[Pages 101–120]
101
|
|
been sent down from the heaven of His Cause than
all the books of the world bowed down before them?
Meditate, that thou mayest be made aware of thine
act, O heedless outcast! Erelong will the breaths
of chastisement seize thee, as they seized others before
thee. Wait, O thou who hast joined partners with
God, the Lord of the visible and the invisible. This
is the day which God hath announced through the
tongue of His Apostle. Reflect, that thou mayest
apprehend what the All-Merciful hath sent down in
the Qur’án and in this inscribed Tablet. This is
the day whereon He Who is the Dayspring of Revelation
hath come with clear tokens which none can
number. This is the day whereon every man endued
with perception hath discovered the fragrance of the
breeze of the All-Merciful in the world of creation,
and every man of insight hath hastened unto the living
waters of the mercy of his Lord, the King of Kings.
O heedless one! The tale of the Sacrifice (Ishmael)
hath been retold, and he who was to be offered up
hath directed his steps towards the place of sacrifice,
and returned not, by reason of that which thy
hand hath wrought, O perverse hater! Didst thou
imagine that martyrdom could abase this Cause?
Nay, by Him Whom God hath made to be the Repository
of His Revelation, if thou be of them that comprehend.
Woe betide thee, O thou who hast joined
partners with God, and woe betide them that have
taken thee as their leader, without a clear token or
102
a perspicuous Book. How numerous the oppressors
before thee who have arisen to quench the light of
God, and how many the impious who murdered and
pillaged until the hearts and souls of men groaned
by reason of their cruelty! The sun of justice hath
been obscured, inasmuch as the embodiment of tyranny
hath been stablished upon the throne of hatred,
and yet the people understand not. O foolish one!
Thou hast slain the children of the Apostle and
pillaged their possessions. Say: Was it, in thine estimation,
their possessions or themselves that denied
God? Judge fairly, O ignorant one that hath been
shut out as by a veil from God. Thou hast clung
to tyranny, and cast away justice; whereupon all
created things have lamented, and still thou art
among the wayward. Thou hast put to death the
aged, and plundered the young. Thinkest thou that
thou wilt consume that which thine iniquity hath
amassed? Nay, by Myself! Thus informeth thee He
Who is cognizant of all. By God! The things thou
possessest shall profit thee not, nor what thou hast
laid up through thy cruelty. Unto this beareth witness
thy Lord, the All-Knowing. Thou hast arisen
to put out the light of this Cause; erelong will thine
own fire be quenched, at His behest. He, verily, is
the Lord of strength and of might. The changes and
chances of the world, and the powers of the nations,
cannot frustrate Him. He doeth what He pleaseth,
and ordaineth what He willeth through the power
103
of His sovereignty. Consider the she-camel. Though
but a beast, yet hath the All-Merciful exalted her
to so high a station that the tongues of the earth made
mention of her and celebrated her praise. He, verily,
overshadoweth all that is in the heavens and on earth.
No God is there but Him, the Almighty, the Great.
Thus have We adorned the heaven of Our Tablet
with the suns of Our words. Blessed the man that
hath attained thereunto, and been illumined with
their light, and woe betide such as have turned aside,
and denied Him, and strayed far from Him. Praised
be God, the Lord of the worlds!”
|
|
O Shaykh! We have enabled thee to hear the melodies
of the Nightingale of Paradise, and unveiled to
thine eyes the signs which God, by His all-compelling
behest, hath sent down in the Most Great Prison, that
thine eye might be cheered, and thy soul be well-assured.
He, verily, is the All-Bounteous, the Generous.
Arise thou through the power of His testimony
to serve the Cause of God, thy Lord, the God
of Mercy. If thy faith be fearful, seize thou My
Tablet, and preserve it in the bosom of trust. And
when thou enterest into the place of resurrection,
and God asketh thee by what proof thou hast believed
in this Revelation, draw forth the Tablet and
say: “By this Book, the holy, the mighty, the incomparable.”
Thereupon all will lift up their hands
towards thee, and will seize the Tablet, and will press
it to their eyes, and will inhale therefrom the fragrance
104
of the utterance of God, the Lord of the
worlds. Were God to torment thee for having believed
in His signs in this Revelation, for what reason
could He then torment such as have disbelieved in
Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, and before Him in
Jesus, the Son of Mary, and before Him in the One
Who conversed with God (Moses), and before Him
in the One Who is the Friend of God (Abraham),
and as far back as the One Who was the First Manifestation,
Who was created by the will of thy Lord,
the Potent, the All-Encompassing. Thus have We
sent down Our verses unto one before thee, and
recalled them unto thee, in this day, that thou mayest
understand, and be of them who are well assured.
O thou who assumest the voice of knowledge! This
Cause is too evident to be obscured, and too conspicuous
to be concealed. It shineth as the sun in its
meridian glory. None can deny it unless he be a
hater and a doubter.
|
|
At this moment it behooveth us to turn unto the
Desired One, and cleave unto these most sublime
words: “O God, my God! Thou hast lighted the
lamp of Thy Cause with the oil of wisdom; protect it
from contrary winds. The lamp is Thine, and the
glass is Thine, and all things in the heavens and on
earth are in the grasp of Thy power. Bestow justice
upon the rulers, and fairness upon the divines. Thou
art the All-Powerful, Who, through the motion of
Thy Pen, hast aided Thine irresistible Cause, and
105
guided aright Thy loved ones. Thou art the Possessor
of power, and the King of might. No God is there
but Thee, the Strong, the Unconstrained.” Say thou
also: “O God, my God! I yield Thee thanks inasmuch
as Thou hast made me to drink of Thy Sealed Wine
from the hand of the bounty of Thy Name, the Self-Subsisting.
I entreat Thee by the splendors of the
Dayspring of Thy Revelation, and by the potency
of Thy Most Sublime Word, and by the might of
Thy Most Exalted Pen, through Whose movement
the realities of all created things have been enraptured,
to aid His Majesty the Sháh to render Thy
Cause victorious, and to turn towards the horizon of
Thy Revelation, and to set his face in the direction
of the lights of Thy countenance. Assist him, O my
Lord, to draw nigh unto Thee. Help him, then, with
the hosts of the heavens and of earth. I implore
Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all Names and
the Maker of the heavens, by the light of Thy Cause,
and by the fire of the Lote-Tree of Thy loving-kindness,
to help His Majesty to reveal Thy Cause amidst
Thy creatures. Open, then, before his face the doors
of Thy grace, and Thy mercy, and Thy bounty.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee by Thy
word: ‘Be, and it is.’”
|
|
O Shaykh! We had seized the reins of authority
by the power of God and His Divine might, as He
alone can seize, Who is the Mighty, the Strong. None
had the power to stir up mischief or sedition. Now,
106
however, as they have failed to appreciate this loving-kindness
and these bounties, they have been, and will
be, afflicted with the retribution which their acts
must entail. The State officials, considering the secret
progress of the Extended Cord have, from every
direction, incited and aided Mine adversaries. In the
Great City (Constantinople) they have roused a considerable
number of people to oppose this Wronged
One. Things have come to such a pass that the
officials in that city have acted in a manner which
hath brought shame to both the government and
the people. A distinguished siyyid, whose well-known
integrity, acceptable conduct, and commercial reputation,
were recognized by the majority of fair-minded
men, and who was regarded by all as a highly
honored merchant, once visited Beirut. In view of
his friendship for this Wronged One they telegraphed
the Persian Dragoman informing him that this siyyid,
assisted by his servant, had stolen a sum of money
and other things and gone to ‘Akká. Their design in
this matter was to dishonor this Wronged One. And
yet, far be it from the people of this country to allow
themselves to be deflected, by these unseemly tales,
from the straight path of uprightness and truth.
Briefly, they have assaulted Me from every side, and
are reinforcing Mine adversaries. This Wronged One,
however, beseecheth the one true God to graciously
assist every one in that which beseemeth these days.
Day and night I fix My gaze on these perspicuous
107
words, and recite: “O God, my God! I beseech Thee
by the sun of Thy grace, and the sea of Thy knowledge,
and the heaven of Thy justice, to aid them that
have denied Thee to confess, and such as have turned
aside from Thee to return, and those who have calumniated
Thee to be just and fair-minded. Assist them,
O my Lord, to return unto Thee, and to repent before
the door of Thy grace. Powerful art Thou to do what
Thou willest, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all
that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Praise
be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.”
|
|
The time is at hand when whatsoever lieth hid in
the souls and hearts of men will be disclosed. This
Day is the Day whereof Luqmán spoke unto his son,
the Day which the Lord of Glory announced and with
which He acquainted Him Who was His Friend
(Muḥammad) through these, His words—exalted be
He:—“O my son! Verily, God will bring everything
to light, though it were but the weight of a
grain of mustard-seed, and hidden in a rock or in
the heavens or in the earth; for God is Subtile, informed
of all.” This Day the deceitful of eye, and all
that men’s breasts conceal, are made known and laid
bare before the throne of His Revelation. Nothing
whatsoever can escape His knowledge. He heareth
and seeth, and He, in truth, is the All-Hearing, the
All-Seeing. How very strange that they discern not
between the trustworthy and the treacherous!
|
|
Would that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia—may
108
God perpetuate his sovereignty—would inquire from
the Consuls of the honored Persian Government who
have been in this country, that he might become
acquainted with the activities and behavior of this
Wronged One. Briefly, they have incited a great
many such as Akhtar and others, and are busying
themselves in spreading calumnies. It is clear and
evident that they will surround with their swords
of hatred and their shafts of enmity the one whom
they know to be an outcast among men and to have
been banished from one country to another. This
is not the first time that such iniquity hath been
perpetrated, nor the first goblet that hath been dashed
to the ground, nor the first veil that hath been rent
in twain in the path of God, the Lord of the worlds.
This Wronged One, however, remained calm and
silent in the Most Great Prison, busying Himself with
His own affairs, and completely detached from all
else but God. Iniquity waxed so grievous that the
pens of the world are powerless to record it.
|
|
In this connection it is necessary to mention the
following occurrence, that haply men may take fast
hold of the cord of justice and truthfulness. Ḥájí
Shaykh Muḥammad ‘Alí—upon him be the glory of
God, the Ever-Abiding—was a merchant of high
repute, well-known unto most of the inhabitants of
the Great City (Constantinople). Not long ago,
when the Persian Embassy in Constantinople was
secretly engaged in stirring up mischief, it was noticed
109
that this believing and sincere soul was greatly distressed.
Finally, one night he threw himself into the
sea, but was rescued by some passers-by who chanced
to come upon him at that moment. His act was
widely commented upon and given varied interpretations
by different people. Following this, one night
he repaired to a mosque, and, as reported by the
guardian of that place, kept vigil the whole night,
and was occupied until the morning in offering,
ardently and with tearful eyes, his prayers and supplications.
Upon hearing him suddenly cease his
devotions, the guardian went to him, and found that
he had already surrendered his soul. An empty bottle
was found by his side, indicating that he had poisoned
himself. Briefly, the guardian, while greatly astonished,
broke the news to the people. It was found out
that he had left two testaments. In the first he recognized
and confessed the unity of God, that His
Exalted Being had neither peer nor equal, and that His
Essence was exalted above all praise, all glorification
and description. He also testified to the Revelation
of the Prophets and the holy ones, and recognized
what had been written down in the Books of God,
the Lord of all men. On another page, in which
he had set down a prayer, he wrote these words in
conclusion: “This servant and the loved ones of God
are perplexed. On the one hand the Pen of the Most
High hath forbidden all men to engage in sedition,
contention or conflict, and on the other that same
110
Pen hath sent down these most sublime words:
‘Should anyone, in the presence of the Manifestation,
discover an evil intention on the part of any soul,
he must not oppose him, but must leave him to God.’
Considering that on the one hand this binding command
is clear and firmly established, and that on the
other calumnies, beyond human strength to bear or
endure, have been uttered, this servant hath chosen
to commit this most grievous sin. I turn suppliantly
unto the ocean of God’s bounty and the heaven of
Divine mercy, and hope that He will blot out with
the pen of His grace and bounteousness the misdeeds
of this servant. Though my transgressions be manifold,
and unnumbered my evildoings, yet do I cleave
tenaciously to the cord of His bounty, and cling unto
the hem of His generosity. God is witness, and they
that are nigh unto His Threshold know full well,
that this servant could not bear to hear the tales
related by the perfidious. I, therefore, have committed
this act. If He chastise me, He verily is to
be praised for what He doeth; and if He forgive me,
His behest shall be obeyed.”
|
|
Ponder, now, O Shaykh, the influence of the word
of God, that haply thou mayest turn from the left
hand of idle fancy unto the right hand of certitude.
This Wronged One hath never acted hypocritically
towards any one, in the Cause of God, and hath
loudly proclaimed the Word of God before the face
of His creatures. Let him who wisheth turn thereunto,
111
and let him who wisheth turn aside. If these
things, however, that are so clear, so manifest and
indubitable, be denied, what else can be deemed
acceptable and worthy of credence in the estimation
of men of insight? We beseech God—blessed and
glorified be He—to forgive the aforementioned person
(Ḥájí Shaykh Muḥammad-‘Alí), and change his
evil deeds into good ones. He, verily, is the All-Powerful,
the Almighty, the All-Bounteous.
|
|
Such things have appeared in this Revelation that
there is no recourse for either the exponents of
science and knowledge or the manifestations of justice
and equity other than to recognize them. It is
incumbent upon thee, in this day, to arise with celestial
power and dissipate, with the aid of knowledge,
the doubts of the peoples of the world, so that all
men may be sanctified, and direct their steps towards
the Most Great Ocean and cleave fast unto that which
God hath purposed.
|
|
Every one who hath turned aside from Me hath
clung to his own idle words, and therewith voiced
his objections to Him Who is the Truth. Gracious
God! Such references as have been made to Divinity
and Godhead by the holy ones and chosen ones of
God have been made a cause for denial and repudiation.
The Imám Ṣádiq hath said: “Servitude is a
substance, the essence of which is Divinity.” The
Commander of the Faithful (Imám ‘Alí) answered
an Arab, who had questioned him concerning the
112
soul, as follows: “The third is the soul which is divine
and celestial. It is a divine energy, a substance,
simple, and self-subsistent.” And further he—peace
be upon him—said: “Therefore it is the Most Sublime
Essence of God, the Tree of Blessedness, the
Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, the
Garden of Repose.” The Imám Ṣádiq hath said:
“When our Qá’im will arise, the earth will shine
with the light of her Lord.” Likewise, a lengthy
tradition is attributed to Ábí-‘Abdi’lláh—peace be
upon him—in which these sublime words are found:
“Thereupon will He Who is the All-Compelling—exalted and glorified be He—descend from the clouds
with the angels.” And in the mighty Qur’án: “What
can such expect but that God should come down to
them overshadowed with clouds?” And in the tradition
of Mufaddál it is said: “The Qá’im will lean
His back against the Sanctuary, and will stretch forth
His hand, and lo, it shall be snow-white but unhurt.
And He shall say: ‘This is the hand of God, the right
hand of God, that cometh from God, at the command
of God!’” In whichever manner these traditions are
interpreted, in that same manner let them also interpret
that which the Most Sublime Pen hath set
down. The Commander of the Faithful (Imám ‘Alí)
hath said: “I am He Who can neither be named, nor
described.” And likewise He hath said: “Outwardly
I am an Imám; inwardly I am the Unseen, the Unknowable.”
Abú-Ja’far-i-Túsí hath said: “I said to
113
Ábí ‘Abdi’lláh: ‘You are the Way mentioned in the
Book of God, and you are the Impost, and you are
the Pilgrimage.’ He replied: ‘O man! We are the
Way mentioned in the Book of God,—exalted and
glorified be He—and We are the Impost, and We
are the Fast, and We are the Pilgrimage, and We are
the Sacred Month, and We are the Sacred City, and
We are the Kaaba of God, and We are the Qiblih of
God, and We are the Face of God.’” Jabír hath said
that Abú-Ja’far—peace be upon him—spoke to him
as follows: “O Jabír! Give heed unto the Bayán
(Exposition) and the Má’ání (Significances).” He—peace be upon him—added: “As to the Bayán, it
consisteth in thy recognition of God—glorified be
He—as the One Who hath no equal, and in thy adoration
of Him, and in thy refusal to join partners with
Him. As to the Má’ání, We are its meaning, and its
side, and its hand, and its tongue, and its cause, and
its command, and its knowledge, and its right. If
We wish for something, it is God Who wisheth it,
and He desireth that which We desire.” Moreover,
the Commander of the Faithful (Imám ‘Alí)—peace
be upon him—hath said: “How can I worship a Lord
Whom I have not seen?” And, in another connection,
he saith: “Nothing have I perceived except that I
perceived God before it, God after it, or God with it.”
|
|
O Shaykh! Ponder upon the things which have
been mentioned, perchance thou mayest quaff the
Sealed Wine through the power of the name of Him
114
Who is the Self-Subsisting, and obtain that which no
one is capable of comprehending. Gird up the loins
of endeavor, and direct thyself towards the Most
Sublime Kingdom, that haply thou mayest perceive,
as they descend upon Me, the breaths of Revelation
and inspiration, and attain thereunto. Verily,
I say: The Cause of God hath never had, nor hath it
now, any peer or equal. Rend asunder the veils of
idle fancies. He, in truth, will reinforce thee, and
assist thee, as a token of His grace. He, verily, is
the Strong, the All-Subduing, the Almighty. While
there is yet time, and the blessed Lote-Tree is still
calling aloud amongst men, suffer not thyself to be
deprived. Place thy trust in God, and commit thine
affairs unto Him, and enter then the Most Great
Prison, that thou mayest hear what no ear hath ever
heard, and gaze on that which no eye hath ever seen.
After such an exposition, can there remain any room
for doubt? Nay, by God, Who standeth over His
Cause! In truth I say: On this day the blessed words
“But He is the Apostle of God, and the Seal of the
Prophets” have found their consummation in the verse
“The day when mankind shall stand before the Lord
of the worlds.” Render thou thanksgiving unto God,
for so great a bounty.
|
|
O Shaykh! The breezes of Revelation can never
be confounded with other breezes. Now the Lote-Tree
beyond which there is no passing standeth laden
with countless fruits before thy face; besmirch not
115
thyself with idle fancies, as have done the people
aforetime. These utterances themselves proclaim the
true nature of the Faith of God. He it is Who witnesseth
unto all things. To demonstrate the truth of
His Revelation He hath not been, nor is He, dependent
upon any one. Well nigh a hundred volumes
of luminous verses and perspicuous words have
already been sent down from the heaven of the will
of Him Who is the Revealer of signs, and are available
unto all. It is for thee to direct thyself towards
the Ultimate Goal, and the Supreme End, and the
Most Sublime Pinnacle, that thou mayest hear and
behold what hath been revealed by God, the Lord
of the worlds.
|
|
Ponder a while upon the verses concerning the
Divine Presence, which have been sent down in the
Qur’án by Him Who is the Lord of the kingdom of
names, perchance thou mayest discover the Straight
Path, and be made an instrument for the guidance
of His creatures. Such a one as thou must needs in
this day arise to serve this Cause. The abasement of
this Wronged One as well as thy glory shall both
pass away. Strive thou, that haply thou mayest
achieve a deed the fragrance of which shall never
fade from the earth. Concerning the Divine Presence
there hath been sent down what no denier hath been
or is now able to refute or repudiate. He—blessed
and exalted be He—saith: “It is God Who hath
reared the heavens without pillars thou canst behold;
116
then mounted His throne, and imposed laws on the
sun and moon: each traveleth to its appointed goal.
He ordereth all things. He maketh His signs clear,
that ye may have firm faith in the Presence of your
Lord.” He also saith: “To him who hopeth to attain
the Presence of God, the set time of God will surely
come. And He is the Hearer, the Knower.” And
further He—exalted be He—saith: “As for those who
believe not in the signs of God, or that they shall
ever attain His Presence, these of My mercy shall
despair, and these doth a grievous chastisement
await.” And likewise He saith: “And they say,
‘What! when we shall have lain hidden in the earth,
shall we become a new creation?’ Yea, they deny that
they shall attain the Presence of their Lord.” And
likewise He saith: “They truly doubt the Presence
of their Lord. He, verily, overshadoweth all things.”
And likewise He saith: “Verily, they who hope not
to attain Our Presence, and find their satisfaction in
this world’s life, and rest on it, and who of Our signs
are heedless—these! their abode the fire, in recompense
of their deeds!” And likewise He saith: “But when
Our clear signs are recited to them, they who look
not forward to attain Our Presence, say, ‘Bring a
different Qur’án from this, or make some change in
it.’ Say: It is not for Me to change it as Mine own
soul prompteth. I follow only what is revealed to
Me: verily, I fear, if I rebel against My Lord, the
punishment of a great day.” And likewise He saith:
117
“Then gave We the Book to Moses—complete for
Him who should do right, and a decision for all
matters, and a guidance, and a mercy, that they
might believe in the Presence of their Lord.” And
likewise he saith: “They are those who believe not
in the signs of the Lord, or that they shall ever attain
His Presence. Vain, therefore, are their works; and
no weight will We allow them on the Day of Resurrection.
This shall be their reward—Hell. Because
they were unbelievers, and treated My signs and My
Apostles with scorn.” And likewise He saith: “Hath
the history of Moses reached thee? When He saw a
fire, and said to His family, ‘Tarry ye here, for I
perceive a fire; haply I may bring you a brand from
it, or find at the fire a guide.’ And when He came
to it, He was called to, ‘O Moses! Verily, I am Thy
Lord; therefore pull off Thy shoes, for Thou art in
the holy vale of Towa. And I have chosen Thee;
hearken then to what shall be revealed. Verily, I am
God, there is no God but Me. Therefore, worship
Me.’” And likewise He saith: “Have they not considered
within themselves that God hath not created
the heavens and the earth and all that is between them
but for a serious end, and for a fixed term? But truly
most men believe not that they shall attain the Presence
of their Lord.” And likewise He saith: “What!
Have they no thought that they shall be raised again
for the Great Day, the Day when mankind shall
stand before the Lord of the worlds?” And likewise
118
He saith: “We heretofore gave the Book to Moses.
Have thou no doubt as to His attaining Our Presence.”
And He saith: “Aye! But when the earth
shall be crushed with crushing, crushing, and thy
Lord shall come and the angels rank on rank.” And
likewise He saith: “Fain would they put out the
light of God with their mouths! But though the
infidels hate it, God will perfect His light.” And
likewise He saith: “And when Moses had fulfilled
the term, and was journeying with His family, He
perceived a fire on the mountain side. He said to His
family: ‘Wait ye, for I perceive a fire, haply I may
bring you tidings from it, or a brand from the fire
to warm you.’ And when He came up to it, a Voice
cried to Him out of the Bush from the right side of
the Vale in the sacred Spot: ‘O Moses, I truly am
God, the Lord of the worlds!’”
|
|
In all the Divine Books the promise of the Divine
Presence hath been explicitly recorded. By this Presence
is meant the Presence of Him Who is the Dayspring
of the signs, and the Dawning-Place of the
clear tokens, and the Manifestation of the Excellent
Names, and the Source of the attributes, of the true
God, exalted be His glory. God in His Essence and
in His own Self hath ever been unseen, inaccessible,
and unknowable. By Presence, therefore, is meant
the Presence of the One Who is His Vicegerent
amongst men. He, moreover, hath never had, nor
hath He, any peer or likeness. For were He to have
119
any peer or likeness, how could it then be demonstrated
that His being is exalted above, and His
essence sanctified from, all comparison and likeness?
Briefly, there hath been revealed in the Kitáb-i-Íqán
(Book of Certitude) concerning the Presence and
Revelation of God that which will suffice the fair-minded.
We beseech Him—exalted be He—to aid
every one to become the essence of truthfulness, and
to draw nigh unto Him. He, verily, is the Lord of
strength and power. No God is there but Him, the
All-Hearing, the Lord of Utterance, the Almighty,
the All-Praised.
|
|
O thou who art reputed for thy learning! Bid
men to do that which is praiseworthy, and be not of
such as tarry. Observe thou with a keen eye. The
Sun of Truth shineth resplendently, at the bidding
of the Lord of the kingdom of utterance, and the
King of the heaven of knowledge, above the horizon
of the prison-city of ‘Akká. Repudiation hath not
veiled it, and ten thousand hosts arrayed against it
were powerless to withhold it from shining. Thou
canst excuse thyself no longer. Either thou must
recognize it, or—God forbid—arise and deny all the
Prophets!
|
|
Reflect, O Shaykh, upon the Shí’ih sect. How
many the edifices which they reared with the hands
of idle fancies and vain imaginings, and how numerous
the cities which they built! At length those vain
imaginings were converted into bullets and aimed
120
at Him Who is the Prince of the world. Not one
single soul among the leaders of that sect acknowledged
Him in the Day of His Revelation! Whenever
His blessed name was mentioned, all would say:
“May God hasten the joy His coming will bring!”
On the day of the Revelation of that Sun of Truth,
however, all, as hath been observed, have exclaimed,
saying: “May God hasten His chastisement!” He Who
was the Essence of being and Lord of the seen and
unseen they suspended, and committed what made
the Tablet to weep, and the Pen to groan, and the
cries of the sincere to break forth, and the tears of
the favored ones to flow.
|
|
Meditate, O Shaykh, and be fair in what thou
sayest. The followers of Shaykh-i-Ahsá’í (Shaykh
Aḥmad) have, by the aid of God, apprehended that
which was veiled from the comprehension of others,
and of which they remained deprived. Briefly, in
every age and century differences have arisen in the
days of the manifestation of the Daysprings of Revelation,
and the Dawning-Places of inspiration, and
the Repositories of Divine knowledge, differences
which have been caused and provoked by lying and
impious souls. To expatiate on this is not permissible.
Thou art thyself better acquainted and more familiar
with the idle fancies of the superstitious and the
vain imaginings of the doubters.
|
Saturday
[Pages 101–120]Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
[Pages 81–100]Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
[Pages 81–100]
81
|
|
helped the Faith of God. Thus hath thy soul
prompted thee, and thou art truly one of the heedless.
Thine act hath consumed the hearts of the
Concourse on high, and those of such as have circled
round the Cause of God, the Lord of the worlds.
The soul of the Chaste One (Fátimih) melted, by
reason of thy cruelty, and the inmates of Paradise
wept sore in that blessed Spot.
|
|
“Judge thou fairly, I adjure thee by God. What
proof did the Jewish doctors adduce wherewith to
condemn Him Who was the Spirit of God (Jesus
Christ), when He came unto them with truth? What
could have been the evidence produced by the Pharisees
and the idolatrous priests to justify their denial
of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God when He came
unto them with a Book that judged between truth
and falsehood with a justice which turned into light
the darkness of the earth, and enraptured the hearts
of such as had known Him? Indeed thou hast produced,
in this day, the same proofs which the foolish
divines advanced in that age. Unto this testifieth
He Who is the King of the realm of grace in this
great Prison. Thou hast, truly, walked in their ways,
nay, hast surpassed them in their cruelty, and hast
deemed thyself to be helping the Faith and defending
the Law of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
By Him Who is the Truth! Thine iniquity hath
made Gabriel to groan, and hath drawn tears from
the Law of God, through which the breezes of justice
82
have been wafted over all who are in heaven and on
earth. Hast thou fondly imagined that the judgment
thou didst pronounce hath profited thee? Nay, by
Him Who is the King of all Names! Unto thy loss
testifieth He with Whom is the knowledge of all
things as recorded in the preserved Tablet.
|
|
“O thou who hast gone astray! Thou hast neither
seen Me, nor associated with Me, nor been My companion
for the fraction of a moment. How is it,
then, that thou hast bidden men to curse Me? Didst
thou, in this, follow the promptings of thine own
desires, or didst thou obey thy Lord? Produce thou
a sign, if thou art one of the truthful. We testify
that thou hast cast behind thy back the Law of God,
and laid hold on the dictates of thy passions. Nothing,
in truth, escapeth His knowledge; He, verily, is
the Incomparable, the All-Informed. O heedless one!
Hearken unto that which the Merciful hath revealed
in the Qur’án: ‘Say not to every one who meeteth you
with a greeting, “Thou art not a believer.”’ Thus
hath He decreed in Whose grasp are the kingdoms
of Revelation and of creation, if thou be of them
that hearken. Thou hast set aside the commandment
of God, and clung unto the promptings of thine
own desire. Woe, then, unto thee, O careless one that
doubtest! If thou deniest Me, by what proof canst
thou vindicate the truth of that which thou dost
possess? Produce it, then, O thou who hast joined
83
partners with God, and turned aside from His sovereignty
that hath encompassed the worlds!
|
|
“Know thou that he is truly learned who hath
acknowledged My Revelation, and drunk from the
Ocean of My knowledge, and soared in the atmosphere
of My love, and cast away all else besides Me,
and taken firm hold on that which hath been sent
down from the Kingdom of My wondrous utterance.
He, verily, is even as an eye unto mankind, and
as the spirit of life unto the body of all creation.
Glorified be the All-Merciful Who hath enlightened
him, and caused him to arise and serve His great and
mighty Cause. Verily, such a man is blessed by the
Concourse on high, and by them who dwell within
the Tabernacle of Grandeur, who have quaffed My
sealed Wine in My Name, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful.
If thou be of them that occupy such a
sublime station, produce then a sign from God, the
Creator of the heavens. And shouldst thou recognize
thy powerlessness, do thou rein in thy passions, and
return unto thy Lord, that perchance He may forgive
thee thy sins which have caused the leaves of
the Divine Lote-Tree to be burnt up, and the Rock
to cry out, and the eyes of men of understanding to
weep. Because of thee the Veil of Divinity was rent
asunder, and the Ark has foundered, and the She-Camel
was hamstrung, and the Spirit (Jesus) groaned
in His sublime retreat. Disputest thou with Him
84
Who hath come unto thee with the testimonies of
God and His signs which thou possessest and which
are in the possession of them that dwell on earth?
Open thine eyes that thou mayest behold this
Wronged One shining forth above the horizon of the
will of God, the Sovereign, the Truth, the Resplendent.
Unstop, then, the ear of thine heart that thou
mayest hearken unto the speech of the Divine Lote-Tree
that hath been raised up in truth by God, the
Almighty, the Beneficent. Verily, this Tree, notwithstanding
the things that befell it by reason of thy
cruelty and of the transgressions of such as are like
thee, calleth aloud and summoneth all men unto the
Sadratu’l-Muntahá and the Supreme Horizon. Blessed
is the soul that hath gazed on the Most Mighty Sign,
and the ear that hath heard His most sweet Voice, and
woe to whosoever hath turned aside and done
wickedly.
|
|
“O thou who hast turned away from God! Wert
thou to look with the eye of fairness upon the
Divine Lote-Tree, thou wouldst perceive the marks
of thy sword on its boughs, and its branches, and its
leaves, notwithstanding that God created thee for
the purpose of recognizing and of serving it. Reflect,
that haply thou mayest recognize thine iniquity and
be numbered with such as have repented. Thinkest
thou that We fear thy cruelty? Know thou and be
well assured that from the first day whereon the
voice of the Most Sublime Pen was raised betwixt
85
earth and heaven We offered up Our souls, and Our
bodies, and Our sons, and Our possessions in the
path of God, the Exalted, the Great, and We glory
therein amongst all created things and the Concourse
on high. Unto this testify the things which have befallen
Us in this straight Path. By God! Our hearts
were consumed, and Our bodies were crucified, and
Our blood was spilt, while Our eyes were fixed on
the horizon of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the
Witness, the All-Seeing. The more grievous their
woes, the greater waxed the love of the people of
Bahá. Unto their sincerity hath borne witness what
the All-Merciful hath sent down in the Qur’án.
He saith: ‘Wish ye, then, for death, if ye are sincere.’
Who is to be preferred, he that hath sheltered himself
behind curtains, or he that hath offered himself
in the path of God? Judge thou fairly, and be not of
them that rove distraught in the wilderness of falsehood.
So carried away have they been by the living
waters of the love of the Most Merciful, that neither
the arms of the world nor the swords of the nations
have deterred them from setting their faces towards
the ocean of the bounty of their Lord, the Giver,
the Generous.
|
|
“By God! Troubles have failed to unnerve Me, and
the repudiation of the divines hath been powerless to
weaken Me. I have spoken, and still speak forth
before the face of men: ‘The door of grace hath
been unlocked and He Who is the Dayspring of
86
Justice is come with perspicuous signs and evident
testimonies, from God, the Lord of strength and of
might!’ Present thyself before Me that thou mayest
hear the mysteries which were heard by the Son of
‘Imrán (Moses) upon the Sinai of Wisdom. Thus
commandeth thee He Who is the Dawning-Place of
the Revelation of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, from
His great Prison.”
|
|
Thereupon hath the cry and the lamentation of
the true Faith been raised once again, saying: “Verily,
Sinai calleth aloud and saith: ‘O people of the Bayán!
Fear ye the Merciful. Indeed have I attained unto
Him Who conversed upon me, and the ecstasies of
my joy have seized the pebbles of the earth and the
dust thereof.’ And the Bush exclaimeth: ‘O people
of the Bayán! Judge ye fairly that which hath in
truth been manifested. Verily the Fire which God
revealed unto the One Who conversed with Him is
now manifested. Unto this beareth witness every
man of insight and understanding.’”
|
|
It behooveth thee now to reflect upon the state of
Mírzá Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí and of Sád-i-Iṣfahání
(Sadru’l-‘Ulamá), who reside in the Land of Tá
87
(Ṭihrán). No sooner had the former heard that he
had been called a Bábí than he became so perturbed
that his poise and dignity forsook him. He ascended
the pulpits and spoke words which ill befitted him.
From time immemorial the clay clods of the world
have, wholly by reason of their love of leadership,
perpetrated such acts as have caused men to err.
Thou must not, however, imagine that all the faithful
are such as these two. We have described unto thee
the constancy, the firmness, the steadfastness, the certitude,
the imperturbability and the dignity of the
martyrs of this Revelation, that thou mayest be well-informed.
My purpose in citing the passages from the
Tablets to the kings and others hath been that thou
mayest know of a certainty that this Wronged One
hath not concealed the Cause of God, but hath proclaimed
and delivered, in the most eloquent language,
before the face of the world, the things He had been
commissioned to set forth. Certain faint-hearted
ones, however, such as Hádí and others, have tampered
with the Cause of God and have, in their concern
for this fleeting life, said and done that which
caused the eye of justice to weep and the Pen of Glory
to groan, notwithstanding their ignorance of the
essentials of this Cause; whereas this Wronged One
hath revealed it for the sake of God.
|
|
O Hádí! Thou hast gone unto My brother and
hast seen him. Set now thy face towards the court
of this Wronged One, that haply the breezes of Revelation
88
and the breaths of inspiration may assist thee
and enable thee to attain thy goal. Whoever gazeth
this day on My signs will distinguish truth from falsehood
as the sun from shadow, and will be made
cognizant of the goal. God is aware and beareth Me
witness that whatever hath been mentioned was for
the sake of God, that haply thou mayest be the
cause of the guidance of men, and mayest deliver the
peoples of the world from idle fancies and vain
imaginings. Gracious God! Until now they that have
turned aside and denied Me have failed to recognize
Who despatched that which was delivered unto the
Herald—the Primal Point! The knowledge of it is
with God, the Lord of the worlds.
|
|
Exert thyself, O Shaykh, and arise to serve this
Cause. The Sealed Wine is disclosed in this day before
the faces of men. Seize it in the name of thy Lord,
and quaff thy fill in remembrance of Him Who is
the Mighty, the Incomparable. Night and day hath
this Wronged One been occupied in that which
would unite the hearts, and edify the souls of men.
The events that have happened in Persia during the
early years have truly saddened the well-favored and
sincere ones. Each year witnessed a fresh massacre,
pillage, plunder, and shedding of blood. At one time
there appeared in Zanján that which caused the
greatest consternation; at another in Nayríz, and at
yet another in Tabarsí, and finally there occurred
the episode of the Land of Tá (Ṭihrán). From that
89
time onwards this Wronged One, assisted by the One
True God—exalted be His glory—acquainted this
oppressed people with the things which beseemed
them. All have sanctified themselves from the things
which they and others possess, and have clung unto,
and fixed their eyes upon that which pertaineth unto
God.
|
|
It is now incumbent upon His Majesty the Sháh—may God, exalted be He, protect him—to deal with
this people with loving-kindness and mercy. This
Wronged One pledgeth Himself, before the Divine
Kaaba, that, apart from truthfulness and trustworthiness,
this people will show forth nothing that can in
any way conflict with the world-adorning views of
His Majesty. Every nation must have a high regard
for the position of its sovereign, must be submissive
unto him, must carry out his behests, and hold fast
his authority. The sovereigns of the earth have been
and are the manifestations of the power, the grandeur
and the majesty of God. This Wronged One hath at
no time dealt deceitfully with anyone. Every one is
well aware of this, and beareth witness unto it. Regard
for the rank of sovereigns is divinely ordained,
as is clearly attested by the words of the Prophets
of God and His chosen ones. He Who is the Spirit
(Jesus)—may peace be upon Him—was asked: “O
Spirit of God! Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar
or not?” And He made reply: “Yea, render to Caesar
the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things
90
that are God’s.” He forbade it not. These two sayings
are, in the estimation of men of insight, one
and the same, for if that which belonged to Caesar
had not come from God, He would have forbidden it.
And likewise in the sacred verse: “Obey God and
obey the Apostle, and those among you invested with
authority.” By “those invested with authority” is
meant primarily and more especially the Imáms—the blessings of God rest upon them! They, verily,
are the manifestations of the power of God, and the
sources of His authority, and the repositories of His
knowledge, and the daysprings of His commandments.
Secondarily these words refer unto the kings
and rulers—those through the brightness of whose
justice the horizons of the world are resplendent and
luminous. We fain would hope that His Majesty
the Sháh will shine forth with a light of justice whose
radiance will envelop all the kindreds of the earth.
It is incumbent upon every one to beseech the one
true God on his behalf for that which is meet and
seemly in this day.
|
|
O God, my God, and my Master, and my Mainstay,
and my Desire, and my Beloved! I ask Thee
by the mysteries which were hid in Thy knowledge,
and by the signs which have diffused the fragrance
of Thy loving-kindness, and by the billows of the
ocean of Thy bounty, and by the heaven of Thy
grace and generosity, and by the blood spilt in Thy
path, and by the hearts consumed in their love for
91
Thee, to assist His Majesty the Sháh with Thy power
and Thy sovereignty, that from him may be manifested
that which will everlastingly endure in Thy
Books, and Thy Scriptures, and Thy Tablets. Hold
Thou his hand, O my Lord, with the hand of Thine
omnipotence, and illuminate him with the light of
Thy knowledge, and adorn him with the adornment
of Thy virtues. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth
Thee, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all created
things. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving,
the All-Bounteous.
|
|
In the Epistle to the Romans Saint Paul hath
written: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers. For there is no power but of God; the
powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever
therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance
of God.” And further: “For he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil.” He saith that the appearance of the
kings, and their majesty and power are of God.
|
|
Moreover, in the traditions of old, references have
been made which the divines have seen and heard.
We beseech God—blessed and glorified be He—to
aid thee, O Shaykh, to lay fast hold on that which
hath been sent down from the heaven of the bounty
of God, the Lord of the worlds. The divines must
needs unite with His Majesty, the Sháh, and cleave
unto that which will insure the protection, the security,
the welfare and prosperity of men. A just king
92
enjoyeth nearer access unto God than anyone. Unto
this testifieth He Who speaketh in His Most Great
Prison. God! There is none other God but Him, the
One, the Incomparable, the Almighty, the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise.
|
|
Wert thou, for the sake of God, to ponder, though
it be but for an hour, upon the things which have
occurred in former times and more recently, thou
wouldst turn away from the things thou dost possess
unto the things which belong unto God, and wouldst
become a means for the exaltation of His Word.
Hath, from the foundation of the world until the
present day, any Light or Revelation shone forth
from the dayspring of the will of God which the
kindreds of the earth have accepted, and Whose Cause
they have acknowledged? Where is it to be found,
and what is its name? Since the Seal of the Prophets
(Muḥammad)—may all else but Him be His sacrifice—and before Him the Spirit of God (Jesus), as
far back as the First Manifestation, all have at the
time of Their appearance suffered grievously. Some
were held to be possessed, others were called impostors,
and were treated in a manner that the pen is ashamed
to describe. By God! There befell Them what hath
made all created things to sigh, and yet the people
are, for the most part, sunk in manifest ignorance!
We pray God to assist them to return unto Him,
and to repent before the door of His mercy. Potent
is He over all things.
93
|
|
“Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor,
and look upon him with a bright and friendly face.
Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich,
an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of
the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment,
and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man,
and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto
them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful,
a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an
upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.
Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine
acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering,
a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes
to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the
erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth,
a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple
of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind,
an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary
above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the
human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a
sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem
of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy
94
generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility. We
pray God to protect thee from the heat of jealousy
and the cold of hatred. He verily is nigh, ready to
answer.” Thus hath My tongue spoken unto one of
My Branches (sons), and We have mentioned it unto
such of Our loved ones as have cast away their idle
fancies, and clung unto that which hath been prescribed
unto them in the day whereon the Daystar
of Certitude hath shone forth above the horizon of
the will of God, the Lord of the worlds. This is the
day on which the Bird of Utterance hath warbled
its melody upon the branches, in the name of its
Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed is the man that
hath, on the wings of longing, soared towards God,
the Lord of the Judgment Day.
|
|
The one true God well knoweth, and all the company
of His trusted ones testify, that this Wronged
One hath, at all times, been faced with dire peril.
But for the tribulations that have touched Me in the
path of God, life would have held no sweetness for
Me, and My existence would have profited Me nothing.
For them who are endued with discernment,
and whose eyes are fixed upon the Sublime Vision, it
is no secret that I have been, most of the days of My
life, even as a slave, sitting under a sword hanging
on a thread, knowing not whether it would fall soon
or late upon him. And yet, notwithstanding all this
We render thanks unto God, the Lord of the worlds.
Mine inner tongue reciteth, in the daytime and in
95
the night-season, this prayer: “Glory to Thee, O my
God! But for the tribulations which are sustained
in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized;
and were it not for the trials which are borne
for love of Thee, how could the station of such as
yearn for Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth Me
witness! The companions of all who adore Thee are
the tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek
Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them
who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their
broken hearts. How sweet to my taste is the bitterness
of death suffered in Thy path, and how precious
in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies
when encountered for the sake of the exaltation of
Thy Word! Let me quaff in Thy Cause, O my God
and my Master, whatsoever Thou didst desire, and
send down upon me in Thy love all Thou didst ordain.
By Thy glory! I wish only what Thou wishest, and
cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I, at all
times, placed My whole trust and confidence. Thou
art verily the All-Possessing, the Most High. Raise
up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers to this
Revelation such as shall be counted worthy of Thy
Name and of Thy sovereignty, that they may remember
Thee among Thy creatures, and hoist the
ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land, and adorn them
with Thy virtues and Thy commandments. No God
is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.”
96
|
|
Thereupon the voice of the true Faith was lifted
up, calling aloud again and again and saying: “O
concourse of the earth! By God! I am the true Faith
of God amongst you. Beware that ye deny Me not.
God hath manifested Me with a light that hath encompassed
all that are in the heavens and all that are
on earth. Judge ye equitably, O people, My manifestation,
and the revelation of My glory, and the
radiance of My light, and be not of them that act
unjustly.”
|
|
O Shaykh! Entreat thou the one true God to
sanctify the ears, and the eyes, and the hearts of
mankind, and to protect them from the desires of
a corrupt inclination. For malice is a grievous malady
which depriveth man from recognizing the Great
Being, and debarreth him from the splendors of the
sun of certitude. We pray and hope that through
the grace and mercy of God He may remove this
mighty obstacle. He, verily, is the Potent, the All-Subduing,
the Almighty.
|
|
At this moment a Voice was raised from the right-hand
of the Luminous Spot: “God! There is none
other God but Him, the Ordainer, the All-Wise!
Recite Thou unto the Shaykh the remaining passages
97
of the Lawḥ-i-Burhán (Tablet of the Proof) that
they may draw him unto the horizon of the Revelation
of his Lord, the God of Mercy, that haply he
may arise to aid My Cause with perspicuous signs
and exalted testimonies, and may speak forth amongst
men that which the Tongue of Testimony hath
spoken: ‘The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord of the
worlds!’”
|
|
“Peruse thou the Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude)
and that which the All-Merciful hath sent
down unto the King of Paris (Napoleon III) and to
such as are like him, that thou mayest be made aware
of the things that have happened in the past, and be
persuaded that We have not sought to spread disorder
in the land after it had been well-ordered. We exhort,
wholly for the sake of God, His servants. Let him
who wisheth turn unto Him, and him who wisheth
turn aside. Our Lord, the Merciful, is verily the All-Sufficing,
the All-Praised. O concourse of the kindreds
of the earth! This is the day whereon nothing
amongst all things, nor any name amongst all names,
can profit you save through this Name which God
hath made the Manifestation of His Cause and the
Dayspring of His Most Excellent Titles unto all
who are in the kingdom of creation. Blessed is that
man that hath recognized the fragrance of the All-Merciful
and been numbered with the steadfast. Your
sciences shall not profit you in this day, nor your
arts, nor your treasures, nor your glory. Cast them
98
all behind your backs, and set your faces towards the
Most Sublime Word through which the Scriptures
and the Books and this lucid Tablet have been distinctly
set forth. Cast away, O people, the things
ye have composed with the pen of your idle fancies
and vain imaginings. By God! The Daystar of
Knowledge hath shone forth above the horizon of
certitude.
|
|
“O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any
doubt concerning Our conduct, know thou that We
bear witness unto that whereunto God hath Himself
borne witness ere the creation of the heavens and
of the earth, that there is none other God but Him,
the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We testify that
He is One in His Essence, One in His Attributes.
He hath none to equal Him in the whole universe,
nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent forth
His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they
may announce unto His creatures the Straight Path.
|
|
“Hath the Sháh been informed, and chosen to close
his eyes to thine acts? Or hath he been seized with
fear at the howling of a pack of wolves who have
cast the path of God behind their backs and followed
in thy way without any clear proof or Book? We
have heard that the provinces of Persia have been
adorned with the adornment of justice. When We
observed closely, however, We found them to be the
dawning-places of tyranny and the daysprings of
injustice. We behold justice in the clutches of tyranny.
99
We beseech God to set it free through the
power of His might and His sovereignty. He, verily,
overshadoweth all that is in the heavens and on earth.
To none is given the right to protest against any one
concerning that which hath befallen the Cause of
God. It behooveth whosoever hath set his face
towards the Most Sublime Horizon to cleave tenaciously
unto the cord of patience, and to put his
reliance in God, the Help in Peril, the Unconstrained.
O ye loved ones of God! Drink your fill from the
wellspring of wisdom, and soar ye in the atmosphere
of wisdom, and speak forth with wisdom and eloquence.
Thus biddeth you your Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Knowing.
|
|
“O heedless one! Rely not on thy glory, and thy
power. Thou art even as the last trace of sunlight
upon the mountain-top. Soon will it fade away as
decreed by God, the All-Possessing, the Most High.
Thy glory and the glory of such as are like thee
have been taken away, and this verily is what hath
been ordained by the One with Whom is the Mother
Tablet. Where is he to be found who contended
with God, and whither is gone he that gainsaid His
signs, and turned aside from His sovereignty? Where
are they who have slain His chosen ones and spilt
the blood of His holy ones? Reflect, that haply thou
mayest perceive the breaths of thine acts, O foolish
doubter! Because of you the Apostle (Muḥammad)
lamented, and the Chaste One (Fátimih) cried out,
100
and the countries were laid waste, and darkness fell
upon all regions. O concourse of divines! Because
of you the people were abased, and the banner of
Islám was hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted.
Every time a man of discernment hath sought
to hold fast unto that which would exalt Islám, ye
raised a clamor, and thereby was he deterred from
achieving his purpose, while the land remained fallen
in clear ruin.
|
|
“O My Supreme Pen! Call Thou to remembrance
the She-Serpent (Imám-Jum’ih of Iṣfahán) whose
cruelty hath caused all created things to groan, and
the limbs of the holy ones to quake. Thus biddeth
Thee the Lord of all names, in this glorious station.
The Chaste One (Fátimih) hath cried out by reason
of thine iniquity, and yet thou dost imagine thyself
to be of the family of the Apostle of God! Thus hath
thy soul prompted thee, O thou who hast withdrawn
thyself from God, the Lord of all that hath been and
shall be. Judge thou equitably, O She-Serpent! For
what crime didst thou sting the children of the
Apostle of God (King of Martyrs and Beloved of
Martyrs), and pillage their possessions? Hast thou
denied Him Who created thee by His command ‘be,
and it was’? Thou hast dealt with the children of the
Apostle of God as neither ‘Ád hath dealt with Húd,
nor Thámúd with Ṣáliḥ, nor the Jews with the Spirit
of God (Jesus), the Lord of all being. Gainsayest
thou the signs of thy Lord which had no sooner
|
[Pages 61–80]Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
[Pages 61–80]
61
|
|
what hath been sent unto thee by Him Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed. As to him who
turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after that the
clear tokens have come unto him, from the Revealer
of signs, his work shall God bring to naught. He, in
truth, hath power over all things. Man’s actions are
acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation).
He that turneth aside from the True One
is indeed the most veiled amongst His creatures. Thus
hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Almighty,
the Most Powerful.
|
|
“We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the
reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives
of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for
thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs
will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are
beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be
tranquillized. It behooveth them, however, to be
trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves
as the representatives of all that dwell on earth.
This is what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who
is the Ruler, the All-Wise. And if any one of them
directeth himself towards the Assembly, let him turn
his eyes unto the Supreme Horizon, and say: ‘O my
God! I ask Thee, by Thy most glorious Name, to aid
me in that which will cause the affairs of Thy servants
to prosper, and Thy cities to flourish. Thou, indeed,
hast power over all things!’ Blessed is he that entereth
the Assembly for the sake of God, and judgeth between
62
men with pure justice. He, indeed, is of the
blissful.
|
|
“O ye members of Assemblies in that land and in
other countries! Take ye counsel together, and let
your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind,
and bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be
of them that scan heedfully. Regard the world as the
human body which, though at its creation whole
and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various
causes, with grave disorders and maladies. Not for
one day did it gain ease, nay, its sickness waxed more
severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant
physicians, who gave full rein to their personal desires,
and have erred grievously. And if at one time,
through the care of an able physician, a member of
that body was healed, the rest remained afflicted as
before. Thus informeth you the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise. We behold it, in this day, at the mercy
of rulers, so drunk with pride that they cannot discern
clearly their own best advantage, much less
recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging
as this.”
|
|
And further We have said: “That which God hath
ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument
for the healing of the world is the union
of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common
Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through
the power of a skilled, an all-powerful, and inspired
63
Physician. By My life! This is the truth, and all
else naught but error. Each time that Most Mighty
Instrument hath come, and that Light shone forth
from the Ancient Dayspring, He was withheld by
ignorant physicians who, even as clouds, interposed
themselves between Him and the world. It failed
therefore, to recover, and its sickness hath persisted
until this day. They indeed were powerless to protect
it, or to effect a cure, whilst He Who hath been
the Manifestation of Power amongst men was withheld
from achieving His purpose, by reason of what
the hands of the ignorant physicians have wrought.
|
|
“Consider these days in which He Who is the
Ancient Beauty hath come in the Most Great Name,
that He may quicken the world and unite its peoples.
They, however, rose up against Him with sharpened
swords, and committed that which caused the Faithful
Spirit to lament, until in the end they imprisoned
Him in the most desolate of cities, and broke the grasp
of the faithful upon the hem of His robe. Were
anyone to tell them: ‘The World Reformer is come,’
they would answer and say: ‘Indeed it is proven that
He is a fomenter of discord!’, and this notwithstanding
that they have never associated with Him, and
have perceived that He did not seek, for one moment,
to protect Himself. At all times He was at the mercy
of the wicked doers. At one time they cast Him into
prison, at another they banished Him, and at yet
64
another hurried Him from land to land. Thus have
they pronounced judgment against Us, and God,
truly, is aware of what I say.”
|
|
This charge of fomenting discord is the same as
that imputed aforetime by the Pharaohs of Egypt
to Him Who conversed with God (Moses). Read
thou what the All-Merciful hath revealed in the
Qur’án. He—may He be blessed and glorified—saith:
“Moreover We had sent Moses of old with Our signs
and with clear authority to Pharaoh, and Hamán,
and Qarún: and they said: ‘Sorcerer, impostor!’ And
when He came to them from Our presence with the
truth, they said: ‘Slay the sons of those who believe
as He doth, and save their females alive,’ but the
stratagem of the unbelievers issued only in failure.
And Pharaoh said: ‘Let me alone, that I may kill
Moses; and let him call upon his Lord: I fear lest he
change your religion, or cause disorder to show itself
in the land.’ And Moses said: ‘I take refuge with my
Lord, and your Lord from every proud one who
believeth not in the Day of Reckoning.’”
|
|
Men have, at all times, considered every World
Reformer a fomenter of discord, and have referred
unto Him in terms with which all are familiar. Each
time the Daystar of Divine Revelation shed its
radiance from the horizon of God’s Will a great
number of men denied Him, others turned aside from
Him, and still others calumniated Him, and thereby
withheld the servants of God from the river of loving
65
providence of Him Who is the King of creation. In
like manner, they who, in this day, have neither met
this Wronged One nor associated with Him have
said, and even now continue to say, the things thou
hast heard and hearest still. Say: “O people! The
Sun of Utterance beameth forth in this day, above
the horizon of bounty, and the radiance of the Revelation
of Him Who spoke on Sinai flasheth and
glisteneth before all religions. Purge and sanctify
your breasts, and your hearts, and your ears, and your
eyes with the living waters of the utterance of the
All-Merciful, and set, then, your faces towards Him.
By the righteousness of God! Ye shall hear all things
proclaim: ‘Verily, He the True One is come. Blessed
are they that judge with fairness, and blessed they
that turn towards Him!’”
|
|
Among the things they have imputed to the Divine
Lote-Tree (Moses) are charges to the falsity of which
every discerning man of knowledge, and every wise
and understanding heart, will witness. Thou must,
no doubt, have read and considered the verses which
have been sent down concerning Him Who conversed
with God. He—may He be blessed and glorified—saith: “He said: ‘Did We not rear thee among
us when a child? And hast thou not passed years
of thy life among us? And yet what a deed is that
which thou hast done! Thou art one of the ungrateful.’
He said: ‘I did it indeed, and I was one of
those who erred. And I fled from you because I
66
feared you; but My Lord hath given Me wisdom and
hath made Me one of His Apostles.’” And elsewhere
He—may He be blessed and exalted—saith: “And
He entered a city at the time when its inhabitants
would not observe Him, and found therein two men
fighting, the one, of His own people; the other, of
His enemies. And he who was of His own people
asked His help against him who was of His enemies.
And Moses smote him with His fist and slew him.
Said He: ‘This is a work of Satan; for he is an enemy,
a manifest misleader.’ He said: ‘O my Lord! I have
sinned to mine own hurt, forgive me.’ So God forgave
Him; for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
He said: ‘Lord! because Thou hast showed me this
grace, I will never again be the helper of the wicked.’
And in the city at noon He was full of fear, casting
furtive glances round Him, and lo, the man whom He
had helped the day before, cried out to Him again
for help. Said Moses to him: ‘Thou art plainly a
most depraved person.’ And when He would have
laid violent hands on him who was their common
foe, he said to Him: ‘O Moses! Dost Thou desire to
slay me, as thou slewest a man yesterday? Thou desirest
only to become a tyrant in this land, and
desirest not to become a peacemaker.’” Thine ears
and thine eyes must needs now be cleansed and sanctified,
that thou mayest be able to judge with fairness
and justice. Moses Himself, moreover, acknowledged
His injustice and waywardness, and testified
67
that fear had seized Him, and that He had transgressed,
and fled away. He asked God—exalted be
His glory—to forgive Him, and He was forgiven.
|
|
O Shaykh! Every time God the True One—exalted
be His glory—revealed Himself in the person of His
Manifestation, He came unto men with the standard
of “He doeth what He willeth, and ordaineth what
He pleaseth.” None hath the right to ask why or
wherefore, and he that doth so, hath indeed turned
aside from God, the Lord of Lords. In the days of
every Manifestation these things appear and are
evident. Likewise, they have said that about this
Wronged One, to the falsity of which they who are
nigh unto God and are devoted to Him have borne,
and still bear, witness. By the righteousness of God!
This Hem of His Robe hath ever been and remaineth
unsullied, though many have, at the present time,
purposed to besmirch it with their lying and unseemly
calumnies. God, however, knoweth and they
know not. He Who, through the might and power
of God, hath arisen before the face of all the kindreds
of the earth, and summoned the multitudes to
the Supreme Horizon, hath been repudiated by them
and they have clung instead unto such men as have
invariably withdrawn themselves behind veils and
curtains, and busied themselves about their own
protection. Moreover, many are now engaged in
spreading lies and calumnies, and have no other intention
than to instill distrust into the hearts and
68
souls of men. As soon as someone leaveth the Great
City (Constantinople) to visit this land, they at
once telegraph and proclaim that he hath stolen
money and fled to ‘Akká. A highly accomplished,
learned and distinguished man visited, in his declining
years, the Holy Land, seeking peace and retirement,
and about him they have written such things as have
caused them who are devoted to God and are nigh
unto Him to sigh.
|
|
His Excellency, the late Mírzá Ḥusayn Khán,
Mushíru’d-Dawlih,—may God forgive him—hath
known this Wronged One, and he, no doubt, must
have given to the Authorities a circumstantial account
of the arrival of this Wronged One at the
Sublime Porte, and of the things which He said and
did. On the day of Our arrival the Government
Official, whose duty it was to receive and entertain
official visitors, met Us and escorted Us to the place
he had been bidden to take Us. In truth, the Government
showed these wronged ones the utmost
kindness and consideration. The following day Prince
Shuja’u’d-Dawlih, accompanied by Mírzá Safá, acting
as the representatives of the late Mushíru’d-Dawlih,
the Minister (accredited to the Imperial
Court) came to visit Us. Others, among whom were
several Ministers of the Imperial Government, and
including the late Kamál Páshá, likewise called on Us.
Wholly reliant on God, and without any reference
to any need He might have had, or to any other
69
matter, this Wronged One sojourned for a period of
four months in that city. His actions were known
and evident unto all, and none can deny them except
such as hate Him, and speak not the truth. He that
hath recognized God, recognizeth none other but
Him. We have never liked, nor like We, to make
mention of such things.
|
|
Whenever high dignitaries of Persia came to that
city (Constantinople) they would exert themselves
to the utmost soliciting at every door such allowances
and gifts as they might obtain. This Wronged One,
however, if He hath done nothing that would redound
to the glory of Persia, hath at least acted in a
manner that could in no wise disgrace it. That which
was done by his late Excellency (Mushíru’d-Dawlih)—may God exalt his station—was not actuated
by his friendship towards this Wronged One, but
rather was prompted by his own sagacious judgment,
and by his desire to accomplish the service he secretly
contemplated rendering his Government. I testify
that he was so faithful in his service to his Government
that dishonesty played no part, and was held
in contempt, in the domain of his activities. It was
he who was responsible for the arrival of these
wronged ones in the Most Great Prison (‘Akká).
As he was faithful, however, in the discharge of his
duty, he deserveth Our commendation. This Wronged
One hath, at all times, aimed and striven to exalt
and advance the interests of both the government
70
and the people, not to elevate His own station. A
number of men have, now, gathered others about
them, and have arisen to dishonor this Wronged One.
He, nevertheless, beseecheth God—hallowed and glorified
be He—to aid them to return unto Him, and
assist them to compensate for that which escaped
them, and repent before the door of His bounty. He,
verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
|
|
O Shaykh! My Pen, verily, lamenteth over Mine
own Self, and My Tablet weepeth sore over what hath
befallen Me at the hands of one (Mírzá Yaḥyá) over
whom We watched for successive years, and who,
day and night, served in My presence, until he was
made to err by one of My servants, named Siyyid
Muḥammad. Unto this bear witness My believing
servants who accompanied Me in My exile from
Baghdád to this, the Most Great Prison. And there
befell Me at the hands of both of them that which
made every man of understanding to cry out, and
he who is endued with insight to groan aloud, and
the tears of the fair-minded to flow.
|
|
We pray to God to graciously assist them that
have been led astray to be just and fair-minded, and
to make them aware of that whereof they have been
heedless. He, in truth, is the All-Bounteous, the Most
Generous. Debar not Thy servants, O my Lord, from
the door of Thy grace, and drive them not away
from the court of Thy presence. Assist them to
dispel the mists of idle fancy, and to tear away the
71
veils of vain imaginings and hopes. Thou art, verily,
the All-Possessing, the Most High. No God is there
but Thee, the Almighty, the Gracious.
|
|
O Shaykh! Time and again have I declared, and
now yet again I affirm, that for two score years We
have, through the grace of God and by His irresistible
and potent will, extended such aid to His
Majesty the Sháh—may God assist him—as the exponents
of justice and of equity would regard as incontestable
and absolute. None can deny it, unless he
be a transgressor and sinner, or one who would hate
Us or doubt Our truth. How very strange that until
now the Ministers of State and the representatives
of the people have alike remained unaware of such
conspicuous and undeniable service, and, if apprized
of it, have, for reasons of their own, chosen to ignore
it! Previous to these forty years controversies and
conflicts continually prevailed and agitated the servants
of God. But since then, aided by the hosts of
wisdom, of utterance, of exhortations and understanding,
they have all seized and taken fast hold
of the firm cord of patience and of the shining hem
of fortitude, in such wise that this wronged people
72
endured steadfastly whatever befell them, and committed
everything unto God, and this notwithstanding
that in Mázindarán and at Rasht a great many
have been most hideously tormented. Among them
was his honor, Ḥájí Náṣir, who, unquestionably, was
a brilliant light that shone forth above the horizon
of resignation. After he had suffered martyrdom,
they plucked out his eyes and cut off his nose, and
inflicted on him such indignities that strangers wept
and lamented, and secretly raised funds to support
his wife and children.
|
|
O Shaykh! My Pen is abashed to recount what
actually took place. In the land of Sád (Iṣfahán)
the fire of tyranny burned with such a hot flame
that every fair-minded person groaned aloud. By
thy life! The cities of knowledge and of understanding
wept with such a weeping that the souls
of the pious and of the God-fearing were melted.
The twin shining lights, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn (The
King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs) offered
up spontaneously their lives in that city. Neither
fortune, nor wealth, nor glory, could deter them!
God knoweth the things which befell them and yet
the people are, for the most part, unaware!
|
|
Before them one named Kázim and they who
were with him, and after them, his honor Ashraf,
all quaffed the draught of martyrdom with the utmost
fervor and longing, and hastened unto the
Supreme Companion. In like manner, at the time
73
of Sardár Azíz Khán, that godly man, Mírzá
Muṣṭafá, and his fellow martyrs, were arrested, and
despatched unto the Supreme Friend in the All-Glorious
Horizon. Briefly, in every city the evidences
of a tyranny, beyond like or equal, were unmistakably
clear and manifest, and yet none arose in self-defence!
Call thou to mind his honor Badí, who was
the bearer of the Tablet to His Majesty the Sháh,
and reflect how he laid down his life. That knight,
who spurred on his charger in the arena of renunciation,
threw down the precious crown of life for
the sake of Him Who is the Incomparable Friend.
|
|
O Shaykh! If things such as these are to be denied,
what shall, then, be deemed worthy of credence?
Set forth the truth, for the sake of God, and be not
of them that hold their peace. They arrested his
honor Najaf-‘Alí, who hastened, with rapture and
great longing, unto the field of martyrdom, uttering
these words: “We have kept both Bahá and the
khún-bahá (bloodmoney)!” With these words he
yielded up his spirit. Meditate on the splendor and
glory which the light of renunciation, shining from
the upper chamber of the heart of Mullá ‘Alí-Ján,
hath shed. He was so carried away by the breezes of
the Most Sublime Word and by the power of the
Pen of Glory that to him the field of martyrdom
equalled, nay outrivalled, the haunts of earthly delights.
Ponder upon the conduct of ‘Abá-Básir and
Siyyid Ashraf-i-Zanjání. They sent for the mother
74
of Ashraf to dissuade her son from his purpose. But
she spurred him on until he suffered a most glorious
martyrdom.
|
|
O Shaykh! This people have passed beyond the
narrow straits of names, and pitched their tents upon
the shores of the sea of renunciation. They would
willingly lay down a myriad lives, rather than breathe
the word desired by their enemies. They have clung
to that which pleaseth God, and are wholly detached
and freed from the things which pertain unto men.
They have preferred to have their heads cut off
rather than utter one unseemly word. Ponder this
in thine heart. Methinks they have quaffed their fill
of the ocean of renunciation. The life of the present
world hath failed to withhold them from suffering
martyrdom in the path of God.
|
|
In Mázindarán a vast number of the servants of
God were exterminated. The Governor, under the
influence of calumniators, robbed a great many of
all that they possessed. Among the charges he laid
against them was that they had been laying up arms,
whereas upon investigation it was found out that
they had nothing but an unloaded rifle! Gracious
God! This people need no weapons of destruction,
inasmuch as they have girded themselves to reconstruct
the world. Their hosts are the hosts of goodly
deeds, and their arms the arms of upright conduct,
and their commander the fear of God. Blessed that
one that judgeth with fairness. By the righteousness
of God! Such hath been the patience, the calm, the
75
resignation and contentment of this people that they
have become the exponents of justice, and so great
hath been their forbearance, that they have suffered
themselves to be killed rather than kill, and this
notwithstanding that these whom the world hath
wronged have endured tribulations the like of which
the history of the world hath never recorded, nor the
eyes of any nation witnessed. What is it that could
have induced them to reconcile themselves to these
grievous trials, and to refuse to put forth a hand to
repel them? What could have caused such resignation
and serenity? The true cause is to be found
in the ban which the Pen of Glory hath, day and
night, chosen to impose, and in Our assumption of
the reins of authority, through the power and might
of Him Who is the Lord of all mankind.
|
|
Remember the father of Badí. They arrested that
wronged one, and ordered him to curse and revile
his Faith. He, however, through the grace of God
and the mercy of his Lord, chose martyrdom, and
attained thereunto. If ye would reckon up the martyrs
in the path of God, ye could not count them.
Consider his honor Siyyid Ismá’íl—upon him be the
peace of God, and His loving-kindness—how, before
daybreak he was wont to dust, with his own turban,
the doorstep of My house, and in the end, whilst
standing on the banks of the river, with his eyes
fixed on that same house, offered up, by his own
hand, his life.
|
|
Do thou ponder on the penetrative influence of
76
the Word of God. Every single one of these souls
was first ordered to blaspheme and curse his faith,
yet none was found to prefer his own will to the
Will of God.
|
|
O Shaykh! In former times he that was chosen
to be slain was but one person, whereas now this
Wronged One hath produced for thee that which
causeth every fair-minded man to marvel. Judge
fairly, I adjure thee, and arise to serve thy Lord.
He, verily, shall reward thee with a reward which
neither the treasures of the earth nor all the possessions
of kings and rulers can equal. In all thine
affairs put thy reliance in God, and commit them
unto Him. He will render thee a reward which the
Book hath ordained as great. Occupy thyself, during
these fleeting days of thy life, with such deeds as will
diffuse the fragrance of Divine good pleasure, and
will be adorned with the ornament of His acceptance.
The acts of his honor, Balál, the Ethiopian, were so
acceptable in the sight of God that the “sín” of his
stuttering tongue excelled the “shín” pronounced by
all the world. This is the day whereon all peoples
should shed the light of unity and concord. In brief,
the pride and vanity of certain of the peoples of the
world have made havoc of true understanding, and
laid waste the home of justice and of equity.
|
|
O Shaykh! That which hath touched this Wronged
One is beyond compare or equal. We have borne it
all with the utmost willingness and resignation, so
77
that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word
of God be exalted. While confined in the prison of
the Land of Mím (Mázindarán) We were one day
delivered into the hands of the divines. Thou canst
well imagine what befell Us. Shouldst thou at some
time happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty
the Sháh, ask the director and chief jailer to show
thee those two chains, one of which is known as
Qará-Guhar, and the other as Salásil. I swear by
the Daystar of Justice that for four months this
Wronged One was tormented and chained by one
or the other of them. “My grief exceedeth all the
woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions
of Job are but a part of My sorrows!”
|
|
Likewise, ponder thou upon the martyrdom of
Ḥájí Muḥammad-Riḍá in the City of Love (Ishqábád).
The tyrants of the earth have subjected that
wronged one to such trials as have caused many foreigners
to weep and lament for, as reported and
ascertained, no less than thirty-two wounds were
inflicted upon his blessed body. Yet none of the
faithful transgressed My commandment, nor raised
his hand in resistance. Come what might, they refused
to allow their own inclinations to supersede
that which the Book hath decreed, though a considerable
number of this people have resided, and still
reside, in that city.
|
|
We entreat His Majesty the Sháh,—may God, hallowed
and glorified be He, assist him—himself to
78
ponder upon these things, and to judge with equity
and justice. Although in recent years a number of
the faithful have, in most of the cities of Persia, suffered
themselves to be killed rather than kill, yet the
hatred smouldering in certain hearts hath blazed
more fiercely than before. For the victims of oppression
to intercede in favor of their enemies is, in
the estimation of rulers, a princely deed. Some must
have certainly heard that this oppressed people have,
in that city (Ishqábád), pleaded with the Governor
on behalf of their murderers, and asked for the mitigation
of their sentence. Take, then, good heed, ye
who are men of insight!
|
|
O Shaykh! These perspicuous verses have been
sent down in one of the Tablets by the Abhá Pen:
“Hearken, O servant, unto the voice of this Wronged
One, Who hath endured grievous vexations and trials
in the path of God, the Lord of all Names, until
such time as He was cast into prison, in the Land of
Tá (Ṭihrán). He summoned men unto the most
sublime Paradise, and yet they seized Him and
paraded Him through cities and countries. How
many the nights during which slumber fled from the
eyes of My loved ones, because of their love for Me;
and how numerous the days whereon I had to face
the assaults of the peoples against Me! At one time
I found Myself on the heights of mountains; at another
in the depths of the prison of Tá (Ṭihrán), in
chains and fetters. By the righteousness of God!
79
I was at all times thankful unto Him, uttering
His praise, engaged in remembering Him, directed
towards Him, satisfied with His pleasure, and lowly
and submissive before Him. So passed My days, until
they ended in this Prison (‘Akká) which hath made
the earth to tremble and the heavens to sigh. Happy
that one who hath cast away his vain imaginings,
when He Who was hid came with the standards of
His signs. We, verily, have announced unto men
this Most Great Revelation, and yet the people are in
a state of strange stupor.”
|
|
Thereupon, a Voice was raised from the direction
of Ḥijáz, calling aloud and saying: “Great is thy
blessedness, O ‘Akká, in that God hath made thee
the dayspring of His Most Sweet Voice, and the
dawn of His most mighty signs. Happy art thou in
that the Throne of Justice hath been established upon
thee, and the Daystar of God’s loving-kindness and
bounty hath shone forth above thy horizon. Well
is it with every fair-minded person that hath judged
fairly Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance,
and woe betide him that hath erred and doubted.”
|
|
“He is the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!
The winds of hatred have encompassed the
Ark of Bathá (Mecca), by reason of that which the
80
hands of the oppressors have wrought. O thou who
art reputed for thy learning! Thou hast pronounced
sentence against them for whom the books of the
world have wept, and in whose favor the scriptures
of all religions have testified. Thou, who art gone
far astray, art indeed wrapt in a thick veil. By God
Himself! Thou hast pronounced judgment against
them through whom the horizon of faith hath been
illumined. Unto this bear witness They Who are
the Dawning-Places of Revelation and the Manifestations
of the Cause of thy Lord, the Most Merciful,
Who have sacrificed Their souls and all that They
possessed in His straight Path. The Faith of God
hath cried everywhere, by reason of thy tyranny,
and yet thou disportest thyself and art of them that
exult. There is no hatred in Mine heart for thee nor
for anyone. Every man of discernment beholdeth
thee, and such as are like thee, engulfed in evident
folly. Hadst thou realized that which thou hast done,
thou wouldst have cast thyself into the fire, or abandoned
thine home and fled unto the mountains, or
wouldst have groaned until thou hadst returned unto
the place destined for thee by Him Who is the Lord
of strength and of might. O thou who art even as
nothing! Rend thou asunder the veils of idle fancies
and vain imaginings, that thou mayest behold the
Daystar of knowledge shining from this resplendent
Horizon. Thou hast torn in pieces a remnant of the
Prophet Himself, and imagined that thou hadst
|
[Pages 41–60]Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
[Pages 41–60]
41
|
|
O Shaykh! How do the divines of this age account
for the effulgent glory which the Sadrah of Utterance
hath shed upon the Son of ‘Imrán (Moses) on the
Sinai of Divine knowledge? He (Moses) hearkened
unto the Word which the Burning Bush had uttered,
and accepted it; and yet most men are bereft of the
power of comprehending this, inasmuch as they have
busied themselves with their own concerns, and are
unaware of the things which belong unto God. Referring
to this, the Siyyid of Findirisk hath well said:
“This theme no mortal mind can fathom; be it even
that of Abú-Nasr, or Abú-‘Alí Síná (Avicenna).”
What explanation can they give concerning that
42
which the Seal of the Prophets (Muḥammad)—may
the souls of all else but Him be offered up for His
sake—hath said?: “Ye, verily, shall behold your Lord
as ye behold the full moon on its fourteenth night.”
The Commander of the Faithful (Imám ‘Alí)—peace
be upon him—moreover, saith in the Khutbiy-i-Tutúnjíyyih:
“Anticipate ye the Revelation of Him
Who conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush
on Sinai.” Ḥusayn, the son of ‘Alí—peace be upon
him—likewise saith: “Will there be vouchsafed unto
anyone besides Thee a Revelation which hath not
been vouchsafed unto Thyself—A Revelation Whose
Revealer will be He Who revealed Thee. Blind be
the eye that seeth Thee not!”
|
|
Similar sayings from the Imáms—the blessings of
God be upon them—have been recorded and are
widely known, and are embodied in books worthy
of credence. Blessed is he that perceiveth, and speaketh
the pure truth. Well is it with him who, aided
by the living waters of the utterance of Him Who
is the Desire of all men, hath purified himself from
idle fancies and vain imaginings, and torn away, in
the name of the All-Possessing, the Most High, the
veils of doubt, and renounced the world and all that
is therein, and directed himself towards the Most
Great Prison.
|
|
O Shaykh! No breeze can compare with the
breezes of Divine Revelation, whilst the Word which
is uttered by God shineth and flasheth as the sun
43
amidst the books of men. Happy the man that hath
discovered it, and recognized it, and said: “Praised
be Thou, Who art the Desire of the world, and thanks
be to Thee, O Well-Beloved of the hearts of such
as are devoted to Thee!”
|
|
Men have failed to perceive Our purpose in the
references We have made to Divinity and Godhood.
Were they to apprehend it, they would arise from
their places, and cry out: “We, verily, ask pardon of
God!” The Seal of the Prophets—may the souls of
all else but Him be offered up for His sake—saith:
“Manifold are Our relationships with God. At one
time, We are He Himself, and He is We Ourself.
At another He is that He is, and We are that We are.”
|
|
Aside from this, why is it that thou didst not
mention those other stations which the Abhá Pen
hath disclosed? The tongue of this Wronged One
hath, many a day and night, given utterance to these
sublime words: “O God, my God! I bear witness to
Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art God,
and that there is none other God but Thee. Thou
hast everlastingly been sanctified above the mention
of any one but Thee and the praise of all else except
Thyself, and Thou wilt everlastingly continue to be
the same as Thou wast from the beginning and hast
ever been. I beseech Thee, O King of Eternity, by
the Most Great Name, and by the effulgences of the
Daystar of Thy Revelation upon the Sinai of Utterance,
and by the billows of the Ocean of Thy knowledge
44
among all created things, to graciously assist Me
in that which will draw Me nigh unto Thee, and
will detach Me from all except Thee. By Thy glory,
O Lord of all being, and the Desire of all creation!
I would love to lay My face upon every single spot
of Thine earth, that perchance it might be honored
by touching a spot ennobled by the footsteps of Thy
loved ones!”
|
|
By the righteousness of God! Idle fancies have
debarred men from the Horizon of Certitude, and
vain imaginings withheld them from the Choice
Sealed Wine. In truth I say, and for the sake of God
I declare: This Servant, this Wronged One, is abashed
to claim for Himself any existence whatever, how
much more those exalted grades of being! Every
man of discernment, while walking upon the earth,
feeleth indeed abashed, inasmuch as he is fully aware
that the thing which is the source of his prosperity,
his wealth, his might, his exaltation, his advancement
and power is, as ordained by God, the very earth
which is trodden beneath the feet of all men. There
can be no doubt that whoever is cognizant of this
truth, is cleansed and sanctified from all pride, arrogance,
and vainglory. Whatever hath been said hath
come from God. Unto this, He, verily, hath borne,
and beareth now, witness, and He, in truth, is the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
|
|
Beseech God to grant unto men hearing ears, and
sharp sight, and dilated breasts, and receptive hearts,
45
that haply His servants may attain unto their hearts’
Desire, and set their faces towards their Beloved.
Troubles, such as no eye hath beheld, have touched
this Wronged One. In proclaiming His Cause, He,
in no wise, hesitated. Addressing Himself unto the
kings and rulers of the earth—may God, exalted be
He, assist them—He imparted unto them that which
is the cause of the well-being, the unity, the harmony,
and the reconstruction of the world, and of the
tranquillity of the nations. Among them was Napoleon III,
who is reported to have made a certain statement,
as a result of which We sent him Our Tablet
while in Adrianople. To this, however, he did not
reply. After Our arrival in the Most Great Prison
there reached Us a letter from his Minister, the first
part of which was in Persian, and the latter in his
own handwriting. In it he was cordial, and wrote
the following: “I have, as requested by you, delivered
your letter, and until now have received no answer.
We have, however, issued the necessary recommendations
to our Minister in Constantinople and our
consuls in those regions. If there be anything you
wish done, inform us, and we will carry it out.”
|
|
From his words it became apparent that he understood
the purpose of this Servant to have been a
request for material assistance. We, therefore, revealed
in his (Napoleon III’s) name verses in the
Súratu’l-Haykal, some of which We now quote, that
thou mayest know that the Cause of this Wronged
46
One hath been revealed for the sake of God, and
hath come from Him:
|
|
“O King of Paris! Tell the priest to ring the bells
no longer. By God, the True One! The Most Mighty
Bell hath appeared in the form of Him Who is the
Most Great Name, and the fingers of the will of Thy
Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out
in the heaven of Immortality, in His name, the All-Glorious.
Thus have the mighty verses of Thy Lord
been again sent down unto thee, that thou mayest
arise to remember God, the Creator of earth and
heaven, in these days when all the tribes of the earth
have mourned, and the foundations of the cities have
trembled, and the dust of irreligion hath enwrapped
all men, except such as God, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise, was pleased to spare. Say: He Who is the
Unconditioned is come, in the clouds of light, that
He may quicken all created things with the breezes
of His Name, the Most Merciful, and unify the
world, and gather all men around this Table which
hath been sent down from heaven. Beware that ye
deny not the favor of God after it hath been sent
down unto you. Better is this for you than that which
ye possess; for that which is yours perisheth, whilst
that which is with God endureth. He, in truth,
ordaineth what He pleaseth. Verily, the breezes of
forgiveness have been wafted from the direction of
your Lord, the God of Mercy; whoso turneth thereunto,
shall be cleansed of his sins, and of all pain and
47
sickness. Happy the man that hath turned towards
them, and woe betide him that hath turned aside.
|
|
“Wert thou to incline thine inner ear unto all created
things, thou wouldst hear: ‘The Ancient of Days
is come in His great glory!’ Everything celebrateth
the praise of its Lord. Some have known God and
remember Him; others remember Him, yet know
Him not. Thus have We set down Our decree in
a perspicuous Tablet.
|
|
“Give ear, O King, unto the Voice that calleth
from the Fire which burneth in this verdant Tree,
on this Sinai which hath been raised above the hallowed
and snow-white Spot, beyond the Everlasting
City; ‘Verily, there is none other God but Me, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful!’ We, in truth,
have sent Him Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit
(Jesus Christ) that He may announce unto you this
Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the
will of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious,
and Whose signs have been revealed in the West.
Set your faces towards Him (Bahá’u’lláh), on this
Day which God hath exalted above all other days,
and whereon the All-Merciful hath shed the splendor
of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven
and all who are on earth. Arise thou to serve God and
help His Cause. He, verily, will assist thee with the
hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set thee king
over all that whereon the sun riseth. Thy Lord, in
truth, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
48
|
|
“The breezes of the Most Merciful have passed
over all created things; happy the man that hath discovered
their fragrance, and set himself towards them
with a sound heart. Attire thy temple with the ornament
of My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance
of Me, and thine heart with love for Me, the
Almighty, the Most High. We have desired for thee
naught except that which is better for thee than
what thou dost possess and all the treasures of the
earth. Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed of all.
Arise, in My Name, amongst My servants, and say:
‘O ye peoples of the earth! Turn yourselves towards
Him Who hath turned towards you. He, verily, is
the Face of God amongst you, and His Testimony
and His Guide unto you. He hath come to you with
signs which none can produce.’ The voice of the Burning
Bush is raised in the midmost heart of the world,
and the Holy Spirit calleth aloud among the nations:
‘Lo, the Desired One is come with manifest dominion!’
|
|
“O King! The stars of the heaven of knowledge
have fallen, they who seek to establish the truth of
My Cause through the things they possess, and who
make mention of God in My Name. And yet, when
I came unto them in My glory, they turned aside.
They, indeed, are of the fallen. This is, truly, that
which the Spirit of God (Jesus Christ) hath announced,
when He came with truth unto you, He
with Whom the Jewish doctors disputed, till at last
49
they perpetrated what hath made the Holy Spirit to
lament, and the tears of them that have near access
to God to flow.
|
|
“Say: O concourse of monks! Seclude not yourselves
in your churches and cloisters. Come ye out
of them by My leave, and busy, then, yourselves
with what will profit you and others. Thus commandeth
you He Who is the Lord of the Day of
Reckoning. Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of
My love. This, truly, is the seclusion that befitteth
you, could ye but know it. He that secludeth himself
in his house is indeed as one dead. It behooveth
man to show forth that which will benefit mankind.
He that bringeth forth no fruit is fit for the fire.
Thus admonisheth you your Lord; He, verily, is the
Mighty, the Bountiful. Enter ye into wedlock, that
after you another may arise in your stead. We,
verily, have forbidden you lechery, and not that
which is conducive to fidelity. Have ye clung unto
the promptings of your nature, and cast behind your
backs the statutes of God? Fear ye God, and be not
of the foolish. But for man, who, on My earth, would
remember Me, and how could My attributes and My
names be revealed? Reflect, and be not of them that
have shut themselves out as by a veil from Him,
and were of those that are fast asleep. He that
married not (Jesus Christ) could find no place
wherein to abide, nor where to lay His head, by
reason of what the hands of the treacherous had
50
wrought. His holiness consisted not in the things ye
have believed and imagined, but rather in the things
which belong unto Us. Ask, that ye may be made
aware of His station which hath been exalted above
the vain imaginings of all the peoples of the earth.
Blessed are they that understand.
|
|
“O King! We heard the words thou didst utter in
answer to the Czar of Russia, concerning the decision
made regarding the war (Crimean War). Thy Lord,
verily, knoweth, is informed of all. Thou didst say:
‘I lay asleep upon my couch, when the cry of the
oppressed, who were drowned in the Black Sea,
wakened me.’ This is what We heard thee say, and,
verily, thy Lord is witness unto what I say. We
testify that that which wakened thee was not their
cry but the promptings of thine own passions, for
We tested thee, and found thee wanting. Comprehend
the meaning of My words, and be thou of the
discerning. It is not Our wish to address thee words
of condemnation, out of regard for the dignity We
conferred upon thee in this mortal life. We, verily,
have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark of
such as are nigh unto Him. Courtesy is, in truth,
a raiment which fitteth all men, whether young or
old. Well is it with him that adorneth his temple
therewith, and woe unto him who is deprived of this
great bounty. Hadst thou been sincere in thy words,
thou wouldst have not cast behind thy back the
Book of God, when it was sent unto thee by Him
51
Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise. We have proved
thee through it, and found thee other than that
which thou didst profess. Arise, and make amends for
that which escaped thee. Erelong the world and all
that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom
will remain unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy
fathers of old. It behooveth thee not to conduct
thine affairs according to the dictates of thy desires.
Fear the sighs of this Wronged One, and shield Him
from the darts of such as act unjustly.
|
|
“For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be
thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass
from thine hands, as a punishment for that which
thou hast wrought. Then wilt thou know how thou
hast plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the
people in that land, unless thou arisest to help this
Cause, and followest Him Who is the Spirit of God
(Jesus Christ) in this, the Straight Path. Hath thy
pomp made thee proud? By My Life! It shall not
endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou
holdest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement
hastening after thee, whilst thou art of the heedless.
It behooveth thee when thou hearest His Voice calling
from the seat of glory to cast away all that thou
possessest, and cry out: ‘Here am I, O Lord of all
that is in heaven and all that is on earth!’
|
|
“O King! We were in ‘Iráq, when the hour of
parting arrived. At the bidding of the King of Islám
(Sulṭán of Turkey) We set Our steps in his direction.
52
Upon Our arrival, there befell Us at the hands of the
malicious that which the books of the world can
never adequately recount. Thereupon the inmates
of Paradise, and they that dwell within the retreats
of holiness, lamented; and yet the people are wrapped
in a thick veil!”
|
|
And further We have said: “More grievous became
Our plight from day to day, nay, from hour to hour,
until they took Us forth from Our prison and made
Us, with glaring injustice, enter the Most Great
Prison. And if anyone ask them: ‘For what crime
were they imprisoned?’ they would answer and say:
‘They, verily, sought to supplant the Faith with a
new religion!’ If that which is ancient be what ye
prefer, wherefore, then, have ye discarded that which
hath been set down in the Torah and the Evangel?
Clear it up, O men! By My life! There is no place
for you to flee to in this day. If this be My crime,
then Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, committed it
before Me, and before Him He Who was the Spirit
of God (Jesus Christ), and yet earlier He Who conversed
with God (Moses). And if My sin be this,
that I have exalted the Word of God and revealed
His Cause, then indeed am I the greatest of sinners!
Such a sin I will not barter for the kingdoms of earth
and heaven.”
|
|
And further We have said: “As My tribulations
multiplied, so did My love for God and for His Cause
increase, in such wise that all that befell Me from the
53
hosts of the wayward was powerless to deter Me from
My purpose. Should they hide Me away in the depths
of the earth, yet would they find Me riding aloft on
the clouds, and calling out unto God, the Lord of
strength and of might. I have offered Myself up in
the way of God, and I yearn after tribulations in
My love for Him, and for the sake of His good
pleasure. Unto this bear witness the woes which now
afflict Me, the like of which no other man hath suffered.
Every single hair of Mine head calleth out
that which the Burning Bush uttered on Sinai, and
each vein of My body invoketh God and saith: ‘O
would I had been severed in Thy path, so that
the world might be quickened, and all its peoples be
united!’ Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who
is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
|
|
“Know of a truth that your subjects are God’s
trust amongst you. Watch ye, therefore, over them
as ye watch over your own selves. Beware that ye
allow not wolves to become the shepherds of the fold,
or pride and conceit to deter you from turning unto
the poor and the desolate. Arise thou, in My name,
above the horizon of renunciation, and set, then, thy
face towards the Kingdom, at the bidding of thy
Lord, the Lord of strength and of might.”
|
|
And further We have said: “Adorn the body of
Thy kingdom with the raiment of My name, and
arise, then, to teach My Cause. Better is this for thee
than that which thou possessest. God will, thereby,
54
exalt thy name among all the kings. Potent is He
over all things. Walk thou amongst men in the
name of God, and by the power of His might, that
thou mayest show forth His signs amidst the peoples
of the earth.”
|
|
And further We have said: “Doth it behoove you
to relate yourselves to Him Who is the God of mercy,
and yet commit the things which the Evil One hath
committed? Nay, by the Beauty of Him Who is the
All-Glorified! could ye but know it. Purge your
hearts from love of the world, and your tongues from
calumny, and your limbs from whatsoever may withhold
you from drawing nigh unto God, the Mighty,
the All-Praised. Say: By the world is meant that
which turneth you aside from Him Who is the
Dawning-Place of Revelation, and inclineth you unto
that which is unprofitable unto you. Verily, the
thing that deterreth you, in this day, from God is
worldliness in its essence. Eschew it, and approach
the Most Sublime Vision, this shining and resplendent
Seat. Shed not the blood of anyone, O people, neither
judge ye anyone unjustly. Thus have ye been commanded
by Him Who knoweth, Who is informed of
all. They that commit disorders in the land after it
hath been well ordered, these indeed have outstepped
the bounds that have been set in the Book. Wretched
shall be the abode of the transgressors!”
|
|
And further We have said: “Deal not treacherously
with the substance of your neighbor. Be ye trustworthy
55
on earth, and withhold not from the poor
the things given unto you by God through His
grace. He, verily, will bestow upon you the double
of what ye possess. He, in truth, is the All-Bounteous,
the Most Generous. O people of Bahá! Subdue the
citadels of men’s hearts with the swords of wisdom
and of utterance. They that dispute, as prompted
by their desires, are indeed wrapped in a palpable
veil. Say: The sword of wisdom is hotter than summer
heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do
but understand. Draw it forth in My name and
through the power of My might, and conquer, then,
with it the cities of the hearts of them that have
secluded themselves in the stronghold of their corrupt
desires. Thus biddeth you the Pen of the All-Glorious,
whilst seated beneath the swords of the
wayward. If ye become aware of a sin committed
by another, conceal it, that God may conceal your
own sin. He, verily, is the Concealer, the Lord of
grace abounding. O ye rich ones on earth! If ye
encounter one who is poor, treat him not disdainfully.
Reflect upon that whereof ye were created.
Every one of you was created of a sorry germ.”
|
|
And further We have said: “Regard ye the world
as a man’s body, which is afflicted with divers ailments,
and the recovery of which dependeth upon
the harmonizing of all of its component elements.
Gather ye around that which We have prescribed
unto you, and walk not in the ways of such as create
56
dissension. Meditate on the world and the state of its
people. He, for Whose sake the world was called
into being, hath been imprisoned in the most desolate
of cities (‘Akká), by reason of that which the hands
of the wayward have wrought. From the horizon of
His prison-city He summoneth mankind unto the
Dayspring of God, the Exalted, the Great. Exultest
thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing
they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest
a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation
of the people of Bahá, is worth as much as
the black in the eye of a dead ant? Abandon it unto
such as have set their affections upon it, and turn
thou unto Him Who is the Desire of the world.
Whither are gone the proud and their palaces? Gaze
thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by
this example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto
every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to
seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn
unto the Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou
possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this
sublime Vision.”
|
|
One of the sections of the Súratu’l-Haykal is the
Tablet addressed to His Majesty, the Czar of Russia—may God, exalted and glorified be He—assist him:
57
|
|
“O Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the
voice of God, the King, the Holy, and turn thou
unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who,
among the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent
titles, and Who, in the kingdom of creation, is
called by the name of God, the Effulgent, the All-Glorious.
Beware that nothing deter thee from setting
thy face towards thy Lord, the Compassionate,
the Most Merciful. We, verily, have heard the thing
for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst
secretly communing with Him. Wherefore, the
breeze of My loving-kindness wafted forth, and the
sea of My mercy surged, and We answered thee in
truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise. Whilst I lay, chained and fettered, in the
prison of Ṭihrán, one of thy ministers extended Me
his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a
station which the knowledge of none can comprehend
except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter
away this sublime station.”
|
|
And further We have said: “He Who is the Father
is come, and the Son (Jesus Christ), in the holy vale,
crieth out: ‘Here am I, here am I, O Lord, my God!’,
whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning
Bush calleth aloud: ‘The All-Bounteous is come
mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth
nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far
away.’
|
|
“Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling
58
Cause, and summon, then, the nations
unto God, the Mighty, the Great. Be thou not of
them who called upon God by one of His names,
but who, when He Who is the Object of all names
appeared, denied Him and turned aside from Him,
and, in the end, pronounced sentence against Him
with manifest injustice. Consider and call thou to
mind the days whereon the Spirit of God (Jesus
Christ) appeared, and Herod gave judgment against
Him. God, however, aided Him with the hosts of
the unseen, and protected Him with truth, and sent
Him down unto another land, according to His
promise. He, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth.
Thy Lord truly preserveth whom He willeth, be he
in the midst of the seas or in the maw of the serpent,
or beneath the sword of the oppressor.”
|
|
And further We have said: “Again I say: Hearken
unto My voice that calleth from My prison, that it
may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen
My Beauty, at the hands of them that are the
manifestations of My glory, and that thou mayest
perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding
My might, and how immense My forbearance,
notwithstanding My power. By My life!
Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My
Pen, and discover the treasures of My Cause, and the
pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the seas of
My names and in the goblets of My words, thou
wouldst for longing after His glorious and sublime
59
Kingdom, lay down thy life in the path of God.
Know thou that though My body be beneath the
swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable
afflictions, yet My spirit is filled with a gladness
with which all the joys of the earth can never
compare.”
|
|
Likewise, We mention some verses from the Tablet
of Her Majesty, the Queen (Queen Victoria)—may
God, exalted and glorified be He, assist her. Our
purpose is that haply the breezes of Revelation may
envelop thee, and cause thee to arise, wholly for the
sake of God, and serve His Cause, and that thou
mayest transmit any of the Tablets of the kings
which might have remained undelivered. This mission
is a great mission, and this service a great service.
In those regions distinguished divines are numerous,
among whom are those Siyyids who are renowned for
their eminence and distinction. Confer with them,
and show them what hath flowed out of the Pen of
Glory, that haply they may be graciously aided to
better the condition of the world, and improve the
character of peoples of different nations, and may,
through the living waters of God’s counsels, quench
the hatred and the animosity which lie hid and
smolder in the hearts of men. We pray God that
thou mayest be assisted therein. And this, verily,
would not be hard for Him.
|
|
“O Queen in London! Incline thine ear unto the
voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind, calling
60
from the Divine Lote-Tree: Verily, no God is there
but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise! Cast away all
that is on earth, and attire the head of thy kingdom
with the crown of the remembrance of Thy Lord,
the All-Glorious. He, in truth, hath come unto the
world in His most great glory, and all that hath been
mentioned in the Gospel hath been fulfilled. The land
of Syria hath been honored by the footsteps of its
Lord, the Lord of all men, and North and South
are both inebriated with the wine of His presence.
Blessed is the man that hath inhaled the fragrance
of the Most Merciful, and turned unto the Dawning-Place
of His beauty, in this resplendent Dawn. The
Mosque of Aqsá vibrateth through the breezes of its
Lord, the All-Glorious, whilst Bathá (Mecca) trembleth
at the voice of God, the Exalted, the Most High.
Every single stone of them celebrateth the praise of
the Lord, through this Great Name.”
|
|
And further We said: “We make mention of thee
for the sake of God, and desire that thy name may
be exalted through thy remembrance of God, the
Creator of earth and of heaven. He, verily, is witness
unto that which I say. We have been informed
that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both
men and women. This, verily, is what God hath
enjoined in this wondrous Revelation. God hath,
truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He,
verily, will pay the doer of good, whether man or
woman, his due recompense, wert thou to follow
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)