Volume 038: Edirne II (year unknown, 1864–1868) (6 of 6)

BH02398: And this is what the Tongue of God spoke…

And this is what the Tongue of God spoke: Since mention of his honor Isma’il was not made in previous or subsequent letters, therefore, looking to faithfulness and out of love for his person, these verses were revealed from the Kingdom of Command concerning him, lest he think We had forgotten him. We have surpassed all the worlds in faithfulness.

In the Name of God, the Faithful, the Most Faithful! The remembrance of God unto His servant who was named Isma’il, that it may be unto him an honor, a remembrance and a glory. O servant, grieve not at hardships and trials. Be content with what God hath ordained for thee, for He is the best Helper and Succourer. After every difficulty, in the Mother Book there hath been ordained, in truth, facility. All that hath befallen thee hath befallen thy Beloved, but the people are in great heedlessness.

God’s curse be upon him who hath usurped your rights and deprived you of what was created for you, for whatsoever is on earth was created for the loved ones of God and His chosen ones. Thus hath the matter been decreed by One Who is mighty and wise. Those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the path of God, God will surely punish them for what they have hoarded—and who is more truthful in speech than God? This is the inner meaning, but outwardly the property of others is forbidden unto you. Beware lest ye deal treacherously with any soul or dispose of their property without their leave. This indeed is a grievous error in the Book.

Dear is it to Me, O My loved ones, that I should enjoy aught of God’s bounties and favors while I behold you in manifest hardship. And dear is it to Me that I should be in one land while you are in another land, and this is hard upon Me and upon every seeing lover. But We have acquiesced to God’s good-pleasure and decree, and I counsel you to beautiful patience. We beseech God to seize those who have come between Us and Our loved ones and scattered the leaves from the Tree, for He hath power over all things. Then We beseech Him to send down upon you that which will gladden your hearts and gather Us and you together in a praiseworthy station of truth.

Beware lest ye grieve at what hath befallen you in this earthly life. By God! He hath ordained for you what none can reckon save God your Lord, and He hath ever been the Counter of all things in a preserved Tablet. Soon shall this world pass away, and there shall remain for you of the wonders of His bounty that which shall cause you to endure with His endurance, and this is a mighty grace in the Book.

Thus have We conferred upon thee and made mention of thee that thou mayest thank God thy Lord in all conditions and be content with His good-pleasure at all times. And the Spirit be upon thee and upon those who love thee for the sake of God and upon every seeing believer.

BH02418: He is the Mighty, the Everlasting, the Self-Subsisting! This…

He is the Mighty, the Everlasting, the Self-Subsisting! This is a Tablet which God hath verily revealed at this time with truth and made it a proof for all the worlds. Verily it is in itself a manifest Book, a revelation from God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Beautiful. Therein hath God comprised the knowledge of the former and the latter generations, and ordained therein consummate wisdom whereof not a single letter can be comprehended by all who are in the heavens and on earth, save whom God willeth. This is of God’s bounty unto all created things.

Say: Verily it is the Mother Book, for naught is seen therein save God and His Cause, if ye be of them that comprehend. And verily it is the Mother of Tablets, for from it have been detailed the tablets of God, the Dominant, the Mighty, the Powerful. Say: Were God to will it, He would expound from a single point thereof all that hath passed in former ages and all that shall come to pass throughout the eternity of God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.

O people of the earth! Sanctify your souls and purify your hearts that ye may thereby recognize that which lieth concealed in the treasuries of infallibility from One mighty and powerful. Say: The likeness of your hearts is as the likeness of water, if ye be of them that understand. Verily water remaineth pure until it is mixed with clay, and when mixed with clay its purity departeth and its delicacy vanisheth, such that none can perceive what God hath deposited within it, both outwardly and inwardly, if ye be of them that observe.

O people of the Bayan! Strive within yourselves lest the clay of desires become mixed with the water of your being. Fear God and be of the God-fearing. Sanctify yourselves from the clay of self and passion that there may appear from you what God hath deposited within you of precious pearls of glory. Thus do We set forth for you every similitude that ye may ponder the signs of God within the horizons of wisdom and within yourselves, and be of them that are endowed with insight.

O people of the Bayan! Behold the handiwork of God with your own eyes and be not content with hearsay. This is the most excellent utterance and the most eloquent remembrance from Me unto you, if ye be of them that hearken. Had ye heard this Cause aforetime, ye would have recognized the Ancient Beauty when He walked among you with a step of mighty glory, and ye would not have deprived yourselves of Him and His recognition, nor would ye have withheld yourselves from this wondrous bounty which no one’s knowledge hath encompassed and of whose appearance no heart among the peoples of the world hath been informed.

Therefore grieve not for what hath escaped you, but await the day wherein trials shall come upon you from every near quarter. At that time, remain steadfast in My love and My Cause in such wise that your feet shall not slip in less than a moment. This is better for you than all that ye have wrought in your days concerning the kingdom of the heavens and earth. And say in all that befalleth you: “Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds!”

BH02437: In My Name, the Guide of Those Who Have…

In My Name, the Guide of Those Who Have Gone Astray, the MightyO Name of the Letter Ha’, hearken unto that which the Fire calleth out from the Tree, that verily there is none other God but Him, and that ʿAli before Muhammad is the Manifestation of His names in the Kingdom of eternity and the Dawning-Place of His attributes in the heaven of the divine cloud. All were created by His command and all act according to His bidding. His is the bounty and the grace—He single out for His mercy whomsoever He pleaseth and sendeth down mercy as He willeth unto people who know.

Say: Verily He is the Sovereign of all created things and His Book is the Sovereign of all books—all have entered beneath His shadow and all bow down before Him. And whoso entereth beneath His shadow hath attained unto the ultimate goal, and this verily is His grace unto all creation, would ye but understand.

Say: He is God’s Balance amidst His creation, and through Him hath appeared every true measure. He is God’s Proof, His Evidence, His Testament and His Authority amongst His creatures, would ye but know. Through Him were revealed the mysteries of what was and what is to be, through Him did the earth yield up her pearls, and all things were brought forth by His word “Be” and it is. Through Him were ordained the measures of all things and detailed exposition of destiny was set down upon a preserved and mighty tablet.

Thus have We imparted unto thee, inspired thee, taught thee and sent down unto thee that which was sent down from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, that thou mayest thank God thy Lord in thy heart and remember Him at all times and attain unto a praiseworthy station.

Know thou moreover that the two calves did transgress against God in these two Names and these two most ancient Ornaments in the two most exalted Words, and they betrayed themselves in their heedlessness of these two Mysteries in this Light that hath shone forth from these two Horizons. By God! This is the Beauty manifest in these two hidden and concealed Symbols that are glorified in both worlds, and this is the Mystery veiled in the two veils. They followed the two goats with their own selves after We had forbidden their approach unto the two idols in the two Temples.

Behold then the veil of this clemency that hath risen and appeared from the two Dawning-Places, and that speaketh in the two Mounts in the form of the two Fires, and uttereth the two most perfect Words at the pole of the two heavens. Say: By God! This is indeed the Light manifest in the two Suns rising from the two Corners after the folding up of the two Stations, that thereby might be revealed the melodies of the Spirit upon the two Branches, that thou mayest know the decree concerning treachery in the two most remote selves. Thus have We stirred the veils of concealment less than anyone might perceive save they who see with the eye of God.

Say: By God! This is the Dove that singeth with two melodies in the divine Ridvan concerning the two Mysteries from these two Garments. And We bear witness that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Supreme, the Exalted, the Beloved. And the Spirit and Glory be upon thee and upon them who ascend unto the heights of glory.

BH02438: O Rida, bear thou witness in thy soul…

O Rida, bear thou witness in thy soul and being, with the tongue which God hath placed within thee, that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who was sent with the name of ʿAli is verily the Truth from His presence, though most of the people perceive it not.

Through Him appeared the Kingdom of Names and Attributes, and by Him was distinguished every irrevocable decree from God, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. All that returneth unto God or is attributed to Him doth verily return unto this Hidden Name, and through it is established God’s Cause and its manifestation, and God’s proof and evidence unto all who dwell in the kingdom of Command and Creation. To this do my soul and pen bear witness, and every possessor of assured knowledge.

Know thou that God hath ever been manifest amongst His servants and visible amidst His creation, yet people recognize Him not, for in every Revelation they become veiled by limited signs and tokens which prevent them from beholding the countenance of God in another Manifestation, would ye but understand. This is a truth in which there is no doubt, if ye would but look with this vision. Whosoever desireth to know God and His Self must needs purify his ear from every utterance, mention, and expression, and from every word that hath been spoken, and must gaze upon God with a perceiving eye, a pure heart, a hearing ear, and an attracted soul, that he may know his Lord through what appeareth from Him and not through what is with the people. This verily is the beloved truth, for naught else can serve as proof of Him, and every limited soul is veiled from Him.

Know thou further that thy Lord God will never appear according to what the people possess nor according to the signs and tokens to which they cling, but rather He appeareth as He willeth through His command. He, verily, is the One Who chooseth for Himself, and all beseech His bounty. Thus learn thou the mysteries of the Cause, lest thy feet slip from every rejected mention. When the people of the Furqan clung to the signs, proofs and tokens they possessed, they opposed God, the Supreme, the Witnessed One.

Do thou remind those of thy kindred of what We have mentioned unto thee, that they may all turn unto the countenance of God that hath appeared among them, may recognize that wherewith God hath favored them, and may be of those who are thankful for God’s blessing. We beseech God to aid them in this, such that none among them shall remain save that he entereth the paradise of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. For this did We petition God in former years and do We petition Him now, and He, verily, is the Answerer, the Giver, the Bestower, the Forgiving.

BH02439: O Rida! Your letter was presented before Us…

O Rida! Your letter was presented before Us and We have taken it, and We have understood what was contained therein of your words, and verily We are All-Knowing. Bear thou witness that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting, and that ʿAli before Nabil is the Sovereign of the Messengers, His Book is the Mother Book, and a single Tablet from Him suffices as proof for all who are in the heavens and earth, were ye to know.

O Rida! Be patient within thyself when there cometh to thee an ordained matter. Be not disturbed by it, nor ask anyone about it. Then open thine eyes that thou mayest know what God hath willed in these days wherein faces are transformed, wherein the clamor of the deceivers is raised, and wherein every hidden matter from God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Beloved, is made manifest.

Verily thou wert in Our presence for numbered years and didst hear the melodies of God from this blessed, sublime and praiseworthy Tune. Yet thou didst not recognize Us at any time, nor didst thou turn thy face toward Me, as vain imaginings veiled thee and prevented thee from entering the sanctuary of the Desired One. Therefore, arise from thy station, then witness the handiwork of God with thine own eyes, and follow not those who deny this bounty.

Say: By God! Whoso denieth this Cause hath denied all the Messengers of the past. This is assuredly inscribed by the Pen of God, the Mighty, the Exalted, the Self-Subsisting. We have sent thee this Tablet that thine eyes may be solaced thereby, that thou mayest rejoice within thyself, and be of those who take delight in the words of God. Know thou that a single letter thereof is better than the kingdom of the hereafter and of the former time, if ye would but behold the verses of God with His vision.

Therefore, strive within thyself lest thy feet slip from this exalted and extended Path. Say: By God! The heaven hath been cleft asunder from the clouds of the Cause, and God hath come with the promised countenance wherewith ye were promised in the Nine, were ye to know. And a single Tablet from His trace is God’s proof unto His creation, His evidence unto His creatures, and His authority unto all who are in the heavens and the earth, were ye to perceive.

Thus have We inspired thee that thou mayest burn away the veils of idle fancy and be of those whom no hinderer can hinder and no servants who have opposed God in every age can veil, who have denied the signs of God. The Spirit be upon thee and upon those in thy household, both female and male. And if thou findest a pure heart, cast upon it what We have cast upon thee; otherwise, conceal it with the utmost concealment. This is My counsel unto thee and unto every patient and grateful soul.

BH02441: O Mihdi! Hear My call in all things…

O Mihdi! Hear My call in all things that “I am God, there is no God but Me. I have created all things for the praise of My Self, though I have ever been sanctified above the mention of all the worlds.” And I offered My Cause to all who are in the heavens and earth. Then all those who had even a mustard seed of love for Satan and his manifestations fell away. Thus did the sun of wisdom shine forth from the horizon of the holy and luminous Finger.

Say: O people! Do you call upon Baal and forsake Him Who created all in the heavens and earth? Fear God and take not Satan as your protector. Those who wage war against God and dispute His signs and deny His sovereignty—these have no portion in the Book and were far removed from the seat of nearness.

Your letter has come before Us, both before and after it another letter, wherein you called upon God, your Lord and the Lord of the mighty Throne. Blessed are you for having partaken of the virgin fruits of the gardens of knowledge—this is from the grace of your Lord, the Most Merciful, that you might thank Him with a pure and radiant heart.

By Him Who is unique in glory and splendor, and singular in grandeur and majesty—one letter of what God has cast upon your heart in your tablets is better for you than all you have done in His path, and My Self suffices as witness to what I say. Beware lest you cloud your heart with the mention of anything—rather remember your Lord and fear no one, for He will guard you from every wicked oppressor. Ascend to Him at all times and be not dismayed by what has befallen you. Rather reflect on My tribulation and affliction and exile and imprisonment and trials, lest the harm of those who disbelieved and associated partners with God and were deprived of the breezes of the Spirit affect you.

We have sent by the hands of Salman Tablets wherein one letter thereof equals not what has been created in the kingdom of origination. Look upon them that your heart may rejoice and your eyes be consoled and you may witness yourself upon a manifest spirit. Although in such days nothing should descend from the direction of the Throne except that which would burn the hearts of every insightful believer, yet since My mercy has preceded, We have therefore varied the verses away from expressions of sorrow, as a favor from Us to those who have taken for themselves a true path to God.

Know then that We have permitted you to dispose of whatever worldly ornaments come to you as you wish, and We have made you in the Mother Book a trustworthy one in truth. Thus have We permitted you and commanded you—act according to what you have been commanded by One Mighty and Wise.

BH02442: O Mirza Nazar-ʿAli! In the Name of God…

O Mirza Nazar-ʿAli! In the Name of God, the Most Seeing, the All-Seeing! O Nazar! The glances of God have turned toward thee and He beholdeth thee at all times. Beware lest thou commit that which thy Ancient Lord abhorreth.

Say: O people! Ye conceal your evil deeds from your fellows lest they discover them, yet how is it that ye commit what ye are forbidden before the eye of God, the King, the Mighty, the All-Knowing? Do ye imagine that anything can be hidden from His knowledge? Nay, by His very Self, were ye but to know! Do ye feel shame before His servants yet feel no shame before Him Who created you by His command? There is no God but He, the Creator, the Fashioner, the Former, the Ordainer, the Mighty, the Great.

Say: O people! Purify your hearts from all else but Him, then turn your faces toward this Countenance which hath dawned from the horizon of eternity with manifest splendor. Aid thy Lord through counsel and utterance—this is what God hath prescribed for every soul at the outset of this Most Great, this wondrous Revelation.

Say: O people! Shed not blood, for this hath been forbidden in the Book of God, were ye but to know. Victory hath been ordained through the mention of proofs and exposition—thus hath the command been sent down and the decree established from the presence of the Mighty, the Powerful. Whoso quickeneth a soul with the spirit of faith, it is as though he had quickened all mankind—thus was it revealed in the Bayan, then in the Qur’an, the Psalms and the Gospel.

Say: O people! Seize ye the measure of these days and be not of the heedless. How many of those near to God waited yet attained not, how many of the sincere sacrificed their lives yet were not honored, while ye have attained to this most great bounty without toil or labor. Beware lest ye deprive yourselves of this wondrous Remembrance. Should ye remember God but once in His days, it would be better for you than the kingdom of the heavens and earth—this is a certain truth. Compare not these days with days past or future—thus hath the Revealer of the Bayan clearly stated, were ye but of those who perceive.

Leave what ye possess and take what hath been sent down to you from the heaven of might and power by God, the Mighty, the Glorious, the Unconstrained. Be not of those who remained in doubt and discord at this radiant dawn. Behold this Revelation and what appeareth from it with His eye, that ye may be illumined by the light of His countenance and that Our heedless servants may be enlightened through you.

Thus have We sent down the verses unto thee and dispatched them to thee that thou mayest find the fragrance of the garment therefrom and be of the thankful. And the light which hath appeared from the finger of thy Lord’s will, the All-Merciful, be upon thee and upon those who have quaffed the sealed wine from the hands of thy Lord’s command, the All-Knowing, the All-Encompassing.

BH02463: O Mirza Aqa, in the S, He…

O Mirza Aqa, in the S, He is the All-Knowing Sovereign. God bears witness that there is no God but Him. His is the glory and grandeur, His the power and sovereignty, His the loftiness and dominion, His the majesty and ascendancy. He aids whom He pleases and restrains whom He pleases, exalts whom He pleases and abases whom He pleases, gives as He pleases. He is the Single One Who cannot be numbered, the Knower Who cannot be known, the Cognizant Who cannot be recognized, the Powerful One Whose power cannot be measured, the One Who reaches where none can reach. None in the heavens or the earth or what lies between them or beneath them can attain to knowledge of Him. He is the Single One, the Mighty, the Sovereign, the Compassionate. Before Him bow down in worship all who are in the heavens and earth, and unto Him shall all return. His is the power and might, His the glory and choice, His the loftiness and renown. He raises up whom He pleases through His grace, and He is the Exalted, the All-Wise.

O servant! Hearken unto what the Dove of Holiness sang upon the Tree, that there is no God but Him and that ʿAli before Muhammad is the Sovereign of existence in both the unseen and visible realms. All were created by His command and all act by His command.

Say: O people! Fear God and do not distort the words of God or change them according to your imaginings. Be not of those who are not guided by the lights of God and who differ in the religion of God. Then show mercy to one another, O people, and let none boast over another in anything. All this is the decree of God, ordained in truth in the preserved tablets of glory. And you, strive in the paths of your Lord, then aid the Cause of your Master with all your power. This is My command to you and to those who hasten unto God.

Say: O people! Forget not God’s covenant, transgress not God’s bounds, and go not beyond what you have been commanded in the hidden and holy Book which was sent down to ʿAli in truth on the day when the souls of all creation were troubled, and the hearts of every known mystic.

Then know that We have arrived in the prison behind lofty mountains, and the matter has become severe upon Us from all directions. Yet We remain thankful for this, in praiseworthy gratitude. We thank God for what He has decreed for Us of His firm and ordained destiny. By God, whatever appears from the Beloved, He indeed is the One Who is loved. Thus have We sent down the verses unto you and related to you what has befallen Us, that you may be of those who rejoice in the traces of God. The Spirit, the Glory and the Splendor be upon you and upon every patient and grateful one.

BH02481: O Kalim, upon whom be the Most Glorious Beauty…

O Kalim, upon whom be the Most Glorious Beauty of God in the City! He is the Most Wondrous, the Most Exalted in the Most Glorious Horizon. This is a Book from God unto him who soared in the atmosphere of nearness and heard the melody of God and was mentioned in the Supreme Paradise with the tongue of holiness, and was honored with the presence of God and attained the grace of the Spirit. Thus doth God single out whom He willeth through His bounty, and verily His bounty hath ever been witnessed by all the worlds.

O Kalim! Hearken unto the call of this Prisoner, Who hath been encompassed by wolves from every direction, after He came unto them with an authority that verily encompassed all things. By God, O Kalim! There hath befallen Me that which hath caused to burn the hearts of them who dwell in the Most Glorious Paradise—the Ridvan which was illumined by the countenance of thy Lord, the Most Merciful.

Arise to serve God and aid His Cause. Leave all created things behind thee, then make mention of thy Lord with wondrous holy melodies. By God the Truth, this is thy day, and verily We have reared thee for this Day wherein God hath come upon the clouds of wisdom and the matter hath been decreed by One mighty and wise. God hath aided thee in many instances and will aid thee in truth, and verily His aid hath ever been nigh unto them that are brought near. Walk thou in My footsteps that there may appear from thee that which shall guide people unto God, thy Lord, for He hath singled thee out for Himself in beauteous tablets of glory. Grieve not over this world, and if thou wishest to grieve over anything, grieve over that which hath befallen My Beauty at the hands of them who were created by My word—and God is witness unto this. And the Spirit and glory and splendor be upon thee!

O Kalim! At the time of departure from the region of Iraq, the Tongue of God informed the people about the calf and the emergence of the Samiri and the movement of the birds of night after the setting of the Sun of eternity. Those two have become manifest and the cawing hath been raised. However, there is a third group—souls who will arise with claims and will soon be set in motion.

O Kalim! Hearken unto the divine call and keep thyself aloof from anyone in whom thou perceivest the fragrance of malice, and remain steadfast in the Cause of God in such wise that all may become steadfast through thy steadfastness. O Kalim! Be intimate with the friends of God and shun His enemies. Be not grieved over the world. Set thy heart upon God and detach thyself from all else, for all else neither nourishes nor enriches, and so hath it ever been and ever shall be. And glory be upon thee and upon whosoever hath turned unto God in these days wherein the feet of every sinful doubter have slipped. God willing, mayest thou ever dwell beneath the shade of God’s mercy and be sustained by the fruits of His grace.

BH02482: He is the Most Glorious! In the Name…

He is the Most Glorious! In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy! This is an epistle from the servant of the Primal Point, His soul and His beloved, to those whose hearts God hath freed from this world and all that is therein, making them fountains of His wondrous and exalted remembrance.

And whatsoever proceedeth from Him in the form of words returneth to a single point, if ye be of them that understand. For no variance existeth in His presence, and all stand on an equal plane in His mighty and glorious kingdom. If He so willeth, He may distinguish one of His words and exalt it as He pleaseth through His command, for He is verily the Powerful, the Mighty. And if He so willeth, He may abase it as He desireth—none can gainsay His firm and potent command.

Say: Beware, O people, lest ye find variance in His words. When He saith “I am the servant of God,” it is as His saying “I am the Beloved of the worlds.” Thus hath it ever been in His kingdom, but the people have veiled themselves therefrom and thus have remained far from the shores of nearness, among the heedless.

Arise thou to the remembrance and praise of God, then speak forth between earth and heaven through this Most Holy and Most Exalted Name. By God! Through it are the denizens of the Supreme Paradise made joyous while they that have disbelieved in God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, are struck down.

Say: This indeed is the Water of Life which God hath specially ordained for the sincere among His creatures, while it is forbidden to them that are veiled. Say: Fear God, O people, and divide not the Most Great Word, and be not of the lost.

Look ye to the root of the Cause—verily it is God’s balance amongst His servants, His measure amidst His creation, and His proof unto all the worlds. Say: The Cause is both easy and difficult—easy for the discerning servants of God who have recognized God by His own Self and by what hath proceeded from Him, and who have detached themselves from all created things; and difficult for those in whose hearts there is doubt concerning their Lord—they are indeed an evil people and among the lost.

Grieve not at anything, and fear no one, for God shall aid whomsoever He willeth and assist whoever assisteth Him. There is no God but Him—His is the creation and the command. He aideth whomsoever He willeth through the hosts of the heavens and earth. Thus have We imparted unto thee the word of truth that thou mayest rejoice within thyself and thank God Who created thee by His command and acquainted thee with what was hidden from the eyes of all on earth save Our near servants. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

O Husayn! Rend asunder the veils in such wise that thou hearest the sound of their rending. Thus doth it behoove thee and Our steadfast servants. Shun the enemies and hold fast unto God, then take comfort in My Name, the Truthful, for it is indeed My remembrance amongst the worlds.

BH02486: This is an epistle from the One Who hath…

In the Name of God, the Single, the One, the Help in Peril

This is an epistle from the One Who hath been imprisoned in the path of God, the Almighty, the Powerful, the Bestower, unto him who hath believed in God and been guided by this Sun which hath dawned from the horizon of grace with wondrous sovereignty.

Say: O people! Tarry not upon the Bridge; hearken unto the words of your Lord, the All-Merciful, then pass over it as a passing cloud. Beware lest ye differ concerning Him Who was the solace of ʿAli’s eyes in the Ridvan of the Bayan, then of Muhammad’s eyes in the Garden of the Furqan, then of the Spirit’s eyes in the heaven of destiny, then of God’s eyes, the Almighty, the Powerful, the Ever-Forgiving.

Say: O people! He hath come unto you even as ʿAli came with the truth. Fear ye God and follow not every doubtful idolater.

Say: O people! Be ye united in the Cause of God—this is better for you—then turn unto your Lord, the All-Merciful, with humility and contrition. Thus do We counsel thee out of Our love for thee, that thou mayest be mindful within thyself and that they who are endued with understanding may be guided thereby.

Say: Were the veil to be lifted from the face of the Youth, the tongues of all created things would proclaim: “By God! This is a wondrous king!”

Say: Do ye deny Him through Whom the Messengers were sent forth aforetime and through Whom the Lord of lords hath come? Whoso denieth this Revelation hath denied God in His previous Manifestations, as attesteth that which hath been sent down in the Book.

Await ye the Day which ye were promised in the Tablets, when the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall upon the face of the earth. Say: The Day hath come, and none knoweth it save God, unto Whom returneth the decree of the beginning and the end. Say: Verily the Day hath appeared in the temple of the Youth. Blessed be He Who hath sent Him forth with the truth and dispatched Him unto His servants. He, verily, is great in bounty and severe in punishment.

O people! Stand firm in the Cause of God and in the praise of His Self, and when ye behold Satan seeking to ascend unto the heaven of understanding that he may discover what is in your hearts of the love of the All-Merciful, drive him away with the shooting stars.

Say: Seize ye the measure of these days. By God! The eye of creation hath not seen their like. Soon that which hath been decreed in the Tablets shall come to pass and the Face shall be concealed. Then shall ye bite your fingers in remorse. Beware lest ye be heedless of that which hath appeared with truth and follow every deceptive liar.

And thou, render thanks unto thy Lord for having attained unto this Cause wherein the feet of most men have slipped, some seeking to slay Him, others rising up to plot against His Cause. But the scheming of the idolaters hath ended in ruin. And glory be upon thee and upon those who have believed in God on the Day of Return.

BH02488: This is My Book which hath been sent down…

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great

This is My Book which hath been sent down from the heaven of My loving-kindness unto My servants who have believed in My Self, who have detached themselves from all else save Me, who have turned toward the court of My grace, and who have circled round the sanctuary of My nearness and the Kaaba of My presence, manifesting the wonders of My Cause and making mention of My praise and revealing My gifts amongst the peoples of the world. Blessed are they who have cast behind their backs all who dwell on earth, who have shattered the idols by their might and their power, who have turned with their eyes and their vision toward the Most Great Scene, and who have crushed the graven images beneath their feet through My Name and My remembrance and My power and My majesty and My sovereignty that hath encompassed all created things.

O servant! Know thou that the verse of utterance hath abrogated the verse of silence. Arise, then, and remind My servants of that which hath appeared from the horizon of My Cause and My grandeur, and be not of them that remain silent. Say: O people! The Sun of glory and eternity hath dawned from the horizon of Baha. By God! The hearts of the Prophets and Messengers have been illumined thereby, yet ye remain veiled by a mighty veil. And if His name be mentioned as “Baha,” this was mentioned by the tongue of the Beloved aforetime, and by all names, were ye of them that know. Yet doth every thing bear witness to the sanctification of His Essence from names and their kingdom, and the glorification of His Self from attributes and their dominion.

Thereupon doth the Tongue of Grandeur speak above His head, saying: “By God! This is My Beloved—I love not that any should know Him save Me or that any eye should behold Him save Mine own.” And beyond this He speaketh words which I am powerless to mention, and were I to mention them all created things would be thunderstruck. For after they were promised this Revelation throughout all the Bayan, they clung to a name among names which stood before Us as a servant standing before his master. When he turned away, most of the people turned away through what Satan whispered in their breasts. Thus were they deprived of this Beauty whereby the eye of God, the Ever-Abiding, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was solaced, even after We had informed them that every possessor of light would be darkened at His manifestation and every possessor of radiance would be altered at the dawning of the lights of His countenance, the Dawning, the Luminous.

Say: O people! By God! He was as one of Our servants—We raised up his name through a wisdom from Our presence which none knoweth save My Self, the All-Knowing.

O Ali! Hear the call of Husayn from the direction of the prison, then aid thy Lord through utterance and fear not the idolaters. O Rida! Hear the call of Baha from the distant quarter, that perchance the call of God may attract thee and detach thee from the worlds, and aid thee to assist this Wronged One, the Stranger, the One Who standeth alone.

And upon thee be glory, and upon thy mother who hath believed in God, the Lord of the mighty throne.

BH02509: O Title of God, the Luminous, upon him be…

O Title of God, the Luminous, upon him be the Glory of God! He is the Most Sorrowful, the Most Sorrowful

Praise be to God Who hath torn away from the face of one of the Names the veils of glory, whereupon all who are in earth and heaven were struck with terror, and the servants were immersed in the depths of self and passion. We delivered them once again and raised them up through Our mercy that precedeth all things, and We cast upon them His most exalted Word through the tongue of the Most Great Appearance in My Most Glorious Name. They dispersed from around the Throne time and again, except those whom We preserved through My Most Exalted Sovereignty and purified from the evil suggestions of the people of denial—they who took the Calf as their lord instead of God, the Lord of the last and the first. Thus hath the Most Exalted Pen inscribed this as a reminder for whoever feareth.

O Beloved! The Pen of the Spirit cannot move across the Tablet due to the severity of tribulations. Consider then the state of Him Whom God hath sent unto mankind in days when the most truthful among them is the most lying, the most knowledgeable is the most ignorant, the most exalted is the most wicked, the most intelligent is the most foolish, the most honored is the most despised, the most upright is the most crooked, the most generous is the most miserly, the most lowly is their proof, and the most elevated. God hath decreed for Me what He hath not decreed for anyone in creation, such that with My own hands I clothed one of the wretched ones with the garment of Names and the essence of tyranny with the robe of justice, and commanded Me to strip it and remove it from his temple. When I desired to do as commanded, all in the heavens and earth were struck with terror, save those whom God had sanctified from the doubts of the idolaters. Glorified then be God, the Powerful Commander and the Mighty, Omnipotent Sovereign!

Say: O people! Did We consult with you about clothing him that We should consult with you about removing it? Verily, He Who raised him up through grace cast him down through justice, and He is the Ruler over whatsoever He willeth. By God! The Primal Point was innocent of him and his like. When We were known among the servants, We manifested the Cause and mentioned him by a name other than Mine. Whoever possesseth insight and understanding will recognize and comprehend and be among those who know.

The Tablets were sent—deliver them. And afterward the mentioned Tablets will also be sent, God willing. Convey greetings from God to all the loved ones of God. You have borne hardships in the path of God and followed the example of My wronged, imprisoned, estranged Self. From the handwriting and composition, grief is evident and manifest. Glory and splendor be upon you and upon those with you who are among the chosen ones.

BH02514: That which hath been sent down from the heaven…

That which hath been sent down from the heaven of loving-kindness for him who was named Ja’far:

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious!

O Ja’far! Hearken unto My call from the direction of the Prison, then make thyself wholly an ear that thou mayest hear the most sweet melodies from thy Lord, the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious. He is God, there is no God but Him, and He is the One Who speaketh through this most wondrous, most impregnable, most pure Tongue in all things, that by God, the Beloved of the worlds hath appeared and this is He of Whom ʿAli gave you tidings aforetime, and verily He in this horizon doth witness and see and say:

“Blessed are they who have turned unto the countenance of God, then woe unto them that have turned away!”

O Ja’far! Be thou steadfast in the Cause of God and in glorifying His Self, then make mention of Him among His heedless servants. We have ordained for every soul to teach His Cause, and thus hath it been inscribed by the Pen of Command on the Tablet which God hath concealed from the eyes of the idolaters. Be thou neither still nor silent, but strive within thyself that there may appear from thee a trace in this Most Great Announcement. Whoso quickeneth a soul with this eternal life, the denizens of the Supreme Paradise shall circle round him once again, then shall the Spirit of Truth aid him at all times.

Say: O people of the Bayan! Be ye ashamed before your Lord, the All-Merciful. He hath now appeared from the horizon of creation with manifest sovereignty, and He saith, pointing with His blessed finger to this Head, addressing them:

“This is He of Whose meeting We gave you tidings and commanded you to bow down before His gate and took from you His covenant, O company of the wrongdoers!”

Arise from the slumber of vain desire, then forsake all creation behind you and hold fast to this Most Firm Handle. By God! It is the greatest cause between the heavens and the earth. Whoso holdeth fast unto it hath attained salvation and whoso turneth away hath perished and returned to his abode in hell.

O Ja’far! We have changed thy name at this time by a command from thy Lord, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and We have named thee Jalal in the Kingdom of Names as a bounty from Our presence unto thee that thou mayest be among the thankful. Convey Our glorification to thy mother and thy brother. Blessed are ye for having emigrated unto God and followed the paths of His good-pleasure and attained unto the presence before the gate of His Most Great House. God hath inscribed your names by the Pen of Command on the Tablet of Decree, and this is better for you than all that hath been and shall be created, and to this doth testify every possessor of enlightened vision. And glory be upon you, O My loved ones, then upon those who were in your place, of all males and females, and of every young and old, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH02522: Hussein, son of the uncle of ʿAli-Qabli-Muhammad

Hussein, son of the uncle of ʿAli-Qabli-Muhammad,

He is the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting!

Blessed is He Who sendeth down the Command as He pleaseth, and ordaineth what He willeth by His Own Self, and directeth in the kingdom whatsoever He desireth. His is the creation and the command. He createth all things by His command, and verily He is the Doer of what He willeth, and aideth whom He pleaseth through His grace, and manifesteth victory as He willeth. And verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: He uniteth hearts and divideth every wise matter. He exalteth whom He willeth and abaseth whom He willeth, and verily He is the Almighty, the Powerful. He giveth to drink whom He willeth from the Kawthar of nearness, and destroyeth whom He willeth with a mighty thirst. Thus doth He give unto whom He willeth and withhold from whom He willeth, and verily He is the Mighty, the Wise.

Say: O people, open your eyes that ye may recognize the mysteries of pre-existence through this Ancient Mystery. Say: O people, is he who is upon a clear proof from God like unto him who is in manifest error? Is he who walketh upon the path of truth like unto him who walketh in manifest darkness? Say: O people, is he who soareth in the atmosphere of the spirit like unto him who hath died upon a distant land? Say: O people of insight, judge fairly within yourselves: Is he before and behind whom light advanceth like unto him who dwelleth in the darkness of his self and is unable to emerge therefrom? How then do ye judge? Say: Is he in whose heart surge the oceans of names like unto him who dwelleth upon a mirage in the desert wherein he findeth no water and is among the distressed? Say: O people, glory be to God above what ye have imagined within yourselves while claiming to be among the believers!

O thou who art young in years but great in faith! Give thanks unto God for having guided thee and made thee to be among the beneficent ones. Know thou that We have heard that thy father hath cast thee out from the house because thou hast believed in God, the Almighty, the Most Noble. Grieve not at this, but rather be glad within thyself and be thou among the joyous ones. Know thou that the sword hath appeared in truth and separateth between the ungodly and the believers. Say: The Word hath been transformed into the sword of God and divideth between the worlds. Know thou further that if thy kinship with him hath been severed thereby, thy kinship with God, the Mighty, the Beautiful, hath been strengthened, and if he hath become distant from thee, God shall soon draw thee nigh unto Himself—and His is the sovereignty of the heavens and earth, and He is powerful over all things. Thus have We cast upon thee the word of truth that thou mayest seek the good pleasure of God within thyself—verily by the good pleasure of God do the near-serving servants rejoice. And the Spirit be upon thee and upon those who are guided and are among the guided ones.

BH02529: In His Name, the Helper! God makes mention…

In His Name, the Helper! God makes mention of His servants who have recognized His unity, that they may rejoice in His remembrance of them and be detached from the idolaters. Say: Through His remembrance are the hearts of the mystics assured, and His remembrance has preceded every soul—were it not for Him, none among creation would remember Him, and this is a certain truth. And when He made mention of His servants and inscribed their names in the Tablet of Decree by the Most Exalted Pen, they recognized the path of remembrance and were numbered among those who remember. Say: Through His remembrance is every sick one healed of his illness and the hearts of those who have turned to Him are purified. Remember Him, O people, and be not silent in His praise. He Who speaks in remembrance in these days, around Him circle the denizens of the Supreme Concourse and the angels drawn nigh.

O people! Hasten with your hearts toward the direction of the Paradise of Good-Pleasure and be not disturbed by those who have wronged in the earth. Verily your Lord, the All-Merciful, protects whom He willeth with hosts ye cannot see, and He encompasseth all things. Be steadfast in His remembrance and praise among the servants, then attract the hearts of the heedless through His verses and subdue His proud servants through His names.

O servant! Convey unto the people what We have imparted unto thee in this Tablet, that they may arise to promote the Cause of thy Lord, the One, the Single, the Unique, and unite with thee in supporting God’s Cause, and be not of those who slumber.

Say: O people! Spread not corruption in the earth, nor consume the wealth of others unjustly, and be not of the oppressors. We are oppressed among Our enemies—be ye as We are. By God the Truth, the cry of the oppressed is more beloved before God than the worship of most people, were ye to know. He heareth the cry of the oppressed and hath prescribed for Himself to help him through the truth, and He hath power over all things.

Grieve not in these numbered days over the hardships of the world, for it shall pass away and might and power shall remain for the loved ones of God and His chosen ones. God shall soon raise them up in the earth and make them powerful. Cast behind thee every matter and give the people the glad tidings of this most luminous Dawn and this greatest Scene, and be not of the fearful ones.

Then give thanks to God for having remembered thee on this night and sent down unto thee clear verses, that thy mention may endure among the worlds, if thou remainest steadfast in this Cause which hath caused the feet of the doubters to slip. And the glory be upon thee and upon those who have believed in God in that place, and this is a mighty bounty.

Praise be to God, the King, the Powerful, the Resurrector, the Quickener, the Transcendent, the Mighty, the Ancient.

BH02531: In the Name of God, the Most Manifest…

In the Name of God, the Most Manifest, the Most Manifest! Glorified be He in Whose hand is the dominion of all things. The thunder extolleth His praise through fear of Him, and the clouds through His grandeur. There is none other God but He, the Almighty, the All-Glorious.

O servant! Hearken unto the call of this Prisoner from the precincts of the prison, then detach thyself from all that hath been created in the contingent world. Say: In the Name of God and by God, then turn thy face toward the Most Great Name of God and say: O people! By God, the Truth! The clouds have been rent asunder, the heaven hath been cleft, and the Beloved hath come with power and sovereignty. Be ye ashamed before God Who created you, and deny not Him before Whom all faces have prostrated themselves at all times.

Say: O people! If ye desire the power of God, verily ye have witnessed it with your own eyes, and if ye desire the sovereignty of God, verily ye have beheld it with your vision, and if ye desire the signs, verily they have been sent down in truth in such wise that whatsoever hath been created by the Word of God, the Mighty, the All-Glorious, is powerless to reckon them. We know not by what proof ye believed in ʿAli aforetime. Fear God and follow not Satan. Ponder within yourselves for less than a moment, then be fair in this Cause which hath appeared with the truth, and concerning this Youth Who hath appeared through God’s power and Who now speaketh amidst all religions, while on His right march the hosts of divine revelation with the banners of the Cause, and on His left a company of youths, in each of whose hands is the sealed wine which hath been sealed with the mystery of My Hidden Name and inscribed by the Pen of God, the Most High, upon their radiant foreheads:

“By God! The Beloved of the All-Merciful hath appeared, He Who was promised to you in all the Tablets!”

Which, then, of God’s signs do ye deny?

By God! When He appeared the suns were eclipsed, the moons darkened, the fruits fell, and the earth trembled amongst the people of possibility. Thus did the Cock of the Throne crow in the gardens of eternity, and the Dove of the Cause warbled upon the branches of the Divine Lote-Tree, and the Peacock of inner meanings was adorned with the ornament of utterance. O servant! Give thanks unto thy Lord, inasmuch as the Pen of might and power hath moved to make mention of thee. Then stand firm in thy love for thy Lord and convey unto the people this Cause whereby the veils of idle fancies were rent asunder and the dayspring of inner meanings dawned forth from the horizon of thy Lord’s will, the Mighty, the Help in Peril.

Purify the hearts of people with this water which hath flowed from the fountainhead of thy Lord’s command, then remind them of the signs of their Lord, that they may turn unto God in these days wherein the harbingers of trials have appeared from every direction. And the glory rest upon thee and upon those whom the breezes of tests have not prevented from turning unto God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Merciful.

BH02540: O Karim in the letter Shin! He…

O Karim in the letter Shin! He is the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious! God has testified to His own Self by His own Self upon the throne of His might and sovereignty that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Dominant, the Powerful, the Wise, and that the Point of the Bayan is His mystery and His witness and His Command and His address and His Word to all who are in the heavens and earths. Say: He has appeared in truth from the Dayspring of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, and has spoken in truth in the heaven of eternity and the kingdom of creation that “I am God, there is no God but Me, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.” Through Him was established the proof of God and His beauty dawned and His Word was perfected and His Cause was exalted above the former and latter generations. Thus does the Dove sing from the verses of a mighty rapture that God’s proof and evidence may be completed for all things and all created beings.

O servant! Many letters have come before Us but among them was not your letter, and We were saddened to find you among the forgetful ones. Know that even if you have forgotten Us, We have not forgotten you and We have been among those who remember. We have sent you this Tablet from which the fragrances of God waft upon every beautiful Joseph.

Know then that We were among the servants as one of them, and you yourself bear witness to this, and God behind you is witness. No one recognized Us for they were behind veils and in mighty delusion, as though none among the people had eyes to recognize the Beauty of the Ancient One after He appeared in truth by the command of Him before Whom the necks of the proud were humbled. We remained in this concealment until God’s appointed time was fulfilled according to what was ordained by His Pen on a preserved tablet of glory.

Then the idolaters cast Us into this prison from which the cries of the mystics cannot reach Us. When We arrived therein, We rent asunder the veils and tore away the covering with power and clear sovereignty, despite them and those who disbelieved and associated partners with God, the Mighty, the Peerless, that God’s proof might be completed for His creation and His evidence for His creatures and His testimony for all created things.

As for you, gird up your loins to exalt the name of God and His Cause and fear no one, but place your trust in Him, for in Him let the faithful servants place their trust. If you find a pure heart and an illumined breast, cast upon it what God has cast upon you in this blessed and wondrous Tablet; otherwise, conceal it in your heart and remain in mighty concealment.

The Spirit and glory and splendor be upon you and upon those women who are in your household. Give them glad tidings of your Lord’s tidings and be not among the patient ones. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH02554: This is a Book from Husayn to him who…

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted, the Most High!

This is a Book from Husayn to him who hath been named ʿAli in the Kingdom of God and whose name hath been mentioned before the Throne, that he may detach himself from those who have remained veiled in these days, and draw nigh unto God, his Lord, with manifest power, and soar in the atmosphere of the spirit on the wings of detachment, and aid his Lord to the extent of his ability. Thus hath it been sent down in the Tablet from the presence of the Mighty, the Powerful.

O servant! Hearken unto My call from the direction of the Prison, and be not of them who were heedless of God at the time when the earthquake seized the people of contention, and the heaven of idle fancy was cleft asunder, and God came in the shadows of the clouds with manifest sovereignty. Arise to serve the Cause of God and His remembrance, and say: O people! Fear God and break not His Covenant. Turn unto Him with radiant countenance.

Beware lest the signs of them who have disbelieved and associated partners with God after the verses of the Command were sent down from the heaven of wondrous glory veil you. Consider, O people, the proofs of the Prophets and Messengers, and deny not Him Whom God hath sent in truth with His manifestation and His sovereignty, and with Whom are preserved Tablets of mighty glory.

Take thou the Tablet of God with power from His presence, and fear not those who follow their desires and who, when asked “Who is your Lord?”, say “God Who created all things”, yet when He came to them with the Kingdom of verses they denied Him and turned back on their heels. Forget all save God, then find solace in His remembrance, then make what thou desirest to be extinguished in what He desireth. This is My counsel unto thee from One All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Say: O people! The Kawthar of utterance hath flowed from the mouth of the Will of your Lord, the Most Merciful. Fear God and deprive not yourselves thereof. Drink ye therefrom, that it may purify you from the defilement of every rebellious misbeliever. Know thou that the mention of thy name was made before the Countenance, wherefore these clear verses were sent down from the heaven of the mercy of thy Lord unto all who dwell on earth.

Be thou steadfast in the love of God, then proclaim His Cause, and tarry not save for a while. God hath prescribed for Himself the assistance of those who convey His Cause, and He will reward them with a goodly reward. He, verily, hath power over all things. Blessed are they who have detached themselves unto God and taken the Manifestation of His Self as their helper.

Thus have We imparted unto thee the truth, that thou mayest follow what thou hast been commanded by One All-Knowing, All-Informed. And glory be upon thee and upon those who have hearkened unto the call of their Lord and answered Him, and hesitated not in His Cause. These are the people of Baha, whose names have been inscribed by the Pen of might and power.