BH00032: Lawh-i-Ruh

Section 1: “This is the Tablet of Spirit, which hath…”

This is the Tablet of Spirit, which hath been sent down in truth, and God hath made it a living, vital spirit, that thereby the hearts of all the world may be quickened. It abideth through the everlasting duration of Mine Own Self, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, for verily My Self is His Self, did ye but know it. Glorified be He within Whose grasp lieth dominion over the Kingdom of verses. He causeth them to be revealed as He pleaseth, by His command, and He is verily the Sovereign, the Single, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Omnipotent.

Say: O people, these are the verses of God your Creator, sent down unto you from the clouds of destiny, that ye may witness the handiwork of your Maker between earth and heaven, and be established upon the throne of independence beneath the shadow of this Beauty, from which hath shone forth the Sun of Grandeur in the heaven of eternity, then the Sun of Power from the horizon of beginning, then the Sun of Glory in the heaven of fulfillment, then the suns of the former and the latter generations.

O Ancient Pen! Make mention of ʿAli, concerning that which Satan cast into the hearts of those who opposed God on the Day when He was established upon the throne with manifest sovereignty, that he may be mindful within himself and steadfast in the Cause of his Lord, to such extent that should all the factions dispute with him, he would find no disquiet within himself, and would regard all things as on that Day when no mention of them existed before God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Among the ungodly is he who said: When the Spirit dieth, doth his name endure in the kingdom through what a numbered few of those who believe and are possessed of clear certitude ascribe to him? Say: By God! The Spirit dieth not ever, rather all who enter beneath his shadow shall endure through him, and thus was the matter ordained, were ye of those who know. The life of all things standeth through his existence, and their vitality through his self, were ye of those who perceive. Say: He prideth not himself on aught of what hath been created between the heavens and the earth, for all that was created by His Word, were ye of the fair-minded. And should he take pride in aught, he would take pride in his self, not in what is other than it, and in him do all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth, and what lieth in the dominion of Command and Creation, take pride, were ye of those who know.

Say: O mountain of rancor, pinnacle of hatred, and vessel of envy, die in thy wrath, then burn in the fire which God hath kindled in thy breast! By God! That which no mind hath conceived and no one’s knowledge among all the worlds hath encompassed hath appeared. Say: My description is My Self, and that which proceedeth from My mighty, transcendent, glorious and wondrous Pen. As for you, O concourse of unbelievers, if ye pride yourselves that your names endure among the beasts or your mention among the cattle, then take pride, for this is your station and the station of those who follow you without clear proof or a glorious Book. Thus have We made you worshippers of names, and among those who cling to them, such that ye take pride in them upon your seats, yet are not among those who perceive.

Therefore worship your gods and your desires; God shall soon render you and them as scattered dust, such that no trace of you shall remain upon the earth. This hath been irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablets of glory. Say: By God! All in which ye take pride in these days is cast behind them by servants who attribute themselves to My Self, and how much more to My manifest, resplendent and gracious Beauty! Therefore witness how We have made delusion to rule over you in the earth, by reason of what your hands have wrought, O ye heedless ones!

O ʿAli! Hear what the ungodly say, then ponder what issues from their mouths—how they deny Him through Whom their names were exalted, their station elevated, and their traces spread throughout the worlds. Among the ungodly is he who in his soul rebels against God and says that the people will never follow this Youth Who is established upon the throne of holy and luminous sanctity, and that His Cause will never be established in the earth. Thus do they seek to cure the ailments of their souls and are numbered among those who rejoice. Say: By God, besides Whom there is none other God! Soon will God send forth from the clouds of His Cause hosts with a meteor of power and might who will aid the Youth with such triumph as the eyes of all creation have never witnessed.

Through His sovereignty He will raise up the realities of the Prophets and Messengers and cause them to hear the melodies of the leaves suspended upon the branch of this Tree which has grown upon the Sinai of the All-Merciful in this Ridvan which has appeared in the name of the All-Glorious upon this holy, wondrous and inaccessible station. And when the winds blow through them, the sweetest melodies are revealed in praise of this Youth Who is established upon the throne of names and attributes—that there is no God but Him, and that this indeed is the Youth Whom the Manifestations of Glory serve, they whom the All-Merciful has fashioned after His resplendent, holy and luminous beauty.

Say: By God! This Youth has fallen into the well of envy and hatred. Would that there were some travelers to let down their bucket, that perchance through it the sun of His beauty might shine forth from the horizon of this well whose depth extends between the heavens and the earth. O ʿAli! Leave the ungodly and what issues from their mouths, then ascend on wings of ruby to the holy and supreme atmosphere that thou mayest witness all created things in the shadow of thy Lord and be of those who are firmly established. And when the lights of the garment shine forth upon thee from this luminous Temple, fall prostrate upon the dust in humility before God, that thy face may be illumined thereby among the worlds.

Say: O people! Fear God and be not proud before Him after He has come upon clouds of light, surrounded by dawning suns through but one ray of which the kingdom of creation and command would be illumined, were ye of those who know. O people! If We were to deny the beauty of the Primal Point in His latter Manifestation, by what proof could We establish Our faith in God’s Messengers of old and in Ali before Nabil? Thus has the Voice of Sinai spoken in this unfurled scroll that ye may witness the handiwork of your Lord and be of those who are steadfast.

O ʿAli! In this journey thou hast witnessed what has befallen Me and hast heard the utterances of the ungodly concerning Me, and wert among those who bore witness, until they rose up against Me and pronounced sentence of death upon Me—after that through My arising between earth and heaven God’s Cause was made manifest and His mention exalted throughout the worlds. Through mention of Me were they mentioned, their names were elevated, and their traces became renowned throughout East and West. We were protecting them from the harm of those among the peoples of the earth who sought to slay them, and We made My kindred serve them at every hour and every moment. Yet they busied themselves in the most hidden secrecy with plotting against My Cause and whispering in the hearts of those over whose hearts had wafted the breezes of the All-Merciful from this Ridvan, in the shadow of but one leaf of which were created gardens of mighty glory. Until at last they arose to slay Me, yet I pardoned them despite My power and concealed their deeds despite My sovereignty.

And I concealed from them My sovereignty, and I forbore in My clemency, for I am the One Who has power over whatsoever I desire, and I am the Mighty, the Bountiful, the Most High, the Forgiving, the Merciful. Despite all this that I have witnessed, thou shalt soon behold that they attribute all of this and all that they have done unto My sanctified, glorious and luminous Self. All of this and what was done unto Me they attribute unto themselves, to such extent that the oppressor claims for himself the station of being utterly oppressed. Thus dost thou witness their falsehood and recognize My tribulation throughout twenty years. Thus do We recount unto thee from the stories of truth, and thou shalt soon witness their traces in the earth and be of them that reflect.

Say: O people! Fear ye God and let not names deceive you. By God! Verily these names and their kingdom were created by what hath flowed from My Pen upon tablets of mighty glory. Deprive not yourselves of the Sun of grace and beneficence in the days of your Lord, the Most Merciful, and follow not Satan in your souls lest ye be among the lost. Say: O people! Ye have done unto the Self of God what none hath done unto another, until His face was veiled after it had ever been radiant from the horizon of holiness with manifest and brilliant light.

O ʿAli! So grievous hath become the matter unto Me that My sanctity hath been violated amongst the people, that perchance thereby the hands of hatred might be lifted from above My head, though they will not be content with aught save the shedding of My blood upon the earth, that with it may be reddened the tresses of the Maids of Heaven in their sanctified and sublime chambers. Such abasement have I reached that I sat in the house alone, solitary and single, to such extent that when the chief of the city desired to appear before the Youth, he found the door locked, and when We opened the door unto his face, there was none with Us to serve him. Thereat did all things weep, and the hearts of them that are nigh unto God were rent asunder. They who speak as children speak and are powerless to speak before your Lord, the Most Merciful, object to the verses of God and His grandeur, though by a single letter thereof were their realities created, as well as all the words of them that are veiled.

Say: Today, were all who are in the heavens and earth to become luminous mirrors and radiant jewels, all of them speaking the praise of their Creator and worshipping their Fashioner, and yet believe not in this Beauty after He hath been established upon the throne of glory, their deeds would be rendered vain in that instant and they would be cast into the depths of the nethermost fire. Say: Today no soul possesseth aught for itself, nor can anyone avail himself of all that is in the heavens and earth and all that lieth between them, except by entering beneath the shadow of this Cause that hath appeared from the Dayspring of eternity, accompanied by the hosts of the unseen which no eyes among all creation can behold, save them that have purified their sight from the veils of the people of tyranny and error and have entered upon seats of glory, a sanctified and resplendent station.

O My Name! By God, wert thou to discover the grief of My heart, thou wouldst not remain in thy place, but from thee would burst forth the fire of sorrows, ascending until it reached the hem of the All-Merciful in the supreme Paradise. For I have offered up My soul and all that My Lord hath bestowed upon Me for these who have risen to slay Me in these days when all peoples have risen against Me. They have imprisoned Me in this dark and distant land. How many nights I have not slept upon My couch to preserve their lives, while they lay upon beds of hatred among those who slumber. How many days have I set My breast against the arrows of enemies lest there should befall them that which would cause them to cry out in anguish. I have striven to preserve their lives while they have endeavored to destroy My hallowed, mighty, and glorious Being. Until these days arrived wherein God hath revealed the treachery of their eyes and what hatred for this Youth they had concealed in their breasts—this Youth Who hath dawned from the horizon of all horizons with great sovereignty and majesty.

Say: O concourse of loved ones! Do ye sleep upon your couches while the Eye of God gazeth toward the scene of tribulation and the Body of God is pierced by the arrows of the hypocrites? Do ye walk in the marketplaces after the Luminary of the horizons hath again been imprisoned through what the hands of the people of discord have wrought, such that His feet find no resting place and He sitteth in His house without helper or supporter? Do ye rejoice, O people, in your own gladness after God’s joy hath been cut off, to such degree that His lips part not by reason of the hardships inflicted by these oppressors? Do ye light lamps in your nights after God’s lamp hath disappeared from among you through the whisperings of the sinners?

O My loved ones! How can ye witness the sun and its radiance after the Sun of Eternity hath been eclipsed by veils of rancor and hatred between earth and heaven? By this hath the Eye of Grandeur wept crimson tears in the Most Exalted Paradise and the pillars of the mighty Throne have quaked. Do ye comb your hair after the hair of the Youth hath been stripped of the raiment of victory and proclaimeth ʿThis indeed is the Wronged One among these oppressors’? O people! Do ye sleep upon soft beds after the Temple of God hath been disturbed upon the carpet and His body wounded by the spears of the envious? O loved ones of God! Purify your hearts from the world and its mention and all that is therein, then lay your faces in the dust and say:

O Lord! This Joseph of Eternity has fallen under the claws of the wolves of hatred, and his gaze has turned to none save the direction of Thy bounties and favors. Therefore, have mercy upon him through Thy generosity, then protect him through Thy sovereignty, then aid him through the wonders of Thy victory with hosts which none of the heedless can see. O Lord! His affliction has reached such a degree that the servants who were created by His will and exalted by His command have risen against Him. Therefore, O my God, send down upon Thy loved ones that which will preserve them from all else but Thee, then establish for them a firm footing with Thee, then guard them from the hosts of Satan.

Then make firm, O my God, our feet upon this path whereon even the feet of them that are nigh unto Thee cannot stand firm—they who behold naught in all things save the effulgent rays of the sun of the glory of Thy sovereignty, who turn unto naught save the glances of the eyes of Thy mercy and Thy favors, and who have attained such detachment that nothing can prevent them from praising Thy Self and mentioning Thy Beauty, the Manifest, the Most Holy, the Wondrous, the Generous. O Lord! Thou seest how the Friend was tried at the hands of Nimrod, and Moses at the hands of Pharaoh, and the Spirit at the hands of the Jews, and Muhammad at the hands of Abu Jahl, and Ali at the hands of the people of the Furqan, and this Husayn at the hands of the people of the Bayan.

O Lord! Aid Him then with the hosts of Thy Cause, and raise Him from this pit whose depths none can fathom. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Sovereign, the Potent, the All-Powerful.

Section 2: “Thus doth the Tongue of Remembrance teach you…”

Thus doth the Tongue of Remembrance teach you that ye may arise to praise your Creator and be of them that remember. O ʿAli! Arise to serve God and aid His Cause, then speak forth the mention of His Self amongst the worlds and fear no one. By God, the Truth! The Most Great Spirit will confirm thee in the Cause of thy Lord, and the Holy Spirit will speak through thy tongue in that moment when thy lips are opened to praise this Wronged One Who is oppressed in the hands of these wrongdoers. Say: O people! Know God by God, for all else is known through Him while He cannot be known through any but Himself. Glorified and exalted is He above being known through His creation. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command. All before Him are as abject servants.

Say: O people of Baha! Grieve not for what hath befallen Us, but be patient in adversity and put your trust in your Lord, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. Then board the crimson ark in My Most Great Name and sail upon the seas of grandeur, and pay no heed to the people of earth and heaven. By God! All have perished in the depths of extinction save those who have clung to this holy and mighty and impregnable Ark. And if We acquaint you with that which would sadden your hearts, Our purpose is only to inform you of what hath befallen Us at the hands of Our servants. Otherwise, by Him in Whose hand is the soul of Baha, a gnat that flieth in the vicinity of any one of My loved ones would be victorious over these people and their like; nay, were God to permit it, it would swallow them all with a single breath.

Thus is thy Lord powerful over all things and mighty over the worlds. But We have been patient and have concealed matters, being mindful of the direction of destiny in the realms of its fulfillment, and none among all created things hath been informed thereof, that God’s proof might be perfected unto His creatures, and His evidence unto His creation, and His argument unto the people of His kingdom. Verily, He is the Judge over what He willeth. He ordaineth as He pleaseth.

O ʿAli, witness that this Cause is more wondrous than any wonder, such that it hath no likeness in creation nor peer in invention. If thou wouldst turn thy gaze unto the Greatest Perspective of God, thou wouldst know this and be attracted by the fragrances of these days, and the rapture of the Youth would seize thee and raise thee to the paradise of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing—that station wherein should anyone enter, he would discover the mysteries of what hath been and what shall be, and would find himself independent of all who dwell in the heavens and on earth. And thou wouldst witness that on this Day one’s faith shall profit no soul except after recognition of its Lord, even should one bring forth the books of the ancients and the scriptures of the latter generations.

Consider, for example, the lamp-niche: though it be fashioned of the finest crystal or most delicate glass, its purpose is but to hold the lamp, and if it be deprived of that which is intended, can it profit anyone? Nay, by the Lord of the worlds! Rather, thou wouldst find it a useless instrument in creation, neither harming nor benefiting any possessor thereof. Similarly, witness concerning the verses: though they descend like rain from a holy and exalted cloud, if they contain not the mention of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, can they profit thee in aught? Nay, by My bountiful Self, wert thou of them that perceive! Verily, the verses are as a niche for the lamp of the mention of the Lord of Names and Attributes.

If deprived thereof, they would be rejected and cast upon the earth like a body without spirit, unmoved by the spring breezes. Thus have We set forth for thee a holy similitude that thou mayest discover the mysteries of the Cause and inhale the fragrance of the All-Merciful from this ocean of musk that hath been sprinkled upon this camphor Tablet in this Revelation, round which circle the Spot of Sinai and the Sinai of Light, and from which hath appeared the scroll spread out in this joyous Tablet. Yet most of the people are in manifest drunkenness. Say: O people! Those whom ye have taken as lords besides God are but names which ye and your fathers have coined, for which God hath sent down no authority, were ye but to know.

O ʿAli, strip thyself of all allusions, then plunge into the surging depths of this Ocean whereunto none among these human-beasts have attained save whom thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, hath willed, that thou mayest hear from the whales of this ocean the glorification of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, in this Wronged One Who, when He desireth to manifest Himself in the realm of names, chooseth one from among them and calleth His Temple thereby, that the people of creation may know Him between earth and heaven, though verily He is sanctified above being known through aught but Himself. Yet this is of His grace unto His seeking servants.

Say: O trees of the souls, deprive not yourselves of God’s springtime. By God the Truth! The spring of the All-Merciful hath appeared from this Ridvan which hath been manifested in human form. We had indeed informed them of this aforetime, yet they were unaware and were among the heedless. And whoso beareth not the fruits of remembrance in this Wise Remembrance, in this mighty and wondrous Spring, it behooveth him to be cut down and cast into the fire, for neither himself nor any among the company of them that draw nigh shall profit from him.

O My Name! Soon shalt thou hear the clamor of the idolaters from every near and distant quarter, even as We forewarned thee in the Tablet which was revealed in Iraq a year before the Luminary of the horizons departed therefrom, if thou be of them that hear. And if thou hast not that Tablet with thee, seek it out and read it in the course of time, that thou mayest become aware of the mysteries of destiny inscribed by the Finger of Divine Decree, which none among all the peoples of the world hath comprehended. Then bear thou witness in this Announcement to all that thou didst witness in the Announcement of Ali when He appeared with a manifest sovereignty—nay, rather, to even greater things, for this is a Cause the like of which hath not appeared on earth, as the Manifestation itself doth testify, if thou be of them that bear witness.

Soon shall the people of the Bayan rise against Me even as the people of the Furqan rose against Ali—nay, more severely, if ye be of them that ponder the Cause of God. For these are the days of the most mighty convulsion, when the Most Great Trump is sounded, and the Most Glorious Bugle is blown, wherein all feet do slip and most of the servants are thrown into confusion. Therein is the clarion sounded through this Name whereby the Beauty of the Primal One hath appeared once again, rising from the Dayspring of Beauty with the sovereignty of might and majesty, calling all to God, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Powerful.

But grieve not thou at this, for God shall soon raise up pure hearts, sanctified souls, and a new creation, and shall cause them to abide beneath the shade of this Paradise, where the fingers of the All-Merciful shall give them to drink of the wine of certitude, such that all who dwell in the heavens and on earth shall appear as though none had ever been mentioned before them. By My Beauty! One soul from among these, in their steadfastness in the Cause, is better in the sight of God than the combined worship of all the worlds. These shall recline upon holy couches in the Most Great Paradise, while the youth of the All-Merciful shall circle round them with chalices of living water, giving them to drink at every moment.

Thus was it sent down aforetime from the heaven of grace, and their Lord gave them to drink of a pure beverage. Thus doth the Most Great Ocean surge upon thee, each wave whereof proclaimeth “I am God, there is none other God but Me, and I have ever been remembered in the hearts of the worlds,” that thereby thine eyes may be consoled and thy body find repose upon the throne of tranquility, and thou mayest be made joyous through the favors of thy Lord. Then convey thou from Us pure remembrance to Our loved ones whose eyes are fixed in expectation of the wondrous mercies of thy Lord, that the lights of eternity might shine upon them from the direction of the Divine Presence, and that they might be sustained, through the grace of the Beauty, from the heaven of this bounty.

Say: O people! Be patient in what hath been showered upon you from the ocean of destiny. Then remember this Beauty Who hath been cast into the well of darkness by the hands of the wicked. Put your trust in all matters in God Who created you by His command, and verily He shall guard you from every rejected misbeliever. Beware lest ye differ among yourselves. Unite in the love of God and His Cause, and be as one soul. By God, this is more beloved before your Lord than any beloved thing. Thereby shall the foundations of the ungodly be shaken, and the back of every detested transgressor be broken. Beware, beware of corruption and discord, for thereby harm returneth unto the hallowed and exalted Lote-Tree.

Be God’s guides in His earth and His trustees in His lands. By the True One! Soon shall pass away the kingdom and all that is therein and thereon, but there shall remain for you what ye were counseled by the Pen of witnessed glory. Sanctify yourselves from all that causeth discord between you, that God may behold you purified from every defilement and from all that His good-pleasure loveth not. This is what ye were commanded in the forbidden holy Tablets. Thus doth the Pen of the All-Merciful counsel you at a time when sorrows have encompassed it from all directions. God sufficeth as witness unto this.

O ʿAli! Remind these souls of what We have mentioned unto thee in this Tablet, that perchance there may be kindled in their hearts that which shall gather them upon the shore of a blessed Name. And if adversity toucheth thee in My path, be patient and grieve not, for He shall suffice thee in truth and shall raise thee to a station which hath been in truth praiseworthy. And if thou findest thyself alone, sorrow not, but take comfort in My Being, for We shall be with thee at all times, at eventide and at dawn. By God, O My Name! In grief I have reached such a state that My Pen weepeth over Mine own Self by reason of what hath befallen Me at the hands of those who have denied God and were debarred from the sanctuary of justice.

Say: O people of the Bayan! How excellent is what ye have done unto My Person and what ye were enjoined in all the Tablets from God! By God, O ʿAli! There remained not a single Tablet but that He informed them of My Cause, gave them glad-tidings of My Being, spoke unto them of My signs, and acquainted them with My mention. Yet, despite this, they did unto My Person what no one hath ever done unto anyone, and God sufficeth as witness unto this—after I had manifested My Self with sovereignty of might and power, and beyond that with proof that encompassed all worlds.

Say: O people! By God! After My manifestation all traces have been effaced from everything save for those who have entered this Paradise which was witnessed at the pivot of Paradise. And when they desired to fulfill God’s covenant and testament, they issued the verdict for My execution and in their souls rejoiced thereat. By the True One, O ʿAli! Today every atom refuteth them in all their claims, nay, their own selves and beings, and beyond that every truthful and trustworthy tongue. For they claim that they believed in Ali and what was sent down unto him of God’s verses, yet when he appeared again with His verses, His sovereignty, His grandeur and His majesty, they denied Him and turned back upon the heels of rejection.

Know then, O ʿAli, that there hath come before God a letter from one of the people of Qaf who previously wavered in this Cause, wherein he inquireth about My station. We have answered him in this Tablet with words that draw forth the hearts of them that are nigh unto God. If thou findest a messenger, send it unto him, that perchance the lightning-flashes of the favors of his Lord may seize him, sever him from allusions, guide him to the Kawthar of grace, and make him one of the sincere ones who, when the Sun of Verses dawneth upon them from the horizon of the words that have descended upon the Pen from the Ancient Beauty, fall prostrate upon their faces before their Lord, the All-Merciful, and rend asunder the veils of doubt and sorrow in their longing to attain the presence of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower, and become of them that are well-assured. And if thou findest no messenger, then wait until God bringeth about His purpose. Verily there is no sender save Him. He bestoweth what He willeth upon whom He willeth, and withholdeth from whom He willeth what He pleaseth. He, verily, is the Mighty, the Bountiful.

Glorified be He Who sent down the verses aforetime even as He hath sent them down now in truth, that they might serve as a proof and a remembrance unto all the worlds. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the sovereignty and the command, and all shall return unto Him. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not. Within His grasp lieth the dominion of all things. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth. His is the creation and the command. He manifesteth in the kingdom what He willeth and withholdeth what He willeth, and giveth to whom He willeth what He willeth. He, verily, is the Bestower, the Mighty, the Bountiful. Thus hath He ever been powerful in His dominion and the kingdom of His decree. The denial of the denier hindereth Him not, nor doth the unbelief of the infidel alter His word, nor doth the associating of the misbeliever impede Him. He speaketh at all times, even as was revealed in the Bayan:

“I am God, there is no God but Me, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.”

Once He sent Adam with the truth with clear signs and made him a mercy unto the worlds. Then He sent Noah with the truth, then after him Hud, then after him Salih, and sent down with them proofs that all creation would be powerless to produce. Until the Cause reached the Friend (Abraham), whereupon He made him manifest from the Dayspring of holiness and sent him with His proof, His evidence, His testimony, and His sign unto them that know. Then after that He sent Moses, after having manifested Himself unto him in the holy vale upon the Sinai of nearness from the Blessed Tree, the Eternal, the Everlasting, the One, saying: “Verily I am God, there is no God but Me.

I have created thee by My command. Go unto Pharaoh and his nobles that they may become mindful.” And He gave him nine clear signs, as We have mentioned in the ancient scrolls, among them the rod of command whereby We parted the sea for Moses and drowned therein those who denied the signs of God and were among the proud before their Lord. Then after that He chose the Spirit whom He named in the kingdom of names the Son of Mary, and sent him unto another people, and commanded all these to remind people of the days of God. By God the Truth! These days are of His days, were ye to know. Even as was revealed in the Qur’an unto Moses: “O Moses! Lead thy people from darkness into light and remind them of the days of God.” Thus was it revealed aforetime, were ye to know.

Section 3: “Then after this He chose Muhammad…”

Then after this He chose Muhammad in the Most Exalted Concourse and sent him forth from the dawning-place of Hijaz with manifest sovereignty, and sent down with him a Criterion to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and to remind the people of this Most Great, Most Upright, Ancient News. Then after this He was well-pleased with Ali in truth and chose him from among His creation and selected him, then elected him from amidst His creatures and sent him with sovereignty and a mighty command. Through him were the heavens of knowledge cleft asunder and the seas of holiness set in motion, and every lofty and impregnable mountain was ground to powder. Through him were all atoms and all beings created, and all things were raised from their graves, were ye of them that perceive.

And all were adorned with the robes of God’s grace which appeared with him. Thus doth this Most Holy, Most Exalted, Most Luminous Pen reveal unto you the verses. Through him was every matter distinguished, every mystery unveiled, every bounty perfected, every proof completed, and the heavens and earths illumined. We therefore testify that there is no God but Him and that Ali is His Messenger Whom He sent with truth unto all created things. We have believed in him and in what was revealed unto him from God, the Sovereign, the True, the Ancient.

O thou who art designated by “H” before “D” before “Y”, strive within thyself lest thou oppose this Name whereby thou wast named in the Concourse of Names, and be not of the heedless. Know thou that a letter from thee hath come before Us, and We have read it and were among the witnesses. However, We were astonished at what thou didst ask, for this beseemeth thee not, wert thou of them that know. Would it be fitting for anyone to ask the sun, “Where is thy radiance and thy manifestation?” Say: Open thine eyes, for verily it hath shone upon all the worlds, such that its radiance hath encompassed the east of the earth and its west, as do testify the denizens of the realms of eternity, then the kingdom of names, then all that was and will be, wert thou of the fair-minded. Would anyone ask the ocean, “Where are thy waves?” Say: Open thine eyes, then behold that thou mayest be of them that witness. For verily it surgeth at every instant with waves whereof were but a drop to fall upon you, it would drown all who are in the heavens and the earth.

Therefore did We withhold the Pen in answering thee for fifty thousand years or more, wert thou of them that know. Then after this We heard God’s call from behind the holy veils with a call that bewildered the hearts of the mystics, saying:

“O servant! Take up the Pen and delay not in this, for by this wast thou commanded in the primal eternity. Beware lest thou break God’s covenant and violate His testament. Rather, fulfill thy covenant and be of them that are grateful to God Who created thee and sent thee and revealed with thee a proof whereby the dwellers of the heavens and the earth were shaken, save those whom no hindrance could hinder, nor veils of falsehood could conceal, nor the rejection of the opposers could repel.”

Verily those who harbor in their hearts naught but the winds of rancor and hypocrisy declare with their tongues that they have believed in God and His verses, but God testifieth that they are among the liars. Say: If ye have believed in God, then by what proof do ye turn away from Him through Whom every transcendent and impregnable proof hath appeared and through Whom the suns have shone forth?

Yet God testifies that they are among the liars. Say: If you have believed in God, by what proof do you turn away from Him through Whom every transcendent and impregnable proof has appeared, through Whom the suns have shone forth, the clouds have been raised up, the rains have poured down, the seas have surged, the trees have yielded fruit, and every lofty and exalted land has been made to quake? Say: By God, O concourse of unbelievers! He is God’s dominion over you, and His mercy unto those who profess His unity. He is His sovereignty over you, His might within you, His kingdom amongst you, and His dominion over all created things. Thus do We send down unto you the verses and expound them in detail, that perchance the breeze of the spirit may waft upon you from this holy and luminous Paradise, and that you may detach yourselves from all that you possess and be quickened by this cup from which flow all waters, and likewise Salsabil and Tasnim. Well is it with him who attains unto them, drinks thereof, and is numbered among those who quaff therefrom.

As to what thou hast asked concerning My station and the station of Him through one letter of Whom the heavens and earth were created, through Whom the waters of eternity rained down from clouds of holy and exalted sanctity—He Whom God hath made the Manifestation of His Beauty among His servants, the Dawning-Place of His names amidst His creation, and hath named Him in the heaven of names as ʿAli before Nabil—by Him the veils of the hidden mysteries in the realm of eternity have been rent asunder, the holy lands have quaked, the pillars of the mighty throne have trembled, all names have been stripped from their namesakes, and all attributes scattered from their ranks, if ye be of them that comprehend. Had We known that thou wouldst hearken unto what the Most Exalted Pen commandeth thee in this luminous, snow-white Tablet, We would have bidden thee to strip thy body, leave thy home, and dwell in the wilderness and mountains as recompense for what thou hast asked and for being among the questioners, or to cast thyself down from towering peaks, if thou be of them that act. But since God hath witnessed in thee weakness, He hath pardoned thee through His grace that encompasseth all worlds.

When this mighty, impregnable, wondrous Tablet reacheth thee and thou findest from it the fragrance of God, thy Lord, and thine eyes are solaced by what is therein, and thou hast read what the Tongue of God, the Holy, the Mighty, the Beautiful King, hath sung, arise from thy place, then place this Tablet upon thy head, then turn thy face toward the House, and be of them that seek forgiveness. Ask forgiveness of thy Lord nine times, then turn unto Him and be of them that return. Say: O my Lord! Forgive me through the sovereignty of Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness, then establish for me a sincere footing with Thy loved ones, then make me one of Thy sincere servants, then cause me, O my God, to be turned toward Thee and toward what appeareth from Thee, then detach me from all else besides Thee, for Thou art the Mighty, the Generous. O my Lord! Pass over what I have wrought and what my hands have acquired, for I have committed a sin whose weight the weight of the heavens and earth cannot sustain, for I desired to know Thy Self after Thou hadst sanctified Thy Self beyond the knowledge of all things and the knowledge of them that are nigh unto Thee.

Then bear witness that there is no God but Him, and that the Primal Point is His Self and His Splendor amongst the worlds, and that no mention of any created thing shall ever be joined with His mention—this is a revelation from God, the Exalted, the Great. Then recite nine times: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, and that ʿAli before Nabil is His sovereignty and His splendor between the heavens and the earth.” Then say nine times: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, and that the Revealer of the Bayan is His Self and His Splendor, and all were created by His command and all are preserved by Him in a guarding tablet.”

Then say nine times: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, and that He Who appeared in the year sixty is His Cause and His Splendor, then His might and His grandeur amongst all created things.” Then say nine times: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, and that the Most Exalted One is His Splendor and His Essence, Whom God hath sanctified from the mention of aught else but Him and sent with truth and made a proof unto all the worlds.” Then say nine times: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, and that the Primal Point is the Most Great Remembrance amongst the servants—through Him the sun shone forth, the heaven was raised up, the earth was established, the seas were created, the ships sailed, the signs were expounded, the winds were subdued, and this lofty and exalted Tree bore fruit.”

Thus doth the Pen of Command teach thee, lest thou shouldst question anyone concerning thy Lord’s Cause, for all besides Him are poor and can neither nourish nor enrich, if ye be of them that perceive. Have you not heard His proof—His verses, and His existence—His evidences? By these every soul can dispense with all else, as every pure and sound heart doth testify. Say: After His manifestation, nothing that hath been created between the heavens and the earth shall profit anyone. Beware lest thou divide the all-embracing Word or alter it from its proper place, and be thou steadfast in justice. Open thine eyes, then look upon thy Lord’s signs, then ponder on them and what is treasured in their mystery, that thou mayest discover what was concealed from thee and be of them that rejoice.

O servant! Forget thyself, then find solace in the splendor of thy Lord, and be not of the heedless. Know thou that I am a servant who hath believed in God and the Manifestations of His Self and the Daysprings of His Cause and the Treasuries of His Revelation and the Repositories of His Knowledge and the Dawning-places of His Guidance and the Outpourings of His mercy and the Clouds of His bounty unto the worlds. To this my tongue beareth witness, as do those in whose hearts there is no rancor toward this Youth, through Whom the horizons were illumined and leg was wound about leg, and the feet of every iniquitous doubter did slip. Say: O people! By God, I glory in my servitude to His Truth—have mercy, O people, upon myself and yourselves, and be not of the calumniators.

O people! Do not as did ʿAd and Thamud, who opposed God, the Supreme, the Mighty, the Powerful. Fear God and do not as did the companions of Rass and after them the companions of the sand-hills and the trench, as ye have heard in the tales of the ancients. O people! Dispute not about the signs of God when they are sent down in truth, and be not of them that turn away. O people! Follow not your desires—follow ye God’s ways within yourselves and be not of the heedless.

Be not of the heedless ones. O people! Deny not the grace of God amongst you, nor His mercy within you, nor His proof amidst all worlds. O people! Fix your gaze upon God, your Lord, that He may adorn your faces with the radiance of His bounty. Say: By God! In these days when the Sun of Beauty has risen from the horizon of grandeur, questions shall profit you not, save that you turn unto God with manifest humility. Say: O people! Fear God, and fabricate not against His servant, and be not of the oppressors. Beware lest you draw against me the swords of rancor and hatred; have mercy, rather, upon my solitude amidst these idolaters, and upon my tribulation at the hands of mine enemies, whereby I have become imprisoned in this deep pit. Say: O people of the Bayan! Sufficient unto me are the nations of the earth and what ye have wrought against my person, O company of deniers! Say: If these words be my transgression, then by God, the Spirit hath committed it, if ye be of the fair-minded. Have I made lawful what God hath forbidden you, or forbidden what He hath made lawful unto you? Judge fairly, and be not of them that deny.

Say: We acknowledge our transgression before you, and God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, doth testify unto this. Say: It is that which floweth from My pen, whereby the breasts of the hypocrites have been filled with rancor against this Youth, after He had been the Lamp of God amongst His servants, by which the kingdom of the heavens and earth was illumined, through which the standards of glory and the banners of triumph were raised, and bounty reached such heights that none but the most wretched denier would reject it. And thou, remind the people of that which the Youth hath testified concerning Himself, that they might find relief from the harm of the idolaters. Therefore witness what Mine eyes now witness, that there is no God but He, and that ʿAli-before-Nabil is His servant and His glory, all were created by His command and all are among them that act by His command. Yet by God, the Truth, Mine eyes weep and say: Be ashamed of what hath appeared in the kingdom, then hasten unto God’s mercy and His sovereignty, O company of believers!

Then My lips cry out and say that there is no God but He, and that Ali-before-Nabil hath appeared in truth and hath come upon clouds of holiness, surrounded by the near angels. Thus doth He testify as God hath testified unto His own Self, if ye be of them that hear. And My tongue now calleth out and speaketh and testifieth as God hath testified unto His own Essence before the creation of the heavens and earth, that there is no God but He, and that Ali is His sovereignty in His kingdom, His grandeur amongst His servants, and His proof amidst His creatures. He hath sent Him with truth by a command whereby the heavens were cleft asunder, the earth was rent, all branches were destroyed, and every surging sea was dried up.

Then do My hands testify, both in secret and in public, that there is no God but He, and that ʿAli is the Manifestation of His names, the Revealer of His attributes, the Source of His verses, and through Him the dead were resurrected, as We have witnessed and were among them that bear witness. And My feet do now testify with a voice that every hearing ear can hear, that there is no God but He, and that the Primal Point is His divinity in the kingdom, His might in the lands, His dominion amongst the servants, and through Him appeared all that God hath willed; were it not for Him, nothing would have appeared nor would any grass have grown.

No creature would move, nor would any grass grow or fruit appear, if ye be of them that understand. Verily my heart yearns and declareth that there is no God but Him, and that the Primal Point is His First and His Last, His Outer and His Inner, and all were created by His command, and all unto Him shall return. Verily my heart laments and beareth witness, even as God did witness before Adam appeared from water and clay, that there is no God but Him, and that Ali is His Manifestation and His Concealment, His Source and His Mine and His Dwelling Place—thus doth it bear witness if ye be of them that testify. But now, O Concourse of Light, bear witness to that which every hair upon my head testifieth with melodies that attract the hearts of them that are nigh, then the hearts of them that glorify, then the hearts of them that are sanctified, then the denizens of the highest paradise, then the dwellers of the realm of eternity, then those at the distance of two bow-lengths or closer, then they that dwell near the Divine Lote Tree.

Section 4: “O people! Hearken unto the Call of God…”

O people! Hearken unto the Call of God from the Ultimate Tree at this Most Luminous, Most Exalted, Most Glorious Spot, that there is no God but Him, and that He Who was sent with the name of Ali is the Sovereign of all contingent beings, the King of all created things, the Word of God amongst His creation, the Book of God amongst His servants, and the Power of God amongst His creatures. Verily He is the True Judge Who judgeth by His command as He pleaseth and doeth what He willeth by His leave. His is the Kingdom of Command and Creation. He quickeneth whom He willeth and causeth to die whom He willeth, He giveth unto whom He willeth and withholdeth from whom He willeth. Verily He is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Beautiful. Thus doth this servant acknowledge his servitude and establisheth it through verses which all created things are powerless to comprehend. And by this proof whereby God’s Lordship amongst His creation and His Divinity amongst His creatures hath been established, I establish my faith amidst these prodigals. Soon shall ye hear that they are not content therewith and deny the verses of God after they were sent down in truth from the dominion of God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Say: Have ye not heard what was revealed aforetime—none dispute the verses of God save the unbelieving people. And if thou findest in thyself another hearing, then hearken unto what the Herald proclaimeth in the most exalted realm above my head with a wondrous and sublime call. Say: By God! The Spirit speaketh and calleth out that this is indeed the Desired One, if ye be of them that seek, and He is the Beauty of the Worshipped One, if ye be of them that worship. O people of the earth! This is God’s trust among you—beware lest ye be of the treacherous. This is God’s deposit within you—beware lest ye oppose it, O company of the opposers. Verily He is the Self of God amongst His servants, His Manifestation in His lands, and His Treasure for all who are in the heavens and the earth.

He is God’s Book among you, His mercy upon you, His bounty unto you, and His might over them that profess His unity. He is God’s sanctuary on earth, around which circle the angels that are nigh. O people of the earth! By God, He is the Word of God amongst men, His light in the kingdom of Command and Creation, and His sovereignty over all the worlds. Within Him are concealed treasures of mysteries whereof if but a single letter were revealed, the heavens would be rent asunder, the earth would be cleft, the mountains would crumble, the leaves would fall, and the hearts of the mystics would be sorely shaken.

O people! He is verily the First made manifest in the temple of the Last. Glorified be He Who created Him and sent Him with a clear sovereignty. O people! Do not deprive yourselves of His presence, and be not of the heedless. O people! Seize these days—by God, the eyes of the holy ones have never seen their like. O people! If you deny Him, by what proof can you establish your faith in any of God’s Messengers? Produce it then, and be not of those who wait. O people! By God, whoever turns away from Him has turned away from God, and whoever turns to Him has turned to God, the Mighty, the Exalted. O people! Drink from the Kawthar that flows from His mouth and from the Salsabil that streams from this holy, luminous Pen. O people! Do not treat Him as Iblis treated God his Lord, and Nimrod treated Abraham, and Pharaoh treated Moses, and the Jews treated Jesus, and Abu-Jahl treated Muhammad, and Sufyani treated Ali before Nabil.

O people! He has sacrificed His spirit for God’s Cause to such extent that He has not protected Himself for a moment, and everything bears witness to this, if you be of those who testify. O people! He has endured what no one before Him has endured, and has suffered among the ungodly for twenty years. O people! The marks of iron remain upon His leg and of chains upon His neck, whereat all the denizens of the highest Paradise weep. O people! Tears flow from the eyes of the pure ones in the chambers of holy splendor. O people! You were hiding your faces behind women’s veils out of fear for yourselves all these years—can one who stands against enemies be compared to one who flees at the braying of donkeys? Judge fairly within yourselves, if you be of the fair-minded. O people! He is the Divine Lote-Tree among you—from it has appeared a light that were a single gleam thereof to face the inhabitants of the heavens and earth, all would be illumined by its radiance. Exalted be this shining, holy, mighty, wondrous Light! Beware lest you extinguish this Fire and put out God’s lamp among you, though you and your like and those before and after you would be powerless to do so.

By God! Nothing will be accepted from anyone today except after love for Him, and God is sufficient witness and informed of this. Even if one were to worship God from the beginning that has no beginning to the end which the counters are unable to reckon, yet have not love for this Youth in his heart, it would never be accepted. Rather, the angels would strike his deeds upon his head until returning him to the abode of the ungodly in the lowest depths of hell. O people! Do you deny Him Who calls you to Paradise and remembers you at all times with the remembrance of God, the Most High, the Most Great? He desires no recompense from you, nor does He wish for anything, by God’s might and power, if you be of those who know. O people! By God, a glance towards Him is better than whatsoever is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is ordained in the kingdom of Command and Creation, and this is known to every possessor of enlightened vision. O people! Do you deny Him Whom you knew before? Woe unto you, O company of mischief-makers!

O My Name! Thus doth the Spirit cry out above My head at all times, and whenever I seek to restrain it and place the hand of restraint upon its mouth, it will not be silenced. We have found it possessed of mighty power, such that nothing in the heavens or earth can prevent it from that which it desireth. All things lie within its grasp of power like a handful of light dust, and the heavens and earth are as a coin in the palm of its servants, which it moveth as it willeth by the command of its Lord, the Mighty, the Sovereign, the Single, the Powerful, the Omnipotent. At such times the Pen groaneth between My fingers with such groaning as causeth the tears of the mystics to flow down radiant cheeks. Whenever it desireth to take hold of the reins and move as it pleaseth, the fingers of power restrain it lest the cry of the deniers be raised. Then doth it weep and say:

O Lord! Loose the reins that I may cast upon all created things a letter from the mysteries that are veiled, concealed, hidden and treasured, that perchance the people of the divine cloud may come to know that which none among all the worlds hath known. O Lord! Withhold me not from the wonders of Thy remembrance, then grant me leave to make mention of that which hath been treasured within my soul of the pearls of wondrous knowledge. O Lord! The idolaters have not known Thee, even though Thy sovereignty hath encompassed the heavens and the earth. O Lord! Hold not back my reins, for I desire to rend asunder the veil of concealment from the face of all created things, that they may become aware in Thy Cause of less than can be numbered, for they are blind in secret and deaf in public, and Thou art, of a truth, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

O Lord! Prevent me not from giving all created things to drink from the sweet Kawthar which Thou didst cause to flow within my secret being before the creation of all things, and for which Thou hast ordained no end, that these heedless ones may arise to that which hath escaped them of the wonders of Thy glorious and exalted remembrance. O Lord! Deprive me not of Thy help, for by Thy glory, when I found none on earth to champion Thy Cause, I desired to aid Thee through the power which Thou didst deposit within my soul and of which none is aware save Thy knowing and informed Self.

By Thy glory! I shall cause all existence to pause by a movement of my mouth, and this shall not be except by Thy leave, for Thou art the Ruler, the Powerful, the Almighty, the Omnipotent. O Lord! I weep, and every eye weepeth for Thy loneliness and for what Thou hast suffered at the hands of those who neither recognize nor perceive what lieth in Thy court, how much less Thy glorious and luminous Beauty. By Thy glory, O my Beloved! I am bewildered by Thy patience despite Thy power, and by Thy forbearance despite Thy all-encompassing knowledge. Thou art He Who, O my Beloved, hath ordained the water of life in my mouth such that were a single drop thereof to be bestowed upon all created things, they would all arise to Thy triumphant and wondrous Cause.

O Lord! Withhold not created things from this sweet, inaccessible, sublime and glorious water, and distance them not from the gems of the outpouring of Thy grace. Then have mercy upon them through Thy favors and leave them not to their own selves. Verily, Thou art the Doer, the Willing One. Thou doest what Thou pleasest by Thy sovereignty and decreest through Thy power what Thou willest. Nothing can prevent Thee from exercising Thy sovereignty and dominion, and nothing can render Thee powerless over whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. O Lord! Have mercy upon Thy loved ones, for they drink in secret from the blood of their hearts and the pieces of their inner beings, and they are unable to breathe a word about Thy Cause amidst these fettered ones.

O Lord! If Thou wilt not vanquish Thine enemies, then have mercy upon Thy chosen ones. Grant them leave to appear in these darkest of nights, for Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful. O Lord! The matter hath become severe for Thy loved ones, such that they have fallen among the wretched and are unable to make mention of the wonders of Thy beauteous remembrance. O Lord! Bring forth from behind the veils one who will remember Thee between the heavens and the earth in such wise that none shall be able to prevent him from that which was created in the highest Kingdom, how much less from that which moveth upon the earth among these idolaters. O Lord! Thy chosen ones are oppressed among the wretched, and there befalleth them at every moment that which changeth the joy of those near unto Thee.

O Pen! Hold thy reins, then be patient and forbearing, and be not of those who rush headlong. By God, the True One! Were but a single letter to be revealed of what We have revealed unto thee, all who are in the heavens and on earth would be thunderstruck, and these few followers would be scattered from around Me. O Ancient Pen! Blot out that which hath dripped from the clouds of Thy knowledge, then swallow up what hath appeared of the pearls of Thy mysteries, for the people cannot distinguish the sun from the shadow, nor clay from a precious pearl. Grieve not over anything, but put thy trust in God, thy Lord, and be of them that place their trust in Him.

Let thy Lord suffice thee, and turn not unto anything else; then detach thyself from the deniers. Purify thy sight from those who have disbelieved and associated partners with God; turn away from them and turn unto God, thy Lord, for He shall suffice thee against the idolaters. O Pen! Rend not the veil of all created things, nor tear the garment of those who have assumed leadership for themselves as lords besides God and who would sacrifice a thousand prophets lest an atom be diminished from their glory amongst the people. Thus do We reveal unto thee that thou mayest be at peace within thyself and be of the patient ones.

O Pen! Leave these people, then weep over My loneliness and My exile in these days wherein the enemies of God’s Self have gathered against Me, devising at every moment a great stratagem, striking at My Person with the sword, then weeping with their eyes and seeking help from the people that they might cast doubt upon all the worlds. By God! The eye of creation hath not seen the like of these who would slay the Ancient King, then stain their garments with false blood and send it to those whom they have taken as lords besides God, that thereby the clamor of the deceivers might be raised. By My beauty! The denizens of the highest Paradise are bewildered by their schemes and by what they plot at eventide and at dawn, and at every moment they sever the arm of God, then wrap a cloth around their own arm and cry out that injury hath befallen them from these people. Thus did they plot aforetime and now as ye, O concourse of the near ones, have witnessed and shall be among the witnesses.

O Nabil-i-ʿAli! The verses of thy Lord have now been completed in this Tablet, which God hath made as the garment of His beauty among the worlds, that through it the people of certitude might discover the sweet savors of their Lord, the All-Merciful, and become aware of what hath befallen the Joseph of the Bayan at the hands of Satan’s hosts, and be among those who know. If thou desirest, send it to all regions that thereby the eyes of Our chosen servants might be consoled—they whom the gestures of the wicked cannot cause to slip in these dark and terrible days. Thus have We commanded thee in truth, and My command resteth with none but God, and upon Him is My trust, then My seeking of protection, My turning, and My reliance, and He is the Protector of the sincere ones.

Beware, O Nabil, and protect the servants of God from all that which their Lord doth not approve, then prevent them from corruption such that if anyone should stretch forth the hands of tyranny against them, they would not oppose him even if he were the most wicked of men, and they would be of the patient ones. Say: O people! Place your trust at every moment in God, your Lord, for He shall seize those who have wronged, and He is the most severe in vengeance.

And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.