Volume 046: Prior to 1873 1290 A.H., Part IV (2 of 4)

BH11799: Your letter hath come and been read before…

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

Your letter hath come and been read before the Throne. Therein didst thou beseech God to number thee among them that circle round His court, that gaze upon His beauty, and that visit the Kaaba of His glory. Know thou that We have answered thee. Verily thy Lord is the All-Merciful unto the peoples of all worlds, the Compassionate unto all creation, the Forgiving unto the concourse of names, and the Kind unto all who dwell on earth and in heaven. We have inscribed thee by the Most Exalted Pen as one of those who have circled round My throne, who have attained My presence and heard My melodies, who have soared in the atmosphere of My nearness and reunion, who have been attracted by My verses, and who have detached themselves from all else besides Me.

By My life! Were that which We have ordained for thee at this hour to be unveiled, thou wouldst be thunderstruck with longing. Verily thy Lord is the Doer of what He willeth. Give thanks unto God for that which He hath ordained for thee. Say: O my Lord! All praise be unto Thee for what Thou hast ordained for me through Thy bounty and prescribed through Thy grace and favors. O my Lord! Make me steadfast in Thy Cause in such wise that neither the oppression of the tyrannical ones nor the whisperings of the idolaters may hold me back. All praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH11803: This is a Book from Us to him who…

In the Name of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!

This is a Book from Us to him who was attracted by the verses of his Lord, who turned his face toward the Ka’bih of his Goal, who attained that which the sincere ones attained, and who was overtaken by tribulations in the path of his Lord. Verily, he occupieth a praiseworthy station.

Whoso hath today turned towards the court of his Lord’s mercy is among them that have soared in the atmosphere of My love, found solace in My presence and heard My call from the right hand of My throne. We testify that he is among the most exalted of men. Thus hath it been ordained in the Tablet from God, the Mighty, the All-Loving.

Grieve not for that which hath befallen thee. Verily, He suffereth not to be lost the reward of him who hath been made a captive in His love. He is the Protector of whoso hath loved Him, but the people do not understand.

Gather ye together there and be ye as brothers upon the couches of unity. Thus doth your Lord command you as He hath commanded before. He commandeth you only that which is best for you, did ye but know.

And glory be upon the loved ones of God whom oppression hath not deterred from turning unto God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07021: These are the verses of God which have been…

He is the Wondrous One in the Most Glorious Horizon!

These are the verses of God which have been sent down in truth from the heaven of mighty and exalted glory. For each letter thereof there are eyes that weep for this Wronged One, the Sorrowful Beauty. O servant! If thou seest this ink outwardly appearing black, by God it is inwardly the color of blood, and hath dripped upon the garment of the Tablet to be a sign for all the worlds. Arise then to help thy Lord, and assist Him with whatsoever thou art able, and be not of the patient ones.

Be as a flame of fire to the wicked, or as the wrath of the Almighty against the evil ones—this behooveth thee if thou art of those who act. Ascend to the atmosphere of the spirit, that station from which the hands of the ungodly are cut off, and be so distinguished in love that from thy face may shine forth the lights of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Bountiful. Then adorn thy body with the raiment of equity, which is among the garments of the All-Merciful between His near servants. Thus doth the Tongue of Ancient Days counsel thee—hearken and be of the thankful ones.

BH07052: The remembrance of God from the Divine Tree hath…

In the Name of God, the Most Mighty, the Most Exalted, the Most Invincible, the Most Glorious

The remembrance of God from the Divine Tree hath been raised up in truth, and thou hearest from it what the ear of the Beloved heard on the night of ascension, and what the Spirit heard in the Kingdom of Names, and what He Who conversed with God heard on the Sinai of eternity. Blessed, then, is he who heareth the call of his Lord and is illumined by the lights of His countenance in truth. O Hadi! Hear thou the call of thy Lord, the Most High, at a time when the temples of hatred have surrounded Him. Then guide thou the people unto this Beauty that hath shone forth in the primal eternity with truth. Follow thou what is revealed unto thee from the precinct of nearness, and tarry not in thy Lord’s Cause even for a moment. Guide thou first thine own self, then the souls of the servants, that they may detach themselves from all that they possess and turn unto a holy and mighty precinct. Thus have We commanded thee in truth. Act thou according to what thou art bidden, for this is better for thee than all who dwell in the kingdom, one and all. And may glory rest upon thee, if thou remainest steadfast in the Cause.

BH07117: Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I…

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I swear by Thy might! Successive afflictions have withheld the pen of the Most High from laying bare that which is hidden from the eyes of Thy creatures, and incessant trials have hindered the tongue of the Divine Ordainer from proclaiming the wonders of Thy glorification and praise. With a stammering tongue, therefore, I call upon Thee, O my God, and with this my afflicted pen I occupy myself in remembrance of Thy name.

Is there any man of insight, O my God, that can behold Thee with Thine own eye, and where is the thirsty one who can direct his face towards the living waters of Thy love? I am the one, O my God, who hath blotted out from his heart the remembrance of all except Thee, and hath graven upon it the mysteries of Thy love. Thine own might beareth me witness! But for tribulations, how could the assured be distinguished from the doubters among Thy servants? They who have been inebriated with the wine of Thy knowledge, these, verily, hasten to meet every manner of adversity in their longing to pass into Thy presence. I implore Thee, O Beloved of my heart and the Object of my soul’s adoration, to shield them that love me from the faintest trace of evil and corrupt desires. Supply them, then, with the good of this world and of the next.

Thou art, verily, He Whose grace hath guided them aright, He Who hath declared Himself to be the All-Merciful. No God is there but Thee, the All-Glorious, the Supreme Helper.

BH07180: That which thou hast composed and chanted in remembrance…

In the Name of God, the Almighty, the Beneficent

That which thou hast composed and chanted in remembrance of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds, hath been brought into Our presence. Blessed art thou, inasmuch as the Fire of God hath been kindled within thy heart, and hath caused thee to utter the praise of His own Self amidst them that proclaim His oneness; and thou hast distinguished His well-beloved from His enemies–those from whose deeds the inmates of hell-fire seek refuge. Say:

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I yield Thee thanks for having enabled me to recognize the Manifestation of Thyself, and for having severed me from Thine enemies, and laid bare before mine eyes their misdeeds and wicked works in Thy days, and for having rid me of all attachment to them, and caused me to turn wholly towards Thy grace and bountiful favors. I give Thee thanks, also, for having sent down upon me from the clouds of Thy will that which hath so sanctified me from the hints of the infidels and the allusions of the misbelievers that I have fixed my heart firmly on Thee, and fled from such as have denied the light of Thy countenance. Again I thank Thee for having empowered me to be steadfast in Thy love, and to speak forth Thy praise and to extol Thy virtues, and for having given me to drink of the cup of Thy mercy that hath surpassed all things visible and invisible. Thou art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving.

BH07107: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by them who hastened to the precincts of Thy nearness yet reached not the dawning-place of Thy signs, who left their homelands out of longing for Thy beauty yet arrived not at the seat of Thy nearness, who were so intoxicated by the wine of Thy love that they sacrificed their spirits in Thy name and perished in the wilderness yearning for reunion with Thee—to aid me to draw nigh unto Thy court and enable me to achieve what Thou hast ordained for Thy handmaidens. O Lord! I am she who hath taken refuge with Thee and hastened unto Thee, detached from all else beside Thee. For Thy call hath seized me and Thy voice hath kindled such fire in all my limbs that should anyone examine my entire frame, they would find no place therein save that which burneth with the flame of Thy love and the fire of Thy affection. O Lord! Grant me reunion with Thee, then sever me from all else save Thee. This is what I have chosen for myself from all that Thou hast created between the heavens and the earth. All praise be unto Thee, O Beloved of the worlds and Goal of them that yearn!

BH07080: This is a mention of the Primal Point unto…

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

This is a mention of the Primal Point unto His servant who hath believed in God and who hath been named with one of Our names, He Who is the Merciful. O servant! Hearken unto the call of thy Lord from the direction of the Throne, and be thou not of them that doubt. Be thou steadfast in the Cause of God and His religion, then aid it according to thy capacity, and take for thyself therein a guide. Grieve thou not for thy brother, for verily he hath attained unto the presence of God, and We have caused his spirit to ascend unto a station of sublime glory. We were present with him at the moment when his spirit ascended to the most exalted horizon, a station of wondrous glory. Thus doth God single out whom He willeth through His grace, and verily He is merciful unto His servants. And thou, walk thou in the footsteps of thy brother, then remember thy Lord at all times, and consort not with them who have disbelieved and associated partners with God and who were far removed from the court of nearness. Thus have We sent down the verses unto thee as a grace from Our presence, that thou mayest remain steadfast in the Cause.

BH07017: These are the verses of the Book. No doubt…

He is the Most Manifest, the Most Glorious!

These are the verses of the Book. No doubt it hath been sent down from the direction of the throne of thy Lord, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. And therein have been revealed the mysteries of the Cause for people who understand. Tarry not in thy Lord’s Cause—arise to mention and expound among the peoples of the worlds. Say: By God! The All-Merciful hath come with such a proof as all who are in the heavens and on earth cannot withstand, did ye but know. Take hold of God’s Tablet and detach thyself from all else. Say: O people! This is a Day wherein the Beauty of the Self-Subsisting hath appeared, the heaven hath been cleft asunder, and the smoke hath enveloped all in the realm of possibility save those who have turned toward the Most Sublime Vision. Thus hath the Cause come to pass and judgment been ordained from God, the Almighty, the Exalted, the All-Loving. Let not what hath befallen Us of tyranny and oppression grieve thee. Verily thy Lord is powerful over whatsoever He willeth. Through tribulation His Cause and sovereignty have been made manifest throughout the ages. Soon shalt thou see the people laid low, and dominion shall be God’s, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

BH11805: Hearken unto the call of thy Most Glorious Lord…

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

Hearken unto the call of thy Most Glorious Lord, then detach thyself from the world. These are among the most great signs of thy Lord, sent down from the right hand of the throne of thy Most Exalted Lord. And verily these are the most sublime words which, when they proceed from the Most Exalted Pen, encompass all created things, and from them every soul perceiveth the fragrance of the All-Merciful, drawing him nigh unto the Ultimate Tree. Glory be to thy Most Glorious Lord!

Let nothing grieve thee, but put thy trust in God, the Lord of the Last and the First, and hold fast unto the Sure Handle. Verily, this is the Word that hath shone forth from the horizon of Revelation with a light that shall never be extinguished. Say: O people! This is the Day whereon those endued with understanding were thrown into confusion and those possessed of wisdom trembled with fear. Blessed is he who hath cast away vain desire and turned away from error, and hath taken hold of that which he was bidden by God, the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below.

On such a Day as this, it behooveth you to aid and remember your Creator, O people of guidance! The Spirit and glory rest upon you and upon him who hath been faithful.

BH07125: Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is one…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is one of Thy servants who hath been attracted by the breaths of Thy Revelation and drawn by the fragrances of Thy love in such wise that he hath turned his face unto the lights of Thy luminous countenance. I beseech Thee, O Cleaver of the Dawn, to assist him at all times and to ordain for him in the kingdom of Thy might that which he loveth and with which he is well-pleased.

O my God! Deprive not those servants of Thine who have hastened to the sanctuary of Thy oneness and who have rushed unto the city of the glory of Thy sanctification. Thou hast ever been supreme in power and might, and wilt ever remain transcendent in strength and majesty. Thou aidest whomsoever Thou willest through the hosts of Thy victory and sendest down upon whomsoever Thou desirest the wonders of Thy favors.

I beseech Thee by those whom the idolaters have made captive in Thy path to send down from the clouds of Thy mercy that which will purify the people of Thy dominion. By Thy Self! Then will they all lament for what they have wrought against the Manifestation of Thine Essence, and the Source of Thy power, and the Treasury of Thy mysteries, O Thou Who art the God of all who are in the heavens and on earth, and in Whose grasp is the dominion of all created things!

BH11809: The Most Exalted Pen desires to make mention…

In the Name of God, the Most Mighty, the Most Impregnable!

The Most Exalted Pen desires to make mention of the male and female servants of God, all of them, but has been prevented by the oppression wrought by the hands of the transgressors. Were the idolaters to know what lies behind the seal, they would surely slay the Youth with manifest tyranny. We, however, have offered up Our soul for the love of God and for the life of the worlds. O handmaiden of God! Turn thou towards the Kaaba of the chosen ones and the goal of the Messengers. From whatsoever direction the servant turneth unto God, he is, verily, before the Truth, even though between us there be a distance as that between the heavens and the earth. And he who draweth breath in the love of God—verily, We behold him in a goodly state and We pray for him with a company of the near-angels. Remember thou thy Lord, then be thou devoutly obedient, and bow down and prostrate thyself before God, the King, the Mighty, the Praised One. Verily, thy Lord is with whosoever remembereth Him. By God! Whosoever findeth solace in My remembrance [heareth] My call from every deep valley. Glorify My handmaidens on My behalf and remind them from One Who is All-Knowing, All-Informed. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH07116: Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Rain down…

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

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Rain down, I beseech Thee, from the clouds of Thine overflowing grace, that which shall cleanse the hearts of Thy servants from whatever may prevent their beholding Thy face, or may prevent them from turning unto Thee, that they may all recognize Him Who is their Fashioner and Creator. Help them, then, O God, to reach forth, through the power of Thy sovereign might, towards such a station that they can readily distinguish every foul smell from the fragrance of the raiment of Him Who is the Bearer of Thy most lofty and exalted name, that they may turn with all their affections toward Thee, and may enjoy such intimate communion with Thee that if all that is in heaven and on earth were given them they would regard it as unworthy of their notice, and would refuse to cease from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues.

Shield, I pray Thee, O my Beloved, my heart’s Desire, Thy servant who hath sought Thy face, from the darts of them that have denied Thee and from the shafts of such as have repudiated Thy Truth. Cause him, then, to be wholly devoted to Thee, to declare Thy name, and to fix his gaze upon the sanctuary of Thy Revelation. Thou art, in truth, He Who, at no time, hath turned away those who have set their hopes in Thee from the door of Thy mercy, nor prevented such as have sought Thee from attaining the court of Thy grace. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, the All-Highest, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling, the Unconditioned.

BH07085: This is My remembrance unto My handmaiden, that My…

In the Name of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!

This is My remembrance unto My handmaiden, that My melodies may attract her and raise her up to the heaven of My nearness and the kingdom of My companionship, and cause her to speak My remembrance and praise among My handmaidens, and sever her from all else besides Me, and give her to drink of the wine of My bounty and the Kawthar of My favor and the Salsabil of My gifts.

O My handmaiden! We have heard thy remembrance of My Self and thy praise of My Beauty, and have witnessed thy turning toward My face and thy being stirred by My call, even though that which thou didst send hath not outwardly come before Us. But it hath indeed come before Us, for thy Lord hath power over all things. The name beginning with S was prevented from appearing, and the veils of the oppressors have come between Us and him. Nevertheless, We have accepted from him that which he bore concerning Our Cause, and We have written down for him the reward of one who hath attained the presence of God in this land. Verily thy Lord is the Mighty, the Generous.

Be thou assured through the grace of God, then make mention of Him in all conditions, and grieve not for what hath befallen Us. Be thou patient, for thy Lord is endowed with mighty patience. And praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

BH06954: He is the All-Compelling! O Karim! Hearken unto…

He is the All-Compelling! O Karim! Hearken unto the call of thy Lord, the Most Glorious, from the Divine Lote-Tree, speaking that there is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Leave the cup, then hasten to the Most Great Ocean. By God! It will not profit thee today if thou shouldst hold fast to whatsoever hath been created by His command “Be, and it is!” Cast aside books and allusions, for the Lord of Names and Attributes hath appeared with power and sovereignty.

Hold thy pen and hearken unto that which is revealed from the Supreme Pen, and glorify thy Lord on this Day whereon feet have slipped. Will those around thee profit thee? Nay, by the Revealer of verses! Soon shall the world pass away and thou shalt find for thyself no protector.

By God! The wings of the Peacock have spread in Paradise and the Dove hath warbled upon the branches with diverse melodies, while We hear from the sinners the croaking of the raven.

Turn thou to the Qiblih of the horizons—verily it is the Most Great Path among the nations. Thus have We informed thee and guided thee to the straight path. If thou hast heard, it is for thine own self, and if thou turnest away—verily He is the Self-Sufficient, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Compelling.

BH07123: Glorified art Thou, O God, O Master of Kings…

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

Glorified art Thou, O God, O Master of Kings and Merciful unto servants! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst rend asunder the veils and didst come with Thy sovereignty at the final return, that Thou show mercy unto Thy servants who have been oppressed in the earth and make them lamps of guidance unto all who dwell upon Thy earth. O Lord! Thou knowest that we are poor ones who have arisen before the gate of Thy bounty and riches, and helpless ones who have clung to the cords of Thy might and power. O Lord! Have mercy, then, upon our young and old through Thy mercy, and cause us to enter the pavilion of Thy care and favors. O Lord! Thou knowest what hath befallen us in Thy path. Write down, then, our names in Thy tablets and ordain for us what lieth with Thee of the wonders of Thy grace and beneficence. Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent in whatsoever Thou willest, and Thou art the God of the worlds and the Goal of them that know. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Wise.

BH06945: God is most great!

God is most great!

He is the Most High, the Most Exalted, the Most Sublime!

O Husayn! Bear thou witness within thyself, then within thy spirit, then within thine essence, that verily the Tree of Sinai upon the branch of this Manifestation doth proclaim the truth:

“Verily, I am God, there is none other God but Me, and He is God, the One Who hath power over all things.”

And verily ʿAli-Qabli-Nabil is the Manifestation of His Essence, the Source of His knowledge, and the Dawning-Place of His Cause for all who are in the heavens and on earth. This is what hath been sent down from the Holy and Luminous Pen.

Say: O people! Believe in God and His signs, and deny not this mercy which hath been, in truth, faithful. Thus have We sent down unto thee on this night that which shall solace thine eyes and gladden thee with a joy which hath been recorded as magnificent in the Tablet. Then remind, from Our presence, all those in thy land who have believed in God and in this Cause which hath been, in truth, exalted. And the glory be upon thee and upon all who have drunk the love of God from the cup of a name most glorious.

BH07105: Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I implore…

Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee, by Thy Most Great Name through Which Thou didst stir up Thy servants and build up Thy cities, and by Thy most excellent titles, and Thy most august attributes, to assist Thy people to turn in the direction of Thy manifold bounties, and set their faces towards the Tabernacle of Thy wisdom. Heal Thou the sicknesses that have assailed the souls on every side, and have deterred them from directing their gaze towards the Paradise that lieth in the shelter of Thy shadowing Name, which Thou didst ordain to be the King of all names unto all who are in heaven and all who are on earth. Potent art Thou to do as pleaseth Thee. In Thy hands is the empire of all names. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Wise.

I am but a poor creature, O my Lord; I have clung to the hem of Thy riches. I am sore sick; I have held fast the cord of Thy healing. Deliver me from the ills that have encircled me, and wash me thoroughly with the waters of Thy graciousness and mercy, and attire me with the raiment of wholesomeness, through Thy forgiveness and bounty. Fix, then, mine eyes upon Thee, and rid me of all attachment to aught else except Thyself. Aid me to do what Thou desirest, and to fulfill what Thou pleasest.

Thou art truly the Lord of this life and of the next. Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

BH07131: Who can explain the pain of separation, or bring…

Who can explain the pain of separation, or bring to mind the firm binding of the Covenant? Do not let slip away the wondrous decree of meeting, have you not heard the decisive command of divorce? Therefore stand firm in the light of right guidance, and if you are among the people of the covenant, remain not distant from love. That one is the gentle beloved—do not let slip away; that one is the precise mentor—do not forget; that one is the physician of harmony—do not set against opposites. And if you have tasted the honeyed sugar from the lip of dawn, say then: “I have attained unto the Lord of creation.” My beloved, although the meeting of this lowly one is prevented, yet read “He is the One Who opens what He wishes and withholds what He wills.” God willing, all ailments will be removed, just as was continuously manifested and expressed: “We associate none with the worship of thy Lord” and “I am but His servant and sufficient art thou as a witness unto me.” And likewise say whatsoever thou hearest from me, then preserve the Cause of God as befits thy station. I send greetings to all the loved ones.

BH07119: All praise be to Thee, O Lord, my God!…

All praise be to Thee, O Lord, my God! How mysterious the Fire which Thou hast enkindled within my heart! My very limbs testify to the intensity of its heat, and evince the consuming power of its flame. Should my bodily tongue ever attempt to describe Thee as the One Whose strength hath ever excelled the strength of the most mighty amongst men, the tongue of my heart would address me, saying:

“These are but words which can only be adequate to such things as are of the same likeness and nature as themselves. But He, of a truth, is infinitely exalted above the mention of all His creatures.”

The power of Thy might beareth me witness, O my Well-Beloved! Every limb of my body, methinks, is endowed with a tongue that glorifieth Thee and magnifieth Thy name. Armed with the power of Thy love, the hatred which moveth them that are against Thee can never alarm me; and with Thy praise on my lips, the rulings of Thy decree can in no wise fill me with sorrow. Fortify, therefore, Thy love within my breast, and suffer me to face the assaults which all the peoples of the earth may launch against me. I swear by Thee! Every hair of my head proclaimeth:

“But for the adversities that befall me in Thy path, how could I ever taste the divine sweetness of Thy tenderness and love?”

Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon them that love me, that which will cause us to become steadfast in Thy Faith. Enable them, then, to become the Hands of Thy Cause amongst Thy servants, that they may scatter abroad Thy signs, and show forth Thy sovereignty. There is no God but Thee, Who art powerful to do whatsoever Thou willest. Thou art, in truth, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised.

BH06952: O Pen of Holiness! Move upon the name…

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

O Pen of Holiness! Move upon the name of him who hath heard the call of God from the heaven of immortality from the presence of God, the Most High, the Most Exalted, and whom the most sweet melodies have turned from the left hand of heedlessness unto the shore of oneness and brought nigh unto a most holy and exalted station. Be thou steadfast in the Cause. God hath verily ordained for thee a station that was, in truth, sublime. Soon shall be sent down upon thee that whereby thou shalt aid the Cause of thy Lord, for He is, verily, powerful over all things. Be thou assured through the grace of thy Lord and grieve not over anything, for He will guard thee through the sovereign protection from all who are in the heavens and on earth, and He doth, verily, encompass all things. Place thy trust in all matters in Him and turn thy heart toward the holy direction, this Paradise from whose horizon hath shone forth the Sun of Beauty by a command that hath, from time immemorial, encompassed the worlds. And glory be upon thee and upon those who have been faithful to God’s covenant and have remained steadfast in the Cause.

BH07113: Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! Thou…

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! Thou seest and knowest that I have called upon Thy servants to turn nowhere except in the direction of Thy bestowals, and have bidden them observe naught save the things Thou didst prescribe in Thy Perspicuous Book, the Book which hath been sent down according to Thine inscrutable decree and irrevocable purpose.

I can utter no word, O my God, unless I be permitted by Thee, and can move in no direction until I obtain Thy sanction. It is Thou, O my God, Who hast called me into being through the power of Thy might, and hast endued me with Thy grace to manifest Thy Cause. Wherefore I have been subjected to such adversities that my tongue hath been hindered from extolling Thee and from magnifying Thy glory.

All praise be to Thee, O my God, for the things Thou didst ordain for me through Thy decree and by the power of Thy sovereignty. I beseech Thee that Thou wilt fortify both myself and them that love me in our love for Thee, and wilt keep us firm in Thy Cause. I swear by Thy might! O my God! Thy servant’s shame is to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and his glory is to know Thee. Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.

Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon my loved ones that which will protect us from the mischief of those that have repudiated Thy truth and disbelieved in Thy signs.

Thou art, verily, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.

BH07111: Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art He…

In the Name of God, the Most Wondrous

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art He Who created me and sustained me until Thou didst honor me with Thy days wherein the Sun of Thy loving-kindness dawned from the horizon of Thy Will and was established upon the throne of Thy mercy, and Thou didst open the gate of attainment unto Thy presence before the face of all who dwell in Thy earth and Thy heaven, and didst call all unto Thyself, and didst attract all through Thy signs. Therefore, O my God, I, one of Thy handmaidens, have desired nearness unto Thee and reunion with Thee and to enter the sanctuary of Thy mighty oneness and to stand before Thy throne. I beseech Thee not to deprive me of that which I have desired from the wonders of Thy grace, nor to prevent me from the Kawthar of meeting with Thee. O Lord! If Thou hast ordained separation and remoteness for me, then write down for me the reward of those who have drawn nigh unto Thee and have attained unto Thy presence, O Thou in Whose grasp lie the dominion of destiny and the kingdom of decree. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, the Peerless One.

BH06982: In the Name of the Beloved of the Worlds!…

In the Name of the Beloved of the Worlds! O handmaiden of God! The home lies in ruins and its owner is captive to the factions. That which has been decreed for the house shall soon be made manifest. He is, verily, the Ruler over whatsoever He pleaseth.

Although most hearts are seen to be withered from the tribulations that have descended and the afflictions that have befallen them, yet the assured souls of the Kingdom will neither falter nor be perturbed by tribulations in the path of the King of Oneness, for such souls repose in the seat of truth, are nourished by the celestial food, and partake of the pure chalice of God. How excellent is the state of those souls from whom, in the days of trial, the sweet savors of certitude wafted over the peoples of the world, and from whom the musk-laden breezes of love were inhaled.

Be not grieved by tribulations. The divine practice hath ever been thus, and ever shall remain thus. Reflect upon the former ages, that thou mayest become aware of thy Lord’s practice, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Beseech God to adorn the weak and doubting hearts with the powerful robes of certitude. Convey My greetings to the steadfast Arab women. And the glory be upon you all.

BH07147: Tablet of the Hair 1

He is the Eternal!

My hair beareth witness for My Beauty that verily I am God and that there is none other God but Me. In My ancient eternity I have ever been God, the One, the Peerless, the Everlasting, the Ever-Living, the Ever-Abiding, the Self-Subsistent.

O denizens of the everlasting Realm! Let your ears be attentive to the stirrings of this restless and agitated hair, as it moveth upon the Sinai of Fire, within the precincts of Light, this celestial Seat of divine Revelation. Indeed there is no God besides Me. In My most ancient pre-existence I have ever been the King, the Sovereign, the Incomparable, the Eternal, the Single, the Everlasting, the Most Exalted.

O peoples of the heavens and of the earth! Were ye to sanctify your ears ye would hear My hair proclaim that there is none other God except Him, and that He is One in His Essence and in everything that beareth relationship unto Him. And yet how fiercely have you cavilled at this Beauty, notwithstanding that the outpourings of His grace have encompassed all that dwell in the billowing oceans of His Revelation and Creation. Be ye fair therefore in your judgement concerning His upright Religion, for the love of this Youth Who is riding high upon the snow-white She-Camel betwixt earth and heaven; and be ye firm and steadfast in the path of Truth.

BH06431: Tablet of the Hair 3

He is the All-Knowing! O peoples of the heavens and earth! Know ye that We have made all things treasuries of Our power. Then We chose from among them that which We made the ornament of Our countenance, and for it are names beyond counting and attributes beyond reckoning. And in its manifestation in the form of the serpent are signs for those of insight.

Say: Verily it is the serpent of divine decree by which God protecteth His treasuries and preserveth them from the hands of thieves and the gaze of the treacherous. Say: Though it moveth upon the treasury of lights from thy Lord, the Chosen One, yet within itself are concealed treasuries which none hath discovered save God, the Sovereign, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and whomso He willeth and desireth.

And verily He is the One Who bestoweth grace upon His servants, teaching whomsoever He willeth that which enricheth him beyond all else. Blessed be God, the Most Generous of the generous! How excellent is he who hath attained unto the knowledge thereof and reached the summit of grace from One wise and informed!

Thus do We impart unto the servants that which was hidden from them, that perchance a soul may understand and there may appear in creation that which would bewilder the minds of the wise, the hearts of the sages, and the souls of all created things.

BH01730: Tablet of the Hair 4

He is the Mover

O my God! I praise Thee for having ordained the Fountain of Life in the Garden of Good-Pleasure, wherein Thou didst join together fire and water and unite them through Thy power, such that they shall never be parted throughout the eternity of Thy might and the perpetuity of Thy sovereignty. Thou didst appoint as keeper of this Fountain the serpent of Thy power and the snake of Thy protection, and didst breathe into this keeper from the essence of Thy spirit, such that all things die save it, and all things sleep save it, as if it were made a sign of movement, for within it is passion and rapture and agitation.

Therefore I beseech Thee, O my God, by the agitation in the hearts of the lovers, that Thou grant unto Thy chosen ones what Thou hast ordained in this hidden yet manifest Fountain. Then quicken through its water the hearts of Thy loved ones, and through its fire create warmth in the hearts of Thy faithful ones. Thou art He Who, O my God, hath decreed that the disobedient must enter into Thy fire and abide eternally in Thy flames. And I, though formerly among Thy disobedient ones, do now accept to enter into this fire and to abide in these flames. Though Thy servants flee from the serpent and its venom, I, by Thy glory, long for this serpent and its bite and its poison. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by this serpent that Thou unite the hearts of Thy loved ones and gather them upon a single carpet, even as Thou didst unite this fire and water and gather them in a single place. Verily, Thou art powerful over that.

Glorified art Thou, O my Beloved and my Goal! How can I make mention of the wonders Thou hast created in this dark yet luminous handiwork, and the marvels Thou hast wrought in this most subtle and mighty creation? It is as if Thou didst make it arrows for the hearts of Thy lovers and spears for the breasts of Thy faithful ones. It seemeth, O my Beloved, that Thou didst not create within it any mercy or compassion, for it hath stung the hearts of those who sought Thy nearness and presence, and bitten the hearts of those who turned to Thy reunion and beauty. Therefore, O my Beloved, take the rights and blood of Thy servants from this infidel who hath taken refuge in the Sacred House and sought protection in this Shrine and Station, and made Thy servants forbidden from entering this place. By Thy glory, no hand can reach it save Thy powerful hands, and no soul can attain unto it save Thy conquering sovereignty.

Thou knowest, O my Lord, how many of Thy chosen servants it hath slain, and how many of Thy trusted ones it hath wounded, and how many sacred temples have been cast upon their beds from its wound, and how many pure countenances have fallen upon the dust from its tyranny. Didst Thou not promise, O my Lord and my God, that Thou wouldst cause the doers of good to enter Thy most exalted Paradise and send down the disobedient to the lowest depths? Yet I now witness that this disobedient one hath ascended to the paradise of Thy presence and reunion, and dwelleth in the gardens of Thy face, as if it were the salamander of love disporting itself in the fire of Thy beauty and moving about in the paradise of Thy countenance.

Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou, for how Thou hast attached the hearts of all created things to this thread and bound the hearts of all beings to this rope! By Thy glory, I am bewildered by the wonders of Thy handiwork in it and upon it, and by the wonders of what it thinketh of itself. It seemeth not to consider itself disobedient even after having shed blood in all religions, but rather knoweth itself to be the creator of goodness and now seeketh from Thy servants recompense for what it hath done to them and against them. It is as if Thou hast ordained for it and decreed upon it that Thou shouldst give, as recompense for its disobedience, every good thing which Thou hast ordained by Thy power and decreed by Thy might. After this, I know not by what way to flee or through what door to escape. Nay, by Thy light, I shall not flee save unto Thee and shall not escape save unto Thee, and I place my trust in Thee in all that. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful.

BH11127: Tablet of the Hair 5

In His Name Who speaks in all things!

Praise be to Him Who made darkness the ornament of light and thereby adorned the beauty of manifestation. This is from a power that no power in the realm has preceded, as though it were the Pen of Creation moving upon the Holy Tablet in Paradise. When it was circumambulating the Sacred House, God caused it to dwell on the Mount of Station from which the hands of those brought nigh were cut off.

BH08601: Tablet of the Hair 6

He is the Most Exalted, the Most High!

O Thou Who hast made the Point the ornament of Beauty on the Tablet of Manifestation, and suspended the threads of darkness upon the sphere of light, whereby Thou hast adorned the page of light with the darkness of night, and made the fountain of sweet water to flow in the abode of fire, and ordained the spring of life to be in the treasury of flames, and joined them together in such wise that they shall never be separated throughout all ages! Reflect upon the wondrous handiwork of your Creator, O ye who are endued with understanding! Glorified art Thou, O my God! When I beheld this wondrous creation of Thine eternal power, I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou art the Self-Subsisting over the manifestations of Thy names, that Thou unite Thy servants even as Thou hast united light and darkness, and fire and water. Then gather them together on the shore of Thy Most Great Ocean even as Thou hast gathered these upon the shore of the Kawthar of Thy utterance. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Glorious, the Bountiful.

BH11496: Tablet of the Hair 7

He is God!

My hair is My Veil whereby I conceal My Beauty, that haply the eyes of the non-believers among My servants may not fall upon it. Thus do We conceal from the sight of the ungodly the glorious and sublime beauty of Our Countenance.

BH10832: Tablet of the Hair 8

He is the Almighty!

My hair is My Messenger. It is calling aloud at all times upon the branch of Fire within the hallowed and luminous garden of Paradise, that perchance the inmates of the realm of creation may detach themselves from the world of dust and ascend unto the retreats of nearness—the Spot where the Fire seeketh illumination from the light of the Countenance of God, the Glorious, the Powerful.

O ye that have consecrated yourselves to this Fire! Sing ye melodies, pour out sweet tones, rejoice with exceeding gladness and make haste to attain the presence of Him Who is the Object of adoration, bearing witness that no God is there besides God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the All-Compelling.

BH11265: Tablet of the Hair 9

He is the God of Wisdom!

My hair is My Phoenix. Therefore hath it set itself upon the blazing fire of My Face and receiveth sustenance from the garden of My Countenance. This is the station wherein the Son of ʿImran removed from the feet of selfish desire the coverings of attachment to all else but Him and was illumined by the splendours of the Light of holiness in the undying Fire kindled by God, the Potent, the Gracious, the Ever-Forgiving.

BH11483: Tablet of the Hair 10

He is the Most Excellent, the Best Beloved!

A lock of My hair is My Cord. He who layeth fast hold on it shall never to all eternity go astray, for therein is his guidance to the splendours of the Light of His Beauty.

BH10844: Tablet of the Hair 11

He is the Hidden, the Manifest!

Glorified be God for this fiery thread and this divine cord! At times I behold it as fire, for by it are consumed the hearts of the sincere. At times I behold it as breezes, for by it are stirred the hearts of the believers. And at times there issueth from it a sound like unto melodies that draw unto them the hearts of the lovers. Glorified be God for this moving, gleaming Spirit!

BH11210: Tablet of the Hair 2

He is the Ever-Abiding through the immortality of His own Self

I have caused the living waters to issue from the Kawthar of My mouth, even as I have concealed the living sun behind My hair. In truth, within the darkness of My hair I have hidden the light of My beauty: though dark in its outer being, its inner being is light upon light, upon all light. Thus have the secrets been revealed by the Pen of the Unconstrained.

BH07292: This is a Book from Us to one…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Glorious!

This is a Book from Us to one of Our handmaidens, that My melodies may draw her to the heaven of My knowledge, sever her from all else save Me, and cause her to speak My remembrance and praise among My handmaidens. O My handmaiden! Remember My imprisonment and tribulation, then My exile and estrangement and My affliction. Beware lest the turning away of the people of passion prevent thee from the Divine Lote-Tree. Free thyself from worldly conditions, then turn with thy heart unto God, the Lord of Names. By God! None shall be protected today save those who have laid hold of the Most Great Handle, which hath appeared in the name of thy Lord, the Most Glorious, between earth and heaven. Exalted be the Ancient One Who hath appeared with this mighty grace! O My handmaiden! Know thou that on this Day a soul’s belief shall profit it not, even should it perform the deeds of all creation, except that it lay hold of this firm Cord. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in the heaven of might, as a favor from Him unto thee, that thou mayest be among the thankful ones in a Tablet of manifest glory. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH07106: Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech…

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Chosen Ones, and by the Bearers of Thy Trust, and by Him Whom Thou hast ordained to be the Seal of Thy Prophets and of Thy Messengers, to let Thy remembrance be my companion, and Thy love my aim, and Thy face my goal, and Thy name my lamp, and Thy wish my desire, and Thy pleasure my delight.

I am a sinner, O my Lord, and Thou art the Ever-Forgiving. As soon as I recognized Thee, I hastened to attain the exalted court of Thy loving-kindness. Forgive me, O my Lord, my sins which have hindered me from walking in the ways of Thy good-pleasure, and from attaining the shores of the ocean of Thy oneness.

There is no one, O my Lord, who can deal bountifully with me to whom I can turn my face, and none who can have compassion on me that I may crave his mercy. Cast me not out, I implore Thee, of the presence of Thy grace, neither do Thou withhold from me the outpourings of Thy generosity and bounty. Ordain for me, O my Lord, what Thou hast ordained for them that love Thee, and write down for me what Thou has written down for Thy chosen ones. My gaze hath, at all times, been fixed on the horizon of Thy gracious providence, and mine eyes bent upon the court of Thy tender mercies. Do with me as beseemeth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the God of power, the God of glory, Whose help is implored by all men.

BH07108: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee…

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by them who hastened to the field of martyrdom, yearning to meet Thee, and by the blood that hath been shed in Thy path, and by the heads that were raised upon spears for love of Thee and in Thy good-pleasure, and by the hearts that were consumed in separation from Thee and remoteness from Thee, and by Thy Most Great Name through which Thou didst distinguish between Thy servants and creatures, that Thou make me steadfast in Thy love and content with Thy good-pleasure and a supporter of Thy Cause. Establish me in such wise that should all mankind oppose Thee, I would arise by myself to exalt Thy Cause and manifest Thy bounty. Then ordain for me, O my God, what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones, and separate me not from Thee in the worlds of Thy Cause. Moreover, grant me the good of this world and the next. I am he who, O my God, hath testified to Thy oneness and confessed Thy singleness and turned toward Thee and advanced toward the sanctuary of Thy nearness. Thou art my Beloved in the hereafter and the former life and my Purpose in all circumstances. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Exalted.

BH07109: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by the Word through which the oceans of Thy knowledge surged in the hearts of them that have recognized Thee, and the winds of Thy love and yearning were stirred in the breasts of Thy lovers, that Thou wilt look upon Thy servants with the glances of Thy gracious favors and clothe them with the robes of Thy guidance. O Lord! All are poor at the door of Thy riches, and powerless before the manifestations of Thy might. Send down therefore, O my God, upon them that which will make them mighty through Thy power and exalted through Thy sovereignty, that the oppression of the oppressors may not hold them back from Thy path, nor the clamor of the idolaters prevent them from turning toward the court of Thy oneness.

O Lord! Thou art He before Whose command nothing whatsoever can stand among all that hath been created in the heavens and on earth, and none in the kingdoms of creation and command can frustrate Thee. I beseech Thee by Thy Most Exalted Self and by Thy manifestation once again, to make me radiant with the lights of Thy countenance and turning toward the sanctuary of Thy glory. Then cause me, O my God, to taste the sweetness of Thy remembrance. Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent over what Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07160: Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses…

He is the Mighty, the Beauteous.

Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses in truth. There is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command. He giveth life and causeth death; again He causeth death and bestoweth life. Verily, He is a Living One Who dieth not, an Ever-Abiding One Who decayeth not; a Manifest One Who is not hidden, a Light that cannot be quenched, a Beauty without a veil, and a sovereignty unshadowed by any covering.

He aideth whomsoever He willeth through the power of His Cause, and withholdeth victory from whomsoever He willeth by the dominion of His will. Verily, He is All-Knowing and forgetteth not; Almighty and is not overcome; the Provider and is not provided for; the Bestower and is not bestowed upon; the Speaker and is not silenced.

Nothing can deter Him from His sovereignty and His rule, nor can anything constrain Him—not in the heavens, nor on the earth, nor in the realms of cloud, nor upon the Throne. He decreeth for whomsoever He willeth whatsoever He willeth, in whatsoever manner He willeth; and He accomplisheth for whomsoever He desireth whatsoever He desireth, as He desireth.

Verily, His sovereignty shall not pass away, His dominion shall not be altered, and His holiness shall not escape the grasp of His power. Nothing can elude His might. He hath ever been powerful over all things—omnipotent, invincible, and supreme.

BH07168: We have been tried in God’s path with tribulations…

In the Name of God, the Ancient, the Everlasting!

We have been tried in God’s path with tribulations such as none hath been tried with from time immemorial. They made My kindred captives and led them through the lands until they brought them to the Crooked Land. We sought help from no one, nor did We cling to any soul, but God shall raise up a king from among the kings of the earth who will help the Youth. Verily, He is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

O loved ones of God! Aid your Lord in His earth that He may aid you in His heaven. Turn not your gaze to the world and whatsoever is therein, for soon shall perish whosoever walketh upon it, seeth in it, and is stirred by its breezes. Well is it with him who hath cleansed his garment from its dust and meeteth his Lord with a countenance sanctified from turning toward it. By God! He is numbered among the people of the All-Glorious Paradise, and the denizens of the Supreme Concourse shower their prayers upon him night and day. And praise be to God, the Lord of all beings, Who bringeth forth fruits from their shells and servants from the wombs. Verily, He is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

BH07265: The Tongue of Eternity speaks: O My handmaiden…

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

The Tongue of Eternity speaks: O My handmaiden and daughter of My handmaiden! We have created all servants and handmaidens specifically for this Day, for the Purpose of all worlds is now manifest, established upon the throne of grandeur, and at all times the divine heralds call the people to the direction of the All-Merciful. Blessed are those souls whom the veils of the world have not prevented from the most exalted horizon.

God willing, that handmaiden must become so steadfast in divine love through the attraction of God that the fragrances of the love of the Beloved of the worlds may be diffused from her. Be not grieved by the world and whatsoever occurs therein. The Cause is mighty and the Purpose mighty; therefore the seekers of the sanctuary of the All-Merciful must not be prevented by trials.

Blessed art thou, O My handmaiden, for having attained unto the recognition of thy Lord and believed in God on a Day when most of the servants turned away from Him, save those who drank the water of everlasting life from the hand of the mercy of their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

BH07297: In the name of God, the Most High…

In the name of God, the Most High, the Most Glorious! This is a book from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, unto him who hath heard the call of his Lord and taken up his abode beneath His shadow in a praiseworthy station. Hearken, then, unto that which is revealed unto thee from the Quarter wherein hath shone the countenance of the Youth and from which hath been raised the call of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Loving.

Say: O my Lord! I beseech Thee by Thy remembrance through which Thou hast quickened all created things and caused all faces to shine, that Thou disappoint me not of what lieth with Thee and admit me, through Thy mercy, beneath Thy extended shadow.

O my Lord! Make Thou my hope to be in Thee, my purpose to be in Thee, my aspiration to be in Thee, my goal to be in Thee, my habitation to be in Thee, my Ka’bih to be in Thee, and the object of my desire to be Thy radiant, mighty and praiseworthy Beauty.

O my Lord! I beseech Thee by what Thou art, to send down from the right hand of Thy power that which shall exalt Thy loved ones and abase Thine enemies. There is no God but Thee. Verily Thou art my Beloved in this world and in the next, and Thou art the Object of desire of them that have recognized Thee. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH07301: Lawh-i-Quds 7

He is God, the Most High, the Most Exalted

This is the Tablet of Holiness wherein have been inscribed, by the wondrous holy Pen, the verses of God, the King, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Holy, the Beautiful. Therein He maketh mention of the servant of God who heard the melodies of Paradise from the mouth of God, his Lord and the Lord of all worlds.

O servant! Give thanks unto thy Lord for having enabled thee to attain His presence, inasmuch as thou hast visited the Ancient Beauty when He shone forth from the horizon of Iraq with mighty holy splendors. By God! To hear but one melody from the mouth of God is better than all that hath been treasured in the heavens and earth, and thy entry into the Spot of God is better for thee than whatsoever hath been created on earth—and God is witness unto this. Know thou thy station, for thou hast been honored with that which countless souls have died in their longing for. Yet strive within thyself lest this bounty be changed—and this is indeed a mighty counsel. Preserve the love of God in thy heart lest it be erased by the intimations of the ungodly. And the glory rest upon thee and upon those who have believed in God, the True King, the Manifest.

BH07426: O Thou, at Whose dreadful majesty all things have…

O Thou, at Whose dreadful majesty all things have trembled, in Whose grasp are the affairs of all men, towards Whose grace and mercy are set the faces of all Thy creatures! I entreat Thee, by Thy Name which Thou hast ordained to be the spirit of all names that are in the kingdom of names, to shield us from the whisperings of those who have turned away from Thee, and have repudiated the truth of Thy most august and most exalted Self, in this Revelation that hath caused the kingdom of Thy names to tremble.

I am one of Thy handmaidens, O my Lord! I have turned my face towards the sanctuary of Thy gracious favors and the adored tabernacle of Thy glory. Purify me of all that is not of Thee, and strengthen me to love Thee and to fulfill Thy pleasure, that I may delight myself in the contemplation of Thy beauty, and be rid of all attachment to any of Thy creatures, and may, at every moment, proclaim: “Magnified be God, the Lord of the worlds!”

Let my food, O my Lord, be Thy beauty, and my drink the light of Thy presence, and my hope Thy pleasure, and my work Thy praise, and my companion Thy remembrance, and my aid Thy sovereignty, and my dwelling-place Thy habitation, and my home the seat which Thou hast exalted above the limitations of them that are shut out as by a veil from Thee.

Thou art, in truth, the God of power, of strength and glory.

BH07443: Glorified art Thou, O our Lord, the All-Merciful! This…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

Glorified art Thou, O our Lord, the All-Merciful! This is a day among the days of Thy Festival which Thou hast named Ridvan, wherein Thou didst manifest Thy sovereignty over all who are in Thy earth and Thy heaven, after which all arose to harm Thee and to extinguish Thy light. And therein did the Sun of Thy oneness shine forth from the horizon of the House upon all who dwell in the unseen and the visible realms. I beseech Thee, O my God, by this Day and by Him Whom Thou hast made the Dawning-Place of Thy revelation and the Dayspring of Thine inspiration, to ordain for Thy loved ones the good of this world and the next, and to make them of those whom nothing besides Thee can occupy from Thy remembrance and praise.

Then strengthen their hearts in such wise that the power of those who have disbelieved in Thee and Thy signs will not frighten them. O Lord! Illumine their eyes with the light of Thy knowledge and their hearts with the splendor of Thy countenance. Then unite their hearts and their souls that through their unity the people of Thy kingdom may be united. Verily Thou art the Powerful over all who are in the kingdom of Thy Command and Thy creation. Thou art, in truth, the Mighty, the Generous. And praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds.

BH11807: Know, O thou who gazest upon the Countenance…

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

Know, O thou who gazest upon the Countenance, that tribulations have encompassed Us, and while immersed in their depths, We summon the people with the loudest call to the Most Exalted Horizon. These tribulations do not prevent Us from that which We have been commanded by the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Emerge from behind the veil in the name of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower, and fear not the idolaters. Know then that the two kings have united to harm Us, though We were not corrupt in the land and called them to the Kingdom of their Lord, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. God will soon transform their peace into enmity, and the fire of war shall be kindled between them.

Verily thy Lord is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. This is of the tidings of the unseen which We reveal unto thee that thou mayest be of those who are firmly established. Hesitate not in the Cause of thy Lord. Be thou one who remembers Him with His remembrance, assists His Cause, and speaks His praise amongst His creatures. Thus doth the Supreme Pen command thee from the presence of the Mighty, the Powerful. And glory be upon thee and upon those who have turned toward the Dayspring of the divine exposition in this darkness that hath encompassed the worlds, save whom thy Lord, the Forgiving, the Merciful, hath willed.

BH11813: I bear witness that thou hast witnessed the dawn…

He is the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting!

I bear witness that thou hast witnessed the dawn of Kufih and the evening of Karbila. Give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Merciful, for having made thee capable of bearing afflictions in His path and calamities in His love. Verily, those who have been touched by tribulation in the path of the Lord of Names are remembered by all things, and the dwellers of the cities of eternity glorify them. Blessed art thou, O My servant! Thou hast borne harm in My love and been made a captive in thy desire to attain My presence and turn to the Kaaba of My loving-kindness. Behold, then remember what hath been sent down from My Pen in the Tablet of My Command and what hath appeared from the treasuries of My mysteries from the hidden pearls of My knowledge.

We have spoken, and Our word is the truth: Should abasement touch you for the sake of My Name, be not grieved. Thus hath the Sun of the Word shone forth from the horizon of the utterance of the Lord of all created things, would that ye might know. And the splendor be upon you, O My loved ones, throughout the duration of My dominion and My kingdom and the warbling of the birds of My eternity upon the branches of the Tree of My Cause. Verily, there is none other God but Me, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting.

BH11814: O thou who art enkindled with the fire…

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

O thou who art enkindled with the fire of My love, who gazest upon My countenance, who traversest the lands for the sake of nearness unto Me and reunion with Me, who art attracted by My verses, who art adorned with My remembrance and praise, who ascendest unto the throne of My grandeur, and who turneth toward My holy sanctuary and the Kaaba of My majesty! Hear thou My call, for verily it is sweeter than whatsoever hath been uttered by My chosen ones, and through it the spirit of life hath been breathed into the bodies of My servants who have detached themselves from all else except Me, who have soared in My atmosphere, and who have turned toward the Dawning-Place of My luminous Cause.

Grieve not at separation, for We have brought thee into the presence of the Throne while thou wert heedless thereof. Ponder, that thou mayest be of them that know. We have written down for thee the reward of one who hath attained unto the pavilion of My grandeur and won the meeting with Me. Verily thy Lord is He Who ordaineth what He pleaseth. Sorrow not at remoteness, for God shall soon draw thee nigh unto Him. He, verily, is the Lord of great bounty. And glory be upon thee and upon the sincere ones.

BH11817: This is a Book from Us to him who…

In the name of God, the Most Great, the Most Glorious!

This is a Book from Us to him who hath inhaled the fragrance of the garment of Our name, the All-Merciful, and thereby attained unto the Ridvan which was made manifest in the name of God, and who hath drawn nigh unto the sacred Sanctuary and taken God as his Beloved. O servant! This is the Day of the Call. The All-Merciful hath called out from amidst sorrows unto all that are on earth that they may take for themselves a path unto Him Who possesseth might and power. Arise, by God’s leave, to promote the Cause, then summon the people unto the Dayspring of the Command. Thus hath the Most Exalted Pen bidden thee, and He is the Observer of all things. Say: O people! Cast off the garment of self and desire, and turn your faces toward the Dayspring of the mercy of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and follow not any froward evil-doer. Let not the denial of the unbelievers grieve thee. Soon shalt thou behold the Sun of eternity shining forth from the horizon of glory with a sovereignty supreme over all truth. And the glory rest upon thee and upon those who have turned toward the Countenance that shineth with the light of the Command.

BH07922: O thou who soarest in the atmosphere…

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

O thou who soarest in the atmosphere of the love of thy Lord, the Chosen One! Hearken unto that which is revealed unto thee from the direction of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, in the Valley of Expression from the Tree of Explanation. Verily, there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Compelling. We have previously sent unto thee that which caused the eyes of the people of Paradise to be gladdened and its fragrances to be wafted to all regions. Summon the people with wisdom unto that which hath shone forth from the horizon of the Cause of thy Lord, the Lord of the Day of Judgment. When the promise came to pass, We sent unto the Chief that which caused those around him to swoon and the hearts of every idolatrous unbeliever who denied the Day of the Covenant to be sorely troubled. The power of the Command hath seized the wrongdoers—they are but in manifest error. Blessed art thou and blessed is he who hath turned toward the Countenance with humility and repentance. Those whom thou findest aloof, they are indeed among those who have halted before the face of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Most High. Remember them with wisdom, O ye who are endued with understanding.

BH07756: The Ridvan has appeared in the wonder of time…

In the name of God, the Most Great, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious!

The Ridvan has appeared in the wonder of time from the right hand of thy Lord’s throne, the All-Merciful. Glorified be He Who created it by His command, and verily He has power over all things.

Say: O peoples of the earth! Deprive not yourselves thereof, then hasten unto it with pure and illumined hearts. And whosoever entereth therein shall never go forth from it—thus hath the matter been ordained by the One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Among the people are those who turned away from it and took idols as their objects of worship; and among them are those who turned toward it and were caught up by the breezes of grace from a holy and resplendent direction.

Deprive not thyself, but take for thyself near the throne a station that is faithful to the truth, lest thou be seized by the casting of intimations from every wretched opponent. And the Glory be upon thee if thou remainest steadfast in the Cause.

BH07505: O servant! By God the Truth! If thou wouldst…

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

O servant! By God the Truth! If thou wouldst purify thine ear, thou wouldst hear the praise of the Concourse on High concerning this Youth, and be of them that hear. By My life! They say:

“By God! Ali was afflicted amidst the people of the Furqan, then Muhammad amidst the people of the Gospel, then the Spirit before the Jews, then Husayn before the idolators.”

And they address the people of the Bayan, saying:

“Woe unto you, O people of loss! Ye have disbelieved in Him through Whose beauty the eye of the All-Merciful was cheered in the midmost heart of Paradise, and ye have cast at Him the darts of rancor both at eventide and at dawn, and ye were not ashamed before His luminous and radiant beauty. By God! The breezes of the All-Merciful have been withheld by reason of what your hands have wrought, and the fragrances of Paradise have been cut off by what ye have perpetrated against Him before Whose grandeur the denizens of the highest Paradise have bowed down in adoration.”

Thus do We inform thee, O servant, that thou mayest become aware of My tribulation and weep over My condition and what hath befallen My wronged and lonely Self.

BH07675: Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou seest what…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou seest what hath befallen Thy chosen ones in Thy path, and knowest what they have borne for love of Thee and for Thy good-pleasure, and hearest from every quarter the sighing of Thy loved ones and the lamentation of Thy favored ones. I beseech Thee by Thy sovereignty which encompasseth all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, to make them steadfast in Thy Cause and firm in Thy remembrance and praise. O Lord! Since they have drunk from the cup of tribulations for Thy Cause, cast them not away from the precincts of Thy mercy, and rain down upon them from the clouds of Thy decree that which will revive their hearts and tranquilize their souls, lest the oppression of the tyrannical ones prevent them from gazing toward the horizon of Thy bounty and turning to the direction of Thy Cause. Verily Thou hast ever been mighty through Thy power and supreme through Thy sovereignty, and the opposition of Thy servants hath never hindered what Thou hast willed by Thy sovereignty. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH11424: This is a letter from the Youth to one…

In the Name of God, the Most Manifest

This is a letter from the Youth to one of His handmaidens, that the call of the All-Merciful which hath been raised from the direction of the Throne might attract her, for by His call are drawn the hearts of all worlds. Blessed is she who hath found the fragrance of the garment from the Temple of the Cause and hath taken for herself a noble station nigh unto the mercy of her Lord. O My handmaiden! Grieve not over separation, but be content with what God hath ordained for thee, for it is better for thee than all that hath been created between the heavens and the earth. By God! He loveth those who love Him, and remembereth those who have arisen to praise His Self amongst His servants, and He is knowing of all things. Remember thy Lord, then prostrate thyself and bow down out of love for God, the Mighty, the Glorious, the Beautiful. He hath ordained for thee a station in the Most Glorious Paradise. Blessed is she who hath attained unto it and entered therein through this Most Great, Most Mighty Name. And the glory be upon thee and upon every handmaiden who hath believed in her Lord, the Mighty, the Generous.

BH07582: These are the verses of the perspicuous Book…

He is the Most Exalted, the Most High!

These are the verses of the perspicuous Book which have been sent down in truth from the heaven of My Name, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Self-Subsisting, the Omnipotent. Therein hath God caused the water of life to flow—blessed are they that drink thereof! And therein hath He ordained the holy fruits—blessed are they that partake thereof! O handmaiden of God! Give thanks that thy name hath been mentioned before the Throne and that the Tongue of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, hath spoken thy name, and there hath been sent down from the clouds of grace that which shall gladden thine eyes. We have sent it unto thee as a mercy from Us upon thee and upon those leaves who are stirred by the breeze upon the branch of the Lote-Tree of Paradise through the love of God, the All-Knowing, the Powerful, the Generous. Thus doth God single out whom He willeth through His grace and maketh mention of such of His handmaidens as He pleaseth and desireth. He, verily, is the Rememberer, the Mighty, the Beautiful. And the mercy which hath descended from the clouds of bounty and grace be upon thee and upon those who have believed in God, their Lord, and who were among the devoutly obedient, inscribed on preserved tablets of glory.

BH07682: Lauded be Thy name, O my God! Aid Thou…

Lauded be Thy name, O my God! Aid Thou by Thy strengthening grace Thy servants and Thy handmaidens to recount Thy virtues and to be steadfast in their love towards Thee. How many the leaves which the tempests of trials have caused to fall, and how many, too, are those which, clinging tenaciously to the tree of Thy Cause, have remained unshaken by the tests that have assailed them, O Thou Who art our Lord, the Most Merciful!

I render Thee thanks that Thou hast made known unto me such servants as have utterly abolished, by the power of Thy might and of Thy sovereignty, the idols of their corrupt desires, and were not kept back by the things which are possessed by Thy creatures from turning in the direction of Thy grace. These have so vehemently rent the veils asunder that the dwellers of the cities of self have wept, and fear and trembling seized the people of envy and wickedness who, adorning their heads and their bodies with the emblems of knowledge, have proudly rejected Thee and turned away from Thy beauty.

I implore Thee, O my Lord, by Thy surpassing majesty and Thine Ancient Name, to enable Thy loved ones to assist Thee. Direct, then, continually their faces towards Thy face, and write down for them what will cause all hearts to exult and all eyes to be gladdened.

Thou, truly, art the Help in peril, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07513: O My leaf and My handmaiden! We have heard…

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

O My leaf and My handmaiden! We have heard the longing of thy heart, the cry of thy inner being, and the lamentation of thine essence in thy love for the Beloved of the worlds. Blessed art thou for having cast away the love of the world and taken the love of God as thy helper, and for having drunk the most pure wine from the hand of the bounty of this Youth, Whom the idolaters sold for their own selfish desires—and this indeed is a grievous wrong. Give thanks to thy Lord for having aided thee in His love, and that the world did not prevent thee from turning toward the face of God, the Mighty, the Generous, even as My sister was veiled thereby from the Beloved of creation, choosing for herself the ornaments of the world and turning away from the good-pleasure of God, the Object of worship of the knowing ones. Every man who believes in God is My brother, and every woman who turns to the Face is My sister, My handmaiden, and a leaf of My paradise among the believers. Thus have We imparted unto thee the word of truth that thou mayest rejoice and be among the thankful ones in a mighty and glorious tablet.

BH07867: This is a tablet from the servant of God…

He is the Almighty

This is a tablet from the servant of God to him who hath been guided by the lights of the Sun of Oneness and who hath migrated from his homeland, then sought refuge in a station of eternal holiness. O Ali! Be patient in what God hath decreed for us and be thou patient in thyself, and grieve not over anything but trust in God in all matters and be thou steadfast in love. Then know that God hath accepted thy obedience and hath raised thy name in a preserved tablet of glory. Thus do We make mention of thee in truth and cast upon thee that which will cause thee to soar to the highest heaven of nearness, that thou mayest be content with thyself and with all that hath been ordained by One Who is All-Wise, All-Knowing. Then convey Our remembrance to thy wife who hath believed in her Lord and who hath been faithful to the Covenant, and to thy brother who hath believed in God and who hath been steadfast in the true religion. And the spirit be upon thee and upon all the sincere ones.

BH07773: O God of Names! Ordain for Thy loved ones…

He is the All-Glorious

O God of Names! Ordain for Thy loved ones in Thy Kingdom that which befitteth Thy generosity, O Creator of earth and heaven!

O my God! These are servants whom the veils of idle fancies have not withheld from knowing Thee and drawing nigh unto the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration, and whom the veils of mankind have not prevented from beholding the lights of Thy beauty. O Lord! Therefore make manifest their glory amongst Thy creatures and their station before the people of Thy realm.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having raised them to a station wherein the Pen of Thy Command hath traced their names and the tongue of Thy power and grandeur hath spoken their mention. O Lord! Make known unto them this most exalted station and this most mighty, most glorious rank, that they may arise with their souls and spirits to serve Thee, that there may be made manifest from them that for which they were created at the revelation of the lights of Thy countenance.

Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest. Within Thy grasp is the Kingdom of all things and in Thy hold is the Empire of Command. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Peerless.

BH07868: This is a Book from Us to him who…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Exalted

This is a Book from Us to him who hath been named Abdu’llah, that he may be mindful of the remembrance of the All-Merciful and guide the peoples of the world unto God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Bestower. Be thou steadfast in thy love for thy Lord, then aid Him to the extent of thy power. Verily, He is with those who have stood firm and have not broken the Covenant on the Day when the clouds were cleft asunder and the Beauty of the All-Merciful came with power and sovereignty. Grieve not over anything, but place thy trust in all matters in God, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Bestower. Then make mention from Us unto him who was named Nabil-i-Ali, and unto those who have believed in God, thy Lord, in these days wherein all have turned away from the Beauty of the All-Glorious, save those who have detached themselves from all things. By God! They are in a state of joy and delight, and they are servants who have embarked upon the Crimson Ark in My Most Great Name and have detached themselves from the world. These are they who are accounted as people of the Bayan in the presence of the All-Merciful.

BH07661: Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Every time…

Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Every time I attempt to make mention of Thee, I am hindered by the sublimity of Thy station and the overpowering greatness of Thy might. For were I to praise Thee throughout the length of Thy dominion and the duration of Thy sovereignty, I would find that my praise of Thee can befit only such as are like unto me, who are themselves Thy creatures, and who have been generated through the power of Thy decree and been fashioned through the potency of Thy will. And at whatever time my pen ascribeth glory to any one of Thy names, methinks I can hear the voice of its lamentation in its remoteness from Thee, and can recognize its cry because of its separation from Thy Self. I testify that everything other than Thee is but Thy creation and is held in the hollow of Thy hand. To have accepted any act or praise from Thy creatures is but an evidence of the wonders of Thy grace and bountiful favors, and a manifestation of Thy generosity and providence.

I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by Thy Most Great Name whereby Thou didst separate light from fire, and truth from denial, to send down upon me and upon such of my loved ones as are in my company the good of this world and of the next. Supply us, then, with Thy wondrous gifts that are hid from the eyes of men. Thou art, verily, the Fashioner of all creation. No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most High.

BH07510: O Majid! In truth We have not forgotten thee…

He is the Almighty

O Majid! In truth We have not forgotten thee for a single moment, and have loved thee at all times. Therefore do We remember thee with these words, that thou mayest be among those who dwell in the gladness of love. Be thou steadfast in thy love, then consort with the people with wisdom and speak unto them with wisdom, for this is a beautiful command. Grieve not over what hath befallen Us, but be patient in God and be of the patient ones. God shall soon exalt thy name in preserved Tablets of glory. Thus have We given thee glad tidings in truth, that thou mayest be of those who rejoice. Then remember on Our behalf Abdullah Baqir and protect him in truth. God shall soon grant him that which shall gladden his heart, for verily He is the Powerful, the Mighty. Then remember thy wife with the most excellent remembrance and glorify her countenance, and likewise the wife of thy brother who is named Hasan. Give them both glad tidings of a mighty paradise. And she whom God hath made thy sister—let her be of the devout ones.

BH07468: O my God! I beseech Thee by the light…

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

O my God! I beseech Thee by the light of Thy countenance whereby the horizons were illumined, and by Thy splendor whereby the servants who were set ablaze with the fire of longing were amazed, and by Thy sovereignty which hath transcended all created things, and by Thy manifestation whereby all things were adorned with the ornament of names, and by Thy command which hath encompassed all things, that Thou make me detached from all else save Thee, turning toward the sanctuary of Thy knowledge, mindful in Thy remembrance, and speaking in praise of Thy Self. O my Lord! I am a handmaiden among Thy handmaidens who hath turned to Thee, sincere before Thy face. Look upon me, then, with the glances of the eyes of Thy mercy and Thy gifts, and drive me not, O my God, from Thy door which Thou hast opened unto the faces of all who are in Thy earth and Thy heaven. Then send down upon me from the realm of Thy grace that which will make me steadfast in Thy love and walking in the ways of Thy good-pleasure. Verily, Thou art the Powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and verily, Thou art the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07671: O Thou Imprisoned One!

O Thou Imprisoned One!

Glorified art Thou O my God! Thou seest Thy loved ones, detached from their homes, turning toward the seat of Thy mighty throne, fleeing from Thy enemies to the shelter of Thy mercy and favors. They have borne hardships by land and sea, drawing nigh unto Thee and seeking the sweet-scented breezes of Thy nearness and presence. Yet when they drew near, they were prevented from entering the precincts of Thy mighty oneness and from attaining presence before Thy majestic throne.

And among them, O my God, are those who have sought Thee with pure intention. Therefore, O Lord, accept from them what they have desired in Thy love and good-pleasure. Then ordain for them the reward of those who have attained the presence of Thy Beauty. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Mighty, the Generous.

Furthermore, I beseech Thee, O my God, by the wronged state of the Manifestation of Thyself, the Dayspring of Thine Essence, the Dawning-Place of Thy Will, and the Source of Thy Purpose—He Who was tried in Thy path among the most wretched of Thy creatures and sat beneath their swords while calling them to the heaven of Thy grace—to aid those who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the Mighty, the Powerful.

BH07657: Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I…

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by this Revelation whereby darkness hath been turned into light, through which the Frequented Fane hath been built, and the Written Tablet revealed, and the Outspread Roll uncovered, to send down upon me and upon them who are in my company that which will enable us to soar into the heavens of Thy transcendent glory, and will wash us from the stain of such doubts as have hindered the suspicious from entering into the tabernacle of Thy unity.

I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the cord of Thy loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and favors. Do Thou ordain for me and for my loved ones the good of this world and of the world to come. Supply them, then, with the Hidden Gift Thou didst ordain for the choicest among Thy creatures.

These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast bidden Thy servants to observe the fast. Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy sake and with absolute detachment from all things except Thee. Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. Thou, verily, hast power to do what Thou choosest.

There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

BH07898: O my God! This is another Branch which hath…

In the name of God, the Most Wondrous!

O my God! This is another Branch which hath branched from the Tree that hath yielded the fruit of the knowledge of the Manifestation of Thy most exalted Self, and whom Thou hast purified from the dross of self and passion. I beseech Thee, therefore, O my Best-Beloved, by Thy most beautiful names and Thy most exalted Word and the Supreme Pen, that Thou withhold him not from the outpourings of the glory of Thy merciful nature, nor keep him far from the precinct of Thy mercy and favors. Purify his tongue from the praise of any save Thee, and his heart from turning toward aught except Thyself. Then cause him to be stirred, O my God, by the breezes of Thy Will that waft from the right hand of Thy grace, that he may act according to what Thou hast desired and speak that which Thou lovest, in such wise that his will may be annihilated in Thy will and his purpose in Thy purpose. Verily, Thou art the All-Knowing from Whose knowledge nothing escapeth, and the Almighty Whom nothing frustateth. There is no God but Thee, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Compelling.

BH07722: Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is one…

He is God!

Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is one of Thy handmaidens who hath believed in Thy most wondrous signs in the mystery of Thy most exalted Name, in the garment of the Muhammadan Revelation and the ornament of pre-existence in the temple of eternity. She loved the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Source of Thy Being until she entered the depths of Paradise in the vicinity of Thy greatest mercy under the shade of the Tree of Immortality. She attained unto the presence of Love in the heaven of faithfulness and the kingdom of the divine cloud, and heard the call of God from the Branch of the Divine Essence, the Tree of Splendor, that He is verily God, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the Compelling.

Therefore I beseech Thee, O my God, to grant her from the good things of Thy provision and cause her to hear the melodies of Thy creation. Send down upon her that which will solace her eyes, calm her heart, gladden her soul and cause her tears to flow in longing for meeting Thee, in seeking Thy good-pleasure, and in joy at attaining Thy presence.

Verily, Thou art the One Who hath power over whatsoever Thou willest, and verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07613: This is a remembrance of Baha’u’llah to His servant…

He is the Most Glorious!

This is a remembrance of Baha’u’llah to His servant, that he may thank his Lord with a tongue that is sanctified from the mention of all else. O youth! Hearken unto the call of this Youth, Whom the ungodly sold for the price of their own vain imaginings—and this verily was recorded in the Tablet as a grievous loss. Through this they deprived themselves in this world and the next, and made themselves far removed from the station of nearness.

Thou, therefore, render thanks unto God, thy Lord, and make mention of Him amidst the concourse of the earth, for verily He is thy Guardian. Strive in thy early days to become assured of Him, for He hath sent down unto thee that which is best for thee, and He is, verily, powerful over all things.

Rejoice within thyself that despite thy tender age thou hast attained unto that which no aged elder hath attained. Thus doth God single out whom He pleaseth through His bounty, and verily His bounty hath been abundant toward you.

And glory be upon thee and upon those who have followed the Cause of God and have remained steadfast in His Cause in this mighty Matter.

BH07509: From this Wronged One, the Peerless One, to Majid

From this Wronged One, the Peerless One, to Majid

The Kingdom on that Day shall be God’s, the One, the All-Compelling.

O Majid! Today is your day. Stand firm in the Cause, then aid your Lord to the extent of your ability, that through your name the banner of victory may be raised between earth and heaven. Say “God,” then leave those in whose hearts you find rancor against this Youth, even if all who are in the kingdom of Command and Creation were to be illumined by the sanctified and resplendent lights of your countenance. Arise to serve the Cause through My sovereignty and power. We verily nurtured you with the hands of Our mercy at a time when God’s Cause was forsaken among all creatures. Beware lest you forget the favor of your Lord. We nurtured you for these days wherein intoxication had overtaken all in the kingdom. And the glory be upon you, and upon your wife, and upon her sister, and upon your daughter and her husband, and upon those who today are illumined by the light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the Countenance with resplendent brilliance.

BH07658: Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art…

Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He Who hath created all things through a word uttered by Thy behest, and fashioned the entire creation through the power of Thy sovereignty and might. The mightiest of men are abased before the revelations of Thy glory, and they who are endued with strength tremble when faced with the evidences of Thy might. Every man of insight is bereft of vision when confronted with the effulgence of the glory of Thy face, and he who is possessed of riches is poor and desolate when beholding the plenteousness of Thy wealth.

I implore Thee by Thine All-Glorious Name, wherewith Thou didst adorn all the denizens of the kingdom of Thy revelation and the inmates of the heaven of Thy will, to grant that my soul may be attracted by the sweetness of the melody of the Bird of Heaven that chanteth amidst the branches of the tree of Thy decree that Thou art God, that there is none other God beside Thee.

Cleanse me with the waters of Thy mercy, O my Lord, and make me wholly Thine, and cause me to approach the Tabernacle of Thy Cause and the adored Sanctuary of Thy Presence. Ordain, then, for me all the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy handmaidens, and rain down upon me that which will illuminate my face and enlighten my heart.

Thou hast power to do what Thou willest, and Thou ordainest what Thou pleasest.

BH07652: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou hast drawn the hearts of Thy servants to the horizon of Thy Revelation and caused the hearts of Thy chosen ones to soar in the atmosphere of Thy nearness, to raise up in every city those who will arise to exalt Thy Cause and spread abroad the knowledge of Thee. O Lord! Preserve Thy servants from turning their gaze toward any but Thee and from inclining toward aught except Thyself. Make manifest unto them Thy clear and straight path that they may all attain unto Thee and turn their faces toward the pavilion of Thy nearness. O Lord! Look not upon them and their deeds, but rather look upon Thy mercy and bounty, Thy loving-kindness and Thy favors. Thou hast ever been independent of the worship of Thy creation and self-sufficient above the assistance of Thy servants. I beseech Thee by Thy Self to unite those who have been scattered by the oppression of Thine enemies and dispersed by the rejection of Thy creatures. Then assist them with the hosts of the unseen and the visible. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Most Great. And praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

BH07744: God hath heard the lamentations of His loved ones…

In the name of God, the First without beginning or end.

God hath heard the lamentations of His loved ones who were wronged though they wronged not, and were seized though they seized not, in most lands including Zawra and Hadba and Fayha and Egypt and the Land of Mystery and from the Great City and Alexandria and Mansuriyyih.

Whoso gazeth toward God and is not prevented by the veils of the world will testify to the truth of these ones by what befell them in the path of God, the Cleaver of Dawn. God will soon open the tongues of the people of the world to their remembrance and praise, and verily in His kingdom of might He praiseth them and prayeth for them.

Thou hearest My word, then turn away from desire and hold fast to the Sure Handle and be of the devout and not of the despairing ones. Under all conditions remember thy Lord and be not with the heedless.

Say: Praise be to God Who created me in truth and verily He is the Most Merciful of the merciful ones.

BH07511: O Muhammad! Hearken unto My call and be not…

He is the Almighty.

O Muhammad! Hearken unto My call and be not of those who were heedless of the fragrances of nearness. Then give thanks unto God for having guided thee unto Himself and provided thee with the knowledge of His verses. This is better for thee than all that thou lovest for thyself or desirest. Beware that thou fear no one. Then stand firm in the Cause of God, the Help in Peril, the Mighty, the Powerful. The world and whatsoever is therein shall perish, and glory shall remain unto thy Ancient Lord. By God! Nothing shall grieve the believer, for he hath detached himself from the worlds, and no troubles of the realm shall touch him save separation from the Beloved. But since this is by God’s decree, he accepteth it, yet remembereth it throughout the months and years. Thus do We impart unto thee the word of truth and teach thee the interpretation of traditions. And peace be upon thee and upon those who are firm in the Cause.

BH07664: Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is one…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is one of Thy servants who hath turned toward the horizon of Thy grace and desired the wonders of Thy bounty and favor. He hath attained unto the living waters which were sealed with the seal of Thy might and power. O Lord! Since Thou hast caused me to drink through Thy bounty and sustained me through Thy favor, withhold me not from the wonders of Thy gifts, and keep me not far from the horizon of Thy nearness and grace. O Lord! Make me steadfast in Thy love and Thy Cause, speaking Thy praise and glorification, seeking refuge at Thy threshold. Verily Thou art the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the All-Forgiving. O Lord! Send down upon me from the clouds of Thy mercy that which will open mine eyes, purify my heart, sanctify my soul, and hallow my breast, that I may turn wholly unto Thee and be detached from all else but Thee. Verily, Thou art the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Wise. All praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH07969: O Thou Who settest aflame the hearts of lovers!…

He is the Most Great, the Most Great!

O Thou Who settest aflame the hearts of lovers! I beseech Thee by the Luminary of the horizons to send down into the hearts of Thy loved ones a tranquility from Thy presence, lest tribulations prevent them from turning to Thee.

How sweet, O my God, are Thy tribulations to the taste of them that are near unto Thee from among Thy servants, and how delectable are Thy decrees to the tongues of them that are sincere from among Thy loved ones!

By Thy glory! The head of Baha, despite all that hath befallen it through trials, doth not rest upon the pillow, nor doth his body find repose upon the couch. Can the eyes of the lovers taste the sweet slumber of sleep, and can the fire of longing which Thou hast kindled in the heart be quenched? Nay, by Thy Self, O Lord of all existence and King of the Day of Mutual Calling!

Blessed, doubly blessed are those servants of Thine through whose tongues Thou callest Thyself and through whom Thou makest mention of Thy sovereignty. By Thy glory! This proceedeth solely from Thy loving-kindness and mercy, Thy bounty and grace, and from their having borne in Thy love what none among Thy creation bore before them. Thou art, in truth, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH07482: Give thanks unto thy Lord at all times. Beware…

He is the Most Exalted, the Most Mighty

Give thanks unto thy Lord at all times. Beware lest thou be saddened by what hath befallen thee in His love and good-pleasure. Soon shall the world pass away, and glory and power shall remain for the loved ones of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Chosen One.

Grieve not in thy separation from thy homeland, nor in thy remoteness from the Seat of the All-Merciful. Verily, the homeland of My loved ones is the shadow of My tender care, the pavilions of My grandeur, and the canopy of My majesty, wheresoever they may be. They abide beneath the shade of My mercy and bounty—eyes apprehend Him not, but He apprehendeth all eyes.

Be not grieved by exile, for God hath made it a means of drawing thee nearer to thy Lord. He desireth for thee naught save that which shall draw thee closer to thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving. Beware lest thou neglect the remembrance of God or do that which would sadden the heart of My servant. Thus doth He Who controlleth night and day command thee.

And the glory be upon thee and upon them that have believed in God, the Lord of might and power.

BH07540: O Zaman! In the Name of God, the Luminous…

O Zaman! In the Name of God, the Luminous, the Most Luminous!

It behooveth not them that are endued with justice to engage in contention with the loved ones of God and the seekers of the divine sanctuary who, for the love of God, have quaffed the cup of tribulation. These leaves have been moved from their outward homeland and dwelling by the winds of the divine Will and drawn to the eternal divine homeland.

Therefore, it is more fitting for any opposer to prevent the winds rather than prevent the leaf, for the will and movement of the leaf depends upon this divine breeze and holy, glorious zephyr. And as long as He continues to blow and pass by, this leaf shall remain in motion, attraction and fervor.

Exalted then is this breeze which bloweth from the direction of holiness and payeth no heed to the opposition of them that are in the realm, and exalted is He Who sent it with truth—verily He is the Mighty, the Generous.

God willing, may the loved ones of God ever drink from the wine of His love and remain focused on His direction. And the glory be upon thee.

BH07653: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech…

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by them who hastened to the field of martyrdom, yearning to attain Thy presence, and by the blood that hath been shed in Thy path, and by the heads that were raised upon spears for love of Thee and Thy good-pleasure, and by the hearts that were consumed in separation from Thee, and by Thy Most Great Name through which Thou hast distinguished between Thy servants and Thy creatures, that Thou make me steadfast in Thy love and content with Thy good-pleasure and a helper to Thy Cause. Make me so firm that should all mankind oppose Thee, I would arise by myself to exalt Thy Cause and manifest Thy bounty. Then ordain for me, O my God, what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones, and separate me not from Thee in the worlds of Thy Cause. Grant me moreover the good of this world and the world to come.

I am he who, O my God, hath acknowledged Thy unity and confessed Thy oneness, who hath turned toward Thee and drawn nigh unto the sanctuary of Thy nearness. Thou art my Beloved in both this world and the next, and my Purpose in all conditions. There is none other God but Thee, the Exalted, the Most High.

BH07650: Lawh-i-Munajat

In the name of God, the Most Glorious!

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by the prayer wherewith Thy Messengers and Thy chosen ones have called upon Thee, and I ask Thee by Thy Name through which those near unto Thee have made their supplications in the past, and I say: O God! I beseech Thee by Thy most glorious Beauty, and all Thy Beauty is indeed glorious. O my God and my Beloved! This is the Name wherewith Thou hast adorned the preamble of the Tablet of Eternity, and made it the ornament of Thine own Self, O Thou Who art the Sovereign of the kingdoms of names. And Thou hast commanded all to recite it at dawn, that none among those endowed with vision might be debarred therefrom. O my God! I beseech Thee by this Most Great Name that Thou make me steadfast in His love and His good-pleasure, in such wise that I turn to none except Him, and hold fast to none but Him, and accept none save Him. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Help in Peril. And praise be to God, the Sovereign, the Protector, the Bountiful.

BH07663: Magnified by Thy name, O Lord my God! Behold…

In His Name, the Most Great

Magnified by Thy name, O Lord my God! Behold Thou mine eye expectant to gaze on the wonders of Thy mercy, and mine ear longing to hearken unto Thy sweet melodies, and my heart yearning for the living waters of Thy knowledge. Thou seest Thy handmaiden, O my God, standing before the habitation of Thy mercy, and calling upon Thee by Thy name which Thou hast chosen above all other names and set up over all that are in heaven and on earth. Send down upon her the breaths of Thy mercy, that she may be carried away wholly from herself, and be drawn entirely towards the seat which, resplendent with the glory of Thy face, sheddeth afar the radiance of Thy sovereignty, and is established as Thy throne. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. No God is there beside Thee, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.

Cast not out, I entreat Thee, O my Lord, them that have sought Thee, and turn not away such as have directed their steps towards Thee, and deprive not of Thy grace all that love Thee. Thou art He, O my Lord, Who hath called Himself the God of Mercy, the Most Compassionate. Have mercy, then, upon Thy handmaiden who hath sought Thy shelter, and set her face towards Thee. Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

BH07668: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify that every new remembrance is prevented from ascending to the heaven of Thy knowledge, and every beauteous praise is barred from rising to the atmosphere of Thy wisdom. From time immemorial Thou hast been sanctified above the mention of Thy servants and exalted beyond the description of those who are nigh unto Thee. What relation can nothingness have with preexistence? I testify that the unity professed by those who recognize Thy oneness and the ultimate praise of those who know Thee returneth unto that Station which was created by the Pen of Thy Command and brought into being by Thy Will. By Thy glory, O Beloved of Baha and Creator of Baha! Baha seeth naught in himself save utter impotence to mention or praise Thee as befitteth Thy greatness and glory. Since this is so, I beseech Thee by Thy mercy which hath preceded all created things and by Thy grace which hath encompassed all contingent beings to accept from Thy servants whatsoever appeareth from them in Thy path. Then aid them to exalt Thy Word and to spread Thy remembrance. Verily Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Wise.

BH07669: Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest that the ungodly have prevented the Pen of the Command from mentioning Thy mysteries, and have occupied the outposts and are hindering Thy servants from turning to the horizon of Thy glory and majesty.

But those who have sought Thy presence, whether male or female, long for the breezes of Thy favors to waft over them and for Thy traces to be sent unto them, even though thereby, O my God, trials from the people of hatred are intensified against us. Yet Thou knowest that I have not sought preservation for myself in Thy path, nor rest in Thy love.

Send down upon every soul that hath turned unto Thee that which Thou hast sent down from the heaven of Thy Will and the atmosphere of Thy Purpose, that Thy melodies may draw them and bring them to the station Thou hast ordained for them.

I beseech Thee, O Lord of the worlds, to assist Thy loved ones with the wonders of Thy assistance, for they have taken no helper besides Thee, and Thou art aware of the love for Thee that dwelleth in their hearts. Verily, Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH07674: Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou seest how…

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou seest how the earth hath become straitened for Thy loved ones, and how the eyes of Thy servants have turned away from them. At all times do they call upon Thee and seek Thy presence, and lament in their separation from Thee. But when Thou didst manifest the Manifestation of Thyself among them through Thy sovereignty and power, they turned away from Thee and denied Thy signs and rejected Thy clear tokens, after Thou hadst desired through the revelation of Thy Cause naught but to admit them into Thy Kingdom and dominion and to make them abide eternally through Thine eternity. And Thou seest, O my God, how after their rejection and denial they killed Thy loved ones and shed their blood in most lands, and persisted in error until they took captive the Manifestation of Thy Beauty and His kindred and loved ones from Baghdad and brought them to Mosul the hunchbacked. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for what hath befallen us in Thy path at the hands of the oppressors among Thy creatures. I thank Thee in all circumstances, for verily Thou art the Most High, the Most Exalted.

BH07677: He it is Who is seated upon the throne…

He it is Who is seated upon the throne of grandeur and power

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest that Baha has desired naught except to exalt Thy Word and to win Thy good-pleasure, and has purposed only what Thou hast purposed through Thy command and what Thou hast revealed in Thy perspicuous Book. At all times doth he drink deep of the cup of tribulation in Thy path.

By Thy glory! If I have turned toward my kindred, it was only because I knew of their afflictions in Thy love and their adversities in Thy Cause and their turning toward the Kaaba of Thy Beauty. And I have loved my branches only for the exaltation of Thy sovereignty and what Thou hast ordained for them in Thy mighty Book. And I have manifested myself only by Thy command and have desired it only for Thy remembrance and praise. Thou art the One Who knoweth what is within my soul, and Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

O my Lord! Aid Thy loved ones who have tasted the bitterness of tribulations in Thy love to be steadfast in Thy Cause and to turn their gaze toward Thy direction in all conditions. Thou art the Mighty, the Most Exalted.

BH07683: Glory be to Thee, O King of eternity…

In His Name, the Most Mighty

Glory be to Thee, O King of eternity, and the Maker of nations, and the Fashioner of every moldering bone! I pray Thee, by Thy Name through which Thou didst call all mankind unto the horizon of Thy majesty and glory, and didst guide Thy servants to the court of Thy grace and favors, to number me with such as have rid themselves from everything except Thyself, and have set themselves towards Thee, and have not been kept back by such misfortunes as were decreed by Thee, from turning in the direction of Thy gifts.

I have laid hold, O my Lord, on the handle of Thy bounty, and clung steadfastly to the hem of the robe of Thy favor. Send down, then, upon me, out of the clouds of Thy generosity, what will purge out from me the remembrance of any one except Thee, and make me able to turn unto Him Who is the Object of the adoration of all mankind, against Whom have been arrayed the stirrers of sedition, who have broken Thy covenant, and disbelieved in Thee and in Thy signs.

Deny me not, O my Lord, the fragrances of Thy raiment in Thy days, and deprive me not of the breathings of Thy Revelation at the appearance of the splendors of the light of Thy face. Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Naught can resist Thy will, nor frustrate what Thou hast purposed by Thy power.

No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

BH07688: Lauded be Thy name, O Thou in Whose hands…

Lauded be Thy name, O Thou in Whose hands is the kingdom of all names, and in the grasp of Whose might are all that are in heaven and all that are on earth! I entreat Thee, by Him Who is Thy Most Effulgent Name Whom Thou hast made a target for the darts of Thy decree in Thy path, O Thou the King of eternity, to rend asunder the veils that have shut off Thy creatures from the horizon of Thy glory, that haply they may turn their faces in the direction of Thy mercy, and draw nigh unto the Day-Spring of Thy loving-kindness.

Leave not Thy servants to themselves, O my Lord! Draw them through the influence of Thine utterances unto the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration, and to the Fountain of Thy Revelation, and to the Treasury of Thy wisdom. Thou art He to Whose strength and power all things have testified, Whose Purpose nothing whatsoever of all that hath been created in Thy heaven and on Thy earth hath been able to frustrate.

Render, then, victorious, O my God, Thy servants who have set their faces towards Thee, and directed their steps to the seat of Thy grace. Send down, then, upon them what will keep them safe from the danger of turning to any one but Thee, and from fixing their eyes upon aught else except Thyself.

Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and to rule as Thou pleasest. There is no God but Thee, the God of glory and wisdom.

BH07689: Lauded be Thy name, O Thou Who beholdest all…

Lauded be Thy name, O Thou Who beholdest all things and art hidden from all things! From every land Thou hearest the lamentations of them that love Thee, and from every direction Thou hearkenest unto the cries of such as have recognized Thy sovereignty. Were their oppressors to be asked:

“Wherefore have ye oppressed them and held them in bondage in Baghdad and elsewhere? What injustice have they committed? Whom have they betrayed? Whose blood have they spilled, and whose property have they plundered?”

they would know not what to answer.

Thou knowest full well, O my God, that their only crime is to have loved Thee. For this reason have their oppressors laid hold on them, and scattered them abroad. Aware as I am, O my God, that Thou wilt send down upon Thy servants only what is good for them, I nevertheless beseech Thee, by Thy name which overshadoweth all things, to raise up, for their assistance and as a sign of Thy grace and as an evidence of Thy power, those who will keep them safe from all their adversaries.

Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. Thou art, verily, the Supreme Ruler, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07721: Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I…

He is the Healer, Sufficer, the Help in need

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by Thy Name, through which Thou didst lift up the ensigns of Thy guidance, and didst shed the radiance of Thy loving-kindness, and didst reveal the sovereignty of Thy Lordship; through which the lamp of Thy names hath appeared within the niche of Thine attributes, and He Who is the Tabernacle of Thy unity and the Manifestation of detachment hath shone forth; through which the ways of Thy guidance were made known, and the paths of Thy good pleasure were marked out; through which the foundations of error have been made to tremble, and the signs of wickedness have been abolished; through which the fountains of wisdom have burst forth, and the heavenly table hath been sent down; through which Thou didst preserve Thy servants and didst vouchsafe Thy healing; through which Thou didst show forth Thy tender mercies unto Thy servants and revealedst Thy forgiveness amidst Thy creatures—I implore Thee to keep safe him who hath held fast and returned unto Thee, and clung to Thy mercy, and seized the hem of Thy loving providence. Send down, then, upon him Thy healing, and make him whole, and endue him with a constancy vouchsafed by Thee, and a tranquillity bestowed by Thy highness.

Thou art, verily, the Healer, the Preserver, the Helper, the Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.

BH07782: Praised be Thou, O my God! How can I…

Praised be Thou, O my God! How can I thank Thee for having singled me out and chosen me above all Thy servants to reveal Thee, at a time when all had turned away from Thy beauty! I testify, O my God, that if I were given a thousand lives by Thee, and offered them up all in Thy path, I would still have failed to repay the least of the gifts which, by Thy grace, Thou hast bestowed upon me.

I lay asleep on the bed of self when lo, Thou didst waken me with the divine accents of Thy voice, and didst unveil to me Thy beauty, and didst enable me to listen to Thine utterances, and to recognize Thy Self, and to speak forth Thy praise, and to extol Thy virtues, and to be steadfast in Thy love. Finally I fell a captive into the hands of the wayward among Thy servants.

Thou beholdest, therefore, the exile which I suffer in Thy days, and art aware of my vehement longing to look upon Thy face, and of mine irrepressible yearnings to enter the court of Thy glory, and of the stirrings of my heart under the influences of the winds of Thy mercy.

I entreat Thee, O Thou Who art the Ruler of the kingdoms of creation and the Author of all names, to write down my name with the names of them who, from eternity, have circled round the Tabernacle of Thy majesty, and clung to the hem of Thy loving-kindness, and held fast the cord of Thy tender mercy.

Thou art, in truth, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

BH07787: There is no God but Him and none besides…

There is no God but Him and none besides Him exists

Say: The sun of the remembrance of our Lord, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, has dawned from the Dayspring of the Cause. Thereupon the ungodly dispersed from around it, and this is naught but a grievous punishment. And verily it is God’s mercy unto the righteous and His vengeance unto the wicked. Thus has the matter been decreed by the finger of might and power. Say: O concourse of unbelievers! Whether you believe or disbelieve, it is all the same in this blessed and luminous presence. Whoso believes in God and His signs, it shall profit his own soul, and whoso turns away, it shall be to his own detriment. Verily He is independent of all the world’s wealth. Nothing increases Him and no command diminishes Him. Verily He does what He wishes and ordains what He desires. And you, O believer in God, remind those whom drunkenness has overtaken in these days. Then be steadfast in yourself that through you the troubled servants of God may become steadfast. Thus have We commanded you that you may be among those who act.

BH07795: The Pen of the Most High declareth: O My…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

The Pen of the Most High declareth: O My handmaiden and daughter of My handmaiden! Praise the Desire of the world that thou hast drunk from the Most Great Ocean and attained unto the love of the Ancient Beauty, and that in these days when the rain of mercy is descending, and the breezes from the garment of the All-Merciful are wafting, and the fruits of the divine Lote-Tree are appearing, and all creation is adorned and illumined with the ornament of the spring of the All-Merciful, thou wast not deprived but wast crowned with His remembrance. Strive thou to drink and to give others to drink from the Kawthar of grace with the utmost steadfastness and constancy. Be thou joyous in the remembrance of God and detached from all else beside Him. The glances of divine favors have been and will continue to be upon you. Know ye the value of this bounty and count it as a precious gift. Verily, He is with His servants who have believed and His handmaidens who have turned with their whole being unto God, the Single, the One, the All-Subduing, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

BH07847: I know not, O my God, what the Fire…

I know not, O my God, what the Fire is which Thou didst kindle in Thy land. Earth can never cloud its splendor, nor water quench its flame. All the peoples of the world are powerless to resist its force. Great is the blessedness of him that hath drawn nigh unto it, and heard its roaring.

Some, O my God, Thou didst, through Thy strengthening grace, enable to approach it, while others Thou didst keep back by reason of what their hands have wrought in Thy days. Whoso hath hasted towards it and attained unto it hath, in his eagerness to gaze on Thy beauty, yielded his life in Thy path, and ascended unto Thee, wholly detached from aught else except Thyself.

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by this Fire which blazeth and rageth in the world of creation, to rend asunder the veils that have hindered me from appearing before the throne of Thy majesty, and from standing at the door of Thy gate. Do Thou ordain for me, O my Lord, every good thing Thou didst send down in Thy Book, and suffer me not to be far removed from the shelter of Thy mercy.

Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the All-Powerful, the Most Generous.

BH11819: These are days the like of which no eye…

He is

These are days the like of which no eye in all creation hath ever seen, and no created being hath ever comprehended. At all times ye must take refuge with God, that perchance ye may remain preserved through the protection of the Lord of the Day of Judgment from the schemes of the schemers and the deceptions of the deceivers. For the schemes of the schemers have reached such a point that if all the pens in the celestial realm were to attempt to enumerate them, they would surely prove powerless and fall short. And if they should grow weary or unable to deceive while people are awake, they resort to the realm of sleep and make mention of dreams, that perchance they might cause some innocent soul to stray from the straight path. They are heedless that the educating hand of the divine Lord and the grasp of the power of the Eternal trains servants who will not take their eyes from the beauty of the Friend even should the arrows of tribulation rain down from the clouds of destiny, and who count all that exists as utter nothingness, as though it had never been mentioned.

BH11822: Days have come wherein souls are agitated and countenances…

In the name of God, the Powerful, the All-Knowing!

Days have come wherein souls are agitated and countenances are changed, except for those who have detached themselves unto God and held fast to the cord of God, the Lord of all worlds. His face is illumined by the lights of the Countenance. We bear witness that he is of those who are drawn nigh. O handmaiden of God! Verily thy Lord remembereth His male and female servants. He is, in truth, possessed of great bounty. His companion hath become the remembrance of His loved ones in this remote prison. This was for naught save the face of God, the King, the Help in Peril, the Almighty, the Powerful. Then know thou that the Youth was commanded to make mention of the servants from the All-Merciful and was forbidden by Satan. He cast aside the latter and took hold of the former, even though He found Himself in manifest peril. We beseech God to influence the hearts of His servants through that which descendeth from His Throne, and to enable them to attain unto the station which He hath ordained for them in His exalted Kingdom. Hold thou fast unto the cord of God and summon all who are in the realm. And praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

BH11507: Soon will that which was closed be opened…

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

Soon will that which was closed be opened, and that which was joined be separated, and he who was barred will enter, and that which was united will be divided, and that which was difficult will become easy, and that which was hidden will be revealed. Ponder, O ye who are endued with insight, that ye may understand what hath been inscribed of mysteries. O servants of the All-Merciful! Hearken unto the call that hath been raised from the right hand of the throne of your Lord, the Mighty, the Bountiful. Then aid Him amongst all created things, that the dwellers of the cities of eternity may glory in you in the kingdom of names.

Beware lest the world hold you back from the direction of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Cast it behind you and turn toward the Lord of Names and Creator of heaven. Thus hath the Pen of Destiny commanded you from the presence of One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Blessed is he who soareth in the atmosphere of the mercy of his Lord, and whom the calumnies of such souls as have turned away from the signs and denied the evidences have not held back. Verily, he is among the most exalted of creatures in the sight of the Truth. Upon him be the mercy of God and His blessings. Verily, he dwelleth in the highest horizon before the throne of his Lord, the Most High, the Most Great.

BH11825: This is a Book from Us to him who…

In the Name of God, the Most Manifest, the Most Manifest

This is a Book from Us to him who hath laid hold on the Most Great Handle in these days wherein eyes are blinded, that the verses of his Lord may attract him in such wise as to detach him from all who are on earth, and cause him to celebrate the praise of the Creator of names, both in private and in public. Arise thou above the horizon of certitude and remind, through wisdom and utterance, them that have forgotten the remembrance of their Lord, the All-Merciful. Thus hath commanded thee the Daystar of the horizons in this dawning. Turn not unto them that say what they understand not. Be thou severed from them and take hold of the hem of thy Lord’s mercy, the Almighty, the Unconstrained. Rejoice thou with the glad-tidings of the Spirit, for He dwelleth at the very heart of joy and rapture, after that which befell Him such as hath befallen no one else in all creation, and thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful, beareth witness unto this. The world hath no worth in thy Lord’s sight. Soon shall perish all that thou beholdest, and there shall endure that which hath been ordained for thee in the kingdom of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Forgiving.

BH11827: This letter is from the Lord of Names…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Great

This letter is from the Lord of Names to him who hath drunk the cup of destiny in His path, that he may soar on the wings of detachment in the atmosphere of the love of his Lord, the Creator of all things, the Sovereign of invention. O thou who soarest in Mine atmosphere! Hearken unto My call from the right hand of My throne, that the cry of Him Who is the Chosen One may attract thee in such wise that the oppression of the wicked ones may not grieve thee. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Powerful, the Almighty. Blessed art thou, inasmuch as thou hast remained steadfast in My Cause, and gone forth in My Name, and turned towards My countenance. Soon shalt thou behold thyself in the most exalted station, while the wrongdoers shall be in the fire of torment. Be thou assured through the bounty of thy Lord, then turn thy face towards the Kaaba of thy Quest. Say:

O my Lord, the Mighty, the Loving! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which the lands were shaken and the servants were troubled and through which Thou didst distinguish between all created things, to protect me beneath the shadow of Thy great mercy. Verily, Thou doest what Thou willest. In Thy grasp is the kingdom of all things. Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

BH11828: Say: Baha doth not await deliverance from the tribulations…

He is the Most Great, the Most Holy!

Say: Baha doth not await deliverance from the tribulations ordained for Him, nor doth He seek release, but saith:

“O my God! Shouldst Thou desire, remove me from these horizons, that the people of hypocrisy—who have denied the Day of Separation and broken the Covenant—may no longer behold me. O Lord! Thou knowest what is within my soul and beholdest my dwelling place. Decree, then, what Thou willest. By Thy glory! What Thou hast purposed is my purpose, and what Thou hast desired is my desire in this world and the next.”

Verily thou, O servant, must give thanks for having become a captive in My love and subdued through following My command and turning unto My face. Beware lest thou grieve at this, for by My glory, My majesty, My greatness and My grandeur, We have ordained for you that which shall stupefy minds, and We shall seize those who have wronged with a mighty grasp from Our presence. And I am the All-Compelling, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting.

BH11829: God hath heard thy mention and thy praise, then…

In His Name, the Rememberer

God hath heard thy mention and thy praise, then thy call. Verily, He heareth what proceedeth from the tongues of His loved ones, and He is the Best of Hearers. Make mention of Him in such wise that through thee His mention and praise may be spread abroad. Verily, He is with thee and He is the Guardian of those who do good. Know thou moreover that the Youth hath been forbidden from making mention, else would I have bestowed upon thee that which would set the worlds aflame. My heart lamenteth and Mine eye weepeth, yet the tongue speaketh in praise of the All-Merciful amidst the concourse of all worlds, that thereby may be kindled the hearts of them that have detached themselves from all else but God. Verily, they dwell in the highest paradise though they be dwelling upon the dust among them that abide. O thou who art wondrous in love! Rend asunder the veils of them that are heedless, then set ablaze the hearts of them that are endued with understanding with the fire of the mention of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Bestowing. Thus doth the Youth command thee at a time when afflictions have encompassed Him from every direction. And verily thy Lord is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

BH08034: Hearken unto the Call from the direction of Grandeur…

He is the Most Great, the Most Glorious

Hearken unto the Call from the direction of Grandeur in the sacred white spot from the Sidrat’ul-Muntaha—verily there is no God but Him, the Lord of the First and the Last. When thou hast turned and heard from the direction of Glory His sweetest call, arise in the name of thy Lord amongst His servants and remind them of this Cause, by which the hearts of those possessed of understanding have been sorely troubled. Beware lest what exists in the worlds prevent thee from turning to God, thy Lord, the All-Merciful.

Seize thou His days, then follow what hath been sent down from the right hand of the throne of thy Lord, the Cleaver of the seed and the stone. Thus have We inspired thee that thou mayest rejoice within thyself and be steadfast in the Cause of God, thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Glorious. By My life! Were all who are on earth to turn to the Word which the Tongue of Grandeur and Power doth speak, it would surely draw them unto God. Blessed is he who remembers and fears.

BH08244: Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! I…

Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy power that hath encompassed all created things, and by Thy sovereignty that hath transcended the entire creation, and by Thy Word which was hidden in Thy wisdom and whereby Thou didst create Thy heaven and Thy earth, both to enable us to be steadfast in our love for Thee and in our obedience to Thy pleasure, and to fix our gaze upon Thy face, and celebrate Thy glory. Empower us, then, O my God, to spread abroad Thy signs among Thy creatures, and to guard Thy Faith in Thy realm. Thou hast ever existed independently of the mention of any of Thy creatures, and wilt remain as Thou hast been for ever and ever.

In Thee I have placed my whole confidence, unto Thee I have turned my face, to the cord of Thy loving providence I have clung, and towards the shadow of Thy mercy I have hastened. Cast me not as one disappointed out of Thy door, O my God, and withhold not from me Thy grace, for Thee alone do I seek. No God is there beside Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.

Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Beloved of them that have known Thee!

BH08131: O handmaiden of God! I pray that thou mayest…

He is the Most Great, the Most Great

O handmaiden of God! I pray that thou mayest be engaged with utmost yearning and attraction in the remembrance of the Luminary of the horizons, and remain firm and steadfast in His love with perfect sanctity and detachment, and drink at all times from the living waters which flow from the Finger of the Will of the All-Merciful.

I swear by the Most Great Name that the birds soaring in the atmosphere of longing and attraction regard all who are on earth as more insignificant than the black speck in the eye of a lifeless ant. Therefore, whosoever in these divine days hath turned toward the Most Holy and Most Glorious Horizon must not become saddened by the transient occurrences of this mortal world, and must at all times be attracted and enraptured by the praise of the Beloved Lord, in such wise that the people of the earth may perceive and recognize from him the warmth of divine love.

Blessed art thou for having believed in God and turned toward His Holy and Luminous Horizon.

BH08285: Verily He is living in this Most Glorious Horizon

Verily He is living in this Most Glorious Horizon.

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, and that this is indeed ʿAli in the Most Glorious Horizon, then Muhammad in the heaven of grandeur, then the Spirit in the heaven of destiny, then He Who conversed with God in the cities of names, then the Friend in the Supreme Concourse, then Husayn in the fields of origination, then the Wronged One before God, the King, the Mighty, the Great, the All-High. And thou, O servant, bear witness to that which hath flowed from the tongue of God. By God! Whoso attaineth unto this testimony, God shall raise him up on the Day of Resurrection with a mighty sovereignty and shall make him to sit with the Prophets and Messengers, and shall send down upon him at every moment a mercy that no created thing between the heavens and the earth can equal. We beseech God to enable thee to accomplish that which thou hast been commanded. Verily He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

BH08305: Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses…

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

Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses and made them a shining lamp! O people, illumine yourselves with its light and deprive not your souls of the lights of the Cause. Await ye at all times the grace and mercy of God, for His mercy hath ever preceded all creation. Know then, O servant, that those who have believed in God and His verses and have sought His presence—verily We shall raise up their spirits in the most beauteous form before the Throne at the time of their heedlessness thereof, for We have ever been powerful over all things. And We shall manifest unto them from the lights of Beauty and cause them to hear wondrous melodies and provide them with sublime fruits of knowledge. And thou, O servant, recognize thou the grace and mercy of God upon thee and upon those who have held fast to the mighty, unfailing handle.

BH08132: The Most Holy, The Most Glorious

The Most Holy, The Most Glorious

O My handmaiden! Hearken in this luminous morn unto the Divine Call from the Most Glorious Horizon, and with heart and soul occupy thyself with the remembrance of the All-Merciful. Thy remembrance is mentioned before the Throne, and from the Dayspring of the All-Merciful utterance this most holy, most exalted Tablet hath shone forth and been sent unto thee. May it be that thou shalt at all times be occupied with the remembrance of the True One and be detached from all else. Let not the happenings of the world cause thee grief. Soon all shall perish and the True One shall endure. Melt away the darkening clouds of the world through the heat of His remembrance and walk in the expansive atmosphere of His will, in such wise that each of the handmaidens may witness in thee the signs of the love of God. This is the foundation and source of all good. Previously a Tablet was specifically revealed and sent to that handmaiden, and this is yet another time, as a grace from His presence. Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

BH08245: Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I pray…

In the Name of God, the One, the Incomparable, the Self-Subsisting

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I pray Thee, by Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs and the Manifestation of Thy names, and the Treasury of Thine inspiration, and the Repository of Thy wisdom, to send upon Thy loved ones that which will enable them to cleave steadfastly to Thy Cause, and to recognize Thy unity, and to acknowledge Thy oneness, and to bear witness to Thy divinity. Raise them up, O my God, to such heights that they will recognize in all things the tokens of the power of Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy most august and all-glorious Self.

Thou art He, O my Lord, Who doeth what He willeth, and ordaineth what He pleaseth. Every possessor of power is forlorn before the revelations of Thy might, and every fountain of honor becomes abject when confronted by the manifold evidences of Thy great glory.

I beseech Thee, by Thyself and by whatsoever is of Thee, to grant that I may help Thy Cause and speak of Thy praise, and set my heart on the sanctuary of Thy glory, and detach myself from all that pertaineth not unto Thee. No God is there beside Thee, the God of power, the God of glory and wisdom.

BH08600: O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine…

In the name of God, the Most Holy

O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names.

I am he, O my Lord, that hath set his face towards Thee, and fixed his hope on the wonders of Thy grace and the revelations of Thy bounty. I pray Thee that Thou wilt not suffer me to turn away disappointed from the door of Thy mercy, nor abandon me to such of Thy creatures as have repudiated Thy Cause.

I am, O my God, Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I have recognized Thy truth in Thy days, and have directed my steps towards the shores of Thy oneness, confessing Thy singleness, acknowledging Thy unity, and hoping for Thy forgiveness and pardon. Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest; no God is there beside Thee, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving.

BH08155: O imprisoned one!

O imprisoned one!

O My God, Thou seest Thy chosen ones under the talons of Thine enemies, and Thy loved ones in the grasp of the wicked among Thy creatures. O Lord, Thou seest their eyes turned toward the Dayspring of Thy revelation and the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration, their hearts anticipating the wonders of Thy grace and loving-kindness. How many are the faces that have been changed by the buffetings of the infidels among Thy creatures, and how many the breasts that have been pierced by the arrows of the deniers in Thy path!

I beseech Thee, O King of names and Creator of earth and heaven, by Thy clouds of mercy to send down upon Thy loved ones that which will draw them nigh unto Thee and cause them to dwell near Thy mercy in every world of Thy worlds. Then accept from them what they desired in Thy love and good-pleasure, and ordain for them the good of this world and the world to come through Thy bounty and favors and care and loving-kindness.

Verily Thou art the Powerful over what Thou willest, and Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful.

BH08602: O Thou Whose mercy hath preceded all created things…

In the Name of God, the Most Wondrous, the Most Impregnable, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious

O Thou Whose mercy hath preceded all created things and Whose grace hath encompassed all who dwell on earth and in heaven! Through Thy Name the Tree of the Bayan hath yielded the fruits of divine knowledge, and through Thy remembrance the hearts of them that are detached have been adorned with the ornament of certitude. I beseech Thee by Thy Name, the Most Merciful, to clothe me with the robes of Thy mercy and loving-kindness, and to number me among such handmaidens as have turned unto Thee and have detached themselves from all else besides Thee, whom neither the intimations of the ungodly nor the words of the wayward have prevented from Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. O Lord! Illumine my heart with the light of Thy knowledge and my eyes with the collyrium of Thy recognition, that I may know Thee through Thine own Self and stand firm in Thy love and good-pleasure. Thou art He Who hath ever been powerful over whatsoever He willeth. There is none other God but Thee, the Most High, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Bountiful. Praise be unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

BH08181: Two pages arrived on Wednesday. Every word therein testified…

He is God.

Two pages arrived on Wednesday. Every word therein testified to the oneness of the Divine Essence and the sanctification of God’s Being from likeness and similitude. Blessed be your pen and ink and the paper honored by your mention. We beseech God to cause His servants through you to enter the depths of the ocean of His oneness, and to give them to drink, through your mention, the Kawthar of life, and through your utterance, the choice wine of divine knowledge, and to aid you with the hosts of knowledge and wisdom in such wise that through you the cities of the horizons and of hearts may be opened. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved.

O Thou Who art the apple of Mine eye! My glory, the ocean of My loving-kindness, the sun of My bounty, the heaven of My mercy rest upon Thee. We pray God to illumine the world through Thy knowledge and wisdom, to ordain for Thee that which will gladden Thine heart and impart consolation to Thine eyes. He is, verily, potent over all things. Glory, mercy and praise be upon Thee, and upon whosoever circleth around Thee.

BH08434: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having…

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

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having kindled the lamp of Thy oneness between Thy heaven and earth, and for having nourished it with the oil of Thy wisdom and Thy command, and protected it with the glass of Thy power and might. O Lord! The lamp, with the tongue of its inner reality, declares:

“O my God! Thou seest me and knowest what lies within my secret being. I have not revealed myself in all regions except that Thy creation and Thy creatures might be illumined by me, as all those possessed of insight witness the manifestations of my light. Despite this, the winds of discord have surrounded me from every direction, and Thou seest me, O my God, in the hands of the wicked. I know not how long Thou wilt leave me in Thy domains, after which it desires to ascend from Thee to the repository of the glory of Thy oneness and the source of the light of Thy singleness. I beseech Thee, O Sender and Controller of the winds, to illumine the world through it. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.”

BH08504: O My maidservant! Hearken unto My call. By My…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Glorious

O My maidservant! Hearken unto My call. By My majesty and glory, the Voice that riseth from the mouth of Baha is not on account of what hath befallen Him at the hands of the wicked ones. Rather, it riseth solely out of His longing and yearning to make mention of thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Wise.

Be thou patient and grieve not over what hath befallen thee in My path. God hath ordained for thee and His handmaidens the reward of those who have attained His presence and beheld His beauty. He, verily, is the Protector of those who do good, the Lord of the beneficent.

Be thou thankful unto thy Lord in hardship and ease. By My life! All who are on earth shall perish, while sovereignty remaineth with thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

Rejoice thou in My Name, then make mention of thy Lord in the watches of the night and at the break of day. Thus hath thy Lord, the Unconstrained, commanded thee. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the All-Wise.

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