Volume 028: Early Baghdad Period (to 1856) (1 of 3)

BH10779: Lawh-i-Kuchik

He is the Well-Beloved.

God willing thou art in peace and tranquillity under the shade of the mercy of the All-Merciful One, beneath the canopy of the providence of the Most Sanctified One. Apparently I am a little one. I am not possessed of the art of writing. But because this Unlettered One is clinging to the Divine Lote-Tree I can read without any knowledge and without being taught writing I write. All this is evident unto those who have eyes as this emanates from the world of the Interior. Those who are outside have been and still are unaware of this great mystery.

BH03230: Rashh-i-’Ama

Tis from Our rapture that the clouds of realms above are raining down; Tis from Our anthem that the mysteries of faith are raining down.

Upon the Eastern wind Cathay’s entrancing musk doth waft; This sweetly scented breeze from Our curling locks is raining down.

The day-star of adornment hath dawned forth above the face of God; Behold that mystic truth which from His Countenance is raining down.

The sea of purity hath from the wave of true reunion surged; This precious, rare bestowal from Our rapture is raining down.

The treasuries of love lay hid within the very heart of Fars; From out this treasure trove the pearls of faithfulness are raining down.

The splendour of the rose doth bring the ecstasy of choicest wine; This subtle music from the ringing tones of Lordship is raining down.

The trumpet-blast of Judgement Day, the joyful bliss of heaven’s call—Both at a single breath are from the firmament now raining down.

The Day of “I am He” is made to shine resplendent from Our face; The Age of “He is He” from out Our flowing cup is raining down.

From out the fountain of Our heart hath God’s celestial river flowed; This cup of honeyed nectar from Our ruby lips is raining down.

The Day of God hath been fulfilled, for lo, the Lord hath been unveiled; This wondrous message from the melody of Ta’ is raining down.

Behold Baha’s outpouring grace, the bounty of the clouds above, Which, merged into a single song, in God’s own voice is raining down.

Behold the Lord’s leviathan, behold His sacred countenance; Behold the blessings of the heart that from His throne are raining down.

Behold the Palm of Paradise, behold the warbling of the Dove; Behold the glorious hymns that in the purest light are raining down.

Behold the soul-entrancing song, behold the beating of the drum, Behold the sacred rhythms that from Our hand are raining down.

Behold the Countenance Divine! Behold the Maid of Paradise! Behold the grace upon the world from Our own presence raining down.

Behold the everlasting Face! Behold the chalice-bearer’s charm! Behold the crystal draught that from Our brimming cup is raining down.

Behold the fire of Moses, see His hand that shineth white; Behold the heart of Sinai—from Our hand all raining down.

Hear ye the sotted lovers’ sighs, behold the garden blooming fair; Behold the bliss that from His presence in your midst is raining down.

Behold the radiant face of Ha’, behold the beauteous robe of Ba’; Behold the Lordly grace that from Our Pen is raining down.

The vessel of the Advent this, the clouds of limpid waters these; The trill of songbirds this, from Our fleeting Wellspring raining down.

BH00181: Khutbiy-i-Salavat

Section 1: “He is the Ever-Living, Who hath ever been…”

He is the Ever-Living, Who hath ever been, in His own Self, the True One, the Self-Subsisting

Praise be to God Who hath manifested the Countenance through rapturous attractions, and caused the Leaf to warble with the mystery of the line from behind the veils. He hath revealed the Face upon the Throne of Ecstasy in fervent devotion, and caused the Beloved to speak forth in divine melodies upon the Throne of Nearness with enchanting tones, that there is none other God but Him, and He is the Beloved adorned with the Point-like ornament, the Essence of Eternity, with Us, an ancient Lord.

Praise be to God Who hath caused the Command to dawn from the rising of the morn of the Cloud through the sobriety of the Point upon the Throne of Words, and hath illumined the Light in all directions with divine rapture. The denizens of the Kingdom have become intoxicated in the Cloud of Holiness in the most hidden mystery through sprinklings of grace, and the dwellers of the Realm of Might have been effaced in the splendor of intimacy through the hidden mystery with overflowing bounties.

The Peacock of Glory hath cried out with ornamental adornings before the Divine Youth at the Point of Manifestation, the Unseen of all Countenances. Beauty hath been unveiled in the Garden of Eden before the manifestation of the Eternal Light through the singing of the Dove of Eternity with the attraction of faces. The Heavenly Maiden of Glory hath sung verses of effacement in the thicket of reeds, that there is none other God but Him, and that the Countenance of Light is the Sovereign of Manifestation in unity and eternality, and He is the Beloved through the hidden line and majestic sobriety, with Us, a Praiseworthy Friend.

O God! Send Thy blessings upon Him Who reclined upon the Throne of the Cloud at the station of Thy sovereignty, and Who sat upon the Seat of Glory through Thy self-subsistent, divine, eternal, transcendent and singular Power—the Center of the Cloud in the Pole of the sphere of pre-existence, the Dawning-Place of Glory in the horizon of the heaven of holiness, the Throne of Manifestation in the Seat of the Cloud, and the Sphere of Concealment in the Identity of Beauty—through all that Thou art and wilt be, through the power of Thy Firstness and the might of Thy Lastness. Verily, Thou art God; there is no God but Thee, and Thou art, in truth, powerful over all things.

Send Thy blessings upon the First One Who called unto Him in the Mansion of Glory and drank the choice wine of consciousness in the presence of the dawning of the Sun of Beauty—the Pre-existent Countenance, the Eternal Being, the Self-Subsistent Leaf, the Noble Essence, the Divine Abstract, the Lofty Point in the Center of Connection, and the Magnificent Essence in the Countenance of Oneness—through all that Thou art and wilt be, through the beginning of Thy Self-Subsistence and the end of Thy Sanctity. Verily, Thou art God; there is no God but Thee, and Thou dost indeed encompass all things.

O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Last One Who communed with Him on the Throne of the Cloud, Who reclined upon the Seat of Manifestation in the White Dome—the Essence of Thy Self-Subsistence, the Abstract of Thy Oneness, the Pure One of Thy Divinity, the Camphor of Thy Radiance, the Sacred Point in the Temple of Thy Pre-existence, and the Center of Power in the Countenance of Thy Attraction—through all Thy conditions, signs and manifestations. Verily, Thou art God; there is no God but Thee, and He is the Light upon the Throne of Manifestation before Us, the Beloved, the Wise.

O God! Send Thy blessings upon the One through Whom Thou didst cause the foundations of Thy lands to quake, and the tyrants among Thy servants to be subdued, and the hearts of Thy loved ones to be attracted—the Divine Attraction, the Celestial Melody, the Trump-blast of the Horn, the Beloved Beauty, the Pure Dove, the Enraptured Essence, the Divine Abstract, the Identity of Consciousness, and the Effaced Leaf—through all that Thou art and wilt be in the sublimity of exaltation and glory, and the transcendence of joy and splendor. Verily, He is the Truth; there is no God but Him, and He is the Attraction in the Point of Effacement, the Cloud of Consciousness before Us, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I call upon Thee in this moment even as Thou didst call upon Thyself by Thyself before there existed in the kingdom any light from the lights of the treasuries of the court of the Sovereign of Thy Oneness, or any manifestation from the wondrous mines of the King of Thy Self-Subsistence. Thou art God; there is no God but Thee. Thou hast ever been manifest through the manifestations of Thy holiness and wilt ever be concealed through the concealments of Thy might. Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be powerful and mighty through the beginning and end of Thy glorification. None can witness a flash from the lightning of the fire of the Tree of Thy pre-existence, nor can anyone behold a light from the lights of the Countenance of Thy crimson glory. The most abstract essences of the Divine Realm are bewildered at the appearance of a gleam from the gleams of the fire of Thy Being, and the most sublime essences of the Realm of Might are intoxicated at a spark from the sparks of the light of Thy distinction.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! How can I call upon Thee after Thou hast caused me to abide in the atmosphere of Glory in the lowliness of the Cloud in solitude? And how can I not call upon Thee after Thou hast caused me to swim in the ocean of Oneness before the surging of the Whale of Glory? Glorified be the Beloved One of wondrous attraction, and the sovereign Truth supreme!

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art He Who, through the subtle workmanship of Thy handiwork, hath manifested all created things, and through the power and authority of Thy noble command, hath brought forth all that was ordained, until Thou didst cause me to descend from the heaven of revelation unto the earth of acceptance. Thou didst order it through the arrangements of the cloud-wrapped realm by the conditions of Thy Self-Subsistence, and didst ordain it through the decrees of the heaven of glory by the manifestations of Thy Creative Power. Through Thy command didst Thou bring me forth, and by Thy power didst Thou manifest me, and nourished me from the fruit of the Tree of Light by Thy grace, and gave me to drink from the Kawthar of the sea of camphor by Thy mercy.

Thou didst make me great through the sovereignty of Thy favor and the sanctity of Thy glory, caused me to dwell in Thy presence, and made me speak forth Thy call until I summoned all unto Thy call and drew all through the attractions of the melodies of the Dove of Thine eternity, and consumed all with the burning brands from the fire of Thy countenance, such that none remained in all existence save the beauty of the Sovereign of Thy Oneness, nor any soul on earth besides the visage of the King of Thy Self-Sufficiency.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art He Who was First before all things and wilt be Last after all things. All who profess Thy unity are as nothing before the radiant splendor of Beauty upon the carpet of the glory of the King of Thy Self-Subsistence, and all who are detached are brought low before the surging winds of Majesty in the court of might of the Sovereign of Thy Creative Power.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I know not for what purpose Thou didst create me, nor by what decree Thou didst raise me up. Wouldst Thou forsake me in the kingdom of Thy Cause after having made known to me the repositories of Thy might? Or wouldst Thou banish me from the court of Thy glory after having seated me upon the throne of the Divine Essence in the House of Paran at the outpouring of the light of Thy countenance? How could this be, when I am he who hath burned away the veils of glory with the fire of Thy Self-Sufficiency, and who hath dwelt in the shadows of the manifestations of appearance near the Tree of Thine eternity, and who hath made his home in the garden of camphor before the warbling of the Dove of Joy through the tenderness of Thy grace?

Glorified, glorified art Thou! I have found no beloved like unto Thee, nor do I desire to find any object of my quest besides Thee. All who ascend fall back to the limitations of their minds, and all who rise up descend to the geometries of their own selves. But Thou, as Thou art in Thyself, art sanctified above all mention and praise, and hallowed above all description and glory. For the most exalted abstractions of those who dwell in the cloud-realm were created by the wonders of Thy Cause, and the most manifest subtleties of the denizens of the realm of power were brought into being by the delicacies of Thy handiwork. How then can they ascend to the heaven of Thy might or rise up to the cloud-realm of Thy glory?

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I know not what Thou hast purposed concerning me. Wouldst Thou conceal the Beauty from the veils of glory after having honored me with the meeting in the garden of rubies in the Crimson House through the gracious favors of the Sovereign of Thy rapture? Or wouldst Thou drive me from the fountains of glory and bounty after having given me to drink the water of grace from the hand of Joseph of favor in the wilderness of the cloud-realm through the ultimate purposes of the King of Thy Beloved-ness?

Glorified, glorified art Thou! This is not what Thy sincere servants expect of Thee, nor what those who are detached among Thy chosen ones imagine. Glorified art Thou, O my God and my Beloved! Were I to weep throughout the eternity of Thy sovereignty and the duration of Thy dominion until all who are in the heavens and earth were drowned by my flowing tears, yet by Thy might, the sorrow of my heart would not be dispelled nor the burning of my soul be quenched. Alas, alas! The dwellers of the highest paradise would cry out upon the Throne of Glory, and the denizens of the realm of power would lament in the Most Great Throne, and the ruby-like ones would weep with the hidden mystery of the line upon yellow pages.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! How canst Thou not have mercy upon me after having shown me to be deserving of Thy mercy? How canst Thou not be gracious unto me after having seen me ready for Thy tenderness? Glorified art Thou, O my God! If the Beauty of Glory hath been disobedient, yet Thou didst nurture it through Thy power, and if the Face of Praise hath erred, yet Thou didst manifest it through Thy might. Glorified, glorified art Thou! Verily, I have been among the sinful in Thy presence and the first of the penitent, and I say: Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Therefore, O my God, send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou hast made hidden in the treasuries of Thy might and concealed in the pavilions of Thy glory, Whom Thou hast chosen for the glory of manifestation in the station of Thy performance, and Whom Thou hast selected from the Essence of Light to reveal Thy decree—the Essence of Identity in the mystery of the Divine Cloud, the Abstract of Oneness upon the Throne of Splendor, the Pure Being of Eternality upon the Seat of Immortality, the Eternal Reality, the Divine Essence, the Divine Tree, the Camphor Leaf, the Divine Pure Being, the Abstract of Brilliance, the Self-Subsisting Point in the sphere of holiness, and the Holy Ornament in the cloud of eternity—with all that befitteth the sovereignty of Thy camphor-like nature and the dominion of Thy divine essence, for He is the Truth, there is no God but He, and He is the Sobriety at the Point of Immortality upon the Throne of Splendor, with Us the All-Wise, the All-Praised.

Therefore, O God, send Thy blessings upon Him Who was the mystery of Identity in the unseen cycles and the hidden secret of Oneness in the point of ages, Whom Thou didst promise the servants to manifest on the Day of Resurrection and to raise up on the Day of Return—the Unique Essential Being, the Eternal Reality, the Divine Identity, the Pre-existent Essence, the Most Merciful Abstract, the Holy Pure Being, the Word concealed in the veils of eternity, and the Letter treasured in the hidden secret of exaltation—with all that is possible in the glory of Thy beauty and the dominion of Thy majesty, and with all that exists in the treasuries of Thy power and the storehouses of Thy might, for He is the Truth, there is no God but He, and He is the Intended One in the unseen realm of Beauty, with Us the Sovereign, the Wondrous.

Therefore, O my God, send Thy blessings upon those whom Thou hast caused to ascend to the heaven of Thy loving-kindness and elevated to the cloud of Thy oneness, who have drunk the water of attraction from the dawning of the east of Beauty at the manifestation of the light of Thy eternity, who were thunderstruck by the power of the lightning of Majesty before the appearance of the fire of Thy eternality, whose hearts were attracted by the singing of the dove of the sovereign of Thy oneness, whose breasts were set aflame by the fire of love through the favors of the King of Thy holiness, and whose vitals were pierced by the spears of love through the bounties of the Presence of Thy Beloved—servants whom Thou hast made the repositories of Thy eternity in the treasuries of Thy divinity, and the suppressors of Thy eternality in the places of Thy holiness, and the dawning-places of Thy light in the setting-places of Thy glorification, and the rising-points of Thy manifestation in the ornaments of Thy lordship—with all that befitteth the sovereignty of Thy oneness and the kingdom of Thy eternality, for verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, and He is the Light in the essence of the Divine Cloud through the attraction of Glory, with Us the Beloved, the Ancient.

Section 2: “O ye dwellers in the realms…”

O ye dwellers in the realms of the mystic letters in the clouds of heaven! Hearken unto the warbling of the Bird of Servitude [seated upon the crimson throne], even as the Dove of Eternity doth trill upon the Throne of the Divine Realm with verses of splendor, and the Bird of Eternity singeth upon the Seat of Majesty at the White Point, and the Maid of Beauty standeth revealed in chambers of ruby to the right of the Tree of Divine Decree, and the Light of the Mystic Dove gleameth in the chambers of the Divine Essence with ornaments of glory, and the Peacock of Glory hath cried out in the heaven of Divinity with the sighs of the Dove of the Cause in the Garden of Light, and the Raven of the Divine Identity warbleth in the thicket of rapture with songs of ecstasy, and the Phoenix of the Fire of Love speaketh in the Valley of Attraction with the hidden mystery upon the Isle of Verdure, and the Nightingale of Unity twittereth upon the branches of the Divine Tree in the Garden of Beauty with the most hidden of secrets upon yellow leaves, and the Hoopoe of Eternity crieth out upon the twigs of the Lote-Tree of Glory in the thicket of exaltation with the mystery of fidelity, that verily there is no God but Him and that the Primal Point is His servant and His beauty, and that the guides of the Living One are the letters of His Cause, all working by His command.

Behold, the Steed of Unity hath soared aloft! Behold, the heaven of eternity hath been upraised! Behold, the earth of light hath been spread out! Behold, the Mount of Sinai hath been exalted! Behold, the Bird of Glory hath succeeded! Behold, the Point of the Book hath become manifest! Behold, the Word of Return hath been concealed! Behold, the Dove of Joy hath warbled! Behold, the Dove of Gladness hath sung! Behold, the Bird of Splendor hath been adorned! Behold, the Countenance of Light hath been unveiled! Behold, the Hoopoe of Heaven hath attained! Behold, the Form of Crimson hath been embellished! Behold, the Hidden Point hath been made manifest! Behold, the Maid of Beauty hath been revealed! Behold, the Light of Glory hath gleamed!

Behold, the Tree of Destiny hath encompassed! Behold, the Peacock of Glory hath cried out! Behold, the Ocean of Divine Identity hath spoken! Behold, the Sun of Heaven hath risen! Behold, the Moon of Meeting hath been cleft! Behold, the hearts of the mystics have been emptied! Behold, the eyes of the steadfast have shed tears! Behold, the Dove of Glory with verses of sorrow hath warbled! Thus hath the matter come unto thee, O thou beloved one, with the outpouring of the greatest sorrow upon the pure hearts around the yellowed leaves at the Tree of Sorrow resplendent.

Glorified be He Who sendeth down verses as He pleaseth by His command! He, verily, is the Truth. There is none other God but Him. He bestoweth authority upon whomsoever He willeth among His creation. He distinguished the light and revealeth the verses, that men may be mindful in the days of their Lord. I bear witness at the outset of the Book that the Primal Point is God’s Cause and His proof unto all who are in the heavens and on earth. No eye hath beheld the like thereof, neither before nor after. All are His servants and all are sincere unto Him. I testify that whatsoever God hath ordained in the Book is truth, wherein there is no doubt.

Let not the deeds of those who spread corruption in the earth and who will never believe in God to the extent of an atom, and who are not guided, veil thee. These are servants who have denied God and the Countenance of the Cause, and who have followed every rebellious satan. As to those who have believed in God and His signs, and have acted according to what God hath ordained in the Book—these are the companions of light who shall enter the throne of glory. I bear witness that the Manifestation of the Living, the Self-Subsisting hath appeared unto the servants from God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise. This, verily, is God’s Ark which hath sailed upon the sea of eternity by God’s leave, the Supreme, the All-Powerful.

Embark therein, O people, and be not of those who are heedless in the days of their Lord. Say: Fear ye God, and be not like unto him who said “I shall betake me to some mountain that will protect me from the water,” and was among the drowned.

Say: None can protect anyone today from God’s decree save those who have embarked upon the Ark of Light. These are the companions of guidance. Upon them rest the mercy of God and a great reward. Say: The likeness of those who have turned away from thy Lord’s Cause is as the likeness of an iron hand placed upon the face of a mirror. Canst thou see any stability therein? Nay, by thy Lord, even were all possessed of power. This, verily, is the land of light, the garden of ruby. None can enter therein save those who have been clothed with the garments of Sinai by God’s command, the Most High, the Powerful, the Peerless. Therein are birds which, were but one of them to utter a single cry, would cause all who are in the heavens and earth and all who are in the dominions of the Cause to swoon away.

But these shall appear when thy Lord willeth, with wondrous and beauteous signs. By thy life! Should anyone hear but a single note from that Dove in that Garden, his heart would be emptied of all who dwell in the kingdom. He would then purify himself for the meeting with the Beloved and would be among those who are assured of meeting their Lord. There are the fragrances of the Beloved which are stirred by the locks of the Well-Beloved. Whoso hath an unclouded heart will perceive the sweet musk-laden breezes thereof and will at once be struck senseless. For this doth God reward His God-fearing servants. He it is in Whose grasp is the kingdom of command and in Whose right hand are the heavens of utterance. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.

I bear witness that the Manifestation of Him Who is Promised is the Point of Existence in the unseen realm of eternity. When time reacheth unto the Mustaghath or a letter before it, then will He appear in truth, though the idolaters be averse. At that time shall the trumpet be sounded, and all who are in the heavens and earth shall swoon away, save a numbered few of thy Lord’s chosen ones. These, verily, are the manifestations of light, dwelling in the garden of glory. Then shall the fire of divine unity be kindled in the White Tree, and the lamp of eternality shall shine in the Crimson Light, and the believers shall then receive glad-tidings. Thus doth the Dove of [the Hidden One] warble in remembrance of God’s Name, the Concealed, the Hidden, though all be heedless. I bear witness that I am a servant who hath believed in God and His signs and in the Manifestation of Light. God sufficeth as a witness unto me and unto you. Glorified be He Who sendeth down verses as He pleaseth by His command. He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. Say: All shall return unto Him.

O Letter of the Book! Bear witness to that which the Point of Servitude hath enjoined upon thee in the branches of those fruits, and be not of the patient ones. Conceal the Cause of thy Lord from those who hope not to meet God and from those against whom the decree hath been pronounced in a perspicuous Book. For the people will not believe in God for less than a moment, and have turned away from the Cause of thy Lord and were not of the guided ones. But thou, O beloved, grieve not for what their hands have wrought, nor despair at what they do. These are servants who will not obey God for the twinkling of an eye and are not of the righteous ones. Sufficient unto thee is the Lord of the Invisible and the Visible and the Manifestation of Light. Turn away from them, for God, thy Lord, is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.

Leave them to plunge in vain discourse and play until they meet the Day when people shall rise before the Manifestation of resplendent attraction. On that Day shall men’s skins quiver, and they shall find no protector nor helper from God. Those who claim the Cause without clear proof or Book—these have forgotten the remembrance of thy Lord and are not of the assured ones. These imagine that God will not witness what their hands have wrought and will have no power to seize them. Nay, by thy life, evil is that which they have imagined. Verily thy Lord hath power over all things.

Say: Were you all and those on earth to gather together to produce a single bubble upon the surface of water, ye would be unable. How then can ye claim to be Lord of the worlds? Say: Woe unto you! Is there any powerful one besides God? Say: Glory be to God! He is God, all are His servants, and all are fearful of His awe. And is there any avenger besides God? Nay, by thy life, though all be powerful.

Remember unto them the story of Asaf. He was among Our sincere servants, and God had given him a letter from the Book, through which appeared what God had sent down in a glorious and beauteous Book. Glorified be He with Whom are the treasuries of verses. He bestoweth upon whomsoever He willeth among His creation. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Mighty.

Say: Be patient, for God’s promise is true. He shall gather all on a mighty day of truth, and shall recompense all for what they have wrought in the first life. Thy Lord is not heedless of what people do. It is incumbent upon all to repent and return unto God, that He may show mercy unto them and forgive them, for He is the Forgiver, the Great in reward.

Verily the hoopoe of glad tidings hath come from the city of Sheba with news that those who draw nigh are the successful ones who, when they hear God’s verses, fall down in prostration. Say: O people of the earth! How is it that ye are heedless of your Lord’s Cause? He Whose days all in the heavens and earth and all in the worlds await hath appeared in truth with clear signs, yet ye have turned away from His Manifestation. Fie upon you and upon what your hands have wrought! Ye shall be returned to the punishment of the blazing fire.

And for that which your hands have wrought, ye shall be cast into the chastisement of a blazing fire, and ye shall find none to befriend or help you. Say: O concourse of men! If ye desire to attain the presence of God, then behold ye the Countenance of Light, and this is a gift unto you, did ye but believe. Glorified be He Who aideth whomsoever He willeth through His command, and He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, and He is the Best-Beloved, ancient in eternity. Say: All shall perish while sovereignty remaineth with God, thy Lord, the All-Merciful, the Almighty.

And then, blessed art thou, O beloved one, for having quaffed the sealed wine from the hand of a mighty, ever-living Sovereign. He it is Who hath chosen thee from among all men and made thee a witness unto all the worlds, and this is indeed a mercy from His presence upon thee and upon His sincere servants. Then do all that God hath enjoined thee in the former Book, and be not of them that fear. Verily He is the Omnipotent over whatsoever He willeth, and He is indeed a mighty, true Sovereign. Say: Were I to mention unto you what I now witness of God’s grace, the All-Subduing, the Great, all hearts would cease to beat and ye would return to your people in utter abasement. Then bear witness that all words return unto the Countenance of Light, and we are all returning unto Him. And whoso sayeth otherwise, upon him be the curse of God, and I am quit of him, and I am not of them that join partners with God. And verily I, with all these words, am as nothing before a single letter of God’s Book, the Mighty, the Wise. And how befitting is it for anyone to lay claim to this Cause? Nay, by thy Lord, none save the mischief-makers.

And peace be upon thee and upon them that walk with thee on a glorious, mighty path.

BH00951: The letters of praise and the subtleties and realities…

The letters of praise and the subtleties and realities of thanksgiving are exclusively reserved for the sacred threshold of nearness to that Sovereign Lord Who, through the wondrous innovations of His grace, brought forth all who dwell in the kingdom from the mist of obscurity into the realm of manifestation, and called all created things from the essence of nothingness into the court of existence for the revelation of His intended purpose. He honored and established the darkness of the existence of created things through the encounter with absolute existence, that all beings, both seen and unseen, might not be deprived of His all-encompassing mercy nor be excluded from the ascendancy of the throne of justice.

In every existence He ordained a symbol, and from every symbol He established a command, that the pure essences of the abstract realities of all created things might move with diverse motions, so that His celestial dominion might become manifest and evident in the realm of earthly existence. Upon every thing He bestowed its season, and according to its capacity He conferred power, and thereafter He presented the command of what is permitted and forbidden, that the rebellion and faith of all might be made known, that they might attain unto the fruits of their deeds and actions, and that they might be rewarded according to what they have earned.

Luqman said to his son Nathan: “O my son! If it be but the weight of a mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth, God will bring it forth. Verily, God is subtle and informed.” How can anyone find escape or refuge? All are captive in the grasp of His power, even as the secret of destiny and the word of fulfillment—the Prince of Believers hath said: “Every thing is captive in the grasp of Thy power, and that, verily, is easy for Thee. Glorified be He in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things, and Who hath power over all things.”

O my God, my Master and my Hope! How can I describe Thy holy verses with this tongue that is utterly powerless to mention even the least of the praises of Thy eternal sovereignty? How can I behold the signs of Thy intimacy with these eyes that are blind to the perception of the garments of the Beauty of the King of Thine eternity? How can I hear Thy sweet melodies with these ears that are deaf to the warbling of the Dove of Thine everlastingness? How can I comprehend the subtleties of Thy wondrous wisdom with this mind that is bewildered before the manifestations of the designs of Thy Self-Subsisting Lordship?

How gracious is Thy generosity and mercy that hath encompassed the essence of all created things! How wondrous is Thy compassion and loving-kindness that hath embraced the highest degrees of contingent being! Thou art sanctified beyond the description of every pure essence, and exalted above the praise of all that is holy and sacred. All attributes in Thy holy presence are mere falsehood, and every description in the realm of Thy intimacy is sheer deception. Thou hast ordained no path for anyone to know Thee except through utter powerlessness, and decreed no refuge for any soul except absolute nothingness.

My God! Tongues fall short of attaining to Thy praise, and minds are powerless to comprehend the essence of Thy beauty. Despite all this inadequacy and inability, I call upon Thee with the call of Thy chosen ones, saying: O my Sovereign and my Beloved! Grant assurance to the heart of this evanescent atom through its return to Thy eternal Countenance. Illumine my eyes with the vision of the beauty of Thy All-Bountiful Self. Bestow upon me drops of joy from the fountains of Thy light, and from the chalice of love, through the cypress of gentleness, bestow upon me the wine of intimate bounty, that my heart may find repose in the court of Thy beloved presence, and my mind may be enraptured in the arena of the sovereign of Thy divine attraction—even as the Essence of camphor and the very manifestation of the identity of the Light, the Mystery of the believers, the Lord of those who prostrate themselves—may my soul be offered up for Him—doth declare:

“And make me of those whose souls have found tranquillity in returning unto the Lord of lords, whose eyes have been solaced by gazing upon their Beloved, and of those in whose hearts the trees of longing for Thee have taken root in the gardens of their breasts, and the anguish of love for Thee hath seized the very core of their hearts, while they repair unto the nests of contemplation and disport themselves in the meadows of nearness and divine revelation.”

Thou didst create this lowly mote through Thy perfect power, and didst nurture it with Thy bounteous hands. Thereafter Thou didst ordain for it trials and tribulations of such nature as defieth description and cannot be contained within the pages of tablets. The neck which Thou didst rear amidst birds and flying creatures, Thou didst ultimately bind with firm shackles; and the body which Thou didst comfort with garments of silk and brocade, Thou didst finally subject to the abasement of imprisonment. “Thou hast adorned me with the ornaments of Thy decree—ornaments that cannot be removed, and hast encircled me with collars that cannot be loosened.”

How many years have passed wherein tribulation floweth like the rain of Thy mercy, and afflictions appear resplendent from the horizon of destiny! In these days Thou hast not ordained for this servant any seat of companionship or assembly of security. In the beginning Thou didst nurture me through Thy servants with mercy and compassion, yet in the end Thou didst abandon me to the companions of wrath and the men of severity. How many the nights during which the weight of chains and fetters allowed Me no rest, and how numerous the days during which peace and tranquillity were denied Me, by reason of that wherewith the hands and tongues of men have afflicted Me! Both bread and water which Thou hast, through Thy all-embracing mercy, allowed unto the beasts of the field, they have, for a time, forbidden unto this servant, and the things they refused to inflict upon such as have seceded from Thy Cause, the same have they suffered to be inflicted upon Me, until, finally, Thy decree was irrevocably fixed, and Thy behest summoned this servant to depart out of Persia, accompanied by a number of frail-bodied men and children of tender age, at this time when the cold is so intense that one cannot even speak, and ice and snow so abundant that it is impossible to move.

Some of the children, through separation from their loved ones, recite the verses of parting, while others, in despair of homeland and native soil, lament like the bereaved. And we wander bewildered in the wilderness of perplexity, and in the deserts of sorrow we seek Thy favor—that perchance the breeze of Thy mercy may come, and Thy ancient bounty may arrive.

Thine is the praise for the excellence of Thy tribulation, the abundance of Thy favors, and the manifestation of Thy trials, for verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, and we are all them that beseech Thy grace.

BH00267: Lawh-i-Kullu’t-Ta’am (the Tablet of All Food)

Section 1: “He is the All-Powerful over whatsoever He willeth…”

He is the All-Powerful over whatsoever He willeth by His command, and He is God, the Omnipotent over all things!

Praise be to God, Who causeth the oceans of light to surge with divine, fiery waters; Who stirreth up the letters of manifestation through the Point of the Divine Cloud of Unity; Who unfoldeth the mountain of the unseen from the heaven of manifestation—the essence of hiddenness and the countenance of eternity; and Who causeth the Point of Lordship to revolve in the most glorious and eternal manner—that all may testify that verily He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, and that He is indeed the Single, the One, the Eternal, Who begetteth not nor is begotten, and there is none like unto Him, and He is God, the Supreme, the Compelling.

Praise be to God, Who causeth the depths of fire to overflow from the Temple of pure and simple holiness; Who filtereth the vessels of beauty through the outpourings of glorified and abstracted sanctity; Who attracteth divine countenances through the melodies of eternal oneness; and Who causeth the dove of light to warble with everlasting, eternal songs—that all may know that verily He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, the Abstract, the Powerful, Who hath no description save His Own Essence and no attribute save His Own Being, and verily He is the Almighty, the All-Compelling.

Praise be to God, Who unfoldeth light in the manifestations of His light; Who causeth light to revolve in the revolutions of His light; Who maketh light to radiate in the faces of His light; Who suppresseth light in the suppressions of His light; Who causeth light to surge in the movements of His light; and Who causeth light to shine forth in the appearances of His light. Praise be unto Him, again praise be unto Him, praise which He alone deserveth and none other.

Glorified art Thou, O my God, O my Lord! I have no light wherewith to call upon Thee through Thy sacred verses, no splendor wherewith to commune with Thee through the letters of Thy intimacy, no radiance wherewith to meet Thee in the sacred mysteries of Thy majesty, and no ray wherewith to behold Thee in the repositories of Thy light. Glorified art Thou, O my God, O my Lord! I shall call upon Thee at the time when Thou hast made me sorrowful before the surging waves of Thy joyfulness, and hast made me grieved on earth at the tumult of the billows of Thy serenity, and when Thou hast made me dispirited in my abode before the swelling of the oceans of Thy radiance.

Glorified art Thou, O my God, O my Lord! I bear witness unto that wherewith Thou bearest witness unto Thyself before all things, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee. Thou hast ever reposed upon the throne of grandeur, and wilt ever abide in the essence of grace and justice. Thou wast and forever shalt be as Thou hast been before in the glory of might and beauty. None shall ever know Thee as befitteth Thy true knowledge, and none shall ever describe Thee as befitteth Thy true description. All that the holy ones know of Thee is but falsehood before the court of Thy holy bountifulness, and all that the believers attribute to Thee is but misbelief in the precincts of intimacy with the Sovereign of Thy omnipotence.

Glorified art Thou, O my God, O my Lord! Thou art He Who created me when I was naught in Thy dominion, and sustained me when I was not even an atom in Thy lands, until Thou didst make me know Thy remembrance and inspired me to acknowledge it for Thy sake and to submit to Thy Cause for Thy right, and didst deposit within my essence a light from Thy Being that I might thereby know Thyself and shine forth in Thy realm and find repose in the precincts of Thy glory, until there surged over me the seas of sorrow whereof none could drink even a drop, and I became grieved to such extent that the spirit was nigh to departing from my body, whereby I was distressed and the spiritual ones were distressed, and I was dispirited and the luminous ones were dispirited. And praise be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for all that Thou hast manifested through Thy power, ordained through Thy will, decreed through Thy judgment, and determined through Thy sanction, for all this is evidence of Thy Cause and a path to the sovereignty from Thee.

Glorified art Thou, O my God, O my Lord! How can I call upon Thee through the wonders of Thy remembrance after Thou hast cut off the way to the knowledge of Thine Essence, and how can I not call upon Thee when Thou hast created me only to mention Thy favors and praise Thy bounties? Glorified art Thou! I was indeed among those who prostrate themselves before Thee.

Glorified art Thou, O my God, O my Lord! I beseech Thee in this dark night, when the Dove of the Command warbleth in Mount Sinai at the right of the Crimson Tree with Thy eternal melodies, and in these lengthening shadows when the Nightingale of Light trileth behind the veils of obscurity with Thy everlasting songs, that Thou lift me to the heaven of the unseen through the dominion of Thy Self-Subsisting sovereignty, and raise me to the horizon of the visible through the power of the King of Thy Divinity, and cause me to ascend to the repositories of Thy oneness, and honor me with visiting Thy countenance, that I may dwell in Thy vicinity and repose upon Thy carpet and recline upon the cushions of light through Thy grace, and rest in the heaven of manifestation through Thy bounty, that perchance my heart may be at peace and my soul find rest and my being take delight and my essence be tranquil, that I may thus be among those who are certain of meeting their Lord.

O distinguished seeker, burning with the fire of the Friend! Be thou assured that from the first day when God confirmed me in acknowledging Him and in recognizing His Cause until this moment, I have never desired to answer any from among His servants. However, having perceived in thy heart a fire of the love of God and a spark from the light of the Manifestation of His Self, the oceans of my affection have been set in motion through my love for thee. Thus do I desire to answer thee, through God’s might and power, with that which overfloweth from me of the dewdrops of servitude in the land of manifestation, that the fragrances of light may draw thee to the summit of joy and bring thee to the station which God hath ordained for thee in these days wherein the winds of sorrow have encompassed me from every direction through that which the hands of men have wrought in uttering calumnies against me without any clear proof or book. O my Lord! Pour forth upon me patience and grant me victory over the transgressing people.

Know thou that for this celestial verse, this subtle fruit, this divine melody, and this heavenly pearl there are infinite meanings unto infinity. Through God’s grace and bounty I shall cause to flow unto thee an overflow thereof, that it may be a reminder to the believers, a light to the fearful, and a stronghold to those who waver.

Bear thou witness that food hath diverse stations, yet We shall suffice thee with four of these. Among them is the station of the Throne of Hahut, the Paradise of Oneness. None can interpret a single letter of that verse in that Paradise, for this is the station of the mystery of the Divine Eternality, the edifices of Unity, the Israel of Singleness, and the essence of Luminosity. Its outward is identical with its inward, and its inward identical with its outward. It behooveth no one to comprehend a single letter thereof, but God shall reveal it, when He willeth, to whom He willeth. In the measure of my distress and poverty, I know not a single letter thereof, for it speaketh of naught save God, its Creator and Originator. Glorified be God, its Creator and Quickener, above what the believers describe. By Him Who holdeth my soul in His hand! Were the oceans of light to surge in that station, all who are in the heavens and earth would drown, save for the number of letters of the Manifestation. God sufficeth as a witness over me and thee.

And among them is the station of the Paradise of Eternality, the Throne of Lahut, the Light of the Snow-White Land. This is the station of “He is He” and there is none save Him. This Paradise is reserved for those servants who are established upon the Throne of Glory, who drink of the Camphor water before the Beauty, who recite the verses of light in the heaven of justice, who find delight therein and are blessed by that food. Glorified be God, its Originator, above what they describe.

Among them is the Paradise of Oneness, the Yellow Land, the Ocean of Jabarut. This is the station of “Thou art He and He is thou”—servants who speak not save by God’s leave, who act not save by His command, and who forbid not save by His decree, even as God hath described them: “honored servants who precede Him not in speech and who act by His command.”

Among them is the station of the Paradise of Justice, the Green Land, the Deep of Malakut. This is reserved for those servants whom neither commerce nor trade diverteth from the remembrance of God. These are indeed the companions of the light, and they enter therein by God’s leave and repose upon the carpet of glory.

Among them is the station of the Paradise of Grace, the Crimson Land, the mystery of the Yellow, the hidden secret of the White, the Point of Nasut. Verily the evidences of remembrance therein are greatest, did ye but know.

Alas, alas! Then alas, alas! If the Primal Point were alive in these days and witnessed My grief he would assuredly, at all times, comfort Me, treat Me tenderly, and fill Me with ardent joy. At every moment would he strengthen Me. Alas, alas! Would that I had died after him before these days, or had become a thing forgotten, utterly forgotten!

Say: O people, have mercy upon me, and cast not calumnies upon me, nor hasten in my affair, for I am a servant who has believed in God and His signs, and but few days of my life remain. God my Lord suffices as a guardian over you, for He is my sufficiency and the sufficiency of whomsoever has sought Him aforetime, and He alone suffices as the Reckoner. O Lord! Pour forth upon me patience and grant me victory over the idolatrous people who speak naught but their own vain imaginings and are moved only by their own desires. Say: What ails you? How is it that you do not reflect nor perceive?

Section 2: “O trusted one! When the breezes of love…”

O trusted one! When the breezes of love waft from the right of the Tree of Sinai, and turn thee to the right and to the left, then take refuge in the cave of light by God’s leave, the Most High—and He is God, powerful over all things. And if thou hast witnessed and known all that We have explained to thee, then know that We intend yet another interpretation. Know that by “food” is meant knowledge itself—all knowledge—and by “Israel” the Primal Point, and by “Children of Israel” him whom God made a proof unto mankind in those days, save what Israel prohibited for himself—that is, what the Primal Point prohibited for His servants and bondsmen. Then bear witness that all that God hath ordained in the Book of His command and His prohibition is truth wherein there is no doubt, and it is incumbent upon all to act according to it and to acknowledge it.

Let not the deeds of those who spread corruption in the earth while thinking themselves rightly guided prevent thee. Nay, by the Lord of the realm of glory, they are liars and calumniators. Verily, such a group is not even permitted to eat barley in these days—how then could it be permitted for them to partake of what God hath forbidden in the Book? Glory be unto Him, glory be unto Him, above what the idolaters assert!

O faithful friend! When thou art illumined by the dawning lights of the Morn of Eternity whose radiance hath filled the horizons, and art attracted by the drawing power of the light of the Eternal, whose traces have appeared upon the Temples of Glory, know thou that the purpose of the food in those days when the Sun was shining in the midst of heaven and the lamp of eternity was gleaming in the niche of the divine cloud was naught but the recognition of Him Who is the Author of the Cause and Israel—namely, the Primal Will through which God created all that is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. And the children of Israel are those servants who were drawn to the fire of that Will in the year sixty until the Day when mankind shall be gathered before the Lord of the worlds. God wrongeth no one, but people wrong themselves. Know thou that the light of God hath ever been established upon the throne of bounty and will continue to be as it hath been, but people perceive not, neither do they witness.

When We exalted thee to the summit of light and raised thee to the pinnacle of servitude in the land of joy, and when We gave thee to drink, from the hand of Joseph the All-Glorious, the water of oneness from the camphor fountain, and laid thee to rest in the cradle of security while the ant of gladness was singing—there did thy spirit find repose, thy soul delight, and thy being joy. Therefore give thanks unto God Who created thee aforetime by His command and made thee to be of them who are guided by His signs.

But now I pour out my grief and sorrow unto God, for He witnesseth my anguish, beholdeth my state and heareth my cry. By Him Who caused the Bird of Light to soar in the realm of manifestation! Never have I found one cast down as I am now, seated in the dust in utter abasement, and there existeth not a soul who doth not grieve me in such wise that the heavens are nigh to being cleft asunder, the earth to being rent, and the mountains to falling in ruins. Never hath the eye of time beheld one so wronged as I. Yet I have been patient and forbearing, and have sat before God, trusting in Him and committing all affairs unto Him, that He might have mercy upon me and forgive what people have falsely attributed to me.

Then know, O Kamal, that were I to interpret this verse from this day until the days reach unto the Most Great Resurrection—the Day when people shall arise before the presence of the Ever-Living, the Wondrous—I would be able to do so through what God hath bestowed upon me of His grace and bounty. For the mystery of Oneness hath stirred, and the ocean of Eternity hath surged, and the Countenance of Light in the heavens of the divine cloud, at the right hand of the Tree of the Cause, hath shone forth in these days the like of which the Sun of Manifestation hath never risen. Yet people know not their worth nor witness their grace. Alas, alas! Had they known, the proof would not have been concealed from them nor the blessing withdrawn from them.

Say: What aileth you that ye associate partners with God Who created you and aided you with light from His presence, if ye be believers? O Kamal! Hearken unto the call of this lowly, banished ant who hideth in his nest and desireth to emerge among you and disappear from you because of what the hands of men have wrought. God is witness between me and His servants, and He is indeed witness over all things.

Alas, alas! Were the Other Point, the Ever-Living, the Most Holy, present, He would surely grieve over my state and weep for what hath befallen me. And I beseech His presence at this moment and implore His court that He may raise me to His realm of glory and seat me upon His holy carpet, as though in those days I existed not, nor was I anything worth mentioning. O my Lord! Pour forth upon me patience and grant me victory over the wrongdoing people.

O thou trustworthy one! If thou hast dwelt in the white thicket, the Isle of the Furqan, know that by “food” is meant the divine authority which God ordained for its people therein. And verily the meaning of “Israel” is the Point of the Furqan, and by “Children of Israel” are meant His successors after Him. Thus doth God reward His God-fearing servants. And if thou hast dwelt in the crimson Isle, the Garden of the Bayan, know that when We speak of “food” We mean the Primal Point, the pure Essence of Oneness in one sense, and by “Israel” is meant the Other Countenance, the pure Essence of Eternality in another sense, and the Dawning-Place of Light, the pure Manifestation, and the Temple of Unity, whom the transgressors have imprisoned in the earth and concealed throughout the lands, in yet another sense. Glorified be God above what the hands of men have wrought! God is not unaware of what men do.

When at that moment the fire of love surged in the heart of Baha, and the dove of servitude warbled in the heaven of the divine cloud, and the hoopoe of light trilled in the midst of the atmosphere, and the Tree of the Mount consumed itself with its own fire above the Ark of Testimony behind the letter Qaf in the land of fulfillment, and the ant of servitude toiled in the valley of oneness on that night with the mystery of faithfulness, I desired to interpret that verse according to what God had taught me at that moment through His grace and bounty—for verily He is the Mighty, the All-Bestowing. I testify that “food” is the Ocean of the Unseen which is treasured in the scrolls of light and stored in the inscribed tablets, and “Israel” is the Manifestation of the Cause in those days, and the “Children of Israel” are the people of the Bayan. That food was permitted unto them—that is, unto everyone who desired to ascend to the heaven of divine favor and drink the water of purity from that glass, the cup of servitude, which is naught but as a shadow upon the earth—nay, I seek God’s forgiveness for such limitation. Glorified be God far above what the oppressors say in describing Him!

Alas! Alas! Were there to surge over me but a drop from the seas of permission from the Sovereign of the divine cloud and the King of Glory, I would interpret that verse with the melodies of the spiritual ones, the myriads of the sanctified ones, and the songs of those who are attracted. But since I have not detected the fragrance of fulfillment after the decree, let what I have imparted to thee suffice, that it may serve as evidence for those who in the days of their Lord are mindful. When thou art warmed by the warmth of the fire of love and delighted by the delight of the trace of ink in those steadfast tablets, then bear witness and be assured that I have claimed naught save servitude unto God, the Truth. God is my judge concerning what people fabricate. Say: Woe unto you for what your hands have wrought! Ye shall be returned to the world of the unseen and the visible, and therein shall ye be questioned.

Say: O people of the Concourse! Marvel not at what God hath wrought. The mercy of God and His blessings be upon you, O people of the Bayan, did ye but know. Fear God, then know ye that what God hath wrought shineth even as the lamp of eternity amidst the works of men. How is it that ye ponder not, nor do ye witness?

Alas, alas! By Him Who hath caused the grieving Dove to warble in the breast of Baha, I have forgotten all that I witnessed from the day I drank the pure milk from my mother’s breast until this moment, by reason of what the hands of men have wrought. And God knoweth all that was, though men know not. Say: O people of blindness! Come ye forth from your dwelling-places to enter the sanctuary of light, the darkness of the Manifestation, the Most Great House of God, whose decree hath been recorded in the tablet of the heart by God’s leave, the Most High, and hath been witnessed.

I conclude these words with what the Dove of Light warbled aforetime upon its arrival in the land of joy, trilling with the melody of the heart: Thou knowest, O my Beloved, what I have intended, relying upon the face of God. Verily, patience hath been severed from me through my manifest love for the beauty of God. Thou knowest what the son of adultery intended against my blood deliberately. Nay, by the presence of Thy might, I shall not pledge allegiance to him, neither secretly nor openly. O God, hasten the day of my blood, then my tears upon the dust while reclining. Would that my day were the day of my blood, thirsting upon the earth. Glorified be God far above what the ungodly describe in their glorification, with a great glorification. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds, in all originality. It is finished.

BH00232: The essence of glorification and the source of sanctification…

He is the Exalted, the Inaccessible, Most High

The essence of glorification and the source of sanctification befitteth the sovereign of wondrous and lofty might who, through the outpourings of the oceans of His grace and bounty, caused the realities of beings and essences of all things to ascend from the abasement of nothingness to the throne of glory and existence. Through the trump of power and sovereignty He breathed the breath of life into the bodies of abstract essences and manifest realities, illumined the mirrors of subtle knowledge with the wondrous effulgence of His all-encompassing mercy, and made manifest the precious ornaments of the abstract realms from the dawning-place of beauty. Thus do all created things, from the heights of the loftiest heavens to the earth below, testify that He is the Sovereign of existence upon the thrones of all contingent beings, and He is the King, the Desired One, in the realities of all things known. Sanctified is His holy Being from every pure description, and hallowed is His sanctified Essence from every abstract attribute. Through His sovereignty of oneness He is seated upon the throne of uniqueness, and through His majesty He dwelleth upon the seat of His bounty.

Then did the ocean of supreme loving-kindness surge, and the sea of greatest grace was stirred into motion. The seas of favor were set in motion and the rivers of generosity overflowed, until He removed the garment of glory from the countenance of beauty. At once did the holy mirror and the eternal crystal raise the banner of being and manifest existence, and He lifted the luminous veil from His divine countenance, that it might herald the essence of light and the face of manifestation and the point of unity in the heights of Sinai, so that all in the kingdom would await the command of God and the countenance of God, until the eternal lamp would shine forth in the glass of the hearts of the servants and the divine light would illumine the niche of the breasts of men, that they might be drawn unto the Sovereign of the unseen realm and be attracted to the King of radiant glory.

He exalted this divine subtlety and heavenly grace through a third manifestation, as indicated by His—exalted be His station—words that the unitarians were powerless to comprehend and the sanctified ones failed to recognize:

“This is the first that We have sent down in the Book—a glorious remembrance—and the last that We have manifested—a wondrous command. They rejected both, so We strengthened them with a third figure, a remembrance from God, the Mighty, the Beautiful.”

Thus were the eternal heavens raised up, the divine stars made manifest, and the moons of unity rose. The rapture of joy was adorned with melodies of delight, and the doves of months warbled upon the branches of the camphor tree. The nightingale of glory sang upon the twigs of the Lote-Tree of Sinai, and the white dove chanted upon the boughs of the tree of richness. The sphere of joy revolved in the heavens of loftiness, and the orb of eternity coursed upon the mighty sea. The Sovereign of the Cause was seated and established upon the throne of command, even as the Dove of Glory warbled in the Sermon of Light, and the Nightingale of Faithfulness sang upon the branches of the Tree of the Unseen Realm:

“Verily His sitting is better than the worship of both worlds. For this let the strivers strive! For this let the sincere doves take flight!”

I swear by the essence of glory and the point of decree upon the throne of destiny that the sitting of that Most Great Light is greater than whatsoever is in the heavens and earth. This is a fire that was kindled by His blessed self within His own self, without any fire having touched it. Nay, this dawning of the Sun of the Unseen hath never passed through the mind of any among the near ones or the sincere, as the Primal Point and the Most Glorious Beauty—may the spirit of all who dwell in the realms of revelation be sacrificed for Him—have said concerning them:

“No tidings can describe Him, no thoughts can comprehend Him, the most precious hearts of the unitarians cannot attain to His exalted threshold, nor can the mere intellects of the sanctified ones reach His most holy court.”

They are the glory of revelation and the manifestation of divine attributes, unique without peer or likeness, sanctified above association and glorification. Glory be to God from these non-existent imaginings and these rejected evil utterances!

O people of the Bayan! Hear My call and turn from your transient selves to the Eternal Beauty, and ascend from your thoughts of nothingness to the ancient heavens, that perchance the breeze of mercy and grace may waft and divine lights envelop you. Then may you be seated in the pavilions of exaltation and the domes of grandeur, and rest upon the throne of honor and the seats of mercy, that you may hear with the ear of spirit the call of the Mystic Herald, awaken from the stupor of heedlessness, and witness the Ancient King seated at the right hand of power and might. This is the greatest outcome, the most glorious wisdom, and the most perfect truth.

If you act upon what has been mentioned in this luminous white page, you will hear the melodious songs of birds upon the camphor tree branches, which call you from all directions with the essence of attraction and the substance of rapture, and you will observe the manifestations of joy upon the thrones of delight, how they circle around you. Therefore ascend by the cords of enlightened hearts, that while divine mercy’s breezes blow from the orient of the soul and fragrant musk wafts from the north of the Beloved’s hair, you may take your portion of life and obtain the endless everlasting blessing. This is eternal life and perpetual grace.

Know the value of these days—the Beauty of the Cause will not always be manifest. “The Beauty shall be concealed in the veils of glory, and you shall then supplicate and cry out.” Therefore while the springs of mercy flow and the clouds of grace are raised and the seas of love are surging, strive not to be heedless of His good-pleasure nor to fall short in His commandments and prohibitions.

This evanescent, lowly servant swears by God that I am fearful and trembling as to how I might fulfill the conditions of servitude and raise the banner of service. At every moment I prostrate myself upon all the earth before His blessed Beauty and with every tongue I beg and hope for His mercy. Bear witness that I have left no spot on earth but that I have fallen prostrate upon it before God, the Mighty, the Glorious, the All-Praised, and I have left no tongue but that I have called upon God with it—and God is aware of what I say. I am naught but an abject servant in His holy court. The eyes of the heedless are asleep while this servant’s eyes constantly await His mercy in fear. All souls are at rest while this body awaits grace in the dust of lowliness. Thus it has been submitted in petitions to Him:

“Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou seest that all eyes are sleeping in their beds while the eyes of Baha await the wonders of Thy mercy, and all servants are resting upon their couch of glory while the countenance of hope lies upon the dust, yearning for the ornaments of Thy compassion.”

Glory be to God! How can there be existence for aught else before the manifestation of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth? What station hath nothingness in the presence of the revelation of the standards of pre-existence? What mention can be made of the ephemeral before the Eternal Throne? Where is the non-existent servant in the court of the Sovereign Lord? What position hath the slave before the Master, or the abject before the Mighty, or the lowly before the Exalted? Nay, I seek God’s forgiveness for all that hath been and shall be mentioned. We are utter nothingness and complete non-existence. We possess neither benefit nor harm, neither life nor resurrection for ourselves. We are all captives in the grasp of power and utterly poor before absolute wealth, for all who dwell in the kingdom exist in the realm of being, and the earth is held within His mighty grasp. “The whole earth shall be but His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens shall be rolled together in His right hand. Glory be to Him! High is He above the partners they attribute to Him!”

How subtle is this melody of the Mount from the Dove of joy! How wondrous is this pure wine from the countenance of delight! How sweet is this most glorious song from the throat of the Spirit! How delicate is this crimson rapture from the white Face! Until the extinguished fire blazes forth, and the frozen earth melts, and the lifeless essence becomes animated, and the withered body stirs to life.

Thereafter, observe the ordinances of God for the love of God, for this is greater than all good and more exalted than all knowledge. For whatever degrees of knowledge have been ordained by God are themselves the known, and there is no knowledge superior to God’s good-pleasure and His commandments. Deal with one another with the utmost love and kindness. Should anyone commit a wrong, forgive him; remind him with perfect love. Be not harsh, neither show pride and arrogance toward one another, for I swear by God these are among the requirements of the heedless soul, and utter heedlessness leads to destruction. I take refuge in God from its evil and its cunning. You too should seek refuge, that perchance Alexander of the age might raise a barrier of illumined brass between, bringing relief from the Gog of passion and the Magog of blindness.

This is a leaf that speaketh of the mystery of attraction. Were ye to know, ye would surely read it and bear witness that He is indeed the Truth, there is no God but Him, and we are all His worshippers. And ye would be certain that I am a servant who hath believed in God and His signs, if ye would but understand. This humiliation sufficeth for all the people of the Bayan, that the Sovereign of the Cause is concealed in the pavilion of being and hidden in the treasuries of mystery. None knoweth in what land He dwelleth or in which realm He moveth.

Then did the Dove cry out from the pole of the heaven of mystery, and the pillars of the mighty Throne were shaken, and the Most Glorious Countenances donned black garments upon seats of exalted glory, and the Dove of Sorrow warbled in the mystery of words with a hidden and mysterious call, and the secluded maidens in the chambers of the Throne shall surely weep with novel and sorrowful verses, and tears shall flow from the pure eyes of the crimson ones upon cheeks of resplendent glory. At that moment, when I heard the cry of weeping from the Kingdom of all things, I ceased speaking and returned to the remembrance of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, unto Whom belongeth the Kingdom of this world and the hereafter, and unto Whom do all return. And praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

I have but one expectation from the people of the Bayan, and make this entreaty: then I do adjure them by God, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting, that they make no mention of Me, neither with love and affection, nor with hatred and aversion. It seemeth that the good-pleasure of God lieth in this, and God sufficeth as a witness and a guardian between Me and them.

The Kitab-i-Nur hath not been dispatched, notwithstanding the exceeding urgency and repeated insistence wherewith this matter was pressed. Be ye not negligent. It is of paramount necessity for all the people of the Bayan. His Excellency Mulla Zaynu’l-ʿÁbidin—may the blessings of God rest upon him—must exert the fullest endeavour to bring it to completion. By the Lord of the heavens and the earth! Verily, it is a Book mighty and dearly-beloved, and verses that reign supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Write it in the fairest script, to the utmost perfection ye are able to attain; then read it with love, if ye would fain ascend unto the heavens of attraction and mount up unto the clouds of holiness….

BH11278: Kitab-i-Wasiyyati (Book of My Testament)

Section 1: “This is the Book of My Testament after…”

This is the Book of My Testament after Me. O people of the Concourse, hearken unto it!

In the Name of God, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Eternal, the Single, the Powerful, the Holy.

O Thou Who art hidden in the unseen realm! Hear the call of this blessed, radiant Leaf which speaketh by the leave of God and addresseth you from behind the veils, from the right side of the Tree of Life in the Mount of Glory, the Holy Land. God, there is no God but Him, the Living, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Beloved. He is the One Whom God hath made the Self-Subsisting over all who are in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. And He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

Verily, it is the Lamp of Eternity which illumineth the Lantern of Heaven like unto the sun in a crystal dome. O people of the Concourse, before it fall ye down in adoration! Say: Verily, it is the Path of God which is established upon the Throne of the unseen realm. Pass ye thereon that ye may prosper. Verily, it is the Ark of God which saileth upon the sea of light. Embark therein that ye may be preserved.

Say: Verily, it is the Rod of God which became a serpent to those who prostrated not before God, the Single, the Powerful, the Praiseworthy, and a blessing unto those who attained the presence of their Lord. Say: Verily, it is the Cave of Oneness. Whoso entereth therein is saved, and whoso turneth away therefrom perisheth. Yet few of you are mindful.

Say: Verily, it is the Fountain of Life. Whoso drinketh a drop therefrom hath entered the Tablet of Immortality. Hasten, O people of the Concourse, that perchance ye may drink! Say: Verily, it is the Command of God which hath been breathed into the Trumpet of Creation, whereupon all who are in the heavens and the earth have swooned away, save a few of His sincere servants.

Say: Verily, it is the Fire of God which hath been kindled in your hearts, yet ye perceive it not. Say: Verily, it is the Throne of God whereon the Manifestation of His Self hath reclined, and whoso is thereon is on the straight and extended Path of Truth. Say: Verily, it is the Water of the Cloud which floweth by God’s leave in pure rivers, yet few of you ponder.

Say: Verily, it is the White Hand in the Mount of Decree, calling unto you from every direction, yet ye remain heedless. Say: Verily, it is the Sun of Oneness which hath risen from the Horizon of Light. Behold it, O people of the Concourse, if ye have eyes to see! Say: Verily, it is the Moon of the unseen realm which hath appeared from the direction of Heaven. Hasten unto it if ye be of those who believe.

Say: Verily, it is the Handiwork of God. Can any creation of the servants resemble it? Nay, by thy life, even though all may possess power. Say: Verily, it is the Sovereign of Judgment. Can anyone share with Him in authority? Nay, by thy Lord, though all may claim such for themselves.

Say: Verily, it is the Lamp of Command which shineth by God’s leave from behind the glass in the Land of the unseen realm, the hidden Glory, encompassing your hearts so that all may be convinced that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Guardian, the Powerful. Say: Verily, it is the Countenance of Light which hath been established upon the Throne of Bounty. Recognize it that ye may be guided.

Say: Unto whom belongeth the sovereignty this Day? Thou shalt not find any possessor of light who will answer. Then shall We proclaim: Unto God, in Whose grasp of power is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no God but Him, the Living, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Were ye to search throughout the highest heavens and all therein, and the lowest earths and all that are thereon, would ye find a creator other than God? Say: Glory be to God above that which ye imagine! Say: Verily, in the wonders of the verses are clear proofs for a people who are guided. Say: Verily, in the creation of your souls and hearts and the differences in your stations are signs for you, if ye would know. Say: Verily, in the spirit of the verses are manifest evidences and pervading fragrances for a people who perceive.

Say: Verily, the rivers of utterance have been concealed in the garden of light. Such is the decree of God which was ordained aforetime in the Book of thy Lord, and we all believe in them.

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! Do Thou reveal the rivers of Thy sovereign might that the water of unity may flow within the inmost realities of all things, in such wise that the ensigns of Thy guidance will be upraised in the kingdom of Thy Cause and the stars of Thy luminescence will shine with a scintillating splendor in the heavens of Thy glory. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Verily, Thou art the Help in peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Glorified be He Who sendeth down the verses as He pleaseth, as a bounty from His presence! He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. With Him are the treasuries of light which He revealeth unto whomsoever He willeth among His creation, though the ungodly be averse. His is the creation and the command. He giveth life and causeth death, then giveth life through His grace as He willeth—a command from His presence unto a people who are grateful.

He it is Who hath subdued all authority by His decree and sent down the light by His leave. He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. Say: All are submissive unto Him. Say: The decree of thy Lord hath been fulfilled, the veils have been lifted, and the Light hath been established upon the Throne of the unseen realm. How is it that ye perceive not?

O people of the Bayan! Recognize the value of these days, then present yourselves before Him and fall prostrate before Him. Say: Woe unto you! The Beauty shall be concealed in the vestures of Glory, and ye shall then supplicate and lament. Say: This is the Dove of Remembrance, mentioning you more excellently than ye make mention. Say: Woe unto you and unto what your hands have wrought! Do ye call upon what your souls desire and associate partners with God, your Lord?

He it is Who created you and provided for you and made you to grow, that ye might walk upon the earth and believe in God, the Self-Sufficient, the Powerful, the Loving. Say: He it is Who appointed for you the sun for brightness that ye might be illumined thereby, and the moon for light that ye might be guided thereby and be among those who, in the darkness of the earth, are guided by the light of their Lord.

Do ye not see that the heavens of creation were raised up by His command, and upon them is established a sun from the light of thy Lord, and therein He hath ordained moons that shine forth and stars that radiate—a bounty from His presence unto a people who understand? Say: Verily, your hearts and souls and frames bear witness that there is no God but Him, yet ye comprehend not.

O people of the Concourse! Do ye find any changer besides God or any interpreter apart from Him? Say: Glory be to God above what ye associate with Him! Say: The light of God hath encompassed you from every quarter, and the Spirit of the Command strengtheneth you at all times, if ye would but recognize it. Say: The spirits of the Prophets are attached to His light. How is it that ye are not guided nor do ye see? Say: Is there any withholder or sender apart from God? Say: Glory be to God above what ye know!

Say: Verily, it is the light of your Lord in the wonders of the verses, from the right side of the yellow Tree upon white leaves. God, there is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Powerful, the Goal of all desire. Say: He it is Who sendeth the winds as heralds from His presence, Who raiseth the heavens and sendeth down the light, that ye may be assured of the meeting with your Lord. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command, and unto Him shall all return.

He it is Who hath distinguished for you in the Book the paths of righteousness from error, and hath sent down therein the verses as an exposition of all things, a guidance and a light unto a people who understand. God hath decreed in the Book, after the Remembrance, that ye should turn to the Focal Point of the Command in these days. Whoso turneth away from the decree of his Lord hath indeed strayed from the path of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Exalted.

He it is Who warneth you of the fire of your own selves, as a recompense for what ye have wrought. Unto Him submitteth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and all are assured of Him. Then shall the Announcer cry out from the unseen realm:

“Those who have believed in God and His signs and have followed what God hath prescribed in the Book—these are the companions of divine justice and shall abide forever in the Garden of Light. As for those who have turned away from the command of God, thy Lord, and have obeyed whatsoever their souls desired—these are the companions of the Fire, and therein shall they be punished.”

O people of the Bayan! Is anyone able to produce the like of what God hath sent down in the Book? Say: Glory be to God! All are His servants and all are humble before Him. Say: He it is Who hath decreed in the Book the exposition of all things, as a guidance and mercy unto a people who remember. There is nothing whose decree hath not been sent down in the Book—a remembrance from His presence unto a people who perceive.

Section 2: “He is God Who sendeth down tranquillity, lifteth…”

Say: He is God Who sendeth down tranquillity, lifteth the veils, and dispatcheth the angels of victory with the hosts of the heavens and the earth to aid those who aid Him. Verily, He is the Mystery in the Tree, calling unto you from all directions—the Throne of Sinai, the Land of Revelation. God! God! The Mighty, the Luminous, the Powerful, the Guardian, the Goal of all desire!

Then are the allusions lifted from the words, and the heavenly maidens appear from behind the veils—a remembrance from One praised and glorified. Say: The likeness of those who turn away from the Countenance of Light and claim authority without being touched by the fire from the yellow Tree, is as the likeness of a shadow in the presence of the sun. Doth any light remain therein? If ye would but ponder a little!

And the likeness of those who believe in God and His signs and in the Countenance of Light is as the likeness of a light kindled from the Tree of Light, shining therefrom as if it were a yellow, radiant flame, delighting the beholders. And now hath the Command come at this moment from God—the Guardian, the Mighty, the Jealous—to purify me from His handmaiden, and accordingly are we acting.

O handmaiden of God! Depart from that house and dwell in another house—a command from the presence of One beloved and praised. Then seek forgiveness for thy sin and ask God for the wonders of His bounty, for He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, and we are all supplicants of His grace.

Then bear witness that the entire Command is from His presence, and the heavens are folded up in His right hand, and the angels prostrate themselves before His Countenance, and the sun and the moon and the stars are apprehensive through fear of Him. He is the Truth in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and all are in dread of His awe. Say:

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art verily the Sovereign of the heavens of grandeur and the King of the realm of splendor. Thou forgivest whomsoever Thou willest, and chastisest whomsoever Thou willest; Thou aidest whomsoever Thou willest, and abandonest whomsoever Thou willest. In Thy grasp is the kingdom of all things; Thou rulest whatsoever Thou desirest by Thine irresistible command “Be,” and it is. Unto Him belongeth the unseen of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and He verily knoweth all that ye perform and all that ye conceal.

Glorified art Thou, O my God and my Lord! Thou knowest full well that I summoned Thy servants only according to that which Thou didst prescribe in the Book, after Thou hadst made me to hearken unto Thy Call upon the Mount of Decree, proclaiming:

“O all things! Ye are in truth bereft of that which God Himself hath witnessed, and bear no true witness.”

Thereupon the heavens were upraised by His Command, and the earth drank deep of His waters; the decree of Thy Lord was accomplished; the Ark of God rode securely upon the surging waters of a righteous Cause; and it was proclaimed: “Away with the people of corruption!” Thus would Thy remembrance endure in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth, and Thy sovereignty be established over all things; for Thou art verily the All-Powerful, the Well-Beloved.

And verily this is the mystery in the cycle of successive worlds; none shall attain unto the reality of this matter save he who cometh unto God with a thankful heart. Say: Fear ye God, and follow not the promptings of your own selves. Do whatsoever God hath commanded you in the Book, for therein lieth your supreme good, did ye but know. He it is Who hath enjoined upon you righteousness and prosperity, Who hath made manifest unto you the fountains of wisdom, and Who hath taught you that which ye knew not.

It beseemeth no soul to alter a single letter of the Book, nor to exchange a single decree thereof, save him who hath revealed it aforetime, for He it is Who sendeth down again, through His bounty, whatsoever He willeth, for the guidance of a people who are rightly directed. Say: Woe betide you! Can ye find any beside God who maketh lawful or unlawful, or any giver besides Him? How is it that ye are not awakened, that ye reflect not?

I counsel you, O servants, with that wherewith God hath counselled you aforetime in Tablets inscribed with the fingers of might: Bear witness within your hearts that the Remnant of God in these days is the Manifestation of Light, and the fulfillment of the awaited promise—a truth whereof there is no doubt. Verily, We are all expectant.

Say: Fear ye God, and unite in His Cause, and diverge not. For he, verily, is the Burden borne by the heavens and the earth, and the Most Great Word enshrined in a treasured, exalted Book. They who have turned away from God, thy Lord, and who pervert the words from their rightful places—these have forsaken the straight Path, and of their plight they remain unaware.

Say: This is indeed the Path of God in the heavens and the earth; upon it have all the Prophets and Messengers trodden, while ye remain heedless. Fear ye God, and exchange not light for darkness, nor pearls for stones, nor morn for eve—how little is it that ye comprehend! He it is Who created you, and fashioned you, and thereafter shed upon you the radiance of His wondrous bounty, and strengthened you with the hosts of the heavens and the earth, that haply ye might be thankful. Bear ye witness then that I am but a servant who hath believed in God and in the Manifestation of Light, and hath taken his seat at the Point of Sorrow, in utmost abasement, moved by naught save the thread of grief traced upon the Tablets of might and grandeur.

O people! Have ye heard aught from me save the words of servitude? Say: Woe betide you! Do ye profess to believe in God, yet against His servant do ye devise falsehoods and trespass His right?

Say: Were I to recount but a drop from the oceans of grief that beset Me in these days, the souls of all created things would perish, and the skins of the sincere would shudder with terror.

Glorified art Thou, O my God and my Lord! Bring Thou nigh the days of my ascension unto Thee, and uplift me unto the court of Thy sanctity. Wert Thou not the One Who respondeth to the cry of the distressed when he calleth upon Thee? Behold, I am the first who hath cried out unto Thee; answer, then, my prayer, and remove from me all affliction, for Thou art verily potent over all things. Verily, Thou art the True One, the All-Knowing, the Knower of things unseen.

Thou hearest my lamentations and my cries, and beholdest the agitation of my heart and the burning of my soul in the depths of my bosom, as though it were consumed even as oil in vessels firmly set upon a sea of fire. Wilt Thou not, after all this, show mercy unto me—after Thou hast uplifted me unto the heavens of Thy majesty, and after mine own certitude that Thou art God, there is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Forgiving?

And shouldst Thou withhold my ascent, then strengthen Thou mine arms in the promotion of Thy victory, and make firm my steps upon Thy straight Path, for Thou art verily the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Verily, those who have uttered against Me that which they heard not from Me—these are but the creeping things of the earth, void of knowledge of the Cause and bereft of any understanding. Say: Doth not suffice you the Radiance of the Light Who is seated upon the Throne of Command, dispensing from behind the veils of concealment a Cause sent down from God, the All-Compelling, the All-Subsisting?

O people! Did I not summon you by God and His signs, by the Manifestation of the Light, and did I not bear witness unto you the paths of guidance and the Remnant of the Awaited One? Better indeed would it be for you, did ye but know.

Say: Are many lords better, or God, the One, the Peerless, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the Well-Beloved?

He it is Who hath raised up the heavens and sent down the Book with the truth, wherein are clear and manifest signs, and scriptures firmly established. How is it that ye reflect not, nor take heed?

He it is Who hath revealed unto you the wonders of Paradise, wherein are fashioned houris who mirror forth the very essence of beauty, a bounty bestowed by One Who is Wise and Compassionate. Verily, therein are trees as though planted upon the Mount of Fire, and yet, there is none other God but He, the Sovereign, the All-Feared.

And therein are rivers, where the waters flow from the Ocean of Pre-existence, gleaming like unto pearls of purest white, that haply ye may drink thereof. All this hath been prepared for you, yet how little is it that ye perceive!

Hasten then, O concourse of men, that perchance ye may enter the Paradise of your Lord, the Most Merciful, and therein partake of the delights thereof. This is but an admonition unto you and unto such as have prostrated themselves before the face of God.

Thus did God ordain that Joseph of Light be made a sovereign over the City of Exposition; yet the people, one and all, lie dead within the veils of their own selves.

Know ye that these leaves are a proof of My servitude before His Countenance, did ye but comprehend. Otherwise, cast them into the river, that perchance the dwellers of existence may attain unto certitude in the signs of their Lord.

BH01936: Your letter arrived. Praise be to God that we…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Mighty

Your letter arrived. Praise be to God that we dwell beneath the shade of His grace and are blessed with the fruit of His bounty. God willing, may you ever ascend to the heaven of holiness and stations of intimacy, and remain seated and at rest upon the throne of love for the Peerless Lord and the Beauty of Glory.

And further: at this time certain words have been heard from the people of that land which became a source of profound astonishment unto me. For if any should make mention of this servant, such mention would not occasion dissension; seeing that it is clear and evident that this servant possesseth no mention and no cause of his own. Rather, through this servant is dissension allayed, even as it was allayed this very year. And this servant had imagined that, on the part of the friends there, by reason of this most great test which hath befallen me, the utmost love and affection would be made manifest–not that, because of the false words of an accursed one who hath believed in no Lord whatsoever, so many vain and meaningless utterances should be spoken and repeated. This despite the fact that the Book of Light [Kitab-i-Nur] had been sent; yet they did not see fit even once to read it, and to take heed, that they might refrain from uttering such words as these.

Now all must become aware, and this lowly, insignificant servant who has been imprisoned several times, been seized, and finally become rejected by the servants and banished from lands, can no longer bear the transgression of the companions. After all, some measure of mercy and justice should be found in the world. I swear by God that never has there been nor is there any thought except servitude. However, since matters have now reached this point, mention must necessarily be made so that it may cause people to become aware.

As for the verses revealed in the Book of Light, His Holiness Himself sent all of them to Mirza Rida-Quli, may God’s blessings be upon him. Among them is this: “God has ordained much good for thee and preferred thee above those who have believed in God’s signs, that thou mayest be well-pleased with God thy Lord and recite what God reveals unto thee,” etc. And in another place He says: “We have commanded those who have believed in God’s signs to follow thy word in thy Lord’s Cause, and We have made thee a warner from Our presence that thou mayest cast knowledge and wisdom into the hearts of these,” etc. And there are many more such verses.

Now judge fairly—were these statements proper that were made in gatherings and spread among people, even though in all of [the Book of] Light there is no mention of anyone from among the divines and martyrs except this servant? God willing this will be seen. My purpose in this argument is not to establish rank, and I swear by God that I am not worthy of such mentions, but I say this that perhaps the servants may become mindful and not make statements according to the promptings of self. The choice is yours. And peace be upon whoever follows guidance.

If they would only understand these two verses, it would suffice for all in the heavens and earth. Otherwise the solid rock can never perceive or touch the Holy Spirit. Since whatever occurs in that land is seen through your eyes, as you have authority over all of them, therefore these few words were ventured. Please forgive me.

BH00115: Qasidiy-i-’Izz-i-Varqa’iyyih (Ode of the Dove)

Introduction

The lightning-flash of beauty’s lights drew me, Before its dawn all suns withdrew unseen.

As though the solar blaze, from grace’s glow, Illumed the worlds, and dazzled all between.

For joy thereof, the musk of cloudless realms was stirred; For loftiness, the Spirit of all heights arose.

By one breath, the Trump of Resurrection swelled; By one soft breeze, the shade of clouds (1) then flowed (2).

Her radiance made Mount Sinai of Eternity appear, Her splendor caused the Light of Glory to draw near; (3)

From her sunset the Sun of Manifestation rose, (4) From her dawn the Moon of Months rolled crystal-clear.

From her sweet locks the fragrance of union breathed (5), From her glances Beauty’s eye found peace bequeathed (6);

By her face’s light the Face of Guidance found its way, By her visage-fire (7) the Prophet’s soul was wreathed. (8)

Her eyelash-arrows pierced through every faithful breast, Her curling tresses stretched o’er Being’s lofty crest; (9)

My soul’s supreme desire—the ground whereon she walks, And Heaven’s Throne becomes the earth her feet have blessed.

In every eye I’ve wept to gain her sweet embrace, In every fire I’ve burned through separation’s space; (10)

I’ve spread my all beneath her feet in humble prayer—O grant me, Love, one glimpse of that celestial face!

Upon my heart—and this my first and fondest prayer—(11) I sought union’s presence everywhere with care;

I traced the letters of nearness on every clod, (12) Yet swift approach to her light I could not dare.

For had I hastened toward her radiant union bright, Distance would cast me back from proximity’s sight;

And when I raised my hands to reach her sacred bond, Her sword struck down—such is love’s destined plight. (13)

My only care was but to bind love’s sacred tie, Her purpose naught but severance of bonds thereby;

I said:

“My soul’s your ransom—what ails me but your sight? Have mercy, hide not my disgrace from every eye!”

Grant me, through love’s excess, some compass for the way—That it endure eternal through time’s endless day; (15)

The secret of appearance shone forth from her dawn, (16) All creation rose—my resurrection’s ray!

Hussein’s own grief I’ve carried for his sorrow’s sake, The universe’s blindness for my Guide’s sweet sake; (17)

You are my heart’s hope and my spirit’s dear delight, Soul’s sovereign, my light, my life’s joy for love’s sake!

Grant me union’s triumph after exile’s pain, Bestow friendship’s spirit after sorrow’s strain;

From my burning heart love’s fire blazed bright, (18) From my sighs the light of vision came again. (19)

The sea of heaven grows parched from my thirst’s heat, The river of splendor cannot make complete

My drought—on every dust of every shrine I’ve sworn, (20) To lay my longing at her blessed feet.

Behold! She speaks through blood that from my eyes has run, My tears make the vast ocean but a single one

Small drop; my burning makes Abraham’s fire seem But ember; from my grief joy’s sea has turned to stone.

From my despair all sorrows learned their art to flow, My brilliance dimmed, my light grew faint and low, (21)

My radiance quenched from that bright enemy’s disdain—(22) My bones waste thin, my flesh grows weak with woe. (23)

My heart burns hot with passion’s searing fire, Your love’s wind fans the flames of my desire;

Separation melts me like the morning dew—(24) Union alone can lift my spirit higher.

The secret of my sorrow nearly rent the sky, (25) My heart’s deep care made earth’s foundation sigh; (26)

My burning heart spoke through my weeping eye, My spirit’s sighs turned pale my visage high. (27)

I moan (28) all night from mockery (29) and blame (30), I cry all day (31), bereft of fortune’s claim; (32)

I’ve reached the height of lowliness and shame—(33) Her memory strikes my tongue completely lame. (34)

The houris of the chambers don the dress Of mourning black in every hall’s recess,

From my heart’s grief; I’ve brought to every heart All sorrow’s weight and anguish’s distress.

She called to me from realms beyond my sight: “Be silent now! (35) Hold back your tongue from flight—(36)

Take back each word that you have dared to say”—Thus Love commands, and I submit to night.

How many a Hussein like you has sought my heart, How many an Ali played the lover’s part!

How many a beloved above you loved me true, How many a pure one matched your spiritual art!

They cried through all the ages, yet could not win One glimpse of union’s light to enter in; (37)

From my dawn the Sun of Manifestation shines Like stars beside my radiance within.

From my appearance the Simple Light gleams forth Like lightning; from my spirit’s secret worth

The mystery of Being crawls like ants; From my love’s fire all fires draw their birth. (38)

From my nature (39) God’s own nature (40) took its creed, (41) From my palm Heaven’s palm was guaranteed; (42)

The Command’s command came from my manifest will, (43) The Judgment’s justice from my wisdom’s deed.

The ocean’s waves grew calm from my heart’s surge, The Holy Spirit stirred from my joy’s verge;

From my one glance (44) Moses of Eternity swooned, (45) From my flash the Mount of Mountains felt the scourge. (46)

From my command’s spreading, souls assembled came, From my spirit’s breath dead bones (47) burst into flame; (48)

The Spirit of Command circled round her house, The House’s Spirit rose from my visage-flame.

The realm of highest knowledge in affliction’s bower, The secret’s voice declaring in its hour—(49)

Before my dot all guidance prostrate fell, (50) And nobles came as envoys to my power. (51)

From my sweet strain the birds learned melody, Their song but echo of my harmony.

Thou mad’st suspicion’s law thy bitter creed, And drank strange love, forsaking fealty.

With attributes thou cam’st, with lineage crowned, With names that from the righteous path rebound. (52)

Thou’st bound thy soul to mine in description’s chain—But limits are the greatest error found.

In vain thy hope for union with me burned—No compact thus was made when faith was earned.

So drink of time’s affliction from each cup, And taste the blood of wrath for blood returned. (53)

Cut off all hope from every comfort’s touch, Crush down desire from every longing’s clutch.

Blood-spilling in love’s doctrine is ordained, Heart-burning was my covenant from such. (54)

Sleepless (55) the nights from every stinging dart (56) (57), Cursed be the days that keep us long apart!

According to my law, destruction’s draught, (58) (59) My creed: fate’s conquest, mercy’s counterpart. (60)

Leave love’s pretense, or bow to what must be—Thus runs the law ordained eternally.

I called to her in secret: O my love, My hope’s fulfillment and my mystery!

Behold me present ʿneath thy power’s throne, Behold me trusting what thy will has sown. (61)

Behold me seeking all that thou dost love, Behold me leaning (62) where thy judgment’s known. (63)

This breast awaits thy conquest’s piercing spear, This flesh yearns for thy sword’s dominion drear.

Thy fire’s my light, thy wrath my heart’s desire, (64) Thy blow my rest, thy doom the goal I hear. (65)

Behold these tears from mine eyes freely flow, Witness my heart’s secret, how faint and low!

Each day I cast the spears of utter loss, Each night thy sword of refusal laid me low.

I read denial’s book in every line, Won curses from all lips in each design.

With idolatry’s thrust at every breath, Pierced by rejection’s lance through all of time.

As though time’s trials on my soul descended, As though fate’s swords against my neck were bended—(66)

Jacob’s grief (67) and Joseph’s prison cell, (68) Job’s affliction (69) and Abraham’s fire blended,

Adam’s sorrow and Jonah’s exile deep, (70) David’s cry and Noah’s tears that weep, (71)

Eve’s separation, (72) Mary’s burning pain, Isaiah’s trial, Zechariah’s grief to keep. (73)

From my grief’s drops hath every fate been sealed, From sorrow’s flood each trial was revealed.

Behold my wandering through the lands alone, Witness my desert solitude unconcealed. (74)

When mine eyes opened, (75) heaven’s vault did weep, (76) From my heart’s dawn earth’s morning light did leap. (77) (78)

From my grief’s spirit, eternal breath was torn, From sorrow’s gleam, the highest throne did steep. (79)

Existence reddened from my heart’s own blood; The branch of witness sprouted from my tears. (80)

Bitter trials on thy path taste sweet; Sweet eternity from others tastes austere. (81)

About my neck iron’s mark is clearly traced, (82) (83) Upon my feet the heavy chain’s embrace. (84) (85)

No day has passed but I was burned within By hints in verse or prose’s naked grace.

My soul departed and my heart dissolved, My secret boiled as anguish round me revolved.

I stayed bereft of soul and heart and breath—My self’s survival left me most involved.

From lofty secret, all decrees fell down—Would that my nature never had been raised.

Thus woes encompassed me on every side; Thus judgments slew me at every phase. (86) (87)

I soared unto the goal of Unity, Reached the encounter’s eye in secrecy.

Thy description in my seeing I beheld—From thine eye comes each glance’s mystery. (88)

If bound by limit, then thy bound appears, If by description, thy attribute clears. (89)

From my disturbance, night’s darkness took form, From my joy, day’s bright light through years.

No harm if I’m cast out, for I have won The highest light upon my rising sun.

I found companionship in holiness, And migrated in purity, mine exile done.

I trusted in the light from my inner gleam, And soared with spirit in my secret dream.

I call thee, Life’s own Soul:

“Come, take away What of the self within me yet may teem!”

O Spirit of the Cloud from throne descend! Thou hast no measure for my low’s extent.

O heart, arise! Go forth from this low land Where honor finds no dwelling or content.

O patience mine, endure what thou hast seen In thy Beloved’s pleasure, harsh or keen.

The Spirit called to me and said: “Be still, For all thy proofs have made thy knowledge clean.

Leave what thou’st known and worshipped long before—Thy shirk and unity are at my door.

Mount Sinai’s glory is but chaff to me, Light’s brightest ray is darkness at my core.

Thy verses speak the Truth—yet but for youth, Thy praises tell of Thee—for my poor truth.

From holiness I evermore abide, No bound can set me, wandering far and wide.

How oft the Just I counted as unjust, How oft the Wise as ignorant and dust.

The lasting seemed but fleeting in my sight, The knower knew not aught of my true light.

The worshipper appeared a tyrant proud, The kneeling found no honor mid the crowd.

The scrolls (91) of heaven on my soul were sealed, The pages (92) of splendor from my page revealed.

From out my atom, Sun of worlds arose, From out my drop the boundless Ocean flows. (93)

All songs of men resound from throat of bee, Or cricket’s chirp—such music is to me.

All minds are drunken with my secret wine, (94) All souls are quickened by the breath of mine. (95)

All gods (96) are gods through issuing of my word, All lords (97) are lords where wisdom’s tide hath poured.

The land of spirit walketh by my voice, The mount of Sinai made my foot its choice.

My light became the star of Manifest, My soul the Sun of Joy made manifest.

Bright verses, radiant, downward swiftly run, Pure tokens blazing where their course begun.

Raw jewels of thought in richest crown are set, Bright rays of wisdom in their robe are met.

From the Kaf of My command (98) flows every law, From My secret grace springs all that mortals saw;

Thou turned’st from My face to thy fancy’s dream, And ran’st the waters of conjecture’s stream.

Thou held’st not straight to the unseen light’s way In what thou wrought’st within, and cast away

My handiwork (99); now grasp the Cord divine In outward form, and know the Light is Mine.

Pierce through the veil of nearness without sign, Behold the Holy Beauty that is thine;

Be still—the powers of the Throne shake sore, Be patient—eyes unseen weep evermore.

A meaning past all knowledge in thee lies Hidden from every mind that thinks it wise;

Take joy and comfort in the sacred mystery, And guard it well if thou art true to Me.

Were I to lift the veil from what thou’st seen, Existence in an instant would convene

To nothing; thus the decree flows from above, Thus runs the judgment of My power and love.

Blessed are they who win by keeping faith, Blessed who come beneath My mercy’s wraith;

Blessed the lovers who their life-blood spill, Blessed who trust in My compassionate will.

Blessed the pure who hasted from every side To dwell within My lordship’s shadow wide.

Following annotations by Baha’u’llah

An allusion to His saying—exalted and glorified be He—“on the Day when God shall come in the shadows of the clouds.”

An allusion to the passing of the mountains, that they shall pass as the clouds pass, even as He saith:

“Thou seest the mountains and deemest them fixed, yet they pass as the passing of the clouds.”

All this pertaineth to the signs of the Resurrection and to what shall come to pass therein.

Brightness; radiance.

The rising of the sun from the West.

That is to say: from the sweet breaths of Her tresses there is wafted the fragrance of joy and praise, and the musk of mercy and glory, blown from the northern quarter of the Garden of Divine Identity, spread forth from the right hand of the Garden of Everlasting Singleness—so quickening and rousing that perchance the decayed bones of the essential realities of contingent being, through those beauteous breezes and those delightful fragrances, may be ennobled with everlasting life and eternal vitality, from an imperishable cup and a peerless new wine; and may glory in the pride of existence. Likewise, from Her countenance the Eye of true Beauty—whose lowest sign is the Sun of the heaven of being—was illumined, brightened, and made resplendent by beholding that vision. Glory be to God, its Originator, above all that ye recount.

Meaning: “was illumined / was made bright.”

The ʿfire’ of love.

(Explanation of the Moses allusion): Even as Moses purified the soul, breathed upon by the Spirit of the Merciful and lodged within the human temple, from the sandals of earthly suppositions; and manifested the Hand of divine power from the bosom of grandeur and the mantle of bounty; he entered the holy, blessed, and fragrant vale of the heart—the seat of the throne of the divine Theophany and the chair of the utterance of the Lord of might. And when he reached that Sinai-land stretched forth from the right hand of the Spot of Light, he inhaled the sweet fragrance of the Spirit from the everlasting East, and perceived the lights of the Eternal One from every side without “sides.”

From the heat of the fragrance of the love of God, and from the flashes of the embers of the Fire of Oneness, the lamp of identity was kindled and inflamed within the lantern of his heart, after the veils of glassy selfhood were removed. And from the wine of reunion with the peerless Countenance, and the limpid wine of the Everlasting One, he attained—after the effacement of contrary states—the vales of abiding sobriety and everlasting wakefulness; and through the attraction of yearning for the meeting, gained knowledge of the City of Delight and Eternity. And “he entered the city at a time of heedlessness of its people”—then he was gladdened by the Fire of the Ancient God and illumined by the Light of the Most Great God, even as He saith to his family: “Tarry ye; verily I have perceived a fire.”

And when, from the Tree neither of the East nor of the West, he discerned the countenance of guidance and apprehended the grace without beginning, he turned from the perishing face of otherness unto the abiding face of divine Singleness, and was honoured thereby; and he found that wondrous, impregnable guidance in the kindled fire hidden within unseen hearts—hence he said: “or I shall find at the fire guidance.” Likewise perceive the intent of the blessed verse: “He Who hath made for you from the green tree a fire.” Would that there were found a listener, that a drop might be mentioned from the ocean-flood of this sea of fire and this surging, treasure-laden sea of sparks; yet better it is that this pearl remain concealed within the shell of the sea of identity, and hidden within the vessels of the secret, that every stranger may be deprived and every intimate become an intimate of the Ka’bah of glory and enter the sanctuary of beauty.

How blessed the soul that melteth the cage of the body with the fire of love, and findeth companionship with the breath of the Spirit, that it may attain lofty rest through exalted mercy and be endowed with sublime bounty and honour. All that hath been set forth concerneth the degrees of guidance and the stages of purification in the station of Moses—upon our Prophet and upon him be peace; the purpose is the manifestation of these theophanies in the visible realm. Otherwise, that blessed One was ever guided by the guidance of God and shall ever remain so; nay rather, the Sun of guidance shone forth from him, the Moon of grace appeared through him, the fire of identity was kindled from the fire of his inmost being, and the light of divine Singleness was illumined from the radiance of his brow.

This doubt is dispelled by his own word, when Pharaoh questioned him concerning the slain man and he replied: “I did it then, and I was of those who err. So I fled from you when I feared you; then my Lord bestowed upon me judgement and made me one of the messengers.” Here endeth the page—yet the theme is inexhaustible and remaineth.

Explanation of the imagery: “sahm” is the arrow’s shaft; “shafar” meaneth the root-bed of the eyelashes; “wahaq” (from al-wihaq) meaneth a lasso or noose. That is: for the arrow of the Beloved’s lashes the most exalted, luminous, sanctified hearts stand facing, yearning to receive it; and for the noose of Her tresses the head of universal, hidden, divine existence stretcheth forth to be caught therein. Deprived is the breast that attaineth not that arrow; naught is the head that entereth not that noose. Glory be unto Him above what we have uttered in His description, and exalted be He above what ye ascribe.

Meaning: all those exalted holy eyes, secretly veiled in the worlds of the unseen, and the visible eyes in the realm of being—whensoever, in any station and at any time, they wept and were made to weep—this was for separation from this servant, through beholding the lights of the Beauty of that Beloved. This is gathered from the outward sense of the verse; but its inward meaning none knoweth save God, and we teach of it but less than the letter of a letter. Likewise, grasp the intent of the other hemistich, that taste, yearning, attraction, bewilderment, passion, and love may arise within thy world of being, that thou mayest be honoured and attain unto thy own Sidrat al-Muntaha and thy Aqsa Mosque—namely, surrender to the decree and command of God. Verily your Most High Lord hath been in truth a witness over you, and in justice a trustee over us.

Meaning: “an aspiration / desire.” That is: I have been spread and laid out upon every land—from the furthest degrees thereof, from the land of the heart and beyond it unto the endless reaches hidden in the veils of the unseen, down to the lowest land of manifest existence—so that perchance that Foot may step upon the heart, the abode of unseen mysteries. And this is the utmost yearning of the sanctified hearts of God.

Meaning: “dust / earth.”

Meaning: what is contrary to custom is on account of observing the order (i.e., for the sake of the poem’s metre/rhyme).

(Supplication consistent with the verse’s plea): Whatever hath befallen me of ranks of utterance and meanings, and whatever I have known therein of the conditions of Names and Attributes, and whatever God hath made mine in the worlds of the unseen and the seen—I would ransom all for one meeting with Thee, or for one single gaze upon Thee. I beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, at that hour, for what I have claimed in Thy presence; yet by Thy might, O my God, if I be not such, I would fain become such through Thy power—for without this nothing shall profit me, nor shall my heart be stilled thereby, though Thou shouldst give me all that are in the heavens and the earth. Then I beseech Thee, O my God, by Him Who hath borne in Thy path what none beside Him hath borne, to send down upon Thy servant the greatest tokens of Thy love and the most glorious signs of Thy affection, that my soul may be satisfied in that which it hopeth for. Verily Thou art powerful over all things.

Note: If it be taken as an adjective, it is not strictly in accord; yet thus hath it flowed, and it is truth whereof there is no doubt.

The “waw” of an oath (i.e., “By…”).

Grammatical note: the lower world is related to “earth”; therefore in ahmalat the feminine ta’ is entered.

“Wuqud” signifieth firewood / fuel, as in “whose fuel is men and stones”; yet it is also used to denote flame and intensity.

Meaning: “was realized / came to pass / was made manifest.”

Meaning: “blood.”

Meaning: “delusion / vain-glory.”

“A mocker / one who exulteth at another’s misfortune.” (Then followeth an extended admonition that such mockery is beyond counting, raining down like a torrent from the heaven of heedlessness; and a warning: do not assail one whose heart holdeth only a theophany from the lights of the dawn of the Cloud; fear God; do not attack; do not hate—if the love of God be present, what is beneath it mattereth not; praise be to God Who hath made us independent of their love and mention; He is powerful over all things.)

Meaning: “worn / old / threadbare.”

Meaning: “my desire / my longing.”

Allusion to the verse: “the heavens are well-nigh rent asunder above them.”

And: “and the earth is cleft.”

Meaning: “flame.”

Meaning: “lamentation and yearning.”

Meaning: “mockery.”

Meaning: “a blamer / reproacher.”

Meaning: “importunity / earnest pleading.”

Meaning: “loss / deprivation.”

From abasement (min al-dhillah).

“Kaleel al-lisan”—that is, the tongue grew heavy and slow.

Meaning: “silence.”

Meaning: “to relate / recount.”

Meaning: a cry, lament, and yearning arising from love and sorrow.

Allusion to:

“Tarry ye; verily I have perceived a fire; haply I may bring you thereof a brand.”

A shortened form of “fitrah.”

The verse: “the fitrah of God whereon He hath created mankind.”

Allusion to: “Set thy face steadfastly toward the Faith, as a hanif.”

“A white hand, without evil.”

Allusion to: “And draw thy hand into thy bosom.”

Allusion to: “Then look toward the mountain.”

“Moses fell down thunderstruck.”

“And the mountains were crushed.”

“He quickeneth the bones, though they be rotted.”

Meaning: “they were stirred / moved through joy and the grace of the Spirit.”

(On the Ba’ and the Point): By the Ba’ existence appeared; and by the Point the worshipper was distinguished from the Worshipped—(the well-known saying: all that is in the Qur’an is in the Fatihah, etc.).

On the meaning of “the Point”: it is beyond numbering, reckoning, bounding, or perishing—for the Promised Countenance, the all-embracing Word, and the divine Temple were named with this exalted Name and this lofty designation, and thereby the Most Great Throne—seat of the descent and “sitting” of the hidden Essence—was marked; and this is particular to that Temple; and sufficient is He as a witness.

Meaning: “a descent; a coming-down.”

Meaning: “a path / way; a disposition or trait.”

“Muhjat al-qalb,” “dam al-qalb,” and “ruh” are each intended here—i.e., “the heart’s-life / heart’s-blood / spirit,” all three senses being meant.

Meaning: “the heart.”

Meaning: “wakefulness.”

The ʿscorpions’ signify the people (i.e., the adversaries) of the time.

Meaning: “one who strikes and stings.”

Meaning: “poison.”

Meaning: “destruction; perishing.”

Meaning: “from compassion and loving-kindness.”

Meaning: “those things already enumerated of wrath and might.”

Meaning: “inclined; leaning.”

Meaning: “that is, thou hast decreed / pronounced judgement.”

Meaning: “my desire / my longing.”

Meaning: “my desire / my longing.”

Meaning: “the neck.”

Allusion: “and his eyes turned white from sorrow.”

Allusion to the verses: “And there entered with him into the prison two youths…” and “O my Lord, prison is dearer to me than that unto which they call me…” to the end.

Allusion: “My Lord, harm hath touched me…”

Allusion to:

“And Dhu’l-Nun, when he went forth in wrath, thinking We would not constrain him…”

to the end.

Note: Noah and David uttered many lamentations and supplications. The account of Noah is well-known; and the trials of David and the loudness of his outcry are evident from the Psalms—how greatly he was afflicted and how much he suffered.1

Note: In her separation from Adam, it was forty days—or more—as mentioned in earlier traditions.

Allusion: “And We delivered him from the mighty distress.”

Meaning: “the open expanse; the wilderness / desert.”

Allusion to the blessed verse: “And We opened the gates of heaven…”

Allusion: “water pouring down in torrents.”

Allusion: “And We caused the earth to gush forth with springs…”

Allusion: “So the waters met for a matter already decreed.”

Meaning: “they were annihilated / brought to nothing.”

Meaning: “sprouting; growing forth.”

Meaning: “bitter.”

A figure for “fetters / shackles.”

Meaning: “determined, made manifest, and witnessed.”

Meaning: “a chain.”

Meaning: “it remaineth / endureth.”

Meaning: “that is, it destroyed me.”

Meaning: “decrees; judgments; destinies.”

Allusion: “And We have made thy sight today keen (sharp).”

Meaning: “that is, it appeared / was made manifest.”

Note: “fihi” is preferable here, though it runs counter to usage—because of the exigency of the context.

Meaning: “zubr” signifieth “a book / scripture.”

Meaning: the plural of “page / scroll” (sahifah).

Meaning: “that is, it flowed.”

Meaning: “from bewilderment and yearning.”

Meaning: “life.”

Meaning: “gods / deities.”

Meaning: “lords.”

Meaning: the Realm of Command (ʿalam al-amr) is intended.

That is to say: the Verse of Manifestation—one of the manifestations of the lights of the Dawn of the Cloud (subh al-ʿama’), and of the appearings of the splendors of the Sun of Holiness and Radiance—which shone forth and was made resplendent from the Sun of Existence, the Moon of the Intended One, and the Point of the Worshipped—bestowed upon the realities of contingent beings, the jewels of created hearts, and all existing atoms and mentioned things, life eternal and everlasting, from the drops of the Water of divine being and the pure sprinklings of the limpid, flowing, godly stream; and clothed them in enduring robes, exalted garments, and perpetual vestures that shall never cease.

Yet, notwithstanding such a Most Great Sign, a supreme bestowal, unquenchable lights, and an unfailing gift, we have not stood upright, nor been established in this firm workmanship, this perfected bounty, this ancient glory, and this everlasting grace; but have remained veiled from the holy breaths of the Holy Spirit and from the fragrant winds of the Light of intimacy—so much so that though a thousand “Davids” of existence were to chant, with the melodies of the Psalms and the raptures of joy, fresh and wondrous strains over the decayed bones of servants, they would never stir nor be moved; for the capacity for the descent of mercy from the heaven of power hath been removed, and all have been imprisoned in the cage of the body by the promptings of self, bewildered and stunned in the region of heedlessness, never returning to sobriety, nor attaining the station of true nearness and meeting, which is the primal intent. Alas! alas! that we have not been guided by the very essence of guidance, nor followed with simple footstep; neither have we turned toward the Sinai of His nearness, nor taken pattern from the attractions of His sanctified Spirit, nor followed the lights of His joy.

Among the forms of such following is the sacrifice of lives, wherewith we have not been honoured; and the donning of the garment of steadfastness, whereunto we have not attained. Indeed, we sit at the pole of the Sea of Identity, yet we wait for a draught of water; we abide beneath the shadows of the Sun of divine Singleness, yet we seek a lamp. Such is the state of this servant and of the servants, and of all who dwell in the lands: if a fire be kindled from the Lote-Tree, they kindle not by it, but strive to extinguish it. Happy is he who is robed in the mantle of fairness in this arena: if ye be adorned with this greatest attribute, ye shall assuredly, through the Most Glorious grace, attain. This is that hidden golden thread: by its motion all in existence are moved, and by its stillness all in the realm of the Worshipped are stilled.

Therefore must breasts be illumined and purified from corrupt and uprooted suppositions, that the wondrous face of fairness may rise from behind Mount Qaf, and that after this, the dominions of divine taste and the attractions of godly yearning may be perceived from the hands of the Dove of Eternity and the palms of radiant souls; and that we may rest and abide upon the pavilion of love. This is the ultimate goal and the nearer station.

Moreover, we must shun those who turn away from the Truth in all conditions, and not permit companionship with them even for an instant; for by God, foul souls melt pure souls as fire melteth dry wood and heat melteth cold ice. Be not with those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of God.

What hath been set down is in exposition of this verse, gently, for the eyes of those who turn away and out of pity for the sight of those who hate, lest they interpret these words according to their own desire. These lines were spoken in the days of migration, in the lands of exile, in the territories of Rum; none of the learned and distinguished there raised objection. Yet of the beasts of this people, I deem that even after exposition they will object, and in their fancy walk the paths of error, delusion, conjecture, and blindness. Say: God guideth to the path—whether thankful or unthankful; whether turning toward or turning away.

When the vial of musk is opened, every possessor of scent perceiveth, and every one afflicted with a cold remaineth deprived; and though all be seized by that ailment, no defect toucheth the perfume of eternity, nor any weakness befall the musk of truth.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! At that hour do I call upon Thee—an hour wherein there descended upon me such traces of Thy sorrow that, were they to overflow upon existence, the unseen and the seen would be brought to naught, and the soul itself would well-nigh depart through the violence of its trembling.

By Thy might, and by the mystery of Thine everlasting Singleness! Should I but breathe a breath thereof, its very essence would burn the hearts, the heaven and all that is therein would be rent asunder, and the earth and all that is upon it would be laid in ruins.

Ah, ah! for thereby shall no fragrance of faithfulness ever waft from the Garden of Radiance; nor shall the sweet scent of immortality breathe from the City of Baha; nor shall the dove of the Cloud sing upon the crimson leaves; nor shall the cock of splendor cry aloud in the Kingdom on high.

By the glory of Him whom Thou hast exalted and made the Manifestation of Thy Divinity and the Source of Thy Lordship! I would forget all remembrance, and all that Thou hast formerly taught me of the wonders of Thy knowledge and the all-embracing verses of Thy wisdom; nay, I would become a thing forgotten and utterly lost—as though I had never been beheld in the land of dominion.

By the life of ʿAli, the life of Muhammad, the spirit of the Chosen One, the mercy of the All-Merciful, the attraction of Mahmud, the yearning of Ahmad, the inmost secret of the Beloved, and the joy of Tahir! I desire not to abide in this realm for so much as an instant; and God is, behind me, my Witness.

BH05338: Baz Av-u-Bidih Jamih

Return, and give a cup to this parched heart; From that abiding Bowl, redeem this fleeting part.

Consume this mortal form in rapturous fire, That through the soul’s lone casement I behold the Friend I desire.

Cleanse me from stain; deny my soul its ease; Then wrap me in Thy clasp, and close this book of parting seas.

Thou art the breath of Jesus; Moses’ Sidrah-tree; The Crimson Fire of God that kindles all possibility.

From mine eternity a sign; from pre-eternal world, Beneath the shade of selfless death give rest to this joy, storm-whirled.

Both this world and the next I flung aside, and cast away; Return—that I may scatter too my life and spirit in Thy way.

If Thou shouldst rend the veil, the world would into ashes melt; All matters wouldst Thou set aright, and overturn the creed men spelt.

With sword in hand Thou com’st, O Love—here head, here heart, here hand; Strike deep, strike firm, strike once again this living dead at Thy command.

With blood-bent brow, pour forth my heart’s blood—let it spill; Then with Thy life-bestowing lips breathe soul through every pillar—fulfil.

The viper of Thy tresses hath my heart and soul devoured; Now with Thy stainless, radiant hand uplift the dragon overpowered.

Though sword upon my crown, though arrow in my breast, I ask no other recompense—what seek the drunkard save Thy rest?

The dervish would for Thee stake down the soul he fain would give; Though unworthy of such an offering—yet by Thy grace he longs to live.

BH03843: Saqi az Ghayb-i-Baqa

Cupbearer from the Realm that none have seen, Lift up Thy veil; pour deathless wine serene.

The draughts this mortal tavern holds in store Soothe not love’s gall—bring seas of spirit’s lore.

That this veiled, love-bewildered soul may cry, This God-intoxicate from torpor fly.

Light now love’s fire and let all being burn; Then step within the lane where lovers turn.

Till thou thy very being hast resigned, How taste life’s wine from ruby Lips divine?

Set foot upon the crown of worldly power, Then see the deathless Kingdom, tower on tower.

If still thou guard’st thy life, then come not near; If life and heart thou bring’st in gift, come here.

Such is the road: if union be thy quest, Seek it; if not, depart and spare the rest.

Wouldst thou Love’s inmost mysteries explore, Unseal the eye of tears, shut pride’s proud door.

Then shalt thou see here Sinai circling round, And restless Jesus’ Spirit, love-spell-bound.

Within His tresses Oneness’ volume lies; From His twin cheeks Detachment’s gospel cries.

Quaff from Love’s living spring joy’s gladness deep, That at the gallows’ foot thy head may sleep.

Dead they lie all along the Lover’s way; O Christ of Time, breathe warmth on them this day.

Then from the body’s prison shall they wing Into the placeless realm, beneath the King.

This world-worn dervish, seared by Thy refrain, Now raise to life with this lament of pain.

BH02867: Saqi bidih abi

In the name of God

Cupbearer, grant one draught from yonder flame of spirit—pure, That it may wash the soul at once from whisperings carnal and obscure.

That water whence the form of fire stood manifest to view; That fire whence shone the Kawthar—holy, life-creating, new.

One flash of its reflection fell upon the page of soul— And, ravished by that gleam, a hundred Greek-wise secrets lost control.

One ember from that flame leapt up on Sinai’s Sidrah-tree— A hundred Moses—sons of ʿImran—were stunned in ecstasy.

One spark from that fierce fire became Love, pitched his tent, and spread In Adam’s clay-and-water frame, and in the human heart outread.

O Love, what art Thou, that through Thee the world is tempest-tossed, And from Thee too hath wonder come to Luqman’s wisdom—spent, yet crossed?

At times Thou claim’st: “I am the Belovèd’s radiance in the sphere”; At times Thou say’st: “I am that Countenance—Most Holy, Most Near.”

When from Thee blows on souls the fragrance of the Friend’s delight, Whatever boast Thou makest then, I cry: “Thou art beyond that height!”

Companion of the spirit, sign of Him Whom hearts adore; The gathering of all souls—and yet their scattering evermore.

Should one ray of Thy face be brought to Egypt’s meeting-place, Thou’lt see a hundred Josephs there, as buyers, vying in the chase.

The scent of Joseph’s shirt is Thine; the breath of Christ is Thine; The White-Handed Moses, too, is Thine; and Paran’s flame divine.

Heads bound within Thy tresses’ bend; hearts wearied by Thy woe— Both common lover, wild with yearning, and the God-taught sage below.

I, drunk with Thee, am made renowned by Thee—so let it be: That we may yield a hundred lives, and make of them our offering free.

If Thou art He Who taketh souls, why make us live again? If Thou reviv’st the bodies, why turn’st Thou to serpents what was plain?

Within the Sultan’s pavilion—once—how gracious wouldst Thou pace! Thou mak’st the Sultan then a slave, and mak’st the slave a king in place.

One little flame of Thy bright face within the rosebush of the soul Lit up the beauty of the spirit—like Nu’man’s tulip’s burning scroll.

Ah, ah—what breeze is this, that bears a life-bestowing cheer? From dawn of soul it rises now—that Godlike Countenance draws near.

Souls leapt away for longing; hearts were lifted up for wine; Love itself became love’s lover—and possibility turned fine.

Dervish, tear not further still this veil of mystery and awe, Lest from the city of lament there rise a cry from beastly law.

From His own wisdom sprang the love that makes two opposites agree— Love made a servant at the gate, and Reason stands to guard the key.

BH01838: The idol came—aye, with a glass, and wine—sun-bright…

The idol came—aye, with a glass, and wine—sun-bright of cheek, With heart unsoiled, unstudied, and in meekness mild and meek.

Mild—why? From world and world-to-be, from every plotted snare, From the design of possibility, released, and free as air.

Why, by the face of her moon, doth the year of the world remain, While in her darkling cloud the well of sunlight lies in chain?

Fold upon fold, that tress—what dim, dim fetters there are spun; Dim, dim, that unseen lip, by no beholding overrun.

She hath a chin like silver ball; a mouth like casket—red; Like ruby-box of cornelian, where jewels sleep unshed.

By her laughter sugar’s straits grow cheap; by her displeasure—hell, A fire made ready; and its flame stands at the gate as well.

Her briny ruby turns to shining sapphire in its glow, And hid therein an unripe pearl lies folded, veiled, and low.

She came—with drunken eye, a wakeful heart:

“Subhan Allah—see! From this wild drunkenness, what anger’s draught is brought to me!”

I cried: “O King, pour out a cup!”—She said: “Far, far from thee Be this vain greed; this craving is a useless vanity.

This wine is Life—unstained; defile it not with mortal clay; This Water is Eternity—O, do not cloud its way.

First bind thy mouth from speech; be still—let even fancy cease; And in thy thought’s recess be hushed, and rest in gentle peace.

Wash thou thy heart from what is seen; and then, with inward care, Be cleansed from what is hid within—be chosen, pure, and rare.

When thou art melted, wholly pure, in Unity’s refining fire, Then shall I give thee two or three small measures of this desire.”

I said: “Thy hand—ʿtis Fate’s decree, made sure, confirmed, and sealed; And from thy might, the light of Destiny hath flashed, revealed.

If I be worthy of the primal Word, the new-born, strange command, If I possess this numbered praise—this attribute at hand—

Then why take I the goblet not from thee? Why drink not, unafraid, This wine, in this arriving night, by thine own mercy laid?”

She cried: “Hey, hey—what dreams are these? Thou lingerest far and wide; From Truth’s high road thou hast remained and tarried at the side.

How can this cup be fitly praised? How name this burning flame, That never stoops to every heart grown weary, cold, and tame?

If but one drop of my wine thou taste, thou shalt behold, I swear, So many things unspoken yet, so many things unseen and rare.”

I said: “Why this delay, O lord of time? Pour out one draught—be kind— A cup of that resplendent Kawsar, shining, unconfined.

If life thou seek, I’ll give it thee a hundred times again; If head thou seek, I’ll lay it down beneath thy foot in plain.”

That Kawthar, spirit-born, she gave; I drank—and lo, I saw An everlasting world disclosed, beyond all name and law.

A morning saw I—Sun from her uprising; dawn I saw, That from my very soul had breathed, and broke the tyrant’s awe.

Ridwan I saw like the Belovèd’s face; a garden fair I found, Concealed from autumn’s eye, and from decay’s pursuing round.

Within the rose, the nightingale’s hid meaning lay; and from the bird The Secret of the Lord I heard—unuttered, yet half-heard.

Outward with inward clasped in arm; form with the sense entwined; The seen with the unseen in one attire together lined.

From her tree I heard that subtle point which Moses never knew— Not from the Sinai lote, nor yet where Sidrah’s shadow grew.

A people saw I—drunk with God’s own wine—so rapt, so free, From being and from not-being escaped, past “is” and “may-be.”

All were intoxicate with dawn’s first cup, the morning’s rosy breath, And from the world of “how” they sprang—beyond the place of death.

In truth I saw what speech can never frame.

“Subhan Allah!”—I praised that fortune, and in wonder stood, How spread this carpet so sublime, so wide, so rich, so good.

My mind found not a path to any place; my thought, outworn, Fell faint from such a journey vast, by endless circuits torn.

I said:

“A proof is needed—blessed; a guide is needed—true; A leader, meet to be desired, to lead the wanderer through.”

Within myself I said:

“O heart, the realm of wonder is the mind— Yet thou, my helper, hast slipped, and left firm footing far behind.”

I cried: “O Reason—holy prophet! O Intellect—most high! O guide of every stricken one—why is this pageantry?

What carpet is this, where soul is servant? What is this delight, That grants to Being its own joy, and gives its very light?”

I was with mind in this discourse, when from the Unseen came This glad annunciation—like a whispering of flame:

“How long, bewitched and love-distraught, wilt thou pretend to stand? Thou hast not reached, by one small step, that King of Light’s command.

He by whose bidding worlds are new; by whose breath, Jesus’ soul Lives—He, that God-given splendor, before whose worth made whole

The Holy Spirit is the least of servants—low, and bowed, and meek— Enough, O dervish! Speak no more; ʿtis sweeter secrets keep.”

BH02406: At dawn the Friend came unto my bed…

At dawn the Friend came unto my bed; and all my heart, love-maddened, woke in pain.

O Thou for whom my thoughts fall every way, and for whose path I am a captive guest in every land.

Now at Thy feet an adder seems to coil, now at Thy throat a chain that spits out fire.

Thou hast not slept one night on Ease’s couch, nor found one moment’s truce from Fortune’s roar.

From the hot ash of my sigh the world’s heart burned; and from Thy wound the eyes of earth are flame.

Now is the yoke set on the neck of some rebel slave; now is he dragged in fetters through the market’s dust.

Now wronged, Thou fall’st into the tyrant’s hand; now in the prison of oppression—night and day.

From Thy grief the hearts of friends are kindled red; from Thy sigh the lovers’ faces lose their light.

Thine eyes have scattered rubies—drops of blood; so dawn’s pale cheek turns pomegranate and rose.

With all these sorrows that have crossed Thy road, Thou hast not chilled—nor cried aloud in weakness.

Who is it that denies Thee rest to-night? and what has made Thy body like a burning brand?

All night Thou tossest, twisting on the pillow, as one whom some sharp serpent’s tooth has found.

Why dost Thou turn and moan and draw a breath of grief, and why has colour fled Thy countenance?

I said:

“O Friend, Physician of my soul, no wonder Thou art come to watch beside the sick.”

From Thy face the sun of heaven rises clear; from Thy love my quiet breath becomes a storm.

If Thou wouldst ask how fares Thy well-beloved, read in my pallor what the tongue would hide.

For in Thy love I have been pierced by many shafts, and on Thy road my hands were taken by the stranger.

Now they will drag me over hill and gate and waste, now set me in the presence of the violent and proud.

Should I recount what Thy love has shown to me, my speech would fail—words would fall like broken cups.

Yet I complain not of Thy sword, O Friend; how should I cast away Thy pain? I clasp it close.

The soul-thread of Thy love will not be cut, though from my neck the executioner should take my head.

Not so have I bound my heart in the bend of Thy hair that it should loosen till the last day’s tally.

Night after night I burn in grief’s own fire, for Thou hast not beheld my head held high in honour.

The birds of everlastingness have flown back to their nest; we linger in this perishing world—poor, left behind.

Now comes the hour to lift the standard high; O Secret of God, put forth a hidden hand.

Free the earthborn from the bondage of the dust, and wipe the mirror-heart till rust is gone.

Unloose from the world’s chain these exiles and these helpers— O Friend—deliver them from every snare.

Set on their brows the crown of abiding life; gird round their forms the belt of Thy love.

Enough, O dervish—sting the wound no more; for from these words a spark leaps up, and burns the soul.

BH02846: The soul, by scent of Him, finds out…

The soul, by scent of Him, finds out the path unto the Friend; Sun weds to moon—so meet His cheek, His brow, where glories blend.

A breath of perfume rose from the banner of His tress— And musk and amber filled the world with sweetness’ loveliness.

He drew the veil from Beauty—came in majesty’s own guise; The whole creation lay struck down beneath His shining eyes.

Sense and senselessness, through love of that resplendent face, were dazed; And soberness with drunkenness about His alleyways are raised.

Give now glad tidings to the thirsty lovers, faint and few: An everlasting Kawthar runs within His watercourse anew.

No marvel if the lover fell within His lasso’s snare— The necks of all the kings of earth are in His curlèd hair.

Moses, for love of His bright mien, to Meaning’s Tur would run; And Jesus of the soul lived once again by His heart-cheering breath begun.

The chiefs of lovers, worldwide, are emptied now of patience’ store— For rays of His effulgent face have shown from His celestial door.

A breeze of chastity has blown from Paradise’s garden fair, Since in the world appeared one hint of His pure character.

The ways of evil men were broke; the hands of tricksters bound; The pattern of the world made new by His strong arm profound.

The image of His beauty-spot fell in the mirror of the One— And when it saw His beauty there, it rose to seek where He is won.

One word unspoken of God’s secret—lo, in every clime A world thou’lt see in tumult loud, from talk of Him, from time to time.

Thou’lt see the Resurrection plain, the scattering manifest, If from the realm of being blow one waft of His hair’s crest.

How could the Friend of God have shattered idols—how, how so— Had not his power been strengthened by one single cry of “Hu!” below?

To every side I bow in worship now—for this is true: All directions turn their faces, turning ever, unto Him they sue.

If thou wouldst have thine eye made bright with knowledge’ holy light, Strive till thou gain the kohl that comes from His own healing draught and might.

The lover’s soul will wing its flight to nearness’ Sidrah high, If but one strain of “Ya Hu” upon his listening ear pass by.

Unseal the inward eye—then seek the Vision, seek the Face; Else though thou sit beside Him, thou shalt not behold His grace.

The dervish runs across Love’s desert, restless, ever-new— As through the plain of Unity there runs the gazelle-herd of Hu.