Volume 084: Akka 1305 A.H. (1887–1888), Part I (3 of 5)

BH06816: O My loved ones in the lands! Some souls…

He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

O My loved ones in the lands! Some souls are firm and steadfast in the Cause of God, while others have loved and continue to love discord, each day clinging to a rope and grasping at the hem of some vain imagination. We beseech the True One that He may cause all to be steadfast in His Cause, in such wise that the doubts of the heedless and the intimations of the suspicious may not keep them back from the manifest Truth. The Day is His Day and the Cause is His Cause.

Say: My God, my God! I have turned toward Thee and have set my face toward the lights of Thy countenance. I testify that Thou didst create me and make me manifest and nurture me and guide me to Thy straight path and Thy firm and mighty Cause. I beseech Thee by the kingdom of Thy verses and the dominion of Thy power to make me firm and steadfast in Thy Cause. Verily Thou art powerful over what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Powerful.

O my Lord! Ordain for me what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones who have sacrificed their souls in Thy path and whom the might of princes did not prevent from drawing nigh unto Thee. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful, and worthy to answer prayer.

BH07089: My remembrance and praise and call and utterance…

He is the Utterer of Truth!

My remembrance and praise and call and utterance and standing and sitting and sleep and wakefulness are for God, the Lord of the worlds. We arose this day and left the house, proceeding to another place. When We arrived, We commanded the servant in attendance before Us, and he heard and wrote down what the Tongue of Grandeur spoke forth in his luminous station. Blessed is the servant who casts away what the people possess and takes what draws him near to the Near, the Watchful One. When the fire of My utterance has enkindled thee and thou hast drunk from the Kawthar of My knowledge, say:

Praise be to Thee, O my God, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O my Glory, for having remembered me and guided me and made known to me that which most of Thy servants have failed to comprehend. I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy countenance and by the Point through which Thou didst distinguish Thy books, to make me rich through Thy riches and speaking forth Thy command and steadfast in Thy love and standing firm in Thy service. Verily Thou art the One with power over whatsoever Thou willest, and within Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in the heavens and on earth. There is none other God but Thee, the Commander, the All-Knowing.

BH07777: Say: My God, my God! My heart has melted…

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

Say: My God, my God! My heart has melted from separation and remoteness from Thee, and my joints have trembled in my distance from the court of Thy nearness. I know not, O my God, by what deed I may draw nigh unto Thee, by what remembrance I may supplicate in Thy days, or to what intercessor I may cling that would bring me closer to Thee, guide me to Thy prison, and cause me to hear Thy sweetest call. O Lord of all beings! I beseech Thee, O Lord of the world and Educator of the nations, by Thy Command through which the ocean of Thy knowledge surged before the faces of Thy creation and the breezes of the spring of Thy mercy wafted over the hearts of Thy loved ones, to make me in all conditions mindful of Thy verses and speaking in Thy praise. O Lord! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I know not what would draw me nigh unto Thee and honor me with the ornament of Thy favors. I beseech Thee by Thy generosity which has encompassed all existence to ordain for me that which will make me steadfast in Thy love and firm in Thy Cause. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

BH08222: In My Name, the Speaking One, the Trustworthy!

In My Name, the Speaking One, the Trustworthy!

This is a remembrance for one who hath heard My call and turned to My horizon and spoken My beauteous praise, that this remembrance may draw him nigh unto God, the Lord of the worlds. We have heard thy call, We make mention of thee and have turned toward thee from the precincts of the Prison, that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord, the Mighty, the All-Wise. We created the world for My meeting and the recognition of My Self, but when I came unto them with the standards of signs and the banners of clear proofs, they turned away from Me and opposed Me with manifest injustice. They denied the favor of God and rejected His proof and His evidence, inasmuch as they followed every ignorant remote one. Say:

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having strengthened me and taught me and caused me to know Thee and given me to drink from the Kawthar of Thy utterance and the Salsabil of Thy knowledge on a day wherein the servants have risen up to harm Thee and shed Thy most pure and radiant blood. I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy countenance and the waves of the ocean of Thy utterance to make me steadfast in Thy Cause and firm in Thy love. Verily Thou art the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

BH09343: A remembrance from Us to him who has turned…

He is the One Who rules over all names.

A remembrance from Us to him who has turned to the Most Exalted Horizon and believed in God, the One, the All-Informed. A Book that speaks and a Cause that is manifest, yet the people are heedless. At all times We summoned the people of possibility to the horizon of the All-Merciful and, without any veil or barrier, explained that which would exalt the Word. Yet the recompense of the deeds of the servants has deprived them of the Self-Sufficient, the Exalted. Blessed is the soul that has returned from what it possessed to that which is with God. Your mention was made before the Wronged One, and with this clear Book We have mentioned you, that perchance you may arise to serve the Cause and guide people to the horizon of the All-Merciful through wisdom and utterance. This is not difficult for God.

BH01807: Praise sanctified above letters and words befitteth the Revealer…

He is God, exalted be His station, the Grandeur and the Power

Praise sanctified above letters and words befitteth the Revealer of verses and the Manifestor of evidences, Who hath quickened the world through the Kawthar of utterance and guided it. This Kawthar in one station is the utterance of the Purpose of all worlds, which appeareth from the Kingdom of might and power. Verily He hath ever been sanctified above all names, remembrances, attributes, hand and tongue. And in the second manifestation it is the station of the Book, namely the Furqan, whereby He quickened and bestowed life, exalted be His glory and universal be His bounty. And blessings and peace be upon the Essence of existence and the Sovereign of the unseen and the seen, and upon His family and companions through whom God’s commandments and laws were made manifest in His lands and the banners of His oneness were raised among His servants.

Thereafter, as the letter of that honored and kind friend indicated the well-being of the friends, this evanescent servant was filled with the utmost joy and gladness. I beseech and implore God to protect His loved ones and assist them in that which is befitting. Today it is incumbent and obligatory upon all to aid the manifest religion through prayer, that perchance cities and lands may be preserved from the oppression of the idolaters and the transgressions of the deniers. O brother! Each day they seize and carry off [a portion], yet none hath discovered the cause or understood the reason. I beseech God to unite the people of divine unity and make them aware, that they may act with one hand and eat with one mouth. The purpose is that they may become adorned with the true unity of religion. This is the first deed, the first adornment, and the first station. Blessed is he who attaineth, and woe unto every heedless doubter.

It is evident that the government is occupied day and night with reform, order and the manifestation of truth. Now the people must unite and sincerely implore God, exalted be His glory, that perchance the fire of the greed of the deniers may be quenched and the flames of self and passion may be stilled. Verily our Lord is the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth. Verily He is the Hearing, the Answering, and nigh unto response.

As for the new secretary, praise be to God, he is capable in both prose and poetry. I beseech God to cause two sweet, delicate and pleasant rivers of verse and prose to flow from both sides of his pen. Verily He is the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth through His word “Be” and it is. Convey my greetings to him, and his mention was made before the face of his Lord Who showed him kindness, and likewise towards your honor. I beseech God, exalted be His glory, to assist Jinab-i-Mirza Muhammad-Qabil-Rida in that which causeth the exaltation of stations.

The table sent through His Honor AF, upon him be 966 [Baha’u’llah], the Most Glorious, arrived and was indeed most excellent, desirable and acceptable. As for the two boxes you mentioned, they will be received. And regarding the tea, let it not escape your notice—the purpose is to know what kind it is. Even if it is only a few mithqals it suffices; it need not be much. Peace and remembrance and praise be upon your honor and upon those with you and upon the people of divine unity among God’s servants, the Lord of all worlds. And praise be to Him, for He is the Goal of those who know.

BH00611: In the Name of God, the One, and blessings…

In the Name of God, the One, and blessings be upon Him after Whom there shall be no Prophet.

Praise be to the Beloved of the world, that at this hour, when the sun is setting, the effulgent rays of the Sun of Divine love have arrived in the form of a letter. In this station, no mention of joy and delight, nor any measure or limit, is befitting. It was not a letter, but rather a volume; nay, by the life of our Purpose and your Purpose, it was a manifest Book in its mention of love and steadfastness, and in its praise and glorification of the Lord of all beings. Moreover, by the life of our Beloved and your Beloved, were the letter to be pressed, the true spiritual fragrance that was gathered from the roses of the garden of inner meanings would drip drop by drop, bestowing fresh life upon the soul, for it was sanctified above the conditions of the earthly world and possessed the meanings of the true Paradise.

Blessed be your pen, and blessed be your ink, and blessed be your tablet! At that very moment it was brought before His presence, and He uttered that which, compared to the flow of its mysteries, the ocean is but a drop, and before the effulgence of its words’ radiance, the sun appears but an atom. In all conditions, We beseech and implore the Self-Sufficient, the Exalted, that He may at every moment increase that ocean of love and join to it infinite seas, until the word “there is naught on earth save the ocean of His mercy” may be unveiled and be made manifest in the world of creation.

Glory be to Thee, O Thou Who kindlest the hearts of them that long for Thee with the fire of Thy love, and drawest nigh the souls of the near ones by the melodies of the Dove of Thy affection! I beseech Thee—by the Manifestations of Thy signs, by the Daysprings of the lights of Thy Revelation, and by that which Thou hast hidden in Thy knowledge—to send down, from the heaven of Thy bounty, unto him who hath sought Thee and found Thee, that which shall gladden his eye, tranquillize his heart, and bring repose unto his being, that neither the vicissitudes of the world, nor aught that is with the peoples, may trouble him. Then succour him, O my God, by the tokens of Thy power and the evidences of Thy sovereignty. Verily Thou art powerful to do whatsoever Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the Commander, the All-Wise.

Send down, O my God, Thy blessings upon Thine Prophets and Thy Messengers, who have not broken Thy covenant and Thy testament; and make each one of them a leader to guide Thy servants unto the Most Exalted Paradise and the Supreme Garden. Verily Thou art He Whom no affair can harm, and no thing can profit—Who at one time withholdeth by the requirements of Thy wisdom, and at another bestoweth through Thy loving-kindness and Thy bounty. I beseech Thee, O God of Names and Fashioner of the heavens, to preserve Thy trusted servant, who hath been named Muḥammad, within the kingdom of Thy names—he whom Thou hast made one of the two most exalted names in Thy Book.

I implore Thee, O Thou the Goal of the hearts of the sincere ones, to make the whole world, with all that is created therein, a helper unto him, an assistant unto him, mindful of his remembrance, oriented toward his orientation, and speaking with his utterance in Thy praise and glorification. O Lord! Thou seest him so devoted in his love for Thee that the pen is powerless to mention it, the tablet to encompass it, and the tongue to express it. That which cannot be mentioned befitteth him, for he is Thy servant, and Thou art He Who cannot be described, that He might be spoken of in this Most Holy and Most Exalted Station, and this Most Holy and Most Glorious Remembrance. There is none other God but Thee, the Lord of all beings, and the Lord of the Throne on high and of earth below.

And furthermore, O essence of my heart and soul! This evanescent servant knoweth not what to say, having fallen into a world wherein he beholdeth the attributes of that Beloved One in such wise that no word is capable of describing them, nor qualified to define them. I swear by the Sun of utterance which hath shone forth from the most exalted station in all the world that no word can clothe the meaning of love for that Beloved One, nor can it reveal, indicate, describe or guide. Rather, in this station words remain silent, nay, prostrate, uttering only “I am the weakest of the weak.” The ocean of inner meanings—that is, the ocean of love for that Beloved One—surgeth in this station.

In truth, after the letter was presented in His presence, there flowed from the tongue of His Holiness, the Ever-Present One—may our spirits be sacrificed for His sake—in this station that which causeth all oceans to appear as mere drops. I beseech God—exalted be His glory and abundant be His favors—to protect that blessed being and to manifest him through His Own Name, that he may arise to serve throughout all his days and occupy himself with that which beseemeth him, even as he hath been and is. To this beareth witness every learned one and every mystic endowed with insight from God, our Lord and your Lord, our God and your God, our Goal and the Goal of the hearts of the sincere ones.

Another matter to present is that previously a letter arrived from his honor Ali, upon him be the peace of God, wherein he wrote in detail about the tribulations and compulsory difficulties of that Beloved One. And verily, what they have written is true. Glory be to God! This too hath been and is among the requirements of the wisdom of God, exalted be His glory. That Beloved One’s affairs are referred to Him and entrusted to Him. Whatsoever hath occurred or may occur, assuredly no harm can be seen therein, for the very atoms of creation testify to the sincerity of that Beloved One and to the sanctity and purity of that Beloved One’s heart. In any case, your tribulations have greatly affected his honor Ali, upon him be the peace of God. He mentioned them in such wise that at that moment tears were shed and the heart was set ablaze. Through all the tongues of creation, I have beseeched and do beseech God, exalted be His glory, to transform into good all that hath appeared or may appear, and to adorn and illumine it with contentment. He is the Omnipotent One, to Whose power all the pens of the world and tongues of the nations have borne and do bear witness.

My God, my God! Ordain for the people of unity that which befitteth Thy loftiness, O Lord of all mankind! Thou art He Who hath adorned Thy mentioned servant with the ornament of Thy grace, the fire of Thy love, and the light of Thy knowledge. Increase, O my God, through Thy bounty and generosity, that which Thou hast given him at all times. There is no God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, the All-Generous.

Unto the friends of that land, upon them be the peace of God and His grace and glory and splendor, one and all do I send greetings. God the One is witness that His Honor Aqa Mirza ʿAbdu’l-Husayn, upon him be all the Most Glorious Glory, holds a place in my heart and dwells in my soul. In all conditions do I beseech and continue to beseech from the Self-Sufficient, the Exalted, health and protection and loftiness and ascendancy for him. He is the Powerful, He is the Mighty.

And likewise unto the beloved of my soul, His Honor Aqa Siyyid Yahya, upon him be the peace of God, the Lord of all beings, do I extend greetings, and I beseech for him that which is everlasting and eternal. Further, His Honor Ghulam, upon him be the peace of God, the Lord of all names, is before my eyes and ever remembered. I implore the True One, exalted be His glory, to aid him in all conditions to mention and praise and serve Him.

Unto his honor Ali-Asghar, upon him be the peace of God, who in truth is known as Akbar before the Divine Countenance, do I waft the fragrances of grace from the dawning-place of bounty, and I beseech confirmation for him. Further, His Honor Aqa Ali-Akbar, upon him be the peace of God, the Lord of Power, together with His Honor Mirza, upon him be the peace of God, the Lord of Names and Creator of Heaven, do I mention with the flame of the fire of love and the light of affection. Their abode, according to what they mentioned, is elsewhere. That spiritual beloved must send this remembrance which is in truth characterized by that which is unfitting and unseemly, that they may know they have not departed from the heart of this evanescent servant, and in the days of their absence they are manifest and present.

Although that beloved and the friends are not present, yet His Honor the beloved of the heart, Aqa Ahmad, upon him be the glory of God, is present on behalf of all. And among the wondrous coincidences which in truth was due to their sincerity of intention and that of His Honor the revered beloved, His Honor the father, upon him be the Most Glorious Glory of God, is that they now reside in the house facing the house of Bahji—that is, the house where previously Jinab-i-Nazir, upon him be the glory of God, resided. In view of the weakness of some, they were commanded to dwell here for some time for a change of air. Night and day they attain the honor of hearkening to verses and kindly counsels and generous exhortations. This is naught but the result of their acceptance and steadfastness and stations.

The seal of the letter is adorned with mention of the light of the loved ones, His Honor ʿAli, one of the most exalted, upon him be the glory of God and the splendor of the worlds. In truth his letter is genuine musk. Praise be to God, the fragrance of their love is diffused. I beseech from the True One, glorified be His majesty, to send down bounty and blessing and mercy from the heaven of grace. God knows the intention of that beloved and them is to serve the people of unity and to exalt His Cause. Assuredly whatsoever is required by divine wisdom and knowledge hath been and will be made manifest.

Peace and remembrance and glory be upon your honor and his honor and upon those who hold fast to that which is right and to the fear of God, our Lord and the Lord of the mighty throne.

BH01910: Praise befitteth and is worthy of that intended Lord…

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

Praise befitteth and is worthy of that intended Lord Who made the hearts of His loved ones the treasury of the pearls of His love and affection. In truth, each one is a treasure house of divine knowledge and a repository of praise of the All-Merciful. Praise be to God, they are adorned with the ornament of unity and are known for their love of the chosen ones and the pure ones.

O my God, my Lord and my Goal! I beseech Thee by the Lord of the world through Whom Thou didst guide the peoples to Thy straight path and made known to them Thy mighty message, and by His family and companions whom neither the veils of the ungodly nor the clamor of the transgressors prevented, who conquered lands in Thy name and raised therein the banner of Thy Cause and the standard of Thy justice—O Lord, I beseech Thee by them and by Thy Prophets and chosen ones to assist Thy loved ones in Thy remembrance and praise. Then send down upon them from the heaven of Thy bounty a blessing from Thy presence and a grace from Thee. Thou art He to Whose generosity all created things have testified and to Whose munificence all contingent beings have borne witness. Disappoint not him whom Thou hast named ʿAli in the Kingdom of Names from that which Thou hast ordained for those who have drunk from the ocean of Thy good-pleasure and hastened to that which pleaseth Thee. Verily Thou art the Compassionate, the Generous. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

The letter of that honored one arrived twice, and on each occasion it attained the honor of being heard by the Master, may our spirits be a sacrifice for Him. He revealed that which is the cause of hope for all who have turned towards Him. The pens of the world cannot reckon this bounty, the tongues of nations fall short of mentioning it, for most of the world’s people are unbelievers towards each other, save one party, and even they are afflicted among the parties. Each day they seize and carry away. We beseech God to protect the people of unity and deliver them from the evil of the oppressors. He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

As for the matters of which you wrote, after they were presented He said there was and is no harm in it. The work is for God and its end will surely be for the greatest good. Sorrow has no place; grief and anxiety will be transformed by God’s will. What you wrote about Muhammad, upon him be peace and glory—it is the truth without doubt. Indeed they have borne that which became the cause of unity and harmony, and this unity and harmony spread like lightning, nay swifter, throughout all the lands of Iran. In any case, whatever they now deem advisable that will bring immediate reform, let them carry it out with joy and fragrance. O ʿAli, grieve not over anything. He is with you and with His righteous servants. Nothing escapes God’s knowledge. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to assist you with the hosts of grace and favors. Verily He is powerful over all things and worthy to answer prayer.

This servant at all hours and minutes, nights and days, beseeches God—exalted be His glory—on behalf of that spiritual friend whatsoever will bring the greatest joy, that his heart may be illumined with a light from which the world and the hearts of nations may derive brightness. This is not difficult for God. Peace and remembrance and glory be upon you and upon those with you and upon those who love you for the sake of God, the Powerful, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

BH03428: O Ali! The Divine Lote-Tree in the highest Paradise…

In the name of the one incomparable Lord, the All-Knowing!

O Ali! The Divine Lote-Tree in the highest Paradise crieth out with this most exalted Word: O peoples of the earth! By God, the Promise hath come, and the Promised One calleth aloud with the most great Call: Come ye and draw nigh, O people, and be not of the heedless ones! This Call is most loud, yet the ears of the world are debarred therefrom. The recompense of their deeds hath deprived all, save whom God willeth.

Today from the waves of the ocean of knowledge, and the rustling of the Tree of divine wisdom, and the murmuring of the waters of life, the word “The Truth hath come” is heard. We beseech God to assist His servants and guide them to the straight path. He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

This Wronged One hath, for the sake of God, accepted the harm of the world for the exaltation of His Word and the revelation of His Cause, until the banner “Verily He is God” was raised by the hand of might to its loftiest station, and the standard “He doeth what He willeth” was planted in the Most Great Prison. Now certain ignorant ones among the people of the Bayan who count themselves among its adherents have arisen in opposition. We beseech God, exalted be He, to adorn His servants with the ornament of justice and fairness. Verily He is the Powerful over what He willeth and doeth what He pleaseth.

Mention of you hath been made before the Wronged One, therefore this Tablet hath been sent down from the heaven of the Divine Will as a token of grace and bounty, that thou mayest rejoice and be of the thankful ones.

Say: My God, my God! Thou seest me turning toward Thee, hoping for the wonders of Thy grace. By Thy might, O Desire of the world and Adored One of the nations! My heart findeth no rest save in Thy remembrance and praise, and my soul no tranquility except in the light of Thy knowledge. O Lord! Thou seest the hands of hope raised toward the heaven of Thy bounty, and the eye of supplication fixed upon the horizon of Thy generosity and favor. I beseech Thee, by the pearls of the ocean of Thy mercy, to ordain that I may in all circumstances stand firm in Thy service and speak forth Thy praise amongst Thy creatures with wisdom and eloquence. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Bestower.

BH04280: The Word of God hath appeared in truth. Verily…

He is the One speaking from His most exalted horizon.

The Word of God hath appeared in truth. Verily it aideth the Cause of its Lord, the Master of the Day of Separation. Verily it announceth unto all on earth the heaven of grace and ocean of bounty and sun of God’s loving-kindness, the Lord of Lords. Blessed is the servant who hath heard and responded to the call of God, and woe unto every denying infidel.

He who loved Me hath appeared before the Wronged One. We make mention of thee in a Tablet whereunto nothing possessed by the nations can compare, as doth testify He with Whom is the Mother Book. Can anyone prevent the power of My Most Exalted Pen or the influence of My Most Great Word? Nay, by My true Self! Blessed is he who hath recognized and attained, and woe unto every hesitating doubter.

When thou hast attained unto My Tablet and heard My call, say: My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having made known unto me the Dawning-Place of Thy verses and the Ocean of Thy knowledge and the Repository of Thine inspiration. I beseech Thee by the sighing of the lovers in Thy days and the crying out of those yearning for Thee in their love for Thee, and by the Word before which the necks of Thy creation have bowed down, to make me one of those who have quaffed the choice wine of Thy revelation and taken hold of Thy Book through Thy power, in such wise that neither the weapons of the world nor the hosts of the nations deterred them.

O my Lord! Ordain for this servant that which befitteth Thy bounty and grace. Then make me one of those who have heard Thy most sweet call and attained unto Thy mention and praise amidst humanity. O my Lord! Thy mercy hath preceded all and Thy grace hath encompassed all. I beseech Thee not to withhold from me that which Thou hast ordained for those of Thy servants who are nigh unto Thee and those of Thy creatures who are sincere. Thou art the Almighty One by the movement of Whose finger the heaven was cleft asunder and the earth was split and the mountains were crushed. There is no God but Thee, the Self-Sufficient, the Most Exalted.

BH05224: O ʿAli! Turn thy face toward God, the Self-Subsisting…

He is the One that warbleth upon the branches

O ʿAli! Turn thy face toward God, the Self-Subsisting, the All-Compelling, and say:

O my God! I testify to that which the Tongue of Thy grandeur hath testified before the creation of Thy earth and heaven, that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but Thee. Thou hast ever been obeyed in Thy Cause and sovereign through Thy power, such that the conditions of Thy creation and the vicissitudes of Thy realm cannot weaken Thee. I testify to Thy oneness and Thy singleness, and to the sanctification of Thy Being from all else but Thee, and the exaltation of Thy Essence above all others. I have heard Thy call and turned toward Thee, and have beheld the lights of Thy most exalted horizon and turned to it through Thy grace. I beseech Thee by Thy Hidden Name which hath appeared among Thy creatures and called all to Thy horizon, that Thou make me one of the letters of Thy Book, that I may be rendered immortal through Thy grace and living and enduring through Thy bounty and favor.

O my Lord! Enable me to act according to what Thou hast commanded me in Thy Book and that whereby Thy Word may be exalted in Thy cities and lands. Thou art He to Whose power every person of insight and understanding hath testified, and to Whose grandeur every person of knowledge and wisdom hath borne witness. Nothing among all things can frustrate Thy will, nor can the might of princes and divines frighten Thee. O my Lord! Thou seest me clinging unto Thee and turning toward the lights of Thy countenance. Ordain for me through Thy Most Exalted Pen the good of the world to come and of this world. There is none other God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

BH00658: All praise, sanctified from the conditions, manifestations and appearances…

In the Name of Our Lord, the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious

All praise, sanctified from the conditions, manifestations and appearances of the nations, befitteth the Ancient Lord Who, through His Most Great Name, hath adorned the world of meaning with the springtime of spirituality, Who through “No” hath negated the manifestations of vain imaginings and through “but” hath adorned the daysprings of affirmation with the ornament of acceptance. Exalted be His grace, exalted be His grandeur, and exalted be His favors. There is no God but He. Glory be unto Thee, O Quickener of the graves through the breathings of revelation! I beseech Thee by the cities that were honored by Thy footsteps, by the gates that were opened through Thy Name, and by the bounties which Thou hast ordained in the most exalted Paradise for them that are nigh unto Thee among Thy servants and the sincere ones among Thy creatures, to assist Thy loved ones to stand firm in Thy Cause and to hold fast unto Thy cord in such wise that the doubts of the nations and the manifestations of the world shall not withhold them. Verily, Thou art the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

O Lord! Thou seest one of Thy servants who hath turned toward Thee in the early days. I beseech Thee by the waves of the ocean of Thy generosity to ordain for him that which shall abide with him in every world of Thy worlds. Make his deeds, O my God, as treasures with Thee. Verily, Thou art the Powerful One Whom the might of the world cannot withhold. Thou givest and Thou withholdest. Verily, Thou art the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days.

And then, the letter of that spiritual friend arrived. Praise be to God, it spoke of health, love, steadfastness and arising to serve. In truth, each word thereof was a volume concerning what had befallen that soul in the path of God. Though outwardly brief, inwardly each letter was a mirror reflecting conversations, hardships, migration and estrangement. In one place He saith, blessed and exalted be He:

“Man seeth therein what he desireth not to see and heareth therein what he desireth not to hear”

- that is, in this world. Verily, thou hast borne hardships in the path of God and hast followed the Ancient Lord in tribulations. I beseech God, exalted be He, to aid and assist you in that whereby His laws and commandments may be spread abroad. Verily, He hath power over all things.

In brief, after reading the letter and becoming acquainted with its contents, I turned toward the most exalted Kingdom, attained the presence of His countenance, and after complete permission, all of it was presented. This is what God hath revealed in reply, He, the Lord, exalted and sanctified be He:

In My Name, the Speaking One, the All-Knowing

O thou who journeyest in the lands and travelest from thy native country in the path of God, the Lord of all religions! Hearken unto My call, for it draweth thee to the pavilions of My majesty and the tabernacle of My glory. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the All-Attractive. Neither the denial of the world nor the doubts of those who have disbelieved in the Hereafter can withhold Him. We have manifested that which was hidden in knowledge and have sent down the proof which, when revealed, caused all the proofs of the world to bow down before it. Yet the people are in doubt and dissension. The concourse of the Bayan have cast the Book of God behind their backs, clinging to idle fancies and vain imaginings.

O Muhammad! New deceptions have appeared and old rejected utterances have come forth. The people of the Bayan have adopted precisely the words of the Shi’ihs and walk in the same paths. They have fashioned a false Ali and turned away from One through Whose word a thousand true Alis are created. Consider the lack of understanding of these souls. For one thousand two hundred years they clung to vain imaginings, and when He appeared not a single one of the leading divines of that party attained to faith. Rather, they manifested such unbelief that they pronounced sentence of death upon the Lord of the world. It was never known what the fruit of that party’s beliefs and the results of their deeds would be—in truth, it was loss in this world and the next. Now again the deniers of the Bayan have resorted to the same things as before. They speak as did the former party, at times speaking of the corruption of the Book, at times clinging to idle fancies and vain imaginings.

Say: O company of the veiled ones! Today the lights of true unity have encompassed the world. Pass beyond the river of names that ye may attain unto the ocean of inner meanings. O Muhammad! The immature ones of the world were not and are not worthy of mention by the Supreme Pen. It behooveth men to find their like and cling unto them. Throughout the ages and centuries there have been idol-worshippers. How can such a party be worthy to become intimate with the mysteries of the Kingdom or to discover the fragrances of divine verses? Today every soul must sanctify the tablet of his heart from former impressions, that it may be adorned with the seal of “Verily I am God’s.” How remote is this station from the conditions of men and the levels of their understanding! Glory be to God! Have they no eyes? Have they no ears? Nay, they are deprived of both. The prejudices of former times have appeared a hundredfold greater. Ask of God that He may bestow a portion of the ocean of knowledge upon the ignorant people and deprive them not of the lights of the Sun of Justice.

Hadi Dawlat-Abadi hath arisen in opposition and, like unto the Shi’ih divines, speedily sendeth his followers to hell. Say: O ye who are devoid of understanding! The chief of your divines was Shaykh Muhammad-Hasan-i-Najafi. He wrote religious rulings for fifty years, yet when the divine Tablet was sent to him, he turned away and occupied himself with leading the people astray. Likewise did all the divines of Iran in the early years—all turned away and gave verdict for the shedding of His most pure blood. Now Mulla Hadi hath appeared with a new staff and a new turban, desiring to establish another party for another thousand two hundred years and send them to the abode of perdition.

Say: O my God, my God! Thou seest me advancing toward Thee and clinging to the cord of Thy bounty. I beseech Thee by the lights of the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and the mysteries of Thy Book and what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones, to assist Thy servants to act with justice and equity. Verily, Thou art powerful over what Thou willest. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O my Lord! Aid them to behold the Tree and its fruits, and the Sun and its effulgence. Verily, Thou art the Protector of those who are in earth and heaven. In Thy grasp is the reins of all servants. Thou doest what Thou willest and ordainest what Thou desirest. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Most Praised.

Praise be to God, our Lord, the King of Names and Creator of heaven! The pearls of His ocean of knowledge have ever been manifest and visible, and the fragrances of His grace diffused and wafting. Yet the servants remain heedless, save for a few who have truly rent asunder the veils, scattered the ranks of names, shattered the idols of fancy, and with their whole being joined themselves to the Truth. Such is the station of the horsemen of this field. The immature ones of the world must wallow in the clay of idle fancies and return to their abode.

Concerning what you wrote about being in the state of seeking and crying “Show me!”, after this matter was presented in the Most Holy Court, these exalted words descended from the heaven of Will—blessed and exalted be His utterance:

“O Muhammad! This Wronged One bears witness that the words Thou shalt not see Me’ have been transformed to Look and thou shalt see Me’, and you have attained and achieved this. O Muhammad! By the life of God, the servants are more content with ʿThou shalt not see Me’. Consider the deniers of the Bayan. They have preferred the owl to the eagle, and the lizard to the phoenix. Those feeble souls were not and are not worthy of the effulgences of the Sun of Power. They consume dust and are occupied with dust. We beseech God to protect His loved ones from their doubts and their croaking. Verily, He is powerful over all things.”

This evanescent one testifies that that spiritual beloved has ever been and continues to be remembered, has not been and will not be forgotten. I beseech God, exalted be His glory, to grant another meeting, that we may gather in the shade of the Blessed Tree, to speak and to listen. Previously this servant sent a letter to you containing divine verses, but as it was during the time of upheaval, it did not reach you. All that you sent, both money and otherwise, before and after, was received according to your recent letter. Wherever you meet the loved ones of God, convey greetings on behalf of this servant. I beseech God to set them all ablaze and grant new effect to their burning, that the whole world, from East and West and South and North, may attain to the warmth of divine love through that luminous flame. Glory, remembrance and praise be upon you, upon those with you, and upon every steadfast believer.

The servant 9 Rabi’u’l-Avval 1305

BH01826: O beloved of my heart! There exists no reminder…

He is God, exalted be His station, the Grandeur and the Power

O beloved of my heart! There exists no reminder in the world, no educator and no reformer like separation. Glory be to God! The light of union and its station and rank become manifest through it, and patience and forbearance shine forth from it. At every moment it makes the soul aware. Infinite grief appears from it, yet the discerning soul beholds in the ocean of grief the hand of divine training and witnesses the chalices of mercy. In brief, whatsoever comes from God, glorified be His majesty, is adorned with wisdom, and His wisdom in all conditions and circumstances is the cause of the exaltation and elevation of His servants. Praise be to God Who has made separation the key to union and remoteness the harbinger of nearness, Who has honored us with His oneness among His servants and adorned us with the ornament of His laws and ordinances.

Verily He is the Lord of all beings. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. And blessings and peace be upon His Beloved through whom the light of unity shone forth from the horizon of God’s will, the Lord of lords, and through whom the gate of knowledge was opened and the dove of mystical understanding warbled upon the highest branches. Sovereignty belongs to God, the One, the Chosen. And upon His family and companions whom the affairs of the world prevented not from helping the Cause of God, the Lord of all beings. They strove with utmost striving until they conquered the lands. Verily He is the Lord of the servants and the King of creation in the beginning and the return.

Glorified art Thou, O my God and my Purpose and the Ultimate Object of my hope and my desire! I beseech Thee by Thy Book through which Thou didst separate between truth and falsehood and which Thou didst name the Furqan among Thy servants who arose to help Thy Cause and exalt Thy Word and manifest Thy laws, that Thou assist Thy servants in that which Thou lovest and approvest. Then I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy Throne that Thou preserve the one who hath acknowledged Thy unity and oneness and hath adorned his life with Thy remembrance and praise. O Lord! Ordain for him through Thy bounty that which befitteth the waves of the ocean of Thy generosity and bestowal. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

And further, O beloved of my heart! Although the pen of this ignorant one wrote of the virtues of separation and established proofs, yet much pain and injury proceed from it. It melts the liver, dissolves the heart, and prevents the breast from expansion. I beseech God, glorified be His majesty, and hope that He will soon ordain reunion and not deprive us of the blessing of meeting, by the truth of His Prophets and Messengers and their Lord and Master. Verily He is the Hearer, the Answerer. You have always been and continue to be remembered. This evanescent servant beseeches God that He make this journey of yours the cause of outward and inward profit and the means of ordering scattered and dispersed affairs.

He is the Powerful and the Mighty. If you wish to know the conditions of this land—we are alive and enjoying God’s infinite bounties. All the relatives are well and adorned with the ornament of health. No grief exists save separation from that beloved, and it is hoped that even this will soon be transformed into joy and delight. I convey greetings to the friends of that land and beseech God for their assistance and confirmation. He is the All-Bountiful, He is the Bestower, He is the Generous. A letter was written by this servant in reply to the letter of his honor Aqa Muhammad Ali, upon him be God’s peace, and sent, and likewise a blessed Tablet especially for the beloved of the heart, his honor Nabil ibn Nabil, upon him be peace. Peace be upon you and upon God’s sincere servants, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

BH04373: The Mother Book speaks: “The All-Giver has come…

He is the Hearer in His most exalted horizon

The Mother Book speaks: “The All-Giver has come with a sovereignty before which all necks have bowed low. Take heed, O people of insight!” The Beloved speaks: “The Most Great Announcement has come, whereby the hearts of the nations were thrown into commotion, save those whom God, the Lord of lords, willed.” And the Spirit calls out: “O people of the Gospel! By God, the Promised One has come from the heaven of proof with His most great glory. Fear God and deny not Him Who was promised you in the Psalms and Tablets.” And Moses calls out: “He Whose beauty I was prevented from beholding has appeared. Hasten, O people of the Torah, unto the good-pleasure of God, the Almighty, the Unconstrained.”

And the Point of the Bayan laments and says: “O My servants! We counseled you in all Our Books, nay in every leaf, to believe in Him and His verses, yet you committed that which caused all things to lament.” Thus have We sent down the verses and shown you thereby the path of guidance. Fear God, lay aside what you possess and take what you are commanded by God, the Lord of creation. Thus did the tongue of the Wronged One speak when He was in the hands of the wicked. When you attain to My Tablet and find the fragrance of My utterance, say: “O my Lord! Praise be to Thee for having turned toward me from the direction of the prison.

I beseech Thee by Thy wrongs and by what befell Thee at the hands of Thine enemies, to make me one of those who have taken hold of Thy Book with the hand of resignation, clinging to what hath been sent down therein from the heaven of Thy commands and laws. Verily Thou art powerful over what Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.”

BH06541: This is a remembrance from Us to one who…

He is the Hearer, the Answerer

This is a remembrance from Us to one who desired to drink from the Kawthar of inner meanings from the cup of God’s loving-kindness, the Lord of all worlds. The Wronged One hath heard thy mention—a mention that no mention of the peoples can equal—and hath witnessed thy turning unto Him, whereupon He turneth toward thee from His Most Great Prison. We have arisen before all faces and called everyone unto God, the Mighty, the Praised. The people of hypocrisy turned away from Us and desired to extinguish the light of God through their might and their swords. Thus did their souls entice them. Yet they are assuredly among the companions of the Fire. Blessed art thou for having heard the Call and turned unto the One, the All-Informed.

We counsel thee with that which the All-Merciful hath revealed in His perspicuous Book and with that whereby His Cause may be exalted among His servants. Verily, the Wronged One is the True Counsellor, the All-Knowing. He calleth thee and the friends of God while being between the fangs of those who have denied God’s right, His proof, His Manifestation and His clear evidences, with that whereby His firm and mighty Cause may be exalted. Blessed is the strong one who hath arisen to help the weak, and the powerful one who hath turned toward the wronged and friendless One. The glory from Us be upon thee and upon those who have heard and answered their Lord, the Hearer, the All-Seeing.

BH06718: A Book sent down by the Lord of Might…

In the Name of Him Who shineth from the horizon of the heaven of the Kingdom

A Book sent down by the Lord of Might unto him who hath hearkened to the Call and turned unto God, the Mighty, the Beauteous. O My loved ones on earth and My friends in every land! Hearken unto the call of the Wronged One. He desireth to make mention of you through the verses of God and give you glad tidings of His bounty which hath encompassed all who are in the heavens and on earth. When thou hast attained unto the lights of the Day-Star of My utterance and quaffed the choice wine of divine knowledge from the chalice of My bestowal, say:

My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having guided me and made mention of me. Thou didst create me, O my God, through Thy will and purpose, and nourished me with the purest milk, and reared me through the hands of Thy care and favor until Thou didst cause me to hear Thy most sweet call and taught me Thy path. I beseech Thee, O Creator of heaven, O Thou through Whose might the earth was cleft asunder and the heaven was rent apart, and through Whose loving-kindness the countenance of all things was made to smile, to ordain that I may in all conditions remain content with what Thou hast through Thy bounty and generosity ordained for me. Verily Thou art He through Whose will all things moved and through Whose purpose all beings came to be. Nothing can frustrate Thee and no affair can hinder Thee. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Strong, the All-Conquering, the All-Powerful.