware lest ye grieve Him Who is the Supreme
Manifestation of your Lord; verily, He can well afford to
dispense with your allegiance unto Him. Be ye careful and
bring not despondency upon any soul, for surely ye shall be
put to proof. XVII, 2.
SAY, He Whom God shall make manifest will surely
redeem the rights of those who truly believe in God and in
His signs, for they are the ones who merit reward from His
+P142
presence. Say, it is far from the glory of Him Whom God
shall make manifest that anyone should in this wise make
mention of His name, if ye ponder the Cause of God in
your hearts. Say, He shall vindicate the Cause through the
potency of His command and shall bring to naught all
perversion of truth by virtue of His behest. Verily God is
potent over all things.
If ye wish to distinguish truth from error, consider those
who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and
those who disbelieve Him at the time of His appearance.
The former represent the essence of truth, as attested in the
Book of God, while the latter the essence of error, as
attested in that same Book. Fear ye God that ye may not
identify yourselves with aught but the truth, inasmuch as
ye have been exalted in the &Bayan for being recognized as
the bearers of the name of Him Who is the eternal Truth.
Say, were He Whom God shall make manifest to pronounce
a pious and truthful follower of the &Bayan as false,
it is incumbent upon you to submit to His decree, as this
hath been affirmed by God in the &Bayan; verily God is able
to convert light into fire whenever He pleaseth; surely He
is potent over all things. And were He to declare a person
whom ye regard alien to the truth as being akin thereto,
err not by questioning His decision in your fancies, for He
Who is the Sovereign Truth createth things through the
power of His behest. Verily God transmuteth fire into
light as He willeth, and indeed potent is He over all things.
Consider ye how the truth shone forth as truth in the First
Day and how error became manifest as error; so likewise
shall ye distinguish them from each other on the Day of
Resurrection. XVII, 4.
+P143
PONDER upon the people unto whom the Gospel was
given. Their religious leaders were considered as the true
Guides of the Gospel, yet when they shut themselves out
from &Muhammad, the Apostle of God, they turned into
guides of error, notwithstanding that all their lives they
had faithfully observed the precepts of their religion in
order to attain unto Paradise; then when God made
Paradise known unto them, they would not enter therein.
Those unto whom the &Qur'an is given have wrought likewise.
They performed their acts of devotion for the sake of
God, hoping that He might enable them to join the
righteous in Paradise. However, when the gates of Paradise
were flung open to their faces, they declined to enter. They
suffered themselves to enter into the fire, though they had
been seeking refuge therefrom in God.
Say, verily, the criterion by which truth is distinguished
from error shall not appear until the Day of Resurrection.
This ye will know, if ye be of them that love the Truth.
And ere the advent of the Day of Resurrection ye shall
distinguish truth from aught else besides it according to that
which hath been revealed in the &Bayan.
How vast the number of people who will, on the Day of
Resurrection, regard themselves to be in the right, while
they shall be accounted as false through the dispensation of
Providence, inasmuch as they will shut themselves out as
by a veil from Him Whom God shall make manifest and
refuse to bow down in adoration before Him Who, as
divinely ordained in the Book, is the Object of their
creation. XVII, 4.
+P144
SAY, ye will be unable to recognize the One True God or
to discern clearly the words of divine guidance, inasmuch
as ye seek and tread a path other than His. Whenever ye
learn that a new Cause hath appeared, ye must seek the
presence of its author and must delve into his writings that
haply ye may not be debarred from attaining unto Him
Whom God shall make manifest at the hour of His
manifestation. Wert thou to walk in the way of truth as
handed down by them that are endowed with the knowledge
of the inmost reality, God, thy Lord, will surely
redeem thee on the Day of Resurrection. Verily He is
potent over all things.
In the &Bayan God hath forbidden everyone to pronounce
judgement against any soul, lest he may pass sentence upon
God, his Lord, while regarding himself to be of the
righteous, inasmuch as no one knoweth how the Cause of
God will begin or end.
O ye who are invested with the &Bayan! Should ye be
apprised of a person laying claim to a Cause and revealing
verses which to outward seeming are unlikely to have been
revealed by anyone else save God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting, do not pass sentence against him, lest ye
may inadvertently pass sentence against Him Whom God
shall make manifest. Say, He Whom God shall make manifest
is but one of you; He will make Himself known unto
you on the Day of Resurrection. Ye shall know God when
the Manifestation of His Own Self is made known unto
you, that perchance ye may not stray far from His Path.
Verily God will raise up Him Whom God shall make
manifest, and after Him Whomsoever He willeth, even as
He hath raised up prophets before the Point of the &Bayan.
He in truth hath power over all things. XVII, 4.
+P145
VERILY, on the First Day We flung open the gates of
Paradise unto all the peoples of the world, and exclaimed:
`O all ye created things! Strive to gain admittance into
Paradise, since ye have, during all your lives, held fast unto
virtuous deeds in order to attain unto it.' Surely all men
yearn to enter therein, but alas, they are unable to do so by
reason of that which their hands have wrought. Shouldst
thou, however, gain a true understanding of God in thine
heart of hearts, ere He hath manifested Himself, thou
wouldst be able to recognize Him, visible and resplendent,
when He unveileth Himself before the eyes of all men.
XVII, 11.
SAY, by reason of your remembering Him Whom God
shall make manifest and by extolling His name, God will
cause your hearts to be dilated with joy, and do ye not wish
your hearts to be in such a blissful state? Indeed the hearts
of them that truly believe in Him Whom God shall make
manifest are vaster than the expanse of heaven and earth
and whatever is between them. God hath left no hindrance
in their hearts, were it but the size of a mustard seed. He
will cheer their hearts, their spirits, their souls and their
bodies and their days of prosperity or adversity, through
the exaltation of the name of Him Who is the supreme
Testimony of God and the promotion of the Word of Him
Who is the Dayspring of the glory of their Creator.
Verily, these are souls who take delight in the remembrance
of God, Who dilates their hearts through the
effulgence of the light of knowledge and wisdom. They
seek naught but God and are oft engaged in giving praise
+P146
unto Him. They desire naught except whatever He desireth
and stand ready to do His bidding. Their hearts are mirrors
reflecting whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest
willeth. Thus God will cheer the hearts of those who truly
believe in Him and in His signs and who are well assured
of the life to come. Say, the life to come is none other than
the days associated with the coming of Him Whom God
will make manifest.
Reduce not the ordinances of God to fanciful imaginations
of your own; rather observe all the things which God
hath created at His behest with the eye of the spirit, even as
ye see things with the eyes of your bodies. XVII, 15.
THE divine Revelation associated with the advent of Him
Who is your promised &Mihdi hath proved far more
wondrous than the Revelation wherewith &Muhammad, the
Apostle of God, was invested. Would that ye might ponder.
Verily, God raised up &Muhammad, the Apostle of God,
from among the people of Arabia after he had reached
forty years of age--a fact which every one of you affirmeth
and upholdeth--while your Redeemer was raised up by
God at the age of twenty-four amidst people none of
whom can speak or understand a single word of Arabic.
Thus God layeth bare the glory of His Cause and demonstrateth
the Truth through the potency of His revealed
Word. He is indeed the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the
Help in Peril, the Best Beloved. XVII, 4.
+P147
SAY, verily God hath caused all created things to enter
beneath the shade of the tree of affirmation, except those
who are endowed with the faculty of understanding. Theirs
is the choice either to believe in God their Lord, and put
their whole trust in Him, or to shut themselves out from
Him and refuse to believe with certitude in His signs.
These two groups sail upon two seas: the sea of affirmation
and the sea of negation.
They that truly believe in God and in His signs, and
who in every Dispensation faithfully obey that which hath
been revealed in the Book--such are indeed the ones whom
God hath created from the fruits of the Paradise of His
good-pleasure, and who are of the blissful. But they who
turn away from God and His signs in each Dispensation,
those are the ones who sail upon the sea of negation.
God hath, through the potency of His behest, ordained
for Himself the task of ensuring the ascendancy of the sea
of affirmation and of bringing to naught the sea of negation
through the power of His might. He is in truth potent over
all things.
Verily it is incumbent upon you to recognize your Lord
at the time of His manifestation, that haply ye may not
enter into negation, and that, ere a prophet is raised by
God, ye may find yourselves securely established upon the
sea of affirmation. For if a prophet cometh to you from
God and ye fail to walk in His Way, God will, thereupon,
transform your light into fire. Take heed then that perchance
ye may, through the grace of God and His signs, be
enabled to redeem your souls. XVIII, 13.
+P148
SAY, God shall of a truth cause your hearts to be given to
perversity if ye fail to recognize Him Whom God shall
make manifest; but if ye do recognize Him God shall
banish perversity from your hearts...
That day whereon ye were, by God's Will, initiated into
the &Bayan, did any of you know who were the Letters of
the Living or the Witnesses or the Testimonies or what the
names of the believers? Likewise doth God wish you to
recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest on the
Day of Resurrection. Beware lest ye shut yourselves out as
by a veil from Him Who hath created you, by reason of
your regard for those who were called into being at the
bidding of the Point of the &Bayan for the exaltation of His
Word. Did ye possess, ere the Point of the &Bayan had called
you into existence, any trace of identity, how much less a
writ or authority? Disregard then your beginnings, perchance
ye may be saved on the day of your return. Indeed
had it not been for the exaltation of the name of the Primal
Point, God would not have ordained for you the Letters of
the Living, nor those who are the Testimonies of His
Truth, nor the Witnesses of His Justice; could ye but heed
a little. All this is to glorify the Cause of Him Whom God
shall make manifest at the time of His manifestation;
would that ye might ponder a while.
Therefore it behooveth you to return unto God even as
ye were brought forth into existence, and to utter not such
words as why or nay, if ye wish your creation to yield
fruit at the time of your return. For none of you who have
been born in the &Bayan shall gain the fruit of your beginning
unless ye return unto Him Whom God shall make
manifest. He it is Who caused your beginning to proceed
from God, and your return to be unto Him, did ye but
know. XVI, 15.
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HOW great the number of people who deck themselves
with robes of silk all their lives, while clad in the garb of
fire, inasmuch as they have divested themselves of the
raiment of divine guidance and righteousness; and how
numerous are those who wear clothes made of cotton or
coarse wool throughout their lives, and yet by reason of
their being endowed with the vesture of divine guidance
and righteousness, are truly attired with the raiment of
Paradise and take delight in the good-pleasure of God.
Indeed it would be better in the sight of God were ye to
combine the two, adorning yourselves with the raiment of
divine guidance and righteousness and wearing exquisite
silk, if ye can afford to do so. If not, at least act ye not unrighteously,
but rather observe piety and virtue...
But for the sole reason of His being present amongst this
people, We would have neither prescribed any law nor laid
down any prohibition. It is only for the glorification of His
Name and the exaltation of His Cause that We have enunciated
certain laws at Our behest, or forbidden the acts to
which We are averse, so that at the hour of His manifestation
ye may attain through Him the good-pleasure of God and
abstain from the things that are abhorrent unto Him.
Say, verily, the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall
make manifest is the good-pleasure of God, while the displeasure
of Him Whom God shall make manifest is none
other than the displeasure of God. Avoid ye His displeasure,
and flee for refuge unto His good-pleasure. Say, the living
guides to His good-pleasure are such as truly believe in
Him and are well-assured in their faith, while the living
testimonies of His displeasure are those who, when they
hear the verses of God sent forth from His presence, or
read the divine words revealed by Him, do not instantly
embrace the Faith and attain unto certitude. XVI, 14.
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6
EXCERPTS FROM
VARIOUS WRITINGS
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SAY, God is the Lord and all are worshippers unto
Him.
Say, God is the True One and all pay homage
unto Him.
This is God, your Lord, and unto Him shall ye return.
Is there any doubt concerning God? He hath created you
and all things. The Lord of all worlds is He.
SAY, verily any one follower of this Faith can, by the leave
of God, prevail over all who dwell in heaven and earth
and in whatever lieth between them; for indeed this is,
beyond the shadow of a doubt, the one true Faith. Therefore
fear ye not, neither be ye grieved.
Say, God hath, according to that which is revealed in the
Book, taken upon Himself the task of ensuring the ascendancy
of any one of the followers of the Truth, over and
above one hundred other souls, and the supremacy of one
hundred believers over one thousand non-believers and the
domination of one thousand of the faithful over all the
peoples and kindreds of the earth; inasmuch as God calleth
into being whatsoever He willeth by virtue of His behest.
Verily He is potent over all things.
Say, the power of God is in the hearts of those who
believe in the unity of God and bear witness that no God
is there but Him, while the hearts of them that associate
partners with God are impotent, devoid of life on this
earth, for assuredly they are dead.
The Day is approaching when God will render the hosts
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of Truth victorious, and He will purge the whole earth in
such wise that within the compass of His knowledge not a
single soul shall remain unless he truly believeth in God,
worshippeth none other God but Him, boweth down by
day and by night in His adoration, and is reckoned among
such as are well assured.
Say, God indeed is the Sovereign Truth, Who is manifestly
Supreme over His servants; He is the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting.
GOD testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His
are the kingdoms in the heavens and on the earth and all
that is between them. He is exalted above the comprehension
of all things, and is inscrutable to the mind of every
created being; none shall be able to fathom the oneness of
His Being or to unravel the nature of His Existence. No
peer or likeness, no similitude or equal can ever be joined
with Him. Yield ye praise then unto Him and glorify Him
and bear ye witness to the sanctity and oneness of His Being
and magnify His might and majesty with wondrous
glorification. This will enable you to gain admittance into
the all-highest Paradise. Would that ye had firm faith in
the revelation of the signs of God.
This is the divinely-inscribed Book. This is the outspread
Tablet. Say, this indeed is the Frequented Fane, the sweet-scented
Leaf, the Tree of divine Revelation, the surging
Ocean, the Utterance which lay concealed, the Light above
every light... Indeed every light is generated by God
through the power of His behest. He of a truth is the Light
in the kingdom of heaven and earth and whatever is between
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them. Through the radiance of His light God imparteth
illumination to your hearts and maketh firm your
steps, that perchance ye may yield praise unto Him.
Say, this of a certainty is the Garden of Repose, the
loftiest Point of adoration, the Tree beyond which there is
no passing, the blessed Lote-Tree, the Most Mighty Sign,
the most beauteous Countenance and the most comely Face.
FROM the beginning that hath no beginning all men have
bowed in adoration before Him Whom God shall make
manifest and will continue to do so until the end that hath
no end. How strange then that at the time of His appearance
ye should pay homage by day and night unto that
which the Point of the &Bayan hath enjoined upon you and
yet fail to worship Him Whom God shall make manifest.
CONSECRATE Thou, O my God, the whole of this Tree
unto Him, that from it may be revealed all the fruits
created by God within it for Him through Whom God
hath willed to reveal all that He pleaseth. By Thy glory!
I have not wished that this Tree should ever bear any
branch, leaf, or fruit that would fail to bow down before
Him, on the day of His Revelation, or refuse to laud Thee
through Him, as beseemeth the glory of His all-glorious
Revelation, and the sublimity of His most sublime Concealment.
And shouldst Thou behold, O my God, any branch,
leaf, or fruit upon Me that hath failed to bow down before
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Him, on the day of His Revelation, cut it off, O My God,
from that Tree, for it is not of Me, nor shall it return unto
Me.
HE--glorified be His mention--resembleth the sun.
Were unnumbered mirrors to be placed before it, each
would, according to its capacity, reflect the splendour of
that sun, and were none to be placed before it, it would still
continue to rise and set, and the mirrors alone would be
veiled from its light. I, verily, have not fallen short of My
duty to admonish that people, and to devise means
whereby they may turn towards God, their Lord, and
believe in God, their Creator. If, on the day of His Revelation,
all that are on earth bear Him allegiance, Mine inmost
being will rejoice, inasmuch as all will have attained
the summit of their existence, and will have been brought
face to face with their Beloved, and will have recognized,
to the fullest extent attainable in the world of being, the
splendour of Him Who is the Desire of their hearts. If not,
My soul will indeed be saddened. I truly have nurtured all
things for this purpose. How, then, can anyone be veiled
from Him? For this have I called upon God, and will continue
to call upon Him. He, verily, is nigh, ready to answer.
THE glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest is
immeasurably above every other glory, and His majesty is
far above every other majesty. His beauty excelleth every
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other embodiment of beauty, and His grandeur immensely
exceedeth every other manifestation of grandeur. Every
light paleth before the radiance of His light, and every other
exponent of mercy falleth short before the tokens of His
mercy. Every other perfection is as naught in face of His
consummate perfection, and every other display of might is
as nothing before His absolute might. His names are
superior to all other names. His good-pleasure taketh
precedence over any other expression of good-pleasure.
His pre-eminent exaltation is far above the reach of every
other symbol of exaltation. The splendour of His appearance
far surpasseth that of any other appearance. His divine
concealment is far more profound than any other concealment.
His loftiness is immeasurably above every other
loftiness. His gracious favour is unequalled by any other
evidence of favour. His power transcendeth every power.
His sovereignty is invincible in the face of every other
sovereignty. His celestial dominion is exalted far above
every other dominion. His knowledge pervadeth all created
things, and His consummate power extendeth over all
beings.
ALL men have proceeded from God and unto Him shall
all return. All shall appear before Him for judgement. He
is the Lord of the Day of Resurrection, of Regeneration and
of Reckoning, and His revealed Word is the Balance.
True death is realized when a person dieth to himself at
the time of His Revelation in such wise that he seeketh
naught except Him.
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True resurrection from the sepulchres means to be
quickened in conformity with His Will, through the power
of His utterance.
Paradise is attainment of His good-pleasure and everlasting
hell-fire His judgement through justice.
The Day He revealeth Himself is Resurrection Day
which shall last as long as He ordaineth.
Everything belongeth unto Him and is fashioned by
Him. All besides Him are His creatures.
In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most High.
VERILY I am God, no God is there but Me, and aught
except Me is but My creation. Say, worship Me then, O ye,
My creatures.
I have called Thee into being, have nurtured Thee, protected
Thee, loved Thee, raised Thee up and have graciously
chosen Thee to be the manifestation of Mine Own Self,
that Thou mayest recite My verses as ordained by Me, and
may summon whomsoever I have created unto My
Religion which is none other than this glorious and exalted
Path.
I have fashioned all created things for Thy sake, and I
have, by virtue of My Will, set Thee sovereign Ruler over
all mankind. Moreover, I have decreed that whoso embraceth
My religion shall believe in My unity, and I have
linked this belief with remembrance of Thee, and after
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Thee the remembrance of such as Thou hast, by My leave,
caused to be the `Letters of the Living', and of whatever
hath been revealed from My religion in the &Bayan. This,
indeed, is what will enable the sincere among My servants
to gain admittance into the celestial Paradise.
Verily, the sun is but a token from My presence so that
the true believers among My servants may discern in its
rising the dawning of every Dispensation.
In truth I have created Thee through Thyself, then at
My Own behest I have fashioned all things through the
creative power of Thy Word. We are All-Powerful. I have
appointed Thee to be the Beginning and the End, the Seen
and the Hidden. Verily We are the All-Knowing.
No one hath been or will ever be invested with prophethood
other than Thee, nor hath any sacred Book been or
will be revealed unto any one except Thee. Such is the
decree ordained by Him Who is the All-Encompassing, the
Best Beloved.
The &Bayan is in truth Our conclusive proof for all
created things, and all the peoples of the world are powerless
before the revelation of its verses. It enshrineth the sum
total of all the Scriptures, whether of the past or of the
future, even as Thou art the Repository of all Our proofs
in this Day. We cause whomsover We desire to be
admitted into the gardens of our most holy, most sublime
Paradise. Thus is divine revelation inaugurated in each
Dispensation at Our behest. We are truly the supreme
Ruler. Indeed no religion shall We ever inaugurate unless
it be renewed in the days to come. This is a promise We
solemnly have made. Verily We are supreme over all
things...
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He is God, the Sovereign Lord, the All-Glorious.
SAY: Praise be to God Who graciously enableth whomsoever
He willeth to adore Him. Verily no God is there but
Him. His are the most excellent titles; it is He Who
causeth His Word to be fulfilled as He pleaseth and it is He
Who leadeth those who have received illumination and
seek the way of righteousness.
Fear thou God, thy Lord, and make mention of His
Name in the day-time and at eventide. Follow not the
promptings of the faithless, lest thou be reckoned among
the exponents of idle fancies. Faithfully obey the Primal
Point Who is the Lord Himself, and be of the righteous.
Let nothing cause thee to be sore shaken, neither let the
things which have been destined to take place in this Cause
disturb thee. Strive earnestly for the sake of God and walk
in the path of righteousness. Shouldst thou encounter the
unbelievers, place thy whole trust in God, thy Lord, saying,
Sufficient is God unto me in the kingdoms of both this
world and the next.
The Day is approaching when God shall bring the faithful
together. In truth no God is there other than Him.
May the peace of God be with those who have been
guided aright through the power of divine guidance.
He is God, the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign Truth,
He Whose help is implored by all.
GLORIFIED is He to Whom pertaineth the dominion of
the heavens and of the earth, in Whose hand lieth the
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kingdom of all created things and unto Whom shall all
return. It is He Who setteth the measure assigned to each
and every thing and revealeth His goodly gifts and blessings
in His sacred Book for the benefit of those who offer
gratitude for His Cause.
Say, this earthly life shall come to an end, and everyone
shall expire and return unto my Lord God Who will
reward with the choicest gifts the deeds of those who
endure with patience. Verily thy God assigneth the measure
of all created things as He willeth, by virtue of His behest;
and those who conform to the good-pleasure of your Lord,
they are indeed among the blissful.
Thy Lord hath never raised up a prophet in the past who
failed to summon the people to His Lord, and today is truly
similar to the times of old, were ye to ponder over the
verses revealed by God.
When God sent forth His Prophet &Muhammad, on that
day the termination of the prophetic cycle was foreordained
in the knowledge of God. Yea, that promise hath
indeed come true and the decree of God hath been accomplished
as He hath ordained. Assuredly we are today living
in the Days of God. These are the glorious days on the like
of which the sun hath never risen in the past. These are the
days which the people in bygone times eagerly expected.
What hath then befallen you that ye are fast asleep? These
are the days wherein God hath caused the Day-Star of
Truth to shine resplendent. What hath then caused you to
keep your silence? These are the appointed days which ye
have been yearningly awaiting in the past--the days of the
advent of divine justice. Render ye thanks unto God, O ye
concourse of believers.
Let not the deeds of those who reject the Truth shut you
out as by a veil. Such people have warrant over your
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bodies only, and God hath not reposed in them power over
your spirits, your souls and your hearts. Fear ye God that
haply it may be well with you. All things have been created
for your sakes, and for the sake of naught else hath your
creation been ordained. Fear ye God and take heed lest
forms and apparels debar you from recognizing Him. Render
ye thanksgiving unto God that perchance He may deal
mercifully with you.
This mortal life is sure to perish; its pleasures are bound to
fade away and ere long ye shall return unto God, distressed
with pangs of remorse, for presently ye shall be roused
from your slumber, and ye shall soon find yourselves in the
presence of God and will be asked of your doings.
Say, how dare ye flagrantly deny the verses sent down
from the heaven of justice, yet ye read the Books of God
revealed in the past? How do ye repudiate the meeting with
your Lord which was appointed with you aforetime, and
fail in this Day to heed His warning? Indeed, by adhering
to forms and by following the promptings of your selfish
desires, ye have deprived yourselves of the good-pleasure
of your Lord, except those whom their Lord hath endowed
with knowledge and who in this Day render thanks unto
Him for the bounty of being identified with the true Faith
of God. Therefore announce ye the Message unto those
who manifest virtue and teach them the ways of the One
True God, that haply they may comprehend.
Withhold thy tongue from uttering that which might
grieve thee and beseech God for mercy. Verily He is fully
cognizant of the righteous, for He is with such of His
servants as truly believe in Him, and He is not unaware of
the actions of the mischief-makers, inasmuch as nothing
whatever in the heavens or on the earth can escape His
knowledge.
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These verses, clear and conclusive, are a token of the
mercy of thy Lord and a source of guidance for all mankind.
They are a light unto those who believe in them and
a fire of afflictive torment for those who turn away and
reject them.
O THOU who art the chosen one among women!
He is God; glorified is the splendour of His light.
The verses in this Tablet are revealed for the one who
hath believed in the signs of her Lord and is reckoned
among such as are wholly devoted unto Him. Bear thou
witness that verily no God is there but Him, Who is both
my Lord and thine, and that no other God besides Him
existeth. He is the Bountiful, the Almighty.
Yield thee thanks unto God, for He hath graciously
aided thee in this Day, revealed for thee the clear verses of
this Tablet, and hath numbered thee among such women as
have believed in the signs of God, have taken Him as their
guardian and are of the grateful. Verily God shall soon
reward thee and those who have believed in His signs with
an excellent reward from His presence. Assuredly no God
is there other than Him, the All-Possessing, the Most
Generous. The revelations of His bounty pervade all
created things; He is the Merciful, the Compassionate.
GOD testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the
Almighty, the Best Beloved.
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Fix your gaze upon Him Whom God shall make manifest
in the Day of Resurrection, then firmly believe in that
which is sent down by Him.
Say, God hath undisputed triumph over every victorious
one. There is no one in heaven or earth or in whatever
lieth between them who can frustrate the transcendent
supremacy of His triumph. He calleth into being whatsoever
He willeth through the potency of His behest. Verily
God is the mightiest Sustainer, the Helper and the Defender.
WHEN the Day-Star of &Baha will shine resplendent above
the horizon of eternity it is incumbent upon you to present
yourselves before His Throne. Beware lest ye be seated in
His presence or ask questions without His leave. Fear ye
God, O concourse of the Mirrors.
Beg ye of Him the wondrous tokens of His favour that
He may graciously reveal for you whatever He willeth
and desireth, inasmuch as on that Day all the revelations of
divine bounty shall circle around the Seat of His glory and
emanate from His presence, could ye but understand it.
It behooveth you to remain silent before His Throne, for
indeed of all the things which have been created between
heaven and earth nothing on that Day will be deemed
more fitting than the observance of silence. Moreover, take
ye good heed not to be reckoned among those of the past
who were invested with knowledge, yet by reason of their
learning waxed proud before God, the Transcendent, the
Self-Subsisting, inasmuch as on that Day it is He Who is
the All-Knowing, the Omniscient, the Source of all knowledge,
far above such as are endued with learning; and it is
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He Who is the Potent, the All-Compelling, the Lord of
power, in the face of those who wield power; and it is He
Who is the Mighty, the Most August, the Most Glorious
before such as display glory; and on that Day it is He Who
is the Lofty, the All-Highest, the Source of exaltation, far
above those who are elevated in rank; and it is He Who
is the Almighty, the Source of glory and grandeur, far
above the pomp of the mighty; and it is He Who is the
Omnipotent, the Supreme Ruler, the Lord of judgement,
transcending all such as are invested with authority; and it
is He Who is the Generous, the Most Benevolent, the
Essence of bounty, Who standeth supreme in the face of
such as show benevolence; and it is He Who is the Ordainer
and the Supreme Wielder of authority and power, inconceivably
high above those who hold earthly dominion;
and it is He Who is the Most Excellent, the Unsurpassed, the
Pre-eminent in the face of every man of accomplishment.
Ye have, one and all, been called into being to seek His
presence and to attain that exalted and glorious station.
Indeed, He will send down from the heaven of His mercy
that which will benefit you, and whatever is graciously
vouchsafed by Him shall enable you to dispense with all
mankind. Verily on that Day the learning of the learned
shall prove of no avail, neither the accomplishments of the
exponents of knowledge, nor the pomp of the highly
honoured, nor the power of the mighty, nor the remembrance
of the devout, nor the deeds of the righteous, nor
the genuflexion of the kneeling worshipper, nor his prostration
or turning towards the Qiblih, nor the honour of
the honoured, nor the kinship of the highly born, nor the
nobility of those of noble descent, nor the discourse of the
eloquent, nor the titles of the prominent--none of these
shall be of any avail unto them--inasmuch as all these and
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whatever else ye have known or comprehended were
created by His word of command `Be' and it is. Indeed if
it be His Will He can assuredly bring about the resurrection
of all created things through a word from Himself. He is,
in truth, over and above all this, the All-Powerful, the
Almighty, the Omnipotent.
Beware, O concourse of Mirrors, lest on that Day titles
make you vainglorious. Know ye of a certainty that ye,
together with all those who stand above you or below you,
have been created for that Day. Fear ye God and commit
not that which would grieve His heart, nor be of them that
have gone astray. Perchance He will appear invested with
the power of Truth while ye are fast asleep on your couches,
or His messengers will bring glorious and resplendent
Tablets from Him while ye turn away disdainfully from
Him, pronounce sentence against Him--such sentence as ye
would never pass on yourselves--and say, `This is not
from God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Existent'.
Glory be unto Thee, O my God, Thou art well aware
that I have proclaimed Thy Word and have not failed in
the mission Thou didst enjoin upon me. I entreat Thee to
guard the people of the &Bayan on that Day in order that
they may not pronounce censure against Thee nor contend
with Thy signs. Protect them then, O my God, through the
power of Thy might which pervadeth all mankind.
He is the Almighty.
GLORY be unto Him Who is the Lord of all that are in
the heavens and on the earth; He is the All-Wise, the All-Informed.
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It is He Who calleth into being whatsoever He
willeth at His behest; He is indeed the Clement, the
Fashioner. Say, verily He is equal to His purpose; whomsoever
He willeth, He maketh victorious through the power
of His hosts; there is none other God but Him, the Mighty,
the Wise. His is the kingdom of earth and heaven and He is
the Lord of power and glory. Such as have believed in God
and in His signs are indeed the followers of truth and shall
abide in the gardens of delight, while those who have disbelieved
in God and have rejected that which He hath
revealed, these shall be the inmates of the fire wherein they
shall remain forever. Say, most people have openly repudiated
God and have followed the rebellious wicked
doers. Such people resemble those who have gone before
them, upholding every hostile oppressor. Verily no God
is there but God; His is the kingdom of heaven and earth
and He is the Clement, the All-Knowing. God testifieth
that there is no God but Him, and He Who speaketh at the
bidding of His Lord is but the First to worship Him. He is
the peerless Creator Who hath created the heavens and the
earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and all do His
bidding. He is the One Whose grace hath encompassed all
that are in the heavens, on earth or elsewhere, and everyone
abideth by His behest.
IT behooveth you to await the Day of the appearance of
Him Whom God shall manifest. Indeed My aim in planting
the Tree of the &Bayan hath been none other than to enable
you to recognize Me. In truth I Myself am the first to bow
down before God and to believe in Him. Therefore let
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not your recognition become fruitless, inasmuch as the
&Bayan, notwithstanding the sublimity of its station, beareth
fealty to Him Whom God shall make manifest, and it is
He Who beseemeth most to be acclaimed as the Seat of
divine Reality, though indeed He is I and I am He. However,
when the Tree of the &Bayan attaineth its highest
development, We shall bend it low as a token of adoration
towards its Lord Who will appear in the person of Him
Whom God shall make manifest. Perchance ye may be
privileged to glorify God as it befitteth His august Self.
Indeed ye have been called into being through the power
of the Point of the &Bayan while the Point Himself is resigned
to the Will of Him Whom God shall make manifest,
is exalted through His transcendent sublimity, is sustained
by the evidences of His might, is glorified by the majesty
of His oneness, is adorned by the beauty of His singleness, is
empowered by His eternal dominion and is invested with
authority through His everlasting sovereignty. How then
could they, who are but the creation of the Point, be justified
in saying `why or wherefore'?
O congregation of the &Bayan, and all who are therein!
Recognize ye the limits imposed upon you, for such a One
as the Point of the &Bayan Himself hath believed in Him
Whom God shall make manifest, before all things were
created. Therein, verily, do I glory before all who are in the
kingdom of heaven and earth. Suffer not yourselves to be
shut out as by a veil from God after He hath revealed
Himself. For all that hath been exalted in the &Bayan is but
as a ring upon My hand, and I Myself am, verily, but a ring
upon the hand of Him Whom God shall make manifest--
glorified be His mention! He turneth it as He pleaseth, for
whatsoever He pleaseth, and through whatsoever He
pleaseth. He, verily, is the Help in Peril, the Most High.
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7
PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS
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In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty,
the All-Compelling.
HALLOWED be the Lord in Whose hand is the
source of dominion. He createth whatsoever He
willeth by His Word of command `Be', and it
is. His hath been the power of authority heretofore
and it shall remain His hereafter. He maketh victorious
whomsoever He pleaseth, through the potency of His
behest. He is in truth the Powerful, the Almighty. Unto
Him pertaineth all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of
Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth between them.
Verily He is the Potent, the All-Glorious. From everlasting
He hath been the Source of indomitable strength
and shall remain so unto everlasting. He is indeed the Lord
of might and power. All the kingdoms of heaven and earth
and whatever is between them are God's, and His power
is supreme over all things. All the treasures of earth and
heaven and everything between them are His, and His
protection extendeth over all things. He is the Creator of
the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them
and He truly is a witness over all things. He is the Lord of
Reckoning for all that dwell in the heavens and on earth
and whatever lieth between them, and truly God is swift
to reckon. He setteth the measure assigned to all who are in
the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them.
Verily He is the Supreme Protector. He holdeth in His
grasp the keys of heaven and earth and of everything between
them. At His Own pleasure doth He bestow gifts,
through the power of His command. Indeed His grace
encompasseth all and He is the All-Knowing.
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Say: God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who holdeth
in His grasp the kingdom of all things. Through the power
of His hosts of heaven and earth and whatever lieth between
them, He protecteth whomsoever among His servants He
willeth. God, in truth, keepeth watch over all things.
Immeasurably exalted art Thou, O Lord! Protect us
from what lieth in front of us and behind us, above our
heads, on our right, on our left, below our feet and every
other side to which we are exposed. Verily Thy protection
over all things is unfailing.+F1
SEND down Thy blessings, O my God, upon the Tree of
the &Bayan, upon its root and its branch, its boughs, its
leaves, its fruits and upon whatsoever it beareth or sheltereth.
Cause this Tree then to be made into a magnificent
Scroll to be offered to the presence of Him Whom Thou
wilt make manifest on the Day of Judgement, that He may
graciously allow the entire company of the followers of the
&Bayan to be restored to life and that He may, through His
bounty, inaugurate a new creation.
Indeed all are but paupers in the face of Thy tender
mercy, and lowly servants before the tokens of Thy loving-kindness.
I beg of Thee, by Thy bounty, O my God, and
by the outpourings of Thy mercy and bestowals, O my
Lord, and by the evidences of Thy heavenly favours and
grace, O my Best Beloved, to watch over Him Whom
God shall make manifest that no trace of despondency may
ever touch Him.
+F1 The original of this prayer for protection is written in the &Bab's
+F1 own hand, in the form of a pentacle.
+P173
IMMEASURABLY glorified and exalted art Thou. How
can I make mention of Thee, O Thou the Beloved of the
entire creation; and how can I acknowledge Thy claim, O
Thou, before Whom every created thing standeth in awe.
The loftiest station to which human perception can soar
and the utmost height which the minds and souls of men
can scale are but signs created through the potency of Thy
command and tokens manifested through the power of
Thy Revelation. Far be it from Thy glory that anyone other
than Thee should make mention of Thee or should
attempt to voice Thy praise. The very essence of every
reality beareth witness to its debarment from the precincts
of the court of Thy nearness, and the quintessence of every
being testifieth to its failure to attain Thy holy Presence.
Immeasurably glorified and exalted art Thou! That which
alone beseemeth Thee is the befitting mention made by
Thine Own Self, and that only which is worthy of Thee
is the anthem of praise voiced by Thine Own Essence...
Through the revelation of Thy grace, O Lord, Thou
didst call Me into being on a night such as this,+F1 and lo, I
am now lonely and forsaken in a mountain. Praise and
thanksgiving be unto Thee for whatever conformeth to
Thy pleasure within the empire of heaven and earth. And
all sovereignty is Thine, extending beyond the uttermost
range of the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation.
Thou didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious
favour and didst protect Me through Thy bounty in the
darkness of the womb and didst nourish Me, through Thy
loving-kindness, with life-giving blood. After having
fashioned Me in a most comely form, through Thy tender
providence, and having perfected My creation through
+F1 Refers to the &Bab's birthday on the first day of the month of
+F1 &Muharram, 1235 A.H. (October 20, 1819).
+P174
Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into
My body through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation
of Thy transcendent unity, Thou didst cause Me to
issue forth from the world of concealment into the visible
world, naked, ignorant of all things, and powerless to
achieve aught. Thou didst then nourish Me with refreshing
milk and didst rear Me in the arms of My parents with
manifest compassion, until Thou didst graciously acquaint
Me with the realities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me
of the straight path of Thy Faith as set forth in Thy Book.
And when I attained full maturity Thou didst cause Me to
bear allegiance unto Thine inaccessible Remembrance, and
enabled Me to advance towards the designated station,
where Thou didst educate Me through the subtle operations
of Thy handiwork and didst nurture Me in that land with
Thy most gracious gifts. When that which had been preordained
in Thy Book came to pass Thou didst cause Me,
through Thy kindness, to reach Thy holy precincts and
didst suffer Me, through Thy tender mercy, to dwell
within the court of fellowship, until I discerned therein
that which I witnessed of the clear tokens of Thy mercifulness,
the compelling evidences of Thy oneness, the
effulgent splendours of Thy majesty, the source of Thy
supreme singleness, the heights of Thy transcendent
sovereignty, the signs of Thy peerlessness, the manifestations
of Thine exalted glory, the retreats of Thy sanctity,
and whatsoever is inscrutable to all but Thee.
VERILY I am Thy servant, O my God, and Thy poor
one and Thy suppliant and Thy wretched creature. I
+P175
have arrived at Thy gate, seeking Thy shelter. I have found
no contentment save in Thy love, no exultation except in
Thy remembrance, no eagerness but in obedience to Thee,
no joy save in Thy nearness, and no tranquillity except in
reunion with Thee, notwithstanding that I am conscious
that all created things are debarred from Thy sublime
Essence and the entire creation is denied access to Thine
inmost Being. Whenever I attempt to approach Thee, I
perceive nothing in myself but the tokens of Thy grace and
behold naught in my being but the revelations of Thy
loving-kindness. How can one who is but Thy creature seek
reunion with Thee and attain unto Thy presence, whereas
no created thing can ever be associated with Thee, nor can
aught comprehend Thee? How is it possible for a lowly
servant to recognize Thee and to extol Thy praise, notwithstanding
that Thou hast destined for him the revelations
of Thy dominion and the wondrous testimonies of
Thy sovereignty? Thus every created thing beareth witness
that it is debarred from the sanctuary of Thy presence by
reason of the limitations imposed upon its inner reality.
It is undisputed, however, that the influence of Thine
attraction hath everlastingly been inherent in the realities
of Thy handiwork, although that which beseemeth the
hallowed court of Thy providence is exalted beyond the
attainment of the entire creation. This indicateth, O my
God, my utter powerlessness to praise Thee and revealeth
my utmost impotence in yielding thanks unto Thee; and
how much more to attain the recognition of Thy divine
unity or to succeed in reaching the clear tokens of Thy
praise, Thy sanctity and Thy glory. Nay, by Thy might, I
yearn for naught but Thine Own Self and seek no one
other than Thee.
+P176
MAGNIFIED be Thy Name, O God. Thine in truth are the
Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation, and verily in our
Lord have we placed our whole trust. All praise be unto
Thee, O God; Thou art the Maker of the heavens and the
earth and that which is between them, and Thou in truth
art the supreme Ruler, the Fashioner, the All-Wise.
Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Thou wilt surely gather mankind
for the Day of whose coming there is no doubt--the
Day whereon everyone shall appear before Thee and find
life in Thee. This is the Day of the One true God--the
Day Thou shalt bring about as Thou pleasest through the
power of Thy behest.
Thou art the Sovereign, the wondrous Creator, the
Mighty, the Best Beloved.
LAUDED be Thy Name, O God. Thou art in truth our
Lord; Thou art aware of whatsoever is in the heavens and
on the earth. Send down then upon us a token of Thy
mercy. Verily Thou art unsurpassed among them that
show mercy. All praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Ordain for
us from Thy presence that which will comfort the hearts
of the sincere among Thy servants. Glorified art Thou, O
God, Thou art the Creator of the heavens and the earth and
that which lieth between them. Thou art the sovereign
Lord, the Most Holy, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Magnified
be Thy Name, O God, send down upon them who
have believed in God and in His signs a mighty succour
from Thy presence such as to enable them to prevail over
the generality of mankind.
+P177
GLORY be unto Thee, O God. How can I make mention
of Thee while Thou art sanctified from the praise of all
mankind. Magnified be Thy Name, O God, Thou art the
King, the Eternal Truth; Thou knowest what is in the
heavens and on the earth, and unto Thee must all return.
Thou hast sent down Thy divinely-ordained Revelation
according to a clear measure. Praised art Thou, O Lord!
At Thy behest Thou dost render victorious whomsoever
Thou willest, through the hosts of heaven and earth and
whatsoever existeth between them. Thou art the Sovereign,
the Eternal Truth, the Lord of invincible might.
Glorified art Thou, O Lord, Thou forgivest at all times
the sins of such among Thy servants as implore Thy pardon.
Wash away my sins and the sins of those who seek Thy
forgiveness at dawn, who pray to Thee in the day-time and
in the night season, who yearn after naught save God, who
offer up whatsoever God hath graciously bestowed upon
them, who celebrate Thy praise at morn and eventide, and
who are not remiss in their duties.
PRAISE be unto Thee, O Lord. Forgive us our sins, have
mercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee. Suffer
us not to rely on aught else besides Thee, and vouchsafe
unto us, through Thy bounty, that which Thou lovest
and desirest and well beseemeth Thee. Exalt the station of
them that have truly believed and forgive them with Thy
gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.
+P178
O GOD our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from
whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee and vouchsafe
unto us that which well beseemeth Thee. Give us more out
of Thy bounty and bless us. Pardon us for the things we
have done and wash away our sins and forgive us with Thy
gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Most Exalted, the
Self-Subsisting.
Thy loving providence hath encompassed all created
things in the heavens and on the earth, and Thy forgiveness
hath surpassed the whole creation. Thine is sovereignty; in
Thy hand are the Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation;
in Thy right hand Thou holdest all created things and
within Thy grasp are the assigned measures of forgiveness.
Thou forgivest whomsoever among Thy servants Thou
pleasest. Verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Loving.
Nothing whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, and
naught is there which is hidden from Thee.
O God our Lord! Protect us through the potency of Thy
might, enable us to enter Thy wondrous surging ocean,
and grant us that which well befitteth Thee.
Thou art the Sovereign Ruler, the Mighty Doer, the
Exalted, the All-loving.
GLORY be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Nothing whatsoever
escapeth Thy knowledge, nor is there anything
that could slip from Thy grasp, or anything that could
thwart Thy Purpose, whether in the heavens or on the
earth, of the past or of the future.
Thou seest Paradise and the inmates thereof; Thou
beholdest the realm below and the dwellers thereof. All
are but Thy servants and are held within Thy grasp.
+P179
O Lord! Render victorious Thy forbearing servants in
Thy days by granting them a befitting victory, inasmuch
as they have sought martyrdom in Thy path. Send down
upon them that which will bring comfort to their minds,
will rejoice their inner beings, will impart assurance to their
hearts and tranquillity to their bodies and will enable their
souls to ascend to the presence of God, the Most Exalted,
and to attain the supreme Paradise and such retreats of
glory as Thou hast destined for men of true knowledge and
virtue. Verily Thou knowest all things, while we are but
Thy servants, Thy thralls, Thy bondsmen and Thy poor
ones. No Lord but Thee do we invoke, O God our Lord,
nor do we implore blessings or grace from anyone but
Thee, O Thou Who art the God of mercy unto this world
and the next. We are but the embodiments of poverty, of
nothingness, of helplessness and of perdition, while Thy
whole Being betokeneth wealth, independence, glory,
majesty and boundless grace.
Turn our recompense, O Lord, into that which well
beseemeth Thee of the good of this world and of the next,
and of the manifold bounties which extend from on high
down to the earth below.
Verily Thou art our Lord and the Lord of all things.
Into Thy hands do we surrender ourselves, yearning for the
things that pertain unto Thee.
GLORIFIED be Thy Name, O Lord! In whom shall I
take refuge while Thou art in truth my God and my
Beloved; unto whom shall I turn for shelter while Thou
art my Lord and my Possessor; and towards whom shall I
+P180
flee while Thou art in truth my Master and my Sanctuary;
and whom shall I implore while Thou art in truth my
Treasure and the Goal of my desire; and through whom
shall I plead before Thee, while Thou art in truth my
highest aspiration and supreme desire? Every hope hath
been frustrated save the yearning for Thy heavenly grace,
and every door is barred except the portal leading to the
well-spring of Thy blessings.
I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy most effulgent
splendour, before whose brightness every soul humbly
boweth down and prostrateth itself in adoration for Thy
sake--a splendour before whose radiance fire is turned into
light, the dead are brought to life and every difficulty is
changed into ease. I entreat Thee by this great, this wondrous
splendour and by the glory of Thine exalted
sovereignty, O Thou Who art the Lord of indomitable
power, to transform us through Thy bounty into that which
Thou Thyself dost possess and enable us to become fountains
of Thy light, and graciously vouchsafe unto us that
which beseemeth the majesty of Thy transcendent dominion.
For unto Thee have I raised my hands, O Lord, and
in Thee have I found sheltering support, O Lord, and unto
Thee have I resigned myself, O Lord, and upon Thee have
I placed my whole reliance, O Lord, and by Thee am I
strengthened, O Lord.
Verily there is no power nor strength except in Thee.
THOU art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou
didst call Me into being out of the water of Thy love till I
reached fifteen years of age I lived in the land which
+P181
witnessed My birth [&Shiraz]. Then Thou didst enable Me
to go to the seaport [&Bushihr] where for five years I was
engaged in trading with the goodly gifts of Thy realm and
was occupied in that with which Thou hast favoured Me
through the wondrous essence of Thy loving-kindness.
I proceeded therefrom to the Holy Land [&Karbila] where
I sojourned for one year. Then I returned to the place of
My birth. There I experienced the revelation of Thy sublime
bestowals and the evidences of Thy boundless grace.
I yield Thee praise for all Thy goodly gifts and I render
Thee thanksgiving for all Thy bounties. Then at the age of
twenty-five I proceeded to thy sacred House [Mecca], and
by the time I returned to the place where I was born, a
year had elapsed. There I tarried patiently in the path of Thy
love and beheld the evidences of Thy manifold bounties
and of Thy loving-kindness until Thou didst ordain for Me
to set out in Thy direction and to migrate to Thy presence.
Thus I departed therefrom by Thy leave, spending six
months in the land of &Sad [&Isfahan] and seven months in
the First Mountain [&Maku], where Thou didst rain down
upon Me that which beseemeth the glory of Thy heavenly
blessings and befitteth the sublimity of Thy gracious gifts
and favours. Now, in My thirtieth year, Thou beholdest
Me, O My God, in this Grievous Mountain [&Chihriq]
where I have dwelt for one whole year.
Praise be unto Thee, O My Lord, for all times, heretofore
and hereafter; and thanks be unto Thee, O My God,
under all conditions, whether of the past or the future.
The gifts Thou hast bestowed upon Me have reached their
fullest measure and the blessings Thou hast vouchsafed
unto Me have attained their consummation. Naught do I
now witness but the manifold evidences of Thy grace and
loving-kindness, Thy bounty and gracious favours, Thy
+P182
generosity and loftiness, Thy sovereignty and might,
Thy splendour and Thy glory, and that which befitteth
the holy court of Thy transcendent dominion and majesty
and beseemeth the glorious precincts of Thine eternity
and exaltation.
I AM aware, O Lord, that my trespasses have covered my
face with shame in Thy presence, and have burdened my
back before Thee, have intervened between me and
Thy beauteous countenance, have compassed me from
every direction and have hindered me on all sides from
gaining access unto the revelations of Thy celestial power.
O Lord! If Thou forgivest me not, who is there then to
grant pardon, and if Thou hast no mercy upon me who is
capable of showing compassion? Glory be unto Thee, Thou
didst create me when I was non-existent and Thou didst
nourish me while I was devoid of any understanding.
Praise be unto Thee, every evidence of bounty proceedeth
from Thee and every token of grace emanateth from the
treasuries of Thy decree.
I BEG Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every mention
but the mention of Thee, and for every praise but the
praise of Thee, and for every delight but delight in Thy
nearness, and for every pleasure but the pleasure of communion
with Thee, and for every joy but the joy of Thy
love and of Thy good-pleasure, and for all things pertaining
+P183
unto me which bear no relationship unto Thee, O Thou
Who art the Lord of lords, He Who provideth the means
and unlocketh the doors.
HOW can I praise Thee, O Lord, for the evidences of Thy
mighty splendour and for Thy wondrous sweet savours
which Thou hast imparted to Me in this fortress, in such
measure that nothing in the heavens or on the earth can
compare with them? Thou hast watched over Me in the
heart of this mountain where I am compassed by mountains
on all sides. One hangeth above Me, others stand on My
right and My left and yet another riseth in front of Me.
Glory be unto Thee, no God is there but Thee. How often
have I seen rocks from the mountain hurtling down upon
Me, and Thou didst protect Me therefrom and preserved
Me within the stronghold of Thy divine Unity.
Glorified and exalted art Thou, and praise be unto Thee
for whatsoever Thou lovest and desirest, and thanks be
unto Thee for that which Thou hast decreed and preordained.
From time immemorial Thy tender mercy hath
been sent down and the process of Thy creation hath been
and ever is ceaseless. Thy handiwork is unlike the work of
anyone besides Thee, and Thy goodly gifts are unparalleled
by the gifts of anyone other than Thyself.
Praise be unto Thee, O My Beloved, and magnified be
Thy Name. Ever since the hour I set foot upon this fortress
till the moment I shall have departed therefrom, I
behold Thee established upon Thy seat of glory and
majesty, sending down upon Me the manifold tokens of
Thy bountiful favour and grace. Thou beholdest that My
+P184
dwelling place is but the heart of the mountains, and Thou
discernest naught in My Person except the evidences of
abasement and loneliness.
Lauded be Thy Name; I render Thee thanks for every
instance of Thine inscrutable Decree and offer My praise
for every token of Thy tribulations. Having suffered Me
to be cast into the prison, Thou didst turn it into a garden
of Paradise for Me and caused it to become a chamber of
the court of everlasting fellowship.
How numerous the verses Thou didst send down unto
Me, and the prayers Thou didst hear Me offer unto Thee.
How diverse the revelations which Thou didst call into
being through Me and the experiences Thou didst witness
in Me.
Magnified be Thy Name. Manifold trials have been
powerless to deter Me from yielding thanks unto Thee and
My shortcomings have failed to keep Me back from extolling
Thy virtues. The infidels had purposed to turn My
abode into one of disgrace and humiliation. But Thou hast
glorified Me through My remembrance of Thee, hast
exalted Me through My praise of Thee, hast graciously
aided Me through the revelations of Thy oneness, and
hast conferred upon Me a great honour through the effulgent
splendours of Thine ancient eternity. To the fire Thou
dost command, `Be thou a soothing balm unto My
Servant', and to the prison, `Be thou a seat of tender compassion
to My Servant, as a token from My presence'. Yea,
I swear by Thy glory; to Me the prison hath proved to be
naught but the most delightful garden of Paradise and hath
served as the noblest spot in the realm above.
Praised and glorified art Thou. How often did adversities
descend upon Me and Thou didst temper them and
avert them through Thy gracious favour; and how many
+P185
times were commotions stirred up against Me at the hand
of the people, while Thou didst cause them to subside
through Thy tender mercy. How numerous the occasions
when the Nimrods kindled fires wherewith to burn Me,
but Thou didst make them balm for Me; and how manifold
the instances when the infidels decreed My humiliation
and Thou didst turn them into marks of honour for
Me...
Verily Thou art the highest aspiration of every earnest
seeker and the Goal of the desire of them that yearn after
Thee. Thou art He Who is ready to answer the call of such
as recognize Thy divine unity, and He before Whom the
faint-hearted stand in awe. Thou art the Helper of the
needy, the Deliverer of the captives, the Abaser of the
oppressors, the Destroyer of the wrong-doers, the God of
all men, the Lord of all created things. Thine are the kingdoms
of Creation and Revelation, O Thou Who art the
Lord of all the worlds.
O All-Sufficient One! Thou dost suffice Me in every
hardship that may descend upon Me and in every affliction
that may wax great before Me. Thou art My sole Companion
in My loneliness, the Delight of My heart in My
solitude and My Best Beloved in My prison and in My
Abode. No God is there but Thee!
Whomsoever Thou dost suffice shall not be put to grief;
whomsoever Thou dost protect shall never perish; whomsoever
Thou dost help shall never be abased; and he unto
whom Thou turnest Thy gaze shall never be far removed
from Thee.
Write down for us then whatsoever is of Thee, and forgive
us for what we are. Verily Thou art the Lord of power
and glory, the Lord of all the worlds. `Far be the glory of
Thy Lord, the Lord of all greatness, from what they impute
+P186
to Him, and peace be upon His Apostles, and praise be
unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.'+F1
GLORY be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath
existed before all things, Who will exist after all things and
will last beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth
all things, and is supreme over all things. Thou art the God
Who dealeth mercifully with all things, Who judgeth
between all things and Whose vision embraceth all things.
Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of my position,
Thou dost witness my inner and outer being.
Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto the believers
who responded to Thy Call. Be Thou my sufficing helper
against the mischief of whosoever may desire to inflict
sorrow upon me or wish me ill. Verily Thou art the Lord
of all created things. Thou dost suffice everyone, while no
one can be self-sufficient without Thee.
I IMPLORE Thee by the splendour of the light of Thy
glorious face, the majesty of Thine ancient grandeur and
the power of Thy transcendent sovereignty to ordain for
us at this moment every measure of that which is good and
seemly and to destine for us every portion of the outpourings
of Thy grace. For granting of gifts doth not cause Thee
loss, nor doth the bestowing of favours diminish Thy
wealth.
+F1 &Qur'an 37:180-182
+P187
Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Verily I am poor while in
truth Thou art rich; verily I am lowly while in truth Thou
art mighty; verily I am impotent while in truth Thou art
powerful; verily I am abased while in truth Thou art the
most exalted; verily I am distressed while in truth Thou
art the Lord of might.
DO Thou ordain for me, O Lord, every good thing Thou
hast created or wilt create, and shield me from whatever
evil Thou abhorrest from among the things Thou hast
caused or wilt cause to exist. In truth Thy knowledge embraceth
all things. Praised be Thou, verily no God is there
but Thee, and nothing whatsoever in the heavens or on
the earth and all that is between them can ever thwart Thy
Purpose. Indeed potent art Thou over all things.
Far be it from the sublimity of Thy Being, O my God,
that anyone seek Thy loving-kindness or favour. Far be it
from Thy transcendent glory that anyone entreat Thee for
the evidences of Thy bestowals and tender mercy. Too high
art Thou for any soul to beseech the revelation of Thy
gracious providence and loving care, and too sanctified is
Thy glory for anyone to beg of Thee the outpourings of
Thy blessings and of Thy heavenly bounty and grace.
Throughout Thy kingdom of heaven and earth, which is
endowed with manifold bounties, Thou art immeasurably
glorified above aught whereunto any identity could be
ascribed.
All that I beg of Thee, O my God, is to enable me, ere
my soul departeth from my body, to attain Thy good-pleasure,
even were it granted to me for a moment tinier
+P188
than the infinitesimal fraction of a mustard seed. For if it
departeth while Thou art pleased with me, then I shall be
free from every concern or anxiety; but if it abandoneth
me while Thou art displeased with me, then, even had I
wrought every good deed, none would be of any avail,
and had I earned every honour and glory, none would serve
to exalt me.
I earnestly beseech Thee then, O my God, to graciously
bestow Thy good-pleasure upon me when Thou dost cause
me to ascend unto Thee and make me appear before Thy
holy presence, inasmuch as Thou hast, from everlasting,
been the God of immense bounty unto the people of Thy
realm, and the Lord of most excellent gifts to all that dwell
in the exalted heaven of Thine omnipotence.
HOW numerous the souls raised to life who were exposed
to dire humiliation in Thy Path for exalting Thy Word and
for glorifying Thy divine Unity! How profuse the blood
that hath been shed for the sake of Thy Faith to vindicate
the authenticity of Thy divine Mission and to celebrate
Thy praise! How vast the possessions that were wrongfully
seized in the Path of Thy love in order to affirm the loftiness
of Thy sanctity and to extol Thy glorious Name! How
many the feet that have trodden upon the dust in order to
magnify Thy holy Word and to extol Thy glory! How
innumerable the voices that were raised in lamentation, the
hearts that were struck with terror, the grievous woes that
none other than Thee can reckon, and the adversities and
afflictions that remain inscrutable to anyone except Thyself;
all this to establish, O my God, the loftiness of Thy sanctity
+P189
and to demonstrate the transcendent character of Thy glory.
These decrees were ordained by Thee so that all created
things might bear witness that they have been brought into
being for the sake of naught else but Thee. Thou hast withheld
from them the things that bring tranquillity to their
hearts, that they might know of a certainty that whatever
is associated with Thy holy Being is far superior to and
exalted above aught else that would satisfy them; inasmuch
as Thine indomitable power pervadeth all things, and
nothing can ever frustrate it.
Indeed Thou hast caused these momentous happenings
to come to pass that those who are endued with perception
may readily recognize that they were ordained by Thee to
demonstrate the loftiness of Thy divine Unity and to affirm
the exaltation of Thy sanctity.
GLORY be unto Thee, O Lord! Although Thou mayest
cause a person to be destitute of all earthly possessions, and
from the beginning of his life until his ascension unto Thee
he may be reduced to poverty through the operation of Thy
decree, yet wert Thou to have brought him forth from the
Tree of Thy love, such a bounty would indeed be far
better for him than all the things Thou hast created in
heaven and earth and whatsoever lieth between them; inasmuch
as he will inherit the heavenly home, through the
revelation of Thy favours, and will partake of the goodly
gifts Thou hast provided therein; for the things which are
with Thee are inexhaustible. This indeed is Thy blessing
which according to the good-pleasure of Thy Will Thou
dost bestow on those who tread the path of Thy love.
+P190
How numerous the souls who in former times were put
to death for Thy sake, and in whose names all men now
pride themselves; and how vast the number of those whom
Thou didst enable to acquire earthly fortunes, and who
amassed them while they were deprived of Thy Truth, and
who in this day have passed into oblivion. Theirs is a
grievous chastisement and a dire punishment.
O Lord! Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree of
Thy divine Unity; water it then, O Lord, with the flowing
waters of Thy good-pleasure, and cause it, before the
revelations of Thy divine assurance, to yield such fruits as
Thou desirest for Thy glorification and exaltation, Thy
praise and thanksgiving, and to magnify Thy Name, to
laud the oneness of Thine Essence and to offer adoration
unto Thee, inasmuch as all this lieth within Thy grasp and
in that of none other.
Great is the blessedness of those whose blood Thou hast
chosen wherewith to water the Tree of Thine affirmation,
and thus to exalt Thy holy and immutable Word.
Ordain for me, O my Lord, and for those who believe
in Thee that which is deemed best for us in Thine estimation,
as set forth in the Mother Book, for within the grasp
of Thy hand Thou holdest the determined measures of all
things.
Thy goodly gifts are unceasingly showered upon such as
cherish Thy love and the wondrous tokens of Thy heavenly
bounties are amply bestowed on those who recognize Thy
divine Unity. We commit unto Thy care whatsoever Thou
hast destined for us, and implore Thee to grant us all the
good that Thy knowledge embraceth.
Protect me, O my Lord, from every evil that Thine
omniscience perceiveth, inasmuch as there is no power nor
strength but in Thee, no triumph is forthcoming save from
+P191
Thy presence, and it is Thine alone to command. Whatever
God hath willed hath been, and that which He hath
not willed shall not be.
There is no power nor strength except in God, the Most
Exalted, the Most Mighty.
O LORD! Enable all the peoples of the earth to gain
admittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so that no
created being may remain beyond the bounds of Thy good-pleasure.
From time immemorial Thou hast been potent to do
what pleaseth Thee and transcendent above whatsoever
Thou desirest.
VOUCHSAFE unto me, O my God, the full measure of
Thy love and Thy good-pleasure, and through the attractions
of Thy resplendent light enrapture our hearts, O Thou
Who art the Supreme Evidence and the All-Glorified.
Send down upon me, as a token of Thy grace, Thy vitalizing
breezes, throughout the day-time and in the night season,
O Lord of bounty.
No deed have I done, O my God, to merit beholding
Thy face, and I know of a certainty that were I to live as
long as the world lasts I would fail to accomplish any deed
such as to deserve this favour, inasmuch as the station of a
servant shall ever fall short of access to Thy holy precincts,
unless Thy bounty should reach me and Thy tender mercy
pervade me and Thy loving-kindness encompass me.
+P192
All praise be unto Thee, O Thou besides Whom there is
none other God. Graciously enable me to ascend unto Thee,
to be granted the honour of dwelling in Thy nearness and
to have communion with Thee alone. No God is there but
Thee.
Indeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a
servant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of his heart
every mention or disposition except Thine Own mention;
and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a servant by reason of
that which his hands have unjustly wrought before Thy
face, Thou wouldst test him with the benefits of this world
and of the next that he might become preoccupied therewith
and forget Thy remembrance.
GLORY be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought
into being all created things, through the power of Thy
behest.
O Lord! Assist those who have renounced all else but
Thee, and grant them a mighty victory. Send down upon
them, O Lord, the concourse of the angels in heaven and
earth and all that is between, to aid Thy servants, to
succour and strengthen them, to enable them to achieve
success, to sustain them, to invest them with glory, to
confer upon them honour and exaltation, to enrich them
and to make them triumphant with a wondrous triumph.
Thou art their Lord, the Lord of the heavens and the
earth, the Lord of all the worlds. Strengthen this Faith, O
Lord, through the power of these servants and cause them
to prevail over all the peoples of the world; for they, of a
truth, are Thy servants who have detached themselves from
+P193
aught else but Thee, and Thou verily art the protector of
true believers.
Grant Thou, O Lord, that their hearts may, through
allegiance to this, Thine inviolable Faith, grow stronger
than anything else in the heavens and on earth and in whatsoever
is between them; and strengthen, O Lord, their
hands with the tokens of Thy wondrous power that they
may manifest Thy power before the gaze of all mankind.
O LORD! Unto Thee I repair for refuge and toward all
Thy signs I set my heart.
O Lord! Whether travelling or at home, and in my
occupation or in my work, I place my whole trust in Thee.
Grant me then Thy sufficing help so as to make me
independent of all things, O Thou Who art unsurpassed in
Thy mercy!
Bestow upon me my portion, O Lord, as Thou pleasest,
and cause me to be satisfied with whatsoever Thou hast
ordained for me.
Thine is the absolute authority to command.
O LORD! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the
Dispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth
every sorrow and setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of
every soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy
and reckon me among such servants of Thine as have gained
salvation.
+P194
THROUGHOUT eternity Thou hast been, O my Lord,
and wilt ever remain the One true God, while all else save
Thee are needy and poor. Having clung tenaciously to Thy
Cord, O my God, I have detached myself from all mankind,
and having set my face towards the habitation of Thy
tender mercy, I have turned away from all created things.
Graciously inspire me, O my God, through Thy grace and
bounty, Thy glory and majesty, and Thy dominion and
grandeur, for no one mighty and all-knowing can I find
beside Thee. Protect me, O my God, through the potency
of Thy transcendent and all-sufficing glory and by the hosts
of the heavens and the earth, inasmuch as in no one can I
wholly place my trust but in Thee and no refuge is there
but Thee.
Thou art God, my Lord, Thou knowest my needs, Thou
seest my state and art well aware of what hath befallen me
by reason of Thy decree, and of the earthly sufferings I have
endured by Thy leave and as a token of Thy bounty and
favour.
THE glory of glories and the most resplendent light rest
upon Thee, O my God. Thy majesty is so transcendent that
no human imagination can reach it and Thy consummate
power is so sublime that the birds of men's hearts and minds
can never attain its heights. All beings acknowledge their
powerlessness to praise Thee as beseemeth Thy station.
Immeasurably exalted art Thou. No one can glorify Thy
Being, or fathom the evidences of Thy bounty as it exists
in Thine inmost Essence, since Thou alone knowest Thyself
as Thou art in Thyself.
+P195
I yield praise unto Thee, O Lord our God, for the bounty
of having called into being the realm of creation and invention
--a praise which shineth resplendent through the
potency of Thine inspiration which none other but Thee
can befittingly appraise. I glorify Thee moreover and render
Thee thanks as beseemeth Thine awe-inspiring presence
and the glory of Thine overpowering majesty, for this
sublime blessing, this wondrous sign which is manifest in
Thy kingdoms of Revelation and Creation.
All glory be unto Thee. Immeasurably exalted is that
which beseemeth Thee. Verily no one hath ever adequately
grasped the loftiness of Thy station, nor hath any one
except Thee recognized Thee as beseemeth Thee. Thou
art manifest through the outpourings of Thy bounty, while
no one besides Thee can fathom the sublimity of Thy
Revelation.
Magnified be Thy name. Hath aught else save Thee any
independent existence so as to be capable of hinting at Thy
nature, and doth anyone but Thee possess any trace of
identity wherewith I could recognize Thee? All that is
known owes its renown to the splendour of Thy Name,
the Most Manifest, and every object is deeply stirred by the
vibrating influence emanating from Thine invincible Will.
Thou art nearer unto all things than all things.
Lauded and glorified art Thou. Too exalted is Thy loftiness
for the hands of such as are endued with understanding
to reach unto Thee, and too profound is Thy fathomless
depth for the rivers of men's minds and perceptions to flow
out therefrom.
+P196
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
ALL praise be unto God Who was Ever-Existent ere
created things were called into being, when there was no
one else besides Him. He is the One Who hath been Ever-Abiding
while no element of His creation did yet exist.
Indeed the souls of them that are endued with understanding
fail to comprehend the least manifestation of His
attributes, and the minds of those who have acknowledged
His unity are unable to perceive the most insignificant
token of His omnipotence.
Sanctified art Thou, O Lord my God. The tongues of
men fall short in extolling Thy glorious handiwork, how
much more then would they falter in lauding the majesty
of Thy transcendent power; and since human understanding
is sore perplexed to fathom the mystery of a single
object of Thy creation, how can anyone ever attain the
recognition of Thine Own Being?
I have known Thee by Thy making known unto me
that Thou art unknowable to anyone save Thyself. I have
become apprised by the creation Thou hast fashioned out of
sheer non-existence that the way to attain the comprehension
of Thine Essence is barred to everyone. Thou art God,
besides Whom there is none other God. No one except
Thine Own Self can comprehend Thy nature. Thou art
without peer or partner. From everlasting Thou hast been
alone with no one else besides Thee and unto everlasting
Thou wilt continue to be the same, while no created thing
shall ever approach Thine exalted position.
All men, O my God, confess their powerlessness to know
Thee as Thou knowest Thine Own Being; the generative
impulse Thou hast released is manifest throughout the
entire creation, and all created things which Thou hast
+P197
fashioned are but expressions of Thy wondrous signs.
Magnified be Thy name; Thou art immeasurably exalted
above the strivings of anyone among Thy creatures to
attain Thy recognition as is befitting and worthy of Thee.
Praise be unto Thee! The way in which Thou hast
called into being Thy creation out of non-existence preventeth
all created things from recognizing Thee, and the
manner in which Thou hast fashioned the creatures, with
the limitations imposed upon them, proclaimeth their utter
nothingness before the revelations of Thine attributes.
Exalted art Thou, O my God! All mankind are powerless
to celebrate Thy glory and the minds of men fall short
of yielding praise unto Thee. I bear witness in Thy presence,
O my God, that Thou art made known by Thy wondrous
tokens and art recognized through the revelations of Thy
signs. The fact that Thou hast brought us forth into existence
prompteth me to acknowledge before Thee that Thou
art immeasurably exalted above our praise, and by virtue
of the qualities wherewith Thou hast endowed our beings
I testify unto Thee that Thou art transcendent beyond our
comprehension.
Grant that I may soar to the noblest heights in approaching
Thee, and enable me to draw nigh unto Thee through
the fragrance of Thy holiness. Thus may all impediments
be dissolved by the light of ecstasy, and all remoteness from
Thee be dissipated by my attainment unto the seats of
reunion, and the subtle veils which have hindered me
from entering Thy mansion of glory become so
rarified that I may gain admittance into Thy presence, take
up my abode near Thee, and voice the expressions of praise
wherewith Thou hast described Thine Own Self unto
me, bearing witness that Thou art God, that there is no
God but Thee, the One, the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding,
+P198
that Thou dost not beget, neither art Thou begotten,
that Thou hast no offspring, no partner, nor is
there any protector against humiliation but Thee, and
Thou art the Lord of all worlds. I bear witness also that
all besides Thee are but Thy creatures, and are held within
Thy grasp. No one is favoured with means or liveth in
want except by Thy Will. Thou art the King of everlasting
days and the supreme Ruler. Thy might is potent
over all things and all created things exist by Thy Will.
All mankind recognize their lowly servitude and confess
their shortcomings and naught is there which doth not
celebrate Thy praise.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by the glory of Thy merciful
Countenance and by the majesty of Thine ancient Name
not to deprive me of the vitalizing fragrance of the evidences
of Thy Days--such Days as Thou Thyself hast inaugurated
and brought forth.
Thou art God, no God is there but Thee.
LAUDED and glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou
art supreme over the realm of being and Thy power pervadeth
all created things. Thou holdest the kingdom of
creation within Thy grasp and dost call into being in conformity
with Thy pleasure.
All praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech
Thee by such souls as are eagerly waiting at Thy gate and
by those holy beings who have attained the court of Thy
presence, to cast upon us the glances of Thy tender compassion
and to regard us with the eye of Thy loving providence.
+P199
Cause our souls to be enkindled with the fire of Thy
tender affection and give us to drink of the living waters of
Thy bounty. Keep us steadfast in the path of Thine ardent
love and enable us to abide within the precincts of Thy
holiness. Verily Thou art the Giver, the Most Generous,
the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
Glorified art Thou, O my God! I invoke Thee by Thy
Most Great Name through which the hidden secrets of
God, the Most Exalted, were divulged and the kindreds of
all nations converged toward the focal centre of faith and
certitude, through which Thy luminous Words streamed
forth for the quickening of mankind and the essence of all
knowledge was revealed from that Embodiment of bounty.
May my life, my inmost being, my soul and my body be
offered up as a sacrifice for the dust ennobled by His footsteps.
I earnestly beg Thee, O Lord my God, by Thy most
glorious Name whereby Thy sovereignty hath been established
and the tokens of Thy might have been manifested,
and whereby the oceans of life and of holy ecstasy have
surged for the reviving of the mouldering bones of all Thy
creatures and for the stirring of the limbs of such as have
embraced Thy Cause--I earnestly beg Thee to graciously
ordain for us the good of this world and of the next, to enable
us to gain admission into the court of Thy mercy and
loving-kindness and to kindle in our hearts the fire of joy
and ecstasy in such wise that the hearts of all men may
thereby be attracted.
Verily Thou art the All-Powerful, the Protector, the
Almighty, the Self-Subsisting.
+P200
GLORY be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beg Thee to
forgive me and those who support Thy Faith. Verily Thou
art the sovereign Lord, the Forgiver, the Most Generous.
O my God! Enable such servants of Thine as are deprived
of knowledge to be admitted into Thy Cause; for once they
learn of Thee, they bear witness to the truth of the Day of
Judgement and do not dispute the revelations of Thy
bounty. Send down upon them the tokens of Thy grace
and grant them, wherever they reside, a liberal share of that
which Thou hast ordained for the pious among Thy
servants. Thou art in truth the Supreme Ruler, the All-Bounteous,
the Most Benevolent.
O my God! Let the outpourings of Thy bounty and
blessings descend upon homes whose inmates have embraced
Thy Faith, as a token of Thy grace and as a mark of
loving-kindness from Thy presence. Verily unsurpassed art
Thou in granting forgiveness. Should Thy bounty be withheld
from anyone, how could he be reckoned among the
followers of the Faith in Thy Day?
Bless me, O my God, and those who will believe in Thy
signs on the appointed Day, and such as cherish my love
in their hearts--a love which Thou dost instil into them.
Verily Thou art the Lord of righteousness, the Most
Exalted.
IMMEASURABLY exalted art Thou, O my God, above the
endeavours of all beings and created things to praise Thee
and recognize Thee. No creature can ever comprehend
Thee as beseemeth the reality of Thy holy Being and no
servant can ever worship Thee as is worthy of Thine unknowable
+P201
Essence. Praise be unto Thee; too high is Thine
exalted Self for any allusions proceeding from Thy creatures
ever to gain access unto Thy presence.
Whenever, O my God, I soared into Thy holy atmosphere
and attained the inmost spirit of prayerfulness unto
Thee, I was led to recognize that Thou art inaccessible and
that no mention of Thee can ever reach Thy transcendent
court. Therefore I turn towards Thy Loved Ones--They
upon Whom Thou hast graciously conferred Thine Own
station that They might manifest Thy love and Thy true
knowledge. Bless Them then, O my God, with every
distinction and goodly gift which Thy knowledge may
reckon within the domain of Thy power.
O my God, my Lord and my Master! I swear by Thy
might and glory that Thou alone and no one else besides
Thee art the ultimate Desire of all men, and that Thou
alone and none other save Thee art the Object of adoration.
O my God! The paths of Thine inaccessible glory have
prompted me to voice these words and the ways of Thine
unattainable heights have guided me to make these allusions.
Exalted art Thou, O my God! The evidences of Thy
revelation are too manifest for me to need to refer to aught
else save Thyself, and the love I cherish for Thee is far
sweeter to my taste than the knowledge of all things and
freeth me from the need to seek anyone's knowledge other
than Thine.
All praise be unto Thee, O my Lord. I verily believe in Thee,
as Thou art in Thyself; and of Thee, as Thou art in Thyself,
I beg forgiveness for myself and on behalf of all mankind.
O my God! Wholly have I fled unto Thy face and have
cast myself before Thee and no power have I over aught in
Thy holy presence. Shouldst Thou chastise me with Thy
might, Thou wouldst assuredly be just in Thy decree; and
+P202
wert Thou to bestow every goodly gift on me, Thou
wouldst indeed be most generous and bountiful. Verily
Thou art independent of all the peoples of the world.
I have sought reunion with Thee, O my Master, yet
have I failed to attain thereto save through the knowledge of
detachment from aught save Thee. I have yearned for Thy
love, but failed to find it except in renouncing everything
other than Thyself. I have been eager to worship Thee, yet
have I failed to achieve Thy adoration, except by loving
those who cherish Thy love. No one do I recognize, O my
God, except Thee. Thou art incomparable and hast no
partner. Thou alone knowest our shortcomings and none
other hath this knowledge. I beg Thy forgiveness for whatever
doth displease Thee.
I call upon Thee at all times with the tongue of Thine
inspiration, saying: `Thou art in truth the All-Possessing,
the Peerless. No God is there but Thee. Immeasurably far
and exalted art Thou above the descriptions of those who
arrogantly assign peers unto Thee.'
ALL majesty and glory, O my God, and all dominion and
light and grandeur and splendour be unto Thee. Thou
bestowest sovereignty on whom Thou willest and dost
withhold it from whom Thou desirest. No God is there but
Thee, the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted. Thou art He
Who createth from naught the universe and all that dwell
therein. There is nothing worthy of Thee except Thyself,
while all else but Thee are as outcasts in Thy holy presence
and are as nothing when compared to the glory of Thine
Own Being.
+P203
Far be it from me to extol Thy virtues save by what
Thou hast extolled Thyself in Thy weighty Book where
Thou sayest, `No vision taketh in Him but He taketh in all
vision. He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving.'+F1 Glory be
unto Thee, O my God, indeed no mind or vision, however
keen or discriminating, can ever grasp the nature of
the most insignificant of Thy signs. Verily Thou art God,
no God is there besides Thee. I bear witness that Thou
Thyself alone art the sole expression of Thine attributes,
that the praise of no one besides Thee can ever attain to
Thy holy court nor can Thine attributes ever be fathomed
by anyone other than Thyself.
Glory be unto Thee, Thou art exalted above the
description of anyone save Thyself, since it is beyond
human conception to befittingly magnify Thy virtues or to
comprehend the inmost reality of Thine Essence. Far be it
from Thy glory that Thy creatures should describe Thee
or that any one besides Thyself should ever know Thee. I
have known Thee, O my God, by reason of Thy making
Thyself known unto me, for hadst Thou not revealed Thyself
unto me, I would not have known Thee. I worship
Thee by virtue of Thy summoning me unto Thee, for had
it not been for Thy summons I would not have worshipped
Thee. Lauded art Thou, O my God, my trespasses have
waxed mighty and my sins have assumed grievous proportions.
How disgraceful my plight will prove to be in
Thy holy presence. I have failed to know Thee to the
extent Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me; I have failed to
worship Thee with a devotion worthy of Thy summons;
I have failed to obey Thee through not treading the path of
Thy love in the manner Thou didst inspire me.
Thy might beareth me witness, O my God, what
+F1 &Qur'an 6:103
+P204
befitteth Thee is far greater and more exalted than any
being could attempt to accomplish. Indeed nothing can
ever comprehend Thee as is worthy of Thee nor can any
servile creature worship Thee as beseemeth Thine adoration.
So perfect and comprehensive is Thy proof, O my
God, that its inner essence transcendeth the description of
any soul and so abundant are the outpourings of Thy gifts
that no faculty can appraise their infinite range.
O my God! O my Master! I beseech Thee by Thy manifold
bounties and by the pillars which sustain Thy throne
of glory, to have pity on these lowly people who are
powerless to bear the unpleasant things of this fleeting life,
how much less then can they bear Thy chastisement in the
life to come--a chastisement which is ordained by Thy
justice, called forth by Thy wrath and will continue to
exist for ever.
I beg Thee by Thyself, O my God, my Lord and my
Master, to intercede in my behalf. I have fled from Thy
justice unto Thy mercy. For my refuge I am seeking Thee
and such as turn not away from Thy path, even for a
twinkling of an eye--they for whose sake Thou didst
create the creation as a token of Thy grace and bounty.
O MY God! There is no one but Thee to allay the anguish
of my soul, and Thou art my highest aspiration, O my
God. My heart is wedded to none save Thee and such as
Thou dost love. I solemnly declare that my life and death
are both for Thee. Verily Thou art incomparable and hast
no partner.
O my Lord! I beg Thee to forgive me for shutting myself
+P205
out from Thee. By Thy glory and majesty, I have
failed to befittingly recognize Thee and to worship Thee,
while Thou dost make Thyself known unto me and callest
me to remembrance as beseemeth Thy station. Grievous
woe would betide me, O my Lord, wert Thou to take hold
of me by reason of my misdeeds and trespasses. No helper
do I know of other than Thee. No refuge do I have to flee
to save Thee. None among Thy creatures can dare to
intercede with Thyself without Thy leave. I hold fast to
Thy love before Thy court, and, according to Thy bidding,
I earnestly pray unto Thee as befitteth Thy glory. I beg
Thee to heed my call as Thou hast promised me. Verily
Thou art God; no God is there but Thee. Alone and unaided,
Thou art independent of all created things. Neither
can the devotion of Thy lovers profit Thee, nor the evil
doings of the faithless harm Thee. Verily Thou art my
God, He Who will never fail in His promise.
O my God! I beseech Thee by the evidences of Thy
favour, to let me draw nigh to the sublime heights of Thy
holy presence, and protect me from inclining myself toward
the subtle allusions of aught else but Thee. Guide my
steps, O my God, unto that which is acceptable and pleasing
to Thee. Shield me, through Thy might, from the fury
of Thy wrath and chastisement, and hold me back from
entering habitations not desired by Thee.
O MY God! I have failed to know Thee as is worthy of
Thy glory, and I have failed to fear Thee as befitteth my
station. How can I make mention of Thee when I am in
this condition, and how can I set my face towards Thee
+P206
when I have fallen short of my duty in worshipping Thee?
Thou didst not call me into being to demonstrate the
potency of Thy might which is unmistakably manifest and
evident; for Thou art God Who everlastingly existed when
there was naught. Rather Thou didst create us through Thy
transcendent power that a bare mention may be graciously
made of us before the resplendent manifestation of Thy
Remembrance.
I have no knowledge of Thee, O my God, but that
which Thou hast taught me whereby I might recognize
Thy Self--a knowledge which reflecteth only my failure
and sinfulness. Here am I then, O my God, wholly consecrated
unto Thee, willing to do what Thou desirest.
Humbly I cast myself before the revelations of Thy mercy,
confessing that Thou art God, no God is there but Thee, and
that Thou art incomparable, hast no partner and naught is
there like Thee. Unto this Thou Thyself bearest witness, as
well becometh Thy glory.
He is God, the Sovereign Ruler, the Ever-Living,
He Whose help all men implore.
LAUDED and glorified art Thou, O Lord! Both the world
of existence and the souls of men bear witness that Thou
art transcendent above the revelations of Thy handiwork,
and the bearers of Thy names and attributes proclaim that
Thou art immeasurably exalted above such praise as the
dwellers of the dominions of creation and invention may
render unto Thee. All appearances and realities indicate the
oneness of Thine Essence, and all evidences and signs reflect
+P207
the truth that Thou art God and there is no peer or partner
for Thee throughout the kingdoms of heaven and earth.
Immensely high and sanctified art Thou, O Lord! Thy
divine Being testifieth that Thou art inscrutable to all that
dwell in Thy realm of existence, and Thine inmost Essence
proclaimeth that Thou art far above the description of those
who reveal Thy glory.
The signs which the sanctified essences reveal and the
words which the exalted realities express and the allusions
manifested by the ethereal entities all proclaim that Thou
art immeasurably exalted above the reach of the embodiments
of the realm of being, and all solemnly affirm that
Thou art immensely high above the description of such as
are wrapt in the veils of fancy.
Praise be unto Thee, O Lord! Thy divine Being is a sure
testimony of the oneness of Thine inmost Essence and Thy
supreme divinity beareth witness to the unity of Thy Self,
and the realities of all created things testify that no tie of
intercourse bindeth Thee to anything in the kingdom of
creation which Thou hast fashioned.
Every man of perception who hath scaled the noble
heights of detachment, and every man of eloquence who
hath attained the most sublime station, beareth witness that
Thou art God, the Incomparable, and that Thou hast assigned
no associate unto Thyself in the kingdom of creation,
nor is there anyone to compare with Thee in the realm of
invention. Men of wisdom, who had but a notion of the
revelation of Thy glory, conceived a likeness of Thee according
to their own understanding, and men of erudition,
who had gained but a glimpse of the manifold evidences of
Thy loving-kindness and glory, have contrived peers for
Thee in conformity with their own imaginations.
Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, O Lord!
+P208
Every man of insight is far astray in his attempt to recognize
Thee, and every man of consummate learning is sore
perplexed in his search after Thee. Every evidence falleth
short of Thine unknowable Essence and every light retreateth
and sinketh below the horizon when confronted
with but a glimmer of the dazzling splendour of Thy might.
Bestow on me, O my Lord, Thy gracious bounty and
benevolent gifts and grant me that which beseemeth the
sublimity of Thy glory. Aid me, O my Lord, to achieve a
singular victory. Open Thou the door of unfailing success
before me and grant that the things Thou hast promised
may be close at hand. Thou art in truth potent over all
things. Refresh my heart, O my God, with the living
waters of Thy love and give me a draught, O my Master,
from the chalice of Thy tender mercy. Let me abide, O my
Lord, within the habitation of Thy glory, and suffer me,
O my God, to emerge from the darkness in which Thy
divine obscurity is shrouded. Enable me to partake of every
good Thou hast vouchsafed unto Him Who is the Point
and unto such as are the exponents of His Cause, and ordain
for me that which beseemeth Thee and well becometh Thy
station. Do Thou graciously forgive me for the things that
I have wrought in Thy holy presence, and look not upon
me with the glance of justice, but rather deliver me through
Thy grace, treat me with Thy mercy and deal with me
according to Thy bountiful favours, as is worthy of Thy
glory.
Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Glorious, the
Bestower of favours and gifts, the Lord of grace abounding.
Verily no God is there but Thee. Thou art the All-Possessing,
the Most High.
Sanctified art Thou, O Lord, Thou unto Whom all
render thanksgiving. Whatever I may affirm of Thee
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would be but a wanton crime before Thee, and whatever
mention I may choose to make of Thee would be the
essence of transgression, and whatever the praise whereby
I may glorify Thee, it would amount to sheer blasphemy.
No one else besides Thee hath been or will ever be able to
fathom Thy mystery, neither hath any one succeeded nor
will anyone succeed at any time in discovering Thine
Essence.
Magnified art Thou! No God is there but Thee. Thou
art in truth the Supreme Ruler, the Help in Peril, the Most
High, the Incomparable, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful.
Verily Thou art mighty in Thy prowess, the
Lord of transcendent glory and majesty.
Protect Thou, O God, whosoever learneth this prayer
by heart and reciteth it in the day-time and in the night
season. Verily Thou art God, the Lord of creation, the All-Sufficing.
Thou art faithful to Thy promise and doest whatsoever
Thou pleasest. Thou art the One Who holdeth in
His hands the dominions of earth and heaven. Verily Thou
art the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the Help in Peril, the
All-Compelling.
O MY God, my Lord and my Master! I have detached
myself from my kindred and have sought through Thee to
become independent of all that dwell on earth and ever
ready to receive that which is praiseworthy in Thy sight.
Bestow on me such good as will make me independent of
aught else but Thee, and grant me an ampler share of Thy
boundless favours. Verily Thou art the Lord of grace
abounding.
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I ADJURE Thee by Thy might, O my God! Let no harm
beset me in times of tests, and in moments of heedlessness
guide my steps aright through Thine inspiration. Thou art
God, potent art Thou to do what Thou desirest. No one
can withstand Thy Will or thwart Thy Purpose.
I BEG Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore pardon
after the manner Thou wishest Thy servants to direct themselves
to Thee. I beg of Thee to wash away our sins as
befitteth Thy Lordship, and to forgive me, my parents, and
those who in Thy estimation have entered the abode of
Thy love in a manner which is worthy of Thy transcendent
sovereignty and well beseemeth the glory of Thy celestial
power.
O my God! Thou hast inspired my soul to offer its
supplication to Thee, and but for Thee, I would not call
upon Thee. Lauded and glorified art Thou; I yield Thee
praise inasmuch as Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, and
I beg Thee to forgive me, since I have fallen short in my
duty to know Thee and have failed to walk in the path of
Thy love.
LAUDED be Thy Name, O Lord our God! Thou art in
truth the Knower of things unseen. Ordain for us such
good as Thine all-embracing knowledge can measure.
Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Almighty, the Best
Beloved.
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All praise be unto Thee, O Lord! We shall seek Thy
grace on the appointed Day and shall put our whole
reliance in Thee, Who art our Lord. Glorified art Thou, O
God! Grant us that which is good and seemly that we may
be able to dispense with everything but Thee. Verily Thou
art the Lord of all worlds.
O God! Recompense those who endure patiently in Thy
days and strengthen their hearts to walk undeviatingly in
the path of Truth. Grant then, O Lord, such goodly gifts as
would enable them to gain admittance into Thy blissful
Paradise. Exalted art Thou, O Lord God. Let Thy heavenly
blessings descend upon homes whose inmates have believed
in Thee. Verily, unsurpassed art Thou in sending down
divine blessings. Send forth, O God, such hosts as would
render Thy faithful servants victorious. Thou dost fashion
the created things through the power of Thy decree as
Thou pleasest. Thou art in truth the Sovereign, the
Creator, the All-Wise.
Say: God is indeed the Maker of all things. He giveth
sustenance in plenty to whomsoever He willeth. He is the
Creator, the Source of all beings, the Fashioner, the Almighty,
the Maker, the All-Wise. He is the Bearer of the
most excellent titles throughout the heavens and the earth
and whatever lieth between them. All do His bidding, and
all the dwellers of earth and heaven celebrate His praise,
and unto Him shall all return.
THROUGH Thy revelation, O my God, Thou hast enabled
me to know Thee, and through the radiance of Thine
effulgent splendour Thou hast inspired me with Thy
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remembrance. Thou art the One nearest to me with naught
else between Thee and me, and Thou art the One Whose
power nothing whatsoever can frustrate. Far be it then
from Thine Essence that the mightiest birds of the souls of
men or of human imaginings should ever scale its heights,
and too exalted is Thy holy Being for the loftiest sentiments
of men of understanding to attain unto Thee. From
everlasting no one hath comprehended Thine Own Self,
and unto everlasting Thou shalt remain what Thou hast
been since time immemorial with no one else besides Thee.
Magnified be Thy Name, Thou art the Best Beloved
Who hast enabled me to know Thee and Thou art that All-Renowned
One Who hast graciously favoured me with
Thy love. Thou art the Ancient of Days Whom none can
ever describe through the evidences of Thy glory and
majesty, and Thou art the mighty One Whom none can
ever comprehend through the revelations of Thy greatness
and beauty, inasmuch as the expressions of majesty and
grandeur and the attributes of dominion and beauty are
but the tokens of Thy divine Will and the effulgent reflections
of Thy sovereignty which, by reason of their very
essence and nature, proclaim that the way is barred and bear
witness that the pathway is inaccessibly beyond the reach
of men.
In the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the Sovereign, the
All-Sufficing, the Most Exalted, He Whose help is implored
by all men.
SAY: O my God! O Thou Who art the Maker of the
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heavens and of the earth, O Lord of the Kingdom! Thou
well knowest the secrets of my heart, while Thy Being is
inscrutable to all save Thyself. Thou seest whatsoever is of
me, while no one else can do this save Thee. Vouchsafe
unto me, through Thy grace, what will enable me to
dispense with all except Thee, and destine for me that which
will make me independent of everyone else besides Thee.
Grant that I may reap the benefit of my life in this world
and in the next. Open to my face the portals of Thy grace
and graciously confer upon me Thy tender mercy and
bestowals.
O Thou Who art the Lord of grace abounding! Let Thy
celestial aid surround those who love Thee and bestow
upon us the gifts and the bounties Thou dost possess. Be
Thou sufficient unto us of all things, forgive our sins and
have mercy upon us. Thou art Our Lord and the Lord of
all created things. No one else do we invoke but Thee and
naught do we beseech but Thy favours. Thou art the Lord
of bounty and grace, invincible in Thy power and the most
skilful in Thy designs. No God is there but Thee, the All-Possessing,
the Most Exalted.
Confer Thy blessings, O my Lord, upon the Messengers,
the holy ones and the righteous. Verily Thou art God, the
Peerless, the All-Compelling.
GLORIFIED art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art in truth
the King of kings. Thou dost confer sovereignty upon
whomsoever Thou willest and dost seize it from whomsoever
Thou willest. Thou dost exalt whomsoever Thou
willest and dost abase whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost
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render victorious whomsoever Thou willest and dost bring
humiliation upon whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost bestow
wealth upon whomsoever Thou willest and dost reduce
to poverty whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost cause
whomsoever Thou willest to prevail over whomsoever
Thou willest. Within Thy grasp Thou dost hold the empire
of all created things and through the potency of Thy
sovereign behest Thou dost call into being whomsoever
Thou willest. Verily Thou art the Omniscient, the Omnipotent,
the Lord of power.
PRAISED and glorified art Thou, O God! Grant that the
day of attaining Thy holy presence may be fast approaching.
Cheer our hearts through the potency of Thy love and
good-pleasure and bestow upon us steadfastness that we
may willingly submit to Thy Will and Thy Decree. Verily
Thy knowledge embraceth all the things Thou hast created
or wilt create and Thy celestial might transcendeth whatsoever
Thou hast called or wilt call into being. There is none
to be worshipped but Thee, there is none to be desired
except Thee, there is none to be adored besides Thee and
there is naught to be loved save Thy good-pleasure.
Verily Thou art the supreme Ruler, the Sovereign Truth,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
THOU knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations
have showered upon me from all directions and that no one
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can dispel or transmute them except Thee. I know of a
certainty, by virtue of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt
never cause tribulations to befall any soul unless Thou
desirest to exalt his station in Thy celestial Paradise and to
buttress his heart in this earthly life with the bulwark of
Thine all-compelling power, that it may not become
inclined toward the vanities of this world. Indeed Thou art
well aware that under all conditions I would cherish the
remembrance of Thee far more than the ownership of all
that is in the heavens and on the earth.
Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience
and in Thy love and grant that I may be clear of the entire
company of Thine adversaries. Verily I swear by Thy glory
that I yearn for naught besides Thyself, nor do I desire anything
except Thy mercy, nor am I apprehensive of aught
save Thy justice. I beg Thee to forgive me as well as those
whom Thou lovest, howsoever Thou pleasest. Verily Thou
art the Almighty, the Bountiful.
Immensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens and
earth, above the praise of all men, and may peace be upon
Thy faithful servants and glory be unto God, the Lord of all
the worlds.
PRAISE be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me
steadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be reckoned
among those who have not violated Thy Covenant nor
followed the gods of their own idle fancy. Enable me, then,
to obtain a seat of truth in Thy presence, bestow upon me a
token of Thy mercy and let me join with such of Thy
servants as shall have no fear nor shall they be put to grief.
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Abandon me not to myself, O my Lord, nor deprive me of
recognizing Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Own
Self, nor account me with such as have turned away from
Thy holy presence. Number me, O my God, with those
who are privileged to fix their gaze upon Thy Beauty and
who take such delight therein that they would not exchange
a single moment thereof with the sovereignty of
the kingdom of heavens and earth or with the entire realm
of creation. Have mercy on me, O Lord, in these days
when the peoples of Thine earth have erred grievously;
supply me then, O my God, with that which is good and
seemly in Thine estimation. Thou art verily the All-Powerful,
the Gracious, the Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving.
Grant, O my God, that I may not be reckoned among
those whose ears are deaf, whose eyes are blind, whose
tongues are speechless and whose hearts have failed to
comprehend. Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of ignorance
and of selfish desire, suffer me to be admitted into the
precincts of Thy transcendent mercy and send down upon
me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones.
Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Verily Thou art
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
O MY God, O my Lord, O my Master! I beg Thee to
forgive me for seeking any pleasure save Thy love, or any
comfort except Thy nearness, or any delight besides Thy
good-pleasure, or any existence other than communion
with Thee.
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THOU seest, O my Lord, my dwelling-place in the heart
of this mountain and Thou dost witness my forbearance.
Verily I have desired naught else but Thy love and the love
of those who love Thee. How can I extol the effulgent
beauty of Thy Lordship, conscious as I am of my nothingness
before the habitation of Thy glory? Yet the sorrow of
solitude and loneliness prompteth me to invoke Thee
through this prayer, perchance Thy trusted servants may
become aware of my lamentations, may supplicate unto
Thee on my behalf, and Thou wouldst graciously answer
their prayers as a token of Thy grace and Thy favour. I
bear witness that there is no God but Thee, inasmuch as
Thou art invested with sovereignty, grandeur, glory and
power which no one among Thy servants can visualize or
comprehend. Indeed Thou shalt, by virtue of that which is
inherent in Thine Essence, ever remain inscrutable unto all
except Thyself.
IS there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised
be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by
His bidding!