Volume 045: Prior to 1873 1290 A.H., Part III (1 of 4)

BH02992: Glorified be He Who hath ordained a measure…

He is the Most Wondrous, the Wondrous!

Glorified be He Who hath ordained a measure for all things. Verily He ordaineth whatsoever He willeth by His command, and He, verily, hath power over all things. Before Him bow down in adoration all who are in the heavens and on earth. The thunder exalteth Him in fear, and the lightning in awe. He createth the clouds as He pleaseth and causeth them to rain upon the earth as a token of His grace, and verily He is wise over all things.

O ʿAli! Hearken unto the call of Him Who calleth thee from the direction of the Throne, that the call of the All-Merciful may draw thee to a sanctified and faithful station, and raise thee to the pinnacle of grace, and bring thee to the shore of luminous glory. Follow thou the religion of God in thy love for Me, and follow not every rebellious Satan—they who, when a herald came unto them from God, denied him and said: “This is naught but a man possessed,” and who, when he showed them that which their souls and hearts were powerless to produce, cried out and said: “This is naught but manifest sorcery.” Thus did Our heedless servants speak in every age, and thus do they speak now, yet they comprehend not a word. But thou, guard thyself from the depths of vain imaginings in these days, and take fast hold of the Arc of sacred splendor. Say: In the Name of God and by God, then embark upon it and fear no one. Cut thyself off from all the worlds. Whoso holdeth fast unto it this day is indeed saved, and whoso turneth away from it is drowned. Thus hath the decree been inscribed by the Finger of Command upon the Tablet.

Seek thou the grace of thy Lord at all times, for verily His grace is nigh unto the doers of good. They who have denied the verses of the All-Merciful—for them God hath ordained no station of truth, and today they are debarred from the breezes of the spirit. But they who are firm in the Cause—these are encompassed by the breezes of grace, and around them circle the angels of the Cause with chalices from the Kawthar of life. Thus doth the mercy of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, encompass those who are nigh unto Him.

Forsake the earth and all that is therein, then take the Tablet of God with becoming humility and read it. Verily, it will preserve thee from that which thy Lord abhorreth, and will lead thee to His good-pleasure, and cause thee to enter a paradise whose name hath been magnified in truth.

BH11743: Know that thy letter hath been presented before…

In the name of God, the Most Mighty, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

Know that thy letter hath been presented before the Throne, and the glances of thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds have been directed towards it. He now answereth thee in truth through the tongue of the Spirit that speaketh in this holy, glorious and gracious Presence. O Taqi! Fear God and be of pure piety in thy love for thy Ancient Master. Beware lest thou mingle it with love for anyone else or mix it with the mention of the worlds, for naught else will suffice thee in aught, and all besides Him are poor before Him. He, verily, is the All-Possessing, the Almighty, the Most High, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.

Hold fast unto the cord of God and detach thyself from all else. This is better for thee than all thou dost witness and behold. Thy Lord is, in truth, witness to this and well-informed. Blessed art thou, for the fire of love hath been kindled within thy breast. Beware lest thou extinguish it with the waters of idle fancies and vain imaginings. Cast aside all imaginings, then turn thy face toward thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. He will verily protect thee in truth beneath the shadow of His protection. There is none other mighty save Him. His is the command and the creation, and all before Him are as a handful of clay.

Taste thou the fruits of the Tree of the Spirit, then detach thyself from aught else. By God! Wert thou to search throughout all regions of the heavens and earth, thou wouldst not find the fragrance of the garment save from this resplendent, holy and luminous Beauty. And wert thou to desire to hear the melodies of God, thou wouldst hear them from none save this Speaking Tongue, the Holy, the All-Knowing.

Know thou furthermore that the idolaters have emerged from the thickets of hypocrisy with swords of dissension. Beware! Avoid them and remain under mighty protection. Thus do We inform thee that thou mayest remain steadfast in the love of thy Lord and be possessed of clear insight. As to thy desire to attain the presence of the Throne, ask God to assist thee in His Cause and make thee firm in that wherein thou art. He, verily, will send down unto thee whatsoever He willeth, and for all there is a portion in the Book. When He willeth, He will grant thee what thou desirest. He accepteth whomsoever He pleaseth and ordaineth what He willeth. And upon thee be glory, and upon whomsoever remaineth firm in God’s Cause and turneth toward the direction of glory, this resplendent and wondrous Scene.

BH03028: This is a Book from Us to him who…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Most Great, the All-Powerful!

This is a Book from Us to him who hath believed in God, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Herein is mentioned that which he hath attained unto. He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen.

Blessed art thou for having forsaken thy home out of longing for the precincts of God, and for having turned toward that place wherefrom was raised the call in remembrance of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Loving. Thou didst hasten unto the Beloved until thou didst enter the sacred court and circumambulate the House. Thy Lord, verily, encompasseth all things, and with Him is the knowledge of what hath been and what shall be.

Beseech God to make thee steadfast in His love, that the signs of those who judge according to their own understanding without true comprehension may not cause thee to waver. Say: O people! Abandon your desires. This is the Ocean of guidance surging before your faces. Turn ye unto it, and follow not those who are heedless of the signs of God. God willing, thou shalt ever drink from the cup of steadfastness through the bounty of the eternal Sovereign.

O servant! The station of steadfastness is most great. Ask God to enable thee to achieve it. Many are the souls who reached the shore of oneness, yet afterwards were deprived by a single word from the Truth. Today it is observed that certain souls, having clung to one of the cords, have remained far from the Self-Subsisting Lord.

O Hashim! Hold fast to the cord of God’s loving-kindness and cling to the hem of His grace, and whatsoever thou hast heard from the Truth, mention it with pure sincerity. Praise be to the Exalted Truth that thou hast attained to a station mention of which shall forever be recorded in the divine Books. This is of God’s grace—He bestoweth it upon whomsoever He willeth.

Convey My greetings to the loved ones of God and counsel them with wisdom. Among the commandments is that no one is permitted to turn toward this direction. Say: O people! Follow not your desires. Take what ye are bidden. This is better for you than that which ye imagine. Great is the corruption in this land. Soon shall that which is hidden in its midst be made manifest. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Forget not what thou hast heard and seen. Be thankful and say: Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH02942: He is the Mighty! O ʿAli! Be patient…

He is the Mighty! O ʿAli! Be patient in My Cause and grieve not within thyself, for though separation is more bitter than any bitterness, yet following Me is sweeter than any sweetness. Therefore seek for thyself that which is acceptable before the Beloved and pleasing, not to be rejected.

Then I counsel thee, O ʿAli, to patience in this greatest terror and to forbearance in this constraint, then to firmness in the love of God and His loved ones. And this indeed is a matter which nothing in the heavens and earth can resist, did ye but know.

Then turn to thy Lord and turn away from all else, and be thou in love at such a station that should thine eye oppose thee in this, thou wouldst pluck it out, for it profiteth thee not, and what profiteth thee is thy Lord, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

Then convey Our remembrance to ʿAbdu’llah who is named Javad, and remind him of My love for him, and this is better for him than all that eyes have beheld. Say unto him: Be thou steadfast in the love of thy Lord. Then remember him in thy days and fear no one, but put thy trust in God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Ever-Living, the Sublime.

Then convey Our remembrance to Zaynu’l-ʿAbidin and give him the glad tidings of a praiseworthy station in the presence of God, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Then cast upon ar-Rahim from Us the word of glorification, that he may be of those who rejoice in the gladness of the Cause.

Then I counsel you that ye dispute not in the Cause of God, even should the idolaters unite against you, and be ye in the earth as standards of victory from One wise and self-subsisting. And should ye detect from anyone the fragrance of rancor, draw not nigh unto him for an instant—thus hath it been inscribed by the Most Holy Pen on a preserved and mighty tablet. Then speak with wisdom and be among the people as one detached who turneth only toward the right hand of nearness to the Beloved.

Then dwell, O ʿAli, in thy house until there reacheth thee from Our command or a hidden and secret book. Thus do We cast upon thee words of love that thou mayest find from them the fragrance of musk and be of those who return unto God.

Then convey Our remembrance to the women who are in thy house, then cast upon their faces the silk of glorification from this sorrowing Youth. And peace be upon you and upon them until the Day when the trumpet shall be sounded.

BH03034: This is the Tree of the Cause which hath…

He is the Most Inaccessible, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious!

This is the Tree of the Cause which hath put forth leaves through the praise of God and His manifestations, then bore holy and ripe fruits. By God! Whoso tasteth thereof shall never taste aught else, shall be detached from all that is on earth, and shall have his eyes opened to behold the Beauty of the Ancient of Days, his ears to hear His melodies, and his heart to know His Self which hath been, from the holy horizon, even as the sun behind pavilions of glory, in truth visible. By God! Were one to become aware of what is within it and upon it, and what is ordained in its mystery, all created things would be consumed thereby, and all who are in the heavens and earth would be thunderstruck, save those whom God hath protected by a manifest sovereignty.

Say: By God, O concourse of idolaters! This abasement sufficeth you, that the Sun hath appeared behind veils and coverings because ye cannot gaze upon it, as your eyes are clouded by self and passion; therefore hath it risen from the holy horizon according to a fixed measure.

O servant! Hear the call of thy Lord from this Tree which hath been raised up in truth, and whereof every leaf and branch, both outward and inward, proclaimeth that there is none other God but Him, and that He encompasseth all things. Blessed art thou for having drunk the cup of faith from the hands of the youths who abide upon the Ark of Glory and sail upon the sea of grandeur—this is a bounty unequalled in creation, if thou be of them that know.

Follow thy father’s command at all times, for he hath a station among stations with thy Lord—this is My counsel unto thee. Act according to what hath been counseled from the tongue of the Cause, for this is better for thee than all that is on earth. Then mention unto thy brother from Us, who was named Nasru’llah, that he may rejoice in his soul at the glad-tidings of the Spirit and be among those gladdened by the joy of the Cause. We beseech God to make thee a helper of His Cause, even as He named thee with this name. Verily He doeth what He willeth by His command, and He hath power over all things.

And the glory be upon you and upon those who have taken unto God a path.

BH02965: The sister of Jinab-i-Haydar-‘Ali

The sister of Jinab-i-Haydar-‘Ali

He is the Peerless, the Sanctified, the Most Glorious.

Praise be unto the Best-Beloved, the cloud of whose mercy hath ever rained upon all beings, and the sun of whose bounty hath ever shed its radiance upon all created things. Truly destitute is he who hath deprived himself of the showers of God’s grace!

O maidservant of God! Strive that thou mayest not be deprived of the effulgent splendours of His lights, nor far removed from the shadow of His mercy. Take thou refuge in His shelter, and abide thou beneath the shadow of His gracious favour, for all that cometh not beneath His shadow hath ever been—and shall remain—within the realm of disbelief. In these days, the operation of two divine names may be witnessed with the utmost clarity: to wit, the names of “Quickener” and “Destroyer”. These cause on the one hand death, and on the other, life. The one taketh life away from those that turn away from God; the other conferreth everlasting life upon those that turn towards Him.

How great the power of Him Who at a single time hath made two seasons to appear: spring and autumn! How numerous the trees of human souls that have become fresh and verdant in this mystic, holy springtide, and richly laden with the fruits of divine knowledge! And how numerous the trees of human souls that have become parched and withered in this same season, deprived of all God’s manifold bestowals! A single breeze blew forth from out His peerless Paradise: to the believers in the unity of God it was a balm of peace and mercy; to the infidels, a blast of wrath and chastisement. Such is the power of Him Who is the sovereign Lord of all!

O maidservant of God! Please God, thou wilt not be deprived of the gently-stirring breezes of this springtide of supernal holiness, nor remain without a portion of the overflowing bounties of these days of the divine spirit. Pass thou beyond the world and all its peoples, and set thy face towards the one true God. For all else but Him is in its essence poor and needy; and being so, is powerless to satisfy even its own needs, how much less the needs of others!

O maidservant of God! Whenever thou art seated in comfort and tranquillity, do thou call to mind this Captive, and occupy thyself with His remembrance; and if thou beholdest an exile from his native land, do thou recount the banishment and anguish of this Spiritual Youth. I swear by Him Who is the Mover of all beings! Heaven, earth and mountains would be incapable of bearing a single atom of the tribulations that have come to pass. Nay, better were it that the afflictions of this Youth remain concealed. He, verily, hath knowledge of all things. Do ye convey the salutation of Him Who is the Tongue of God unto all His devoted handmaidens.

BH02955: These are the verses of God which have been…

In the Name of God, the Most Wondrous, the Most Exalted, the Most Mighty, the Most Glorious!

These are the verses of God which have been sent down from the heaven of mighty glory, and through them mercy descends upon all created things from the presence of One powerful and mighty. Through them God provides His near servants with the fruits of wisdom and utterance, that He may detach them from all else besides Him and draw them nigh unto the precincts of glorious might.

Say: He is verily the One with power over whatsoever He willeth, such that were He to desire to reveal in every moment proof after proof in establishment of His Cause, He would be able, and He hath ever been wise over all things. Say: Were He to desire to make but a single proof for His Cause and manifest it in every moment in another form, He would be able, and He hath ever had power over whatsoever He willeth. Say: Were He to send down upon a tree the decree of divine authority and upon what is beneath it, He would be able, and it behooveth none to object to Him, for He hath ever been the Doer of what He willeth, and He hath ever been encompassing over all things.

Say: O people, be ye ashamed before Him Who, were He to desire to resurrect all created things through a word from His presence, would be able—and this is easy for Him. Nothing in the heavens or earth that He hath created can frustrate Him, and with Him is the knowledge of all things in a perspicuous Book.

Say: O people, think not within yourselves that which beseemeth you not. Hearken unto the call of God, abandon the calf, and take what hath been sent down from the presence of One mighty and wise. Say: Do ye worship the idol instead of God? Woe unto you for what your passions bid you do. Fear God and take not the idol as your helper.

And thou, O thou who hast turned to God, be steadfast in the Cause, purify thy spirit and body from the influences of those who have disbelieved and associated partners with Him in Whom they had believed, and who were rebellious against God. Sanctify thyself from such as these and consort not with them ever, and be in an impregnable protection. Thus have We commanded thee as a bounty from Our presence upon thee, that thou mayest rejoice within thyself and be steadfast in the Cause.

And the glory be upon thee and upon whoso hath believed in God and taken within the precincts of holiness a mighty station.

BH02977: Ziyarat-Namih for the (later) martyrs of Zanjan

This is a visitation prayer revealed by God, the Lord of Names, for His loved ones (Jinab-i-Ashraf, Basir and Mirza Muhammad-ʿAli) who turned to the place of detachment for martyrdom and were martyred in the path of God in the land of Za. Upon them be the mercy of God, Creator of all things and Fashioner of earth and heaven. Blessed is he who draws near to God, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting, through visiting them. And whoever wishes to visit any one of them should recite this visitation prayer:

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious! May the mercy that appeared and shone forth from the horizon of the grace of the Lord of creation be upon you, O guide of the people and destroyer of idols! I testify that you were, for the bosom of grandeur, the white hand, and for the wilderness of guidance, the Tree of Sinai, and for the people of creation, the greatest sign. You are the one through whom the preamble of the book of existence was adorned with the remembrance of your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving. God’s curse be upon those who killed you and wronged you after you had been unto them a sign of remembrance from your Lord, the Most Glorious.

I testify that you did not fall short in the Cause of your Lord and conveyed what you were commanded until you returned to your resting place. You are the one whom the veils did not prevent from the remembrance of your Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower. The assault of the wicked did not cause you to tremble—you called all to God, the Mighty, the Chosen One. Blessed are you, then blessed are you, in that you ascended to the Paradise of Abha and the Supreme Companion, detached from all that was created in the realm of existence, turning to the Most Distant Station and the Lote-Tree of the Uttermost End, and dwelling in the seat of truth with God, the Lord of the last and the first.

O my God and my Master! I beseech You by this martyr who was martyred in Your path, and by this blood which was shed in Your love, that You forgive me and my parents and my relatives from among those who have believed in You and Your verses. And I beseech You, O my God, by this noble dust and this exalted gate, that You ordain for me what You have ordained for Your chosen ones who were not prevented by the clamor of the wicked from turning to You, O You in Whose hand is the reins of authority. O Lord! Leave me not to myself. Preserve me beneath the shadow of Your greatest mercy, then send down upon him the best of the last and the first. Verily You are powerful over what You will. There is no God but You, the Mighty, the Wise.

BH02982: God beareth witness that there is none other God…

He is the Mighty

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. His is the bounty and grace. He quickeneth whom He willeth through His sovereignty, and He verily is the One, the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Say: O people, fear God and oppose not him who reciteth unto you the verses of God. Fear ye God, then fear His Cause, therefore fear Me. And if ye believe not, deny not, for this is an error in the Tablet, did ye but know.

Say: O people, if ye deny these verses, then by what verses do ye believe? Nay, by Him Who holdeth my soul in His hand, whoso believeth not in these verses hath denied all verses and every Prophet and Messenger. And thou, O servant, fear no one but place thy trust in God and be of them that turn unto the verses of God. Then stand firm in the Cause of God and His love, and turn thy heart toward this sacred and praiseworthy Quarter. Then content thyself with thy Lord to the exclusion of all else and follow not the desires of them who at all times deny the verses of God. And when it is said unto them “Believe in God and in what hath been sent down unto you in truth,” they say “We are content with what we have of God’s verses.” Say: By what right do ye object to those who believed not in God during His manifestation in the name of Ali in truth?

Therefore, O people of the Bayan, be fair, for they said exactly what ye say today. Do ye enjoin righteousness upon men while forgetting for yourselves the melodies of God and then deny them? For they were content just as ye are content with what ye have, and thereby opposed God and His verses just as ye oppose and then mock. Say: By God, nothing will suffice you today, neither what is in the heavens nor what is on earth nor what is between them, except that ye take this Book with power and take what is ordained therein. And this is assuredly the truth in this luminous and hidden Tablet. Thus hath the Dove warbled in this night and God’s proof hath been completed unto all who are in the heavens and on earth, would ye but perceive it. And the Spirit be upon thee and upon him who holdeth fast to the sovereignty of Names in this Most Great Name, the Veiled, the Manifest, the Hidden, the Concealed.

BH03005: In the Name of God, the Most Great…

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Glorious! We have sent down the Bayan and made it the herald of this Revelation through which the rivers have flowed. Say: I am the springtime of the All-Merciful for that which was sown in the Bayan, and the rain of grace for that which was planted therein with justice. To this testifieth he who possesseth knowledge of the Tablets. He hath ordained the laws that I might proclaim in all things that there is none other God but Me, the Single, the One, the Help in Peril. This is a mention which God hath specially assigned to Myself.

Read ye the Bayan, that ye may know him whom the followers of all religions have failed to recognize. He wrote the Bayan solely that His Most Exalted Pen might move only to make mention of Him, yet ye have committed that which hath caused the Pen to be restrained from mentioning the mysteries. Therefore doth the Divine Lote-Tree lament for that which ye have wrought, O company of evil ones!

Say: Think ye that ye have any power? Nay, by Him Who controlleth the night and the day! Or suppose ye that ye can find any refuge? Nay, by my Lord, even should ye lay hold of all means! Are they who have acted unjustly at ease while We are in affliction? Nay, they are in the abyss, by Him Who causeth the trees to speak!

And remember when one asked “Where is the Temple of the Kingdom?” He who turned away said “It is in the most ruined of houses.” Say: Nay, O dweller in hell, it is in a palace of ruby! Behold, O ye who are endued with insight! He possesseth a Name which, were He to cast it upon poison, would transform it into the Most Great Antidote. Die in thy wrath, O thou idolatrous infidel! Soon shalt thou see what thou hast wrought; then shalt thou lament and find no escape.

Blessed art thou for having rent asunder the veils and turned to God, the Lord of all names. When thou didst drink the choice wine of verses from the cups of the words of thy Lord, the Lord of names and attributes, arise and make good what hath passed. Thus doth He instruct thee Who possesseth knowledge of all things in the Book.

Say: O people, have ye not witnessed the power? By My life, the Cry hath been raised, and these are verses at which the mountains would crumble! I know not by what proof ye have held fast, or by what cause ye have been kept back from Him through Whose remembrance the earth was established and spirits took flight. Arise from the couches of heedlessness and passion, then aid your Lord, the All-Merciful, with wisdom and utterance. Thus hath the matter been decreed in the Tablets from the presence of Him Who cleaveth the dawn.

Glory be upon thee and upon thy son, and upon those who have broken the chains of blind imitation through this Name whereby the gates have been opened.

BH03030: This is a Book from God, the Mighty…

In the Name of God, the Most Wondrous, the Most Inaccessible!

This is a Book from God, the Mighty, the Loving, unto him who hath believed in Me and hath attained unto the lights of God in days wherein every witness and the witnessed were thrown into confusion. Blessed art thou for having quaffed the Most Pure Kawthar from the hand of thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, and recognized that which was intended. Beseech God to make thee steadfast in His love and to grant thee that which will draw thee nigh unto the Spot round which circle His honored servants. We have not forgotten thee and have been with thee, and thy Lord doth bear witness to what I say.

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by the tears of them that know Thee in their separation and remoteness from Thee, and by the lamentations of them that yearn for Thee in their love and attachment to Thee, and by Thy Hidden Name whereby Thou didst separate between what was and what would be, that Thou assist me through the wonders of Thy help and preserve me from the tyrannous ones among Thy creatures. How many heads, O my God, were raised upon spears in Thy days, and how many breasts were pierced by the arrows of the idolaters in their love and pleasure in Thee, and how many hands were severed in Thy path! How long, O my God, wilt Thou hear the moaning of Thy loved ones and not deliver them from their enemies, and how long wilt Thou hear the cry of Thy chosen ones and not help them amidst Thy servants? How long, O my God, wilt Thou witness and forbear? By Thy might, O my Beloved! The matter hath reached such a pass that they have denied Thy power and made a mockery of the Manifestations of Thy Revelation and the Dawning-Places of Thine inspiration.

Therefore do I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which the veil of fancy was rent asunder and the Beauty of Thy Name, the Self-Subsisting, was manifested, that Thou assist Thy loved ones and abase Thine enemies. O Lord! Deprive us not of the wonders of Thy grace in Thy days, and distance us not from the shores of nearness through Thy bounty and favors.

O Lord! Send down upon me that which will make me rich through Thy riches, and speaking in Thy praise, and mindful in Thy remembrance. Then ordain for me what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. O Lord! Thou art He Who hath reared me by the hands of Thy grace and guided me to the seat of Thy throne until I entered into Thy presence and heard Thy call and attained unto the lights of Thy countenance and was honored to meet Thee. I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Self, since Thou hast guided me through Thy bounty and singled me out for Thy love, to preserve me from the hints of the idolaters among Thy creatures. Verily Thou art powerful over what Thou willest, and verily Thou art the Forgiving, the Bountiful.

BH11744: This is a Book from this Wronged One…

In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy

This is a Book from this Wronged One to him who hath migrated in the path of God and was recorded among the emigrants in the Holy Tablet by the Creative Pen, that it may purify him from all contingent things and cause him to ascend unto a station which hath been mentioned by the Pen of God in the Mother Book.

O servant! Hearken unto the call of this servant who weepeth and lamenteth by reason of what hath befallen him, and who, at all times, crieth out between earth and heaven:

“O people! Fear ye God, and make not His signs an object of mockery amongst yourselves. Be ye afraid of God, and commit not that which ye have been forbidden in the Book. Then follow ye the truth in accordance with what hath been detailed by the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.”

O servant! By God! Were there to descend upon thee what hath descended upon Us, thou wouldst detach thyself from all who are in the heavens and on earth, and wouldst smite thy head, and lament at morn and eventide. Arise to serve God and aid His Cause, then convey unto the people that which hath shone forth from the horizon of the Spirit—the Sun of grandeur and power—with a sovereignty that encompasseth all the worlds. Then remind those who have believed in that place, that perchance they may detach themselves from whatsoever they possess and turn towards a station which hath been illumined by the truth.

Say: By God, O people! Nothing of what hath been created between the heavens and the earth shall profit you, and that which shall profit you is with God, your Creator. Hasten ye therefore unto Him with your hearts, that ye may find a way unto Him. God shall soon change the earth and whatsoever is upon it, and shall gather together all creatures at a station which hath been irrevocably decreed by the Pen of Destiny from time immemorial. They shall be questioned concerning what they have wrought in their vain life, and shall be rewarded according to their deeds. Thus hath the matter been sent down in truth from the heaven of holiness.

And thou, O servant, forget all else save God, thy Lord, then take comfort in that which hath shone forth from the Dayspring of Sinai and hath been manifested in truth through a Command at which all in the kingdom were thunderstruck, except a number of the Manifestations of Our most beautiful Names, who were at that time soaring on the wings of detachment in the atmosphere of the Spirit. Thus have We cast upon thee the Word of Truth, that thou mayest follow what thou hast been commanded in the Tablet and be of those who are well-pleasing unto God.

And glory be upon thee and upon those who are steadfast in the Cause.

BH03107: Glorified is He Who hath sent down the verses…

He is the Most Exalted, the Most Holy, the Most High

Glorified is He Who hath sent down the verses in truth for people who comprehend. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command. All act by His bidding. O servant! Hear the call of this Youth, then help thy Lord to the extent thou art able, and be not of those who understand not.

Say: He hath appeared in truth with a sovereignty before which all in the heavens and earth have bowed down, yet the people perceive not. Say: O people, fear God and wage not war against His Self, and dispute not with His Beauty, the Self-Subsisting, the Supreme.

O Ahmad! Give praise to God, thy Lord, for having rent asunder the veils from thy face and made Himself known to thee in these days wherein most of the servants remain veiled from Him and have turned back on their heels. Beware lest thou forget thy Lord or take any helper other than Him. Abide beneath the shadow of thy Lord in such wise that the breath of no rejected idolater can cause thee to slip. Turn thy heart toward the direction of God, then seek His help in all matters. He will verily help thee in truth, and He doeth what He willeth through His word “Be” and it is.

And if thou wishest to know what hath befallen Us after Our departure from Iraq, know that at every moment We have been afflicted by the irrevocable, firm and ordained decrees, and that the wolves of hatred have encompassed Us in this land after We created them by Our command. Thus hath it been with the Youth, if thou art of those who are informed.

Let nothing cause thee grief, and if sorrows encompass thee, remember My tribulation, then My exile, then My loneliness amidst those who have denied the signs of God, the Supreme, the Mighty, the Beloved.

And if thou wishest to depart from Iraq, depart placing thy trust in God. He will protect thee through His grace and will send down unto thee that which hath been ordained for thee in the preserved tablets of glory. Then convey Our remembrance to those servants who were with thee, and give My greetings to them. This is My command unto thee. Act according to what thou hast been commanded, and be not of those who are patient in the Cause of their Lord.

BH03088: Listen to the call of thy Lord…

In the Name of the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted

Listen to the call of thy Lord from the Pole of Eternity and be not occupied with aught else save His remembrance, the Exalted, the Most Great. He calleth thee at all times with the verses of His love, if thou be of them that hear. Detach thyself from the kingdom, then arise by thyself to promote the Cause of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds. By God, the True One! That which thou beholdest on earth shall perish, and sovereignty shall remain with God, the Single, the One, the Peerless, the All-Wise. Then remind the people of that which God hath cast into thy heart, and tarry not in thy soul less than a moment. And if thou findest one who is receptive, cast upon him the melodies of the Spirit, and if thou findest one who turneth away, turn away from him and turn unto God, and verily He shall suffice thee against all things and against His misbeliever servants.

We have indeed sent down unto thee aforetime verses of wondrous glory and dispatched them by trusted messengers from among Our servants. We beseech God that they may reach thee, that thereby thine eyes may be gladdened and the eyes of the believers. We commanded thee therein to enjoin upon the people in these days what God hath ordained for them and to give them the glad tidings of the paradise of God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

Know thou that there hath befallen Us that which cannot be mentioned in words. By God! Then would all who are in the heavens and earth weep—for they who were created by My Word have desired to kill Me and shed My blood. When God frustrated what they intended, they then raised an outcry within themselves, perchance thereby to cast rancor into the hearts of the sanctified ones. Then they fabricated against Me all that befitteth their own selves and that their hands have earned, and thereby the word of chastisement became due them from the presence of One mighty and powerful. They seek to slay the Self of God with the swords of association and hatred, then recite His verses, the Wondrous, the Revealed. Were We to recount unto thee what hath befallen Us, thou wouldst grieve in thy soul and the hearts of them that are certain would grieve with thee. We have therefore concealed it from thee to preserve thy soul, lest thy heart be saddened thereby and thou become of the sorrowful.

And the Glory be upon thee and upon them who hearken unto thy word concerning God, thy Lord and the Lord of the Mighty Throne.

BH03079: O Shaykh Fani! May you be, God willing, forever…

In the Name of the One Friend

O Shaykh Fani! May you be, God willing, forever and always annihilated from self and abiding in the remembrance of Truth, in such wise that from your tongue may be heard at all times the mention of God, and from your heart may be inhaled the love of the Beloved, and from your face may be witnessed the radiance of the All-Merciful. Your letter was presented before the Throne, and in response thereto a Tablet was sent down from the heaven of the Divine Will. Subdue hearts through mention of the Beloved and move all creation by the cord of the love of thy Lord, the Sovereign of all worlds. This is what We have ordained in the Tablets. Let not sorrows overtake thee. Be thou joyful in the days of thy Lord, then remind souls of that which hath been sent down from the presence of the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

Specifically for Nabil-i-Baqir, wondrous words have shone forth from the Dayspring of the divine Finger and been dispatched. God willing, may they attain thereunto. Convey My glorification unto him and unto those who have believed in God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Praise be to the Best-Beloved of the worlds that thy mention hath been and continues to be remembered before the Throne. If thou asketh God thy Lord, He would send down clear verses for every soul. Verily thy Lord loveth him who hath loved Him and desireth him who hath desired Him. He is verily the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

Remind on My behalf Siyyid-i-Kazim. Say: Blessed is he who hath turned to God in this Day wherein the Herald hath proclaimed: The Kingdom belongeth to the Dayspring of the Cause of your Lord, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. Say: Be thou steadfast in the Cause in such wise that vain imaginings shall not withhold thee from the remembrance of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, nor shall the veils of the heedless conceal thee. Adorn thy head with the crown of the mention of the Glory between earth and heaven, and thy tongue with this Name whereby the liver of misbelief was cleft asunder and the countenance of unity shone forth from the horizon of the command of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.

Be as thy Lord was. The calamities never prevented Him from the mention of the Lord of all creation. He summoneth the people at all times unto God, the Mighty, the Peerless. That which thou seest today shall perish, and that which shall endure is His mention of His loved ones and what He hath ordained for them in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the Beautiful. Thus have We commanded thee that thou mayest rejoice in the remembrance of thy Lord and be of them that have attained. Say: All praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH03123: Your letter was received wherein you sought to test…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Exalted!

Your letter was received wherein you sought to test your Lord, the Most High, the Great. This is what you have been forbidden in all the Tablets. Read the books of the past, that you may be of those who understand. All that hath been manifested in this Revelation is the proof of God amongst His servants and His testimony unto all who are in the heavens and on earth. None may test his Lord—rather God testeth whomsoever He willeth of His servants. Verily He is the Ruler over whatsoever He pleaseth.

Would you say what the ancients said? Read the Furqan and after it the Bayan, that you may be of those who are informed. We love not what beseemeth thee not—this is of My favor unto thee, that thou mayest be of the thankful. Make not thy faith contingent upon what thou desirest, but rather upon what God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds, hath desired.

When the breezes of revelation waft over thee and the attraction of the divine Word draweth thee to the kingdom of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, then shall be made manifest unto thee what thou didst desire, and thou shalt witness God’s power and knowledge over all created things. How many servants desired what thou didst desire, yet when We made it manifest unto them, they said: “This is manifest sorcery!” Ask thou Baghdad and its environs, and other lands besides, that thou mayest be assured that thy Lord is verily the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Is there any excuse left for anyone in this Revelation? No, by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne! My signs have encompassed the earth, and My power enveloped all mankind, and yet the people are wrapped in a strange sleep!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Thou knowest that I have summoned the servants unto naught save the court of Thy gifts and favors, and have manifested unto them, by Thy leave, that which hath no likeness in creation. I beseech Thee, O Possessor of invention, that Thou transmute the base metal of existence into pure gold through the elixir of Thy wisdom and loving-kindness. Then reveal unto them from Thy comprehensive Book of Divination that which will render them independent through Thine independence.

I testify, O my God, that with Thee is the knowledge of all things. I beseech Thee by Thy Self to make known unto the servants the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Dawning-Place of Thy signs, that they may find in His every attribute the fragrances of Thy knowledge and the sweet scents of Thy power. Then cause them to be so detached from all else but Thee that they will choose for themselves what Thou hast chosen for them through the sovereignty of Thy decree. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Wise.

BH03150: This is the Leaf of Eternity which hath stirred…

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

This is the Leaf of Eternity which hath stirred in the Paradise of the Tablet in the form of words, and from its movements and behavior a voice is heard whereto turn the faces of them that have recognized divine unity. They hear mention of this name which hath ascended unto God and was afflicted with tribulation in the path of his Lord. Thus hath the grace of God encompassed whomsoever He willeth of His creation, and verily His grace hath ever encompassed all the worlds.

O servant! Rejoice within thyself that thou wast confirmed in the good-pleasure of God and the recognition of His Self, and wast content with His good-pleasure until thou didst sacrifice thy spirit in His path. And verily We were with thee when thou didst ascend unto God with manifest humility and submission. Blessed art thou and blessed are they whom God hath associated with thee. Would that the servants might behold thee in the Most Exalted Paradise and become aware of what God hath ordained for thee in the sanctuaries of holy and transcendent glory. Thus doth God blot out the names of them that have disbelieved and associated partners with God, and confirmeth them that have believed and turned with pure hearts toward the court of God with an illuminating radiance.

And verily thou, O servant, rejoice within thyself in Paradise, for God hath at this moment magnified thy countenance and ordained for thee such good as none hath comprehended save His Self, Who hath encompassed all things in a Manifest Book. Soar with the two wings We have given thee, then wing thy flight in an atmosphere more subtle than spirit upon the face of a mirror and more delicate than light upon the face of a luminous crystal.

Blessed art thou in that thou hast tasted the sweetness of the love of God, then drunk the cup of life in the life of life, and now drinkest from the chalice of glory at the very heart of Paradise, and art at all times gladdened by the fragrances of the All-Merciful. The mercy of thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, descendeth upon thee at every moment, and the Tongue of Grandeur calleth out to thee from behind the veils of glory with melodies wondrous and true. And glory be upon thee and upon them that have been martyred in the path of God and upon them that shall be martyred in these days in this Cause, the like of which the eye of creation hath never beheld, and God is witness unto this.

BH03099: In the name of God, the Most Mighty…

In the name of God, the Most Mighty, the Most Exalted, the Most High! The remembrance of God from the Tree of the Command has now been raised in the most wondrous melodies. Verily He is the Most Great Mystery between the heavens and the earth, and the Mighty News in this Mystery which has been witnessed from the holy horizon. Everything speaks forth: “Verily I am God, there is no God but Him,” and verily He encompasses all things.

O servant of God! Hear the call of thy Lord from this Bird which has soared in this heaven that has been spread forth in this atmosphere which has appeared in truth as a Command from Our presence that there is no God but Him. And verily He Who speaks in truth is the Manifestation of God and His Mystery, the Concealment of God and His Command, the Proof of God and His Word unto all who are on earth. Bear thou witness to that which God hath testified in this Tablet. By God! This is better for thee than all that hath been created in the realm of origination and fashioned in the kingdom of invention, and God is witness to this.

Forget not thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted. Verily He hath not forgotten thee, and His favor unto thee hath indeed been abundant. Blessed are ye for having taken hold of the words of God and preserved them from the touch of every rejected misbeliever. Thus doth God single out whom He willeth through His grace, and He rendereth vain the deeds of those who have disbelieved and associated partners with God and have deprived themselves of the holy paradise.

Leave the ungodly to themselves, then make mention of thy Lord throughout all days. Verily He will suffice thee in truth and will aid thee in the Cause with a manifest sovereignty.

Blessed are ye, O people of the Pavilion of Glory, inasmuch as the glances of God have been directed toward you and He hath turned you from the left hand of idle fancy to the blessed right hand. He hath sent down unto you the Book and caused you to recognize the Manifestation of His Self, and made you to be of those who have found a way unto Him Who occupieth the throne. Be thou thankful unto thy Lord for having aided thee in His Cause and nourished thee from the fruits which have appeared from the Tree of Eternity. Verily He is powerful over all things.

And glory be upon thee and upon those who are with thee and who stand firm in the love of thy Lord.

BH03096: The remembrance of God from the Tree of Paradise…

In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

The remembrance of God from the Tree of Paradise hath been and is manifest in the Temple of the Youth, and verily He speaketh in all things that which the ear of the Beloved heard during the night-journey, and that which the Spirit heard in the heaven of eternity, and that which He Who conversed with God heard in the Sinai of the divine presence—that there is none other God but Him and that He hath ever been, through His own Self, independent of all worlds.

O youth! Hearken unto the call of thy Lord from the direction of the Throne, and forget not the days wherein the Sun of the beauty of thy Lord dawned upon thee from this horizon which hath been mentioned in the Tablets by the Pen of God as the Youth. Remember the times when thou wert seated in My presence and didst hear with thine own ears the melodies of God, and in those days We concealed Our face from all who are in the heavens and on earth, according to a wisdom that was hidden in God’s mystery. When the appointed time was fulfilled and the Command came forth, We drew aside the veils in Our chosen name and manifested Our Self to all created things with a sovereignty that was witnessed by all worlds. And by this means, he whom We created by Our command and preserved beneath the wings of grace turned against Us, as all beings and beyond them the Tongue of Grandeur in a holy and praiseworthy station do testify.

All that thou hast heard regarding his affair was from Me, and We have written concerning him that which none can reckon save God thy Lord, according to a wisdom that was treasured in the vaults of knowledge. We stood firm against the enemies in days wherein the feet of every mighty soul did slip, and We disputed with the peoples with wisdom and counsel until We made manifest the Cause through My being alone, and God is witness to what I say. And verily when My brother felt secure in himself he contended against My Self and disputed My verses, until he arose to slay Me. Thus did Satan whisper in his breast and made him to be deprived of the holy shore. Thus have We informed thee that thou mayest become aware of some of what hath befallen this Youth and mayest be clear-sighted regarding the Cause. And the Glory be upon thee and upon those who love thee in God and stand firm in the Cause.

BH03080: O handmaiden of God! Hearing is a divine trust…

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

O handmaiden of God! Hearing is a divine trust. Purify and sanctify it from the words and allusions of them that are on earth, that thou mayest hear the Word of God which hath dawned from the Dayspring of the mouth of the Divine Unity, and attain unto the purpose of the worlds. Today all, whether men or women, wander bewildered in the wilderness of their desires, save those souls who, through the power of the Most Great Name, have clung to the hem of the Lord of the Ancient Days. These are the gems of creation in the sight of God, and all others are as naught and non-existent.

Strive thou to reach the abode of immortality, which is the station of recognition of the Abha Beauty, and become illumined with the lights of His Cause. Render thanks unto God that thou hast been honored with this supreme distinction and hast directed thyself from thy homeland toward the dwelling-place of thy Beloved. Ere long the mention of this turning shall be spread among the favored servants. Detach thyself from the worlds and attach thyself to the All-Merciful. Be not grieved by outward affairs and the conditions of this base world, for all shall be seized by extinction while permanence belongeth and shall belong to God alone. Soon all shall return to dust, and sovereignty and power and grandeur and dominion shall remain with the Lord of Lords.

Say: Glory be to Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst distinguish between Thy servants, and from which most of the people of Thy realm took flight, to make me turn toward the sanctuary of Thy good-pleasure and direct myself to the sanctuary of Thy recognition. O Lord! I am one of Thy handmaidens who hath turned to Thee, held fast to the cord of Thy bounty, and clung to the hem of the robe of Thy mercy and favors. O Lord! I am athirst; send down upon me from the clouds of Thy mercy the rain of Thy grace. O Lord! I am poor; send down upon me from the heaven of Thy riches that which will make me independent of all except Thee. Then assist, O my God, my kindred to arise to aid Thy Cause and turn toward the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and Thy glory, and enable them, O my God, to remember Thee and praise Thee amidst Thy creation. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Great.

BH03111: Lauded and glorified art Thou, Lord, God Omnipotent! Thou…

In the Name of God, the Most High!

Lauded and glorified art Thou, Lord, God Omnipotent! Thou before Whose wisdom the wise falleth short and faileth, before Whose knowledge the learned confesseth his ignorance, before Whose might the strong waxeth weak, before Whose wealth the rich testifieth to his poverty, before Whose light the enlightened is lost in darkness, toward the shrine of Whose knowledge turneth the essence of all understanding and around the sanctuary of Whose presence circle the souls of all mankind.

How then can I sing and tell of Thine Essence, which the wisdom of the wise and the learning of the learned have failed to comprehend, inasmuch as no man can sing that which he understandeth not, nor recount that unto which he cannot attain, whilst Thou hast been from everlasting the Inaccessible, the Unsearchable. Powerless though I be to rise to the heavens of Thy glory and soar in the realms of Thy knowledge, I can but recount Thy tokens that tell of Thy glorious handiwork.

By Thy Glory! O Beloved of all hearts, Thou that alone canst still the pangs of yearning for Thee! Though all the dwellers of heaven and earth unite to glorify the least of Thy signs, wherein and whereby Thou hast revealed Thyself, yet would they fail, how much more to praise Thy holy Word, the creator of all Thy tokens.

All praise and glory be to Thee, Thou of Whom all things have testified that Thou art one and there is none other God but Thee, Who hast been from everlasting exalted above all peer or likeness and to everlasting shalt remain the same. All kings are but Thy servants and all beings, visible and invisible, as naught before Thee. There is none other God but Thee, the Gracious, the Powerful, the Most High.

O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have shattered the idols of vain desire and turned their faces toward the countenance of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious. Then rain down upon them every good thing which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. Then cause them, O my God, to be steadfast in Thy love and firm in Thy Cause in such wise that neither the tempests of trials nor the storms of tribulation shall move them. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Helping. There is no God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

BH03148: The Most Great, the Most Great! This…

The Most Great, the Most Great! This is a Book which speaks with truth and commands the people to righteousness and justice from One All-Knowing, All-Wise, that they may know the path of truth and turn with their hearts to the Path of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Say: Verily it is the Path of God for all who dwell in the heaven of command and creation, and the sign of His grandeur for those in the Concourse on High, and the manifestation of His power for those in the Kingdom of Names, and the Dawning-Place of His Cause for those in the supreme heaven, and the sign of His mercy for all in the heavens and earths.

Say: The clouds of generosity rain down upon the peoples of all worlds at all times the showers of grace from the presence of One Mighty, Powerful. He shines forth upon all created things at all times with the lights of His luminous countenance. Among the people are those who have shattered the idols of desire through the power of the Lord of Names and have turned to God, the Beloved of the worlds. And among them are those who have clung to a name among names and have taken it as a helper for themselves without any proof or clear Book.

Say: O people, do not associate partners with God—all atoms testify that He was One from time immemorial and has taken no partner unto Himself in sovereignty. Verily He is the One, the Single, the Mighty, the Beautiful.

Say: O people of the Bayan! Are diverse lords better, or God, the One Powerful, Mighty, Peerless? Hold fast unto God and detach yourselves from all else—this is better for you, if you be of those who know.

Soon you shall hear the call from those who desire to lead the servants astray. Beware lest you follow every remote calf. Soon shall you see one who claims for himself a cause—verily he is of the liars.

At the time of departure from Iraq, a Tablet was revealed wherein We informed the servants of what would appear thereafter—verily your Lord is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. And therein We made clear those who follow their desires and claim for themselves that which was not ordained for them from the presence of One Mighty, Powerful.

Avoid those who are deluded by vain imaginings and idle fancies and are kept back from the remembrance of your Lord, the Lord of all mankind—verily they are among the lost. And be at peace through the grace of your Lord—verily He is with you at all times and ordains for you what He desires. Indeed His grace upon you is great. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH03151: The All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Doth the Pen know? Say…

The All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Doth the Pen know? Say: Yea, by the glory of the Ancient Beauty! But most men perceive not. It soareth in the atmosphere of the Tablet through the attraction of revelation from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: O people! The Day is come and the Spirit proclaimeth in the Tablet: There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Is there doubt about the Manifestation or about His sovereignty? They have lost who denied God’s power after it encompassed every witness and witnessed thing. Would ye conceal the sun with the clay of idle fancies? Say: What aileth you that ye understand not? Do ye dispute with Him before Whom the verses have bowed down? Nay, they wander in the wilderness of error.

Remaineth there any excuse for anyone? Nay, by the Book inscribed! Do ye see yourselves in the right? Nay, by the Preserved Tablet! When clear proofs appear they pant, and when verses are recited unto them they turn away. When asked by what evidence they believed in what came before, they cite that which refuteth them, yet comprehend not.

Say: The verses have appeared from Our presence and the signs are fulfilled, when We came in the shadows of the attributes riding upon the clouds—yet most men are asleep. Say: Rend ye the veils, by the Lord of Lords! The Bestower hath come with manifest sovereignty. By My life! Those who answered not “Yea” after the Call was raised are counted as dead. See ye not the lights of this Dawn after it hath encompassed the horizons?

Woe unto you for having cast behind your backs the Covenant and turned away from Him through Whom the eyes of the denizens of Paradise and those who circle round the Throne have been gladdened. Say: He chose tribulations for your ease, yet from Him ye flee. They hasten to the tyrant, turning away from the Kingdom. They are indeed a people in grievous loss.

Blessed art thou, O servant, for thy name hath been mentioned before the Throne and verses have been sent down for thee which, were We to cast them upon the mountains, would transform them into rubies, and were their fragrances to pass over stones, rivers would burst forth from them by thy Lord’s permission, the Chosen One. He, verily, hath power over what was and what shall be. Remember thy Lord amongst His servants, that perchance the slumberers may awaken. The Spirit and glory rest upon thee and upon the people of Baha from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

BH03192: O Servant who gazes upon the Countenance! We have…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Exalted, the Most High

O Servant who gazes upon the Countenance! We have heard your call and become aware of what lies within your heart and breast. Give thanks to your Lord for having aided you to recognize His Self and for causing you to hear His call in these days wherein the hearts of the mystics are bewildered. Were the veil to be lifted, you would soar with longing in this sanctified and luminous atmosphere. Preserve the elixir of your Lord’s love within your heart, lest Our faithless servants discover it.

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Praise be to Thee for having made my heart a treasury of Thy love and for having deposited therein that which Thou hast denied to most of Thy creatures. I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which the Hidden Secret and the Treasured Symbol were revealed, and through which the sun of what was and what shall be shone forth from the horizon of Thy Will, to send down upon me at all times that which will draw me nigh unto the court of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, that I may detach myself from all created things, O Thou in Whose hand is the dominion of possibility!

O Lord! Deprive not this fish from immersion in the sea of Thy oneness, nor this leaf from the Lote-Tree of Thy singleness, nor this bird from soaring in the atmosphere of Thy nearness and good-pleasure. O Lord! Thou art He Who, through a word from Thy presence, distinguished between all created things and through it attracted the hearts of those immersed in the depths of names and attributes. Thou hast ever been the Sustainer of all created things and exalted above all who dwell on earth and in the heavens.

I beseech Thee to render me purified from all allusions, detached from all else save Thee, and turning toward the Kaaba of Thy good-pleasure. O Lord! Clothe me with the robe of forgiveness and purify me from whatsoever prevents me from turning to Thee, O Thou in Whose hand is the dominion of grace and bounty! There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Powerful.

Remember on Our part him who was named Nabil before Mihdi, that he may rejoice within himself and be among the steadfast. We beseech God to assist him to attain recognition at all times and to send down upon him that which is better for him than whatsoever hath been created in the realms of existence. Verily, He is the Mighty, the Powerful, the Helper.

BH03256: Say: The Tree of Eternity hath been raised up…

He is God, the Most Inaccessible, the Most Holy

Say: The Tree of Eternity hath been raised up upon the Spot of Command in the Most Exalted Paradise, and crieth out with the loudest voice:

“O people of Baha, embark upon the Ark of Eternity, then sail upon the Sea of Names!”

Thus hath the command been sent down from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. They who have embarked upon it—these have attained unto all good, and mercy hath descended upon them from every direction, and they are secure from the greatest terror.

And thou, O servant, hearken unto what God hath revealed unto thee, and turn not unto them who are immersed in the depths of vain imaginings and desires, who have turned away from That for which they were created and remain absorbed in their own selves. Arise to fulfill thy Lord’s command, and when the lights of the Tablet shine forth upon thee from the horizon of the Finger of the Youth, fall prostrate upon the dust in adoration before God, the Help in Peril, the Mighty, the Beloved. Beware lest anything prevent thee from reaching the shore of Our Most Great Name. We have made it a remembrance from Us unto thee and unto them that are certain in faith.

Be ye united in the Cause of God and His religion, and be as one soul, for thereby shall the banners of them that have disbelieved and joined partners with God be destroyed, and sovereignty shall remain with thy Lord, the Mighty, the Glorious, the Forgiving. Soon shalt thou hear the clamor of the ungodly regarding thy Lord’s Cause. Then stand firm and be not of them that comprehend not.

Say: O people! Sanctify your hearts from the veils of vain imaginings and desires, then look with the eye of fairness upon the signs of your Lord and that which hath been sent down from a heaven of exalted glory. They who have deprived themselves of this bounty—these shall have no seat of truth with their Lord and God will never look upon them. Thus hath the command been sent down that thou mayest be of them that know.

Be steadfast in the Cause, then recite from the verses of thy Lord, for they will assuredly draw thee in truth to a station of praiseworthy holiness. And glory be upon thee and upon them that seek the sanctuary of holiness.

BH03200: O Abdullah! Consider the words of Ansari who said…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Exalted, the Most High

O Abdullah! Consider the words of Ansari who said:

“My God, if Thou shouldst but once address someone as ʿMy servant,’ his laughter would transcend the Throne.”

And now, manifestly and evidently, the King of Creation has addressed thee from the realm of oneness by this name. Through the grace of the All-Merciful, thou must become so intoxicated and attracted by the choice wine of the utterances of the Lord of all creation that the heat of thy love may influence the hearts of men. God willing, mayest thou discover the sweetness of this blessed word as befitteth it, that its delight may endure throughout the kingdom of earth and heaven.

Today every soul is commanded to invite the people of the contingent world to the Truth through wisdom and utterance, and to arise with supreme steadfastness in the Cause of the Lord of Names—an arising that no sitting down shall overtake and no cawing of the ungodly shall disturb. I swear by the Sun of the horizon of the Cause that whosoever today speaks in remembrance and praise of the Truth among the people is recorded among those who have arisen, even if he be resting upon his couch.

O Abdullah! The satans are observed lying in ambush—that is, souls who count themselves among the people of the Bayan are secretly and openly engaged in leading the people astray. Say: O people! Guard yourselves and shun these ones, and when any of them appears among you, be as fire in the Cause of your Lord, the Chosen One. By My life! The Bayan is innocent of them, as attested by what hath been sent down in the Tablets of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Great. They make mention of the Bayan while killing those who connect the Bayan with a word from His presence. Woe unto them and unto those who follow them! Leave them to themselves and turn to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Blessed art thou for having been mentioned before the Throne, and there hath been sent down for thee that which hath spread the fragrance of thy Lord’s garment, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Thus doth the Supreme Pen make mention of thee in this Tablet, with which nothing that hath been created in the heavens and earth can compare. When thou attainest unto it and readest it, say: “I testify that Thy mercy hath preceded all created things.”

BH03250: His Holiness the Branch has presented your letter before…

He is God, exalted is He!

His Holiness the Branch has presented your letter before Me, and from it We perceived the fragrances of your love in these days which God has made the dawning-place of trials and tests. We read what flowed from your pen in remembrance of your Lord, the All-Merciful. Blessed art thou, O Ha’i, in what flowed from thy pen and was uttered by thy tongue. By My life! Thou art indeed before the Most Great Scene. Soon shalt thou witness that of which mankind was heedless. We beseech God to aid thee and assist thee in His love and good-pleasure. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

As to what thou didst mention concerning the sincere loved ones—praise and gratitude be unto Him Who cast into the hearts of the pure ones that which preserved them from the whisperings of Satan. Blessed is the land wherein the loved ones of God gather together, engaging in His remembrance. Praise be unto Him in all conditions. Should anyone intend to journey to the land of Nun, convey Our endless greetings to Nabil-i-Qabil-ʿAli. By God! He is from Me. We beseech God to grant him what befits His grace and sovereignty. Verily, He has power over all things. Let him not be sorrowful—he has not been and will not be forgotten. The delay in summoning him has been due to external circumstances, otherwise We testify that he would be present before the Face. Likewise convey greetings from the Face to Jasim. We beseech God to transform remoteness into nearness. Verily, He has power over all things.

And as to what thou didst mention concerning Nabil, upon him be My glory—praise be to God Who has caused His loved ones to abide beneath the shade of His loving-kindness. How blessed are those souls who gather in the assembly of God’s loved ones and engage in His remembrance with the utmost joy and attraction. Verily, We are with them and We shall show them the fruits of their deeds. The denizens of Paradise shower their prayers upon them. Thy Lord is, in truth, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. God willing, they shall attain His presence. Permission has been granted for them to proceed to the appointed place. We beseech God to bestow upon all His recognition and presence. Verily, He is the Ruler over whatsoever He willeth. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

BH03287: Faded now is all that erstwhile flourished…

In the name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious

Faded now is all that erstwhile flourished in the Paradise of Thy transcendent oneness, O my God! Where are the rain-giving clouds of Thy mercy? Shorn are the branches of the Tree of Thy unity of the vesture of Thy majesty and wisdom; where is the spring-time of Thy gifts and bounties? Motionless lies the Ark of Thy Cause on the sea of Thy creation; where are the winds of Thy grace and favors? Encompassed on every side is Thy Lamp by the tempests of discord blowing from every land; where is the globe of Thy graciousness and protection?

Thou seest, O my God, how the eyes of these poor creatures are bent upon the horizon of Thy riches, how the hearts of these helpless ones are set in the direction of Thy might. I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art the sole Desire of them that have recognized Thee, and the Object of the adoration of the entire creation, not to suffer them, now that Thou hast attracted them by Thy most exalted Word, to be far removed from the Tabernacle which Thou hast reared up by Thy name, the All-Glorious.

They are sore pressed with cares, O my Lord, and are encompassed about by the wicked. Send down, therefore, from the heaven of Thy behest Thine invisible hosts, that, holding aloft the ensigns of Thy victory, they may help them in Thy land, and may shield them against Thine adversaries.

I entreat Thee, O my God, by Thy name through which the clouds have rained down their rain, and the streams have flowed, and the fire of Thy love hath been enkindled throughout Thy dominion, to assist Thy servant who hath turned towards Thee, and hath spoken forth Thy praise, and determined to help Thee. Fortify, then, his heart, O my God, in Thy love and in Thy Faith. Better is this for him than all that hath been created on Thine earth, for the world and whatsoever is therein must perish, and what pertaineth unto Thee must endure as long as Thy most excellent names endure. By Thy Glory! Were the world to last as long as Thine own kingdom will last, to set their affections upon it would still be unseemly for such as have quaffed, from the hands of Thy mercy, the wine of Thy presence; how much more when they recognize its fleetingness and are persuaded of its transience. The chances that overtake it, and the changes to which all things pertaining unto it are continually subjected, attest its impermanence.

Whosoever hath recognized Thee will turn to none save Thee, and will seek from Thee naught else except Thyself. Thou art the sole Desire of the heart of him whose thoughts are fixed on Thee, and the highest Aspiration of whosoever is wholly devoted unto Thee. No God is there beside Thee, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful.

BH03189: O Ahmad! Hearken unto the Call of God…

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

O Ahmad! Hearken unto the Call of God from the direction of the Divine Decree—verily there is no God but Me, the Mighty, the Wise. Leave this land by Our command; thus have We sent down the decree from the heaven of Divine Justice and confirmed it in truth. Verily thy Lord is He Who ordaineth whatsoever He willeth. Grieve not over anything, but place thy trust in all thy affairs in God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

Beware lest thou speak that which may cause harm to the Root of the Tree. Deal with the people, for they are weak and fail to comprehend subtle utterance, and they are in manifest obscurity. If thou findest one who is receptive, rend asunder his veils with wisdom and utterance. Thus doth thy Lord, the All-Merciful, command thee, and the decree hath come from the presence of One mighty and all-knowing.

When thou settest out, say:

“O my Lord! I have left Thy vicinity by Thy leave. Praise be unto Thee for having enabled me to do this and for having made me one of those who are content with what Thou hast decreed for them. Verily, Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

O Ahmad! Be content with what God hath ordained for thee and be not grieved by those who have denied God and His signs. He is with thee under all conditions; verily He is the Protector of the sincere ones. Thine eyes have been gladdened by gazing upon the countenance of thy Lord. By God, thou hast attained to that which most of the servants have failed to attain, and thou hast heard the Call of thy Lord from the Dawning-Place of His mighty and impregnable utterance. Walk thou in His name, move by His love, and turn thy face toward the direction of His good-pleasure. Thus hath the command been sent down and the decree been fulfilled by thy Lord, the Lord of all worlds.

Rejoice in what hath flowed from the Most Exalted Pen from thy Lord, the Lord of all names. This sufficeth thee above the dominion of the heavens and of the earth. When the Tablet of God and its trace reach thee, place thy right cheek upon the ground in humility and submission and say: “Praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds!”

Finally, beware lest thou speak that which may impel hearts to deny it, even though thou mayest have justification for it. Speak that which draweth hearts unto the direction of thy Lord. This is My counsel unto thee; make it the object of thy vision. Seize it and be thou of the thankful ones.

BH03185: In the Name of God, the One, the Peerless!…

In the Name of God, the One, the Peerless! Hearken unto that which is being revealed to thee from the right hand of the throne of thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Turn with thy whole being to the Lord of all who turn to Him. By God! Thy faith profiteth Me not, nor doth the denial of them that have turned away harm Me. I summon thee purely for the sake of thy Lord, and He Himself sufficeth as a witness between Me and thee.

Thou hast not yet grasped the root of the matter. We concealed it aforetime to protect it from the harm of the oppressors. Cast aside all that thou hast heard, then look upon the verses themselves, that the sun of the beauty of thy Lord might shine forth upon thee from the horizon of His name, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. Or reflect upon that which hath appeared in this Revelation and what others have wrought. By God! If thou wouldst be fair, thou wouldst say: “I believe in the Lord of all worlds.”

Consider how the people of the Qur’an turned away from the All-Merciful and opposed Him Who called them at all times, that thou mayest perceive who remaineth today veiled by a mighty veil. That which is attributed to the Truth is indeed musk whose fragrance is diffused, yet none can detect it save those who turn to the All-Merciful with radiant countenance.

I desire naught for Myself, but rather for God’s sake, were ye of them that know. And I desire naught save ascension unto Him, for He is verily the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. And I love naught except what is with God, and I summon no one save to that which I am commanded by the Almighty, the Ancient of Days.

In these days I am as one sitting beneath the sword, yet even in this state I summon the servants unto the Dayspring of the mercy of their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Soon will the messenger of death come; then shall no one find escape. Seest thou any protector save God? Nay, by Him Who came with the truth with manifest sovereignty! Dost thou see any trace of former generations?

Hear My counsel: forsake the world behind thee and turn to God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment. By His leave the breezes of grace pass by; turn to Him and deprive not thyself of them. Beware lest thou be among them that hesitate. With thy Lord is the knowledge of all things, and with Him is a preserving Book.

And glory be upon the people of glory who have detached themselves from all save God and turned with radiant faces to the Dayspring of grace. They are indeed among the triumphant.

BH03205: These are the verses of holiness which have been…

In the name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Inaccessible, the Most Glorious!

These are the verses of holiness which have been sent down in truth and verily they are the Revelation of God among the worlds. God hath made them the source of His knowledge and the treasury of His Revelation and the dayspring of His recognition between the heavens and the earth. Verily they are the proof of God unto all who are in the kingdom of Command and creation. Through them He giveth and withholdeth and sendeth down mercy upon all created things.

And thou, give thanks unto God that thy name hath flowed from a holy and luminous Pen. Then be thou steadfast in the Cause, for most of the people of the Bayan have turned away from Him in Whom they had believed, and have worshipped the idols of their desires, and were of those who worship idols. Sanctify thyself from these who have disbelieved after having believed and have turned away.

Say: This is ʿAli in truth Who hath appeared with the sovereignty of the Cause and manifest tokens of might. Then take refuge in the fortress of power in this impregnable stronghold. Say: O people! Dispute not concerning the verses of God and reject not the truth by what ye possess and be not of the ignorant. Say: This verily is the sanctuary of God amongst you. Deprive not yourselves thereof. God hath caused suns to shine forth from its right-hand corner which circle round about it and are of those who circle round.

O people! This is the Book of God among you wherein hath been inscribed by the finger of might the knowledge of the former and the latter generations. Take it with power from Us, then read what hath been sent down therein, then ponder what hath been treasured in the repositories of its words of the pearls of knowledge and wisdom that ye may discover that which none besides you hath discovered and be of those who are endued with insight.

Be thou steadfast in the Cause, then consort with people with wisdom lest harm befall thee and the fire of thy heart be quenched. Thus do We command thee. Act according to what thou hast been commanded by One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Be thou at peace within thyself. God hath ordained for thee abundant good. Verily He is the Powerful over what He willeth and verily He is the Forgiving, the Generous.

And the Glory be upon thee and upon every assured and perceiving one.

BH03234: In the name of God, Who endureth after…

In the name of God, Who endureth after the passing of all things! Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by the Word of Thy command, whereby Thou didst create all contingent beings and bring forth all existing things, and whereby Thou didst raise up the Manifestations of Thy oneness and the Daysprings of Thy divinity.

Then by Thy Name through which Thou didst test all names, and whereby all who are in earth and heaven were dismayed, save those who took the chalice of Baha through Thy sovereignty and power, and drank therefrom through Thy command and will—to purify Thy servants from all that preventeth them from beholding Thy beauty, turning toward Thy direction, and drawing nigh unto the seat of Thy command.

Then send down upon them, O my God, from the wonders of Thy grace that which shall make them steadfast in Thy Cause and firm in Thy love, that they may see naught but therein the manifestations of Thy glorious sovereignty and the revelations of Thy unity.

Then I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy most beautiful names and the manifestations of Thy oneness in the kingdom of creation, that Thou cast me not out from the door of Thy mercy, nor deprive me of the breezes of Thy loving-kindness. Then preserve me, O my God, from all else but Thee, that I may turn wholly unto Thee and enter beneath the canopy of Thy supreme mercy and abide in Thy precincts, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of names! There is no God but Thee, the King, the Most High, the Mighty, the Unconstrained.

Ever hast Thou, O my God, been mentioned by the tongues of them that are nigh unto Thee among Thy servants, though Thou art independent of them and their mention of Thee; and ever hast Thou been described by the tongue of them that are detached, though Thou art exalted above them and all that is with them. With this knowledge, how can I praise Thee and make mention of Thee? Therefore do I testify, O my God, that I am evanescent, and have no power of mention or praise befitting Thy most exalted Self, nor can there appear from one who is evanescent that which can ascend unto Him Who abideth through His own being.

By Thy glory, O my Beloved! My evanescence is worthy of Thy enduring favors, and my powerlessness seeketh Thy all-encompassing gifts. I beseech Thee by Thy First Word and by Thy Greatest Sign that Thou withhold not from me that which is with Thee. Then send down upon me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. Verily Thou art the Almighty over what Thou willest, and verily Thou art the Protector, the Mighty, the Generous.

BH03269: In the Name of God, the Most Holy…

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted! This is a Book from the Unseen to the visible world, that none may witness save what God witnessed before the creation of all things: that there is no God but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

O people! Fear God and follow not those who understand not. Those who have heard the verses of God—they are a divine people, around whom circle servants of the realm of oneness. Thus has flowed from the Pen the Kawthar of pre-existence, sprinkling upon all created things that they may turn unto God, the Lord of Lords.

O people! Beware lest the manifestations of glory prevent you from the Dawning-Place of beauty. Break the idols by the power of God, the Mighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. He commands you with truth, but the people understand not.

Say: O people! Names are but creations by His command. Rend asunder the veils and be not of those who join partners with God. Say: This indeed is the Purpose. These are His verses sent down in truth, and at His right hand is the wine of life—happy are they who drink thereof.

O servant! Grieve not at anything, but place thy trust in God. He suffices thee in truth, and He knows what is in the hearts. Those who are debarred from this bounty—they understand not.

Convey the Cause of thy Lord and be not silent in His remembrance. By His remembrance are quickened the hearts of those who turn to the court of God, the Mighty, the Exalted, the Best-Beloved. By His remembrance are set ablaze the hearts of the righteous and the Nightingale of Manifestation warbles. Whoso attains to His remembrance and stands firm in His love has indeed attained to all good. Thus has it been ordained by God, the Mighty, the Loving.

Say: O people of the Bayan! Deny not Him Who has come with the truth from the presence of One mighty, powerful. He has come as Ali came from the heaven of the Cause with manifest sovereignty, and He commands you but what Ali commanded before. Fear God and be not of the deniers. Follow the religion of God and differ not therein. This indeed is a mighty counsel. Whoso heeds thy counsel does so for his own sake, and whoso turns away does so to his own loss. The Messenger’s duty is but to deliver the clear Message.

And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH03270: In the Name of God, the Most Holy…

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted! This is a Book from Us to him who has shattered the idols of vain desire through the fear of God, the Lord of all names, and who has not broken His Covenant on this Day whereon the feet of most of the people have slipped, except those who have turned to the Dayspring of the mercy of their Lord, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. God shall soon assist those who have turned unto Him and shall turn away from those who have denied the signs of God, the King, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Say: O people! Fear God and make not the world your homeland. Set your faces toward the homeland of the All-Merciful; this is better for you than the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth. Purify your hearts from envy and hatred that ye may meet your Lord, the All-Merciful, with sanctified hearts. Thus doth the Pen of Command enjoin you from this far-distant Spot.

Say: Sanctify yourselves from that which kindleth the fire. Beware lest ye backbite one another. Be as brothers seated on thrones, facing one another. Verily, those who soar in the atmosphere of My love are not held back by the veils of the oppressors. They drink, at all times, of the wine of the mercy of their Lord, the All-Merciful, from this mighty ocean. Abandon the mention of all created things and turn ye unto the Most Great Remembrance. This, verily, is a manifest triumph.

Verily, when the verses of the All-Merciful are recited unto them that have believed, their eyes are humbled and their faces shine forth like unto pearls resplendent. These are they who have aided their Lord through that which they were enabled to do. God shall soon assist them with a sovereignty from His presence. He, verily, hath power over all things.

Say: O people! Fear ye God and follow the path of truth. This is indeed a straight path. Walk ye in the footsteps of these and follow not your evil passions. He who forsaketh that which he hath been commanded, verily, he is in manifest error. Say: Beware lest ye be like unto them who have turned away from the Face and followed every rebellious devil. Beware lest ye associate partners with God and differ regarding His laws. Fear ye God and be not of the heedless.

Resolve the differences that have arisen amongst you. Be as brothers upon the thrones of unity. Thus doth the All-Informed apprise you in a preserved Tablet. Blessed art thou, O servant who art mentioned before the Throne, and blessed are they who have turned unto God and held fast unto the cord of God, the Strong, the Secure.

BH11749: We have sent unto thee a Book…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

We have sent unto thee a Book by which the hearts of those endowed with understanding are drawn. Whosoever hath a portion in the eternal life will drink therefrom the living waters and will turn unto this noble prospect. Those who cling to vain imaginings are indeed in manifest loss.

Say: The Glory from the horizon of tribulation calleth mankind unto God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. The oppression of those who have denied the Day of Judgment hath not hindered Him from the remembrance of God. Stand thou firm in the Cause through God’s power and might. Verily, He is with those who remember Him and heareth that which proceedeth from their lips. He is, indeed, knowing of all things.

Say: O people! Fear God and associate not any partner with your Lord, the One, the Single, the Mighty, the Wise. Those who claim knowledge yet turn away from the Truth are in remote schism. In every Revelation the divines have turned away and the theologians have objected, save those on whose faces shone the radiance of their Lord, the Most High, the Most Great. Were it not for their turning away, none on earth would have turned away from the Manifestation. Thus doth the All-Knowing, the All-Informed, inform thee.

Say: Knowledge is the recognition of God and the Manifestation of His Self. Whoso is veiled therefrom is indeed in manifest ignorance.

Say: O people! Do ye hesitate concerning Him by Whom the heaven was cleft asunder, the moon was split, and the Caller called out from the direction of a mighty throne? Have not the signs been sent down? Have not the tokens appeared? By God! The heaven of idle fancies hath been split and the All-Merciful hath come, surrounded by hosts of revelation and inspiration. Blind are the eyes of those who look and recognize not.

Say: The Promise hath come, yet most of the people are playing. The Day hath arrived, yet they turn away from it. This is the Day of Certitude wherein the All-Merciful hath been manifested to all creation, yet the people flee from Him, save those who have detached themselves from all else, seeking that which is with God, the Sovereign, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Grieve thou not over anything. Verily, there is for thee with Him a praiseworthy station. Put thy trust in God and leave those who say that which they know not. Convey My greetings unto My loved ones, that their hearts may be quickened by the remembrance of God, the Mighty, the Loving.

Praise be to God, the Sovereign, the Powerful, the Protector, the Beloved.

BH11750: O Rubabih! Hearken unto the call of the rebab…

He is God, the Single, the One, the Unique!

O Rubabih! Hearken unto the call of the rebab from the direction of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful, that the fragrances of the Lord of lords may draw thee to the holy precincts, the station which God hath sanctified from the mention of names and attributes. Thus doth the Supreme Pen make mention of thee that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord and be of the thankful ones.

Remember thy Lord in these days wherein most of the people have turned away from God, denied His signs, warred against His Self, and disputed His sovereignty after He came to them upon the clouds of command with the kingdom of verses. Be thou steadfast in the Cause of God and in His love, for erelong shall the locusts of vain imaginings spread throughout the land, causing the hearts of those who doubt the meeting with their Lord to quake. Thus hath God recorded the knowledge of all things in the Scriptures.

Ascend unto the heaven of the spirit with thy heart, then detach thyself from all allusions. Know thou that We have exempted the handmaidens from directing their footsteps toward the Holy Court—rather should they turn their hearts thereto. Thus have We sent down the command in the Tablets, and the decree hath been fulfilled by the King of Names and Attributes.

Purify thyself from the veils of the people, then guard thyself from that which thy Lord, God, abhorreth. Rejoice in that which hath been mentioned by the Holy Tongue in the most exalted stations. Grieve not over this world, but rather detach thyself unto God, thy Lord. He will preserve thee as He willeth through His command, and unto Him return all matters in their final end.

Take care that thou grieve not for thy mother, for she hath been raised unto God and abideth in the lofty chambers of Paradise—the station that hath been illumined by the lights of thy Lord’s countenance, the Revealer of verses. There shalt thou hear the melodies of the birds of eternity upon the branches of the Divine Lote-Tree, and drink the pure water of holiness from the hands of the heavenly maidens. Thus did the grace of her Lord encompass her, and the mercy of thy Lord preceded her in the highest degrees.

Thus have We sent down unto thee the verses and dispatched them to thee that thou mayest prostrate thyself before the face of thy Lord and be of the devoted ones. And the glory be upon thee, and upon thy father, and upon those who remember God at eventide and at dawn.

BH03333: O Muhammad-ʿAli, by the Essence which hath appeared…

O Muhammad-ʿAli, by the Essence which hath appeared in the garment of the Most Glorious—these are the verses of God, the All-Encompassing, the Self-Subsisting, sent down in truth for people who understand.

And God addresseth therein all who are in the heavens and on earth, and all that hath been and shall be, saying:

“There is no God but Me, Who created all contingent things from nothing through My Will, and brought all beings into existence from naught through My Purpose. I am the One with power over whatsoever I desire, and I am the All-Encompassing, the Self-Subsisting. Follow, O people, Him Who hath appeared with all the signs, around Whom circle the realities of the Prophets, then the spirits of the chosen ones, then those who dwell behind the pavilions of the Command.”

And thou, O servant, remember the time when thou didst enter the Spot of God, the All-Encompassing, the Mighty, the Beloved, and didst attain the presence of the Countenance, and We caused the sun of Beauty to shine upon thy face from the horizon of thy Lord, the Powerful, the Witnessed. Thou didst hear what no ear of creation hath heard and didst see what no eye of contingent beings hath seen. Thus did the grace of thy Lord encompass thee that thou mightest be of those who remember through the remembrance of God, the Most Great. By God, this is He, could ye but know it.

Turn thy face toward God and leave those who have disbelieved and associated partners with God. When they witnessed with their own eyes the sovereignty and power of God, they desired to slay Him. When God prevented them from what they desired, they then rose up in calumny and attributed to the Ancient Beauty that which befitteth their own station. Thus do We impart unto thee that thou mayest be of those who know.

And thou, remain firm in the Cause of God and steadfast upon this Path which hath been raised up in truth, and follow not every rejected misbeliever. Verily those who command people to associate partners with God are of the hosts of Satan, were ye of those who understand. Shun, O people, such as these and turn toward the right-hand corner of this Throne whereon is seated the Beauty of God, the All-Encompassing, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

And glory be upon thee and upon whoso turneth toward God with befitting humility.

BH03332: These are the verses of God, the King…

In the name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted!

These are the verses of God, the King, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, sent down from the heaven of your Lord, the All-Merciful. Blessed is he who hath turned unto them and detached himself from those who have disbelieved in God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment.

Say: O people! The Day which ye were promised in the Tablets hath come. Fear ye God and be not of the heedless. This is the Day whereon the Herald calleth out from the right hand of the throne of your Lord, the All-Merciful:

“The Kingdom is God’s, the Almighty, the Most High, the Most Great!”

Blessed is he who hath heard His call and turned with a luminous countenance unto His face.

Say: O people! Do ye doubt Him or that which hath appeared from His presence with a manifest sovereignty? Alas for those who have disbelieved in God after He came with the truth with clear authority.

Say: O people! Have mercy upon yourselves and oppose not Him Who hath sacrificed His soul in the path of God, the King, the Most High, the Most Praiseworthy. Verily, He Who built up the world for Himself now dwelleth in the most desolate of lands through what the hands of the oppressors have wrought. And He Who desired to give the world to drink of the wine of remembrance of their Lord, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, hath been denied the water which even birds and beasts do drink. Woe unto those who have disbelieved in Him for Whom they were created! Soon shall the breezes of chastisement seize them from every direction and they shall find themselves in manifest loss.

Say: The trials that have befallen Baha have not prevented Him from calling all who are in the worlds at all times unto God, their Lord, the All-Merciful. Thus hath it been ordained by One mighty and powerful.

O servant! Make mention of thy Lord amongst His servants that perchance there may be stirred within their hearts that which shall draw them nigh unto the kingdom of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Peerless. There hath been ordained for whomsoever hath desired his Lord in these days that which the pens are powerless to record, and thy Lord, the All-Knowing, beareth witness unto what I say.

And the glory be upon thee and upon those who, when they heard the call from the Dayspring of grandeur, said:

“We believe in God, the Lord of Names and Creator of the heavens.”

They are indeed among the sincere ones. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH03317: Hearken unto My Voice from the right hand…

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

Hearken unto My Voice from the right hand of the Throne—the Spot which God hath made the Dawning-place of His Revelation, the Rising-point of His Inspiration, and the Manifestation of the lights of His resplendent Countenance.

By My life! If the Seat of the Throne were to be in prison, verily it would be the Spot wherein every atom proclaimeth: “The Beloved of the worlds hath come!” Say: Through it God hath transformed the prison, making it a plot of Paradise, wherefrom waft the breezes of the mercy of your Lord, the Mighty, the Wise.

Say: Through tribulation hath the Beauty derived comfort even as the Beloved findeth solace in the remembrance of His loved one, the Wondrous, the Peerless. Would that the body of the Beauty were crucified upon every tree in the path of God, the Sovereign Lord of all names! By My life! The more intense groweth the sorrow, the more doth the Ancient Beauty engage in the remembrance of God, the Creator of the nations. Yet the people are wrapped in a mighty veil.

He hath built up the world for Myself and My loved ones, even though they dwell in the most desolate of lands for the sake of their Lord, the Mighty, the Wise. It behooveth thee in such days as these to arise to aid thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

And when the Tablet of the Youth appeareth before thee, take it with the hand of certitude, then enter the gathering-place of the idolaters among the people of the Bayan and say:

“O people! I have come unto you from the Dawning-place of the Cause of your Lord, the All-Merciful, with a manifest proof. Have ye occupied yourselves with idle fancies while the Sovereign of certitude standeth before your faces? What aileth you, O heedless people! Do ye imagine that what ye possess sufficeth you, or that it can equal even a single letter of that which hath proceeded from the Dayspring of the Will of your Lord, the Almighty, the Powerful? Nay, by Him Who hath taught the Pen the mysteries of eternity! A single letter thereof transcendeth all the books of the heavens and of the earth. Efface what hath proceeded from your pens, for the Supreme Pen speaketh betwixt earth and heaven, that haply ye may be attracted by that which descendeth from One mighty and wise.”

Stand thou firm in My Cause in such wise that should all who are on earth rise up against thee, thou wouldst regard them as a handful of dust. Thus doth thy Lord teach thee from this remote station.

And glory be upon thee and upon him who hath turned unto God, the Mighty, the Most Praised.

BH03318: Hearken, O servant, unto that which is revealed unto…

He is the Ever-Abiding, the Ancient of Days.

Hearken, O servant, unto that which is revealed unto thee from the holy precincts, and turn not unto those who have disbelieved and associated partners with God. Let thy Lord suffice thee, then detach thyself from all the worlds. Verily He will guard thee from the darts of Satan and draw thee nigh unto the holy and praiseworthy shore. Remember thyself at all times lest allusions veil thee, and thus doth command thee the Pen of the divine decree from this Finger which hath emerged from the Vesture of Power with manifest sovereignty.

Unite with the loved ones of God and be thou a helper of His Cause, and neglect it not for less than a moment. We have indeed sent thee aforetime a tablet, and before it another tablet, then this leaf which God hath made to be witnessed from the holy Branch. And when it reacheth thee, receive it with spirit and fragrance, then recite it with wondrous and glorious melodies. Verily it is My garment which We have sent unto thee that thou mayest find from it the sweet-scented savors of a beloved glory.

Arise to serve the Cause with wisdom from Us lest sedition be stirred up and harm return to the root of the Tree. Thus hast thou been commanded from the presence of One mighty and wise. Take the cup of life from the fingers of the All-Merciful and turn not unto the manifestations of Satan in these days wherein he hath arisen with a new craftiness. By God! The dwellers of the heavens and earth were bewildered by his cunning, and God is witness unto this.

Then remind from Us those servants who have believed in God and His signs, whom the whisperings of Satan have not kept back from the beauty of the All-Merciful, and who have remained steadfast in the Cause. And besides these, they have no standing with God—leave thou their mention, for their names are not remembered before thy Lord on this day. Thus have We imparted unto thee the word of truth that thou mayest follow the command of thy Lord and take for thyself a path unto Him.

We have indeed revealed a tablet for thy brother and sent it unto him that his eyes may be consoled thereby and that he may remain steadfast in the Cause.

BH03359: Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou beholdest…

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou beholdest my low estate and the habitation wherein I dwell, and bearest witness unto my perplexity, my crying needs, my troubles, and the afflictions I suffer among Thy servants who recite Thy verses and repudiate their Revealer, who call on Thy names and cavil at their Creator, who seek to draw nigh unto Him Who is Thy Friend and put to death Him who is the Best-Beloved of the worlds.

Open Thou their eyes, O my God, and My Master, that they may gaze on Thy beauty, or cause them to return unto the lowest abyss of the fire. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Thou art, verily, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.

The glory of Thy might, O my God, beareth me witness! Every time I attempt to remember Thee, I find myself overpowered by the sublimity of Thy station and the immensity of Thy might; and every time I hold my peace, lo, I am impelled by my love for Thee and by the potency of Thy will, to unloose my tongue and mention Thee. He who is poor and needy, O my God, is calling for his Lord, the All-Possessing; and he who is destitute of all strength remembereth his Master, the All-Powerful. If He deign to accept His servant’s supplication, He is, verily, of unsurpassed bounteousness; and if He cast him out, He is of those who judge equitably the best. He indeed is acceptable, O my God, who hath set his face towards Thee, and he is truly deprived who hath been careless of the remembrance of Thee in Thy days. Blessed is he that hath tasted of the sweetness of Thy remembrance and praise. Nothing, not even the arising of all the peoples of the whole world to assail him, can hinder such a man from directing his steps towards the paths of Thy pleasure and the ways of Thy Cause.

Look, then, O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved of Baha, upon the tears he sheddeth before Thee, and behold the sighs which he uttereth, O Thou Who art his heart’s Desire! I swear by Thy might, and Thy majesty and Thy glory! Were I to inherit from Thee all the delights of Paradise, and to keep them in my possession as long as Thine own Being endureth, and were I to become, for less than a moment, careless of the remembrance of Thee, I would, of a certainty, cast them away from me and cease to consider them. I am the one, O my God, who for love of Thee hath forsaken the world and all its benefits, and willingly accepted every tribulation for the sake of Thy remembrance.

I entreat Thee, O Thou Who art my Companion and my Best-Beloved, to lift the veil that hath come in between Thee and Thy servants, that they may recognize Thee with Thine own eye and rid themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. No God is there beside Thee, the Most Exalted, the Self-Sufficing, the Self-Exalting, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.

Praise be unto Thee, for Thou art, in truth, the Lord of earth and heaven.

BH03352: Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses…

In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses in truth from the heaven of mighty and impregnable glory, and hath made them a proof for all who are in the heavens and on earth, for verily He hath power over all things. They are indeed God’s proof amidst His creation, His evidence unto His creatures, and His testimony unto all in His kingdom.

Say: O people, dispute not about the verses of God after they have been sent down in truth, and wage not war against Him from Whose heaven of grace the verses have ever been sent down upon all the worlds. Say: By God! My proof is My manifestation and My standing forth amidst the concourse of Mine enemies in days when the feet of the mystics have slipped. And whoso is unable to recognize Me by My manifestation, then by My Self, then by My beauty, let him look upon My traces.

Thus have We sent down the command in this Tablet that it may encompass all the worlds as a proof from God. Whoso denieth Me hath denied God and the Manifestations of His Self, and whoso obeyeth Me hath obeyed God from time immemorial. To this testifieth all created things and beyond them the Tongue of God Who created all things by His command, and verily He hath knowledge of all things.

And thou, O servant, detach thyself from this world and its realm, then from names and their dominion, that thou mayest ascend unto this atmosphere wherein waft the holy and glorious breezes. Beware lest thou be deprived of God’s sanctuary which hath appeared in truth, and be veiled from this Beauty which shineth in truth from the horizon of grace. Cast behind thee all intimations, then place beneath thy feet all allusions, then stand firm in the Cause through My Name which in truth is visible from the holy horizon.

And glory be upon thee if thou remainest steadfast in the love of thy Lord and thy feet slip not from the clamor of the idolaters and thy soul is not troubled by those who have disbelieved in God and His verses and have been powerful in their turning away through injustice.

BH03389: I know not, O my God, whether I should…

I know not, O my God, whether I should speak forth the wonders of Thy praise among Thy servants, and lay bare before them the secrets of Thy mercy and the mysteries of Thy Cause, or keep them wrapped up within the receptacle of my heart. Though the lover be loth to share with any one the intimate conversation of his beloved, yet at whatever time Thine inescapable commandment to declare Thy Cause reacheth me, I will unhesitatingly obey it. I would proclaim Thee, undeterred by the darts of affliction that may rain down upon me from the clouds of Thy decree.

I swear by Thy might! Neither the hosts of the earth nor those of heaven can keep me back from revealing the things I am commanded to manifest. I have no will before Thy will, and can cherish no desire in the face of Thy desire. By Thy grace I am, at all times, ready to serve Thee and am rid of all attachment to any one except Thee.

What I desire, however, O my God, is that Thou shouldst bid me unveil the things which lie hid in Thy knowledge, so that they who are wholly devoted to Thee may, in their longing for Thee, soar up into the atmosphere of Thy oneness, and the infidels may be seized with trembling and may return to the nethermost fire, the abode ordained for them by Thee through the power of Thy sovereign might.

Thou dost consider, O my Lord, how Thy dear ones are sore pressed by Thine enemies, and hearest from all sides their sighing by reason of what hath befallen them in Thy path. Thou knowest, O my Lord, that their one desire was to seek Thy face, and that the sole Object of their adoration was Thee. They who wronged them had no other purpose except to turn them away from Thee, and to extinguish the fire which Thou hadst kindled with the hands of Thine almighty power.

Unseal the lips of Thy will, O my Lord, and let a word proceed therefrom that shall subject unto itself the world and all that is therein. How long shalt Thou behold these things and tarry, O my God? Darkness hath enveloped the whole earth, and Thy tokens are ready to be blotted out throughout Thy realm.

Forgive me, O my God, for what I have spoken, for Thou art the One that knoweth all things, and in Thee are wrapped up the secrets that are hid from all else except Thyself. When Thy promise shall come to pass, Thou wilt manifest what Thou wilt, and subdue as Thou pleasest. We should wish only what Thou hast wished for us. In Thee is the knowledge of all things, and with Thee is the issue of all things. Thou art, verily, the Truth, the Knower of things unseen.

Forgive me, then, my sins and the sins of them that love me, and supply them with the good of this world and of the next.

Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.

BH03387: The Word of God hath in truth been sent…

In the Name of God, the Most Manifest, the Most Pure, the Most Glorious!

The Word of God hath in truth been sent down from the heaven of grace upon the world. Verily it is the Most Great Mystery in the Concourse on High, the Most Noble Symbol in the heaven of splendor, the Most Hidden Secret in the kingdom of immortality, and the Beauty of Glory amidst the hosts of creation. O people! Hasten ye unto it and tarry not even for a moment. Beware lest ye alter it according to your own imaginings or change it from that which God hath ordained for it in the Mother Book. Thus hath the command been sent down from the heaven of grace upon the world.

O people! Follow what God hath commanded you from the heaven of His Cause and cast it not behind your backs. This is what this Youth, Who hath been mentioned by the name of God amongst the peoples of the world, counseleth you. Beware, O people, lest ye deny Him in Whom ye have believed and turn away from Him unto Whom ye have turned. This is the best counsel, did ye but know it. Sever yourselves from that which draweth you to vain desire and hold fast unto this firm handle, that haply ye may attain unto a station of luminous glory. Say: Today nothing shall profit anyone, even should he remember God while standing, sitting, at dawn or eventide.

O Mihdi! Guide thyself, then guide the people by this Sun which hath dawned from the horizon of holiness with manifest sovereignty, that perchance the people may recognize their Creator, differ not in His Cause, and find unto Him the true path. Say: Your belief profiteth Him not, nor doth your denial harm Him. Whatsoever appeareth from you returneth unto yourselves, while He, at His most exalted station, through His name the All-Knowing, hath ever been sanctified above the worlds. Thus hath the Ancient King commanded thee. Arise and act as thou hast been bidden by the Self-Subsisting, the Self-Compelling. And glory be upon thee and upon its people from this moment until the day when the heavens shall be cleft asunder and God shall come in overshadowing clouds.

BH03400: This is a Tablet that hath been sent down…

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

This is a Tablet that hath been sent down from the presence of the Mighty, the Wise, and giveth glad tidings unto the people on this Day whereon the All-Merciful hath seated Himself upon the throne of His Great Name. When thou dost inhale the fragrance of the garment, arise amidst the servants with wisdom and utterance, and remind them of that which hath shone forth from the horizon of the Ancient of Days with manifest sovereignty.

The land of Syria hath been honored by the advent of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. This is a land wherein was raised the call of the Prophets and Messengers. We have addressed it saying: “Blessed art thou in that thou hast attained unto the presence of thy Lord! Do they that dwell within thee turn unto God, the Lord of Names, or do they deny Him even as they denied Him aforetime?” Whereupon it cried out saying: “Verily Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.”

The fragrances of the All-Glorious have seized the land of Batha. It hath stirred and flourished, and said:

“Praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds! I perceive the fragrance of Thy reunion as though Thou hadst unveiled Beauty after having concealed it from all mankind. Blessed is the land whereon Thy dominion hath been established, and blessed are the servants who have attained unto the light of Thy resplendent countenance.”

We hear the call of all things declaring that there is none other God but Him, the Forgiving, the Generous. Among them are those who know and glorify His praise, and among them are those who make mention yet remain among the heedless.

Arise thou amidst the people of the Bayan in the name of thy Lord, the All-Merciful. Say: O people! The proof hath come, and this is He to Whom the Bayan hath testified. Fear God and follow not him who hath disbelieved in God, the Mighty, the Powerful. When anyone cometh unto you with tablets of fire and the book of wickedness, cast them behind you and turn unto the Countenance, and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having made Thyself known unto us and removed from us the veil through Thy sovereignty. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.”

Thus have We sent down unto thee the verses and made them lamps of guidance for all who are in the heavens and on earth. Take hold of the Tablet with the power of thy Lord. By My life! Nothing shall harm thee through it, even should all who are on earth combine against thee. And praise be unto God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH03368: Know, O people of Baha, that Satan joined forces…

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

Know, O people of Baha, that Satan joined forces with the Persian devil and they both betrayed the Cause of their Lord, the All-Merciful. They wrote letters in the name of one of My loved ones, wherein they wrote whatsoever they wished that would disturb nations and governments. Then they contrived until these letters reached the princes, whereupon the fire of sedition and calamity was kindled and the winds of might and destiny were stirred up. They seized Satan and his companion on Our behalf, and after his ordeal he wrote to the Persian devil saying “I was with you, so protect me from this overwhelming tribulation.” He replied “There is no escape for you. I am innocent of you.” Then shone forth the sun of the word that dawned from the horizon of the mouth of Muhammad, the Messenger of God—His word is the truth—when He said: “When Satan says to man Disbelieve!‘, then when he disbelieves, Satan says I am innocent of you.”’

Judge fairly, by God, O servants of the All-Merciful, regarding the Youth’s Cause. Every person of insight and fairness bears witness that the Youth has never relied upon anyone in God’s Cause, nor sought help from any soul. Through Him the remembrance of God was exalted among all else, the pillars of remembrance and utterance were raised up, the sun of exposition shone forth from the horizon of the will of the All-Merciful, and the breezes of glory wafted from the right hand of certitude. Yet despite this Cause which none deny save those filled with hatred and enmity, the ungodly denied it and took Satan as their lord. Woe unto them and their deeds! And he who was in Iraq among Satan’s hosts united openly there with the Persians and denied God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Hear thou My words and arise to aid this Wronged One. And verily thy aid to Him is thy remembrance of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower. Thus does the Youth command thee out of love for thyself. Trust thou in all matters in God. Verily He aids whomsoever He willeth through His command, and He is powerful over all things.

BH03360: Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou hearest…

In the Name of the One God, the Peerless, the Eternal.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou hearest the cries of Thy loved ones from every direction and their lamentations from all regions, and of those whom the idolaters have made captives in Thy path and for Thy good-pleasure. Thou knowest, O my God, that they have no sin except their love for Thee, and no transgression except their turning toward the court of Thy loving-kindness. Were the wrongdoers to be asked by what sin they have committed that which caused the denizens of the pavilions of the Kingdom to weep, they would be bewildered in their answer. All things bear witness that they were seized only for their love of Thee, and afflictions touched them only in Thy path.

By this means did the idolaters desire to turn faces away from turning toward the countenance of Thy oneness, and to prevent the servants from beholding the horizon of Thy unity, that they might thereby extinguish the lamp of Thy oneness amongst Thy creation and quench the fire of Thy love in Thy dominion. Soon shall they witness and see how by their actions the lights of the lamp of Thy oneness have increased.

Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having made my family and loved ones captives in Thy path, that thereby Thou mightest free the necks of Thy creatures; and Thou hast made them abased for the glory of Thy Cause, and sacrificed them for the life of the people of Thy earth. I beseech Thee, O my God, to make them steadfast in Thy love and good-pleasure. Then grant them what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones in the worlds of Thy sanctity. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O My Name! There hath befallen you in the path of God that which hath befallen no other among the servants, to such extent that the pen is powerless to recount it. But since it occurred in the love of God, it is sweeter to the taste of lovers than all the sweetness of the worlds. Convey My greetings and remembrance to My loved ones who have borne hardships in the path of God, the Self-Subsisting, the All-Compelling.

We have sufficed with the mention of your tribulations rather than mentioning My tribulation, and whoever returns shall mention what he hath witnessed and seen, and shall inform you of Our condition. The doors have been closed upon Our faces, but God shall soon open them in truth, for He hath power over all things. And mercy be upon you from the presence of One mighty and wise.

BH11199: He said: “If all the people of the Bayan…

He said: “If all the people of the Bayan were to ponder this dream which We showed in sleep, it would suffice them.” That He said “Ask about the mystery of the question and explain the question” points to this wondrous Revelation—meaning in the first Revelation was the station of the question, but now is the station of the mystery of the question, which is the One questioned, and that is a mystery which has appeared in this land whose number corresponds to the mystery. And after you asked, They said “Sleep not in the bed,” that is, “Rest not within thyself but soar on the wings of certitude in the atmosphere of divine knowledge that thou mayest know thy Lord, the Mighty, the Glorious, the All-Merciful.

By God, were thou to reach that station and hear His lamentation and cry concerning what hath befallen Him from the hosts of Satan, thy tears would flow and thy soul would depart and thy heart would melt and thy being would cease to be. By God, O Kamal, it behooveth those who have loved God to grieve and lament and weep at what hath befallen the Ancient Beauty from those who openly denied the signs of God and wronged and oppressed, and likewise did those like them plot aforetime, and they were an evil and most lost people.

Then know, O Kamal, that We have not completely lifted the veil. We have revealed Our Self to a degree corresponding to the capacity of the people. Otherwise, were the Ancient Beauty to appear in His beauty, none among all who are in the heavens and earth could bear to behold Him. Thus hath it been sent down in truth from God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds.

O Kamal, give thanks unto God for having enabled thee to recognize Him. Then be steadfast. Beware lest thou be extinguished by the brackish and fetid waters which flow from the mouths of Our misbelieving servants whenever the ungodly fabricate lies about Me. Reflect and ponder, for thou hast seen Me and associated with Me—their lies will become as evident to thee as the sun at high noon. Thus doth the Most Exalted Pen counsel thee at a time when it is surrounded by dogs and swine. The Spirit and glory and splendor rest upon thee and upon those who are steadfast in the Cause and detached from all else.”

BH03325: O Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who…

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

O Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who migrated unto God and journeyed toward Him until he entered the Garden of Paradise, the station round which circle the denizens of the Supreme Concourse, and then those who have sought shelter beneath the shade of the Tree of the Uttermost Boundary in the Most Hidden Retreat, and then all that was and shall be. And when the Sun of Eternity shone upon him from the Most Glorious Horizon, he fell prostrate before God, the King, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

O Hadi! Blessed art thou for having attained unto the presence of God and drunk the cup of faithfulness from the fingers of His good-pleasure and turned thy face unto the countenance of God, the Most High, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Grieve not over what hath befallen thee of the tribulations of the world. Rather, be thou assured through the bounty of thy Lord. By the True One! There shall descend upon thee that which shall gladden thy heart and bring tranquility to thy soul, and this is an irrevocable decree. Rejoice in the favors of thy Lord, and make mention of Him in thy waking and thy rest, at eventide and at dawn. Should thou find those from whose hearts waft the sweet savors of the Beloved, associate with them and show humility toward them. This is what the Tongue of God commandeth thee at this moment from this Most Great, Most Perfect, Most Holy Pen. Be thou steadfast in every circumstance in the Cause of thy Lord, and aid Him through thy utterance, and fear no one, for He will protect thee from every hateful idolater. Leave sovereignty behind thee and ascend on the wings of holiness unto this heaven which hath been raised up in truth by the command of the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Thus have We commanded thee and imparted unto thee that thou mayest find tranquility within thyself and be of those who, when the Sun of Beauty dawned forth from the Horizon of Glory, turned toward it with their hearts, their souls and their innermost beings, and were of those who are well-assured. And the glory that hath dawned from the direction of eternity be upon thee and upon those with thee and upon every praiseworthy believer.

BH03337: Hasan: Give ear—from the horizon…

He is the Most Great

Hasan: Give ear—from the horizon of the Tongue of ancient glory it was revealed to the Pen: “Write upon the Tablet: ʿVerily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Most Great, the Most Great.”’ The Pen swooned from the sweetness of the Word of God, the Most High. When it recovered, it declared: “Verily, I am the first of the worshippers.” This is a Word at which spirits have swooned, stars have fallen, and all upon the earth have been seized by the might of thy Lord, the Powerful, the Unconstrained. Verily, the heavens are folded up by His command and the verses are sent down by His sovereignty. Glorified be He above what every doubtful misbeliever imagines!

Say: Can tribulation prevent the Glory from that which He is commanded? No, by the Lord of Names! From His horizon He speaks the truth and summons the people to the Mighty, the Bestower. Is there doubt about God? Say: Die in your wrath! He is the Most Great Proof and these are the evidences.

Verily tribulation is the water of heaven which God hath sent down from the clouds that there might grow from it the ears of corn in the hearts of those who, when they hear “Unto whom belongeth the Kingdom?” say “Unto God, the One, the Peerless, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving.” And by it God distinguisheth between His servants. Verily, there is no God but He. He guideth whom He willeth to the straight path.

Then know that thy Lord hath seized him who pronounced judgment against Us. Soon shall there join him a people whom We have left in the valley of desires. Verily thy Lord is mighty in His grasp and severe in His punishment. Then We seized him whom We had promised chastisement in the Scriptures and Tablets. When the agony of death overtook him, he said: “Is there any protector?” It was said: “There is no protector for thee this day.” The angels of wrath cast him face down into the fire. It was said: “This is what was promised thee by God, the Protector, the Powerful, the Subduer.” And those whom We have left—this is due to a wisdom which none knoweth save God and those who possess knowledge of the Book.

Arise to aid thy Lord, then remind the people before the punishment cometh upon them. We have sent thee aforetime that which hath diffused the fragrance of the garment throughout all regions. Glorify thy Lord with praise and say:

“O my Lord! Protect me beneath the pavilion of Thy majesty and deprive me not of what is with Thee. Verily, Thou art the Lord of the earth and the heavens.”

BH03361: Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou…

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou dost witness that Thy will hath prevailed over all created things, and Thy mercy hath surpassed all who are in heaven and on earth. And when Thou didst purpose to unveil Thy sovereignty, and to glorify Thy word, and to reveal Thy bounteousness and mercy, Thou didst raise up one of Thy servants, and didst choose Him above all Thy creatures, and didst single Him out for Thy purpose, and didst clothe Him with the robe of Thy guidance, and didst immerse Him beneath the seas of Thy majesty and grandeur, and didst sanctify Him from all that beseemeth not the greatness of Thy glory and the power of Thy might, and didst bid Him to cry out before all that are in heaven and on earth, and summon the multitudes to the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Revealer of Thy signs.

No sooner had He proclaimed Thy Cause, and risen up to carry out the things prescribed unto Him in the Tablets of Thy decree, than the Great Terror fell upon Thy creatures. Some turned towards Thee, and detached themselves from all except Thee, and sanctified their souls from the world and all that is therein, and were so enravished by the sweetness of Thy voice that they forsook all Thou hadst created in the kingdom of Thy creation. Others recognized Thee and then hesitated, others allowed the world to come in between them and Thee and to withhold them from recognizing Thee. Others disdained Thee, and turned back from Thee, and wished to prevent Thee from achieving Thy purpose. And yet behold how all of them are calling upon Thee, and are expecting the things they were promised in Thy Tablets. And when the Promised One came unto them, they recognized Him not, and disbelieved in Thy signs, and repudiated Thy clear tokens, and strayed so grievously from Thy path that they slew Thy servants, through the brightness of whose faces the countenances of the Concourse on high have been illumined.

I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all names, to guard Thy loved ones against Thine enemies, and to strengthen them in their love for Thee and in fulfilling Thy pleasure. Do Thou protect them, that their footsteps may slip not, that their hearts may not be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and that their eyes may be restrained from beholding anything that is not of Thee. Cause them to be so enraptured by the sweetness of Thy divine melodies that they will rid themselves of all attachment to any one except Thee, and will turn wholly towards Thee, and extol Thee under all conditions, saying:

“Praised be Thou, O Lord our God, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled us to recognize Thy most exalted and all-glorious Self. We will, by Thy mercy, cleave to Thee, and will detach ourselves from any one but Thee. We have realized that Thou art the Beloved of the worlds and the Creator of earth and heaven!”

Glorified be God, the Lord of all creation!

BH03441: It hath been a long time since news…

He is God, the Most High!

It hath been a long time since news of thee hath been received. It seemeth that thou hast secluded thyself from the world and its people, choosing solitude.

I swear by the Peerless and Eternal Beloved that this Servant hath ever sought and will continue to seek that state for Himself, for in seclusion one’s soul findeth peace whilst through association with others the spirit is consumed.

The former is the attribute of the near ones who believe in God’s oneness, the latter is the characteristic of the heedless. However, there are times when solitude is rejected and association desired. Thus hath it been ordained by the One Who is Mighty and Powerful. Nonetheless, I have all My life sought but not attained it.

Upon My arrival in Iraq, detached from all else save God, I withdrew for two years. Singly and alone I departed for the wilderness and severed Myself from the world and its peoples. But during that period of withdrawal solitude was not granted to me. Those joyous days soon passed and came to an end, and it hath not been My portion ever since. Thus hath it been recorded by the Pen of Decree by the Finger of Splendour and Sanctity.

Shouldst thou desire to know My situation, twenty years have passed since I have seen the light of day. I swear by the Sun of the Celestial Beauty that during this time I have not partaken even a glass of water in comfort and have been denied even a moment’s rest owing to the venom of the ungodly. Like unto one constantly tormented in the mouth of a dragon, I have ever been confined in the prison of envy and afflicted by the claws of enmity. The tale of this Youth increaseth sorrow, His remembrance a book does not suffice and its end the pen of creation is unable to describe.

O My Sister! By God, I have so blotted out from memory the remembrance of everything that I know not what hath been written down. Sorrow hath so surrounded Me that I have forgotten Mine own Self, how much more the writing of letters. O that My Mother had never given birth to Me!

May thou be always under the protection of God and abide in the shade of His mercy. Convey My sincere wishes to honourable mother.

BH03356: Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech…

In the name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted, the Most High

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Name, the Restrainer, to withhold from us the maleficence of Thine adversaries who have disbelieved in Thy testimony, and caviled at Thy beauty. Overpower by Thy Name, the All-Subduing, such as have wronged Thy Previous Manifestation Who hath now appeared invested with Thy title, the All-Glorious. Lay hold, by Thy name, the Chastiser, on them that have treated Thy Cause with scorn, have jested at Thy most mighty utterances, and were hindered from attaining this most exalted station. Enable Thy loved ones, by Thy Name, the Victorious, to prevail against Thine enemies and the infidels among Thy creatures. Rend asunder, by Thy Name, the Cleaver, the veil that hideth the doings of them that have besmirched Thine honor and undermined Thy Faith among Thy people.

Bind, by Thy Name, the Restorer, the broken hearts of them that love Thee, and graciously bless them in their affairs. Teach them, by Thy Name, the All-Knowing, the wonders of Thy wisdom, that they may cleave steadfastly to Thy Faith and walk in the ways of Thy pleasure. Keep them safe, by Thy Name, the Withholder, from the tyranny of the oppressor and the wickedness of the evil-doers and the malice of the stirrers of mischief. Shield them, by Thy Name, the Preserver, within the stronghold of Thy might and power, that haply they may be protected from the darts of doubt that are hurled by such as have rebelled against Thee. Sanctify for Thy servants, by Thy Name which Thou hast blessed above all other names, which Thou hast singled out for Thy favor, and by which Thou didst reveal Thy beauty, these days of which the Pen of Thy decree hast distinctly written, and which, according to Thy will and wisdom, have been preordained in Thine irrevocable Tablet.

Subject to Thy rule, by Thy Name, the Conqueror, the people of Thy realm, that all may turn towards Thy face and forsake their all for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy pleasure.

Abase Thou, O my Lord, Thine enemies, and lay hold on them with Thy power and might, and let them be stricken by the blast of Thy wrath. Make them taste, O my God, of Thine awful majesty and vengeance, for they have repudiated the truth of the One in Whom they had believed, Who came unto them with Thy signs and Thy clear tokens and the evidences of Thy power and the manifold revelations of Thy might. Gather, then, together Thy loved ones beneath the shadow of the Tree of Thy oneness, and of the Manifestation of the effulgent light of Thy unity.

Thou art, verily, the One Whose power is immense, Whose vengeance is terrible. No God is there beside Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

BH03334: In the Name of God, the Mighty, the Most…

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

These are verses which have now been sent down in truth from the heaven of mighty splendor, and in all things they speak forth: Open thine eyes! By God, that which the Ancient Being had yearned to encounter, to behold His beauty, and to hear His melodies, hath appeared—yet the people have not understood and remain veiled from Him.

O Sadiq! Hearken thou unto My call at this moment in the Supreme Horizon, then give thanks to thy Lord that We have remembered thee in this Tablet and have raised thee up in truth among the Concourse on High in the form of a well-proportioned human temple. Blessed art thou for having believed in that whereunto thou wert called. When We manifested Our Self amongst the servants, We found not among them one who was truthful, for had there been truthfulness in them, they would not have remained veiled from this Beauty Who hath appeared from every manifestation and hath shone forth from the horizon of the Spirit with evident sovereignty. Verily, truthfulness can only be realized through the recognition by the servant of his Creator at the time of His appearance, and thus hath the matter been recorded in truth in all the Tablets. He who hath not attained unto His beauty hath never been truthful, even should he be deemed truthful among the people or be known for truthfulness among all creation.

O spirit! Joy be unto thee for having believed in the Cause of thy Lord, for having recognized Him and borne witness in His path, for having been attracted by the breezes of rapture from the direction of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower, and for having been drawn by the breaths of the Spirit to a station that was in truth exalted.

Now doth the Pen of God make mention of those servants whom God hath related unto thee, that their eyes may be solaced thereby and they may remember God in their hearts and thank Him with a truthful and trustworthy tongue. And thou, O servant, take thou the cup of life in the Ridvan of the All-Merciful from the fingers of those whose faces God hath honored by turning away from aught else but Him, and whom He hath raised up in truth from the essence of the Spirit by the hands of divine Will. Glory be upon thee and upon those whom God hath related unto thee, and upon those who associated with thee in this world with pure love for the sake of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all creation.

BH03339: God makes mention of His servant at this hour…

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

God makes mention of His servant at this hour in the Kingdom of Names and Attributes, that he may rejoice within himself at the most exalted station—a station which none among the Letters have attained save those who have believed in this Cause and have outstripped all created things in this Revelation, whereby all who dwell in the kingdom of command and creation were thunderstruck, all in the heavens and earth were dismayed, and all beings were shaken except those whom God preserved from the surges of self and purified their hearts from all allusions.

O Hasan! God makes mention of you at this hour, and before that which has no before, and after that which has no after, inasmuch as you ascended unto God your Lord and sacrificed your body and spirit in His path, and rose to the highest chambers. Glad tidings unto you, for the world prevented you not from entering into the depths of the mercy of your Lord—you entered therein and feared no one in the path of your Master. Thus does God single out whom He wishes through His grace. With Him is the revelation of verses—He sends them down upon whomsoever He wishes among His creation. Verily, there is none mighty save Him. His is the creation and the command, and none among contingent beings has preceded Him in His command.

If all who are in the heavens and earth were to cling to the cord of any one of you who were martyred in God’s path and died in His way, God would surely remove from them the garment of rebellion and clothe them in the robes of mercy and forgiveness, and cause them to speak in the highest paradise with the most wondrous melodies. However, when their hearts hardened, they were veiled from this bounty which encompassed you and your kinfolk and those who loved you.

Then, glory be upon you and upon those who were martyred and gave up their spirits in the path of God their Creator, and when the Sun of the horizons dawned from the holy dayspring, they fell prostrate upon their faces before God, the Lord of Names and Attributes.