Volume 036: Late Edirne (September 1867 – August 1868) (5 of 7)

BH00052: Suriy-i-Qamis

Section 1: “This is the Surah of the Robe [Qamis]…”

This is the Surah of the Robe [Qamis] which We have sent down in truth and made it the manifestation of Mine own Temple amongst the worlds. In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Holy, and in His Name, the Luminous, the All-Glorious!

O ye dwellers of immortality in the most exalted Paradise! Hearken unto the Call of God from this Breeze that moveth within this gentle air beneath this delicate and subtle heaven. Verily it announceth unto mankind the Most Great Pilgrimage through this Greatest Word which hath been inscribed upon the form of the line in this Book by the Pen of Glory with grace. Say: Verily this is the Most Great Book which was sealed with the seal of God, hidden behind the veils of the unseen, and treasured within the vaults of glory, and hath appeared through grace in the form of justice in the days which were promised in truth.

O Thou Solace of the Spirit! Rain down upon all created things from the heaven of Thy grace that which will make them independent of all that exists between [the earth] and the heavens, for they were poor in the innermost mystery and at the threshold of these domes before the Dawning-Place of this Beauty, having been, by Thy leave, caused to pause.

O Thou Solace of the Spirit! Verily the idolaters were in doubt concerning Thy Cause after We made Thee speak with the melody of remembrance at the Dayspring of Light in this Revelation which hath shone forth from this Mount that hath been raised upon these two names in these two resplendent Suns in the two Beauties. Grieve thou not, but be patient, then show forth supreme patience, for verily thy Lord, the All-Merciful, guardeth thee from the hosts of Satan, and He hath ever been wise over all the worlds. Rend asunder the veils from thy countenance, then the holy veils from thy beauty, then arise from the dayspring of paradise in the temple of light in the form of spirit. Turn not unto anyone nor cast thy glance upon the faces of the idolaters, but turn thy face toward the direction of the Throne, toward thy Lord. Verily He sufficeth thee against all the worlds, and He will assist thee in truth and will aid thee at all times even as He aided thee through grace such that the Spirit spoke within thy breast and made thee a shining light unto all the worlds.

Say: By God! I am the Most Great Manifestation in the most exalted Paradise, the Most Pure Beauty in the Most Glorious Horizon, the Most Evident Word at the Furthermost Tree, the Mighty Announcement at the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, the Hidden Countenance in the heaven of destiny, and the Mystery of God and His Command in the kingdom of origination. Through a signal from My Pen hath appeared the decree of the Kaf between earth and heaven and the command of the Nun in the cities of names. Verily thy Lord, the Generous, hath preferred thee in truth and made thee a mighty pillar unto all the worlds.

Say: I am the Most Great Pillar and the Most Perfect Word, and whosoever holdeth fast unto Me hath indeed held fast unto the cord of God, the Strong One, in this Perspicuous Announcement which was concealed behind the pavilion of infallibility beyond the veils of grandeur, hidden in truth.

O Thou Solace of Eternity in the Dayspring of Light! By God, Thou art the Ruler in this heaven; therefore rule as Thou pleaseth, for through that which hath been established by Thee are the decrees of destiny confirmed through execution. Verily the suns and moons and stars are all made subservient by Thy command. To Thee belongeth the command in the heaven of eternity and to Thee belongeth creation in the kingdom of earth and heaven, for verily Thy Lord, there is no God but He, hath made Thee in truth a pure helper and supporter unto all the worlds.

O people of earth! Do you imagine that you can enter Paradise in this Eden which hath appeared in the Temple of the All-Merciful in these gardens without love for this Youth, the Eternal, the One, the Ancient of Days, the Everlasting, the Persian, the Arabian, the Divine? Evil is that which ye have imagined within yourselves, for verily the abode of the wrong-doers hath been fixed, in justice, in the fire which blazeth in the depths of hell. Say: We have, in justice, cast terror into the hearts of the idolaters, and into the hearts of them that have recognized Divine unity have We sent down tranquility through the grace of this Book which hath been sent down from the heaven of the Unseen as a bounty unto all the worlds.

O people of creation! Hearken unto the melodies of God in the midmost heart of the Paradise of Ridvan from the Sacred Lote-Tree which hath been planted by the hands of the All-Merciful in the land of saffron. Say: By God! Through but one note thereof did the Light shine forth upon the elevated Mount in the holy Sinai beyond the sea of rapture unto Moses, He Who conversed with God, in the canopy of eternity near the furthermost Tree, from this Fire which flameth yellow:

“Verily I am God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers of old,”

and verily He doth encompass all the worlds. And through another note thereof were the spirits stirred within the bodies of all created things, and the Bird of the Divine Throne warbled betwixt earth and heaven, and the Holy Spirit spoke with a wondrous tongue most eloquent. Through it were made manifest the mysteries of the letter K and N, and God’s favor was perfected upon all who are in the heavens and on earth, and the Beauty of God appeared with such splendor as caused all in the kingdom to swoon away.

O people of earth! If ye be not content with this most pure Beauty in this most great Ridvan, die then in your wrath! Verily He hath appeared with the truth, and God hath made Him a light unto them that have recognized Divine unity and a fire unto the idolaters, and verily He seeth all things. Say: On this day no one’s call shall ascend unto God save his who hath entered the eternal Paradise which is the court of this Word that speaketh the truth upon this exalted Mount which hath been raised up by the Command. Say: Verily this is the Book of God, the sealed and treasured Tablet which hath been preserved in truth beneath the vaults of might behind the veils of infallibility.

O concourse of earth and heaven! Are ye able to pass beyond the borders of this fortress which hath been raised up behind the mountain of glory from bars of iron? And can ye find any way to leave God’s earth? Nay, by Him besides Whom there is none other God! Ye shall neither find means to pass beyond nor power to leave. Therefore hold ye fast unto this yellow cord in this atmosphere which shineth in this heaven that hath been manifested in this cloud which hath appeared with a crimson hue at the heart of this paradise which the eyes of the exalted ones have not perceived, that ye may be recorded by God’s Pen as being among the people of Paradise in the holy Ridvan.

O people of the Bayan! Do ye say as said they of old that God’s hand is chained up, or do ye imagine within yourselves that the gates of grace have been sealed shut after they had forever been open before the faces of the heavens and earth? Say: By God! The gate of holiness hath then been opened on the right hand of Paradise and there hath appeared therefrom the Ancient Beauty with manifest sovereignty. This is He Whom God hath made a herald of glad tidings unto them that have recognized Divine unity and a warner unto the idolaters, and verily He is God’s Lamp between the heavens and the earth, lit of itself for itself from its own oil, from which illumination do the denizens of the most exalted Paradise receive their light, then the dwellers by the crimson sea, then the inhabitants of the holy ocean behind the billows of grandeur. Thus hath the matter been inscribed in truth by the Pen of Destiny upon the Tablet of Accomplishment.

O Pupil of Immortality! Withhold not the outpourings of Thy grace from all created things, nor remain veiled behind the curtains of allusion. Come forth from the chambers of ruby, then pour forth the wine of everlasting life in this paradise from the chalices of the All-Merciful, by the hand of this Youth who hath been witnessed from the horizon of holiness adorned with the ornament of God. Beware lest Thou close Thine eyes to grace and withhold the Kawthar of bounty from Thy servants. Look not upon them nor upon what they possess, but gaze with the Most Great Vision upon a station gloriously praised. Have mercy upon them, then raise up in this heaven the clouds of glory and eternity, then shower upon all created things the beloved rain of grace.

For verily Thou art the Munificent One in the kingdom of names, the Ancient Possessor of bounty in the heaven of eternity, and the Supreme Bestower of generosity in the realm of the unseen, and Thou hast been renowned for Thy grace above the Throne in the most exalted assembly. Say: The Beauty of the All-Merciful and the Countenance of Glory hath appeared in the temple of man. Blessed be God Who hath sent Him in truth and taught this Pen in the mystery of the line the wisdom of utterance, for verily He hath power over all things.

O Solace of the Spirit! Recount unto men the bounty which We bestowed upon thee before the creation of all things in the atoms of eternity, and before the temples of all things were adorned with the mantle of names, at a time when the Adam of eternity was hidden in the clay of destiny by virtue of the Command. And should the opposition of the idolaters reach thee, grieve not, for We shall soon sanctify the hem of thy robe from the allusions of the manifestations of names and attributes, even as We have purified thee from the recognition of every wretched idolater. Stand firm then in the Cause, and speak forth between earth and heaven that wherewith We have caused the Spirit to speak within thy breast.

Put thy trust in God, thy Lord, in the eventide of holiness and the dawning of nearness, for He shall suffice thee in truth against every sinful oppressor. Turn unto God thy Lord, then turn away from all else, and verily We shall guard thee with the sovereignty of might and power, and preserve thee with an inviolability whereof no created thing hath any knowledge. Soon shall We manifest thy Cause and exalt thy name in the assemblage of names, and make mention of thee in the pavilion of holiness with a truthful and trustworthy tongue. Thus do We cast upon thee from the verses of the Cause and diversify for thee the signs, that the proof from thy Lord may be fulfilled unto all the worlds.

O Supreme Remembrance of God! How can I make mention of the wonders of Thy remembrance wherewith Thou hast inspired me, when the idolaters have encompassed me from every side, and Thou art witness to this. By God! I have lost the thread in my affair and am bewildered by reason of the hatred that hath appeared in the breasts of those who believed not in Thee for the twinkling of an eye, and Thou art well aware of them. When I behold the wonders of Thy gifts and bounties toward me and my nearness to Thy Self, my spirit trembleth with longing for Thy presence, and when I turn my gaze toward my tribulations among Thy creatures, my very being is shaken with fear of Thy decree. Thou art in truth the Knower of all things and art cognizant of all things.

O Quintessence of Immortality! Grieve not over anything, neither be thou afraid of anyone. Pour forth unto the denizens of the all-highest Paradise from the chalices of eternity, and unto the holy concourse of the Kingdom of Might from the crimson wine, and unto the dwellers of the pavilions of sovereignty and dominion from the white cups of this pure and most refined milk. Then unto the people of the human kingdom from the pitchers of divine decree, and unto the people of glory that which will sever them from all things and draw them to an ancient and holy retreat. Beware lest thou regard the idolaters and what their hands have wrought. Rather, gaze with the Most Exalted Vision upon thy Ancient and Eternal Beauty, Who hath dawned in truth from the horizon of the Most High Name, and verily He sufficeth thee above all else and will guard thee from the darts of the evil ones and will raise thee up in justice to a wondrous station of glory.

For thou art indeed Hussein in the Kingdom of Names, and through Ali thou wert mentioned round about the Throne. And when the matter becometh grievous unto thee, sorrow not within thyself, but be patient in My path, for the reward of the patient ones hath been inscribed by the Pen of Holiness in the Mother Book. Say: The decree hath come through this Mandate, and He ordaineth what He willeth for all who are in the heavens and on earth, from the presence of One mighty and wise.

Section 2: “O peoples of the earth! Do ye worship…”

O peoples of the earth! Do ye worship names which ye have named, ye and your fathers, for which God hath sent down no authority, and yet reject Him Who hath come unto you invested with mighty sovereignty? Fear God and follow not the promptings of your own selves, but rather follow God’s command and His laws as revealed in the Bayan. Verily, all authority is with Him alone, and He is indeed the All-Knowing. Be not miserly with what God hath bestowed upon you through His grace; rather, spend of that which ye have been given. If ye are poor, God will enrich you from His bounty. Verily, He hath power over all things. God will soon reward those who have believed and have spent with the most excellent of rewards from His presence, and will cause them to enter an ancient and holy paradise.

When We desired to conclude Our utterance, We heard a Call betwixt earth and heaven, saying:

“O Thou Beauty of the All-Glorious in the Most Resplendent Vesture! Withhold not from the ears the holy melodies, nor from the eyes the antimony of the knowledge of Thy beauty, nor from the suns the effulgences of the lights of Thy bounty, nor from the hearts the fragrances of Thy love, nor from all created things the outpourings of the flood of Thy mercy which doth encompass all worlds. Verily, the Maids of Paradise and the dwellers of the precincts of intimacy, and they that stand behind the Throne in holy places, have descended from the pavilions of eternity and have halted in the air above in this most holy and pure atmosphere, desiring to hear Thy sweet melodies in this most exalted station.”

By God! Silence is beloved except concerning Thy wondrous melodies, and preservation is sought except in Thy mighty Cause, and patience is praiseworthy except in the face of Thy radiant and glorious Beauty. Thou art, of a truth, with Thy knowledge, well aware of what I say. By God, the Truth! Through Thy sorrowful utterances, the hearts of the faithful have been rent asunder, and the verses have returned to the dominion of truth, and the temples of names have been stripped of the raiment of attributes, and all things have been gathered in garments of grief between earth and heavens. Thou art, verily, the Powerful in judgment, doing what Thou willest by Thy sovereignty, and Thou art, indeed, powerful over all things.

When We heard the Herald of the All-Merciful from the direction of the Divine Paradise, We ceased Our first melody and began another, that perchance they that are intoxicated among the malevolent ones might deal justly in this wondrous, most wondrous and exalted Cause, even less than an atom that moveth in this atmosphere, and might witness their Lord’s power both in secret and in the open. Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses in truth, even as He sent them down in truth upon ʿAli, and before him upon Muhammad the Apostle of God, and before him upon the Spirit, and before him upon Moses, testifying that there is none other God but Him. His is the command in the dominion of eternity. He causeth to live and die, then to die and live. Verily, He is the Everlasting that perisheth not, the Sovereign that declineth not, the King that fadeth not, the Manifest that is never hidden, and the Hidden that is never revealed. In His grasp is the kingdom of all things, and He is verily the Mighty, the Unconstrained.

O people! Fear God and deny not the signs of God, nor Him at Whose meeting the dwellers of the heavens and earth and all between them glory—the Concourse of the near ones who are sustained at every moment by the rays of Beauty shining upon them from the countenance of God, the Almighty, the All-Luminous. Say: O people! This is the Spirit of God amongst you and His sovereignty within you. Beware lest ye deny the signs of God after they have been sent down in truth like the descent of rain. Indeed, the rain descends and ceases, but the verses descend at all times in such wise that they never exhaust, and they who are endowed with holy vision testify that they have descended from the dominion of God, the Supreme, the All-Compelling. O people! If ye deny the signs of God, then by what testimony did ye believe in God on the day when the feet of every mystic slipped, the skin of every believer trembled, and eyes were dazzled?

Fear God, O people of the Bayan, and dispute not with Him in Whom ye believed before. Be fair in your own selves and differ not regarding Him through Whom your names were exalted, and follow not every faithless calumniator. Say: Do ye take lords besides God and do as did the peoples of the Qur’an? Woe unto you for what your hands have wrought; soon shall ye return to your abode—and what abode for the wrongdoers save the fire? Say: Those who hearken unto the Word of God and are struck with yearning for it—these are they who drink the choice wine of holiness from the hand of this Youth, the One, the Eternal, the Ancient of Days, the Divine, Who hath come unto you upon the clouds of Command with sovereignty and power.

O people of the Bayan! Do ye read the verses while denying their Revealer? By God the Truth! None hath done as ye have done, nor have any peoples committed what ye have committed. Woe unto you, O company of evil ones! Ye have indeed failed in your own selves, to such extent that ye have forgotten God’s covenant, broken His testament, and turned away from Him by Whose command ye and the heavens and earth were created. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command. He sendeth down what He willeth to whom He willeth, and all things are decreed in His presence. Say: We counseled you in the Bayan not to deny the signs of God when they are sent down in truth. We revealed not the Bayan save for this Announcement which was inscribed with the choice wine of holiness upon tablets whereat vision turneth not back. Yet when We came to you again from the dawning-place of the Spirit, ye turned away from the Path, denied God’s favor, and followed every doubtful denier.

By God the Truth! None shall recognize Us today save those whose heart-mirrors are pure and whose vision is cleansed from beholding aught besides God. These are the companions of the Heights who recognize their Creator in every condition and hold fast to the Most Great Handle in this Most Firm, Most Pure Cord. Thus do We expound the verses for you and cast upon you that which shall make you independent of every treacherous associator. Say: O people! I fear not for Myself, but for Him Who shall come after Me on the day when the Fire shall be kindled and the Lights shall shine.

By God the Truth! O people of the Bayan! Ye shall do unto Him what neither the people of the Qur’an did to ʿAli, nor the Christians to Muhammad, nor the Jews to Jesus, nor those who were before, before, unto God’s Messengers. This is witnessed by what ye have done to this Servant after He came unto you with the sovereignty of the Cause, accompanied by a proof that would render powerless all possessed of knowledge and might. O people of the Bayan! Have ye forgotten the time when the Most Exalted One came unto you with sovereign authority from on high, and the divines of the Qur’an denied Him, until they pronounced their verdict against Him and put Him to death in such wise that the heavens and earth wept for Him, and those who are nigh unto God and the dwellers of the holy precincts of nearness lamented, and beyond them the very stones and trees mourned, while but few among you believed in Him? Then He returned once again that truth might be distinguished from falsehood. Thereupon ye denied and rejected Him until ye disbelieved in that which ye had formerly believed. God is sufficient witness between us and you, and He possesseth the knowledge of all mysteries.

Say: In the most exalted Concourse ye are known for falsehood, in the heaven of eternity for misbelief, and in the kingdom of names for unbelief, for ye have disbelieved in God’s verses after having used them as proof against others. Thus doth God reveal the treachery of souls and that which the breasts conceal. Among the ungodly are those who say these verses were not revealed according to the innate nature. By the True God! The innate nature itself hath at this moment appeared in the form of a servant, and standeth at the gate in utmost submission, crying out and saying:

“Woe unto you, O company of the heedless! By God, I was created by His command.”

Thus doth it testify of itself, but these evil ones understand not. By God! It prideth itself in its connection with Our true Self, though We have ever been independent of it. We created it and all things by Our command, and none denieth this save every froward unbeliever. Thus have their lying tongues become so brazen that they say that which they understand not and forge lies against God.

Say: Who is more unjust than one who forgeth lies against God and denieth His verses which were sent down in the nights and at dawn? Say: Die in your wrath! Today ye have no refuge except to deny what ye possess or to acknowledge that which hath been sent down from the heaven of divine decree by One mighty and free to choose. Say: Do ye speak as spoke the divines of the Qur’an? Are ye not ashamed before God Who created you and sustained you and made known unto you the Manifestation of His Self through verses that have bewildered minds and thoughts?

O host of God! Purify your hearts from the mention of these people, then arise to aid God and His Cause. Take hold of God’s Book with the power We have given you and pay no heed to the ungodly and what they say, for today they have no proof and naught shall profit them save the striking of necks by the swords of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Compelling. By God! O companions! Ye are God’s swords if ye drink from this cup whereby souls are detached from all else save Him and raised to a station where nothing in the heavens and earth can frighten them, where neither their small numbers nor the multitude of the wicked can disturb them. For by God, besides Whom there is none other God, whosoever ariseth to aid our Cause God will render him victorious over ten times ten thousand souls, and, should he wax in his love for Me, him will We cause to triumph over all that is in heaven and all that is on earth.

Thus have We breathed at this moment the spirit of power throughout all regions that the dwellers of Paradise might draw strength therefrom in whatever region they may be, and aid God their Creator every night and day. Know ye that those whose hearts are attached to aught in the heavens and earth shall never enter My Kingdom, for God hath sanctified this station from all else and made it the habitation of the righteous. Therefore strive ye to attain this station, and deprive not yourselves of this bounty, and be ye not among the denizens of the fire. They who have denied God and His sovereignty—these shall be encompassed with abasement, and they shall have no protector from God. Soon shall the scourges of His wrath lay hold upon them from the presence of God, the Almighty, the Compelling. Thus have We sent down the verses unto you, and expounded the Cause, and made it subservient through that which We have manifested from this Most Exalted Pen, that it might serve as a reminder to the learned.

Know ye then, O people, that God hath made each letter of these words a paradise more vast than can be reckoned by all who dwell within the realm of possibility. And they who remain behind the veils of light at the manifestations of this Revelation, wherein are seated the Maids of inner meaning and utterance from the mysteries of this divine Youth Who is established upon the throne of forgiveness—were but the beauty of one of these to be unveiled before the dwellers of earth and heaven, all would be thunderstruck, nay, would cease to exist, save those who hold fast to the cord of the beauty of Him Who is peerless throughout creation in His all-bountiful Self, and in whose breast the Beauty of the Unseen speaketh at all times, saying:

“Thou art God; there is none other God but Thee, the All-Compelling, the Most Generous.”

And when We desired to conclude Our utterance, We heard once again the call of the All-Merciful from the direction of the Throne above the celestial paradise, saying:

“O Ancient Beauty! I adjure Thee by My beauty, then by My light, then by My Cause, that Thou cease not Thy most sweet melodies, but rather give voice to the verses in yet another strain, for the people of the unseen from the worlds of the divine cloud long to hear Thy rapturous melodies. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest, and Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious.”

Section 3: “O Thou Who art the joy…”

O Thou Who art the joy of the Cause! Make mention, beneath the canopy of light, of Our chosen servants in all regions, that perchance the melody of the All-Compelling may so confirm them in the Cause that they will never exchange the garment of the All-Possessing from their temples, and will arise to render victorious assistance through My Name, the Helper, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Glorious. Say: God’s remembrance of His loved ones is sweeter than all that is sweet, and more precious than all that hath been created between the heavens and earth. By God! Were men to know the measure of what is being sent down unto them of the verses of God, the All-Compelling, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, they would sacrifice their very souls and expend their wealth in hope of but a single letter from the traces of their Lord. Even thus do We impart unto you of the wisdom of God, that ye may be of them that are endowed with understanding.

O My Name! Hearken unto the call of thy Lord at the time when He ascended the throne with a sovereignty that hath encompassed all created things, that thou mayest remain steadfast in the Cause and be of them that attain. Know thou that We have been caught in the talons of hatred and find no helper for Ourself save God, my Lord and the Lord of all the worlds. There hath befallen Us that which hath never befallen God’s chosen ones before, and the like of which no ear among all creatures hath ever heard. Thus do We impart unto thee tidings of the Spirit, that thou mayest aid Him as thou art able and be among them that are firm in His Cause. Say: Verily, He hath no need of anyone, and all victory lieth within His grasp. He aideth whom He willeth through His command, and He is the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise. And if He commandeth the people to help, this is of His grace unto them that He may bring them to what He desireth. He, verily, is independent of all worlds. In His hand is the dominion of all things, and in His right hand is the empire of creation and command. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.

Be thou steadfast, O servant, at a time when the people are intoxicated with this Most Great, this Mighty Announcement, such that they flee to the right and to the left, and place their fingers in their ears lest they hear the melodies whereby the hearts of the Concourse on High were entranced and the minds of them that have recognized His oneness were bewildered. Thus have We recorded the matter in the Tablets of Destiny behind the veils of infallibility, and informed thee thereof in this manifest Tablet. Say: O people! This is God’s mercy unto you, which hath encompassed all atoms. Have ye ever seen anything more wondrous than this? Nay, by thy Lord, the Most Merciful! Yet most of the people are behind mighty veils. Say: This is the breath of holiness wafting from the dayspring of the Cause. Have ye ever reckoned anything more excellent than this? Nay, by My bountiful Self, if ye be of them that are assured!

Say: O people of the Bayan! We have believed in that which hath been sent down from God in every age, and in Ali and in what was revealed unto Him of the signs of God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and before Him in Muhammad the Messenger of God, and before Him in God’s chosen ones and His Messengers who rent asunder the veils of creation and appeared from the horizon of the All-Merciful with clear sovereignty and a manifest and brilliant proof. Say: We have believed in them and in what they possessed of God’s laws and His religion, then in God’s ordinances and His command. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command, and all are preserved with Him in the tablets of might.

Thus doth the servant testify for himself, and all existence, both seen and unseen, beareth witness unto this, if ye be of them that testify. Say: O people! By God, this is indeed Ali in truth Who hath appeared with a sovereignty the like of which hath never been witnessed by the eyes of those who dwell within pavilions of glory behind veils of light, much less the eyes of these oppressed ones. From His right hand flow the waters of life and from His left march forth the hosts of the All-Merciful. Exalted be this Man Who hath appeared at the heart of possibility with the beauty of the All-Glorious! Exalted be this most wondrous, most holy, most ancient, and everlasting Beauty!

O Ancient Beauty! Make mention in the Book of Rida’r-Ruh, that he may be well-pleased with himself and with what the clouds of holiness have sprinkled upon his heart from the rain of wondrous glory. Perchance the veils may be burned away by the fire which hath shone forth at the heart of contingent being, and the shrouds of idle fancy may be rent asunder by My sovereign might, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

Say: O servant! Fear no one in the path of thy Lord. Take the chalice of life in thy right hand, then share it with those whom thou findest upon the shores of good-pleasure in this garden which hath appeared from the right hand of the All-Merciful. And shouldst thou find thyself powerless to bear the Word by reason of this Most Great Weight, then seek strength through My Name, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. And if thine eye be too weak to pierce the dust of vain imaginings, then seek vision through My Name, the All-Seeing, the All-Perceiving, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Arise to serve the Cause, then take the staff We have given thee in the mystery of these words, and cleave asunder therewith the sea of idle fancies in these days wherein trembling hath seized all who are in the heavens and on earth, save whom thy Lord, the All-Merciful, willeth. Verily He protecteth whom He pleaseth, and He hath power over all things.

Say: By God! The Beauty of the First One hath appeared yet again, and there hath shone forth from the light of His countenance, less than a needle’s eye, upon all who are in the heavens and on earth. Thereupon did the dwellers of Sinai swoon away upon the elevated Mount by reason of this resplendent, this inaccessible Beauty, after We had informed them of this Cause in preserved tablets of glory. And thou, read thou what was sent down by Our First Beauty in the Qayyumu’l-Asma, that thou mayest know the mystery of the Cause in this Mystery which hath been veiled in secrets and concealed behind curtains through what the hands of the oppressors among these wicked ones have wrought. None knoweth this save God, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.

And shouldst thou become aware in the Book of the mysteries of thy Lord and recognize the decree of the Return after the first Return, beware lest thou reveal it to anyone or move thy tongue with it, for verily the people of the depths of eternity cannot bear to hear it; nay, they would instantly cease to be. Beware, beware! Conceal the beauty of the Cause from those who have disbelieved and joined partners with God. Behold thou the Ancient Beauty in the mirror of thy heart, then take comfort in Him and be of the thankful. Conceal the beauty of God from the eyes of the ungodly, and His mysteries from the hearts of the misguided.

By the righteousness of God! These are the days in which God hath proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets, and beyond them those that stand guard over His sacred and inviolable Sanctuary, the inmates of the celestial Pavilion and dwellers of the Tabernacle of Glory. How severe, therefore, the test to which they who join partners with God must needs be subjected!

And when the sovereignty of God and His power, then His grandeur and His majesty are made manifest unto them, they place the hand of rejection over their eyes, then hasten to practice deception that they might cause doubt among the servants. Thus do We cast upon thee that which will preserve thee from the darts of these satans.

And if thou desirest to drink from this spring which hath flowed from the right hand of grace, and that which was promised thee at the heart of good-pleasure of camphor and salsabil, then detach thyself from all who are in the heavens and on earth, and from all that hath been decreed by the rule of names in the kingdom of origination, that the gates of inner meanings and utterance might be opened unto thy heart and thou mayest become aware of the mysteries of the All-Merciful in this Paradise and be of those endued with certainty. O Radiyyu’r-Ruh! Reflect upon that which hath been sent down unto thee from the presence of One mighty and all-knowing, that thou mayest know what God desireth thee to know.

O Rida’r-Ruh, ponder upon that which hath been sent down unto thee from the presence of One Who is mighty and all-knowing, that thou mayest recognize that which God desireth thee to know, and attain unto the station ordained for thee in the tablets of glory and bounty. Verily, We have sent unto thee this garment which hath been sprinkled with the blood of the truthful, that thou mayest perceive that which is hidden from the eyes of the world, save whom thy Lord willeth—they whom neither veils nor allusions can hinder, nor can any hindrance deter, even were it to appear in the form of the angels of heaven and the cherubim, for they behold with the Most Great Vision this Most Manifest Beauty and recognize the proof by its own self and not by aught else, for its evidence is in its verses and its existence is its proof. Thus hath it been, before and after, if ye be of them that know.

O Delight of Eternity! Say: By God! We have not revealed in the tablets a single word in wondrous melody concerning that which We have cast upon the Pen from the mysteries of eternity, for We found the people of the Bayan in such drunkenness, heedlessness and delusion as cannot be compared with any other people. Therefore hath the Temple of Grandeur veiled His most luminous and exalted Beauty with a thousand thousand veils of light, lest the eyes of these treacherous ones be drawn unto Him. Weep then for that which hath befallen Me at the hands of those who disbelieved and associated partners with God, and were among the heedless. By God! What We have suffered at the hands of the loved ones is far more grievous than what We have endured from the unbelievers.

The heavens are well-nigh cleft asunder, the earth rent in twain, the mountains laid low, the pillars of the Throne demolished, the foundations of Paradise destroyed, and the hearts of them who are nigh unto God consumed, whereat the Pen of Command weepeth, the Immortal Dove lamenteth, and the Bird of Heaven crieth out, for that God willeth to prove His faith unto His servants after they were all created by His command—to this testifieth all that hath been created between the heavens and the earth. Say: O people! Verily, We have believed in God’s Messengers and His chosen ones, and in that which hath been sent down unto them of the verses of God, the Mighty, the Revealer, the Bountiful.

By what sin, then, have ye denied this outpouring, the like of which the clouds of Command have never borne, nor hath the rain of bounty attained unto it, nor have the eyes of them who are nigh beheld it?

O Delight of Eternity! Turn the Pen away from the mention of these people, and bring not the treacherous ones beneath the pavilion of thy sweet remembrance. By God! All that floweth from thy pen is beloved in the sight of the denizens of the highest Paradise; therefore, it grieveth Me that thy precious fingers should move to record aught but thy wondrous and mighty mention. Thus, conclude the mention of the ungodly and begin with the mention of the sincere ones among thy loved ones, that perchance the wondrous melodies of thy sublime utterance may establish them upon thy mighty and exalted path. For the ungodly among the hypocrites desired to sow hatred in the hearts of the loved ones, upon whom the messages of eternity from the direction of Glory have passed. Thus have We reckoned up the matter in a perspicuous Book.

O Rida’r-Ruh! Make mention of God’s chosen ones who are in thy land, that they may rejoice within themselves that the Pen of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, hath moved upon their names.

And among them is he who is named Muhammad—make mention of him from Our presence that he may glory therein among the worlds. Say: O servant! Efface from thy heart every remembrance save the remembrance of Me, the Mighty, the Inaccessible. Make My love thy stronghold, then My Cause thy mantle, then My remembrance thy shield, then My beauty thy companion, then thy trust in Me, the Bestower, the Powerful, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.

Section 4: “Then remember him who was named after My…”

Then remember him who was named after My Name, that his name may endure in the heaven of grandeur and the kingdom of eternity, and that he may be of them that remember. Say: O servant! Give thanks unto God for having made thee the namesake of His Self and for sending upon thee the fragrances of the All-Merciful when thou wert present before the Throne, seated upon the seat of truth in the presence of the mighty and powerful King. Strive, then, that there may appear from thee in thy days that which befitteth this pure, exalted, and glorious Name. Remember thou thyself, then remember the servants through this blessed and luminous Name.

Then remember Ha and Sin with the sovereignty of remembrance, that he may fall prostrate upon the dust before the countenance of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all who are in the realm of existence. Say: O Hasan! Do thou good even as God hath done good unto thee, then purify thyself for the revelation of His Self and thy heart from the promptings of them that join partners with God. Leave behind the world and all that is therein and thereon in thy shadow, then take shelter in My shadow which hath encompassed all created things and wherein dwell the sanctified concourse.

Then remember Zaman with the verses of the All-Merciful which descend from the direction of a mighty throne. Say: O Zaman! First, detach thyself from time and all that is therein that thou mayest be enabled to ascend unto the heights of glory before thy Lord, the Gracious, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Ancient. By God! Nothing shall profit thee this day save My love; lay fast hold upon it and be thou of them that are assured. And should abasement overtake thee for My Name’s sake, grieve not but put thy trust in God, and verily He will guard thee from the harm of satans. Be thou steadfast in the love of thy Lord such that naught of all that hath been and shall be created may cause thee to slip, for this is the way of them that are steadfast. Then mention thy son from Our presence and adorn his brow with the crown of nearness from this brilliant and firm Pen.

Then give glad tidings unto Rida with the tidings of the Spirit Who took refuge in the shadow of His Lord for months and years. Say: O servant! Grieve not at separation, for We have raised thee up before Us and inscribed thy name in the tablets of nearness among them that are nigh. Beware lest thou forget the melodies of thy Lord, His fragrances, and the lights of His beauty when they shine forth among you and illumine the people of the Supreme Concourse. Then remember his father and his son, then his brother and those with him who presented themselves before their Lord and unto whom the Face shone forth with sanctified and resplendent lights. Say: We have caused to gush forth for you from the mountain of holiness, in the mystery of this Ridvan, springs of Kawthar and Salsabil.

Therefore, O people of the Bayan, deprive not yourselves but draw nigh unto it and be not of the patient ones. By God, the Truth! Ye have attained unto that which none before you hath attained, if ye but recognize the favor of God which hath descended upon you from the clouds of holiness and be of them that are firmly established. Thus have We bestowed Our favor upon you and sent down upon you grace from every direction and from this holy, transcendent, and glorious Quarter.

O Pen of Holiness! Remember the dust that he may remember within himself and turn unto the face of his Lord and be of them that are detached. Say: O servant! Rise above the dust and whatsoever proceedeth therefrom that thou mayest be enabled to know thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, and be of them that attain. By God, the Truth! Today there is no refuge nor resting place for anyone save beneath the shadow of My luminous and mighty countenance, and at the gate of this Ridvan stand the angels of the Cause, stationed in My Name, the Protector, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. And should they detect in anyone the fragrance of the world and of whatsoever hath appeared between the heavens and the earth, they shall prevent him from entering this Ridvan and from standing before thy Lord, the Gracious, the Ancient. Thus doth the Dove teach thee, and those who have believed in God, the Mighty, the One, the Peerless.

Then remind Hussein with that which the Spirit of Truth reminds him through manifest and holy verses, that he may soar in the atmosphere of nearness and know God, his Lord and the Lord of all worlds, in these days wherein no one has purified his countenance for the face of his Lord, and all worship vain imaginings as did the servants before them—thus it has been and ever shall be. The All-Merciful Himself is witness to what I say.

Then make mention in the Book of Our other servants among the sanctified concourse. Say: Verily Hasan, then Ali before Nabil, then Hasan—all are among the righteous ones. Then Muhammad before Ali, then the servant before Ali, then Ali before Rida, then Our chosen servants—all are among the sincere ones. And for each has been ordained in the holy tablets that which none among the worlds can reckon. God Who created them and aided them in His Cause and made them know the Manifestation of His Self and made them to be among the believers. And they shall attain unto this station if they change not God’s favor unto themselves; and should they change, God will change toward them. Verily there is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command, and all are before Him in a perspicuous Book.

Say: O loved ones of the All-Merciful! Come forth from behind the veils of possibility and the shrouds of existence through the power of your Lord, the Bestower. Then stand firm in the Cause between the heavens and the earth in such wise that should all who are and all who shall be gather against you with all at their command to turn you from your purpose, they would prove powerless; nay rather, they would find themselves utterly impotent. Thus doth God establish the truth through His words and confirm the Cause through His verses, if ye be of those who know.

Therefore, purify the mirrors of your hearts for the manifestation of the lights from this Beauty Who hath dawned in the Pole of Glory and Who shineth at the point of its setting with a radiance whereby all who are in the heavens and on earth are illumined, save those who have disbelieved in the signs of God, then denied His proof, disputed His tokens, and turned away from His beauty, and were among the heedless ones.

Say: By God! The dwellers of Sinai were thunderstruck upon the Sinai of the Cause, and those veiled in clouds have fled from this divine Lion, and the spiritual ones shall perish in this terror wherein everything shall be struck with fear save those whom the hand of grace hath taken hold of, from the presence of One mighty and powerful.

Say: O people! Read ye the words of God in the sweetest of melodies, that the denizens of earth and heaven may be drawn unto them. By the True One! Should anyone recite that which hath been sent down from the heaven of immortality by the All-Glorious Beauty of God, the Most Exalted, God will surely raise him up in the eternal Paradise with such beauty that the dwellers of the Supreme Concourse will be illumined by the light of his countenance. He will be visited by the inhabitants of the pavilions of holiness and by those who dwell within the tabernacle of concealment—they whose faces have never been beheld by the eyes of such as have denied the signs of the All-Merciful in this time wherein His sovereignty hath encompassed all created things, even every atom, if ye be of them that bear witness. Thus hath God ordained for every soul who readeth His verses; and besides this, He will raise them up at the dawning-place of every Manifestation, that He may perfect His favor upon them and upon all the worlds. Thus doth God reward His servants who remember Him with the best of rewards from His presence, and He verily is the Guardian of the virtuous.

Know thou moreover that they who have attained unto the presence of the Throne—these are they who have attained unto that which none besides them hath attained. Thus doth God bestow His grace upon whomsoever He willeth among His creation. There is no God but Him. He doeth what He pleaseth and ordaineth what He willeth. His is the bounty and the grace. He singleth out whom He pleaseth through His favor. There is no God but Him, the Munificent, the Mighty, the Beauteous.

Of those whose names We have mentioned in the Tablet, some have soared unto the realms of holiness, while others have tarried at the threshold of this world. For each there is a portion with their Lord, and each is inscribed in mighty and glorious Tablets with Him. As for those whose names We have not mentioned, do thou remember them with the remembrances of the Spirit from thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent.

If thou art blessed with this Tablet wherein have been detailed the mysteries of what was and what is to be, arise from thy place, place it upon thy head and say:

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness with my tongue and my heart that Thy wondrous favor hath encompassed all atoms among all that hath been created between earth and heaven, such that nothing remaineth but that Thy proof hath been perfected unto it, Thy evidence hath shone upon it, Thy Word hath reached it, Thy sovereignty hath been manifested unto it, Thy verses have descended upon it, and the signs of Thy bounty have appeared unto it. Therefore, O my God, I have detached myself from all else save Thee and have arisen before the tabernacles of Thy glory and the pavilion of Thy grace, in such wise that I have purified my heart and my tongue from the love of aught else besides Thee and from the remembrance of any but Thee.

Wherefore, O my God, cause me to enter beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness and the Lote-Tree of the majesty of Thy sovereign unity. Then grant me the sweetness of Thy verses and whatsoever lieth concealed therein of the pearls of Thy knowledge, which Thou hast ordained for Thy servants. Deprive me not, O my God, of the holy breezes that waft in the form of glad-tidings from the direction of Thy presence, and in the form of verses from the source of Thy favors. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and Thou art the Bestower, the Mighty, the Compassionate.

Then make me steadfast, O my God, in Thy Cause whereon none can stand firm save those who have detached themselves from all that is in the heavens and the earth. Then establish for me, O my God, a seat of truth in Thy love and a station of glory at the manifestation of the lights of Thy countenance. Then join me with Thy sincere servants.

Thus have We taught thee and acquainted thee after We inspired thee, and shown thee after We informed thee, that thou mayest give thanks unto God thy Lord in thy heart and be in a state of joy and wondrous attraction. By My Beauty! Were but a single spark from the fire of longing which We have kindled in the sacred Lote-Trees upon the Sinai of these words to touch thee, it would draw thee unto a station wherein thou wouldst behold beneath thy shadow the kingdom of names and attributes, and wouldst find thyself in such an exaltation as could never be attained by the dwellers of earth and heaven. Thus hath the Ancient Pen inspired thee in this most ancient style, that thou mayest be among the steadfast.

O Letter Jim! Go thou with this My shirt and cast it upon the face of all created things, that perchance the Daysprings of divine attributes may emerge from behind the veils and arise from beyond the clouds of glory, and may recognize Him Who hath come to them from the direction of immortality with manifest sovereignty. And thou, O Letter, must first purify thyself, then purify the people from the greatest defilement through this most pure Kawthar which We have caused to flow from the fountains of inner meanings, that thou mayest be a herald from Us unto all created beings. And be thou pure for God, thy Lord, in such wise that none shall perceive from thee any fragrance save His. Thus doth the Tongue of truth, the All-Knowing, command thee. And if thou hearkenest unto thy Lord’s counsel, God will cause the water of life to flow from thy mouth, whereby He will revive every decomposed bone. Thus have We bestowed Our grace upon thee once again, that thou mayest be of them that are detached. And praise be to Him Who recognizeth his Lord in this luminous and manifest Shirt.

BH00061: Suriy-i-Sultan

Section 1: “This is what hath been sent down…”

This is what hath been sent down from the heaven of eternity unto His servants: some soared unto the heaven of the Cause, and some held back. Even thus have We sent down the Command, as a mercy from Our presence unto Our believing servants. This is the Surih of the Sovereign that hath been sent down from the heaven of the All-Merciful with perspicuous and mighty and ancient verses. He is the Most Wondrous, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious. These are the verses of God that have in truth been sent down from the heaven of eternity, which God hath made a testimony from Him and a proof from His presence unto all who are in the heavens and on earth, from this day until the Day when the standards of dissension shall be obliterated and the Luminary of the horizons shall shine forth from the Dayspring of His Name, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate.

Then shall the eyes of them that disbelieved and joined partners with God be dazzled, and souls shall be perturbed, and all who dwell in the kingdoms of Command and Creation shall be overcome with drunkenness, such that they shall place the fingers of bewilderment between their teeth, all that was and that shall be. And therein shall the inmost secrets of every soul that liveth be tried, if ye be of them that comprehend.

O people, fear God Who created you and provided for you and made you great ones in the earth and sent down from heaven that which causes the earth to yield sacred and impregnable fruits. Beware, O concourse of earth, be not ungrateful for God’s favor and differ not in His Cause. Follow that which hath been sent down to you from the heaven of Command as verses of wondrous might. O people! The relief hath come to you from God, your Lord, and He commandeth you to righteousness and piety and forbiddeth you from all that leadeth you to desires. Fear God and be among the God-fearing.

Say: Verily your relief is in the establishment of this Beauty upon the throne of manifest glory, if ye be of those who know. Say: He hath appeared in such wise that all the worlds are bewildered at His sovereignty, yet ye have not recognized the relief that was promised to you in all the Tablets and ye are among the heedless. Say: By God! Were ye to ponder upon the Cause of Him Who hath appeared in truth, ye would witness the relief from your Lord, the All-Merciful, in that which floweth from this luminous, mighty and impregnable Pen. Therefore, O people, examine your souls that ye may perchance recognize your Creator in these days wherein none among all created things hath recognized Him save whom your Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Omnipotent, hath willed.

Nay rather, the idolaters have risen against Him and dispute with Him concerning God’s verses and object to that which hath been revealed unto Him, even as the people of the Furqan objected against God, the Mighty, the Inaccessible, the Exalted, at the time when the clouds of grace were rent asunder and the Beauty of the Ancient of Days appeared from behind them in the name of Ali with clear and mighty signs. O people! By God, she whom I created with the hand of My will hath rebelled against Me even as Pharaoh rebelled before God, your Lord and the Lord of all creatures, and said “I am your lord, the most high” though he was powerless to create even a fly upon the earth, as every person of insight doth testify. And he whom I created by My word hath objected to Me in such wise that the heavens and earth have wept, and after them the eyes of those who circle round the sanctuary of grandeur with crimson tears, and behind them the eyes of the holy ones.

Say: The Son of Mary ascended unto the mountain of the Command and the holy clouds enveloped him. Then he witnessed drops of blood upon His garment and was bewildered within himself and inquired about it, being among the questioners. The cloud informed him of that which would befall the Youth. Thereupon he cried out within his soul and detached himself from the world and all that is therein and ascended to the holy seat before God, his Lord and the Lord of all things and the Lord of the worlds. Were I to utter a word about that which befell Him, verily the veil of the pavilion of grandeur would be rent asunder, the pillars of the House would crumble, and the supports of the mighty throne would shake. But We have concealed it and been patient until God shall come with the authority of His triumph and make known His beauty between the heavens and the earth.

Then know that when the idolaters witnessed the signs of God, they objected to them and denied that which they had believed in before, and thereby their deeds were rendered vain though they perceived it not and were among the heedless. Therefore all atoms and all that lay behind the veils of power curse them while they sit at their places sporting and being among the joyous. Thus doth God reveal the secrets of hearts and the treachery of those who profess faith with their tongues while denying Him by Whose command the measures of faith were ordained from the presence of One mighty and wise.

They deny Him by Whose command the measures of faith were ordained from the presence of the Mighty, the Wise. Among them are those who turned away and transgressed in their souls, openly rebelling against God, and were among the idolaters. And among them are those who sought to plot against God’s Cause and thereby instill hatred of the Youth in the hearts of the believers, to make them slip from the path and distance them from the holy, luminous shore. Thus did they gather together according to what Satan whispered in their hearts and plotted a plot. God will soon expose their plotting to whoever follows the command of his Lord and possesses insight from God, the Mighty, the Powerful.

And among them is he who was confident that if he opposed the Youth, those who followed him in his hatred would also oppose Him, for he sees leadership within himself. Say: Woe unto you, O company of deniers! God has servants whom neither hints nor signs can prevent, whom no hindrance can hinder nor any opposition deter, even if all creation were to unite against them. These are they whom the signs of the past concerning the mention of the Resurrection did not deter, nor were they prevented by what was revealed in the Furqan concerning “He is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets.” They rent asunder those veils through the sovereignty of power from Our presence and entered the holy sanctuary, the seat of their Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, with manifest sincerity.

They acknowledged within themselves that prophethood shall never be cut off from this moment unto the end that has no end. Thus did the Spirit breathe into their hearts the spirit of certitude from the presence of the Mighty, the Beautiful. These know God through God and through what appears from His presence. They shield their sanctified ears from the croaking of the idolaters, even if they be among the great ones and nobles of the people, for their nobility lies in following the command of their Creator and prostrating themselves before God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Say: O people, fear God and dispute not about God’s verses, nor refute the truth with what you possess. Be ashamed before Him Who created you by His word. Fear God, O people, and be not among the wrongdoers. And if you believe not in Him Who has come to you from the dawning-place of the Spirit with verses that prove what you possess, do not fabricate lies against Him and be not among the fabricators. O people of the Bayan! By God, this is indeed the truth that is being recited unto you from the verses of God. Fear God, O peoples of the earth, and be among the fair-minded. If you object to what is now being revealed unto you, by what proof can your souls find rest and be among the tranquil?

Say: No one’s faith or deeds shall be accepted today except through following this firm, mighty, and wise Cause. And if you believe not, God shall soon raise up a people and cause them to hear the melodies of the Cause and enter them into this Paradise which God has made the sign of His grandeur between the heavens and the earth. These shall know their Creator through His Self and through what has been revealed from His presence from the verses of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Conquering, the Luminous. They shall leave behind all that the people possess, even if it be the books of the first and the last. Verily, those who have recognized the sovereignty of the sea, its depths and its pearls—would they turn to mere waves?

Nay, by your Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower, if you be of those who know. And he who has drunk from the Kawthar of holiness from the hand of the celestial youths—would he be content with brackish water? Nay, by your Lord, the Merciful, if you be of those who are certain. And whoever has known the Sun will never occupy himself with its shadows. Thus do We cast upon your hearts that which will draw you near to God, your Lord, the Mighty, the Exalted, the Inaccessible, that perchance the people of insight might ascend above the dust.

Whoso hath recognized the Sun will never occupy himself with its shadows. Thus do We cast upon your hearts that which shall draw you nigh unto God, your Lord, the Mighty, the Most High, the Inaccessible, that perchance the people of understanding may ascend from the dust and rise unto the heaven of righteousness, the seat of mighty glory. And when thou reachest thy land, the city which hath been named after My name, the Sovereign, give glad-tidings unto it and unto them that have believed in that which the Pen of Holiness hath moved upon them from the finger of God, that ye may be of them that are filled with gladness.

Say: O people! Ye were asleep upon the cushions of ease while the Temple of the Cause was crying out and lamenting. O people! Aid ye God and His Cause in these days, and hesitate not in aught, and be ye of them that help. And verily His help is to teach His Cause amongst the servants and to remain steadfast in His love in these days wherein the pillars of them that know have been made to tremble. O people! Exchange not the favor of God amongst you, nor deny that whereby your faith in God, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Powerful, the All-Compelling, may be established. Fear ye God, O people, and cast not the Cause of God behind your backs, nor follow the footsteps of Satan. O people! If ye deny the Sovereign of the Cause, then by what countenance will ye turn in these days when the dust of fire hath enveloped most of the servants, and intoxication hath seized the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, save them that have relied upon God and have detached themselves from all things, and have held fast unto the cord of God, the Mighty, the Beautiful.

O Most Great Spirit! Make mention in the Book of Abul-Qasim who journeyed unto God and was touched on the way by the hardships of exile, that he may rejoice within himself and remain steadfast in the Cause of his Lord at a time wherein the feet of every man of knowledge and insight have slipped. O servant! Grieve not for anything, and turn not unto them that have disbelieved and turned away and were in manifest heedlessness. Be patient in what hath befallen thee, then put thy trust in God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all things, and the Lord of the worlds.

O Faraj! If thou passest not by thy home, send thou this Tablet unto Our near servants. We have made this Tablet as the garment of the Cause that the fragrance of the Youth may waft therefrom upon all created things, that perchance God may raise up thereby a people who will see naught save God, their Lord, and whom the allusions of them that turn aside will not debar, that perchance Our servant Abraham may find from this garment the sweet savors of holiness and may arise to establish the Cause between the heavens and the earth.

O Abraham! Step forth from behind the veil of silence in My Name, the Speaker, the Utterer, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O friend! Sanctify thyself from all allusions, then raise thy call of the Spirit between earth and heaven, that perchance thereby the fire may be kindled in the breasts of the righteous, and they may arise to serve the Cause with a sovereignty from Us and a command from Our presence. Verily, I am the Omnipotent over what I will, and I am the Bestower, the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Merciful.

Arise to serve God and aid His Cause, and fear no one. This is God’s command unto thee, decreed by the Pen of might and clarity. Say: Today nothing shall profit anyone, even if he should bring forth all the scriptures of heaven and earth, except that he enter beneath the shadow of his Lord, the Most High, in this His latter Manifestation. By God! This is His Beauty in truth, His Manifestation in the kingdom of command and creation, and His sovereignty amongst all created things.

Say: O people! Do ye write of the Bayan while denying Him Who revealed it? Woe unto you, O heedless ones! Do ye make mention of God, then seek to slay His very Self? Alas for you, O company of the idolaters! Say: He hath appeared in these days in such wise that all necks have bowed before Him, if ye be of them that know. The Cause of God hath been manifested through His own Self alone, as ye have heard and were among them that hearkened. Say: By God! The Cause hath shone forth like the sun at high noon, and none shall deny it save every blind and accursed one.

O friend! Strip thyself of the allusions of the people, then adorn thy temple with the raiment of resplendent glory, for We have made thee the herald of Our Cause in that land, that thou mayest acquaint the people with that which the Spirit hath inspired in thee from Our presence, and be of wondrous remembrance. By My beauty! He in whose heart there is love for aught created between the heavens and the earth shall never be able to bear this firm, mighty, and exalted Cause. Purify thyself with this heavenly stream which floweth from the fountainhead of eternity, then purify therewith the hearts of the seekers. Therefore, rejoice within thyself that We have named thee the herald of the Cause. Then circulate the crimson wine in My Most Glorious Name between earth and heaven, that through it may be quickened the spirits of those who, when the verses of their Lord, the Most High, are recited unto them, fall prostrate upon their faces in the dust in humility before God, the Almighty, the Mighty, the Powerful.

Know thou that whatsoever thou hast heard regarding this Cause hath appeared by My command, and all else was created by My word, and none hath known this save My All-Knowing, All-Informed Self. When We desired to exalt the Cause among the peoples of old, We made reference in Our utterances to others besides Ourself, as a wisdom from Us, for We were the Ruler. We raised the Cause to such a station that ye heard of its spread and exaltation until the Word and mention thereof filled the heavens and earth. But when the Cause appeared and emerged, then shone forth and dawned, there rose against Me those servants who were created by My command, and thus were they among the transgressors.

O herald of the Cause! Those who concealed their faces behind veils out of fear for themselves, when the breezes of assurance wafted forth, emerged like serpents. Thus do We recount unto thee that which was hidden from the eyes of the beholders, that thou mayest be apprised of what hath befallen My Beauty and be among the knowing ones. Blessed art thou, O herald of the Cause, for having attained unto the presence of the Throne at the time when the Sun of the horizons shone forth from the direction of Iraq. By God! Thereby hast thou attained unto that which none other hath attained.

Section 2: “Well-pleasing shall it be unto thee, O herald…”

Well-pleasing shall it be unto thee, O herald of the Cause, for thou hast attained unto the presence before the Throne at an hour when the Sun of the horizons dawned forth from the region of Iraq. By God! Thereby hast thou attained unto that which none hath attained, and this is a revelation from One Who is mighty and all-knowing. Give thanks unto God for having blessed thee with attainment unto His presence and for having aided thee to visit the Manifestation of His Self in days which no servant hath recognized, having been seized by vain imaginings and been in manifest heedlessness. Know thou that Satan shall come unto you from the direction of tyranny with that which shall prevent you from the Beauty of the All-Merciful.

Then arise in the Cause, cast behind thee what is with him, turn away from him, and turn thy face unto My luminous and mighty and radiant countenance. Say: O Satan! Get thee gone from among the concourse of the Spirit, for We have found from thee the stench of hatred from God, the Mighty, the Generous. And thou hast borne, O accursed one, that whereby all who are in the heavens and earth curse thee, and the dwellers of the kingdom of Command and Creation, and all that was and that shall be. But thou wast heedless of that and wast among the negligent. By God! Thou hast passed by naught except that it cursed thee with its inner tongue, but since thou wast deaf, thou heardst not its call and wast among the ignorant.

Thus do We recount unto thee tidings of the unseen, that ye may be assured that with Us is the knowledge of the heavens and earth, and the knowledge of all things in preserved and mighty tablets.

O Tongue of Eternity! Make mention of Husayn in the Book and give him glad tidings of the lights of the Throne, that it may cause him to turn towards the direction of eternity, the scene of his Lord, the Most High, and draw him nigh unto the shore of paradise, the station wherein the fire was kindled from the Tree of the Chosen One, and which speaketh that there is none other God but I, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. O servant! How long wilt thou be negligent regarding thyself? Then be thou enkindled with this fire and proclaim among the righteous that which thy Lord, the Mighty, the Triumphant, the Powerful, hath taught thee. Beware lest ye differ among yourselves and cast the Cause of God behind your backs.

Be ye among the people as the lights of the sun, such that your faces may shine among the worlds. By God, O servant! Wert thou to become aware of what hath befallen Me of tribulation, thou wouldst weep and lament throughout thy life, and this is a manifest truth. Yet We have veiled the matter lest sorrow encompass the Manifestations of the All-Merciful and consume the hearts of them that are nigh. Therefore have We been patient and veiled the matter lest the veil of concealment be rent asunder from before the face of the worlds.

O Summoner of the Cause! Remember Our servant who hath been named with the first letter of My Name, that he may be thankful in himself and be of the grateful ones. Say: O son! Give thanks unto God for thy father having been martyred in His path and being numbered among the martyrs. By the True God! At the moment when his spirit ascended unto the Supreme Companion, the denizens of the highest paradise received him with crystal goblets and cups filled with the choice wine of paradise, and the hosts of Our exalted realm sought blessings from his presence. Were We to lift the veil from the eyes of men, they would witness his station in the most glorious paradise and would surely sacrifice their lives to attain his transcendent, resplendent, and luminous station.

The maidens of paradise vie with each other to serve him, for he is seated at the right hand of paradise, crowned with the crown of immortality from My Most Great and Most Glorious Name. Thus hath the grace of thy Lord, the Forgiving, the Merciful, encompassed him. And thou, O son, deprive not thyself of thy portion, for thou hast a station with thy Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Omnipotent. Walk, then, in the footsteps of thy father and follow his guidance, for even were his limbs to be severed, none would find aught therein save My love, as ye have witnessed and were among the witnesses. Thus have We informed thee of that which is hidden from the hearts of men, that thou mayest be steadfast in the Cause of thy Lord and be among those who are firmly rooted.

Then make mention of him who hath been named Muhammad-ʿAli and give him glad tidings from Us of that wherewith God hath remembered him in the Tablet, and his name hath flowed from the finger of holiness. This is a bounty that no bounty of those who have gone before or will come after can equal, and whosoever attaineth unto this hath attained unto all good from his Lord, the Mighty, the Generous. O servant! Grieve not over the world and its hardships, for whatsoever hath been decreed for the servants in the scrolls of destiny, even though it be adversity, is better for them, were ye of those who understand. For God hath concealed the consequences of matters from the sight of men, and there is no God but Him. He ordaineth what He pleaseth and doeth what He willeth. How often through hardship doth the servant attain to the wellspring of ease, and how often through ease doth hardship overtake him, if ye be of those who observe. For example, wert thou to be in the position of authority and power that thy grandfather occupied, perchance leadership would have prevented thee from guidance.

Thus doth the Beauty of Unity cast thee that thou mayest be in joy and wondrous delight in all conditions. Give thanks unto God for having taken from thee that which would have veiled thee from His recognition, for what profiteth the servant is this, and naught else will profit him even were the heavens and earth filled with precious rubies or luminous and holy pearls. By God! That which enricheth the servants in these days is the recognition of their Lord and then the love of the Youth, and besides these two, nothing will nourish or enrich, even were they to possess the treasures of the heavens and earth. Thus doth the Pen of Command admonish thee that thou mayest be steadfast in My love to such an extent that nothing will disturb thee, even wert thou to be struck with sharp swords of steel.

Beware! Arise to serve God with such steadfastness that even if all who are in the heavens and earth were to rise against thee, thy feet would not slip from the path of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. By God! Should anyone in these days arise in My love and all on earth contend with him, God would assuredly cause him to triumph over them, for the spirit of power hath wafted from the direction of might upon those who are single-hearted. Then convey the Command of thy Lord with spirit and fragrance in such wise that no mischief will occur in the land, for it would recoil upon the root of the Tree, were ye of those who understand.

Then remind Ya’qub with wondrous remembrances from his Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Say: The sight of Ya’qub was restored by the fragrance of the garment from Joseph the Mighty, and he was among those who saw. And verily We have sent unto thee the garment of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, in the form of a Tablet, that thou mayest discover from it the holy fragrances and that the sight of thy heart may be gladdened, such that thou wilt witness the lights of a mighty throne and remain steadfast in the love of thy Lord in days wherein the very essence of tranquility and constancy is shaken, the mountains of idle fancies are leveled, and the veil of the deluded is rent asunder. Then thou shalt find the Concourse of the Bayan intoxicated with the command, and the whips of the command shall seize them from all directions while they rejoice within themselves and are among the heedless. At that time pay no heed to them, but flee unto God Who created you and fashioned you, then take your seat on the right hand in a secure station of glory.

O My loved ones! Adorn your bodies with the raiment of courtesy and justice, and do not commit that which your minds and conscience abhor. Fear God and be among the God-fearing. And thou, O Ya’qub, if thou wouldst behold with the eye of the heart the garment of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, thou wouldst find it reddened with the blood of hatred by the arrows of the wicked, and God beareth witness that ye are among the heedless concerning it.

Then We sent Our mercy from the direction of eternity to him who was named Rahmat’u’llah that he might be merciful unto himself and be among the merciful ones. And verily his mercy toward himself is the recognition of his Lord—this is the foundation of mercy. Have ye seen anything better than this? Nay, by the Self of Baha, were ye of those who are certain!

O servant! Prevent not the winds of thy Lord’s mercy from blowing upon thyself, nor the breezes of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate, from wafting over thine own being. Cast behind thee every remembrance, then hold fast to the remembrance of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing. And if harm toucheth thee, grieve not but reflect upon My harm and say as I say: “O Lord! Harm hath touched me, and Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful.” And if adversity befalleth thee, be patient and say as I say: “O Lord! Pour forth upon me patience, for Thou art the best of helpers.” And if decree afflicteth thee, show forth patience and say: “O Lord! Send down upon me mercy, for Thou art the best of those who send down.”

O Ancient Beauty! Shine forth from the direction of eternity with the effulgence of Thy Most Glorious Name upon him who was named Muhammad in the kingdom of names, that he may be attracted within himself by what hath seized him of the revelation of the Cause from the direction of God, the Supreme, the Mighty, the Powerful. O servant! Were there a thousand souls within thee and thou wert to sacrifice them all for having thy name flow from the Pen of God, it would still be more insignificant than anything else in the presence of this mighty grace. And if thou wouldst sharpen thy vision, thou wouldst witness that nothing whatsoever that hath been created in the heavens and on earth can equal it. Beware lest thou forget the grace of thy Lord or be among the doubters in thy Lord’s religion. Stand firm in the Cause, then be steadfast and be not disturbed by the cawing of the ungodly. Soon shall the clamor of the Samiri and then the cry of the calf be raised among the worlds. Thus do We inform you with the truth that ye may be apprised of what shall appear among creation and that the breezes of the ungodly may not veil you.

Then let another effulgence shine upon him who is named Ismail, that he may be revived by the gentle breezes of his Lord and be among those who rejoice. O Dhabih! Guard thyself from all that thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, abhorreth. Turn not to the world and its ornaments and what hath been ordained therein, for these shall profit thee nothing. Rather, what shall profit thee is that which hath been ordained for thee on tablets of sublime glory. Beware lest thou deprive thyself of the sacred sanctuary, or thy soul of the Kaaba of intimate communion, or thy tongue of the remembrance of God, the Triumphant, the Almighty, the Powerful. O servant! Weep thou for the Self of God and His loneliness, then for His tribulations and exile in this land from which the feet of seekers have been cut off.

Say: O people! Have mercy upon Him Who aided you when ye were in manifest abasement and fear, Who stood alone among the enemies and helped you with the hosts of the unseen. Thus was His help ever nigh unto the believers. Beware, O people, lest when ye feel secure in yourselves, ye transgress your bounds and contend with your Lord, the Merciful, or dispute that which hath been sent down unto you from the heaven of a mighty Name.

O people! Refute not the truth with what ye possess. By God! All that whereby ye seek to prove your case hath proceeded from My tongue and flowed from My All-Knowing, All-Wise Pen. Beware lest ye seize Me because of this, for the Most Great Spirit speaketh within My breast and the Spirit of Eternity moveth the Pen of Baha as He pleaseth. This is from Him, nay, from One All-Knowing, All-Informed. By God! Were the matter in My hands, I would have veiled My face from all who are on earth and would have departed from among these people and dwelt upon a mountain where My name would not be mentioned among My loved ones, much less among these heedless ones. By God! Whenever I desire to remain silent about wondrous remembrances, the Spirit of Remembrance speaketh within My being, raiseth Me up to His Cause, and strengtheneth Me at all times.

O My brother, who hast slandered Me after I reared thee by Mine own self and protected thee from the harm of the worlds! How many were the nights when thou didst rest in comfort upon thy bed while I kept vigil around thy house as one of thy protectors! How many were the days when thou didst dwell at ease with thy wives while I stood before the presence of the oppressors lest harm touch thee or aught befall thee that would grieve thee and cause thee to be among the sorrowers! Yet despite all this, thou didst secretly plot behind My back, seeking to find occasion against Me and to do that which would shake the pillars of a mighty throne. We would send to various lands to bring before thee that which would gladden thy soul and bring joy to thy being, that thou mightest be among those who rejoice. Yet at every moment thou didst seek to harm Me, to such extent that if thou couldst find someone to whom thou couldst confide, thou wouldst impart that which would consume the hearts of the concourse of the worlds.

By God! I was aware of all this, yet after this knowledge We concealed what thou wert doing—thus was thy Lord All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. By God! Through what flowed from thy pen regarding morals, the faces of glory fell prostrate in the dust, the veil of grandeur was rent in the Ridvan of eternity, and the hearts of those near to God were convulsed, until thou didst journey with Me on this journey which caused tears to flow down the radiant cheeks of the dwellers in the exalted chambers of glory. Despite all thou didst ask of Me and seek My permission for, I spoke not a word, for I perceived in thee what none else in the worlds had perceived.

When thou didst journey and enter this land, thou didst rise against Me every day, nay every hour. By God! No spot remained in My body that was not struck by the arrows of thy schemes. If thou wouldst deny this, the Tongue of God, the Sovereign, the All-Knowing, would bear witness. Until thou didst slander Me without any proof or clear book. When these emigrants learned of this, their cries and lamentations were raised while thou wert in thy house in great comfort and delight. When We witnessed thy deed and what flowed from thy pen, We departed from among you alone, with no helper or supporter, such that there was none to serve Me or cook for these children what had been ordained for them from the Kingdom of their Lord, the Giving, the Bountiful, the Merciful.

Yet even after this thou didst not rest, but spread throughout the land thy deeds in My name to instill rancor in the hearts of the loved ones, and there issued from thy tongue and pen that which the Pen of the Most High would be ashamed to recount. Hear then what was revealed before:

“If thou stretch out thine hand to slay Me, I shall not stretch out Mine hand to slay thee. God is witness to what I say.”

O My brother! By God, thou and those with thee shall perish and return to dust, while sovereignty remaineth with God, the Almighty, the Powerful. By God, O My brother! I harbor no hatred for thee nor for any created thing in My heart. Therefore hear My words, purify thyself, and be not of the heedless. Even if thou remainest as thou art and all in the heavens and earth were to bow down before thee, would it profit thee in any way? Nay, by My Self, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!

Section 3: “By My Self, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! Should…”

By My Self, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! Should all mankind abhor Me, would that benefit thee in any way? Nay, by thy Lord, the All-Possessing, the Almighty, the Ancient of Days! Then would My Pen weep, and Mine eye, and all things, wert thou to be of them that observe. Cast behind thee the world and its adornments, and let not authority divert thee from the remembrance of thy Lord and from showing humility before God’s God-fearing servants. Yet with all this thou wast not content, until thou didst write to the chief of the city with such abasement as brought low Mine honor amongst all created things. Then thou didst ally thyself with him who hateth thee and who hateth Me, and didst hear with thine own ears that of which thou didst complain to My face, and thou wast among the complainers. When he arose in enmity against Me and the fire of malice was kindled in his heart, thou didst take him as thy helper, and thus wast thou among the doers thereof. Soon shall be made manifest to thee what lieth in his heart, for God hath decreed that He shall reveal it in truth, and He, verily, doeth whatsoever He willeth.

By God, O My brother, if thou wert fair in thy judgment, thou wouldst weep over thyself and over Me, and would lament in thy days, and be among those who repent unto God Who created thee by His command. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command, and all are recorded in sacred and exalted Tablets with Him. Look to the beginning of time—did he who slew his elder brother, who was named Abel, remain upon the earth? Nay, by God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Wise! Rather, he returned to dust, then God raised him up in truth and questioned him about his deed, then returned him to his abode. Thus observe this matter, then ponder upon it, and be of them that reflect. Beware lest thou be veiled from what We have bestowed upon thee from the Kingdom of Names, for verily it was created by Our command, and We were indeed the Commander of all things.

O Most Great Beauty! Move the Pen in remembrance of Thy Lord, then purify it from the mention of aught else but Him. Take heed lest thou occupy thyself with anyone else, and be thou engaged in the remembrance of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing. Then behold him who standeth before the Cause with the glances of Thy glorious and tender mercy, the Mighty, the Protector, the All-Encompassing—he who was named Ali after Sha’ban—that he may arise from his slumber and be of those who remember.

Say: O servant! The Lote-Tree of Remembrance hath been raised up in this wise Remembrance, and the leaves, suspended and stirring upon its branches, proclaim that there is none other God but I, the Mighty, the Peerless, and that this is the Splendor of God between the heavens and the earth, and His Light in the dominion of Command and Creation, and His sovereignty over what hath been and what shall be, were ye of those who know. Through Him hath shone forth the Sun of Glory and Majesty, and the faces of those near unto God have been illumined. Were it not for Him, nothing would have appeared in creation, nor would the Spirit have spoken upon the branch of eternity that there is none other God but I, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing.

O servant! Adorn thyself with My attributes, then walk in My ways, and this is indeed a bounty wherewith no other bounty in the worlds can compare. Then adorn thy tongue with truthfulness and thy temple with the robe of justice, if thou be of them that act. Thus doth the One mighty in power teach thee from the verses of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Wise. Then adorn the temple of the Friend with the robe of thy Lord’s remembrance, the Glorious, that he may shatter the idols of vain desire through My supreme and most exalted sovereignty, and be of the steadfast in the days wherein the souls of those who are settled upon the thrones of names shall be shaken, and every possessor of authority shall set aside his authority, and thou shalt see mankind drunken from the thunderbolt of the Command. Thus do We cast upon thee from the holy verses that thou mayest be of those who know.

Be thou steadfast, O servant, in the love of God and the Manifestation of His Self, and this is the foundation of religion, if thou be of them that act. Abandon self and desire, then soar with the wings of holiness in this atmosphere which hath encompassed the worlds. Take heed lest thy tongue be veiled by the veil of falsehood, for it debaseth man among all created things. Say: O people! Fulfill that which ye have covenanted, and deprive not the poor of what ye possess, for by this the good is withheld from the cloud of exalted bounty. Then follow what hath been ordained for you in the Book and be ye in deed more than in word. By God! This is My way and the way of the sanctified ones.

Say: O people! The glances of God have turned toward you, yet ye turn not your sight to Him; thus are ye in grievous heedlessness. The face of God hath shone forth above your heads—beware lest ye withhold your eyes from gazing upon it, for this is a bounty that was great before the throne. The Kingdom of God hath risen before your faces—beware lest ye deprive yourselves of its shade and be not of the heedless. Thus doth the Sovereign of the Cause command you with that which is better for you than whatsoever hath been created in the worlds.

O Herald of the Cause! Command him who hath been named Rida to direct the mirror of his heart unto the Most Sublime Vision of God, this most pure and most manifest station, and to be of them that are assured. Say: O servant! Rend asunder the veils of idle fancy through Our power, then enter the Law of certitude. Know ye that all peoples have been veiled by the veil of fancy from time immemorial. When We desired to rend them asunder, We sent forth a Manifestation from among the Manifestations of Our Self to tear apart the veils of creation by the power of the All-Merciful. Thereupon, an outcry was raised between the heavens and the earth, and the souls of the idolaters were struck with terror, until God established the truth through His signs and brought to naught the deeds of them that were veiled from the beauty of the Cause and were among the heedless.

And though naught existed between them save fancy, its rending proved grievous unto them and they were among them that cried out. In those days We raised up all fancies in human form and adorned them with the garment of one of Our names. We then caused their mention to become renowned among men, and thus were We the doer thereof. But when he waxed proud before God his Lord, and contended and disputed with Him, We stripped from him the garment of names and caused him to appear as a handful of clay. Blessed, then, is he who rendeth asunder this most great veil, the like of which hath not appeared in the dominion of the worlds. Glad tidings unto the soul whom the pride of fancy hindereth not, and who rendeth it asunder with the fingers of power from one mighty and powerful.

Joy unto him whom the veils of glory prevent not from entering beneath the shadow of his Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, and who is of them that have cast behind them all that would veil them from the remembrance of their Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise.

O Ancient Pen in the most great dominion! Move, by thy Lord’s leave, to make mention of him who hath been named ʿAli-Khan, that the breezes of the All-Merciful may attract him from this Garden whose leaves proclaim that there is none other God but Me, the Almighty, the Just, the Peerless, the All-Wise. Hearken unto that which the Most Great Spirit singeth in the ancient dominion, that thereby thy soul may find repose and thou mayest be of them whom the joy of the Cause hath seized from every direction, and who are among them that rejoice. O people! Be as lights of the countenance among the servants and as manifestations of the Cause throughout the lands, that through you may appear the signs of God amidst His creation and His power amongst all creatures. Beware! Adorn yourselves with the virtues of God and His Cause, and be distinguished from all others. Then will your connection to your Lord, the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate, prove true. Otherwise, the decree of existence shall not prove true for any soul, how much less this most exalted and glorious station. Thus doth the Pen of Counsel counsel you from one mighty and generous.

O Summoner! Summon from Our presence Our servant Solomon and give him glad tidings of the Spirit of the All-Merciful, that he may be of those who rejoice. O Solomon! Guard thyself from the manifestations of Satan, then build the Most Holy Temple with blocks of love from this Most Glorious Youth, then raise it with hands of detachment, then adorn it with the gold of remembrance in commemoration of this Beauty through Whom the banner of majesty was raised in the heaven of independence, and thereby there befell him that which caused the eyes of those who were before and after to weep. O people! Enter the Most Holy Temple which God hath built with hands of grace in your hearts.

Beware lest ye destroy it with the hosts of self and passion, then preserve it from the mention of satans. Say: By God! I am verily the Most Holy Temple in the Concourse on High, and the Much-frequented Fane in the realm of manifestation, and the Sanctuary of Grandeur at the Divine Lote-Tree, and where the Command was fulfilled at the Holy Place of permanence, and the station of holiness in this lofty and impregnable Paradise. Say: O people of the Bayan! Fear God and destroy not His House of Command with hands of hatred, and demolish not its pillars through the promptings of self and passion. Fear God Who created you through the manifestation of His Self and sent unto you that whereby the eyes of eternity were consoled by His beauty, but ye are wrapped in the veils of your selves among the dead.

O people! Break not God’s covenant, nor cast His testament behind your backs, nor be among those who mock His signs, even as the servants mocked in those days—they whose realities were created by a stroke of His Pen—and thus were they among the transgressors.

Then make mention in the Book of Mihdi that he may be guided by the guidance of God his Lord and be of those who are guided. O Mihdi! Take God’s guidance with strength from Us and cast behind thy back the guidance of those who mention God with their tongues while opposing His Self and warring against His Being, yet perceive it not. When anyone enters their presence they sit cross-legged, then extend their fingertips from their sleeves and move their tongues with dignity in remembrance of thy Chosen Lord. This is what they do outwardly, while inwardly they pronounce against God to preserve their leadership, caring not the slightest bit about it. Say: By God, the Truth! Even if ye were to remember God to the point where your tongues were cut off, and worship Him until your backs were bent, it would profit you not except through My love.

Thus hath the Command been sent down from the heaven of mighty glory. Would it profit those who were given the Furqan if they were to worship God with the worship of both worlds? Nay, by the Lord of all worlds! Likewise observe today among the people of the Bayan, if ye be of those who know. Thus hath the Finger of Power rent asunder the veil of concealment, and truth appeareth, and the Spirit speaketh with pure truthfulness between the heavens and the earth, that perchance people may know their Creator and not be veiled by what passeth between the servants from the remembrance of their Lord, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful.

Then the Pen of Command desired to make mention of the Messenger in the Tablet that his deed might correspond to his name and that he might be of those who act. O Messenger! Deliver the messages of thy Lord first unto thyself, then deliver them unto the people that thy word might influence the hearts of those who seek. Then send unto the servants what We have sent unto thee from the direction of the All-Merciful—the fragrances of glory—that perchance they may be drawn to the throne of good-pleasure, this hallowed, luminous station. Say: O people! Hearken unto the Word of God, then recite it in your days. God hath ordained for its reciter the good of this world and the next, and will raise him up in the gardens of Paradise in such beauty that all in the worlds will be illumined thereby. Well is it with him who reciteth the verses of his Lord and pondereth their mysteries and discovereth what hath been treasured therein of the gems of a preserving knowledge.

Then remind the one who hath visited the Ancient House, that he may rejoice in that which hath been mentioned of God’s traces in this firm, decisive and strong utterance. Say: By God! We have raised up the Sanctuary upon the Temple of Glorification in the Form of Honor, in the image of the Youth in these days. Blessed then be God, the Best of creators! And whoso circleth round it, verily the denizens of the Supreme Concourse circle round him, and then the temples of them that glorify. But God hath accepted from His loved ones that which they missed, as a grace from His presence, for He is the Most Merciful of the merciful. Soon shall the hosts of God’s sovereignty descend there, and they shall assuredly aid His Cause, exalt His remembrance, and recite His verses at dawn and eventide.

O Herald of the Cause! Make mention from Us to those servants whose names the Pen of God hath not moved to inscribe, that the fragrant breezes of remembrance may waft upon them from the presence of One Forgiving, Merciful. Say: We have recorded your names on holy tablets which lay concealed behind the veils of the Cause and treasured in the strongholds of thy Lord’s protection, the Ruler, the All-Wise. Let the loved ones of God gather together in His Cause in such wise that naught may arise between them to divide them, and that they may be as one soul. Thus have We commanded thee and them, that ye may be among the doers.

Then make mention of the handmaidens of God who have believed in God their Creator, and those who have been afflicted with tribulations. Say: Be patient and grieve not at this, for God hath ordained for you and for those who have martyred in His path what no mind can comprehend. And the Spirit and glory and splendor be upon you, O hosts of God in all lands, if ye be of them that are steadfast in the Cause of your Lord.

BH00354: Suriy-i-Vafa (=Lawh-i-Vafa)

Section 1: “O Vafa! Render thanks unto thy Lord…”

He is the All-Knowing

O Vafa! Render thanks unto thy Lord for having aided thee to embrace His Cause, enabled thee to recognize the Manifestation of His Own Self and raised thee up to magnify Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance in this glorious Announcement.

Blessed art thou O Vafa, inasmuch as thou hast been faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament at a time when all men have violated it and have repudiated the One in Whom they had believed, and this notwithstanding that He hath appeared invested with every testimony, and hath dawned from the horizon of Revelation clothed with undoubted sovereignty. It behoveth thee, however, to exert thine utmost to attain the very essence of fidelity.

This implieth to be well assured in thy heart and to testify with thy tongue to that whereunto God hath testified for His Own exalted Self, proclaiming: ʿVerily, self-subsisting am I within the Realm of Glory.’ Whoso is enabled in these days to solemnly affirm this truth, hath attained unto all good, and the heavenly Spirit shall descend upon him in the daytime and in the night season, shall graciously assist him to glorify the Name of his Lord and suffer him to unloose his tongue and uphold with his words the Cause of his Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

And none can ever achieve this except he who hath purged his heart from whatsoever is created between heaven and earth, and hath entirely detached himself from all but God, the sovereign Lord, the Almighty, the Gracious.

Arise thou to serve the Cause and say: I swear by the righteousness of God! Verily this is the Primal Point, arrayed in His new attire and manifested in His glorious Name. He at present beholdeth everything from this Horizon. Indeed He is supreme over all things. Amongst the Concourse on High He is known as the Most Great Announcement and in the Realms of Eternity as the Ancient Beauty, and before the Throne by this Name which hath caused the footsteps of them that are endued with understanding to slip.

Say, I swear by God! In this Revelation even before a single verse was sent down from the realm of holiness and sublimity, the supreme testimony of God had been fulfilled for all the inmates of heaven and the dwellers on earth; moreover, We have revealed the equivalent of whatsoever was sent down in the Dispensation of the Bayan. Fear ye God and suffer not your deeds to be rendered vain and be not of them that are sunk in heedlessness. Open your eyes that ye may behold the Ancient Beauty from this shining and luminous station.

Say, God is my witness! The Promised One Himself hath come down from heaven, seated upon the crimson cloud with the hosts of revelation on His right, and the angels of inspiration on His left, and the Decree hath been fulfilled at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the Almighty. Thereupon the footsteps of everyone have slipped except such as God hath protected through His tender mercy and numbered with those who have recognized Him through His Own Self and detached themselves from all that pertaineth to the world. Hearken thou unto the Words of thy Lord and purify thy heart from every illusion so that the effulgent light of the remembrance of thy Lord may shed its radiance upon it, and it may attain the station of certitude. Know thou moreover that thy letter reached Our presence and We perceived and perused its contents. We noted the questions thou hast asked and will readily answer thee. It behoveth everyone in this Day to ask God that which he desireth, and thy Lord will heed his petition with wondrous and undeniable verses.

Thou hast asked regarding the subject of the return. Know thou that the end is like unto the beginning. Even as thou dost consider the beginning, similarly shouldst thou consider the end, and be of them that truly perceive. Nay, rather consider the beginning as the end itself, and so conversely, that thou mayest acquire a clear perception. Know thou moreover that every created thing is continually brought forth and returned at the bidding of thy Lord, the God of power and might.

As to the Return, as God hath purposed in His sacred and exalted Tablets wherein He hath made this theme known unto His servants; by this is meant the return of all created things in the Day of Resurrection, and this is indeed the essence of the Return as thou hast witnessed in God’s own days and thou art of them that testify to this truth. Verily God is fully capable of causing all names to appear in one name, and all souls in one soul. Surely powerful and mighty is He. And this Return is realized at His behest in whatever form He willeth. Indeed He is the One Who doeth and ordaineth all things.

Moreover, thou shouldst not perceive the fulfilment of the Return and the Resurrection save in the Word of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. For instance, were He to take a handful of earth and declare it to be the One Whom ye have been following in the past, it would be undoubtedly be just and true, even as His real Person, and to none is given the right to question His authority. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth. Moreover, in this station take thou heed not to turn thy gaze unto limitations and allusions, but rather unto that whereby the Revelation itself hath been fulfilled and be of them that are discerning. Thus do We explain for thee in a lucid and explicit language that thou mayest comprehend that which thou didst seek from thine ancient Lord.

Consider thou the Day of Resurrection. Were God to pronounce the lowliest of creatures among the faithful to be the First One to believe in the Bayan, thou shouldst have no misgivings about it and must be of them that truly believe. In this station look not upon human limitations and names but rather upon that whereby the rank of the First One to believe is vindicated, which is faith in God, and recognition of His Being and assurance in the fulfilment of His irresistible and binding command.

Consider thou the Revelation of the Point of the Bayan—exalted is His glory. He pronounced the First One to believe in Him to be Muhammad, the Messenger of God. Doth it beseem a man to dispute with Him by saying that this man is from Persia, the Other from Arabia, or this one was called Husayn while the Other bore the name of Muhammad? Nay, I swear by God’s holy Being, the Exalted, the Most Great. Surely no man of intelligence and insight would ever pay attention unto limitations or names, but rather unto that with which Muhammad was invested, which was none other than the Cause of God. Such a man of insight would likewise consider Husayn and the position he occupied in the Cause of God, the Omnipotent, the Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise.

And since the First One to believe in God in the Dispensation of the Bayan was invested with command similar to that with which Muhammad, the Messenger of God, was invested, therefore the Bab pronounced him to be the latter, namely His return and resurrection. This station is sanctified from every limitation or name, and naught can be seen therein but God, the One, the Peerless, the All-Knowing.

Know thou moreover that in the Day of Revelation were He to pronounce one of the leaves to be the manifestation of all His excellent titles, unto no one is given the right to utter why or wherefore, and should one do so he would be regarded as a disbeliever in God and be numbered with such as have repudiated His Truth.

Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of the Bayan. For indeed they erred grievously, misguided the people, ignored the Covenant of God and His Testament and joined partners with Him, the One, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize the Point of the Bayan, for had they recognized Him they would not have rejected His manifestation in this luminous and resplendent Being. And since they fixed their eyes on names, therefore when He replaced His Name the Most Exalted’ by the Most Glorious’ their eyes were dimmed. They have failed to recognize Him in these days and are reckoned with those that perish. Indeed, had they known Him through His own Self or by virtue of that which He hath revealed, they would not have repudiated Him when He appeared in this glorious and incomparable Name, which God hath ordained to be the Sword of His Revelation between heaven and earth, and through which truth is separated from error, even from now until the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds.

Know thou moreover that in the Day of His Manifestation all created things besides God shall be brought forth and placed equally, irrespective of their rank being high or low. The Day of Return is inscrutable unto all men until after the divine Revelation hath been fulfilled. He is in truth the One Who ordaineth whatsoever He willeth. When the Word of God is revealed unto all created things whoso then giveth ear and heedeth the Call is, indeed, reckoned among the most distinguished souls, though he be a carrier of ashes. And he who turneth away is accounted as the lowliest of His servants, though he be a ruler amongst men and the possessor of all the books that are in the heavens and on earth.

Section 2: “It behoveth thee to look with divine insight…”

It behoveth thee to look with divine insight upon the things We have revealed and sent unto thee and not towards the people and that which is current amongst them. They are in this day like unto a blind man who, while moving in the sunshine, demandeth: Where is the sun? Is it shining? He would deny and dispute the truth, and would not be of them that perceive. Never shall he be able to discern the sun or to understand that which hath intervened between him and it. He would object within himself, voice protests, and would be among the rebellious. Such is the state of this people. Leave them unto themselves, saying: Unto you be that which ye desire and unto us that which we desire. Wretched indeed is the plight of the ungodly.

Know thou moreover that the former Manifestation affirmed that the return and rising of the spirits would occur on the Day of Resurrection, while in truth there is a return and resurrection for every created thing. However We do not wish to mention aught that is not set forth in the Bayan, lest perchance the people of malice raise a great outcry. O would that that which interveneth between the children of men and their Creator were dispelled that they might be enabled to behold God’s invincible sovereignty and dominion, quaff from the wellspring of His heavenly streams, be sprinkled with the outpourings of the ocean of true understanding and be purged from the defilements of the ungodly and the suspicious.

As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Consider thy state when asleep. Verily, I say, this phenomenon is the most mysterious of the signs of God amongst men, were they to ponder it in their hearts. Behold how the thing which thou hast seen in thy dream is, after a considerable lapse of time, fully realized. Had the world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream been identical with the world in which thou livest, it would have been necessary for the event occurring in that dream to have transpired in this world at the very moment of its occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have borne witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must necessarily follow that the world in which thou livest is different and apart from that which thou hast experienced in thy dream. This latter world hath neither beginning nor end.

It would be true if thou wert to contend that this same world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God, within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee. It would equally be true to maintain that thy spirit, having transcended the limitations of sleep and having stripped itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the act of God, been made to traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the innermost reality of this world. Verily I say, the creation of God embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures apart from these creatures. In each of these worlds He hath ordained things which none can search except Himself, the All-Searching, the All-Wise.

Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds. In these words the mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been treasured. We have refrained from dwelling upon this theme owing to the sorrow that hath encompassed Us from the actions of them that have been created through Our words, if ye be of them that will hearken unto Our Voice. Where is the one who can help Me and shield Me from the swords of these faithless souls? Where is the man of insight who will behold the Words of God with his own eyes and rid himself of the opinions and notions of the peoples of the earth? O servant! Warn thou the servants of God not to reject that which they do not comprehend. Say, implore God to open to your hearts the portals of true understanding that ye may be apprised of that of which no one is apprised. Verily, He is the Giver, the Forgiving, the Compassionate.

Thou hast moreover asked Me concerning the ordinances of God. Know thou of a truth that whatsoever hath been prescribed in the Book is indeed the truth, no doubt is there about it, and it is incumbent upon everyone to observe that which hath been sent down by Him Who is the Revealer, the All-Knowing. Were a man to put them away despite his being aware thereof, God would truly be clear of such a one and We too would be clear of him, inasmuch as His ordinances constitute the fruits of the divine Tree and none other than the heedless and the wayward will deviate therefrom.

As to Paradise: It is a reality and there can be no doubt about it, and now in this world it is realized through love of Me and My good-pleasure. Whosoever attaineth unto it God will aid him in this world below, and after death He will enable him to gain admittance into Paradise whose vastness is as that of heaven and earth. Therein the Maids of glory and holiness will wait upon him in the daytime and in the night season, while the day-star of the unfading beauty of his Lord will at all times shed its radiance upon him and he will shine so brightly that no one shall bear to gaze at him. Such is the dispensation of Providence, yet the people are shut out by a grievous veil.

Likewise apprehend thou the nature of hell-fire and be of them that truly believe. For every act performed there shall be a recompense according to the estimate of God, and unto this the very ordinances and prohibitions prescribed by the Almighty amply bear witness. For surely if deeds were not rewarded and yielded no fruit, then the Cause of God—exalted is He—would prove futile. Immeasurably high is He exalted above such blasphemies! However, unto them that are rid of all attachments a deed is, verily, its own reward. Were We to enlarge upon this theme numerous Tablets would need to be written.

I swear by the righteousness of the One true God! The Pen is unable to move by reason of that which hath befallen its Lord, and it weepeth sore, and so do I weep, and likewise weepeth the eye of Him Who is the Essence of Grandeur behind the Tabernacle of Names while seated on the Throne of His glorious Name.

Purge thou thy heart that We may cause fountains of wisdom and utterance to gush out therefrom, thus enabling thee to raise thy voice among all mankind. Unloose thy tongue and proclaim the truth for the sake of the remembrance of thy merciful Lord. Be not afraid of anyone, place thy whole trust in God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Say, O people, fulfil whatever ye understand of the Persian Bayan and whatever ye understand not ask this unerring Remembrance that He may set forth clearly that which God hath intended in His Book, for in truth He knoweth that which is enshrined in the Bayan by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Omnipotent, the Powerful.

Thou hast enquired about the warning We gave to the people at the time of Our departure from ʿIraq to the effect that when the Sun disappeareth from sight, birds of darkness will be in motion and the standards of Samiri will be reared high. I swear by God! Those birds have stirred in these days and Samiri hath raised his clamour. Well is it with him who recognizeth and is numbered with men of understanding. We have also warned them against the appearance of the calf. God is My witness! All Our warnings have come to pass, as indeed, they are bound to, inasmuch as they have issued from the fingers of glory and might. Beseech thou God to protect thee from the mischief of these men and to purify thee from the insinuations of the froward. Strengthen thy loins then for the promotion of the Cause and pay no attention unto the words uttered by the people of the Bayan, for they are truly incapable of understanding and have failed to comprehend the essence of the Cause as is revealed in this august, this Most Great Announcement. Thus have We inspired thee, and infused into thy heart that which will make thee independent of the allusions of mankind.

The glory of God be upon thee and upon them that give ear unto the words thou dost utter for the love of God, thy Lord, and remain steadfast in His Cause. All praise be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH00280: Suriy-i-Ziyarih

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

This is the Tablet of Visitation which hath been sent down from the heaven of grace for the First Name of God, that through it he may visit the Most Great Maiden and those who have believed in God and His signs and were among the triumphant.

He is the Mighty, the Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious

This is a Book from the Wronged One, Who in the kingdom of eternity was named Baha, and in the realm of glory the Most Exalted, and in the domain of the divine cloud by all the most beautiful names of God, and in the world of creation as Husayn—yet most people remain veiled in grievous delusion. In every age there befell Him that which none can reckon save God, the King, the Most High, the Great.

At one time He was afflicted at the hand of Cain and was slain in the path of God, ascending unto Him wronged—thus was it ordained aforetime, and God is witness and well-informed of this. At one time He was afflicted at the hand of Nimrod who cast Him into the fire, yet God made the fire as light and mercy unto Him, for He doth protect His near servants. At one time He was afflicted at the hand of Pharaoh and there befell Him that which causeth the hearts of the sincere to burn. At one time He was raised upon the cross and ascended unto God, the Mighty, the Beautiful. At one time He was afflicted at the hand of Abu Jahl and those who rose against Him in discord from among the hypocrites, and they visited upon Him that which cannot be mentioned in words—and the Spirit of the All-Merciful is knowing and witness to what befell Him.

At one time He was martyred in the land of Taff and with Him were martyred those whom God had related to His holy and luminous Self, until they severed His head and took His family captive and paraded them through the lands—thus was He condemned by the hosts of Satan. At one time He was suspended in the air and martyred in the path of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Powerful.

At one time I was imprisoned in the land of Ta for four known months, and what befell Me cannot be reckoned by the Pen of the worlds. Thereafter they expelled Me from the prison and banished Me with My family from Our homeland until We entered Iraq and dwelt therein. And in that land there befell Us, from those who were created by My command, that which none can reckon, such that at every moment I was assailed by the darts of hypocrisy. Yet withal We concealed the Cause and continued to herald glad tidings among the servants and summon them unto God, the Mighty, the Beautiful, until all the peoples rose against Me with every stratagem. And I alone stood forth by Myself to face the enemies and aided My Lord to the extent of My power, until God’s Cause was established through His words and the deeds of the idolaters were rendered vain.

Thereby was the fire of hatred kindled in the breasts of those who claimed faith in the Point of the Bayan. Thus did their souls entice them and Satan made their deeds appear fair in their eyes, and they were among the heedless. By God! There befell Me at their hands that which had never befallen anyone, whereupon the eyes of the maidens in their chambers wept for Me, and the hearts of the sincere cried out, and beyond them wept the Eye of God, the King, the All-Glorious, the Mighty, the Most High, the All-Wise. And whomsoever’s ears God hath opened can hear in those days the lamentation and outcry of all things at what befell Me from these who had first acknowledged God then denied Him after He came to them with a new beauty with clear authority. And We remained between them and those who had denied from previous religions until the sun of tribulation dawned from the horizon of destiny and the decree of exile came to pass according to what was inscribed in the preserved holy Tablets.

By God the True One! I stood forth to face the enemies in days wherein the hearts of the mystics were seized with trembling, the foundations of every soul were shaken, and the flesh of those who dwelt round about Us and were among the believers quivered, until at length the hosts of divine succour descended from the heaven of God’s dominion, the All-Possessing, the Almighty, the All-Glorious. He protected Me in truth and aided Me through the angels of the heavens and earth and through the hosts of His exalted and invisible realm. We went forth from that city in such wise as to stupefy the minds of the wise and the hearts of the mystics. The Ancient Beauty passed not through any city but that the necks of the proud were humbled at His manifestation, nor did He arrive at any place but that the heads of both the believers and the idolaters were bowed before Him, until We reached this Prison.

God well knoweth what befell Me therein at the hands of those in whose breasts lurked rancor against this Youth, as if they had been lying in wait to manifest their malice. Not a moment passed but that the arrows of faithlessness were launched at Me from the hosts of the malevolent. By God! I was slain in every instant by the swords of hatred, whereunto the Tongue of God, the Most High, the Most Exalted, doth testify, yet the people remain in grievous heedlessness and conflict.

Were men to purify their ears, they would hear in this moment that wherewith their Lord, the All-Glorious, calleth from the most exalted Companion, and they would be numbered among them that hearken. But they have veiled themselves from that which the Ancient Tongue speaketh in the Most Great Domain, and are accounted among the heedless. They have risen against Me in such wise as to pronounce My death sentence without any evidence from God or manifest Book.

Yet time and again have the hosts of divine succour descended, whereby God hath preserved Me and made Me to speak forth His remembrance, to manifest His sovereignty, to shine forth with the lights of His hallowed grandeur, and to voice the praise of His Own exalted and glorious Self. Thus was it ordained for Us, and We have recounted it in truth, that perchance the people might become among them that are informed.

O Leaf of Paradise! When this luminous and crystalline Tablet reacheth thee, arise from thy place and take it with the hand of submissiveness, then inhale from it the fragrance of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds. Call to mind My tribulations that are mentioned therein, that thou mayest be numbered among them that remember in the Tablets of God, the All-Possessing, the Almighty, the Powerful. Then convey the Cause of thy Lord unto those women who are round about thee, and unto them who have been guided by the guidance of the Spirit and are among the assured ones.

Blessed art thou, O Leaf of Paradise, inasmuch as the breezes of the Spirit have stirred thee and drawn thee unto the Egypt of reunion, the seat of thy Lord’s knowledge, the Mighty, the Wondrous. Thou hast drunk from the cups of thy Lord’s mercy and attained unto that which none among all the worlds hath attained. Therefore render thanks unto thy Lord, then be devoutly obedient unto Him, then bow down in worship, then take hold of the Book of God with His strength—verily it is a mighty Book.

How excellent is thy station, inasmuch as God hath associated thee with His Name through which the standards of victory were raised aloft, the sun of grace shone forth, the moon of bounty appeared, and the Ancient Beauty was established upon the throne of His Most Great Name. Through it were raised the kingdom of names and adorned the temples of attributes, and the Temple of Holiness appeared with the ornament of His Ancient Name. Through it the sovereignty of the Cause encompassed all things, the sun of bounty dawned upon all beings, and through it flowed the two mighty rivers in the two most exalted Names, wherefrom none did drink save them whom God had singled out for His Cause, chosen from among His servants, elected from among His creatures, and made them the dawning-places of His most excellent names and the manifestations of His most exalted attributes, and made them among those who have attained His presence, the Inaccessible, the Mighty, the Wondrous.

And verily thou, O Leaf of Paradise, visit Him on My behalf with that which hath now been sent down from the heaven of God, the Sanctified, the Exalted, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing.

When thou desirest to commence thy visitation of the Dawning-Place of Names and their Source, the Day-Spring of Attributes and their Treasury, arise and turn thy face toward Paradise, the Place wherein was interred the First Name, which God made the Shrine of His hallowed, mighty and resplendent Temple. When thou hast turned thyself thither, pause in stillness and magnify thy Lord nineteen times, and at each magnification God shall open before thy face one of the gates of Ridvan and waft upon thee from the direction of Paradise the fragrance of glory. Thus hath the matter been decreed by One mighty and wise.

Then glorify God nineteen times in certitude of His Cause, in acknowledgment of His sovereignty, in exaltation of His Being, in submission to His Revelation, and in turning toward His holy, manifest, evident, brilliant, radiant and luminous countenance, and say: I bear witness with my soul, my being, my essence, my tongue, my heart and my limbs that there is none other God but Him, and that the Point of the Bayan is His manifestation, His emergence, His glory, His honor and His grandeur unto those in the Supreme Concourse, then His greatness, His power and His might between earth and heaven, and that He Who hath appeared in truth is verily His sovereignty over all who are in the heavens and the earth, and His splendor upon all who are in the dominions of Command and Creation.

Then say: The first Spirit that emerged from the Treasuries of Grandeur, and the first Mercy that descended from the heaven of holiness at the right hand of the Throne, the seat of our Lord, the Most High, be upon thee, O Mystery of Destiny, Temple of Fulfillment, Most Perfect Word in the dominion of immortality, and Most Great Name in the kingdom of creation! I testify with my being, my soul and my tongue that Thou art He through Whom the Beauty of the All-Glorious was established upon the throne of His name, the All-Merciful, and through Whom the Primal Will was manifested unto all created beings, and through Whom the bounty of Paradise descended from the heaven of grace from Thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower, and through Whom the Command of God, the Supreme, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent, was revealed.

Section 2: “I testify that Thou wert the first Light…”

I testify that Thou wert the first Light that shone forth from the Beauty of Divine Unity and the first Sun that dawned from the horizon of Divinity. But for Thee, the Beauty of the Divine Identity would not have appeared, nor would the mysteries of the Divine Eternity have been revealed. I testify that through Thee the birds of the hearts of them that long for Thee soared into the atmosphere of nearness and reunion, and through Thee the hearts of lovers tasted the sweetness of intimacy and beauty at the dawning of the sun of Thy Lord’s countenance, the Lord of Majesty and Glory. But for Thee, none would have known God’s Self and Beauty, none would have attained the shore of His nearness and meeting, no contingent beings would have drunk from the waters of His generosity and favors, and no created things would have been given to drink of the wine of His grace and bounty.

Through Thee were rent asunder the veils of all created things, through Thee appeared the kingdom of names and attributes, through Thee was every soul guided to the shore of hallowed might, through Thee did the Dove warble upon the branches of eternity, and the Bird of the Throne sing upon the twigs of the Lote-Tree of Glory. Through Thee appeared the Beauty of the Unseen by His Most Exalted Name, through Thee descended every good thing from the dominion of the cloud of mystery to the kingdom of creation, and every grace was inscribed by the Finger of God upon the tablets of destiny. Through Thee did the mercy of God, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the Most Great, encompass all contingent beings.

But for Thee, the heaven would not have been raised up, nor would the earth have been established, nor would the seas have appeared, nor would the trees have yielded fruit, nor would the leaves have turned green, nor would the sun of grace have shone forth from a holy and luminous horizon. Through Thee the breezes of forgiveness have wafted over all who are in the heavens and on earth, and the gates of Paradise were opened to all creation. The hearts of those who have believed in God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Generous, were attracted. Thou art the Word whereby all created things were distinguished, the fortunate separated from the wretched, light from darkness, and the believer from the idolater, from that day until the Day when the heaven shall be cleft asunder and God shall come in the shadows of His Cause, surrounded by hosts of angels. Then shall the clouds be rent asunder and the Face shall appear from behind the veil with legions of mighty glory, while the idolaters shall flee to the right and to the left, and all who are in the heavens and on earth shall be seized with intoxication, save only the letters of the Countenance of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate.

I testify that Thou didst bear the trust of Thy Lord, the All-Merciful, and didst know the Beauty of the All-Glorious before the creation of all things, and didst attain the presence of God on a Day which none but Thee hath known—this being a grace specially conferred upon Thee by God before the creation of the heavens and the earth. I testify that through Thy remembrance the tongues of all created things were loosed in praise of their Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and through Thy glorification of Him Who brought Thee into being, all arose to praise Him, whereunto testifieth all existence, both seen and unseen, and beyond this God Himself beareth witness and is All-Knowing.

I testify that Thou didst aid the religion of God and manifest His Cause, and didst strive in His path to the utmost of Thy ability. Through Thy assistance were made manifest the proof of God and His evidence, then His power and might, then His grandeur and majesty, then His sovereignty over all created things. Blessed are they who strove alongside Thee, who fought against the enemies of God at Thy bidding, who circled round Thee, who entered the fortress of Thy protection, who drank from the Kawthar of Thy love, who were martyred before Thy face, who rest in Thy vicinity and are among those who lie in repose. I testify that they are the helpers of God in His earth, His trusted ones in His lands, the party of God among His creatures, the hosts of God amidst His creation, and the chosen ones of God between the heavens and the earth.

I testify that in Thy path there befell Thee great tribulations and mighty calamities, afflictions encompassed Thee from every direction, yet nothing prevented Thee from following the way of Thy Creator. Thou didst strive with Thy very being until Thou wert martyred in His path and became one of the martyrs. Thou didst sacrifice Thy spirit, Thy soul and Thy body out of love for Thy Ancient Master. I testify that at Thy calamity all things between earth and heaven wept, then the eyes of those brought nigh behind pavilions of mighty glory. The celestial maidens in their chambers uncovered their heads and struck them with fingers of wondrous holiness, fell upon their faces in the dust, sat in ashes and lamented at that time in chambers of radiant crimson. I testify that at Thy calamity all things donned the garment of darkness, the faces of the sincere turned pale, the pillars of the believers were shaken, and the eye of Grandeur and Majesty wept in the heaven of exalted holiness.

I testify, O my Master, at this my station, that Thou didst not fall short in the Cause of Thy Lord, nor didst Thou waver in the love of Thy Master. Thou didst proclaim His Cause to the east of the earth and to its west until Thou didst sacrifice Thyself in His path and became one of the martyrs. May God curse the people who wronged Thee, and rose up against thee, and waged war against thee, and fought against thee, and disputed with thy presence, and denied thy proof, and were neglectful of thy cause, and waxed proud, refusing to humble themselves before thee, and were among the ungodly.

Therefore, I beseech God, by thee and by those who circle round thee, to forgive me and expiate my transgressions, and purify me from earthly defilement, and make me one of the purified ones, and grant me the blessing of meeting Him in these days wherein all have become heedless of Him and are among the veiled ones. And may He enable me to acknowledge Him and submit to His Cause, and attain certitude regarding His Being, and acknowledge His signs, and enter beneath His shadow, and abide in the precincts of His mercy, and bear witness in His path, and turn unto His exalted and mighty Self.

We beseech God by thee that He deprive us not in these days of the splendors of the light of His countenance, and that He render us not bereft of the wonders of His grace nor hopeless of His mercy that hath encompassed all worlds, and that He establish us in His love and make us steadfast in His Cause, that our feet may not slip from His path which hath appeared in truth between the heavens and the earth.

May mercy, glory and splendor rest upon you, O chosen ones of God among His servants and His trusted ones throughout the lands, and upon your bodies, your forms, your spirits, your first and your last, your outward and your inward being, and upon those who dwell in your vicinity and circle round about you, and who have alighted at the gate of your mercy and stood fast at the manifestation of the light of your pardon, and who have entered the courtyard of your nearness, and have drawn nigh unto God through you, and have sought intercession with God through your own selves, and have visited your sanctuary, and have sought blessings from your dust, and have been guided by your guidance, and were among those who turned their faces toward your purified, sanctified, radiant and luminous countenances.

O my God and my Lord! I beseech Thee by him and by those who rest round about him to make us among those who soared in the atmosphere of Thy mercy and drank from the wine of Thy bounty and favor, and attained unto the summit of grace through Thy generosity and loving-kindness, and tasted the sweetness of Thy remembrance, and ascended to the highest horizons and most exalted stations through Thy grace and Thy gifts, and who have detached themselves from all directions and hastened toward the court of Thy favors, and who were seized by the breezes of the might of Thy mercy and the sweet-scented savors of the holiness of Thy oneness. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Wise.

O our God and our Beloved! Forgive us and our parents and our kindred among those who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs and in Him Who hath appeared through Thy sovereignty. Then cause us, O my God, to be honored in this world through Thy glory and in the next world to attain unto meeting Thee, and deprive us not of that which is with Thee, nor cause us to despair of all that beseemeth Thee. Verily Thou art the Lord of bounty and favor, the Lord of grace and beneficence, and verily Thou art our All-Merciful Lord and our Help in Peril. In Thee do we place our reliance. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful, the All-Merciful.

Thus have We expounded for thee, O Leaf of Paradise, and mentioned thee in this Tablet that thou mayest follow that which thou hast been commanded and be among the devoted ones in the Tablets of holy and luminous decree.