Volume 076: Akka 1302 A.H. (1884–1885), Part II (5 of 6)

BH00098: God testifieth that there is none other God but…

Section 1: “God testifieth that there is none other God…”

He is the One Who gazeth from His Most Exalted Horizon

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, and He Who hath come with the truth is verily the Dayspring of verses and the Manifestor of clear proofs. Through Him were the Books sent down and that which was recorded in the Mother Book was made manifest. O thou who hast turned toward My horizon, hearken unto My call from the precincts of My prison. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the All-Bestowing. Say: By God! He Who was recorded in God’s Books and concealed in His knowledge hath come. Come ye, O peoples of the earth, that ye may hear what the Ear of Moses heard on the Sinai of Divine Utterance. Say: Fear ye God and follow not your desires. Rend ye asunder the veils of idle fancies in the name of your Lord, the Lord of all mankind. This is the Day whereon all things proclaim: The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord of Lords.

There hath come before the Wronged One a letter from him who hath arisen to serve My Cause, who hath voiced My praise, who hath drunk the choice wine of My love from the hand of My bounty, who hath attained My presence and stood before the door of My grandeur, and hath heard My sweetest call, wherein was thy mention. We make mention of thee with a remembrance whose fragrance shall not cease to endure so long as the names of thy Lord, the Lord of the Return, shall endure. Give thanks unto God for having aided thee to turn unto Him and guided thee unto the straight path. We counsel thee and them that have believed to wisdom and utterance, lest the clamour of them that have turned away and disbelieved in God, the Powerful, the Unconstrained, be raised. Blessed art thou for having turned toward My horizon and blessed is thy house which thou hast made a dawning-place of remembrance.

We make mention of thy brother who hath ascended unto the Supreme Companion and was named Muhammad-ʿAli. We testify that he hearkened unto the Call and attained unto the days of his Lord, the Lord of all men. We have forgiven him and purified him and make mention of him in this Tablet from whose horizon shineth forth the Day-Star of thy Lord’s loving-kindness, the Lord of all names. We make mention of him and of that which befell thee in the path of God. Thy Lord is, in truth, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. Be thou steadfast in the service of the Cause, and circle round the Will, and hold fast unto the cord of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Gracious. The splendor shining forth from the horizon of My Kingdom be upon thee and upon thy sister and upon those women who have turned unto God and believed in Him Who revealeth the verses.

We make mention of Muhammad-Sadiq and ʿAbdu’l-Karim and Haydar and him who was named Abu’l-Qasim and give them glad tidings of the bounties of their Lord Who hath come with power and sovereignty. We counsel them to observe the Most Great Steadfastness in this Cause whereby feet have slipped save those whom God hath delivered as a grace from Him, and He is verily the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. From this station We send Our greetings upon their faces and beseech God to aid them in His remembrance and praise and in serving His Cause which hath illumined the horizons.

We make mention of the Siyyid who was named ʿAli-Rida that he may rejoice and be of them that render thanks. Blessed art thou for having turned toward the Most Exalted Horizon when mankind turned away from it, and for having heard the Call when it was raised betwixt earth and heaven. We counsel thee to steadfastness from this Most Exalted Station. Thy Lord is, in truth, the Counselor, the All-Knowing.

O Muhammad-ʿAli! Rejoice thou that the countenance of the Ancient of Days hath turned toward thee and hath mentioned thee with verses which God hath made the standards of His victory amidst His servants and the emblems of His might unto all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O youth Rida! Take what We have sent unto thee with power from God, the Lord of the worlds, and cast away what the people possess, for they are recorded among the most lost in the Book of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. We beseech God to aid thee in serving His Cause and to draw thee nigh unto Him in all conditions. He is verily the Forgiving, the Bountiful.

We make mention of him who was named Ghulam-Husayn and give him glad tidings through My remembrance of him. By the life of God! That which is with men cannot equal this. I am the All-Seeing Witness. Rejoice in this bounty and give thanks to thy Lord, the Mighty, the Beauteous.

O Muhammad-Husayn! We have manifested the Cause and revealed the verses, yet most of mankind remain heedless. Among men are those who turned toward God when they heard His call, and those who turned away when the clamor was raised. Blessed is the servant who hath clung to the hem of God’s robe and turned to Him with a radiant face, and hath arisen to serve the Cause in such wise that neither the clamor of the divines nor the doubts of the followers of the Bayan, who have broken the Covenant and denied Him in Whom they had believed, could deter him. They are indeed the distracted ones. Hold fast to the cord of thy Lord’s loving-kindness and give thanks for that which He hath revealed unto thee, which all that hath been created on earth cannot equal. To this testifieth every fair-minded and discerning soul.

O Muhammad-Husayn and Muhammad-Rafi’! Rejoice that My Most Exalted Pen hath turned towards you and made mention of you in such wise as shall endure throughout the kingdom. Blessed is he who hath attained, and woe unto the heedless. We make mention of you and counsel you to practice righteousness and piety, and that whereby the Cause of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise, may be exalted. O My Most Exalted Pen! At all times do We hear thy shrill voice and thy call in remembrance of God and His loved ones. Blessed art thou and blessed is he who findeth solace in that which floweth from thee by God’s command, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

Make mention on My behalf of him who was named Ali-Askar and give him the glad tidings of My turning towards him and My remembrance of him in this mighty Prison. Give thanks unto God Who created thee, nurtured thee, and made mention of thee in such wise as nothing on earth can equal. Verily thy Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Then make mention of Hasan with that which God hath inspired thee, that he may rejoice and be of those who render thanks. O Hasan! Thy Lord maketh mention of thee even as He mentioned His loved ones before thee. He verily doth not withhold the reward of the righteous.

O Ghulam-Husayn! The Wronged One calleth thee from the Most Great Prison with that which shall draw thee to the horizon of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Beware lest Satan’s hosts prevent thee from thy Lord, the All-Merciful. Abandon what the people possess, clinging to the cord of thy Lord’s loving-kindness, the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. Take hold of God’s Book with the power that proceedeth from Him, and give thanks at all times.

O Tongue of My Grandeur! Make mention from My Kingdom of My servants Muhammad-Ali, Abdu’r-Rahim, and Muhammad-Isma’il, who have been remembered by him who circumambulated My Cause and arose to serve Me. I am the All-Knowing Witness. Blessed are ye for having turned unto God and attained unto His Word that speaketh before the faces of all the world: “There is none other God but Me, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.” Recognize the station of this most exalted Station and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of Names, for having enabled us to remember and praise Thee, and for having drawn us nigh unto Thee. We beseech Thee by the waves of the ocean of Thy utterance and the splendors of the sun of Thy bounty to aid us to remain steadfast in that which Thou hast graciously bestowed upon us. Verily Thou art the Most Generous of the generous ones and the Most Merciful of the merciful.”

O Muhammad-Karim! Give thanks unto God Who hath adorned thy head with the crown of acceptance and made thee recognize Him from Whom most of mankind remain veiled. He is the Protector of those who have turned unto Him. We observed thy turning to Us and We turned unto thee, and having perceived the fragrance of thy love, We made mention of thee in My wondrous utterance. Verily He heareth and seeth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. Rejoice in My remembrance of thee and preserve this station through this Name that holdeth sway over all who are in the heavens and on earth. Beware lest anything hold thee back from God. Leave the people and what they possess, turning unto the One, the All-Informed. Thus hath there flowed from My Most Exalted Pen the Living Waters. Blessed is he who hath taken and drunk thereof, and woe unto those who have forsaken it.

O Tongue of the Will! We love to make mention of him who writes the verses of thy Lord and who is named Muhammad Hashim, with a mention at whose appearance all mention bows down in adoration. When thou findest the fragrance of My utterance and attainest unto My verses which have descended from My Kingdom, arise and say:

Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the world, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O Possessor of all names! I testify that through Thee the Hidden Name and the Treasured Secret, which had been concealed from all eyes throughout all eternity, was revealed. Through Thee were the mysteries of the Books unveiled and the standards of “Verily Thou art God” were hoisted upon the highest pennants. I beseech Thee, O Lord of existence and Sovereign of the seen and unseen, by the lights of Thy countenance and the manifestations of Thy sovereignty, to assist me under all conditions to be steadfast in this Cause whereby the mountains have been shaken.

Then, O My Tongue, make mention of him who is named by His name, that he may give thanks unto his Lord, the Possessor of all beings. We counsel him and Our loved ones to be trustworthy, religious, truthful and faithful, and to manifest that which will exalt the station of man in the contingent world. Blessed art thou for having been mentioned by My Most Exalted Pen and for having attained unto that which was hidden from all eyes. O Muhammad Hashim! Hearken unto the call from the direction of Akka: There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Self-Subsisting. We have sent the Messengers and revealed the Books as a grace from Our presence, and verily I am the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. We have mentioned thee before and at this time. Rejoice in the bounty of thy Lord, through Whom earthquakes have seized most lands save those who held fast to the cord of God, the Lord of all beings. Limit thine affairs to the service of thy Lord. Soon will all on earth perish, and there shall remain for thee what hath been revealed from My Most Exalted Pen, and I am the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

O Pen! Arise to serve the Cause of the Lord of Eternity, then make mention from the direction of My Most Luminous Horizon of My servant who is named Ali-Qabl-Akbar (Ustad), who hath arisen to serve My Cause and hath spoken My praise and hath attained unto My Tablets and hath acknowledged that which the Tongue of Grandeur hath uttered in My Kingdom, and I am the True Speaker, the Trustworthy. O Ali-Qabl-Akbar! The Wronged One hath mentioned thee once in the Most Great Prison and again in the palace built by the hands of providence, wherein My Temple was established upon the throne of My Great Name. Blessed art thou in that God hath assisted thee to serve His Cause and thou hast been mentioned by him who hath loved Me and hath arisen to assist My wondrous Cause.

We have heard thy mention and have mentioned thee, and We have seen thy turning towards Us and have called out to thee from the right side of the Mount with that which the fragrance thereof shall never cease to endure throughout the eternity of the name of thy Ancient Lord. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My utterance be upon thee and upon thy brothers who have tasted the sweetness of My call and have drunk the choice wine of My love, and upon every patient, steadfast and upright one.

And We make mention in this station of him who is named Muhammad, that the mention of his Lord may draw him to a station wherein he shall behold none save God, the Mighty, the Most Praised. O Muhammad! Blessed art thou and blessed are they who have shattered the idols of vain imaginings and adorned their temples with the lights of certitude. We make mention of them that have believed in God throughout the nights and days. To this testifieth every fair-minded and knowing one. Let not the affairs of earth grieve thee. Leave them behind thee, turning unto God, the Lord of the Day of Judgement. There hath befallen Us at the hands of the hostile forces that which hath caused the clouds to wail and the Faithful Spirit to lament.

Once they imprisoned Us in the land of Ta, and when the appointed time was fulfilled, they expelled Us therefrom. We journeyed until the land of Zawra was honoured by the advent of thy Lord, the Lord of all worlds. Then did they banish Us from there until We entered the Great City, and from thence to the Land of Mystery, and from there to this Great Prison. Thereafter the matter resteth in His hands. He knoweth and is patient. Were We to recount what lay in the hearts of the enemies and what they intended, the bereaved would weep and wail. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Nothing escapeth His knowledge. He witnesseth and seeth, and He is the Rememberer, the Hearer, the Answerer.

Section 2: “O My Pen! The Lord of Eternity commandeth…”

O My Pen! The Lord of Eternity commandeth thee to make mention of His loved ones and His friends, from whose countenances shineth the radiance of the All-Merciful and from whose character is manifested that whereby the Cause of God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting, is exalted. O ʿAli-Akbar! We counsel thee to act in accordance with what God hath revealed in His Book. Thy Lord, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. He hath created the world for My days, yet most of the people comprehend not. They have cast the Book of God behind their backs, clinging to what proceedeth from the daysprings of idle fancies—they who have denied the signs of God and disputed them, and turned away from the Face when it shone forth from this Horizon which God hath made the Dawning-place of Light.

And We make mention of Qasim, who turned unto his Lord and answered His call when the summons was raised. We beseech God to aid him to remain steadfast in this irrevocable Cause. O Qasim! Thy Lord calleth thee from beyond the sea and maketh mention of thee with that which nothing visible can equal. Rejoice thou and say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of the seen and the unseen! Blessed is he who hath attained unto the mention of God in His days. He is indeed among the most exalted of creatures in a preserved Tablet. Hold thou fast unto the cord of thy Lord’s loving-kindness and say:

I beseech Thee by the pearls of the ocean of Thy knowledge and the stars of the heaven of Thy bounty and the effulgent rays of the Sun of Thy countenance, to make me steadfast in this Cause whereby hearts and souls have been shaken.

O Muhammad-Rida! We have sent down the verses and manifested the Cause, yet most of the people perceive not. Say: He walketh not in your ways, nor followeth what ye possess. He hath appeared with the truth and His is the sure handle and the extended path. It behoveth every soul to hold fast unto it. His is the command, both before and after. There is no God but Him, the Almighty, the Sovereign over what was and what shall be.

O Zaynu’l-ʿAbidin! Take thou this perspicuous Book with a power from Our presence. Beware lest the affairs of men debar thee from the truth. Cast away what the people possess and take what thou art commanded by God, the Lord of existence. Thus have the spheres of utterance been set in motion by thy Lord’s will, the Lord of all names, yet most people understand not. They have turned away from the truth, inclining unto the manifestations of idle fancies and vain imaginings.

Praise be unto Thee, O Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who was named Muhammad-Rida, who turned towards the Most Exalted Horizon. Blessed is he and his brother who turned towards the Countenance and drank the choice wine of utterance from the hands of the bounty of his Lord, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. O Muhammad-Qabli-Rida! Thy mention hath been made in the presence of the Wronged One, and there hath been revealed for thee that which guideth the servants unto the Interlocutor of the Mount. Rejoice thou in My remembrance of thee and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who hast mentioned me in Thy Most Great Prison and guided me unto Thy praised station.”

Blessed is thy house wherein the mention of God hath been raised. We, from this station, magnify thee and thy brother, and give you both glad tidings of the mercy that hath preceded existence. The Glory, manifest and resplendent from the horizon of My loving-kindness, be upon you both and upon those who have drunk, in My Self-Subsisting Name, of My sealed choice wine.

We make mention of your father who was enkindled with the fire of the love of God and who spoke in praise of his Lord. Verily, he is of the people of this station in a preserved Tablet. By the life of God! Nothing in the world can equal this mention, yet most of the people understand not. O Muhammad-Rida! Confine thyself to the promotion of the Cause of thy Lord and His mention amongst His servants. Soon shall the world and whatsoever is therein perish, and there shall endure every deed that hath been adorned with the ornament of acceptance. Beware lest the might of princes frighten thee or the veils of the divines who have broken God’s Covenant and His Testament, and have denied the verses when they were sent down from the heaven of the will of thy Lord, the Sovereign of the Kingdom, prevent thee.

O Husayn! The Wronged One maketh mention of thee from the precincts of the Prison, and calleth thee to patience and resignation in this Cause whereby the foundations of every rejected idolater have been shaken. Arise to serve the Cause with such steadfastness as cannot be shaken by the clamor of the people. Verily thy Lord hath made mention of thee and guided thee unto His outstretched path. There hath befallen thee what hath befallen Us, as attesteth He with Whom is the hidden Book. Hold thou fast unto the cord of thy Lord’s loving-kindness and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having created me and reared me and mentioned me in Thy praised station. I beseech Thee, by the fragrances of Thy Revelation and the lights of Thy Countenance, to make me steadfast in Thy Cause. Thou art, verily, the Omnipotent over what Thou willest, and within Thy grasp are the reins of all kings.”

O Ghulam-Qabli-Rida! There hath dawned from the horizon of My Most Glorious Name that which the earth and heaven cannot equal, as attesteth He with Whom is the Mother Book. Blessed is he who hath spoken My mention and attained unto My praise and risen to serve My Cause whereby necks have been subdued. This is a Day wherein that which was hidden in the knowledge of God and inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen in the Scriptures and Tablets hath been made manifest. Know thou this most exalted station. He hath mentioned thee in such wise as shall endure in the kingdom through the perpetuity of My Name, the Dominator over all names.

O Ali-Qabli-Rida! We have seen thy turning unto Us and We have turned unto thee, and We have heard thy call and answered thee with verses at whose revelation all verses have bowed down in submission. Give thanks unto God for having enabled thee to turn towards Him and for having mentioned thee from the horizon wherefrom the lights have shone forth. Be thou steadfast in the service of the Cause and speak forth His praise throughout the nights and days.

O Abbas! The Lord of humanity remembers you and calls you to the lamp kindled by the hand of power among creation. Verily your Lord is the Mighty, the Unconstrained. He does whatsoever He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth. Whosoever saith why’ or wherefore’ hath disbelieved in God, the Lord of all lords. We had informed everyone of the rising of the clamor in all regions when the Light was shining from the horizon of Iraq and in the Land of Mystery and in this Station which hath been named with the most beautiful names by God, the Lord of creation. We beseech God to protect you and His loved ones from the evil of those who outwardly claim to love God and follow Him while calling people to themselves—and the call of such atheists is naught but error.

O Hadi! He Who guided thee to the straight path makes mention of thee and imparts unto thee that which shall cause thy remembrance to endure throughout the eternity of thy Lord’s names, the Lord of all beings. Verily he who hath arisen to serve the Cause is of the people of Baha in the Book of Names and among the companions of the Crimson Ark in the scriptures and tablets. Hold fast unto the cord of certitude in such wise that none in all creation may deter thee. Be thankful to thy Lord Who remembered thee and aided thee until thou didst turn toward His supreme horizon while most of the servants turned away. Be vocal in thy Lord’s praise and steadfast in His remembrance throughout the nights and days. Thus have We adorned thy temple with the ornament of thy Lord’s remembrance, the Mighty, the Bestower.

O Abul-Qasim! The Lord of the world makes mention of thee from the Most Great Prison that He may draw thee nigh unto the horizon whence shone forth the lights of thy Lord’s countenance, the Cleaver of the dawn. Give thanks unto God for having enabled thee and aided thee and revealed for thee that whose fragrance shall never cease throughout centuries and ages.

We make mention of him who was named Ali-Akbar from the direction of My most luminous horizon, round which circle the Highest Paradise and the dwellers of the Kingdom of Names. Be thou thankful and say: Unto Thee be praise, O Lord of all humanity, and unto Thee be glory, O Thou in Whose grasp is the reins of all who are in earth and heaven. Be thou steadfast in the Cause and act according to what thou hast been commanded in the Mother Book. This is a Day wherein the Book speaketh and the Mother Book walketh and saith: “To Me, to Me, O concourse of the chosen ones!” Beware lest the might of the mighty weaken thee. Arise to serve the Cause with such resolve that the thorns of those who have denied the Beginning and the End cannot make thee slip. Thus have We illumined the horizon of utterance with the luminary of proof. Blessed is he who hath turned toward it and woe unto every doubting denier.

O Muhammad-Hasan! The Wronged One in prison makes mention of those who have turned toward His supreme horizon and counsels them with that which shall elevate their stations before God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment. Blessed is the ear that hath heard what the Interlocutor heard and the eye that hath seen what other eyes and visions were prevented from seeing.

O Asadu’llah! Set down what thou hast and take up what thou hast been commanded by God, the Lord of all religions. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation spoken while the Wronged One was in the hands of the wicked. Take the cup of the choice wine in thy Lord’s name, then drink thereof with His remembrance at Whose appearance the earth was shaken and the mountains passed away. Say: Verily the choice wine is My verses, and the Mother Book is My Self, and the Book is My tongue from which the mysteries have appeared. Thus have We adorned the heaven of knowledge with brilliant stars, and I am the All-Powerful, the Unconstrained.

O Muhammad-Baqir! We counsel thee and Our loved ones with that which befitteth My days and their relationship to My Cause. Exalted is He Who hath appeared with power and sovereignty. Be thou steadfast in the Cause in such wise that neither the allusions of the divines, nor the doubts of the theologians, nor the might of princes, nor the wealth of the rich shall debar thee. Thy Lord doth witness and hear, and He is in the most sublime horizon, and before His face the Lote-Tree of the Uttermost End doth speak. Blessed is he who hath seen and heard when the Temple of Pre-existence was established upon the throne of grandeur and might.

O Ali-Akbar! Aid thy Lord, the Lord of Destiny, through wisdom and utterance, and through the hosts of deeds and character. We have sent down the verses and expounded them in truth, and We are verily the Mighty, the Glorious, the All-Bountiful. We have commanded all with that which draweth them nigh unto God, as attesteth the Mother Book which is with Him.

We make mention of him who was named after thee, that he may rejoice and be of the thankful. Thou wert created for this Most Great Day wherein the Lord of Destiny proclaimeth: The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord of the worlds. We have remembered him who turned to Us and make mention of him in My perspicuous Book. Be thou thankful to God for this supreme bounty, then remember Him at all times.

O Ali-Asghar! The Wronged One remembereth thee from the direction of His Most Great Prison, and summoneth thee to the Greater Steadfastness whereby the limbs of all creation trembled, save those whom God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, willed to exempt. This is a day wherein is heard the barking of dogs from all directions, and behind them the squealing of swine. Blessed is the soul whom the clamor of the people hath not prevented, who hath arisen and proclaimed: The Kingdom is God’s, the One, the Peerless, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Thus hath flowed from the Most Exalted Pen the secrets of that which was recorded in the Book of Names, as witnesseth the clear Book which is with Him.

O Zaynu’l-ʿAbidin! Adorn thy head with the crown of certitude and thy temple with the ornament of steadfastness in this Day wherein every edifice hath been shaken, every heart troubled, and all limbs have trembled through fear of God, when He came from the heaven of will with manifest sovereignty. Cast aside what the people possess, holding fast to that which is with God, and be not of the heedless. By God! The Hidden One hath appeared and the Treasured Secret been revealed, yet We see the people among the heedless. Say: Fear God, O people, and follow not your desires. Follow Him Who calleth you unto God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment. Blessed is the servant who hath heard the call and answered his Lord, the All-Hearing; and woe unto him who hath denied God’s right and turned away from Him to Whom testified the Books of the world and beyond them He Who proclaimeth in every state that there is none other God but Me, the One, the All-Informed.

Section 3: “O Pen! Make mention of him who was…”

O Pen! Make mention of him who was named Sadiq, that My remembrance may draw him to the kingdom of My utterance and bring him nigh unto the heaven of My loving-kindness, and I am verily the Compassionate, the Generous. Be thou steadfast in service to the Cause and vocal in thy Lord’s praise at all times. Soon shall pass away all thou beholdest today, and there shall remain for thee what hath been sent down from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Hold fast to the cord of thy Lord’s favor and say:

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having caused me to hear Thy call, guided me to Thy path, and remembered me when I was wronged at the hands of those who were heedless of Thy Self and Thy hidden Book. I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by the breezes of Thy Revelation, the manifestations of Thy power, and the winds that blow in Thy days to quicken Thy creation, that Thou aid me in this Cause whereby the feet of the learned and the mighty have slipped, save those rescued by the hands of Thy power. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the Protector, the Glorious, the All-Loving.

The Wronged One wishes to mention in prison the one named Rajab-ʿAli that he may thank God, the Lord of the seen and unseen. We have indeed caused the rains of knowledge to pour forth from the clouds of utterance. Blessed is he who has recognized and attained, and woe unto every heedless and veiled one. Beware lest thou be frightened by the oppression of any oppressor, the might of any misbeliever, the denial of any denier, and the turning away of any who has turned away from God, the Lord of the Kingdom. Blessed is he who has arisen to proclaim:

“By God! The Desired One has come with a sovereignty that neither the hosts of the world nor the clamor of those who have denied the Witness and the Witnessed can prevent.”

He has come, He to Whom the Books of God, the Lord of what was and what shall be, have testified. Among the people are those who have turned towards Him, heard and acknowledged, and among them are those who denied and turned away until they disbelieved in Him Whom they mention night and day. To this testifies He with Whom is the [preserved] Book. Blessed is he whom the breezes of My mercy have awakened and whom the winds of My loving-kindness have raised up in My days, and woe unto every transgressor whom vain imaginings have withheld from the Dayspring of knowledge.

O ʿAli! The Wronged One mentions thee and bids thee to that whereby thy mention shall endure throughout the kingdom of earth and heaven. This is a Day wherein the Mount calls out: [“By God!] The Lord of Revelation has come, He Who was promised in the Books of God, the Mighty, the Beloved.” We counsel thee to be steadfast in this Most Great Announcement, whereby the Concourse on High rejoiced and every rejected misbeliever lamented.

O Most Exalted Pen! Verily Muhammad and Muhammad, then Muhammad and ʿAli and Muhammad are among those whose names were present before the Face, and there was revealed for them from the Kingdom of Will that which brought joy to the eyes of those near unto God. Know ye what hath been revealed for you. By God! He who hath attained unto My mention hath attained unto all good, but most of the people are heedless. Then preserve your stations in the name of your Lord, the Strong, the Mighty, the Powerful. The transgressors have stationed themselves in ambush and prevent the people from turning to the countenance of God, the Lord of the worlds. Satan himself flees from their scheming and from what they possess. To this testifies He Who speaks at this hour:

“The Kingdom is God’s, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.”

Thus have the fingers of proof woven the armor of utterance, as a bounty from God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

O Muhammad-Hasan! Hearken unto the call from the direction of ʿAkka, which hath been named the White Dome and the Land of Resurrection in the Books of God, the Lord of this wondrous Day. Whoso hath attained unto hearing it is indeed of the people of the Crimson Ark, which God hath specially ordained for the people of Baha. He is verily the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. Rejoice thou in My mention, then give thanks unto thy Lord, the One Who has sovereignty over all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O Siyyid Javad! The Lord of creation makes mention of thee from His abode and gives thee glad tidings of that which hath been ordained for those who have turned towards the Most Sublime Horizon, from God, the Ancient Sovereign. Verily, he who hath heard and acknowledged is among the people of this noble station. Let not the affairs of men sadden thee, nor the intimations of the deniers who mount the pulpits and deny the Manifestation of God and His signs—they are assuredly among the most lost. These claim to have faith and would beseech God by night and day for the appearance of this Cause which was mentioned in the Qur’an, the Torah and the Gospel. Yet when the promise was fulfilled and the Hidden One appeared, they pronounced judgment against Him with an injustice unequaled by any in the world. To this testifieth He Who possesseth the Book of God and the Tablet wherein was revealed that which none knoweth save He Who speaketh:

“There is no God but Me, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the Wise.”

Thus did the Pen of the Wronged One move in the Most Great Prison when sorrows encompassed Him from all sides through that which the hands of the idolaters had wrought—they who turned away from the Countenance when it shone forth from the horizon of revelation. They are indeed among the bewildered ones.

O Muhammad Javad! The day of hearing hath come, yet most of the people hear not. The day of arising hath come, yet they remain seated. The world hath appeared for this Revelation, yet the people comprehend not. We call them to the supreme paradise, while they call Us to the fire. Thus have their souls seduced them, and they perceive it not. Blessed is the face that turneth away from them, setting itself toward God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Hold fast to the Sure Handle and cling to the hem of God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Loving.

O Ustad Rajab-ʿAli! Thy name hath appeared before the Wronged One, and the Most Exalted Pen of God hath moved to make mention of thee. Know thou this station, then give thanks to thy Lord, the Possessor of existence. He Who was promised hath come, He Who was concealed hath appeared, and He Who was hidden hath been made manifest. To this testifieth He Who, by the power of His Lord, hath shattered the idols of vain imaginings and suppositions. When thou art blessed with My verses and findest the fragrance of My loving-kindness, arise and say:

“Praise be to Thee, O Thou through Whose remembrance the limbs of the ignorant tremble and the hearts of those who denied the Promised Day are disturbed.”

O Rida, son of Muhammad! Dost thou know Who maketh mention of thee? By the life of God, the Single, the One, Who was the goal of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones and the Dawning-Place of thy Lord’s will, the Possessor of might! He Who ascended to heaven hath come from it, and beareth witness before My face, yet the people hear not. Muhammad, the Apostle of God, hath testified to this Most Great Announcement, and Moses crieth out saying:

“By God! The Revealer of the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalms hath come!”

The lips of the world have smiled through recognizing My utterance. Blessed is he who hath found, and woe unto every heedless one who is veiled. This is a day wherein the doors of bounty and grace have been opened unto the faces of all peoples, yet they have turned away and denied God’s proof and evidence. They are indeed the lost. They have taken idols as lords for themselves instead of God, yet these shall not help them.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention of him who hath been named Siyyid ʿAli, that he may rejoice in the remembrance of God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. Blessed art thou, inasmuch as thou hast heard the Call and been mentioned by the Dove, and there hath been sent down for thee that which no earthly thing can equal. Thy Lord is, verily, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. Beware lest anything debar thee from the things of this world. Take thou the chalice of salvation in the name of Him Who causeth the dawn to break, and when thou hast attained unto it, arise and say: By the life of God! I have attained unto that which was inscribed in the Books of God, the Lord of all worlds. Blessed is the stranger who hath drawn nigh unto the Most Exalted Homeland, and the poor one who hath turned toward the Ocean of wealth, and the sick one who hath clung to the Dayspring of healing, Who hath come from heaven with manifest sovereignty.

O peoples of the earth! Hearken unto the call of this Wronged One, the Stranger, Who hath been imprisoned and banished and exiled for having summoned mankind unto God, the One, the All-Informed. Listen in this hour to the Voice of the Spirit from the right hand of My mighty Throne, saying: O concourse of divines! Ye are the highwaymen of God and His paths, and the misleaders of His servants. Fear ye the All-Merciful, and draw not over the face of justice the veil of tyranny, nor over this heaven the clouds’ shroud. Soon shall the days pass, and ye shall find yourselves in the position of being questioned before God, the Self-Subsisting, the Most High. This is the day whereon Zion hath cried out and given glad tidings unto all of the Garden of inner meanings, which hath descended from heaven with a glory that none can deny save every sinful doubter. This is what hath been sent down in another Tablet to one of My servants, and I am the One Who sendeth down, the Chosen One.

O concourse of divines! By God, Paradise lamenteth because of your tyranny, and the chosen ones because of what hath befallen Us at the hands of your followers, who have clung to you without clear proof or evidence. Behold, then remember what ye have done aforetime to God’s friends and chosen ones, through whom the horizon of the world was illumined and the ocean of knowledge surged amongst the nations, and through whom the banners of unity were hoisted upon the hills.

O Muhammad-Qabli-Ja’far! God maketh mention of thee from His direction and counseleth thee to be steadfast in this Cause, the greatness of which was heralded by the tongues of the Prophets and the chosen ones, and before Whose manifestation necks have bowed down. Hold fast unto that whereby the Cause of God may be exalted, then make mention of Him at eventide and at dawn. We have sent down concerning every matter that which no books in the world can equal, whereunto the Mother Book beareth witness.

O Muhammad-Qabli-Ja’far! Hearken unto the call of the Wronged One Who lamenteth in His heart and crieth out in His inner being and calleth with His tongue and writeth with His pen and pointeth with His fingers, that He may draw men nigh unto the Most Sublime Horizon, the station which the Seal of the Prophets and the Lord of the chosen ones did seek. Exalted is He Who hath appeared and called all unto the Dayspring of verses.

And at the end of the Tablet We make mention of My handmaidens who have believed in God and His signs, and who have turned towards Him when most of the servants turned away. O thou who circlest round My Cause and gazeth upon My countenance and uttereth My praise and soareth in Mine atmosphere! We have made mention of those whose names thou didst recount in thy letter, and have adorned them with the ornament of utterance in the realm of possibility. Exalted is the All-Merciful, the Source of this bounty and the Bestower of this station. Convey My greetings unto them, then remind them of that which hath been sent down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, and give them the glad tidings of My mercy, which hath preceded all created things. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My grace be upon thee and upon those who are with thee and who hearken unto thy mention in this Cause whereby feet have slipped save such as God, the Lord of mankind, hath willed.

BH00448: O Ism-i-Jud! Upon thee be My Glory! The letters…

He is God—exalted be His glory, His grandeur and power!

O Ism-i-Jud! Upon thee be My Glory! The letters from Jinab-i-Samandar, upon him be My glory, have arrived continuously, yet for some time nothing has been sent from the Most Holy Court. The saplings in the gardens of inner meanings have grown and continue to grow from the Kawthar of divine bounty. The outpourings of the Most Great Sea are the cause and reason for the appearance and manifestation of the crafts and things of the world. By the life of God! The world’s sustenance is from Him. Blessed are they who reflect, and blessed are they who perceive.

The mention of those souls that were in the letters—each one has been blessed with the lights of the Sun of grace and kindness. Their mention has been made and recorded by the Supreme Pen. Blessed are they and theirs shall be a goodly return. We beseech God to assist the loved ones of that land that they may all be occupied with the remembrance of the Lord of all beings at all times, and that they may not in any circumstance exceed the bounds of wisdom. Let them speak with moderation, teach with moderation, and act with moderation. Let Jinab-i-Samandar convey greetings to all on behalf of the Wronged One and gladden them with God’s bounty, exalted be His glory. We testify that he arose to serve the Cause on a day wherein every lion fled, every standing one sat, every tranquil one was disturbed, and every swift one halted. Upon him be the glory of God, His mercy, His grace, and His favor.

O Ism-i-Jud! Upon thee be My Glory! The letter of Khalil which he sent to thee was noted. We found in it the fragrance of his love and his enkindlement in the Cause of God, the Lord of the mighty throne. He has taken the cup of success and drunk therefrom in the name of his Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful. He has arisen to serve the Cause and desired to turn towards the Most Exalted Horizon. We testify that he has fulfilled God’s Covenant and His Testament, and has succeeded in discharging His rights in following His mighty and glorious Command. We have granted him permission, as a mercy from Us, that he may proceed with wisdom to the Dawning-Place of the Light of Oneness.

We thank God, the Lord of the Exalted House. He desired to leave his homeland out of love for the Most Exalted Homeland and longing to attain the presence of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Hear in the Persian tongue: Jinab-i-Khalil, upon him be My glory, has been granted permission, but after setting his affairs in order and arranging them, and setting in order the affairs of those left behind, for if they wish to travel with the people it would be difficult and very arduous. In solitude there is spirit and rest for those who turn to God, but wisdom does not endorse solitude. One is necessary and two are not forbidden. In any case, the smaller the group, the more spirituality is witnessed.

And Jinab-i-Muhammad-Karim, upon him be the glory of God, has previously been granted permission. We ask God to assist him in what He loves and is pleased with, and to manifest through him what befits His days. Verily, He has power over all things.

O Samandar, upon thee be my glory! The numerous supplications from his honour the Trustee (Amin) have reached the Most Holy Court, wherein he hath made mention of his honour Nabil-i-Akbar, upon whom be the glory of God and His favours, and likewise mention of his honour Javad and those with him, upon whom be the glory of God, and hath made mention of his honour ʿAziz Khan and his honour Morteza-Qoli and Nuru’llah Khan, and hath sought for each that which leadeth to divine confirmation and success. Praise be to God that all are remembered and have attained unto the grace of God, exalted be His glory. We beseech Him not to deprive any soul on earth of the choice wine of inner meanings, and to bestow from the ocean of His bounty and knowledge a complete portion.

The affairs of the world and attachment thereto have prevented mankind from the divine path and deprived them of that freedom and detachment which are among the greatest gifts of the Lord. They are fettered by the chains of idle fancies and vain imaginings until they return to their own station. The recompense for the deeds of the people of the world hath been made manifest in the form of ignorant divines who deny Him. These are they who cut off the way of God and lead His servants astray. Beseech ye God to protect all from the evil of such souls. The fire of these souls is seen to be more fierce than the fire of Nimrod. O Lord! Protect Thy servants from the evil of these people, then assist them with the hosts of deeds and virtues. Verily Thou art the Strong, the Triumphant, the Almighty.

O my Nabil! O thou who gazest toward the Most Sublime Horizon! Today from the rustling of the Sadratu’l-Muntaha was heard this most exalted Word:

“Nabil-i-Akbar hath passed by the Most Great Scene. Let him aid his Lord, the Most Merciful, through utterance. By My life! He was created to serve this wise Cause and this mighty News. We, from this station, send Our glorification upon thy face and make mention of thee as We have mentioned thee before and will mention thee hereafter. To this beareth witness the Mother Book in this exalted station.”

O Samandar! Convey with the utmost joy and fragrance the greetings of the Wronged One to the friends in that land. God is the Hearer, the Answerer. The sweet savours of the love of each one have reached the Most Holy Court. Blessed are they whom the earthquake of the Hour hath not disturbed, and whom the might of the heedless ones hath not deprived of God. A soul who is manifestly filled with pride and who boasteth of worldly ornaments is at times consumed with the fire of wrath, thundering and flashing, and at other times his lamentation riseth high due to some slight ailment. Nevertheless he hath not become aware, nor will he become aware until death overtaketh him. At every moment they witness change, decline and extinction, yet they are not mindful. My Most Exalted Pen testifieth that they are among the most lost.

Muhammad-Karim hath arrived and the petitions from that land have reached the Most Holy Court. Each one hath been mentioned in the presence of the Wronged One and his name hath been recorded by the Most Exalted Pen. Blessed are they who in the days of God have attained unto His mention and been adorned with His favours. However, in accordance with wisdom, the response to these petitions hath been outwardly delayed until God shall bring about His decree.

And regarding Jinab-i-Abu’l-Hasan, upon him be the Glory of God, who mentioned Jinab-i-Muhammad-ʿAli alif mim—we beseech God to aid him to arise in service to His Cause and to utter that which is befitting for His sake. In all conditions he must observe wisdom. He hath attained the mention of the Wronged One in this Station which hath been named by the Most Beautiful Names. Give him these glad-tidings and convey to him greetings from the Wronged One, that he may rejoice and be among the thankful ones.

He hath also mentioned the honored wife of ʿAbdu’l-Hamid Khan. Her mention hath been before the Holy Presence both in the past and present, and numerous Tablets have been revealed in her name. We have remembered her and continue to remember her, and We counsel her to show forth the Greater Steadfastness in this Mighty Cause. In truth, every leaf that hath clung to the Divine Lote-Tree is mentioned as one of the denizens of Paradise before the Throne. Blessed is the handmaiden who hath attained unto steadfastness and hath drunk the choice wine from the hands of the bounty of her Lord, the Almighty.

O Murtada! There hath turned towards thee from this Most Exalted Horizon He Whom all have denied save those whom God, thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, hath willed. Behold and remember when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, came, all people denied Him save a few souls, and when the Spirit (Jesus) came, the Jews denied Him and perpetrated that which caused the dwellers of the Kingdom to lament. He Who possesseth the Perspicuous Book beareth witness unto this. Take thou the chalice of detachment in the name of thy Lord and drink therefrom, despite those who have denied this Mighty Announcement. Arise to make mention of God and His praise, and give thanks unto thy Lord, the Generous. We beseech Him to cause to appear from thee that which shall diffuse the fragrance of sincerity throughout the eternal kingdom. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.

He hath also made mention of the loved ones in the surrounding villages. Each one’s name hath attained unto the hearing of the Lord of all beings and his mention hath been recorded. That honored one should give them all the glad-tidings of God’s loving-kindness and His infinite outpourings. By night and by day the Supreme Pen maketh mention of the friends, and We beseech God to aid them all to preserve that which hath been bestowed. Today, whosoever hath attained unto the recognition of God must regard this station as great and act according to that which God hath revealed in the Book. Beseech thou God that the veils of these transient days may not deprive His servants from everlasting bounties.

O Samandar! We have mentioned him who attained unto the meeting and ascended the pathway to the Supreme Companion with a mention whose fragrance shall not cease throughout the duration of the Kingdom of Names. Blessed is he, for he is among the triumphant ones. A Most Holy, Most Exalted Tablet hath been revealed especially for his family. Convey to them the greetings from God and gladden them with His bestowals. Until now, numerous letters have repeatedly reached the servant in attendance before the Throne from the name of Jamal, upon him be the Glory of God. They are walking in the way of God and moving in His path. They have turned to certain cities and regions and have succeeded in delivering the Word. We beseech God to aid him through wisdom, for in certain instances, due to eagerness and enthusiasm, the reins of discretion slip from his hands. We have counseled him to wisdom both in the past and present. We testify that he hath arisen to serve the Cause, and We beseech God to strengthen him to hold fast unto wisdom. Verily, He is the Hearer, the Answerer.

And likewise mention has been made of Ibn-i-Abhar. Blessed is he, for he hath remembered the loved ones of God and described them in such wise as hath made the countenance of the Wronged One beam with smiles in this impregnable fortress. He hath remembered each and all with sublime and glorious mention, and hath sought bounty for each one. Were thou to meet him, glorify him on My behalf and give him the glad-tidings of My loving-kindness and mercy. Verily the sun of permission hath dawned upon him from the horizon of his Lord’s Will, the Commander, the All-Wise. I beseech God to honor him with this most great favor, to draw him nigh unto Him and to cause him to enter within the precincts of His mercy that hath encompassed all in the heavens and on earth. He, verily, is the Forgiving, the Bountiful.

Mention hath been made of Mulla Aqa Baba. We make mention of him from this Spot and give him the glad-tidings of his Lord’s tender mercy. His remembrance hath ever been and will continue to be, God willing, in the Most Holy Court. He and all the people of that village have been honored with the mention of God. Convey My greetings unto him and make him glad with the outpourings of these days.

And We make mention at the end of these pages of ʿAbdu’r-Razzaq, son of him who turned toward My horizon, soared in My atmosphere, uttered My praise and glorification amongst My servants, and drank the choice wine of steadfastness from the hands of My bounty in such wise that neither the opposition of the oppressors, nor the clamor of the pharaohs, nor the derision of any misbeliever, nor the rancor of any malevolent one could deter him. Upon him and his son rest My glory, My peace, My mercy and My loving-kindness. We beseech God to assist him and those with him in that which shall cause his mention to endure throughout the kingdom of earth and heaven.

We make mention of My servants and handmaidens who have found the sweetness of My utterance and have attained unto My days. I am, verily, the Kind, the Bountiful. The splendor shining from the heaven of My mercy be upon thee and upon those whose names thou hast mentioned from My Most Exalted Pen, and upon all who are steadfast and firm.

O My Most Exalted Pen! Make mention once again of the sister of the Most Generous Name, that she may rejoice in God’s loving-kindness, the Mighty, the Loving. Blessed art thou, O My handmaiden, for having turned unto God and attained unto His mention when He came with manifest sovereignty. We counsel thee and those handmaidens who have believed in God to act in a manner befitting this Cause, by reason of which the ungodly have lamented while the faces of those who have turned unto God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, have been illumined.

We make mention of the wife of the Noble One, who believed on a day when every heedless one turned away rejected. Glorify thy Lord with praise, then remember Him at all times. Verily He witnesseth and seeth, and He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen.

O Samandar! Upon thee be My glory and loving-kindness. Remember on My behalf those who are with thee and give all the glad-tidings of My loving-kindness and mercy that have encompassed all existence. Blessed are they and happy are they and those who have loved thee for the sake of God, the Lord of the seen and unseen. Glory be upon thee and upon them and upon those who have quaffed My sealed choice wine. Praise be to God, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

BH01224: O Khavar! Convey greetings from the Wronged One…

O Khavar! Convey greetings from the Wronged One to Mulla Muhammad. Say: The fragrances of thy love reached the presence of the Wronged One. Praise be to God that thou hast been assisted to mention the name of God, exalted be His glory. We beseech Him to aid thee under all conditions. Today all must seek from God, exalted be His glory, the victory of His manifest Faith.

O Muhammad! The Cause of God hath been weakened due to unseemly deeds, to such an extent that the enemies of the Faith are striving with the utmost power and might to destroy it. The government and the people must all beseech God, exalted be His station, for deliverance. Such sorrows have been visited upon Us that the Pen is powerless and incapable of recounting them.

As to thy mention of Haji Mulla Ali, who hath ascended to the Supreme Companion, and thy guardianship of his affairs—excellent is that which thy tongue hath uttered, but the people are heedless, veiled and withheld. For thirty years and more We have dwelt in the domains of the sublime state, and have ever counselled Our friends to love and obey. Nevertheless, there hath been visited upon Us that which hath not been visited upon any other wronged one. The tongue of the heart uttereth at all times these words:

“Lord! Pour forth upon us patience and make firm our steps. Verily Thou art the All-Bountiful, the All-Generous.”

Such adversities have been visited upon these wronged ones as none save God’s knowledge hath encompassed or reckoned. In all conditions We have been and are patient. We have committed all affairs unto Him and have placed Our reliance in Him. Verily He loveth them that put their trust in Him. Praise be to God, for He is the Goal of all worlds, the Beloved of them that know, and the God of all who are in the heavens and on earth.

We convey Our greetings to the friends and counsel them to fear God. Mention unto Haji Mustafa the words of the Wronged One. We beseech God to assist him and grant him success. We have heard his call. We beseech God, exalted be His glory, on his behalf in all conditions for that which containeth the good of this world and the next. Verily our Lord, the All-Merciful, is the Giver, the Munificent, the All-Generous.

We make mention of Ahmad who hath mentioned Us, that he may be among them that rejoice. O Ahmad! Praise be to God that thou hast attained unto the word of unity and hast testified to that whereunto God, exalted be His glory, hath testified—that blessed and goodly Word “There is none other God but God,” at which the limbs of the idolaters and transgressors have trembled and continue to tremble. Blessed is he upon whose heart this exalted Word hath dawned, and whose light hath illumined all his members. We beseech God to assist thee in that which hath been revealed in the Book and to ordain for thee that which shall accompany thee throughout all worlds and preserve thee from darkness.

We make mention of him who is named Muhammad-ʿAli. Know thou that thy letter was present and whatsoever was mentioned therein was heard. We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to adorn thy intention with the ornament of deed and acceptance, for thou hast been and art among the godly and the believers. He hath said—peace be upon Him—“The intention of the believer is better than his deed.” Give thanks to the Goal of all beings, Who hath assisted thee to acknowledge and recognize the blessed Word of Unity. He is the Helper and Succourer of them that believe in divine unity and of the faithful.

O Muhammad ibn Muhammad, O Abdul-Karim, O Muhammad from the people of Za, and O Qasim! His honor the dervish made mention of you and your letters were received and noted. Coming to this quarter in these days is not permitted, for the opposers, for no reason—as the Persians say—seek pretexts and wish to find some pretext to raise an uproar. Therefore, coming in these days would not accord with wisdom. We beseech God to protect you and aid you to do what is right. The world has no worth, nor has it ever had. Strive that praiseworthy and befitting deeds may be manifested from you. Keep away from the corrupt, and do not associate with the oppressors and the stubborn. Pass your days with the utmost joy and fragrance, and be intimate companions with the righteous and the believers. Verily, He does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

O Ayn and Kaf! Your mention has ever been and shall ever be before the Wronged One. We beseech God not to deprive you of the rain of His mercy. He is the Bestower and He is the Kind. There is no God but He, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Help in Peril. Peace be upon you and upon your father and upon those who are with you and love you for the sake of God, the Lord of the worlds.

Glory be to Thee, O God of the world and Lord of the nations! I beseech Thee by Him through Whom prophethood and messengership were ended and their mysteries were sealed and their breezes ceased, to assist Thy servants to turn unto Thee and to place their trust in Thee. Then protect them, O my God, through the hosts of Thy unseen realm from the enemies of Thy Self who have encompassed the lands. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Strong, the Triumphant, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH01779: He is the Truth, the Knower of the Unseen

…He is the Truth, the Knower of the Unseen

Your letter was received and was favored with perusal. We beseech God that He may aid thee in that which is befitting and seemly in this day. The Will of God hath never been subject to the will of another, nor shall His Purpose ever be dependent upon the intention of the peoples of the world. Had the will of the Seal of the Prophets—may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake—been subject to the will of the people of His age, He would not have been afflicted with curses, abuse, tribulations and hardships. And had Christ heeded the words of Herod, that which came to pass would not have transpired. Hast thou not heard His saying: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways”? It behooveth all to turn unto His Path and to hold fast unto His Most Straight Way.

When the Most Exalted Pen uttered its call and the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree became manifest, God’s proof and evidence were perfected unto all. O friend! Hearken unto the Voice of the Wronged One, and utter not that which the possessors of power have not uttered before thee. The Path is manifest, the Balance is set up, the Standard of Divine Unity is raised aloft, the Trumpet-blast and the Bugle-call are evident and clear to all.

In one of the Tablets this most exalted Word hath flowed from the Most Exalted Pen—hold fast unto it and say: I turn towards Thee, O Thou the Goal of the world, and return unto Thee, for verily Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful. And that Word is this: This is not the Day for questions. It behooveth every soul, when he heareth the Call from the Supreme Horizon, to say:

“Here am I, O Lord of Names! Here am I, O Fashioner of earth and heaven!”

Hear thou the Voice of the Wronged One and let not this opportunity slip away. Reflect for an hour upon that which hath appeared and been witnessed, and observe with the eye of justice and fairness. By the life of God! His Cause is more manifest than the sun and more exalted than the heavens. If thou turnest away from this Cause, by what proof and evidence wilt thou uphold another cause? Purify thyself with the water of unity from the fancies of the past, that thou mayest behold the rays of the Sun of certitude. Break the idols of vain imaginings through the name of the Self-Subsisting Lord, exalted be His glory, and standing, say, turning towards the Kaaba of the Messengers:

“I believe in Thee, O God of the world, and commit my affairs unto Thee, O Thou Goal of the worlds!”

Know thou the value of the Day of God. If any deed be missed by anyone this Day, it can never be retrieved. Today, from the murmuring of the waters, the blowing of the winds, and the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree is heard: “The Truth hath come with manifest sovereignty.” God willing, thou shalt attain unto that which beseemeth this blessed Day. Say: I beseech Thy forgiveness, O my God, for all that I have mentioned and done in Thy days. Verily Thou art the Almighty over what Thou willest, and verily Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful….

BH01819: By the life of our Beloved and your Beloved…

By the life of our Beloved and your Beloved, and our Goal and the Goal of all who are in earth and heaven! That Beloved One prepared hundreds of thousands of colored paper factories with various hues, and in each page thereof was concealed and hidden the love of the world’s beloveds and the secrets of the lovers of the Ancient Countenance. This intention is dearer and more acceptable than a hundred thousand deeds. If a soul becomes aware of the sweetness and station and rank of this intention, without words he would arise among the people and say:

“Intention is the sovereign of deeds, the dawning-place of deeds, and the dayspring of deeds.”

Glory be to Him Who has deposited in each letter of His letters a book, and in each intention of His loved ones deeds which none can reckon save His all-encompassing knowledge. Thus it was established that in truth the paper of the world was sent and arrived, and was adorned with the pen of the Beloved. All this is from God’s grace, our Lord and your Lord.

In this case, what mention could appear from the servant that would shine forth in this arena or become the bearer of meaning? I seek forgiveness from God, the Great, for what I have mentioned and mention, and what has occurred to my heart and been uttered by my tongue.

And regarding the last writing of that Beloved One who had mentioned: “Now there is the intention to visit the shrine—may God accept it”—likewise the prayers and the visitation prayer of Ashura—sun and wind and cold and we had neither fur coat nor cloak—on the high roof until complete noon, and from there to another place until evening, and from evening until midnight—may God accept it. These phrases which were presented before His presence, He said smilingly: “By the life of God, all is accepted and acceptable, for whatever appears from assured, content and successful souls has been and is acceptable. Indeed, that which is hidden in the realities of things all speaks this word: Whatever appears from the acceptable one is acceptable.’ Blessed is he whose acceptance by God all things have testified to, and his arising to serve again and again.”

The Sun of loving-kindness is shining and evident. God willing, may all the friends of that land be illumined by its lights and made happy and joyful and delighted and blessed by its kindness through all ages and centuries.

And I convey praise and greetings to each of the masters and friends of God. They have never been and will never be absent from sight. The One God is witness and aware that the honored beloved, Jinab-i-Aqa Ghulam-Husayn, upon him be the praise of God, has been and is in view and has attained to the loving-kindness of the Goal.

I send greetings to the spiritual beloved Aqa ʿAli-Akbar, upon him be Baha’u’llah. His letter arrived bringing joy and gladness, and whatever he had written was carried out. I beseech and hope from the True One, exalted be His glory, that he may ever be adorned with the ornament of grace and loving-kindness.

And further, the spiritual beloved Jinab-i-Aqa ʿAli-Asghar, upon him be Baha’u’llah, due to the upheavals in Iran returned to that direction, and a box containing two bounties, namely two sweets—that is, white musk and rose candy—was bestowed. The details of this are that since at a feast pertaining to this evanescent one some divine bounties were arranged and presented before His presence, by His command this portion was specially sent for that beloved one and the friends. Well done to those who have attained!

Peace and remembrance and praise be upon you and upon God’s loved ones and friends and upon God’s sincere ones. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH01849: Say: O servants of the All-Merciful in all lands!…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer

Say: O servants of the All-Merciful in all lands! We counsel you at the outset to patience and forbearance in what hath befallen the friends in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. We exhort you not to associate any partners with God, the Possessor of Names. Hold fast to the cord of submission and contentment. Verily He seeth and heareth and judgeth with justice, and He is the Just, the Wise. And he whose temple is adorned with the ornament of contentment, he is of the people of Baha in the Crimson Book. To this doth My Most Exalted Pen testify in this station which God hath made the Dawning-place of His Cause and the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Repository of His knowledge and the Manifestation of His Self, the One Who ruleth over all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O people of Paradise! Commit your affairs unto God and place your trust in Him. Victory lieth in His grasp—He aideth whom He willeth through His sovereignty. The hosts of the world and the might of nations cannot withhold Him. He doeth what He pleaseth by His word and ordereth what He willeth, and He is the Strong, the All-Conquering, the Almighty.

Say: O people of the earth! This is the Day of Resurrection when the Trump is sounded and all who are in the heavens and on earth are struck down, save only certain letters of the countenance of your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. By God! The dwellers of the graves have arisen when the Speaker on Sinai spoke forth in this Revelation, through which the Books of God were fulfilled aforetime and the Dove of Knowledge warbled upon the branches. He Who was hidden behind the veils of the Unseen and treasured in God’s storehouse, the Most High, the Most Great, hath appeared.

Say: O concourse of the earth! Cast away vain desire and take hold of what ye are commanded by God, the Lord of all men. Verily Baha forbiddeth oppression and wickedness and commandeth you with what ye were commanded by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.

Thy letter hath come and was presented by the servant in the presence of this Wronged One. This Tablet, mighty and wondrous, hath been revealed for thee. Drink from each of its letters an ocean of joy, by the command of God, the Kind, the Generous. We found from thy letter the fragrance of Our love. We make mention of thee with that whereby the sincere ones perceive the fragrance of His bounty, thy Lord, the Mighty, the Praised. Blessed art thou for having turned to the horizon wherefrom most people have turned away, and blessed is thy tongue for having uttered the praise of thy Lord, the Wronged One, the Stranger. Give thanks for what hath been revealed unto thee from My Most Exalted Pen in place of attaining My presence. He is verily the Forgiving, the Merciful.

In this station We make mention of My loved ones who were not frightened by the circumstances of men nor hindered by the veils of the heedless. We make mention of him who was named Muhammad that he may rejoice in the remembrance of the Wronged One and be of the thankful. O Muhammad! The Mother Book hath appeared and calleth out between earth and heaven, summoning all unto God, the Creator of Names, Who hath come with manifest sovereignty.

And We make mention of him who was named Rabi’ and counsel him with what beseemeth the days of God and with what hath been commanded in My perspicuous Book. Give thanks unto God that thy mention hath gained the attention of the Wronged One and My swift-moving, racing Pen hath moved upon thy name. And We make mention of him who was named ʿAli-Akbar and give him the glad-tidings of My remembrance of him, which surpasseth all the treasures of earth—to this doth every knowing, seeing one bear witness. Take hold of the Book of God with the power that cometh from Him and say:

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having strengthened me and made me know Thee. I beseech Thee by the breezes of Thy Revelation in Thy days to make me and Thy loved ones steadfast in Thy Cause. Thou art verily the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The splendor shining from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon thee and upon those whose names thou didst mention and upon those who have turned unto and believed in God, the Single One, the All-Informed.

BH02145: Praise be to the One Who is worthy…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Greatness and the Power

Praise be to the One Who is worthy and deserving, Who brought the world to life through a drop from the ocean of His love and guided it to eternal, everlasting life. And blessings and peace be upon the Lord of the world and Master of nations, and upon His family and companions who aided God’s Law and His religion, and conquered lands through His power and His Name.

And now, multiple occupations have seized this servant at this time—one being necessary writings and answering the letter of that honored master, and there is also the intention to visit the bath, and a necessary task has arisen requiring me to meet with his honor Afnan. In any case, now giving precedence to answering your epistle, I submit that your distinguished letter arrived and by its arrival sorrows and grief took flight and joy intended to take up residence.

Praise be to God and His is the grace and favor, for truly it is His confirmation that makes hearts loving and causes them to be ignited with the warmth of love. In one of the Tablets this supreme utterance was observed—He says:

“Today from the rustling of the Divine Lote Tree this supreme word was heard: The world is built through love and fellowship, and without it, it is in ruins.”

Truly it is the crown of the world and the source of the manifestation of the [stations] of humanity. We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to bestow this great bounty and this goodly feast at all times so that all may soar in the air with one wing and dwell in one station.

After reading and reviewing the eminent letter, I proceeded to His presence and submitted all. He said:

“God willing, may they be blessed at all times with the favors of the Desired One, and be mentioned by His Name, illumined by His light, turned to His face, arise in His service, and whatever they have intended, God willing, will be adorned with the ornament of deed from potentiality, and from word to action.”

End quote. And then the sprinkling of the ocean of favor appeared and shone forth to such a degree that truly this servant is utterly incapable of mentioning it. Beyond that, opportunity has become like the phoenix and like the philosopher’s stone. This servant beseeches God to ever confirm him in serving His friends.

We deeply regret that for a time the flame of love was suspended and concealed. May God guide those souls who, without proof or evidence, engage in sedition and corruption. I beseech God not to deprive those souls from the ocean of His mercy and to educate them through the hands of His favor.

I send greetings to the honored friend, his honor Aqa Ali Akbar. His letter, praise be to God, opened the gate of joy and spread the carpet of gladness. And now, in view of what was submitted at the beginning, no opportunity for further discourse remains. I seek his pardon.

And finally, peace and mercy and divine favor be upon you and upon His friends and loved ones.

BH02375: Today all must fix their gaze upon this Most…

In His Name, the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful!

Today all must fix their gaze upon this Most Great Word which is like unto a heaven for the ocean of inner meanings. Follow ye My laws for love of My beauty. The souls that have turned to God and are steadfast must act in accordance with whatsoever hath been revealed in God’s Book—that is to say, such deeds as cause not the outbreak of sedition and hatred. Some deeds today are and have been contrary to divine wisdom, while others are in harmony therewith. Blessed is the soul that hath done what beseemeth the Day of God.

O thou seeker of the Desired One! Praise be to the Goal of the world Who hath assisted thee and enabled thee to attain His most great bounty. Thou didst journey and arrive until thou didst attain the presence at the Gate which was opened unto all who are in the heavens and on earth. Be thou thankful to God for this supreme favor.

Convey the greetings of the Wronged One to the friends in that land. All must observe wisdom and hold fast unto it, dealing with the people of the city in the utmost joy and fragrance, and cleaving to such means as will conduce to the fellowship of hearts and the attraction of souls. Perfect wisdom requireth kindliness, care, compassion and loving-kindness. This is the day of spiritual virtues, goodly words and righteous deeds. I swear by the Sun of the horizon of utterance, shining and manifest from the heaven of the Most Great Prison, that the hosts of virtuous character and deeds are mightier than the hosts of the world. The Lord of the celestial throne beareth witness to this in the Most Great Prison. Blessed is he who hath been just in the Cause of God, and woe unto every sinful denier.

With perfect unity and harmony raise ye the remembrance of God, exalted be His glory, and be ye steadfast in His Cause, in such wise that neither the barking of the heedless, nor the signs of the deniers, nor the onslaught of the transgressors shall hold you back from the straight path. The barkers have ever lain in wait. Blessed is the soul that hath shown forth supreme steadfastness and hath uttered that which hath caused the foundations of every heedless doubter to quake. Satan hath ever sought to prevent the steadfast from the straight path through piety and asceticism. The believers and the sincere must arise to serve the Cause with perfect certitude and assurance, in such wise that were all the world to appear with complete asceticism and utter a word contrary to what hath flowed from the Supreme Pen, they would be rejected and would be accounted among the people of hell in God’s presence.

The servant in attendance hath attained with thy letter and read it before the Countenance. We have answered thee with this Tablet and have mentioned thee in such wise as naught in all creation can equal it. Give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Merciful, the All-Bountiful. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My grace be upon thee and upon every one who hath turned unto God and is steadfast, and upon those women who have believed in the One, the All-Informed.

BH02962: Praise befits the Most Desired One Who bestowed perfect…

He is God, exalted be His station, to Him belong greatness and grandeur.

Praise befits the Most Desired One Who bestowed perfect affection between hearts through His Most Exalted Word and adorned them with the light of unity and harmony. If all the treasures of the world were expended, such affection and unity could not be achieved. The command is in His hand—He creates love as He wishes and brings hearts together as He pleases. The key to this door has been and continues to be the diffused fragrances, and this fragrance appears sometimes through mention and utterance, and at times through pen and fingertips. Exalted be His grace, exalted be His favor, His might and His kindness.

And furthermore, the letter of that honored master dated the 15th of the blessed month of Ramadan arrived and like the April rains bestowed fresh adornment upon heart and soul. I beseech and implore God, exalted be His glory, that this door remain forever open. Verily He has power over all things.

And regarding what you wrote about the items, complete emphasis was previously given and they were sent. God willing they will prove acceptable. The beloved Haji Siyyid Javad, upon him be the Glory of God, has written to both your honor and this servant about the reason and cause for the delay. You will learn the details of these matters from their letter. And regarding what you wrote about the sweets, God willing it shall be acted upon. This servant beseeches his Lord to ordain for you the good of this world and the next, to elevate your station and open before your face the doors of grace and bounty. Verily He has power over whatsoever He willeth.

And regarding what you wrote about His Holiness the Name of God, upon him be the Glory of God, it is correct—they arrived and attained. Their joy, delight and happiness accord with what you wrote. They stayed here two nights and then, as commanded, returned home. It is hoped that soon we shall gather together in the assembly of unity and the seat of truth in the shade of the Divine Lote Tree. I beseech Him, exalted be He, to bring near the days of attainment. Verily He is the Hearer, the Answerer of prayers. And praise be to God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

BH02990: The world is observed to be in turmoil…

He is the All-Seeing, the All-Informed!

The world is observed to be in turmoil. The recompense for the deeds of the heedless nations has prevented rest and tranquility. After the martyrdom of the martyrs and the manifestation of the Cause and the exaltation of the Word until now, truth cannot be distinguished from falsehood. By the life of God! The people of the Bayan and what they possess are like the spider’s web, nay weaker still, if they but knew it.

The people of the Furqan spent one thousand two hundred years polishing the swords of rejection and protest until finally they fell upon the pure body of the Mystery of existence and the Educator of the seen and unseen, cutting down that Sacred Tree. God’s curse be upon them! And now the deniers of the Bayan cling to the same vain imaginings. Ahmad ibn Ja’far Kirmani desires to become the possessor of false prophecies and forged declarations, and perhaps he also wishes to rebuild Jabulqa and Jabulsa, just as they did before, burning the world with the fire of tyranny. We beseech God to protect His loved ones.

They have denied Him Who has appeared with all divine verses and heavenly proofs, while they busy themselves with exalting the words of those who have ever remained behind the veil of concealment. They have stolen divine verses and have made various calumnies a bridle for the heedless ones. Shame upon them for what their hands have wrought!

You should remain engaged with the utmost joy and fragrance and assurance. Divine blessing and heavenly bounty have encompassed and will continue to encompass your condition. Convey My greetings to the friends in that land on behalf of the Wronged One and counsel them to the Most Great Steadfastness.

Your letter which you sent to the Observer, upon him be My glory, was noted. Praise be to God, the fragrance of love and steadfastness wafted from it. We have read it and have revealed for you this wondrous Tablet.

Grieve not over anything. Verily all affairs are in His grasp. He doeth what He willeth, and He is the Desired One in the beginning and in the end. We console you in what hath befallen you and comfort you through My grace and My verses and My mercy which have preceded all created things, and We bid you to beautiful patience. Verily your Lord is the All-Patient, the Almighty, the Powerful, the Self-Subsisting.

BH03308: Praise be to God Who caused the Luminary…

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

Praise be to God Who caused the Luminary of eternity to appear from the horizon of Batha, and from it the Sun of divine decree shone forth in the world of execution, through which the mysteries of the Book were revealed. He is the Judge in the final return. Exalted be the All-Bestowing One Who sent Him with truth and guidance, and through Him caused the rain to descend from the heaven of bounty. Upon Him and His family and companions be the blessings of God, His peace, His mercy and His favors.

Glorified art Thou, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all created things and the controls of all existence! I beseech Thee by the Lord of “but for Thee,” through Whose advent the celestial spheres were honored, to protect Thy believing servants from the evil of Thine enemies and to assist them through the hosts of the unseen and the visible, through Thy power and might. Then I beseech Thee by the Most Great Word to send down upon them from the clouds of Thy mercy that which will draw them nigh unto Thee and elevate them through Thy Name and sovereignty. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O thou who hast turned! The Wronged One beareth witness to thy turning, thy devotion, thy arrival and thy attentiveness. We beseech God, exalted be He, to aid thee and make thee successful in that which will exalt thee amongst His servants, and to ordain for thee the good of the hereafter and of this world. Verily He is powerful over what He willeth. There is no God but He, the Almighty, the Powerful.

Convey the greetings of the Wronged One to the friends in that land. We beseech God to make them all successful in such wise that the world and all that is therein shall not prevent them from turning unto Him. All that is witnessed is transient, and that which is with Him endureth. Blessed are they whom that which they possess hath not deprived of that which is with God. Verily We send Our greetings to Our loved ones and mention unto them that which shall profit them in all the worlds of their Lord, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful. Peace be upon thee and upon those who are with thee and upon those who have testified to that which God hath testified, that there is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great, for He is the Most Merciful of the merciful ones and the Goal of all who are in the heavens and on earth.

BH03707: The Wronged One testifies that the Supreme Pen has…

He is God, exalted be His station of grandeur and power!

The Wronged One testifies that the Supreme Pen has remembered you morning and evening. At times it has galloped in the arena of remembrance, and at other times it has been prevented from utterance by sorrows that have overtaken it. The heaven bears witness, and likewise the sun and moon, that mention of you has been and will continue to be made in the presence of the Wronged One. How could you be erased from sight when, from the Most Great Scene, the rustling of the breezes of the highest Paradise, the murmuring of the celestial Kawthar, and the whispering of the divine Lote-Tree all attest to God’s loving-kindness—exalted be His glory—towards you? The verses of grace have encompassed the world. All bear witness and will continue to bear witness to this truth. The trees bear witness, the fruits bear witness, and beyond them this servant present bears witness, and beyond him bears witness He with Whom is the Mother Book.

Baba Tahir has spoken well when he said:

“What if my pain were but a single pain? What if my grief were but a little grief?”

That which has befallen you is clear and evident to God. However, wisdom and forbearance befit your station. O My Name! The loved ones are saddened by your sorrow, but I bear witness by God that there has been and is no harm, for whatsoever occurred, occurred for a mighty Cause and a great Announcement. Adversities, hardships, tribulations and trials in the path of God have been and ever will be beloved.

Blessed art thou for thy patience and fortitude in the Cause of God, and for thy tranquility and steadfastness in His path. This is a testimony uttered by the tongue of the Wronged One in this noble station. To those friends who have quaffed from the Kawthar of divine knowledge and who are gazing toward the Most Exalted Horizon, We convey Our greetings. The glory shining forth from the heaven of My mercy be upon thee and upon those who are with thee, who love thee, and who hearken to thy words concerning My manifest Cause.

BH03694: Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God…

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

Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having guided me to Thy straight path and Thy mighty announcement, for having given me to drink from the Kawthar of Thy verses, for having shown me the horizon of Thy grace, and for having strengthened me until I acknowledged Thy oneness and Thy singleness and that which Thy Prophets and Messengers and chosen ones have acknowledged. Thou art He from Whose knowledge nothing escapeth and Whom nothing can frustrate.

I beseech Thee by Thy power which hath encompassed all created things and by Thy sovereignty which hath prevailed over all existence, to make me in all conditions one who maketh mention of Thee and singeth Thy praise. O Lord! I am he who hath taken up his abode beneath the shadow of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee by the breezes of Thy Revelation and the Manifestations of Thy Cause and the mysteries of Thy Book and whatsoever hath been inscribed by Thy Most Exalted Pen in the Crimson Tablet, to send down upon me from the heaven of Thy bounty that which shall profit me in the world to come and in this world and shall draw me nigh unto Thee, O Lord of all men! O my Lord! Thou seest Thy servant standing before Thy door, hoping for the wonders of Thy grace. I testify that Thou didst call me of Thine own accord though I was unworthy thereof, and didst strengthen me to turn towards Thee until I turned and entered a station wherein was raised the pavilion of Thy glory and wherein shone forth from its horizon the sun of Thy bounty.

Praise be to Thee, O Lord of Names, and unto Thee be glory and bestowal, O Creator of the heavens, for having caused me to hear and to see and for having honored me and drawn me nigh unto Thee on a day whereon the servants turned away from Thy Cause and disputed Thy signs and violated Thy covenant and Thy testament. I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy greatness and Thy self-subsistence, not to deprive me of the pearls of the ocean of Thy grace nor to withhold from me the lights of Thy countenance. Ordain for me that which beseemeth Thy generosity and Thy bounty and Thy bestowal. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Powerful. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

BH03873: Thy letter hath come before the Wronged One…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer

Thy letter hath come before the Wronged One and the servant in attendance before His face hath presented it. We have heard and answer thee through this perspicuous Tablet. Blessed is he who hath heard the Call and answered his Lord. Verily he is among the people of Baha in the Crimson Book. The Concourse on High and they that circle round their Lord’s throne, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, shall pray for him.

O Muhammad! Hearken unto the Call from the prison precinct from this Wronged One, Who hath been encompassed by the swine and dogs of the earth—they who have risen in opposition, such that by their tyranny the dwellers of thy Lord’s kingdom, the Almighty, the Powerful, have lamented. We counsel thee and those who have believed to unity and concord in this Cause, whereby the pillars of the divines of the earth who have broken God’s Covenant, the Lord of all worlds, have been shaken. Through the light of unity doth the world become illumined, and through concord is gathered together what was scattered throughout the earth. Thy Lord is verily the Elucidator, the All-Knowing.

Blessed art thou for having turned towards Him when most people turned away, and for having remembered thy Lord when the people were in evident doubt. When the crier cometh, leave him behind you, turning towards God, the Single, the All-Informed. He will come to you with a subtlety the like of which the eye of creation hath never seen. Thus doth the One possessed of knowledge of all things inform you, from a Mighty, Near One.

We counsel all to act according to what hath been revealed in God’s Book and that whereby this Most Great Announcement may be uplifted. Remember God’s loved ones on My behalf and give them the glad tidings of My loving-kindness and bounty, which have encompassed all who are in the heavens and on earth. Blessed is the servant who hath held fast to the Book and who hath drunk the choice wine of revelation from the hands of the bounty of their Lord, the Generous.

The Glory shining from the horizon of the Kingdom be upon thee and upon those who have cast aside the world’s vain imaginings, holding fast to that which hath been sent down from the presence of an Ancient One. Praise be to God, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Protector, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

BH03961: He dawneth from the horizon of grace

He dawneth from the horizon of grace

O Nur! Know that thy father, Nuru’llah, upon him be the Glory of God, hath ascended. He is the One Who shineth from the horizon of grace. Whatsoever existeth in the world and is possessed by the people of the world is perishable, except what God willeth. That which is adorned with the ornament of immortality is a remembrance that floweth from the Supreme Pen—this endureth as long as the kingdom of earth and heaven endureth.

All are assured with manifest certainty of the transience of the world and its vicissitudes. Nevertheless, they have clung to it in such wise that they remain heedless and veiled from God and from that which is with Him. Blessed is thy father! At the time of his ascension We perceived from him the fragrance of My love, to which the dwellers of the Most Exalted Paradise in the All-Glorious Companion bear witness. By the life of God! Were the recompense for deeds performed in the path of God to become manifest on earth, all would turn toward the Friend and would be detached and freed from aught else.

Be not grieved by that which hath come to pass. Hold fast unto patience—for patience hath a great reward with God, the Lord of all worlds. Upon thee be glory, and upon those who have attained unto the days of God and have hearkened unto that which hath been sent down from Him—they are among those who are nigh in a perspicuous Book.

On behalf of the Wronged One, make mention of the relatives and remind them of that which beseemeth them, for the station of the servants hath ever been that of submission. Were man to observe with the eye of truth, he would testify that whatsoever cometh to pass is pure good. We counsel all to patience and steadfastness, and We beseech God to assist His loved ones in that which He loveth and is pleased with. Verily He is the Protector of humanity and the Lord of the world to come and the world that was.

We send Our greetings to the family of him who hath ascended, and We make mention of each of them with a goodly remembrance. Praise be to God, the Single, the One, the Mighty, the All-Praised.

BH04000: This Wronged One, whether in prison or out…

He is the Witness from His Most Glorious Horizon.

This Wronged One, whether in prison or out of prison, has summoned all to the highest horizon. All things bear witness that the Pen of the Ancient has been and is, night and day, occupied with the remembrance of the loved ones of God.

Oceans of God’s loving-kindness have streamed and been sent down from the Pen, yet the people of the earth remain heedless and occupied with their own vain imaginings. They have regarded the Dawning-Place of light as darkness and deemed the Ocean of knowledge as ignorant. The recompense of the deeds of these heedless souls has encompassed the world, and every deed appears in its own form and effect. Those possessed of vision have perceived and continue to perceive this. We beseech God to shut the doors of corruption and to open, through the key of the Most Great Name, the portals of goodness and benevolence before the face of the world.

O Abdul-Husayn! His honor Jud, upon him be My glory, has made and continues to make mention of you. The letter you sent was presented at the Most Holy and Exalted Court. Be not grieved by the conflicts and varying conditions of the world. Praise be to God, you dwell beneath the shade of God’s loving-kindness and are turned toward His horizon. We beseech God to set right that which is the cause and source of grief.

We give you the glad-tidings of God’s mercy, His grace and His loving-kindness, and We send Our greetings from the Prison to you and to My handmaiden there. We make mention of her as a token of Our grace, for verily I am the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. Convey My greetings to the faces of My loved ones there and remind them of that which hath been sent down from My Most Exalted Pen in this clear Tablet. The Glory shining forth from the horizon of My loving-kindness be upon you and upon her and upon them and upon every believing servant and every handmaiden who has attained to the recognition of God, the Lord of all worlds.

BH04002: The verses have been sent down, the evidences are…

He is the Protector over all names!

The verses have been sent down, the evidences are manifest, the path is clear, and the balance is set up, yet the people are witnessed to be in great heedlessness and behind a mighty veil. The heavenly food descends in every moment from the heaven of the favor of the Lord of the Worlds, yet the people remain unaware.

O my God, O my King, O my Sovereign! What ingratitude has appeared from Thy servants that it has become the cause and reason for withholding the outpourings of Thy days. Thou art that Generous One Whom the ocean of rebellion did not prevent from bestowing His favors, and the world of misbelief and unbelief did not hold back His bounty and generosity. One breeze from the right hand of Thy will can make the ancient world new and bring the dead to life. We beseech Thee to protect Thy loved ones and to rain down upon them from the heaven of generosity and the heaven of bounty the showers of grace and bestowal. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the Wise.

Praise the Beloved of the worlds. Before and after thou hast been blessed by His mention and confirmed in turning toward Him. Today the imperishable food and eternal blessing is especially for the friends of Truth. It appears and will appear according to the requirements of time and season. Verily thy Lord is powerful over all things. Rejoice in My remembrance and then thank Him for His grace. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous.

Jinab-i-Nazir dwells beneath the canopy of the Throne. Praise be to God, they have attained to that which was recorded and inscribed in the divine Books. There is no excellence or honor greater than what has been bestowed. We beseech God to confirm, assist, strengthen and establish all to remain firm, steadfast and upright. Verily He is powerful over all things.

BH04448: A remembrance from Us unto him who hastened…

He is the All-Witnessing, the All-Informed.

A remembrance from Us unto him who hastened to the Most Exalted Station which was honored by the advent of the King of Names, and I am the All-Knowing Rememberer. O thou who art hated for My love, imprisoned for My Name, and banished in My straight path! Would My Most Exalted Pen forget thee? Nay, by My Most Glorious Name! Be thankful unto thy Lord, the All-Merciful, the All-Bountiful. He hath adorned His names with the name of faithfulness and arrayed Himself in its robe when He came with a mighty command. By God’s life! My remembrance of thee and My call unto thee have never ceased. He Who possesseth the knowledge of all things in a clear Book beareth witness to this. By My life! Through thy grief, sorrows have overtaken Me, and by what hath befallen thee, the tribes of the earth who heard the call and answered their Lord, the All-Hearing, the All-Responding, have lamented.

Thus have We adorned the Tablet of remembrance with the luminary of Our care. Be thankful and say:

“Praise be unto Thee, O my Heart’s Desire, and glory be unto Thee, O Thou Who art worshipped by all who are in the heavens and on earth!”

I testify that Thou hast remembered me, guided me, made me know Thee, taught me, drawn me nigh unto Thee, honored me with Thy presence, made me hear Thy call, and shown me the horizon of Thy manifestation when Thou didst withhold therefrom countless souls whom none can reckon save Thy knowledge. I beseech Thee, O God of all beings and Lord of all things, by Thy Most Glorious Name and by the shrill voice of Thy Most Exalted Pen, to preserve me through Thy bounty and grace, and ordain for me through Thy tender mercy and favors the good of the hereafter and of this world. Thou art He Whom nothing can frustrate and no decree can hinder. There is no God but Thee, the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH04661: O people of the world! The harm inflicted upon…

In the name of the true Interpreter!

O people of the world! The harm inflicted upon the Ancient Beauty and the Most Great Name came not from the princes and ministers, for whatsoever they committed was due to lack of awareness. I swear by the Sun of Truth which shineth from the horizon of the prison, were they to become adorned with the ornament of awareness to even less than a mustard seed’s weight, they would become detached and freed from what they possess and would turn with acceptance toward that which is with God.

The harm to the Beloved of all creation came from the people of the Bayan who, with the utmost effort and struggle, arose to waste away the Cause.

The divine verses have encompassed all horizons and His manifestations have adorned all with the ornament of awareness. His evidences exceed all reckoning—were all the writers of the world to gather together, they would find themselves powerless to mention that which hath appeared and been revealed. In this Revelation all are commanded to behold Him with His own eyes. Praise be to God, the Face is resplendent and manifest, and the ocean surgeth while the people remain heedless and veiled.

Beseech ye God that He may adorn all with the ornament of fairness and guide them with the light of justice. Blessed art thou for having been mentioned before the Wronged One, and there hath been revealed for thee that which proclaimeth with the most exalted call before the face of the world: “The Lord of Eternity hath come with manifest sovereignty!” Glory be upon thee and upon every discerning believer.

BH04833: Your letter arrived and its verse and prose were…

He is God, exalted be His glory, majesty and grandeur!

Your letter arrived and its verse and prose were presented at the Most Holy Court. The fragrance of divine love was wafting from it. We beseech God to assist you in negating negation and affirming affirmation, in such wise that neither the opposition of the ungodly nor the denial of the transgressors may hinder you. The clamor is raised high and the atheists lie in wait—should they find opportunity they would cast doubt. They have objected to the Dayspring of divine verses and the Source of heavenly proofs, which has ever been thus, while considering themselves possessed of faith. Say: Alas! Alas! By God’s life, they are deprived of all bounties and forbidden from the favors of God, exalted be His glory.

Rejoice in My remembrance of you, then give thanks to your Lord, the Compassionate, the Generous. The clamor will also be raised in those regions. Guard yourselves and through the Name of God, exalted be His glory, see yourselves detached and free from all that is in the world. Blessed is your tongue for having uttered praise of your Lord. Verily He does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good. Regarding what you wrote about meeting—these are difficult days, for the unfair people lie in wait to create some incident and then object to their Sovereign. Be patient, verily your Lord is the All-Patient, the All-Knowing. Convey My greetings to the friends. Glory be upon you and upon them and upon every steadfast, upright one.

BH05088: He hath illumined the world with the splendors…

He is the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing!

He hath illumined the world with the splendors of the revelation of the Most Great Name with supreme joy. Today every remote one draweth nigh unto the court of nearness, and every sinner gazeth toward the ocean of forgiveness, and every poor one arriveth at the shore of the sea of wealth. The attraction of His revelation hath seized the realities of all things, and yet the heedless servants lie prostrate in the graves of negligence, neither arising at the cry nor awakening at the trump. Blessed is he who hath been seized by the fragrance of the days of God and been guided to the court of the Friend. He is numbered among those who are nigh unto God in the perspicuous Book. He Who circled round Me and migrated with Me hath mentioned thee. We make mention of thee in this wondrous Tablet. Blessed is the countenance that hath not been deprived of the light of the Countenance, and well is it with the assured one who hath not been shut out from the Supreme Horizon.

The friends of God must regard the cry of the world as the buzzing of a fly, and arise by day and by night to that which will cause the exaltation of the Most Great Word. This is the station of man and his glory, which hath flowed from the Pen of the All-Merciful. Well is it with them that act! Give thanks unto thy Lord, for He hath aided thee and caused thee to know that of which most of the people of the earth remain heedless. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken from His Most Great Prison in His exalted station. Blessed be the people of God, whom the might of the oppressors hath not frightened, and whom those who have denied God, the Lord of the Day of Judgment, have not weakened.

BH05048: He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful. A remembrance…

He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful. A remembrance from Us to those on earth: Worship none but God, the Lord of all worlds. Beware lest veils prevent you from the Source of divine verses, or the might of those who have violated God’s Covenant and Testament and are among the most lost deter you.

By God’s life! We have come for the reformation of the world, yet the peoples have risen in opposition in such wise that they have shed blood and plundered what belonged to My loved ones without any clear proof or perspicuous Book. Therefore have the inmates of the pavilion of sanctity wept, and the eyes of those near to God have shed tears.

A letter mentioning thee hath come before the Wronged One. We have remembered thee with that which hath caused the hearts of the sincere to soar. Give thanks unto God for this supreme bounty. Verily He remembereth whom He willeth and aideth whom He pleaseth. He is the Almighty, the Powerful.

We make mention of God’s loved ones in the cities and regions and counsel them to remain steadfast in this mighty, irrevocable Cause. How many a servant arose to serve the Cause in such wise that armies could not frighten him, and how many a servant trembled at the buzzing of a fly. Thy Lord is indeed the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Blessed is the strong one whom the hosts of earth could not weaken, and blessed is the one who hath turned toward God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

Thus have We adorned the heaven of knowledge with the stars of wisdom and utterance. Blessed is he who hath heard and seen, and blessed is he who hath arisen and taken hold of the Book of God with a power from Him. He is indeed among those near to God in a clear Book.

BH05221: In the Name of Him Who speaketh…

In the Name of Him Who speaketh from the horizon of utterance! O ʿAli-Qabl-i-Akbar! Thy cry hath reached the Most Exalted Horizon. He hath hearkened unto thy lamentation and mourning in separation from the Divine Lote-Tree. All trees and fruits and leaves bear witness to the grace of God and His bounty. The True One hath testified and doth testify to thy turning unto Him, thy steadfastness, thy service, and thy praise and glorification.

The One Beloved—the Tablets that have been sent down bear witness to God’s grace, exalted be His glory. If delay hath been observed in their dispatch, it was due to wisdom, lest any soul in that place might become aware and cause fresh commotion. Thou must at all times drink from the chalice of joy and gladness, for that which came upon you in the path of God caused the Concourse on High to weep and lament.

Thy letter was read before the Wronged One. Praise be to God, it was adorned with the ornament of divine praise and thanksgiving. This beseemeth thee and My firm and mighty Cause. The glory shining from the horizon of My Kingdom be upon thee and upon those with thee and upon him who hath arisen and declared: God is my Lord and the Lord of all who are in the heavens and the earth and the Lord of the mighty Throne!

O thou who gazeth upon the end of the Bayan! We counsel thee to patience and forbearance in what God, the Lord of all worlds, hath ordained.

BH05612: He looked on from the most exalted Horizon

He looked on from the most exalted Horizon

O Muhammad, O My Afnan! Today from the waves of the Most Great Ocean is heard this most complete and great Word: The Kingdom and the Realm of Names and Sovereignty and Might belong to God, the Possessor of the seen and unseen.

When there comes to you one who protests, say: Fear, and speak not that which would cause all things to curse you. Verily He has come with that which no one has brought, and has revealed the equivalent of what all the parties possess of the Books of the Prophets and Messengers, nay rather more, were ye of those who know.

Leave the people and what they possess, placing thy trust in God and holding fast to His cord and clinging to His luminous robe. We have mentioned thee before and at this time. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

We behold thee at the door in all conditions. Verily thy Lord fulfills His promise. Nothing whatsoever escapes His knowledge. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth, to the dismay of those who have denied God, the Single, the All-Informed.

It behooveth thee to follow that which thou hast been commanded, O My Afnan. This is what We have counseled thee with in thy presence and in another Tablet. Verily thy Lord is the All-Explaining, the All-Wise.

The glory shining forth from the horizon of My Kingdom be upon him and upon thee and upon those who have said “God is our Lord and the Lord of all who are in the heavens and earths.” Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH05821: Husayn and ʿAbdu’l-Karim have attained the presence…

He is God, exalted be His majesty, the Grandeur and the Power!

Husayn and ʿAbdu’l-Karim have attained the presence of the Wronged One in these days when We are surrounded by those possessed of hatred and malice, who claim association with the Spirit of God, the Creator of heaven. They have calumniated Us and committed that which caused every fair-minded one to weep, brought tears to the eyes of every just one, and made the heart of every discerning one to moan. We beseech God, exalted be He, to protect His servants from the evil of these people. By the life of God! They are the offspring of vipers, and this is what God hath revealed aforetime unto His Messengers. O thou who gazest toward the Most Sublime Horizon! It behooveth Us and thee and every believer to hold fast unto the cord of God’s loving-kindness, the Lord of creation.

We beseech from Him victory and deliverance for His servants who are encompassed by the ships of misbelief and the cannons of unbelief. O my Lord! Thou seest Thy weak servants—where is Thy strength, O Lord of the worlds, and where is Thy power, O Creator of the nations? I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst subdue all created things, to send down from the heaven of Thy loving-kindness that which will gladden the hearts of Thy servants and the souls of Thy creation. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Conquering, the All-Powerful. Peace be upon thee and upon God’s sincere servants.

BH05869: He is the Witness and the Witnessed! This…

He is the Witness and the Witnessed! This is a Book sent down by the All-Loving in the Frequented Fane, guiding mankind to His Straight Path. O peoples of the earth! That which was inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen in the Books of God, Lord of Names, and concealed within His all-encompassing knowledge, hath now been made manifest. Fear ye God, and oppose not Him at Whose advent sovereignty and dominion, every learned one and every mystic bowed in submission. He hath testified to that which God hath testified from His exalted station. We have heard thy call and have answered thee through this Book, from which hath flowed the river of mercy and wherein the nightingale of utterance hath warbled upon the branches, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

We counsel all to steadfastness in this mighty Cause. The clamor hath been raised throughout all regions, while the Lord of the Day of Mutual Meeting hath seated Himself upon His exalted throne, calling the servants unto the Most Sublime Horizon and commanding them to that which will elevate their stations, by One Who is knowing and wise. Say: O people! Fear ye God and deny not yourselves that which hath been revealed in truth. Thus doth counsel you He in Whose possession is a perspicuous Book. The glory shining from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon thee and upon those who have held fast to My firm cord. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH06068: One is astonished, for all the people…

…One is astonished, for all the people of the Bayan have witnessed and heard the falsehoods and calumnies of the people of the Furqan, and on God’s Day that which was hidden became manifest. How then have they again secluded themselves behind the veils of former idle fancies? At times they speak of “mirror,” at times of “successor,” at times of “guardian.” A hundred thousand souls like these have been and are created by a single word. Neither their names nor what they possess shall profit them. What shall profit them is their return unto God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Like children they are occupied with clay playthings. Glory be to God! Such a door of falsehood hath been opened in the letters Kaf and Ra that the world is bewildered, and likewise deceit, guile and craftiness. The Most High, the Most Great God speaketh the truth. That which hath been revealed in the Most Holy Book concerning that land sufficeth them that are nigh unto God. He who is assured of this most great Cause beholdeth the world as a handful of dust. May God protect His helpless servants, for again they have arisen in opposition through the agency of the divines…

BH06269: He speaketh from His most exalted horizon

He speaketh from His most exalted horizon

A book revealed by the Lord of all being as He was walking in the house and gazing toward the horizon of faithfulness. Exalted be God, the Lord of Names and Creator of heaven, Who hath shown such loving-kindness as all the pens of the world and tongues of the nations are powerless to recount. To this My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness in this mighty and impregnable station.

O ʿAli-Akbar! Thou didst enter prison for love of Me and didst drink the cup of tribulation in My Name, the Mighty, the Wondrous. Verily He was with His loved ones and friends. He heareth and seeth what befalleth them, and He is the Hearing, the Answering. Grieve not for what hath befallen thee. He comforteth thee and consoleth thee, and He is the All-Bountiful, the All-Generous. By God! Tribulation in My love is sweeter than all sweetness. To this My Most Exalted Pen hath formerly testified, and thou art among those who behold. Blessed art thou and blessed are My friends in that land whom the affairs of the world have not withheld from the Ancient Lord. They are indeed among the triumphant. Beware lest the gloating of enemies sadden thee. Rather, rejoice in My remembrance and say: Praise be unto Thee, O my Best-Beloved, and glorification be unto Thee, O Lord of the worlds!

BH06217: Upon thee be My peace and My mercy…

He is the All-Witnessing, the All-Knowing!

Upon thee be My peace and My mercy and My loving-kindness! I pray that thou mayest be occupied with the remembrance of God, arise to serve Him, turn toward His horizon, gaze upon His countenance, act according to His laws, and be engaged in the refinement of souls. Some time ago, wondrous and exalted verses were specifically revealed and sent to thee. Thou hast not been forgotten, nor shalt thou ever be. Be thou assured of thy Lord’s grace. Verily, He remembereth thee as He remembered thee before, and He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

Convey My greetings to the friends of God and say: Today is the day of service. Strive that ye may guide one who hath gone astray and give drink to one who thirsteth. No other day is like unto this day. All ages bow down in submission before this age, and all days stand humble before this Day. Say: O friends! In this transient abode ye can attain unto an everlasting station. By the life of God! This is a truth in which there is no doubt. Deprive not yourselves thereof. With the utmost endeavor and wisdom, with spirit and fragrance, bring the dead to life and take the hands of those who have remained behind. This is the station of the party of God. The glory that proceedeth from Me rest upon thee and upon My loved ones and chosen ones, and upon all who are steadfast and upright.

BH06861: O Kazim! The oppressor desired to extinguish the fire…

He is the Witness from His most exalted horizon.

O Kazim! The oppressor desired to extinguish the fire of God with the water of hatred and animosity. Thus did his soul entice him. Verily thy Lord is the Mighty, the All-Knowing. Ask God to unveil for him what was hidden from him, that he may abandon what he possesseth, turning toward the horizon which God hath made the Dawning-place of lights.

O concourse of friends! Take hold of the Book of God with the power that proceedeth from Him. Beware lest the might of those who have denied the Source and the Return cause you to fear. They who have clung to the cord of the Cause—these are the friends of God on earth and His chosen ones in the lands. The Most Exalted Pen maketh mention of them at eventide and at dawn. Say: Beware lest the clamor of the divines hold you back from Him Who is the Possessor of Names. They have cast the Book of God behind their backs, clinging to their own books. To this doth the Lord of the world testify from His most sublime station. Thus have We sent down the verses and expounded them in truth and sent them unto thee, that thou mayest thank thy Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Bestowing. The Glory shining and manifest from the horizon of the heaven of My mercy be upon those who have arisen and said:

“God is our Lord and the Lord of all who are in the earth and heaven.”

BH06558: He is the One dawning from the horizon…

He is the One dawning from the horizon of the world! Glorified be He Who hath sent down the verses and revealed the clear evidences while the people were in doubt and schism. Say: Arise ye from the slumber of vain desire, turning toward the Most Exalted Horizon. By God! The Promised One hath appeared with a sovereignty that hath conquered both the kingdom and the realm of heaven. To this beareth witness the Mother Book which is with Him. Fear ye God and oppose not Him in Whom ye believed aforetime. Take hold of the Book of God with the power that cometh from Him, then recite it at eventide and at dawn. How many a servant hath heard and responded, and how many a servant hath heard and turned away—verily he is of the veiled ones.

When thou findest the fragrance of utterance from the Tablet of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, arise and say: Praise be unto Thee for having made me to know and taught me and caused me to hear and strengthened me to recognize Him from Whom most of the servants have turned away. I beseech Thee not to withhold from me that which is with Thee. Ordain for me, O my God, what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones, then send down unto me that which will preserve me from all else besides Thee. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

BH06467: O people of Baha! I swear by the Lord…

He is the All-Hearing, the Responsive One!

O people of Baha! I swear by the Lord of the Kingdom of Names that the opposers among the divines and rulers who are today enkindled with the fire of hatred are not and have never been mentioned in the presence of God. Every person of insight sees such souls as thieves and murderers, for no human qualities are manifest from them. They have ever been and continue to be intent upon seizing people’s lives and property, as ye have witnessed and continue to witness. They have amassed wealth from the property of others and grown rich thereby, and they lord it over them. In truth they are the most abject souls in the world, yet outwardly they adorn themselves in various ways and say “Glory is mine!” By My life! Any soul possessing discernment less than a mustard seed would count such people as non-existent. Blessed art thou for having heard My call, turned to My horizon, spoken My praise, and attained unto My recognition, for which We created all things. Glory be upon thee and upon whosoever hath arisen to serve the Cause with steadfast and unwavering dedication.

BH06502: All the different parties of the world are each…

In His Name, the One Who rules over all names!

All the different parties of the world are each clinging to a book, or to a scroll, or to psalms, or to a tablet—this is an undoubted fact. Now, what has been revealed is equal to all divine books, nay rather more, but the people are seen to be heedless and asleep, nay rather dead. We beseech God that He may quicken all through the Kawthar of His utterance and make them enduring.

Blessed is he who hath cast away vain imaginings and shattered the idols, turning unto God, the Lord of all men. We beseech God that He may assist thee to mention and praise Him and to remain steadfast in this manifest Cause. Say: Glory be unto Thee, O Revealer of verses and Manifestor of clear proofs! I beseech Thee by the pearls of the ocean of Thy knowledge and the mysteries of Thy Book that Thou assist me in that which Thou lovest and art pleased with, and ordain for me what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones whom neither hosts nor ranks could prevent from turning to Thy face. O my Lord! Thou art the Generous, possessed of great bounty. Ordain for me what beseemeth Thy generosity and grace. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH06492: After affirming the oneness of God and acknowledging what…

He is God, exalted be His station of grandeur and power

After affirming the oneness of God and acknowledging what His Prophets and Messengers brought, and their Seal Muhammad—peace be upon him—His Messenger whom He adorned with the crown of “But for thee” and the mantle of the Seal, and his family and companions, I submit that your esteemed letter reached this lowly one. Although the physical distance is very close, yet in the realm of love and friendship this small distance seems very far, such that upon receipt of your letter, in truth the joy of meeting and reunion was experienced. This matter is a matter of love—what a wonderful rider it is and what a wonderful walker! It traverses the globe in a single step and crosses the realm of imagination in an instant. Praise be to its hand and arm! The ledgers you sent arrived. As commanded, they should take from the fifty tumans mentioned. If anything remains, they should send the small remainder. The Glory be upon you and those with you.

BH06801: O My Afnan! Upon thee be My glory…

He is the All-Witnessing, the All-Knowing

O My Afnan! Upon thee be My glory and my loving-kindness. Haydar hath come to the Most Great Scene, crossing paths of land and sea until he entered the luminous Holy Land and attained that which was revealed from the Supreme Pen in the Books of God, the Lord of the Kingdom of Names. He came and heard and attained and visited on thy behalf and as thy representative. Rejoice thou in this bounty and in having been adorned with the ornament of acceptance. This is another bounty from God, the Lord of all beings.

And he mentioned before the Countenance what thou hast done in the path of God, the Lord of the worlds. This is not the first good deed that hath appeared from thee. God hath assisted thee to serve the Cause in successive years. God created thee and chose thee for this as a mercy and bounty from Him—He is the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

Nothing escapeth His knowledge. He witnesseth and seeth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. The glory shining from the horizon of grace be upon thee and upon those with thee and who love thee.

BH06862: O beloved of my heart! As commanded, the package…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Greatness and the Power!

O beloved of my heart! As commanded, the package for his honor Darbaghi, upon him be God’s peace, was sent. Place in it the Tablet addressed to his honor Aqa Mirza Ibrahim and send it. And send the remaining Tablets, along with the Tablet of his honor Muhammad Khan, upon him be Baha’u’llah, which was recently sent, to his honor Aqa Mirza Haydar-ʿAli, upon him be the Most Glorious Beauty of God.

The Tablet of his honor Aqa Yahya, upon him be God’s peace, was also sent—send it to his honor Samandar, upon him be God’s peace, for delivery. You yourself, O beloved one, should also write something as commanded to Aqa Yahya that will bring him joy and delight, though it was not possible this time. Something special should also be sent to his honor Khalil, upon him be Baha’u’llah. God willing, it will be done later. For now, give promises of bounty to them and to his honor Samandar and the others, upon them be God’s peace. The servant beseecheth his Lord to aid them with the means of the heavens and earth. Verily, He hath power over all things.

BH07135: God testifieth that there is none other God but…

He is the Mighty, the Praiseworthy

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. He hath ever been sanctified beyond mention and utterance, and will forever remain as He hath been. He is the Single One, the Mighty, the Bountiful. He hath sent forth His ambassadors and chosen ones, revealed unto them the scriptures and books, and aided them to manifest His Cause in such wise that each one of them prevailed over all who dwell in the heavens and the earth. Through them was raised the standard of divine unity upon the heights, and the fragrance of the garment was wafted amongst the peoples. Exalted be their station, exalted be their rank, exalted be their might and glory and their loftiness and transcendence and their arising to promote the Cause of God, the Lord of all worlds. We have perceived the fragrance of thy turning unto Us, wherefore have We turned unto thee and mentioned thee in this perspicuous mention, through which every one who hath turned unto God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed, hath turned. Hold fast unto the Book of thy Lord, rendering thanks and praise unto Him Who hath aided thee and guided thee unto His straight path.

BH07069: He is the Most Holy, the Most Great…

He is the Most Holy, the Most Great. A mention from Us to him who hath drunk the choice wine from the hand of the bounty of his Lord, the All-Bountiful.

We have sent down the verses and manifested clear proofs by the command of God, the Lord of the worlds. We have heard thy call, turned toward thee, and answered thee with a Tablet that cannot be equalled by the treasures of kings.

We have enjoined upon all to observe what is praiseworthy and that whereby man’s station is exalted. Blessed is He Who created him, assisted him, and made him to be among the honored ones.

Beware lest the affairs of creation veil thee. Take hold of the Book of God with the power that proceedeth from Him. He, verily, is the Helper of whosoever turneth unto Him, and He is the Mighty, the Powerful.

Thus have We woven the coat of divine utterance with the fingers of the will of thy Lord, Who is supreme over all who are in the heavens and on earth. Whoso attaineth unto this coat, neither the swords of the idolaters, nor the cannons of the infidels, nor the arrows of the transgressors shall affect him.

Be thou steadfast in the Cause, enkindled with the fire of love, and speaking forth My beauteous praise. The glory shining forth from the horizon of the heaven of My loving-kindness rest upon thee and upon every steadfast and firm servant.

BH07047: Throughout all days this Wronged One hath shone even…

He is the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing!

Throughout all days this Wronged One hath shone even as the sun from the horizon of the heaven of Revelation. By the life of God! Those souls who have risen up in opposition today were concealed behind veils and coverings, and from fear for their lives were moving from city to city and land to land. Yet when the light of the Sun became somewhat manifest and brilliant, they emerged from behind the veil with swords of opposition and objection. At first they attempted to cut down the blessed Tree that is neither of the East nor of the West, but God preserved it through His truth, as a manifestation of His power and an expression of His might.

O friends! Today all the heavenly Books are dependent and conditioned upon the recognition of this Revelation, and no words, deeds or actions will profit except by the leave of God, exalted be His glory. We beseech God to protect His loved ones and adorn them with the raiment of supreme steadfastness. Verily He is powerful over all things.

Thy mention hath been made in the presence of this Wronged One, and this Tablet hath been revealed for thee, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

BH07625: This is a mention from Us unto him whose…

He is the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

This is a mention from Us unto him whose letter reached Us in the Most Great Prison. We give him the glad-tidings of God’s loving-kindness, the Lord of all worlds. We love to remember him who hath remembered Us, and counsel him with that which is praiseworthy and with that which God hath revealed in His perspicuous Book.

Beware lest the doubts of the people prevent thee from drawing nigh unto God, the Mighty, the Most Praised. The Truth hath appeared, yet the divines have turned away from it and pronounced against it with manifest injustice, whereat both morn and eve have wept. Arise with supreme steadfastness in the Cause of God, the Lord of all creation. This is what thou wast bidden before, and what thou art bidden at this time by One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

We beseech God to open before thy face the portals of understanding and to rain down upon thee from the heaven of certitude that which will tranquilize thy heart and the hearts of them who have sought the countenance after the passing of all things—these, verily, are among those who draw nigh. The glory shining from the horizon of the Kingdom be upon thee and upon every patient and trusting soul.

BH07475: Today from the rustling of the breezes…

He is the One through Whose fragrance the breeze of the All-Merciful has wafted through all lands.

Today from the rustling of the breezes of the gardens of utterance this word is heard:

“O people of Baha! Look not upon the creatures and their clamor and oppression, but rather upon the Truth and His justice and sovereignty.”

Thus has the Divine Lote-Tree spoken forth in His mighty prison.

Thy letter hath arrived and was presented by the servant in attendance. We have revealed for thee this Tablet, each letter of whose words testifieth that there is none other God but Me, the Speaker, the All-Wise. Blessed is he who hath attained unto My remembrance and My Tablet, the Mighty, the Wondrous. All the treasures of the world cannot equal it, as doth testify He Who is established upon His mighty throne.

O people of Baha! Aid ye the All-Merciful through deeds and virtuous character. This is what We commanded you before and in this glorious Tablet. The Glory shining from the horizon of My Kingdom be upon thee and upon those who have aided the All-Merciful through goodly deeds. These, verily, are among the triumphant.

BH07810: He is the One speaking in the Kingdom! This…

He is the One speaking in the Kingdom! This is a Book which the All-Merciful hath sent down from the heaven of utterance unto all that dwell on earth, bearing unto them the glad-tidings of the good-pleasure of God, the Lord of all worlds.

O peoples of the earth! The Lord of Heaven hath come with His kingdom of verses—turn ye unto Him, and be not of the heedless. They who have turned away from the Most Exalted Horizon, inclining unto every remote learning, are indeed among the lost. Say: Fear ye God, and reject not the truth by what ye possess. Follow Him Who hath come unto you with a mighty sovereignty.

This is the day wherein the gate of utterance hath been opened unto all possibilities, and wherein the straight path of God hath been made manifest. Blessed is he who hath attained the lights of the countenance and recognized that which was recorded in the Books of God, the Mighty, the Most Praised.

Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken, while imprisoned amidst the heedless ones. We have witnessed thy turning unto Us, wherefore have We turned unto thee and made mention of thee in this wondrous Tablet. When thou attainest unto it, render thanks unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of earth and heaven, and the Lord of the exalted Throne.

BH08598: O thou who art intoxicated! God willing, thou shalt…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the All-Wise, the All-Eloquent!

O thou who art intoxicated! God willing, thou shalt be reckoned among the men of the divine garden of fruits. Praise be to God, thou art illumined by the light of unity and art a believer in, and dost acknowledge, that which hath been revealed in the Book. Say: My God, my God! Thou seest me detached from all else save Thee and holding fast to the cord of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee by Thy Beloved, through Whom the light of unity hath shone forth from the horizon of the world and the decree of justice hath been established among the nations, to assist me to act according to that which Thou hast commanded me in Thy perspicuous Book.

O my Lord! Thou seest the poorest of Thy servants turning to the horizon of Thy riches, and the most abject of Thy creatures facing the heaven of Thy glory and power. I beseech Thee not to disappoint him of that which Thou hast ordained for them that are nigh unto Thee among Thy servants and for the sincere ones among Thy creation. O my Lord! Open before my face the doors of Thy generosity and bounty. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest through Thy binding command, the All-Wise. Praise be to Thee, O God of the worlds!

BH08138: In these days, despite the sorrows that have befallen…

He is the Hearer, the Seer, the Answerer

In these days, despite the sorrows that have befallen the Beauty of Oneness, at all times We are occupied with the remembrance and praise of His sanctified Being. Blessed is the soul that has heard the divine call and has arisen with perfect steadfastness to serve His Cause. O friends! Know ye the value of the days of God, and in His Day remain not deprived of the outpourings of the true Bestower of bounty. This day is the sovereign of days, and deeds performed therein are the sovereign of deeds. Strive ye that there may appear from you such service as will diffuse the fragrance of eternity and be adorned with an everlasting ornament. Thy mention hath come before the Wronged One, and He hath revealed for thee this perspicuous Book. Give thanks unto God for this most great favor. Verily He heareth and seeth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

BH08160: O God, my Goal, my Beloved, the All-Bountiful…

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

O God, my Goal, my Beloved, the All-Bountiful, the All-Merciful! Thou art He Who knoweth all things, from Whom no matter hath been or shall ever be concealed. Thou art He Who is aware of all things, Who hath been and shall ever be cognizant of the secrets of all hearts and souls and breasts. Every pure deed returneth unto Thee like unto light. Thy will causeth dust to transcend the heavens, and Thy might transformeth solid rock into water. O All-Knowing Lord! Thy servant hath desired to offer Thee a feast—accept it from him and grant it Thy favor. Thou art the All-Bountiful, from Whose heaven of grace none among the first or the last hath ever been deprived. Adorn this service of Thy servant Muhammad-Hasan with the ornament of Thy acceptance. Thou art the Protector of all things and the Encompasser of earth and heaven. There is no God but Thee, the All-Bestowing, the All-Bountiful.

BH11841: O Yusif! The Wronged One counsels thee to hold…

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Greatness and the Power

O Yusif! The Wronged One counsels thee to hold fast to the white religion and the resplendent Law. We beseech God, exalted be He, to assist thee with what He loves and is pleased with, and to make thee among those who grasp the firm handle. Verily, He is the Lord of the throne and earth, and the Master of the hereafter and this world. And peace and blessings be upon Him through Whom the world was renewed and Who appeared from the essence of Adam.

Say: I beseech Thee, O God of Names and Creator of heaven, by Thy most beautiful names and by the Dawning Place of Thy knowledge through which the breezes of revelation were concluded and the banners of divine unity were raised, to assist me to act according to what Thou hast sent down in Thy Book and according to that which will manifest the station of man in creation. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH08991: This is a Book which the Wronged One hath…

He is the One Who speaketh the truth

This is a Book which the Wronged One hath sent down unto him who hath believed in God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. O ʿAbbas-Quli! We have not forbidden the near ones from quaffing the choice sealed wine. Rather, in every instant hath the Tongue of Grandeur proclaimed: “Come ye, come ye, O peoples of the earth!” Yet man is weak, and the Cause mighty and powerful. Under all conditions wisdom and forbearance are to be preferred. Were it not for the weakness of the servants, We would have summoned all the friends openly to the Most Exalted Horizon.

Be thou content with that which thy Lord, the All-Knowing Ordainer, hath ordained. He manifesteth whatsoever He willeth and inscribeth for whomsoever He willeth the reward of attaining His presence. And He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. The glory be upon thee and upon all who have turned unto Him and have testified, saying:

“I bear witness that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”

BH09041: Your letter was received and attained the honor…

He is the One Who warbles upon the branches

Your letter was received and attained the honor of being noticed and heard. Praise be to the Goal of all the worlds Who confirmed you and enabled you to recognize the Dawning Place of Revelation and the Speaker of the Mount. He is the One Whose oneness is sanctified above oneness itself, and Whose oneness in the Kingdom of Names cannot be described or encompassed by anyone’s understanding. Hold fast to Him and cling to His luminous robe. See none but Him and observe naught besides Him. Strive that perchance you may act according to that which hath been revealed in the Book of God. Whosoever attaineth unto this hath attained unto all good. He Who possesseth the Mother Book beareth witness unto this. Glory be upon thee and upon all who have believed in God, the Lord of Lords.

BH09152: In My Name, the Imprisoned, the Wronged

In My Name, the Imprisoned, the Wronged

O Muhammad! Reflect upon the days of the Seal of the Prophets—may the spirit of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake. The enemies arose from all directions to oppose and object, and perpetrated that which caused the Concourse on High to weep and lament. If these people consider this Wronged One blameworthy, what fault did they find in that Holy Being? Most of the people of the world are observed to be like cattle, deprived of understanding and bereft of comprehension. In all ages and centuries they have acted as they do in these days. “No Messenger cometh unto them but they did mock at him.” Verily we are God’s, and to Him shall we return.

BH08956: Say: Glory be unto Thee, O God…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer!

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O God of the world and Desire of the nations! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Glorious Manifestation from the highest horizon, and by Thy mighty signs, and the evidences of Thy power in the kingdom of creation, to assist me to be steadfast in Thy Cause. O my Lord! Thou seest me turning unto Thee, clinging to Thy cord, and directing my face toward Thy countenance. I implore Thee by the mysteries of Thy Book and the sweetness of Thy utterance to ordain for me the reward of those who were steadfast in Thy Cause and who spoke Thy praise in such wise that the hosts of those who denied Thee and Thy signs could not hinder them. I am he who, O my God, doth acknowledge his weakness and impotence, and Thy power and might and glory and dominion. I beseech Thee to preserve me through Thy Name and strengthen me to arise to serve Thee. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful.

BH08883: My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness that verily I…

He is the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting!

My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness that verily I am the Wronged One. There is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Blessed is he who hath attained unto My call and responded to that which My Pen hath uttered and acted according to what hath been sent down in My wondrous Book. I bear witness unto him who hath turned towards My countenance that he hath turned towards God, the Lord of all worlds. Blessed is the handmaiden who hath heard and attained. Verily she is among the denizens of Paradise in the presence of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise.

Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having enabled me to serve Thy Cause and given me to drink of the Kawthar of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee by the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree and the mysteries of Thy Book, O Lord of all names, to make this handmaiden of Thine steadfast in Thy Cause. Verily Thou art powerful over all things. The Glory be upon thee and upon every handmaiden who hath believed in the All-Knowing, the One.