Volume 034: Middle Edirne (March 1866 – September 1867) (7 of 8)

BH00144: Suriy-i-Bayan

Section 1: “Make mention of the name of thy Lord’s…”

He is the Most High, the Most Exalted in the Heaven of Abha!

Make mention of the name of thy Lord’s servant when he entered the Spot of Paradise, the place whereon shone forth the lights of the Countenance from the Dawning-Place of Beauty with perspicuous signs, and stood before the Throne, the scene of God, the Most High, the Most Exalted, and heard the melodies of his Lord, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, and attained unto all good when the breezes of holiness wafted upon him from the Ridvan of God, the Most High, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Great.

O Ancient Beauty! Give glad tidings unto him who stood before the Throne concerning that which was ordained for him in the preserved holy scrolls. Say: Verily thy arrival upon the shore of grandeur, the station wherein surged the ocean of names through the name of God, the Most High, the Most Exalted, is better than all that hath been created in the heavens and the earth.

O thou who journeyest unto God! Take thy portion from this ocean and deprive not thyself of that which hath been ordained therein, and be of them that attain. Were all who are in the heavens and earth to be given but a drop thereof, they would find themselves enriched through the enrichment of God, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Take, with the hand of detachment, a handful from this Living Ocean, then sprinkle it upon all created things, that they may be purified from human limitations and be brought nigh unto the Most Sublime Vision of God, this hallowed and resplendent spot.

If thou findest thyself alone, grieve not, for God sufficeth thee. Commune then with Him and be of the thankful. Deliver the Cause of thy Lord to all who are in the heavens and on earth. If thou findest one who turneth unto it, reveal unto him the pearls of the wisdom of God, thy Lord, which the Spirit hath cast upon thee, and be of them that turn. And if thou findest one who turneth away, turn thou away from him and put thy trust in God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds.

By the True One! Whosoever openeth his lips today in remembrance of the name of his Lord, upon him shall descend the hosts of divine inspiration from the dawning-place of My name, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, and the denizens of the Supreme Concourse shall descend upon him with chalices of light. Thus hath it been ordained in the heaven of command by One mighty and powerful.

God hath, behind the Tabernacle of Holiness, servants who shall appear on earth and aid this Cause, and they shall fear no one even should all creation war against them. These shall arise between the heavens and earth, making mention of God with their loudest voice and calling the people unto the path of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Follow thou in their footsteps, fear no one, and be of them whom the clamor of the people doth not sadden in the path of their Creator, nor are deterred by the blame of the blamer.

Go forth with the Tablet of God and His signs unto them that have believed, and give them glad tidings of the holy Ridvan. Then warn the idolaters. Say: O people! By God, I have come to you from the direction of the Throne with a message from God, the Powerful, the Most High, the Great, and in my hand is a proof from God, your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of old. Weigh it with the true balance of whatsoever proofs ye possess from the Prophets and Messengers. If ye find it to be the truth from God, beware lest ye dispute concerning it or render your deeds vain, and be not of the idolaters.

These are the verses of God which have been sent down in truth, and through them His Cause hath been established among His creation, and the banners of sanctity have been raised between the heavens and earth. Say: O people! This is the sealed and guarded Scroll which was inscribed by the Finger of Holiness and concealed behind the veils of the Unseen, and hath now been sent down through grace from One mighty and ancient. Therein have We ordained the destinies of all who dwell in the heavens and on earth, and the knowledge of the ancients.

Say: His knowledge comprehendeth both the first and the last, and nothing escapeth His knowledge, nor is there aught He is powerless to accomplish among all created things, if ye be of them that understand. Say: The return hath come again, and We have stretched forth the hand of power over all who are in the heavens and on earth, and have manifested from Our Most Great Mystery, based on pure truth, secrets beyond reckoning. Thereupon did the Sinaites expire at the dawning of this crimson Light upon the Spot of Sinai. Thus did the Beauty of the All-Merciful come upon the clouds of proof, and the decree was fulfilled by God, the Mighty, the Wise.

Say to the Maiden of Paradise: Come forth from the chambers of holiness, then array thyself in the silk of eternity as thou pleaseth, and in the shimmering green silk in My Most Glorious Name. Then hearken to the most wondrous and sweet melodies raised from the direction of thy Lord’s Most Exalted Throne. Then appear from the horizon of the veil with the ornament of the heavenly maiden, and deprive not the servants of the radiance of thy shining countenance. And shouldst thou hear the sighing of the peoples of earth and heaven, grieve not—leave them to perish in the dust of extinction and be annihilated by the fire of hatred kindled in their souls. Then sing with the sweetest melodies between earth and heaven in remembrance of the Name of the King of Names and Attributes. Thus have We ordained the matter for thee, and verily We are powerful over all things.

Beware lest thou remove from thy most pure form the most luminous garment. Rather, add unto it at all times from the garments of eternity in the heaven of creation, that the ornament of God may be manifest through thee in all things besides Him, and thy Lord’s grace be perfected unto all worlds. And shouldst thou find in anyone the fragrance of thy Lord’s love, sacrifice thyself in His path, for We created thee for Him, and thus did We take from thee the covenant in the eternal atoms before the company of them that are nigh. Be not dismayed by the arrows of conjecture from the people of allusions—leave them to themselves, for they follow the promptings of Satan.

Then cry out between earth and heaven:

“By God the Truth! I am the Maiden created by Glory in the palace of His Most Glorious Name, and He adorned my soul with the ornament of Names in the Most Exalted Paradise. Verily, I was preserved behind the veils of chastity and concealed from the gaze of creation, when I heard the most wondrous melodies from the right side of the All-Merciful. I bear witness that the Paradise stirred within itself with longing to hear it and desire to attain its presence.”

Thus have We sent down in the Qayyumu’l-Asma’ upon the melody of eternity, and upon the sweetest melody in this clear Tablet.

Say: He is the Ruler over whatsoever He willeth; by His sovereignty He ordaineth what He desireth by His command, and He shall not be asked of what He willeth and desireth. He is the Chosen One, the Powerful, the Wise. They that have denied God and His sovereignty, these are they whom the self and passion have overcome, and they shall return to their abode in the fire—evil indeed is the abode of the deniers.

Adorn thyself with My love, then thy heart with My remembrance, then thy tongue with the propagation of My Cause. Thus hath it been ordained for thee in preserved tablets of might. Then walk among the people with God’s dignity and tranquility, that His signs may be manifest through thee among the worlds. If there be kindled within thy soul from this Fire which God hath lit in the heart of Paradise, that the warmth of the Cause might be generated through thee in the hearts of them that have believed in God and are of the faithful. Walk thou in My footsteps and speak naught but pure truth, then show humility before God’s unified servants. Thus doth the Tongue of the Cause counsel thee—hearken unto what thou art commanded, then act upon it, that thou mayest be of them that attain. Verily, they from whom God’s signs are not manifest in His commandments—the verdict of faith shall not be confirmed for them. Yet most people remain veiled from God’s Cause and are accounted among the lost.

Say: O people! Doth it befit anyone to attribute himself to his Lord, the Most Merciful, while committing that which Satan himself would commit? Nay, by the Beauty of the All-Glorious, were ye of them that know! Sanctify your hearts from love of the world, then your tongues from mention of aught save Him, then your limbs from whatsoever would keep you from attaining His presence and draw you nigh unto the promptings of desire. Fear God, O people, and be of the God-fearing.

Say: O people! If ye say what ye do not practice, what then is the difference between you and those who said “God is our Lord,” yet when He came to them upon the clouds of holiness, they denied Him and were among the rejectors? Free yourselves from the world and its ornaments. Beware lest ye draw nigh unto it, for it biddeth you to transgression and wickedness and preventeth you from the straight path of glory. Know ye that the world is your heedlessness of your Creator and your occupation with aught else save Him. The hereafter is that which draweth you nigh unto God, the Mighty, the Beautiful. Whatsoever preventeth you this day from the love of God—that indeed is the world. Shun it, that ye may be among the successful ones.

He whom nothing preventeth from God—no harm shall come to him though he adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth and its decorations and whatsoever hath been created therein, for God hath created all that is in the heavens and on earth for His servants who believe in His unity. Eat, O people, of that which God hath made lawful unto you and deprive not yourselves of His wondrous bounties. Then give thanks unto Him and be of the thankful.

O thou who hast migrated unto God! Deliver unto the people the messages of thy Lord, that perchance they may be withheld from the direction of self and passion, and may remember the remembrance of God, the Most High, the Most Great. Say: O people! Fear God, shed not blood, oppose no soul, and be of the doers of good. Beware lest ye spread corruption in the land after its reformation, and follow not the ways of the heedless. Whosoever among you desireth to deliver the Cause of his Lord, it behooveth him first to deliver it unto himself, then unto the people, that his words may attract the hearts of the hearers. Without this, his words will never influence the hearts of the seekers.

Beware, O people, lest ye be of them who enjoin righteousness upon others but forget their own selves. Such are belied by whatsoever proceedeth from their mouths, then by the realities of things, then by the angels drawn nigh. And if the words of these have influence upon anyone, this is not from them but from what hath been ordained in the words by the presence of One mighty and wise. Their likeness in the sight of God is as a lamp from which servants receive light while it consumeth itself and becometh of those that are consumed.

Say: O people! Commit not that whereby your honor and the honor of the Cause are lost among the servants, lest ye be numbered among the workers of corruption. Draw not nigh unto that which your minds reject. Shun iniquity, for it hath been forbidden unto you in the Book which none may touch save those whom God hath cleansed from every impurity and made them of the purified ones. Be just with yourselves, then with others, that the signs of justice may be manifested from your deeds among Our sincere servants.

Take heed lest ye betray the trust of any person. Be ye trustees among men, and withhold not from the poor what God in His bounty hath bestowed upon you. He verily shall recompense the charitable double what they have expended. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command. He giveth to whomsoever He willeth, and withholdeth from whomsoever He pleaseth. He, verily, is the Giver, the Bountiful, the Mighty, the Gracious.

Say: O people of Baha! Teach ye the Cause of God, for God hath prescribed unto every soul the duty to proclaim His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds, inasmuch as it can never be accepted except after recognition of God, the Mighty, the Powerful. He hath ordained that teaching be accomplished through utterance and not otherwise. Thus hath the command been sent down from the Realm of God, the Most Exalted, the All-Wise. Beware lest ye contend with anyone; rather, explain through goodly speech and wise counsel. If one be receptive, well and good; if not, leave him to himself and turn toward the Holy Court, the sanctified and luminous Seat. Dispute not with anyone concerning the world and what hath been ordained therein, for God hath abandoned it to such as have set their hearts upon it.

He desireth naught of it save the hearts of His servants, which are conquered through the hosts of revelation and utterance. Thus hath the decree been recorded by the Fingers of Baha on the Tablet of destiny by the command of One Who is the All-Knowing Ordainer. Have mercy on yourselves, then on your kindred, and then on God’s sincere servants. Should ye find one who is abased, be not proud toward him, for the King of Glory passeth by him in these days, and none knoweth this save him whose will is the Will of your Lord, the Mighty, the Wise.

O ye that are rich! When ye behold one who is poor and dust-stained, flee not from him, but rather sit with him and ask concerning that which hath befallen him from the seas of God’s decree. By God, in that state the denizens of the Supreme Concourse will observe you, and will pray for you, and will implore forgiveness for you, and will extol and glorify you with sanctified, pure and eloquent tongues. Blessed is the learned one who prideth not himself on his knowledge, and well is it with the righteous one who revileth not the sinful, concealing their misdeeds that God may conceal his own guilty actions, for He is the best of those who hide faults. Be ye, O people, concealers of faults in the earth and forgivers in the lands, that God may forgive you through His grace. Then pardon ye, that God may pardon you and clothe you in the garment of grace. And should any one of the believers seek your protection and ye have the means, then grant him protection, and deny him not what he seeketh, that God may protect you in the shadow of His mercy on the Day when hearts shall boil, livers shall burn, and the limbs of all creation shall tremble.

Say: O people! Hold fast to pure truthfulness, for by it your souls shall be adorned, your names exalted, your stations elevated, and your ranks enhanced among the people of the earth, and in the life to come ye shall have a mighty reward. Thus do We counsel those who have believed, that they may hear what they are counseled in the Book of God and find their way to Him Who is the Lord of Grace.

O thou who hast attained unto the Most Sublime Vision! The time appointed for thy presence before the Throne hath been fulfilled. Arise, by God’s leave, and take the Book of Divine Grace, then proceed with it unto the lands and give glad tidings unto their people of the good-pleasure of God, the King, the Most High, the Most Great. Yet carry from this Paradise the sweet-scented breezes of fellowship, that thou mayest quicken thereby the hearts of those who have been thunderstruck by the thunderbolt of His Cause, that they may arise from the graves of heedlessness and utter that which the Spirit uttered on that day in the Most Exalted Paradise: that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath come in the name of ʿAli before Nabil is the Manifestation of His sovereignty, the Dayspring of His signs, and the Source of His grace and power unto all who are in the heavens and on earth.

Moreover, he who speaketh at this hour speaketh by virtue of His might and honor, His grandeur, and furthermore His majesty and glory, unto all created things. Thus doth it behove thee and those who are established in the Seat of His Cause and have quaffed the choice wine that hath been unsealed from this hallowed and luminous Cup.

Section 2: “And when thou arrivest in the Land…”

And when thou arrivest in the Land of Ta, spread this Tablet before Our Name, the All-Bountiful, that his eyes may be solaced thereby and his soul rejoice, and that he may be numbered among those who are glad. Then spread it before those who have emerged from the darkness of idle fancy and taken their station upon the seat of certitude. There thou shalt hear the clamor of those who have disbelieved and turned away and were among the idolaters. Say: O people! Do ye disbelieve in God Who created you and fashioned you and caused you to know the Manifestation of His Self and made you to be among those who know? Beware, O people, lest ye deprive yourselves of the oceans of inner meanings and follow every froward devil.

Look with sanctified vision upon God’s Balance that ye may recognize His true and upright Balance. Say: Today it behooveth every soul to purify his heart from attachment to whatsoever hath been created between the heavens and the earth, to sanctify his ears from all that he hath heard, and to return his sight unto that which lieth before him of the proofs whereby God hath revealed His Cause in every age and dispensation, and then unto the proof that hath appeared in this day with manifest sovereignty; and to ponder the signs of God and reflect upon them. By God! Then will the sun of certitude dawn upon him from the dayspring of his Lord’s utterance and illumine his heart, and he shall be numbered among those who are assured.

Say: The handiwork of God can never be mistaken for the handiwork of any among the people, yet the people confound themselves. What aileth them that they fail to comprehend even a single utterance from God, the Mighty, the All-Informed? Say: After the rising of the sun and its radiance, doth any light of any luminous thing remain? Nay, by the Self of God, the All-Possessing, the Mighty, the Powerful! Thus have We mentioned the Cause and completed the proof unto all who are on earth, all of them together. And We take God and His chosen ones and furthermore His angels as witnesses that I have not fallen short in aught that I was commanded, and have conveyed His messages unto the East of the earth and its West. He and they suffice as witness and knower concerning Me.

And when thou dost arrive in the Land of Za, remind those servants who dwell there of this Most Great Remembrance. Say: O people! Believe in God and in that which hath been sent down from His presence, and follow not those who have disbelieved in the signs of the All-Merciful and His sovereignty, yet make mention of Him morning and evening. Say: Your likeness is as the likeness of those who would make mention of God at eventide and at dawn, yet when God came unto them in the shadow of His Most Exalted Name, they denied Him and were numbered with the idolaters. Say: O people! Aid ye God with your souls and your possessions, then stand firm in His Cause in such wise that should all who are on earth wage war against you, your feet would not slip from the path of God, the Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing.

Stand firm, O people, in that hour when Satan entereth upon you with that which hindereth men from the love of God and calleth them unto the most great tyrant. Thus do We inform you that ye may be of them that know. By the True One! Whatsoever ye have heard concerning this Cause hath appeared from Mine Own invincible and wondrous Command. We have referred it to others for a wisdom from Our presence, lest the hearts of the idolaters be drawn to a single place, and that the Cause might be preserved from the harm of every harmful and obstinate soul.

By God, besides Whom there is none other God! They who would conceal their faces from every seeing one have risen against Me with a tyranny wherewith no tyranny of them of old can compare. And when thou seest Muhammad-Qabli-ʿAli, give him glad tidings from Our presence, then remind him of that which hath been sent down unto him in tablets of mighty preservation.

Say: O servant! Stand firm in the Cause and associate not partners with God, then suffice thyself with Him above all else, and be thou firmly established. Detach thyself from all else but Me, find solace in My remembrance, and be not of the doubtful ones. Arise in pure servitude, for through it the Cause of God, thy Lord, is established and mercy descendeth upon the worlds. Say: O people! Measure not the Cause of God by that which your souls have fancied, transgress not your bounds, and be not of the mischief-makers. And whoso transgresseth his bounds this day shall not be mentioned before God and shall be numbered with the transgressors. Prostrate yourselves before God, your Lord, and when the sun of wisdom shineth forth from the dawning-place of utterance, fall ye down upon the dust in humility before your Lord, the All-Merciful.

Thus doth it beseem you, O concourse of them that are near! And whoso hath found the sweetness and delight of servitude will never exchange it for aught of what hath been created between the heavens and the earth. Through it shall your faces be illumined, your breasts purified, your souls sanctified, and your traces exalted among the worlds. Know ye, moreover, that the most honored before God are the most humble and God-fearing among you. Thus have We sent down aforetime and now, and We, verily, are the Senders Down. Hearken, O people, unto that which God commandeth you in the kingdom of His Cause, and be not of them who have been remiss in the side of God and have transgressed that which We have ordained for them. Evil, indeed, is the abode of the transgressors.

O thou who art present before the Throne! Consort with the people with wisdom, then guard thyself lest harm befall thee and it return to the Divine Lote-Tree, exalted and inaccessible. Shun matters that give rise to sedition, then seek thy Lord’s grace at all times. Beware lest thou forget these days. By God! A moment thereof cannot be equaled by the time of those who have gone before or shall come after, and none shall attain unto their presence save whom thy Lord willeth. Thus have We ordained the matter, and We were the Ordainers. Forget not the times when thou wert present before the Throne in the Most Great Paradise, when the Sun of thy Lord’s Beauty shone upon thee at all times with wondrous rays, and thou didst drink the wine of verses from the Kawthar of the All-Merciful, and wert blessed with God’s bounty—the Bestower, the Giver, the Generous.

When thou seest one approaching the sanctuary of God to enter the seat of the mighty Throne, prevent him on Our behalf, for thereby souls are troubled and harm returneth to My Self, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. Turn not unto the direction of God except by His leave. Thus hath the decree shone forth from the horizon of a wise command. Then convey thy Lord’s command in every city. If thou findest one detached, give him glad tidings of God’s mercy and bounty. Then mention to him what hath befallen Us at the hands of the hosts of Satan.

Say: By God! There hath befallen Us what hath befallen no one amongst all creation, whereby the lamentation of every discerning mystic was raised, and all things created in the realm of being weep at My tribulation—nay, all within God’s knowledge, were ye of those who know. Those who were created by the will of My Pen have denied My Self and have written tablets against Me whereby their deeds are rendered vain, though they perceive it not. Thereby have the traces of grace been effaced, the waters of mercy cut off, the clouds of bounty withheld, and the breezes of holiness ceased to blow upon all the worlds. Recount thou the Youth’s tale as thou knowest it—add not nor subtract therefrom, and be upon a straight path of truth. Then inform the people of the calumnies of those souls who have disbelieved and associated partners with God. Say: By God! They desired naught thereby save to turn the servants away from the direction of the Throne. By God! They are in manifest error. When thou arrivest in the land of Ba from Kha, remember on Our behalf its people—both men and women among the devoted ones—that they may rejoice within themselves and be among the glad ones.

Say: By God! The Most Great Mystery hath appeared in the eternal form and when He moved His lips with a word, the forms of those near unto God dispersed from around Him. O people! Be steadfast in God’s Cause and His sovereignty and deny not Him in Whom ye believed before. Thus doth the servant counsel you at a time when tribulations have encompassed him from all sides from the manifestations of the ungodly, and he sitteth imprisoned, finding no helper for himself save God, the Almighty, the Mighty, the Wise. By God, the Truth! At every moment I am slain by all swords, and none knoweth this save God, the Counter, the All-Knowing. O thou traveler! We have previously revealed for the devoted women a tablet We named the Tablet of Baha, wherein We made mention through allusion of what hath befallen Us.

Take thou a copy thereof, then go unto them and read it unto them that they may remember what hath befallen the Youth from the hosts of Satan. Say: O loved ones of God! Guard yourselves lest Satan prevent you from the remembrance of the All-Merciful. Then remember Him with the melodies of those who are attracted, for by His remembrance hearts are purified, souls are refined, and the hearts of the lovers are drawn nigh.

When thou reachest Kha, make mention there of the sincere servants of God, and convey unto them from Us a remembrance, a mercy and a light. Then recount unto them the story of the Youth, that they may be numbered among those who remember. Then make mention of the name of God, ?, who was of the remnants of the family of Husayn between the heavens and the earth—they who sacrificed their souls in the path of God, their Creator, and were among the striving ones. These are they who strove with their wealth and their souls before the Countenance, until they entered the Paradise of the All-Merciful and were therein among the secure ones. Then they shall rejoice in the Most Exalted Paradise, and the youth of the All-Glorious shall circle round them with chalices of immortality, and the maids of glory shall serve them morning and evening. Thus doth God recompense those who suffered martyrdom in His path, and fulfill the rewards of those who were afflicted with hardships in His Cause. How excellent is the reward of those who strive!

Then turn towards the direction of Our Most Great Name with the Tablet of God and its traces, then enter upon him with a mighty glad-tiding. Then remind him of that which the Spirit hath cast upon thee from this noble scene. Then inform him of the tales of the Youth that he may be apprised of what hath befallen Us in this remote prison, that he may be a partner in Our tribulations and may remember what hath come upon Us in these days, and be of those who remember. Say: O thou who gazeth upon the Most Great Scene! Forget not the remembrance of thy Lord. Arise to the Cause with steadfastness from Us and power from Our presence, and convey unto the people that which thou art commanded, and be not of the patient ones. Seek help at all times from God, thy Lord. Then rend asunder the veils of the deluded ones. Thus did We command thee before, and We command thee now with clear signs.

Then make mention of those who are there from among the detached servants of God. Say: O people! Arise for the Cause of God and His religion, then aid it and be of the helpers. Then know ye that He is indeed independent of all else, and that which He commandeth the people is of His grace unto them, for thereby shall they ascend unto the station of nearness in the Most Exalted Paradise—to this every person of keen insight beareth witness. Thus have We commanded thee and ordained for thee—act according to what thou art commanded and be manifestly just. God shall soon recompense the deeds of those who conveyed His Cause, whom neither the censure of the censurer, nor the gloating of the gloater, nor the prevention of the preventer, nor the abundance of the corrupters deterred.

And when thou beholdest thy brother who hath been named Ahmad in the Kingdom of Names, remind him of the remembrance of God, his Lord. Then mention unto him what hath befallen Us in this far-off land. Say: O servant! Take heed lest thou be grieved in thyself at a time when the souls of all beings, whether small or great, are grief-stricken. Purify thy sight from the veils that thou mayest witness what hath shone forth from the horizon of thy Lord’s words—the Sun of meanings and utterance—and be of them that know. Be steadfast in the Cause of thy Lord and turn not to the right or to the left, for this is indeed a great bounty. Abide beneath the shade of the Tree, taste of its fruits, and be of the thankful ones. Thus do We command thee, that thou mayest abandon what thy desires bid thee and take hold of what thy Lord commandeth thee. By God! This is better for thee, if thou be of them that act.

And thou, O thou who art present before the Throne and gazing upon the Most Great Scene, rejoice within thyself for having been named Muhammad in the Kingdom of Names, and the Herald in the Supreme Dominion, and Mahmud before the Throne. Thus doth God single out for His grace whomsoever He willeth, and He, verily, is the Mighty, the Generous. Blessed art thou for having attained unto all good and its source, and for being among them that have attained, and for having drunk the choice sealed wine of grace from its fountain and source, and for being among the triumphant ones. God will soon manifest the excellence of that which thou hast attained and will reward thee for what thou hast wrought in His path, if thou act according to what thou hast been bidden by One All-Wise, All-Knowing. Thus hath the proof of thy Lord been perfected for thee and for those who have believed in God and His signs, and for all who dwell in the heavens and on earth.

Thereupon the Pen of Command ceased its movement, due to a wisdom which none knoweth save God, the Mighty, the Beautiful. Praise be unto Him in all conditions. There is none other God but Him. His is the creation and the command, and all shall return unto Him.

BH00614: O Mihdi! I have sent down and dispatched unto…

He is the Mighty, the Wondrous

O Mihdi! I have sent down and dispatched unto thee luminous and holy Tablets, that perchance thou mightest be illumined by their light and cause all men to be brightened and enlightened thereby. Haply might the murk of this world of clay and the promptings of the denizens of hell be erased from the hearts of the people of the highest heaven, that they might face the holy rays of the Sun of inner meanings and be illumined by its wondrous effulgence. Yet despite this supreme bounty and this most great favor, thou didst not bestir thyself, as though not even a drop appeared from thee.

And afterward I sent flaming and fiery Tablets, in every letter of which was concealed the call “Verily I am God”, that perchance thou mightest hearken unto the sweet melodies of the All-Glorious and the exalted trills of the All-Merciful, and the moisture of thy lethargy and the dampness of thy torpor might be brought to boil by their heat, and thou mightest raise such a cry from thy soul that would cause the dwellers of the highest Kingdom and the lands of creation to cry out, and through thy yearning lamentation they would hasten to reunion with their Beloved. From that too We saw no fruit and heard no trace.

And in all these degrees, I swear by the Beauty of the All-Glorious, there hath been and shall be no purpose save the ascension of veiled souls to the divine and holy heights. I am astonished how these holy and eternal breezes and these life-giving and merciful breaths have shown no effect and displayed no traces. Therefore, now once again I have sent this noble and holy leaf, adorned with holy and infinite signs, that perchance in this subsequent stage thou mightest make up for what thou didst neglect in the first.

O Mihdi! With a weighty soul and an ailing frame, ascent to the holy and noble heaven of glory is impossible, and with broken wings, flight in the atmosphere of the forgiving Glory is impossible. Therefore, cast away from thyself, through divine strength, whatsoever thou hast borne that hath caused the weariness of thy soul, that perchance after this supreme lightening thou mightest enter the most exalted court of glory and the most resplendent fields of holiness.

O Mihdi! Every matter requires proof and every claim demands evidence. The token of those who are detached is nearness to the realms of the Manifest Lord, and the sign of the enraptured lover is orientation toward the sanctified seats of the Traceless One. The intent of this nearness has never been to traverse the path with infirm feet; rather, that nearness which has been and ever shall be sanctified from all directions is what is meant and intended. Although not every eye is worthy to gaze upon the Countenance of the All-Glorious, nay all are forbidden, for the Ancient King has, on account of the deceit of the deceivers and the craftiness of the crafty, veiled the Manifest Beauty in such wise that none is granted the honor of attainment unto His presence, nor permitted to drink from the cup of nearness, save whom thy Lord willeth.

But thou, O Mihdi, hearken with the ear of thy soul unto My wondrous counsels and act upon them with utmost diligence, for the cloud of My gracious favors hath not been withheld from thee, nor have the outpourings of the ocean of My bounty been cut off. Beware, beware, lest through the breaths of the malevolent ones thou deprive thyself of the sweet savors of My eternal glory. Beware, beware, lest thou veil thyself from the hand that holdeth the kingdom of all things and from the manifestation of His training, Who traineth all things and through Whom all things appear according to their relationship with Him.

Abide beneath the shade of sanctified grace and enter beneath the shadow of the training of the Beauty of Divine Unity. Consider the date stone: if the hand of men’s training should plant it in blessed and goodly soil, ere long a tree will appear, and lofty and wondrous fresh dates will become manifest and visible. Now if thou shouldst regard this with an eye that seeth no end, thou wouldst behold this tree and its fruits unto an end that hath no end, for from a single date stone a hundred thousand dates become manifest. Now that a hundred thousand stones have appeared, how can the fruits thereof have any end? However, had that first stone been cast upon barren and unsuitable ground, none of these fruits and trees and branches would have appeared in the realm of being.

Therefore, O Mihdi, surrender the seed of thy being to the control of God’s conquering and omnipotent hand, that He may plant it in the blessed and holy soil of His paradise, that from it may appear everlasting branches, eternal boughs, and never-ending fruits. But observe with keen sight and delicate vision that if a fresh date be planted, it will yield no fruit, for it hath not been divested of its outer garment and hath not been detached from whatsoever pertaineth to this world. Yet when the bare and detached stone returneth to the soil of the Lord of Lords, it is therefore blessed with these supreme honors and countless fruits.

Therefore, O Mihdi, enter barefoot into the sanctified court of Divine Unity, and purified from all else, arrive at the station of eternal glory. This is the counsel of the Merciful Lord unto His servant.

O Mihdi! Say: God; then leave them to their vain disputations. At last, send forth from thy soul one selfless breath for the sake of the Beloved, and dispatch from thy grief-stricken heart one sorrowful sigh, detached from attachment to all things, to the paradise of the Lord of the worlds. How long wilt thou remain occupied with this and that, and be frightened by the words of troubled souls? I swear by God that they who seek My path hasten with assured steps to the seats of the All-Merciful. Purify and sanctify existence from the defilement of limitations and allusions, and with perfect tranquility enter the tabernacles of the Lord of all beings.

O Mihdi! On the tongues and in the mouths of the common people runs this saying:

“Death comes but once, and lamentation but once—die once and begin life anew.”

Be not grieved at divine destiny, nor distressed at His ordained decrees. I swear by My Beauty that the arrows of the Beloved’s decree have been and ever shall be dearer than all else that is desired, and the poison of His tribulation hath been and shall ever be sweeter to the palate of His true lover than any honey. Therefore be thou neither troubled by the blows that have befallen thee, nor distressed by the calamities that have descended, for after every darkest night hath followed the dawning of a brilliant morn. Plant thy feet firmly upon the straight path in such wise that all the world may become steadfast through thy steadfastness and attain unto certitude. This is the counsel of thy Lord, if thou be of them that hearken.

For the solace of thy heart, consider My tribulations, for from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, none hath endured nor shall endure such afflictions. So manifest and evident hath My oppression become that the oppression of every oppressed one hath been erased from memory. At all times and seasons have the oppressors wreaked their tyranny upon this Manifest Beauty, yet did I conceal it until matters reached such a pass that the very essence of tyranny raised the standard of oppression and arose with utter guile, that perchance thereby the people might be deprived of the dawning-places of glory and the daysprings of eternal holiness. Thou well knowest that none hath ever comprehended, nor ever shall comprehend, the true nature of this Cause and its exaltation. Whosoever claimeth otherwise hath spoken falsehood against the Lord of Baha and is recorded among the liars in the Holy Tablets.

I mention one matter that thou mayest ponder it and shed tears of grief like the spring rain and holy clouds over My oppression. Consider then: What is the state of a mighty King Who taketh a handful of clay in His merciful hands, moisteneth it with the water of His grace, breatheth into it the spirit of life, and nurtureth it with the blessings of His bounty and the water of His mercy until their names become renowned throughout all lands and their mention famous in every region? Then the breezes of vainglory begin to blow and the winds of falsehood to stir, until it reacheth such a pass that certain souls divest themselves of the garment of the Desired One, and not content with this, raise objections against the Beauty of the Desired One and turn away from His proof.

Observe now how many afflictions and trials have befallen that King of the seen and unseen. I swear by the Beauty of the All-Glorious that what hath befallen this Beauty is a hundred thousand times greater than this, but the people perceive not. Nay, not content with these things, they have arisen to cut down the Divine Tree and have striven in this nefarious design with such intensity that it transcendeth description by tongue or pen. But God hath destroyed them for their plotting and will destroy them for what they plot.

Now all things are engaged in lamentation and weeping, while they rejoice in their seats. Such is the condition of this company. Furthermore, denial hath reached such a point that they seek to become a barrier between the Beauty of the All-Merciful and the people of creation, even as they have sent tablets of associating partners with God and embodiments of hatred to all lands, and forbidden all servants from approaching the direction of the All-Merciful and the Self-Subsisting. Thus have We recorded their deeds and mentioned them in the Tablet as a remembrance from Us to them that remember. And praise be to My Self, the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

BH00652: Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God!…

He is the All-Knowing, the Single, the Unique, the Most Glorious!

Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! How can I make mention of Thee, assured as I am that no tongue, however deep its wisdom, can befittingly magnify Thy name, nor can the bird of the human heart, however great its longing, ever hope to ascend into the heaven of Thy majesty and knowledge.

If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find myself compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of perception have been created by virtue of Thy behest. And if I extol Thee as Him Who is the All-Wise, I, likewise, am forced to recognize that the Wellsprings of wisdom have themselves been generated through the operation of Thy Will. And if I proclaim Thee as the Incomparable One, I soon discover that they Who are the inmost Essence of oneness have been sent down by Thee and are but the evidences of Thine handiwork. And if I acclaim Thee as the Knower of all things, I must confess that they Who are the Quintessence of knowledge are but the creation and instruments of Thy Purpose.

Exalted, immeasurably exalted, art Thou above the strivings of mortal man to unravel Thy mystery, to describe Thy glory, or to even hint at the nature of Thine Essence. For whatever such strivings may accomplish, they can never hope to transcend the limitations imposed upon Thy creatures, inasmuch as these efforts are actuated by Thy decree, and are begotten of Thine invention. The loftiest sentiments which the holiest of saints can express in praise of Thee, and the deepest wisdom which the most learned of men can utter in their attempts to comprehend Thy nature, all revolve around that Center Which is wholly subjected to Thy sovereignty, Which adoreth Thy Beauty, and is propelled through the movement of Thy Pen.

Nay, forbid it, O my God, that I should have uttered such words as must of necessity imply the existence of any direct relationship between the Pen of Thy Revelation and the essence of all created things. Far, far are They Who are related to Thee above the conception of such relationship! All comparisons and likenesses fail to do justice to the Tree of Thy Revelation, and every way is barred to the comprehension of the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Dayspring of Thy Beauty.

Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee, or attribute unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee! Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their own selves.

No one else besides Thee hath, at any time, been able to fathom Thy mystery, or to befittingly extol Thy greatness. Unsearchable and high above the praise of men wilt Thou remain forever. There is none other God but Thee, the Inaccessible, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the Holy of Holies.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou dost witness and see how sorrows have encompassed the Manifestation of Thy Most Merciful Self, and how tribulations have descended upon Him from all directions, to such extent that the righteous ones among the manifestations of Thy Chosen Name have rent their garments of patience, and the eyes of the secluded maidens have wept behind the veils of concealment. By Thy might, O my Beloved! I do not complain of what hath descended upon me from the clouds of Thy Command—the arrows of Thy decree—and what hath come upon me from the clouds of Thy leave—the spears of Thy destiny. For those who are filled with longing yearn for whatsoever descendeth from Thee and appeareth from Thy presence.

Therefore, O my God, this is Husayn who hath come with his own self and his kindred before the city of Thy decree, desiring what Thou hast willed by Thy fulfillment, and ever thankful for what came upon him in the path of Thy good-pleasure from time immemorial. Once, O my God, Thou didst entrust him to the hands of his brother who was named Cain, and he slew him with the sword of hatred between earth and heaven, whereupon tears flowed upon the cheeks of those near unto Thee and, beyond them, all things. Yet under the sword he gave thanks to Thee and called upon Thee with the tongue of those who remember.

And once, O my God, Thou didst entrust me to Nimrod who cast me into the fire, and in that moment when I was suspended in the air above the fire, the angels of Thy Cause reached me and desired to help and assist me, but I turned not my gaze from the horizon of Thy bounties toward them, trusting in Thyself and acquiescing to Thy decree, until Thou didst make the fire for me a light, a mercy, glory, honor, coolness and safety.

O my God and my Master! At one time Thou didst deliver me into the hands of evildoers along with my family, whereupon they rose against me to such a degree that they warred against my person, slew those related to my essence and being, took my family captive, severed my head and raised it upon a spear, parading it through the towns and amidst the people. And my head upon the spear continued to remember Thee with wondrous praise and thank Thee with precious gratitude, calling out:

“Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having accepted from me that which befitteth not Thy station nor beseemeth Thy sovereignty. This is naught but one of the wondrous gifts bestowed upon Thy servant and manifestations of Thy grace unto the son of Thy handmaiden.”

Until they brought it to the seat of the oppressors and the abode of the transgressors.

After that, Thou knowest what befell it, and hast recorded it in Thy knowledge, until days and nights passed and Thou didst raise me up in truth and made me manifest under the name of ʿAli among Thy servants. I delivered unto them what Thou didst command me by the sovereignty of Thy Cause, and conveyed to them Thy messages and ordinances. Thereupon they rose against me without any proof or crime, until they suspended me in the air and pierced me with the bullets of hatred, whereupon my spirit ascended to the Most Glorious Companion and the Supreme Horizon. Thereby was rent asunder the veil of concealment from behind the pavilion of Thy glory and the tabernacle of Thy majesty, and the hearts of the Messengers were drawn to the retreats of Thy sanctity and the seats of Thy glorification. By God! The righteous and the pure wept at this, then the trees and fruits, then the seas and lights, then all that was and will be.

And no sooner had those days run their course than Thou didst send Me yet another robe, and didst manifest Me under this Name in the Kingdom of creation. Thou didst dispatch Me unto all who are in heaven and on earth, and didst cast upon the servants that which Thou hadst conferred upon the Spirit from Thy presence. I proclaimed unto them Thy messages, taught them the paths of Thy guidance, rehearsed unto them the wondrous tokens of Thy Revelation, and succoured them through that dominion whereby Thou hadst exalted Me before those who dwell within the realms of Thy Cause and Thy creation.

And when, O my God, by Thy power and Thy might, I had succoured them and had raised Thy Cause to that station from which wafted the fragrances of glory from the quarter of Thy loving providence–lo, they arose against Me, waged war upon My very Self, disputed My verses, denied My proofs, and the matter waxed grievous for Me, until I remained alone in their midst, bereft of any helper or supporter.

Wherefore, O my God, debar Me not from the glances of Thine eyes of tender mercy, and withhold Me not from the breaths of the holiness of Thy singleness. And when, O my God, Thy servants in the paths of Thy love had forsaken Me, do Thou not abandon Me, by Thy bounty and Thy mercy; for in Thy being it behoveth not that any beside Thee should be extolled, and through Thee am I independent of all things and all who are in the heavens and [on the earth].

O my God and my Well-Beloved! Thou beholdest how Thy servants, who lay claim to faith in Thee and to certitude in the Manifestation of Thy Self, have conspired against Me. Behold then, O my God, this Thy Friend before Thy face, encompassed by the idolaters—so that when I turn to the right, I behold those inflamed with the swords of hatred; and when I turn to the left, I observe the deniers with the spears of rancour and denial.

Unto them I speak with the tongue of My inmost heart, saying: By God! I speak not out of desire; hearken unto that which, above My head, the tongue of God, the Most High, the Most Exalted, doth testify, and which calleth aloud: By God, O people! This is not from Mine own self, but from Him Who is the Most Potent, the Most Strong, beside the Lote-Tree of the farthest boundary. And, O people! If ye believe not, at least do not deny, neither contend, nor be of them that join partners with God. Thus were ye commanded in the Kingdom of immortality, from the presence of God, the Most High, the Most Glorious.

O people! Have I forbidden what was permitted unto you, or permitted what was forbidden unto your souls, or altered what ye possessed of God’s ways, His religion, His law and His ordinances? O people! The traces of My blood are not yet effaced from the face of the earth, nor have the hearts of those in anguish found peace in My tribulations and sufferings. If ye have believed in My Self, this is My Self; if ye have believed in My signs, these are My signs; and besides these are My Revelation, My sovereignty, My power and My encompassing knowledge of the worlds. O people! Have mercy upon yourselves; deprive not yourselves of God’s sanctuary, withhold not from your hearts the breathings of His glorious mercy, nor from your faces the radiant splendors of His countenance.

Fear God and be of the God-fearing. O people! Pervert not God’s words from their places, alter not His favors upon yourselves, and refute not the truth by what ye possess. Know God through God, then detach yourselves from all else. By God! Nothing of what hath been ordained in the heavens and earth shall profit you this day, nor shall the treasures of dominion enrich you, nor shall the hands of creation save you from the depths of delusion, nor shall the lamps of creation guide you, nor shall the suns of invention illumine you, except that ye believe in God and are assured of His signs, turn unto Him, seek shelter in His shadow, flee from yourselves unto Him, hold fast to His cord and cling to His handle.

Thus doth your Lord counsel you. Whoso acteth, it shall be for his own self; whoso forsaketh—verily your Lord, the All-Merciful, is independent of all the worlds.

BH00657: In the Name of God, the Most Holy…

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted, the Most Pure, the Most Manifest, the Most Sublime.

O bearer of the trust of the love of thy Lord, the Most High, the All-Powerful, the Most Great, in the Day whereon all things shrank in terror from bearing it, and the pillars of contingent being were shaken in their nearness unto it, and all were thunderstruck by the majesty of the Cause and the fear of God, the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the Mighty, the Most Great!

Say, with the tongue wherewith God hath endowed thee, and fear no one; for He, verily, shall preserve thee from the harm of the devils. On that Day the Kingdom is God’s—the All-Powerful, the All-Forgiving; on that Day the Grandeur is God’s—the All-Subduing, the All-Constraining, the All-Compelling, the All-Powerful, the All-Conquering; on that Day the Sovereignty is God’s—the All-Glorious, the Most Exalted, the Most Manifest, the All-Knowing, the All-Perceiving.

No thing shall move from its place save by His leave; no breeze shall waft from any quarter save at His command and through His will. Thus hath He ever been supreme over all that are in the heavens and on the earth, and hath encompassed all the worlds.

Know then that thy book hath been presented before the Throne, and We have perused that which was inscribed therein of Thy verses. Thereupon was set in motion the Pen of God in thy remembrance, and the Face of God was turned toward thee. This is of the grace of Him Who hath singled thee out from among His creatures, that thou mayest render thanks unto thy Lord and be numbered with the thankful.

Admonish the people with wisdom and with goodly exhortation, and be not remiss in the Cause of thy Lord. He, verily, createth from thee whatsoever He willeth by His command, even as He hath created in truth; and He, verily, is the One potent over whatsoever He willeth, and He is, in truth, powerful over all things.

From the draught of thine own everlasting life, give the servants to drink of what We have allotted them, as a bounty from Our presence—for We, verily, have ever been able to do as We please. From thy turning unto the Face of thy Lord, We have turned the faces of Our servants toward this radiant, mighty, holy, exalted Spot.

Say: Should God so will, He would raise up from the very essence of all that was and is, and then cause it to return unto it, and then raise it up again a second time. This is indeed, in the sight of God, thy Lord, easier than all else. He doth all this in accordance with a wisdom from His presence, and He quickeneth whomsoever He willeth.

Blessed, doubly blessed, is thy tongue, inasmuch as it hath moved to make mention of thy Lord in these days when the tongues of the eloquent are silenced; and blessed is thine eye, for it hath beheld the beauty of the Cause at the very moment when the sight of all the peoples was obscured; and blessed is thy heart, for it hath been given to drink the wine of life from the hand of the All-Merciful on that Day when every heart was debarred from the draught of Tasnim that hath streamed, on the right hand of the Throne, from the source of the Name of the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

Thou hast, moreover, recognized thy soul to be the Soul of God in an age when the souls of men were enveloped in the veils of vain imaginings and desire—so that all turned aside, were agitated, clamoured aloud and raised the cry, save only those few who cut themselves off from every delusion, shattered every idol, and consumed every dense veil.

Blessed art thou, O embodiment of bounty, for that thou hast reached the shore of the Name of the Well-Beloved and turned thy face toward the Luminary of the horizons, after He had been encompassed by the hosts of idolatry, who hurled at Him the shafts of dissension, and who felt no shame before Him Who had, at His behest, brought them into being and had heralded to them the joy of meeting His own transcendent, all-compelling, all-knowing Self.

Thus hath God distinguished thee with a bounty from His own presence, given thee to drink from the chalice of immortality, and admitted thee into the Ridvan of the Cause at a time when men were heedless thereof. Thus hath the grace of thy Lord anticipated thee, purifying thee from the defilement of all mankind.

Rejoice, then, within thyself with a glad-tiding the like of which no glad-tiding hath preceded, forasmuch as thou hast attained unto this station, for the sake of which Our favoured servants passed away consumed with yearning.

O ye that envy Me and seek My hurt! The fury of your wrath against Me confound you! Lo, the Day Star of Glory hath risen above the horizon of My Revelation, and enveloped with its radiance the whole of mankind. And yet, behold how ye have shut out yourselves from its splendor and are sunk in utter heedlessness. Have mercy upon yourselves, and repudiate not the claim of Him Whose truth ye have already recognized, and be not of them that transgress.

By the righteousness of the one true God! If ye reject this Revelation, all the nations of the earth will laugh you to scorn and mock you, for it is you that have produced, before their eyes, and for the purpose of vindicating the truth of your Cause, the testimonies of God, the Sovereign Protector, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing. And yet, no sooner was His subsequent Revelation, clothed with the glory of an all-compelling sovereignty, sent down unto you, than ye cast it behind your backs, O ye that are numbered with the heedless ones!

What! Believe ye in your hearts that ye possess the power to extinguish the radiance of the Sun, or to eclipse its splendor? Nay, by My life! Ye will never and can never achieve your purpose, though ye summon to your aid all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Walk ye in the fear of God, and render not your works vain. Incline your ears to His words, and be not of them that are shut out as by a veil from Him. Say: God is My witness! I have wished nothing whatever for Myself. What I have wished is the victory of God and the triumph of His Cause. He is Himself a sufficient witness between you and Me. Were ye to cleanse your eyes, ye would readily perceive how my deeds testify to the truth of My words, how My words are a guide to My deeds.

Blinded are your eyes! Perceived ye not the greatness of the power of God and of His sovereignty? Beheld ye not His majesty and glory? Woe unto you, ye congregation of the malicious and envious! Hearken unto My speech, and tarry not though it be for less than a moment. Thus biddeth you He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful, that haply ye may detach yourselves from the things ye possess, and ascend to the heights from which ye can discover the whole creation sheltered beneath the shadow of His Revelation.

Say: There is no place of refuge for you, no asylum to which ye can flee, no one to defend or to protect you in this Day from the fury of the wrath of God and from His vehement power, unless and until ye seek the shadow of His Revelation. This, indeed, is His Revelation which hath been manifested unto you in the person of this Youth. Glorified, then, be God for so effulgent, so precious, so wondrous a vision. Detach yourselves from all else but Me, and turn your faces towards My face, for better is this for you than the things ye possess. The Tongue of God testifieth to the truth of My words, through Mine own Word that speaketh the truth, and embraceth and comprehendeth all things.

Say: Think ye that your allegiance to His Cause can ever profit Him, or your repudiation of its truth cause Him any loss? No, by My Self, the All-Subduing, the Inaccessible, the Most High! Tear ye asunder the veils of names and cleave ye their kingdom. By My Beauty! He Who is the Monarch of all names is come, He at Whose bidding every single name hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, been created, He Who shall continue to create them as He pleaseth. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.

Beware that ye divest not yourselves of the raiment of Divine guidance. Drink ye your fill from the Cup which the Youths of Heaven have raised above your heads. Thus biddeth you He Who hath more mercy upon you than your own selves, He Who asketh not any recompense or thanks from you. His reward is from Him Who hath, through the power of truth, sent Him down unto you, and singled Him out and proclaimed Him as His own Testimony unto the whole of creation. He it is Who hath empowered Him to manifest all His signs.

Repeat the gaze, that ye may perceive the things whereunto the Tongue of the Ancient of Days hath summoned you, that haply ye may be of them that have apprehended the truth. Heard it ye ever reported by your fathers of old, or by the generations that preceded them, even unto the first Adam, that any one coming in the clouds of revelation, being invested with manifest and transcendent sovereignty, having on his right hand the Kingdom of God and on his left all the power and glory of His everlasting dominion, any one preceded by the hosts of God, the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the Most Powerful, and uttering continually verses whose import the minds of the most learned and wisest of men are powerless to fathom, should yet be the bearer of a message that is not of God? Be discerning, then, and speak ye the truth, the very truth, if ye claim to be honest and high-minded.

Say: The verses We have revealed are as numerous as those which, in the preceding Revelation, were sent down upon the Bab. Let him that doubteth the words which the Spirit of God hath spoken seek the court of Our presence and hear Our divinely-revealed verses, and be an eye-witness of the clear proof of Our claim.

Say: By the righteousness of the Almighty! The measure of the favors of God hath been filled up, His Word hath been perfected, the light of His countenance hath been revealed, His sovereignty hath encompassed the whole of creation, the glory of His Revelation hath been made manifest, and His bounties have rained upon all mankind.

By my life, O Javad! were it not for my fear of the Nimrod of oppression and the tumult of the adversaries, We would have commanded that every soul repair, of its own accord, unto the throne of thy Lord, that it might behold what no eye hath ever beheld before, and might hear what no ear, even among the near ones, hath heard. But when We found the people in agitation, therefore did We withhold the multitudes from attending, and sat within the house alone, relying upon God—my Lord and thy Lord and the Lord of all created things.

Say: I am naught but the herald of the command of my Lord, and I speak only as the Spirit uttereth within my breast. By God! this is not from me; nay, it is from the presence of a Sovereign, an Omnipotent, an All-Powerful. Have mercy, O people, upon your own selves and the selves of men, and veil not yourselves from Him Who, by the motion of a single finger, hath rent the veils in every age and dispensation, and Who, by the will of His Pen, hath raised up the very realities of the sanctified. Say: all affairs are held within the grasp of the power of my Lord, the Chosen One; neither is it meet that any should dispose of aught save after His leave, nor that any should speak of the recognition of God save after His love.

Thus have We set forth the verses and caused them to take diverse forms in truth, that they may be a proof from Us and an evidence from Our presence unto Our servants who yearn; and may the light that hath shone forth from the horizon of thy Lord, the Most High, the All-Glorious, be upon thee, and upon them that have hearkened unto thy word concerning God—thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds. And praise be unto Him, for He doeth whatsoever He willeth.

BH00058: Suriy-i-Hajj I (Shiraz)

Section 1: “This is the Surih of Pilgrimage (al-Hajj)…”

This is the Surih of Pilgrimage (al-Hajj) which We have sent down, through grace, that the servants may, by its means, draw nigh unto God, their Lord, and the Lord of the Most Great House.

He is the Mighty Emigrant, the Wondrous.

These are the verses of God, revealed at that hour from the Pivot of Everlastingness—the Station round which circle, in adoration, first the denizens of the Pavilion of Grandeur, then the Concourse on high, then they that dwell within the Paradise of Abiding, then they that are established upon the seats of utmost nearness beside the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing. Thus was it sent down from the presence of the All-Protecting, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. Verily, this Book is exalted in truth, could ye but know. Then the Book of Muhammad, the Messenger of God; and ere Him that which was sent down upon the Spirit; and that which was revealed unto the One who conversed with God. Read it, that haply ye may be of them that understand.

O people! Fear God, and follow not them that bid you to hatred and malice, and turn you aside from the path of God. Fear God, and be not of those who dispute the signs of God, and then deny them. Say: If ye disbelieve in these verses, in what discourse have ye believed?—in the Manifestation of God’s own Self, if ye be of them that know. O people! Turn not this day to your right hand or to your left; nay, turn ye your faces toward the direction of the Throne—this hallowed, praised, and sanctified Spot, round which circle the spirits of the near ones, then the Temples of the Messengers, then the hearts of the Cherubim, if ye perceive.

O people! Deny not the verses of God after He hath made them His proof unto you and unto all that are upon the earth. This is that which hath been written in the scrolls of irrevocable glory wherein are inscribed the mysteries of what hath been and what shall be. Thus do We cast upon you that which turneth you from every quarter unto the Face of God, the Mighty, the All-Witnessed. Know then, O people, that the Spirit purposed once again to depart from your midst, by reason of what the hands of them that disbelieved in the verses of God have wrought from everlasting ages; and even then were they of those that deny. Say: By God! He was amongst you through successive years, and following months, and appointed days; yet knew ye Him not—nay, in every season did ye reject this Beauty that hath shone forth from the horizon of the Spirit, and these verses that have descended from the heaven of uplifted holiness.

By God! When the breezes of God return unto the Ridvan of Eternity, and the Sun of the Unseen unto the meadows of splendour, be ye not, after Him, of them that are tried and led astray. Stand ye fast in the Cause of God—His Proof, His Demonstration, His Verses, His Manifestation, His Sovereignty, His Dominion and His Power. Be not of those who are moved by every cry. Be patient in the matter, that your feet slip not, though all who are in the heavens and on the earth rise up against you. This is My counsel unto you, if ye will but hearken.

Say: If ye arise from sleep and behold the sun gone down from you, who will bring you the lights of beloved glory? And if the water of life in your hearts be made to sink away, who will give you to drink of the cups of Salsabil and of Kafur? By God, O people! This is God’s Sanctuary in your midst and His Law amongst you—yet He willeth to veil His Face behind a curtain, because of what the hands of them possessed of understanding have wrought, who deem within themselves that they are rightly guided.

Say: By God! The eye of ʿAli weepeth in the Most High Companion; and the eye of Muhammad in the most glorious horizon; and the eye of the Spirit in the dominion of the Unseen; and the eye of the One who spoke with God in the loftiest realms; and the hearts of the maidens of paradise cry out within their chambers—could ye but hear. Say: O people! By God! This Youth whom God hath manifested amongst you, in His beauty and His splendour and His might and His majesty and His revelation and His exaltation—ye have done unto Him what none hath ever done unto another; unto this your own tongues bear witness, if ye be just.

O people! Fear God, and disbelieve not in His bounty after it hath been sent down from the heaven of beloved glory. Differ not concerning His Cause; incline not unto them in whose hearts ye find hatred for this Youth who hath appeared upon the snow-white Temple between earth and heaven. Sanctified be His Beauty above the gaze of the idolaters, as ye yourselves do witness. The idolaters imagine that they were with Me and beheld My countenance. Nay, by My Self—He Who is the Manifest, the All-Sovereign, the Mighty, the Veiled! No eye hath fallen upon My Beauty save the eyes of them who have detached themselves from all upon which the name of any thing is mentioned; behind them are the eyes of Grandeur, and the eyes of them who circle round the Throne. How then shall the eyes of the hypocrites behold Him—He from one atom of Whose radiance created the sun and its lights, and light and its splendour, and manifestation and its dominion?

O people! Reject not the proof of God after it hath appeared in the form of man and reciteth unto you at every moment the verses of God, that perchance it may lead you forth from the darkness of these days and draw you near unto the shore of beloved holiness. Look with your eyes, and ponder in your hearts upon the verses of God, that what is hidden therein may attract you, sever you from every direction, and deliver you unto the Face of God, the All-Sovereign, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

O people! If ye disbelieve in what was revealed at that hour, unto what will ye then confess? And if ye object to what hath descended upon you from the direction of the Throne, toward what direction will ye be at peace? Say: Nothing shall profit you this day save that ye detach yourselves from all that are in the heavens and on the earth, and hasten with your souls and spirits unto the Treasure of God, the All-Sovereign, the Mighty, the All-Witnessed. Fear God, and differ not in what He hath enjoined upon you in truth; follow not the vain pursuits of the earth, nor pursue every rejected idolater who calleth you unto Satan and biddeth you turn away from the Beauty of the All-Merciful, and in every season worketh guile.

Say: By Him in Whose hand is My soul! Whoso clingeth to aught of all that is created between the heavens and the earth shall never know how to hold fast to the cord of My love; and this is a truth made manifest. Whoso drinketh but a drop of what floweth between the heavens and the earth shall never be able to draw near unto My holy, surging Sea, the Mighty, the Beloved. Whoso turneth his face to any face shall not be able to behold the Beauty of God, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Manifest, the Resplendent, the Sorrowful.

O people! Cut not off from your own selves the verses of God, nor the abiding bounty from your souls. Be not of those who sever. Set your affairs aright; unite in My love—for this is better for you than all that is amongst you, and all that ye say and do. Thus hath the Pen of Eternity instructed you at the time when the breezes of Baha stirred this hallowed, beloved quarter; when the Herald of ancient days cried from the summit of the Most High:

“O Pen of Eternity! Stay not upon any thing, nor withhold the contingent beings from what thy Lord hath taught thee; but sprinkle upon all created things from the billowing ocean He hath ordained within thy inmost being. Thou art, in the dominion of beginning, the All-Knowing, by virtue of what the fingers of Grandeur have touched within thee.”

Thus was the favour of thy Lord perfected upon thee; yet the people perceive it not.

“O Herald of ancient days!”—so cried the Pen—“how shall I move in accordance with what Thou hast taught me in the kingdom of decree, when I behold that He Who by a single letter from His presence created the realities of all things desired to confirm His faith unto these, and they accept it not from Him, but in every moment disbelieve? Therefore was I withheld from remembrance and the disclosure of mysteries by virtue of what the fingers of the Chosen One have taught me, if ye understand.” Say: The Ridvan is made desolate where the breezes of My love shall never blow; the houses are ruined where the wonders of My remembrance shall never be lifted up; the pens are broken that shall never move in My name, the All-Sovereign, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: O people! Verily I am the Youth of God amongst you, and His most great sign in your midst. I have believed in what ye possess of the ordinances of God and His religion: by what proof, then, do ye disbelieve? O people! These are the verses of God: they have been revealed unto Me in truth, and I have proclaimed them to East and West. By God! They are not from Myself, but from One Who is Mighty and Beloved. I am but a servant who hath believed in God and His verses; I possess no power over mine own motion or stillness, nor over standing or life or death or resurrection. Whenso I dwell within the house and keep silence from remembrance, the Holy Spirit raiseth Me to the Cause and maketh Me to speak between heaven and earth. This is not from Me, but from Him, if ye would but know.

O people! Be ashamed before God Who created you and fashioned you. Do ye not act as did the people of the Furqan with ʿAli, when he came unto them beneath the canopies of command from the heights of holiness, and they denied him until they slew him, and sported with his signs—even as ye sport? When one cometh unto you with the Tablet of God and His traces ye heed him not, nor take hold of him; and when ye would show kindness to your Lord, the All-Bountiful, ye take it in one of your hands, then cast it upon the ground, waxing proud before God, the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting—He Who by a single word created you, and created what ye possess, and all that are in the heavens and on the earth; whereunto your own selves bear witness, if ye deny not.

By God! Sufficient unto you is this abasement in these days: ye call men to that which ye have, yet when ye are asked, “By what proof do ye recite the verses?” and when the verses of the All-Merciful are chanted unto you, ye turn back upon your heels and retreat. Say: Die, O people, in your turning away! By God! This is ʿAli in truth, come unto you with the melodies of His holiness, and proclaiming between heaven and earth: “There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the All-Sovereign, the All-Powerful, the Promised One.”

Say: By God, O concourse of denial! Ye and what is with you of malice and hatred are with God as a handful of dust, or a clod of moulded clay. Were We to will, We could assuredly raise up another creation—yet We shall raise it up in truth, in despite of you. No command is issued save by His leave, and no judgement save by His knowledge. He doeth whatsoever He willeth by His word “Be,” and it is.

O Muhammad! If thou desire to journey upon the earth—over its land and sea, its mountain and plain, its fields and villages—journey by Our command and with Our sovereignty. I am powerful to do what I will, and I am the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Set My remembrance before thee, and My love behind thee; My name on thy right hand, and My protection on thy left. This is better for thee than the treasures of heaven and earth and that which souls and minds can never compass. Be thou steadfast in the love of thy Lord; though from the clouds of destiny the swords of hatred rain upon thee, put thy trust in God, the Mighty, the Exalted, the All-Praised.

If good befall thee, thank thy Lord; if harm touch thee, be patient—nay, in every condition, thank thy Lord. Grieve not for what befalleth thee in the love of God. This is My counsel unto thee and unto them that would enter the Throne of the All-Merciful and bow down before Him. If any wrong thee, contend not with him; commit his judgement unto God, for He will take the right of the wronged from the hands of the oppressors. In all things hold fast unto God, thy Lord; He sufficeth thee above all that are in the heavens and on the earth. There is no God but Him. His is creation and command, and all do work by His command.

Beware lest thou forget My remembrance, or seek companionship with Mine enemies; for Satan driveth from the heart of man the breaths of the All-Merciful. This is the fairest counsel from Me unto thee: hear it, then act according to what thou hast been bidden from the presence of One Who is Mighty, Self-Subsisting.

Section 2: “O people! Fear God, and work not corruption…”

Say: O people! Fear God, and work not corruption in the land; be not of those who corrupt and perceive it not. His is the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth: He knoweth what stirreth in the worlds and what floweth upon the tongue. Verily He is the Truth, the All-Knowing of the unseen. Nothing escapeth His knowledge, and no judgement of the heavens falleth beyond His grasp; all are with Him as a handful of limited dust.

O Muhammad! Purge thou thine heart of every remembrance, that there may be stamped upon it the mirror of the remembrance of thy Lord, the Chosen One; for this, verily, sufficeth thee above all things, if thou be of them that know. Then adorn thyself with detachment—for detachment is the raiment of the All-Merciful upon the temple of man. Beware lest thou strip thy body of this blessed, auspicious grace. Free thyself, moreover, from the world and all that is therein; for it shall profit thee in no wise. That which shall profit thee is what floweth from the Kawthar of holiness from this blessed Pen. Be thou the herald of God in all save Him, and remind them of the days wherein the All-Merciful establisheth Himself upon the throne of forgiveness. Say: By God! those days are His days, yet the people are drowned in the vain imaginings of their own selves.

And thou, O Muhammad, if thou desire to soar within this air that hath been spread abroad in this heaven, thou must needs ascend unto the station wherein thou shalt behold all names beneath the shadow of thy name, and all attributes laid low before the court of thine attributes. Without this thou shalt never be able to enter this luminous and praised pavilion. Strive, therefore, within thine own soul, that thou mayest become worthy of this mighty and beloved station. Thus doth this servant command thee in these days wherein He hath purposed to depart from the midst of those who have disbelieved in the signs of God, the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting—who, when the verses of their Lord are chanted unto them, laugh within themselves and mock thereat.

And thou, O Muhammad, if thou canst, depart from that land ere the cry of Husayn be raised betwixt the heavens and the earth, at the hour when He shall pass from the midst of His loved ones—whereupon tears shall flow from the eyes of the Messengers. Say: O concourse of Bayan! Did ye not promise the advent of Husayn after the appearance of the Qa’im? By God! This is Husayn in very truth, come unto you with a proof whereat all who are in the heavens and on the earth are powerless; yet ye have not known Him so much as the eye of a needle, and have denied that which He hath brought from the presence of God, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent.

And if ye will not acknowledge what the Spirit inspirith in Me—this is that which the Tablets have promised you; your own tongues bear witness unto it, and behind them the Tongue of Truth, the All-Knowing. Thus hath God set a seal upon your hearts and your eyes. No ruler is there but that he judgeth whom he pleaseth by a justice from His presence; verily He is the Mighty, the Gracious.

O Muhammad! Aid thou thy Lord with all thy might in those days wherein the people of hypocrisy have arisen against Him. Fear no one, but put thy trust in God, the Mighty, the Beauteous. Shouldst thou enter the presence of men and find not in them the fragrance of My love, turn away from them and sit not with them; withdraw thyself, and be thou in manifest protection. And if thou behold any man calling thee to hatred of the Youth, know thou assuredly that he is Satan, who hath appeared in the form of man. Seek refuge, therefore, with God, thy Lord, and He shall guard thee from the hurt of the devils.

Cleanse thou thyself, then cleanse thou the people with this Kawthar that hath descended from the right hand of the Throne, wherewith are sanctified the hearts of the knowing. Admonish thine own soul, then admonish the people, that thy word may be preferred in all the worlds. Thus hath the Tongue of power and majesty taught thee. And who is more truthful than God in speech, if ye be of them that are assured?

And if thou journey to another land and any should inquire of the Youth of the Spirit, say: “I left Him at the hour when His garment was sprinkled with the blood of hatred, and the darknesses of the earth encompassed Him from every side, whilst He cried out among them with a cry whereat all things were shaken—whatsoever hath been created betwixt earth and heaven.” Thus was the matter, if ye be of them that know. And He saith: “O people! Slay not the Youth after He hath come unto you from the direction of holiness with a clear Book. O people! I speak not of mine own desire, but according to what the Mighty in Power teacheth Me from the dominion of God, the Most High, the All-Glorious. Beware lest ye smite Me with the swords of self and passion. Fear God, unto Whom all things return, if ye be of them that believe.”

“O people! This is ʿAli amongst you, reciting unto you that which was recited aforetime; all atoms bear witness thereto. This is the resplendent, mighty, and impregnable Tablet. O people! If ye disbelieve in these Messengers, by what proof then believed ye in the Messengers of God before? Bring forth your evidence, if ye be of them that speak the truth. Marvel ye that the Youth of God hath come unto you in the form of a mortal like unto yourselves, casting upon you the verses of your Lord, and teaching you the paths of knowledge and of gnosis, that He may draw you nigh unto the radiant, sanctified, and luminous Beauty of God? Thus do thou remind the servants, that perchance there may be kindled within their hearts the fire of God and His love, and that they may arise to remember Him and to praise Him, and may become of the helpers.”

Say: O people! Come ye unto a just word between us and you: If ye aid not your Lord, the All-Merciful, ye cannot harm Him; and if ye uphold Him not, ye cannot betray Him. Be ye equitable in the Cause of your Lord, and be not of them that turn away. Say: He, verily, knoweth the unseen of the heavens and of the earth; and He knoweth what your hands perform, what your hearts conceal, and what your tongues utter. This is the truth, the certitude. He rewardeth every soul for that which it hath earned; and the recompense of the unjust is naught but the lowest depths of the blazing Fire.

Say: O concourse of Bayan! If ye be in doubt concerning My religion, know ye that I have believed in God Who created you and all things. I will not follow you in your idle fancies. I have been commanded to worship none but Him; and I am the first of them that worship. Say: O people! Have mercy upon your own selves and upon the souls of men, and turn them not aside from the path of God that hath encompassed all things, if in His Cause ye would be of them that ponder. Read ye that which hath been revealed by the Pen of holiness; if ye find therein the fragrance of your Lord, deny it not, and be not of them that join partners with Him.

By God! This is His very Self, and these are His verses that have filled the East and the West of the earth. By what proof then do ye seek to argue, O people of the Furqan? Be ye fair, O company of the slanderers! God beareth witness that ye had before you naught save that which We revealed aforetime upon Our former Beauty; and this is what hath been sent down from His presence upon this radiant, resplendent, pearl-like Beauty. Ye shall, ere long, be questioned concerning that which ye have denied and from which ye have turned away; ye shall be requited for what ye have done, and shall become of them that work.

Say: He hath sent forth before Him and behind Him, and on His right hand, messengers, watchers, and bearers of glad tidings, proclaiming to every atom the lights that have shone forth from the Face of God, the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Merciful. Say: Blind hath become the eye that loveth not to behold the Beauty of its Lord after He hath appeared in truth between the heavens and the earth. Thus have We cast upon the contingent beings every discourse, that perchance there may be enkindled within their hearts the fire of God, and that they may cry out:

“There is none other God but Me, the Exalted, the Wise, the All-Knowing.”

O Muhammad! When the fragrances of holiness have drawn thee and turned thee toward the realms of the All-Merciful, that thou mayest find the breaths of the All-Glorious, then go thou, by permission of thy Lord, the All-Bountiful, unto the station round which circle the angels of them that are nigh—who, around the Throne, do glorify God. And when thou dost arise from thy place and desire to turn unto the direction of God, thy Lord, cast off from thy body the garment of self and passion, and from thy feet the two sandals of oppression and lewdness; for thou art entering a station into which none shall come save he who leaveth behind him all that is on earth and in heaven, and none shall be accepted save the sanctifying of the Most Greatness, if thou be of them that comprehend. Round about it circle Sinai of glory, and the Mount of command, and the wilderness of holiness, and the hearts of them who, at every moment, ascend unto the air of nearness. Without this thou shalt not attain, nor shalt thou be remembered with God among them that enter therein, though thou abide therein a thousand years of the years ye reckon.

And when thou hast migrated from thyself and from the world and its people, and hast journeyed unto God, thy Lord, and hast reached the station where thou beholdest the blackness of the City, then alight, stand upon thy place, and say:

“Spirit, light, glory, and praise be upon thee, O City of God and dwelling-place of His Names, treasury of His Attributes, source of His outpourings, mine of His bounties, and the Manifestation of His revelations that have encompassed all existence. I bear witness that from thy dark soil there hath appeared the Point of Firstness, the broidering of pre-existence, the ancient mystery, the all-embracing Word, the irrevocable decrees, and the treasured secrets. Thus hath grace preceded from God, the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.”

Then raise thou thy hands unto God, thy Lord, in lowliness and awe and submission and a beloved contentment, and say:

“O my Lord! Praise be unto Thee for the wonders of Thy gifts and the subtleties of Thy bestowals. How shall I thank Thee, O my God, for having granted me the visitation of Thy House, and for having honoured me thereby, and for having singled me out with this favour wherewith none before me hath been favoured, and for having taught me that which no soul besides me hath known? Wherefore, O my God, I have fled from the house of mine own self and have clung to the most exalted seat of Thy Self; I have escaped from that which withheld me from Thy nearness and have sought refuge in the precincts of Thy most great mercy. Therefore, O my God, deprive me not of that which is with Thee, and occupy me not with aught beside Thee. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the All-Forgiving. O my Lord! Confirm me in Thy love and the love of Thy chosen ones, and make me not of those who deny Thy verses after their revelation and mock them after their breaths have encompassed the contingent beings and all that hath been created in the realms of the unseen and the seen. O my Lord! Bestow upon me, from Thy presence, the staff of Thy grace and Thy care, that I may cleave asunder therewith the sea of self and passion, and pass beyond it to reach the tents of the glory of Thy tenderness and the pavilion of the holiness of Thy infallibility, lest there appear from me that which Thy good-pleasure abhorreth. Thou, verily, doest whatsoever Thou willest, and Thou art the Lord of this inhabited House.”

Section 3: “Then mount and ride on until thou reachest…”

Then mount and ride on until thou reachest a station where naught remaineth betwixt thee and the City save a thousand paces—more or less. Then alight, and immerse thyself in water, even as thou hast been bidden in the Book of God, the All-Sovereign, the Exalted, the Self-Subsisting. And when thou comest forth from the water, trim thou thy moustache, then pare thy nails, and shave thy head; then make use of the choicest perfumes, and clothe thyself, as far as thou art able, in the fairest raiment. And if thou be not able to do that which We have commanded thee, grieve thou not; God hath, verily, pardoned thee, and He is the All-Powerful, the Forgiving, the Tender-Merciful.

Then strive within thine own soul that, when thine eye falleth upon the City and thou drawest nigh unto it, thy heart may be cleansed of the remembrance of created things, in such wise that thou leavest behind thee all that hath been created between the earths and the heavens; for then shalt thou be walking in the presence of the Sovereign of contingent beings and the King of Names and Attributes. Thus doth the Pen of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all things, instruct thee, if ye but know.

And when thou hast fulfilled that which We have enjoined upon thee, arise from thy place, then turn thy face toward the House; stand, and lift up thine hands in supplication unto God, the All-Powerful, the All-Sovereign, the Beloved, and say:

“O my God! This is the station whereby the eyes of the longing are comforted, and the hearts of the lovers are drawn. This is the ultimate goal of them that seek, and the highest desire of the yearning. This is the station wherein the eyes of the knowing rain tears in their separation from Thee, and the faces of them that have attained grow pale through their longing for Thy beauty. I beseech Thee, O my God, by it, and by the effulgent splendours of the lights of the glory of Thine oneness, and by the flashing brilliance of the manifestations of the holiness of Thy divinity, to deliver me from the fire of mine own self, and to sanctify me from all that beseemeth not Thy sovereignty. Verily Thou art the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.”

Then lower thine hands until they reach thy thighs; then magnify God nine times. Thereupon raise thou thine hands once more unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of what hath been and what shall be, and say:

“My God! This is the City wherein Thy sovereignty hath appeared, the traces of the majesty of Thy glory have been made manifest, Thy verses have descended, Thy Word hath been fulfilled, Thy power hath been exalted, Thy proof hath shone forth, and Thy mercy hath encompassed all things and all that are in the heavens and on the earth. To this my soul and my heart and my tongue bear witness, and likewise the honoured servants. I beseech Thee, O my God, by it and by what hath been manifested therein, to remove from me whatsoever keepeth me far from the shore of the holiness of Thy mercy and bounty, and debarreth me from the precincts of the outpourings of Thy grace and bestowal. Then clothe me, O my God, with the robe of Thy munificence and Thy loving-kindness, for Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest, and Thou art the Mighty, the Exalted, the Beloved. Moreover, O my God, give me to drink of the Salsabil of the glory of the knowledge of Thee, and of the spring of the holiness of meeting Thee—so potent that, should but a drop thereof be sprinkled upon contingent beings, they would assuredly become living, abiding, everlasting, steadfast, facing Thy countenance and the manifestations of the flashing splendours of the lights of Thy dawning. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Exalted, the All-Holy.”

Then lower thine hands, and walk upon the earth with the dignity of God and His tranquillity; and in thy walking glorify thy Lord, then magnify Him, and sanctify Him, and exalt Him. Follow the ways of the Messengers and the character of them that are nigh, and say:

“At Thy service, O God, at Thy service; at Thy service and at Thy good pleasure; and light is before Thee.”

Repeat thou these words according to the measure of the fire of thy yearning and desire that shall not be quenched. Thus have We commanded thee in truth, that thou mayest be of them who act according to what they have been enjoined.

Know, moreover, that by this word thou art answering thy Lord at the hour when He established Himself upon the Throne, and called the contingent beings with His utterance, “Am I not your Lord?” This, verily, is the secret of this matter, could ye but ponder the mysteries of your Lord. Nay, if thou beholdest with the eye of innate perception, thou shalt then witness Him established upon the thrones of all created things, crying aloud: “There is none other God but Me, the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.”

And thou, O visitor, recognize thy rank and thy measure at that hour; then give thanks unto God for that wherewith thou hast been endowed and strengthened. There is no God but Him. His is creation and command, and all do work by His behest. Happy art thou, O servant, in that thou hast entered the wilderness of holiness, and the Paran of the Spirit, and the Sinai of command. Nay, shouldst thou but sharpen thine sight, thou wouldst behold that all around thee circle. By God, O migrating servant! Were God to open thine eyes, and wert thou to lift up thy gaze above thy head unto the heaven, thou wouldst behold the sanctuaries of holiness, the retreats of intimacy, the dwellers within the pavilion of the divine Ipseity, the occupants of the seats of omnipotence, and the temples of the sanctified—manifestations of the realms of dominion and of the kingdom—all moving in the air of holiness above thee, and glorifying and magnifying and sanctifying and exalting with thee the Lord of the City, and Him Who hath appeared from it and arisen within it. Thus shalt thou witness the Cause, if thou be of them that see with the sight of the spirit.

And when thou hast reached a station such that thou art within twenty paces of the gate of the City, then stand, by the command of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all things, and the Lord of this praised scene. Then magnify God nineteen times; then address the City on My behalf and say:

“May God curse a people who have come between us and the lights of Thy holy sanctity, O City of God; who have hindered us from breathing in the fragrances of the holiness of Thine oneness, and from abiding in the precincts of the glory of Thy mercy, and from standing at the threshold of the gate of the outpouring of Thy merciful grace.”

Then turn thou thine gaze unto the Most Great Scene, toward the wall of the City and whatsoever hath been created therein and was upon it; for upon all these hath fallen the glance of God, the Mighty, the All-Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say:

“O wall of the City! Blessed art thou, in that upon thee have shone forth the lights of the Sun of thy Lord, the Most High, the All-Exalted. O trees of the City! Blessed are ye, in that the breezes of holiness have blown upon you from the direction of everlastingness. O air of the City! Blessed art thou, in that within thee hath been spread the Breath of God, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Beloved. O earth of the City! Blessed art thou, in that upon thee hath trodden the Foot of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, and through thee hath passed the Temple of the All-Glorious, in the days when all were veiled within the coverings of their own selves.”

Then walk on until thou reachest the City. And when thou hast attained unto meeting it, and hast come to its gate, lay thy face upon the dust of the gate, that thou mayest inhale the fragrance of thy Lord, the Most High, the All-Exalted, and mayest be of them who are nourished by the Water of Life. Know then that from its dust appeareth the ordinance of water, and from its water the ordinance of air, and from its air the trace of fire; and from a spark thereof hath appeared the decree of the Kaf and the Nun, if ye but know. Such is what We have described unto thee upon the earth and in the midst of those who, in the drunkenness of their own selves, are sunk in heedlessness. Otherwise—by Him in Whose hand is My soul!—a single atom of its dust is, in the sight of God, dearer than whatsoever hath been created in the meadows of eternity, and than whatsoever hath been decreed in the Tablets of destiny, in the mystery of consummation, in the dominion of primal beginning. Thus do We cast upon thee of the secrets of the Cause, that thou mayest be of them that understand.

And when thou hast kissed the dust and sought blessing thereby, lift up thy head, then arise and magnify God nineteen times; then glorify thy Lord with Baha nineteen times. Then walk with the dignity and tranquillity of God, and with His majesty and His grandeur, until thou standest facing the House; then halt and say:

“I testify with my tongue, my soul, my spirit, and my body, that this is the station whereat bow down the denizens of the dominion of the Unseen, and thereafter the dwellers in the kingdom of primal decree, and then they that abide upon the broidered canopies of everlastingness beyond the billowing seas of grandeur. Through it hath everything been made manifest; through it pass the breezes of bounty over the temples of all the worlds. This is the station wherewith are blessed the inhabitants of the Concourse of Eternity, and by whose light are illumined the hearts of them that have been established between earth and heaven; its threshold is swept each day by the people of the crimson chambers, and thereafter by the locks of the Spirit the angels of them that are nigh. This is the station wherein the Beauty of the All-Merciful was revealed, then, by His own Self, He established Himself upon the Throne of forgiveness, and decreed what He willed concerning the peoples of the worlds. He, verily, doeth whatsoever He pleaseth; He ordaineth what He loveth, and accomplisheth what He desireth. I testify that from a handful of this dust was Adam, the First, created; therefore was he named the father of mankind in the kingdom of Names, and God appointed him the first of His remembrance among all created things.”

Then cast thy face upon the dust, place thy right cheek thereon, and say:

“Glory be to Thee, O God, my God! This is Thy servant who hath severed himself from every direction and turned toward the direction of Thy singleness; who hath delivered his soul from all save Thee and hath clung to the cords of the bounty of Thy care; who hath come, with his whole being, unto the plains of the glory of Thy mercifulness. Wherefore, O my God, breathe upon my heart of the winds of the glory of the holiness of Thy solicitude, and upon my very being of the fragrances of the sovereignty of the glory of Thy loving-kindness. Cast me not away, O my God, from Thy door, deprived; nor from the dawning-places of the Sun of Thy bounty, hopeless. Verily Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest, and Thou art the All-Sovereign, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.”

Then arise and turn toward the right side of the House, unto the direction of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Wise. Lift up thy hands unto God, the Most High, the All-Exalted, and say:

“Glory be to Thee, O God, my God! The hands of my hope have been raised unto the heaven of Thy bounty and Thy gifts, and the fingers of my reliance have been fastened to the cords of Thy grace and Thy loving-kindness. I beseech Thee by Him through Whom Thou hast arrayed contingent beings with the robes of Thy guidance, and quickened all created things through the sovereignty of Thy compassion and Thy generosity, that Thou shut not the door of Thy knowledge against the face of my heart, nor the gate of Thy mercy against my soul. Then make me, O my God, such as beseemeth the sovereignty of the glory of Thine oneness and the kingship of the holiness of Thy self-sufficiency; verily Thou art the Bountiful, the Bestowing, the Mighty, the Generous. And I, O my God, have severed myself from mine own self, hastened unto Thy Most Exalted Self, migrated from my house, and stood before Thy Most Pure, Most Glorious House. I beseech Thee that Thou leave me not to myself, nor to them that keep men from the love of Thy Beauty and turn the servants aside from Thy mighty and straight path.”

Section 4: “Then circumambulate the House on My behalf seven…”

Then circumambulate the House on My behalf seven times. Thus doth the Beauty of ancient days command thee, and teach thee what none in all the worlds can know. And while thou dost circle the House of thy Lord, remember Him in thine heart and upon thy tongue, and within thyself face the direction of a mighty Throne. When thou hast completed thy circumambulation, present thyself in the first portico opposite the gate of the Sanctuary; then stand, and raise thy hands unto the heaven of the outpouring of the grace of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.

And I enjoin thee that, when thou raisest thy hands, raise them with that attraction whereby the hands of all created things are lifted unto the heaven of thy Master’s bounty; and when thou desirest to call upon God, thy Lord, call thou upon Him with that purity whereby the tongues of every atom utter praise of thy Creator and remembrance of thy Originator, the All-Powerful, the All-Strong, the Wondrous. For if thou be not thus, it beseemeth thee not to stand in the station wherein have stood the temples of the sanctified and the near ones, nor to be related unto Me, nor to abide beneath the shadow of My love—which God hath made a sharp sword between the idolaters and them that affirm His oneness.

And when thou raisest thy hands unto the clouds of the mercy of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Knowing, the All-Knowing, say:

“I testify that there is none other God but Him, alone, without partner, without peer, without minister, without equal, without adversary, without rival, without counterpart to His uplifted, inaccessible, exalted sovereignty. He hath ever been—one in His Essence, one in His attributes, one in His acts; and He shall ever remain even as He hath ever been, in the glory of His majesty and the dominion of His awe-inspiring power—He before Whose holiness the knowing confess their impotence to enter the realms of the sanctity of His knowledge, and the sincere acknowledge their failure to ascend unto the heaven of His remembrance and His praise. Verily He is the All-Sovereign over all things; verily He is the Mighty, the Gracious.

“And I testify that the Primal Point, our Lord, the Most High, is His manifestation in the heaven of the Unseen, His appearance in the dominion of decree, His dawning in the kingdom of irrevocable enactment. Through Him were all created things raised up, and all contingent beings renewed; through Him was the Balance of justice set upon a station of praised glory; through Him the cock of the Throne crowed and the dove of glory sang; through Him the Resurrection of the Cause was established and what had been treasured in the repositories of guarded might was disclosed. Through Him were the heavens of pre-existence uplifted, and the clouds of bounty ascended in this most holy, most noble expanse; through Him the Sun of grace and munificence shone forth from a radiant horizon of sanctity; through Him the seas of verses surged in the kingdom of names and attributes; and the appointed season of the Cause was fulfilled according to what had been ordained in the scrolls of inviolable glory.

“And I testify that through Him the veil of concealment was lifted from the Beauty of Grandeur, the mysteries of the unseen were made manifest in the kingdom of primal beginning; through Him every poor one hath mounted to the heaven of riches, every mortal hath ascended to the stations of abidingness, and every ailing one to the retreats of healing, beneath a pavilion of flashing light.

“And I testify, O my God, that this is the station wherein Thou didst establish Thyself upon the Throne of the glory of Thine oneness, and didst create the first and the last by the sovereignty of Thy will and Thy purpose; herein did the clouds of Thy favour rain upon all the worlds. Therefore I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Most Great Name, the treasured and concealed, and by Thy most perfect Word, stored up in the hidden repositories—whereof Thou didst promise the servants the manifestation at the time of the Cry for Help—that Thou wouldst cause me to enter upon the shore of the ocean of Thy forgiveness, and wouldst blot out from me all that Thou hast numbered of my gravest offences and my mightiest sins.

“Then forgive, O my God, my father and my mother, my kindred, and those whom I have counted as belonging unto mine own self from among them that have believed in Thee and in Thy signs. Appoint for me, O my God, a seat of truth in Thy presence; then join me unto Thy near ones.

“And I beseech Thee, O my God and my Beloved, that Thou make me not of those who circumambulate Thy House upon Thy earth, yet deny Thy Sacred House in the Manifestations of Thy Self, the Dawning-Places of the glory of Thy Self-Subsisting might, the seats of the holiness of Thy Lordship. This, O my God, is the uttermost of my hope and my longing, and Thou art the Sovereign, the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Wise.

Moreover I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Beauty whereby the suns of the glory of Thy care have been illumined, and the flashes of the lights of the holiness of Thy bounty have shone resplendent, that Thou stir me not with fear on the Day whereon every soul is shaken, every possessor of might and authority waxeth proud, the feet of them that have attained do slip, the clamour of all things is raised, and every shining light is darkened. Take Thou my hand, O my God, with the hand of Thy grace and Thy bounty. Deprive me not on that Day of the fragrances of the glory of Thy sanctity, nor of hearing the melodies of Thy wondrous utterance.

Set me not, O my God, behind every sinful crier. Make my sight, through Thy favour, opened wide, that I may know Thee by Thine own Self and not by aught beside Thee, and may behold the wonders of the lights of Thy Beauty through what Thou hast bestowed upon me of Thy bounty, and not through what is with men. For Thou hast not appointed for Thy Self any proof beside Thine Essence, nor any demonstration other than Thy signs. Verily Thou art the One Who standeth, the Judge, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware. Praise be to God, the Lord of all things and the Lord of the worlds.”

Then conclude thy visitation; for We have not permitted any to draw nigh unto the Sanctuary beyond this measure, inasmuch as before that station the lights of the Essence shine forth from behind names and attributes. Short of that is observed, for the sake of courtesy—courtesy which hath ever been among the fairest of qualities in the sight of God, the Possessor of the earths and the heavens. Thus have We delivered unto thee this ordinance with a proof that is clear, resplendent, and manifest.

Verily We love that from every city one should go forth on My behalf and of his own soul, that he may visit the House of God and be of them that visit. By God! at every step he taketh there descend mercy and loving-kindness from a radiant heaven of holiness; and when he lifteth the one foot and setteth it down, God forgiveth his sins and the sins of his mother and his father and all that is ascribed unto him. Thus hath the grace of thy Lord encompassed all created things, the first and the last. By God! He who visiteth the House is as he who hath visited God within the pavilion of the glory of His meeting and the tent of the majesty of His Beauty. Thus do We announce unto you tidings of that which, in the presence of the Throne, was accounted great.

And he who visiteth the House according to what We have taught him, God shall raise him after his death in the Ridvan of glory and grandeur, in such a form that the Concourse on high is illumined by the lights of his countenance; and He shall command all that are in the highest heavens to gather before him, to circle round him, and to visit his beauty at every morn and eventide.

O trustees of God upon the earth! Hasten unto the Most Great Remembrance; then leave what is in your hands, and turn your faces toward the Seat of God, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing. Be steadfast, O people, in the station that, though all upon the earth rise up against you, ye shall not turn aside therefrom, but shall in the religion of God be of the firmly grounded. The idolaters will seek to withhold you from what God hath cast upon you, by reason of the rancour that is in their breasts; yet God doeth what He willeth by His word, and He is the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent.

Then know ye that We have written Tablets, detailed and expansive, concerning the visitation of the House, yet We have not sent them forth until this present hour. Were God to will, We would send them down in truth; verily, He is the Protector of the Messengers. That which We have sent down is this which hath been revealed, in brief, from the Kingdom of God; for the angels nigh unto Him and the denizens of the Concourse on high love, outwardly, to be concise in their observances, while inwardly they are, at every moment, numbered among them that visit. Thus have We taught you, made known unto you the paths of holiness, and guided you unto the shore of manifest grace.

And thou, O Muḥammad, when thou dost behold Karím in the city, call him to remembrance with a remembrance from Our presence; then gladden him with the tidings of a paradise of gracious holiness. Say: O Karím! Arise from thy place, then proclaim aloud betwixt the heavens and the earth that the mystery of the Cause hath been made manifest from the Dayspring of His wondrous Name. Rend asunder the veils of idle fancy, that from behind them the Beauty of the Ancient of Days may shine forth with the lights of a radiant glory.

Know thou, moreover, that the wine of divine intoxication hath encompassed all who dwell in the heavens and on the earth. Wherefore, come thou forth from behind the veils, that this upraised and luminous cloud may rain down upon thy heart. Then announce unto the people the Most Great Treasure, and remind them of this mighty Announcement.

Say: For twenty years We concealed Our countenance beneath seventy thousand veils, that none among the dwellers of the heavens and the earth might know Us. But when the idolaters—those in whose breasts lay rancour against the Youth—rose up in opposition unto Us, We unveiled the countenance of the Cause with manifest sovereignty. Thereupon the suns of vain imaginings were darkened, the moon of gloom was eclipsed, the stars of hatred fell upon the face of the earth, and the souls of the spiteful returned unto the lowest fire, the abode of the idolaters.

And thou, O Karím, tarry not for a single instant. Deliver then the Cause of thy Lord unto every knowing and discerning soul. By God! Whenever thou hearest that there hath appeared aught of My mighty and beauteous sovereignty, come forth from the chambers of sorrow, and loose thy tongue in utterance and exposition in remembrance of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Ruler, the Wise.

Then cast all who are upon the earth behind thee, lest aught thereof should hinder thee; that thou mayest become possessed of a rarefied, subtle, and unassailable lightness, and be enabled to soar into the atmosphere of nearness in this heaven which We have upraised through Our Name, the Most Exalted, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing. Thus have We commanded thee and singled thee out from among the servants, that thou mayest arise for the Cause with sovereign power.