Chapter 2
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CHAPTER TWO: THE PROMISED ONE
THE SUCCESSIVE REVELATIONS
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Every time I am reminded of Thee and
muse on Thy virtues, I am seized with such ecstasies and am so enravished by Thee that I
find myself unable to make mention of Thy name and to extol Thee. I am carried back to
such heights that I recognize my self to be the same as the remembrance of Thee in Thy
realm, and the essence of Thy praise among Thy servants. As long as that self endureth, so
long will Thy praise continue to be shed abroad among Thy creatures and Thy remembrance
glorified by Thy people.
Every man endued with insight among Thy servants is persuaded that
my self liveth eternally and can never perish, inasmuch as remembrance of Thee is eternal
and will endure so long as Thine own Self endureth, and Thy praise is everlasting and will
last as long as Thine own sovereignty will last. By its means Thou art glorified by such
of Thy chosen ones as call upon Thee and by the sincere among Thy servants. Nay, the
praise wherewith any one, in the entire creation, praiseth Thee proceedeth from this
exalted self and returneth unto it, even as the sun which, while it shineth, sheddeth its
splendor upon whatsoever may be exposed to its rays. From this sun is generated, and unto
it must return, the light which is shed over all things.
Exalted, immeasurably exalted art Thou above any attempt to measure
the greatness of Thy Cause, above any comparison that one may seek to make, above the
efforts of the human tongue to utter its import! From everlasting Thou hast existed, alone
with no one else beside Thee, and wilt, to everlasting, continue to remain the same, in
the sublimity of Thine essence and the inaccessible heights of Thy glory.
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And when Thou didst purpose to make Thyself known unto men, Thou
didst successively reveal the Manifestations of Thy Cause, and ordained each to be a sign
of Thy Revelation among Thy people and the Day Spring of Thine invisible Self amidst Thy
creatures, until the time when, as decreed by Thee, all Thy previous Revelations
culminated in Him Whom Thou hast appointed as the Lord of all who are in the heaven of
revelation and the kingdom of creation, Him Whom Thou hast established as the Sovereign
Lord of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. He it was Whom Thou hast
determined to be the Herald of Thy Most Great Revelation and the Announcer of Thy Most
Ancient Splendor. In this Thou hadst no other purpose except to try them who have
manifested Thy most excellent titles unto all who are in heaven and on earth. He it was
Whom Thou hast commanded to establish His covenant with all created things.
And when Thy promise came to pass and the set time was fulfilled, He
Who is the Possessor of all Names and Attributes was made manifest unto men. Thereupon all
that were in the heavens and all that were on the earth were terror-stricken save those
whom Thou didst keep under Thy protection and preserve within the shelter of Thy power and
gracious providence. There befell Him, at the hands of such of Thy creatures as have
transgressed against Thee, that which the tongue of no one of Thy servants can recount.
Look down, then, upon Him, O my God, with the eye of Thy tender
mercy, and send down upon Him and upon those that love Him all the good Thou didst ordain
in the heaven of Thy will and the Tablet of Thy decree. Aid them, then, with Thy succor,
for Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the
All-Compelling.
WISHING TO REVEAL THYSELF
Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! I testify that Thou wast a hidden
Treasure wrapped within Thine immemorial Being and an impenetrable Mystery enshrined in
Thine own Essence. Wishing to reveal Thyself, Thou didst call into being the Greater and
the Lesser Worlds, and didst choose Man above all Thy creatures,
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and didst make Him a sign of both of these worlds, O Thou Who art our Lord, the Most
Compassionate!
Thou didst raise Him up to occupy Thy throne before all the people
of Thy creation. Thou didst enable Him to unravel Thy mysteries, and to shine with the
lights of Thine inspiration and Thy Revelation, and to manifest Thy names and Thine
attributes. Through Him Thou didst adorn the preamble of the book of Thy creation, O Thou
Who art the Ruler of the universe Thou hast fashioned!
I bear witness that in His person solidity and fluidity have been
joined and combined. Through His immovable constancy in Thy Cause, and His unwavering
adherence to whatsoever Thou, in the plenitude of the light of Thy glory, didst unveil to
His eyes, throughout the domains of Thy Revelation and creation, the souls of Thy servants
were stirred up in their longing for Thy Kingdom, the dwellers of Thy realms rushed forth
to enter into Thy heavenly dominion. Through the restlessness He evinced in Thy path, the
feet of all them that are devoted to Thee were steeled and confirmed to manifest Thy Cause
amidst Thy creatures, and to demonstrate Thy sovereignty throughout Thy realm.
How great, O my God, is this Thy most excellent handiwork and how
consummate Thy creation, which hath caused every understanding heart and mind to marvel!
And when the set time was fulfilled, and what had been preordained came to pass, Thou
didst unloose His tongue to praise Thee, and to lay bare Thy mysteries before all Thy
creation, O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names, and the Fashioner of earth and
heaven! Through Him all created things were made to glorify Thee, and to celebrate Thy
praise, and every soul was directed towards the kingdom of Thy revelation and Thy
sovereignty.
At one time, Thou didst raise Him up, O my God, and didst attire Him
with the ornament of the name of Him Who conversed with Thee (Moses), and didst through
Him uncover all that Thy will had decreed and Thine irrevocable purpose ordained. At
another time, Thou didst adorn Him with the name of Him Who was Thy Spirit (Jesus), and
didst send Him down out of the heaven of Thy will, for the edification of Thy people,
infusing
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thereby the spirit of life into the hearts of the sincere among Thy servants and the
faithful among Thy creatures. Again, Thou didst reveal Him, decked forth by the name of
Him Who was Thy Friend (Muhammad), and caused Him to shine brightly above the horizon of
Hijaz, as a token of Thy power and an evidence of Thy might. Through Him Thou didst send
unto Thy servants what enabled them to scale the heights of Thy unity, and to yearn over
the wonders of Thy manifold knowledge and wisdom.
I testify, O Thou Who art the Lord of the whole creation, and the
Desire of whosoever hath sought Thee, that, amidst Thy creatures, they resemble the sun
which no matter how often it riseth and setteth is still the one and the same sun. Whoso
maketh any distinction between any of them hath truly failed to attain the ultimate
purpose, and to reach the highest goal, and hath been deprived of the mysteries of unity
and of the lights of sanctity and oneness. I testify, moreover, that Thou hast decreed
that none on the face of the earth should equal them, and none of Thy creatures be able to
be compared with any of them, in order that Thine own singleness and peerlessness might be
recognized and established.
Glorified, immeasurably glorified be Thy name, O my God! How can I
ever befittingly mention Thee or sufficiently praise Thee, that Thou hast manifested Him
by the power of Thy might, and caused Him to shine above the horizon of Thy will, and made
Him the Day Spring of Thy signs, and the Dawning-Place of the revelation of Thy names and
Thine attributes? How bewilderingly mysterious, moreover, O my God, is His nature and all
that Thou hast infused into Him, through Thy strength and by the power of Thy might! At
one time He appeareth as the water which is Life indeed, sent down out of the heaven of
Thy grace, and poured forth from the clouds of Thy mercy, that Thy creatures may be endued
with new life, and live as long as Thine own Kingdom endureth. Every drop of that water
would suffice to quicken the dead, and to set their faces in the direction of Thy favors
and Thy gifts, and to rid them of all attachment to aught else except Thee. At another
time He revealeth Himself as the Fire which Thou didst kindle in the tree of Thy unity,
whose heat melted the hearts of Thine ardent lovers when He Who is the Day Star of the
world
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shone forth above the horizon of `Iraq. I testify, O my God, that through Him the veils
of human fancy were burnt up, and the hearts of men were set towards the scene of Thy most
resplendent glory.
I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the Supreme Ordainer, not to suffer
me to be deprived of the breezes which are wafted in Thy days, the days whereon the sweet
smell of the raiment of Thy mercy hath been shed abroad. Neither do Thou keep me back from
Thy most great Ocean, every drop of which crieth out and saith: Great is the blessedness
that awaiteth him who hath been awakened from his sleep by the breath of God which, from
the source of His mercy, hath blown over all such of His creatures as have set themselves
towards Him!"
Thou seest, O my Lord, how Thy servants are held captive by their
own selves and desires. Redeem them from their bondage, O my God, by the power of Thy
sovereignty and might, that they may turn towards Thee when He Who is the Revealer of Thy
names and attributes is manifested unto men.
Cast upon this poor and desolate creature, O my Lord, the glance of
Thy wealth, and flood his heart with the beams of Thy knowledge, that he may apprehend the
verities of the unseen world, and discover the mysteries of Thy heavenly realm, and
perceive the signs and tokens of Thy kingdom, and behold the manifold revelations of this
earthly life all set forth before the face of Him Who is the Revealer of Thine own Self.
Direct, then, his eyes, O my God, towards the horizon of Thy loving-kindness, and make
steadfast his heart in its attachment to Thee, and unloose his tongue to praise Thee, and
make him able to hold fast the cord of Thy love, and to cling to the hem of Thy
bounteousness, and to proclaim Thy name amidst Thy creatures, and to recount Thy virtues
throughout Thy realm, in such wise that no obstacle will deter him from turning to Thy
name, the All-Bountiful, and no veil shut him out from Thee, in Whose hand is the dominion
of utterance and the kingdom of all names and attributes!
Hold Thou the hand of this seeker who hath set his face towards
Thee, O my Lord, and draw him out of the depths of his vain imaginationS, that the light
of certainty may shine brightly above
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the horizon of his heart in the days whereon the sun of the knowledge of Thy creatures
hath been darkened through the shining of the Day Star of Thy glory; the days whereon the
moon of the world's wisdom hath been eclipsed through the appearance of Thy hidden
knowledge, and the manifestation of Thy well-guarded secret, and the revelation of Thine
enshrined mystery; the days whereon the stars of men's doings have fallen through the
rising of the orb of Thy unity and the shedding of the radiance of Thy transcendent
oneness.
I beg of Thee, O my God, by Thy most exalted Word which 'Thou hast
ordained as the Divine Elixir unto all who are in Thy realm, the Elixir through whose
potency the crude metal of human life hath been transmuted into purest gold, O Thou in
Whose hands are both the visible and invisible kingdoms, to ordain that my choice be
conformed to Thy choice and my wish to Thy wish, that I may be entirely content with that
which Thou didst desire, and be wholly satisfied with what Thou didst destine for me by
Thy bounteousness and favor. Potent art Thou to do as Thou willest. Thou, in very truth,
art the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
Happy is the man who hath recognized Thee, and discovered the
sweetness of Thy fragrance, and set himself towards Thy kingdom, and tasted of the things
that have been perfected therein by Thy grace and favor. Great is the blessedness of him
who hath acknowledged Thy most excellent majesty, and whom the veils that have shut out
the nations from Thee have not hindered from directing his eyes towards Thee, O Thou Who
art the King of eternity and the Quickener of every moldering bone! Blessed, also, is he
that hath inhaled Thy sweet savors, and been carried away by Thine utterances in Thy days.
Blessed, moreover, be the man that hath turned unto Thee, and woe betide him that hath
turned his back upon Thee.
Praised be Thou, the Lord of the worlds!
THE COVENANT THOU HAST ESTABLISHED
Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest that my sole aim in
revealing Thy Cause hath been to reveal Thee and not my
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self, and to manifest Thy glory rather than my glory. In Thy path, and to attain Thy
pleasure, I have scorned rest, joy, delight. At all times and under all conditions my gaze
hath been fixed on Thy precepts, and mine eyes bent upon the things Thou hast bidden me
observe in Thy Tablets. I have wakened every morning to the light of Thy praise and Thy
remembrance, and reached evening inhaling the fragrances of Thy mercy.
And when the entire creation was stirred up, and the whole earth was
convulsed, and the sweet savors of Thy name, the All-Praised, had almost ceased to breathe
over Thy realms, and the winds of Thy mercy had well-nigh been stilled throughout Thy
dominions, Thou didst, through the power of Thy might, raise me up among Thy servants, and
bid me to show forth Thy sovereignty amidst Thy people. Thereupon I arose before all Thy
creatures, strengthened by Thy help and Thy power, and summoned all the multitudes unto
Thee, and announced unto all Thy servants Thy favors and Thy gifts, and invited them to
turn towards this Ocean, every drop of the waters of which crieth out, proclaiming unto
all that are in heaven and on earth that He is in truth, the Fountain of all life, and the
Quickener of the entire creation, and the Object of the adoration of all worlds, and the
Best-Beloved of every understanding heart, and the Desire of all them that are nigh unto
Thee.
Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers blew and
beat on this Lamp, He was, at no time, in His love for Thy beauty, hindered from shedding
the fragrance of His light. As the transgressions committed against Thee waxed greater and
greater, my eagerness to reveal Thy Cause correspondingly increased, and as the
tribulations deepened and to this Thy glory beareth me witness--a fuller measure of Thy
sovereignty and of Thy power was vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures.
And finally, I was cast by the transgressors into the prison-city of
'Akka, and my kindred were made captives in Baghdád. The power of Thy might beareth me
witness, O my God! Every trouble that hath touched me in Thy path hath added to my joy and
increased my gladness. I swear by Thee, O Thou Who art the King of Kings! None of the
kings of the earth hath power to hinder
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me from remembering Thee or from extolling Thy virtues. Were they to be leagued--as
they have been leagued--against me, and to brandish their sharpest swords and most
afflictive spears against me, I would not hesitate to magnify Thy name before all them
that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth. Nay rather, I would cry out and say:
"This, O my Beloved, is my face which I have offered up for Thy face, and this is my
spirit which I have sacrificed for Thy spirit, and this is my blood that seetheth in my
veins, in its longing to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy path."
Though--as Thou beholdest me, O my God--I be dwelling in a place
within whose walls no voice can be heard except the sound of the echo, though all the
gates of ease and comfort be shut against us, and thick darkness appear to have compassed
us on every side, yet my soul hath been so inflamed by its love for Thee, that nothing
whatsoever can either quench the fire of its love or abate the consuming flame of its
desire. Lifting up its voice, it crieth aloud amidst Thy servants, and calleth them, at
all times and under all conditions, unto Thee.
I beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to open the eyes of Thy
servants, that they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy majesty and glory,
and that they may not be hindered by the croaking of the raven from hearkening to the
voice of the Dove of Thy sublime oneness, nor be prevented by the corrupt waters from
partaking of the pure wine of Thy bounty and the everlasting streams of Thy gifts.
Gather them, then, together around this Divine Law, the covenant of
which Thou hast established with all Thy Prophets and Thy Messengers, and Whose ordinances
Thou hast written down in Thy Tablets and Thy Scriptures. Raise them up, moreover, to such
heights as will enable them to perceive Thy Call.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the
Inaccessible, the All-Glorious.
WHOM THOU HAST CHOSEN
Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast been true to what the Pen
of Thy Revelation hath inscribed upon the Tablets sent
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down by Thee unto them Whom Thou hast chosen above all Thy creatures, and through Whom
Thou hast unlocked the doors of Thy mercy, and shed abroad the radiance of the light of
Thy guidance. Glory to Thee that Thou hast laid bare what had from eternity been wrapped
up within the Tabernacle of Thy majesty, Thine omnipotence and glory, and through which
Thou hadst decked forth the heaven of Thy Revelation and adorned the pages of the book of
Thy testimony.
And when the Pledge was fulfilled and the Promised One appeared, He
was rejected by such of Thy servants as profess to have believed in Him in Whom Thy
Godhead was manifested, Whom Thou didst ordain to be the Herald of this Revelation, and
through Whose advent the eyes of the inmates of the sanctuary of Thy unity were cheered.
I know, O my Lord, neither their reasoning with which they have
acknowledged Thee and believed in Thy signs, nor their argument whereby they have
repudiated Thy sovereignty. Every time I call them to Thee and say: "O people!
Consider the utterances of the Lord your God which are in your possession and those that
have been sent down from the heaven of His will and power," they cavil at Thee, and
turn their backs to Thee, though--as Thou art aware--each of the words that have gone out
of the mouth of Thy will sheddeth the fragrance of the breaths of Thy mercy.
Some have chosen to cleave to him who is counted unworthy to
converse with any of Thy servants that watch at Thy door (Mírzá Yahyá), how much more
to enter into the court in which the Tongue of Thy majesty speaketh. Cleanse Thou their
hearts and their eyes, O my Lord, that they may see with their eyes and understand with
their hearts, that haply they may be attracted by Thine utterances to the Day-Spring of
Thine inspiration, and draw nigh unto the soft-flowing stream of Thy knowledge.
Thou art He, O my Lord, Who hath, in every line of Thy Book, entered
into covenant with them for me, and made it so sure that none of Thy creatures can any
longer evade it. Thou didst say--and Thy word is the truth: "One single letter from
Him excelleth all that hath been sent down in the Bayán."
Thou dost consider, therefore, O my God, how they have trans-
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gressed against Thy Cause, and beholdest what their hands have wrought in Thy days.
They have so grievously wronged me that the Lote-Tree of Thy Revelation moaneth, and the
inmates of the Tabernacle of Thy majesty and the dwellers of the cities of Thy names
lament. I know not, O my God, for what reason they have risen up to oppress me, and by
what proof they have turned aside from Him Who is the Day Spring of Thy signs. I beseech
Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Creator of the heavens, to aid them to
act equitably in Thy Cause, that haply they may discover the sweet smell of the robe of
Thy mercy, and set their faces towards the horizon that shineth with the brightness of the
light of Thy face. Weak are they, O my Lord, and Thou art the Lord of strength and power.
They are but paupers, and Thou art the All-Possessing, the Most Generous.
Thou art well aware, O my God, that throughout my life I have sought
no advantage for myself. I have offered up my spirit and my whole being for the exaltation
of Thy word amidst Thy creatures and the glorification of Thy name among Thy servants.
Thou didst send me with such a Testimony that they Who are the Exponents of Thy Revelation
and the Day Springs of Thine inspiration were stirred up with vehement longing. Through
it, Thy proof was established, and Thy bounty fulfilled, and Thy Cause perfected, and
Thine utterances released, and Thy clear tokens uncovered.
Thou knowest, O my God, that I have wished only what Thou hast
wished, and desire what Thou dost desire. Were I to speak forth before Thy servants the
things wherewith Thou didst, through Thy bounty, inspire me and which Thou didst command
me to utter amidst Thy creatures, the oppressors among Thy people would cavil at me. And
were I to hold my peace and cease to celebrate the wonders of Thy praise, all the limbs of
my body would be stirred up to extol Thee. I know not what the water is with which Thou
didst create me, or what the fire Thou didst kindle within me. I swear by Thy glory! I
shall not cease to mention Thee, though all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth rise
up against me. Thee will I magnify, in all circumstances, with
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a heart wholly rid of all attachment to the world and all that is therein.
Praised be Thou, the Well-Beloved of the hearts of all such as have
recognized Thee.
THY STRAIGHT PATH
I beseech Thee, O God of bounty and King of all created things to
guard Thy servants from the imaginations which their hearts may devise. Raise them up,
then, to such heights that their footsteps may slip not in the face of the evidences of
Thy handiwork which the manifold exigencies of Thy wisdom have ordained, and whose secrets
Thou hast hid from the face of Thy people and Thy creatures. Withhold them not, O my Lord,
from the ocean of Thy knowledge, neither do Thou deprive them of what Thou didst destine
for such of Thy chosen ones as have near access to Thee and those of Thy trusted ones as
are wholly devoted to Thy Self. Supply them, then, from Thy sea of certainty with what
will calm the agitation of their hearts. Turn, O Lord my God, the darkness of their
fancies into the brightness of certitude, and cause them to arise, and to walk steadfastly
in Thy straight Path, that haply Thy Book may not hinder them from recognizing Him Who is
its Revealer, and Thy names from acknowledging the One Who is their Creator, and their
Provider, and their Origin, and their King, and their Begetter, and their Destroyer, and
their Glorifier, and their Abaser, and their Governor, and the Sovereign Protector of
their Bearers.
THOU HAST SENT DOWN THY BOOK
Thou art the One, O my God and my Ruler, Who hast sent down Thy Book
that Thou mayest manifest my Cause, and glorify my Word. Through it Thou didst enter into
a Covenant, concerning me, with all that hath been created in Thy realm. Thou seest, O
Beloved of the world, how the rebellious among Thy creatures have made of that Covenant a
bulwark for themselves,
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and through it have withdrawn from Thy Beauty, and repudiated Thy signs.
Thou art He, O my God, Who hath commanded them in Thy great Book,
and said: "Fear ye the Most Merciful, O people of the Bayán, and deny not Him for
Whom I have ordained the Bayán to be one of the leaves of His Paradise. I, verily, esteem
it as a gift from me unto Him. Were it His pleasure to accept it, He, truly, is the Most
Bountiful; and if He cast it away and refuse to consider it, His verdict is just, and He,
in very truth, is Praiseworthy in His acts, and meet to be obeyed in His behests. To none
is given the right to cavil at Him."
THE TABLET OF VISITATION
The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the
glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who
art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are
in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His
dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and the Day Stars of
ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, and
the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation. I testify,
moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injunction "Be Thou" hath
been enforced, and God's hidden Secret hath been divulged, and all created things have
been called into being. and all the Revelations have been sent down.
I bear witness, moreover, that through Thy beauty the beauty of the
Adored One hath been unveiled, and through Thy face the face of the Desired One hath shone
forth, and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided between all created things,
causing them who are devoted to Thee to ascend unto the summit of glory, and the infidels
to fall into the lowest abyss.
I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he
who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. Great,
therefore, is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs, and hath
humbled
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himself before Thy sovereignty, and hath been honored with meeting Thee, and hath
attained the good pleasure of Thy will, and circled around Thee, and stood before Thy
throne. Woe betide him that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied Thee, and
repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and waxed
proud before Thy face, and hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy
dominion, and been numbered with the infidels whose names have been inscribed by the
fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy Tablets.
Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of
Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me
away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou, truly, hast been supreme over all things.
The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His
splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of
creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of
Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at
another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou
didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my
soul be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain. I beseech God, by Thee and by
them whose faces have been illuminated with the splendors of the light of Thy countenance,
and who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden, to remove the
veils that have come in between Thee and Thy creatures, and to supply me with the good of
this world and the world to come. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the
All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
Bless Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves, and
its boughs, and its branches, and its stems, and its offshoots, as long as Thy most
excellent titles will endure and Thy
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most august attributes will last. Protect it, then, from the mischief of the aggressor
and the hosts of tyranny. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Bless Thou,
also, O Lord my God, Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto Thee. Thou,
truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. No God is there save Thee, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
HE CALLETH THE NATIONS
Praised be Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by them who have circled
round the throne of Thy will, and soared in the atmosphere of Thy good-pleasure, and
turned with all their affections towards the Horizon of Thy Revelation and the Day Spring
of Thine inspiration, and the Dawning-Place of Thy names, to aid Thy servants to observe
what Thou hast commanded them in Thy days--commandments through which the sacredness of
Thy Cause will be demonstrated unto Thy servants and the affairs of Thy creatures and of
Thy realm will be set aright.
I testify, O my God, that this is the Day whereon Thy testimony hath
been fulfilled, and Thy clear tokens have been manifested, and Thine utterances have been
revealed, and Thy signs have been demonstrated, and the radiance of Thy countenance hath
been diffused, and Thy proof hath been perfected, and Thine ascendancy hath been
established, and Thy mercy hath overflowed, and the Day Star of Thy grace hath shone forth
with such brilliance that Thou didst manifest Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the
Treasury of Thy wisdom and the Dawning-Place of Thy majesty and power. Thou didst
establish His covenant with every one who hath been created in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven and in the realms of revelation and of creation. Thou didst raise Him up to such
heights that the wrongs inflicted by the oppressors have been powerless to deter Him from
revealing Thy sovereignty, and the ascendancy of the wayward hath failed to prevent Him
from demonstrating Thy power and from exalting Thy Cause.
So highly didst Thou exalt Him that He openly delivered unto the
kings Thy messages and commandments, and hath never for
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one moment sought His own protection, but striven to protect Thy servants from whatever
might withhold them from approaching the kingdom of Thy nearness, and from setting their
faces towards the horizon of Thy good-pleasure.
Thou seest, O my God, how, notwithstanding the swords that are drawn
against Him, He calleth the nations unto Thee, and though Himself a prisoner summoneth
them to turn in the direction of Thy gifts and bounties. With every fresh tribulation He
manifested a fuller measure of Thy Cause, and exalted more highly Thy word.
I testify that through Him the Pen of the Most High was set in
motion, and with His remembrance the Scriptures in the kingdom of names were embellished.
Through Him Thy fragrances were wafted, and the sweet smell of Thy raiment was shed abroad
amongst all the dwellers of the earth and the inmates of heaven. Thou seest and knowest
full well, O my God, how He hath been made to dwell within the most desolate of cities, so
that He may build up the hearts of Thy servants, and hath been willing to suffer the most
grievous abasement, that Thy creatures may be exalted.
I pray Thee, O Thou Who causest the dawn to appear, by Thy Name
through Which Thou hast subjected the winds, and sent down Thy Tablets, that Thou wilt
grant that we may draw near unto what Thou didst destine for us by Thy favor and bounty,
and to be far removed from whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee. Give us, then, to drink
from the hands of Thy grace every day and every moment of our lives of the waters that are
life indeed, O Thou Who art the Most Merciful! Make us, then, to be of them who helped
Thee when fallen into the hands of those Thine enemies who are numbered with the
rebellious among Thy creatures and the wicked amidst Thy people. Write down, then, for us
the recompense ordained for him that hath attained Thy presence, and gazed on Thy beauty,
and supply us with every good thing ordained in Thy Book for such of Thy creatures as
enjoy near access to Thee.
Brighten our hearts, O my Lord, with the splendor of Thy knowledge,
and illumine our sight with the light of such eyes as
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are fixed upon the horizon of Thy grace and the Day Spring of Thy glory. Preserve us,
then, by Thy Most Great Name, Which Thou didst cause to overshadow such nations as lay
claim to what Thou hast forbidden in Thy Book. This, verily, is what Thou didst announce
unto us in Thy Scriptures and Thy Tablets.
Cause us, then, to be so steadfast in our love towards Thee that we
will turn to none except Thee, and will be reckoned amongst them that are brought nigh to
Thee, and acknowledge Thee as One Who is exalted above every comparison and is holy beyond
all likeness, and will lift up our voices amongst Thy servants and cry aloud that He is
the one God, the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the
All-Wise.
Strengthen Thou, O my Lord, the hearts of them that love Thee, that
they may not be affrighted by the hosts of the infidels that are turned back from Thee,
but may follow Thee in whatsoever hath been revealed by Thee. Aid them, moreover, to
remember and to praise Thee, and to teach Thy Cause with eloquence and wisdom. Thou art He
Who hath called Himself the Most Merciful. Ordain, then, O my God, for me and for
whosoever hath sought Thee what beseemeth the excellence of Thy glory and the greatness of
Thy majesty. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
DARKNESS HATH FALLEN
Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Darkness hath fallen upon every
land, and the forces of mischief have encompassed all the nations. Through them, however,
I perceive the splendors of Thy wisdom, and discern the brightness of the light of Thy
providence.
They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that
they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds
of Thy grace. Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me witness! Had not every tribulation
been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one
would have dared oppose us, though the
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powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. Were I to unravel the
wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before me, the reins of Thine enemies
would be cleft asunder.
Glorified be Thou, then, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great
Name to assemble them that love Thee around the Law that streameth from the good-pleasure
of Thy will, and to send down upon them what will assure their hearts.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily the Help
in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
THE ETERNITY OF THY MAJESTY
How marvelous, then, are the manifold tokens of Thy might and how
great are the diverse evidences of Thy power! The learned have, without exception,
admitted their ignorance when confronted with the radiance of the Luminary of Thy
knowledge; and the mighty have all confessed their impotence in the face of the billowing
Ocean of Thy power; and the rich have one and all acknowledged their poverty before the
effusions of the Treasuries of Thy wealth; and the worldly wise have each recognized their
nothingness beside the splendors of the Light of Thy beauty; and the exalted have all
witnessed unto their abasement when face to face with the effulgence of the Day Star of
Thy glory; and they who are in authority have borne witness to their own evanescence and
to the evanescence of others, and discovered the eternity of Thy majesty, and of Thy
sovereignty, and of Thy sublimity, and of Thy power.
THIS DIVINE LAW
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by Them Who are the
Tabernacles of Thy Divine holiness, Who are the Manifestations of Thy transcendent unity
and the Day Springs of Thine inspiration and revelation, to grant that Thy servants may
not be kept back from this Divine Law which, at Thy will
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and according to Thy pleasure, hath branched out from Thy most great Ocean. Do Thou,
then, ordain for them that which Thou didst ordain for Thy chosen ones and for the
righteous among Thy creatures, whose constancy in Thy Cause the tempests of trials have
failed to shake, and whom the tumults of tests have been powerless to hinder from
magnifying Thy most exalted Word--the Word through Which the heavens of men's idle fancies
and vain imaginations have been split asunder. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the
All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.
Enable, then, Thy servants, O my God, to recognize the Day Star that
hath shone forth above the horizon of Thine irrevocable decree and purpose, and suffer
them not to be deprived of the Paradise which Thou, by Thy name, the All-Glorious, hast
called into being in the heavens of Thine exalted omnipotence. Cause them, moreover, O my
God, to hearken to Thy most sweet voice, that they may all hasten to recognize Thy unity
and acknowledge Thy oneness, O Thou Who art the Beloved of the hearts of all that yearn
after Thee, and the Object of the adoration of such as have known Thee!
I beseech Thee, by them that have cut down all the idols in this
Revelation through which the Most Grievous Convulsion and the Great Terror have appeared,
to assist, at all times, Thy servants with the signs of Thine almighty power and the
evidences of Thy transcendent and all-compelling might. Grant, then, that their hearts may
be made as strong as brass, that they may remain unmoved by the overpowering might of such
as have transgressed against Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Essence and the Day
Spring of Thine invisible Self, and that they may all arise to glorify and help Thee, so
that through them the ensigns of Thy triumph may be lifted up in Thy realm, and the
standards of Thy Cause may be unfurled throughout Thy dominions. Thou art He who from
everlasting hath, through the potency of His will, been all-powerful, and will continue to
remain the same for ever and ever. Thou art, verily, the All-Glorious, the Most High. No
God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Help in Peril, the Most
Great, the One Being, the Incomparable, the All-Glorious, the Unrestrained.
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NO SOONER HAD HE REVEALED HIMSELF
I beg of Thee, O my God, by Thy power, and Thy might, and thy
sovereignty, which have embraced all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, to make known
unto Thy servants this luminous Way and this straight Path, that they may acknowledge Thy
unity and Thy oneness, with a certainty which the vain imaginations of the doubters will
not impair, nor the idle fancies of the wayward obscure. Illumine, O my Lord, the eyes of
Thy servants, and brighten their hearts with the splendors of the light of Thy knowledge,
that they may apprehend the greatness of this most sublime station, and recognize this
most luminous Horizon, that haply the clamor of men may fail to deter them from turning
their gaze towards the effulgent light of Thy unity, and to hinder them from setting their
faces toward the Horizon of detachment.
This is the Day, O my Lord, which Thou didst announce unto all
mankind as the Day whereon Thou wouldst reveal Thy Self, and shed Thy radiance, and shine
brightly over all Thy creatures. Thou hast, moreover, entered into a covenant with them,
in Thy Books, and Thy Scriptures, and Thy Scrolls, and Thy Tablets, concerning Him Who is
the Day Spring of Thy Revelation, and hast appointed the Bayán to be the Herald of this
Most Great and all-glorious Manifestation, and this most resplendent and most sublime
Appearance.
And when the world's horizon was illumined, and He Who is the Most
Great Name was manifested, all disbelieved in Him and in His signs, except such as have
been carried away by the sweetness of Thy glorification and praise. There befell Him what
must remain inscrutable to everyone except Thee, Whose knowledge transcendeth all who are
in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth.
Thou well knowest, O my God, that the Revealer of the Bayán (the
Báb) hath commanded all mankind concerning Thy Cause, and Thy Revelation, and Thy
Sovereignty. He hath said, and sweet is His speech: "Beware lest the Bayán and its
Letters keep you back from Him Who is the Most Merciful and from His sovereignty. He,
moreover, hath written: "Were He to produce
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no more than one verse, ye must not deny Him. Haste ye towards Him, that haply He may
cause to descend upon you what He pleaseth, as a token of His grace unto you. He truly is
the Possessor of His servants, and the King of creation."
Thou seest, then, O Thou Who art the Beloved of the world and the
Revealer of the Most Great Name, how He hath come down with the kingdom of His signs, and
in a manner that hath caused the atoms of the earth to testify that the whole world hath
been filled with these signs. And yet, notwithstanding this most manifest and all-glorious
Revelation, and these signs which none can appraise except Thee, O Thou the King of names,
Thou beholdest how they have broken off from Him Who is the Day Spring of Thine Essence,
and have caviled at the One Who is the Fountain-Head of Thy wisdom and of Thine utterance.
They were so seized with thirst for fame, that they rejected Thy tokens, and Thy
testimonies, and Thy signs, which every man of insight perceiveth in whatsoever declareth
Thy greatness, and Thy sovereignty, and acknowledgeth Thy Revelation and Thy might. They
have so traduced Him as to cause the inmates of the all-glorious Tabernacle and the
Concourse on high to lament, and have uttered such calumnies against Him that the souls of
Thy chosen Ones and the hearts of them that are dear to Thee have melted. They have erred
so grievously that they cast away Thy most resplendent signs, and clung to their idle
fancies, O Thou Who art the Possessor of Names and the Lord of the Throne on high and of
earth below!
Thou art, O my God and the Exultation of my heart, the One Who hath
adorned Thy Tablet, of which none is aware except Thee, with the mention of this Day which
Thou didst call after Thy name, that haply none may on that day be seen save Thy most
august Self, and naught else be brought to mind except Thy most sweet remembrance.
No sooner had He revealed Himself than the foundations of the
kindreds of the earth shook and trembled, and the learned swooned away, and the wise were
bewildered, except such as have, through the power of Thy might, drawn nigh unto Thee, and
received the choice wine of Thy Revelation from the hand of Thy
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grace, and have quaffed it in Thy name, and exclaimed: "Praise be unto Thee, O
Thou the Desire of the worlds! and glory be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Exultation of the
hearts that pant after Thee!"
My God, my Master, my Highest Hope, and the Goal of my desire! Thou
seest and hearest the sighing of this wronged One, from this darksome well which the vain
imaginations of Thine adversaries have built, and from this blind pit which the idle
fancies of the wicked among Thy creatures have digged. By Thy Beauty, O Thou Whose glory
is uncovered to the face of men! I am not impatient in the troubles that touch me in my
love for Thee, neither in the adversities which I suffer in Thy path. Nay, I have, by Thy
power, chosen them for mine own self, and I glory in them amongst such of Thy creatures as
enjoy near access to Thee, and those of Thy servants that are wholly devoted to Thy Self.
THE FIRE OF THY LOVE
Thou art He, O my God, Who hath raised me up at Thy behest, and
bidden me to occupy Thy seat, and to summon all men to the court of Thy mercy. It is Thou
Who hast commanded me to tell out the things Thou didst destine for them in the Tablet of
Thy decree and didst inscribe with the pen of Thy Revelation, and Who hast enjoined on me
the duty of kindling the fire of Thy love in the hearts of Thy servants, and of drawing
all the peoples of the earth nearer to the habitation of Thy throne.
And when, as bidden by Thee, I arose and called out, by Thy leave,
all Thy creatures, the wayward among Thy servants opposed me. Some turned away from me,
others disowned my claim, a few hesitated, while others were sore perplexed,
notwithstanding that Thy testimony was set forth before the followers of all religions,
and Thy proof demonstrated unto all the peoples of the earth, and the signs of Thy might
so powerfully manifested as to encompass the entire creation.
I was, moreover, opposed by mine own kindred, although, as Thou
knowest. they were dear to me and I had desired for them
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that which I had desired for mine own self. These are the ones who, when learning that
I had been cast into prison, perpetrated against me what no man else on earth had
perpetrated.
I entreat Thee, therefore, O my God, by Thy name by which Thou hast
separated between truth and denial, to purify their hearts of all evil suggestions, and to
enable them to draw nigh unto Him Who is the Day Spring of Thy names and Thine attributes.
Thou knowest, O my God, that I have severed every tie that bindeth
me to any of Thy creatures except that most exalted tie that uniteth me with whosoever
cleaveth unto Thee, in this the day of the revelation of Thy most august Self, that hath
appeared in Thy name, the All-Glorious. Thou knowest that I have dissolved every bond that
knitteth me to any one of my kindred except such as have enjoyed near access to Thy most
effulgent face.
I have no will but Thy will, O my Lord, and cherish no desire except
Thy desire. From my pen floweth only the summons which Thine own exalted pen hath voiced,
and my tongue uttereth naught save what the Most Great Spirit hath itself proclaimed in
the kingdom of Thine eternity. I am stirred by nothing else except the winds of Thy will,
and breathe no word except the words which, by Thy leave and Thine inspiration, I am led
to pronounce.
Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved of all that have
known Thee, and the Desire of the hearts of such as are devoted to Thee, inasmuch as Thou
hast made me a target for the ills that I suffer in my love for Thee, and the object of
the assaults launched against me in Thy path. Thy glory beareth me witness! I can, on no
account, feel impatient of the adversities that I have borne in my love for Thee. From the
very day Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, I have accepted for myself every manner of
tribulation. Every moment of my life my head crieth out to Thee and saith: "Would, O
my Lord, that I could be raised on the spear-point in Thy path!" while my blood
entreateth Thee saying: "Dye the earth with me, O my God, for the sake of Thy love
and Thy pleasure!" Thou knowest that I have, at no time sought to guard my body
against any affliction, nay rather I have continually
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anticipated the things Thou didst ordain for me in the Tablet of Thy decree.
Behold, then, O my God, my loneliness among Thy servants and my
remoteness from Thy friends and Thy chosen ones. I beseech Thee, by the showers of the
clouds of Thy mercy, whereby Thou hast caused the blossom of Thy praise and utterance and
the flowers of Thy wisdom and testimony to spring forth in the hearts of all them that
have recognized Thy oneness, to supply Thy servants and my kindred with the fruits of the
tree of Thy unity, in these days when Thou hast been established upon the throne of Thy
mercy. Hinder them not, O my Lord, from attaining unto the things Thou dost possess, and
write down for them that which will aid them to scale the heights of Thy grace and favor.
Give them, moreover, to drink of the living waters of Thy knowledge, and ordain for them
the good of this world and of the world to come.
Thou art, verily, the Lord of Bahá, and the Beloved of his heart,
and the Object of his desire, and the Inspirer of his tongue, and the Source of his soul.
No God is there but Thee, the Inaccessible, the Most High. Thou art, verily, the Almighty,
the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
NO REFUGE CAN BE FOUND
My God, my Well-Beloved! No place is there for any one to flee to
when once Thy laws have been sent down, and no refuge can be found by any soul after the
revelation of Thy commandments. Thou hast inspired the Pen with the mysteries of Thine
eternity, and bidden it teach man that which he knoweth not, and caused him to partake of
the living waters of truth from the cup of Thy Revelation and Thine inspiration.
No sooner, however, had the Pen traced upon the tablet one single
letter of Thy hidden wisdom, than the voice of the lamentation of Thine ardent lovers was
lifted up from all directions. Thereupon, there befell the just what hath caused the
inmates of the tabernacle of Thy glory to weep and the dwellers of the cities of Thy
revelation to groan.
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Thou dost consider, O my God, how He Who is the Manifestation of Thy
names is in these days threatened by the swords of Thine adversaries. In such a state He
crieth out and summoneth all the inhabitants of Thine earth and the denizens of Thy heaven
unto Thee.
Purify, O my God, the hearts of Thy creatures with the power of Thy
sovereignty and might, that Thy words may sink deep into them. I know not what is in their
hearts, O my God, nor can tell the thoughts they think of Thee. Methinks that they imagine
that Thy purpose in calling them to Thine all-highest horizon is to heighten the glory of
Thy majesty and power. For had they been satisfied that Thou summonest them to that which
will recreate their hearts and immortalize their souls, they would never have fled from
thy governance, nor deserted the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness. Clear away, then, the
sight of Thy creatures, O my God, that they may recognize Him Who showeth forth the
Godhead as One Who is sanctified from all that pertaineth unto them, and Who, wholly for
Thy sake, is summoning them to the horizon of Thy unity, at a time when every moment of
His life is beset with peril. Had His aim been the preservation of His own Self, He would
never have left it at the mercy of Thy foes.
I swear by Thy glory! I have accepted to be tried by manifold
adversities for no purpose except to regenerate all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy
earth. Whoso hath loved Thee, can never feel attached to his own self, except for the
purpose of furthering Thy Cause; and whoso hath recognized Thee can recognize naught else
except Thee, and can turn to no one save Thee.
Enable Thy servants, O my God, to discover the things Thou didst
desire for them in Thy Kingdom. Acquaint them, moreover, with what He Who is the Origin of
Thy most excellent titles hath, in His love for Thee, been willing to bear for the sake of
the regeneration of their souls, that they may haste to attain the River that is Life
indeed, and turn their faces in the direction of Thy Name, the Most Merciful. Abandon them
not to themselves, O my God! Draw them, by Thy bountiful favor, to the heaven
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of Thine inspiration. They are but paupers, and Thou art the All-Possessing, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
ENTITIES OF A NEW CREATION
How great is Thy power! How exalted Thy sovereignty! How lofty Thy
might! How excellent Thy majesty! How supreme is Thy grandeur--a grandeur which He Who is
Thy Manifestation hath made known and wherewith Thou hast invested Him as a sign of Thy
generosity and bountiful favor. I bear witness, O my God, that through Him Thy most
resplendent signs have been uncovered, and Thy mercy hath encompassed the entire creation.
But for Him, how could the Celestial Dove have uttered its songs or the Heavenly
Nightingale, according to the decree of God, have warbled its melody?
I testify that no sooner had the First Word proceeded, through the
potency of Thy will and purpose, out of His mouth, and the First Call gone forth from His
lips than the whole creation was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens and all
that are on earth were stirred to the depths. Through that Word the realities of all
created things were shaken, were divided, separated, scattered, combined and reunited,
disclosing, in both the contingent world and the heavenly kingdom, entities of a new
creation, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and tokens of Thy unity and
oneness. Through that Call Thou didst announce unto all Thy servants the advent of Thy
most great Revelation and the appearance of Thy most perfect Cause.
No sooner had that Revelation been unveiled to men's eyes than the
signs of universal discord appeared among the peoples of the world, and commotion seized
the dwellers of earth and heaven, and the foundations of all things were shaken. The
forces of dissension were released, the meaning of the Word was unfolded,
and every several atom in all created things acquired its own distinct and separate
character. Hell was made to blaze, and the delights of Paradise were uncovered to men's
eyes. Blessed is the man that turneth towards Thee, and woe betide him who standeth
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aloof from Thee, who denieth Thee and repudiateth Thy signs in this Revelation wherein
the faces of the exponents of denial have turned black and the faces of the exponents of
truthfulness have turned white, O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names and attributes,
Who holdest in Thy grasp the empire of whatever hath been created in heaven and on earth!
HE HATH ENTRUSTED EVERY CREATED THING
How wondrous is the unity of the Living, the Ever-Abiding God--a
unity which is exalted above all limitations, that transcendeth the comprehension of all
created things! He hath, from everlasting, dwelt in His inaccessible habitation of
holiness and glory, and will unto everlasting continue to be enthroned upon the heights of
His independent sovereignty and grandeur. How lofty hath been His incorruptible Essence,
how completely independent of the knowledge of all created things, and how immensely
exalted will it remain above the praise of all the inhabitants of heavens and the earth!
From the exalted source, and out of the essence of His favor and
bounty He hath entrusted every created thing with a sign of His knowledge, so that none of
His creatures may be deprived of its share in expressing, each according to its capacity
and rank, this knowledge. This sign is the mirror of His beauty in the world of creation.
The greater the effort exerted for the refinement of this sublime and noble mirror, the
more faithfully will it be made to reflect the glory of the names and attributes of God,
and reveal the wonders of His signs and knowledge. Every created thing will be enabled (so
great is this reflecting power) to reveal the potentialities of its pre-ordained station,
will recognize its capacity and limitations, and will testify to the truth that "He,
verily is God; there is none other God besides Him." . . .
There can be no doubt whatever that, in consequence of the efforts
which every man may consciously exert and as a result of the exertion of his own spiritual
faculties, this mirror can be so cleansed from the dross of earthly defilements and purged
from satanic fancies as to be able to draw nigh unto the meads of
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eternal holiness and attain the courts of everlasting fellowship. In pursuance,
however, of the principle that for every thing a time hath been fixed, and for every fruit
a season hath been ordained, the latent energies of such a bounty can best be released and
the vernal glory of such a gift can only be manifested, in the Days of God. Invested
though each day may be with its pre-ordained share of God's wondrous grace, the Days
immediately associated with the Manifestation of God possess a unique distinction and
occupy a station which no mind can ever comprehend. Such is the virtue infused into them
that, if the hearts of all that dwell in the heavens and the earth were, in those days of
everlasting delight, to be brought face to face with that Day Star of unfading glory and
attuned to His Will, each would find itself exalted above all earthly things, radiant with
His light, and sanctified through His grace. All hail to this grace which no blessing,
however great, can excel? and all honor to such a loving-kindness the like of which the
eye of creation hath not seen! Exalted is He above that which they attribute unto Him or
recount about Him!
It is for this reason that, in those days, no man shall ever stand
in need of his neighbor. It hath already been abundantly demonstrated that in that
divinely-appointed Day the majority of them that have sought and attained His holy court
have revealed such knowledge and wisdom, a drop of which none else besides these holy and
sanctified souls, however long he may have taught or studied, hath grasped or will ever
comprehend. It is by virtue of this power that the beloved of God have, in the days of the
Manifestation of the Day Star of Truth, been exalted above, and made independent of, all
human learning. Nay, from their hearts and the springs of their innate powers hath gushed
out unceasingly the inmost essence of human learning and wisdom.
THE BEST-BELOVED IS COME
O My servants! It behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls
through the gracious favors which, in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime, are
being showered upon you. The Day Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon you.
and the clouds
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of His limitless grace have overshadowed you. How high the reward of him that hath not
deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his
Best-Beloved in this, His new attire.
Say: O people! The Lamp of God is burning; take heed, lest the
fierce winds of your disobedience extinguish its light. Now is the time to arise and
magnify the Lord, your God. Strive not after bodily comforts, and keep your heart pure and
stainless. The Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his
wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the one true God, deliver yourselves
from the darkness that surroundeth you. Center your thoughts in the Well-Beloved, rather
than in your own selves.
Say: O ye that have strayed and lost your way! The Divine Messenger,
Who speaketh naught but the truth, hath announced unto you the coming of the Best-Beloved.
Behold, He is now come. Wherefore are ye downcast and dejected? Why remain despondent when
the Pure and Hidden One hath appeared unveiled amongst you? He Who is both the Beginning
and the End, He Who is both Stillness and Motion, is now manifest before your eyes. Behold
how, in this Day, the Beginning is reflected in the End, how out of Stillness Motion hath
been engendered. This motion hath been generated by the potent energies which the words of
the Almighty have released throughout the entire creation. Whoso hath been quickened by
its vitalizing power, will find himself impelled to attain the court of the Beloved; and
whoso hath deprived himself therefrom, will sink into irretrievable despondency. He is
truly wise whom the world and all that is therein have not deterred from recognizing the
light of this Day, who will not allow men's idle talk to cause him to swerve from the way
of righteousness. He is indeed as one dead who, at the wondrous dawn of this Revelation,
hath failed to be quickened by its soul-stirring breeze. He is indeed a captive who hath
not recognized the Supreme Redeemer, but hath suffered his soul to be bound, distressed
and helpless, in the fetters of his desires.
O My servants! Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto
everlasting Life. and whoso hath refused to drink
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therefrom is even as the dead. Say: O ye workers of iniquity! Covetousness hath
hindered you from giving a hearing ear unto the sweet voice of Him Who is the
All-Sufficing. Wash it away from your hearts, that His Divine secret may be made known
unto you. Behold Him manifest and resplendent as the sun in all its glory.
Say: O ye that are bereft of understanding! A severe trial pursueth
you, and will suddenly overtake you. Bestir yourselves, that haply it may pass and inflict
no harm upon you. Acknowledge the exalted character of the name of the Lord, your God, Who
hath come unto you in the greatness of His glory. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the
All-Possessing, the Supreme Protector.
THE SIGNS OF REVELATION
Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of
God. Each, according to its capacity, is, and will ever remain, a token of the Almighty.
Inasmuch as He, the sovereign Lord of all, hath willed to reveal His sovereignty in the
kingdom of names and attributes, each and every created thing hath, through the act of the
Divine Will, been made a sign of His glory. So pervasive and general is this revelation
that nothing whatsoever in the whole universe can be discovered that doth not reflect His
splendor. Under such conditions every consideration of proximity and remoteness is
obliterated.... Were the Hand of Divine power to divest of this high endowment all created
things, the entire universe would become desolate and void.
Behold, how immeasurably exalted is the Lord your God above all
created things! Witness the majesty of His sovereignty, His ascendancy, and supreme power.
If the things which have been created by Him--magnified be His glory--and ordained to be
the manifestations of His names and attributes, stand, by virtue of the grace with which
they have been endowed, exalted beyond all proximity and remoteness, how much loftier must
be that Divine Essence that hath called them into being? . . .
Meditate on what the poet hath written: "Wonder not, if my
Best-Beloved be closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this,
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that I, despite such nearness, should still be so far from Him." . . . Considering
what God hath revealed, that "We are closer to man than his life-vein," the poet
hath, in allusion to this verse, stated that, though the revelation of my Best-Beloved
hath so permeated my being that He is closer to me than my life-vein," yet,
notwithstanding my certitude of its reality and my recognition of my station, I am still
so far removed from Him. By this he meaneth that his heart, which is the seat of the
All-Merciful and the throne wherein abideth the splendor of His revelation, is forgetful
of its Creator, hath strayed from His path, hath shut out itself from His glory, and is
stained with the defilement of earthly desires.
It should be remembered in this connection that the one true God is
in Himself exalted beyond and above proximity and remoteness. His reality transcendeth
such limitations. His relationship to His creatures knoweth no degrees. That some are near
and others are far is to be ascribed to the Manifestations themselves.
That the heart is the throne, in which the Revelation of God the
All-Merciful is centered, is attested by the holy utterances which We have formerly
revealed. Among them is this saying: "Earth and heaven cannot contain Me; what can
alone contain Me is the heart of him that believeth in Me, and is faithful to My
Cause." How often hath the human heart, which is the recipient of the light of God
and the seat of the revelation of the All-Merciful, erred from Him Who is the Source of
that light and the Well Spring of that revelation. It is the waywardness of the heart that
removeth it far from God, and condemneth it to remoteness from Him. Those hearts, however,
that are aware of His Presence, are close to Him, and are to be regarded as having drawn
nigh unto His throne.
Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become forgetful of his
own self, whilst God remaineth, through His all-encompassing knowledge, aware of His
creature, and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of His glory. It is
evident, therefore, that, in such circumstances, He is closer to him than his own self. He
will, indeed, so remain for ever, for, whereas the one true God knoweth all things,
perceiveth all things, and comprehendeth
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all things, mortal man is prone to err, and is ignorant of the mysteries that lie
enfolded within him....
Let no one imagine that by Our assertion that all created things are
the signs of the revelation of God is meant that--God forbid--all men, be they good or
evil, pious or infidel, are equal in the sight of God. Nor doth it imply that the Divine
Being—magnified be His name and exalted be His glory--is, under any circumstances,
comparable unto men, or can, in any way, be associated with His creatures. Such an error
hath been committed by certain foolish ones who, after having ascended into the heavens of
their idle fancies, have interpreted Divine Unity to mean that all created things are the
signs of God, and that, consequently, there is no distinction whatsoever between them.
Some have even outstripped them by maintaining that these signs are peers and partners of
God Himself. Gracious God! He, verily, is one and indivisible; one in His essence, one in
His attributes. Everything besides Him is as nothing when brought face to face with the
resplendent revelation of but one of His names, with no more than the faintest intimation
of His glory--how much less when confronted with His own Self!
By the righteousness of My name, the All-Merciful! The Pen of the
Most High trembleth with a great trembling and is sore shaken at the revelation of these
words. How puny and insignificant is the evanescent drop when compared with the waves and
billows of God's limitless and everlasting Ocean and how utterly contemptible must every
contingent and perishable thing appear when brought face to face with the uncreated, the
unspeakable glory of the Eternal! We implore pardon of God, the All-Powerful, for them
that entertain such beliefs, and give utterance to such words. Say: O people! How can a
fleeting fancy compare with the Self-Subsisting, and how can the Creator be likened unto
His creatures, who are but as the script of His Pen? Nay, His script excelleth all things,
and is sanctified from, and immeasurably exalted above, all creatures.
Furthermore, consider the signs of the revelation of God in their
relation one to another. Can the sun, which is but one of
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these signs, be regarded as equal in rank to darkness? The one true God beareth Me
witness! No man can believe it, unless he be of those whose hearts are straitened, and
whose eyes have become deluded. Say: Consider your own selves. Your nails and eyes are
both parts of your bodies. Do ye regard them of equal rank and value? If ye say, yea; say,
then: ye have indeed charged with imposture, the Lord, my God, the All-Glorious,
inasmuch as ye pare the one, and cherish the other as dearly as your own life.
To transgress the limits of one's own rank and station is, in no
wise, permissible. The integrity of every rank and station must needs be preserved. By
this is meant that every created thing should be viewed in the light of the station it
hath been ordained to occupy.
It should be borne in mind, however, that when the light of My Name,
the All-Pervading, hath shed its radiance upon the universe, each and every created thing
hath, according to a fixed decree, been endowed with the capacity to exercise a particular
influence, and been made to possess a distinct virtue. Consider the effect of poison.
Deadly though it is, it possesseth the power of exerting, under certain conditions, a
beneficial influence. The potency infused into all created things is the direct
consequence of the revelation of this most blessed Name. Glorified be He, Who is the
Creator of all names and attributes! Cast into the fire the tree that hath rot and dried
up, and abide under the shadow of the green and goodly Tree, and partake of the fruit
thereof.
The people living in the days of the Manifestations of God have, for the most part,
uttered such unseemly sayings. These have been set down circumstantially in the revealed
Books and Holy Scriptures.
He is really a believer in the Unity of God who recognizeth in each
and every created thing the sign of the revelation of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and
not he who maintaineth that the creature is indistinguishable from the Creator.
Consider, for instance, the revelation of the light of the Name of
God, the Educator. Behold, how in all things the evidences of such a revelation are
manifest, how the betterment of all beings dependeth upon it. This education is of two
kinds. The one is
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universal. Its influence pervadeth all things and sustaineth them. It is for this
reason that God hath assumed the title, "Lord of all worlds." The other is
confined to them that have come under the shadow of this Name, and sought the shelter of
this most mighty Revelation. They, however, that have failed to seek this shelter, have
deprived themselves of this privilege, and are powerless to benefit from the spiritual
sustenance that hath been sent down through the heavenly grace of this Most Great Name.
How great the gulf fixed between the one and the other! If the veil were lifted, and the
full glory of the station of those that have turned wholly towards God, and have, in their
love for Him, renounced the world, were made manifest, the entire creation would be
dumbfounded. The true believer in the Unity of God will, as it hath already been
explained, recognize, in the believer and the unbeliever, the evidences of the revelation
of both of these Names. Were this revelation to be withdrawn, all would perish.
Consider, in like manner, the revelation of the light of the Name of
God, the Incomparable. Behold, how this light hath enveloped the entire creation, how each
and every thing manifesteth the sign of His Unity, testifieth to the reality of Him Who is
the Eternal Truth, proclaimeth His sovereignty, His oneness, and His power. This
revelation is a token of His mercy that hath encompassed all created things. They that
have joined partners with Him, however, are unaware of such a revelation, and are deprived
of the Faith through which they can draw near unto, and be united with, Him. Witness how
the divers peoples and kindreds of the earth bear witness to His unity, and recognize His
oneness. But for the sign of the Unity of God within them, they would have never
acknowledged the truth of the words, "There is none other God but God." And yet,
consider how grievously they have erred, and strayed from His path. Inasmuch as they have
failed to recognize the Sovereign Revealer, they have ceased to be reckoned among those
who may be regarded as true believers in the Unity of God.
This sign of the revelation of the Divine Being in them that have
joined partners with Him may, in a sense, be regarded as a reflection of the glory with
which the faithful are illumined. None,
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however, can comprehend this truth save men endued with understanding. They that have
truly recognized the Unity of God should be regarded as the primary manifestations of this
Name. It is they who have quaffed the wine of Divine Unity from the cup which the hand of
God hath proffered unto them, and who have turned their faces towards Him. How vast the
distance that separateth these sanctified beings from those men that are so far away from
God! . . .
God grant that, with a penetrating vision, thou mayest perceive, in
all things, the sign of the revelation of Him Who is the Ancient King, and recognize how
exalted and sanctified from the whole creation is that most holy and sacred Being. This,
in truth, is the very root and essence of belief in the unity and singleness of God.
"God was alone; there was none else besides Him." He, now, is what He hath ever
been. There is none other God, but Him, the One, the Incomparable, the Almighty, the Most
Exalted, the Most Great.
THE GENERATING IMPULSE OF CREATION
All-praise to the unity of God, and all-honor to Him, the sovereign
Lord, the incomparable and all-glorious Ruler of the universe, Who, out of utter
nothingness, hath created the reality of all things, Who, from naught, hath brought into
being the most refined and subtle elements of His creation, and Who, rescuing His
creatures from the abasement of remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction, hath
received them into His kingdom of incorruptible glory. Nothing short of His
all-encompassing grace, His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly achieved it. How
could it, otherwise, have been possible for sheer nothingness to have acquired by itself
the worthiness and capacity to emerge from its state of non-existence into the realm of
being?
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He,
through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon
man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him--a capacity that must
needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary
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purpose underlying the whole of creation.... Upon the inmost reality of each and every
created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the
glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the
radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone
of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a
bounty.
These energies with which the Day Star of Divine bounty and Source
of heavenly guidance hath endowed the reality of man lie, however, latent within him, even
as the flame is hidden within the candle and the rays of light are potentially present in
the lamp. The radiance of these energies may be obscured by worldly desires even as the
light of the sun can be concealed beneath the dust and dross which cover the mirror.
Neither the candle nor the lamp can be lighted through their own unaided efforts, nor can
it ever be possible for the mirror to free itself from its dross. It is clear and evident
that until a fire is kindled the lamp will never be ignited, and unless the dross is
blotted out from the face of the mirror it can never represent the image of the sun nor
reflect its light and glory.
And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one
true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient
and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in every age and
dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold
nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born
of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station.
The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One
Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: "Manifold
and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself and He is I, Myself, except
that I am that I am, and He is that He is." And in like manner, the words:
"Arise, O Muhammad for lo, the Lover and the Beloved are joined together and made one
in Thee." He similarly saith: "There is no distinction what-
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soever between Thee and Them, except that They are Thy Servants." The second
station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: "I am but a man
like you." "Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?"
These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God's
all-pervasive grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme
sovereignty, they are commissioned to use the inspiration of their words, the effusions of
their infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of their Revelation for the cleansing of
every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross and dust of earthly cares and
limitations. Then, and only then, will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man,
emerge, as resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of
concealment, and implant the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men's
hearts.
From the foregoing passages and allusions it hath been made
indubitably clear that in the kingdoms of earth and heaven there must needs be manifested
a Being, an Essence Who shall act as a Manifestation and Vehicle for the transmission of
the grace of the Divinity Itself, the Sovereign Lord of all. Through the Teachings of this
Day Star of Truth every man will advance and develop until he attaineth the station at
which he can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been
endowed. It is for this very purpose that in every age and dispensation the Prophets of
God and His chosen Ones have appeared amongst men, and have evinced such power as is born
of God and such might as only the Eternal can reveal.
Can one of sane mind ever seriously imagine that, in view of certain
words the meaning of which he cannot comprehend, the portal of God's infinite guidance can
ever be closed in the face of men? Can he ever conceive for these Divine Luminaries, these
resplendent Lights either a beginning or an end? What outpouring flood can compare with
the stream of His all-embracing grace, and what blessing can excel the evidences of so
great and pervasive a mercy? There can be no doubt whatever that if for one moment the
tide of His mercy and grace were to be withheld from the world, it would completely
perish. For this reason, from the be-
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ginning that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy have been flung open to the
face of all created things, and the clouds of Truth will continue to the end that hath no
end to rain on the soil of human capacity, reality and personality their favors and
bounties. Such hath been God's method continued from everlasting to everlasting.
THE MORN OF DIVINE GUIDANCE
O my brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the step of
search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all
else, cleanse his heart, which Is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of
God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the
embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the
abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that
pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so
cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that
love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth. Even as
thou dost witness in this Day how most of the people, because of such love and hate are
bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine
mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error.
That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce
the peoples of the earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him
Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash
away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vainglory, must cling unto
patience and resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a
smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body,
whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former
lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.
That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as grievous error,
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and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of
the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He should be content with little, and
be freed from all inordinate desire. He should treasure the companionship of them that
have renounced the world, and regard avoidance of boastful and worldly people a precious
benefit. At the dawn of every day he should commune with God, and, with all his soul,
persevere in the quest of his Beloved. He should consume every wayward thought with the
flame of His loving mention, and, with the swiftness of lightning, pass by all else save
Him. He should succor the dispossessed, and never withhold his favor from the destitute.
He should show kindness to animals, how much more unto his fellow-man, to him who is
endowed with the power of utterance. He should not hesitate to offer up his life for his
Beloved, nor allow the censure of the people to turn him away from the Truth. He should
not wish for others that which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which he
doth not fulfil. With all his heart he should avoid fellowship with evil-doers, and pray
for the remission of their sins. He should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low
estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a sinner attained, at
the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken
his flight unto the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout believer, at the hour
of his soul's ascension, been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!
Our purpose in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances is
to impress upon the seeker that he should regard all else beside God as transient, and
count all things save Him, Who is Object of all adoration, as utter nothingness.
These are among the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the
hall-mark of the spiritually-minded. They have already been mentioned in connection with
the requirements of the wayfarers that tread the path of Positive Knowledge. When the
detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential conditions, then and
only then can he be called a true seeker. Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions
implied in the verse: "Whoso
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maketh efforts for Us," he shall enjoy the blessings conferred by the words:
"In Our Ways shall We assuredly guide him."
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing
desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within
the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will
the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and
the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the Mystic
Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God
resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the
heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of heedlessness. Then will the manifold
favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon
the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a
new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the
hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every
atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in
all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting
Manifestation.
I swear by God! Were he that treadeth the path of guidance and
seeketh to scale the heights of righteousness to attain unto this glorious and exalted
station, he would inhale, at a distance of a thousand leagues, the fragrance of God, and
would perceive the resplendent morn of a Divine guidance rising above the Day Spring of
all things. Each and every thing, however small, would be to him a revelation, leading him
to his Beloved, the Object of his quest. So great shall be the discernment of this seeker
that he will discriminate between truth and falsehood, even as he doth distinguish the sun
from shadow. If in the uttermost corners of the East the sweet savors of God be wafted, he
will assuredly recognize and inhale their fragrance, even though he be dwelling in the
uttermost ends of the West. He will, likewise, clearly distinguish all the signs of
God--His wondrous utterances, His great works, and mighty deeds--from the doings, the
words and ways
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of men, even as the jeweler who knoweth the gem from the stone, or the man who
distinguisheth the spring from autumn, and heat from cold. When the channel of the human
soul is cleansed of all worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the
breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by its perfume, attain
and enter the City of Certitude.
Therein he will discern the wonders of His ancient Wisdom, and will
perceive all the hidden teachings from the rustling leaves of the Tree that flourisheth in
that City. With both his inner and outer ear, he will hear from its dust the hymns of
glory and praise ascending unto the Lord of Lords, and with his inner eye will he discover
the mysteries of "return" and "revival."
How unspeakably glorious are the signs, the tokens, the revelations,
and splendors which He, Who is the King of Names and Attributes, hath destined for that
City! The attainment unto this City quencheth thirst without water, and kindleth the love
of God without fire. Within every blade of grass are enshrined the mysteries of an
inscrutable Wisdom, and upon every rose-bush a myriad nightingales pour out, in blissful
rapture, their melody. Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in the
Burning Bush, and its sweet savors of holiness breathe the perfume of the Messianic
Spirit. It bestoweth wealth without gold, and conferreth immortality without death. In
each one of its leaves ineffable delights are treasured, and within every chamber
unnumbered mysteries lie hidden.
They that valiantly labor in quest of God, will, when once they have
renounced all else but Him, be so attached and wedded unto that City, that a moment's
separation from it would to them be unthinkable. They will hearken unto infallible proofs
from the Hyacinth of that assembly, and will receive the surest testimonies from the
beauty of its Rose, and the melody of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand years
shall this City be renewed and re-adorned. .. .
That City is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age
and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus, the
Gospel; in the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, the Qur'an; in this day, the Bayan;
and in the
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Dispensation of Him Whom God will make manifest, His own Book--the Book unto which all
the Books of former Dispensations must needs be referred, the Book that standeth amongst
them all transcendent and supreme.
THE HOSTS OF DIVINE INSPIRATION
O wayfarer in the path of God! Take thou thy portion of the ocean of
His grace, and deprive not thyself of the things that lie hidden in its depths. Be thou of
them that have partaken of its treasures. A dewdrop out of this ocean would, if shed upon
all that are in the heavens and on the earth, suffice to enrich them with the bounty of
God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. With the hands of renunciation draw
forth from its life-giving waters, and sprinkle therewith all created things, that they
may be cleansed from all man-made limitations and may approach the mighty seat of God,
this hallowed and resplendent Spot.
Be not grieved if thou performest it thyself alone. Let God be
all-sufficient for thee. Commune intimately with His Spirit, and be thou of the thankful.
Proclaim the Cause of thy Lord unto all who are in the heavens and on the earth. Should
any man respond to thy call, lay bare before him the pearls of the wisdom of the Lord, thy
God, which His Spirit hath sent down unto thee, and be thou of them that truly believe.
And should any one reject thy offer, turn thou away from him, and put thy trust and
confidence in the Lord, thy God, the Lord of all worlds.
By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and
maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon
him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend
the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. Thus hath it been
fore-ordained in the realm of God's Revelation, by the behest of Him Who is the
All-Glorious, the Most Powerful.
There lay concealed within the Holy Veil, and prepared for the
service of God, a company of His chosen ones who shall be manifested unto men, who shall
aid His Cause, who shall be afraid
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of no one, though the entire human race rise up and war against them. These are the
ones who, before the gaze of the dwellers on earth and the denizens of heaven, shall arise
and, shouting aloud, acclaim the name of the Almighty, and summon the children of men to
the path of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Walk thou in their way, and let no one
dismay thee. Be of them whom the tumult of the world, however much it may agitate them in
the path of their Creator, can never sadden, whose purpose the blame of the blamer will
never defeat.
Go forth with the Tablet of God and His signs, and rejoin them that
have believed in Me, and announce unto them tidings of Our most holy Paradise. Warn, then,
those that have joined partners with Him. Say: I am come to you, O people, from the Throne
of glory, and bear you an announcement from God, the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the
Most Great. In mine hand I carry the testimony of God, your Lord and the Lord of your
sires of old. Weigh it with the just Balance that ye possess, the Balance of the testimony
of the Prophets and Messengers of God. If ye find it to be established in truth, if ye
believe it to be of God, beware, then, lest ye cavil at it, and render your works vain,
and be numbered with the infidels. It is indeed the sign of God that hath been sent down
through the power of truth, through which the validity of His Cause hath been demonstrated
unto His creatures, and the ensigns of purity lifted up betwixt earth and heaven.
Say: This is the sealed and mystic Scroll, the repository of God's
irrevocable Decree, bearing the words which the Finger of Holiness hath traced, that lay
wrapt within the veil of impenetrable mystery, and hath now been sent down as a token of
the grace of Him Who is the Almighty, the Ancient of Days. In it have We decreed the
destinies of all the dwellers of the earth and the denizens of heaven, and written down
the knowledge of all things from first to last. Nothing whatsoever can escape or frustrate
Him, whether created in the past or to be created in the future, could ye but perceive it.
Say: The Revelation sent down by God hath most surely been repeated,
and the outstretched Hand of Our power hath over-
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shadowed all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth. We have, through
the power of truth, the very truth, manifested an infinitesimal glimmer of Our
impenetrable Mystery, and lo, they that have recognized the radiance of the Sinaic
splendor expired, as they caught a lightening glimpse of this Crimson Light enveloping the
Sinai of Our Revelation. Thus hath He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful come down in
the clouds of His testimony, and the decree accomplished by virtue of the Will of God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
Say: Step out of Thy holy chamber, O Maid of Heaven, inmate of the
Exalted Paradise! Drape thyself in whatever manner pleaseth Thee in the silken Vesture of
Immortality, and put on, in the name of the All-Glorious, the broidered Robe of Light.
Hear, then, the sweet, the wondrous accent of the Voice that cometh from the Throne of Thy
Lord, the Inaccessible, the Most High. Unveil Thy face, and manifest the beauty of the
black-eyed Damsel, and suffer not the servants of God to be deprived of the light of Thy
shining countenance. Grieve not if Thou hearest the sighs of the dwellers of the earth, or
the voice of the lamentation of the denizens of heaven. Leave them to perish on the dust
of extinction. Let them be reduced to nothingness, inasmuch as the flame of hatred hath
been kindled within their breasts. Intone, then, before the face of the peoples of earth
and heaven, and in a most melodious voice, the anthem of praise, for a remembrance of Him
Who is the King of the names and attributes of God. Thus have We decreed Thy destiny. Well
able are We to achieve Our purpose.
Beware that Thou divest not Thyself, Thou Who art the Essence of
Purity, of Thy robe of effulgent glory. Nay, enrich Thyself increasingly, in the kingdom
of creation, with the incorruptible vestures of Thy God, that the beauteous image of the
Almighty may be reflected through Thee in all created things and the grace of Thy Lord be
infused in the plenitude of its power into the entire creation.
If Thou smellest from any one the smell of the love of Thy Lord,
offer up Thyself for him, for We have created Thee to this end, and have covenanted with
Thee, from time immemorial, and
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in the presence of the congregation of Our well-favored ones, for this very purpose. Be
not impatient if the blind in heart hurl down the shafts of their idle fancies upon Thee.
Leave them to themselves, for they follow the promptings of the evil ones.
Cry out before the gaze of the dwellers of heaven and of earth: I am
the Maid of Heaven, the Offspring begotten by the Spirit of Baha. My habitation is the
Mansion of His Name, the All-Glorious. Before the Concourse on high I was adorned with the
ornament of His names. I was wrapt within the veil of an inviolable security, and lay
hidden from the eyes of men. Methinks that I heard a Voice of divine and incomparable
sweetness, proceeding from the right hand of the God of Mercy, and lo, the whole Paradise
stirred and trembled before Me, in its longing to hear its accents, and gaze on the beauty
of Him that uttered them. Thus have We revealed in this luminous Tablet, and in the
sweetest of languages, the verses which the Tongue of Eternity was moved to utter in the
Qayy£m-i-Asmá.
Say: He ordaineth as He pleaseth, by virtue of His sovereignty, and
doeth whatsoever He willeth at His own behest. He shall not be asked of the things it
pleaseth Him to ordain. He, in truth, is the Unrestrained, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.
They that have disbelieved in God and rebelled against His
sovereignty are the helpless victims of their corrupt inclinations and desires. These
shall return to their abode in the fire of hell: wretched is the abode of the deniers!
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