Volume 029: Middle Baghdad Period (1856–1860) (7 of 7)

BH00394: Sahifiy-i-Shattiyih (the Book of the Tigris)

He is God; there is none other God but Him. Verily, we all are assured of this.

I have said much concerning this, but most people do not understand. Whatsoever hath been mentioned regarding manifestations of miracles that pertain to this lowly one are falsehoods fabricated by the deniers. And whatsoever hath been attributed to the Primal Point, the Source of Primary Grace, and the established Mirrors thereof, is truth by which the sincere shall gain victory. However, concerning that which hath been sent down from the heaven of bounty and the clouds of mercy in the Bayan, no universal proof or conclusive evidence hath been ordained save the revelation of verses. This hath ever been and shall ever remain God’s proof unto the peoples of the earth. Should any matter appear from the Source of Grace and Glory other than this, it is purely through God’s favor; otherwise, the supreme proof is that which He Himself hath ordained—and who is more truthful in speech than God?

Furthermore, certain ones should not utterly deny the manifestation of that which hath been attributed to the Prophets, for the understanding of servants cannot serve as the criterion. If one observeth with the eye of insight, all that is visible on earth—before its manifestation—was and is and shall ever be beyond the comprehension of all people, both high and low. Observe the sun in the sky, how in its present visible form it giveth joy and light to all on earth from east to west and all other directions. Surely, before witnessing it, the intellect would not have accepted the description and affirmation of such a thing. Likewise, observe all aspects of creation that the mystery of the matter may be revealed, for all things have been and are miracles of the Prophets. Return thy gaze: seest thou any flaw?

In the Qur’an there are many verses proving this. Though the exact verses are not before me, their meanings are thus: “He it is Who created you and sustains you—will ye not then perceive?” And “He it is Who causeth to grow from the earth goodly vegetation—will ye not then believe?” And “He sendeth down water from the sky—will ye not then be thankful?” And “He created the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and fixed the mountains as a favor from Him, yet few among you understand.”

Thus it becometh evident that whatsoever is visible and pertaineth to power is from God. Is there any creator besides God? Say: Glory be to God! There is no creator save Him in Whom the sincere have believed. Yes, if it be said that if the miracles attributed to former Prophets were true, they should also appear now—this argument is not one to which illumined minds and pure hearts would cling. Often things occurred in the past that do not occur now, or vice versa. For every matter there are treasuries with thy Lord; He sendeth them down as He willeth according to His measure. This is your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. For example, every thirty years by your reckoning and counting, plague appeareth in certain lands. Can one deny its existence due to its delay, saying that if it were real it should appear now? Otherwise, many other things should also occur nowadays that used to take place but do not, and vice versa.

It might be asked why a miracle demonstrating pure power and the divine attributes should not appear, so as to cause the exaltation of lofty spirits and of holy souls. Yea, this is truth, even as ye speak in the Bayan, and unto God belong the most exalted similitudes, did ye but know. Consider this visible river [the Tigris]: when it overflows and increases, it moves and flows, and whatever it does, it remains steadfast in its power. When weak souls from all sides cry out that the great dam has burst, or that a certain dam has been destroyed, or that a certain house has been ruined, or that a certain palace has collapsed—it pays no heed, but continues to flow with utmost might, dominion, power and sovereignty, moving equally in all its courses. For instance, before its might, buildings belonging to either king or pauper are judged alike, save those structures that possess an inherent firmness. Thus do We set forth similitudes, that ye may attain certitude in what ye witness.

Make thy vision keen and thy sight subtle, that the sweet fragrance of delight and splendor may touch thy heart and thou mayest be established upon the throne of tranquility. This is the greatest and mightiest of matters, could ye but find it.

Furthermore, observe that should a powerful person attempt to dam the river and seize its reins through the authority of might and the dominion of power, how many houses and dwellings would be destroyed in its return, and how many souls would drown. Yet verily, though parched lands that had long suffered the torment of thirst would be blessed with new life and adorned with fresh and wondrous garments. Thus doth God create what He willeth through His command. There is no God but Him, the Lord of all worlds.

Likewise, consider the mysteries of fate and destiny: whatever hath appeared and shall appear, like this river of affairs, flows and rests in its proper place. Should anything manifest contrary to this, how much opposition would arise in the world. If thou wouldst comprehend this subtle and delicate mystery, which is more hidden than any secret, thou wouldst become independent of all that hath been and shall be asked.

This is why in every age and century when the Invisible Essence and the Eternal Being hath willed to make manifest and cause to flow that true River and real Ocean through a new temple and fresh garment, all those edifices of existence and palaces of deluded souls were drowned and destroyed. In the depths of thirst and the extremity of their parching, they were submerged and annihilated, never realizing enough to take even a single draught thereof. Thus doth God give life to whom He willeth, destroy whom He willeth, confirm whom He willeth, and deny whom He willeth, did ye but know.

Especially when, during the overflow of the River of the Divine Essence which flows from the North of Unity, the eastern winds begin to blow, how many lofty souls, people of heart, mighty palaces and elevated, firm structures would be destroyed and annihilated. By Him Who holdeth the heavens in His grasp and causeth the seas to flow by His command! Know that were it not for the rancor hidden in the hearts of men, I would have fully revealed all divine similitudes and subtle celestial decrees in this very flowing river. But how can this be when I have no inclination toward any matter due to intense sorrow and overwhelming grief? In these days I am afflicted between the Gog of silence and the Magog of speech. I beseech God to send down an Alexander who might erect a barrier. Divine allusions are concealed within these expressions, and holy letters are treasured within these words. Blessed is he who grasps its pearls, recognizes their worth, and attains their presence.

It has been witnessed and known that the root of all differences, from the highest realms of meaning to the lowest levels of words, stems from the differences in the forms of mirrors. Each one relates and narrates what exists within itself. For example, observe this very river, which flows in one manner and whose relation to all palaces and edifices is equal, yet each valley receives according to its capacity, and each barrier resists according to its strength. Thus, this difference arises from the recipient. Likewise, observe the dawning of the Eternal Sun, which rises with a single effulgence in the heavens of the hearts of all created things, yet its reflection differs in the forms of mirrors according to the mirrors themselves. Hence, some stand at the height of nature and the summit of purpose, while others rest in the depths of rigidity and the abyss of extinction. All have their stations with God, and all return unto Him.

The people of insight must have vision like steel and a heart as vast as existence, so that while opportunity exists, they neither prevent the former from beholding Beauty nor deprive the latter from the sweet water of life, that they might partake of all flavors and receive their portion. What need is there to cling to the words of people or be disturbed by the deeds of servants? All drink from the same water and are given to drink from the same sea, yet each has their degrees with thy Lord, and all proceed according to their condition.

Today, whosoever believes in the Most Exalted Countenance and is certain of His station on the throne after Him, this suffices him above any knowledge or deed. And satisfaction with Him and faith in Him are not realized except through obedience to His command in all things. This is the greatest, most glorious, and most perfect outcome. There is no goal save God and no end besides Him.

All that has been mentioned regarding the qualities of the river was but a similitude that flowed from the pen. Reflect and ponder that all divine mysteries might be unveiled from the veil of nearness and remoteness, of high and low, revealing Beauty. And comprehend that Sea of Seas, before whose greatness all seas are but drops, how it surges in its blessed Essence and blessed Source of attributes. And say: Glory be to Thee! How wondrous is Thy Cause, how great is Thy power, how mighty is Thy sovereignty, how overwhelming is Thy grandeur! We know naught of Thee save what Thou hast taught us from Thy presence through the tongue of the Manifestation of Thy Self, the Source of Thy Essence, the Mine of Thy Command, and the Repository of Thy Wisdom. Verily, Thou art the Knower of all that is created and will be created, and Thou art the Truth, the Knower of the Unseen.

O Javad! I impart unto thee a single word—a token of loving-kindness and compassion—that hath been garnered from the gems of Holy Books and the essences of Sacred Scriptures, that the water of eternity may flow from the clouds of the Divine Unity upon thy reality and the realities of all servants, enabling you to attain unto life everlasting and eternal existence. And it is this:

“Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable, and everlasting,”

This is a treasure that pertaineth to heaven; should it come to life and be established, it shall never die nor perish. This is a light that shall never be extinguished, a treasure that shall not vanish, a raiment that shall not wear out, and a revelation that shall never be concealed. By it many are led astray, and others are guided aright. Give thanks unto God that thou hast been made the recipient of this all-embracing word, this divine melody, and this celestial song. I have found nothing more firm than this word, else would I have imparted it. There exists no greater counsel than the aforementioned word. Preserve it, if ye desire to find a way unto Him Who is seated upon the throne.

Out of love for thee hath this servant written this reply, otherwise I have no desire whatsoever to set forth any matter or write any word. God sufficeth Me as witness, and as guardian over you. Arise then with legs of steel upon the path which We have laid upon the white land of the Spirit, and with eyes of flame observe its pillars and foundations, and with ears of ruby hearken unto that which hath appeared therefrom concerning that which thou hast asked, and with hands of gold and fingers of power take what is in it and upon it, and with the tongue of the sword sing and chant and clap and drum that there is no God but He, and that Ali before Muhammad is the Essence of God and His enduring Being, and Muhammad before Ali is the Source of God’s Command and His everlasting Identity, and the Countenance of the Living One is the Repository of God’s decree and His established Self, and the Letters of the Living are the first to believe in God and His signs, and verily we all hold fast unto them, and verily this is the Word that shall distinguish between truth and falsehood until the Day when the Hour shall arise, whereupon all shall be present before God and all shall be upstanding at His bidding. And glory be upon him who believed in Him on the day of His meeting and was among those who stood in His presence.

BH00507: O My loved one! This world hath neither stability…

In the name of our Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High

O My loved one! This world hath neither stability nor constancy, and they who possess hearts of understanding should not, in these numbered days, deprive themselves of the sweet-scented breezes of the divine and the gentle spiritual fragrances, nor should they, through vain words, veil themselves from the effulgent rays of the Beloved. Such utterances have ever existed and shall continue to exist—past, present and future. The Sovereign of eternity hath ordained for every matter a proof that is clear and evident to those endowed with insight, that the possessors of pure hearts might hold fast to it and pay no heed to vain utterances that proceed from the manifestations of Satan. Otherwise, were all matters to be concluded by mere words, and were all affairs to be settled by mere verbal pronouncement, never would the Cause of God become clear and manifest, never would the dawn of guidance appear, and never would the darkness of error be dispelled.

All the Messengers, in all the Books revealed by God, have never confined the Cause within limits nor restricted it to any particular direction. Thus have all these mysteries become known, and the fire of “illa” hath consumed and destroyed all the veils of limitation denoted by “la,” and the banner proclaiming that “God hath power over all things” hath been raised upon the mountain of “He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.” Blessed is he who perceiveth from mere allusion the places of guidance.

Ponder deeply upon the verse “The Jews say: ʿGod’s hand is fettered.”’ [Q5:64] Perchance ye may partake of the hidden Salsabil concealed therein and attain unto the ultimate source and origin of this treasured grace and this sealed nectar. For centuries have all recited this verse, yet it is as though it had never been read, that the truth of “None shall touch it save the purified ones” might be established and proven. Had this verse been truly pondered and reflected upon, such dissension and oppression would never have befallen the Daysprings of Oneness and the Manifestations of Holiness.

In any case, they should consider with the eye of divine loving-kindness that which hath been deposited within the heart, and, knowing the worth of these days, be not heedless; for erelong shall the embodiments of the words “Verily we return” return indeed, and the birds of the spirit shall fly from the dust-heap of remoteness and abasement unto the nest of nearness and unity. Then shall the cloud of mercy be withheld, the rain-cloud of munificence be cut off, the lamp of light be concealed, and the veils of darkness encompass the whole earth and all its inhabitants. The lamp of the spirit is not ever kindled in the lamp-niche of light—though it knoweth no extinction; yet none perceive it save the people of abidingness.

For the universal outpouring, the all-embracing mercy, the beauty of the Divine Ipseity, and the ocean of oneness are not at all times in flowing, in expansion, in manifestation, and in billowing. The outward spring—unto which, by the command of the Creator of Names, the training of the outward forms of things is committed and entrusted—appeareth but once in the year. Even so the spiritual spring, which nurtures souls and illumined hearts, and bestoweth the everlasting, enduring life, revealeth itself but once in a thousand years, or more; and upon all things, in the realms of the seen and the unseen, it conferreth the robe of existence and the splendor of lordship. Thereafter—until what time shall one be found worthy, and who shall be meet to attain?

Therefore, while the sweet spiritual breezes blow from the gardens of the sanctity of meanings, and the nightingale of utterance singeth upon the branches of the roses of Ridvan, strive and labor, that the ear may not be deprived of the melodious divine strains, nor the body be shut out from the winds of the spiritual spring. This breeze, whensoever it hath blown upon a body, hath endowed it with everlasting life; and whensoever it hath passed over a withered tree, it hath granted it a fresh and abiding robe. Busy not yourselves with the safeguarding of life, and forsake not the Beloved; rend not, through the tinsel words of this one and that, the garment of remembrance and certitude.

Say: O friends! Extinguish not the lamps of guidance in the heart with the winds of misguidance and error. Though the decree “He whom God guideth, he indeed is guided aright, and he whom God leadeth astray, thou wilt find for him no protecting friend to lead him to the right way” is established and proven, yet the guidance “Remind them, for reminding profiteth the believers” is also flowing and pervading, and the grace “God will change their evil deeds to good deeds” is likewise manifest and evident. None but the pure ear can hear this soul-stirring lamentation, and the sun of inner meanings casteth its reflection only upon purified hearts. The companions of Joseph who sat with him nightly upon the same carpet and were his constant associates at all times remained deprived of his sweet fragrance, while the nostrils of Jacob the beloved perceived it from afar. Therefore must the cold of heedlessness be cured through the sweet remembrance of the Friend, and the eye of the heart be illumined through inhaling the fragrance of the Beloved’s garment, that the sweet scent of the Beloved may be perceived and the fire of divine love may burn away all save the Friend from marrow and skin. Until this station is attained, all deeds are futile and void.

As all these conditions have become clear and evident to the physical eye, how many are the servants who burned nightly in the fire of separation from the Friend and yearned to sacrifice their lives, yet when the veil of Beauty was lifted, all remained veiled by the veils of glory and attained not the presence of the Beloved, which is the ultimate goal of all who seek Him. This was only because they possessed not of themselves an ear and eye to distinguish the Friend from the stranger, and the song of the nightingale from the crow’s caw. “They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and eyes wherewith they see not.”

All became devoted to the words of the People of the Book and clung to the allusions of men of learning, saying that thus was it recorded in the books and thus was it inscribed in the scrolls, heedless that God’s irrevocable decree cannot be confined within bounds nor be subject to rules. It seems they have not drunk from the fountain of “He doeth what He willeth” nor tasted of the wine of “He ordaineth what He pleaseth.” And it became known that the Cause appeared from the Dayspring of the invisible Divine Identity contrary to what was recorded and to what minds and intellects had comprehended, even as the Resurrection was realized through a Rising, and the Seal returned to a Beginning.

O my brother! Now ponder carefully these words, that the gates of infinite knowledge may be opened before thee and thou mayest stand firm in the Cause with complete steadfastness, and with penetrating vision observe in the horizons of the soul and the innermost being of the Beloved the mysteries of the All-Glorious. Now if these servants had illumined their eyes with the light of detachment and gave ear to the wondrous divine melodies, assuredly the ear of the soul, by virtue of its attachment to holy realms, would arise from the grave of heedlessness at the call of the Nightingale of the Divine Essence and would receive its portion and share from beholding that Beauty which is the ultimate purpose and universal grace.

I swear by God that if you would turn slightly toward the heart, you would observe from the movement of this Pen the movements of ancient spirits, and from the blackness of this ink you would inhale the everlasting fragrance of love, and from the temples of these letters you would tangibly witness eternal words. The fragrance of musk is supremely distinct from other fragrances, and camphor is clearly distinguished from all else, and great indeed is the difference between the morn of guidance and the darkness of error. This is evident to men of learning—that the Truth is distinguished from all people in every respect, in His words, His deeds, His movements and His rest, such that He bears no resemblance whatsoever to any other. However, the artificial nature and bat-like disposition is assuredly deprived of comprehending these stations. The bat has no share in the radiance of the sun, and the dung beetle has no portion of the perfume of musk.

In any case, the surging of this Ocean shall not be stilled by such clamorous outcries, nor shall the divine breeze be arrested by such gusts. I, for my part, have ever concealed—and still conceal—myself beneath coarse garments woven of camel’s hair, that I might not be known by any name, nor be described by any station. And yet, the oceans of pre-existence, by the grace of God, are continually flowing within the heart; still not a drop thereof appeareth outwardly, and the pages of inner meanings are hidden within the breast, and no letter thereof is seen upon the tablets of the world. I seek no end but a fancied servitude, I desire naught but utter nothingness. Ever have I sought—and still do I seek—that some service, befitting a servant, may proceed from me, that perchance it may be accepted in the path of the Friend and become the object of the Beloved’s regard.

How many trials have been endured, how many afflictions have descended from aforetime—ye have surely heard. And in this land, too, I stand alone before mine enemies; from every side the adversary hath encompassed me, and none hath arisen to aid. At every moment we await that we shall surrender this earthly body to its people and take refuge in the divine nest. Notwithstanding all this, what words they utter, what speeches their tongues pour forth—as though no eye in the realm of being had opened to reality, and no ear had been unsealed! I lay my grief and my sorrow before God. I say: Naught shall befall us save that which God hath written for us.

At the last I say, O people: have mercy upon your own selves, if ye have none for others; for the fruit of your deeds and actions returneth unto you. And if ye desire not to kindle the fire of God, why then seek ye to quench it? And if ye will not be helpers, why become ye the cause of upheaval? This lamp hath no glass to shield it from contrary winds, and this candle no lantern to preserve it from the dust of selfish souls—though, in truth, it seeketh no lantern save the decree of God, and no glass save His good-pleasure. Within the impregnable fortress of resignation it abideth, and to the firm pillar of surrender it clings. If ye would know of the mention of tribulations, inquire of Salman. The cause of these epistles was but the vain imaginings of certain men; otherwise I would never have imposed this burden upon myself, nor become the cause of weariness. We will not, save as God willeth.

From H.S. [Husayn] 152

He doeth whatsoever He willeth.

Then I heard a call from the Concourse on High saying:

“O servant, offer up thy life in Our path, and verily We have accepted it.”

And thus was the matter decreed. First of Shawwal 1277

BH00029: Praise befitteth and beseemeth our Beloved Who, through His…

Section 1: “Praise befitteth and beseemeth our Beloved Who, through…”

In the Name of our Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted!

Praise befitteth and beseemeth our Beloved Who, through His pure and perfect power, created the heavens of utterance and raised them to such heights as to be sanctified from the touch of the profane or the comprehension of any impure transgressor. He adorned them with exalted, brilliant, and radiant suns, with shining and luminous moons, and with rising stars. He prevented the ascent thereto of the satans of impure souls and the deceivers of unclean bodies. He banished the hypocrites from ascending to the most exalted Concourse, from rising to the Ultimate Lote-Tree and the Furthermost Branch. Through His power He stationed angels of chastisement with burning meteors that no outcast might enter the pavilions of the All-Glorious and no exile might gain knowledge of the eternal holy court.

How sanctified is the station of His loved ones above the knowledge of created things, and how exalted is the rank of His chosen ones above the comprehension of contingent beings! Through the sovereignty of His eternity He hath ever been self-sufficient and through the dominion of His oneness He will ever be self-sufficient. Neither doth the acceptance of created things add any glory to the servants at His threshold, nor doth the rejection of contingent beings cast any shadow upon His courtiers.

One verse from the heaven of His oneness is a consuming fire for the hearts of those who hate Him and an illuminating light for the hearts of those who love Him. He hath tormented His enemies with the fire of rancor, hatred, tyranny and iniquity, and honored His friends with the light of truthfulness, purity, submission and contentment. How sweet is His consummate wisdom and how wondrous is His all-embracing mercy, that He hath opened wide the gates of the spiritual Paradise and flung open the portals of the holy and spiritual Ridvan, that He hath guided the nightingales of the garden of inner meanings to the rose-garden of eternal glory and directed the hoopoes of the divine Ridvan to the eternal Sheba.

He hath so abundantly bestowed the drops of grace from the clouds of bounty that wandering lovers have turned to their original shelter and hastened headlong to the gathering-place of the Beloved, that fallen lovers have taken wing to their spiritual homeland and attained the lights of the Beauty of their Beloved. He hath made the hearts of the mystics and those who have attained His holy sanctuary mirrors of all things, that each soul might behold its deeds and actions therein and imagine them to be the actions of His servants, thus recording the full account of its own condition in the book of deeds, heedless that God is aware of the secrets of hearts and is informed of the state of every deceiving enemy. Thus doth God reveal what lies within the breasts of those who have disbelieved and turned away, of rancor and hatred, that He might torment them with the fire of their own selves from this moment until the Day whereon the deeds of all the worlds shall be gathered together. And peace be upon you.

And furthermore, in these days a book has arrived from the depths of hell from one whose name had not been mentioned in this realm before, though assuming a mighty name. Glory be to God! What calumnies he has heaped upon the loved ones of God, and what flames of rancor and hatred he has kindled! The one God is witness that no ocean can quench the fire of his hatred, and no physician can cure the malady of his heart. To such extent has Satan adorned his deeds that he has repeatedly emphasized each accusation. Say: Thus has Satan made your deeds seem fair to you and guides you to the fire which, through God’s wrath, is kindled within your own selves.

He has gathered every antiquated and meaningless phrase that existed in the world and mentioned them as a source of pride. I marvel greatly that despite God’s grace having opened the paradise of inner meanings, and the clouds of divine knowledge and wisdom having been raised up, and wondrous words having encompassed the world, this rancorous one makes claims of love while he has not partaken of a drop from the holy outpourings nor received any fruit from the exalted divine Tree. For some time I pondered, and it was not fitting to send him any reply directly, for the wrongdoers have no way to reach Us.

However, when it became known that these calumnies had been spread among the people in various forms and multiple statements—alas, how this wretch has been negligent in relation to God!—it became necessary to write a detailed explanation to the companions and loved ones of that land, so that Satan’s deceptions might not overcome spiritual souls, that thereby might be distinguished those who walk toward the fire from those who walk upon the path of God, the Mighty, the Compelling, that the hater might be known from the lover and truth from falsehood, and that every soul might seek refuge in God from the evil of malicious souls and at all times remember their Lord, become detached from all else but God, place their trust in the cord of His favor, cling to the handle of His loving-kindness, hold fast to the hem of His mercy, and grasp the mantle of His bounty and generosity, that perchance they may remain protected from the fire of the souls of the ungodly. And verily He is the Deliverer of His servants and the Quickener of His bondsmen, and He has power over all things.

At the beginning of the letter it was mentioned that two messengers from this one had gone to that province and had forbidden people from the worship of God and commanded them to worship idols and false deities, and, God forbid, had claimed on behalf of this servant that the Bayan had been abrogated and its Mirrors were invalid and its laws had been rendered void. First, this servant has never sent a messenger to any land and has in no way had any cause or decree that would require a messenger or could be completed by an emissary. I have considered none to exist except God and His loved ones, and have regarded the enemies of God as non-existent.

Nine years have passed since these servants, after all we possessed was seized, were expelled from our earthly homeland and arrived in this land with guards and escorts. And praise be to God, we regarded this abasement as glory and counted this poverty as the essence of wealth. We had no demands of anyone and expressed no needs to any soul. We manifested the Divine Cause with perfect steadfastness. We burned away the veils of concealment with the fire of divine love and raised the banner of the Cause in the heaven of decree, such that this wondrous bounty has become renowned throughout all regions of the realm and the Cause of this land is evident in all parts of the world, as all have heard.

If anyone should deny this, they would be counted among those of whom it is said “They recognize the favor of God, then they deny it.” No support was received in any way from any of the friends, and these servants, by God’s grace and favor, were independent of the help of all who are in the heavens and earth, dwelling in the cave of divine assistance and sheltered in the impregnable fortress of “whosoever puts his trust in God, He is sufficient unto him.” We purified the heart from the dust of earthly ones and set our course for the eternal nest. Enemies from every side, both internal and external, lay in ambush for these gazelles of the desert of oneness, and what snares they laid to trap these nightingales of the rose gardens of divine identity.

They girded their loins with all determination that perchance they might prevent the moths of love from the Beauty of the Beloved, or deprive these nightingales of the garden of inner meanings from the branches of the Eternal Rose. Nevertheless, we never turned our attention to any direction nor sought any helper. Now what have such souls to do with messengers that they would send to anyone? And I know not how this person learned that those two individuals were my messengers. Say: If you plot, God is more severe in plotting and mightier in punishment.

For five years Mulla Ahmad came to this province from the one known as Letter Jim. Ask him how much love I showed toward them. God was witness to the state and observer of the conditions, that although I heard from them certain words that were contrary to the original nature and pure heart, nevertheless I preferred to conceal rather than reveal and spread them, and kept them hidden. I was bewildered as to what was the cause and reason, until gradually they increased [their actions] until they came to this land. And here perfect love beyond all custom and convention was shown toward them for the sake of God’s good pleasure, that perchance it might increase love and purify and sanctify the heart from the dust of that which is displeasing. After this, the king returned and desired to take Mulla Ahmad-i-Kashi back with him, but he refused. This servant became aware of this and summoned the aforementioned Mulla, who made various excuses. Before long, two persons came—Mir ʿAbdu’r-Rahim and Shaykh Hasan—relating that so-and-so had said:

“Why do you go to Baghdad? A moment here is better than five years in Baghdad,”

and other such statements were made. Upon hearing this, I immediately summoned them and strictly forbade and strongly prohibited the utterance of such words. However, all the companions had heard these words.

By God, besides Whom there is none other God! I gathered them all and forbade them, and concealed matters to such extent lest a new sedition arise. Then another person came with a message for someone, and likewise another person. In brief, every soul who came from that land mentioned something, and it became clear that all these seditions were due to people’s departure from their earthly homeland to the divine homeland. Therefore, we sent back Siyyid ʿAbdu’l-Baqi, who had been staying in this land, to that country to prevent people from turning towards this land, that perchance hearts might be calmed and the dark atmosphere of turbidity might be transformed into the morn of joy. Although such words should never flow from their hearts and tongues, for this land was not confined to this servant.

By God! The Holy Spirit takes pride in the very dust of this land. The breeze of this land bestows eternal life upon dead bodies and grants everlasting existence. But it increases not the wrongdoers save in loss. Indeed, what business has the beetle with the eternal Egypt of meeting, and what portion have the people of the lowest depths with the exalted concourse? How can sheer ignorance set foot in the sacred heights of knowledge, and how can the essence of tyranny enter the fields of justice? By God! The very dust of this land is sanctified beyond the comprehension of the righteous, let alone the wicked. After all, has not the nobility of every place been through its Dweller, and has not the glory of every house been through its relation to God?

Would that these people showed as much respect for the City of God and reverence for the Sanctuary of God as worldly lovers show for their beloved! If but a thorn from the garden of earthly beloveds were to appear in the gathering of lovers, all would smell it like a rose and sing to it like nightingales—how much more so for a land that belongs to the Beloved, or a place that was the site of His descent, presence and dwelling! Such is the state of earthly lovers. Consider somewhat the condition and words of those who claim divine love, how heedless they have become and what mockery and derision they have shown toward this blessed and goodly land.

By God! If there were any fairness, blood should flow from the eyes, the layers of the liver should turn to blood and flow from the eyelashes, yet none shall attain unto this save those who have detached themselves unto God, have tasted the sweetness of His remembrance, and have held fast unto the cord of His love.

For several years certain among the servants desired to journey from that land to this city, but were continually prevented. Two years ago permission was granted that whosoever desired might be permitted and allowed. This is a matter which the Sovereign of Oneness had previously revealed unto the illumined Muhammadan heart, and He Himself hath called His servants to this land, were ye to ponder the verses of the Furqan and turn your attention to the mysteries of the Cause. He hath said, and His Word is the Truth:

“And God doth call to the Abode of Peace, and guideth whom He willeth to the straight path.”

If ye were to comprehend the allusion of these words, by God, ye would, in your passionate love of God and your longing for this supreme glad-tidings, proceed barefooted toward the divine precinct. Say: Thus have veils of iron been struck upon your hearts and a covering of fire drawn over your eyes. No good shall the wrongdoers find on that great Day.

Say: O people! Life passeth swiftly as lightning, and ere long shall the carpets of hopes and possessions be rolled up. Raise your heads from the slumber of heedlessness and, placing your trust in God, stand firm upon the straight path of His Cause. Enter ye into His Abode of Peace, His mercy and loving-kindness, which is the place of everlasting security and the praiseworthy station of the Lord. Outwardly, the Abode of Peace is the land where that Most Great Light resideth, and inwardly it is His most firm and perfect Cause. Were I to expound this station, creation could not bear to hear it, nor could souls and minds bear its weight.

Consider now that they show pride regarding a land which the Tongue of the Unseen hath Himself commanded and unto which He hath summoned all created things. This matter, so clearly set forth that it would seem nothing more explicit hath been revealed in the Book, they have failed during all this time to comprehend. The Abode of Peace hath seventy meanings, all of which are gathered in the Divine City. Thus hath God mentioned in the Book the decree concerning that land, despite those who have disbelieved, turned away, and are among those who hold not fast to God’s strong cord and who walk in the paths of self, without God’s good-pleasure.

Section 2: “Yea, these people have all followed destructive…”

Yea, these people have all followed destructive and imaginary paths. How can they accept or comprehend any meaning or matter save through conjecture and fancy? Say: Do ye believe in part of the Book and deny part thereof? Thus hath God taken from you the spirit of faith and forbidden you the meeting of that Day whereon mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds.

As for those two messengers he greatly mentioned in his letter—one was Siyyid Abdul-Baqi, whose details were given and about whom you may inquire directly. Should he mention aught contrary to what is recorded in this Tablet, it would become evident that the enemies speak truth. The other he mentioned was Mirza Mustafa. This man dwelt for some time in this land, and since his relatives resided in Naraq and his journey and migration had been prolonged, We sent him back to his homeland. He bore no message whatsoever from this servant except a letter for His Honor the Letter Jim, which he was to deliver to him. Yet how many calumnies this person hath heaped upon these two poor ones!

And this servant had given him no message whatsoever save a letter addressed to His Honor Jim, which was to be delivered to him. Yet what accusations has this person heaped upon these two lowly ones, and what measure of pride and arrogance has he displayed toward these two poor ones in his letter! Say to him: By God, the ignorance of these two poor ones is more beloved than what thou hast written, and their abasement more precious than that wherein thou hast taken pride. Humble thy heart that thou mayest ascend to the heights of glory. Relinquish self-glorification that thou mayest enter the pavilion of holiness and faithfulness. Bring forth naught but supplication and entreaty, for these two are bounded, and the holy precincts are sanctified from such limitations. And peace be upon him who heareth the Word and is numbered among those who are guided, as inscribed in the Tablets of Light by the Pen of Glory.

And furthermore, regarding what was written about these messengers saying that the law of the Bayan has been abrogated and its mirrors and ordinances have become void—this is a newly contrived notion of human demons who, inspired by the promptings of their base desires, have manifested these schemes. Verily do the evil ones whisper to their friends that they may cast their vain imaginings into the hearts of the servants and prevent people from the divine path and the infinite holy fountainhead of grace. Such servants have always existed among the servants of God, and through such nonsense have people been tested—“that He may try you, which of you is best in conduct.” In all ages have such calumnies been uttered against God and His loved ones, and will continue to be uttered.

This is among the ways that have operated among the servants, and you will find no change or alteration in His ways—so that it may become clear who follows God’s Cause and who turns back on his heels. Through such matters is the brilliant morn of guidance distinguished from the dark night of error. Thus do We impart unto you from the mysteries of the Cause, that thereby may be strengthened the hearts of those who are guided by God’s light and who are among the firm ones in their love for God. The one God is witness—and sufficient is He as witness—that if until today such an atheistic liar had appeared in creation, or if anyone’s knowledge had ever recorded such—say: O wretched fool!

For the satisfaction of your own self and the ungodly souls, you have committed a deed that has no likeness, equal or peer in all existence. At this moment my tongue, my heart, my inner heart, my spirit, my body, my frame, my marrow, my bones, and my skin all testify that there is no God but Him, and that ʿAli before Muhammad is the Manifestation of His Essence, the Dawning-place of His signs, and the Revealer of His words. To this do the dwellers of the most exalted Paradise bear witness, and beyond them doth the Essence of the Unseen testify with His tongue, and we are all prostrate before His face. All that hath been revealed from Him is truth wherein there is no doubt, and we all, should He desire, act according to His command.

Say: Hold thy tongue, O thou who hast calumniated God and His loved ones! Say not that which God hath not permitted thee, and be not of those who slander the Manifestations of the Cause and are not guided by God’s signs. Say: Great indeed are your utterances in what you have falsely claimed with your tongue. Thus hath Satan made your deeds seem fair to you, and still you do not understand. Say: If you are in doubt concerning God’s Cause, then bring forth a proof from Him, or an evidence from His presence, or a testimony from Him. Nay, by the Lord of the heavens and earth, they shall never be able to utter a single letter, nor shall they be capable thereof.

These are they who, when God’s verses are recited unto them, cast them behind their backs and mock at them, while they soar in the atmosphere of their own desires. Say: The kingdom shall pass away and naught of you shall remain, and then shall you be brought before the fire. Then shall you find for yourselves neither intimate friend nor helper, and God shall question you concerning your deeds in this vain life, while you shall be tormented in the abyss of His wrath throughout God’s eternity. Say: Have you seen this servant or gained knowledge of his cause? How then do you attribute to him that which you know not? By God, the heavens have wept at your injustice, O vile one, and the garments of the people of the Kingdom have been rent asunder by your deed, O accursed one!

The garments of the people of the Kingdom are rent asunder by thy deed, O accursed one, and the pillars of existence have been shaken by thine act, O wretched one! Yet thou walkest upon the shoulders of the earth as though thou hadst committed no wrong, and thou laughest at what thy hands have wrought, while the spirits of Paradise have descended to the dust and recline upon the clay. Woe unto thee, O thou that hast turned aside from the Command of God! Thou rejoicest in thy deed while the temples of the spirits are clothed in garments of blood.

Glorified art Thou, O my God and my Beloved! Thou seest my condition and hearest my sighing and my cry, and beholdest my poverty and my need, and witnessest how the oppressors among Thy servants have encompassed this servant of Thine, to such extent that they lift not their hands from my head. Therefore, O my God, raise me up unto Thee, then cause me to dwell in the precincts of Thy great mercy, near unto Thy Name, the Most Exalted, the Most High, that thereby the hearts of Thy wretched servants might find rest. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and Thou art the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Then the Herald called out from the midst of the heavens:

“O servant! We have heard thy cry and have numbered thy poverty and thy need, thy humiliation and thy tribulation. Fear not, neither be thou grieved. We shall sanctify thee from those who have disbelieved and attributed partners unto God.”

Thus have We sent down unto thee a symbol from Our Command, lest they should discover it who prostrate not themselves before the face of God.

Thou knowest, O my God, that I have claimed naught save pure servitude, and have called the servants to naught save Thy Supreme Self in the Manifestation of Thy Most Exalted Self and the Light of Thy Most Glorious Beauty. For this reason did hatred appear in the hearts of those who disbelieved in Thy mighty signs, to such extent that they slew me with the swords of their vain imaginings. Therefore, O my God, seize them with Thy severe grip and Thy conquering sovereignty, and leave not a single one of them upon the earth, that Thy lands might be purified and Thy realms sanctified. Verily, Thou art He Who doeth what He pleaseth through Thy wondrous Command, and Thou art the Mighty, the Beloved.

These are the beliefs of this servant that have been mentioned. Until now I have soared only in the atmosphere of pure servitude, and have been commanded to naught but the plain of poverty, evanescence, submission and contentment. Hereafter the Command is in His hand and we have nothing save after His leave. He is verily the Mighty, the Exalted, the Beautiful. Let him who wishes accept, and him who wishes turn away. Verily my Lord is independent of you, of your selves, your deeds and actions. He is sanctified above all who are in the worlds.

Finally, O servants who claim divine love, why do you remain in the wilderness of heedlessness and walk the paths of fancy, error, self and desire? Know the value of these days while the holy, eternal fragrances waft from the morning breeze and the soul-refreshing zephyr comes from the paradise of the Beloved. Come somewhat to your senses and purify and sanctify the illumined heart from the dark dust of baseless suspicions, that perchance you may attain to the effulgences of the Sun of Oneness and the outpourings of the Beauty of the Divine Identity.

The ocean of divine bounty is not always surging, nor do the clouds of infinite mercy always pour down their rain. The divine lamp is not forever kindled in the niche of eternal holiness. The time will come when the Bird of Eternity returns to Its original nest, the Eternal Beauty retires to the pavilion of heavenly invisibility, and the nightingales of the spiritual rose-gardens repair to their true, glorious nests. Then will the gates of the rose-garden be shut, and you will be deprived of both the beauty of the rose and the song of the nightingale. While time remains, strive with all your soul and recognize the value of this blessing.

After all, the divine loved ones must manifest heavenly signs and befit eternal qualities. Don the robe of sanctity and detach your eyes, hearts and souls from all else, that you may behold another world and step upon the pleasant plain of the spirit. By God, if you hear the melody of this Bird with the ear of the soul, you will become detached from the world and all that is therein, and will set your hearts on naught but the Truth.

Counsel has exceeded its bounds. Now it remains to be seen what the yearning ones of the divine court and those attracted to the holy, spiritual melodies will perceive and what portion they will receive. All this is through God’s grace and mercy upon you, O people of the Bayan, if you desire to walk the paths of truth and rejoice in the paradise of nearness.

O people of the Bayan, refine the eye of your hearts and illumine your breasts that you may distinguish truth from falsehood and not follow the suspicions of the people of hypocrisy—those heedless souls who have taken it upon themselves to prevent people through various schemes from approaching the shore of the sea of oneness, while outwardly clothing themselves in the garment of faith. By Him Who holds my soul in His hand, if one becomes somewhat detached from outward conditions, one will distinguish truth from falsehood as light from darkness, and will perceive the fragrance of truth from all directions. That is, if the sweet fragrance of truth wafts in the East, the detached seeker in the West will surely perceive it. Thus do We mention unto you some of the mysteries of love, if you would inhale the holy fragrances from this Garment and turn with the wings of detachment toward the Egypt of certitude.

And furthermore, regarding your mention of Ezekiel in your scroll of deeds, say: How presumptuous are your words, how low your station, how limited your bounds! For Ezekiel would run through the streets of Egypt, crying at the top of his voice: “Will ye slay a man because he saith, my Lord is God, when he hath already come to you with clear proofs?” How can anyone be compared to that Essence of being? The very dust of His sandal is sanctified above the hearts of all others. In the end, he sacrificed his heart and soul, and with his face stained with blood, he returned to the Kingdom of immortality and the most exalted Pavilion. And as for the verse which saith, “And a believing man of Pharaoh’s family, who concealed his faith,” the meaning of concealing his faith was the mysteries of divine wisdom and the pearls of eternal knowledge which have ever been preserved in the treasuries of divine power and will forever be kept in the storehouses of His might.

These have never been and will never be revealed except to those who are worthy. Otherwise, he never denied his faith in Moses. Rather, his tongue, his expression, and his very soul all testified to his love for Moses, and in Pharaoh’s court he openly confessed, as is well known. But a veil of divine power was cast over Pharaoh’s heart, preventing him from comprehending his words, even as today veils of fire have been cast over your hearts, and deafness from heedlessness upon your ears, and coverings of rancor upon your eyes, such that ye understand not what ye say and know not what ye do.

Say: O servant, fear God and attribute not to anyone that of which thou hast no knowledge. Hearken unto what God hath revealed to thee in the Bayan, for it is the finest utterance and the truest word. What comparison is there between Ezekiel and the people of this age? Pass beyond time and its people until thou enterest the paradise of eternity and perceivest the station and worth of the Temples of antiquity. The non-existent can never attain unto the eternal, and nothingness ever flees from everlasting life. By God! If thou wert to become aware of but a drop of Ezekiel’s love, thou wouldst comprehend his rank and station, and such a fire of his love would be kindled within thee that thou wouldst forsake the world and all therein, be freed from the darkness of vain imaginings, and attain unto the fountain of eternal life.

Consider now the beginning of his cause and the dawn of his faith, when Moses, coming from the Sinai wilderness of divine love to the Egypt of eternal servitude, guided all people to the divine Tree of fire and the radiance of the celestial Hand. When Ezekiel heard mention of his true homeland and caught a fragrance from the holy spiritual breeze, immediately such a fire of the love of God was kindled in his illumined breast that no power of concealment, tranquility, patience, or composure remained in him. With the utmost zeal and devotion, he strove to manifest and prove the fire of the Divine Essence in the neither eastern nor western Tree. Although he was Pharaoh’s cousin and held the highest esteem with that accursed one, such that the keys to all treasuries were in his grasp, nevertheless he did not withdraw from the truth for a moment nor seek to be heedless for an instant.

And now observe how these people, were they to encounter the fire itself, would manifest hatred in place of love and would strive with all their might to extinguish it, pouring upon it such floods of doubt and ice of delusion that no trace of it would remain, unless the Hand of Divine Power were to protect it and deliver it from those who seek to quench it. Judge thou fairly: can such people be attributed to Him, or is mention of such as these befitting in His holy presence? Nay, by God, were ye to judge fairly in the Cause of God and were ye to be nourished by the fruits of the eternal Paradise.

Section 3: “O unjust scribe! Would that thou hadst devoted…”

Say: O unjust scribe! Would that thou hadst devoted thyself as much to thine own concerns, expending thy time in purifying and sanctifying thine own soul and spirit, rather than wasting thy years on calumnies, failing to perceive that all mysteries are as clear as day in the sight of God. Hearken thou unto the counsel of this servant, pass beyond these realms and enter the realms of holy detachment. Make fairness thy guiding lamp lest thou remain in darkness, make trust in God thy garment lest thou be left naked of His grace, make remembrance of the Beloved thy companion lest thou be deprived of His bounty. Die to self and desire that thou mayest find eternal life through His love and enter the immortal Kingdom.

What a pity that one who claims to love God should not, in a single day, detach his heart from all that is created, and should not, at any moment, turn towards the Sovereign of existence and the King of the worshipped ones. By God, no tyranny is greater than this, no heedlessness more profound. Thou art free to choose. We have completed Our utterance unto thee and perfected Our favor upon thee, so choose for thyself what thou desirest. Verily, God is independent of Me and of thee and of all who are in the worlds.

Say: O man, fear God Who created and fashioned thee, and confound not truth with falsehood, nor light with darkness, nor guidance with error. Fear God, O concourse of the earth, and transgress not your station. And concerning the Messengers of God, speak not except of that which God hath permitted you, even as He commanded you not to liken them to any being, nor to ascribe to them any peer or likeness. These are among the bounds set by God, and none transgress His bounds save those in whose hearts is a disease and who are among those that derive not light from the splendors of Beauty.

First, know that the account of Dhul-Kifl is not as you have seen in previous books or heard from your forefathers. Second, how can this matter be proven when measured against certain established principles which you and your like have transgressed in the Mirror of God, having displaced them from their proper station and placed them elsewhere without the leave and permission of the Sovereign of the Cause? For according to what has been mentioned, they have argued for the unity of the Mirror and attributed it to their own selves. Yet how is it they have written that Dhul-Kifl was guardian to seventy prophets? The Mirror, which is the dawning-place of the Prophetic Sun, must not exceed oneness, so how could there be seventy prophets—who are the suns in the heaven of mercy—existing in one age and time? Thus doth the flow of your pen belie all that your tongues utter, and thus doth God reveal what is in your hearts and make manifest what lies within breasts, if ye but knew.

Yea, unless ye follow the example of the false divines and affirm the existence of lesser and greater prophets, as is written in books and believed and confessed by the ignorant. Say: O people, seek even outward knowledge from the fountainhead of knowledge. Draw from pure, delicate, sweet, and flowing springs, not from rejected, turbid, brackish, and salty ones that are treasuries of rancor, vessels of envy, and ships of hatred.

And furthermore in his letter he had composed boastful verses, ostensibly addressing Mustafa but in reality God knows their intention. Say: He knows what you proclaim openly and what you whisper in secret, your movements and your dwelling places, and all is recorded in a clear tablet before Him. Nothing escapes His knowledge and no matter eludes His grasp. He knows all that you plot today against the Cause of God. I swear by God that those possessed of understanding are ashamed to mention the boastful expressions written in that scroll. For example, he had rhymed vulgar terms like “son of Zal” and “old woman’s quilt” and “falcon” and “sparrow”—such coarse and impure words that have always been rejected by God and the people of wisdom and ever shall be.

Say: Have you not heard what the Dove warbled at the apex of immortality around the crimson sea in His first counsel to His loved ones and initial teaching to His chosen ones? He said—and His word is the truth—“The wayfarer on the white path and the crimson pillar shall never reach the station of his homeland except through detachment from all that is in the hands of men.” Despite the fact that that Essence of being and Manifestation of the Desired One commanded that hearts be sanctified from vain allusions and rejected suppositions, ears be cleansed from hearing malicious fabricated melodies, and eyes be purified from beholding transient words, still you gathered whatever crude and unworthy words existed in the world and displayed your learning, sending fabrications to the divine rose garden and dispatching mortal darkness to the holy immortal realm.

Hear from this servant, by God, that I have no complaint about all this hatred and rancor manifested by you. But how long will you cling to dark veils and consider following the self and passion obligatory? Soar from the dust of negation to the throne of affirmation, journey from “We belong to God” and return.

In truth, if the fire of rancor was not ablaze and the banner of hatred not raised in your breast, and if your purpose was truly to inquire about Mustafa and others with no other thoughts or intentions, you could have asked two simple questions about whether what so-and-so said was true or false, so that an answer could be given and truth distinguished from falsehood. Not that you should fill so many pages with fabricated words. By God, those pages were wronged, for you made the place of the Supreme Pen’s affirmation a manifestation of the pen of hatred. And We know that all this was not from you but from what Satan whispered in your soul and breast. Therefore, sanctify yourself and purify your heart from all else but Him and trust in God your Lord. Say “God” with your whole being, then leave those from whom you detect the odor of rancor to be drowned in the sea of fire.

And I swear by God that if anyone from the people of the Bayan mentions abrogation of the Book, may God break the mouth of the speaker and slanderer. By Him Who holds my soul and being in His hand, one letter of the Bayan is more beloved to me than all who are in the heavens and earth. Woe unto you, O people of hatred! How do you slander the loved ones of God? Do ye not witness how We have sacrificed Our spirit and Our body in confronting the enemies, and at every moment We await the meeting with God, that perchance We may follow the example of those who offer up their souls and are martyred in His presence? Do ye not behold how We stand in the midst of the enemies, with life and heart in hand, ready for whatever may come to pass? Can he who openly confronteth the enemies, who sacrificeth at every moment his spirit and all he possesseth, who proclaimeth the Cause of God before the peoples of the world and concealeth not His Cause, be compared with him who remaineth seated in his house? Can ye not perceive?

O thou who walkest in the paths of fancy and error, who wanderest in the wilderness of ignorance and blindness! Wert thou to be fair in the Cause of God, the mere blinking of thine eye would cause thee to rend thy garments, to run naked upon the ground, to cast ashes upon thy face, to eat dust, to find no rest in any place, neither to eat nor drink, nor to find repose, to groan in thy heart and cry out with thy tongue, to weep in secret and shed tears openly, to burn in thy liver, and not to be content with thyself until God hath forgiven thee for what hath flowed from thy pen, O thou who art proud before God and His signs and His proof and His testimony!

By God! Were such to be thy state, the fire itself would flee from the flame of thy self, O thou donkey, and the fire would seek refuge from the fire of thy being, O thou accursed one! May God protect us and all who are in the Bayan from thy evil and from whatsoever thou hast concealed in thy heart and thy secret thoughts.

Finally, for what crime and what transgression hath this enmity appeared and these calumnies flowed from thy pen? Hearken unto the counsel of this compassionate counsellor, and return from the salt marsh of self to the shore of the ocean of the All-Subsisting, and from the fire of transient ignorance to the light of eternal knowledge. Though the counsel of the wise profiteth not the deniers and hath no effect upon those who turn away, even as fragrance profiteth not those with colds, nor a shining mirror the blind,

“and thou canst not make those to hear who are in the graves.”

And furthermore, it was written that the accusations which Mustafa and others attributed to the letter Jim are four. First, why does he call people toward the Primal Point—may the spirit of all creation be sacrificed for Him? Now judge fairly—would any swine utter such words, or would such blasphemy and misbelief ever issue from anyone’s tongue? No, by God! These words are naught but an attempt to create complete sedition and, under the guise of faith, to stir up discord. Say: Do ye scheme against God’s Cause? The hand of God is above your hands, and verily He is more severe in His scheming and mightier in His punishment. Another accusation is that the honored letter Jim sent the “Garden of Holiness” to the Most Holy Court. In any case, he mentioned such things which never existed, while many poems sent by the chosen ones and the righteous were all accepted without any objection.

The One God is witness that in this kingdom naught was mentioned save their praise, even though fragrances wafted from their hearts that were unworthy of them. Nevertheless, this was hidden with Him from Whom nothing is concealed, and naught was manifested toward them except loving words and friendly tidings, until everyone who came from that direction related such things about them that, by God, no lover could bear to hear.

And if this writer of the scroll would be fair and enter the straight path of truth and sincerity, love and faithfulness, he would tell what he himself said and heard from them with his own ears, and would turn from the left of fancy to the right of certainty, and would judge fairly what was said and with whom lies the truth. By God, the lover is as distinct from the hater as the sun from its shadow and light from darkness, and nothing becomes doubtful to anyone unless they wish to make it doubtful to themselves. Their statements became well-known in this land. By God, after these sayings became known and these deeds appeared, some of the companions, without the permission and consent of these servants, made certain statements—and God bears witness to this and suffices as witness. And afterwards all the companions were forbidden and became quiet and silent. God is Most Great! No one intended to migrate to this land except that they brought from them such words and messages that burned the hearts of the Concourse on High and the beloved ones. I remained without spirit, heart, and life, and the survival of a soul was among my greatest perplexities.

Say: O thou who art heedless of God’s remembrance and burner of His loved ones’ hearts! We are content with thy judgment in this matter, so ask those who migrated from there to this land, that thou mayest know that I speak no falsehood, and know that we have held fast to the handle of truth, and that thou mayest witness what God hath witnessed upon the Throne of Eternity, that perchance thou mayest be numbered among the doers of good, written by the Pen of the Spirit upon the Tablets of Holiness. Say: Ask thyself of the migrating souls, both those whose names were mentioned at the beginning of the Tablets and other servants, that it may become clear to thee what was said and what accusations were made against the land of God and His servants. Say: Is not this multitude of enemies sufficient, and are not these numerous hunters of the gazelles of the vale of faithfulness enough, that you too have arisen to inflict harm upon these Doves of eternity? O Lord! Pour forth patience upon me and grant me victory over the wrongdoing people! Make not haste, for divine decrees are in motion and descent, and soon you shall find rest.

I swear by God that I have desired naught from the Truth except transformation, that this earth might be changed, so that this servant might be sanctified from all questioning, answering, and meeting. Verily He ordains whatsoever He is asked, and He is indeed near, the Answering One.

Section 4: “And further, mention was made of the tribes…”

And further, mention was made of the tribes of Moses and the Pharaonic Egyptians, yet never did he distinguish the living Moses from Pharaoh’s Egyptian, nor did he differentiate between the Children of Israel in the lands of justice and the Egyptians in the realms of tyranny. Say: Open thine eyes, soften thy heart, and sharpen thy inner vision that thou mayest recognize those who have believed and migrated in God’s path from those who turned away and waxed proud, remaining deprived of the sacred sanctuary. Then know that the tribes are now seated upon the carpet, reclining on crimson cushions, moving by the breezes of the Command in a space that God hath sanctified beyond the comprehension of all created things. They rejoice in the glad-tidings of the Spirit and delight in God’s joy, receiving sustenance from the manna that descended from the holy heaven. They have crossed the sea of fire by God’s might and entered the sacred Paran and majestic Horeb, and God saved them from those who were drowned in the sea of pride and tyranny. They soar around Paradise and warble melodies that cause all the Concourse on High to swoon. Thus do We impart unto thee from the mysteries that were inscribed by God’s Pen in the holy Tablets.

I swear by God that if thou shouldst catch a fragrance from the divine Ridvan, by God thou wouldst find no rest in any place, land, or city. But God hath forbidden this to all who turn away. Yea, the afflicted one is deprived and the fettered one barred. Say: By God, if thou knew what thou hast done, thou wouldst drown thyself in water, or cast thy body into fire, or throw thyself from mountains, and weep throughout God’s eternal existence for having made thyself of those who have committed a grievous sin in the earth. Would that this distant and fettered one might be purified for a moment from the desire of self, that he might perceive the signs, proofs, and tokens of the Egyptian. Say: Thus do We mention unto you a remembrance of every matter, that perchance ye may find a way unto God, your Lord, the All-Merciful.

And furthermore, you wrote that they intended to kill the Messenger. Say to him: By God, if divine love dwelleth in the hearts of Abdul-Baqi and Mustafa, they must surely kiss the hand of the killer and bequeath unto him their own possessions, that they may attain the draught of martyrdom and hasten to the holy concourse and the exalted companion.

Say: Hast thou not heard how the Dove warbled upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, and how the Spirit sang with celestial melodies in the Most Exalted Paradise? O son of man! Wouldst thou prefer to die in thy bed, or to be martyred in My path upon the dust, becoming the Dawning-place of My love in the highest Paradise? Judge thou fairly, O servant! Let that body perish that seeketh not to welter in blood for the sake of the Beloved, and let that form be no more that shunneth martyrdom in His love. Say: Hast thou not read that “verily the friends of God, no fear shall be upon them, neither shall they grieve”?

Convey what hath been mentioned unto all the people and impart it to everyone. Regard not this matter lightly, but with all thy might and power aid the Cause and its followers. Be not heedless for a moment, for the devils are engaged with utmost determination and power in deception and machination. It was also mentioned that they had written questions and answers so as to cast doubt in people’s hearts. Though it is not known who the questioner and respondent are, yet God hath reckoned the questioner and respondent as one soul, and He knoweth what is in the breasts, if ye but knew. Thus have We related unto thee stories of the Cause that thou mayest be of those who comprehend through the allusions of words.

Say: O heedless one! It is as though thou wert mounted upon the steed of self, having let slip its reins from thy grasp, such that thou knowest not in what land thou walkest or runnest. Thus befitteth the wrongdoers the punishment of a grievous day. By God, thou art the barren one, for thou hast deprived thyself of God’s mercy and of the grace which was observed dawning from the Dayspring of the Spirit at the break of light. And likewise are those who walk in thy footsteps and follow what Satan whispereth in their breasts, and who have taken the Samiri as their protector instead of God, and were gathered in the land of rancor and hatred.

Say: O disputer, O opposer, and those who follow thee! By what proof have ye turned away from Him Who called you to naught but God, and risen against Him with the swords of your tongues and arrows of your idle fancies, after God had forbidden you from this in the Book which no falsehood can approach and which was sealed with God’s seal in the treasuries of infallibility? By God, were the breezes of love to waft over your hearts, ye would sever your heads with your own hands in recompense for what ye have wrought in God’s religion, and ye were written in the holy tablets as among the deniers.

Say: O despairing striver, O deprived opponent! For what sin didst thou draw forth the sword of thy vain imaginings from the scabbard of thy desire, when thou hadst not seen Me, nor associated with Me, nor had thy letter reached Me, nor Mine thee, nor had I heard thy name, nor hadst thou reckoned what I was upon? By God, all this stemmed from naught but thine evil nature, O thou who associateth partners with God, who turneth away from His beauty, and who disputeth His signs!

By the Lord of the heavens and earth, thou hast committed that which none before thee hath ever committed, and thou hast perpretrated a sin which none before thee hath wrought, nor hath it occurred to any soul. We beseech God to requite thee for what thou hast done and intended, and thus thou art among those who have never inhaled the fragrances of detachment from the realm of divine unity, and have never entered the city which, by God’s power, was spread behind the pavilion of glory.

Furthermore, even assuming—God forbid—that Mustafa uttered such words from his tongue of ignorance, how was it proven that it came from this servant? By God, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting! If such nonsense were to issue from anyone’s lips—and the investigation of this matter did not require such lengthy elaboration, for it could have been determined with but two words. I praise God that while all were occupied in their homes with the desires of self and preservation of wealth and station, we, these servants, in a foreign land and despite the intensity of the enemies, gathered all that had been revealed from God. All was written in the blessed hand, bound, and some were sent to all regions. We preserved it with such hardship that none save God is aware or hath comprehended. One nobility of this land is that it became the site of this supreme honor and greatest station. Yet despite this, instead of rendering assistance or aid, ye have made and continue to make these accusations.

By God! I do not complain of you, for it behooveth you to do as ye have done and attribute what ye have attributed, even as did those before you who warred against God in His Cause, disputed with His chosen ones, contended with His loved ones, argued with His favored ones, denied the grace of those who believed in God, and strove against His path, even as ye have done with all your power and with all ye were capable of, and ye denied the grace which was showered from the clouds of mercy by God’s power. By God! At this moment my heart melteth at what ye have done, the lamp before me weepeth, the pen trembleth in my fingers, and the tablet lamenteth in my hand at what thou hast falsely attributed to the servant, and how thou hast not been ashamed before God Who created thee by His command and brought thee forth from the water that was hidden in thy father’s loins.

And at the end of the epistle he had mentioned that “our belief is that you and His Honor Jim are of the same station, and this we believe,” and then he mentioned Moses and Khidr, concealing therein an intention. First, he hath spoken falsely and slandered his own self, and his pen and ink have given him the lie. Say: Thus do your own hands and pens testify against you, if ye but perceive. All his purposes, beliefs, love and hatred became evident from his book. Had he been blessed with the fragrance of love for God and His friends, he would never have deemed it permissible to make such false accusations against His servant. In this scroll he mentioned not one word of truth, nor any expression indicating kindliness. All was but a manifestation of love for His Honor Jim and hatred for God and His friends. Thus have We reckoned all that was from him, and his own hands, his ink, and the Pen which God chastised with his finger for what it had improperly written in the kingdom, all bear witness to this, and thus does this Pen testify in this Tablet that it may serve as a warning unto all peoples.

Secondly, by God besides Whom there is none other God, this servant hath borne naught but servitude, and hereafter the Command is in the hand of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. It would be difficult for anyone to accompany this servant in this station. Nevertheless, good God! In every letter sent to this king from those filled with rancor and hatred, mention is made of proof, saying that so-and-so spoke thus and when we asked for proof, he was unable to produce it. After all, from whom do they seek proof, and for what matter do they demand evidence? If they seek proof of servitude, it hath filled the horizons, and if they seek aught else, I have it not.

Say: O ye who turn aside! Even if ye were to soar with the wings of idle fancy from this moment until the Day that hath no end, ye would never reach the atmosphere of this heaven. Therefore, O ye who are filled with rancor, perish in your wrath and in the fire of your own selves. God is well aware of what ye conceal today in your hearts. Say: Have ye forgotten what God counseled you in the Book and in all the Tablets, that should ye find a fire in the Divine Lote-Tree, ye should not extinguish it with the water of your rancor, nor touch it with your idle fancies? Fear God, O people of the Bayan, then be not disdainful of His worship. Ye have cast the counsel of God behind your backs and have not answered the call of God, and ye are of those who believed and then turned away, then increased in their wretchedness while thinking they had attained the countenance of guidance. Nay, rather they are those who have turned away from the beauty of God.

Say: The example of what ye write and send to various regions is like unto those who wrote papers and hung them upon the House to refute the Truth by their words. Woe unto them and unto you for what they did and what ye do today. Say: God upholdeth the truth by His words and nullifieth falsehood by His command, and He rendereth void the deeds of those who have perpetrated calumny and sin, and He cutteth off the last traces of those who have risen against His servant without proof or evidence. Such hath been His way aforetime, if ye would observe in the horizons of the Cause. Say: O thou who turneth away! Hear My words and transgress not thy bounds.

Descend from the ladder of self and passion, then ascend the ladder of equity and contentment, that perchance God may forgive thee and cause thee to enter the shore of His love and grant thee the fruits of detachment and make thee among those who rejoice at the glad tidings of holiness. We bear witness at the end of the Book that He Whom God shall make manifest is the Truth, there is no doubt in Him, and God shall manifest Him at the time of Mustaghath, and then ye shall turn away from Him. By God! Were ye to be in this garment, ye would not believe in Him nor in those whom He would send unto you from His presence, for ye would object to Him and dispute with Him concerning what ye possess, and ye would argue based on what Satan hath cast into your hearts, while He is sanctified above all that. He calleth unto you with the tongue of the unseen:

“Verily, there is no God but Me. O people of the Bayan, return ye unto Me!”

By God, I then wept at these words to such an extent that none can reckon save God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. It is as though I perceived His sorrow and all that would befall Him through your evil surmises. The curse of God be upon those who have wronged and continue to wrong without any proof from God or any beloved Book.

I swear by God that this servant glories in the dust trodden by the blessed feet of that Most Great Luminary, and every tract of earth is beloved unto this servant, for it may become the place whereon that blessed Being walks. The very air hath become the object of this servant’s desire, for He doth breathe it, and likewise all the waters of the earth, for He doth drink thereof. I yearn for all existence to become the focus of that Sovereign of the unseen and the seen. How excellent are the words:

“My ultimate goal is the ground touched by Her feet, and the throne of Glory is but earth whereon She walks.”

Yet I know not why such meaningless utterances have flowed from the tongues and mouths of these brutish common folk. Say: Hath God given you permission for this, or do ye forge lies against God? In any case, I have resigned all matters unto Him. Verily, we are God’s and to Him shall we return.